Jan 18
Saha Talks Again | Brandy Off To Swansea | Twins To OT
Louis Saha reckons he will help fire United to glory. He has said something like this for the 789th time this season. We have been waiting, and we’ll continue to wait. So let’s listen to what he’s saying:
It’s great to score goals. I’m a striker and that’s my job and now I want to concentrate on scoring more goals for the team. I’m very hard on myself and always want to do better, so I’m not very satisfied with how the season has gone so far on a personal level. I know I can do better, and hopefully I showed that against Sunderland. The manager’s always shown a lot of faith in me and that gives me a lot of confidence. I’m definitely getting there [with overcoming injuries]. I played two full games in a row over Christmas and that was the first time I’d done that for a while.
And I am going to run for President, I assure you. I have seen the injustices committed in this world and I believe I can turn things around. And I am also, like Saha, getting there.
If a player is continuously out of the team, he must work on his weaknesses and hope to allow his performances speak for themselves. I don’t really buy Saha mouthing off to all and sundry about his injury — although he is making full use of his free time afforded by injury. It gets a little annoying if a player keeps talking to the press and has nothing really to show for all of it on the pitch. A fully fit Saha would certainly be a very handy player to have. But, at the moment, the phrase fully-fit Saha makes for an oxymoron, more than anything.
Academy prospect Febian Brandy heads off to Swansea on loan.
The Telegraph, has a top article on the decision made by the FA to avoid the one minute silence. It certainly is a shame to be seeing mockery made out of an actual tragedy. It is sad to see fans, like those of Citeh, being urged to show respect; they have been reminded that a legend of theirs’ was also a victim of the tragedy. Some things in life have to be above sporting rivalry; the Sevilla-Betis derby, following Antonio Puerta’s death, was a stand-out example of solidarity shown by extremely fierce rivals. It’s a pity, and a firm indication of the levels to which England fans have stooped, that their own Football Association doesn’t trust them.
About the Fletcher news talked about yesterday, the Mirror thinks he will actually leave. Hmm… isn’t that why they are called tabloids? They do a good job of spinning stories, don’t they?
And as mentioned in the comments, a couple of days ago, the Brazilian twins are set to move to Old Trafford in a 5.2 million pound move.
Related items from Red Rants:- Two Reasons Why United Aren’t Looking for Fullbacks
- Brazilian Twins Spotted at Old Trafford | Neville to Play Liverpool | Anderson to Porto Fantasies | Keane Tips United Over Arsenal
- Roma vs Man Utd: Preview
- Man Utd v Man City: Preview
- Man Utd vs Newcastle Utd: Preview
Tags: Daily Roundup
January 18th, 2008 at 12:15
Its true that city fans and fans of some other clubs cant be trusted to observe a minute’s silence.they should be ashamed of themselves.As red ranter has rightly said,some things should be above football rivalry.
January 18th, 2008 at 14:22
Have Manchester United only ever used the Munich Disaster as a marketing tool?
Who cares whether we have a minutes silence before the England game?
This is a Manchester United disaster. Not an English one. And even if it is. The FA do not recognise it as one.
Was there a minutes silence for the memory of the Hillsborough disaster prior to any England games?
The Telegraph article is poor journalism showing only one side.
England have never been top of my list of teams I support for numerous reasons.
January 18th, 2008 at 14:26
well said mate ,well said
January 18th, 2008 at 15:00
It was an English tragedy… And even if it was only a Manchester Utd tragedy, that does not make it less tragic.. Professional footballers died and deserve respect.. May it be from any team…
January 18th, 2008 at 15:31
If it was an English tradgedy the FA don’t recognise it as one. Nor do they recognise Hillborough asone.
We shouldn’t get any preferential treatment.
Also yes you are correct it doesn’t make it any less tragic.
It was our proffessional footballers who died and I doubt we will get any respect from rival fans.
Especially since our own fans mention Hillsborough, Liverpool fans in prison, and Leeds fans gettin stabbed to death, etc.
January 18th, 2008 at 15:54
Sorry to go off topic, but I just found this article. uefa.com Team of the Year
I’m pretty sure that that is just for 2007, not 06/07. I think that that is a very fair line-up for all of 2007, and 2 members of Manchester United are included! Glad SAF got manager of the year, but I do think Alex McLeish would have been a good candidate. Thoughts?
January 18th, 2008 at 16:59
i think brandy going off to swansea is just what he needs, he might be promoted(along with campbell) to the first team next season and i think thatas why saf is holding out on buying a striker. plus, theres those 2 youth players. 1 described to be a berba type player, the other highly rated.
looks like we’ve lost a gem
http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=74548
January 18th, 2008 at 17:50
Dan ‘a gem’ is a exxagrating things a bit don;t you think? If you watch him in the championship then you can see he scores an unbelievable amount but he’s not a great defnder, he’s not particularly fast and is poor positionally, and really he’s not even a great prospect, he will probably become a good player, but never manchester united quality.
Kurt I think the manager could only be the manager of club teams.
January 18th, 2008 at 18:31
i disagree, i think he’s a top centre back for his level and age) and could become something special, he would of been better if he stayed with us and got the right training.
