Why not? He's a good guy. Where's this story come from anyway? He's surely going nowhere, especially with Vidic done in.
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 8 December 2011 20:56 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, can't see that happening. He's more likely to retire at Utd
― Number None, Thursday, 8 December 2011 21:00 (twelve years ago) link
tbf it's a stupid rumor, but it's stuck around for a while. I first read it on someone's phone in a bar in Seattle after the Fire's defeat in the US Open Cup final like 2 months ago. the coach was sitting two tables over so we showed it to him and he said he had no idea where it came from. still, I wish it would go away.
― tumblr whineys (Cuauhtemoc Blanco), Thursday, 8 December 2011 21:18 (twelve years ago) link
"do not want" because big-salary old-timer defenders are huge wastes of time/money in this plucky upstart league of ours
― tumblr whineys (Cuauhtemoc Blanco), Thursday, 8 December 2011 21:20 (twelve years ago) link
oh i see the Guardian is reporting quotes from Vidic's agent that he's done his cruciate and will likely be out for the season. Yay.
― Number None, Thursday, 8 December 2011 22:03 (twelve years ago) link
id rather vidic was there, kids + shite at cb could render city champions by february
― nakhchivan, Thursday, 8 December 2011 22:11 (twelve years ago) link
and i like vidic, probably the best cb in the world by average level in the last five years and rather subtler than his rep suggests
― nakhchivan, Thursday, 8 December 2011 22:13 (twelve years ago) link
vidic out for the season, maybe they'll give Jones a consistent run there.
dalglish is descending into madness.
― pandemic, Friday, 9 December 2011 09:58 (twelve years ago) link
id rather vidic was there + shite at cb could render city champions by february
Of course, a player getting injured in Dec. and missing the rest of the season is no good. otm on 2nd point.
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:00 (twelve years ago) link
For all the conclusions being drawn about the Glazers at the moment (and not wanting to defend them), United spent a fair bit of money in the summer. They've just had appalling luck with injuries - Vidic, Hernandez, Cleverly, Anderson all out long term, give or take a goalkeeper that's an entire first-choice spine gone. If you took Kompany, Dzeko, Silva and De Jong/Toure out of the City team they probably wouldn't look like a Premiership-winning side either.
Not to say that City aren't stronger man-for-man and certainly they have better options upfront, but they aren't that immune to a potential injury crisis as it is.
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 10:07 (twelve years ago) link
That said, pretty sure United would have a stronger and deeper squad without the Glazers there, especially through the middle.
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 10:08 (twelve years ago) link
stop this united defending, it won't wash around here.
even city are preferable.
― SandboxGarda (HI IT'S RONAN), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:17 (twelve years ago) link
I prefer Utd to any of the other big clubs in England, and that now includes City.
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:23 (twelve years ago) link
Not that I like them or anything, on the contrary I'm enjoying their shitness
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:24 (twelve years ago) link
i prefer them to...
― SandboxGarda (HI IT'S RONAN), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:39 (twelve years ago) link
richard littlejohn
Spurs are still not a big club btw
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 10:42 (twelve years ago) link
City are beautiful and thrilling and hilarious and only a churl cd not love them
― Maybe Bartering Will Help (Julie Lagger), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:15 (twelve years ago) link
Can't see Utd challenging City at all now tbh. I doubt Jones will get a consistent run in the centre either as our lack of a consistently fit right back means either him or Smalling will have to be used there quite a bit. Not to mention the lack of midfielders. Praying for a real midfielder at Christmas but it's more likely Fergie will describe Anderson and Cleverley coming back as being "like new signings"
― Number None, Friday, 9 December 2011 11:49 (twelve years ago) link
hernandez cleverley and anderson are not the spine, they're the subs. This is a false injury crisis- if they were fit it would be a personnel crisis.
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:50 (twelve years ago) link
Wrong. All three of those players were first choice at the start of the season
― Number None, Friday, 9 December 2011 11:51 (twelve years ago) link
ferdinand + jones/smalling/evans is more than adequate to fill one cb and one rb spot from, tbh
Evans has needed a run for a while, still think there's a defender in there somewhere tbh
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:53 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah those players were definitely considered first choice back in the heady days of late summer when United were whipping everyone. Maybe not Chiquarito but playing Welbeck instead of him was just baffling anyway.
