Schmeichel is still number one, but DDG is second after him IMO as I think he exceeded VDS.
I'm calling it: DDG is the best we've ever had
- Thread starter Rado_N
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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?
He's still a little young for me. When he grows older I'll compare him to VDS. I never saw schmeichel so VDS was the best ever for me 
DeGea may be individually better. I do not know but in a team Peter is much better. He commands the entire defence line and I think it is a big fault of DeGea. He never commands the defenders. Peter knows and screams at the defenders telling them where to be and what to do. That helps the defenders on their toes and helps them a lot in defending.
I watched the 2nd half of Schmeichel's career with us, season 95-96 onwards. As others have said a different keeper to De Gea. Big personality and a vocal leader at the back. Very good distribution with his hands. Many top class saves.
De Gea for me edges it as a shot stopper. Both made incredible saves but the frequency with which DDG makes them is phenomenal. It's literally a couple of worldies each game. His distribution with his feet is also excellent. He can cross like an outfield player. De Gea is also more reliable. He just doesn't make mistakes any more.
It's very difficult to pick. But the fact DDG is considered up there is a testament to how well he's done.
De Gea for me edges it as a shot stopper. Both made incredible saves but the frequency with which DDG makes them is phenomenal. It's literally a couple of worldies each game. His distribution with his feet is also excellent. He can cross like an outfield player. De Gea is also more reliable. He just doesn't make mistakes any more.
It's very difficult to pick. But the fact DDG is considered up there is a testament to how well he's done.
Like i said, if you think de geas better thats fair enough, i can accept that as your opinion based purely on there abilitys as players. They both are/were outstanding.
Rather than accepting that other people,myself included, think Schmeichel is better, based purely on there abilitys as players. You informed us the reasons we liked schmeichel better were actualy because of de geas madrid link and gave us a psychology lesson on how our mind is decieving us into extravagant thoughts such as lionization, leading us to think schmeichel was better than he actually was, purely because he preceded de gea. Speaking for myself, both those reasons are wrong, Its not as complicated as that, i just think pete was a better goalie.
I gave you 3 examples because thats more than enough to prove your theory wrong with regards to me personaly, I dont know if others are experiencing lionization so i cant speak for anyone else.
I think some older players were better than some recent ones and i think some recent ones are better than some older ones. That simple.
I never saw Scheimcel in action,so De Gea is the best GK that I have ever seen.I think he's the best in the world,Neur has a tendency to showboat and over complicate sometimes,but De Geas far more mature and stable....
Both DDG and Schmeichel are fantastic goalkeepers with different strengths and weaknesses, Schemichel's distribution is something I remember fondly, he could throw the ball well over the half line and create so many chances for us with his quick thinking. DDG is a better shot stopper, Schemichel was better at rushing out and picking down corners, De Gea is way better with his feet than Schmeichel ever was, really hard to say who is the best ever between the two. DDG still needs to do alot before he gets the same status at United as Schemichel has but both are teriffic goalkeepers.
Anyone remember Schmeichels dissalowed overhead kick goal? Who was that against?
Anyone remember Schmeichels dissalowed overhead kick goal? Who was that against?
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You don't have to shag him.
De Gea is better than VdS for me.He's still a little young for me. When he grows older I'll compare him to VDS. I never saw schmeichel so VDS was the best ever for me
Schmeichel is still the best though. Probably not as good as De Gea in a technical sense but his presence was much more important for us. De Gea makes amazing saves and does a decent job organising the defence. Schmikes organised the feck out of our defence and made a lot of crucial saves.
Now I'm thinking maybe the mis-kick was against Barnsley? He definitely got stupidly sent off in the 94 Charlton game. Another one was away to Bayern in 98. He definitely deteriorated by the start of that last season but got himself together after Christmas for the run-in.
Why does every player have to be the greatest ever ?
Can people not just be happy with what is happening now ?
Between this and Jones is the best defender in the premiership I don't know which is worse
De Gea is a great goalkeeper but I doubt too many people who witnessed Schmeichel would put De Gea over him I certainly wouldn't .
