Mar 08
Man Utd v Portsmouth: FA Cup Preview
Harry Redknapp has called on his men to sort themselves out if they are to prevent Manchester United from giving them a hiding at Old Trafford today. An experienced campaigner, Harry Redknapp would do well to pore over the performance of the team the last time we sent them to the cleaners. That match was known more for Ronaldo’s free-kick, and the trajectory of the ball, for which reams of paper (and webspace) were dedicated debating the merits of his technique.
As much as the Portuguese winger has been terrorizing defences this season, Nwankwo Kanu has said he doesn’t fear him as much as is being made out to be.
However, this is a cup tie and despite Portsmouth’s underwhelming recent form they have their African contingent playing for them, unlike the time when we beat them 2-0 in January.
On to team composition, Fergie should go full strength today, considering we are playing Derby County next week. But while our back four picks itself (and maybe Kuszczack as ‘keeper?) the position of central midfield I’ll leave it up to you to make your own predictions. It’s a betting agency’s delight, that’s for sure. But, nevertheless, Sir Alex looks to have mentioned Scholes and Giggs as likely starters for the game.
I sincerely hope the formation put out today is a 4-4-2. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Tevez and Rooney start together and, when on song, they can destroy anyone.
Meanwhile SAF confirms that he’s not set any retirement dates. It’s unfortunate how words can be twisted so easily, so when one makes a casual remark it gets blown up and over analysed. Fergie wouldn’t make comments about retiring any time soon, given how it’s backfired in the past. He will retire someday, and it will be a hard, hard day, but at present we must sit back and savour the moments. They won’t last very long, I assure you.
Also there are plans to send Foster out on loan, with Championship clubs interested, for the rest of the season. I would personally like him to go to Bristol City, considering their surprise over-achievement this season and my soft corner for the Robins — they were the first club I managed on Football Manager way back in 2000 when I led them to Champions’ League glory, and I’ve taken a reasonable interest in their fortunes ever since, but I digress.
Right. Back to today’s game and my out-of-this-world predictions: 2-1 United — I have a nagging feeling that Muntari might blast in a belter past Kuszczak, but that’s just me.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Man Utd v Stoke: Preview
- Man Utd v Everton: Preview
- Man Utd v Portsmouth: Preview
- Man Utd v Spurs match thread
- Rooney Out For A Month
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (542)
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ron, well who else are we going to put in goal? VDS is most likely injured next week, PIG is suspended, so its between foster and heaton, i would rather have foster thank you.
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lol at saha,him walking got him injured what a waste of money, i mean we spent 13mil(it was 13 mil right?) on a guy who gets injured by walking, maybe that money could of contributed to us buying a striker in january.
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Cup of Dreams… Never fail to set up some sort of Fairy-tale results.. And this time round, it has to befall on Manchester United playing at HOME… Watched the highlights and was appalled at some of the misses we had. Although 75% of the misses can be attributed to great defending and goalkeeping, we had failed to score when it matters. Call it unlucky or not, it is still the missed chances that costed us heavily this time round.
Rooney was never bought as a out-and-out striker and he will never be as incisive as hardcore strikers like Ruud or Toni… They do not try the fanciful and highly skilful shots…Tevez is good but once again this kind of matches showed that we need someone physical which I though Saha can provide. BUT, once again another knee injury… He could have made a huge difference (as Alex Ferguson had previously highlighted). BUT his ‘not-up-to scratch’ body failed us when we needed him most. It is a GREAT MAN UTD line-up. So, kudos to Portsmouth for grinding out the results. Time to move on and hopefully this defeat will remind them that not all home games are guaranteed victories. 1 points behind Arsenal and hopefully a kind draw in the Champions’ League and a smooth run from there!
Glory Glory Man United!
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a quote from ronny
“Sometimes they just protect the defenders and I am thinking about having to change my game because it is difficult to play like that.”
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About Rooney.
Some of you guys really don’t get the point.
One of the regulars on this board rightly said that Rooney is simply not a striker.
Let’s suppose he is a striker and delivers the performance of today. His rating = 6/10
Now let’s suppose he delivers the same performance but now as an attacking midfielder. His rating would be more like 7.5/10
OK his touch has definitely deserted him for some time now, and I too am worried that he might become the United equivalent of Del Piero at Juve, i.e a player who starts the match no matter how good he is playing recently.
