Oct 18
Veloso Rumours Won’t Go | Nani, Ronaldo Shine| Gerrard Continues To Be Media Darling
Nothing much for the day as international’s and the Euro 2008 qualifiers, in particular, grabbed the headlines. So do we have any news concerning United? No, not really. Well, there is one but even that is just a transfer rumour that refuses to die. Other than that we will go on a slight tangent. Rest assured, today’s post won’t be too long. So read this quick and go about your day jobs. If you don’t you could always sit around refreshing this site, hoping for updates — something which wouldn’t happen till tomorrow, but for the comment section, of course.
Anyway, on to the roundup…
Sporting’s Miguel Veloso has continued to be linked to Man Utd. It is really surprising that this rumour refuses to die down. The only reason he continues to be linked with us is the Portuguese connection, and his friendship with ex-clubmate Nani. Other than that, 20 million pounds sounds a little ridiculous for a 20 year old defensive midfielder; especially when we just shelled around 40 million in the transfer market, out of which 20 million was spent on a defensive midfielder. We also have Carrick, and Anderson who is expected to play in central midfield. So it remains to be seen how this purchase could even be possible. At least not for 20 million.
Veloso did make his debut against Azerbaijan and also featured in their 2-1 win over Kazakhstan — a match where, both, Ronaldo and Nani impressed in equal measure.[Video Highlights via 101greatgoals]
And finally a word about England’s defeat against Russia. The defeat itself is not my point of concern. What irks me, however, is the media reaction to the loss. It seems certain players are always beyond censure, while some others need to do just as much as misplace one pass to become a villain. What can really explain the non-reaction over Gerrard’s form, or lack of it? While I don’t like Lampard, and I understand the censure he gets from fans, I don’t think he has been too worse than Gerrard for England. They have been equally crap in general. While, on the other hand, players like Rooney need to have one bad game and articles will be written declaring him to be a failed player or suchlike. I said in the earlier post that I don’t want to talk too much about this issue, but such things cannot really be ignored for long.
Fact of the matter is, Gerrard did have a shocker of a game. He was decidedly average even against Estonia. In fact, he’s had an average season for Liverpool, for whom he’s usually been first rate. But somehow, every one from Alan Green to Alan Hansen see him to be beyond fault, while players like Rooney are slagged off at a minor slip. And that kind of hypocrisy is hard to take.
Well, that ends my rant. I’ll get on with my day, as I have a sprained neck to take care of. ‘dipper fans, if you happened to read this, ignore the article and don’t bother commenting. You are not going to convince anyone. Your energy would be better saved that way.
See you all later.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Perez would ‘welcome’ Ronaldo — that’ll be £70m, thank you.
- Ronaldo: I like to know what’s happening at Old Trafford
- The World Loves Rooney + West Brom Preview
- Neville to Play Today | Best Central Defence in Europe | Transfer Rumours | Losing Another Young Talent
- Roundup: Recycled, Unsubstantiated Trash Dominate United News
Tags: Manchester United News
Craig Mc (195)
RedDevilEddy (170)
Opti (136)
Ian (96)
Moscow is my heaven (96)
Gerrard was poor last night, so were most of the England team. They defended like imbeciles at times. Thing is though, should you really care what happens to your players when they aren’t playing for your club? I don’t. I just want them back in one piece and the internationals be damned. Only numpties from places like Stoke REALLY care about England.
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[Razor]
Personally I don’t give a monkey’s arse about the fortunes of England’s football team. Ask some regular readers and go through some of my older articles, and you will see my concerns mirroring that of yours. My ultimate concern is for the players to return in one shape, and hopefully that has happened.
But I just thought of dropping in an opinion so that there are at least some voices that scream at how poor Gerrard was.
That’s all really.
Now I am sure to get some bitter dipper fans here too, but again, I don’t care what they think.
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I really don’t want england to qualify.
once and for all it would be shut the media up about how they should win something because of the “golden generation” of players that england have….
if theres anyone I want to see at the euros its the scots but that also doesnt seem possible unless they pull off a shocker again’st the world cup holders…
it would make me so happy to walk around looking at the sorry faces of all the england fans who can’t believe scotland has made it while england hasn’t…
lol thats my rant for the day done…now I can get on with my day
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With a dipper heavy media it’s not surprising that Gerrard is beyond critisism. Careful you don’t get sued by Liverpool council for daring to say negative things about their famous son, you know how upset they get when outsiders comment on their untouchables. In fact I think I hear police cars coming to get me for daring to agree with you.
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Btw, Rooney’s goal was nice. Though Roon is only 21, he has been a much-maligned figure. His tackle to win a ball is termed malicious, his tenacity is termed fit of rage. But his goal was nice, hope he scores few more of these.. When hes on form, he’s sensational and can deliver MoM performances match after match.. I hope he really starts to peak now. He’s not a talent anymore, he needs to produce now and he can shoulder this responsibilty. No better sight than watching him in full flow..
