Manchester United's Midfield

[Philby]

What was once United's great strength has, due in no small part to their manager's failure to succesfuly replace departing greats Keane & Beckham, become their main weakness.

Taking a look at their squad as it stands I'm struggling to find any semblance of quality at all and would be delighted to see any of these jokers in the united first team next year.

I'm aware that midfield purchases will be made (with Carrick, Diarra, Gattusso & Senna strongly linked) but in all honesty they'll need to buy at least 3 midfielders to be able to field a half-decent quartet in the middle of the park

On the way out - C. Ronaldo
Injured - Smith
Not quite up to it anymore - Giggs, Scholes
Will never be up to it - Fletcher, O'Shea
Jury is out - Richardson, Park

Any views from the united fans on here?

What purchases will it take to sort out United midfield?

[Sound]

Oh good. We haven't had a Utd shit-fight in ages.

[STEVIEG]

No point in debating it till the transfers are done
Wait till next month

ps
Scholes and Giggs still have loads to offer

[Rebel Yell]

I'd love to get Gattuso and Pirlo.

[STEVIEG]

[QUOTE=Philby] these jokers in the united first team next year.

Giggs, Scholes
QUOTE]


Tut tut

[Philby]

Both are legends of the English game but both are considerably past their best & barring a lazarus-like return to form I don't believe that either of them is good enough to hold down a regular place in a side hoping to usurp Chelsea.

Just my opinion and, as I said, they are both true united legends..in fact Scholes, along with Irwin, is one of the few united players that I genuinely like.

[Philby]

Oh good. We haven't had a Utd shit-fight in ages.

True enough, the world cup seems to have taken our collective eyes off the ball ;-)

Valid subject for discussion though I feel. United's midfield needs major surgery over the summer if they are hoping to challenge next year.

[FL4ZGN]

Both are legends of the English game but both are considerably past their best & barring a lazarus-like return to form I don't believe that either of them is good enough to hold down a regular place in a side hoping to usurp Chelsea.

Just my opinion and, as I said, they are both true united legends..in fact Scholes, along with Irwin, is one of the few united players that I genuinely like.


Gattuso & Carrick

[Philby]

While I don't think Carrick will ever be (even approaching) world-class he is well able to pass the ball & link play and Gattuso's performances over the last 5 years in europe speak for themselves. Those two would be a significant improvement on united's centre-midfield. Massive improvement in fact.

Would you make purchases for any of the wide positions? (bearing in mind Ronaldo doesn't seem to fancy it in manchester anymore)

[Sound]

True enough, the world cup seems to have taken our collective eyes off the ball ;-)

Valid subject for discussion though I feel. United's midfield needs major surgery over the summer if they are hoping to challenge next year.

Indeed but you could do just as valid a thread on Liverpool's attack.

[Otto_the_bus_driver]

As i said in the united transfer signings thread, i am not convinced that foreinger signings ultimatley hold the key to uniteds midfield quandry. Gattusso is a tough nut alright and should'nt have any issues with the "phsyical " premiership.
I would be more inclined to buy players that have established themselves already, Nolan, Carrick, If ronaldo goes i think Jermaine Pennant would be a great addition to the squad, if fergie can keep him in line.

[ho chi feen]

What was once United's great strength has, due in no small part to their manager's failure to succesfuly replace departing greats Keane & Beckham, become their main weakness.

Taking a look at their squad as it stands I'm struggling to find any semblance of quality at all and would be delighted to see any of these jokers in the united first team next year.

I'm aware that midfield purchases will be made (with Carrick, Diarra, Gattusso & Senna strongly linked) but in all honesty they'll need to buy at least 3 midfielders to be able to field a half-decent quartet in the middle of the park

On the way out - C. Ronaldo
Injured - Smith
Not quite up to it anymore - Giggs, Scholes
Will never be up to it - Fletcher, O'Shea
Jury is out - Richardson, Park

Any views from the united fans on here?

What purchases will it take to sort out United midfield?


Manchester United's Midfield - now there's an oxymoron for ya.

[KolaKubes]

Medium/Long term, Darron Gibson and David Jones are being lined up as the central midfield pairing. Most of us on here can get excited about Gibson fulfilling his immense talent as he's declared for the Republic. The lad's big, strong, athletic, can tackle and I've seen him hitting raking 50 yard crossfield passes to feet and cracking in volleys from distance. He looks head and shoulders above everyone at his level at 18, we just need to see how he takes the big step up to first team football.

Dare I say it, Gerrard-esque.

Jones is very highly rated too but I just haven't seen enough of him myself to get too excited about that lad.

[Rebelred]

What was once United's great strength has, due in no small part to their manager's failure to succesfuly replace departing greats Keane & Beckham, become their main weakness.

Taking a look at their squad as it stands I'm struggling to find any semblance of quality at all and would be delighted to see any of these jokers in the united first team next year.

I'm aware that midfield purchases will be made (with Carrick, Diarra, Gattusso & Senna strongly linked) but in all honesty they'll need to buy at least 3 midfielders to be able to field a half-decent quartet in the middle of the park

On the way out - C. Ronaldo
Injured - Smith
Not quite up to it anymore - Giggs, Scholes
Will never be up to it - Fletcher, O'Shea
Jury is out - Richardson, Park

Any views from the united fans on here?