But let’s not forget that his passing contribution to our game is key to United playing well.
This was the first time Utd suffered defeat while Rooney played, right?
But still United played some good football overall and we lost more out of sheer bad luck.
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By the way, about half the Utd games I watch, I get in on french television, with (obviously) french commentary.
Let’s just say that their the french technical knowledge of the game really shames that of their Albion counterparts.
Its no surprise that the average gaelic player is usually more technically gifted than the british player.
Anyways, where I’m coming to is that those commentators, which I really rate (except for their disgusting biased proclamation that Arse football is the greatest invention since that of the wheel) all agree on one point – Rooney is amazing.
And that’s not after just this one game.
Perhaps some of you guys have been so used to the energetical style of Roo and Tevez that they forgot how most strikers actually play.
Yep, I’m talking about what most of you deem as the laziness of Saha.
In all cases it is true that for the amount of minutes he plays, his goals returns is simply not what most of us expect. Tevez for one, and I’m sure even Saha, provided he stays fit, would score many more goals than Rooney if they played the same number of minues. He has to improve.
But please do not underestimate his in game contribution because its one of the elements defining Utd play recently.
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Nico: I have to agree with that assessment of Rooney. Even today he combined beautifully with Ronaldo on a number of occasions and created goal scoring chances for us. His movement, work rate and passing were all good IMO. With regards to his much maligned finishing, he only fluffed one decent chance today and even then I’ve seen no one comment on the poor ball that was fed through by Tevez for that chance. If Tevez had weighted the ball properly, Campbell would never have had a hope of getting back and robbing Rooney.
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then why buy anderson?
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I think someone already said that Anderson is best when played in a Scholes-like position in central midfield. The ideal United line-up would be 4-4-1-1 with Rooney playing support striker and someone other than Tevez ahead of him. That would leave two midifield spots to be filled and Anderson should be in one of those.
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Nico, its not thay Rooneys touch has deserted him, its were he is recieving the ball.
To play with your back to goal when you recieve the ball is something which is unnatural for Rooney who is better when he plays off the front man in the space between midfield and up front. When he plays in the hole he can turn and face the defenders, but up front 9 times out of 10 the defenders are tight and I think he is struggling to curb the tendency to turn all the time, which you cant do up there which is why during the 15 mins today he was dropping deaper and deaper, leaving us with no up there.
Rooney and Tevez can and have played well together, but both of them would play better with a proper no9 in the team which would give SAF a big decision to make between Rooney and Tevez.
Fergies got some big choices to make, not just this season but in the summer with a striker and a right back a priority, and also Scholes and Giggs will have to be phased out to make sure Nani and Andersons progess isnt stifled.
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I think his touch has deserted him… He is also recieving in the wrong spots….
I’ve been so uneasy after this match… But Red Ranter is right, it’s not like we didn’t dominate
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I am really tired of the excuses made for Rooney’s inability to handle passes with his back to the ball as well as his play in general. What a load of shite. Rooney plays the role of forward therefore, his job is to be able to handle all balls fed to him whether his back is to the goal or not. The bottom line is he has never been prolific as a goal scorer but he has been far better than he has been of late. What he needs is extra training on the training ground (which I’m sure he’s getting) and a shock to the system. Perhaps what he needs is an old fashioned dose of getting scared straight. Bench him for a few games. In past years Fergie had no problem benching Van Nistelrooy or Beckham despite a big game coming. Rooney needs to understand that more is expected of him and just simple hard work ethic isn’t good enough. Too many supporters. In their eyes he can do no wrong because he works his socks off on the pitch. Well I’m sorry fellas but that’s not good enough. He’s paid to score and set up goals, and he hasn’t been doing enough of that of late. Sit him down and make him stew a bit. He has pride and this will fire him and his anger and embarrassment should help wake him from his slumber. If it does I have another solution. This one is very controversial and would border on heresy within the confines of OT. Sell him.. YES you read this right. Sell him.
No player is greater than the club and when a player seems to have reached his peak or he has lost his ability to make the difference, then perhaps he is in need of a new challenge. Either that or move him into the role Scholes played for years, AMF.
Now before some of you get you underwear in knots let me explain a few things. Rooney has tremendous value on the pitch. His presence, creativity and movement off the ball creates many chances for midfielders to exploit the opposition third and score goals. It”s a great thing more players get in on the scoring. No team should count on just their strikers. Problem is that United is an anomaly in the game of football. Critiano Ronaldo alone has almost as many goals as Rooney, Tevez and Saha combined. Now in my books there is something wrong with that picture. Great for Ronny, not so great for strikers paid to score goals.
