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2021-22 Performances


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5.8 Season Average Rating
Appearances
38
Goals
24
Assists
3
Yellow cards
9
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He clearly means current Ronaldo not peak Ronaldo.

Benzema is better than current Ronaldo. Doesn't mean he comes close to prime CR7

You can tell the younger posters on here, or the older ones maybe who even after years still exclusively base their current opinions of certain players on their best years. I get tired of seeing this 'GOAT' nonsense pop up whenever Ronaldo's contributions are challenged for instance haha. No thought in it
 
You can tell the younger posters on here, or the older ones maybe who even after years still exclusively base their current opinions of certain players on their best years. I get tired of seeing this 'GOAT' nonsense pop up whenever Ronaldo's contributions are challenged for instance haha. No thought in it
Yeah let’s wipe off anyone’s past achievements because some troll on the internet doesn’t like it.
 
Yeah let’s wipe off anyone’s past achievements because some troll on the internet doesn’t like it.

Nobody is denying that Ronaldo was a great player.

But his best years are behind him and signing him was a mistake. You can't lead the line at an elite Premier League club at his age.

He's struggled for physical consistency, and it's only his will to win that had kept him going.

Lovely, lovely romanticism bringing him back, but the cold light of day says it ruined the team balance and has caused years of harm even when he inevitably leaves in May for MLS.
 
He would’ve added much more to our play both on and off the ball so would need to have been quite poor in front of goal to be any worse overall. Never mind the fact that he would be doing it next year and the next for us as well.

You're the one creating the strawman.

How do you not see the signing of the Ronaldo has feck all to do with the non signing of anyone else


How is it pointless. The club should have been adding more, including midfield. Vlahovic is just an example and a very obvious one at that being Juve replaced Ronaldo with him.

And my feet are and were firmly on the ground. It was the club and fans living in fantasy land re-signing a 37 year old and painting him as some sort of savior.



We spent £20m and massive wages on Ronaldo. In the real world. So suffice to say your position is pretty ludicrous. And the Mbappe comment is just straw man stupidity.

Whether it was Vlahovic or Rice or whoever we would’ve been better served than blowing it on a 37 year old retread.
We didn't blow anything on Ronaldo ffs.

We signed him for 15mil euro. You're failing to understand we were never going to sign someone at 70 80 90 million. It's not ronaldos fault we didn't sign rice of haland or anyone else.

You're the one with the strawman. The signing of Ronaldo has feck all to do with the non signing of anyone else.
 
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Wouldn't suprise me if he went to MLS for 3/4 seasons to try reach 1,000 goals. He won't reach it, but the ego and drive from him will make him believe he can.
 
No you're attaching a wider blame to Ronaldo. Stuff like no trophies, no top four, linking that to his signing.

If we didn't sign Ronaldo we were going in to this season with the exact same squad but without him.

Would that be better?
Yes! ....and that is heavily linked to his signing .

His net contribution to the club has been a gigantic negative. It's been nothing but a total disaster for the club. All stats suggests that our results would have been better, our now out of form players or entirely out of the club players would have had more minutes and been happier, there would be a very attractive hole in our squad to fill in the summer and so on if we didn't sign Ronnie. The whole project were fecked the minute we put a 36 year old on top of our paylist and tossed our original longterm plan to build a competitive squad out the window. If he stays another year, we won't even be able to sign a top striker this summer. It's not Ronaldo's fault, it's the board and people who made the decision to sign him and play him as much as he has.

The signing was mindblowingly shortsighted and totally lacked consideration of negative short- and longterm ringeffects on and off the pitch. There are obviously more reasons than one to most problems, but signing him is the in my opinion the main reason we are now a totally unappealing project for any top talent, why we are out of all titleraces and will struggle to get top 4.

I loved watching him terrorize Spurs in the weekend, I think Ronaldo has done the best he can and I have no bad feelings towards him, but he should never have been signed. His "package" is not good enough and too heavy for any club with ambitions, it will drag them down instead of lifting them up.
 
Yeah let’s wipe off anyone’s past achievements because some troll on the internet doesn’t like it.

Who said anything about wiping off his past achievements? You just just proved my point. It's all good my man.
 
Yes! ....and that is heavily linked to his signing .

His net contribution to the club has been a gigantic negative. It's been nothing but a total disaster for the club. All stats suggests that our results would have been better, our now out of form players or entirely out of the club players would have had more minutes and been happier, there would be a very attractive hole in our squad to fill in the summer and so on if we didn't sign Ronnie. The whole project were fecked the minute we put a 36 year old on top of our paylist and tossed our original longterm plan to build a competitive squad out the window. If he stays another year, we won't even be able to sign a top striker this summer. It's not Ronaldo's fault, it's the board and people who made the decision to sign him and play him as much as he has.

