Utd -- Where reputations go to die

steffyr2

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Feb 6, 2005
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Just was thinking this reading the Ronaldo thread (correction -- one of the many Ronaldo threads)...does anyone come away from Utd looking better (or equal) to when they went in?
That's a problem imo.
 
Which ones didn’t turn up for preseason training?
 
Well not so much recently, but then we've gone from signing hungry players that fit a system to Hollywood signings who have no obvious place in the side, vastly diminished ability and no real desire to work for the team.
 
steffyr2 said:
Just was thinking this reading the Ronaldo thread (correction -- one of the many Ronaldo threads)...does anyone come away from Utd looking better (or equal) to when they went in?
That's a problem imo.
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Bruno, De Gea. I'd actually argue Ole outperformed a lot of people's expectations even if he wasn't good enough in the end.
 
Our greatest players (overall) tend to be players whose prime was spent at United.

The one obvious exception is Ronaldo (but he wasn't too far off prime when he left).

A very old example is Meredith - who is perhaps our first truly great player (certainly the first historically great one) but whose prime predated his United years *.

If we're talking about players who clearly weren't among our greatest, there are plenty of examples.

But, yeah - for various reasons, United have never been a place where great players go to spend a few seasons in their prime...and then move on.

One of the few that fits that description would be Stam, I guess. Although I personally would - actually - say that his absolute prime did coincide with his United stint.

* This is debatable, sure. But the consensus is that he was past his absolute prime when he came to United. He won more for United than he did for City, though.
 
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This is what happens when you have a decent manager who coaches players at a decent standard. Stagnation and regression happens.

If that wasn't bad enough, we had one the biggest shit stirrers in football (Paul Pogba) that disrupted the entire dynamic of the club.

This is the dawn of a new era.
 
Jesus Christ it's been a shit few years but do we really need another self-flagellating topic on here?

Yes things have been shit.
Yes the club has been mismanaged.

Now there is a new regime in charge. Peharps things will get better. Perhaps they won't. Likelihood is it will take some time.
Try looking forward with some hope, you'll feel better for it.
 
C3Pique said:
Jesus Christ it's been a shit few years but do we really need another self-flagellating topic on here?

Yes things have been shit.
Yes the club has been mismanaged.

Now there is a new regime in charge. Peharps things will get better. Perhaps they won't. Likelihood is it will take some time.
Try looking forward with some hope, you'll feel better for it.
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I think it's a Utd-flagellating topic, btw.....
There used to stories about how Sir Alex would meet with each player at the end of the season and give them career advice -- stay at Utd or move elsewhere for their own career. I always assumed those stories were true, and that Sir Alex worked to improve the players' careers.
Why in the present Utd, with an array of ex-players with imaginary titles, can't there be someone to ease players/managers/financiers onto their next great adventure?
 
I don't know who went to this place. Eric Cantona, Erik ten Hang, Eric Djemba-Djemba, whoever. Their spirit is dead, if they ever had one. It's gone. You're buildin' a rat ship here, a vessel for seagoin' snitches. And if you think you're preparin' these minnows for manhood, you better think again, because I say you are killin' the very spirit... this institution proclaims it instills. What a sham. What kind of a show are you guys puttin' on here today?
 
Herman Toothrot said:
Well not so much recently, but then we've gone from signing hungry players that fit a system to Hollywood signings who have no obvious place in the side, vastly diminished ability and no real desire to work for the team.
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this is so lazy. we sign more middling to unknown players than we sign "hollywood" ready made stars. I do agree with the sentiment of a lack of system, though.
 
Ibrahimovic is the only marquee signing who's come and left with his reputation intact post-Fergie really.
 
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