I say it’s time to break the bank on an old school striker and move Rooney to the AMF position where his running and creativity can be used and where he can still get a good share of scoring opportunities. Although he is still very young and full of promise, I have soured a bit on Anderson and thus Rooney should inherit the positon Scholesy used to own.
If Fergie doesn’t do that then I think it is necessary to either bench Rooney or Tevez and buy a striker. If they sold Rooney now United would get a mint. I know, I’m speaking blasphemy but somebody needs to. At least I have the balls to speak the unspeakable. Personally I am tired of the box being empty and our strikers spending more time on the byline trying to cross the ball. I want an RVN clone bought this summer. Take the scoring pressure off of Wayne and I think he will be a better and more composed player. If not, sell him. Bottom line is I am loyal to players but I am more loyal to success and continued winning of Manchester United. That requires more goals from Rooney and from forwards in general.
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Your out of line Grognard…
I agree with experimenting with Rooney in AMF position, but sell him?
Come on mate! Saha yes, Rooney i think not.
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While we are back on the subject of selling players, I say we sell Hargo for 10 million pounds as we did with Veron.. and go and get Lassana Diarra coz that boy can play.
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I agree with you 100% grognard, although, I’m not entirely sure that hasn’t already crossed SAF’s mind (sitting Rooney that is). But weighing the pros and cons of that, you would have to assume that the cons are far greater than then pros. First of all, like you said, he adds much more to the team than just goals, and if we sit him, who picks that up? Certainly not Tevez (who has a great work ethic also) but the team responds to rooney even when he’s playing like shite. Secondly, we dont have anyone that can match his limited production this season in the form of goals, and I know that you arent expecting Saha and Welbeck to do that. And finally, he’s a red through and through. This doesnt mean that he should be put above the team, but at least we know that he wont put in a half assed game for us. Even today, with all his struggles and frustrations, he was still all over the pitch. I know some are quick to point the finger at him for missing the man on what turned out to be the tipping point of the match, but how many other strikers do you know of that would back track that far when even the center halves were caught up? Until we get some proper cover at his position, I dont see it happening any other way nor would I want it too. He is, right now, the lesser of two evils and once he regains his confidence (or whatever he’s lacking the moment) he scores way to much to leave off the team sheet.
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And selling Hargo would be the biggest mistake (especially for Diarra). First of all, we wouldn’t make enough on the sale to get out of the red on what we paid for him. But most importantly, he really needs to partner someone in the midfield who is very positive. With him being a DMF, I dont expect him to contribute to the attack, but if he can concentrate of taking the ball of oppo midfielders and off loading it to someone who actually looked like they wanted it at their feet, then we wouldnt be complaining. We lose a lot of urgency in our attack when we play Hargo, so lets not compound it with partnering him with someone who doesnt look like he wanted to go forward either. And for the record, this is not a shot a Scholes as Carrick was equally as guilty of this in the early stages of the league. Who could have guessed that this Scholes would have showed up after the game he had at Fulham? But lets not pretend like he has nothing to improve in his game either. He certainly has not been as dominating as the first half when he played.
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Grognard:
You ave lost whatever “respect” you had from me, not that you need it. With him in the team we had not lost all season. Yes, he is BAD at the moment. Why is he BAD? He hasn’t scored and his touch is poor. So what? Have some confidence man. It is not the end of the world.
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What the fuck about Rooney is going on here !! It is plain obvious that what he is lacking is confidence, he has done it before for us and will do it in future. Most of the young players have these phases and Rooney is no exception. Even Fabregas had been suffering a dip in form of late, but I atleast never heard anybody calling for him to be benched/(sold !!!). All of you may keep raving about Ronaldo and his great finishing, but who is the man for united to drive us in big games ?? Its Wayne.. As for the other games, People here are so eager to jump onto him .. for what .. missing one 1-on-1 which he actually rounded James very welll .. When he rounds the keeper you say he should chip, when he chips you say he should round him …. WHAT the fuck.. Just let him be what he is .. He is out of confidence but he needs to be supported .. JB said very well about the ‘ finding the scapegoat’ .. About the proper striker, anyways Ronaldo remains in the goal now for half the time so only thing is for rooney and tevez to get their confidence back and everything will be fine ..
