Manchester united’s golden generation (or more precisely golden generations) led by Sir Alex Ferguson produced a lot of everything. A lot of silverware, a lot of wins, a lot of great players and a lot of great memories, but also a lot of scandals, failed signings and failed hopes.
It has been a wonderful and fulfilling journey for every football fan, and especially for every Manchester United fan. But we didn’t mention one more thing that came in large numbers with the success of a couple of Ferguson’s generations. Books.
Sir Alex himself wrote two autobiographies, and there are countless books that other people have written about him. You can imagine how many bookshelves are stacked with books concerning wonderful persona of Eric Cantona.
But behind these two comes Wayne Rooney. Another kid that has risen to stardom under the greatest manager of all time. On the 9th of March 2006. Rooney signed the largest sportsbook deal in publishing history.
Harper Collins gave him £5 million-plus royalties for five books that were planned to be published over the next 12 years. The first one titled My Story So Far captured great publicity moment and was published after 2006 World Cup (yet nothing about THAT World Cup incident with Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in that book).
The second one The Official Wayne Rooney Annual was a book written by Chris Hunt, and it was aimed mainly towards the teenage population. The third one – My Decade in Premier League was published in September 2012. and it is to this day the best insight in Rooney’s life and career we can get.
Tone of the book
Wayne had his differences with Sir Alex and some players over the years, but all of his conflicts were resolved in silence. Wayne Rooney is not the fiery person like Roy Keane or authoritarian like Sir Alex. No one gets a hostile treatment in his book if you are looking for scandals and some sort of shaming – skip this book.
You will get one pretty laid back biography of a hard-working forward whose life is completely led by the sheer love of football. His writing when it comes to describing big games and important moments on the pitch is exactly like his showings on that pitch – precise, detailed and right on spot.
As for the humorous part of the book – there is one, but for me, that is maybe the biggest flaw of Rooney’s “My Decade in Premier League”. From someone so influential in the dressing room in over that particular decade, I wanted to read more anecdotes.
As a football fan, those things are the second most enjoyable thing besides the actual game. Once again I have to note – there are anecdotes, and they are really funny and informative, but I expected many more.
As for the writing style – the whole book is written in the first person and it gives you an impression of a relaxing conversation with a friend. Sir Alex is referred to as “The Manager” throughout the story, and when Rooney writes about his teammates he uses nicknames as Giggsy (Ryan Giggs), Scholesy (Paul Scholes) or Nev (Gary Neville).
Generally, the most important thing to know is that if you’re not a Rooney or Man United fan this isn’t a book for you. It has bits and pieces that will interest a casual football fan, but this isn’t the juiciest of football books, and this isn’t one of those books that will give you a fresh perspective about the whole game in general. You don’t have anything about the Glazers in it. Tactics are not discussed in a pundit’s kind of way, you’ll get more info about Sir Alex’s influence on the players, his passion and the amount of trust and respect he got from not just the players, but the whole club in general.
This is a book for the fans, and this is a book for people with a sheer love of football as a game, not as an industry or even as a professional sport.
And in those terms – it’s a nearly perfect thing to read.
Early years
Wayne Rooney is one of the players that has grown to great footballing fame in his earliest years. Being 16 years-old he was a great asset of Everton, and the whole nation expected to get new striking sensations on the pitch.
But we learn that first sport he has picked up was boxing, at Croxteth Sports Centre. And he absolutely loved it. He loved speed, aggression, and danger of a good bout, but he adapted these skills perfectly on a football pitch as soon as he has replaced bouts for boots.
He went on to grace the field of Everton stadium at just 10 years old because he was a club mascot. But from there, everything went really fast.
He explains what was it like when he was a 14-year-old kid who was tipped to be the next big thing in Everton. He explains what was it like when he earned £75 a week while training and playing with Premier League players.
Maybe the most touching part of his depiction of early years is his writing about Duncan Ferguson. He lived to play with his boyhood idol, and every football fan who dreamt of this while he was playing football as a kid can relate to this story. We must wait for another Wayne’s book to read what was it like to play at Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial, but we are happy to wait a little bit. And I am sure that description of that game is someone every football fan needs to read, because Wazza doesn’t forget where he came from, and I am sure it meant a world to him.
First-person in which the book is written helps us to relate to those early years stories and to feel how has It been for young Wayne, whose passion for football bleeds from every page of this book.
Wazza plays with passion
And you could see that in every game he has ever played. Even now, in his later years, he gives his 100 percent every time he steps on that court.
So, it’s not surprising when we read his opinions about modern football. The only really complex subject in this book is the subject of money in modern football. Rooney clearly doesn’t like all the modern stuff – obsession with huge contracts, entourages, all of that marketing things in football…
He clearly states that the only thing that has driven him to success is his passion. Pure love of the game and pure will to win every time he steps on the field. So when you read this you will be able to have a better understanding of all of his feuds with Sir Alex because they never came because of money, a position he plays, or his minutes on the pitch. The only problem he had with “The Manager” was when he taught that team wasn’t competitive enough, and that owners should invest more money in the squad. He just wanted to win, he isn’t one of those who thinks that it’s ok just to participate.
