Oct 29
Scholes Out for Three Months. Great News?
So while I saw this earlier in the morning in the Lancashire Evening Post (irony?) I was holding off till I got to hear something more official. Well, here it is now as a spokesperson from Manutd.com confirms the news.
As we know his first scan was inconclusive he was sent for a second scan, the results of which, has now been revealed as knee ligament damage.
Scholesy has to now go for an operation to get his knee fixed.
While this is terrible news for all of us — Scholes was looking to get better and better with our 4 goal thumpings and we were looking quite potent — his absence against Kiev and Boro however had the slightest effect as we racked up another eight goals. This was due, in no small part, to the contribution of Anderson, who was first pressed into action against Wigan. And didn’t he do an outstanding job?
His lack of experience (he’s just 19) might certainly count against him in big games, like the one against Arsenal, this weekend. But to see it from a more positive viewpoint, there is really no better time to give him a good run in the side than now.
Carrick would still be a little more than a week away from a return. The Arsenal game would be too soon for him. And the presence of Hargreaves hasn’t been more important than it is right now. His reassuring presence, protecting the back four, would free up Anderson to do his thing and that would be the ideal platform to revel.
His lack of too many games might also just help him — people haven’t seen too much of him as yet — so it will be quite some time before he actually gets found out.
The depth in our side at present shouldn’t serve us too much cause for worry, as much as we love Scholes. But this is the time for Carrick and Anderson to show what they’ve got. The Anderson-Hargreaves-Carrick axis will be the prime component of our central midfield for the future, and this would be the best time to give us an insight into what things hold for us.
So is the Scholes injury good, in a way, for us? Discuss in the comments.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Today’s News In Recycle Mode
- Hargreaves Move Confirmed – Breaking News
- Welcome to the best Manchester United blog in the world
- Ronaldo Returns + Fergie’s Optimism Dips + Squad ‘Swells’
- Sunday News Round-Up: United Clear At The Top Plus Who Did United Get In The F.A. Cup?
Tags: Manchester United News
Craig Mc (195)
RedDevilEddy (170)
Opti (135)
Moscow is my heaven (96)
Ian (95)
Just read that there is a cloud over Rios head, dont know the quality of the sources but Uniteds web page suggest hell be back, but I think we may have to wait to match day to be positive!
Like?
0 
0
very nice argument up there but i am of the opinion that the injury is a blessing in disguise..anderson really needs playimg time to build on what he has started and get more consistent play and scholes injury could never have come at an opportune time as this.
remember that at arsenal fabregas was never that good until viera left so for our case i think its the same. something has to give for talent to mature.
anderson is def a good player. on sat carrick may be brought in as a sub if things get thick.
Like?
0 
0
Ohh and on Carrick, I disagree that he is our most creative player, I think he lacks vision, he as I have mentioned before, plays to many balls either horizontal or behind, thus he may appear to have the best efficency rating for complete passing, but they are meaningless possesion. For me he is neither creative and attacking enough (maybe due to the role he has been given) or defensive enough. I just dont rate him, and dont think overall he is worthy of a starting role. Just my view…
Like?
0 
0
Carrick should be known as Scholes-Lite. Where Scholes is the king of slowing the game tempo down, making vertical or back passes, Carrick is the Prince waiting to inherit the throne.
He’s a good player that is highly overrated, slow and often times can be marked completely out of a game. His high risk offensive passing is also very overrated. I’ve seen more quality forward passes in Anderson’s limited time of play than Carrick has shown since he arrived at Old Trafford. For me he is only an adequate backup.
Like?
0 
0
grognard.. can you please shut up regarding your rants on carrick. There were days probably when we used to read your posts.. now a days.. its too long and filled with shite to read. If you think that Carrick’s passing is overrated.. you can shove your rants up your…
Like?
0 
0
your such a child red, you know nothing about football because if you did you would know that grognard is right about carrick, it would be a lie if i told you ive seen carrick play a V ball, he always plays it short or gos long H ball, whereas with all-mighty hargo, He’ll play V through balls to our attacking players all day long, he’ll atchully do his job and break down defences whereas with carrick, if the ball is in the attacking 3rd of the pitch he’ll be in the defensive third of the pitch and if the opposing team is attacking us in our defensive 3rd of the pitch carrick will be in the attacking 3rd.
Like?
