Is it predominately about a lack of form and confidence with him or more about a lack of service? Either way can anyone be certain one of those is going to significantly improve from now until the end of the season?
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 29
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
His form and confidence are very likely to improve (hes only played 4 or so games since coming back from injury)
Service is likely to improve (our best creator hasn't been playing in said games (Di Maria))
The Falcao poll would've been interesting if there was a 4th option of renting him again for another year, in the Tevez mold. Save the fee of buying him but get the benefit of having him for a final year before he begins to fade.
Based on what we've seen so far, a buy for Falcao would be ill-advised. But it's only January and he's got roughly 2 months to prove he's worth the buy.
This x100. Bony is absolute class and thoroughly at home in the league. Can lead the line on his own but not seen much of him in a front two though.
I'm guessing many of the elite clubs, and Liverpool, will be after him.
The way I see it is, having him for a year is a pretty decent deal in itself. He either flops out and you don't spend £45m or he bangs in the goals as you'd expect and maybe you have a short-term top class striker to bridge the gap between van Persie aging and completely fading away to the next big thing.
If we had spent £45m+ on him on deadline day it would've been a seriously bad deal, but as it stand we haven't lost out THAT much. His signing wasn't really to the detriment of anyone else. You could argue Wilson loses out, but he's started his fair share of games and has struggled to make a difference so far, regardless of Falcao's presence (bearing in mind he's spent half of his time here injured).
I think if he can score 10 goals in the second half of the season and continue to improve our pressing game from the front, he'll win over the majority. I can't think of too many obvious alternatives either, given that when we bring in strikers, they usually tend to have a pretty decent reputation.
He's had a mixed bag of a start at United. He looked genuinely good and mobile in the opening weeks of the move, but wasn't really getting many chances. Now he looks a bit slow and lethargic, and tends to either get very few chances, or snatch at them. There is definitely an issue of balance in the team at the moment and I think it means at least one of van Persie, Falcao or Mata surely having to be left out at any given time to make the team click a bit more.
If we had spent £45m+ on him on deadline day it would've been a seriously bad deal, but as it stand we haven't lost out THAT much. His signing wasn't really to the detriment of anyone else. You could argue Wilson loses out, but he's started his fair share of games and has struggled to make a difference so far, regardless of Falcao's presence (bearing in mind he's spent half of his time here injured).
I think if he can score 10 goals in the second half of the season and continue to improve our pressing game from the front, he'll win over the majority. I can't think of too many obvious alternatives either, given that when we bring in strikers, they usually tend to have a pretty decent reputation.
He's had a mixed bag of a start at United. He looked genuinely good and mobile in the opening weeks of the move, but wasn't really getting many chances. Now he looks a bit slow and lethargic, and tends to either get very few chances, or snatch at them. There is definitely an issue of balance in the team at the moment and I think it means at least one of van Persie, Falcao or Mata surely having to be left out at any given time to make the team click a bit more.
It's clear we have agreed a fee and wages but I don't think for one second we would have signed him permanently given his injury, I think we just took a gamble and will decide what to do at the end of the season. I genuinely feel he won't ever get back to the level he was at and even if he improves this season I would question the wisdom of signing another slow attacking player. If we do it should only be another year on loan of for a cut price fee.
I also think we should be looking longer term, falcao has 1-3 good years in him, we should be looking for a more up and coming player. I do have sympathy for him though playing alongside RVP, no width, too many long balls etc, even at his peak he would have found it tough.
I also think we should be looking longer term, falcao has 1-3 good years in him, we should be looking for a more up and coming player. I do have sympathy for him though playing alongside RVP, no width, too many long balls etc, even at his peak he would have found it tough.
He really is so painfully slow. I know he was never the fastest, but he looks like he's running in treacle.
He's nowhere near worth £45 million. Not even close. We'd be idiots to pay it.
He's nowhere near worth £45 million. Not even close. We'd be idiots to pay it.
