I'm not sure how anyone who was in the throes of United fandom at that time could ever feel anything but affection for every one of that team. Everything that came after was swell but that first title? Gods, the lot of 'em.
A discussion about Paul Ince
- Thread starter Fortitude
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The younger ones see him as the face of City in the beginnings of the oil boom, me, I remember 2 goals in Rotterdam and dozens of sumptuous volleys
You can throw in Scholes, Beckham, even the not so flashy Butt & Fletcher had managed to fill in the void when needed, hence Ince was never remembered. Not many people remember MaClair, Stapleton, Hughes neither.
Correction to myself. When we had Scholes 2.0, with Giggs + Scholes starting against City in that vintage shirt, or when Park + Rafael started as CMF, then I wonder why can't we find ANYONE capable...
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Nor Peter Davenport and Garry Birtles!
Im surprised the comments are so positive here, for someone who was always seen as a bit of a mediocre player even back in the 90s
Paul Ince was "fine" for Man Utd (and Liverpool) but that's about all you can say. Man Utd were not a good team in the early 90s and the English league as a whole was third rate. The EPL was light years behind the Italian league, and also quite a bit behind the Spanish and German. Being a good player in the English league in the 90s is kind of like being a good player in the French league today. Its just not a very good league.
Objectively Paul Ince is similar to the level of Gareth Barry or David Platt or Ray Parlour or Jordan Henderson. They are all "good" Premier League players and solid internationals but noone would really put them in the same tier as a Michael Carrick or Makelele, let alone a genuinely elite player like Scholes/Viera/Toure/Kante. At best all you can say about Paul Ince is that he "was okay". His medals cabinet reflects his career .
As a manager he is literal meme tier, like close to an Ole Gunnar Solsjaer who is more commonly referred to as the butt of a joke than a serious person. His attempts at race hustling work against him -- he genuinely believes in his head that being black is used against him, and is constantly in the media begging for jobs and using his race as a qualification, while also being one of the least successful black managers of all time and almost a walking advert against hiring them. An actual joke.
Paul Ince was "fine" for Man Utd (and Liverpool) but that's about all you can say. Man Utd were not a good team in the early 90s and the English league as a whole was third rate. The EPL was light years behind the Italian league, and also quite a bit behind the Spanish and German. Being a good player in the English league in the 90s is kind of like being a good player in the French league today. Its just not a very good league.
Objectively Paul Ince is similar to the level of Gareth Barry or David Platt or Ray Parlour or Jordan Henderson. They are all "good" Premier League players and solid internationals but noone would really put them in the same tier as a Michael Carrick or Makelele, let alone a genuinely elite player like Scholes/Viera/Toure/Kante. At best all you can say about Paul Ince is that he "was okay". His medals cabinet reflects his career .
As a manager he is literal meme tier, like close to an Ole Gunnar Solsjaer who is more commonly referred to as the butt of a joke than a serious person. His attempts at race hustling work against him -- he genuinely believes in his head that being black is used against him, and is constantly in the media begging for jobs and using his race as a qualification, while also being one of the least successful black managers of all time and almost a walking advert against hiring them. An actual joke.
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Oh boy, I hope you are good at keeping your head down, because this is about as an ill-informed post as you can get
Really disagree with this assessment of Ince as a player. He was in no way regarded as mediocre in the 90s. He looked very comfortable playing in Serie A at its mid-90s peak because he was an excellent player. He was the midfield driving force behind our consecutive title-winning seasons in 92/93 and 93/94. Personally I hold him in higher regard than Carrick.
He said...
The day that happens is the day I cancel my membership here.
Yes he was very good, I would say better than Carrick overall.
I wouldn't hold that against him, as everyone from keane (99) when he threatened to leave like rio did after we back his ass when he forgot about a drug test, and even rooney, the first two wanted more money, the latter wanted better players according to him.
