Official Man United Supporters' Thread

[smokey]

Deja Vu. Smokey, something tells we've been down this road. I disagree with you but we'll leave it at that.

True that! Let's go to and bash Hicks in the Liverpool thread. Now he's a git!

 

[hj2k_x]

Ah, the off-season banter. Epic as usual

Footy365 saying that Ronaldo will earn 183k pounds a week on his contract rising to 556k pounds a WEEK in the final year of his contract. Krikey moses.

Don't blame us for selling - blame Real for throwing around mad amounts of cash like that!

 

[hj2k_x]

With Ronaldo Gone, It`s Rooney`s Time


It's not often that you think of Wayne Rooney as a beautiful butterfly. But perhaps the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo will finally release the granny-grabbing genius from his cocoon...

When Wayne was snapped up by Manchester United in September 2004, it was widely said - at least by English observers - that they had acquired the best young footballer in the world. He'd been England's youngest-ever cap, he'd been brilliant at Everton: imagine what he could do in a team like United, with players like Horseface and Scholes and Giggs, with a manager like Ferguson. It has not yet, if United fans and Wayne's cheerleaders in the press are totally honest with themselves, come to pass.

For it was another young player, signed the year previously, who became United's key figure over the next half-decade, and Ronaldo's star has totally eclipsed Rooney's in recent times. But with the impending, colossal transfer of the petulant Portuguese, Man United will have to prove once and for all that they have not been a one-man team for the last few seasons.

And key in their attempts to do that will be Wayne. There is a vacancy for a star player at Manchester United; maybe Sir Alex will attempt to fill it with a Ribery or an Eto'o - although the latter looks past his best to my mind. But really, there are only three players of Ronaldo's quality around, and they all now play for Barcelona or Real Madrid. A like-for-like Ronaldo replacement does not exist.

Instead, Sir Alex must get more from the personnel he has, especially Rooney. Under Fabio Capello, Rooney's England form has been transformed, with a magnificent 10 goals in 12 games - aided and abetted by a large man up front, in Emile Heskey or his deputy, Peter Crouch.

The purchase, not of an attacking-midfield genius in the Ronaldo/Messi mould, but rather a genuine centre forward, might have a beneficial effect on the club form of Rooney. It is now widely believed that United will take up their option on Carlos Tevez, but I'm not so sure that the rich man's Craig Bellamy is really what they need.

With Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes all but done and Dimitar Berbatov still only sporadically threatening, United now possess only one man capable of destroying a decent opponent. In Rooney, they have a player with the physical presence, stamina, heart and touch of genius to become a great.

With the hard-to-like Ronaldo gone, Rooney can become what he was supposed to be all along: the star player around whom the team is built and the figure to lead the club. Sir Alex needs to make Rooney believe that, and he needs to change his formation or personnel to facilitate it.

He can't find another Ronaldo, but he can help to unleash Rooney.

Alan Tyers

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_5375906,00.html

Seems about right.

We will miss him, but all players can be replaced.

 

[smokey]

We will miss him, but all players can be replaced.

Are you sure... those do look awfully like tears in your eyes...

 

[zippy]

United need a solid midfielder. Hargreaves is crocked. Fletcher is good, but gets loads of bookings. Carrick struggles atm. He is good if has an aggressive midfield player with him.

Giggs and Scholes can only fill in the gaps right now. They cant be the core of the side anymore. sadly.

If Tevez stays, he really has to make a difference. He will have the chance in more games now.

 

[dbecks]

TBH I think Rooney can have more of an impact (yes not as Technically gifted as Ronny) but has so much more going for him, who knows maybe the absence of Ronny will unleash the "already" beast

 

[poolmania]

True that! Let's go to and bash Hicks in the Liverpool thread. Now he's a git!

At least we can agree on something.

 

[dbecks]

Hey who knows Rooney may not be the only one to benefit from the Ronny exit

As United are linked with a host of new signings to replace the outgoing Cristiano Ronaldo, Reds winger Nani is confident of rediscovering his best form and showing his true value.

The former Sporting Lisbon winger is certain Ronaldo will be a success at the Santiago Bernabeu, and he is similarly confident of stepping up to the plate in his countryman's absence.

"He has been doing an excellent job so I think he deserves it," Nani told Portuguese news agency IOL. "It is a fantastic amount, excellent and fair value for what he has done. Real Madrid are a great club and will be good for him.

"I think I can have more opportunities now. Cristiano was very important to Manchester but now I can show my value and they will gamble more on me."

Nani struggled to replicate the impressive form of his maiden campaign last term, but has still made 72 appearances and scored 10 goals since arriving from Portugal in the summer of 2007.