The signing was mindblowingly shortsighted and totally lacked consideration of negative short- and longterm ringeffects on and off the pitch. There are obviously more reasons than one to most problems, but signing him is the in my opinion the main reason we are now a totally unappealing project for any top talent, why we are out of all titleraces and will struggle to get top 4.

I loved watching him terrorize Spurs in the weekend, I think Ronaldo has done the best he can and I have no bad feelings towards him, but he should never have been signed. His "package" is not good enough and too heavy for any club with ambitions, it will drag them down instead of lifting them up.

It's just nuts how impactful you think signing one player can be.

Stats can't tell you a team would perform better without a player. That's just not possible.

If you think this squad would go up a level just by dropping Ronaldo ok. I think that's completely wrong but ok.

However there isn't a stat that can prove the absence of a player would be a benefit.
 
It's just nuts how impactful you think signing one player can be.

Stats can't tell you a team would perform better without a player. That's just not possible.

If you think this squad would go up a level just by dropping Ronaldo ok. I think that's completely wrong but ok.

However there isn't a stat that can prove the absence of a player would be a benefit.
This isn't just any one player though.
Nothing is certain, the stats just indicates the differences in performances and results with and without him. Chancecreation, possession, chances conceded, where we regain possession, goals scored, goals conceded, points won, etc. etc.
Dropping a player won't necessarily make the team perform better or worse over night, but over time.
You don't have to have a PhD in football to figure out that playing with player that contributes more defensively probably would benefit our game of play against good opponents though.
Does it look to you like he's rubbed off a lot of his "elite mentality" on the squad on and off the pitch?...or do we look ribbed of self confidence, him included?
 
This isn't just any one player though.
Nothing is certain, the stats just indicates the differences in performances and results with and without him. Chancecreation, possession, chances conceded, where we regain possession, goals scored, goals conceded, points won, etc. etc.
Dropping a player won't necessarily make the team perform better or worse over night, but over time.
You don't have to have a PhD in football to figure out that playing with player that contributes more defensively probably would benefit our game of play against good opponents though.
Does it look to you like he's rubbed off a lot of his "elite mentality" on the squad on and off the pitch?...or do we look ribbed of self confidence, him included?
Signing one player, an ego of giant proportions amongst an already dysfunctional dressing room, full of cliques and resentment, is not a good move. He was not signed for football reasons. He was signed by Glazers for commercial reasons. Once you accept that the rest is irrelevant. The £45 million we are paying him would be far better spent on our youth system or a couple of promising young players.
 
This isn't just any one player though.
Nothing is certain, the stats just indicates the differences in performances and results with and without him. Chancecreation, possession, chances conceded, where we regain possession, goals scored, goals conceded, points won, etc. etc.
Dropping a player won't necessarily make the team perform better or worse over night, but over time.
You don't have to have a PhD in football to figure out that playing with player that contributes more defensively probably would benefit our game of play against good opponents though.
Does it look to you like he's rubbed off a lot of his "elite mentality" on the squad on and off the pitch?...or do we look ribbed of self confidence, him included?

No but I never buy into that anyway. Didn't when we signed Zlatan. A player either has the right mentality or he doesn't.

The stats could only tell us we'd improve without Ronaldo if we replayed the season again without him.

Like I said, you've got your opinion but stats are in no way proving it.

But really, this thing of blaming Ronaldo for so much. Just to take one example from what you've said.

Signing Ronaldo meant we chucked out the long term plan? What about signing Cavani before him? Or even Ighalo before that?

I don't agree with repeatedly signing old centre forwards but why amongst all the old centre forwards we keep signing is it Ronaldo that meant we changed the long term plan? Why did Cavani coming not signify the end of this long term planning strategy?
 
No but I never buy into that anyway. Didn't when we signed Zlatan. A player either has the right mentality or he doesn't.

The stats could only tell us we'd improve without Ronaldo if we replayed the season again without him.

Like I said, you've got your opinion but stats are in no way proving it.

But really, this thing of blaming Ronaldo for so much. Just to take one example from what you've said.

Signing Ronaldo meant we chucked out the long term plan? What about signing Cavani before him? Or even Ighalo before that?

I don't agree with repeatedly signing old centre forwards but why amongst all the old centre forwards we keep signing is it Ronaldo that meant we changed the long term plan? Why did Cavani coming not signify the end of this long term planning strategy?
Ronaldo, Cavani and Ighalo are all examples of the complete lack of a plan. We should not have signed any of them if we had a coherent football structure. What we had was Ed Woodward crashing around like a child on football manager game. Canvai for one season worked OK, he should have been allowed to go but at least he addressed a gap in the squad. Ronaldo did not. He is past it, he is not the future. I really dont get the obsession with defending his signing. If you want to focus on the past and the pathetic nostalgia trip this club has become, then fine. If you want us to get back to being competitive, then the sooner Ronaldo goes the better. Pretty sure he will be gone this summer.
 