0 
0
[Red]
If you dislike Carrick; saying so and reasoning about that should be enough. Mixing it with your dislike of a fellow commenter who does take an honest effort at writing posts on here is totally uncalled for. Feel free to disagree with him, but if they are an eyesore, or if your attention levels don’t allow you to go through his elaborate rants, the you are welcome to sidestep and ignore him. I am sure he would have by now grown sick of wind ups like yourself. But it is my duty to warn you about future practice.
There are a lot of people who disagree with what Grognard has to say. We are after all humans who would have ideas of our own. So there really shouldn’t be a problem if one person prefers to put efforts into writing a lot and one prefers a two line rant. So long as you respect opinions it’s all okay here.
Like?
0 
0
I think the best way to beat Arsenal is by counter attack.We will
break their play up before they start the pass and move play in United
area.then our Ronaldo,Rooney and Anderson will burst into Arsenal
third with pace and venom
Like?
0 
0
well said by the [b]true[/b] red, i agree sunny when i saw the liverpool match the arsenal center back was further up the field then adebyour(lol)if they do this against us we should win.
Like?
0 
0
Red; When I read venom like yours pouring out on a page I just think of two words.
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT.
Like?
0 
0
Daaaammmm!all this analysis and the game is four days away!i wonder what it will be like on friday?!i think u guys are giving the arsenal team and their ” football” far too much respect.”ferdinand needs play his best,hargreaves needs to do this…ronaldo needs to do that….i mean come on its 11 v 11 and arsenal aint no super human team! they can be beat .i personally feel we will win or draw.stop thinking about how we need to stop fabregas and co.how are they going to stop rooney,tevez,ronaldo??!…..our team has far more dangerous players…far more.
Like?
0 
0
mate.. sorry for the wrong kind of words used.. but seriously when united fans themselves start calling a guy as over hyped and stuff when he was so instrumental in us being so destructive last year.. it pisses me off. its like backstabbing the hero
Like?
0 
0
Red; At no time have I ever called Carrick a bad player. But he is overrated. Why? Because Fergie paid way more than he is worth as a player. His contribution has been good although inconsistent. If he played 50% of his games like the one against Chelsea this season than he would be worth that money. He’s a good player and he would be a star on 15 other EPL teams. But, I’m sorry to say that for me, he isn’t up to the class needed at that position by United. Anderson in a short audition has shown us all glimpses of brilliance and more than Carrick has when it comes to creative play.
To be a United fan does not mean I have to act like a trained seal and clap when ever the master tells me so. To be a TRUE United supporter is to love your team enough to see it’s flaws and occasionally question the decisions being made. Fergie has made very few mistakes and like many I have too in questioning some of his moves or tactics. But that is the nature of the beast. We are fans who have no control over the day to day decision making at Old Trafford. So whether we agree with policy or not, PLEASE LET US ALL RANT TO OUR HEART’S CONTENT, without being slagged for it. And trust me when I say that I appreciate and respect your admiration for Carrick. Millions of personalities out there, we can’t all possibly agree. What we all can be though is a little more tolerant regarding each others views and tastes. SO LETS RANT AWAY!
Like?
0 
0
I have to agree with Red regarding Carrick. I can understand your frustration Dan and Grognard but remember Carrick has been asked to play as a holding midfielder whose primary responsibility is to break up opponents attacks and then to give the ball to Scholes to get our attack started.
Fair enough he does not have a Roma type performance week in week out, on the contrary
he seems to get stuck in a uncertain hole where he struggles in defence and attack but I was under the impression that he was bought as a replacement for Scholes and therefore he is a creative player. One just needs to look at Spurs performances when he was running the midfield with Davids to know that he is a really good player who will defo come into his own when playing in the creative role with Hargo breaking up play.
Like?
0 
0
grognard why do you bother, its obvious he isnt a real supporter, just a child trying to act big. how the hell can you say carrick is a creative player, he dosent have one creative bone in him, if he was sold for anything over 11 mil i would be laughing at the team that bought him(as praticly every premier league club laughed at us)
Like?
0 
0
is carrick less talented than hargo and anderson.. may be.. Is carrick united class.. definitely. Just because we had andy cole and dwight yorke starting, it doesnt mean that sheringham wasnt united class.. just because rio and vidic are better than brown.. it doesnt mean brown isnt united class.. its just that they arent world class.(To be a world class he needs to play on the top for atleast 80% of the games.. which he isnt)
Like?
0 
0
and dan… all premiership clubs laughed at us.. to bite back their words… they have written us off at the start.. but we were the first team in many many years to win the league without a defensive midfielder….
Like?
