Robin van Persie | 2012-14 Performances

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Was unable to train with the Netherlands today due to illness. May not be fit for West Brom.

This is where a lot of people might feel a bit guilty about being excited to see Mata behind Rooney or Kagawa get some game time and it'll probably provoke some arguments about "Being better without Van Persie" but the way I see it is that it's an area of the pitch where we are blessed with talent. Perhaps the only area and the headaches being caused by it and arguments over who is better there are only healthy and the sort of "problem" we should have in all areas of the pitch.
 
This is where a lot of people might feel a bit guilty about being excited to see Mata behind Rooney or Kagawa get some game time and it'll probably provoke some arguments about "Being better without Van Persie" but the way I see it is that it's an area of the pitch where we are blessed with talent. Perhaps the only area and the headaches being caused by it and arguments over who is better there are only healthy and the sort of "problem" we should have in all areas of the pitch.
I felt that losing one of van Persie or Rooney in the summer could be a blessing in disguise, we've such an array of talent in the number ten position dying to be played centrally. I hope we see Mata behind Rooney on Saturday, I think we will.
 
I felt that losing one of van Persie or Rooney in the summer could be a blessing in disguise, we've such an array of talent in the number ten position dying to be played centrally. I hope we see Mata behind Rooney on Saturday, I think we will.

I disagree completely.

We need them both over the course of a season and if we get the right signings in other areas and they get the right service then they could fire us to silverware. We need the best players in the best positions. Downgrading again is not an option.
 
I disagree completely.

We need them both over the course of a season and if we get the right signings in other areas and they get the right service then they could fire us to silverware. We need the best players in the best positions. Downgrading again is not an option.
Mata would be an upgrade on Rooney in the ten position. A consistent Rooney could be level with van Persie in the nine position. In my opinion anyway.
 
Mata would be an upgrade on Rooney in the ten position. A consistent Rooney could be level with van Persie in the nine position. In my opinion anyway.

You're talking in terms of team. What about squad? How do you replace a world class player?
 
You're talking in terms of team. What about squad? How do you replace a world class player?
I don't think our squad is the issue, we've a massive squad. It's the team and the lack of quality in it that's the issue. I feel we'd perform better with only one of van Persie or Rooney consistently in the team with a Mata, Kagawa or Januzaj centrally, I'd rather van Persie but Rooney is obviously going nowhere. Both are too good to be on the bench.
 
I don't think our squad is the issue, we've a massive squad. It's the team and the lack of quality in it that's the issue. I feel we'd perform better with only one of van Persie or Rooney consistently in the team with a Mata, Kagawa or Januzaj centrally, I'd rather van Persie but Rooney is obviously going nowhere. Both are too good to be on the bench.

So what happens when Rooney has his annual injury?
 
That we need a strong squad? You don't feel Welbeck is a worthy understudy to our striker?

No, that we've already weakened other areas of the squad, why start doing the same to our strongest?

The only reason Van Persie is unhappy is because the team are playing shite and he's not getting the service. If we do strengthen the team in the summer, which we surely are, then the service will be there for Van Persie again and he'll be thumping the goals in.
 
The only reason Van Persie is unhappy is because the team are playing shite and he's not getting the service.

There have been plenty of rumours on UWS, Red Issue etc throughout the season to suggest that certainly isn't the only reason Van Persie is unhappy. From a distance, it would appear that RVP doesn't rate Moyes, the tactics or the training. It is clear RVP much preferred Rene's coaching to the current set-up. There are suggestions he doesn't feel they do enough work on attacking play. There were numerous arguments about his fitness. Even in pre-season there were reports that Van Persie wasn't impressed by the new regime.
 
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There have been plenty of rumours on UWS, Red Issue etc throughout the season to suggest that certainly isn't the only reason Van Persie is unhappy. From a distance, it would appear that RVP doesn't rate Moyes, the tactics or the training. It is clear RVP much preferred Rene's coaching to the current set-up. There are suggestions he doesn't feel they do enough work on attacking play. There were numerous arguments about his fitness. Even in pre-season there were reports that Van Persie wasn't impressed by the new regime.

Those arguments/rumours were spread by this Dutch idiot on twitter that started hating Moyes and everything at United since new manager had been appointed.
 