Understand the background
While you’re reading “My Decade in Premier League” you get the impression of a very traditional Wayne Rooney. You acknowledge how much Wazza cares about loyalty, history, community, etc.
If you know all about Mancunian – Scouse rivalry, building the port in Manchester, the downfall of Liverpool economy and football rivalry that came after all of that – you’ll find this part of the book informative, emotional and amazing.
If you don’t know any of that, don’t worry. You don’t need to know all the bits and pieces about the greatest rivalry in English football, and possibly the greatest rivalry among any two cities in England.
In this book the Merseyside, Manchester United – Liverpool derbies and Mancunians are discussed throughout the whole book. You don’t need to be an Everton or Liverpool fan to understand the parts of the book where Wayne talks about the anxiety and joy of these derbies.
If you are a football fan – you will easily relate to these things. Rooney describes the whole thing – preparations for the derbies, his feelings about it, and the feelings of the whole team.
He thoroughly describes almost every Man Utd – Liverpool match he played, and his feelings when he joined United and watched Merseyside derbies at home.
You can easily see how much it means to him. You can easily see why he celebrated like crazy every time he scored against Liverpool. You can understand how he must have felt a couple of years after writing this book, when he returned to Everton and single-handedly brought Manchester City down at their stadium, in front of the same bunch of people that suffered watching him putting balls behind Joe Hart in Manchester United jersey.
Sir Alex Ferguson
The entire book is in the first person, with only the foreword written by Sir Alex Ferguson. This basically tells you the whole story about Wazza and Sir Alex right away, this tells you that Scottish genius has a special place in Wayne’s life.
He brought Wayne to Manchester United as 18-year old kid with lots of potential, and when he retired Rooney was already a legend, He was already one of the highest-scoring “Devils” ever, he had won 5 Premier Leagues, 3 Community Shields, 2 League Cups, and 1 Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup in red shirt.
Sir Alex is referred to as “The Manager” in this book. He is described as the driving force of not only the Manchester United team and players but the club in general.
If you think “The Manager” had his pets, or that he had been satisfied with someone’s performance at times – you are wrong. He was never satisfied, never had Man Utd played a game which was ok to him.
“Someone’s going to get it”, says Rooney, when he talks about what was going on after defeats.
And what was it? It – Ferguson’s famous attacks of rage known as The Hairdryer.
“He gets right up in my face and shouts. It feels like I’ve put my head in front of a BaByliss Turbo Power 2000“, says Wazza.
As one writer humorously put it – it’s no wonder that “Rooney has had to have a hair transplant. His follicles have been blown off”.
Second place was never good enough for him. Sir Alex personally said that he had never played for a draw, and you clearly see that is the truth. He ruled the team with iron discipline and hated any form of complacency.
The story about fining Rooney after 5-0 thrashing of Wigan is the best example of this.
“I’m happy at Manchester United, despite the downs that sometimes take place at a football club. Like when we stuff Wigan 5-0 on Boxing Day. I go out for dinner with a few of the lads, and our other halves, to a hotel.
The next day, the manager pulls me up and tells me he’s not happy and doesn’t feel I’ve trained properly. He fines me, but there’s worse to come. I’m dropped for the next game, on New Year’s Eve, against Blackburn.
At a lot of clubs, people wouldn’t bat an eyelid at players having a night out six days before a game. But that’s the difference at Manchester United and a mark of the high standards the manager demands.”
It’s a big deal, another lesson learned
The following week I had to sit in the stands and watch us lose 3-2 to Blackburn. It’s the worst feeling when that happens. It was terrible. Blackburn looked certainties for relegation, yet we were worse than them.
“As I watched I feel desperate and helpless, just like all the other United fans watching the defeat unfold”, writes Rooney. And then goes on about how that situation lifted everyone in the club, and how Sir Alex knew how to motivate his players and make them go the extra mile.
If you plan to be a leader in your life – skip all of the popular psychology books and motivational quotes. Just read this part of Rooney’s book, and you will have a great sketch of the things you need to do to establish yourself as an important figure.
Big games
Pick any of the big games Wayne Rooney has played in a period of time he writes about in “My Decade in Premier League”, and you’ll get a great insight into that game from his perspective.
All the big games are minutely described. That final in Moscow in 2008? You’ll find out about the incredible details of it. He paints a clear picture of all stages of the game – preparation, dressing room stuff before the game and the game itself. Do you want to know what happened after the game, in Moscow? You’ll get that, too.
The thrashing of Arsenal 8-2 is another game that is really well described, but Wayne isn’t a guy that hides a lot of stuff. He doesn’t run away from his failures so he sat down and put a terrific depiction of 6-1 defeat to the hands of Manchester City to the paper.
