Ibiza With Slot & Why Wissa's Situation Is Worse Than Isak's

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0:50BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Is it true that you were partying with Arna Slott in Ibiza this summer?

1:02If I was a player, I wouldn't want him back. He's deserted yet. He doesn't want to be there. He doesn't want to be your teammate. You've got me with Colleen in a shopping trolley and a car behind us, so we're going through the drive-thru with the shopping trolley.

1:22Hi, guys. Welcome back to the Wayne Rooney Show. It's a Friday where we're going to have a little bit more fun on this programme. Mondays are review shows Fridays are where pretty much anything goes Wayne Rooney of course is with us alongside myself Kelly Summers and Kay Curd is here too and guys before we go any further if you can hear thunder in the background I'm going to apologise I've come on holiday for three days to Italy and this is the second storm I've seen so yeah having a great holiday so far Kay where on earth are you? I'm in a basement in central London I was doing a bit of work around here and I needed to find somewhere to record so I found somewhere quiet.

1:59That's my commitment. That's my commitment to the podcast, man. At and about, and I still find a way. First important question. This is the first time we've heard from you since a team that you said were going to be in Europe, Everton, played, obviously lost on Monday night to Leeds. I know it was quite controversial. There was lots of talk after the game, but are you still standing by that prediction? Yeah, I am. I think we need a few players, obviously. I think that's clear. We'd like to see a couple of full-backs and another striker come in, but yeah, the first game of the season, Leeds away is always a difficult game as well.

2:31I thought Leeds fans were excellent and really drove the team on but yeah, I still think with David Moyes' experience then I still think and hope as well that it will make European football. Yeah, and you said you might actually be going to the game. Big weekend for Everton. Yeah, it is. Big game, obviously. First game, the new stadium, so historic day for the football club. So yeah, hopefully I can get there and go and be part of that day But most importantly, I think the players, the staff have to put everything aside and really focus on trying to get the three points. OK, a few things that we didn't talk about in Monday's pod that we did want to clear up.

3:07And this was something that caused the WhatsApp chat to go off on Sunday when we saw Martin Odegaard do a half-time interview at Old Trafford. Kay, you've got a big smile on your face and you are shaking your head as if to say, not for me. As a fan, do you not like seeing it? I think they're useless. I don't think they provide any insight. I don't see what the point of them is. I think they're annoying for the players to do. They're annoying for the managers because they probably want to get the player into the dressing room as soon as. Wayne probably knows better than I do. But yeah, I don't see what insight we're going to garner in two minutes at halftime that needs to be broadcast on TV.

3:47I think it's crazy. This has been coming for a long time, I think. So when I signed for DC United, initially were trying to get me to do a half-time as a player, which I refused. I think your focus, your mindset is on the game and what just happened in the 45 minutes, how you're going to do better or continue to do well in the second half, so I didn't do any as a player, but I did as a manager. It was an obligation to do a half-time as a manager and it was strange. It wasn't something I enjoyed. I don't think, as Kay said, I don't see the benefit of it. I've actually had it where we had our club journalist in the dressing room at half time and she used to you know speak to the fans on the big screen at half time as well at times so she was in the dressing room once and I've made a tactical change to what we were doing second half and as I'm walking out second half to kick off I've seen her on the big screen explaining what change I've made so like what is going on here so I just think it's it's not right I think the interviews after the game or before the game are fine, but during the game, I don't think it's right.

4:56Because a player might, and a player will, give something away. And he might go into it thinking he's had a really good half of football and he's being terrible. How would you have reacted in the Prem if that would have happened when you were playing? Because we've seen, you were quite emotional at games as well. You played with your heart on your sleeve. So how would you have reacted if you had to do those? I don't think I could do it. I think I remember going back when was it in the World Cup when I'm walking off the pitch at halftime and the camera's in my face and I've said something so that's the emotions which can come out here at halftime and I just don't think I could do it even being honest I think it's it's been coming and the issue you have is now players are on the social media that much you know the broadcasters are paying a lot of money to get the best stuff at the right times and once the clubs agree and sign up to that then the players don't really have a choice and you know I think one of the other ones is interviewing a sub when they come off the pitch now I'm assuming that's a sub who scored two goals and the game's won and they're going to have like more of a friendly chat with them but imagine getting dragged off the pitch and then you have a camera stuck into your face yeah getting hooked at half time and then asking you how you feel about it it's just not going to work so I think at the right time for that one but at half time I just don't see it I don't get it I was going to say, how do you reckon Fergie would have acted?

