the season we signed Rio we won the league with the best defensive record in the league. The season after that we were first place, undefeated until Rio missed the drug test in Jan and then Arsenal went on that run and won the league. In 2005 we conceded only 26 goals, the 2nd least after Chelsea. Ferdinand made the PFA team of the season in 2002 and 2005 also. I dunno who told you he was a major flop. Maybe that was in another country.
Virgil van Dijk | Performances
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
This was almost a really good point. Until someone remembered the score was 1-0 when Evans got sent off with half a game still to play.
He was not a flop before Vidic came. Most people had issues with his image off the pitch and it didn't help that he had the occassional concentration lapse. Its sort of like what's happening with Pogba now. Other that everyone knew he was a mainstay in defence.
Nah. Kompany just wasn't that good
Why would anyone tell me? I just watch the games and make up my own mind.
I watched Rio mature into a top class defender at Leeds. I was delighted when United signed him after the fiasco that was Blanc and I was expecting a Stam-like leader at the back.
But it didn't happen. He was back to the error prone, shaky defender from his West Ham days. His partnerships with Silvestre and Brown were real weak links of those sides where they still had one of the best midfields in Europe sitting in front of them. It always felt frantic and lacking organisation.
If you compare that to the feeling of absolute assurance that the team had during the Vidic years. Whether it was Vidic/Rio, Vidic/Evans or even Smalling or Jones next to Vidic, there was no feeling of dread as the ball came into the box or when the opposition attacked.
Rio is a fantastic media man. He's excellent in the media and his PR spin post his career has made him come across as a leader within the club driving standards for others to aspire to.
In reality, he was the idiot who forgot to do his drug test and with all of his "merked" nonsense was the Jesse Lingard of that era.
I'm sure he developed into more of a mature figure within the group as he got more experienced and wiser in his later years but he was Leeds captain when Fergie signed him and he clearly intended him to be the future club captain. But, it never happened and Vidic got the gig instead. Why do you think that is?
Why did he get sent off? Because he was out of position and got skinned by Balotelli.
And that's a reflection on Rio how?
This is a very poor post consisting of revisionism and hyperboles.
He only really played one full season with the so-called "one of the best midfields in Europe" and that season we won the league while conceding the least. Becks left in 2003 and Keane was already on the wrong side of 30. Since then its been a wide array of names from the likes of Veron, Djemba Djemba, Kleberson, O'Shea, Giggs.
He came back from his drug ban in 2004 and that season we had a good defence that only conceded 26 goals in the league. He was one of the best defenders in the league that season and was named in the team of the season.
Rio was our captain in the 2008 CL final. Not Vidic. Why do think that is?
He was, what made Vidic better than him?
But he was though. I understand there are biases at play but come on, he was a fantastic defender.
Fanatastic, yes. Just not as good as Vidic. I mean I've put him in my all time PL CB list ahead of VVD after all so I do rate him obvious.
The big question will be how he returns from this injury he may return to his top form or he may be another Torres/Falcao situation.
I have a feeling he'll come back to his top level soon enough. Just a hunch.
I agree. Could go either way given how he relies heavily on all the attributes that this kind of injury can ruin
- Vidic was better in the air (best box defender I've ever seen play).
- Braver, would stick his head in areas others wouldn't even put their boot,
- better fitness record
- played and won in more high profile matches for a team with far more prestige
- less error prone. Kompany always had mistakes in him, I had friends who thought he was vastly overrated because of this.
Overall Vidic as a package was just a miles better defender and again that's no slight on Kompany, Vidic is possibly the best Premier League defender of all time. I'd say Kompany edges leadership, but then he played in a team devoid of any other leaders so it stands out more. Kompany also edges him on ball playing but I wouldn't say Kompany was in the same league as Ferdinand in that department and really Vidic was also underrated on the ball. There's just very little basis to say that Kompany is better than Vidic especially when only one of them has really performed at the pinnacle of the game.
Great summary.
Kompany was a really superb defender but I think Vidic was a step above. And I don't believe he gets the credit he deserves as he was so aggressive at attacking the ball which contrasted with the style of Rio so much, and hence put himself constantly in the line of fire.
Rio was class way before Vidic signed. The media played their usual game of jumping on any error because he was a) expensive and b) United.