He writes a lot about winning, and he likes winning, but he doesn’t hide any bit of bitterness that came with the defeats, Of all of the events described in this book, one stands out – Manchester City’s 2011/12 title.
Rooney writes about the final day of that season in tiniest detail possible, You’ll get the impression of a real-time broadcast of Sunderland – Man Utd and Man City – QPR. You’ll see how that Rooney’s opener against Sunderland gave hope to the team, and you will witness how much of a disaster Aguero’s goal brought to Wayne, Sir Alex, the whole team and the whole of Manchester United football club.
Here we are – spicy detail!
No, there are no spicy details about Rooney’s feuds, not even that much about his disrespect for David Moyes, who had become Ferguson’s successor in later years.
I am referring to anecdotes and all the fun stuff here. Things from the locker room, and the juicy details about some of the Wazza’s teammates.
And there is plenty of stuff about Anderson! No wonder he never fulfilled his potential. Brazilian came to Manchester United and he was dubbed to be Paul Scholes’ successor. But his English was bad, and how he used to learn it from Xbox!
So, Rooney writes how Anderson would shout nonsense like “He’s killed me” or “He’s in the generator room”, while they were training.
There is a funny story about a team photoshoot that came at a bad time. The team was partying hard the night before, and the photoshoot was at 9 AM. Rooney, Ronaldo, and pals could hardly stand on their feet, and they looked terrible.
Some of the players really didn’t care, but you can suspect who was afraid about his public image. Cristiano Ronaldo reckoned he could hide his drowsy he looked by putting a cap on. So, if you ever come by a CR7 photo with a funny cap, now you know what happened the night before that.
What about things outside of football?
You won’t get that in this book. There are some mentions of his family, most noticeably his wife Coleen and son Kai, but not so much. Either he doesn’t want to bring his private life onto the public eye, or he just doesn’t do a lot of things besides football.
It may just be true because there is so much football in his daily routine. Not just that day after day he “practices it all; long shots, volleys, half-volleys, free kicks, heading drills”, but he also watches a lot of football at home.
When there aren’t any football matches on TV he plays football games on his Xbox. He hangs out with his teammates – and then they talk about football. When there is no football he gets bored, and I’m not talking about the period between seasons. He hates being injured, he doesn’t want any rest from football.
“When I’m out injured I know I can’t train or help the lads prepare for the next match so, typically, I get grumpy, a bit like someone would when they have to give up smoking or coffee, I’d imagine.
I have breakfast with the team in the canteen and when it’s time to start work, they go one way to the training pitches and I go the other to the physio’s room and the gym.
They’re playing small-sided games out on the training pitches and I’m getting checked out. It’s boring.
I’m a fidgety patient. I get snappy. I go quiet. I don’t get fed up with the treatment or the physios and club doctors, I just want to get out there and play in the practice games like everyone else. The worst thing is that the rehab process messes around with my head. I feel left out at the club.”
The game means so much to him, and it may be true that he doesn’t have many things to talk about besides it.
Is this the book for you?
Let’s put it this way – it’s definitely worth reading. The style of the book isn’t complex, so you can relax and read this while commuting to work, or while being on vacation. Or while you are waiting for club football to get back on TV in those days we all hate, when it’s time for the international break.
If you are a fan of Rooney and Manchester United grade for this book is 10/10. If you just a casual football fan let’s say this is 8/10 book, because of many parts of it you won’t be so interested in.
If you’re a football hipster and want something different, a lot of talk about how modern football works, and how Sir Alex had a brilliant tactical mind, or something like that – skip this book. This isn’t a book for analysts. This is the book for the people.
Similar Books To Read
- Sir Matt Busby: The Father of Manchester United.
- Roy Keane: The Autobiography
- Growing Up With the Trinity: An Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman Walked Onto a Football Pitch…by Brendon Mcguire (Out Sept 2019).
- My Manchester United Years by Bobby Charlton.
- Gentleman John: The biography of Johnny Carey. Manchester United and Ireland Legend by Cavanagh MBE, Mr. Roy and Mr. Carl Abbott.
- Denis Law: My Life in Football (MUFC) by Denis Law and Ivan Ponting.
- From the Goal line to Touchline Kindle Edition by Jack Crompton.
- Harry Stafford: Manchester United’s First Captain Marvel by Ean Gardiner and Mark Wylie
- The Man Who Kept The Red Flag Flying: Jimmy Murphy – The Family Authorised Life Story by Wayne Barton.
- Class of 92 (MUFC) by Ian Marshall.
- Cantona: The Rebel Who Would Be King Philippe Auclair.
- Giggs: The Autobiography Joe Lovejoy.
- Duncan Edwards: The Greatest (MUFC) by James Leighton.
- Robbo – My Autobiography: An extraordinary career by Bryan Robson.
- Red, White & Blackmore by Clayton Blackmore, Wayne Barton, et al.