If we buy from a lower club, someone like Berahino or preferably Benteke should be the target. Bony clearly won't fit our needs if we are looking for pace up front.
Just give him until April/May and then you guys can decide (not that it matters) whether you want to send him back to Monaco.
The Mendes thing is what makes me think we may well end up signing Falcao even if he continues to look a spent force. The club isn't going to want to piss off someone so influential to so many top players' careers.
I have to admit I've grown a bit cold towards spending a fortune on keeping Falcao, unless he really comes up with the goods in the second half of the season. I'd still love to see him succeed here though - the handsome bastard is already one of my favorite players!
I dont really rate bony, whenever I watch him he seems very lazy and moves like a tree also he seems a little clumsy on the ball, he loses possession quite a lot. He's more of a battering ram striker. If we want a striker in that mould then I would much prefer benteke he is basically bony but better in everyway
He's got a lot better with his holdup and linkup play this season. The ball doesnt bounce back off him so much and he's capable of playing a good pass to help the attack. It would be better than Falcao's anyway
Fantastic pieces of Falcao skills... http://beautifullyred.co.uk/2015/01...lls-and-more-united-gifs-from-the-yeovil-win/
Needs a run of games to get more comfortable with the team and get the sloppiness out of his game, but now with Di Maria back, I think he will be dropped.
Like some people have mentioned before i do think Falcao is a done deal, when we signed him it was reported as such by some, LVG has defended him a lot and seems to like him, it has been reported it wasn't just a last minute buy the deal was negotiated over a number of weeks. Also looking at the things Falcao says it doesn't sound like somebody who just wants to stay short term, i know people will say all footballers claim to love the club, but looking at the effort he is putting in on the pitch and the passion he shows he does look like a player who's not just here for a season, he's playing like he has a point to prove. I guess we will find out at the end of the season, but it has been reported that the fee has been lowered to 31m, which must be something to do with him willing to lower his wage.
He's a very good striker no doubt and I'm confident he will get back to full fitness. Once we play well as a team, he will score plenty of goals, just look at his runs and positions in the box. I dont see why so many are concerned in case we buy him, even if it's for 40m
I’m concerned because he will be 29 this summer, had a terrible injury last year, and except making good runs he scored 3 goals in 7 starts and 5 from the bench earning 280K/w. I’m concerned yes also because our current style doesn’t suits us, we don’t create much opportunities, we play deep on the pitch with low penetration. So unless we come back to a common 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with him competing with RVP for the top spot, I don’t think that 57M€ is a good opportunity for him, regarding what he’s doing.
I hope I will be wrong, but we need immediate effect for such players, things that he’s not doing yet.
I hope I will be wrong, but we need immediate effect for such players, things that he’s not doing yet.
You could look at that another way though and say he's working so hard because he's desperately trying to show that United should sign him up to a long-term deal. So far Falcao this season has been actually been very similar to Tevéz in his second season (the second year of his two year loan) - working very hard, doing an awful lot of donkey work, scoring a few important goals but consistently failing to prove his worth and not trusted fully by the manager. If we have the option to not sign him up long-term I think (and hope) we take it because not taking on Tevéz was the right decision too.
I don't think we should sign him. Not for £40m, if we get it to half then yeah.
I just feel we need two type of strikers. One someone who is pretty physical and athletic like Costa, Mandzukic, Lewandowski and others that I forgotten to mention. Would take Cavani too ahead of Falcao.
The amount of crosses we put in the box to midgets is stupid. A physical threat upfront would add something in the box and give defenders something to think about.
Or we sign a striker with a lot of pace, who gives us a outlet to run in behind.
So depends on how we going to play. Sadly Falcao is none of the above. He's not a physical threat neither is he quick. I don't think he has it to be a successful poacher in the premier league. You take two of our recent poachers. RVN was a physical presence, when the ball was in the box he won that header. Then you got Hernandez, who was lightning quick.