Ronaldo, Cavani and Ighalo are all examples of the complete lack of a plan. We should not have signed any of them if we had a coherent football structure. What we had was Ed Woodward crashing around like a child on football manager game. Canvai for one season worked OK, he should have been allowed to go but at least he addressed a gap in the squad. Ronaldo did not. He is past it, he is not the future. I really dont get the obsession with defending his signing. If you want to focus on the past and the pathetic nostalgia trip this club has become, then fine. If you want us to get back to being competitive, then the sooner Ronaldo goes the better. Pretty sure he will be gone this summer.

Yeah totally agree. Same goes for Zlatan and Falcao. Not a fan of that approach.

So when a poster is saying it's just Ronaldo's signing that ripped up the long term plan what do you think? Is that accurate?

Ronaldo hasn't filled a gap? It might not have been a gap at the start of the season but the centre forward position is now a full on crater. Again, he's literally the only centre forward we regularly have available.
 
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Yeah totally agree. Same goes for Zlatan and Falcao. Not a fan of that approach.

So when a poster is saying it's just Ronaldo's signing that ripped up the long term plan what do you think? Is that accurate?
Yes to be fair its not on Ronnie, just another example of our lack of a plan. Agreed on that. But also he is by far the most expensive of the OAPs we signed...
 
Signing Ronaldo meant we chucked out the long term plan? What about signing Cavani before him? Or even Ighalo before that?

I don't agree with repeatedly signing old centre forwards but why amongst all the old centre forwards we keep signing is it Ronaldo that meant we changed the long term plan? Why did Cavani coming not signify the end of this long term planning strategy?
Ighalo was a stopgap loan to cover for a back-injured Rashford. Cavani was a stopgap signing for a rotation role in the squad (Cavani has played 300 minutes more in 20 months than Ronaldo has in 6,5). Ronaldo seems not t oaccept a backup/rotation role, he wants to play every minute when fit.
Big difference in how much space these players occupy in the squad.
 
Ighalo was a stopgap loan to cover for a back-injured Rashford. Cavani was a stopgap signing for a rotation role in the squad (Cavani has played 300 minutes more in 20 months than Ronaldo has in 6,5). Ronaldo seems not t oaccept a backup/rotation role, he wants to play every minute when fit.
Big difference in how much space these players occupy in the squad.

Haha. I knew there'd be some mental gymnastics as to why Ighalo and Cavani complemented long term planning but Ronaldo didn't.

Cavani playing significantly less minutes than Ronaldo isn’t by design is it? It's because he's always injured yes?
 
Haha. I knew there'd be some mental gymnastics as to why Ighalo and Cavani complemented long term planning but Ronaldo didn't.

Cavani playing significantly less minutes than Ronaldo isn’t by design is it? It's because he's always injured yes?
It’s by design, yes.
Last season Cavani played 39 games for us:
He came on as a sub 19 times and he was subbed off 8 times in the 20 games he started.

If that is not a rotation role, I don’t know what is.

Ronaldo has played 31 games this season:
He’s come on as a sub 3 times and has been subbed off 6 times in the 28 games he’s started.

See the difference in squad roles?
 
I would lean towards him staying even if we are in the Europa League.

1) I can't see a lot of competition for his signing. We wouldn't sell to an English team. So surely it would be just PSG who'd pay close to Ronaldo's huge (£500k per week?) wages. Maybe a last dance at Real Madrid.

2) United will be reluctant to sell. You're looking at Pogba, Cavani, Lingard, van De Beek and Martial all leaving. Rashford completely out of form, Elanga still a teenager. Our attacking options will look very thin.
 
Wouldn't suprise me if he went to MLS for 3/4 seasons to try reach 1,000 goals. He won't reach it, but the ego and drive from him will make him believe he can.
He will. 100% sure. He'll play until 43 and in primera división de Chile if necessary.
 
I would lean towards him staying even if we are in the Europa League.

1) I can't see a lot of competition for his signing. We wouldn't sell to an English team. So surely it would be just PSG who'd pay close to Ronaldo's huge (£500k per week?) wages. Maybe a last dance at Real Madrid.

2) United will be reluctant to sell. You're looking at Pogba, Cavani, Lingard, van De Beek and Martial all leaving. Rashford completely out of form, Elanga still a teenager. Our attacking options will look very thin.

