Jun 03
Mystery Man Advised Not to Leave United | SAF’s Big Interview | Right Backs, Anyone?
A mystery United player, who will not be named till the end of the week on this site by the author, has been advised by an Armani underwear David Beckham to stay put at United, saying United is the best place for said mystery player.
End of report. The author is not open for any comment on mystery player.
Moving on, for those of you living in the UK — or perhaps, anyone with access to Sky Sports 1, I guess — today is Fergie’s first full length interview in about a decade to be telecast at 8 pm and 10:30 pm UK time. I don’t get the point of calling this an ‘exclusive’ interview when the juicy bits have already been out, like for instance, the bit where he says he can’t see himself stay for more than three years, or perhaps two. Or the bit where he talks about his motivational techniques. But I bet it’s going to be one hell of an interview because it’s been through a bit of a PR blitz as every paper seems to have been paid off by Sky to run this story on the big interview.
I don’t have access to Sky, stateside, so I’ll have to rely on bootlegs.
In transfer rumours, there is nothing of note happening. And with the big stars out for the Euros, I don’t expect any big name signing to be done till the tournament gets over. So brace yourselves for a long summer. Of course, there was the Robinho to United bit that was circulated. But that would involve something I don’t want to go into, so we’ll leave it at that.
In other news, it looks likely that Mark Hughes will be moving to City. Why am I bringing this up? Because I want to branch off on a transfer target that a lot of United fans are after: Micah Richards. There were rumours about United’s interest in the right back. He is highly rated and the uncertainty around Sven’s position cast shadows on his future. I didn’t believe that a player from the youth academy of the Massives could move to United, given Citeh’s excellent season under Sven and Thaksin Shina-twat-ra’s moneybags. And Hughes moving to City could once again restore faith and belief in City players.
I suppose that transfer rumour could now be put to rest.
Which brings us to the question, and possibly the discussion, for the day. Do you think we need a right back at all, given Brown’s solid performances, Hargreaves’ more than adequate ability to fill in at that position, and Neville’s return from injury?
If you still think we need a right back then suggest who you want and why? Perhaps, comment on their respective strengths, like say, defensive ability; ability to move forward; ability to track back and support the defence and the likes. Also give your take on his possible transfer value (especially if he’s a new player not discussed before) and more importantly his attitude towards a club like United — something that has become important considering the current transfer saga. The reason I am suggesting you to include these attributes for discussion is to make your arguments well rounded and hence we won’t have a random discussion involving throwing around names just for the heck of it, backed by Youtube compilations. [Compilations don't always strengthen one's argument. Otherwise John O'Shea would be a better player than Luis Figo.]
Off the top of my head I can say: Dani Alves and Philip Lahm. But I think Barcelona could become a more attractive destination for the Brazilian. Lahm could be cheaper, hence a better option.
Norman Davies, the club’s first kitman, died early in the morning yesterday. God bless his soul. He served the club from 1973-1996 and was also popular with fans.
And sorry for the trouble yesterday. I’ve got word from Andrei — the UEFA Fantasy League for the Euros is up and running. So those interested, head over to UEFA.com, create an account, if you don’t have one, and head over to the fantasy league section. The group code is: 98380-18218
Over to you. Looking forward to a good discussion involving right backs — for most part [if you know what I mean!].
Related items from Red Rants:
- United on Top of the league, for now
- Interview with Phillippe Auclair
- Aston Villa v Man Utd:Preview
- Gill on City and Ronaldo
- Do United Need Another Left Back?
Tags: Daily Roundup
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:18
I think Lahm has committed himself to Bayern and recently penned a new contract. In my opinion, should the ronaldo to real deal go through, I would really like to see sergio ramos as part exchange. He is excellent. Sound defensively. Bombs forward. Excellent technical ability. Scores a lot. Not sure though whether Real would be willing and whether the player would want to leave Spain though.
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:38
Real would never part with Ramos, I think. He’s simply fundamental to the rebuilding of their squad.
Honestly, I don’t think we need a right back. We have more than enough options, especially with Neville returning. He’s got a season or 2 left in him, and I think we should wait until he retires to see what talent will be available. Don’t forget our own Simpson who could be the eventual long term replacement.
I say, save the money and use them on a striker, because we’ll need one for next season. Can’t see Rooney and Tevez pulling through on their own. Saha might be offloaded, but even if he isn’t, he’d continue to be injured. Saha is one of my favourite players when fit, but having him as 3rd striker is simply too tough on the 2 first choices. Luckily both Rooney and Tevez will have a good long summer resting.
But to sum up on the right back issue: no need to spend.
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:53
Miguel seems to be the most sensible option cheap and good! It is going to be a long summer of speculating I feel!!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:54
I think we are 2 players short of a dream team. A top quality striker who score half chances and an Evra clone for right back. That means Benzema and Alves and together they would only cost about £60M.
Am I the only one who is sick of these mega money transfers? Perhaps it’s just a consequence of tougher competition these days. I would really love to see no one join this summer. I’d like to see Campbell, Welbeck and Manucho fill the striker void left by Saha/Solskjaer, and I’d like to see Brown/Neville maintain the right back position with the Silva twins given the odd chance. But then I’d like to see an 11th title as well!
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:02
As far as the right back position goes, i realy think we should leave it for another year. Wes has preformed very well indeed during last season and didnt realy put a foot wrong. If need be we have Hargo who can also do a job when called upon, and lets not forget we will have the brazilian twins fabio and rafel(not sure if thats the rite spelling) who can play right and left back. So all in all i think we need not worry bout the right back position for another year at least. On other news i see we are being linked with Santa Cruz. Thoughts people???
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:04
My view is the we don’t need another right back. It seems astonishing to me that this could be one of our main transfer targets, rather than a reserve left back.
Right back
Wesley Brown – part of SAF’s meanest defence ever, hardly a catastrophe if he has to play there a lot next season.
Gary Neville – has the whole summer to get fully fit, we need to see how much the injuries have affected his pace but if he gets back to anywhere near his best we don’t need anyone else.
Owen Hargreaves – the rich man’s John O’Shea, and more than capable of doing a job for a few games if we pick up injuries.
John O’Shea – the poor man’s….um, you get the idea. But can do the job for a few games.
Danny Simpson – showed promise in some games last year, but very raw. Would like to see him given some chances next season if he’s not out on loan.
Looks pretty strong to me. If we had to sign anyone, I’d suggest Alan Hutton, who is good enough to play week-in week-out already, and could be absolutely amazing. And is British…………..
Left back
Patrice Evra – say no more.
Silvestre – probably leaving.
John O’Shea – rather not for any length of time.
Er, that’s it.
So, someone please remind me why we’re not scouring Europe for a decent left back as cover? If Evra does his leg in the day after the transfer deadline, we’re a bit screwed.
On that note, any suggestions of appropriate left back candidates would be interesting.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:04
No right back is needed, yet.
We have Brown, Neville, Hargreaves, Oshea, Fletcher, Simpson and One Silva twin, who can fill the position when needed.
I think we need a winger and a striker, I have no idea of who the winger should be but Id want some experience and I want Benzema as the striker and again as I said give him the #7 shirt.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:13
Lahm can play left or right back and is good a both a la Dennis Irwin. I always thought Matt Taylor is a good plyer decent back up and can play in midfield, seems to have a decent attiude. Not as a starter but pos back up?
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:15
This is the reason I like Lahm and Richards over Alves. They offer more to the squad as both can play 2 positions and with Pique gone and Silvestre looking to be on his way we need cover all across the back 4. I have no idea who Fergie may have in mind to come in at the back, think it may well be a suprise to us all.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:30
If Real will never part with Ramos then why would be allowed to concede that Ronaldo will part with us?? Ronaldo is worth more than Ramos!
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:40
Agreed Tomqas. They wouldn’t let him go. Too bad though. If they were to want a certain indivdual, it’d take Ramos, Casillas, and 60-80 mil to do it. I like Lahm though, seems like a quality player. I don’t know how succesful Fergie would be when it comes to getting him though. He did sign a new deal with Bayern, they’ve got Klinsmann coming in too. He may not want to leave at all.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:46
That Left Back discussion is a much better idea and Lahm is my main choice defender for that purpose. Lahm and a Striker should be our way foward.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:55
casillas has a deal till 2017 with real!!! that tops even febragas’
but yea wouldnt mind ronaldo for ramos + robinho + 50m
If Huntelaar comes then we can play proper 4-3-3 involving all of Hunter, Rooney and Tevez (with Giggs, Manucho & Nani as backups/covers). Midfield of Anderson, Carrick & OH (with Scholes & Fletch as cover – arguably weak position and they are not same class anymore so long term injuries to any of main 3 can hurt). Probably buy a top class proven ACM (Diego or VDV) and rotate with Anderson. Usual back 4 + VDS (though he might need replacing. Depends on progress by Foster if VDS will still be 1st choice). I still think LB will lack quality cover if something happens to Evra.
So in all 3 acquisitions for me (or 4 depending on VDS condition after euros) – Huntelaar/Gomez, a top class ACM (someone in the mould of Gerrard/Ballack) and a reserve LB. Out go Saha, Silvestre, Dong etc. Total outlay could be around 25-30m tops!
Of course this team doesnt include Ronaldo as he will be sitting on the bench whole year
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:57
Nice crazy rant Jos!
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:58
It seems the refresh season has started…
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:00
Funny we talk about plyers who can play left back or right back, we had one in Phil Neville!
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:47
Speaking about future wingers, Cardiff have just confirmed that we have made a bid for Ramsey.
link
Maybe you were right all along Dan!
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:17
actually we have signed him………..at last some good news
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6610831
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:20
Re: cover for left back.
Surely this is something Giggsy could do now that he is being phased out of midfield?
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:23
Yup you’re right! Our first signing this summer!!
Yippeeee!
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:34
Ahhh it is always good when we buy British. I cannot say I have watched Ramsey play. Is he the new Scholes or is it more likely we’ll turn him into a winger.
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:35
How do you do the single word link again?
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:43
he still has to agree personal terms, but yea: we got a guy!!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:46
[TinManUnited]
Click the “>>” button above the comments box (so you get an extended options menu), highlight the single word (in this case ‘link’), click on the Ext Link button and copy-paste the URL in that box.
Hope that was simple and clear
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:47
Instead of calling him the mystery player why don’t you call him the MERCENARY.
He is only interested in personal achievements. Living prick.
June 3rd, 2008 at 13:54
Thanks antsBoy.
Apparently Ronaldo won’t be getting the number seven jersey if he goes to Real Madrid. What the fuck!!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:05
Lahm has just signed a new contract. Lahm is an overrated player,he isn’t good defensively, he makes a lot of mistakes. I think Glen Johnson from Pompey would be a much better option than Lahm.
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:16
Ramsey to decide
Not a signing as yet
Even Arsenals offer has been accepted. its upto Ramsey now
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:34
Yeh lahm’s not very good defensively and he’s signed a new contract so he’s not leaving bayern. We don’t need a right or left back. Oshea and brown are half decent cover. Hargreaves, as a full back, is at about the same level as them too. Alves is more versatile than lahm or richards.
Scholes is still the best midfielder in the squad.
Aaron ramsay is a central midfielder, not a winger.
Ramos is an excellent player but he gets at least booked in every game he plays. Robinho would come in in exchange anyway, not ramos, with perhaps some cash, nothing near 50 mil.
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:44
Apparently NOT a done http://www.cardiffcityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10335~1322884,00.htmldeal
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:45
…….Deal…. sorry
June 3rd, 2008 at 14:47
I’m hoping a certain Mr. Giggs gives Aaron a call, I mean surely the chance to work with an idol should have some sway?