6:21Well, I know how he would have acted and it wouldn't have been in nice ways, that's for sure. So there's no way this would have happened without Ferguson. As a manager, Wayne, would you want your players doing it or would you, in that situation, can you speak to your staff, your media staff and maybe say, no, my players aren't doing it? Because obviously now there's contractual stuff within the game as well. Yeah, no, you wouldn't want the players doing it. or if it's under contract and players have to do it then I think we've seen with Arsenal straight away they've put the captain out so getting the most experienced players to do it because if you're putting a young player in that situation I think it's asking for problems so whoever you're senior players normally every team has a senior group so I'd imagine it will be one of them senior players if they have to do it Were there any other players that found like really funny ways to try and get out of interviews like some of their foreign players pretending they can't speak English or anything like that.

7:14Did you ever see that happen? Yeah, we had Cleverson, who apparently couldn't speak English. I've just done the whole Club World Cup with him. He can speak English. Exactly. So we played pre-season friendly in Scotland. Me, Cleverson and Rio, for some reason, I don't know why, would come back in the car, just the three of us, and he spoke perfect English. and he had a couple of bottles of beer and then started speaking perfect English and we were like, what is going on? He didn't know he spoke English. So yeah, it's, I think players do do a lot to get out of interviews. I think they just give up asking Paul Scholes, which is crazy now that he's obviously in the media, but there are certain players who wouldn't do it, especially the players who wouldn't do it when they lose games and there's players who would do it, you know whether they'd won, lost or drew so what were you?

8:10the media knew which ones did you do it win, lose or draw? yeah I did I'd always done that but again as I said before it's always after the game that's fine I think it's it's important that you do that normally as I said when you lose or you've had a bad defeat normally there's the senior players who will go out and face them I reckon they should start interviewing the refs to be honest with you because we get so many bad decisions week on week and they never have to explain themselves. They never have to come out. I'd rather see a referee being interviewed at halftime or a referee being interviewed at the final whistle over some players because a lot of the players just give us the same sort of answers.

8:48I don't know what you think, Wayne. I think that'd be brilliant. I think it'll never happen. I think it would be brilliant. As a manager, for instance, you get feedback from the referees every Monday on decisions and what they got right, what they got wrong. And sometimes it's baffling, but sometimes it doesn't help the situation when you've made a mistake but they let you know that that was a mistake and it should have been overturned or whatever. But I just think it's so difficult for referees to referee the game and they are going to make mistakes so I understand that and that's why VAR was brought in to help that but when VAR is making mistakes and they're still not getting it right then I'd rather just go with the fact that the referee is going to make a mistake let's just accept that and hope that they don't make as many as you'd like to see.

9:38Let's try and not go down the VAR route on only the third episode of the season. I'm sure there'll be other points when we'll talk about that during the campaign. But going back to the interviews, I guess it's just another way that broadcasters can kind of be offered value. I guess the league are trying to give them different things because they do pay so much money. Wayne, what did you think when you heard that it was announced that Barcelona and Villarreal are going to play their La Liga fixture in Miami? I mean it's felt like that kind of thing has been on the cards for quite some time but as a manager like can you imagine Fergie agreeing to play against Spurs in Miami or something?

10:10Yeah I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier but it's the fans I think it's just wrong you know you're going to take your team across the world to play a game and I get that the TV and the broadcasters will do everything they can to get as much as they can for the money they're paying but you've got loyal fans who go and travel all over the country watching your home away and then for them to miss a game or if they want to go to the game pay the money which would be expected to go to say to the States for hotel for travel I just think it's wrong you're taking a game away from the fans purely for the for the money reason so I'm trying to obviously build the fan base in different countries so So they're getting fans in, fans are watching the game because of social media, because the broadcasters, they're watching the games.