What purchases will it take to sort out United midfield?

at least 4 midfield signings of top class players, but of course top class players are in short supply, and fergie has only picked up 2 of them since 2000,Ruud and Rooney. So what awaits us this season, well, if we fail to make the required signings then we can expect O'Shea,Scholes and Giggs to continue ploddering away with no real purpose or drive to their game, whilst a random 4th and possibly a 5th player will run around trying to make something happen but to no effect.Fergie should give park a decent chance this season, he's had a year and the more he played last season, the more effective he looked.

What we need: a playmaker in the mould of Pirlo,
a box to box midfield engine in the mould of Keane 93-02,
and a couple of decent wingmen, my picks would be Malouda and Ribery, however this is all fantasy as we also need a new striker and given the level of debts united now own, getting the required replacements is now a financial impossibility.
From the reserves, Rossi and David Jones need to see alot more first team action too

[Sound]

at least 4 midfield signings of top class players, but of course top class players are in short supply, and fergie has only picked up 2 of them since 2000,Ruud and Rooney. So what awaits us this season, well, if we fail to make the required signings then we can expect O'Shea,Scholes and Giggs to continue ploddering away with no real purpose or drive to their game, whilst a random 4th and possibly a 5th player will run around trying to make something happen but to no effect.Fergie should give park a decent chance this season, he's had a year and the more he played last season, the more effective he looked.

What we need: a playmaker in the mould of Pirlo,
a box to box midfield engine in the mould of Keane 93-02,
and a couple of decent wingmen, my picks would be Malouda and Ribery, however this is all fantasy as we also need a new striker and given the level of debts united now own, getting the required replacements is now a financial impossibility.
From the reserves, Rossi and David Jones need to see alot more first team action too

No Heinze? Harsh.

[Philby]

Indeed but you could do just as valid a thread on Liverpool's attack.

True enough, as it stands Liverpool's strikeforce of Crouch, Bellamy, Fowler & Pongolle isn't good enough on paper to help Liverpool mount a serious challenge to Chelsea this coming season.

I'm sure Rafa realises this and will attempt to beef up his attack (esp. with Cisse likely to be shunted out on loan in the next 24 hours) or alternatively structure the team so that we aren't shown up for having a sub-standard attack (e.g. Giving the likes of Gerrard, Gonzalez etc. freedom to join the attack at will). It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with to be honest.

It's another thread though but ya, it's an equally valid point.

[diamond_dog]

Ask todays bread today,,,,,,he thinks Park is going to be one the best players in the premiership. He even put him into his Team of the World cup. He is also uses insults like 'bazz shaver'.....what ever the fuck that is.

http://www.peoplesrepublico fcork.com/~peoplesr/forums/showthread.php?t=769 73&page=3

[xvis]

Any views from the united fans on here?

What purchases will it take to sort out United midfield?

the situation is becoming shambolic.

while indeed a lot of recent tranfers take place at the end of summer, whilst the team are back in pre-season, there is a lack of leadership from the Glazier Kids/Gill/Ferguson axis.

I'm not really sure they know who they want or who they are capable of getting. I'm sure they'll pick up a few no-name French league Djemba's and perhaps Carrick or Hargreaves, but, players no longer want to play for Ferguson and he can't control his players in the squad. He also fell out with Rooney pre World Cup. It's become incoherent and there's too much spoofing going on. ...and I haven't even mentioned Carlos yet.


Get Martin O Neill in and back to the hilt.

[Otto_the_bus_driver]

I would have thought Martin O Neil would have been the likely sucessor. Now i hear sunderland have had talks with him, wtf like?

When is Sir Alex actually planning to step down?

[Sound]

I reckon Hargreaves is a banker.

[FL4ZGN]

I reckon Hargreaves is a banker.


No he's a football player isint he?

[xvis]

I reckon Hargreaves is a banker.

certainly if Ruud heads thats way.

[Philby]

the situation is becoming shambolic.

players no longer want to play for Ferguson and he can't control his players in the squad. He also fell out with Rooney pre World Cup. It's become incoherent and there's too much spoofing going on

I totally agree and echo the comments I made on here back in May.

Another key point to note is that every man & his dog knows that United's midfield is gash. Any midfielder that they set their sights on will be massively over-priced as their club will know they have the upper hand in negotiations (see: Carrick, Michael).

IMHO it'll take £30m+ (presuming they don't find an unknown diamond or two in the rough) to mould a quality midfield at old trafford this summer.

IMHO Ferguson has proven himself to be a great manager with exceptional motivational skills & ability to foster amazing team spirit but his style is becoming more and more outdated in the modern game.

He is quite an abrasive character who is obsessed with checking up on his players, treating them like kids (which is why he got the best out of the beckham/scholes crop - they were at the club from a very early age & Fergie was a father figure of sorts). You simply cannot do that in the modern game when they earn so much money & aren't anywhere near as dependant on have a good relationship with the manager in order to make a living.