0 
0
Just1n; Fair enough, he’s a good creative player but that does not mean he will do it for United. Quite often players who play very well for lesser clubs struggle to find that form and confidence when put to the task on big clubs. Shawn Wright Phillips, Sidwell, Crouch, Kuyt etc are examples of such players. They are still good but they don’t reach their previous levels or potential due to the fact that all of a sudden the dreaded elements of extreme pressure and lofty expectations come in to effect. What happens is that they don’t just lose their capabilities, they just show signs of inconsistency. United cannot afford inconsistency.
On Saturday we play a great team whose central attacking midfielder is a creative and energetic genius. United need to match that with similar qualities. There is no way Carrick compares to Fabregas. However, I can see Anderson comparing to him very nicely in a year, two at the most. And yes I do understand that Carrick has had to play out of position since arriving. But that doesn’t hide the fact that he doesn’t have the pace or skill of Anderson. I do prefer him to Scholes though at this time in Scholes career. So for me he is a super sub or part time starter who can spell of Hargo or Anderson very well.
Like?
0 
0
Grognard: Yeah Anderson does have more urgency about him or maybe Carrick is just so classy he looks like he has time on the ball. lol.
But Anderson is coming into his own and does not deserve to be dropped on current form and I would not risk Carrick coming back from injury to play in such an important game.
I dont think you can compare Carrick to SWP and Crouch etc as Michael was a constant in the team that took the league and got to semi final of CL and not giving him his due is a bit unfair. Compare Man Utd of 2 seasons ago who could not win in Europe and could not compete at home and the only player that was added was Carrick and well …you do the math.
Like?
0 
0
pants utter pants
Like?
0 
0
SWP was a constant and a star at City, Crouch at Southampton, Sidwell at Reading and Kuyt at Feyenoord. They all have been bench warmers or very inconsistent once they arrived at a very big club.
Carrick has helped United. There is no doubting that. But is he the man to take them that extra distance to win the league again and again while our strongest oppositions continue to push the envelope and improve by leaps and bounds? Does he have the required skill and class to rip open the top Champions League teams and take us to that ultimate height of winning the European Cup? I don’t think so. Arsenal, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea and Werder Bremen all have attacking midfielders who are superior to Carrick. Dare I say that even the Scousers have Gerrard, who in all fairness has had quite a few good days too. We compete because of Ronaldo and Rooney despite the need for a young, energetic and highly creative CAM. This needs to change so that it adds that needed dimension to our game and to better free Ronaldo and Nani.
Like?
0 
0
carrick frustrates the fuck out of me but have to say im more of the opinion of “red”
the boy aint as fluid and dynamic as anderson, cesc etc but he benefits the team without
a doubt- he proved that to every1 last season. Things looked gloomy when he wAS OUr only
summer signing but he was exactly what we needed. Despite all this i dont think he or Ferguson know
his best position. Quotes from fergie when we bought him was that he wasnt keanos replacement
and that he wasnt bought as a defensive mid? If that is the case Carrick better brake the shackles
when he returns and provide more attackin zest! when the boy is on form i think hes top class..
dunno tho, maybe were all being a bit harsh on him with regards to his consistency. His style of
play does allows us to play an immence 433 tho (carick, hargo & anderson.) Personally i feel
Big mike will only improve for us. Id def play hargo and aderson through the middle on sat tho!!
Like?
0 
0
the thing about football is that theres only one. . .and the consensus is that carrick is pretty damn good at getting it to the right players. . the only question is if anderson has proved that he can do the same over a longer period, he had a couple of passes on saturday that were just godawful. . i’m surprised no one is talking more about it. . i mean he had a decent game but i didnt feel he had quite as good a game as the previous two
Like?
0 
0
gerrard is a cheater mn
chelsea r ok, doin a bit crp tho
man u will miss sholesy experience but anderson is nang
Like?
0 
0
You are comparing Carrick with the wrong type of midfielders Grognard, he should be in the Alonso, Xavi and Pirlo grouping for comparison. As I have set before I believe SAF sees the potential for Gattuso/Pirlo style axis with Carrick and Hargreaves in CM. As for Carrick’s ability I think he has the necessary tools, I have seen him put MOM level performances against Roma, Chelsea and Arsenal. His biggest issues for me are the fact that he tends to be too subservient to Scholes when playing with him and he can still be a bit inconsistent. Whether the second of those traits can be knocked out of him I don’t know but the first shouldn’t be an issue for a while. He (and Hargreaves), for me, have done enough for the aforementioned partnership to get a fair crack of the whip.