January 18th, 2008 at 23:24
i agree that shawcross is a top center-back for his level and age but we’ve already got two better centre backs of roughly the same age in peeks and evans. not to mention the best centre-back pairing of any level or age in vida and rio. so while, i’m sure shawcross is a real talent, he would be wasted at united and it would be unfair to the lad to keep him around. 1-2 million pounds depending on appearences and performance isn’t chump change either. especially for a young, unproven player. so good luck and may you have a long and industrious career, ryan shawcross, but you will not be missed too terribly.
January 18th, 2008 at 23:28
true milz true.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=524771
nice idea by the players, why the hell are we going to arabia anyway during the season, its a waste of time energy and money, no point in checking our fans there just as likely to have drugs on them as we on us.
my team against reading:
vds
peeks/simmo rio vida evra
ronny hargo andy giggs
teve roo
subs:PIG o’shea fletch nani park brown
January 19th, 2008 at 0:49
I only have 2 changes to your line-up Dan. I think Carrick will start again, Hargo on the bench. O’Shea at right back.
January 19th, 2008 at 4:45
Why wouldn’t you think Brownie wouldn’t pop straight back into RB?
January 19th, 2008 at 10:26
nope, its time to give are young guns a chance
January 19th, 2008 at 11:15
Not in this game dan!were top of the log!give youngsters a chance YES, but not against reading. We all know this reading side is a bit dangerous.remember against bolton?when we gave pique a chance?
January 19th, 2008 at 11:32
we were just unlucky at bolton(and we kept being fouled) it wasnt piques fault.
January 19th, 2008 at 13:35
Dan you said the same thing about young players should be started last week and then O’Shea played at right back, it would be great to see Pique play the for the rest of the season, it would speed up his maturit alot, but how many times has he actually played for us at right back? It’s about 3, so Wes Brown is our most likely option for right back.
January 19th, 2008 at 13:40
And I hope this clears up some of the talk about Tevez and Ronaldo not liking each other, so there’s no problem between them.
January 19th, 2008 at 14:00
im not saying he should play for the rest of the season, im saying give him, them, a game. they need first team experience to you know.
January 19th, 2008 at 14:12
Yeah I know they do, but if SAF didn’t give them a game last week then why would you think he will today? I just said how much first team experience would improve them, but SAF knows better than all of us when to play them, and it seems he thinks that Pique won’t be a right back for us, ever. If he was he would play there more often to be moulded into a RB, and since CB is such an important part of the team Pique isn’t ever likely to get more than one game every month unless there are injuries. I’d happily play him ahead of Brown for the rest of the season, him or Simpson, just so that we can have someone ready when needed, and if Brown is just going to leave then i don’t think we can count on him for next season or the rest of this one, he is still our best option for right back though.
January 19th, 2008 at 14:19
i didnt atchully say this is the team i think will play, i said this is the team i want to play. i disagree, i think pique is more than capable at playing rb or cb against any team outside the top 4.
January 19th, 2008 at 14:35
Actually you said neither, you said “my team against reading:”, but fine I assumed wrong. I agree and I never said he isn’t good enough, he almost certainly is, but you can’t continually change CBs, the secret of our succes is continuity so constantly swapping Pique in at CB or even swapping him in at right back continually depending on what team we play wouldn’t help our defence, as the back 4 know each other so well now. I’m not arguing, I think Pique is a better option at right back, I said that, so I don’t see why you are disagreeing.
January 19th, 2008 at 15:13
agreed
January 19th, 2008 at 15:18
Team News:
GK: VDS
RB: Brown
CB: Ferdinand
CB: Vidic
LB: Evra
RM: Ronaldo
CM: Carrick
CM: Hargreaves
LM: Park
CF: Tevez
CF: Rooney
Subs: PIG, O’Shea, Fletcher, Giggs, Nani
January 19th, 2008 at 15:37
Anyone know what channel it’s going to be on on SopCast?
January 19th, 2008 at 15:41
What kind of midfield is that?! It remindes me of the team against West Ham. Very defensive minded. Anderson is not the biggest problem there, it is Park! Why not play Park with either Carrick or Owen in midfield, with Giggs or Nani on the left wing. We cant take Reading easily. They are a very stubborn side I am afraid of. And why aint Anderson even on the bench? Is he injured?
January 19th, 2008 at 15:46
Judging by the way Carrick played last week, I don’t think we’ll have much of a problem attacking. If there are any major problems, I’m sure SAF will make changes at half time. It’s happened before, I don’t think we should worry though. This is really Carrick’s chance to shine without Anderson playing.
January 19th, 2008 at 15:54
c’mon, SAF MUST think reading push overs with a midfield like that, he must be confident that hargo will do the biss.
January 19th, 2008 at 16:53
OK. This time I am really having a bad feeling. The worst player on the field was Rooney. The guys confidence is at lowest level I have seen. I honestly have no clue what SAF can do. We better do smth about Reading.
January 19th, 2008 at 16:59
Rooney just really needs to score a goal. We need someone to get a breakthrough goal.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:06
Giggsy on, let’s go.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:09
Cisse looks inspired…
January 19th, 2008 at 17:28
i hope saf will lok at today and say”i need a finisher” and dips into the market for huntelaar.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:34
I was just thinking the exact same thing Dan. Huntelaar or any other FINISHER is badly needed.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:40
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!! And you say we need a finisher. That was world class from Ronney, no one could have done that better than him!
