We Thought 'Ok, Let's See What You've Got'Seaman recalls day he was beaten by 16-year-old Rooney - and previews Everton's Arsenal clashPetr Cech will come to Goodison Park on Sunday fully briefed on what his opponents are likely to throw at him.
Counterintuitively, Cech must accept that preparing to face Wayne Rooney amounts to something of an exercise in futility. Rooney’s impudence and inclination towards off-the-cuff brilliance, however, wasn’t always such an open secret.
David Seaman had heard the whispers, mind. And on his own trip to Goodison 15 years ago, the former Arsenal goalkeeper was eager discover if this daring 16-year-old warranted the reverential tones which typically accompanied mention of his name.
“I had been aware of him,” Seaman tells evertonfc.com. “It was a similar to when Ryan Giggs was emerging… we knew back then that Manchester United had this special youngster on their hands.
“Those were the vibes coming out of Everton about Rooney.”
We have heard recollections this week from various first-hand witnesses to the moment when the precocious Rooney caressed the ball out of Seaman’s reach to banjax imperious Arsenal’s 30-match unbeaten run in 2002 – and confirm his reputation as the hottest young property in English football.
Rooney himself admitted his nose was put out of joint on learning he would not be starting the match against Arsene Wenger's champions.
When he entered the fray with only 10 minutes to make his mark, then, the striker had a point to prove. Not only to his manager, David Moyes, but to his esteemed opponents, too.
“When a young player with a big reputation comes on the pitch, you are like ‘ok then, let’s see what you have got’ … and he had a lot,” laughs Seaman.
Match commentator Clive Tyldesley has revealed how the sage words of a soothsaying Evertonian led to him demanding the watching public remember the goalscorer’s name.
Francis Jeffers, who was playing for Arsenal and stood behind Rooney as he wrapped his foot around the ball, instinctively ‘knew’ it was destined for the back of the net.
But what about Seaman, the man abruptly pitted into a one-on-one duel with this fearless whippersnapper, formerly a name in his subconscious but now stood 25 yards away, the embodiment of teenage brio and taking aim at his goal.
In the goalkeeper’s mind’s eye, what happened next?
“I do remember it,” Seaman says. “I certainly remember the goal well, as it was a special goal and, obviously, from a very special player.
“We had heard about him before but the goal he got, that was special… for the power and the accuracy but also for the disguise he put on it.
“As I was facing him, he shaped up as though he was going to put it to my left and then... you call it giving someone the eyes... put it to the other side.
“For somebody so young to do that and put it where he did, he was obviously going to be a very special player. Not only did it stop our unbeaten run, it was a great goal for a guy of that age.”
Seaman remembers a stunned Arsenal dressing room picking over the bones of their first defeat in 10 months, rather than getting too caught up in the identity of the player who had inflicted the coup de grace on that domineering run.
Wenger’s team were, however, able to glean a modicum of solace from the fact it had needed something extraordinary to topple them.
“When it takes a special moment like that to end your run, you are like, ‘ah okay then’, it is easier to take I suppose,” says Seaman.
“We got beaten so we weren’t over thinking about Wayne. We were thinking more about why we had lost. But we knew it was a special goal.”
Seaman was 39 when he was defeated by Rooney. Three days earlier, he had been subjected to enormous scrutiny for allowing Macedonia player Artim Sakiri to score direct from a corner in a European Championship qualifying match.
The game at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium would prove to be the occasion of Seaman’s final England appearance.
He won 75 Three Lions caps in all and it was his magnificent career – he collected three Premier League titles, claimed four FA Cups and played for his country at four major tournaments – that prompted Goodison to afford Seaman a notable ovation at a time when his form was a matter for public debate.
“I loved playing at Everton because of how close the fans are to the players, which gives it a better atmosphere – and at Everton, they always seem to respect the goalkeepers, which I used to enjoy,” says Seaman.
“I used to have a laugh with fans there, some of them would take the mickey and I could give a bit back. They would be telling me to get my hair cut and things like that!”
Cech was busy across the channel, playing for Rennes in a 3-1 victory at CS Sedan, on the day Rooney was upstaging the likes of Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg at Goodison Park.
The Czech Republic international's star has risen significantly in the intervening years, with the 35-year-old amassing a gigantic medal haul during 11 years at Chelsea – his 2012 Champions League winner’s medal arguably the highlight – before assuming his current position as the rock in Arsenal’s goal.
The Gunners’ 2-1 defeat at Watford last Saturday represented a first loss in eight matches but they arrive on Merseyside today buoyed by Thursday’s Europa League victory at Red Star Belgrade.
Everton are currently five-points adrift of Wenger’s sixth-place team and eager to enact a reprise of this fixture last season, when an already feverish Goodison erupted at the sight of Ashley Williams’ late header flying past Cech to win the match 2-1.
The Toffees won eight and drew three of their subsequent 13 matches.
Seaman is convinced his successor in Arsenal’s 'keeping jersey will be kept busy by Ronald Koeman's team, then. He is also emphasising the importance for the away side of trying to quell one of English football’s most partisan crowds.
Albeit, the Yorkshireman is not so sure his old boss will be urging caution in the dressing room where he sat all those years ago trying to make sense of Rooney’s ingenuity.
“We were the ones who had to tell Arsene,” says Seaman, laughing again. “We played up there a lot before he came but... yeah, he would say this is a tricky game because of x, y, z. Everton away is a tough game!
“It is a big game for both clubs. Going to Everton is not easy and it never has been.
“Arsenal will hope Everton are not playing too well because, normally, it is a very difficult place to get points – mainly because of the fans… they are so passionate and so close to you, so you really do feel the atmosphere
“Cech will be important for his team. You look at his record and it is like, ‘wow, he has won the Champions League and Premier League’.
“He is a good goalkeeper for Arsenal. It was something that was needed, someone that was steady, not erratic, and someone who is very consistent behind the back four.”
Steady and consistent are two terms that could equally describe the immaculate Seaman during his 13 years playing for Arsenal. Those qualities, however, did not make him immune to Rooney's genius.
How Evertonians would love to see their former teen idol delve into his box of tricks and bring Cech under his spell this weekend.
Everton FC