Good for him.
It's an amazing achievement, I'm sure songs would be sung about it for decades, if only there was some way of getting 2021 to ryhme with 5.
Harry Maguire: I shouldn't really need to prove myself at this level. I've made over 50 caps, I'm England's top-scoring defender
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
It's an amazing achievement, I'm sure songs would be sung about it for decades, if only there was some way of getting 2021 to ryhme with 5.
There’s two sides to this.
On one, Maguire has been vilified and meme-ified by the lowest common denominator mentality of the social media crowd who have nothing better to do than make the most obvious comment on everything to garner likes. For that I feel really bad for Maguire to have been made into this figure mockery and abuse. He’s a good footballer who just happens not be cut out for Manchester United. So there’s nothing wrong with him defending himself as it’s a response to all that nonsense.
On the other, I just wish he’d pick his words better. It’s just not a good look when you use other players performances to excuse yours. I feel like he could make his case better by being easier to relate to but he’s just not.
On one, Maguire has been vilified and meme-ified by the lowest common denominator mentality of the social media crowd who have nothing better to do than make the most obvious comment on everything to garner likes. For that I feel really bad for Maguire to have been made into this figure mockery and abuse. He’s a good footballer who just happens not be cut out for Manchester United. So there’s nothing wrong with him defending himself as it’s a response to all that nonsense.
On the other, I just wish he’d pick his words better. It’s just not a good look when you use other players performances to excuse yours. I feel like he could make his case better by being easier to relate to but he’s just not.
The only thing he has to prove is whether he can go a game without passing it to the opposition then desperately lunging to win the ball back, out of position, costing his teams a goal
Steve Bruce who you mentioned scored 66 goals playing in the top flight during his whole career.
Why can you not let Maguire have his record? Like, it’s something to be immensely proud of.
It's easy to memeified when you keep falling over on live TV
Ronaldo at least achieved so much in his career. But Harry...
That’s the problem which I just mentioned.
Bad performances don’t excuse this culture of over the top ridicule and abuse. It’s sad and pathetic behaviour really.
Nothing wrong with that interview. He's not saying he has nothing to prove at club level, it's based around the England team and to be fair he is correct in saying that. He obviously feels it's necessary to be defensive in interviews as do many others who haven't been abused anywhere near as much as him, it's not a problem.
Overall this season if we just look at him as a 3rd/4th maybe even 5th choice CB then he's done okay. He hasn't gone whinging to the press about losing his place, every time he's interviewed he's asked questions designed to get him to be critical of the situation but he deals with them well. We all know he doesn't really have a future here and it's best for all that he moves in the summer, a few quotes as harmless as this aren't really worthy of another pile-on.
Overall this season if we just look at him as a 3rd/4th maybe even 5th choice CB then he's done okay. He hasn't gone whinging to the press about losing his place, every time he's interviewed he's asked questions designed to get him to be critical of the situation but he deals with them well. We all know he doesn't really have a future here and it's best for all that he moves in the summer, a few quotes as harmless as this aren't really worthy of another pile-on.
At this point in time there doesn't seem to be a big media push for him to reclaim his first team spot for us. As such I'm fine with him publicly promoting himself as it'll hopefully help us get more money when we sell him at the end of the season. He doesn't seem to be complaining or anything, it's just a bit of self-promotion and defending himself against some of the over-the-top criticism. He deserves some criticism of course, but there's no doubt some of it has gone overboard.
If the interview was him really trying to put more pressure on ETH to give him more games then I would feel very different, but it doesn't come across that way.
If the interview was him really trying to put more pressure on ETH to give him more games then I would feel very different, but it doesn't come across that way.
For England he is correct. Yes you always need to prove yourself as a footballer to get picked in the team, but I don't think this is what he's referring to. I think he's referring to the implication that he's not good enough for England, shouldn't be picked for the squad because of his club situation etc. Which isn't the case, he's one of the best options of a bad bunch of centre backs. It's very clear this is what he means and the criticism he's attempting to combat because he goes on to talk about minutes played for United.
The United comments are a statement of nothing really. He's played some games and can't remember losing.
The United comments are a statement of nothing really. He's played some games and can't remember losing.
As bad as anybody last season? He’s bottom 3 at least. The amount of Sunday league mistakes he made was unforgivable. But fair play to him, he didn’t sulk as much as some.
Steve Bruce also has 3 PL titles and 3 FA cup winners medals.
Harry can absolutely have his record England goal scoring defender crown, he can put it beside his League cup winners medal in his "evidence that I don't need to prove myself" presentation.
But again, he is stating the truth.
He knows the levels at United are higher and was making that point.
I don't think stating that the standards as a whole weren't good enough is poor leadership, in fact I'd say it's the complete opposite.
The thing is.. he’s always going to get picked for England. I mean the competition is awful. We’ve not had good CBs since Ferdinand/terry. If he’s going off that to try and say he’s good then he’s wrong 
He can’t get games for a top club because the competition is a lot harder and he’s not that good. He’s level is like Leicester/West Ham. Think he’d thrive at a team that plays 2 DM in front of him.
He can’t get games for a top club because the competition is a lot harder and he’s not that good. He’s level is like Leicester/West Ham. Think he’d thrive at a team that plays 2 DM in front of him.If he's not picked and playing regularly for his club team he shouldn't be picked for his national side.
