BBC article on Ruud van Nistelrooy
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Great read, thanks OP. One of my favorite players.
Fantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry 
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
Great read. Thanks for sharing it!
No worries. Absolutely quality player on his day. Not many pure finishers like him.
I think it's so hard to do player vs player comparison as players offer different things and teams have different requirements.Fantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
Henry for example could probably be more of a creative influence and certainly contributed more to his team outside the box. Inside the box Ruud was king. At the time we didn't need creativity outside. We had an all star cast creating for Ruud to apply the finish.
No worries.
Last 15 to 20 years. His peak was not in the last decade.Fantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
Also, rvn was a bit of a nothing player for me at united. I never think of him, or have any real memories. My two lasting memories are that we improved when he left and his little strop in the league cup final.
Not saying he wasn't an awesome striker but just someone i never took to at all.
And as for being better than henry. Not close. Henry wins. (Ruud has only a slightly better goals per game ratio and nowhere near as much of a creative influence).
Edit: to clarify as this has caused much tedious outrage. I mean i just have no emotional connection to ruud. I never think of his time at united. He was obviously a really good player.
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That's incredibly harsh. He just had the misfortune of being at the club while we were in a brief transition.
Nothing player.I suppose it boils down to personal preference. For me, RVN remains one of favourite footballers. Absurdly good striker. I'd love to have seen him in a better United side than he did. He would have set some seriously hard to catch records.
What a striker this guy was, phenomenal. I never tire to argue with people claiming he was a limited goal poacher, just shows the narrative by opposition fans.
I felt RVN success was contributed hugely by Beckham's assists.
you have incredibly high standards then.I agree. I loved watching Ruud and, for me, he's the stand out striker at Utd.
Apparently he phoned SAF years later and apologised for his behaviour in his final year.
Never explained why though.
Never explained why though.
I suppose it boils down to personal preference. For me, RVN remains one of favourite footballers. Absurdly good striker. I'd love to have seen him in a better United side than he did. He would have set some seriously hard to catch records.
I didn't say he wasn't a good player, quite the opposite. But i just never took to him. I have absolutely no emotional connection to him as a former united player. Thats what i mean by nothing player to me. I never ever think about him. When i see his name pop up i think "oh yeah he played for us" and thats it.
Incredible player who gets underrated by dimwits who only look at trophy counts.
Poached by Real Madrid at 30. He was the real deal.
Poached by Real Madrid at 30. He was the real deal.
The best finisher the league has ever seen. The article sums it up, when he was through on the keeper you could relax. You just knew.
I disagree his career is defined by that Arsenal game. Nobody but a few bitter Arsenal fans give a shit about that, everyone else remembers what a brilliant player he was.
I disagree his career is defined by that Arsenal game. Nobody but a few bitter Arsenal fans give a shit about that, everyone else remembers what a brilliant player he was.
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Aargh, fair enough bud.
That is not totally fair, given that Beckham was only there for two of RvN's five seasons at United.
He had more time than anyone. There was no hesitancy.
His finishing stands out to me to be maybe the most clinical in a United shirt. He just had that incredible instinct.. For when to strike the ball, for where to place himself and then he had one hell of a shot on him. He reminds me a bit of Luca Toni in stature and instinct.
The finishing for him was always natural. When you look at our current striker Rashford, finishing is something he has to work extremely hard on. Ruud had it locked down from birth and in the youth-ranks like Rooney also had.
The finishing for him was always natural. When you look at our current striker Rashford, finishing is something he has to work extremely hard on. Ruud had it locked down from birth and in the youth-ranks like Rooney also had.
Kane is comparable to Cole.Fantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
RvN was comparable to Shearer, Aguero.
Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud
For those who haven't seen it.
I agree with pretty much everything you have written.
I've added a video about a q and a he did which pretty much says as much about Arsenal.
One of my favourite ever players!
Like a few other posters on this thread I just didn’t particularly like RVN. It was just something about him stopped me from warming to him. As a player and a goal scorer he was good but his all round performances and attitude just left me feeling cold. I wasn’t that even that annoyed when that Keown infamously jumped on him after he missed the penalty.
He certainly divides opinion.
He certainly divides opinion.
Ruud and it's not even closeFantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
Never really warmed to Ruud. He was a great goalscorer and all but I felt he was limited outside of that, especially when you compared him to Henry. Also, felt he would leave us at some point for another team. Don't know why. I was about 15 at the time though so my opinions were based purely on emotion and not a lot else.
As others have said, in the box he was the king, you never felt he'd miss, absolutely deadly. His goal against Arsenal at Highbury lives long in the memory, ran straight past Martin Keown like he wasn't there and dinked the keeper with ice cold composure.
Make a thread about it?Fantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
We need to ban the word underrated on hereFantastic article on a fantastic player. I still remember arguing on Orkut about him being better than Henry
Incredibly underrated when we talk about strikers of last decade.
Also, I wonder where people stand on RvN v Kane debate? Who’s the better player?
He won footballer of the year over Henry so was certainly not underrated
Whoa.. That Keown-episode had me filled with hate for Arsenal for about a decade
Loved watching Ruud growing up without a doubt one of my favourite United players. His celebration against Arsenal in 2005 still gives me chills to this day.
I find he is underrated by fans when I speak to them these days.
My favourite United player ever. When I was 11/12 and started to become football obsessed he was the goal machine hero, no player has matched that feeling of when Ruud scored in my eyes.
To be honest I was more annoyed with the missed penalty.
Watch the video. He was more annoyed about that too!
You don’t remember Eric then do you? Now in the modern game (PL onwards), he is my favourite player, the player that reignited Utd and got us playing and winning again. In the modern era no other player comes close.