Rooney responds to bizarre claim linking Shaun Derry and an irritated Anton Ferdinand
Manchester united legend, Wayne Rooney doesn’t immediately appear to be the conspiracy theorist type, but mentioning QPR might trigger a passionate rant about the debunked theory that jet fuel couldn’t have melted the steel of the Twin Towers in regards to the Taye Taiwo and Clint Hill incident.
The Manchester United icon seems to hold firmly to a specific, absurd opinion. Mike Dean fanned the flames of this illogical viewpoint earlier in the week.
“The odd thing,” the ex-referee stated on The Overlap, “was that as soon as QPR realized they were secure from relegation, the match resumed, and I recall Jamie Mackie on the field, gesticulating and celebrating while play was underway, knowing they were safe.
Manchester City leveled the score at 2-2, and QPR just passed it back, handing possession to them.”
This account is accurate. Shaun Derry, who captained QPR for the final 40 minutes at the Etihad after Joey Barton’s moment of madness, later confirmed it, with more embellishment.
The initial play involved immediately directing the ball towards the edge of the field, similar to a tactic used in rugby to gain ground. The opposing goalkeeper retrieved the ball and initiated play with a throw.
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The player questioned this approach, believing it would have been more beneficial to cycle the ball back through the midfield and defense, potentially wasting time.
Adding to this, the player recalled receiving instructions upon entering the game to retain possession and push the team forward.
After the opposition scored, the instructions shifted to simply kicking the ball to the side of the field and maintaining a compact defensive shape.
The idea that this was some elaborate strategy to sabotage Manchester United may have originated with the assistant coach.
However, the truth was likely much simpler: a team struggling to avoid relegation, playing a significant portion of the game shorthanded against the league’s top team, was simply physically drained.
While the idea of a conspiracy is far-fetched, there were some unusual aspects.
The kickoff strategy seemed strange, a player celebrated with a former teammate from an old club after the match, and there were a few players on the team with connections to the opposing side.
Specifically, there were three former players of the opposing side in the squad. This was precisely the same quantity of ex-players for the opposing side, who were defeated away, and failed to muster a single shot for 25 minutes of the match.
Sir Alex Ferguson, it seems, had a well-placed contact within Queens Park Rangers. And frankly, the notion that Manchester City received some kind of illicit assistance in winning the league becomes far less believable when you consider Anton Ferdinand’s lingering resentment.
His repeatedly expressed frustration, even years later about how he supposedly played a role in his brother’s team missing out on the Premier League trophy. It suggests a more complex situation than simple manipulation of the game.
It’s time for Rooney, a five-time Premier League winner, to get over the fact he didn’t win a sixth title.
Especially given that Manchester United lost the league that year on goal difference to a team that suffered a massive defeat against them, making it a quietly significant collapse.
More importantly, Rooney’s constant complaining about the current Manchester United situation, where a team seemingly gifted an advantage to a rival, has put us in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with someone generally disliked.
Joey Barton’s prior statement, “Suggesting that I, or others, conspired to prevent you from winning the league is ridiculous,” holds weight.
However, Rooney’s accusations are bordering on the absurd, and he should probably stop making them.
