One of the sneaky most annoying things about his game is how much of a pussy he is in aerial challenges given his size. You'd think he was Juan Mata when the ball is in the air.
The genius of Marcus Rashford
- Thread starter MancunianAngels
- Start date
I'd barely give his work rate a thought if his work on the ball was roughly where it was at its best.
The bigger question here is why it isn't. Why is his footwork clumsy. Why is he struggling to carry the ball, get away from defenders.
Much more difficult questions for the club and I guess Marcus himself to consider.
The bigger question here is why it isn't. Why is his footwork clumsy. Why is he struggling to carry the ball, get away from defenders.
Much more difficult questions for the club and I guess Marcus himself to consider.
That's the problem with interviews or articles like this. It's just ammunition for idiots. Like putting yourself in front of a firing squad and handing them the bullets.
I don't think he's said anything wrong but there is an element of self pity in it. But then he also has some valid points like people being irked by his food voucher campaign and it becoming a stick to beat him with.
Also there's this curious thing with Rashford where even when he's playing well and scoring, a significant number of our fans, for who knows what reason, will just flat out deny it and call for him to be dropped or sold. And it's not a reaction to his two recent poor seasons because it started before that.
It's more like since Rooney left he's slowly become the poster boy to direct all the frustration and abuse at for the team's lack of success.
Also though you can't play badly for an entire season as a forward for Man Utd and not expect people to start asking questions. Maybe he needs to refind the Marcus Rashford who would get on 3 buses in the pouring rain just for a chance to train with Man Utd, rather than just talk about it. One of the stark comparisons with Rooney is that Rooney never really lost that, even if his body/fitness didn't quite agree
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Yeah true but I think the bigger picture than Marcus Rashford is that the thousands of a-holes actually contribute to why our team always looks so lacking in confidence and motivation.
I can't imagine it's that easy to switch off from it and it probably creates resentment as well, which I can say fairly confidently because if anyone dished out personal abuse to me I definitely wouldn't be putting as much effort into making their day less sh*t
This is something of a trend that is specifically seen at United and English players in the recent past, Lingard, Greenwood, Sancho and now Rashford. Not sure if it is weak mentality or united is breeding ground for such personalities. But there are so many youngsters in other clubs but it doesn't seem like it is so intense as it is at united. Maybe united is a bigger club in terms of social visibility but it only seems to affect English players. I don't see Antony putting out a piece like this ( or maybe he did and i didn't see it).
Note to Rashford - Only way to silence your critics is to work harder on your game, not your penmanship.'
Note to Rashford - Only way to silence your critics is to work harder on your game, not your penmanship.'
why? Rantbridge has been nothing but supportive
Thank you kind sir, I stand corrected.
Some of it is really cringey. But the part that surprised me was how adamant he was about being a dribbler, yet he looks so hesitant whenever he's expected to take defenders on. Unfortunately I think he's lost his confidence because of the standard & pace of the PL.
as a 40-something fan/poster, im not sure whether i fall in that older-fans bracket and if so, i'm probably in the minority. Whilst the PR stuff isnt great, i dont feel that or his current (poor) performances justifies the level of hatred which is directed at him, i find it really strange.
I wasnt really looking for a debate on it, my original post was interested to know if all clubs have those attitudes towards players.
If he put in any sort of shift against City - went for a 50/50 every now and then, challenged for a header without rubbing his head after, be involved in a hard challenge without feigning injury for a while after and then sprinted a little more - then the level of abuse wouldn’t be quite so high. It starts with the basics really - playing for the shirt like all true united fans would love to do.
Irony is if he watched a player playing like this in a United shirt when he was young he would have felt the same about their level of performance I’m sure. But he would have been brought up watching Van nistelroy, van persie - even Forlan - so effort wouldn’t have been something missing from their game.
Hope he bags a goal Sunday - and kicks on.
Irony is if he watched a player playing like this in a United shirt when he was young he would have felt the same about their level of performance I’m sure. But he would have been brought up watching Van nistelroy, van persie - even Forlan - so effort wouldn’t have been something missing from their game.
Hope he bags a goal Sunday - and kicks on.
His work ethic is shocking and like others have said he pulls out of nearly every challenge and the ones he ends up in he‘s to soft and ends up on the deck every time. He needs to realise it’s a man’s game and toughen up or give up.
