Come on, this is 2025. We've seen the likes of Ronaldo, Messi and Salah break goalscoring records as wide forwards for more than a decade. There's no extra credit for scoring goals as a wide forward in the modern game.
Anthony Martial | Joins Monterrey
- Thread starter Chairman Steve
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Well, I disagree. Rashford’s best season, he was a lot more than Chris Woods (what the feck’s wrong with Chris Woods, btw?), not just being at the end of attacks aimed at a striker, but frequently pulling rabbits out of hats all by himself for United (and England). If you want to reserve the word ‘great’ for the five best wide forward seasons in the world, be my guest, but I feel it’s out of touch with how most people use that word (‘wow, that was a great meal at Burger King!’, ‘new slippers? Great!’, ‘Lucinda did a great job printing out all those stencils in time for the luncheon meeting todsy!’)
I think rashford was great in his best season. If he kept it up he would be a great player.
Yip. Unbelievable.
Do agree with that. We haven't had a attacking player or striker scoring 20+ league goals since 2012/13 and RvP. All the other so called top 6 clubs have. We've been really poor as attacking team for a long time.
Had honestly forgotten this guy was still playing.
When he first broke through, his pace on the ball and dribbling was a stand out. Should have carried on being an inside forward.
No. I think he had a great season. I objected to the notion that him scoring those goals from a wide position rather than central somehow adds to it.
It’s depressing. Particularly for Martial who I rated really highly. In truth both of them had far too much on their shoulders far too early which contributed to their delusion or malaise or whatever the feck their problems were above the neck. A lot of that going around since Fergie retired.
This is why I hate stats without context. He played 17 games as a LW or RW - 13 as a CF out of which he played around 45 minutes on average. That's 6-7 full games. Deschamps hated him from day 1.
Martial is a prime example of mismanagement. I would have loved to see him managed under a proper manager like SAF or Pep who know how to get the best from difficult characters.
FiFY
That context adds nothing to those stats. 2 goals from 6-7 full games as a striker and 17 games as a wide forward is still a dreadful return, whichever way you cut it. Especially playing for a dominant team like France.
He basically did counter attacks, and mostly against weak opposition.
He'd be shown the exit door ASAP by those 2 great managers you mentioned and Pep doesnt know how to deal with difficult characters btw. Honestly I dont understand with some people babysitting players so much, forgetting the fact that each of these players have had their own responsibility, on and off the pitch but somehow it's always managers fault. The "X" manager bought new player when he was in form, the "Y" manager played him through injuries, the "Z" manager clearly didnt like him (well if i watch my player dozing off on the pitch I'd dislike him too).
What a waste. Although I did predict that as soon as he left United he would just wander around aimlessly acheiving nothing.
The only reason he was at United so long is He was the Glazer's favourite player. That says it all about how the club has been run in the last decade.
Yeah, I can't judge the guy because I don't know him, but it seems we've somehow contributed to ruining a few talented youngsters by giving them way, way too much, way too soon. Martial, Rashford, Sancho, just to name a few (& not to lump them all in the 'Sancho' category as each situation has its own merits).
It obviously wasn't just the mind-numbing cash, but I'm sure it contributed to their motivation & desire at the top level. Probably provided more than enough distraction as well.
Sure, injuries, the pressure of playing for United, dressing room influences, 'Disneyland' & various other factors contributed, and ultimately they need to take full accountability for how their careers have turned out/are turning out.
Not sure any of them - least of all not Martial, will be able to turn it around and perform at the top level anymore either. Sad how it all went pear shaped.
Yeah, the fact we once had Rashford, Greenwood and Martial lining up for us and a lot of us thought we were sorted up front for years only for it to go horribly wrong over the next few years causing us to waste tonnes on the likes of Sancho/Hoijund still makes me wince.
I dont think theres many players that left us and actually did well somewhere else other than McTominay.
Don't forget the likes of Antony - at least with Hojlund, he wasn't on insane wages (not that I recall anyway) and we're getting back an 'ok' chunk, assuming the obligation goes through.
But agreed. I didn't want to mention MG for obvious reasons (plus it's not exactly his 'talent/attitude' that is the issue as he's still delivering) but we all thought we had a front line with world class potential sorted for the next 5-10 years! Then on top of that not panning out, we ended up wasting hundreds of millions on signing their replacements, who actually turned out to be bigger busts
Couldn't make it up (almost!).