Then we come to the case of Owen. Who once lost his pace was never the same player and I feel the same is happening with Falcao. There's a clip of Falcao scoring a brilliant goal from his own half against Barca at the camp nou. I feel that Falcao has gone sadly. He wasn't the quickest, but when he got that yard of pace on you then defenders weren't catching him. He's lost that pace.
I just feel we need two type of strikers. One someone who is pretty physical and athletic like Costa, Mandzukic, Lewandowski and others that I forgotten to mention. Would take Cavani too ahead of Falcao.
The amount of crosses we put in the box to midgets is stupid. A physical threat upfront would add something in the box and give defenders something to think about.
Or we sign a striker with a lot of pace, who gives us a outlet to run in behind.
So depends on how we going to play. Sadly Falcao is none of the above. He's not a physical threat neither is he quick. I don't think he has it to be a successful poacher in the premier league. You take two of our recent poachers. RVN was a physical presence, when the ball was in the box he won that header. Then you got Hernandez, who was lightning quick.
Then we come to the case of Owen. Who once lost his pace was never the same player and I feel the same is happening with Falcao. There's a clip of Falcao scoring a brilliant goal from his own half against Barca at the camp nou. I feel that Falcao has gone sadly. He wasn't the quickest, but when he got that yard of pace on you then defenders weren't catching him. He's lost that pace.
Tevez left because we kept playing Berbatov instead despite him under performing for us at the time, i guess Fergie felt obliged to play him because he wasted 30m (lot of money at the time) on him. Tevez was a better player and goal scorer than Berbabtov and proved that at City and Juventus, ofcourse we could have never known he would join city at the time and turn into an utter kn*b. He was a very good player for us in 08 and an important part of the CL/PL winning side then the next season he gets benched, can understand why he left. Falcao will actually get a chance and get a lot of game time so it is a different situation imo.
Do we need a WC striker though. Rooney is a proven striker, RVP is showing signs of decline but can be a great asset if used adequately and Wilson has great talent. We can easily get away with it with a younger striker with good finishing skills
Good point, is Falcao even a world class striker anymore? Should we also be signing another player who will probably need replacing in a couple of years? More I think about it the more I am put off signing him not just because of the fee but because I don’t think we need another slow striker who is (probably) past his best.
Personally I don’t think he will ever be the world class player he once was, how far short he will be I am not sure but I would prefer to sign a younger player who can add something different like Dybala for example or even Bony or Benteke given how we play currently. It’s a gamble but so is signing Falcao and he is running out of time to prove otherwise. This transitional period should be about rebuilding not throwing money at players whose reputations outweigh their current ability.
We all like him, want him to success and pray he hits his goal scoring form but.. worst case scenario, it was a genius gamble to get him on loan and one thus far has not worked out.
Replace genius with expensive
Signing Falcao is hardly genius to be fair.
Risky and expensive, yes. But genius no
Risky and expensive, yes. But genius no
Taking into account he was probably going to City before we stepped in and we all thought at the time we were getting the best no.9 in the world (pre injury) it was a brilliant move because if it had worked out we'd be laughing at the deal now.
A ton of negativity surrounding Falcao. I don't fully understand it, because if we're creating chances, which he is missing, fair enough.
But I'm willing to give him a while longer before I decide to write him off.
But I'm willing to give him a while longer before I decide to write him off.
And it hasnt. It cost £6 million for a season and making our backup striker want to leave
The only way "genius" should even be a thought is if he came in and scored 30 goals, which he clearly hasnt and wasnt likely to
Also, if he had gone to City then thats Jovetic and Dzeko off just like it was Welbeck and Hernandez off for us. That would have been a result
Welbeck had already left before we got Falcao, so I don't see how you can say he caused Welbeck to leave us. Van Gaal told him he was not in his plans, and well, Welbeck has not been all that at Arsenal despite his performances in the champions league. Falcao is on the verge of hitting form at the moment imo.