Shame as when on form and up for the fight he’s a great player to watch. I really hope he does toughen up but I’m not sure he will.
Shame as when on form and up for the fight he’s a great player to watch. I really hope he does toughen up but I’m not sure he will.
I agree. After making such a passionate and heartfelt public statement, I hope this means he is going to put in a performance which truly matches the intensity of it. Come on Rashford. Time to prove the world wrong.
There will be a brief reaction, just like there was when he got stick after missing training through being on the lash. It's likely he'll bust a gut against City, at least in the first half. Why? His brand is under threat. You can't be a PR superstar if the positive publicity is being drowned out by prominent voices calling you lazy and criticising your form.
That's what he's reacting to. He wasn't pouring his heart out in an impassioned plea to insist on his dedication to the club following one of his many poor performances this season, he did it because he's been tending for reasons that weren't entirely sycophantic towards him and that is intolerable to his brand.
That's what he's reacting to. He wasn't pouring his heart out in an impassioned plea to insist on his dedication to the club following one of his many poor performances this season, he did it because he's been tending for reasons that weren't entirely sycophantic towards him and that is intolerable to his brand.
I was surprised to see a genuinely good response to this in the telegraph of all places.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/01/manchester-united-marcus-rashford-england-critics/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/01/manchester-united-marcus-rashford-england-critics/
I agree his statement is false but acknowledging criticism, especially when it's unfair and used for self-promotion doesn't mean you can't accept criticism. Living in denial and pretending the critics aren't there isn't a healthy approach.
Making an ungodly amount of money every week while more often than not playing like someone who would struggle to get a game in a lower division?
He might be arrogant, but I can't deny he is a genius for fleecing the Glazers out of so much money
He might be arrogant, but I can't deny he is a genius for fleecing the Glazers out of so much money
Why was it unfair? It was a show debating whether he has a future at United, for a player unhappy and woefully undelivering. For the Goldbridge haters, it wasn't even him doing the show.
Rashfords profile is hugely dedicated to social media, he uses it for his own gain. Can't turn around and say it's unfair when lots of the fanbase were discussing the topic snyway
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I dont like him not because of his form but his arrogance, laziness, petulant sulking. I dont mind a player having a patchy form if they give their all and work their socks off.
He was a disgrace to the shirt. He'd be dropped in Sunday league let alone any other top clubs for behaving like he did against Barkley, and to blame the fans indirectly with his feck you interview? Not to mention the no feck given on clubbing in Belfast before training and calling sick. And it's not actually a one off, his laziness is recurring for months.
It has nothing to do with skill, of which he's lacking anyway.
So feck him. I dont want him at my club.
The club is more Marcus Rashford's than it ever will be yours.
Have you ever considered that maybe that’s because all these signs were there even when he was scoring goals. Or that he wasn’t actually playing well outside of that and this is what people spoke about.
There is this curious thing that happens on here where people can play rubbish for 90 minutes be outperformed by team mates then score a goal and somehow get voted man of the match. Zlatan for example would be trash for 90mins score 1 goal and was heralded as a god.
Rashford gets the same sort of treatment. Personally I think he is a very talented player, he has a lot of attributes but somewhere along the line his education in football failed. Be that on the club or him but he didn’t develop and if anything regressed.
I’m more inclined to go with we as a club failed him, failed to educate him on how best to use his obvious gifts and that has in turn led to this surly lack of interest sulk we see these days.
I don’t think it’s too late for him to turn it around but now it feels like it’s all down to him, he needs to look at himself and his game and ask the questions. Because if he doesn’t do something he’ll just be another waste of a talent that should have been much better than he is.
There is also maybe he physically just can’t maintain the intensity to press which is why we’ve seen 3 managers move away from these tactics so he can be kept in the team. Even though when we had those brief stints as pressing high energy teams we looked at our best.
You can tell he is a really grounded individual, with his priorities straight, by wearing a Louis Vuitton top that looks like a disposable forensics paper outfit.
You need to be performing on the pitch before you start trying to be a bigmouth off it.
He's in no position to criticise others when he has shown an abysmal lack of effort for most of this season.
You need to be performing on the pitch before you start trying to be a bigmouth off it.
He's in no position to criticise others when he has shown an abysmal lack of effort for most of this season.
Sure. Keep on applauding and enjoy his game then
Genius for milking money from United, not for any footballing abilities or effort.