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6634371

 

[smokey]

Gambling is right. If I was drunk enough, I'd lose ten grand on that waste of space. Hope he proves me right

 

[dbecks]

Fergie to have 100mil pound Kitty for transfer window

Sir Alex Ferguson has been handed a £100million transfer fund by Manchester United after he personally gave the order for Cristiano Ronaldo to be sold to Real Madrid. Ferguson has been given a personal assurance by the club’s owners, the Glazer family, that the entire proceeds of the deal will be made available along with his annual £20m transfer budget.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1192464/EXCLUSIVE--100m-burn--Sir-Alex-Ferguson-delight-world-record-Cristiano-Ronaldo-sale-Real-Madrid-Manchester-United-chase-Bayern-Munichs-Franck-Ribery-Lyons-Karim-Benzema.html

 

[poolmania]

Fergie to have 100mil pound Kitty for transfer window

I wouldn't trust the Daily Mail if I was you.

 

[guru_pitka]

@guru-pitka - Dude... don't even try tell me that no-one knew about Masch. Bollocks. He just wasn't as highly rated at the time due to the existence of Makalele, Gattuso etc. He does what any other foreign manager does and uses his home countries better players "that no one knows about(in England)" and brings them to the club. Alonso and unknown? Please...The 21 million pounds he paid for Torres was in a lull in the transfer market where really big deals where not done. Do you really think he could have done that same transfer now? NO!

Sorry smokey i disagree with you ,if everyone knew about Masch why didnt they take a chance on him if his talents was so ovbvious ,even Liverpool fans were saying why is benitez signing a reject who couldnt even make west hams 1st team ,NO one came in for him

and the Torres signing being done when no big deals were done ..huh

you do realize that Manure signed Nani 14m,Anderson 17m ,Hargreaves 18m and paid 10m for Teves loan deal thats erm...+- 60m pounds in 1 summer what lull

 

[smokey]

Sorry smokey i disagree with you ,if everyone knew about Masch why didnt they take a chance on him if his talents was so ovbvious ,even Liverpool fans were saying why is benitez signing a reject who couldnt even make west hams 1st team ,NO one came in for him

and the Torres signing being done when no big deals were done ..huh

you do realize that Manure signed Nani 14m,Anderson 17m ,Hargreaves 18m and paid 10m for Teves loan deal thats erm...+- 60m pounds in 1 summer what lull

Heres some schooling for you friend... from Wikipedia.

--

During the summer of 2006 Mascherano was linked with top clubs around Europe, he stated he would relish playing in Spain for Real Madrid or Barcelona but eventually he signed for West Ham United in the English Premier League. Mascherano holds an Italian passport due to his ancestry.[13] The move to West Ham was seen as surprising, with many of Europe's top clubs having been linked with Mascherano all summer. There were many rumours about the nature of the transfer, primarily regarding Media Sports Investment's interest in buying-out West Ham.

--

Before Mascherano joined, West Ham had won one game, drawn one and lost one. However upon his arrival the team went into free-fall, losing eight games and drawing one game in all competitions before their next win on 29 October. During this time, Mascherano rarely featured in the team, despite their struggles, prompting rumours about financial clauses related to the amount of time he was actually played. In October, the Argentina national coach, Alfio Basile, declared that he hoped Mascherano would leave West Ham "as soon as possible," and "I hope for God's sake that Mascherano can go to Juventus."[16]

 

[smokey]

I'm sorry mate, but that is how I remember his transfer. I wasn't on this forum back then, not even in SA, but I was not cut off from the rest of the world.

 

[dbecks]

I wouldn't trust the Daily Mail if I was you.

Cool, thanks for the Heads up. Will follow to see if this ends up at a reliable source

 

[guru_pitka]

Heres some schooling for you friend... from Wikipedia.

--

During the summer of 2006 Mascherano was linked with top clubs around Europe, he stated he would relish playing in Spain for Real Madrid or Barcelona but eventually he signed for West Ham United in the English Premier League. Mascherano holds an Italian passport due to his ancestry.[13] The move to West Ham was seen as surprising, with many of Europe's top clubs having been linked with Mascherano all summer. There were many rumours about the nature of the transfer, primarily regarding Media Sports Investment's interest in buying-out West Ham.

--

Before Mascherano joined, West Ham had won one game, drawn one and lost one. However upon his arrival the team went into free-fall, losing eight games and drawing one game in all competitions before their next win on 29 October. During this time, Mascherano rarely featured in the team, despite their struggles, prompting rumours about financial clauses related to the amount of time he was actually played. In October, the Argentina national coach, Alfio Basile, declared that he hoped Mascherano would leave West Ham "as soon as possible," and "I hope for God's sake that Mascherano can go to Juventus."[16]

Sorry smokey but no where does it say that Clubs were knocking off west hams door to sign the Monster ,you just quoting what every spanish speaking footballers says when they are playing in south america

So i guess this Schools teachers suck

 

[hj2k_x]

Hey who knows Rooney may not be the only one to benefit from the Ronny exit

Haha, I was discussing this just last night.