Our strikers are very skillful when the ball is played to their feet. Through passes, one-twos and dummies around the box is what they excel in, however, we rely on crosses too much. Falcao at one time was considered one of the top 3 strikers in the world (2012). I think instead of trying to get rid of them we should modify our midfield so as to get the most out of Falcao and RVP.
Falcao has good aerial ability, much better than RVP's so I see no reason why crossing it to him is detrimental.
Much better? We're talking about the same Robin van Persie here, right?
Because Jovetic and Dzeko want to play just like Welbeck and Hernandez. If Falcao comes into your club on a £6 million loan deal with a huge fee agreed to buy him, they will want to be elsewhere just the same
Yes he is excellent in the air but that does not mean that nearly every attacking ball should come via a cross especially against teams with big defenders like stoke. No team in the world has better central strikers than us. PSG have Zlatan and Cavani but both RVP and Falcao are better than Cavani. Our play should be centered around providing service to our great strikers.
If he misses bucket loads of chances I would agree but I don't feel we have really given any of our strikers proper support yet. Apart from maybe the Tottenham game where he looked leggy he has looked sharp and has taken most of his shots nicely.
I personally think it's worth seeing how he goes into the end of the season before deciding, I have a feeling the longer he stays the better the will get.
I was at the Tottenham match, and it felt like RVP and Falcao were the same player. Nevertheless, I think it's a combination of many factors why it's not gone smoothly for him so far.
While he hasn't been great, few people have looked good in this garbage 3-5-2.
While he hasn't been great, few people have looked good in this garbage 3-5-2.
This is an article written by Scott Patterson for ESPNFC. Basically he's comparing Falcao's time at the club with that of Tevez. I can see the similarities between the two situations, but the article fails to take into account a number of variables that separate them.
[LINK] Falcao's time at Man United is similar to Carlos Tevez's stint with the club.
[LINK] Falcao's time at Man United is similar to Carlos Tevez's stint with the club.
Falcao's time at Man United is similar to Carlos Tevez's stint with the club
After securing the 2008-09 Premier League title, Sir Alex Ferguson took to the microphone to address the Old Trafford crowd after his players had just been named champions for Manchester United's record-equalling 18th time.
With a Champions League final a fortnight away (which United would also celebrate), Ferguson's annual custom of giving a speech was cut short. "Fergie! Sign him up! Fergie, Fergie, sign him up!" the Stretford End chanted. The chant was sung on repeat, getting louder and louder, spreading around the stadium, until the manager could no longer be heard. He gave a little wave, and walked off the pitch.
Less than two months later, Carlos Tevez, the focus of those chants, was being unveiled as a Manchester City player. His loan deal ended at United and he rejected the club's offer, joining their hated rivals. In his last season at United, Tevez managed just five goals in the league, which worked out as a goal every 334 minutes on the pitch, or a goal every five and a half hours. So, why the adulation from the United fans then?
It would be disingenuous to suggest that his performances the season before didn't weigh into the fans' appreciation of the Argentinean striker. He was the eighth-highest scorer in the league with 14 goals, with one fewer goal than Everton's Yakubu and one more than Aston Villa's John Carew. So, he hadn't set the world alight, but he had scored quite a few goals, with the winners against Chelsea and Liverpool standing out.
Still, Tevez's selling point had always been that he was a trier. Lots of football fans love a player who works hard. So what if they spend so much time running around because their first touch is so bad that they have to chase the ball down after it bounces off them? At least they show they care, right?
Even Alan Smith, a distinctly average player at United who had come from hated rivals Leeds after kissing their badge and pledging he would never sign for the Mancunian club, was a very popular figure with lots of the fan base. Why? Because he worked hard. In his second season, despite the goals drying up, Tevez's appeal was aided by the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian was "languid" at best, "lazy" according to others, so the fact Tevez had scored half as many league goals as Berbatov was largely ignored.
