Modern day Bryan Robson.
Will Bruno achieve legend status at utd?
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A great hardworking player during a horrible time in the clubs history, who’ll be fondly looked back upon in years time.
But not in the same league as Robson.
He's definitely making Keane look silly (moreso than usual)
This.
Did anyone saying Robson, see Robson play? Robson who almost single handedly overcame Maradona. Single handedly destroyed Liverpool on regular basis and in huge games like FA cup semi final. Who didn’t have spells of good form, was either injured or Bryan Robson….week in week out. Three FA cups, when the FA cup was THE big day in football. FA Cup final was week. Was song in charts, suits, which hotel, training pics from hotel, coach down Wembley way. Was absolutely huge. Cup winners cup, first European trophy since 68. Two league titles to which he would have been huge influence.
He was captain marvel for both United and England and both flinched when he went for tackle and cried when he was injured.
Bruno is good player…huge spells of poor form every season, on good day he does not compare to the absolute colossal that was Robbo. Disrespectful to compare Bruno.
He was captain marvel for both United and England and both flinched when he went for tackle and cried when he was injured.
Bruno is good player…huge spells of poor form every season, on good day he does not compare to the absolute colossal that was Robbo. Disrespectful to compare Bruno.
Generational legend more than an outright legend but that's not a bad thing. It's been a long time since we had any player who fit that type, probably going as far back as Rooney/Van Persie during our winning season in 2012./13
Closest since then to Bruno is De Gea and personally I think Bruno is miles ahead of David in terms of stature, but that's not to dismiss David's performances either.
Closest since then to Bruno is De Gea and personally I think Bruno is miles ahead of David in terms of stature, but that's not to dismiss David's performances either.
I agree. I didn't want to dismiss anybody. Just point out that "history" isn't the same for everybody. I can't relate to historic success the way I can relate to success I have even witnessed myself as a fan. Thats not saying one is better than the other, just different.
Agreed.
Probably, yes. But even then the definition of legend will be somewhat subjective. Some will point out historic parallels, some will say it is heavily connected with big trophies and others will say it is only about contribution. There won't be one right answer just like there isn't one right answer right now. I guess.
(I just imagined myself posting here in 50 years time... feck me sideways, I hope it isn't going that far)
This is a refreshing, good ol fashioned football and United thread. Nice to have a player like Bruno even warranting of this debate.
Hope he wins us the Europa League this season.
Hope he wins us the Europa League this season.
It would be kind of cool if you are!
Respect Bruno a lot. How could you not the way he works his socks off the team, the goals and assists. I dont get the hate.
But Prime Bryan Robson was streets ahead. Robbo was the ultimate and near complete CM and Captain.
Fierce, consistent, could tackle, pass and would step up on the big occasions.
Robson was a better version of Roy Keane and Keane was World Class.
Robson > Keane > Bruno for me.
Tbf to Bruno he is an attacking Midfielder. The other two were box to box
I would also add that comparing Bruno to Robson is not the same as saying that Bruno is as good as Robson. It's just that there are many parallels:
- Both hard-working captains that current and previous team mates praise in the media
- Both adored by their managers
- Both joined in a dark era for the club
- Both one of the few bright spots for a very long time
- Both gave their best years to the club (Robson joined United when he was 24. Bruno when he was 25)
- Both won 2 domestic cups within their first 5 years (Robson got a 3rd as well later on)
Even if they have different play styles and skills, it's impossible to not notice the parallels.
- Both hard-working captains that current and previous team mates praise in the media
- Both adored by their managers
- Both joined in a dark era for the club
- Both one of the few bright spots for a very long time
- Both gave their best years to the club (Robson joined United when he was 24. Bruno when he was 25)
- Both won 2 domestic cups within their first 5 years (Robson got a 3rd as well later on)
Even if they have different play styles and skills, it's impossible to not notice the parallels.
Are these really parallels or opinion? Don’t really mean anything.
Robson gave best years to club even though wanted by every other top club in the world and Italy was the place to play then. Juve and AC wanted him. Not really a parallel to Bruno.