As for being overrated he was victim of circumstance with regards to his price. Player ability plays a surprisingly small part in setting a transfer value (just look at Darren Bent). The reason he cost so much was that we were perceived as being desperate for midfielders (which was true), Spurs were in a good position, our other targets (Hargreaves, Gattuso etc) were turning up dead ends and Carrick wasn’t kicking up merry hell to get out of the club. He was a victim of the situation rather than being overrated.
Also, apologies if I’ve missed it earlier in the thread, but I noticed that Jaap Stam has retired, so all the best in the future to Jip Jaap Stam the big Dutchman.
Like?
0 
0
Oh God JB, you aren’t honestly comparing Michael Frakken Carrick to Andre Pirlo are you? Pirlo is world class while Carrick is middle class and trying to break out of his one bedroom loft. Hargreaves on the other hand is very comparable to Gattuso.
I realize that Carrick didn’t set the price for what he was bought for, but still, he has to live up to it in the minds of fans. Like I said before, he is a fine player but he isn’t the answer. United deserves and Andre Pirlo world class player play that position. Carrick is barely international class at best. Fergie spent too much for him and he blew it when it came to the LEGEND Jaap Stam.
And as for Stammer, enjoy your retirement mate. You were one fantastic defender and I for one thank you greatly for your contributions to United. Too bad those years you spent in the San Siro were not better utilized at Old Trafford.
Like?
0 
0
I am not comparing him to Pirlo in that sense Grognard, as Pirlo is as good as it gets in that role, however I am comparing them stylistically. While Carrick will probably never reach the same level as Pirlo doesn’t mean that he and Hargreaves can’t be turned into a very effective unit, as for me they are what a 4-2-3-1 requires in the engine room. I’m still not sure of Anderson’s long term role and remain unconvinced that it will be as a CM in a two man central midfield. Also Carrick has no obligation to anyone to justify his price tag, he did not set it. All he can and should do is to try his best, the people who are accountable for transfer values are SAF and David Gill.
Finally where the hell is all this grief for Ferdinand coming from (this isn’t just at you Grognard). What I saw on Saturday was Vidic losing his man, O’Shea not shepherding Tuncay to safety and Mr Orange failing to realise everyone else was playing an offside trap. Yet everyone still shouts, oh look Rio was dozing again, he is always losing concentration, despite the fact he was IMO well down the pecking order for responsibility.
Over the last 18 months he as made as few, if not fewer, mistakes than any other centre back in the world and for large chunks of that time he has looked nigh on bullet proof. He is certainly the last player I would worry about on Saturday and I would consider him to be easily our best big game performer since joining the club. If you want an example, just take a look at last year at Anfield to see a textbook example of the nigh on perfect defensive performance.
Like?
0 
0
Going back to the game at Arsenal on Saturday you are all talking about how Anderson will do but I for one dont think he will play from the start and I dont think Nani will either. I think Fegie may go for experience and protect them both – not that I agree with doing that! The team im expecting is –
————VDS————-
Brown—Rio—–Vidic—Evra
—-Fletcher—Hargreaves—
Ronaldo—–Tevez——Giggs
————Rooney———-
Subs-
Kuzciak
Pique
O’Shea
Anderson
Nani
Like?
0 
0
You know JB you’re screaming at the wrong guy about Rio. I am a solid Rio backer and I agree with almost everything you said about him except for that fact that he does occasionally make mistakes due to snoozing or lack of concentration. He never makes errors due to lack of ability and that is the real key. On Saturday you could argue that both he and Vidic were responsible for the goal but more importantly were the two very careless passes in his own third that he made. Fortunately they didn’t turn in to anything bad because Boro are a bunch tosser. If that was Arsenal or any other big club, we would have paid for it.
Now having said that, I just heard last night that he was going to be 50/50 health wise for the Arsenal game and that he tweaked the groin that bothered him at the end of last season. If indeed it was the groin that caused him to lose focus than I am very sympathetic as I know what it’s like to play with pain. So don’t get me wrong. I love Rio and I also included him my group of United players with grit. You could see how pissed off he was to be subbed off. The man is a gamer and he has lots of pride. Even if he has a bad game you’ll NEVER hear me say “Blame It On Rio”.
Like?
0 
0
Agree on Rio, he was never to highly held by me, probably up to 2 years ago, and I thought he was nothing more than average, but boy has he proved me wrong. He has matured, which helps, but he is definitely better than average and is world class. He does get caught on the ball at times for me, tries to do a bit much, and as mentioned gets caught out by inattention but all up is a vital clog in our system. Have read today that he is a definite starter, but im not going to relax until I see his name on the teamsheet.