It is very funny Grognard that you run to defend Hargreaves but not Rooney who himself has been injured for most part of the season and hasnt been able to recover his great goal scoring form just before the injury .. Perhaps you may reconsider..
And to remind others that your Huntelaars and Benzemas are not miracle workers either and you will start stamping on them very soon too. SAF has some set-up in his mind for Untied team which INCLUDES both rooney and tevez as well as Ronaldo .. He has his ideas about United team make-up and I fully support it .. All you Hargreaves, then Carrick, now Rooney and maybe later Ronaldo bashers out there may listen .. There is difference between objectively assessing the players and making villians out of them .. rant over ..
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Grognard, I remember you saying in a previous post that your ancestors are Greek, or something like that. I believe this is the reason that you jump too easily to conclusions and ‘solutions’. I’m Greek and I know the mentality. Whenever something goes wrong, someone has to go. It’s usually the gaffer, but in United’s case that’s impossible, therefore it has to be a player.
At least we weren’t eliminated by Barnsley.
I still rate your posts and I believe that Rooney should be rested for as long as it’s needed, but you don’t sell hot property so easily. This is what “football teams” here in Greece do, and that’s why nobody cares about Greek “football” (as people in Greece like to call this wannabe-football they play). I try not to live in the past, but we have to remember how he played before his injury. The boy hasn’t just forgotten his skills.
I’m still satisfied about yesterday, because I’ve watched United play like United. However, I didn’t like watching Rooney playing wide-left, centre-back or anywhere else, leaving Portsmouth’s box empty, and at one point I thought he would even play in goal.
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Shannon; Listen mate I am far from being out of line. I just have the guts to throw out an idea or two that might not be popular but that need to be looked at. That should be the point of this site, to share ideas and to debate. If we all agreed with each other and played it safe that would be a pretty dull blog to read.
I for one love Wayne Rooney but I am extremely frustrated by his lack of form and by what seems to be an increased lack of confidence in his play as well. He’s lost it but great players occasionally go into a funk like this. Usually they can pull themselves out. It’s been half a season already and Rooney is showing no sign of improvement in my eyes. Occasionally he comes up with a stunner but they are few and far between. Do I want him sold? NO!!!!! But I did throw the idea out to see how a lot of you blokes would react. I wasn’t surprised although I expected more of a firestorm. Yes I can be a shit disturber but I did it for a reason. I was wondering how many of you have actually thought about either benching Wayne or selling him. I do believe selling is rash and premature. I do believe benching not to rest him but to irritate the Hell out of him and to fire him up would do him a world of good. I also think that a tactical and positional change to AMF would be in his and United’s best interest. The team’s play is stale and sometimes predictable and Rooney style of play is beginning to irritate me and bore me. What I would give for him to stop tracking back so much and start setting up camp in the opponents box. Also, Fergie used bring out the whip quite fast in the past. Lately it looks as if the inmates are running the asylum. He appears terrified to ruffle the feathers of players like Ronaldo and Rooney. He relies too much on them and he and they both know this. I also think that he is terrified of pissing Ronaldo off for fear that he will bolt to Spain. Just an observation and one that I realize I could be mistaken with. Still, I’m not out of line for posting my feeling now am I Shannon?
United Forever; I’m not seeking your respect mate, but I do respect it if you feel I earned it. Obviously my radical way of thinking has irritated you and for that I’m sorry. Confidence is not what I need, perhaps the words you are seeking are patience and faith. When it comes to Rooney I have both but it is diminishing by the day. Two years ago I rated Rooney in the top five players on the planet. Now he wouldn’t make my top 50. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. He has also lost the confidence and faith of England coaches and supporters as he doesn’t score goals for them either. Just remember how he was in EURO 2004. Now compare him today. He is half the player. He’s lost it bloke. Question is, will he get it back? I hope so. Perhaps I have lost respect for Rooney? Well not really. But my confidence in him is presently at ZERO.
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There’s something in what you say, Grognard, even if you go a little over the top. Rooney’s way out of form. Too much time spent playing either with his back to goal or out wide left has let him unsure of how to play his natural game. I still think he’s one of the best out-of-form strikers in the world. We play a hell of a lot better with him than without him.
He’ll come good again. He just needs to get scoring.