Robson won 3 x FA Cup, 1 x Cup winners cup and 2 x League titles. Without cherry picking timeframe it’s not parallel and won’t be when Bruno leaves.
Robson was one of the best midfielders of his generation and one of Britains greatest ever players. On list of europes greatest ever players. Players like Linekar, Gazza and Stuart Pearce has him as hero while even playing in the same England team as him.
Robson was England and United’s greatest captain. It might not be same as saying Bruno is as good but it’s about as accurate as comparing Phil Jones to Robson, since both suffered many injuries and stayed at club for over decade. Parallels
He is nowhere near the level of Robson. I truly hate these silly comparisons. Unless you have seen the likes of Robson and Keane at their peaks do not consider anyone from today's games to them.
It just makes you look daft.
It just makes you look daft.
I think you'll find many, many people here have seen both Robson and Keane at their peaks. And I think you mean compare, not consider.
Try not to be so patronizing and high-handed in your posting. It just makes you look daft.
I’m sure that those who have seen them at their peaks are the ones saying don’t compare them.
I have a fair amount of love for Bruno, don’t get me wrong. But he’s not in the same category as Robson and that’s not an insult to him, as not many are.
Robson is one of our greatest ever players and one of our biggest ever legends and when I say “one of “ I truly mean it.
He is definitely our best player over the last 5-ish years. He is clutch, gritty, technical, spectacular. His stamina is out of this world, I can't fathom how he doesn't get injured with the amount of minutes he plays.
He has been frustrating at times though, even while being our best player (I can remember a few very underwhelming spells in the Mourinho-Solskjaer-Rangnick years).
Overall I love him, but it's pretty much a case of a big fish in a small pond. Everyone comparing Bruno with Robson either has never seen Robson, or forgotten how good he was. Bruno has turned numerous games on their head for us with a few spurts of brilliance and grit. But Robbo had a way of getting a complete hold of the entire way both teams played, he was a magnet and the most impacting player on most of the games he played. His presence was huge, and he was a true captain. And he was surrounded by even worse players than Bruno.
He has been frustrating at times though, even while being our best player (I can remember a few very underwhelming spells in the Mourinho-Solskjaer-Rangnick years).
Overall I love him, but it's pretty much a case of a big fish in a small pond. Everyone comparing Bruno with Robson either has never seen Robson, or forgotten how good he was. Bruno has turned numerous games on their head for us with a few spurts of brilliance and grit. But Robbo had a way of getting a complete hold of the entire way both teams played, he was a magnet and the most impacting player on most of the games he played. His presence was huge, and he was a true captain. And he was surrounded by even worse players than Bruno.
His availability is an incredibly underrated piece to his game. You can be the most talented player in the world, but if you are always playing at 100% and constantly get injured (so you either need to play ay 80% or are injured constantly) then what truly is your value? Bruno, unquestionably, plays at maximum effort every game and is shockingly almost always up for it again the next game. It is truly remarkable and also is part of why everyone loves him so much. I know these are very well paid chaps but the fact that Bruno, no matter what our standing or the stakes, always plays at 100% effort (and also puts in the behind the scenes work to constantly be fit) is really what I use to define a club legend. He can't help the dumpster fire around him for the last few years, and is there any doubt that surrounded by more competence he wouldn't be even more impactful?
Bruno is one of those players that you don;t fully realize their impact until they aren't there...and then you feel like you probably didn't appreciate them the way you should have. Think of all of those games the last few years where literally no one else not he squad looked like they had any passing for the game and Bruno ALWAYS was just buzzing around trying to make things happen. It's easier to be a club legend when your team is stacked and you are mega-talented. What Bruno has done these last few years is much harder IMHO. If he isn't a legend for his work effort and passion I don't know what one looks like anymore...
Came in to say this. Although some of our ex-managers should have learnt to rest him sometimes even if he's available. Keeps him sharp and hungry.
Not only is he staying on to fight for the club, he's also showing adaptability and improvements to his game despite teams having learnt to counter his inshallah playstyle and the Bruno X Rashford combo. If he keeps this up for another season he'll be an undisputed legend.