Why not?
I agree, Harry. And yet…
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Thank god world class footballer James Ducker has put out his opinion.
I’m with Wum. He’s not dislikable at all, people have just decided for ages now to lump in on him. I don’t really see anything particularly dislikable about the guy. If anything he’s pretty harmless!
He's spot on though.
So who did you play for in your professional career?
This forum’s rendered absolutely pointless then if you can’t have an opinion on footballers unless you’ve played the game professionally yourself.
Always thought the captain of Manchester United to be one position where you have to prove yourself every minute you're on the pitch, even more so, when you're on the bench.
Happy for him he can still play for England, although I expect that to change once England hires a manager that chooses his starting line-up going by form.
Happy for him he can still play for England, although I expect that to change once England hires a manager that chooses his starting line-up going by form.
You guys would have a point if people were sharing my tweets like I was some sort of authority.
No he isnt, he was significantly more shit than most of the team mates he is hiding behind. Thats why he got loads of criticism
It’s not against any rules to pick players who aren’t regular starters for their clubs. But I’d personally prefer to see players called up and playing for their country who prove to be the best in their position week in week out. I like to think of each cap being a reward for club performances.
International football has changed that way. I’m not a fan of managers calling up players who haven’t even played a full season at the highest level. Maybe I’m in a minority, but I prefer to see playing for your country as something you need to earn over and over again. Otherwise, you may end up with players who think they have nothing to prove to anybody. I’m not sure that’s an attitude that’ll improve your chance of winning.
He isn't hiding though, he openly admitted that his performances weren't good enough.
Likewise those of his team mates.
That's not a controversial statement at all.
The one part that is most troubling is him talking about his playing time at United. He’s not going anywhere this summer.
Sack zero caps Hag sign Lampard
He isn't an authority. But he is a well-known journalist from a major publication with established sources at the club who has been directly covering United for well over a decade.
Which generally makes his opinions of more interest than yours. That's why his tweets get shared. It's fine to scoff at his opinion, but pretty stupid to do so if your reasoning is that he hasn't played football.
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Yeah this is the sense I get too. I think he deserves credit on a personal level for how composed he remains in the face of the viral over the top criticism he gets, but just purely in terms of trying to better himself as a footballer I don't think he's got the right attitude. Still the same old mistake of charging out to try and win a ball he's unlikely to get, failing to make the tackle and then turning like a big rig doing a 3 pointer.
Admittedly this sort of error is something his teammates should know he might make from time to time by now and cover for. Watching John Stones basically just stand and watch while Declan Rice charges over to cover...John Stones.
But that doesn't excuse Maguire's apparent pig-headedness. It just doesn't feel like he can fully admit to himself what he can and can't do, and that means he can't improve. I get why he would need to tell himself this story but I think it is what does, and will continue to, hold him back at the top level.
I made a comment on it because it just felt uneccesary to quote some random journo to make a point about Maguires mentality, but actually you're right to be honest and this isn't a hill I care enough to die on.
At the risk of sounding a bit yer da, the fact you wouldn’t hear Rio or Keane saying ‘I’ve got nothing left to prove’ says it all. They never thought they’d done enough.
Harry mate, you’ve got a feck tonne left to prove.
Harry mate, you’ve got a feck tonne left to prove.
At international level thats is a conversation.
He’s a bit daft and a bit sluggish. Still a good player imo. Not one of our best two CBs. If he wants to play for us he’ll have to prove us wrong. Pretty sure he knows that.
Agreed. At this point, it feels that he could say "good evening" and some people would still get all riled up. The lengthy answer he gave, going into details and stating his version of the facts, made him look more defensive than arrogant.
I also think that the noise surrounding Maguire during the international breaks is down to Southgate. It's clear that he has a core group of players he trusts no matter what. He's neither the first nor the last NT manager to do that. But when they ask him about it, he doesn't really want to be held accountable for his choices. One day it's "some players are good regardless of how many minutes they get", the other you get something along the lines of "there's a lack of depth and quality in some positions on the pitch", and he never forgets to add a note of authority like "i have warned them that if they don't play with their clubs, their place in the NT can't be secure". He's the one who's sending mixed signals to the press.
As for United, i think we should revisit the policy of coughing up world-record fees and amortizing the cost to the length of the contract because "the manager said so" or because the scouting department can only come up with the obvious choices. It would do us a world of good.
If you start handing out caps as a reward for temporary club form, there's no chance of an international side building any kind of consistency. Maguire earned his call up and he's been part of a very solid England defence ever since.
The very top clubs are just better than England. Just because someone isn't good enough for Man United doesn't mean they're not good enough for England. Harry Maguire didn't become a worse player than Tyrone Mings or Eric Dier just because Man United signed Varane and Martinez.
Ha ha. Makes a mockery of these kinds of statements. Every player has to prove himself to the guy who picks the team, every time he plays.
Rio didn’t have to prove he was a great player. Like everyone else he had to keep proving he was still great.
I don’t think we should be talking about Maguire in the breath. On past evidence, he’s a yard short in body and mind. Some days nobody will notice, some days he will be terribly exposed. If he thinks he can change this, he has to prove it to ETH that’s for sure. Southgate doesn’t really have better options.