Hojlund? We haven't seen much of him but he's here.Ronaldo wasn't the problem. The problem was the fact that we'd sold him without bringing in a recognised striker. We still don't have one.
Hojlund? We haven't seen much of him but he's here.
Keane's last full season was statistically excellent- a bit like Ronaldo's goals in 21-22- but the team had to adjust to accommodate him with Fletcher often doing a lot of his running. Keane's tackles and passing stats were really outstanding that year and he had fantastic big game performances at Anfield and Highbury. It was his best season for over two years but yeah, the time was running out. Players get oldI think the events of his personal life played a part in his actions.
But, it's a similar situation to Roy Keane, when he was in the dressing room with the new wave of players Fergie had brought in. He had standards that he himself wasn't able to meet anymore and he couldn't adjust or realise that he just wasn't the same player he once was. That frustration boiled over and he ended up acting like a dick.
In the end he had to go.
A few months after Ronaldo left those lazy so-and-so's won a trophy, got to the final of another competition and finished 3rd. How's that for application?Not to defend Ronaldo, as he wasn't at the level required to compete at the top (at least relative to his stature and wages), but I think the insubordination may have stemmed from him being unable to accept substandard efforts from our players.
I mean, look at Sancho and co. now. . .
Ronaldo's ego desperately wanted to win 'something' with United, to show the world his importance and be the 'homecoming hero', so to speak. But these lazy players putting in poor levels of effort drove him insane, to the point he lashed out and acted inappropriately.
To reiterate: I'm not defending Ronaldo's behaviour at all. It was clearly unacceptable. But I genuinely believe it stemmed from the lack of application and the low standards running through the dressing room. He just couldn't deal with it and wanted out.
Additionally, there's also the point where he couldn't accept his own level dropping. That will have contributed to his outbursts, sure, but I'm not so sure it was the root cause.
Being there himself on daily basis, what's the odd that Phelan knows more about dressing room than fans?
Keane's last full season was statistically excellent- a bit like Ronaldo's goals in 21-22- but the team had to adjust to accommodate him with Fletcher often doing a lot of his running. Keane's tackles and passing stats were really outstanding that year and he had fantastic big game performances at Anfield and Highbury. It was his best season for over two years but yeah, the time was running out. Players get old
Exactly that having high standards and also playing shite won't add up in the end.You can have high standards when you're putting in high levels of performance and helping the team. If you're refusing to do what the manager tells you then you're just a bellend who's overstayed his welcome.
By who? You?Two things can be true. The dressing room may have had the wrong attitude, but so did Ronaldo towards the end. He was a whiny prick and his legend status has been revoked.
By who? You?
Yes. And I'm kind of a big deal.
Ah, alright. Sorry.Yes. And I'm kind of a big deal.
He obviously does.
How relevant his insights are in this case is debatable, though. Phelan was brought back under Ole. Many would say this was an attempt to restore Fergie era values, etc. Bringing Ronaldo back was monumentally stupid, but in line with the same (insane) idea of trying to roll back the years, bring back the glory associated with Fergie, etc.
Once Ole was sacked, it was obvious that Phelan didn't work very closely with Rangnick, and he was let go when ETH arrived.
Phelan doesn't recognize at all - as far as I can see - that Ronaldo was over the hill as a player. To the point that when he was expected to perform like...well, any other player under ETH, he looked utterly lost. Under Ole and the caretaker who followed him, he was largely accommodated - to the obvious detriment of the team. ETH didn't do that - and Ronaldo looked as shite as he actually was at the highest level as a result.
Point being that it may very well be that Ronaldo - rightly - expected more from his teammates than they delivered, but he wasn't in a position to do so as a player, as a teammate (because he was miles off the actual standard himself on the pitch - and he was delusional enough not to realize this). Phelan doesn't seem to realize this - or, at least, he doesn't acknowledge it. His personal relationship with Ronaldo may have something to do with it, I don't know.