I will now contribute to this thread, not having done so before this point.
I am seeing a bit of parallel between this saga and that with Heinze last season - obviously you can't compare the somewhat lacklustre at times contribution made by Heinze last season with the comparison made by Ronaldo this season, however:
- We have a player who has preivously shown their love for the club, and who before the transfer saga most fans were ready and willing to have at the club next season.
- Conflicting media reports, most of which are sourced from people who are not the actual player in question. In Heinze's csae it was his agent and some of his Argentina team mates if I recall correctly, and in this case it seems to have been everyone that has ever had contact with Ronaldo. Ever.
- Fergie's threats to let the player in question rot in the reserves.
- The United Fans' general view turning as the saga dragged out, from in support of the player, to being against him, and wishing him ill.
- Sir Alex's not minding having him at the club next season despite his allegedd misgivings.
I really hope this doesn't go in the sam direction as the Heinze transfer - unlike the majority here I still liked Heinze and thought that we missed his cover this season (see: Manchester Derby at OT) - and while it wouldn't crush us, I don't want to lose Ronaldo.
Given that we face the worst case scenario, I think the effect of his leaving should be pondered. Obviously we have lost gifted players that have played a central role to our success before, and that has not stopped us from going on to win things. When you consider our previous losses in respect of key players (working backwards chronologically):
Roy Keane: Did not really leave a hole on the field needing filling - had been slowing down ever since his lasst bad hip injury (2002/2003). However it hit the moral of the team quite heavily, and there were a run of bad results afterwards (Europe in point). His departure was given greater impact because it was mid season. We recovered, won the Premiership the next season -and brought in Michael Carrick too. Verdict: We got over it.
Jaap Stam: Shaky at the back for a year, prompted the buying of Laurent Blanc, who is either loved or hated by United fans. Also led indirectly to the capture of Rio Ferdinand, as 2001/2 showed that thereRi was a defensive gap that needed filling there, and we all know how o's turned out now. Verdict: Caused a year of instability in the defence - perfect example of how the loss of a player can shock the rest of the team.
Eric Cantona: In my opinion the loss of Ronaldo will be similar to the loss of Cantona, is indeed Ronaldo goes. This is because Cantona was the most skilled player in the team, and the driving force behind our success not only in 1996/7, but also for years before that. Verdict: We got over it a season later in the most spectacular way possible, but similar to Stam the season immediately after there was instability and uncertainty.
Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis, and Mark Hughes: You don't win anything with kids. Enough said.
Overall, I think the effect of Ronaldo leaving will not be as unsettling as the loss of Cantona or Stam. Why? Because one man doesn't win you a double. Obviously in a literal sense he might score in the penultimate games of both competitions thus securing the trophies, but as we all know the entire swaud contributed the our success, from the regulars in the limelight, like Rio, through to those who only appeared fleetingly, like Saha and Fletcher.
Also if he goes there will be some kind of hefty fee involved, and perchance even a player exchange - so it would not be as if we would be asked to take on next season's challenges with the exact same squad as last sans Ronaldo.
