Wayne Rooney appears to have altered his mind about Newcastle United fans in the course of a week.
Newcastle United shocked Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday afternoon, winning 2-1.
Eddie Howe’s team were clearly underdogs, but they didn’t play like it, with Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scoring the crucial goals that ended Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a trophy.
Wayne Rooney predicted Newcastle will lose the final, as did fellow analyst and former teammate Gary Neville.
They certainly weren’t the only ones who got it wrong. Jamie Carragher said Newcastle deserved to win after initially tipping his former side Liverpool to win at Wembley.
Rooney blamed Newcastle fans for the lack of success in cup finals. Newcastle’s record at Wembley was wretched (before Sunday) but to pin the blame on supporters was just wrong.
Wayne Rooney on Newcastle fans after Carabao Cup final
To elaborate on Wayne Rooney’s comments on The Overlap before the final, he said: “I was with Alan Shearer and [Mark] Clattenburg yesterday and I was thinking ‘you are making it [a big ocassion]”
“I know it’s a cup final, but I can imagine being a player and being in the city and they’re all doing the same thing.”
Despite indicating Newcastle fans were a problem just a few days ago, Rooney appeared to change his tune with his most recent statements, in which he lauded supporters for their devoted following.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Rooney said: “It was fantastic; he [Shearer] had waited a long time for that, as had everyone else. You can see how enthusiastic he is, and everybody who has spoken with or worked with Alan knows how passionate he is about Newcastle winning games and championships.
“But I’m happy for the supporters. I believe Newcastle fans are well-known throughout the country for their dedication to their team.
“Even when they were down in the Championship not long ago, and thousands of people were cheering them on.
“They’ve gradually been getting there, and they deserve it.”
Newcastle fans were great during the Carabao Cup final.
As Rooney stated, Newcastle fans made Sunday a special occasion, but that is nothing to be sorry about.
Newcastle fans made Wembley Stadium shake when Isak doubled his team’s lead in the second half. The travelling Toon supporters were incredible throughout and took over London for the weekend.
Sela gave scarves to Newcastle fans, which helped to build a wall of black and white at Wembley. Fans never stopped singing throughout the game, and it was all worth it for Newcastle’s title win.
The behind-the-scenes celebrations in Newcastle were equally legendary, with players celebrating their hard-earned success. They’ve just made history, and Wembley Stadium supporters will never forget it.
Now that the burden to break the 70-year curse has been lifted, no team in England looks forward to facing Newcastle in future cup finals, and this is largely down to the fans.