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 11:54 (twelve years ago) link
cleverley made his debut at the start of the season, ffs, or close to it.
Anderson has been squad for years
What's hernandez starts ratio?
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:55 (twelve years ago) link
ie if they're 'first choice' then you're p much agreeing with my point-
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:57 (twelve years ago) link
Hernandez had that head injury at the start of the season. Him and Welbeck haven't really been fit at the same time. The fact that Cleverly was first choice is pretty damning but he was still first choice
― Number None, Friday, 9 December 2011 11:58 (twelve years ago) link
Good luck finding him
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 11:58 (twelve years ago) link
Exactly. No Utd fan thinks our midfield options are acceptable. It's been the mangers blind spot for years now, dunno what more there is to say about it really
― Number None, Friday, 9 December 2011 11:59 (twelve years ago) link
That was an xpost. And i sort of agree about Evans. He usually looks decent alongside Vidic but none of the other partnerships really seem to work
― Number None, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:00 (twelve years ago) link
never replaced robson imo
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:11 (twelve years ago) link
Never replaced Arthur Albiston imo
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:12 (twelve years ago) link
ought to ave splurged on dixie dean imo will always get u goals does dixie
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:14 (twelve years ago) link
current side is crying out for a neil webb
― SandboxGarda (HI IT'S RONAN), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:17 (twelve years ago) link
Mantra among disgruntled Utd supporters on phone-ins is (Cockney accent) "We should have bought Sneijder in the summer". They'd have won the league then.
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:17 (twelve years ago) link
cleverley made his debut at the start of the season, ffs, or close to it. Anderson has been squad for years
That's kind of always been the way Ferguson operates really? I can only think of one example of him signing an established midfielder and successfully integrating him into the team and that's Keane. The others have either been kids brought through/signed young and developed. I suppose you could make a case for Carrick but it would be a long and boring and depressing case.
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:19 (twelve years ago) link
sneijder is a hell of a tackler but he's not gunna provide u the creativity utd ave lacked since lee sharpe died
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:19 (twelve years ago) link
Otherwise you're into the realm of yr Verons and Klebersons and what have you. (xpost)
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:20 (twelve years ago) link
i don't know if i can recall a midfielder who took three years in the squad before suddenly being good enough for the xi every week, matt, which seems to be what you're claiming as fergie's norm
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:21 (twelve years ago) link
real talk tho, united should've never of let william prunier go
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:22 (twelve years ago) link
Fletcher?
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:22 (twelve years ago) link
as separate to kids developed, tbh
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:24 (twelve years ago) link
Scholes?
I mean, "three years in the squad before suddenly being good enough for the XI every week" is kinda how young players come through anyway. Bale fr'instance. Possible I'm overrating Cleverly based on a handful of appearances though.
There isn't a team in the country, including City, that wouldn't be improved by putting Sneijder in the first XI.
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:27 (twelve years ago) link
spurs
And, as i said and you yourself made the distinction in yr post an hour back, kids is different
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 12:54 (twelve years ago) link
Kind of makes you wonder where Inter would be without him.
― Ismael Klata, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:55 (twelve years ago) link
Sneijder > VDV.
Dunno though, aren't we talking about a player who joined United aged like 12?
― Matt DC, Friday, 9 December 2011 12:58 (twelve years ago) link
anderson? 20m purchase think he was 19, playing in ligue 1
Cleverly- tbh luke chadwick tbh
Chicarito- sub
Dunno who else we were discussing
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 13:02 (twelve years ago) link
Neil Webb
― Tony Hart land (Deep in the Tony Hart land), Friday, 9 December 2011 13:02 (twelve years ago) link
i'm not saying anderson couldn't be united xi standard, fwiw, i think fletcher and he would probably work well enough if the wings and strikers provided the product
Anderson has really been swapped and changed around various roles, probably a large part of why he's not tied down first-team status
― bloating forecast: ruff swells (p much resigned to deems), Friday, 9 December 2011 13:04 (twelve years ago) link
yes united need a good pair of midfielders, and quickly. but they also need players who can find & don't bottle the final ball. too many games with loads of possession and no penetration.
― thomasintrouble, Friday, 9 December 2011 13:15 (twelve years ago) link
also would be good to have a big proper centre-forward on the bench to get stuck in when the opposition park the bus and Utd run out of creative options.
― thomasintrouble, Friday, 9 December 2011 13:17 (twelve years ago) link