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:03
Lets not get too excited, he is only 17 and we probably loan him back for a year if (touch wood) we sign him.
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:35
micah richards i would pay £30mil for him top class young player and hop ramsey sighns soon next paul scholes?
and madrid would never swap robinho,ramos and 50 mil for ronaldo bit too much
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:36
Anton you really think glen johnson is better than lahm! think about it
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:48
I do personally don’t want Richards, not just because he plays for Citeh, but I think he is a cocky tw##t, Lahm or Miguel I would say.
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:52
he’ll sign for us, we can give him better wages, plus we have an ace up our sleeves to, a certain idol of his plays for us.
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:54
[Stephen]
You mean cocky tw#t right?
June 3rd, 2008 at 15:55
RR Oh yeah, my bad spelling I am afraid!!!! should stop blogging @ work!
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:00
You mean commenting
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:02
Dan
that was the case with Gareth Bale as well. Giggs was his idol as well. I think we did make an offer for him also isint it ?
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:03
Ranting I think is more apt!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:04
So atlast fergie is leaving!!
bad news !!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:32
I like the way certain people are building our future lineup without a certain player being part of the equation. His sir name I won’t mention but it is exactly the same a Brazilian legend who likes to pick up tranny’s and who holds the record for most goals ever in the World Cup. Oh yeah, and his first name is based on that of a famous religious icon. And no, it’s not Buddha Pele.
Lets not write our special boy off just yet. Keep the faith and ye shall be rewarded. I hope…..
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:37
first off we need a proper right back.brown was decent not outstanding.gary lets face it will have lost some pace.the silva twins?enigmas. i personally rate simpson but we all know fergie wont use youngsters unless they have been bought at a price.
for a striker,i say we go for benzema.he could be united s ronaldo fat boy.fabiano should not even be on anyones mind or we could as well bring kanoute who has been better.benzema could be what we need nothing less.
we are European champions,the best team in the world,we should bring the best and nothing less
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:45
Is he gonna announce it today? I’m sitting here at work anticipating it and nothing…what’s the deal?
June 3rd, 2008 at 16:53
OK, forget about Philip Lahm, he’s not coming. He agreed to a new deal with Bayern and agreed to stay after discussions with new manager and pal Jeurgen Klinsmann. Now regarding Alves or Richards, do we need either one of them? The answer is no we don’t need them but yes we do. Brown is more than capable of playing that role and playing it well but he leaves a lot to be desired from an attacking point of view. Yes he did a great job setting up That Portuguese lad for the go ahead goal in the final but his forays forward are rare and generally uninspiring. Fergie wants a RB to play more like a RWB and do all the things on the right side that Evra does for us on the left side. The reason for this is he wants to build a more balanced attack that can come at teams from both sides with equal efficiency. Right now we are a team that likes to use the left side more than the right. This is why that Portuguese lad with the religious first name likes to move from the right to left often so that he can take part in the buildup that Evra creates and in which he often overlaps and creates great chances. So in theory we do need a RB who can offer this dimension to our game. It is however not vital to our success and it also could hurt us defensively because Alves may be great offensively but he is not as good defensively as Brown and he is often found out of position and upfield on counters. Brown is more stay at home as a RB and this has a lot to do with our excellent defensive record.
When I think of how much money it will cost to buy either Alves or Richards I cannot help but feel that money can be better utilized somewhere else. A world class striker like Huntelaar or Benzema would be a sure fire purchase if we didn’t have to buy a RB. Also, a winger could be purchased to back us up because Giggs is on his last legs and we also may be losing another winger sooner than we want due to this unnamed lad’s obsession with life in Madrid. Buying a Ben Arfa or better yet and Arshavin or youngsters like the Greek kid Ninis or the newest German phenom Marcus Marin would be great moves for the near future as these kids are truly special and loaded with skills and potential. Also, lets not assume the center of our midfield is as solid as we would like. I’m still dreaming of the Michael Ballack style AMF who has the skill and presence to set up strikers for goals as well as score several himself with both his feet and his head. Chelsea’s success is based on the fact they have two of these world class performers in Ballack and Lampard. We have none. These are the areas that need upgrading, not RB. In my opinion Brown is fine and both Hargo and Neville can back him up as well as O’Shea.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:05
[Brian]
Don’t hold your breath.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:09
MCRx3; Boy that is sure showing gratitude for you. WOW! The kid plays five years for us in which he is the best player on the planet for his last two (possibly more if he stays). He is part of a team that wins the EPL twice, the Champions League once and a League Cup and FA Cup but all you can say is “Living prick”. Gratitude is not a strong trait I see and loyalty it seems is weaker than that individual you just criticized, not to mention your own personal greed. I think thats sounds a bit hypocritical don’t you? We should be grateful for all he has given us and United in his five years. Hopefully he will stick around and give us more thrills but if he decides he wants to move on, I won’t be happy about it but I will thank him and wish him well. As for Real Madrid, may they go bankrupt and their shareholders get cancer. They are the villains in this drama as well as a Spanish girlfriend with a body to die for.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:16
excellent grogy Sir!
you are in your elements today
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:23
His girlfriens is very nice I must say.
Lets not start getting on his back yet, lets wait and see if he does want to move, then I can’t see us selling him anyway, Fergie I am sure will dig his heals in and CR should know that. Let see what transpires in the next day or so then we can start calling him all the names under the sun or congratulating on a the right decision.
We are United.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:24
MUFC FAN; Glen Johnson isn’t qualified to wipe Philip Lahm’s ass. That’s an outrageous claim. Good player but not world class and that’s what Lahm is.
To all the folks bringing up Philip Lahm; FORGET IT! He’s not going anywhere. He just signed a 3 year deal with Bayern and he has given his word as well to new manager Klinsmann. Add to this incredible improbability of Bayern Munich allowing him to leave a week after he just penned a new contract. But still, many of you want United to act in the same fashion as Real FUCKING Madrid and try and get him anyway. Remember how difficult it was to get Hargo. We only succeeded because Hargo was British and was dying to come and play for us. Lahm is not. Get over it and forget about it. Fergie had his window of opportunity and as he often does, he dragged his Scottish ass until the window closed. I think he will do the same when it comes to Huntelaar, Alves and Benzema too as their are teams out there in Europe that are far more aggressive than United when it comes to securing transfers. We will be stuck with the likes of Fabiano and some pot luck backups. This procrastination or delay is nerve racking and dangerous. Yes some of these players are hard to sign just before a big tourney but they may be harder to sign afterwards. Where is the skill of negotiations? I sometimes wonder if we really have that big a transfer kitty. Or is it based more on how much we get from the players we sell. The Glazer’s debt I feel is a burning problem with United in the transfer season and I think it may cause Fergie problems getting the players he wants. Just a feeling.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:25
Thanks Jos. I aim to please.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:31
[Grognard]
I don’t know if you’ve touched on it earlier, I’d like your opinion on Santa Cruz. I’ve read Tim Vickery’s columns appreciating his heading ability and height. He’s impressed for Blackburn, but was less than stellar for Bayern. What do you reckon? A bargain buy?
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:34
I did read something yesterday about that Portuguese lad with the religious first name. This whole business may actually be nothing more than a tactic not only to get a better contract befitting the newly crowned best player in the world, but also to secure rights to his image. If so, this makes a lot of sense and his actions are coming much more in to proper perspective. His agent and himself believe that his personal brand and his face can be marketed all over the world with equal success to that of Mr Posh Beckham. I personally don’t think so because Beckham’s success has a lot to do with his aura, his marriage and the fact that he is English and thus, the English speaking world favors him and markets him with vigor. With him it’s not all about looks but image too. Ronaldo is Portuguese and he will never have the world appeal that an English or American athlete will have. That’s just the honest truth about world marketing. But, all the power to him if that is what he is trying to do. Still, I won’t buy his cologne when it comes out. The scent would probably make all the girls dive for cover and cause me to whine and cry about the injustice of it all.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:36
Talking about girlfriends, mine has given me an ultimatum!. Stay off the net, or stay off the other!. She’s tall, blonde and gorgeous. So come on, what would you lot do?. M’thinks I am going to be absent from the rants for a while lads!.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:37
[Grognard]
I disagree. An ugly Ronaldinho at one stage was earning more than Becks in the peak of his powers. The ‘kid’ is not bad looking and not a bad footballer. A good Euro/World Cup will make HIM Beckhamesque. Anyway, what do you think of Roque Santa Cruz?
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:39
[Craig mc]
We’ll miss you. Enjoy! Btw, this is a good time to be off the site too… nothing worthwhile happening anyway.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:47
RR; I’ve seen Santa Cruz play many many times while he was with Bayern and although he is a very decent player, he did very little in his years there to justify giving him a starting position. Yes he has skills but he quite often disappears in games entirely. He is totally dependant on service and does not really make anything out of half chances. His heading is good but he is easily out physically neutralized by big defenders like Mertesacker, Worns etc. He is capable of scoring with both feet and he does occasionally score some cracker goals but he is woefully inconsistent and most of all, he is invisible in important matches. When Bayern would have the league all wrapped up two or three years ago he would come on late in the season and go on a goal scoring run. However, when he was needed last year due to injuries to both McKaay and Pizarro and Bayern were fighting to grab a Champions League spot, he just didn’t come through. My assessment of him is he is a decent third striker for a good team but he isn’t good enough or does he have the physical strength to be a starter on a great side. He does well at a place like Blackburn because there is less pressure to perform and because he has no competition in front of him or behind him. He also benefited greatly from David Bentley’s Beckham-like crossing ability. Put him on a team where he will have to compete for a place and also play in pressure situation and I believe he will implode. I could be wrong and if we got him I’d pray I was wrong but my experience in watching him over several years tells me I am right. Stay clear away from him. The only good thing I can really say is that he seemed comfortable as a #3 striker so sitting on the bench doesn’t annoy him. This should make Tevez fans happy but I for one want Tevez to be our #3 striker and I want United to buy a #1 striker. After all, we are United, not Blackburn. Hope that helped a bit RR. Then again, it’s only my humble but observant opinion.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:49
Craig has succumbed to woman. Reminds me of a Portuguese lad we all know and used to love. Have a good time Craig and behave yourself.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:54
[Grognard]
OK. So he is reliant on service, which our system of play guarantees. If Hughes leaves Blackburn [according to new reports, City and B'burn have agreed a compensation package] then I think United might bid for him. It is plausible.
If that happens, though, I think we can wave goodbye to the likes of Benzema and Huntelaar.
Santa Cruz appears to have incredibly quick feet from what I’ve seen. Signing him won’t excite me, but I won’t complain. He’s been proven at the Prem (although it’s just one great season) and going by Fergie’s transfer strategy of late he’s shown a willingness to spend for proven premiership performers — read: Carrick, Tevez.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:56
Craig RIP.
With regard to Santa Cruz last season could have been at bit of a fluke regarding his goals. 188 games 38 goals is not fantastic, especially for a side like Bayern who pretty much dominated that league while he was there.
He is good I watched him against us and he was tracking everyone, but we do have Rooney and Tevez who do that sort of thing already.
We need someone who can put the ball in the onion bag, simple, like Ruud in the early days.
June 3rd, 2008 at 17:57
Keeping with British buys this summer it would be great if we signed Aiden McGeady of Celtic. Celtic would sell at a decent price and the player has indicated at a Premiership move in the past and would be more open to a move if Gordon Strachan leaves Celtic. Fergie has hinted at signing a player in the Giggs mold and has had eyes on McGeady as well, but we pretty much have scouts watching everyone really. Aaron Ramsey is being touted as the future Scholes and I see McGeady as the next Giggs.