Berbatov was hardly prolific either, it must be noted, but scored a goal every four and a half hours he was on the pitch, which was certainly better than Tevez's scoring record that season. But he didn't run around enough or appear passionate enough to be loved by the fans. Tevez, by contrast, would grab hold of the United badge and he repeatedly gave interviews claiming he wanted to stay at the club forever. And the fans -- as football supporters do -- fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Fans want to believe that the players feel as strongly about their club as they do, even when that is almost always impossible.
So, what has Tevez got to do with anything at United now? Well, in Radamel Falcao, United may see a similar situation arise.
An expensive loanee, with a poor first touch and inadequate scoring record, who works incredibly hard on the pitch and has aspirations to go where the most money is. Ringing any bells? Despite earning a reported 265,000 pounds a week, yet finding the back of the net three times, the appreciation he receives from the United faithful borders on worship. When Falcao warmed up on the touchline at Old Trafford against QPR for the first time after joining the club, the ground was united in a standing ovation. Some fans missed Juan Mata's goal because they were so mesmerised by the star signing.
When you consider some of the world-class players these fans have seen, it should suggest they're not bowled over easily, but Falcao has been adored from the moment he signed. The player gives the impression that this feeling is reciprocated too. Recently, after equalising for United away to Aston Villa, he ran to the away fans, celebrating wildly, tapping the United badge. The Colombian has already said that United is "the biggest club in the world" and that he hopes to stay on a permanent basis. You can take him at his word at that, or you can perhaps be a little more cynical, or realistic.
This is the same player who had his pick of clubs in the summer of 2013 but opted against signing for any of the top teams competing for the Champions League, instead opting for Monaco, who had just finished top of Ligue 2 in France, and had been taken over by a billionaire 18 months earlier. He's also the same player who tweeted that it was a dream come true to sign for Real Madrid just a couple of days before the United move was confirmed.
Falcao had reportedly been chasing a transfer to the Spanish giants all summer, but the club pulled out after believing he wasn't worth the astronomical wages. This is something that both Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Falcao's father later confirmed. Now, it would be unfair not to mention that Falcao's third-party ownership has a say over the decisions he makes, with Doyen Sports wanting to make as much money from its investment as possible. But would it also be unfair to presume that he will still be as keen to stay at United if he does enough in the remaining months of the season to attract Real Madrid's attention?
As it stands, with just three goals to his name, he's hardly courting Europe's best clubs, even though his tally is not really a fair reflection of his overall contribution. It should also be taken into consideration that he returned from a serious knee injury five months ago, something that could keep someone from playing for far longer than Falcao was out for, and it'll take time for him to return to the player he once was. If he is ever to return to being the player he once was, that is.
United now have a decision to make, and it's a gamble. They can buy him at the end of the season, at least matching the huge wages he currently earns, and hope that next season he will be firing on all cylinders again. Or they can let him go, knowing that he may become the 30-plus goals a season striker that he was at both Porto and Atletico Madrid. However, he turns 29 next month and if the goals don't start coming soon, Louis van Gaal will need to have an awful lot of faith in the striker's future ability to approve the signing.
There's still four months to the end of the season and who knows how many goals Falcao may score in that time, or the importance of them. Imagine he scores the winner for United in the FA Cup. Any suggestion that he was a bit of a gamble will be mocked. But at the moment, regardless of the star quality he has repeatedly shown to have in the past, he's still struggling at United. The United fan base, by and large, won't hear it though, pointing to all the hard work he does on the pitch and belief that he is still overcoming the damage from the knee injury. Supporters will rejoice if he returns to being the prolific striker he once was, but they will have to hope that doesn't push him into the arms of Real Madrid, the club that snap up the flavour of the month, or season, every summer.
But still, Falcao thinks United are the biggest club in the world, so the fans probably have nothing to worry about, right?
After securing the 2008-09 Premier League title, Sir Alex Ferguson took to the microphone to address the Old Trafford crowd after his players had just been named champions for Manchester United's record-equalling 18th time.
