Just how good was Robin Van Persie and why we need to buy Kane.

Oranges038

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When he signed SAF told him he would be there for 3 more years. His first season he was fantastic.

He was disappointed when SAF retired, I think this and the changes under Moyes really impacted his game, he couldn't adapt his style to suit RVP like Fergie did. Then under LVG he couldn't play under the football by numbers rules and was moaning about players being in his spaces.
 

el3mel

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RvP was back then easily the best striker in the league and one of the best in the world. His movement, positioning and technique were all out of this world. One of those players I loved since his first match, to the point that I struggled to recognize him as an ex Arsenal player any more. I felt he was one of us through and through.

Shame that we didn't see his peka for more than one season but it was still pretty worth it.
 

Tom Van Persie

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I thought I read somewhere once that RVP was a bit annoyed by Fergie retiring so soon after signing him. Understandable really as he came to us to win some silverware in his final few years, not get lost in the inevitable transition period.
Yeah he was shocked it happened. When he signed he was told SAF had no plans to retire any time soon.
 

Andersons Dietician

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If Kane was available for 25 mil then no brainer but he isn’t and personally I don’t think his signing alone wins us a league. Better to continue to build the squad with the idea of it peaking next year or the year after. Stable improvement is our aim currently. Dont have the owners for whimsical cash splurges correcting mistakes in bad investments.

On RVP he gave us one of his best seasons where he actually managed to sustain form and stay fit. Something he was struggling to do at Arsenal then caught him again in his second season. He was undoubtedly brilliant when fit but that will always be his problem struggled to stay fit.

He has still scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen and for the life of me I’ve no idea how he did it. The ball was basically defying the laws of physics as I don’t see other than a volleyed toebee how he got the ball to travel the way it did.
 

Hammondo

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Absolutely.

The whole team deteriorated. It's possible RvP could have had another outstanding season or two had Sir Alex stayed on to manage.
He'd lost it, his touch and movement dropped quickly.
 

tenpoless

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You have to remember that RvP was at his peak, very motivated to win something and he was magical. His performances went downhill after winning the PL but we signed him for nothing. Basically making sure we'll win the premier league for only 24m.

Kane? for 100m+ I don't think he's worth it. Just play Cavani and use the money to improve other areas. Varane should be our top target.
 

redshaw

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Why are you making it sound like all those players were here at the same time? When we had four strikers in 99 it was to cover two positions. Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez played across the front three positions. Granted it’s a lot higher quality than we have now, but the market has changed. Kane signed a massive new contract, which made it basically impossible to sign him.

£150 million (including wages) would be insanity for a 28 year old who keeps picking up ankle injuries. Makes perfect sense for City as they don’t need 3-4 extra players.
That's your reading of it. I'm just mentioning the quality of strikers we've had.
 

Dominos

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When we signed RVP - we had just got 89 points and lost the title on goal difference to City.

At this moment in time is not as simple as sign Kane = win title. We have a much bigger gap to close, and we don't have SAF.

Currently we concede too many goals and don't create enough chances. Statistically we're actually already clinical relative to the amount of chances we create, we just don't create anywhere near enough.
 

meamth

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RVP is one of my favourite players to have seen at the club and he was exhilarating in Fergie's last season.

However, a part of me also thinks that signing was another symptom of our poor planning even all the way back then. If you look at the younger strikers that were available then and the careers they ended up having - maybe we should've been looking at them instead.

Aguero was available summer 2011, Cavani was at Napoli, Lewandowski was about to have his major breakthrough season at Dortmund.
Fergie had this thing with Argentine players I think, he doesn't believe Aguero has the right mentality to play for United..? I don't know, just speculating.

Maybe he tried many south American players and those who came, failed to establish themselves at United.
 

trevor newnham

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I'd rather break the bank for Kane a nd save the £80 mill we are allegedly going to spend on Sancho
 

Paul_Scholes18

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A big reason why he performed was SAF though. We did see the difference even under Moyes and LVG. To be fair he was getting away from his peak just like Rooney at the time. Two past the best strikers and two managers not knowing how to use them both was the problem. Even under SAF that partnership was not always ideal and SAF dropped Rooney in some games. Many big strikers we should maybe moved for.
 

Foxbatt

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I always thought he fell off because of playing under Moyes who didn't have a clue how to manage his minutes then he played in the World Cup injured. SAF would've managed him better.
It's always said at that time that RVP was very unhappy with the physical training style of Moyes. RVP felt at his age and his injury record he shouldn't be doing all the new heavy training that Moyes bought to United. SAF had a different approach to the physical training.
This is what happened when Moyes got in new people and sacked the old staff.
 

032Devil

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No white text?

Surely SAF leaving played a massive part in what transpired in the following seasons...
Regardless, you expect a player to be professional. I might have read the situation wrong but he was not the same player after he got his medal. His drive was missing.
 

Nick7

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24m was big money for a player with only a year left on their contract back then. I remember people saying it was a mistake and we way overpaid for him back then.
 

