Media obsession with Man Utd's Wayne Rooney ignores valid Chelsea and Arsenal claims

As if the media hype surrounding Ryan Giggs last season – and him subsequently being given the PFA Player of the Year award – wasn’t bemusing enough, the media are attempting to contrive a one horse race for this year’s honour.

The benefit of being English and playing well in a World Cup year to Rooney is so insurmountable in the race to be given the PFA award that it may as well be re-branded the ‘Wayne Rooney award’, presumably doled out for being the outstanding candidate from a pre-selected pool of one. Absurdly, Rooney – aged 24 – has also been shortlisted for the young player of the year award.

I have no problem with Wayne Rooney being shortlisted for the award, which he was today, or indeed him actually winning the thing. He has had an excellent season, has carried Man Utd and even I’d be hard pushed to come up with a 100% concrete argument that any other player has bested him. He will be a deserving winner of any award. But I resent the overwhelming media circus that has come to surround him which now seems to be reaching a crescendo.

Want evidence of this media obsession? Look no further than the headline on the BBC website reporting the shortlist. The headline reads: ‘Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney shortlisted for PFA award’. Interesting – and what about the other players? Focusing on the Liverpudlian in the headline makes no sense – the announcement isn’t in the least surprising. Had Owen Hargreaves, Manuel Almunia or Robbie Savage been in the running, I would be less perturbed at the domination of their name in the headline. But that didn’t happen.

The media love-in for Wayne Rooney is everywhere. Commentators seem to want to talk about him even when Utd aren’t playing, and print journalists seem willing to forget his aggressive tantrums (which haven’t disappeared) and, particularly as Terry vacated morality over the last few months, as they laud Rooney as some kind of reformed character and perfect role model. Until they had their eyes opened by Messi’s performance against Arsenal last week, the journalist community were convinced Rooney was the best player on the planet.

Other players deserve a balanced appraisal from the media, especially in a year where – unlike last season – the top teams are far more evenly matched.

I’ve compared Drogba with Rooney before, but let’s remind ourselves of the figures. Rooney has scored 26 goals in the league (once every 95 minutes on average), Drogba 25 (once every 96 minutes). Rooney has made 5 assists, Drogba 11 – meaning that Rooney has ‘contributed’ a goal every 79 minutes to Drogba’s one every 67. And, while Utd fans won’t believe it, Drogba does just as much work tracking back as Rooney does, and shows just as much commitment. And he doesn’t take penalties. Who would have thought that the two were so closely matched and that there was at least one other convincing candidate (Fabregas has been outstanding too) for player of the year? Well, no-one reading a newspaper.

Journalists should bring balance first and foremost, in addition to opinion, and the BBC should in particular. Rooney will win the award next month, but in the meantime he needs no extra help.

Comments

[Aly]

Media is always english biased! We live in the world where ethnicity still counts, they just moan about equal opportunities.

[flobb]

I support Arsenal and I think that Drogba should win. He has been much more consistent as well. Rooney has only had half a season, the second half, in that he has been amazing, but in the early stages he wasn't that good. Fabregas and Drogba have been more consistent and are more deserving than Rooney and Drogba

[DJ]

Tut tut tut typical Chelsea fan always jealous of united.. Rooney has been brilliant this year so has drogba but drogba has 4 proven playmakers supporting him including the likes of lampard who I despite being a manutd fan rate him as the best midfielder in England then there is ballack deco joe cole malouda and anelka wheras Rooney onli has Valencia nani and giggs..the difference is there...however Rooney has played left back
so Many times this yr..he alone runs after the four man defence and gk and also lifts the momentum of the team drastically...he's aost single handedly brought united where they are drogba runs an average 8 km a game compared to rooneys 10-12 so his work rate cannot be compared... I believe as he is the Top choice and that's y the experts believe he will win but the season is still not
over drogba still has a chance like tevez

[Sam, Arsenal fan]

I can see it already - "Rooney misses out on PFA award" instead of "Drogba wins PFA award"!

Great article

[Dids]

Not that I'm cynical or anything but ... it's the same old media, building another Englishman up ready to knock him down.... you mark my words, they will have a field day just as soon as he puts a foot out of line!
I couldn't care less who wins it as long as Chelsea win the Premiership, far better to have that medal in the cabinet!

[Andrew curran]

Pfa award is voted for by the players, so what does the media have to do with it???

[amaan]

Rooney for young player of the year..........at 24

are u serious?

