Scholes: I've been below standard

very Ruud

PAUL Scholes has admitted his performances for Manchester United this season have been below the standard he expected.

Scholes will return to the Red Devils' squad for Sunday's trip to Charlton after completing the one-match ban he picked up for his late dismissal at Everton last week.

Though any mathematical hope of reclaiming the Premiership title vanished last weekend, United are still looking to overhaul Arsenal over the final four games and claim the second automatic Champions League spot.

Scholes should be a key element in that bid, as well as United's hopes of lifting the FA Cup at the Gunners' expense in Cardiff next month.

But despite recovering his form in mid-season to register another 10-goal haul this term, the quiet man of Old Trafford insists his overall contribution to the campaign has proved to be something of a let-down.

"My performances in the league this year have not been great," he told the official Manchester United magazine.

"I have scored 10 goals but it took me a while to get off the mark and overall I should probably be doing a lot better."

Disappointed

By his own high standards, Scholes has been below par at times, although there are others who could be equally disappointed with their own performances.

Nevertheless, after a decade competing for all the major honours, it must be difficult watching Chelsea dominate at home and abroad in the manner United supporters have become accustomed to in the past.

Though the Old Trafford camp appear divided over whether the FA Cup on its own represents success, after another relatively poor league campaign and a second successive early exit from Europe, the 30-year-old claims the capture of some more silverware at the Millennium Stadium on May 21 is guaranteed to bring a certain smile of satisfaction.

"You always enjoy the season more if you are winning things," he said.

"In the league we paid the price for not having the best of starts and in the Champions League we just didn't play well enough.

"Winning the FA Cup would be a decent prize at the end of the season and I will feel a lot better if we win it, but at this club we do expect more than that."

skeeta

Scholes: I've been below standard

Nice to see united players stating the obvious
Paul, by the way did u know the sky is blue as well?

Looking Busy

I'm hearing this too often from our players. Below standard, not seen the best of me yet etc etc

mojo

Scholesie being as honest as usual. I think he's entitled a few bad games every now and then after all the major trophies he's helped to bring to OT.

skeeta

No. Scholes is not brilliant in every single game he plays. Thing is, he's not attained to a standard of quality and a standard of consistency which is greater than any of his peers.

An Extremely Boring Man

You what?

redjoe

Fair play to him for publicly admitting to it, but if he was feeling so honest he should have stated that he is finished.He will turn out a good performance every now and again but in general he will continue to be disappointing.If his game isn't on ie making incisives passes and getting into scoring situations by ghosting unmarked into the oppositions box, he has nothing to fall back on.His inability to tackle has always been there, but perhaps this season more so than any other it has really been highlighted. I like the guy, his input to the club has been amazing over the glorly years, but we need to stop living in the past and realize when something has went past its sell by date.

An Extremely Boring Man

skeeta

its a self explanatory statement

redjoe

At the start of the season Fergie publicly said he rushed Scholes back to quickly from injury and took the blame for his poor performances, now we have Scholes himself admitting to his poor form at the end of the season.Start as you mean to go on.

TheDevil'sOwn

redjoe and skeeta - planks.

Individually (or as a collective), have a word(s) with yourself(selves).

Scholes, as a Red who understands what the shirt is about, he's entitled to the benefit of the doubt. He's been up and down all season. That's not been difficult to spot. As for publicly acknowledging it, what else would you have liked him to say? "Err, mate. You've got the wrong end of the stick, there. I've been fucking dynamite!" No, he clearly hasn't. But because he's been rushed back - he's been playing catch-up all year.

The slagging of particular Reds on this site is amazing, sometimes. Don't get me wrong - Rio is a fucking wanker, and that's not really up for debate. But people like Keane, Scholes, and Ruud have gotten hammerings on here from people who wouldn't know the first thing about being class and about being "United." Let's see what a healthy Paul can contribute to the side next season. If it's just as mysterious an endeavour - then I think criticism is warranted at that point.

no7z

"Scholes: I've been below standard "

No Shit.