It is common knowledge we need a striker but I cannot make my mind up at RB. There is no question we can more than make do with a rotation of Brown, Hargo and possibly Neville and Simpson, but do we want to make do and get by with what we have got (which is not a bad situation at RB) or improve. I prefer constant improvement and Lahm would have been the perfect option by not only providing everything needed at RB but also cover at LB, but he is staying at Bayern and has already penned a contract.
The problems that foreign and especially Latin players bring to the club has come to the forefront with a certain unnameable player and even Tevez talking about future moves abroad although the latter not causing the same amount of chaos. So it is good to know that`we are signing or trying to sign top British talent which is essential for the club’s stability.
If anything we have been reminded how easy it is to destabalise a club and why no one player is more important than the club. Our continued success has and will be as much down to the likes of O Shea and Fletcher as it is to the like of Ronaldo Rooney and Rio.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:00
Ronaldinho has never made more than the Beckham brand RR. I remember reading an article in an American magazine based on net worth due to marketing (licensing) income for athletes and Beckham was first while Ronaldinho was in the low teens. Beckham is a GOD in Asia and his popularity is growing in North America where non soccer fans know who he is and recognize him. Ask a non soccer fan who Ronaldinho is and ask for a description and they are clueless. Lets also remember the product line that is out there with the Beckham trademark. clothes, fragrances, etc. Ronaldinho has a shoe deal and EA Sports and a few others. He is large but Beckham is huge huge huge. Also Beckham is very much an ambassador to the game for England and thus he is seen at FIFA, UEFA Olympic and other world events designed to promote the game and England’s position and exposure in the game. Barca and Brazil do not use Ronaldinho this way. Becks is also popular in in Ronaldinho’s back yards of South America nad of course Spain. Ronaldinhio couldn’t get a dentures or toothpaste licensing deal in England. And lets face it, he has no allure to women as he is not the boy toy Becks is. Women in the world all know who Becks and Posh are. They have no idea who Ronaldinho is. There is no comparison financially or socially.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:08
Stephen; Right on mate!
RR; The player is quality but he isn’t United class. He’s not a pressure performer. Also, now that it looks that Hughes will take over at Man City I think that if Santa Cruz goes anywhere it will be with City. Their owner will be willing to outbid United to make their new manager happy and Santa Cruz should show his loyalty to the manager who turned his career around. But really, who knows?
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:14
rsg; A lot of player who play for Celtic and Rangers look like world beater because they play in the shite SPL. Lets face it McGeady is a good player but he looks great against the crap defenders he goes up against every week. I prefer going for players who prove themselves against quality teams week in and week out. The only real quality player playing in the SPL at present is Artur Boruc. That boy is a world class goalkeeper and I would die from joy if either United or Bayern (my two team) signed him.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:17
Also who sayes we would get him on the cheap? when have we ever bought a player from another premiership club since Cantona, cheap? and please don’t say Bellion!!
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:25
Ok so ‘He who must not be named’ has come to the fore of discussions again. He is the same as when Becks was at United as he was the star of the team, the one everyone would get on the back of jerseys, the one everyone adored (especially the media). However, there is just something that I find unlikeable about them both. It is people papering over their cracks i.e. ignoring their weaknesses. I always preferred Keane to Beckham and now I prefer Rooney to ‘the Portuguese Madrid fan’. I just admire the players who wear their hearts on their sleeves rather than the players who don’t even chase back when they lose the ball.
I have said throughout the season that
Ronaldo“the Portuguese Madrid fan”, despite being obviously great, was not as great as people made him out to be. Yes he scored a tremendous amount of goals but has that come at a sacrifice? Has it made players like Rooney start to decline? I was amazed at our performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup and yes I know it wasn’t their best team but that was the game where IMO Nani proved that he can be a great player. The thing that has impressed me about Nani is that he is much more of a team guy than the other Portuguese player and he does track back and doesn’t just let opposing players stroll past him. People have called him selfish but when compared to his compatriot he is so much more team oriented.Rooney in that game played the lone striker role perfectly and tha’s why I was surprised when Fergie moved him to the right and put ‘The Portuguese Madrid fan’ up front because I felt it made our team so much more one-dimensional. I would prefer a game like Wigan at OT or the FA Cup game where the team worked as a unit and demolished the opposition over the likes of the Derby(1-0). Oh well, that’s my take on events and I’m finished with it until more concrete news pops up.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:26
It’s all happening elsewhere though: yesterday Mourinho signs for Inter, today it’s Hughes to City, and now there are unconfirmed reports that Ancellotti has agreed to switch to Chelscum.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:28
[Liam]
Where has the debate about the ‘guy’ come up again? You just brought it up.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:30
nice RR, no mention of’that player’ all week.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:33
Aiden McGeady is useless! cr*p
no end product and no strength
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:37
Now before I continue let me come out and say that I never take whatever Tribal Football has to say seriously but I just read something from them that makes a lot of sense. The claim that Real Madrid’s and Calderon’s intention to retire the number 7 due to the years of great service to honor Raul could completely derail their chances of getting our Portuguese Boy Toy. Not because the number 7 is like Sampson’s hair before Delila cut it thus destroying his super human power. The Boy Toy does not want to relinquish the number 7 because it is financially linked to his licensing brand known as CR7. The plans are to license many items throughout the world using the CR7 brand. If indeed Real Madrid are planning on honoring Raul this way, they could very well have shot themselves in the foot with this move. Unless of course Raul himself comes out and tells Calderon to scrap the plans in order to get CR7. Interesting twist from a totally separate business angle. MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! It’s all about money. Does anybody play for the pride and love of the game and club anymore? How naive of me to think that is still possible.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:48
[Grognard]
As I said earlier, I couldn’t give a fuck. But I could change the subject. Here’s to memories of cheerful days… which now seem long time ago. CLICK
Scroll through the gallery.
June 3rd, 2008 at 18:55
does anyone here think that muntari would have been good for us if we were interested. i remember him stating his burning desire to play for the club. Not saying we should have signed him but its just for discussion’s
sake.
June 3rd, 2008 at 19:02
Liam
How is Rooney a player who ‘wears his heart on his sleeve’? Didnt he once famously sported a vest claiming “Once a blue always a blue”!!! He is a self claimed Everton fan but jumped onto Utd Bus to win trophies and if utd fall from top (especially if we were to be demoted to second division a la Juve) then only we’ll know true loyalties. we dont know if he will still be there!
These days players kiss club crest one day and ask for a transfer next! There is no way to know how loyal they really are. For me it probably makes more sense to have a class player than a loyal player who is no good. In any case in todayshighly profit-oriented corporate world loyalties are hard to find. And I dont really fault employees for that as employers are also known to be equally ruthless…
June 3rd, 2008 at 19:34
Hey Guys !! Acccording to me CR7 has been phenomenal this season and he has repaid the faith Fergie had in him
we stuck by him in his darkest hour and he has repaid us with a UCL and two PL titles..Many people
today have different opinions and i do agree with their emotions but if you guys had been told in 2006
that ronaldo would reach these levels i hardly think anyone would have believd it..So the point i’m
trying to make is that Most of you wanted him out of the club in 2006,and most of you were against fergie’s
decision to keep him here,anyways according to me he has given us what we wanted(2 BPL,UCL) and we s
should be happy he was part of our club and if he wants to move to madrid its upto him ..Plus i agree
with Groggy “living prick” by MCRx3 , is totally an immature comment.By the Way His girlfriend could be the
main reason why he has second thoughts…”SHE JUST HAS A GORGEOUS BODY WHICH COULD DRIVE ANY MAN CRAZY”"
no wonder our boy wants to leave England…
June 3rd, 2008 at 19:35
Grognard
I was wondering why you think Tevez should be our 3rd striker? I’m not saying I dissagree, just that i believe this will be a major problem for us if we sign someone the likes of Benzema or Huntelaar. I’m not too sure there are many united caliber players out there willing to sit on the bench, which in turn makes them united cabiler. Tevez played a big part for us and is a great striker, problem is he plays the same style as Rooney and therefore when we play a 4-4-2, we lack any real scoring threat from inside the box. I don’t necessarily think that Santa Cruz would be a poor signing simply because he would (I’m assuming) be willing to sit on the bench until we needed him or Rooney / Tevez needed a rest.
This is also assuming that SAF would not resort to out and out rotation of our strikers whether is be 3 or 4 (if you include Manucho). If thats the case, then no one will be able to ‘get into the flow of the game’ and will really lack scoring from our stikers.
I’m actually on the fence about this. Of course I would love to see a Benzema or a Huntelaar in United red, but will the people already here be willing to take a second hand roll?
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:00
Comma; First off I like Tevez a lot but he is not prolific enough for my liking as a goal scorer. But I do think he has amazing drive and energy which along with his ability to score big GOALS is an asset that is best served in the last 30 minutes of a game when the opposition is knackered and when our team needs an insurgence of energy and drive. For me he could be 21st Century version of Solksjaer and could also offer Rooney and our future #1 striker chances to rest and get games off too. This role would not diminish his value top the team and may actually increase it in my opinion.
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:11
grognard you think tevez should be a 3rd striker after 21 goals this year how much do you want him to get although if we do get either huntelaar or ben we should use constant rotisery and not as a no3
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:14
well said jos although rooney will be a legend
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:29
actually grognard, with a good summers rest, i think tevez could be prolific, now before i get slated for saying this, we should see his stats.
age 17 tevez makes his debut in the 01/02 season scoring 1 goal, in 11 apps, right no sugar coating, this is crap, but it was his debut season.
with a season of experience under his belt, scores 11 goals in 32 apps, its pretty damn good goals to games ratio for his sort of striker.
03/04, tevez scores 12 goals in 23 matches, nuff said about that. in 2003 he played a key part in the Copa Libertadores, and in 2004, he played in the olympics, scoring 9 goals in 8 matches i think. so he hasnt had a break from football at this stage of career sine 2002.
his last season at boca was an injury hit season, scoring 2 goals in 9 matches. but his pass accomplishments where key to his move to Corinthians, and luckly for him, he got a short lived rest but not enough to see him really fresh.
but this didnt stop him from being a star in the next to seasons for corinthians scoring 31 goals in 53 appearances, in the next to seasons.
then came the world cup, he must of been knackered, then came west ham, where he took his time to settle but did in the end in a true goalscoring style. then this season, impressed all with his knack of scoring late, important goals, becoming key to are team. unfortunately, he scored 19 goals in 48 apps but still proved vital with his goal scoring.
if tevez has a good long rest this summer, and comes back fresh, i reckon he could get us 25 goals next season, but maybe im wrong, and he cant find the goalscoring touch he had so we sell him i guess.
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:31
my top targets would be:richards,huntelaar,marcelo and aguero as most are young we need a new right back EG:richards backup left back EG:marcelo and lwb, huntelaar experienced and good in air , aguero young fast and argentinian so would bond well with tevez and we dont need a new midfielder (just yet)who would your top targets be
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:31
Speaking of SAF’s interviews, here’s a quality one by Des Lynam:
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:33
[Dan]
Agreed, regarding the rest part. I think Tevez will be very good next season.
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:34
right RR, how did you get youtube in our comments section?
