Pogba suspended for alleged anti-doping offence | Banned for 4 years

Status
Not open for further replies.
I was going to say someone will still try to defend him, but not only are people already doing this, but someone has already started another thread specifically to do so.

Could have been an all time great if he had more than about 2 functioning brain cells - which when you look back at it now must still be sitting in Carrington somewhere.
 
Explains all his pratting about with Lingard with silly dances rather than concentrating on football.
 
duffer said:
Bans for this kind of cheating are so ridiculously out of sync with other bad behaviours. 4 years?

Toney got 8 months and he bet on his own team to lose. That should've been a life ban.
Click to expand...
It would warrant a life ban had Toney participated in those games. However, on each of those occasions, he bet against his parent club (Newcastle) whilst he was out on loan elsewhere. It's not as disgraceful as the sensationalist headline would suggest.
 
I trully don't give much thought to doping, because sadly it's kind of bizarre to think that in almost every other sport it's massivly present but apparently in football not as much.
I wish it wasn't present, but we all know that even sometimes not wanting or not knowing, players are doped. I guess that mostly recovery type of drugs for: social ilegal use of drugs or alcohol and for a faster recovery of injuries (fitness), more than probably a lot more than enhacing ones for particular perfomance.
I think Pogba had a lot of talent, achieved a lot (no matter till what age he won titles) but indeed he could have sustain himself more time in his best level during his carreer, in any case it's mad to think that he didn't had a great carreer nonetheless.
 
To think we offered him a contract just over 2 years ago..

Shame how it’s all turned out… but also pretty funny.
 
As his former barber I saw the roid rage firsthand...

In all seriousness though, very sad end to a somewhat wasted career. Yes he underperformed for us as a whole, but he did give us (me at least) a few incredible tastes of what could have been over his time here. He was hardly one of our worst signings. I was over the moon when we signed him, and actually pretty bummed when he left again. Overall, I just always was rooting for the lad. He seemed to be genuinely liked by his teammates, had loads of talent, and basically if he just had a bit more self awareness and maturity he would probably have been an all timer. There were (admittedly too few) times you could see he went into "all-out" mode and he was an absolute joy to watch.

I don't think I've ever been more torn over a player that I simply liked more than I should have based on his actual production...but he was a classic example. I have no ill will towards the man, and just hope he was good with saving his money because I see a tough road ahead for him after football...
 
On a side note...his injury history is a classic example of testosterone use. It's unfair to assume this, but reading the tea leaves a ton of these athletes get on testosterone to actually heal injuries quicker. It's a common misconception that steroids are only used to bulk up for athletes. They then get into a cycle of basically getting injured more because of the byproduct of the unnaturally fast "healing" process and secondary effects of the steroids...which then leads to taking more testosterone to try and heal those injuries faster. It's almost like a cocaine addition. Pogba's late career is a textbook example of this...
 
pogbasformerbarber said:
As his former barber I saw the roid rage firsthand...

In all seriousness though, very sad end to a somewhat wasted career. Yes he underperformed for us as a whole, but he did give us (me at least) a few incredible tastes of what could have been over his time here. He was hardly one of our worst signings. I was over the moon when we signed him, and actually pretty bummed when he left again. Overall, I just always was rooting for the lad. He seemed to be genuinely liked by his teammates, had loads of talent, and basically if he just had a bit more self awareness and maturity he would probably have been an all timer. There were (admittedly too few) times you could see he went into "all-out" mode and he was an absolute joy to watch.

I don't think I've ever been more torn over a player that I simply liked more than I should have based on his actual production...but he was a classic example. I have no ill will towards the man, and just hope he was good with saving his money because I see a tough road ahead for him after football...
Click to expand...

I think I remember you mate, do you still have that pic of you and Paul together up in your shop?
 
That's his career done surely ? He's 30. If I were him I would retire.

What a shambolic end to a player's career. He'll be remembered for this only now.
 
Desert Eagle said:
What a damn shame. Somehow i don't think he'd knowingly cheat. His talent was more technical than physical. Let's see when all the facts come out.
Click to expand...
What made him special was his rare combination of physical strength and stamina with brilliant technique. He had the potential to become a much better version of Vieira, maybe even reach Rijkaard's level.
 