With a Champions League final a fortnight away (which United would also celebrate), Ferguson's annual custom of giving a speech was cut short. "Fergie! Sign him up! Fergie, Fergie, sign him up!" the Stretford End chanted. The chant was sung on repeat, getting louder and louder, spreading around the stadium, until the manager could no longer be heard. He gave a little wave, and walked off the pitch.
Less than two months later, Carlos Tevez, the focus of those chants, was being unveiled as a Manchester City player. His loan deal ended at United and he rejected the club's offer, joining their hated rivals. In his last season at United, Tevez managed just five goals in the league, which worked out as a goal every 334 minutes on the pitch, or a goal every five and a half hours. So, why the adulation from the United fans then?
It would be disingenuous to suggest that his performances the season before didn't weigh into the fans' appreciation of the Argentinean striker. He was the eighth-highest scorer in the league with 14 goals, with one fewer goal than Everton's Yakubu and one more than Aston Villa's John Carew. So, he hadn't set the world alight, but he had scored quite a few goals, with the winners against Chelsea and Liverpool standing out.
Still, Tevez's selling point had always been that he was a trier. Lots of football fans love a player who works hard. So what if they spend so much time running around because their first touch is so bad that they have to chase the ball down after it bounces off them? At least they show they care, right?
Even Alan Smith, a distinctly average player at United who had come from hated rivals Leeds after kissing their badge and pledging he would never sign for the Mancunian club, was a very popular figure with lots of the fan base. Why? Because he worked hard. In his second season, despite the goals drying up, Tevez's appeal was aided by the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian was "languid" at best, "lazy" according to others, so the fact Tevez had scored half as many league goals as Berbatov was largely ignored.
Berbatov was hardly prolific either, it must be noted, but scored a goal every four and a half hours he was on the pitch, which was certainly better than Tevez's scoring record that season. But he didn't run around enough or appear passionate enough to be loved by the fans. Tevez, by contrast, would grab hold of the United badge and he repeatedly gave interviews claiming he wanted to stay at the club forever. And the fans -- as football supporters do -- fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Fans want to believe that the players feel as strongly about their club as they do, even when that is almost always impossible.
So, what has Tevez got to do with anything at United now? Well, in Radamel Falcao, United may see a similar situation arise.
An expensive loanee, with a poor first touch and inadequate scoring record, who works incredibly hard on the pitch and has aspirations to go where the most money is. Ringing any bells? Despite earning a reported 265,000 pounds a week, yet finding the back of the net three times, the appreciation he receives from the United faithful borders on worship. When Falcao warmed up on the touchline at Old Trafford against QPR for the first time after joining the club, the ground was united in a standing ovation. Some fans missed Juan Mata's goal because they were so mesmerised by the star signing.
When you consider some of the world-class players these fans have seen, it should suggest they're not bowled over easily, but Falcao has been adored from the moment he signed. The player gives the impression that this feeling is reciprocated too. Recently, after equalising for United away to Aston Villa, he ran to the away fans, celebrating wildly, tapping the United badge. The Colombian has already said that United is "the biggest club in the world" and that he hopes to stay on a permanent basis. You can take him at his word at that, or you can perhaps be a little more cynical, or realistic.
This is the same player who had his pick of clubs in the summer of 2013 but opted against signing for any of the top teams competing for the Champions League, instead opting for Monaco, who had just finished top of Ligue 2 in France, and had been taken over by a billionaire 18 months earlier. He's also the same player who tweeted that it was a dream come true to sign for Real Madrid just a couple of days before the United move was confirmed.
Falcao had reportedly been chasing a transfer to the Spanish giants all summer, but the club pulled out after believing he wasn't worth the astronomical wages. This is something that both Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Falcao's father later confirmed. Now, it would be unfair not to mention that Falcao's third-party ownership has a say over the decisions he makes, with Doyen Sports wanting to make as much money from its investment as possible. But would it also be unfair to presume that he will still be as keen to stay at United if he does enough in the remaining months of the season to attract Real Madrid's attention?