June 3rd, 2008 at 20:50
CRAIG MC-, my girlfriend gave me the same ultimatum, hence why i do not post much, we came to a comprise, less of me going on the internet less of her watching shows like american next top model, good trade off i would say, problem is it came a little too late, football season is finished
, but thank god for baseball, even though yankees cant string wins together
now on to united, the season is over, now here comes the endless speculation and debate of will he wont we of the infinite list of players going to clubs, and for the new crop of “expert pundits” to emerge to give details of players who will fare well, make an impact or be a complete flop, and their respective teams and will they make europe win the league only for their prediction to fail miserable and look like complete twats, but enough on alan hansen.
united in my opinion need a new right back, since every time i see wes brown near the ball or on the pitch, my heart sinks and i cannot bear to watch, sure he’s had an exceptional season, but reality will catch up with the lad sooner or later, and we will see what he really is a platoon right back only suitable to play low table to give our starter a rest.
Sticking to the right back debate, not a lot of names spring to mind when speaking about right backs, except ramos, lahm and alves, boswinga made a big mistake joining chelsea, and i cant feel any sympathy for the lads mistake, hes not a finished product and a team like chelsea who want you to be a world class player on day one and no patience what so ever is going to kill his career, but ah wells his mistake, th player i want the most is alves, however he lacks and real defensive skills so it will be like having two evras though evra defensively has become marvellous
my summer wish list is: Lulinha, benzema/gomez and alves/ any decent right back
June 3rd, 2008 at 21:09
Liam: Couple of points about that Arsenal games. Firstly you can’t read too much into it, good a performance as it was Arsenal just did not show up on the day. And Nani was impressive against Traore and Hoyte not Clichy and Sagna.
Point two, there were problems in Becks game but workrate and commitment on the pitch were not amongst them. So the Keane/Beckham and Rooney/Ronaldo comparison doesn’t really add up in that regard.
Point three, Rooney plays the lone striker role to a tee some days and on others he is ineffective. He is not a natural in the role, however his sheer ability means he can make it work, just not on a consistent basis. The reason for the switch to the right was a tactical effort to shore up the flanks from a defensive viewpoint. We were one dimensional because we were set up to be one dimensional. It’s hard to make a fair comparison between the attacking merits of the two formations when, for example, the fullbacks were barely allowed to cross the half way line in the Barca away game.
Now Nani might track back but so does Alan Smith. Who would you rather have in your team, Smith or Berbatov? Doesn’t matter how hard you run it is difficult to replicate 50 goals and assists a season. And he is called selfish because when he is in good positions he picks daft shots or passes to make. The most glaring example of selfish play in the team this season I can think of was a late break against Bolton at home, when Rooney was in acres of space and Nani spaffed a 25 yard shot into the stands. It is a sign of youth and he will hopefully grow out of it but let’s not pretend his decision making is there yet.
Lastly I am one of Rooney’s biggest defenders on here but can you honestly put the blame at Ronaldo’s door on the days when Rooney’s first touch couldn’t trap a bag of cement or when he couldn’t hit a barn door with his shots.
Grognard: Beckham was much more commercially linked to the number seven but it didn’t derail his transfer.
June 3rd, 2008 at 21:11
grognard, I live in America, and while you are right about beckham being more popular than dinho it is only slightly. And he is only more popular cause he hangs out with celebrities which makes him relevant in pop culture. Dinho is 1 ugly mofo, and he can’t speak English. These drastically hurt his marketing potential. “The one who shall remain nameless” is as good looking if not better than beckham. He plays more attractive football and is a much better player. Give him another 3 years and you will see the cr7 brand overtake beckham(the portageezer just needs to start snagging some more international pop stars. )
June 3rd, 2008 at 21:32
Grognard – I think you’re right about Tevez being an excellent impact player, but we need players like him playing for 90 minutes. Players who can score from nothing, who can create a goal on their own. That’s what Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez (and partly Nani) have done for us all year, and that’s why we sit here with 2 titles. I think Benzema has that ability as well, but to me Huntelaar is not that type.
My point is that I think that if we buy Huntelaar, Tevez would remain 2nd striker. With Benzema, he and Tevez would take turn being 2nd, and that’s one of the reasons I like the Benzema idea better than Huntelaar.
Now, if we signed an attacking midfielder who would make the runs into the box (that you have repeatedly called for), a Huntelaar type would be great. Benzema would also still be great.
But if Huntelaar has a midfielder picking up some of the attention, there’d be more room for him. But he’s not a player who creates something on his own with pace or quick feet like Tevez, Ronaldo and Rooney.
oh and btw. I think Tevez will be absolutely fantastic for us next season. He’ll get more goals. To me, he’s the perfect player to play just behind a striker.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:20
I personally dont think right back is a desperate need at the moment. However, as someone mentioned, what will happen if evra gets a serious injury at the Euros? That will terrify me. O’shea is great cover in a pinch and loyal, however him playing a significant amount at left back will be a drastic step down from Patrice. So, who should come in as possible cover? Cant Veloso play at LB as well as defensive CM? Lahm wont come.
For attacking options, i again think Benzema is going to be fantastic, but what happens when we have 3 world class strikers in Roon, Carlos and benzema? Who would be content to sit the bench? What about in europe away games when we want to be more composed in a 4-3-3/ 4-5-1? It would be a very tough choice and could create disharmony amongst the lads. I think we already have our two strikers, and they are both fantastic and i think both will have even better seasons next year. So, the solution?
I think we should look at a striker who offers something different than wayne and carlos. At times we needed someone to come in in the 65th min who could just give the defense that is camped in their own half something else to think about. So i would want someone who is commanding in the air and a more fox in the box type player. And it has to be someone who honestly feels lucky to just be a part of the side and wont complain about playing time if he is used as a supersub. I’m thinking someone along the lines of Kenwayne Jones. A similar type of playerto Roque Santa cruz but hopefully wont cost us 15 mil pounds, which is quite frankly retarded money for that player. Maybe the german Gomez would be more quality choice but again, would he be happy as a third choice? What about the french striker who just made their squad for the tournament? I think its Gomis or something. He is 22, big fast and strong. Would be good point man.
And just to throw this out there, i know it wont happen, but to be honest i think the best possible signing we could make would be to grab Ribery. That guy is one of the fastest players with the ball i’ve ever seen. But Bayern would demand a fortune again and they are playing champs league next year so it wont happy. But i would be happy if that was our only signing of the summer.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:22
Dan; Tevez has never been prolific anywhere he has ever played. He just scores opportune goals
MUFC; 21 goals is very misleading because he didn’t score all those goals in just EPL. I want a minimum of 21 goals from my #1 striker in just the EPL season alone and add another ten or so for all other competitions. Together Tevez and Rooney score the amount of goals I would want and expect from a poacher. Two goals for every three he plays, not one for every three. It adds up and makes a big difference. Besides, I’m not putting Tevez down. The lad scores some very big and very late goals. He could be another Solksjaer. This isn’t brain surgery. I’d rather have him score ten goals and a replacement as starter score 20 to 25. That would give our team 10 to 15 goals more a season and make Tevez goals more lethal and timely because of the energy he can introduce late in a game.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:27
Mufc fan; Are you below the age of 12 or do you just not understand football? Marcelo would not come to us just to be a back up left back for the next 5 years or so. There is very little need for us to get Aguero and Huntelaar is already on the verge of a move to Madrid. Richards also doesn’t seem like a likely target now for the reason RR stated already. But say they did all want come, do you really think we would be wanting to pay £70m ? And that would not include us signing Tevez permanently.
Dan; Well thought out argument on Tevez’s behalf, well played.
Grognard; I agree that Tevez does need to score more goals, but out of the 10 times we have won the league we have only ever had 1 striker who scored over 20 Premier League goals. So saying you want our two first choice strikers to score over 21 goals is unreasonable.
As JB has already said before.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:29
Re: Transfer targets
Right-back: I do not want Dani Alves simply because Brazilian full-backs cannot defend for their lives. Fact. Also he seems like a typical Latin mercenary type who would fock off to Real or Inter or wherever the moment he turns in a few good performances and they show a smidgen of interest. (So, two reasons why I fear for United if our full back positions in the future will be taken by those two Brazilian twins we have). On the other hand, Micah Richards would be a dream come true but, in the words of a certain (soon to be ex) United player, “dreams do not always come true”….
Striker: I would LOVE to see Karim Benzema spearheading our attack next season as much as the next ranter/United supporter, but the sad truth there is next to no chance of getting him this year. If he has a smashing Euro 2008, then our chances definitely lie somewhere between zero and nil. But what I thought was kind of funny was how we apparently have no chance of signing him from Lyon (who, with all due respect, are not a European powerhouse in my eyes), but at the same time, there is a very good chance that Real Madrid will get their filthy hands on one of OUR best players (I’ll stick with today’s recurring theme of not naming said player). So the question I propose: Why can’t we be more like Lyon? ‘Cos nobody fucks with Lyon or their president, but we have proved to be such soft touches in the transfer market in the past, selling RVN and Becks for fees way below their actual valuation. Anyway, after Benzema, the common consensus (and my opinion too) is that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is the next best option. His club are not in next season’s Champion’s League, which definitely sways things our way (not forgetting the fact that we are the defending European champions!). Even if he has a good Euro 2008, I hope and pray that Fergie pulls out all the stops to get this young fellow signed up, even if his price inflates (from a pre-tournament value of £15-20m) to £25-30m. But if it’s not to be, may I suggest a couple of other targets? I think United could do a lot worse than have a look at Dani Guiza of Real Mallorca, who is a brilliant target man, has a decent amount of pace and finished top scorer in La Liga this year. Obtainable for £10-15m methinks. Also Bafetimbi Gomis of St.Etienne: this 22-year old has all the raw ingredients to potentially be the next Drogba in my opinion. OK he won’t slot in straight away, but who better to mould him into a superstar striker than SAF?? We could even swap Louis Saha for him like for like
! But again, his value could skyrocket depending on his performance at Euro 2008 for Les Bleus.
Attacking midfielder: Some people are hankering after an AMF, which I don’t think is a bad idea actually. So sticking with the theme of French players, I would like to present Jeremy Menez of Monaco, who is an excellent up and coming attacking midfielder in the mould of Zidane i.e. a skilful player, with excellent vision, pace, passing and dribbling and general technical ability, who also weighs in with his fair share of goals. Inter have apparently bid for him and he could be bought for 15m euros (somebody do the math and convert it to GBP please, though I’m guessing it can’t be more than £10m?). Also, I know I sound like a right idiot for saying this, but in my game of FM08 (I manage Portsmouth), Man Utd bought this guy and he ended up as Premier League Player of the Year…
(Footnote: I’m just trying to come up with some new and original targets, in addition to the cliched ones everyone trots out like Benzema, Hunt et al, so fellow ranters, please don’t be fickle or come down on me like a ton of bricks and automatically say they aren’t United quality or whatever, ‘cos these players I’ve mentioned are young and not all footballers are the finished article (or close to) when they start out their careers. Also sorry for the long post! Cheers.)