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united would have scored if hargo wasn’t on the bloody pitch. 100% sure of that. scholes and hargo has 0 creativity. scholes does offer a lot when he’s in form, but he was back to his “MIA” self and probably should have been replaced at halftime.
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i say we bench rooney, and put on welbeck lol, he couldnt do any worse could he… i do think we should bench rooney and play ronny upfront. this could be are starting line-up at the end of the month is rooney keeps this form
vds
brown
rio
vidic
evra
giggs
anderson
carrick
nani
ronaldo
tevez
with rooney on the bench. that starting line up or if giggs is still injured, silvestre at left back, evra at left mid and nani on the right.
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al nino, you realize that hargreaves would defended a tap-in goal for us right, and you realize that goal we conceded was conceded after he came of, 2 solid facts about why he should be on the team yet he is doing worse then rooney, rooney is by far the crappiest player on the team(don’t care if you like it, its true) and had hargreaves had been on the pitch a guarantee you it would not have been a goal, the funny thing is, if he was on the pitch at the time of the goal, you would be coming in guns blazing on him but because it was rooney and anderson its, “he’s in-experienced” and “he’s not a defender”
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Mr. Dan, can u tell me one better thing that Tevez did yesterday and Rooney didnt, to qualify himself to be in ur ‘esteemed’ line-up?
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Theres nothing Tevex did better .. His first touch was arguably as bad as Rooney’s .. But i am not saying bench both of them .. I would play both them again and again .. Hardly anybody, especially this muppet Dan, rememembers last years FA cup tie , if it were needed to stress what a talent we have on hands .. Benching him is insanity, give him more games and he will soon be back to his best ..
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Grognard, as per usual you have plenty to say and I apprecite your honesty coz many of your points about Rooney have merit. I personally dont think that he has improved that much since he first came to United and it is getting to the stage were Im starting to wonder wether or not he is going to be the player we hoped he would be.
The easiest way to think about this is by asking yourself a question, and the question in my mind is this, do you think that our team would be improved if the 20 year Benzema was in our team instead of the 22 year old Rooney, and having watched the two players during the last 3 weeks in my opinion it would, big time. Now I know some people are going to say that Rooney is playing slightly out of position and theres some merit in thier point, but if Benzema was at Man U now, on current form his partner would be Tevez, not Rooney.
Which begs the question, if SAF does go out and buy a top notch striker, which one of our current two will make way, and how long will it be before frustration sets in to the person who has been left out.
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I agree with Grognard about Rooney!. Rooney was not bought as a defender but a STRIKER. Even Fergie has said that he has told Rooney about tracking back far too much. He should be in the box. Trouble with rushing around like a maniac, is that he expends \so much energy, that when he is needed for shots on goal he is too worked up and lacks composure. I admire Rooney’s effort, but not when it hinders us in the box scoring goals. As a FOOTBALL fan, I do NOT ENJOY the wild flying and lunging tackles Rooney often carries out when he is so called frustrated. He picks up RIGHTFUL cards and can miss vital matches as a result. He needs to be sorted re this, because his hotheaded tackles are not appreciated. With regard to Al Nino’s comment that United would have scored if Hargreaves wasn’t on the pitch – that’s laughable!. Let’s put it a better way, Portsmouth may have scored more, as was proved when Hargreaves went off. Hargreaves is a defensive midfielder, and a very good one – Scholes was the one to get forward, BUT HE HAD ANOTHER OFF DAY. HOWEVER I don’t want to rant about Scholesy because of all the thousands of good days he had for us in his heydays!. Regarding people’s comments “at least we didn’t get beatebn by Barnsley.” Maybe we might have been tho, if we had been playing them instead – who knows lol. As for saying “Its not the end of the world,” I agree, BUT IT COULD BE THE END OF 2 MORE TROPHIES – how would you feel if that happens?. Anyway, I think we’ll go on and win these trophies, but Rooney will need to keep his head together. I felt for Harry Redknapp and Portsmouth fans in how joyous they were at going thru, and I am glad it was them and not the Arsenal that knocked us out. Fans from these teams will have a marvelous day at Wembley, they will truely remember it for a long, long time. Congrats to Barnsley too – well done lads – the ole magic of the FA Cup is back!!!!!!.