Since I started the debate on Carrick (not intentionally) I feel that what I said might be taken a little out of context. What I feel is that he is not worthy of a starting postion, and that if he was a constant started then the CM postion would be a weakness for United. He is a definite squad player, maybe he is a little bit to good for that overall, but at United that would have to be his role. It is for me a little bit ike watching Zizou playing with Graveson for Real a few years ago, he doesnt have enough ability (or show it enough) to warrant a place in our team where he plays with players of Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez etc petigree, and is the key to their involvement in the match.
We all have our favourite players (the Ginja Ninja) but some players we may not like as much, and for a footballing sense for United, I would much rather see Carrick sitting on the bench than either Scholes, Anderson or Haregreaves.
Like?
0 
0
have to agree wid grognard on the rio issue… i’ve heard lots of hate for rio, which is rather unjust…. the guy already takes a lot of crap from england fans… i think he deserves better from us….. if united are conceding goals its not just his fault, the whole team has to shoulder the blame….
besides lets re-visit the last few goals united have conceded…. against villa, agbonlahor was being marked by brown whom he evaded to glance home young’s cross… at kiev, the fr the first goal, o’sheah lost his man and ronaldo wasnt on the post and fr the second, fletcher ws late in closing the man down in an area u can’t expect ur CB to be making the tackle…. then against ‘boro, vidic ws as much at fault as rio for letting aliadere in….. if ur blaming rio for all the defensive problems of the last few games then i think its a bit unfair… wat say??
Like?
0 
0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8U2V8YW_jg
anderson taking on febragas
Like?
0 
0
Vikas; Thanks for the link on Anderson vs Fabregas. It’s only a small bit but it really shows Anderson’s combination of strength and pace. I have no doubt that he can play with Fabregas. Question is whether Fergie will be brave enough to start him in an offensive minded formation?
Like?
0 
0
I am siding with Red on this Carrick issue.
I think he is a creative player. We should not forget that when he plays with Scholesy, the defensive duties are passed on to him (the reverse happened when Anderson stepped into the team with Scholes).
The problem with Carrick’s performance is not a lack of creativity, but rather the presence of Paul Scholes. Carrick should come into his own when he plays with Hargo.
[73. joninjapan]
“he had a couple of passes on saturday that were just godawful. . i’m surprised no one is talking more about it”
See comment# 49
just keep in mind that no one claims that Anderson is the complete player at the moment. He is still very young. He does however seem most likely to vecome ‘THE ONE’.
Like?
0 
0
have a feeling that fegie will go with a 3 man midfield with Hargo entirely sitting on fabregas..fltcher and anderson controlling the engine!! both have good work rate as well …..with the holy trinity leading the line
Brown/Oshea – - Vidic – Rio/Brown — Evra/oshea
———————Hargo———————–
————Fketcher———–Anderson——–
–ronne————–rooney———-tevez
Like?
0 
0
oh dear… the word THANKS would be nice to hear regarding carrick contribution to the team. About those horisontal passes ; Has it occured to you guys that SAF himself TOLD them (carrick and scholes)to do just that. If not, he’d be all over those two…
Like?
0 
0
something we all are missing … teams are all about combining different talents and ensuring a well oiled effective partnership … although 50% of Utd teams can always be first choice for any other club (not exclusively in EPL) but its not just about that … ManUtd has always been a good blend of Youth, Experience, World Class, Formidable but fitting well in the puzzle players …
comparision b/w Anderson and Carrick, utterless … luved Carrick last season … a calm presence in midfield to slow the tempo once balls are hurrled towards our defence … certainly a very good passer but less attacking bursts … he also has loads of time on the ball at times it feels like he is not bounded by space and time paradigm
as JB earlier mentioned more of Alonso, Xavi, Pirlo or may be N.Butt mold … Pirlo way above in vision from others …
Anderson is showing glimpses of his rare talent … and surely will give us more edge once his positional sense and physical ability improves … big game vs Arseanal but timings are simply ridiculous …
Like?
0 
0
Why does everyone seem to dislike Michael Carrick so much?
I will admit that I was a touch sceptical about the decision to sign him but i saw a lot of games last season and he impressed me more regularly than I had expected. Carrick gets through a lot of work that either is not mentioned or is simply missed by people, the number of times he breaks up opposition attacks is unbelievable and he also is the start for many of our fluid counter attacks. He may not be a Fabregas type player but he is very effective in our team, that’s for sure.
Like?
0 
0