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I think he's there honestly and probably our only credible 'legend' of a player post-Fergie.
If we manage to win a few more trophies during his time with us I don't think there could be good arguments against that status.
He's legitimately been one of the most prolific players in all of Europe since joining, while being arguably the most available, and has time and time again dragged some of the poorest United sides we've ever seen on his own two shoulders.
Everything he does around the community and the club off the pitch also reflects very well on the type of character that he has and appreciation he has for the club and city providing him with the platform to become the superstar that he's become.
I'll always look back very fondly on Bruno whenever his time is up with us, very much considered one of our own.
If we manage to win a few more trophies during his time with us I don't think there could be good arguments against that status.
He's legitimately been one of the most prolific players in all of Europe since joining, while being arguably the most available, and has time and time again dragged some of the poorest United sides we've ever seen on his own two shoulders.
Everything he does around the community and the club off the pitch also reflects very well on the type of character that he has and appreciation he has for the club and city providing him with the platform to become the superstar that he's become.
I'll always look back very fondly on Bruno whenever his time is up with us, very much considered one of our own.
Could've been as good as De Bruyne in that city team. Stuck with us in our banter era. That's got to count for something.
1. I don't think anyone will ever surpass Giggs
2. Scholes' low number of assists will always surprise me
3. Cantona was so sick
This only makes sense as an argument if you think that without the 2 league titles Robson won at the end of his career, largely as a peripheral figure where he started a combined 15 games over 2 years, Robson would've been less of a United legend.
I'd argue that's patently ridiculous. In terms of what they actually won as a proper part of the squad, there's very little between them.
I watched the Carabou Cup final/Leicester games with a Newcastle fan yesterday (good day for both of us!). The way he talks about Shearer with so much love, for sticking with the club when he had no right to do so. Consistently delivering goals and assists, whilst also being the hardest working player on the pitch, means he'll be forever adored more than any future players Newcastle end up signing in stronger, title winning teams. No fan would have begrudged Shearer had he done a Kane and left the club to get the trophies his talent deserved, but instead he wasted his prime years at the club in a (failed) attempt to turn them into a title winning side, until eventually retiring. I think we'll speak about Bruno in a similar way once he retires. Obviously the Geordies love for Shearer is heightened by the fact that he was a homegrown player and their wait for a trophy was 50+ years. However I think it's a comparable situation as we're not the only fanbase who is watching a world class player surrounded by teammates who are borderline Championship quality.
How good was Wayne man. Fans didn’t appreciate him enough while he was with us.
Probably the same case is repeating with Bruno now. We will miss him more when he’s gone and call him a legend.
Bruno has actually won trophies with us, though not the ones we really want.
Cantona's stats are even more impressive when you consider he missed the equivalent of one full season with United what with joining the club haflway through one season and being banned halfway through another. The King!
Bruno is well on the way to being a legend in my opinion. Just needs another trophy or two. Also, if he scores 5 more goals this season he gets to 100 for the club.
Bruno is well on the way to being a legend in my opinion. Just needs another trophy or two. Also, if he scores 5 more goals this season he gets to 100 for the club.
Club supporters adored Wayne through his peak years. His reputation only took a hit -- we overlooked the granny shagging, after all -- after he held Moyes hostage by dangling Chelsea in front of him.
As for Bruno, legend status is not that far away now.
I think we have to redefine what we mean by "Legends". There are more games now than a decade ago, but there are also fewer players who play for the first team over 10 years in a row. When it comes to in-game performance and the statistics he has performed consistently at, then he is for sure a Legend of Manchester United now.
I think it's fair to say, you can't put players like him in the same sentence with Rooney or Giggs or Beckham, the latter two were Academy kids who grew into the club and stayed. And Rooney came very young, much younger than Bruno did. I think it's fair to say he is a Legend and is the most successful transfer the club has made in the past 10 years.
I think it's fair to say, you can't put players like him in the same sentence with Rooney or Giggs or Beckham, the latter two were Academy kids who grew into the club and stayed. And Rooney came very young, much younger than Bruno did. I think it's fair to say he is a Legend and is the most successful transfer the club has made in the past 10 years.
