Rooney blues and the winners and losers of Christmas
The Game
The Times
3.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 January 2024
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It's a Happy New Year from Jonathan Northcroft, Martin Samuel and Gregor Robertson as they join Tom Clarke for the first 2024 edition of The Game.
It was a new year to forget for Wayne Rooney, another example of the golden generation failing in the managerial world. What is the difference between a manager and a coach and is it the same game in the Champions League or League One?
A look back at a thrilling Christmas and New Year, which young manager topped the table of festive fixtures? Finally, it’s not FA cup weekend, its FA cup week and there are some top ties to look forward to.
Timeline:
Rooney
2’ Rooney sacked at Birmingham, shocked and a reality check?
5’ took over a club doing well, a manager well liked by fans and players.
6’ he was appointed to change a culture and direction of club…can you do that in 15 matches? Gary Cook, odd decision.
8’ he was employed to take them to prem league
11’ Was Rooney set up to fail. After two games the crowd turned, but tat was because of the loss of John Eustace.
13’ Calling out players after only 3 games, not a good idea.
17’ he admires Guardiola. But he thrived with Liam Rosenior
19’ Rooney could be a manager as much as a coach. He is good with people.
21’ Vale park on a Tuesday night isn’t the Nou Camp on a champions league night.
25’ surrounded himself by young ambitious but not very experienced coaching staff.
27’ Rooney doesn’t want special treatment, he will try to reinvent himself.
31’ difference between playing and managing.
33’ He’ll be back.
Title race
36’ Great festive period for Wolves and Gary O’Neil
37’ Man City return only two adrift and with the fire back. And unaffected by AFCON.
38’ Liverpool in great shape but about to lose salah.
40’ What’s gone wrong at Arsenal? Hard to win your first title.
43’ Villa have bounced back, but are they starting to look tired?
45’ all the top teams have flaws this year. Open title race.
West Ham, Wolves and Luton
45’ Looks like Moye will get a new contract. Is peace breaking out at the London stadium?
47’ Wrong that one fixture has moved beyond the AFCON cut off date.
48’ Great back to back wins for Hatters. Ross Barkley pulling strings, adjusting to the league.
FA Cup
53’ Sunderland v Newcastle tie of the round. Newcastle look on the knees with no energy. Sunderland with new manager bounce. Could be a big game.
56’ Is Eddie Howe under pressure?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to the game football podcast from the time. Today we are talking |
| 0:09.9 | about Wayne Rooney, Birmingham City and asking why do England's |
| 0:13.0 | Golden Generation of Players keep struggling as managers. |
| 0:16.4 | We'll also be looking at the winners and losers from the festive period |
| 0:19.4 | and previewing the FA Cup's big matches. |
| 0:21.8 | But before all that, as it's the new year we start with a |
| 0:24.8 | message of hope Richard Hope to be exact he's a listener who got in touch to say |
| 0:29.2 | please please please please keep going with the facts about Grego Robertson's career. |
| 0:34.4 | And so with that in mind, joining me, Tom Clark, not only do we have the chief correspondent |
| 0:38.7 | for The Times and Sunday Times Martin Samuel and the Sunday Times Football Correspond correspondent Jonathan Northcroft, but also a former footballer |
| 0:46.0 | who has enjoyed a break at New Year this year, much like during Nottingham Forest 2004-5 season |
| 0:52.0 | when he mysteriously received a straight red card against Sunderland in |
| 0:55.9 | late December and therefore missed the New Year's date game against Stoke. |
| 1:00.5 | Which Forrest won by the way? |
| 1:01.7 | So was it a good party in 2004? |
| 1:03.6 | Greater? It was a great party. Yeah. Well worth it. |
| 1:06.3 | Every cloud, yeah. I remember that. It was Hooli Larka, I think. And we had a corner and Andy Reed should have laid the ball back to me |
| 1:17.2 | he tried a little croif sundel and broke away and |
| 1:20.9 | really ark I was running clear through and I'm the one here and back trying to chase him and sigh them down on the |
| 1:27.8 | on the edge of the box so it was worth it they missed the free kick as I went off you |
| 1:31.9 | know there's only like 10 minutes to go then I think Julio Arca bent in a winner. |
| 1:37.0 | Yeah you did you lost you lost 2 1 as well. |
... |
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