I don't know, he came back for his testimonial 8 months later and sold out OT
Best player of Fergie's era
- Thread starter Pogue Mahone
- Start date
i was expecting someone to pick up on that!
must admit that i deliberately ranked him lower than i should have due to a discussion that was going on at the time about Giggs - if i did it today i would probably have him around 5th or 6th, but no higher than that.
If you are winning 1-0 and the keeper makes a great save late on, then he has effectively won you the game.
He could also stop us drawing. Which is exactly the same thing as winning games.
No he has stopped you from losing/drawing it. If the guy wasn't there to put the ball in the net we could never have been in the postion to win the match at all.
I'm not saying it completely tarnished his legacy but it certainly took off a lot of the gloss.
Best player? Ronaldo
Most Influential? Keane closely followed by Cantona
Most Influential? Keane closely followed by Cantona
Seriously? Because of one outspoken interview on MUTV?
If anything tarnished the gloss it was the assault on Haalend, not the manner of his departure.
That seems a bit weird. How come he can jump so many places depending on what day of the week it is?!
There are things about it that almost suggest that little bit of self destructiveness that Keano had about him was at play. As if he knew full well what he was doing and what the repercussions would be because he could never admit it was time to quit. He was a shadow of the player he once was due to his hip problems, maybe he was looking for a way out. Fergie surely gave him one.
It was my misguided attempt at tactical voting at the time !
But did he score the goal that put you in a position to win? A great keeper is a bonus, but you still need to score to win games, not just not concede.
I think the title should be changed to say footballer.
Many who were in the newbs read my mindless ramblings on the difference between players and footballers.
For me. A footballer encompasses the entire package 'off and on the field' where as a player is based on the pitch.
As a footballer.... Giggs.
Nobody comes close. He 'like Maldini' are the ultimate footballers. Gentlemen on and off the ground, always having time for fans/media etc. They also add value to the team in respect to young up and comers, and the overall captaincy.
As a player, its difficult.
Ronaldo: Most talented outfield player
Keane: Hardest worker
Schmeichel: Most talented keeper... Ever....
Giggs: Greatest footballer.
Cantona: Greatest captain.
Ferdinand: Greatest back. On form, very little are better then he.
Scholes. Ginger haired cnut who can't tackle to save his life. Oh and best striker of the ball.
All incredible footballers Whom inhabit different parts of the pitch, so they could never really be compared in that regard.
Many who were in the newbs read my mindless ramblings on the difference between players and footballers.
For me. A footballer encompasses the entire package 'off and on the field' where as a player is based on the pitch.
As a footballer.... Giggs.
Nobody comes close. He 'like Maldini' are the ultimate footballers. Gentlemen on and off the ground, always having time for fans/media etc. They also add value to the team in respect to young up and comers, and the overall captaincy.
As a player, its difficult.
Ronaldo: Most talented outfield player
Keane: Hardest worker
Schmeichel: Most talented keeper... Ever....
Giggs: Greatest footballer.
Cantona: Greatest captain.
Ferdinand: Greatest back. On form, very little are better then he.
Scholes. Ginger haired cnut who can't tackle to save his life. Oh and best striker of the ball.
All incredible footballers Whom inhabit different parts of the pitch, so they could never really be compared in that regard.
That episode is so much more than just the interview. A dedicated servant to the club attacking his team mates? That's odd to me.
No one has said that Eric's legacy is tarnished from kicking the hooligan. Keane was a great player, great players sometimes have moments of madness like that. (Haaland was always a cnut, imo).
I dont argue with that - i disagreed with the point you made that said keepers dont win you games.
Ronaldo. Easily.
For shame, roodboy!
What? This is all nonsense. Goalkeepers can win you games.
Example: 1-0 up, 93rd minute penalty conceded, your goalkeeper saves it. He has got you the win. You'd have drawn otherwise.
That's undisputable, surely?
Can a keeper win a game? I've got a feeling that Schmeichel won us a League title when he singlehandedly (sort of, I'm sure he used both hands, his feet and every bit of his considerable body) stopped Newcastle scoring against us at St James' Park in 96 - the Keegan Love It season. The record will show that Cantona won it for us with the only goal of the game. But what I remember of that game (watching in a pub with a gang of Newcastle fans) were the looks of pure disbelief and fear!
Really? Is there something I've missed?
As for the interview itself, it was mainly media hearsay as far as I know. I've since heard that a lot of the comments were massively twisted by the press and I've yet to see a full, accurate transcript. Also worth bearing in mind that, at the time, a lot of the (alleged) criticism was justified!
His assault on Haaland was far more clear-cut and reasonable a reason to think there's a cloud over his career than this whole MUTV nonsense. That and walking out on the Irish team in Saipan. For the record, I don't think either episode take away from his achievements/performances for club and country.
But there is doubt. Hence the thread.
Seperating my favourite from the best, for me it has to be giggs. He is the only constant in all the success..i mean just look at his trophy haul.
Gary Neville's is almost as impressive. Is he #2?
I take your point, but giggs is also IMO a far more talented player than neville. I dont underestimate nevilles contribution but hes hardly on the same level as giggsy.
agreed
Agreed. I was playing devil's advocate. Giggsy's trophy haul is unbelievable and his contribution to every single one has been huge and important every single year. It doesn't have to make him the best, since I think there's arguably been someone else in a lot of those season's who has been a shade better. Only just mind, since he's been outrageously consistent and still doing it.