Not so much. For one, he wasn't regularly on set-piece duty. The other thing is that his game never really revolved around finding the killer defence-splitting pass through the middle. In the second half of his career, when he played as a regista, his passing and vision were more about keeping the ball rolling and making sure it arrived in the (targeted by Fergie) wide areas at the right time and in favourable situations. Even in the first part of his career, when he used to make more runs from deep near and inside the box, his passing in the final third was more controlled and conservative (in the sense that he was looking to create better options) than many would like to remember or his YT videos would suggest. Hence, Pep's (among others) admiration of Scholes.
I still think the comparison to Shearer is similar despite not being identical. Bruno is already a legend for me. He seems to be genuinely happy here despite being surrounded by terrible players.
I know all this, but considering his impressive number of appearances (718) combined with his quality, you would think that the number would be a lot higher.
Xavi had 184 assists for Barcelona. Pirlo had more than 120 across his Serie A clubs. Kroos had more than 160 in Bundesliga and La Liga. Modric has almost 120 for Real and Spurs. Most of them did it in fewer appearances too.
I understand why Scholes don't match them (he's scored more goals than many of them anyways). But you'd expect him to be a little closer.
Ah, I forgot that the initial post was PL only. Scholes has 82 across all competitions. That's not too bad, although still far behind the others mentioned.
Some of the players you mention, deep-lying playmakers - registas - holding midfielders etc. - had the vision, the ability to control the tempo and the knack for playing killer passes from deeper positions. In my opinion, when you consider these operators in deeper roles, this is what sets Pirlo apart from the rest: He was an orchestrator who could constantly find these defence-splitting passes from his deeper position. Xavi, also, but Barça were ridiculously dominant in his prime. Scholes could do it, but he excelled in other things, and he was a far more conservative passer than people want to remember. Toward the end of Fergie's tenure, it would be Giggs next to Carrick when we wanted a more cavalier approach in the central areas. Him having a good game never really depended on scoring/assisting a goal.
Legend status = Confirmed! (Just look at the company he’s in on that list)
Leader. Captain. Legend
But the main thing is Pirlo, Xavi and Kroos all took corners and freekicks for their team pretty much their entire careers, Modric has taken a lot too.
Look at where Xavi got his assists from, see how many of them are very obviously freekicks and corners?
I agree and i mentioned in my previous post that one of the reasons Scholes didn't register as many assists as he "should have" was that he wasn't on set-piece duty on a regular basis. One would suppose that his numbers would be much better during the first half of his career, when he had more licence to move in the final third. He wasn't that type of passer, though. He preffered to keep the ball ticking, move it to the wide areas (where United's best assist-makers were playing) with good tempo, and make the late run in the box to score (he was deceptively good with his head).
Stats aren't everything, especially for midfielders. The likes of Zidane, Iniesta or Modric don't really have impressive stats but they are considered one of the GOAT midfielders. Lampard had much better G/A than Zidane but I doubt a lot of people would put Lampard over Zidane. Even for defenders this is somewhat true. Trent Alexander Arnold has great stats, but he'll never be as good as Denis Irwin. The stats won't show you how sheite TAA is when defending or having 1v1 situation. Bruno is a great player but he needs to do more to be considered a "legend" of Man Utd.
Really!??? You are definitely rewriting history there chap to fit your narrative.
Wayne was absolutely loved by us fans. He tarnished his legacy asking to leave in 2010 but still regained most of our affection after. During his prime years (2004-2010) there wasn’t a United fan in the world who undervalued him.
Woah! Uneasy with the nonchalance of this comment.
Ole is right on the shoulder of any player in the clubs history. I know a couple who’d say he’s the clubs biggest ever legend.
Not just his CL winning goal but the type of pro he was, his pure love for the club and how low-key technically good he was, put him on Mount Rushmore of United legends.
Also, gotta shout out too for his perfectly executed tackle against Newcastle at OT.
Exactly, just the “peak” or “prime” years. Post Fergie, lots of us were quite unhappy about “my captain shall always play” etc etc, when his powers were waning but he was still a damn good player in comparison to some in the current squad.