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:31
JB; Beckham marketed himself around the world as the “DAVID BECKHAM BRAND”. Not the #7 or DB7 Brand. This isa big difference as and English name and an easy to pronounce name is easily more marketable. Ronaldo does not want to be mixed up with the Brazilian one and he also doesn’t want the length of his full name to be a distraction or marketing problem. Therefore his agent and advertising people came up with the CR7 moniker. It simple, short and trendy. Therefore the number is very much tied to he his as a marketing commodity. For him to change numbers would derail the marketing of CR7 that has already generated exposure and millions for him. It’s really a very big deal and I feel it could jeopardize this deal unless Real have a rethink about retiring Raul’s number and or they manage to negotiate a marketing package and name, number and image rights that could make him live with the short term losses he would suffer from scrapping the CR7 label.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:32
Grognard
I agree completely actually. My problem is, I dont think Tevez would be willing to take the same roll Solskjear took with the club. He COULD be a great striker, much like Rooney could be great. The biggest part of what makes them have great potential, in my opinion, is the fact that they want the ball on their feet for the entire game. You cant do that from the bench. And I’m certainly not saying that Solskjear didnt want the ball at his feet, but you just cant find his kind of selflessness anymore, anywhere (on a side note, this attribute is the biggest reason I think Carrick is a vital part of our team). My biggest fear is buying another big name will unsettle one person, whoever it may be, and cause rifts in the team. I know we are bigger than that, but it happens (see rooney + ‘He who must not be named’ post world cup). While that didnt cause any problems with our team per se, We cant really afford everyone playing for themselves, cause thats when we stumble.
Which is why I sit on the fence. To continue our success, we need squad players like the O’Sheas and Fletchers, and we have more than enough talent in our starting 11 to crush anyone. Home grown talent, or even unproven talent seem to be more willing to take a seat and wait, but no one can deny that pure skill helps you win. I’m just saying that United scare me in the fact that they seem more and more intent on ‘buying’ their silverware (see chelsea) than actually winning it. I’ll catch shit for that.
More on topic, I would love for United to sign Gomez from Bayern and find some cover for Evra, preferable someone young who we can mould and who can learn from Evra. Actually, I dont think we need anything more than that save for youth. Much like Anderson and Nani, still young, but good enough to play in the first team. I dont think cover in CM is all that important, especially from what I’ve seen from Possebon, but I havent seen much.
Sorry for the long ass post.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:32
Re: Mystery United Player
Since I have seen some fellow ranters on this page refer to this player as ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’, why don’t we just refer to him as Voldemort?! (he’s gonna go over and join the dark side anyway, lol)
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:41
johnsom33; You could be right but then again, never underestimate the pull of the English language and British pop culture throughout America and the rest of the world. Beckham embodies everything English. Ronaldo’s just a cute peasant kid from some island called Mediera. Yes he is fantastic and yes he has looks but marketing is more than just looks when pop culture is involved. And lets not underestimate the pop connection of being married to a Spice Girl. When Beckham poses and talks, English speaking girls throughout the world stop watch and listen. When Ronaldo does they ask their friends, “What did he just say?” Sorry but all the Ronaldo’s , Ronaldinho’s Kaka’s and Latino Bambinos of the world don’t even come close to what Beckham is in popularity. He is a living God in Asia, Ronaldo is just popular.
One more thing. Every month my friend and I take the time to sell sports collectibles at local sports memorabilia shows here in Vancouver Canada. My friend had a contact that was able to get us official Nike and Addidas jerseys from the factory where they are made in China.
He ordered a dozen of of Beckham and Ronaldo and about six each of another 7 or 8 world stars. We sold out of the Beckham’s two shows ago and we still have 9 Ronaldo’s while having sold no Ronaldinho’s and only one Kaka. Hell our second biggest seller is Michael Ballack with 6. And most of the sales of Beckham were young people and especially girls. Enough said. BECKHAM RULES IN LICENSING!
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:49
Tomas; Have you sat and watched Huntelaar play? If you have I am dumbfounded to understand how you can say what you just said
I have senn him play many many times and one thing is for sure this guy doesn’t service alone to make things happen. And there is nobody on the planet currently who can make a goal out of half chance or at time quarter chance than Huntelaar. Go on to You Tube and watch some of the highlight packages showing the skills and kind of goals he scores. His first touch is miraculous and his control sublime. He can score with both feet and he has incredible finesse and acrobatic skills that I have never seen from neither Tevez nor Rooney. Honestly I sometimes wonder what basis many of you make your arguments from. The proof is definitely in the pudding. Huntelaar is a goal scoring dream and poacher deluxe. And I said this two bloody years ago. Fergie is still dragging his ass on this kid when he could have had for 10 mil last year. Since you cannot go back and see the games, at least watch the YouTube videos. Hopefully that will wake you up a bit.
Comma; It’s simple for me. If Tevez doesn’t want to accept a new role then he go out the door he came in from and hopefully it won’t hit him on his backside when he is going out. If I am to choose between Huntelaar or Benzema over Tevez, well poor Carlos gets the short end of the stick I’m afraid. And like I said before, he knows where then entrance is if he doesn’t like it. nobody is bigger than than the team. Ask Beckham, van Nistelrooy and Keane.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:52
Nino; Cafu was a brilliant right back who could defend. Alves is actually a very good, strong tackler and when one on one he is very difficult to get past. The thing is he does leave too much space in behind, but from watching Evra previously at Monaco I don’t think that wold have been too much of a problem as he had similar traits to Alves, but it doesn’t really matter because he will be going to Barca soon. Which doesn’t bother me at all because Brown is more than capable.
Benzema actually won’t have too many options imo if Aulas decides he will sell him if a big money offer comes in. AC Milan will be spending money to reinvest in other parts of their team, also Milan wouldn’t want to stump up the cash and Barca seem to be more interested in Ibrahimovic. Real Madrid look set on Huntelaar so I doubt they will want him and Benzema, and Inter already have enough strikers and even if they lose Ibrahimovic they will probably get Eto’o in return. That leaves either Lyon or an English team. Remember Nasri said he preferred Italy and Spain to here but that didn’t stop him.
Gomis isn’t a prolific enough goalscorer nor does he involve himself in the build-up play enough for me, he does come out with some great goals though. Guiza doesn’t really have enough quality, but I would prefer him over Luis Fabiano to be honest, which is more to do with my dislike for Fabiano than my liking for Guiza.
Menez is more of a winger because many attacking midfielders who can dribble are turned into wingers; look at Ronaldinho, Joe Cole and Messi if you need evidence. Only the immensely talented Riquelme, Zidane and Kaka being the select few in the last few years.
And I think Voldemort is harsh, I’d rather call him Dumbledore since he;s a magician who has given us so much over the past years yet you know some day he’s going to have to go.
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:58
Comma; just to correct you, Gomez plays for Stuttgart, not Bayern and I agree that we need to find cover for Evra but it doesn’t have to be somebody who will eventually take his position because Evra is here for another 4 years and he is still very young. I would be happy if Silvestre stuck around, otherwise yes we need to find some backup. Also, is Possebon ready to take that role in CMF? I don’t think so therefore, we are stuck with a central midfield again that scored 3 goals all last season in the EPL. Just not good enough, but fortunately CR7 makes up for that. But what if leaves, not only do we lose him but then our midfield ends up looking pretty anemic offensively don’t you think?
June 3rd, 2008 at 22:58
Grognard: If memory serves me correctly Beckham launched several ranges of items under the label of DB7. I really doubt that a shirt number will derail any move as Ronaldo is the selling point, a new logo/name can be created. And retiring the number is a bit of a misnomer. Raul will be about next season, so if Ronaldo did go he would need a different number anyway.
Conor: Being a pedantic shite the answer is actually twice
RVN in 2002/03 and Yorke managed 20 on the dot in 1999/00. Three with Ronaldo but I would discount him as he isn’t really a striker. But the point still stands, the chances of getting both strikers above 20 league goals is very small.
On a more general note about Alves he seems to suffer from the general perception that plagues full backs, if they are excellent attackers they must be shoddy defensively. Watching him I haven’t really noticed any glaring defensive problems. However, given the importance he has in Sevilla’s attacking play he can, understandably, leave his flank exposed. If we bought him the key would be him adapting to a more restrained role than he has at Sevilla. If he does he would be an excellent purchase, if not he would be another Cicinho.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:02
NINO; I like that VOLDEMORT. That works for me. How about the rest of you? and Dumledore is Fergie because should Voldemort decide to leave for the Dark Side, there will be a fire storm of magical proportions between the two wizards.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:05
Conor: Fair enough mate! Though I would think the nickname Dumbledore would be more apt for Fergie (rather than You Know Who), as he’s a wizened, wily old wizard who’s conjured up some truly magic stuff over the years, but you know he has to (sadly) go someday! :’(
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:06
damn u Grognard u beat me 2 it!
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:08
Naah. Not a fan of Harry Potter. How about… wait for it… Darth Vader.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:08
First off I am not looking for both strikers to score over 20. I want the new striker to score well over 20 goals in all competitions and have Rooney come in with between 15 and 20 and Tevez with around a dozen. Gosh people is so hard to figure out? I want the return of a Ruud van Nistelrooy to also make Rooney be a better player. And to heck with Tevez if he doesn’t like being a super sub. I’m sorry but I’m just being honest with what I want. I do respect the fact that many of you are happy with the way things are. I’m just not. I like the idea of pushing the envelope to improve, not stand pat.
JB; You may be right but I do not recall anything here in North America with the DB7 label. Lets also not forget that when Beckham went to Real he was older and more mature and much more willing to change numbers. Ronaldo has an ego the size of Texas and I just can’t see him accepting second fiddle to Raul. But then again, I could end up being very wrong because in the end, money talks.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:09
On second thoughts, he’s Anakin Skywalker. We don’t want him to go to the dark side, but we know he is going — a bit like watching the first three parts of the trilogy.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:10
Nino; Fair enough, although associating ‘him’ with the dark side before he’s even done anything wrong seems slightly unfair.
JB; I see, bollocks I thought I could come across as intelligent in that one point
. Cheers for correcting me.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:10
[Grognard]
The number is a minor detail. He’s 17 for his country anyway.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:18
Grognard: I would have thought the opposite would be true, the older you are the more established the number/ branding/merchandising are, therefore the more difficult the change. Also bear in mind that Beckham was never that big in America back in his United days. At any rate Beckham was a bigger marketing operation in 2003 than Ronaldo is now, so if they could get a work around to the problem first time it shouldn’t prove a significant problem second time round.
On the striker issue, why is it that your idea is the one that improves the team and the others don’t? Maybe a goal poacher may not be the way forward. It might be, it might not but just because other people don’t get giddy at the thought of say Huntelaar, doesn’t mean their ideas are not aimed to ‘push the envelope’.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:20
Sorry Conor
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:21
RR; Calling Real Madrid the Emperor and Lord of the Sith is an insult to all emperors and Sith Lords. And the Portuguese lad for me was and always will be pleasing and likable. I always hated that brat Anakin Skywalker. Real Madrid is not the “Dark Side”, they’re the “wrong side”.
RR; He is no longer 17 for Portugal. Nani now wears that number because Figo has retired from the national side. It just adds more weight to my licensing argument I think.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:24
JB; I was actually being sincere, I would rather be told that I’m wrong rather than thinking I was right when really everyone else knows, he talks nonsense.
June 3rd, 2008 at 23:50
Gorgnard
Sorry about the Gomez thing, I honestly dont know where that came from. Also, I wasnt saying that Possebon could step in now, just that an AMF would, in my opinion, be wasted money because with CR7’s attacking threat, we are more and more likely to play a 433 than a 442 with one cm pushing forward and one hanging back to cover the back 4. To be honest, I dont think I would mind if we played more of a 424 with Hargo and Carrick in the center, both of them either pushing forward, supporting the attack or falling back to protect the back 4 as needed. I also know that a 424, is the most idiotic thing to ever be written seeing as how that would leave us open for counters, so no need to tell me that. Anyway, my point was that with the attacking options we have up front and on the wings, I’m prefectly content with a CM pair that lacks in the area of striking but more than makes up for it with their creativity and passing.