11:03But to take the game away from your home, I think it's wrong and it should never happen. Good excuse for holiday, Noke. You'd go watch United abroad, wouldn't you? Do you know what? I don't think it would have the same sort of feel to it, to be honest with you. Even if you're going to somewhere nice like Miami as well. But I still don't think it has the same feel as going to a home game. And there's all sorts of things that you have to think about, like who's home, who's away. do you miss a certain fixture in the league that season? It just makes it out. It's also to go there and perform in a competitive game, which it will be.

11:40You're going to need time to acclimatise for the jet lag before you play the game. Then coming back, time to acclimatise when you get back from there. So it's going to take 10 days to two weeks to actually get over all them different issues. So I just think it's crazy. Because you'd go to the Club World Cup mid-season, right? And how hard was that when you were playing in those games? Because they were sort of in different time zones as well, weren't you? Yeah, it was very difficult. And I remember before we went, we went to Japan and we played Tottenham away in the Premier League. And then we were flying the next morning from, stayed in London, flying the next morning to Japan from London.

12:20so the fifth coach at the time came up with this idea that if we all stay away throughout the night and then sleep on the flight it'll be better for our body clock so so we all end up having a night out basically in London to stay away before we went and get on the plane and then you know it's difficult to sleep on planes at the best of times so it was a complete failure and Dimtar Bervatov got off the plane and was sick missed the fan missed the Club World Cup the whole tournament and then come back so yeah it was a fail in terms of preparation we still managed to win it which was great but yeah it's difficult your body clock your body you know how much work and how much science there is into getting these players in the best shape to play at the highest level to then go away from that and put them in different situations and talking about players getting injured I think it's an horrendous idea and I just don't get it and I feel for the fans if this happens.

13:22It was all getting a bit serious until that story came out. That is the reason I wanted to do this podcast for stories like that. Wayne, it's going to take a lot to top that this season, I think. I was waiting to hear who the biggest sick note was when he was in. Oh yeah, go on, go on. No, listen, all the players, we enjoyed the... Oh look, he's going to go all serious again now. Well, me and Michael Caddack were probably the last two standing, so... Michael Carrick he's I thought he was a serious manager these days he's a silent assassin don't we okay we'll keep him with the light note another thing that we didn't address at the weekend that I really think we need to how hard is it to get a pair of shorts as a Premier League player that fits Wayne did you see Calvin Bassie running around for Fulham his shorts just wouldn't stay up did you see this yeah I've seen it I don't get it I think it's you know just get your kit what fit you isn't it did you ever had it like because I often I can imagine like start of the season how on earth can you play a game of football with your shorts like that what would you have done would you have just asked to change can you change I don't even know what the rules are can you change midway through I would have just got shorts what fit me supposing he didn't maybe something had happened and he got given a different pair of shorts at the last minute you're seeing players walking into the stadium as well it's all about the fashion and style and maybe that is a I say it to my lad all the time when he walks in his pants is halfway down his bum I always say pull your pants up so I think it's just a style but I don't think you should be taking that style onto the football page get your kit which fits you which then allows you to play at your best Did anyone have any weird requests with kits and stuff when you were playing?

15:04I used to I used to ask the kit man every the day before a game I used to speak to the kit man and asking what kit we were wearing. So the night before the game, I used to visualize the game and it was only once he told me the wrong kit. I think it was the wrong color socks or something, which the next day when I got in the dressing room and seen it, I ripped his head off. Poor Albert. Yeah, so no, that was the only time. And Albert as well. So when I was playing, I used to wear my shin pads from when I was like nine or 10 years of age. I kept them and I used to wear them and we went to an away game and he lost them so I had them for like 15 years and he lost them so yeah that was, he got another go for that

15:51Pop quiz, what's in your kids lunchbox? At Whole Foods Market they've already done the studying over 300 food ingredients are banned from their shelves, no hydronated fats in the peanut butter and no high fructose corn syrup in the cookies And for sandwiches, there are no synthetic nitrates or nitrites in any of their deli meat. So you can pack lunchboxes with peace of mind. Get back to school ready at Whole Foods Market.