January 19th, 2008 at 17:43
Great goal by Rooney. But RedDevil, yes I still do believe we need a finisher. The amount of chances we wasted I believe outweigh this one goal.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:49
ronaldo missed an absolute sitter, not his day
January 19th, 2008 at 17:52
Kurt who would you take out of the team to play this ‘finisher’ then? I’m sorry but Huntelaar isn’t better than Rooney or Tevez, not even close, and we can’t just bring him on whenever we need a goal, because thats not how goalscorers work, they take time to get into games, except for Solskjaer who was just a one-off.
January 19th, 2008 at 17:54
I know that we need to use our chances way much better, but it just seems like everybody is havin an off day! I would also like us to buy a finisher, but it is not death-necassary. If we just focus more when 1 on 1, we should score 4 or 5 every game.
And while I am writing this, Ronny scores! YEEEEEEEEEEES!!!
January 19th, 2008 at 17:55
that boy ronaldo does it again
January 19th, 2008 at 17:59
That was close. We won so that what matters, but man that Harper moment was really close.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:01
why o why does he play Park? I dont rate him at all, he is only on the side to sell shirts in asia. Nani must be having a tough time in training if park gets the start over him.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:08
Park is a good player, but he is not better than Giggs or Nani! I am happy Park is back from injury, but he had a bad day today. And I jst wanna say….That was close! I was a nervewreck the last five minutes. But Ronaldo did it again, and he is still top scorer. As many goals as last season, with still four months left to play. That is amazing, he is better than last season. He should have scored a hat trick today, though.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:12
Guys it’s the three points that count you have your good days and your bad days when things are not going your way but as long as we win, and it’s a one off (as it usually is) im not that bothered and niether should you guys. I honestly am not understanding the shouts for a finisher. Hello did all of you forget the Newcastle match?
Anyway what a goal from Wayne, he can finish, Tevez can finish and Ronaldo can definately finish.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:14
UNITED EYE `NEW ROBINHO`
http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_3060632,00.html
January 19th, 2008 at 18:17
Park isnt that bad. I mean for being out for more than a year (if thats how long it was) i think hes playing ok. Not great, but ok. And nani is still trying to be the other ronaldo and just gives the ball away way too easily. I dont believe park is the answer, and to be honest, i think SAF wants him to do well so he can sell him in the summer. With eagles waiting in the wings to back up ronaldo and about 18 players that can play center mid, i dont think there is any need for park. Who doesnt really offer anything more then anyone else on the team.
On a side note, the more i watch fletcher, the more i hope he moves on. I know hes a good player, but he makes silly mistakes which i will chock up to not getting regular games, which he will never get now that there are 4 players infront of him in carrick, anderson, scholes, and hargo.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:22
johnsom33: I do not like the suggestion that Park is there to shift shirts. He has played well in a number of games since his comeback from a cruciate ligament injury (Villa, Sunderland Birmingham). Anyone who saw his performances for PSV against Milan in the CL semi final would know he is not a merchandising tool. He may not be a Ronaldo or a Giggs but he is valuable asset to the squad, particular in a long hard season. Nani while highly talented is still very inconsistent. Park may never hit the same heights as the other wingers but he is a good, steady and consistent player. A little bit more respect for some of our players in the future wouldn’t go amiss.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:22
I am proud of our four strikers(Saha,Rooney,Tevez and Ronaldo)! They can score against every team when really needed. Against Arsenal two chances, two goals. And vs Liverpool, Tevez had one chance and scored one goal. When Rooney was having a bad period(just after injury), we had some problems. But I want to say that if u look at all the other teams in the world(!), we have the best four front in the world. Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez can all score goals on their own, without help from anybody else. That is something no other team can do! I understand that people want a finisher, but complaining is stupid. Of cource we have problems when Roo, Ronnie, Carlos or Saha is injured, and we definitly need a striker. But we have four great finishers, so just shut up, open your eyes and realise that we should be happy and proud.
P.S. Newcastle 6-0, Roma 7-1 and four goals in four games in a row…. United are the best.
January 19th, 2008 at 18:25
I would like us to buy Michael Owen though…..
January 19th, 2008 at 18:30
Spot on Eddie, well said. I dont agree with you about Saha, but everything else was true. Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez really are the three best strikers in the world.
Does anybody know what happened to Anderson. I hope he isnt injured!
January 19th, 2008 at 18:32
At MCRx3:
How many English players were injured or died in that incident? Whether they were Man United players or not is an other issue. And the Citeh fans(the ones in the stadium), I assume most of them are English?
January 19th, 2008 at 18:42
I thought that the game was fantastic. It was very entertaining and tense and it was very enjoyable, unlike when most bottom half sides play United and just park the bus, Reading really had a go and this was a much better match than all of those games against the bottom sides when we usually huff and puff for the whole match without much result.
