Erm.. The Number 7 shirt..

Fingeredmouse said:
Since when? I don't recall it even being a thing until about fifteen years ago.
Robson, Cantona, Ronaldo. That's it. Best mostly wore 11. It's bollocks.
Click to expand...
You forgot Beckham.

We had a golden run of players in that shirt which is why it really became such a big deal. The latter two became the most famous footballers on the planet while wearing it.

It's been cursed since Ronaldo left though.
 
hobbers said:
The decisions behind signing the players given it/giving the number to players who didn't need or want it (Valencia) have been consistently awful.

Owen was a cheap (read: free) trick to try to gloss over not replacing Ronaldo. Valencia should never have been given it obviously. Di Maria was a badly thought out Woodward galactico signing, as was Sanchez.
Click to expand...

How?
 
TBH, it's not suprising that all the players that have gotten the shirt since Ronaldo flopped. Owen and Sanchez were finished and Memphis just isn't that good. Di Maria was ok but he just couldn't settle.

We haven't gotten a talent like Sancho since Ronaldo left. Martial perhaps, but he never got the 7 shirt.
 
What is this nonsense being spouted that the No 7 shirt was "never really a thing"? It absolutely was and still is, there are plenty of people who have said as such over the last 20+ years, including SAF! I understand that some fans may not put a lot of stock in it, and that is absolutely fair enough, but to say that nobody else does is either a flat out lie or an incredibly oblivious comment.

It will almost definitely go to Sancho provided the deal get's over the line. As others have pointed out Adidas (who also would never for a heartbeat pretend there is not huge sentimental value attached to the number) won't miss a marketing opportunity like this.

Having said that, I personally wish it would go to Greenwood. It'd be nice if Sancho donned the 11 in my opinion, but I think everyone knows it's probably destined to be the reverse.
 
Conclusion: Players whose name starts with A or M should not be given #7
 
izec said:
We should only give it to a highly talented British player, French or Portuguese one.
Click to expand...

Or a Northern Irishman.

Anyway, Bruno 8, Sancho 7 and Mason 11 sounds about right to me.
 
The Original said:
15 years is enough time to make an institution out of a practice.
Click to expand...
In those 15 years it's been primarily worn by a collection of run of the mill players.
The no 7 shirt was not a thing in the 90s.
It seems to have become one due to the Cantona to Beckham (who only wore 7 because he played on the right of midfield and that was the standard practice) to Ronaldo chain.
When I say 15 years ago, I mean that's the first time anyone started mentioning it and, subsequently, no player who wore it after Ronaldo left was in anyway special.
It's not an institution. It's a meaningless rewriting of the past to create a significance about a coincidence that meant nothing at all at the time that the actually great players who wore the number were actually wearing it.
No-one discussed the significance of the number 7 shirt as Beckham or Cantona wore it.
 
EnelDoobacabra said:
What is this nonsense being spouted that the No 7 shirt was "never really a thing"? It absolutely was and still is, there are plenty of people who have said as such over the last 20+ years, including SAF! I understand that some fans may not put a lot of stock in it, and that is absolutely fair enough, but to say that nobody else does is either a flat out lie or an incredibly oblivious comment.

It will almost definitely go to Sancho provided the deal get's over the line. As others have pointed out Adidas (who also would never for a heartbeat pretend there is not huge sentimental value attached to the number) won't miss a marketing opportunity like this.

Having said that, I personally wish it would go to Greenwood. It'd be nice if Sancho donned the 11 in my opinion, but I think everyone knows it's probably destined to be the reverse.
Click to expand...
I guess I'm flat out lying then. When was it a "absolutely a thing"? Until Ronaldo wore it, there was no significance. It's a recent invention and not some lengthy tradition handed down through the years.
 
hobbers said:
Didn't do any character evaluation. Didn't really think about where he'd be playing on the pitch for us. Didn't really gel with LVG's vision of what a winger should be.
Click to expand...

You guys go to extraordinary lengths to bag on people once you have decided you don't like them.

Di Maria and his family simply never settled. How is that an attitude issue? It was not as though he was missing trainings or refusing to play.

He wasn't bought to play on the flank either, he was bought as the versatile attacker that he was, who could play in multiple positions s as he did at Real before Utd and at PSG afterwards.
 
Fingeredmouse said:
In those 15 years it's been primarily worn by a collection of run of the mill players.
The no 7 shirt was not a thing in the 90s.
It seems to have become one due to the Cantona to Beckham (who only wore 7 because he played on the right of midfield and that was the standard practice) to Ronaldo chain.
When I say 15 years ago, I mean that's the first time anyone started mentioning it and, subsequently, no player who wore it after Ronaldo left was in anyway special.
It's not an institution. It's a meaningless rewriting of the past to create a significance about a coincidence that meant nothing at all at the time that the actually great players who wore the number were actually wearing it.
No-one discussed the significance of the number 7 shirt as Beckham or Cantona wore it.
Click to expand...
I say 15 years because you said 15 years. In reality it doesn't even matter how long. What matters is that at this point in history, the Club and the fans, and the players accept that the 7 is a special jersey here. It has now become and institution.