As it stands, with just three goals to his name, he's hardly courting Europe's best clubs, even though his tally is not really a fair reflection of his overall contribution. It should also be taken into consideration that he returned from a serious knee injury five months ago, something that could keep someone from playing for far longer than Falcao was out for, and it'll take time for him to return to the player he once was. If he is ever to return to being the player he once was, that is.
United now have a decision to make, and it's a gamble. They can buy him at the end of the season, at least matching the huge wages he currently earns, and hope that next season he will be firing on all cylinders again. Or they can let him go, knowing that he may become the 30-plus goals a season striker that he was at both Porto and Atletico Madrid. However, he turns 29 next month and if the goals don't start coming soon, Louis van Gaal will need to have an awful lot of faith in the striker's future ability to approve the signing.
There's still four months to the end of the season and who knows how many goals Falcao may score in that time, or the importance of them. Imagine he scores the winner for United in the FA Cup. Any suggestion that he was a bit of a gamble will be mocked. But at the moment, regardless of the star quality he has repeatedly shown to have in the past, he's still struggling at United. The United fan base, by and large, won't hear it though, pointing to all the hard work he does on the pitch and belief that he is still overcoming the damage from the knee injury. Supporters will rejoice if he returns to being the prolific striker he once was, but they will have to hope that doesn't push him into the arms of Real Madrid, the club that snap up the flavour of the month, or season, every summer.
But still, Falcao thinks United are the biggest club in the world, so the fans probably have nothing to worry about, right?
This is an article written by Scott Patterson for ESPNFC. Basically he's comparing Falcao's time at the club with that of Tevez. I can see the similarities between the two situations, but the article fails to take into account a number of variables that separate them.
[LINK] Falcao's time at Man United is similar to Carlos Tevez's stint with the club.
Falcao's time at Man United is similar to Carlos Tevez's stint with the club
After securing the 2008-09 Premier League title, Sir Alex Ferguson took to the microphone to address the Old Trafford crowd after his players had just been named champions for Manchester United's record-equalling 18th time.
With a Champions League final a fortnight away (which United would also celebrate), Ferguson's annual custom of giving a speech was cut short. "Fergie! Sign him up! Fergie, Fergie, sign him up!" the Stretford End chanted. The chant was sung on repeat, getting louder and louder, spreading around the stadium, until the manager could no longer be heard. He gave a little wave, and walked off the pitch.
Less than two months later, Carlos Tevez, the focus of those chants, was being unveiled as a Manchester City player. His loan deal ended at United and he rejected the club's offer, joining their hated rivals. In his last season at United, Tevez managed just five goals in the league, which worked out as a goal every 334 minutes on the pitch, or a goal every five and a half hours. So, why the adulation from the United fans then?
It would be disingenuous to suggest that his performances the season before didn't weigh into the fans' appreciation of the Argentinean striker. He was the eighth-highest scorer in the league with 14 goals, with one fewer goal than Everton's Yakubu and one more than Aston Villa's John Carew. So, he hadn't set the world alight, but he had scored quite a few goals, with the winners against Chelsea and Liverpool standing out.
Still, Tevez's selling point had always been that he was a trier. Lots of football fans love a player who works hard. So what if they spend so much time running around because their first touch is so bad that they have to chase the ball down after it bounces off them? At least they show they care, right?
Even Alan Smith, a distinctly average player at United who had come from hated rivals Leeds after kissing their badge and pledging he would never sign for the Mancunian club, was a very popular figure with lots of the fan base. Why? Because he worked hard. In his second season, despite the goals drying up, Tevez's appeal was aided by the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian was "languid" at best, "lazy" according to others, so the fact Tevez had scored half as many league goals as Berbatov was largely ignored.
