If Rashford hits another purple patch, will it change your mind on him?

[johannes_fd]

He's a quality player, but tends to go missing for large periods of time. We should never be reliant of him, which is why it's hopeless to enter a season "hoping Rashford replicates last year". Honestly saw this coming a mile away. Rashford can go on a spree looking like a Ballon D'or contender, but it will never be sustainable.

Our team should and needs to have other big threats. If we had a better team who was not over-reliant on Rashford, we could live through his lack of form at times. And maybe he would also find his form easier, if we actually had a team able to create things without him or offer more service. He rarely gets a "free goal".

 

[IRELANDUNITED]

It’s not even his lack of goals that is frustrating me, it’s his body language. He seems to do this every time the team is struggling, drops the head, jogs around, looks half arsed. He’s one of our best players and I want him to lead by example. Run like a monster, fight, set an example for the rest of the team. He’s a United fan, start acting like one.

 

[Berbaclass]

If PSG come in for him we should cash in.

 

[Zlatanator]

No matter how many purple patches he hits, I'm 100% sure that he can't touch 20 goals in the prem.

 

[bosnian_red]

Rashford is our LW or Garnacho will eventually overtake him at LW, that's pretty much the plan for me. I don't think we should buy a new LW anytime soon or sell any of our LW's. Rashford can be a quality player, suits certain games more than others, steps up in big games.... he'll be fine.

 

[justsomebloke]

My point is that you seem to think that Rashford is a good dribbler and has a good dribbling success rate, and that in his current form, he is pulling his weight and scoring enough goals because he is such a good dribbler, and that therefore there is no reason to think he is not playing badly. I disagree with that belief if you think what I'm assuming.

No, I don't think he has a good take-ons success rate, he does have a good take-ons success rate. I have not said, or even remotely implied, that he's scoring enough goals. Clearly he isn't.

I am just pointing out that contrary to what many seem to be assuming, his general performance in most areas hasn't declined, he's not generally dribbling himself into cul-de-sacs and he's not failing to get positive outcomes from his take-ons (such as 50% more shots from take-ons than any other player in the PL). Meaning this is quite a bit more nuanced than many make out.

 

[ElDiabloRojo]

If PSG come in for him we should cash in.

Absolutely, bite their hand off. He would do well in the French league.

In the PL he will never be anything but a purple patch player, which isn't enough to mount a title challenge.

 

[Rightnr]

Thanks, you've understood it perfectly!

It's a feature of a lot of online forums where (most) people arguing this point are being purposefully obtuse.

The meaning behind the thread is clear but some prefer to point score and play the smart arse.

 

[gaffs]

Rashford is the only proven goal scorer we have in the team. You keep playing him until he is finds his form.

The team are playing poorly overall. It doesn't feel like the team knows how the manager wants them to play.

Yes, he hasn't been great, but bear in mind as soon as he gets the ball, he is double teamed. We saw that against Bayern and Palace. He should be looking to bring others in play quickly in those circumstances, but that takes a midfielder making themselves available for him.

Most wingers have someone overlapping to create an option for them. I thought Marcus actually looked pretty sharp against Brighton where he had Reguilon creating space for him. With Amrabat or Dalot, he wont get that. He had some good shots and setup Hojland, only for the goal to be ruled out.

I see Rashford's form as a symptom of our overall poor play.

 

[Puskas_007]

Rashford isn't the problem, the team is the problem, if he starts scoring goals again that will be brilliant, but I hope that alongside the goals he increases his team focused output too because if not he should be replaced by a player that will OR (as was the case with Ronaldo in the latter days of his first spell at the club) his performances should be so consistently good that the team is geared to allow him to perform...

 

[zaafi]

Hopefully he will go through a purple patch sooner rather than later, but ultimately I want us to be a top team again, and that's not going to happen with him as our starter. He had massive potential when he broke through, but he just hasn't progressed much, and I'd say he has even regressed in some areas.

 

[3KDré]

Rather than single out the player that reliably will score or create something, we should get more players in the team who can reliably score or create. Our two top scorers after Rashford last year were Bruno and Casemiro. Not a single forward other than Rashford is a reliable goal scorer. Other players have purple patches too. Players like Mane, Son, Sterling also go through spells of not scoring, but it's not as noticed because someone else will.