Fans getting upset about a meaningless 10sec clip Vs Luton is a prime example of how social media gives a false impression and fuels moronic toxicity like this.
The reality is that Rashford had no need to press Barkley deep into his own half - there were at least 8 players behind him and only a few Luton attackers, Barkley was going nowhere but obviously that doesn't stop the ridiculous hate.
Sack Ten Hag, sell Rashford
Strange there are not these clips about other players, I don't see the same situation happening with other clubs, and strange how other clubs fans laugh at us for these things.
“Meaningless” 10 second actions cumulatively add up to a team that fails to produce the desired results off the ball. Everyone needs to produce in this regard in the modern game and Rashford is consistently a dud at it.
Agreed, its to do with him wanting the ball to feet, and then finding he has three defenders lined up, one after the other facing him; one to show him down the line, one to show him inside and the other to stop him going straight for goal. Marcus then more often than not tries to bull-doze his way through all three hoping perhaps for a free kick or penalty when he doesn't make it.
This should be a good move in that if there are three defenders on him, someone somewhere is free, but there is often no sign that Marcus is aware, or even looking for the spare man.
When Marcus first broke on the scene his speed on the half turn was deadly, leaving defenders trailing. Now defenders have learned to hold off and shepherd him between them, like a ball bouncing off flips on the side of a pin table; his speed on the half turn is nullified, because he allows himself to be 'faced up' and his escape route cut off and blocked.
It seems obvious that he needs to examine his technique and make some simple changes, do the unexpected more often, heads up more often, simple changes that for some reason he doesn't make or is told not to do?
Last season he found a way, this season that 'way' has been countered by defenders, try something different Marcus, for goodness sake!
His performances make sense when you remember United is a club fans love to hate, even our own at times, whereas Marcus has always performed best when he's been coddled and loved (Solskjaer era should underpin that). He's very much the sort of player who plays best when he's being cheered on and adored, even when it's not going right for him. Many talented players have had the same issues at Madrid over the years, which is perhaps the most comparable (perhaps more extreme).
Nothing at United will ever be easy because we're the biggest club in the UK and the expectations are insane at times. I don't think Rashford has ever completely bought into this, which is similar to what's happened with Sancho, Lingard, Van de Beek, etc. Obviously he isn't an "awful" footballer and I could see him performing very well at a club with less expectations, or where the environment is a bit more tailored towards his personality, such as PSG.
I'm not a fan of his PR stuff — I don't think I've ever heard a player talk so much and perform less. He stands in contrast to other players like Bruno and Maguire who've had their critics but do their talking on the pitch.
Maybe this is harsh.
Nothing at United will ever be easy because we're the biggest club in the UK and the expectations are insane at times. I don't think Rashford has ever completely bought into this, which is similar to what's happened with Sancho, Lingard, Van de Beek, etc. Obviously he isn't an "awful" footballer and I could see him performing very well at a club with less expectations, or where the environment is a bit more tailored towards his personality, such as PSG.
I'm not a fan of his PR stuff — I don't think I've ever heard a player talk so much and perform less. He stands in contrast to other players like Bruno and Maguire who've had their critics but do their talking on the pitch.
Maybe this is harsh.
The club backing him and posting his tone death comments on social media is ridiculous.
Fourbus is goin to run dead hard and dead fast on Sunday to the bar.
I thought the effort was there against Forest, it was just a lack of quality which is no real surprise for him at CF. Obviously we have little choice at the moment but I'd still prefer to see him on the left. He's nowhere near his best but he was at least contributing a couple of goals recently and his performances were starting to improve. Anyone who comes in to replace Hojlund in the front 3 isn't likely to offer much so you might as well just stick them up top without disrupting Rashford and Garnacho as well.
The whole thing around him is quite confusing to be honest. He was doing extra training with Hojlund when he signed to help build a connection with him, that doesn't strike me as someone who's lazy and can't be bothered to put the effort in but clearly there are plenty of times that looks to be happening. The body language stuff gets brought up but it's also noticeable that he always looks really happy when others have scored, in fact that's probably the only time you see him smiling.
Overall I'd still give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he can still be a top player for the club but time is running out. It's understandable why so many would like to see him sold and that's a fair enough view but at the same time, some of the abuse he's getting is unnecessary. Both sides probably need to help each other. He has to stay out of trouble and work a bit harder and perhaps the fanbase could offer him a little extra support.