Jesus H Christ, do people forget this is a guy who posed in our shirt while still at West Ham ? And people thought he had loyalty in his DNA.
have i missed the white text?
the likes of Hughes, Ince, Kanchelskis, werent elite players? nevermind Robbo.
oh feck, ive just read the last para with the race-baiting bs. im sorry but this is the most moronic take ive ever heard on anything the caf. and that takes some doing.
Insulting another member
Let guess either (A) mammy dropped you on the head one time too many as a baby or (B) Daddy like to shake the feck out of you as a kid, as you don't seem to have much going on upstairs.
I am assuming this is joke right?
Tough as nails was Ince with the skill to back it up. Gave us that steel we needed after Robbo's career drew to a close about that time. And he ran in to back up Eric at Palace that night, offering to take on the Palace fans.
I think you over-cooked it with Ray Parlour, was quite convincing until then
Used to do the giggs and Ince celebration in the back garden with my brother when I was a kid. Loved him and was gutted when him, hughes and kanchelskis left. Was obviously right for the club though looking back.
Does anyone know what's happened to his eyes? Has he developed some kind of condition?
I loved him as a player for us, but he does come off as being quite unlikeable doesn’t he. Always seems to have a chip on his shoulder about something.
My enduring image of Ince as a United player was him losing the ball just outside the opposition's box and then sprinting back the full length of the pitch to win it back on the edge of our own box. I can't remember who it was against but I remember being absolutely thrilled by his tenacity and will to win. He was a very good midfielder.
I wonder if @gredanica is gonna put his/her head above the parapet and defend the post
what a player. The Liverpool incident didn't earn him any favours and he was another who feel foul of Fergie post United, with the big time charlie label. Was good to see Fergie publicly regret that in later years when he faced Ince as manager.
Sacked. Now the wanker can get back into the studio and claim how he would be the perfect Man Utd manager.
Looks totally bolloxed in that picture. They have done him a favour.
He always comes across as an arrogant prick of a manager.
I think he has a condition. What that is, I don't know.
I refuse to believe that he said this.
Incey looks like he's been hitting the bottle hard.
He did play in Serie A and had a good spell there and was also arguably the best player at Euro 96. I think the fact the richest league in the world at the time and one of its biggest clubs spent big on Ince says enough. One of the most under rated English players of all time in my opinion...he was a better player than Carrick let alone the other English players you mention, utter nonsense
I can't imagine anyone could argue this?
Not with Shearer in peak form and Gazza having wonderful moments too.
This is a pretty mediocre post
You don't get a move to a United who have just become the best in the league, in the days of 15 or so in a squad by being mediocre.
Or being a regular for England before the days any English player with more than a season in the premier league is an automatic call up.
Or a huge move to Italy.
Keano put Ince into his team above Scholes for goodness sake.
Missed this first time round
I don't think you'll be being asked back mate. Footy discussions aren't for you.
"Not a good team in the early 90s?" 1990/91- EUFA Cup Winners, EUFA Super Cup Winners, Football League Cup Winners, Runners up in First Division.
"Not a good team in the early 90s?" Were you living in a cave? 1990/91 - EUFA Super Cup Winners, European Cup Winners Cup Winners, First Division Runners up, Football League Cup Runners up. 1991/92 - First Division Champions, Football League Cup Winners. 1992/93 - Premier League Champions. 1993/94 - Premier League Champions, FA Cup Winners, Football League Cup Runners up. Add to these a couple of Charity Shield wins and I think you'll agree that in the early 90s we were a very good team.....and things only got better!
At his peak Ince was a marvellous player, the epitomy of an end to end midfielder. As far as I recall Ince never gave up on a lost cause and fought for every ball. Not only that he could play and score goals. OK he went to Liverpool, so what? We saw the best of him and he deserves to listed amongst our top players. What he did after leaving United is of no consequence.
Biggest myth in football. Gazza had a great Euro 96.
Easily my favourite team of Fergies that period. Could play or mix it up.
Always felt Ince has tended to be fragile and insecure rather than arrogant.