A generational talent, and he ended up barely playing anymore after the age of... what, 27 or 28? Two or three years of non-stop injuries and then a four-year ban that will surely spell the end of his career. What a waste; and while I can't sit here and say that I think his injury troubles were all fake or self-inflicted or whatever, there always was a feeling that he wasn't doing everything he could to be available. Going against the club's medical advice, fecking off to Miami and Dubai to lounge around, an uncanny tendency to get these injuries at times when the weather in England happens to be bad, and evidently doping up. I have a strong hunch that if he had been more professional and grounded, things would have gone much better for him.
 
Dansk said:
A generational talent, and he ended up barely playing anymore after the age of... what, 27 or 28? Two or three years of non-stop injuries and then a four-year ban that will surely spell the end of his career. What a waste; and while I can't sit here and say that I think his injury troubles were all fake or self-inflicted or whatever, there always was a feeling that he wasn't doing everything he could to be available. Going against the club's medical advice, fecking off to Miami and Dubai to lounge around, an uncanny tendency to get these injuries at times when the weather in England happens to be bad, and evidently doping up. I have a strong hunch that if he had been more professional and grounded, things would have gone much better for him.
Click to expand...


I think thats the thing people need to reference when its said he has wasted his career. Yes he has some great titles and achievements (more than most footballers) but he should have been a generational talent. He had all the natural ability and skills for this but ultimately poor decisions, bad timing (as with anything in life), injuries and (in my opinion) his football intelligence and maturity never matching or maturing at the same rate as his talent means to me it is a wasted career, maybe all this might have clicked in the last few years if he had been fit but then again maybe it just was never going to. He had everything in his locker to have been one of the all time mids, its sad really but hard to feel too sad for him as he did play a part in it himself.
 
matherto said:
Potential to do what though?

He won the ultimate trophy in football and won it by being an integral part. He got to the final of the Euros too.

He’s won multiple league titles, domestic cups and the Europa League whilst making a CL final where he couldn’t really have done much more against a great Barcelona team.

Played all over the world for two big teams and for his country in major tournaments, given brilliant performances and moments of quality as befitting his talent

I don’t know what more people expect really.

I don’t like the guy but he pretty much completed football. Can retire with a load of money and probably do some punditry or something else as he’s a ‘character’ off the pitch.
Click to expand...
Completed football? What?
matherto said:
I did, to highlight he’s won pretty much everything there is to win in football.

How he did it is meaningless if he did it.
Click to expand...
Considering he spent most of his career in England, not winning the domestic title, main domestic cup, or the champions league means this isn’t true.
 
Generational talent is a pretty vague word but I think people focus too much on technical and physical aspects. The very best talemts combine outstanding technique with outstanding awareness, reactions, inventiveness, decision making etc. Pogba wasn't bad at that but far from elite.

Anyway, it is sad to see his career fade like this. He was a player that could get you off your seat
 
His appeal will make it 6months, don't think its over for him. that's how it works
 
el3mel said:
That's his career done surely ? He's 30. If I were him I would retire.

What a shambolic end to a player's career. He'll be remembered for this only now.
Click to expand...
He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who looked after his money and can easily retire at age 30.
 
Reynoldo said:
I think thats the thing people need to reference when its said he has wasted his career. Yes he has some great titles and achievements (more than most footballers) but he should have been a generational talent. He had all the natural ability and skills for this but ultimately poor decisions, bad timing (as with anything in life), injuries and (in my opinion) his football intelligence and maturity never matching or maturing at the same rate as his talent means to me it is a wasted career, maybe all this might have clicked in the last few years if he had been fit but then again maybe it just was never going to. He had everything in his locker to have been one of the all time mids, its sad really but hard to feel too sad for him as he did play a part in it himself.
Click to expand...
I think this is the fairest assessment.