Don't forget the likes of Antony - at least with Hojlund, he wasn't on insane wages (not that I recall anyway) and we're getting back an 'ok' chunk, assuming the obligation goes through.
But agreed. I didn't want to mention MG for obvious reasons (plus it's not exactly his 'talent/attitude' that is the issue as he's still delivering) but we all thought we had a front line with world class potential sorted for the next 5-10 years! Then on top of that not panning out, we ended up wasting hundreds of millions on signing their replacements, who actually turned out to be bigger busts
Couldn't make it up (almost!).
I had already forgotten Antony
Its enough to make you weep if you think too much about it.
I had already forgotten Antony
Its enough to make you weep if you think too much about it.
agreed, trying to block it out my side as well. Clearly not yet as successful as youDisagree.
And what exactly are you suggesting he did?
Kinda hard to begrudge him for how it turned out, I dont think it ever was a case of him lacking spirit or mentality, his body simply gave out and when it happens there's not much one could do.
Would be nice to see him have last hurrah of sorts somewhere even if its unlikely.
Would be nice to see him have last hurrah of sorts somewhere even if its unlikely.
Caf romanticisim at its finest. He was one of the main culprits of moping around the pitch, when he was fit enough to be on it.
Most of the players that went to Italy seemed to end up doing fairly well. Scott, Young, Darmian, Lukaku, Sanchez, Mkhitaryan (although obviously he went to Arsenal first).
Dare I say that that’s a major reason as to why we haven’t won the league
Why is everyone talking about attitude? I never had him down as a difficult person?
Tbf he was busy cheating on the mother's of his children and went out of his way to rent cheap hotel rooms to do it. He knew how to put in the effort where it mattered most.
That’s exactly what he did here too.
I thought this too. Was surprised he even found another club, to be honest.
Exactly, people talk like he was having to play as winger in a 4 4 2. Wide forwards are the new strikers, they will generally get the most chances and most goals. His best league season was 17 goals, decent but far from world class. His average was 9 league goals a season, hardly much to write home about
I think context needs to be added to this because particularly the first post is just absurd. I mean you could literally say the same of a Cantona season.
Objectively Rashford in 22/23 won us 21 league points with winning goals. Just like Cantona scoring 18 league goals may not be considered outstanding in isolation, but when you’re THE GUY regularly scoring opening goals and/or winning goals week in week out that needle shifts.
When the statistics aren’t inflated by stat padding penalties or a month of good form and you’re still consistently scoring the first goal and the winning goals. When you’re scoring and performing in the big games. Then the context shifts massively from ‘just what Danny Ings did’…I mean how utterly ridiculous, what utter tripe. You could say that about Yorke in 99.
In the 22/23 season Rashford scored the Winner v
Liverpool
Arsenal (2 goals and assist in 3-1 win)
West ham
Wolves away
City
Palace
Brentford
He also scored the opening goal v
Forest (assist for second)
Arsenal away
Leeds h
Leeds a
Leicester (& second goal in 3-0)
The goals he scored weren’t the third in 3-0 wins they were the winning goals 7 times, the opening goals in games 8 times.
They directly resulted in 21 of the 75 points we won, in some big games, and earned us CL football. They made a significant difference. He scored a third of our goals that season without relying on penalties for 50% of them.
At a time when players are being lauded for a couple of months of good form in a season where we finished 15th, Rashford is being downplayed for a season where he literally carried us to CL qualification finishing 3rd and to winning the league cup. We also got to the final of the FA cup that season.
For further context only 8 United players in 34 seasons of the premier league have scored more than 17 non penalty goals in a season. Ronaldo and Rashford are the only non-cf’s to have achieved this.
He’s essentially doing the retirement tour thing at 29. Combination of injuries and probably just not giving that much a feck, which was not helped when Woodward hands out ridiculous contracts and undoubtedly sapping any desire to work towards anything.
One of our biggest problems under Glazer/Woodward. We paid a lot of them way way way too much for what they actually consistently provided and now they can just coast it through the rest of their career.
One of our biggest problems under Glazer/Woodward. We paid a lot of them way way way too much for what they actually consistently provided and now they can just coast it through the rest of their career.