16:26Just quickly about a Calvin Bassey thing. His mates were probably hammering him in a changing room for that. I was going to say, like, you used to tweet out certain stuff. did you ever get hammered in the changing room for your tweets and stuff? Yeah, quite a bit. Hold on, Kay, didn't you hammer him in your social media posts? No, that was just a nod to a famous social media. I was like, hey, Wendy, you want to pick it up in the morning, pal? But that was just like a nod to it, right? I wasn't taking a mick. Yeah, I've put some... I think there's actually a song made of all my tweets. Is it? Is there?

16:58I think, yeah. So, yeah, I've done a few. I done one of the ones to Whitney Houston when she passed away I love Whitney Houston and yeah so I've got a bit of stick for that one I tweeted Mr Bean funny that was it what just the words Mr Bean yeah so I think with a lot of them I think is I think they were early hours in the morning a lot of them oh I see oh what you can do mine well yeah no there's actually a song with all my tweets and yeah, I can't take them back now. So yeah, for the next few days, you regret it. Also, I guess it's a bit different now, isn't it? It feels like years ago, players were perhaps tweeting and posting on social media a bit more themselves.

17:47I think there's a bit more of an awareness now, isn't there, of not posting the wrong thing. And players now have kind of social media managers and people that do it for them, don't they, a lot of the time? Yeah, there is. And I think it's something which you can learn from. I remember a guy having a call at me and I remember asking him to come to the training ground in the morning to have a fight. Jeez. So these are things you learn from and you have to, you know, a lot of players, I'd imagine, especially the top teams, have people who do it for them and you make sure the right stuff goes out.

18:22It's probably the tweets I used to do, probably the tweets that the fans want to see. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have to be a bit more careful. What, did you just go on his profile and just start offering him out? No, he tweeted something to me, and so I invited him to come meet me at the tournament. Did he come? Which, again, was wrong, but I'm sure at the time it was quite funny to a lot of people. Okay, then, Wayne, another story that came out over the weekend, because you were literally everywhere, as we've been joking about, and I can't believe we didn't get this out of you on any of our pods so far.

18:53Is it true that you were partying with Arna Slott in Ibiza this summer?

19:02I've seen him I wasn't partying I've seen his comment he made as well to Danny Murphy we went to we went to watch Calvin Harris and he put us in like a a VIP area and Arnie Slott was stood in front of me so we had a we had a good chat I said congratulations on winning the league I think as much as I don't want Liverpool to win the league I think you've still got to be graceful as well and I said congratulations and then we watched we watched Calvin Harris and yeah we had a few drinks and and then after him we both went in to see Calvin Harris after he'd done the show which was we had a good chat again so no he seemed like a really nice fella and just hope he isn't as successful this season as he was last Was he last man standing as well like Cara or was it I don't know to be honest I've seen videos of him out there before I was there as well so it looks like he likes to have a little bit of a party yeah I was going to say I've heard that from a few people now good manager good partier as well it's a good combo isn't it okay so Wayne's been hanging with Calvin Harris who's the most famous person you've bumped into on holiday Kay I don't think I've bumped into anybody famous on holiday I mean the kind of flights I take I don't think famous people are jumping on an easy jet priority boarding no I didn't say on the plane no I know when you get there I flew to my bit on East Jets did you Take that back, Kay.