On a side note, if United sign Ballack, or a Ballack type player, then I will welcome him with open arms. I just dont think we will not score because we dont have someone like that though.
Also on a more general note, I must say I’m not too familiar with any other league other than the BPL, more specifically United. I follow United religiously, but living state-side, the only way to hear about ‘great talents’ and the such is through my own inquiry. So forgive me if I dont have any suggestions for transfer targets other than the ones rated highly in FIFA 08.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:06
Grognard, come on huntelaar clearly requires service. He is a goal poacher, who doesn’t really take part in build up play. He gets in the box and scores goals. For that to happen, he needs the ball to be delivered into the right area. He does not have the ability to beat a man. He has nothing in the way of creativity and flair. I don’t know who you’re watching. Huntelaar is a poor mans van nistelrooy, that’s all.
First touch and ball control are the same thing.
Ever thought there might be a reason fergie hasn’t bought him? Not good enough, maybe?
As for tevez, what the hell’s wrong with not wanting to be a sub. When you’re as good as he is, you don’t settle for being 3rd choice striker. It’s stupid to hold that against him. If you get demoted to the role of supersub in your team, fuck the team. You leave. Players like brown, oshea and fletcher are stupid. They will never hold down a regular place in the team and yet they continue to sit around and play as cover for better players. Clowns. If they turned around tomorrow and said they wanted to leave, who could blame them? Just the same, if a striker comes in and is played with rooney for most of next season, how could you hold a grudge against tevez for wanting to move on? ‘Nobody is bigger than the team’ – fuck that. It’s his career, if he doesn’t want to waste it being a sub then that’s fair. Football’s a game of opinions, so if you would be happy being a sub for a team then that’s fine, but from my point of view you would be an idiot.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:52
Everyone probably already left, but about Aaron Ramsey, according to Eurosport news and some other sources, a fee of £5million has already been agreed and part of the deal includes an agreement that we loan him back to Cardiff for a while after purchasing him, and this afternoon, skysports seemed to be reporting it was a done deal. So i’m a little confused and i hope it has been finalised cus Arsenal seem to think they have first dibs on anyone below 18. Goal was reporting that we’d hear from “he who must not be named” on Wednesday
June 4th, 2008 at 1:54
Woo, RR I got a reprieve. The Sun is reporting that you know whose friends are reporting that you know who is prepared to give us another season. My question is why is everyone but you know who giving statements to the press?. Surely we don’t need a feckin martyr, O I will stay for one more year. Please if it is true, let the fecker go now!. Seriously, when has any other United player been allowed to behave and talk like this. It is feckin demeaning!.
Fergie should be named Methusalah if anything. He is a wise old owl!.
Mr Muhozi, like you, I worked out a compromise with the GF lol!. But my GF aint bad mate, she doesn’nt complain all my going to Utd games home and away. Watching all footie games on TV and the monies spent. She’s an Ok person although she hates footie.
June 4th, 2008 at 2:05
Tevez; Gee, real objectivity about Huntelaar from a guy who calls himself tevez
I’m sure you have watched Huntelaar in over 30 games like I have and I’m sure this has nothing to do with your loyalty and desire for Tevez to be the man. So no, I won’t “come on: thanks. My views are clear and I can back them up with evidence. You need to call up CSI to uncover yours. And you referring to players like Brown, Fletcher and O’Shea clowns is just completely out of order mate. Are you a Manchester United fan or aren’t you? You don’t refer to our players especially the ones that wear the jersey with pride and conviction as clowns. It’s players like Tevez who while playing for United claim to have dreams of playing in Spain that sound like clowns and disloyal morons. If Tevez cannot handle playing the role of super sub then that’s fine, all the best to him and Fergie will try to find a Spanish side that has room for him as a starter. All Fergie wants and all I or any other true blooded United fan wants is players who want to and are dying to be members of Manchester United. So check your allegiance next time you want to argue over a player’s value with me. Calling our loyal wariors clowns is just going to far. -X
June 4th, 2008 at 2:24
After all this back stage drama and operas i want Cristiano Ronaldo to leave….I dont think SAF will try to keep an unhappy player in the team esp the attitude of the player is now questionable…I would take Robinho hefty sum in return and use the cash to buy Benzema/Huntelaar and Micah Richards and if possible why not Quaresma…He is very unsettled at Porto and is looking for a move to a bigger club..
Even with Benzema/Huntelaar and Richards the team will be flexible enough to play 4-4-2/4-3-3 or even 4-5-1…depending on the situation..
If he is planning to leave, lets hope he leaves this summer so that we really get a hefty sum as fee (thanks to the gr8 season he had)…Tevez have proven that he is a clever and technically gifted player and moreover a big game player…He and Rooney can bring the creativity in attack while Benzema/Huntelaar/Manucho can bang in the goals…
Robinho is never a spent force…he is equally or more gifted than Cristiano Ronaldo and is almost of the same age as C.Ronaldo…
By signing him Real Madrid is not building up their team but just trying to cash in on a star (havent we heard this before..)
June 4th, 2008 at 2:44
I read in the Guardian that he shall not be named apparently has made his decision and it’s not what we wanted to hear. I take this with a grain of salt because he hasn’t officially come out and said this yet but the Guardian for me is a little more reputable than most. But then again Sky made fools of themselves today confirming Ancelotti was taking over at Chelsea only to have Ancelotti come out an hour later and deny this and claim his allegiance and future to Milan. Bottom line, you can’t trust anything you read anymore. It’s disgraceful.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:14
It is an objective view of huntelaar. If he comes in i will look at it as a decent signing because he will score goals. You really enjoy talking him up when he is a poor version of ruud. That’s not a bad thing, but stop pretending he’s something more. Better signings would be benzema, etoo, david villa, ibrahimovic, defoe, vucinic, berbatov…
Liking tevez has nothing to do with how i rate huntelaar. I want to see a striker come in. If he’s top quality then i do see tevez being benched more often and rooney playing off him. Huntelaar’s not good enough though. He would struggle in the premiership. I’d rather we continue to play rooney up top with tevez just off him. I suspect fergie’s first choice is benzema, but it’s an uphill task trying to convince him to move. Etoo, villa or berbatov would be good.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:30
Grognard; I also wouldn’t be surprised if this had something to do with his agent and not necessarily any of his own doing. Meaning that his agent stands to make a pretty penny in any ‘record transfer’ that is made for and with he who shall not be named. Plus, after reading the piece, they really wrote it as a 50/50 article. If they are right, they were the first to break the story, if they’re wrong, they were just feed incorrect info and wrote the article as ‘pure speculation.’ I really do have my heart in my throat though. No matter who we pick up, they wont be able to even come close to matching his influence on games, let alone his productivity.
I actually have some questions for you guys. The longer this goes on, how much does he hurt his image regardless of his decision? Assuming he ‘decides’ to stay, will SAF be able to include him in the side without any hard feelings? It seems like SAF has sold equally good players for far less of distractions, so whats preventing him now? And how does the team react knowing that he is willing to leave for really no good reason? As far as I’m concerned, it isn’t for trophies. I see no team in the world in a better place to win more trophies than we are currently.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:30
Shyam – robinho is nowhere near as gifted as the one who shall remain nameless, that is just absurd
and I think I have a way for both parties to come out of this happy. Real Madrid can have the nameless player in exchange for the amount of our debt+1 Pound.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:53
grognard
you want to dump tevez for huntelaar assuming he can come here and perform (read score goals) as good as in Holland. That may or may not happen (like Kuyt or Kezman). Utd will look like biggest fools on earth if it turns out a disaster (dumping a proven EPL performer for a foreigner). Tevez is as much a proud and commited utd player as anybody (havent u seen him chasing balls even in 93rd mins of the match when hte game had already been won 3-0 or 4-0!!!) It will be travesty of highest order on utd’s part to dump him after the season he has had with us (he was actually the player of the month in fans poll on the site over the likes of ronaldo and rooney in the most important phase of the campaign).
Out of Hunter and Tevez I will always choose tevez. I really dont want to go back to Ruud days when we won nothing (or just 1 EPL in his 5 seasons with us). If Ronaldo is leaving than its even more imperative to keep the likes of Tevez who is the most technically gifted player in the team. If Huntelaar has to come and play straight in then I would rather drop Rooney till he can come upto Tevez’s level and challenge his place in the team.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:14
i second jos…tevez is irreplaceable and has added a lot of value to the team, although i feel a lot more will be seen from him in his second season
@Grognard
“..If Tevez cannot handle playing the role of super sub then that’s fine, all the best to him and Fergie will try to find a Spanish side that has room for him as a starter…”
You already made him a ’super-sub’ when there has been no clear indication of that so far…and then going on and propagating that as SAFs view is pushing it too far…dont u think??
June 4th, 2008 at 7:32
@GROGNARD
My comment wasn’t about gratitude or questioning what effort he has put in or the medals he has won.
I am fed up of him constantly pimping himself out to Real Madrid. It doesn nothing for other things which are also important in football in addition to what you mentioned such as loyalty and repaying the fans for having his back when almost every England fan wanted him lynched.
He is a living prick for being a MERCENARY and for no other reason. He is only interested in personal achievements.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:44
Grognard – ease down with the insults mate.
Now look, Huntelaar relies on service, and every Youtube compilation will tell you that. I’m not saying that Huntelaar has a bad first touch, or that he isn’t capable of making a goal on his own. I he weren’t, he wouldn’t score that many goals, it’s quite simple.
But SAF likes his players to be able to run at defenders, and Huntelaar isn’t that type. My point is that he wouldn’t be 2nd striker at our club, but he would be a great sub. But to up the quality of our starting lineup, someone like Benzema is needed.
Another thing is that Huntelaar plays in Holland, so you can never really make a decent evaluation of him. I’ve watched him on a few occasions, and yes I admit that you’ve probably watched him more, so maybe your basis for commenting is better than mine.
I like Huntelaar, but I’m just not sure, he’s right for our club. And to step it up a bit, you mention that we should have bought him long time ago. Well, I can only say that the one deciding which players we buy is neither you nor me, and SAF clearly has a problem with Huntelaar, since he hasn’t bought him yet. Could it be that he thinks, he doesn’t suit our style of play, and that buying a guy like the Hunter would bring us a step back in the direction, we came from: the RVN era?
We might buy him, I don’t know, but as long as we haven’t, I trust SAF and my own judgment more than I trust yours.
June 4th, 2008 at 7:45
Lads Grognard is just saying what is inevitably going to happen thats all.When we do sign another striker tevez will be relegated to the bench mostly because he has an inability to finish 90 minutes.This season when we were playing him and giggs it was like we were playing with only 8 outfiled players.Which generally means more of the lads to carry the load.The only way to see a rooney renaissance is for us to get someone(out and out striker)who will compliment him as much as Ruud did.Which is good for united as a whole,by removing pressure from who cannot be named.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:05
Tevez; And what you say I’m going to take as gospel because you are right and all us Huntelaar fans are wrong. Get over yourself. Who made you the supreme judge of all talent? I base all my opinions on having watched players fully, not on my gut feelings and intuition. I doubt that you know squat about Huntelaar yet you are quick to call him a poor man’s RVN. And I’m going to take your word for that over the video evidence I have seen because you are the supreme judge of talent on the planet. What a laugh. I’ll leave things with Fergie to judge best because frankly he knows a Hell of a lot more about what he needs and who fits his team’s plans better than you or I. So lets just agree to disagree on this and leave it at that.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:23
Huntelaar’s agent, speaking on an Italian radio show last night, said that they are close to finalising a deal with Real Madrid.