Scholes a legend he is but he's legs cant carry it anymore. Needs to retire at a good stage, not be forced to leave later on when we are struggling.

Bury Red

OK, congratulations to Skeeta, Redjoe and No7z you've just earned your place in forum history as the first three candidates in a poll for relegation to the newbie forum.

Vote here folks

Good luck guys, you'll need it

zippy

Me thinks Bury Red rates scholes a bit more than skeeta, redjoe and No7z

Though i've read a lot worse than those postings on here...

Bury Red

Tis only the beginning zip, I think we should run this one every week and simply felt the head to head in the idiocy stakes in this thread allowed easier comparison for the electorate.

Once people have got the hang of it we could draw the numpties from the forum as a whole and maybe even run a referendum from time to time to allow the forum to propose future candidates.

holyland red

can't really believe some of the shit aimed at Scholesy in this thread. And all this in the days were we are being blackmailed by a player soem consider to be a future United captain. Scholesy has been for years, and still is, one of our top players and never even bothered having an agent. A true world class player, yet a modest person and a local lad as well.

We couldn't have enough players like Scholesy, but we certainly have more than our fair share of muppets. Sorry about the poll- can't single out one muppet over the others.

Yianni

I vote skeeta ... for making that ridiculous thread in the transfer forum based on his experience playing Football manager.

Reflectorboy

Yes,scholes it is obvious,and i'm happy you admit that,now saying is one thing but lets hope you walk the talk by putting in good performances from nowonwards

RedTintedSpecs

scholes has had a strange season in terms of his performances being up and down.

But he has nothing to prove. He's world class. If next season he was poor, i still wouldn't sell, such is his ability imo

Still thinking of a name

Nobody is suggesting we sell him.

He has everything to prove. He's just admitted he hasnt been good enough. Now everyone is going to take notice and expect an improvement next season.

MadDogg

I love Scholes, arguably my favourite player.

But I can't help thinking that maybe it’s time for us to part ways. Everyone talks about how Keano can't play in a 4-4-2 anymore, but in reality it's Scholes that is the problem. We used to get away with it simply because we had Keane at his peak protecting him, plus both Giggs and Beckham did a significant amount of defensive work. But now, even if we replaced Keane with Gattuso or Makelele (the best two pure defensive midfielders around), I doubt we'd be able to play 4-4-2 with Scholes.

Wheras Keane would still be able to play in a 4-4-2 if he had the right partner. We need a playmaker who can control the team around and still help out defensively. And then, to recapture that balance that Beckham gave us, we also need to stop looking for a classical winger in the Giggs/Ronaldo style. Rather, we need somebody who is more a playmaker who plays out wide than a pure winger. This means that we’re almost playing with three central midfielders so that we don’t get over-run, but we still have the width and attacking threat that we currently lack.

These two players would fix most of our current problems, IMO.

Unfortunately, we’d need to sell Scholes since he wouldn’t be in the first team anymore, and we need to get the money together for the players that we need. Add Silvestre, Fortune, Miller and one of Phil or O’Shea, and that should give us about £25m on top of whatever money we do have in the kitty. With some intelligent buying, we should be able to get the right players to get back to the top of the pack.

Of course, the question is what players would fit the bill?

For the first player, the deep-lying playmaker to partner Keano in the centre, I’d love to try to get Alonso. I reckon a £15-20m bid might test Liverpools resolve. If not, perhaps try to get Baraja from Valencia or someone similar. But it’s these kinds of players that we need for this role.

Secondly, the wide attacking playmaker. Aimar has fallen out with the Valencia management, so we should be able to get him for about £10m.