Can people not just be happy with what is happening now ?
Between this and Jones is the best defender in the premiership I don't know which is worse
De Gea is a great goalkeeper but I doubt too many people who witnessed Schmeichel would put De Gea over him I certainly wouldn't .
He scored against Rotor Volgograd in the UEFA cup, but we went out anyway
His disallowed goal was in an FA cup replay against Wimbledon. We out that day too
VDS had the ability to calm his defense and was better at organizing. To me, that only comes with experience and I am 99 percent sure when De Gea is 2-3 years older we will start seeing more of that. When that happens he will be better than VDS but for now if I had to play the CL final tomorrow and could either pick peak VDS or peak De Gea, I'd go for VDS. Either way, both are greats. De Gea should be remembered as the better one once his career is done here.
Appreciate the mature input.
Thank you, couldn't find it online.
I'm sure you do.
It's still the great Dane for me.
He has that VDS aura, hasn't he. So dependable; calm but always alert all the time.
If he stays here during his peak years which could still be 4 or 5 years away yet he'll have this crown no doubt.
Only worry with that would be that his main strengths are his reactions and anticipation more than positioning and command of area. If it's a case of his strengths deteriorating before he develops the lesser areas of his game then we could possibly be seeing him at his peak now.
If it goes the other way and his lesser areas improve before his reaction times slow then I have no doubt he'll be our greatest ever.
Only worry with that would be that his main strengths are his reactions and anticipation more than positioning and command of area. If it's a case of his strengths deteriorating before he develops the lesser areas of his game then we could possibly be seeing him at his peak now.
If it goes the other way and his lesser areas improve before his reaction times slow then I have no doubt he'll be our greatest ever.
As this thread has turned into one big nostalgia trip for my all time United hero, i would like to say if there was one weakness of Schmeichel it was that he was always susceptible to being chipped when off his line. Obviously it didn't happen alot but i remember the few times it did i was always thinking "FFS you're better than that!"
I seem to remember Suker doing it to him twice in one game for Denmark. Schmikes in one-on-one situations was unreal though.
Philip Albert.
If De Gea stays at Utd for the rest of his top flight career (please Jesus, Muhammed, Ganesh, Buddah and whoever else is out there make that happen!) then I'm sure he'll go down as our best ever goalkeeper. Big Pete is just before my time but for me I rate Van der Sar above De Gea not because I think Van der Sae was necessarily a better goalkeeper (although I think he's criminally underrated) but I can remember Van Der Sar saving that penalty in Moscow and lifting all them trophies but De Gea is only 26 there's plenty of time.
Tosh.
Nothing to do with lionisation (and idolism would have been a more appropriate word... we're not trying to turn Schmeicel into a celebrity or fete him). Best wasn't brilliant because we're all old and haven't got enough Youtube footage of him.... he was brilliant because he just was. Similarly, Messi isn't brilliant because modern TV shows him from ten different angles, he just is. And that applies to plenty of players between the two.... brilliance is defined by ability not era (even allowing for it being arbitrary and down to an individual's personal take on what qualifies).
I've watched United (and lots of football) for 40 years and I couldn't care if I was 14 or 40... if they're great (as Schmeicel was and De Gea is), they're great and I haven't got a bloated opinion of anyone ... a different opinion maybe, but that's what sport does.
The Giggs/Ronnie comparison is a poor example of an older player versus a current one ... ones a very very good player with amazing longevity, ones a GOAT. Not even close.
If you think the 90's weren't competitive, you didn't watch them.... we won loads because we had great players/teams not because of a lack of competition.
By all means have an opinion, by all means side with De Gea but don't come on implying that Schmeicel fans are all fogeys, forcing kids to listen about "the good old days" and holding a grudge because De Gea may one day move to his home town. Like Ronnie, I'd say "thanks, good luck".
Yup, that's why he was sold by Juve, cause he wasn't a match saving keeper like Buffon, Casilas, DDG, Kahn or Big Pete.
Sometimes he'd creep off the line too early and would be vulnerable to a chip, even from distance but that's about it.