Berbatov was hardly prolific either, it must be noted, but scored a goal every four and a half hours he was on the pitch, which was certainly better than Tevez's scoring record that season. But he didn't run around enough or appear passionate enough to be loved by the fans. Tevez, by contrast, would grab hold of the United badge and he repeatedly gave interviews claiming he wanted to stay at the club forever. And the fans -- as football supporters do -- fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Fans want to believe that the players feel as strongly about their club as they do, even when that is almost always impossible.
So, what has Tevez got to do with anything at United now? Well, in Radamel Falcao, United may see a similar situation arise.
An expensive loanee, with a poor first touch and inadequate scoring record, who works incredibly hard on the pitch and has aspirations to go where the most money is. Ringing any bells? Despite earning a reported 265,000 pounds a week, yet finding the back of the net three times, the appreciation he receives from the United faithful borders on worship. When Falcao warmed up on the touchline at Old Trafford against QPR for the first time after joining the club, the ground was united in a standing ovation. Some fans missed Juan Mata's goal because they were so mesmerised by the star signing.
When you consider some of the world-class players these fans have seen, it should suggest they're not bowled over easily, but Falcao has been adored from the moment he signed. The player gives the impression that this feeling is reciprocated too. Recently, after equalising for United away to Aston Villa, he ran to the away fans, celebrating wildly, tapping the United badge. The Colombian has already said that United is "the biggest club in the world" and that he hopes to stay on a permanent basis. You can take him at his word at that, or you can perhaps be a little more cynical, or realistic.
This is the same player who had his pick of clubs in the summer of 2013 but opted against signing for any of the top teams competing for the Champions League, instead opting for Monaco, who had just finished top of Ligue 2 in France, and had been taken over by a billionaire 18 months earlier. He's also the same player who tweeted that it was a dream come true to sign for Real Madrid just a couple of days before the United move was confirmed.
Falcao had reportedly been chasing a transfer to the Spanish giants all summer, but the club pulled out after believing he wasn't worth the astronomical wages. This is something that both Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and Falcao's father later confirmed. Now, it would be unfair not to mention that Falcao's third-party ownership has a say over the decisions he makes, with Doyen Sports wanting to make as much money from its investment as possible. But would it also be unfair to presume that he will still be as keen to stay at United if he does enough in the remaining months of the season to attract Real Madrid's attention?
As it stands, with just three goals to his name, he's hardly courting Europe's best clubs, even though his tally is not really a fair reflection of his overall contribution. It should also be taken into consideration that he returned from a serious knee injury five months ago, something that could keep someone from playing for far longer than Falcao was out for, and it'll take time for him to return to the player he once was. If he is ever to return to being the player he once was, that is.
United now have a decision to make, and it's a gamble. They can buy him at the end of the season, at least matching the huge wages he currently earns, and hope that next season he will be firing on all cylinders again. Or they can let him go, knowing that he may become the 30-plus goals a season striker that he was at both Porto and Atletico Madrid. However, he turns 29 next month and if the goals don't start coming soon, Louis van Gaal will need to have an awful lot of faith in the striker's future ability to approve the signing.
There's still four months to the end of the season and who knows how many goals Falcao may score in that time, or the importance of them. Imagine he scores the winner for United in the FA Cup. Any suggestion that he was a bit of a gamble will be mocked. But at the moment, regardless of the star quality he has repeatedly shown to have in the past, he's still struggling at United. The United fan base, by and large, won't hear it though, pointing to all the hard work he does on the pitch and belief that he is still overcoming the damage from the knee injury. Supporters will rejoice if he returns to being the prolific striker he once was, but they will have to hope that doesn't push him into the arms of Real Madrid, the club that snap up the flavour of the month, or season, every summer.
But still, Falcao thinks United are the biggest club in the world, so the fans probably have nothing to worry about, right?
It's just too early to judge. If he remains injury free and gets a run in the side I think he'll prosper but with his signing fee and wages it"s up to him to prove he's the prolific striker he's shown in the past. I trust the club to make the correct decision come end of season.
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