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Selling Rooney, that’s not radical thinking, it verges on the point of insanity. We have one of the best young players in the world, who has yet to turn ‘the corner’. Do we chuck him on the scrap heap, or do we endeavour, with the potential reward clearly visible with Ronaldo? The short term, easy and reactionist solution is to sell him, however a club wanting to build a team to rule Europe do not get rid of young talent of Rooney’s magnitude so dismissively. But then I suppose a player with good goal scoring stats would carry us to glory, like RVN did
You would think the example of Carrick would stick in peoples head, but apparently the fallacy of hastily writing off a player is still alive and kicking.
Finally, form is temporary, class is permanent
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JB; You have a real nasty habit of preaching to others like they a four year olds and you are the wise old professor. I’ve got news for you mate, you’re not. My thinking has nothing to do with being hasty or impatience and although it may seem radical to many, it comes with a lot of thought and a proper persepective. I’ve watched Rooney play for a number of years now and rather than see a marked improvement in his attacking game, I am seeing a regression that started after his injury last season and further itself after his injury this season. The bottom line is that he isn’t doing the job he was paid to do and he no longer is one of the top 25 players in the world. That job of course is to score a bunch of goals. When he does score they usually are highlite reel classics but they are becoming fewer and farther apart. In fact most his goals remind me of the kind an attacking midfielder scores.
There is absolutely nothing insane in what I am suggesting. And I was suggesting a few different scenarios that did not include selling Rooney. Benching him for a few games or moving him to a more comfortable AMF position is hardly insane thinking and thus I think deserves a little more consideration and merit. Rooney is not a NEW player. He has been around for a number of years now. His first couple of years you could see the potential and the development but since last season he looks like he has peaked. I know that he is a great talent but I also know that his game is faltering and he looks stale and out of ideas. He hesitates at times and at other times he reacts too quickly. The tell tale signs of an out of form player. How long does a great talent stay out of form though before panic sets in by both player and his supporters and coaches?
Carrick has been here for only two 1 3/4ths seasons so comparing my original harsh criticism of him is not a good example. Especially when there is plenty of evidence on this page of me backing Rooney even earlier this year when he wasn’t scoring. The bottom line is that something has to give. When your car breaks you don’t wait for it to fix itself, you fix it or you sell or trade it in. How long must a top of the league footballing giant wait for a player to get out of a season long funk when so much is on the line for this team from year to year? Yes we play better when he is on the pitch but I think we would play well with somebody else who is world class at that position as well. Craig made some great points about Rooney’s waste of energy and lack of discipline. It’s time for some radical thought.
Also Wayne has regressed when it became apparent that this team had become Cristiano Ronaldo’s team and not his.
My first strategy is to sit him down and let him think about what needs to be done. Before he was sold it did wonders for Beckham because that was a player with heart and pride, unlike Saha. Rooney too has heart and so I believe this strategy make wake him up. Trying him in the AMF role may be an alternative too but our lack of depth at striker probably means that this strategy would only be tried next season. Selling him would only be a last gasp strategy and as well, it would bring a lot of money for further purchases because Rooney still is worth a lot, unlike Saha who we hung on to for too long. Also pairing him up with a true striker who scores goals would take the pressure of of him and he might perform better. He seemed much more confident and calm when RVN was in the lineup didn’t he?
DAN: I noticed you are calling people muppets and other insulting things again. Just a friendly reminder that Red Ranter warned you about that mate so stop it before he bans you. I’d hate to lose your otherwise strong contributions to this site due to a bit of temper. I’m guilty of this too so I speak from a bit of experience. I hope you take this in the friendly manner it is intended.
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i do though you and red ranter must see he insulted me first, yet my post has been deleted and his is still there, i dont want to start an argument but where is the fairness in that?
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Grognard: He is 22 years of age though. Finished articles at his stage are the exception, not the rule. As for how much patience we should have, I would say more than we normally show.
The insanity remark was solely aimed at selling him, not at the AMF or benching suggestions. Both have certain merit but the current situation renders them virtually unviable. Selling him, no absolutely not, the situation would need to become absolutely dire before I would even contemplate the idea. There is the potential for another Ronaldo level player there and to potentially let that slip through our fingers…..
Many would have sold Ronaldo before the start of 2006/07 yet the incident at the world cup seemed to flick a switch in him and as a result he has become arguably the world’s best player. There is still time for Wayne to turn the corner and if you look at the analysis I put in the match report it would be hard to say he is a liability at the moment. However some way needs to be found to let him play his own game and not be ‘the square peg in the round hole’.