Source: L’Equipe sports paper, France
June 4th, 2008 at 8:28
Jos; We won two EPL titles and an FA Cup and League Cup with Ruud so I don’t know where that is coming from. Ruud is not to blame for any of the failings of the team during his stay here. His contribution and goal scoring record is second to none. Show some fairness and gratitude for Christ’s sake. Also, Kezman is not Dutch so just because he came from there does not mean that all Dutch players who come from there are shite. Kuyt’s not my cup of tea neither but I don’t have a problem with van Basten, Gullit, Bergkamp and need I say Rep and Cruyff. Holland is like Serbia and Croatia. They are all football factories that service the big leagues throughout the world but don’t necessarily help their own domestic leagues due to money issues. How many more great names who began great careers do I have to mention who started in Holland. Lets throw one more since you threw Kezman at me. How about Brazil’s Ronaldo for starters.
Tomas; If I was insulting anybody trust me, you’d really know. That wasn’t anywhere near my insult meter. Also, Fergie has come out and said he wants a tall striker and the opposite of Rooney and Tevez to give the tema not only different options but a different look and dimension when needed. This is a good thing. Diversity always keeps opponents off balance as they don’t know what to expect. And sorry but there is nothing wrong with me saying who I feel Fergie should buy. He hasn’t bought Berbatov, Benzema Torres or any other striker either yet. And ss if I feel he will listen to me. I’m just throwing my opinion out there like everybody else on this blog. Hundreds of members offer their selections for players on this site every week and you drop that bomb on me exclusively?
Give me a break mate! That’s woefully unfair and pretty bloody crass in my opinion. I’m just one of many doing that on this site so stop aiming your fire at me only. I’m just ranting to my heart’s content. And I too trust Fergie’s judgment as well as my own. I have a place out back for where I place yours. Fair is fair when it comes to insults and accusations I think 
June 4th, 2008 at 8:37
Julio; You are the one individual who has actually figured out the number one reason why Fergie needs and wants to get a true goal scoring striker. To see the reawakening of the Wayne Rooney from four or five years ago. He was a better player with RVN next to him than he has been with either Tevez or Ronaldo. A poacher will free him up more and take a lot of the pressure off of him. This will give him more space and room to move in to ideal scoring positions. He needs to stop using up so much energy and fire playing everywhere on the pitch other than the opponents 18 yard box. Am I the only one to say this? No, Capello has said this to him also as well as trying to settle him down and make him stop his stupid tackling. This is all a product of running hard and getting all worked up and then unleashing his emotions in a negative way. Channel that energy better and use it in the box to set or score goals. A true striker will show him how to do this rather than Tevez who quite often does the same things as Rooney when all I’m asking is for a bloody forward to be in the box when a ball is passed or crossed in there. So often this year the opponents could have put a vacancy sign in the box because there were no forwards other than Ronaldo to be found. The fact that some of you out there cannot see this absolutely boggles my mind. No team built on the practical principles of football should be counting on a winger or side midfielder to be scoring the majority of their goals. It’s just not right and it’s definitely not cricket as they say.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:44
Magno; The way things are moving this off season I think all the good players will be gone by the time Fergie and the board get their butts in gear. EURO’s or no EURO’s Real Madrid, Inter, Milan, Chelsea and Liverpool are not waiting for anybody or any tournament to end in order to go after what they want. This time last year we had our three big signings all signed sealed and delivered. And if he who shall remain nameless leaves, I think we are going to have the beginning of a very bleak summer to mull over what has happened since we won the double. I just hate delays and procrastination when there are others out there who possess killer instinct. My God if Real signs both CR7 and Huntelaar I will just find a hole to crawl in and cry my eyes out. That would be the worst of the worst case scenarios ever. It would be tragic for me at least.
June 4th, 2008 at 8:53
I feel the same way…
Benzema has a very similar outlook to someone else I won’t mention
He dreams of Milan and Madrid, not United and Liverpool.
There are French players, and fans, who love English football and dream about playing for clubs with a great history…Benzema isn’t one of them
June 4th, 2008 at 9:27
Didnt we win only 1 league title with Ruud??Spalleghtii to chelsea.woo this is interesting
June 4th, 2008 at 9:27
Grognard – I haven’t come down on you exclusively, where does that nonsense come from? I commented on one of your comments, and then you got derogatory on my comments saying that you were “dumbfounded” by my comment and questioned the basis on which I made my comment. Then I asked you to ease down the insults, and you come up with comment no. 132… nice.
We haven’t bought Berbatov, because he was of no interest, before he came to England. He’s a great player, but he might be too expensive atm. We have tried to buy Torres several times, SAF has stated that. But it obviously never materialized. Benzema is only now becomming a man to buy – there’s really no other window, it would have been sane, since he only just broke through. The Hunter is now close to 25, and I feel that if SAF wanted him, he would have bought him already. Ajax is not the hardest place to price players away from, and I’m pretty sure that SAF could have convinced Huntelaar to join us, had he really been interested.
I watched Denmark play Holland last week, and even though it was merely a friendly, it was an important friendly to Holland in their buildup to the Euros. Huntelaar warmed up the entire second half but never came on. In stead, van Basten allowed Vennegoor of Hesselink and Dirk Kuyt to come on. And it was the same in their latest match against Wales. Obviously if Huntelaar is injured, my arguments fall apart, but if he’s fit, then why is he rated below these second rate strikers? To me, it’s a signal of him not being quite as good as some people think. And remember, it’s only my opinion. And since I’ve just stated, I like him as a player and possible sub for United, I may even have overrated him. SAF surely knows the true qualities of the dutch hitman, and he hasn’t bought him yet despite how easy he could have done it (my assumption).
June 4th, 2008 at 9:53
grog
you talk of inability of our strikers to score (that when they scored more than 80 goals this year between the 4 of them – ron, roon, tevez and saha)
what about the inability of our midfield to score? thats probably more pressing. no other team in the world prob (unless they are spelt Derby) has as misfiring a midfield as ours! then just like tevez we should replace carrick and anderson as well! and ronaldo is not a midfielder anymore. he plays much upfield almost a striker nowadays and hardly tracks back like a midfielder. So he is not part of midfield in this total goals calculation. All our midfielders combined have less goals than one Gerrard or Lampard or even Ballack who missed half of the season!!!
And yea, Ruud has got only 1 PL for his 5 seasons of travails with us!! One thing I dont understand is in his best season with us when he scored 44 goals (Top scorer in PL, and top scorer in CL) why he wasnt still in the running for EPOTY (not in top 3 nominations)??? Does it explain why ronaldo wants to leave as his aspirations of being world POTY might not be fulfilled if he stays in England.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:56
@GROGNARD
I’m sorry I actually have an opinion.
I go to Old Trafford and pay to watch them play football.
Sorry but I’m a supporter not a fan and I have an opinion.
Stop running people down because you don’t agree with them.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:00
Grognard – I really like you on this site, because you bring life to it… it’s great. Conor’s latest comment I can’t support, even though he was probably backing me up. I think there should be room for all the opinions in the world about Man Utd. in here.
I just feel that you shouldn’t be surprised by people commenting on your comments, since you are the one posting the most and longest of them. I usually go through the comments in here, and I often stop, when I get to one of yours, because they are long and usually insightful. But I can’t agree with everything you write, and when I don’t, I state my opinion.
On our latest little scabaffle I started by agreing with your opinion on Tevez and then merely explained, why I found Huntelaar a little short of our best option, Benzema. I was merely my comment, and you cannot go about thinking you have exclusive right to having an opinion. I have always backed up my comments with solid arguments in stead of thrashing other people’s opinions. If you go back to my comment no. 90 and then read your own response in no. 99, I think, you’ll see what I mean.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:04
RR,
perhaps we dont need a new RB. there is pre mature to say Wes is just “decent” RB, i really think he was (nearly) OUTSTANDING. Wes offered something different; extra cover on defensive area as well as on the right flank (when MR X sometimes failed to track back). playing Wes together with Rio-Vidic (and Evra) in the back four is like playing 3 centre-half together, we were really solid and sound in defense, really hard to break, strong in defending aerial ball or set-pieces. i felt relieved when we lose Bosingwa to Chelsea, because i think he is just another Wes which is younger than the real one, but with 16 million pounds price tag. i know we love to see another Evra on the right backs, but i think we just have too much qualities on the attacking side within the midfield and forward.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:16
long ass comment thread…
June 4th, 2008 at 11:50
RONALDO IS THE MAN AND I DEFEND HIM NOW!!! We don’t know what’s going on in the background and this sounds just like the summer after the World Cup a little incident and the Engish fans bring out the stake and firewood. Its obvious Real have tried to inflamed the situation and this fight is going on in the media. Lahm has a long term deal so its Ironclad but Ronaldo’s is paper thin?? Relax on Ronny! FUCK!
June 4th, 2008 at 14:07
Apparently the main United site has stated that the sun says he who will not be named will only stay for one more year. Then he’s off to Madrid. He’s quoted as telling close friends “If I don’t leave Manchester United now, I certainly will in a year.â€
I personally dont think i would care if he left now. And I’m not sure if he stays that he will have the same commitment to excel as previous years, especially if he wins the POTY.
June 4th, 2008 at 14:28
Well, people are quick to name themselves friends of famous people, especially if there’s money in it. Don’t believe these stories, until you hear it from the horse’s mouth.
I personally disregard rumours like these completely. It must be hard to be a player like Ronaldo.
June 4th, 2008 at 16:11
Jos; Although Ronaldo may score like a striker, he isn’t a striker. He’s a winger/omf so you can subtract 42 goals from your toal and then the numbers don’t look so impressive over close to 60 games this year.
Tomas; Fair enough. It was your last remark in 128 that I took offense to because frankly I thought it was rude. Of course Fergie doesn’t give a damn about what you and I think but that should not keep any of us from voicing our feelings and our desires. The fact that you trust Fergie’s view as well as yours is fine. But the way in which you dismiss mine was arrogant and unnecessary as I would never go as far as to say that my views and Fergies are similar and yours don’t matter. “I trust SAF and my own judgment more than I trust yours.”
And you certainly have a right to do that but saying that to me is just mean spirited and out of order. It’s crap like that that sets me off on this site. You don’t have to agree with what I say but you should respect it. Regardless of what I may think of your comments both good and bad, I respect them even if I come out and disagree with them. You accused me of insulting people when you plainly and clearly chopped me down at the knees with your back handed remark. And accusing me of insulting tevez (the poster) was unfair too because it’s clear you didn’t read what he was saying to me which was rather rude and obnoxious. I do respect your posts and your contributions and you and I have never had a problem in the past and I don’t see us having one in the future. Just don’t play policeman with me and above all, disagree with me all you like but refrain from back handed comments. If I use those kind of tactics myself on this site trust me, it’s because I’ve been provoked, otherwise I am very friendly and respectful of others. There are a few on this site and they know who they are that can get under my skin. You are not one of them although you did so yesterday. I just wanted to clear that up with you and say no hard feelings mate.
June 4th, 2008 at 16:18
Abu; I don’t think anybody can relax on CR7 because frankly he means too much to all of us and to the team. The thought of losing him to the Great Whore of Whores Real is just so abhorant and disgusting to us all. Nevertheless, whether he leaves or stays he will always be a favorite of mine. He has been dragging this thing on far to long and he has hurt many of his supporters as well as held the team hostage in the process. This is nothing more than a selfish act whether it’s to negotiate a new deal or if indeed he wants to leave. Love him or hate him, he has treated all of us who bleed United red with callousness and disrespect. And for that he really doesn’t deserve to get off easy. But still, I love the lad and I am grateful for all he has given us in his five years so far. Like I said earlier, whatever happens I wish him well and hope Madrid’s hierarchy get stricken with cancer. They are total scum.