I always thought he would have been a better player if he bothered to take the deeper role more seriously, and learnt how to dictate play for them. He had the long range passing and physical attributes, and he would find more space there, instead of struggling when pressed/tight areas. I think he just wanted to be where the goals were.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Yeah, if you’re being charitable you can write off his United career as being dragged down at a dysfunctional club but to have had the luxury of walking away on a free contract, at such a relatively young age, should have set him up for an amazing next few years. And look what happened. You won’t often see a player with his reputation achieve so little in his late twenties.
Click to expand...
:lol: Like it missed anyone’s attention that his body started breaking down two years at least before he left. Their were people like myself who appreciated Pogba as a player who didn’t want us to give him another contract, we’re happy for him to leave because he looked like he couldn’t run and get around the pitch anymore, he never seemed to fully get over the affects of Covid either together with injuries.

Id be surprised if a single United fan thought, based on his last two seasons ‘I bet he has an amazing next few years’. Least of all you. As was ever the case with this player you’ve attempted to rewrite history based on your weird hatred, borderline obsession that makes you demonstrably an utter hypocrite regarding him.

I imagine if I look in the thread announcing him leaving I won’t find your posts stating how big of a success you expect him to be? Weird.
 
Ali Dia said:
Ousted out of the poorest United in generations by Fred and McTominay. Yeah lads. What a player.
Click to expand...
:lol: I looked at stats and worked everything out a while back. He started something like 92% of games he was available for over his entire time here. Including his falling out with Jose and returns from injuries, there were very few games he wasn’t picked for.

He left at the end of his contract and we rightly didn’t offer him a new one based on his injuries and how his body was struggling to recover over his last 18 months at the club.

Another one trying to rewrite history
 
I'm finding hard to believe that we've come out well in a transfer/contract situation.
 
4 years is crazy. Was he deliberately doping?

Anyways. Wasted potential. Our incompetency had something to do with that but he also had a big part to do with it too. It always felt like football was the side gig for him and not the main thing.
 
This is ridiculous! No player has ever got 4 years ban, are they taking the piss? Mutu, Edgar Davis, Ferdinand etc never got 4 years. This is absolutely nonsense. I sense Juventus having a hand in it to get out of the contract.
 
4 years does seem ridiculously harsh.

DJ_21 said:
Explains all his pratting about with Lingard with silly dances rather than concentrating on football.
Click to expand...

No it doesn't. I still don't get why dancing is apparently some kind of cardinal sin for a footballer by some reactionary fans. Hasn't practically every Brazilian and African player ever done it on the pitch? Or do people think he's spending 6 hours a day on the choreography?

m1tch said:
I'm finding hard to believe that we've come out well in a transfer/contract situation.
Click to expand...

At least the clowns in charge back then apparently had some kind of standard they wouldn't go below.
 
Tyrion said:
No it doesn't. I still don't get why dancing is apparently some kind of cardinal sin for a footballer by some reactionary fans. Hasn't practically every Brazilian and African player ever done it on the pitch? Or do people think he's spending 6 hours a day on the choreography?
Click to expand...
Ye it’s traditional for Brazilians and Africans. My point is Pogba cared about literally anything other than what his actual job was. To play football. Guys a fraud. We’ve been done over twice with him. Not worth a mention. Let him go to sign him for a record to then let him go again for free.
 
Jeppers7 said:
:lol: I looked at stats and worked everything out a while back. He started something like 92% of games he was available for over his entire time here. Including his falling out with Jose and returns from injuries, there were very few games he wasn’t picked for.

He left at the end of his contract and we rightly didn’t offer him a new one based on his injuries and how his body was struggling to recover over his last 18 months at the club.

Another one trying to rewrite history
Click to expand...

Imagine if Bruno or some other player had been courting all of the same noise and acting like a total and utter fanny, twice at our club for good measure and then left the club after being offered a raise and then failed a doping test and was banned for 4 years? You’d actually probably implode in the orgasim - heart attack you’d have :lol: :lol:

We’d never ever ever ever hear the end of it anyway that’s for sure. You have made a total ass out of yourself over Pogba and you just can’t accept being called out on it.
 
Not exactly a great advertisement for doping as it doesn't seem to have done much for him.

Or the other hand... how bad would he have been without the drugs?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.