 

[Lost bear]

If someone comes for him with big money we should sell. His purple patches are not sufficient in my view to compensate for his anonymity, poor play and can’t be arsed attitude. The latter version of Marcus is the default version, it seems to me. His best patches are not purple enough to balance out the off-beige patches we get the rest of the time. Sell him and go for someone better.

 

[blazinRe'D']

If rashford gets another "purple patch" like last season , I'm sure folks here would flip flop and think he's world class again . I think he's somewhere between a good player and world class.

Tbf I honestly think a lot of world class LWs out there would struggle in this dysfunctional united team. It's not just him , the fact we have little to zero goal threat from other areas in the forward line is not how a good team functions imo and is more of a concern really.

 

[Partridge]

A purple patch of around 5/6 weeks every year followed by months of averageness simply isn't good enough.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

This is a team that is pinning its hopes on the return of Antony & here’s another Rashford thread.

He should have not bothered signing & fecked off on a free, this fanbase deserves the shite we’re getting.

Rashford is far from perfect but the constant pile on when there are countless players that should see the door before him is beyond tiresome. Right now he’s one of our best players, not particularly saying much, but whilst clowns like Lindelof find themselves playing week in-week out the focus should honestly be elsewhere.

 

[Born2Lose]

If PSG come in for him we should cash in.

No other club in Europe would be stupid enough to match his wages. Was the same with De Gea.

 

[Berbaclass]

No other club in Europe would be stupid enough to match his wages. Was the same with De Gea.

PSG will move for him if Mbappe goes to Madrid I think personally.

 

[-Supreme-]

PSG will move for him if Mbappe goes to Madrid I think personally.

Our board won’t sell until these players are completely out of favour and their value plummets, but by this point no clubs would be interested.

Still can’t believe how we have rejected £30m for McT

 

[Berbaclass]

Our board won’t sell until these players are completely out of favour and their value plummets, but by this point no clubs would be interested.

Still can’t believe how we have rejected £30m for McT

It's well established the interest in Rashford from PSG. We will now get big money if they ever decide to try and buy him due to his new contract.

 

[USREDEVIL]

I still rate Rashford! He's so used to having to score all by himself he forgets to pass! That's my excuse and i'm sticking to it.

 

[-Supreme-]

It's well established the interest in Rashford from PSG. We will now get big money if they ever decide to try and buy him due to his new contract.

I don’t have any doubts PSG may still be interested, but the issue here is our inability to sell players at the right time.

 

[LInkash]

I still rate Rashford! He's so used to having to score all by himself he forgets to pass! That's my excuse and i'm sticking to it.

Didn't he at least create the best chance of the game for Hojlund?

He is already making a lot of key passes to Hojlund and that is only going to improve in time so I have hope.

 

[Eleven-Eighteen]

He's got that quality where you know he has a very high potential but has never really learned parts of the game that you need to go from potential to reality. I remember disliking Ronaldo in the early years in spite of all the hype because he consistently seemed to run into brick walls of defenders. But then he learned and got better and better. Rashford has had years and years yet he always seems out of touching distance from where we all think he should be and needs to be

 

[Tyrion]

I want to know how many fans are out there who've become so disillusioned with him that even another temporary run of goalscoring form won't be enough to redeem him.

It wouldn't change my mind. It seems to me that he's a good but one dimensional player who can be very effective if he's running, cutting in and shooting effectively but quite poor when it's not working. His one good skill working better than normal wouldn't change my mind.

For me to change my mind, he'd have to consistently show more to his game than he has. He'd have to excel at pressing, be a good passer or dribble past players.

 

[tentan]

No. I knew as soon as the got that new contract his performances would dip massively.

 

[spiriticon]

No. My opinion is that he's a decent supersub for a big team worth its salt, no more. He doesn't really have the game intelligence to be a regular starter.

We give him the games that he gets because we're not a serious big team competing for the top trophies

 

[USREDEVIL]

Didn't he at least create the best chance of the game for Hojlund?

He is already making a lot of key passes to Hojlund and that is only going to improve in time so I have hope.

Agreed. He will start connecting more and more better-er with Hojlund as time passes. I have faith in him.

 

[VP89]

Didn't he at least create the best chance of the game for Hojlund?

He is already making a lot of key passes to Hojlund and that is only going to improve in time so I have hope.