I am pitying Gerrard though.. All the time he had been bitching about playing as the attacking midfielder for both England and Liverpool and he is fucking up both these much-coveted chances.. He is missing his zest and freshness.. anyways doesnt bother me..
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“players like Rooney need to have one bad game and articles will be written declaring him to be a failed player or suchlike”
Not only Rooney. They does the same to Rio Ferdinand as well. Stupid and bias treatment of MU players…
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i couldnt give rats arse about england either.
just glad rio and wayne have come through without any injuries!!
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I’d like to add a little bit to the discussion on Gerrard.
Fact is, it’s been a long time, since we saw “world class” from this lad. His last season was average and certainly didn’t show the class he supposedly has. Now, I’m from Denmark, and even here, people are unable to see, when he plays shit like yesterday. All they focus on is his fighting spirit and leadership… and through those attributes they declare him one of the best players in the world. It’s just rediculous.I don’t know any other player, who’s consistently named “world class”, who underperforms like Gerrard does. Gerrard scored 11 goals in 49 matches last season and in general played average… no one seemed to take notice of this. Ronaldinho on the other hand scored 23 in 45 matches, and everyone were on his back for not performing. I know they are different type of players, and that Ronaldinho is more of an attacking player than Gerrard, but that’s not the issue… Gerrard simply seems to avoid criticism, despite him only really having one brilliant season (that of 05/06 where he scored 23 goals in 53 matches).
And to me it’s not just about the goals scored… it’s about his poor passing and the mistakes he makes. The number of times he gives the ball away. Yes he may track the opponent down and win back the ball, but why is that world class??
I don’t get it, but I’m glad they think he’s the best at Liverpool, because it means, he’ll play more often (btw Gerrard so far this season: 6 matches, 1 goal – in the first match on freekick against Aston Villa).
I know he’s been injured at the beginning of the season, so we should give him a chance to find his best form… it’s just been going on for more than a year now, and I doubt he’ll ever find his form of 05/06 again.
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Gerrard lost it for England. Even Akinbiyi would have scored from that chance. Glorious chance missed.
Anyway its good news for ManU. Ferdinand and Rooney will get a good summer rest enabling them to fire for ManU in 2008/9.
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What I dislike about some teams attitude is how they take the foot off the pedal in hopes of not losing instead of playing with passion till the end! Club or country matters not!
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Posted this article a week ago but it didn’t get much reaction. It is Liverpool based but it is pertinent to Gerrard’s role in England’s recent performances.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/10/11/time_for_benitez_to_give_gerra.html
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take wayne’s two latest goals for england and teleport them to the villa game this saturday. 2-0 for united, what matters most. united > england.
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Very very amusing video highlighting how rubbish Gerrard was against Estonia…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYHggzKlAi4
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JEEZ LOUISE! One week it’s how rubbish Lampard is next week it’s Gerrard. RUBBISH! There are three very good reasons why Gerrard has played so poorly for England. First is the inept tactical decisions of the England manager who in my opinion should get the sack and go take over an outfit like Bolton while there is a job opportunity. Secondly, Gerrard has been fighting a number of nagging injuries that have gt him off his game. Even the world’s greatest players have patches where their good form disappears for a bit. The third reason for his dip in form has been the complete inability for McClaren to find the right role for him and to stick with it. Add to this the tiring roller coaster of positions he plays for Rafa’s ridiculous rotation system and what you have is a player who feels like he is playing hurt without a true home he can call his own.
Gerrard is too good a player to stay this bad for too long. He will rebound and so England fans relax. Also, it’s perhaps time for Gerrard to ask for a transfer from Liverpool. That system cannot be good for the development of a player yet alone maintaining his consistency.
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JB; Thanks for the article on Gerrard. Very insightful indeed. I agree that he is more valuable on the right side but it is his great ability on the right and his great shooting ability that I think seduces managers and makes them want to put him in the middle where the action is. What the article truly says is that England are presently without a central midfield general who can make a statement in a world class event. Until England finds or develops that player, England will suffer. And why do we have this problem? Because the English style of football being a speed and pace game likes to bring the ball and perform most of it’s attacks from the wing or sidelines. It has always been like this. European and South American outfits play the exact opposite by moving the ball slowly and more efficiently through the middle. This style of course promotes and helps to develop central mid fielders at a much greater pace and higher level than England. And yet I can’t say that England’s wingers have been lighting the world on fire over the past decade. What England needs is a GAZA with maturity. They don’t come along very often.
Lets face it fans, for all the England support out there, the national team suffers from the same problem that the Spanish team does. It’s a mediocre national side with a very strong domestic league over saturated by world class foreign talent. Without this foreign talent both those domestic leagues would take their right place behind Serie A (which is not much better) and the Bundesliga (which doesn’t spend ridiculous money on foreigners, except of course Bayern). England just isn’t that good folks. And people on this blog take their time to put players like Riquelme down. He’s got more talent in his lazy ass than 50 workaholic English EPL players currently ranked high on England’s pecking order.
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Totally agree with the original post.
The Veloso rumour doesn’t seem to be going anywhere despite the fact we are blessed with central midfielders now, don’t forget Darron Gibson looks promising as well and Pique played well in the holding role for Zaragoza last season.