Ronaldo left Juvenths as late as possible. He left them to die with Morata as their only striker (they brought Kean on the last day of transfer window). If he wants to leave - he'll leave. Shouldn't count on him and start planning ahead with 2 NEW young strikers.
 
Martial on Cristiano:

"Cristiano is a top professional, one of the best in the history of the game. We all love him," Martial told Spanish outlet AS. "There are things that are said in the media that are not true. I was in that dressing room and I know what happened."


Martial just had an interview with AS couple days ago, I read the interview in AS but I got the link in English above for you guys just for the part I'm quoting. Maybe it's time for a lot of people to not believe half the things that get said about him in the media. Which shouldn't really surprise anyone, as any big news outlet will always try to abuse his person to generate clicks at any chance.
 
It is possible though that Ronaldo may know who we are targetting as the next manager, that's not outside the realms of possibility considering he's probably weighing up whether to go after this season
 
I would lean towards him staying even if we are in the Europa League.

1) I can't see a lot of competition for his signing. We wouldn't sell to an English team. So surely it would be just PSG who'd pay close to Ronaldo's huge (£500k per week?) wages. Maybe a last dance at Real Madrid.

Why would Real Madrid want to sign him? They are getting Mbappe, and they'll have a front 3 of Mbappe, Benzema and Vinicius. Not really any room for Ronaldo in that team.
 
I would lean towards him staying even if we are in the Europa League.

1) I can't see a lot of competition for his signing. We wouldn't sell to an English team. So surely it would be just PSG who'd pay close to Ronaldo's huge (£500k per week?) wages. Maybe a last dance at Real Madrid.

2) United will be reluctant to sell. You're looking at Pogba, Cavani, Lingard, van De Beek and Martial all leaving. Rashford completely out of form, Elanga still a teenager. Our attacking options will look very thin.
All jokes aside yeah.
Of the clubs that can afford him, not sure i see any willing to make that jump (he won't go to a new money club without any chance of trophies either). He's just too expensive for what he is at this stage. Only one team is desperate enough to pay him those wages...
 
It’s by design, yes.
Last season Cavani played 39 games for us:
He came on as a sub 19 times and he was subbed off 8 times in the 20 games he started.

If that is not a rotation role, I don’t know what is.

Ronaldo has played 31 games this season:
He’s come on as a sub 3 times and has been subbed off 6 times in the 28 games he’s started.

See the difference in squad roles?

So signing Cavani compliments a long term strategy because he's injured a lot. Doesn't feature as much.

Signing Ronaldo though heralds the end of a long term planning strategy because he's always fit and there's nobody to rotate with in anycase.

Buddy you're just for some reason trying to blame Ronaldo for issues way beyond what any one player can cause.

We haven't been long term planning for a long time. Ronaldo isn't the guy to cause that.
 
So signing Cavani compliments a long term strategy because he's injured a lot. Doesn't feature as much.

Signing Ronaldo though heralds the end of a long term planning strategy because he's always fit and there's nobody to rotate with in anycase.

Buddy you're just for some reason trying to blame Ronaldo for issues way beyond what any one player can cause.

We haven't been long term planning for a long time. Ronaldo isn't the guy to cause that.
Yeah! That's exactly what I said and meant. Really?

The Cavani signing was different because the youngsters would still get plenty of minutes in the #9 position and he would not block an eventual top striker from coming here in a later window. Signing Ronaldo meant our up and coming attackers wouldn't get a sniff of minutes in that position and itr would block an eventual signing of a new young top striker as long as he is here, so yeah, there is a huge defference between the two signings. You can choose to look at it any way you want though, that's entirely up to you.

I haven't blaimed Ronaldo for anything either, I'm blaiming the people who signed him and decided to play him 90 minutes every week.

When we signed Ronaldo we had Greenwood, Cavani, Martial and Rashford to share minutes in the #9 position untill the right longterm striker became available.
Now Rashford has fallen off a cliff, Martial is off on loan to get more minutes and Cavani is unhappy with the situation (Greenwood can only blaim himself), while our sportsproject is coming crashing down in all tournaments.

Ronaldo is still a very good goalscorer and is still among the best in the business when it comes to positional awareness, making offensive runs and understanding what spaces to occupy to be available for service. The rest of his game, his defensive contribution (and as sick as it may sound, his finishing this season) is what makes our team bleed with him unfortunately. The rewards of his upsides does not trump the cost of his downsides and that will cost us till he's gone or fixes the weaknesses in his game. We have seen glimpses in some games, but not nearly enough.That simple really.
 
I think it sholuld be made clear to him he's not a guaranteed starter.
 
I would absolutely love him to stay. Think we'll have a miles better go of it next season with a competent manager.
 
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