I don't understand talk to letting some of our best players go could end up being a good thing. It's not a good thing at all, it is essential to keep the 5 we have upfront (Kagawa, Mata, Rooney RVP and Januzaj) together. We have to strengthen in other areas on the pitch, i.e midfield and defence. If we are successful and playing a numerous amount of games in Europe, reaching the semis and finals of the cups and challenging for the title then there will be plenty of time for everyone to play a satisfactory amount of games.

Hardly do players, playing a vital role in the squad come out and say they want to leave when a team is challenging for trophies. Think back to 1999 when we had Cole, York, Sheringham and Solskjaer, Each of these talented attackers were vying for 2 spots. Yet since we played many games, they all had a chance to play a numerous amount of games without getting frustrated. We should maintain what we have upfront and strengthen in other areas. Its a squad game, the more depth the better. A world class starting 11 is much more fragile than having squad depth with a wide array of talent throughout the entire first team. Just look at Arsenal and their lack of depth throughout the years, or even Barcelona at the moment.
 
RVP needs to stay in the summer. We need to strengthen defense and midfield to complement ous quality in attack. If Moyes/club/Woodward allow him to leave they are idiots. If RVP leaves we are left with only Rooney, Welbeck (rubbish) and Chicharito (sqaud player). We can't afford to splurge on a striker with the issues we have in midfield and defense. Moyes is a poor manager who can't get the best out of our squad . He should be the the one leaving not RVP.
 
Agree with KiD MoYeS. I believe it would improve our football if we played an actual no. 10 in the no. 10 position. The only reason we're not doing that now is that we have two strikers who are too good to bench. But their partnership isn't working at all.

If we could get a decent fee for RvP and buy a winger instead, we'd have a much better balanced attack. Mata as no. 10 with a great backup in Kagawa, Rooney in front with a good backup in Welbeck and Nani, Januzaj, Young and a new signing on the wings.
 
I probably take a different attitude to RVP than I did with Rooney (who I was desperate to see stay)


RVP only at the club less than 2 seasons, if he is having a moan and doesnt have the right attitude he should leave. We probably got his last great season out of him anyway.
 
I don't know what to think of his situation really, I keep changing my mind. Obviously you want to keep as many world class players as possible, but I am 100% sure that we need to build our team around Mata in the #10 position. Whether that forces Rooney or RVP onto the bench, or one on the wing, is up to the manager, but both of them can't keep starting in the middle positions as we lose control. All 3 are world class players but mata in the middle helps us control games, pass it around more and provides loads more creativity through the middle. Same situation with Kagawa, albeit a lesser player.

IMO a lineup like:
Rooney/rvp
Kagawa mata januzaj
Looks miles better then rvp and Rooney up top and then mata on the wing. The 3 behind the lone striker move around and are all capable and willing go wide, through the middle or fall deeper to help pick the ball off the midfield.
 
If RVP is indeed heading for the exit, then Moyes should use the remainder of the season to push Rooney upfront as a number 9 with Mata behind him. Kagawa and Nani also seem to be on their way out according to these stories, so put Adnan on the left and, for want of anything better, Young on the right. For the remaining CL game, he could replace Mata with Kagawa. Moyes has very little to lose so he may as well ruffle some feathers and set out some vision of how he sees the team setting up in future.

As for RVP, he hasn't been here enough for me to care very much if he leaves. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, with him getting his medal at last and Fergie going out on a high note. If I were to be hypercritical, he has continued his habit of missing crucial sitters in CL knock out games.
 
If RVP is indeed heading for the exit, then Moyes should use the remainder of the season to push Rooney upfront as a number 9 with Mata behind him. Kagawa and Nani also seem to be on their way out according to these stories, so put Adnan on the left and, for want of anything better, Young on the right. For the remaining CL game, he could replace Mata with Kagawa. Moyes has very little to lose so he may as well ruffle some feathers and set out some vision of how he sees the team setting up in future.

As for RVP, he hasn't been here enough for me to care very much if he leaves. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, with him getting his medal at last and Fergie going out on a high note. If I were to be hypercritical, he has continued his habit of missing crucial sitters in CL knock out games.

Yeah, I have the same feeling really. To be honest, it still feels a bit odd seeing him in a united shirt! Loved him last season and actually the Fergie/Robin needs last season were well met for both of them. If he moans/complains too much in the future, well it will have the same effect Fergie believed Ruud was having on the dressing room. And we all know what happened then.....
 