20:29I thought you'd be business class all the way, Wayne. I don't think it exists on EasyJet, does it? I don't think you even knew what EasyJet was, Wayne, man. On the way back, it was torture. You're just your head's banging. I'm sure everyone who's been to Ibiza knows that feeling. Yeah, there's always a quiet flight home, isn't it, back from Ibiza? I went to Miami when I was 21 and I was like, I probably saw every rapper alive. but at and about I've bumped into like Troy Deeney at a football game and sorry a basketball game an NBA game but yeah I remember seeing little Wayne in a club walk past me and that's all my family call me little Wayne oh is it my dad's big Wayne oh okay okay okay yeah I don't know why that's made me laugh so wrong that is funny Wayne I was going to ask you who you've seen but I guess for everyone else it's when they see Wayne Rooney on holidays that's more exciting on an easy jet flight no I remember so years ago I went to Phil Knight's retirement dinner and it was surreal I think I was 19 and I went with Ian Rush because Ian Rush was the first football player to wear Nike boots so and I was like the young one up and coming and then we got in there and there was Michael Jordan LeBron James there was you know all the top athletes from Nike over the years.

21:56So I spoke to LeBron a little bit there. And then he was, I think he was a year or two older than me. And then fast forward a couple of years, me and Colleen were in Las Vegas for our honeymoon. I know that's a bit strange, Vegas for a honeymoon. It doesn't surprise me, Wayne, fairly enough. If Wayne Rooney's going to go on holiday, I'm not a honeymoon. I'm not surprised it's Vegas. So then the US Olympic basketball team come into this bar where we was and it was all cornered off and whatever. so they're all there's like Kobe Bryant was there, LeBron, all these like massive superstars and I went over because I'd seen LeBron, it was in Portland, Phil Knight, so because I'd spoke to him a few times and seen him, I went over to say hello and the security went please step away from the table, so I was like okay, so I went to the toilet, so I'd come back and he'd see me and shouted me over, so we went over anyway took all pictures I'll dig the pictures out for next time took all pictures with a few of the players and just pictures of me and Cleen in general throughout the night and I don't know whether it was my fault or her fault but every picture she had a straw stuck in her hair so I've got all the pictures in room but no it was a good evening anyway that's for sure That's not a good start to married life if you haven't, that's the one thing you need to do as a husband Wayne, make sure your wife looks good in the photos that's your job well I took it that night was I think we went to McDonald's it was about 7am and as we're going the McDonald's was closed so you could only go through the drive through so I actually did you walk through it I was pushing it it sounds a bit mad I was pushing it in a shopping trolley and so you've got a car in front you've got me with Colleen in a shopping trolley and a car behind us so we're going through the drive through with this shopping trolley I'm going to guess you weren't sober at this point.

23:48Yeah, no, we had the boss and that was the only way we could get any food. So, yeah. Sorry, but every section we do on this podcast, a better story comes. Let's bring it back to the serious stuff. Well, it doesn't need to be serious, but Newcastle versus Liverpool this weekend. That feels quite a serious game, Wayne, given everything that's gone on this summer. Yeah, well, it's a big game and I think historically throughout the Premier League years, there's been some great games between the two teams. I remember the Kevin Keegan hanging over the advertising board, I think. John Barnes, goal 4-3.

24:24So there's been historically some great games. Obviously, with everything going on with Isak at the minute, I think it's going to be a hostile atmosphere for sure. Anthony Gordon described it as wild, didn't he? I think that's an understatement now. With the fans particularly at St James' Park. Kay, have you been there as a fan, St James'? I haven't when a match has gone on, but I've seen how steep it is the away end you can't hear the away fans if Newcastle fans are on it that day you can't hear the away fans so I think it's going to be a hostile atmosphere for sure and Liverpool fans will obviously go and play their path as well but yeah I think with everything that's going on over the summer really with Isak I think Newcastle fans will be right It's a Monday night as well.

25:17Bank holiday, Monday night. So I'm sure the Newcastle fans will have enjoyed the day as well. Did you like playing in St. James' Park? Or was it one of those... Surely you'd hate it if you can't hear your own fans. Yeah, sometimes in games, in away games, sometimes you need your fans to pull you through moments in games and stuff. So it is difficult when you can't hear them. But yeah, I've scored a few goals there and enjoyed playing there. the pitch wasn't wasn't always the best and you know you get in different weather there at times as well so but no I always enjoy playing there What's the most intimidating grounds you've probably played in?

