Ronaldo & Maguire power struggle

Dante said:
The only thing a captain does is guess heads or tails at kick off.

I think a lot of you guys are confusing double points on Fantasy Football with what actually happens on the pitch. Ronaldo's leadership isn't blunted by whether or not he wears a piece of cloth on his arm. And nobody's looking at what Maguire's eating for dessert, regardless of whether there's a (c) after his name on the teamsheet.

Criticise his form. Criticise Woodward for the fee. But who's captain is a non-issue.
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I dont believe that is the case, certainly not the impression I got from reading Keane's book though perhaps he was an anomaly. He always talked about as captain having extra responsibility to make sure players families were OK on match days, being a level above and involved whenever anything was going on at the club, arranging social events and just generally being the one to lead by example.

Even thinking back to my amateur football days the captain of the club was always a great club man, would have made sure everyone was OK on match days and could generally be accepted to be the one leading by example at training and on match day.

If anything I think you are the one downplaying captaincy based on playing computer games (where it doesn't really have an impact) or from fantasy football where it's just a game mechanic.

Whether Maguire does any of the above doesn't say anything about the role of a captain but may say something about his suitability to be one.
 
ManchesterManchester said:
No I was talking in the context of building the team around someone who is past their best or making them captain.

The board seem to have an obsession with bringing in older players and then making them the main man. I think it could actually stunt the development of younger players rather than grow then.
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I disagree somewhat, but the do get your point.
I don't think it's an obsession, I just think sometimes these players are available and us as a club cannot resist taking the bait.
I do think Ronaldo in that dressing room can only be a good thing for the younger players, Lee Grant highlighted how certain routines have changed just from him being there in an interview.
 
SER19 said:
De gea should be captain. 10 years here, actually won a title, player of the season several times and still bailing us out. Let the outfield players have their own unseen hierarchy.
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A captain should be in midfield in my opinion who can inspire and gee the boys up not a central defender and definitely not a gk what's the point
 
Ronaldo is a winner who expects a ridiculously high level from those around him. So did Roy Keane.

I would much rather have Ronaldo as captain than Maguire to be honest. Maguire doesn’t come across well in interviews and he’s a nightmare on the pitch.
 
hobbers said:
They turned a nothing article into a full week of tabloid reports by responding to it. They or their PR people are dumb as feck.

A manager responding to a question in a press conference is completely different.
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Agree with the response or not they only gave the same answer Rangnick did. That it's rubbish.

So this talk of acting in contradiction to the club or it being telling it was those two I can't see.
 
Why are football journalists allowed to make up complete bollocks in their papers / on twitter with no repercussions? :confused:
 
red4ever 79 said:
I would much prefer we just play the kids and start over again. Big cultural reset. Honestly I am sick of the performances, the bullshits on twitter, the primadonnas. Let's start again, get the snakes out of the club.

De Gea
Laird
Varane
Mengi
Williams
Garner
Bruno
Hannibal
Elanga
Ronaldo
Shoretrie
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Im with you there…3 or 4 senior players and the rest working their nuts off, learning from the best.
 
red4ever 79 said:
I would much prefer we just play the kids and start over again. Big cultural reset. Honestly I am sick of the performances, the bullshits on twitter, the primadonnas. Let's start again, get the snakes out of the club.

De Gea
Laird
Varane
Mengi
Williams
Garner
Bruno
Hannibal
Elanga
Ronaldo
Shoretrie
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100% this!

I'd rather lose with these players and see fight than put up with all the drama and grudges with the current lot.

We're probably idiots in the eyes of so many for thinking this way. So be it.
 
AFC NimbleThumb said:
Reports feel very clickbaity but honestly neither should be captaining the club, Ronaldo should no longer be an automatic starter & Maguire simply isn’t good enough.

The whole he’s a United player so he deserves support argument is a red herring. People want him to succeed, it’s just become clearly evident [sooner for some than others] that he’s not good enough. Blind faith isn’t supporting in good faith. If you’re looking to pedal this line I’d suggest heading to the Rooney thread re: his documentary. That’s a player who did something(s) for the club & still gets called a number of unsavoury things.