January 19th, 2008 at 19:07
every one has there own opinnions so they shouldnt be told to shut up just because you dont agree eddie.tevez rooney and ronaldo are second strikers who are good at finishing, saha is an out and out target man striker but is injury prone we need someone like huntelaar to come off the bench in days like this and nick us a goal.
January 19th, 2008 at 19:31
I’m sorry I just don’t buy the idea of goalscorers coming off the bench and scoring a goal, solsjaer is the only striker i’ve ever seen do that on a regular basis, sheringham to a lesser extent.
January 19th, 2008 at 20:02
Sorry everyone, but I’m with Dan on this one. I think that we do need an out-and-out goal scorer like Saha active on the team. Just think of the amount of goals we could have had with a target man up front today. I’m not saying Rooney and Tevez can’t score, but that it’s not their main job. They are second strikers and are supposed to push the ball through to a target man. Conor; I do see your point that Huntelaar is no Solskjaer, but I think he could actually push for a starting spot on the team. We’ve seen this season the impact that both Rooney and Tevez have coming off of the bench. And why not start a rotation system with strikers? It will keep them rested at least.
January 19th, 2008 at 20:10
Eddie: Owen always injured. No difference with Saha. No doubt he will fit well in Man Utd but too injury prone.
January 19th, 2008 at 21:07
It is very simplistic to say ‘ohhh look we would have had loads of goals today if we had a target man’. Since RVN left we have been scoring more freely than before and the major strength of our attack since has been its flexibility, mobility and variety. Rooney, if adequately supported, is more than capable of fulfilling the role of point man in the attack.
Any new purchase needs to be carefully thought through and I would far rather we bought a good footballer capable of playing up top rather than a big lump of a target man or a goal poacher. I would definitely not welcome a return of the team primarily functioning to set up the goals for one man. That being said another striker is definitely needed, what I wouldn’t give for Samuel Eto’o even with his giant ego and general moodiness.
As for Owen he is a shadow of the player he once was. For me he is what we don’t need. Injury record aside, his pace has been heavily diminished, he lacks physical presence and he is not particulary skillful. IMO we could definitely do a lot better.
January 19th, 2008 at 21:10
Everybody who is calling for Huntelaar to United. Do you think he will be happy with a so called “super-sub” finisher role staying on the bench waiting for someone to get injured/or for a crisis match like this when he have lot many other European teams waiting to offer him starting 11 place…He is a young player who is trying to prove himself in the big stage..It is always good to have a big squad but it should not be making players unhappy..Fergie managed to hold on until now..Moreover Huntelaar is too costly for a super-sub role..
The best player who can take up the role is now in our team..Saha…if he start to play like he did early last season he can change a game with a ..moment of skillful finishing off the air as well as with the foot.. But as everyone else i am also not sure if he can regain that form..
But if we are looking for a replacement Benzema/Huntelaar are too costly and leave us with 3 young stirkers who would demand a place in the starting line up..
We dont want ourselves to be another Chelsea …keeping millions on the bench and wasting skillful players(SWP,Robben,..)
January 19th, 2008 at 21:14
im not saying are play has to be based around him, every time saha plays, is our attack based around him? no, we just need to play in the saha role, and tbh the last few matches has kinda proved rooney isnt that great of a finisher. you know it would be wierd but hargreaves COULD of BEEN a target man, he’s tall and has a great finish on him.
shyam, theres not many big teams huntelaar will goto and go straight into the first team tbh, and we wouldnt use him just for injurys and crisis games. and also we’re man utd we’re filthy rich, 12-14 million isnt much to us.
January 19th, 2008 at 21:40
I guess the best answer to everyone worries is find another Cristiano Ronaldo. That would solve all problems. LOLs
January 19th, 2008 at 22:06
Saha injured all the time, Rooney becoming injury phrone(not often, but when, serious), Tevez not a great finisher, and Ronaldo being a winger. But they score goals, dont they? All great players, fine finishers and all have great tecnique. We dont need Huntelaar, we need a young player that can head the ball well, and/or that wont complain to be on the bench. Frazier Campbell, Rossi, or someone else from our youth system would be great. And Owen is injured 2 3rds of the season, but with him and Saha on the team, both playing super sub, I wouldnt complain. BTW what are the odds for both Saha and Owen being injured at the same time. Maybe I am wrong, but if Owen wasnt injured so much, he would def be the player that would fit in well at United.
January 20th, 2008 at 1:07
guys all of you are missing a main point.. MANUCHO. Hes 24 and has a great leap according to sir alex. let us just wait and see how he settles in i mean adebayor wasnt a big thing and now look what hes become. you never know but manucho might be just the player you guys are talking about….
January 20th, 2008 at 6:08
back on the match, carrick was at least a 7.5 out of a 10! glad he had two good performances in a row. i hope it keeps up. park is consistant…. i hate it when people say he is a marketing tool, people talk about how oshea and fletch and brown just want man utd to do well and are loyal
park is of the same mould even if he is ‘newer’ than the others. give park a run and he will improve, u try playing ANY sport at the highest level in the face of coming off an injury and with superstar team mates… not very easy…
January 20th, 2008 at 9:00
You all tend to forget the man sitting on the bench for the last 21 years. He knows better if we need anyone or not. Our frontline is the envy of the football world, not only because of ability, but because of the lack of problems between them and with the manager. In fact, they are so good that they make that giant, Giggs, look average. Stop complaining and enjoy the ride! We need no one.