For the record, he made #3 on my list (above).
I wouldnt kick up a fuss about that list but would re-order slightly:
giggs
cantona
keane
Splitting hairs at this point but giggsy shades it for me with his longevity, loyalty and scoring my favourite ever goal....damn this was meant to be an objective list!
I think that was the very essence of the man and the player though, that he was never afraid to speak out and definitely was not going sugar-coat things.
He was always honest on and off the pitch and I think that's one of the major contributors to his influence under Ferguson.
I dont personally think it took the gloss off because at the time I think it needed to be said.
The quick free-kick against Lille away, 06/07, right?
Cristiano Ronaldo without a shadow of a doubt.
Dont start that shit again........SENT HOME!!! HE WAS SENT HOME.
Ronaldo was easily the best player.
Scholes, Giggs, Schmeichel and Cantona are the others.
Scholes, Giggs, Schmeichel and Cantona are the others.
In some ways the rant was a relief - it helped SAF let him go. Something which to be honest I'd been waiting for for a couple of years, harsh as that sounds - big red United bus waits for no one, and all that.
As for the manner of it and what he said about his teammates, some of it was probably exagerrated in the press leaks, some of it was probably justified and some of it sounded like an exercise in blaming people who were not only playing but who'd been playing better than him for a couple of years.
It's interesting that a few months after he left he was making comments about how tough he'd found the move to Celtic and how he wished he'd treated Veron better when he was struggling to adapt at United. Which makes you wonder how constructive his criticism of his teammates would have been if it had aired while Keane was still angry with them and frustated with himself.
That said - it was nice to hear Fletcher talking a few months ago about how important Keane had been to the team and to him growing up as a player. Puts a lot of press speculation into perspective when you hear that from someone on the inside.
Considering that interview led directly or indirectly to the cancellation, by mutual consent, of his contract with Manchester United I'd say yeah you're missing something. Unless, as I mentioned to Sunny Jim, it was designed as a way out because he knew he wasn't United quality any longer due to his hip, but personally I'd have expected Keane to have been honest about it, it's not like we wouldn't have understood. Anyway, he didn't exactly leave gracefully, which for me tarnishes his legacy. Is it that hard to understand?
See, you've got it all wrong, it's not like there's this huge cloud over his career, it's just that it does not compare to the likes of Giggs (incredibly loyal & most decorated), Cantona (GOD, the Ressurector and the Saviour) or Ronaldo (World Player of the Year winner at United...that's special). Keane was a great player for us, of that there's no doubt but for me there are better candidates than he for the best player of Fergie's Era.
See, I don't think he was that honest about things when he left. I think he knew that physically he couldn't do it anymore but he was afraid to admit that. There's no shame in that but somehow for Roy there was.
Ronaldo.
I'd consider the best player for United or best player footballing abilitywise.
United's best player in Fergies Era ( to me this means committed Loyalty and achiements )
1. Ryan Giggs.
2. Paul Scholes.
3. Gary Neville.
4. Roy Keane.
5. Eric Cantona.
6. Rio Ferdinand.
7. Ole Gunnar Solsjaer.
8. Christiano Ronaldo.
9. David Beckham.
10. Wayne Rooney.
You can have a laugh at my list all you like but to me I think these are the players who have mostly inspired me when I watch united over the ten yrs or so that I started to support United.
As for players abilities. ( includes consistency, all round play, contribution, and individual performances that wins us games.
1. Ronaldo, why ? ( three seasons as a forward scoring over 90 goals, winning us 3 PL,1CL some individual goals that were just breath taking. Also won the Ballon'dor )
2. Roy Keane, ( His influence, his determination, his drive everything he contributed as a captain on the pitch lead us to win the 1CL and what 6PL's if I'm not mistaken )
3. Ryan Giggs ( Welsh wizard, won it all. Though he didn't win the title of BPITW I still think he's up there in the top3 )
4. Paul Scholes ( Passing,crossing genius and at his primes, "Paul Scholes = Goals"
5. Eric Cantona ( Was the start of our magnificent play, though you can say Bryan Robson was the key player before him but I think we were a Unique team after aquiring Ooh Ah Cantona )
It's just with playing abilities I favor flair, dribbling, and entertainment more than inspiring captains. That why I chose Ronaldo.
Well, a lot of people in Cork who know him tend to agree with that.
I'm not so sure though. I think he was just being honest about things and was speaking his mind. I would like to think that he's the kind of guy that could look the situation straight on when he felt his time was up, and admit that.
I think though, that the argument is who the best player of fergie's era is, and i dont think that this incisent should affect people's view on Keane in that sense. It was the twelve years beforehand that should be looked at, and not the circumstances that lead to his departure.
Im not sure if your joking or not? But no fa cup semi final replay against le arse. You know the one im sure
Fair enough. But you're the one implying his manner of departure was enough to tarnish his legacy. Bearing in mind that as a player he was arguably the single most influential player in Fergie's most succesful season ever, I find it really odd that you would find this MUTV interview nonsense as reason enough to rank him beneath the other players you mention.