25:57I'd never liked Anfield obviously for different reasons and I used to you know get a bit too emotional I think when I played at Anfield Stamford Bridge with Mourinho was very difficult as well that was a really tough place to go Going back to the game Newcastle and Liverpool how do you think the Newcastle players are we feeling going into that? Because I felt watching that interview with Anthony Gordon, he said the atmosphere will be wild. Surely all the Newcastle players are... Well, it's weird, isn't it? Because they all want Alexander Isak, as it stands, by the way. He is still a Newcastle player.

26:27They obviously want him to come back into the dressing room and be their player, I'd imagine. But they must be fuming with Liverpool as well and have kind of an added point to prove in that game. Do you reckon, Wayne? Yeah, well... Or does it not affect players? No, if I'm a Newcastle player, I don't want them back. really? Yeah I think if players leave football clubs and that happens all the time and you know but there's a way to go about it you can't go and strike you can't not turn up for training and train with your teammates and if you want to leave the club or not you have to be there for your teammates and be ready if needed so I think if I was a player I wouldn't want him back he's deserted yet he doesn't want to be there he doesn't want to be your teammate so I wouldn't want him back now for the club I think what Liverpool Newcastle are not happy with Isak's behaviour because Liverpool want to sign him but then on the flip side of that Newcastle are trying to sign Wissard who's behaving the exact same way yeah I remember Anthony Gordon not playing for Everton because he wants to go to Newcastle so you can't have it both ways but in terms of Isak's teammates I wouldn't want him back how would you how would you handle that in a dressing room?

27:41you wouldn't accept him back oh really? no I think how can you not accept him back though? what does that mean? well it'd be very once you've overstepped the mark I think it's very difficult to come back and you know you can ask to leave a football club and etc that happens or the club will tell you you're leaving but you have to be professional you have to you know you've got you've got friends in there who you play with but you have to you've got fans who are paying a lot of money to support you You can't just walk out on all of that. So, you know, if they're going to do it once, they'll do it again.

28:15And I just don't think, for me, I don't think there's any way back for Isak at Newcastle. Have you seen players like when you were playing or any club you were at get iced out by the players themselves?

28:29Not really, because I've never seen anyone. I've seen them get left out by the club. And, you know, I think we've seen that at Manchester United with some players at the minute. but by the players no because have we had players who've asked to leave I've done it myself yeah of course but all them players who've asked have always come in and trained and been ready to play if needed we've seen Tevez do it at Manchester City and he'd come back and he got accepted back in so I think there are you know cases where it can happen but from me as a person I don't think I could accept them back Just a word on Johan Wisser as well Wayne because it feels like everyone's talking about Alexander Isak but Wissler has of course been heavily linked with a move to St James' Park by the way it feels like it's really bold in a transfer window talking about any potential transfer because it can change just like that but when we're speaking now Wissler is still a Brentford player but in true 2025 style he's removed Brentford from all his social media platforms he unfollowed them he unfollowed them on social media as well what do you make of all that?

29:31I just think it's really disrespectful I think you know Brentford have been there and given them a platform to go and perform in the Premier League and do well. He's done well. He's a really good player. But to distance yourself from the football club, from your teammates, from the fans, I think Wiss is in a worse position than what Isak is. At least there's a bit of clarity on it, but for Wiss, to just unfollow the club and take all your pictures down of a club who've helped you progress as a player. And again, if he wants to leave, I don't think anyone's going to have a problem with that if it's done the right way.

30:06but I think these players are like kids now or they're very badly advised of what they're doing because I know agents have influence. A lot of people have the father or the brother as agents now and sometimes the right thing or the right decision is not always for the players' point of view. So it's very disappointing to see his behaviour over the last few days. Yeah, it's going to be tasty isn't it Newcastle versus Liverpool There's a big weekend of Premier League action That's where we're going to leave the pod for this week By the way, if you've been listening to this And you can hear what sounds like someone like drumming That is the storm that I'm in in the middle of Italy Yeah, that is all from us this week guys We'll be back on Monday morning Reviewing all of the weekend's action And all of the other big talking points A reminder, you can listen to the Wayne Rooney show On BBC Sounds and you can also watch it On iPlayer and the BBC Sport YouTube See you next time