I absolutely think the 90s, and all eras were "competitive," but dominance in today's era simply means more, thanks to the reasons listed in my previous post. Thus, I tend to give more weight to more modern players' performances. Exposure, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with it.
And the Giggs / Ronaldo comparison was an (admittedly too vague) exemplar of my point that, while most would argue that Giggs was the better Red (in terms of overall service to the club), Ronaldo was the better player while he was here. I think people give Pete that loyalty benefit, since DDG still hasn't quite committed his future.
In fairness he's more comparable to Buffon, just perfection in every sense without being an overbearing presence like a Big Pete or Neuer.
Agree with the OP
DDG is the best we've had and the best in the world right now.
Never has been the backbone for a fantastic bayern team for 4/5 years whereas De Gea is the only reason we have finished in the top half in the last 4 years....I truly believe that. It came to the point with LVG that I felt sorry for de gea being with us.
I hope we now carry on after last yr and give him the titles and trophies he deservesl
DDG is the best we've had and the best in the world right now.
Never has been the backbone for a fantastic bayern team for 4/5 years whereas De Gea is the only reason we have finished in the top half in the last 4 years....I truly believe that. It came to the point with LVG that I felt sorry for de gea being with us.
I hope we now carry on after last yr and give him the titles and trophies he deservesl
Well said old-timer! ;-)
I couldn't remember off the top of my head what one i was thinking of in particular but that was the goal! That was a gutter when he did that.
Still think you're looking for reasons to back up an opinion (or as Sherlock Holmes would say, twist facts to suit a theory). If your opinion is De Gea is better, fine - just give footballing reasons and don't assume why some of us rate certain players.
I can guarantee you it's nothing to do with loyalty, De Gea has almost been here as long as Schmeicel was and Schmeicel played for City! I couldn't care if he'd gone on to play for City, Liverpool and Leeds.... Good is good, great is great. He was the best goalie I've ever seen period.... not because of his era, not because of his medals, not because I'm all misty eyed and not because De Gea may move to Madrid.
Because I have footballing reasons .... because he organised defences, because his will to win was huge and infectious, because his distribution was excellent (feet and especially throws), because he was protective of the younger players, because his 1on1 saves were amazing and regular, because his ability in the air was great, because he made amazing full-length saves, because he made them in massively important games and against great competition (both for us and Denmark), because he did it for years.
Got to go now, it's after 8pm and Matron is shouting my bedtime cocoa is going cold.
I think DDG has the potential to become as good or better than Schmeichel.
I'm not convinced he's there yet.
...but then, I consider Schmeichel the GOAT so maybe I'm biased.
I'm not convinced he's there yet.
...but then, I consider Schmeichel the GOAT so maybe I'm biased.
Newcastle really paid us back that night for the previous year.
Nah. There's more to keeping than reflexes. Schmeichel was the best ever at one on ones as well, allowing a higher line of defending. And his anticipation was better. This, combined with his presence, allowed him to dominate his area more than any other keeper. Neuer is the closest thing to it, but he didn't have the same intimidating presence and has to compensate with speed. Schmeichel was basically the definition of the modern keeper before that idea became a thing.
My scouse supporting mate (I know, I know) was out here last week and we talked a bit of footy and I mentioned this to him. He says Pete is by far the best goalie ever but in the post Schmeichel era he did concede that De Gea had no equal. He's usually pretty level headed/biased against us (for example doesn't think Pogba is a top 5 midfielder in the PL). I really believe in 5-6 years time it's possible/likely we will have had 3 of the top 10 goalies of all-time on a consensus opinion. I do believe De Gea is g.o.a.t material and could/should prove it.
3? You think VDS is up there?
I think buffon is the standout post Schmeichel. Kahn and Neuer behind him. Then de gea.
Possibly. I haven't sat down and really thought about it, but I think he was one of the top 2-3 in the world for a number of years in a great era for goalkeepers. I'd imagine he falls in the list towards the bottom end.
I find it hard to split Schmeichel, van der Sar and de Gea. Too different, all brilliant.
Fair enough, for me he's not in that conversation at all really.