January 20th, 2008 at 9:47
how do YOU know he isnt thinking the same thing im thinking, fact is, none of us know what he’s thinking.
lol, has anyone else noticed that when rio is in the attacking third of the pitch he trys to play like berba, no joke we could use him as a striker.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:34
Yeah well pointed out Dan .. In the past 2 matches against Magpies and Reading , Both Rio and Vidic took turns in the offensive end which has never ever happened before . May be a slight addition from arse play book.
Hargo is very good defensively however in offense he covers a huge amt of ground with the ball before making a pass .
It was also very good to see Fergie trying Carrick has the alone Mid-Fielder in the dying minutes .
Carrick has started coming back to form , i thought he did very well ..
Nani also played very well in the last 2 matches setting up the goal for tevez in the magpies match…
It was great to see Ronaldo Rooney and Tevez taking the honors.
Well as i said before , we never know whom fergie will buy . However that is one position which he will never compromise by buying a Ok player.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:22
i just relised that huntelaar has scored the most goals in the world right now and ronny comes in second, thats great for ronny if he scores 2 next match and huntelaar dosent score in his, ronny will be top. im talking about league btw, if its overall then ronny is top.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:41
http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=74789
if this is true, we should accept and use the money.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:55
Thats a rash thing to say, Dan. Carrick is an excellent option we have in midfeild.. We would have to play Fetcher if either Anderson or Hargo gets injured (Scholes may not go on forever).. And the replacements you are talking about.. you may get CDMs in form of Mascherano but not one with Carricks passing range.. Carrick is different from all the others midfeilders we have…
January 20th, 2008 at 12:01
hargreaves, scholes and andy are al great passers, carrick is better than the later two but not by much, fletcher can do the biss when needed giggs can play centre, so o’shea, gibson will be around next season rooney tevez and ronny can play as attacking mids 2 so we have like 11 players who can play centre.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:05
You would rather, at times, to make do with out of place people(Giggs, Rooney etc),,inexperienced youngsters (Gibson) and a fellow who runs around like a headless chicken (Fletcher) than a proven Central Midfielder like Carrick who did quite well for us last season…and Andy will have a dip sometime..
January 20th, 2008 at 12:10
Is Anderson injured? why wasnt he on the bench yesterday? Anybody knows?
January 20th, 2008 at 12:13
Hey everyone do read my views on last night’s match.
http://footyreview.blogspot.com/2008/01/manchester-united-go-past-reading-to.html
January 20th, 2008 at 12:26
giggs has already proven he can play in the centre, heck, HE DID IT YESTERDAY!, you loan players out to get experience, and your rating fletcher way to low, he’s had a much better overall season than carrick.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:32
Yeah.. But considering the present balancce of the team and the versatility that Carrick adds to it.. I think its wiser to keep him… And.. Noways is Fletcher better than Carrick.. Dun get me wrong.. i used to be a great fan of his when he first came in.. but he’s just not good enough..
January 20th, 2008 at 12:38
carrick isnt versatile at all, he can only play cdm or cm, fletcher is tho
January 20th, 2008 at 12:40
Neymar da silva have anyone heard about him.looks like it is a fight between real and united to sign him.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:41
By versatility, i meant the ability to spray long passes around..
January 20th, 2008 at 13:45
Aparently Newcastle want to put in an 18 million bid for Carrick, i know i’d take it…
January 20th, 2008 at 14:18
THANK YOU SHANNON, this is what im trying to say, we should accept it and use it. we have a bunch of players who are cm or can play cm that are as good and better than him.
January 20th, 2008 at 14:29
Dan: Fletcher more versatile than Carrick??? He has played at RM at times and been utterly abysmal. He like Carrick, is a central midfielder and no more.
As for the comments about passing ability, Hargreaves has absolutely nowhere near the passing range of Carrick. Now I’m not slagging him off here as he has a different set of skills to Carrick, but to suggest his passing is of a similar level is madness.
Both Giggs and Scholes are reaching the twilight of their careers. Scholes wasn’t playing great before his injury and Giggs has been inconsistent at best. Fletcher has been just above poor this season, at best, while Hargreaves has been injury prone with us to date. Your suggestion of alternatives at CM involves us playing people out of position, unproven kids or inferior players to Carrick. We have finally got out of the dark ages of the O’Shea/Giggs/Fletcher/Smith combos in CM; I don’t see what the appeal is in going back.
January 20th, 2008 at 14:46
fletcher has had a great season, what fletcher are you talking about, all im saying is if we let carrick go he wont be heavily missed because we have got a bunch of cms and a few players who can play cm.
January 20th, 2008 at 15:30
Fletcher has had a great season?? The one I’m talking about is the one who came on yesterday for about 10 minutes, cheaply lost the ball on a couple of occasions and lost Harper for his attempt at the equaliser. I can’t think of many in the way of good performances from him this season. Roma away is the only one that springs to mind and even then he was overshadowed by Carrick. Fletcher still looks to be nowhere near fulfilling his early promise.