As for the criticism of Rooney then it just doesn’t add up. He scores a spectacular goal then for some reason is at left back where he fouls a player outside the box only for the referee to give a penalty and he gets lambasted for it. Meanwhile, Gerrard coasts through games without contributing anything and misses a complete sitter that would have sealed it and he manages to escape any form of criticism.
Can anyone explain that to me?
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I completely agree with the bit about Gerrard. I was foaming at the mouth at the fact that absolutely all the press ignored Gerrard’s utter failures and missed chances. He’s been playing like shit. Yet they jump on other lesser players or Rooney. Why Rooney? What has he done? All the pressure on him is unfair.
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i dont wish injuries on any player (except mikel) but the timely injury to van persie could really benifit united. coming off his double and his form is really hot. without him arsenal lose one of their most effective finishers so theres a ‘good’ piece of news for united in a lose sense. just thought i should throw that in with the upcoming fixture….
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What I cannot understand is why there seems to be so much interest in Veloso? So what if he is one the Sporting Lisbon buddies of both Nani and Ronny. The man plays either as a CB or holding midfielder. Last time I looked we don’t need any CB’s or holding midfielders. So why won’t the rumor go away? God knows he’s overpriced because he has massive holes in his game.
If Fergie were to go after him it is with a special tactic in mind. I think that it is still Fergie and Carlos’ dream to play two holding midfielders and only one striker up front. A very European 4-2-3-1 formation protects us well defensively and allows the three midfielder in front of Hargreaves and Veloso more liberty to attack. Problem is that only one striker up front limits our targets.
I may be wrong about this but for a rumor to not go away makes me think there may be some merit to it. United would not spend the kind of money that will be needed to acquire Veloso unless they were planning on playing him in the starting eleven. Therefore I hope it doesn’t happen because I demand two strikers up front. Spend that cash on a great striker or attacking central midfielder or left back, not a holding midfielder.
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you lot are cras idiots. how can you say that you don’t care about england! show some passion and loyalty. by the way i agree that gerrard is a wastecadet
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personally i will be overjoyed when england fails so that the English press can shut.on second thought i don’t think they will as they will be all over Rooney and Rio for the loss, you know how they do. any way its good that fucking international break is over so we can get back to real football- club football that is. Hope Rooney continues his form and blast the living day lights out of Aston villa. just to note is that tevez bro Miguel is in united, why then buy Miguel veloso i mean i hope fergie is thinking of employing that silly rotational system at Liverpool due to excess in midfield or will he let Gibson go (God forbid)
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bit of news:
man utd have signed tevez junior on a 2 and a half year deal.
since he’s 17, i would expect a loan to a championship side or a euorpean side, for 1 and a half years.
and i know he’s not the son, he’ the brother, just cant be bother to type his name lol
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sign drogba!
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Kienu; Much like United never allowing Heinze to move to Liverpool while he was still under their control, I seriously doubt if Chelski would ever sell Drogba to United. Abramovich would be in fear of his life while on British land. Anyway, I hate the prick. He may have changed some of his ways on the pitch but he’s not loyal and has no backbone. His attitude stinks and what gets me is people put down Riquelme for being misunderstood. Drogba’s lack of loyalty to his club is a disgrace. Riquelme may be slow footed and regarded lazy because of that weakness, but he never refused to play for Villarreal. Drogba needed a committee of players to calm him down and an agent to talk sense into him. Who needs crap like that? Besides, he’s too old and we need somebody who will be around for at least five to six years.
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right Gro. Drogba’s Crap. Dont need him at united by the way Ronaldo gonna beat his goal tally. Dont want cry babies. I think Fergie Gonna loan Tevez junior after testing his skills at Old Trafford. if he sends him out immediatley, the boy might probably fade
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Wats all this bout tevez junior?has he even signed anything?cristanus,veloso,jovetic,miguel and a few others are all being linked.the keyword being ” linked”.no suprise that hargreaves and saha are not in the squad for tomorrow!
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taehr, we’ve been linked with a host of 17 year olds but weve atchully signed this one.
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What is Tevez jnr? A striker or a CM?
I absolutely agree with the Gerrard issue. He has been playing shit, but no one acknowledges it.
I saw his game against Russia. This time I actually watched the game just to focus on HIM.
What I saw was an utter disgrace. Forget about Stevie having a bad game (or a couple for that matter), he was simply autrocious. His positioning was bad, his passing was average at most, same for his shooting. This ‘fighting to get the ball back’ attitude was totally absent (in fact, that is surprising because if you give the ball away cheaply, I would at least expect you to fight with all your heart to get it back).
Perhaps I’m just spoilt for choice because watching a ManU midfield WORK week in , week out, I kinda expect the same from every CM. (Hell, even Fletch would have given more). Bad patch my ass. I think Stevie G is going through a bad carreer.
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I wanted to start an issue over this Stevie G thing over at Soccerlens (after the England / Russia game), but some racist prick just hit the wind out of my sail completely.
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