----------------Ruud----------------
------------Rooney------------------
-Aimar----Keane----Alonso—Ronaldo-
--Heinze---Brown-----Rio-----Gary---
---------------Keeper---------------

Although it may play more like

---------------Ruud-----------------
--Aimar-------Rooney-------Ronaldo-
--------Keane-------Alonso---------
--Heinze---Brown-----Rio----Gary---
---------------Keeper---------------

With the three of Aimar, Rooney and Ronaldo able to interchange throughout those three positions (and we’ve always got Giggs as well). This seems to be how we want to play at the moment, but we simply don’t have the players to do it.

It’s sort of a cross between how we played in ’99 and the current Milan side.


Of course, we’d also need to put £5-10m aside for a new keeper. I guess one of Smith or Saha could be sold if it’s the only way to get the money together, although I’d prefer to keep both for at least one more season. And the following off-season we’d need to try to get someone like Gattuso, a pure defensive midfielder, to replace Keane.

Hmm, I didn’t intend for this to become an essay when I first started typing. And looking back on it, I’m sure I’ll have everyone jumping up and down on me, saying that it should be in the transfer forum. But I want to stress, it’s the formation and the type of player that we need that I’m trying to point out, not the individual players.

I still can't believe I'm saying we should sell Scholes. I feel so dirty.

thoward

Scholes is still a fine player. He struggled a bit early in the season and recently bar the semi final. But he was in fine form between November and February. His weakness for me is that he doesn't have the best stamina and running power in midfield(asthma and ashort stocky physique must be a factor) and thats a factor in United usually playing 3 in central midfield and that Keane is not as athletic as he used to be. But his goals, passing, intelligence and willingness to get stuck in are all valuable still.

redjoe

I got it wrong, Scholes has been superb this season, don't sell him, that would be crazy, while we at it, get him back playing for Engalnd, he has had a much better season than Frank Lampard.I can't for the life of me work out how Scholesy didn't even get nominated for the player of the season, typically ABU's.It's typical of this modest man, that during one of his greatest seasons performance wise in the history of the Premiership that he actually publicly says he is not happy with his form and for Fergie to do the same at the start of the season shows, just how critical these perfectionists are of their very own high standards.To all those "idiots" out there who want to sell Scholes and make a 100% profit for the club during tough financial times, get stuffed, even if Scholes doesn't play well for the rest of his career with us, we'll never sell him because he has done so much for us in the past, when he stops playing and why should he, he should automatically be given the managers position where he will reign as long as he sees fit, irrespective of results because once again his past performances make him unsackable.If you have played well in the past for us, we will stand by you.

Richter

no7z

Hmm you must've been bullied alot in school? Perhaps you are bullied alot now? Otherwise what is the reason to do this, I was simply expressing my opinion on this topic, isn't that what a forum is for? I guess having the upper hand in life for once has got to you.

Nice one. Your a champ

Still thinking of a name

Why is everyone telling us Scholes is finished, that we should sell him or that he should retire?

He's still very important to our attacking football. We play a completely different style when he's on the pitch to when he is off it.

TBH, I think it would be madness to let him go. We at least need him on the bench.

I remember last season Valencia had an approach that worked. Sure, it was only down to Aimar coming back from injury, but what the hell. They'd set out their stall with a solid formation (defensively) for 50 or 60 minutes and THEN they'd bring on Aimar, to change their entire style.

Yianni

You only notice how important Scholes is when he isnt playing for us.

He still has 3-4 years in him. Scholes is by far our problem.

Still thinking of a name

That's an interesting statement.

amolbhatia100

Hes far from our problem.. hes probabily on form our most important player.. problem is that we rely on the likes of keane,scholes and giggs too much.. and two of them are not going to be around in the long run..

giggs has constant injuries and is in and out of form, while keane is practically on his last legs and although still a fine player.. i dont think he can run the engine all by himself throughout a season.. atleast when hes rested we should have someone who can do 1/10th the job he does..

IMO a couple of good midfield signings and youl see the performance levels of scholes and giggs right up to top notch.

RedTintedSpecs

he has nothing to prove.