No you are right that we have plenty of people that can play CM, however your suggestions included:
O’Shea and Fletcher - vastly inferior players to Carrick;
Giggs, and Rooney – played out of position;
Gibson – completely unproven.
We have a long term view to take of our CM. In the long term we have Fletcher, Hargreaves, Anderson and Carrick. I am more convinced by the Carrick/Anderson combo that the Hargreaves/Anderson one. Ergo I think that selling Carrick would be a very poor decision. Now if funds are limited and you have a clear idea of who could be bought with the money, and they improve the squad overall then fair enough. Otherwise it looks like you’re up for selling him just because you don’t like him.
January 20th, 2008 at 15:36
oh please, for the last few matches look how many times rooney has missed but that dont mean he’s rubbish nor does losing the ball. you seem to forget carricks performences before the toon game, im sorry but i just dont agree, fletcher is more than capable as is hargreaves as is scholes and anderson. even pique can play in the centre but i dont know about his passing(and he is more than capable since thats where he played all of last season with zarazoga.
January 20th, 2008 at 15:41
That’s a good offer for Carrick, but I think he’s too important to the team right now to sell him. O’Shea should be used mainly as a back-up defender; Fletcher is not good enough to start for us; and Hargo is as injury-prone as Saha. One player that I do think could be a long-term replacement for Carrick is Darron Gibson. This kid is strong, can pass, and also has a great shot on him (as we saw against Glentoran in the summer). In addition to that, he’s already made his debut for the Republic of Ireland which is pretty big. I think we could think about selling Carrick in the summer, but only if Hargo can stay fit, or if Gibson shows us that he’s good enough.
January 20th, 2008 at 15:47
Look at it this way… Carrick has a better impact on the game.. Definately more than Fletcher.. Agreed he had a bad run in the early part but then who doesnt.. are you telling me that Anderson won’t… And when he does would you feild a Schloes/ Carrick or Scholes/ Fletcher MF.. (Assuming Either scholes or Hargreaves is injured)… Fletcher hardly has an impact in the game..
January 20th, 2008 at 15:52
I’m not judging Fletcher on yesterday, I was simply trying to illustrate a point. But if he is so capable give me the examples of it from this season, because I sure as hell can’t think of them.
And your right Carrick has had plenty of piss poor games this year, but he put in a number of good performances at the start of the season and seems to have regained his form and confidence in the last three games.
On Pique, we are a big club, challenging for the league and CL, we shouldn’t be putting square pegs into round holes unless we are in the middle of an horrendous injury crisis. Selling Carrick weakens the squad in both the short and long term and diminshes our chances of silverware.
January 20th, 2008 at 16:11
Huntelaar scored again today.
January 20th, 2008 at 16:16
we’re going to have to agree to disagree.
January 20th, 2008 at 16:29
i really think man u must not sell carrick cause he is an important CM player.his passes are very good and he is good coming back to make crucial tackles.
January 20th, 2008 at 16:46
Some facts:
United have not scored only three goals in a game the whole season. That is the first time in Premiership history that we have gone so long without scoring only three goals in a game. We have not won 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 until now, witch is amazing considering our superiour goal-differnce. We have not played 3-3 or lost 4-3, 5-3 or more this season. Like i said, a new record for us in the Premier League history.
United have now played three games in a row without scoring in the first half. That is wierd considering those results: Villa 2-0, Newcastle 6-0, Reading 2-0. We have scored 10 goals(!) and none of them are in the first half. If we dont score in the first half against Spurs and Pompey, we have a first half record that is completely like at the start of the season! Those games were City 0-1, Spurs 1-0, Sunderland 1-0, Everton 1-0 and Sporting 1-0. They were all terrible games, were we had problems scoring. We dont have that now.
Wayne Rooney has only scored two Premier League goal since october. That was mainly because he was injured in a month.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored as many goals as last season in all competitions. Last season he scored 17 in the league, 3 in Europe and 3 in the FA cup. This season he has scored 17 in the league, 5 in Europe and 1 on the FA cup. And it is only January!
9 players have scored in the Premier League for United this season. Those players are: Ronaldo(17), Tevez(10), Rooney(6), Saha(4), Giggs, Ferdinand and Nani(all 2), Scholes and Vidic(both 1).
January 20th, 2008 at 17:01
I think I take Dan’s side on this slightly, if we were offered 18m for Carrick it would weaken our midfield options in the short term but would allow us to possibly replace him with someone better for around the same price or buy a new defender or striker. Although I highly doubt we would be offered 18m for him so I’d be very happy keeping him here, as he is likely to play in alot of big games for us since Hargreaves is so injury prone and Scholes is getting old so he will be likely to pick up more injuries, and Carrick is definitely a better player than Fletcher.
January 20th, 2008 at 17:08
@Ebrahim
Man Utd, MUFC, United/…. any of these.. No Man U please…
January 20th, 2008 at 17:10
@Conor
Even if you get 18 million for Carrick, with whom do you replace him with.?? Mascherano and other CDMs are very limited in playing styles..