His ‘regression’ over the last two seasons can be at least partly attributed to being played out of position and injury. Unlike some players, Wayne seems to be heavily disrupted by injury. He was on great form in preseason and around October/November time, yet both times the run was ended by injury. He has an empty pre season this year, so let us hope he avoids any significant injuries next season.
PS. Apologies if my comments come across as arrogant or haughty. I would argue your own can seem quite aggressive and abrasive at times. However as you mentioned some time ago, these things often don’t come across as well on the internet as they would in a real world situation. So once again apologies.
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I know I am new to this forum, so I will be careful about what I say lol!. I see that there are a lot of very passionate posters here, with strong opinions. I really don’t see any problem with that, because passionate banter is what football is all about. If other people are just as fervent about their opinions as we are about ours, what is the problem?. It only becomes an issue if folk start name calling and being personal. Soccer is all about opinion, and like Grognard and JB, they see differently about certain players, but can still respect opinions different to theirs. I would hate it if everyone just had the very same opinion – I enjoy heated debate between passionate fans – and the more diverse the better.
JB – with regards to your comment about Rooney becoming a player of the ilk of Ronaldo – I think maybe that’s a big part of Rooney’s problem!. He is trying to be like Ronnie/Nani/Anderson in his flicks and dribbles, but he doesn’t have the same basic technical skills. This is costing the Roon, because he was so good when he just used to run the length of the pitch from the halfway line, and let fly, and that was his strength. Anyway’s that is just my observations, and you all may have different ideas.
I am smiling, at the Wigan result – yes, Good ole Brucie – getting his lads gee’d up for the game. Hope ManU can take advantage of this.
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[Dan]
You were the first to use the word muppet on this thread. Here’s the link
You used it again after warning you. Since you are one of the older members on this blog, I am showing more patience. Trust me I have banned countless posts on this site (I’ve lost count maybe 100s) because they just seek to wind people up or indulge in personal attacks. If someone attacks you personally, ignore him and just get in touch with me with the contact form, I’ll deal with it. Now how difficult is that? And how many times do you want me to tell you this?
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Hey craig mc, nice to have you aboard! I wouldn’t really worry about being careful about what you say, it doesn’t matter if your new here or not, just get stuck in! As for Grognard and me, we to have a tendency to bicker like a pair of children (or is it old men??)
On your second point, when I said about Rooney becoming like Ronaldo I meant in terms of stature and impact. You make a good point about his playing style, his natural style is to pick the ball up, drive at the opposition and slip in through balls or take shots on goal. Playing him up front with his back to goal takes a lot of this away from him. His sheer talent means he can play the role, however he can’t seem to do it to good effect consistently over the course of the season. You can’t really blame him for that, but it is the position he has found himself in.
On a side note, would this be your most commented on topic RedRanter, you’re not far from the big 200 mark
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[JB]
Yep. Although, the comments are in themselves technically off topic, as this post is a preview to the Portsmouth game!
Oh well, I am not complaining.
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Hmmm agree with grognard about benching Rooney and test his mental mettle or repositioning him.
But selling him? No way! The player himself wants to stay in the EPL for his whole career. Who would buy him? Arse? Chelski? The only team I can ever picture Rooney playing for, apart from us is Everton.
Its sad, but I think we’ll never see the Rooney of 3-4 years ago. Recap: Rooney was the next best thing since Paul Gascoigne! He could dribble past opposition (not true anymore), had a terrific shot from distance (less and less), was a very capable header of the ball.. Wait! Isn’t that the description of Ronny?
Craig mc bangs it on the head, i think, with him being affected by Ronaldo’s flicks. As far as I can remember when he first came to OT and was so good, he scarcely tried to backheel and lob the keeper. Nowadays it seems he does that more than trying to bang in those scorchers.
Rooney must find himself a style of play that suits his game as he seems to be experiencing the sort of crisis, older players meet when their bodies can’t perform what has been their bread and butter play for years (Giggs for one). Not that Rooney is physically out of it, no way, but it is very unusual for such a young player to experience positional problems.
On another topic, it seems many of you guys are also nostalgic of RVN. Wait a minute, as much as I loved the guy, wasn’t he deemed to make our team one dimensonal? I’d love a striker able to bang in 40 odd goals a season, only I’d also like him to be able to participate in build up play.