He certainly has it all to prove

 

[dbecks]

Haha, I was discussing this just last night.

He certainly has it all to prove

Fingers X'ed
Lets hope he gets more gametime (lots more than last season and more consistently)

 

[Stickfigure]

And he plays up front and not on the left wing

 

[Stickfigure]

Ten Potential Targets For Man United

Sergio Kun Aguero - Atletico Madrid
He makes our man in Spain go weak at the knees, is unreasonably skilful and has a child with genius in his blood. As you probably know, the Argentine is Diego Maradona's son-in-law, but more importantly banged in 22 goals for Atletico Madrid last season. Would provide both goals and invention, although nothing close to the physical presence of Ronaldo. He has had problems playing with Carlos Tevez for the national side, so if he is retained then the chances of Aguero joining too would be slim.
Potential Value: £40million.


Karim Benzema - Lyon
Raw potential at the moment, but what potential. Benzema would bring the pace and power that Ronaldo had, and at the same time provide the attacking focal point that United have lacked of late, and were arguably able to get away without because of Ronaldo. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas knows how to drive a hard bargain, but even he would not be able to resist the sort of sums that United now have at their disposal.
Potential Value: £30million.


Samuel Eto'o - Barcelona
United need a proven goalscorer to step in for Ronaldo, and goalscorers don't come much more proven than Eto'o. Since joining Barcelona in 2004, Eto'o has thwacked in 130 goals in 200 games, a record that few can rival throughout the world. The big downside is his ego. There can be no other reason for Barca apparently being fairly willing to sell for a relatively cheap price than an attitude problem, so would Fergie want to replace one massive I Am with another?
Potential Value: £15-20million.


Alexandre Pato - AC Milan
Bit of a long shot this, given that Adriano Galliani said on Thursday he was not for sale. However, Milan said similar things about ***a in the past, and look what happened there. Pato is one of the most promising prospects in world football, and is at an age when Ferguson can shape him into his own kind of player. The other snag is that he might not be willing to leave the comfort of Milan for anyone but mentor Carlo Ancelotti. Like we said, it's a long shot, but Pato is one of the few big names left that might be prised from their clubs this summer.
Potential Value: £35-45million.


Franck Ribery - Bayern Munich
The most obvious direct replacement for Ronaldo, Ribery is also likely to be the most expensive. Word in the papers on Thursday was that Chelsea had been quoted a whopping £65million for the Frenchman by Bayern Munich, and it's hardly surprising. The purchases of ***a and Ronaldo have skewed the market to such an extent that anyone with a young talent like Ribery can now add a digit or two to their price. Able to play on both right and left, like Ronaldo, Ribery also scores plenty too, like Ronaldo.
Potential Value: Anything up to £65million.


Arjen Robben - Real Madrid
Injury-prone he may be, but Ferguson probably regards Robben as one of a number of players who escaped his clutches when he joined Chelsea in 2004. The bonus where Robben is concerned is that he'll be cheap, with prices as low as £7million being mentioned. If he can stay fit then he's still a massively destructive winger, and although that is a big if, to say that Robben is less than 1/10th of the player Ronaldo is would be ridiculous.
Potential Value: £7-10million.


David Silva - Valencia
Like Ribery, can play on either flank, provides plenty of skill and invention and is a natural left foot in the attacking third, something that United haven't had since Ryan Giggs became a midfielder. The problem is, not for the first time, Real Madrid, who are apparently on the verge of snapping him up from Valencia.
Potential Value: £20-25million.


Carlos Tevez - MSI
Would losing two fan favourites be too much for one summer? Ronaldo's departure could be the key factor in persuading David Gill to acquiesce to Kia Joorabchian's demands.
Potential Value: £25million.


Luis Antonio Valencia - Wigan
Strange one this. While a decent player, the prices being touted for Valencia seem rather high. He seems certain to leave Wigan, but one suspects he alone will be woefully inadequate as a replacement for Ronaldo. With another of the names on this list, he could perhaps develop into an excellent player, but we have our doubts.
Potential Value: £12-18million.


Ashley Young - Aston Villa
Ferguson has an obvious knack for bringing through young domestic talent, but very few have actually come from the famed academy of late. Ferguson has instead bought nearly finished youngsters and honed their skills, and although Young is not exactly new and unpolished, he might represent the sort of player who could thrive under Ferguson. Fast and tricky, he doesn't score an awful lot of goals, but then again neither did Ronaldo in his early days. Could prove pricey as Villa obviously do not need to sell.
Potential Value: £20-25million.

Hmmm...

Although not on the list, I would seriously love Huntelaar and Sneijder