You have to earn their respect, not their fear. Wenger & Benitez are great examples of intelligent men who are tactically adept, focused and driven to succeed but go about the job in a completely different way to Ferguson's hair-dryer approach.

They enthuse players, they motivate them, they let them know exactly what they want from them and how they fit into the bigger picture.

Their players go out onto the pitch utterly convinced that if they follow their instructions everything will go to plan. Far too often players at United have been rubbed up the wrong way by their manager & simply don't feel that unity..instead of respect for their manager they feel a mixture of fear & contempt.

Ferguson should never have gone back on his decision to retire. His pride wouldn't let him go through with it and he will pay the price because his legacy will be partly soured by the (relative) underachievement in his final few years.

http://www.peoplesrepublico fcork.com/~peoplesr/forums/showthread.php?t=719 26&page=2&highlight=wenger

[Rebelred]

No Heinze? Harsh.
Perhaps, but we've only really got one season out of him so far, so I think it will be interesting to see how he gets on this season after a tough world cup.I think he may show some sign of tiredness towards the end of the season. A great player no doubt, commited, tough and strong, but I wouldn't put him in the world class bracket just yet.

[Otto_the_bus_driver]

If recent reports are to be belived then Smith could return to first team football at the end of sept, a few months earlier than predicted. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

[shammy feen]

No he's a football player isint he?

Thats so silly its funny...lol!

[xvis]

IMHO Ferguson has proven himself to be a great manager with exceptional motivational skills & ability to foster amazing team spirit but his style is becoming more and more outdated in the modern game.

He is quite an abrasive character who is obsessed with checking up on his players, treating them like kids (which is why he got the best out of the beckham/scholes crop - they were at the club from a very early age & Fergie was a father figure of sorts). You simply cannot do that in the modern game when they earn so much money & aren't anywhere near as dependant on have a good relationship with the manager in order to make a living.

You have to earn their respect, not their fear. Wenger & Benitez are great examples of intelligent men who are tactically adept, focused and driven to succeed but go about the job in a completely different way to Ferguson's hair-dryer approach.

They enthuse players, they motivate them, they let them know exactly what they want from them and how they fit into the bigger picture.

Their players go out onto the pitch utterly convinced that if they follow their instructions everything will go to plan. Far too often players at United have been rubbed up the wrong way by their manager & simply don't feel that unity..instead of respect for their manager they feel a mixture of fear & contempt.

Ferguson should never have gone back on his decision to retire. His pride wouldn't let him go through with it and he will pay the price because his legacy will be partly soured by the (relative) underachievement in his final few years.

I don't think it's Ferguson's style that's the problem, ..it's the age and the lessening of the 'drive'. ..You need to have a certain dementia to play eleven seasons and pick up eight championships. His players have always trusted him, and that's was still evident in the spring, United still turned out with unity and a calmness on the pitch despite any media turmoil or bullshit was going on in the press. Ferguson still keeps it a simple game, ..it's just the drive and ruthlessness isn't as it was.

Mourinho is the same way, he's abrasive and a bit of a bully, his spying on Mutu was similar to that of early Ferguson Giggs monitoring, and his rough handling and humiliation of Joe Cole at the start has turned him into a credible player rather than another MLT.

Wenger for all his qualities is a bit of a pussy, ...he spent the majority of the early years playing second fiddle to Ferguson ..then he has one year of 'the invincibles' ..and now here he is looking up, this time to Mourinho, and constantly having to put up with players whining about moving elsewhere (Viera every year, Reyes, Henry, Cole).

..and as for Rafa, I'll reserve judgement until he can mount a campaign for the title.

[ho chi feen]

What we need: a playmaker in the mould of Pirlo

Pirlo's a fantastic player, probably the best playmaker at this World Cup in terms of consistency at least, but I don't think he'd be best suited to the Premiership.

[Rebelred]

Pirlo's a fantastic player, probably the best playmaker at this World Cup in terms of consistency at least, but I don't think he'd be best suited to the Premiership.
hence I said in the mould of Pirlo, i agree with ya, don't think the trips to Bolton and Wigan would suit him, but who know's, we could be wrong

[ho chi feen]

hence I said in the mould of Pirlo, i agree with ya, don't think the trips to Bolton and Wigan would suit him, but who know's, we could be wrong


I always think that kind of talk is silly, that with all the talent in Serie A concentrated in the big 3 ever since Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina & Parma went into financial meltdown, it's become a lot more like like Serie B in terms of the rest- big mullackers kicking you off the park. Also (this may come as news to many Sky Sports panelists) it can actually be bloody cold in Italy in the winter.

Nope, my point was that like most continental leagues, but especially in this one's case, Serie A is played at a slower pace with a more rigidily defined tactical system, rather than open, loose and gung-ho like the Premiership. If the rest of the players are running around like headless chickens (or even moving intelligently and with pace like Arsenal) it would tend to negate some of Pirlo's better qualities. I wouldn't be at all worried about him standing up to the physical side of things on a winday day.

[STEVIEG]

and again

[Lamps]

and again

you're hanging bucksfizz out to dry here

[STEVIEG]

you're hanging bucksfizz out to dry here

at the time they had signed noone