Raul makes a comparison of (fat)Ronaldo and Eto’o. Eto’o is probably the most talented striker on the planet in all departments because he’s lethal and involves himself so well in build up play. Not fat Ronaldo.
But I’ll have to admit that other than Eto’o I can’t think of any other striker who allies both set of skills.
By the way, it seems a few of you don’t rate Tevez. Apart from his slow start to the season he did well, much better than Rooney in any case. Just wonder why SAF has been benching him more often than I would like recently.
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Oh and my 2 cents on PIG.
Many of you are willing to diss him off while we have not really have opportunities to judge him for a long run – well I seems to me he had one decent run in the side while VDS was injured, after which he was back to keeping the seats warm on the bench.
From what I remember, PIG:
Has very good reflexes
Is a decent handler of the ball
Deals with crosses ok
But:
-He’s got awful footwork
-He doesn’t (really) instill the sentiment of security in the back 4
Now what do we know about Foster? Anyone can make a pros and cons analysis of the young bloke? Thanks.
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Oh and does anyone have news of how Manucho is doing in Greece? James F.?
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JB; I totally see your point and it’s very valid but also agree with Craig’s point about Rooney regressing after Ronaldo started to make big strides. Their is a bit of a jealousy or envy factor as he does try to hard to be too cute with the ball. He used to be far more direct and made simple plays more often. And yes we do occasionally argue like a couple of old Grognard’s but I for one am learning not to take it too seriously and I also realize that I can be very abrasive at times. Still whether we agree or not, I do respect your opinion because it is always well thought out and usually can be backed up with facts. No apology is necessary. Really neither of us is wrong but I do agree that selling him may be too harsh at this time. He is still very young but he needs to be given a good talking down to. He has picked up bad habits along the way lately and playing out of position is really more Fergie’s stupidity and not Rooney’s inability to cope. I really think Sir Alex has dropped the ball when it comes to the way he uses Rooney most of the time.
Craig, welcome aboard mate and I welcome and look forward to your posts. It sounds like you appreciate good banter and varying opinions. That is what many of us are all about.
Dan; Listen mate I’m not picking on you and I’m not accusing you of starting anything. All I was doing is warning you because I noticed you using the muppet insult after you were already warned. I didn’t want to see you get in more hot water with Red Ranter. Trust me he is a very understanding guy but insulting people with name calling is not a way to get in his good books. Besides, you are better than that mate and you have often contributed better posts that don’t require that kind of stuff. So please don’t take offense with my friendly warning. To me you are a valued contributor and I’d hate to see a bit of temper ruin that. God knows I’ve been guilty of this at times too, so I can relate. Anyway, cheers.
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cheers back!
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seriously? People are actually talking about selling Rooney? I wonder if you would have said the same in that period earlier in the season when he scored something like 9 goals in 8 games earlier this season and dan I would sell hargo in a second if it meant that Rooney would stay as quite frankly rooney is twice as important to this team as hargo will ever be.
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Liam; What exactly is it you were expecting from Hargo? Because I have this sneaking suspicion you were expecting an offensive minded midfielder. He is a defensive midfielder and his job is to break down the opponents attack and begin the counter. As far as I can see he has done that well when he was healthy. And comparing a DMF to a striker is just so bloody wrong. Their individual value to the team is so different. Compare Rooney to Saha or Tevez. Compare Hargo to Carrick or Fletcher. And as for Rooney’s goal scoring I just have one thing to say about his streaky record in that department. What have you for me lately? He has lost something since his last injury and I have no idea when he will get it back.
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Manchester United 0-1 Portsmouth
Sir Alex Ferguson:
“It was just one of those games where you needed
to win and things didn’t go your way. It is very hard when the Ref
makes dissapointing decisions. During the week the players were
ready for the match and wanted to play the way they did when they
defeated Arsenal 4-0, but it doesn’t allways happen. I have already
talked to the players and the way they played.
All the players were flattend by the defeat and they knew that this
year could have been the year to have held the FA Cup.
After the match me and the staff got told that Chelsea went down to
Barnsley 1-0, after the players heard that they were disgusted and
werer silent for a long time.
I just hope that the fans will understand that the best teams do
loose all the time, even if they are expected to win.
Now we have to focuse on the Champions League and Premier League,
although this defeat to Portsmouth will have some impact on the
rest of the season, we have very little time for mistakes and must
win just about every game from now on starting against Derby this
week.
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