June 4th, 2008 at 16:31
[Tomas]
Now you know how riled up someone like Groggy can get if someone questions his credibility on his knowledge on Huntelaar. So it’s fair play to Grognard on that one.
Grognard reacted when Tevez asked him what player he was watching regarding Huntelaar.
[Grognard]
Basing one’s opinion on intuition and gut feeling is not wrong. Assuming that one’s logically formed opinion is “holier than thou”, on the other hand, is. Which is how it appears.
And you must prepare to be dumbfounded if people knock Huntelaar. You can’t convince everyone of his greatness. Tons of people have called Pele crap, and people have criticised even the likes of Zidane. With a global fan base, opinions can differ. And people even think Ronaldo (the fat one) is overrated. So there you go…
Mcrx3 said what he thought about a United player. What’s wrong with the negative criticism for a United player? Last checked that is allowed on this site. Just as I defended you regarding your right to call Saha or Nani whatever you wanted. It has to work both ways mate.
[Tevez]
When you give your opinion on something, do that and be done with it. Asking what player you were watching is an insult to the other commenters intelligence and judgement.
[Conor]
That was my job mate. Hence deleted the comment.
June 4th, 2008 at 17:00
Haha – Red Ranter, you should get the feckin Diplomat of the year award mate, and the Chief Judiciary too lol!. Your head must be working in overdrive!!!!!!.
June 4th, 2008 at 17:04
[Craig]
Cheers mate. I think I am the police/judiciary/diplomat/friend/cunt of this blog anyway.
My hands are full already!
June 4th, 2008 at 17:11
True RR, but not the C*** bit, your not that by any stretch of the imaginations.
Conor, I hope you haven’t left mate!. We should only leave if our girlfriends or other half’s give us the welly whilst crying neglect, accusing us of Web-itis lol!. I manage to pick my moments to sneak on though – haha!.
June 4th, 2008 at 17:37
grogy man
ronaldo has really played in forward position this season more than 70-80% of the time. hence he should be part of attack and not midfield. he doesnt track back enough to be classed a midfielder. and he is not a traditional winger anymore. he is pretty much a henry kind of a winger/striker really! probably rooney played more times out wide than him (on the pitch that is – whether that was bosses’ orders or not i dont know!)
June 4th, 2008 at 17:37
Grognard – I just have to explain that I don’t recall commenting on your issue with Tevez, the member in here. I have commented on your views on Tevez, the player, and that’s it. I’m sorry if it came across differently, even though I think, I have explained wherein I was insulted, which was in your comment no. 99. I may have thrown one back at you in 128, but that was merely a response to the things you wrote to me in 99. If you can find, where I insulted you before no. 99, please let me know. I just don’t want to be the starting offender in this, when I don’t feel that’s the case.
I just wanted to explain the order of insults. Not that it really matters, because I probably shouldn’t have gotten back at you. But as you know, it’s damn difficult letting these things go
.
It seems that all this may have relied on a misunderstanding.
And I certainly don’t have a problem with you either… keep commenting.
June 4th, 2008 at 19:03
RR; I take a lot of heat on this site as you know so please grant me a little slack when I defend players who don’t deserve to be insulted like Brown, Fletcher and O’Shea. Saha on the other hand deserves a hell of a lot of criticism for his lack of heart and guts. That’s my opinion of course and if you and others feel I’m wrong that’s fine, but i saw no hypocrisy in my statement. And I also have no problem if others can prove to me why Huntelaar is not good enough based on proof, facts. Evidence is all I ask for. When they make serious comments on a player without having taken the time to watch and critique a player I have a problem with it. The internet is full of pseudo experts who base everything they think on what they read and not what they actually see or personally experience. If you have noticed I never really go out on a tangent over players I have not seen enough to make a fair judgment over. What I do know a lot about is players in Germany, England, Holland and Italy. Spain and France bore me to death so I don’t watch as many games except for the big teams. And so gut feelings are not wrong but they are not based on any fact or definitive evidence thus they are pointless. Yet I and everyone else has them from time to time. But don’t debate with someone like me who has watched Huntelaar 50+ times because you have a gut feeling. In that case the person should be prepared for my “holier than thou” rebuttal. Sorry but that’s as honest as I can get. And RR, you’re not a c***.
Tomas; I think there is a lot of misunderstanding to go around. I went back and read my #99 post and I don’t honestly see where I was insulting. I honestly was asking you a direct question. Many on this blog write and talk about Huntelaar based on what they read and a few YouTube clips but how many have sat and really watched him play? That’s all I was asking because had you watched him play at any length I am truly confused as to why you feel the way you do. But then again we all see things differently. I like Tevez but I just don’t see what I want in a striker in him. Saha when healthy bored me to tears, others however loved him so go figure! Everybody has different tastes and all of us and especially myself have to be understanding and even tolerant of this. But as RR knows by now, it’s not easy for guys like me.
June 4th, 2008 at 19:51
[Grognard]
Sorry mate. I disagree. I stand fully behind what I’ve said. In this site irrespective of gut feeling or not, if you can make a cogent argument you are allowed to talk about it. Even if you have a problem with someone talking shit about X player without having seen him play much, it is not in your right to put him in his place. It’s an opinion, and if some one is being rigid about it you must get the point and let it lie.
I stand fully behind what I said and I am firm on this. If you say you will give a holier than thou rebuttal, don’t ask me why when I delete it. I haven’t allowed it. You have been honest with your intentions and I have been with mine.
Regarding Saha and Nani, you’ve had your reasons. And similarly people have had their reasons regarding CR. I defended you then, so I will defend the guy who is being told not to have a certain opinion of Ronaldo. I can’t cut you slack for that. It’s not about you, it’s about the principle of being able to voice your opinion without being told by someone to change their mind. Two wrongs can’t make a right.
So I can’t backtrack on anything I said here because my stand hasn’t changed. End of story. I won’t comment on this further.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:03
[JB]
Stop the leg pulling mate. You know it’s not good for discussion on here. I’ve made my point above, and I don’t want people stirring up shit again.
*deleting your comment*
June 4th, 2008 at 20:09
It was a valid enough question.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:12
It’s not. I don’t see why it’s valid.
And I am pretty sure in another couple of days there’s going to be another shit storm that I have to moderate. So drop it.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:33
RR; Fair enough, I expected that. I could have said a lot more if I really felt like it and got myself banned, since it wouldn’t matter, but I thought better of it.
Grognard; Tomas is probably talking about this particular statement: ‘Honestly I sometimes wonder what basis many of you make your arguments from.’ I’m sure you would have taken offence to that. You’ll probably ignore this though like you have done for a few weeks now, and you call other people rude.
For one who “doesn’t hold a grudge” you sure don’t forgive and forget too quickly. 
Craig; It has to be done. I’m glad you convinced the missus to let you back on. Don’t miss me too much. Maybe I’ll end up meeting you at some of the matches next year, I don’t think I ever told you but I’ve been a season ticket holder for 2 years now, so I’m surprised we never met in person. Flying from Belfast to Manchester makes my weekend, great city with plenty of banter.
JB, Dan, Utsav, Penguin, Colver, Tevez, Craig, Jos, Abu, Johnsom33 and the rest I haven’t really spoken with; It was a pleasure discussing Manchester United with you all.
RR; Keep up the good work on the blog, you do an excellent job.
You all seem like perfectly nice people too, which helps a lot.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:40
[Conor]
You were serious huh?
Anyway, it’s all upto you mate, and good that you understand that. Cheers, and good luck with wherever you are going.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:44
Conor: Sorry to hear you are going. I didn’t see what flared up today but I can take a guess and I’ll presume that’s why my earlier question was deleted. All the best and any luck I might bump into you on one of my all to infrequent trips to OT.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:49
[JB]
I doubt it’s got anything to do with your comment, more like things happening over a prolonged period of time.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:53
RR: I meant I presumed that my comment was deleted because you had a fire to fight today and didn’t feel like another.
June 4th, 2008 at 20:54
[JB]
True, that. Thanks for understanding. Meanwhile I’ve got to get back to work, and I also need to have an updated note on the site on comment policy that doesn’t involve me having to sit here and police this thing. Some people don’t understand the definition of restraint and forget that this is an online comment thread after all.
If everyone knew what was best for the site, my job would be easier. But many have set out to “prove points”.
June 4th, 2008 at 21:27
RR; 100% serious, good luck on the new comment policy update, sounds like a good idea. I’ll stop by every so often to read the articles but I’ll definitely not be back here writing/reading any comments.
JB; You didn’t miss much, just the usual so and so. I’ve gotten bored of it. hopefully we will meet up, look back these days and have a good laugh about it. The Riquelme wars were pretty legendary on here, so all credit to you and Grognard for that one.
So long, lads
. Officially my last ever comment.
June 4th, 2008 at 21:46
Conor; I’m stubborn and like a dog who gets kicked and beaten by his master I don’t forget. So I do hold a grudge against people who have rubbed me the wrong way, get personal, know it and don’t give a damn. That’s certainly not your problem and it’s my own character flaw and cross to bare. Besides, other than that you made conversing with you mean spirited and personal and I for one don’t want a part in it any more. All the best to you and I wish you well but don’t expect me to get into conversations with you as I like to protect my feelings as best as I can.
June 4th, 2008 at 22:10
Conor: Cheerio. You do know how to get in touch though. And regarding the new comment policy, I don’t think it will be as effective, but I still hope …
June 4th, 2008 at 23:55
Awww – Feck, we almost lost Dan(U-ol) at one point, and now Conor’s gone. Totally feckin gutted!. I did know you were a season ticket holder Conor, and also that you are well knowledgeable about your football. I’m not a season tic holder, but I have always managed to get hold of a ticket for the games. I have enjoyed reading your posts and the much banter. Enjoy your discussions wherever you have moved to Conor!.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:44
I just have to make one last comment. Surprise it’s to Grognard.
I just can’t see, why you should have exclusive right to get insulted in here. When I wrote to you that you had insulted me even earlier than I insulted you, you just disregarded that your comments were insulting. I wouldn’t say that my comment was in the high level on the insult-meter, but you got chopped down by the knees (no. 146). A bit theatrical, but that’s alright. All I am saying is that I got insulted as far back as no. 99, where I throw one back at you in 128 as response. Am I the only one, who can see that?
Anyway, I have explained several times, how I feel, I was insulted by you. Read my comments no. 137, 140 and 153, if you like.
Conor – if you pop in here one last time. Thanks for many interesting comments. Stay cool.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:11
Just want to say i was reacting to grognards comments in no. 99. I only said back to him exactly what he said to anyone who has a differing opinion from him on huntelaar. So my apologies to red ranter for creating more work for you, but my insult was no different from grognards.
June 5th, 2008 at 20:13
We do need a right back. Richards is the best option but as you said it’s not looking likely to happen. Lahm signed a new contract. Alves is so attacking it’s a joke. Ramos won’t leave Madrid, Maicon won’t leave Inter. The only other option I can think of at the minute is Rafinha. he’s good attacking and decent in defence – The new Cafu.
Anyone who says let Tevez off if he refuses to be a sub is wrong. Every team in Europe will want him! He’s too good for the bench.
June 6th, 2008 at 4:06
John O’Shea is better than Luis Figo.