And I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
 
It's a shirt with a number on, nothing more.
 
The Original said:
You guys go to extraordinary lengths to bag on people once you have decided you don't like them.

Di Maria and his family simply never settled. How is that an attitude issue? It was not as though he was missing trainings or refusing to play.

He wasn't bought to play on the flank either, he was bought as the versatile attacker that he was, who could play in multiple positions s as he did at Real before Utd and at PSG afterwards.
Click to expand...
Agree but at the end of the day, Di Maria's motivation to leave Real was same as Neymar to leave Barcelona.
He felt he was not given due consideration by the club, both wanted better contracts (more money), to be the star of the team. I think both were hoping that other clubs would be interested, did not have much choice because they really wanted to leave ... and regretted it immediately.
 
Lynty said:
Stop crushing my childhood.

I fought tooth and claw for the number 7 shirt at my under 11s team.
Click to expand...

So did i, and always got it :lol:
But there's no voodoo on the United one, the only pressure is from fans, really.
 
Sancho 7 signed on 7th of August, 70 mil upfront, it seems important for a lot of people...wow!:rolleyes:
 
Fingeredmouse said:
In those 15 years it's been primarily worn by a collection of run of the mill players.
The no 7 shirt was not a thing in the 90s.
It seems to have become one due to the Cantona to Beckham (who only wore 7 because he played on the right of midfield and that was the standard practice) to Ronaldo chain.
When I say 15 years ago, I mean that's the first time anyone started mentioning it and, subsequently, no player who wore it after Ronaldo left was in anyway special.
It's not an institution. It's a meaningless rewriting of the past to create a significance about a coincidence that meant nothing at all at the time that the actually great players who wore the number were actually wearing it.
No-one discussed the significance of the number 7 shirt as Beckham or Cantona wore it.
Click to expand...

Obviously, because it was only down the line we realised we'd had some incredible talents in that shirt number.
It's about time we had another quality player in it.
 
MetoTTT said:
This shirt number means so much for the club and the fans. The next player to wear it has to deserve/earn it on the pitch before wear it and stop just give it to random players we bought, please (Memphis, Alexis, Sancho(?), Valencia, Di Maria etc).
The negative thing is that puts a lot of pressure on them when they aren't ready to wear it imo.
Click to expand...

Sir Alex randomly gave it to buck tooth and spaghetti hair Cristiano Ronaldo back in the day...
 
It’s not a poisoned chalice, we just keep giving it to crap players. Also we’ve been rubbish for the past 7 seasons so it’s no wonder nobody has starred in it. It’s not that the number is cursed, it’s that we were poor as a team. We’re now at a point where a player can shine in it.
 
Let Greenwood and Sancho both fight it out for 7 & 11. Preference would be Sancho 7 and Greenwood 11, but let them sort it between them.
 
So a lot of people saying its boIIox and just a number..... Its really more than that. Its synonymous with our special player.
Beckham wore number 10 for a season and as soon as Cantona retired, it was widely reported that he begged SAF to have 7.

When we signed Ronaldo, he wanted number 28, and there are quotes out there from SAF on why he insited Ronaldo wore number 7.
Yes we have had some duds wearing it. Owen should never have been allowed to wear it. Valencia took on the mantle after he enjoyed an amazng season in 11/12.
Di Maria, Memphis, Sanchez...... All had the ability when signed, to live up to the expectations the shirt number brings with it, it just didnt work out.

Best, Robbo, Cantona, Becks, Ronaldo..... 5 players who for many would be in our top 10 greatest United players of all time lists all wore the shirt and this is exactly why the expectation is there. This is why fans link the United number 7 shirt with very very special players.

For some, 7 is just a number. For us it should (and does for many) set the standard, it should be a symbol of greatness. It holds its own romance within our club.
 
I think Mason as #20 would be good. Since he is RVP's regen afterall, and also the Ole connection :drool:
 
In answer to the OP, nah not really. We've put nobody of real note in it since Ronaldo left.

Sancho is the rightful heir.
 
Can't be blamed for giving it to di Maria but other recent choices were poor. Can't say I care much about shirt numbers but can appreciate some people recognising that we've had some greats wear it. Think the next great in it should just be a natural emergence instead of putting any expectation on the shirt itself
 
Sandikan said:
Who said anything about character?

The poster said it was a badly thought out signing.
And it clearly was.
Click to expand...

Sorry, the person I quoted argued along those lines subsequently

Sandikan said:
How?
Because everyone knew he didn't want to come here, and then we messed about with his position when we did have him.
Click to expand...

In response to this I would say him not wanting to come initially is not necessarily an issue one should overly be concerned with. It is not as though he was dragged here against his will. And as to messing about with his position, that is squarely on the coach.
 
There's definitely something iconic about the no.7 shirt and this goes back a number of years.

If I remember correctly, in addition to those Utd legends that have worn it, I believe both Keegan and Dalglish also wore it when playing for Liverpool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.