Let me first state the legends who I'm aware of being vocally active and offering opinions on our teams over the last few years:
- Sky regulars: G. Neville, Patrice Evra, Roy Keane
- BT Sport: Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes
- MUTV: Wes Brown
- Freelance/rent-a-quote: Peter Schmeichel, Dimitar Berbatov*, Andy Cole
As far as I'm aware, these are the guys you'll see and hear from the most on UK television/media. A lot of ex-players there whose opinion carries weight and influence. Being praised by the likes of Keane, Scholes or Ferdinand, I should imagine, can boost a player, just as them coming out and laying low blows could do some harm or make players feel they're not wanted at the club.
If you're homegrown or from the UK, you're probably going to get a pass, even if you're not very good. If you're foreign, are you more likely to be harshly judged - and openly denounced - by them? (Rhetorical. The answer isn't in doubt.) And if so, to what end do they do this?
Neville dragging De Gea through the ringer when he got here and being more reticent in praise than criticism until it was undeniable; Keane last night, even in praise of Pogba laying an unnecessary boot in (Scholes does this, too), why? When these digs just seemingly come out of 'nowhere' how is the player supposed to feel? Keane and his aura and the massive amount of respect he commands (whether you accept that or not) surely has a responsibility to use his words wisely knowing the impact they can have inside and out of the club - midfielders in particular are going to be buoyed by his words and the same goes for Scholes who any aspiring creative midfielder we've got at the club in a professional capacity is going to know the legend of.
I thought it stood out last night because it was so out of place for the social media dig to just get annexed after the praise - like it's ingrained or something.
I've thought, during the periods of miserable football, sub-par performances and overall toxic melancholy Mourinho brought along with him and brainwashed some fans with, it was easy, and perhaps, fair game to be taking the shots at under-performing players, which is why only the most out there comments got picked up on. Also, whilst Ole had his nosedive period, it wasn't out of place to be taking shots at the plethora of under-performing players, but now? At the current time, these digs just look wholly out of order and, if not personal, just bitter and curmudgeonly.
I should say Rio and Evra, as well as the few times I've heard Wes, don't do this and are more likely to offer positivity and encouragement without these left-field digs.
Are these ex-players, who do do this going to cut it out? The more impressive our football and the better the unit is playing, the more these slights reflect poorly upon them. I've got a lot of time for Keane, even though many a fan think of him as a miserable ex-pro, but last night, I thought of what he said from a managerial point of view or even as a figure of inspiration for upcoming United midfielders and thought he came off as just plain nasty for such a flippant comment he felt he just had to make.
*not a legend, but still a winner here.
- Sky regulars: G. Neville, Patrice Evra, Roy Keane
- BT Sport: Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes
- MUTV: Wes Brown
- Freelance/rent-a-quote: Peter Schmeichel, Dimitar Berbatov*, Andy Cole
As far as I'm aware, these are the guys you'll see and hear from the most on UK television/media. A lot of ex-players there whose opinion carries weight and influence. Being praised by the likes of Keane, Scholes or Ferdinand, I should imagine, can boost a player, just as them coming out and laying low blows could do some harm or make players feel they're not wanted at the club.
If you're homegrown or from the UK, you're probably going to get a pass, even if you're not very good. If you're foreign, are you more likely to be harshly judged - and openly denounced - by them? (Rhetorical. The answer isn't in doubt.) And if so, to what end do they do this?
Neville dragging De Gea through the ringer when he got here and being more reticent in praise than criticism until it was undeniable; Keane last night, even in praise of Pogba laying an unnecessary boot in (Scholes does this, too), why? When these digs just seemingly come out of 'nowhere' how is the player supposed to feel? Keane and his aura and the massive amount of respect he commands (whether you accept that or not) surely has a responsibility to use his words wisely knowing the impact they can have inside and out of the club - midfielders in particular are going to be buoyed by his words and the same goes for Scholes who any aspiring creative midfielder we've got at the club in a professional capacity is going to know the legend of.
I thought it stood out last night because it was so out of place for the social media dig to just get annexed after the praise - like it's ingrained or something.
I've thought, during the periods of miserable football, sub-par performances and overall toxic melancholy Mourinho brought along with him and brainwashed some fans with, it was easy, and perhaps, fair game to be taking the shots at under-performing players, which is why only the most out there comments got picked up on. Also, whilst Ole had his nosedive period, it wasn't out of place to be taking shots at the plethora of under-performing players, but now? At the current time, these digs just look wholly out of order and, if not personal, just bitter and curmudgeonly.
I should say Rio and Evra, as well as the few times I've heard Wes, don't do this and are more likely to offer positivity and encouragement without these left-field digs.
Are these ex-players, who do do this going to cut it out? The more impressive our football and the better the unit is playing, the more these slights reflect poorly upon them. I've got a lot of time for Keane, even though many a fan think of him as a miserable ex-pro, but last night, I thought of what he said from a managerial point of view or even as a figure of inspiration for upcoming United midfielders and thought he came off as just plain nasty for such a flippant comment he felt he just had to make.
*not a legend, but still a winner here.