The whole thing around him is quite confusing to be honest. He was doing extra training with Hojlund when he signed to help build a connection with him, that doesn't strike me as someone who's lazy and can't be bothered to put the effort in but clearly there are plenty of times that looks to be happening. The body language stuff gets brought up but it's also noticeable that he always looks really happy when others have scored, in fact that's probably the only time you see him smiling.
Overall I'd still give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he can still be a top player for the club but time is running out. It's understandable why so many would like to see him sold and that's a fair enough view but at the same time, some of the abuse he's getting is unnecessary. Both sides probably need to help each other. He has to stay out of trouble and work a bit harder and perhaps the fanbase could offer him a little extra support.
I'm only referring to that specific Barkley clip that keeps getting mentioned and has been used as a stick to beat Rashford in recent weeks
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vid...-marcus-rashford-gives-ross-barkley-free-rein
Rashford did nothing wrong, there were 8+ United players covering and he was better off getting into an attacking position for the transition
Do you disagree ?
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No I haven't considered that because it is frankly, a load of bollocks. This is based on this failed understanding that a lot of you seem to have that all forwards are actually quite inconsistent, and that when you're primarily a direct forward like Rashford is, scoring or creating goals is kind of the whole point. When the team has won 3-1 and you scored two goals and helped assist the other, that means as a forward you have played well and are also vitally important to the team. If you score over 20 goals a season that means the team has won a lot of games because of you and would struggle to replace you.
For example, last season when Rashford scored 30 goals, we finished 3rd, won a trophy, got to the final of another cup, got to the quarter finals of another...and all of that would have been impossible if you took out Rashford's contributions, or took him out of the team and replaced him with a less good player. Sancho, for example. This is further made obvious this season where Rashford has been poor and we've already crashed embarrassingly out of 2 out of 3 cups and aren't going to be finishing within a mile of 3rd, and can't seem to buy a goal in most games.
During SAF's last season, when RVP was heralded and scored actually less goals than Rashford scored last season, he had a good 2 month spell where he was awful and couldn't hit a barn door. He also had a lot of games where his hold up play ruined most of our attacks. Rooney, who is our all time record goal scorer, would have games and sometimes prolonged periods where he miss-controlled nearly every ball and looked like he was playing in slow motion. He once went an entire half of a season with only 1 goal, which was a penalty.
The problem here is that you lot are going to rip to pieces literally ANY forward we sign or plays for us if this is how you approach it. It will happen to Hojlund, because now he has started scoring goals, the next time he struggles to for a period, or has a few poor games, you're going to be on his back...and then once its happened a couple of times the abuse will begin....and then the "he still isn't playing while" shite after he scores 2 goals in a 3-2 win.
And the problem I have and wish more of our fans would have with this is it clearly DOES affect the players. It might even have something to do with why Rashford's poor spells now last an entire season.
Honestly if you were a normal unbiased person reading this thread for example, you would come out of it backing Rashford and thinking that this awful set of fans deserve for their team to get relegated and all their players to be as bad as they seem to think they are., and unfortunately you could go into a vast majority of the threads on here and come out thinking the same.
I'd say those two things are probably linked to an extent. There's been a negative campaign in sections of the right wing media to turn opinions against him since he embarrassed the government back in 2020.
Also it's mad to think that some stupid twats were actually upset he was trying to get hungry children regular meals.
I think it’s just time he moved on for his own sake. He’s just not very good. Maybe join his buddy in the bundesliga?
Unfortunately everything with Rashford is now divisive, you can’t criticise his performances without people suspecting ulterior motives (not denying those motives exist).
I want Rashford to play well because ultimately if he does what he has shown he is capable of United will do well. Can’t deny that he, along with others, have been turd all season but he has also been out on the piss and then puts himself front and centre with a “don’t believe your lying eyes” interview/article.
Personally I believe he would flourish away from United, away from the pressure that comes with being the local lad and poster boy for a club that has been in disarray for a long time. Hope I’m wrong though.
Sorry but any one with any intelligence or understanding of football can see Rasmus was mostly doing all the correct things where Rashford is not and was not.
I can see you fall in the category of not viewing football on the whole and how actions by individuals affect performance of the unit. So I feel any discourse between us will just be a waste of our time. So wish you all the best and hope you have a great day.