Denis Law.. under celebrated United legend?

Raees

Pythagoras in Boots
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
29,558
Denis Law was my hero as a player. I idolised him. When I first met him I was so excited. He epitomised everything a Scotsman is about. He was daring and courageous, he had that bravado about him and he had style. He was a truly fantastic footballer." - Sir Alex Ferguson
Click to expand...

Now this isn't me asking if he is underrated by United fans who have actually seen him play.. he is obviously held in very high esteem by them, it is more the younger fans of United - myself included. I'm sure many of us have seen sufficient footage of Best play and can appreciate his greatness, likewise Sir Bobby Charlton.. another genuine all time great who there is plenty of good footage on. Duncan Edwards, we barely saw play and yet based on the limited footage we have on him - even then people can appreciate the colossus he could have become.

Denis Law? I didn't really appreciate just how good this guy was.. a ballon d'or player yes, part of the holy trinity yes, and the original 'King'.. but what was his style of play? how would he fare in the modern game? do we boast about this guy enough, idolise him like the scousers idolise Dalglish.. I had always read about United history so was aware of his status but until you haven't seen a player, you can't really appreciate just how good they are.

Anyway I came across this superb video and just wanted to share. This guy is a stunning player, a force of nature.. hands down the best striker we have ever had. To even compare him to Ruud is a massive disservice to his talent - he had great energy, could dribble - fantastic close control/agility/flair/pace both in and out the box, hit through inch perfect balls to split defences, head fantastically (leapt like a salmon), play as a wide man, fantastic hold up play, amazing over-head kicks. Best of all he like Charlton and Best was super ambidextrous, to think at one stage we had three of the worlds best footballers and they were all two-footed! defies belief doesn't it.

He'd be the best striker in Europe even now, he is that good! enjoy..

 
Last edited:
As part of the Holy Trinity, to say he's underrated is ridiculous. Who's the chap in the statue outside OT then? Underrated? Good grief...

article-2417824-1BC322B5000005DC-912_964x667.jpg
 
Stobzilla said:
Underrated like Ludovic Giuly ?
Click to expand...

No lets not be silly, I mean by modern day united fans. The older fans are obviously not going to see him as underrated - they love him and yes I am fully aware there is a statue of him. This was a thread for those who are 30/25 and below and never seen him play properly.. If the older fans are just going to come in and say how he isn't underrated at all - feel free, but I have rarely had discussions with fans my own age about Denis Law? it has always been about Best, Charlton and even myths about Edwards. So in that sense he is under appreciated by the younger fans in my opinion based on the experiences I have had.
 
He is not underrated but rather under celebrated compared to Best and Charlton.
 
Last edited:
Stobzilla said:
He is looking for draft kudos Colin, nothing to see here. Poor form if anything.
Click to expand...

It was while I was researching that I came across the video? and there are no matches for ages so that is a poor accusation to be honest - this thread will be long forgotten by then. I genuinely hadn't seen sustained footage of him play but yep feel free to derail this thread by being childish. Jesus, get a grip.
 
He's a club legend and rightly has a statue, but for me like Schmeichel slightly tainted because he went on and played for City.
 
Raees said:
It was while I was researching that I came across the video? and there are no matches for ages so that is a poor accusation to be honest - this thread will be long forgotten by then. I genuinely hadn't seen sustained footage of him play but yep feel free to derail this thread by being childish. Jesus, get a grip.
Click to expand...

:lol: calm down, I was having a laugh.
 
I dont think he's underated by anyone who either saw him or knew enough about the historyn of the club. He broke 2 transfer records when he was bought and later sold by Torino. That he played in Italy during those days speaks volumes of how good he was.

Perhaps younger fans only see him as that old geezer on TV, when to them the likes of Cantona is recent history. Law was amazing, despite his backheeled goal that relegated United!
 
golden_blunder said:
I dont think he's underated by anyone who either saw him or knew enough about the historyn of the club. He broke 2 transfer records when he was bought and later sold by Torino. That he played in Italy during those days speaks volumes of how good he was.

Perhaps younger fans only see him as that old geezer on TV, when to them the likes of Cantona is recent history. Law was amazing, despite his backheeled goal that relegated United!
Click to expand...

:nono:

We were down anyway.
 
2mufc0 said:
He's a club legend and rightly has a statue, but for me like Schmeichel slightly tainted because he went on and played for City.
Click to expand...

This is bollocks really mate, sorry but it is :)

Law was told by Tommy Doc he was surplus to requirements, and that he would need to find himself a new club, as he wanted to give Uniteds younger players a chance, he simply wasn't in the long terms plans.

Dennis Law was at City before he was ever at United. He moved there from Huddersfield in 1960. He rejoined in the twilight of his career for one season.

He didn't choose to leave English football because he felt he couldn't perform in the number of games, and then turn up a few years later doing summersaults in the Manchester derby against United. Dennis Law acted with class, Peter did not, IMO at the time. The City/United rivalry was very different in the 1960's to its current form let us not forget either.
 
Made me wonder for some reason if any of the players from the Fergie era will ever get statues

It just wouldnt seem right IMO, whereas the trio of Best, Law and Charlton really does seem perfect.

But then again players under Fergie won even more than those 3.
 
Randall Flagg said:
Made me wonder for some reason if any of the players from the Fergie era will ever get statues

It just wouldnt seem right IMO, whereas the trio of Best, Law and Charlton really does seem perfect.

But then again players under Fergie won even more than those 3.
Click to expand...

I'd love one of Cantona in that post Sunderland chip pose
 
One of my absolute favourite United legends, the man oozed class and composure.

A nice bloke too by all accounts, real family man and a gent - stayed by George Best's bedside as he passed away in 2005.

Also one of those to have played for City having left us, here he is scoring against us in '73/'74.

His goal is at 4.38, note the lack of celebration.

 
Sparky Rhiwabon said:
Does the fact that he played for City diminish his status at all? Same with Schmeichel?
Click to expand...

I've never heard any United fan of that era say a word against Denis Law, so I'd say the fact he played for City is as irrelevant to his standing as the fact that Matt Busby played for City (and Liverpool) is to his standing.

Schmeichel's was diminished more than anything by his celebrating like a lunatic at Maine Road when they beat us.
 
My all time favourite footballer. He is the best header of a ball I have ever seen, Ho could jump and hang in the air and so get good headers against taller defenders. But best of all was his acceleration from a standing start. He was quicker than anyone over the first 10 meters. A lot of his goals were scored from inside the box because his reactions were so good (rather like Gerd Muller for Germany in the 70’s. He never won footballer of the year but was Europen Footballer of the year in 1964
 
Crono said:
I've never heard any United fan of that era say a word against Denis Law, so I'd say the fact he played for City is as irrelevant to his standing as the fact that Matt Busby played for City (and Liverpool) is to his standing..
Click to expand...
Maybe its a case of time healing (or times changing) because if, say, Rooney went to City now, I don't think he'd get such a easy ride from us
 
Well if you're going to go by the draft then yea it could be under rated, went for nothing there!
 
My absolute hero as a kid, and still is. Scored in my first ever game at OT, when I was a young kid. Absolute legend to me (and Gareth Owen who wrote a great kids poem about him).
 
Denis talks about the goal here at 8:30. I remember loving this documentary when it was on.
 
His passing is brilliant really, looks like Januzaj's passing style of finding impossible perfectly weighted through balls.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.