Seems to have hit a bit of form recently with 6 goals in 4 games, one of which was this classy finish I spotted on the Guardian:
Shame there wasn't more there to see it.
Shame there wasn't more there to see it.
Robin Van Persie - Were you happy we sold Jaap Stam?
- Thread starter Amethyst
- Start date
That's just top class. I still think he had more to offer here in a lesser role, but he didn't seem to want that.
His last season here was just tumescent. Glad he's doing well over there, but he had nothing to offer here in my opinion. The only thing we did wrong is not getting in another top class centre forward to replace him.
Agree.. Got hit really hard when SAF retired..
I will always have time for RVP.
this. He may score the odd goal or two but had he been here we would have heard "we have two 300k per week strikers with none scoring"
He was still our best player on the pitch in a couple of games... so I wouldn't say it was tumescent.
Now Falcao... he was tumescent.
I was actually reminiscing about his 12/13 season with us... looking back on it, he was properly out of this world for us. One of the best stand alone seasons I've ever seen from a United player.
I think Fergie got every last ounce out of him that season. A signing to win a title, and it worked beautifully. But, his decline was evident last season. Finished at the top level, and with the amount of money he was on, just not sure we can make an argument for keeping him.
I was watching the season review of 12/13 and RVP was absolute World Class for us. Every touch he made seemed to accomplish something.
Yeah glad he's gone he looked so far off the pace in his last year here. He needed to be moved on.
That Rooney ball over the top that RVP volleyed is probably the goal I think about most from recent years.
He also seemed to completely down tools when Moyes arrived as well. terrible attitude.
If he was English, the press would be debating which of United's van Persie & Rooney should play up-front in the Euros.
That may be a bit harsh IMO.
From all accounts most senior players were hit hard by SAF retiring, as I'm sure we all were.
He was all they/we knew. Pretty much every senior player left after that...except Rooney who was playing for a new contract.
I put myself in their shoes and after being coached by excellence for decades, they get a moron like Moyes who is telling Rio he needs to "play like jagielka". I may have reacted just like they did.
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Feck, that volley was perfection. 
But still had a comfortably better scoring ratio than anyone has mustered for us this season. He was a victim of our awful attacking play.
Sadly, I don't think LVG would allow that. Too friggin risky, despite the beauty of it all.
RVP's run sadly highlights the difference between him then, and Rooney now. Much more nous, plus his run off the ball was perfect. Miss him, but also agree he is no longer Top 4 quality, at least on a starting basis.
Exactly what I was thinking.
He was still good in 13-14 and probably got Moyes a few more weeks with the hat trick against Olympiakos.
Feck, that volley was perfection.
It was. the magnitude of the game makes it even better.
Seems a while ago that he was a United player. He was my favourite United player in his time here. He had so much aggression and talent and was in the form of his life. He also seemed genuinely over the moon to play for the club. The retirement of SAF did affect his mindset and his hunger imo but I still am a big fan of RVP and will always be. He came to us and singlehandedly won us number 20. He scored some fabulous goals in his time as well and made the crowd excited.
I personally believe we should have kept him for at least one more season.
I personally believe we should have kept him for at least one more season.
The sale of RVP is neither here nor there for me. I believe we could have kept him, or equally sold him with the intention of buying some form of replacement.
The issue is we did the sale without replacing him. That's where the mistake lies IMO, not the fact that we sold him.
The issue is we did the sale without replacing him. That's where the mistake lies IMO, not the fact that we sold him.
What an awful turn his career has taken. Must have lost all will to play football since Moyes came in. I wonder what state he was in when LVG stepped into the room.
I was annoyed we sold him so quick..... Yes he looked off the pace and suffered some bad form. How many times have we said this about Rooney yet we stick with him and look at him now. He looks a totally new player. I still believe we could have got a few more seasons out of him. RVP was so classy and scored some impossible goals. Plus just seeing the look of the gunners fans when he scored was priceless.
I remember him absolutely smashed on the day we won 20. Him sitting on the bus singing the Carrick song is one of my highlights in footy.
That season was so much fun. Not vintage or anything, but a fun season.
Some will take offence at this, but I have more time for Van Persie than I ever will have for Rooney. It's a strange feeling considering the length of their stays at the club.
It was either him or Rooney and we were obviously not getting rid of Wayne.
Me too. A fit RvP firing on all cylinders is miles above anything Rooney has ever managed.
And he was just so freaking lovable his first year, he just couldn't stop smiling when interviewed.
For instant influence he must be our best buy since Cantona. From Day One he was our best player, a fantastic sight for us supporters to witness.
I think love always finds a way. If we decide that we want van Persie back from his loan spell at Beksitas then we need to show him that we still love him and want him to play for our strikers when he scored goals. We sing his song oh robin van persie at gatwick when he comes back to visit his cousin who is still renting van Persies bungalow near Manchester Piccadilly. He will think wow love really does always find a way and while im here i might pop into old trafford and say hi to the gaffer moyes. Then he will make a deal that he might return from his loan spell early because he still loves being in love with us. We can all agree that sometimes we say things we don't mean but if he scores a goal from a free kick then he can start the next game.
Time for van Persie? In all seriousness, he was probably one of the biggest diva's we've had in this period of wilderness post-Ferguson. Feigning injuries, strolling about the pitch etc... He just didn't look bothered at all save the odd game here and there under both Moyes and van Gaal. He's had a myriad of 'incidents' for the national team which pretty much led to him being dropped and losing captaincy. Was always a bit of a precious so and so.
Aye. What a season
Ever? Mmmm...
Seems to me Van Gaal had a very big decision to make when he took over - Rooney or Van Persie. We couldn't have one of those giant egos sitting on the bench raking in a massive wage every week. He chose Rooney and he had plenty of reason to do so, based on the respective performances in the most recent seasons and other factors eg. age, injury proneness etc. There were not many at the time who would have questioned if he chose the better player at the time.
Van Persie has hardly set the world alight in a pretty crap league and wasn't great last season - it seems to me that even though Rooney has been fairly woeful at times this season, all in all it was the correct choice.
And also on the same massive wages Rooney is on but he didn't put in a transfer request so all of what you mentioned will be forgotten. I find it strange seeing people actually prefer someone who had one amazing season for Manchester United to someone who has one amazing decade.
Yeah, but you're forgetting...
Requesting to leave and then not actually leaving makes Rooney a terrible person. It's much better to actually just leave, like Ronaldo.
And it's also wrong to request a pay rise. United may have been increasing their income year on year, but how dare Wayne demand more of that money (that he helped earn?) How dare he ask the 'biggest club in the world' to put their money where their mouth is?
Unacceptable behaviour. Hope he's punished for it and sold in the summer.
Nah but he should be sold due to his pathetic performances this season.
If we'd sold Rooney in the summer instead, RvP would be on 15 goals by now.
(Remember that up until Wazza pulled his finger out a few weeks ago, we were literally playing with 10 men).
(Remember that up until Wazza pulled his finger out a few weeks ago, we were literally playing with 10 men).
With van Persie upfront it was like playing with 10 men too. Custardly laborious in his final season. Physically shot too - he just seemed lighter and weaker.
I reckon he's been told he's on his way and he wants the record before he goes.