[Jitendra Chaudhari]

A reply to DJ...
Ah, so in that case Fabregas should win the award!! He has nowhere the same quality of people around him as drogba has or rooney has...moreover he is a midfielder who has got those goals compared to strikers rooney and drogba....so according to your argument Fabregas should trump both !! ain't it??? It's all so farcical....the English media is to be blamed for this....great article this btw..

[Permian88]

Andrew, the point he was making was not who will win it, which should have been clear if you had read the article, but the media response to the short list. Today I saw headlines of how Rooney was top of the pile and had been nominated and I wouldn't have realised anyone else had been if it were not for a sentence at the end in the "oh and x x x and x have been short listed too" format.
To be honest even as a Chelsea fan I think Rooney should win but I agree with the direction of the article that almost every media outlet focused almost entirely on the fact that Rooney was there...As if its some kind of huge surprise to them.

[ClockEndRider]

Just where is the boundary for young player? 24 seems somewhat toppy. Fat Wayne's nomination just covers up the fact that there's a dearth of top class young English talent playing at the highest level.

[TomBearenger]

United fan here, but I fully agree with the sentiment. Couldn't believe the Beeb's headline for their article. Rooney will almost certainly win it, probably just about on merit for a superb season's work, but the way it has been reported is disrespectful to three other outstanding contenders (hats off to Drogba especially for bouncing back after such an unsettled 2008/09).

[Rious]

Get used to it b/c Rooney will win it.

Every media outlet will give him the award and most media members will follow suit

Pathetic

[CJ]

Please note,the criteria for young player of the year is that you must still be 23 or younger at the begining of the season.He's bday was in October,that means he's eligible.

[oliver]

Arsenal supporter like flobb above and I also concur that Drogba deserves to win it ahead of Rooney and Cesc. Drogba consistently scores big goals in big games and has carried that team at times. That is not to diminish how Rooney and Cesc have also carried their teams, but I do not think either has scored as many important goals as Drogba. To the main point of your article, it is a WC year so the media are, of course, bigging up an Englishman for the awards. The players may vote for them, but there is certainly a concerted media campaign to get Rooney the award(s).

[Vengadesh Ram Mohan]

Great article...it's a given Rooney's gonna win...Giggs clinching it last year totally bemused me! But ultimately Rooney's goals are gonna win United the League Cup, while Drogba's could win the Double. But that point might escape everyone's eye....

[Orungbeja seun]

I completely agree with this article, infact i believe drogba is the best striker in the world, and this has been his best season-considering his absence during the nations cup.

[Jose]

Oh dear me, is this what it has come to?! I am a Fulham season ticket holder and have seen all the candidates this season. What your limited football brain must understand is that Rooney has played in a new position to him, without two influencial playmakers. I doubt very much Drogba would have scored as many goals without Lampard and Malouda?!?!
Rooney is now better than Drogba was in his prime, this was probably Drogba's last BIG season as time appears to have caught up with him! But anyway, maybe next year?

[bridgeviews.co.uk]

Jose - I'll tell you what it's come to: people chucking insults around in comments without actually reading what they're commenting on. This article is, quite obviously, more about the unfair bias of the media, and the lack of balance, rather than a straight argument about which player is the more deserving.

But I do believe that Drogba deserves a fair shot at these awards, and I don't agree that Rooney is head and shoulders above him. Lots of people - yes, not everyone or the majority - wouldn't agree that Rooney was better than Drogba now, let alone Drogba in his prime.

And on the contrasting support each of them have had from their teammates. Lampard and Malouda are good players, but had relatively poor first halves of the season. And poor old Utd, having no good players behind Rooney? Give me a break. Giggs and Scholes are old but have won countless League titles and 2 European cups. They've spend shedloads elsewhere: Carrick - £12m. Nani - £18m. Valencia - £18m. Anderson - £18m. Park - £8m? You could go on...

Utd struggle for one year and people (it's not just you that is implying it) suddenly try to paint them as somehow the poor man of the league and extremely lacking in midfield. They're in slight decline maybe, but that's just nonsense from a 'limted footballing brain'.

[Punit]

No even mentiones Frank Lampard.Year after year he is putting solid performances.Yet ,he is not mentioned anywhere.he is ahead of Fabregas in goals and assists.He is way better than the Scouser Gerrard..Pathetic English Press

[Clive Reynolds]

Take into consideration Drogba was in Africa for 1 month too.