If RVP is indeed heading for the exit, then Moyes should use the remainder of the season to push Rooney upfront as a number 9 with Mata behind him. Kagawa and Nani also seem to be on their way out according to these stories, so put Adnan on the left and, for want of anything better, Young on the right. For the remaining CL game, he could replace Mata with Kagawa. Moyes has very little to lose so he may as well ruffle some feathers and set out some vision of how he sees the team setting up in future.

As for RVP, he hasn't been here enough for me to care very much if he leaves. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, with him getting his medal at last and Fergie going out on a high note. If I were to be hypercritical, he has continued his habit of missing crucial sitters in CL knock out games.

As for Moyes, I care even less if he leaves. At least RvP has made a contribution to our success, and a key contribution. We owe Moyes nothing, at all.
 
As long as we a sign quality wide player i wont not be against RVP leaving. Real will be looking a striker in the summer ,Suarez is probably out their reach, unless they want to come close to breaking their own transfer record again.
We could still get 30m plus for him and hopefully invest wisely...


-------Rooney-------
Reus--Mata--Januzaj
 
As for Moyes, I care even less if he leaves. At least RvP has made a contribution to our success, and a key contribution. We owe Moyes nothing, at all.

I agree (in fact I'd probably open the champagne...). But Moyes remains the manager for now and the club seems to have committed itself to Rooney and has just brought in Mata for big money. Therefore, as things stand, we either keep on trying to shoehorn the three of them into the starting XI or make a tough decision and drop one of them - with RVP being the obvious fall guy.
 
That fact that we might lose van Persie in the summer, but rewarded that poisonous cnut Rooney with a bumper new 300k a week contract, makes me a sad panda. If there's only room in the side for one of them, it shouldn't be the fat brat.
 
Are we being softened up for the sale of Van Persie..?

Seems like our title winning side is to be sliced apart.


If he does not want to be here, he can feck off... at this stage my only hope is that we get a decent transfer fee for him
 
That fact that we might lose van Persie in the summer, but rewarded that poisonous cnut Rooney with a bumper new 300k a week contract, makes me a sad panda. If there's only room in the side for one of them, it shouldn't be the fat brat.

True but the Fat brat showed certainly more commitment to our cause this year... ideally we should sell both, but with so many of the older players leaving, it's something too risky to do
 
True but the Fat brat showed certainly more commitment to our cause this year... ideally we should sell both, but with so many of the older players leaving, it's something too risky to do

I'm not sure spending the summer trying to force through a move to Chelsea represents being committed to the cause.
 
I'm not sure spending the summer trying to force through a move to Chelsea represents being committed to the cause.

This. If someone was gonna pay me £1 million a month I'd be happy too. The only thing Rooney is committed to is £££. Don't blame him mind you. A guy's gotta get paid. But making out that its a labour of love to sign a £300k a week contract is laughable.
 
Cf. Ruud van Nistelrooy, 2006.

Absolutely. The only trouble with the comparison is that we had started to play better without him the season before - the signs were already there.

Then there's the way that excuse #1 for our poor results this year has been RVP's injuries. Excuse #2 has been Rooney's injuries. Neither situation led to us trying to use our then #10, Kagawa, as a #10 or any other significant improvement.
 
It's worrying sometimes the thought patterns of fans.

Last year it was all VP's so much better than Rooney, with some suggesting ridiculously parity with Ronaldo.
Now it's suddenly VP is dispensable, he's only been here 2 years etc.

Revisionism is horrible. It's behind the thinking that we have a really weak squad, when last year showed that's bollocks.
 
Absolutely. The only trouble with the comparison is that we had started to play better without him the season before - the signs were already there.

Then there's the way that excuse #1 for our poor results this year has been RVP's injuries. Excuse #2 has been Rooney's injuries. Neither situation led to us trying to use our then #10, Kagawa, as a #10 or any other significant improvement.
Aye, this is why the whole situation is frustrating. Can you remember us scoring as few goals from open play by this stage of the season in previous seasons?

Take away Rooney's excellent set-piece delivery in the first few months of the season and we'd be in a worse position, as unthinkable as it sounds.
 
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