January 20th, 2008 at 17:20
I wud take in the 18m and add in 2-4 more and bid for either Ronaldhino or Van der Vaart! Both will prove to be better ACMs than him in long run… (i.e. if Carrick is indeed primed for Scholes role)
I think on the other hand, Fergie is probably trying to create a AC Milan kind of playing formation with 3 man midfield of Hargo-Carrick-Anderson (mirrors Gattuso-Pirlo-kaka/seedorf; not saying here one is as good as other in both teams…) Play Ronaldo-Rooney-Tevez in the front (they will be rotating with Nani,other striker etc)
January 20th, 2008 at 17:26
Well we got Anderson for 17m did we not? And I’m sure Miguel Veloso would cost less than that, although I’m not sure he’s much better than Carrick. Van Der Vaart is to and I think we could get him for around the same price. I wouldn’t describe Carrick as a CDM anyway, he’s more of a CM. Mascherano is a better player than Carrick but he’s more like Hargreaves so we don’t need someone like him, but even Mascherano is only valued at 17m so it shows how Carrick was and still is overpriced. I’m happy to keep him, but I’m just saying that 18m is an offer we should at least consider, but in all seriousness, I very much doubt Sir Alex is going to let Carrick leave any time soon, so we’re just talking about something that in all likelihood will never happen.
January 20th, 2008 at 17:28
to right conor
January 20th, 2008 at 17:29
Mascherano for a start would cost virtually all of Carricks money from the sale. Also equivalent players style wise, like Deco Pirlo, Xavi etc, are pretty hard to come by.
January 20th, 2008 at 17:30
yea
January 20th, 2008 at 17:30
100 bang, i think if we are offered 18 mil for carrick we should really tink about it, because(this is my point) we have more than enough players in cm and can play in cm. someone said about playing out of position, brown is a centre back playinh at right back right now so its proven it can work.
January 20th, 2008 at 17:42
carrick is one of the best short distance passers in the league. i have no idea how dan is coming up with these sill ideas that fletcher is better than carrick or can replace him. so dan your telling me if man united meet lets say inter milan in the champions league final, you would feel comfortable if fletcher was playing in midfield instead of carrick in that game, against the likes of viera stankovic and so on?
January 20th, 2008 at 17:56
Brown was a right back when he started and has played there frequently for sustained spells during his career, I would consider him to be equally adept in either position. He effectively, is as much a RB as he is a CB.
January 20th, 2008 at 17:57
Thank you, mike.. You just posted our 30 comments in 1…
January 20th, 2008 at 17:58
Well actually JB, you just pointed out that Deco is available, so he’s another option, I know they are hard to come by, but I’m just saying that I think we should all agree Carrick isn’t work 18m, and if we can get that much for him we could buy another foreign player for around the same amount who is likely to be better. And yes I know that if we bought Mascherano it would be like a straight swap between Mascherano for Carrick, as it would be with Van Der Vaart and Deco, all of whom I would call superior to Carrick.
January 20th, 2008 at 18:16
i havent said he’s better i said he can get the jod done effcientley, carrick is inconsistent and if fletcher plays like he normally does than yes i would play fletcher instead of carrick, your say we should play someone for the sake of playing them which is wrong if their off form, its just like earlier in the season when giggs was playing shite so we played nani a few times and he got the job done. if carrick can play as well as he can play for a long period of time then im wrong but judging on recent time and form, he cant.
January 20th, 2008 at 18:18
I would have huge reservations over whether Deco would adapt to the EPL and his form has steadily declined in the last year to 18 months. Add in a price tag of around £10m and the fact he is 30 and he suddenly doesn’t look that brilliant a proposition.
VDV on the other hand is a much more attacking player, and would probably be more in competition with the attackers than the CM’s.
While I agree Carrick is overpriced at £18m, that was more as a result of circumstances. The squad doesn’t need much work done to it, a full back and a striker is probably all that is needed. If we can afford them without selling Carrick then, IMO, we should definitely keep him.
January 20th, 2008 at 19:16
If United sell Carrick for £18 mill, they should buy Van der Vaart. I have followed him and HSV since last summer, cause Hamburg always are on the TV. They have become my favorite german team. And I cant see anything wrong with Van der Vaart. He is better that Ronaldhino when both are at best. He never plays a bad game, fast, great tecnique, amazing passer(Becks like), free kicks like Juninho, better than Carrick at tackling, tall, strong, Left foot like a god(really!), Finishing like Ruud, great vision and versitile. He can play striker, left winger, CDM, CM, ACM and behind striker. And because he wants to leave HSV and because are not a big club, he should cost £18 mill or less. If he joins us he should be in top 10 of the world best player. If we have a midfield with Scholes/Hargreaves/Anderson and Van der Vaart, we should be unbeatable! Go United!
January 20th, 2008 at 19:20
RedDevil: if he is that good he will cost a damn sight more than £18m as every club in Europe will be after him.
January 20th, 2008 at 19:38
RedDevil although I also agree he is fantastic, don’t exaggerate things! JB he most definitely is better than Carrick and I very much doubt that he would cost much more than 18m, 20m at most. He nearly left to Valencia for 16.5m last summer, but then pulled out of it because of interest from others. Although one thing that may be a downside with him is that he seems slightly injury prone, but he would be a good signing and would definitely be able to get into our team.