Maguire is a few years into his time here, having been promoted above his peers to captain. I agree this forum doesn’t celebrate our players [some past, some present] enough but honestly the protection Maguire continues to get from posters is exactly why it’s hard to stomach his on field displays, at what point does our £80mil captains form stop being a constant topic for debate. The criticism of Maguire is usually about his on field oafishness, other players draw far more personal criticism.
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Nailed it.
 
giggs-beckham said:
A captain should be in midfield in my opinion who can inspire and gee the boys up not a central defender and definitely not a gk what's the point
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Bruce Terry Adams Kompany were 4 off the top of my head that were good captains and CD. You can dictate play from there as well. GK I agree.
 
David De Gea said:
I dont believe that is the case, certainly not the impression I got from reading Keane's book though perhaps he was an anomaly. He always talked about as captain having extra responsibility to make sure players families were OK on match days, being a level above and involved whenever anything was going on at the club, arranging social events and just generally being the one to lead by example.

Even thinking back to my amateur football days the captain of the club was always a great club man, would have made sure everyone was OK on match days and could generally be accepted to be the one leading by example at training and on match day.

If anything I think you are the one downplaying captaincy based on playing computer games (where it doesn't really have an impact) or from fantasy football where it's just a game mechanic.

Whether Maguire does any of the above doesn't say anything about the role of a captain but may say something about his suitability to be one.
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This is absolutely true. You need a leader on the field and in the dressing room. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t played at a high enough level.
 
Give the captaincy to CR7 and be done with it. Maguire is a clown and all I hear from fans in the stands is moaning and swearing when it comes to Harry these days. (He didn't help himself with that stupid celebration for England, felt like a dig at the united fan base tbh).
 
The problem with Maguire being captain isn't the perceived lack of leadership or inspirational presence, it's that it's much harder for the boss to drop a captain.

From an outsider's point of view (and even with my my bias towards your England players), Bruno should be captain.
 
Its the body language from Maguire, a goal against us and he has the sad frown on his face, pitiful ! Nothing vocal in trying to get the team focused,
 
Neither of them are leaders. Even in his prime Ronaldo was no captain. One is an overpaid CB in a team were his teammates in the defense are no better and the other is a declining 37 year old that can't cope with the fact he can't start every game
 
Having watched this team I just don’t see a proper leader anywhere in it. There just doesn’t seem to be someone with the mentality to do it. Bruno I would have presumed earlier would have been a good captain but honestly recently I’m having 2nd thoughts. He clearly demands a lot of people but Looks like he’s falling apart at times.

Ronaldo, I’m not sure of either, has won it all and from what we are told people could learn a lot from his dedication to get him to where he got himself but I don’t see him doing much leading on the pitch. Who knows what goes on behind the scenes.

Maguire, when your CB partner (LIndelof) is the one telling you where you need to be and trying to position you correctly how can you honestly look at yourself and expect to be captain. Does nothing on the pitch and Rashford ended him as captain last season when he told him to F off.

Again who knows what he does behind the scenes, but it just seems like we’ve lacked real leadership in the team for a long time now and certainly not had any on the pitch.

To me watching us play we just lack the mental strength to face adversity or dig deep and fight for it. It’s all too nice then we panic when things don’t go our way and fold.
 
red4ever 79 said:
I would much prefer we just play the kids and start over again. Big cultural reset. Honestly I am sick of the performances, the bullshits on twitter, the primadonnas. Let's start again, get the snakes out of the club.

De Gea
Laird
Varane
Mengi
Williams
Garner
Bruno
Hannibal
Elanga
Ronaldo
Shoretrie
Click to expand...

I endorse this idea but why keep Ronaldo in? He's part of the toxicity at the club, one of the premadonnas you mention
 
Who knows the real truth about this "power struggle" leading up to the match, but Harry put in a captain's performance today. Not perfect, but still a captain's performance.
 
lex talionis said:
Who knows the real truth about this "power struggle" leading up to the match, but Harry put in a captain's performance today. Not perfect, but still a captain's performance.
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100%. The best way to put stories like these to bed is to put in the type of game he did today. Answer the questions on the pitch, not Twitter!
 
This thread should be put to bed after the team performance yesterday and in recent weeks. Battling for each other all over the pitch and ganging up on the ref.

That’s not a team with a big split.
 
After their power struggle earlier in the year it was nice to see them join forces and play up top together.
 
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