Funny that you should compare him to Stam as the media did exactly the same thing with him in 1998.
Both Stam and Rio had the last laugh.
Yeh agreed, what I'd give to have Vidic again. Easily my favourite defender and the player I most looked up to as a young CB myself. Unfortunately, that kind of defender is a dying breed these days, mainly because the changes in refereeing has cut out a significant amount of physicality. The most Vidic like performance I've seen recently was Dias against PSG in the champions league semi, he was throwing his body on the line in a way few modern players do.
I could be mistaken but I think you'd only read bias like this on a United forum. Don't get me wrong, Vidic > Kompany is a perfectly valid claim but your points are skewed in favor of Vidic, quite a lot.
"Would stick his head in areas were others wouldn't put their boot" is not exactly a trait I would praise a defender with - same could be said about Phil Jones. Better fitness record, yes but Vidic was also injury prone and Kompany's real returning issues only started around 2014-2015 when he'd already been at City for a long time.
Also you're comparing players so no use to say "won more high profile matches for a team with far more prestige". You're also using that same argument as a slight on his leadership because he played in a lesser team which is crazy too. It's like using the argument that Kompany led his team in a World Cup QF win over Brasil in favor of Kompany, Vidic never even played in a World Cup (the most high profile matches of them all). Makes no sense at all. And Kompany by far edges Vidic on the ball regardless of whether Vidic is underrated or not in that department.
Again, perfectly valid to say that Vidic is a class above Kompany or similar claims, but the arguments you use are pretty weak and biased imo.
And made a shit GK Sir Joseph Hart won 4 Golden Gloves
Well if you believe that Vidic is a better player than Kompany, what would you say are the reasons for that? I don’t think my assessment is unfair at all as I rate Kompany too. Ultimately my argument is that Vidic was just an absolute warrior in a way that few defenders can match (saying he’s anything like Phil Jones is stupid btw). Also since when are Liverpool fans the unbiased voice of rating Utd players. Speak to most Liverpool fans and they will tell you we bought the refs, were overrated, got lucky to discredit that brilliant Utd team/period.
I don't necessarily believe that, I'm just saying I think you exaggerated Vidic' strong traits and magnified Kompany's weak ones - he edges Kompany in the categories you mention but not as clear cut or as big a difference as you made it sound, but maybe that was not your intention and I interpreted it wrong.
If you think I said he's anything like Phil Jones then you also misinterpreted my post by the way.
so basically you don't like his character? This is not about captaincy its about who the better defender was and it was Rio. much of what you said is irrelevent to football ability. Again if our defence was so shaky how did we have the best defensive record and Rio make the team of the year? Vidic played in a team with Carrick sitting and Scholes pretty much stopped bombing forward as much as well as hargreaves. It was Vidic who was shaky at first.
Bit rusty
Imagine getting schooled by Jovetic.
He hasn't played football for almost a year. This thread is hilarious at times.
Edit: Although he did get done like a kipper.
Edit: Although he did get done like a kipper.
Hence him naturally being a bit rusty in preseason. Not sure what's controversial about that?
Sorry are we supposed to say he’s looking sharp there?
He looks very heavy considering he will have been rehabilitating a knee injury you think they’d have kept him trim.
To be fair thats how he played against Villa
Oh dear, he's become Titus Bramble
Looks finished RIP.
Imagine that, on a United forum nonetheless
Why can't you just accept he's finished?
Shocked that he’s 30 years old.
I thought he was 28.
I thought he was 28.
He is not rusty, he just forgot that he is not supposed to be tackling forwards, but keeping his record of not getting dribbled past for consecutive games which was always the most important thing.
VvD, Gomez, Matip, Ox, Keita, Jota all playing in the same game and none of them getting injured. It's like I'm in an alternate universe. 
That clip reminds me of his performances from Jan-Sep 2020.
Imagine that, on a United forum nonetheless
These are all valid points. I'll put my 'Leave Virgil Alone' shirt away for now.
Nice, I'm a bit of a Hertha fan.
His injury was awful, he genuinely might never be the same.
Even mentally it takes a while to go into challenges 100% like he would have previously, now he will always be a little cautious.
Even mentally it takes a while to go into challenges 100% like he would have previously, now he will always be a little cautious.