January 20th, 2008 at 19:39
damn reddevil, the way you describe him hes the worlds best player and if what u say is true, we should sell carrick and buy him.
January 20th, 2008 at 19:47
Conor: I’m not arguing that Carrick is better than VDV, I would say you are right that VDV>Carrick. However Kaka is a better player than Wes Brown but if you were looking for a defender you would still buy Brown. My point being is that I believe VDV primarily operates in a different area of the pitch to Carrick, ergo you are not replacing like for like. I also think we are well enough stocked in the attacking areas (bar a central striker) therefore he wouldn’t be a priority target for me.
January 20th, 2008 at 19:51
jb, VDV is a cdm/cm/cam, carrick is a cdm/cm/cam how does VDV operate in a different part of the pitch
January 20th, 2008 at 20:05
Haha fair point. But really Van Der Vaart is as good in attacking as he is in defending, which is why he is a great box to box player. He is defferent to Carrick but he and Hargreavs could become a good partnership, as could he and Scholes, and I’m sure Anderson and VDV could forge a really great CM pairing.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:18
Carrick is a deep lying midfielder/playmaker primarily used for keeping possession ticking over and to shield the back line. VDV is an attacking midfielder, who frequently operates very high up the pitch and is responsible for supporting the strikers, linking play and scoring goals.
To my knowledge Hamburg play something close to a 4-2-3-1 with VDV in the three, whereas Carrick would be in the two. I’m not sure when he has ever played as a CDM. Just because Makelele and Lampard are both CM’s does not make them similar.
At any rate it is a bit of a moot point as we have never even been linked with him.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:23
you cant really say makalale because it takes him years to make a couple of shote, he’s different.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:27
Yeah I agree we really should just forget about this conversation as it seems highly unlikely we would even consider buying him,so it’s irrelevant.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:31
No, what I meant was just because you are classified as a CM doesn’t mean you are all the same. Alonso and Gerrard, Makelele and Lampard, Seedorf and Pirlo, Toure and Deco, Gago and Guti. They are all nominally CM’s but they all do different jobs, in different ways, in different parts of the pitch. Just because they are CM’s doesn’t make them all interchangeable. Toure wouldn’t be suited to Seedorf’s job, while you wouldn’t ask Gago to do what Gerrard does.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:37
Yes JB I know, but then you could have the different partnerships, VDV-attack : Hargreaves-defense, VDV-attack : Scholes-lying back playmaker, or finally you could have VDV and anderson in interchanging roles as both seem to have the capacity to defend and attack. Carrick and Van Der Vaart wouldn’t be a straight swap in terms of what they provide for the team, but I’m not sure we need a Carrick as we have shown with Anderson taking his role in the team and Scholes being able to do almost everything Carrick can do except better under pressure and Hargreaves can be our main defensive minded midfielder.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:41
I agree with the concept of the idea Conor. However I don’t think any medium to long term planning should include Scholes. We were badly burned in our failure to replace Keane in a timely manner and it would criminal to make the same mistake again. If that is the case then we, IMO, most definitely need to keep Carrick on board.
January 20th, 2008 at 20:44
True, and your reasons behind keeping Carrick are well thought out so I guess you’ve convinced me we need Carrick in our team. You win
January 20th, 2008 at 20:47
well the point is if 18m is what u r getting for carrick than u take it with a (red) devilish smile
you can always spend it on much much better player(s).
JB how about VDV to replace Scholes (instead of Carrick!!!) For the same price its VDV always in my team!
January 20th, 2008 at 21:20
JOS: That is the type of thinking I like. Always room for another good player!!!
January 20th, 2008 at 22:12
took the words out my mouth jos we sell carrick and replace scholes with VDV and replace carrick with gibson. i know what your going to say jb but youngsters have to start somewere dont they? and if he is a proven flop then what the hell, last time i checked we were one of the wealthiest clubs in the world so we could sell gibson and buy a cm/cdm.
January 20th, 2008 at 22:25
A proven flop, interesting definition Dan, I couldn’t be bothered arguing with you on it. One thing though, JOS just suggested keeping Carrick……..
January 20th, 2008 at 22:34
i was under the impression he ment sell carrick for the money, buy VDV, and he replaces scholes.
January 20th, 2008 at 22:48
We must have read it differently!!
January 20th, 2008 at 22:54
yep
January 20th, 2008 at 23:41
My li`l bro must haveused my account to write about Van der Vaart. Hes a massive HSV fan! I watch some of their games, and Van der Vaart is a great player, no doubt, but he is not better than the likes of Totti, Gerrard or Ronaldinho. He is better than Ronaldinho when both are at best. No doubt he is better than Deco, Carrick and Lampard, but he lacks strenght and aerial ability. I would choose him over Carrick no doubt, and if he doesnt cost more than £18 million, I say: Fergie, what are you waiting for?!
And Conor- Everybody gets injured in thier career. He was injured for a long time last year, cause HSV rushed him back. He aint injury phrone
January 21st, 2008 at 0:06
anyone know where i can watch the match tomorrow.
January 21st, 2008 at 0:12
It is on MUTV, but I haven’t got a clue if there are any streams for it.