With the amount of times hes fed the ball in threatening areas it would be a hilarious embarrassment if he couldn't muster one pass as a chance. Point is, he's wasting an absolute boat load.

 

[Offside]

Depends how big the purple patch is. If he winds up with 30 goals again this season you can’t really complain…I guess.

At the end of the day in terms of goal scoring wide players for United he’s second to only Ronaldo and Best. In terms of dribbling ability he’s 2nd bottom only to Bebe.

This is the issue - he will never be the complete forward.

 

[Maticmaker]

Sure I'd be happy if Marcus scored a lot of goals, provided we were winning the games, otherwise not interested.
Marcus is becoming a player who if he is not scoring, what is he doing on the pitch?
The last few games he has drawn opposition defenders like flies around a piece of **it, but then he tries to drive right through them, time and again, and looks slightly ridiculous, because he doesn't seem to register what his actions are costing the team.

 

[Velvet Revolver]

His non-penalty goals record in the league vs number of appearances he's made each year

5 (11)
5 (32)
7 (35)
10 (33)
11 (31)
11 (37)
4 (25)
17 (35)


For a forward 17 in a league season is a decent return but it's bizarre some use it as evidence of him being world class

This! The hype and let down is ridiculous in this day and age. Was it 'Arry' or someone else i don't remember who said, why would we give bonus for a striker to score goals? isn't that what he is supposed to do?

The bar has been set so low the last few years that doing the bare minimum is now lauded as a great thing. Sigh!

 

[Withnail]

We would have more points without him this season. No doubt. We saw in the cup just how much we created simply by moving the ball with pace and purpose in the final third. He's the footballing equivalent of John Goodman in that Family Guy sketch; eating absolutely everything we make leaving starving team mates looking on enviously.

The irony for Marcus Statsford though is that what he does now actually looks good on the stats (if you ignore how many chances he missing) as look how many chances he's getting.. must be playing well, right?

Anyone using that match to prove anything is taking the piss. Palace were abysmal that day, created absolutely nothing and would have been comprehensively beaten by any team we put out.

The nickname is also extremely petty and doesn't work if you immediately use the word 'stats' afterwards.

 

[Shake Jism]

Giggs didnt score as much but i'd take him over Rashford any day of the week simply because he was a player who can bring everyone into the game.

Including his brother's wife.

 

[neon_badger]

If he starts banging in goals from the left whilst also supplying Højlund and putting in a genuine effort with his pressing I'll build him a feckin statue...but I'm not anticipating getting my hammer and chisle out anytime soon.

 

[SouthMancRed]

His non-penalty goals record in the league vs number of appearances he's made each year

5 (11)
5 (32)
7 (35)
10 (33)
11 (31)
11 (37)
4 (25)
17 (35)


For a forward 17 in a league season is a decent return but it's bizarre some use it as evidence of him being world class

That's actually better than I thought but basically one in three is what I'd expect from a decent striker.. World class is a different level though and he isn't at it. You also aren't so inconsistent at that level. He can be a decent PL player, not one to build the future of a club around.

 

[Jeffthered]

Absolutely, bite their hand off. He would do well in the French league.

In the PL he will never be anything but a purple patch player, which isn't enough to mount a title challenge.

I think we need to see Rashford, alongside two other top attackers. Look at Bayern. Look at Real. Liverpool have (still are) re-organising their front line. City too. None of those clubs accept average forwards, but we seem to. And this is where I sympathise with Rashford, because he must be thinking '... Sancho, Antony, Martial....????'

If we lose him next season, it will be our loss, despite the frustrations with him.

 

[FreakyJim]

It’s not even his lack of goals that is frustrating me, it’s his body language. He seems to do this every time the team is struggling, drops the head, jogs around, looks half arsed. He’s one of our best players and I want him to lead by example. Run like a monster, fight, set an example for the rest of the team. He’s a United fan, start acting like one.

I very much doubt that. Maybe when he was 9.

He's a Rashford fan first and foremost.

 

[Butty19]

He needs to get his head up and stop trying to run through 3 players.

 

[Lay]

I'd sell him. He's at an age now where it should click, he's 26 at the end of the month and he still can't find consistency.

Its not just about output, he may score 20 goals but he ruins the chances to score more goals because of his selfish play.