Foxbatt

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24m was big money for a player with only a year left on their contract back then. I remember people saying it was a mistake and we way overpaid for him back then.
He got us our last PL championship.
 

Foxbatt

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Regardless, you expect a player to be professional. I might have read the situation wrong but he was not the same player after he got his medal. His drive was missing.
he got injured in the pre-season because of the wrong training sessions by Moyes. I remember it even then.
 

kthanksbye

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Recently found this old Javier Nathanial video of RVP that I watched when it was launched but subsequently had been expunged from YouTube.


I remember when we signed RvP, I was filled with excitement and when he scored his first goal (against Fulham I think) I just felt so shocked at how he was this good and how you had just utter confidence that he would be the difference between 2nd and 1st.

Long story short, watching this video just makes me think that we have to do everything we can to sign Kane. I know there are a million reasons why we won't get him or that we can't afford him. But the club has to make every conceivable effort to get a striker of that quality signed for Manchester United.

Would also love to hear and see your favourite RVP goals and moments.
Not including THAT goal against Villa in the video is criminal.
 

Parma Dewol

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What a player he was. Easily one of the classiest footballers to ever wear the United shirt.

There aren't many who can caress the ball the way he did. Zidane and Bergkamp come to mind. He was up there, truly majestic to watch.
 

9 Stone Elvis

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24m was big money for a player with only a year left on their contract back then. I remember people saying it was a mistake and we way overpaid for him back then.
Yes it was and also we knew it was dead money as given his age there would be little to no sell of value as proved to be the case.

Kane would be a similar situation but even more cash. How any club can realistically think about spending £100m+ in the current climate for a players whose value will only fall is beyond me. There are many transfer mistakes we have made in the past but Kane would be a cray move up there with the best of them for me.
 

flappyjay

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Yes it was and also we knew it was dead money as given his age there would be little to no sell of value as proved to be the case.

Kane would be a similar situation but even more cash. How any club can realistically think about spending £100m+ in the current climate for a players whose value will only fall is beyond me. There are many transfer mistakes we have made in the past but Kane would be a cray move up there with the best of them for me.
I think for someone like City who have all the set pieces in place it could make sense. Bring that guy who can help you continue your dominance and possibly win a ucl. With where we are at Kane would be a waste by the time this squad reaches its peak he would need replacing.
 

Van Piorsing

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Ironically enough Robin was just a leader among many other leaders in that team (Rio, Roo, Pat, Scholes & Giggsy).

If Kane wasn't so obnoxiously expensive we could have cracking team for next season, both for PL & CL. We may somehow survive without Kane, but we definitely could use some leaders.
 

Foxbatt

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Yes it was and also we knew it was dead money as given his age there would be little to no sell of value as proved to be the case.

Kane would be a similar situation but even more cash. How any club can realistically think about spending £100m+ in the current climate for a players whose value will only fall is beyond me. There are many transfer mistakes we have made in the past but Kane would be a cray move up there with the best of them for me.
Why? If the club is willing to pay over 100 million and if get the PL or CL it is fully worth it.
 

Luke1995

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RVP is one of my favourite players to have seen at the club and he was exhilarating in Fergie's last season.

However, a part of me also thinks that signing was another symptom of our poor planning even all the way back then. If you look at the younger strikers that were available then and the careers they ended up having - maybe we should've been looking at them instead.

Aguero was available summer 2011, Cavani was at Napoli, Lewandowski was about to have his major breakthrough season at Dortmund.
Don't think it was poor planning man

No one could have predicted that Robin would decline so much after the 2013-14 season. He was fantastic in 12-13 and had a good season the next one. But 2014-15 he was shocking.

I think when he was bought, the idea was that he could give us three or four good seasons.
 

Foxbatt

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Don't think it was poor planning man

No one could have predicted that Robin would decline so much after the 2013-14 season. He was fantastic in 12-13 and had a good season the next one. But 2014-15 he was shocking.

I think when he was bought, the idea was that he could give us three or four good seasons.
You have to take into consideration that he got injured because of the fitness regime of Moyes. Then the midfield declined as well too. Rooney declined and the whole thing including Rio, Evra, Vidic all retired or were sold. I am sure if SAF had not retired RVP would have been in top form for the next three years.
 

Luke1995

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You have to take into consideration that he got injured because of the fitness regime of Moyes. Then the midfield declined as well too. Rooney declined and the whole thing including Rio, Evra, Vidic all retired or were sold. I am sure if SAF had not retired RVP would have been in top form for the next three years.
Maybe now that Woodward is going to leave, things will get slightly better overall. Not sure if that means we're going to buy someone like Kane or if other positions will be adressed.

What's clear is that there needs to be a ruthless approach. I think the last managers we've had post Fergie got too much authority to shape all the transfer stuff.

The problem is, the board itself doesn't seem to understand much about football, so the manager is pretty much the only one who can do it.
 

Foxbatt

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Maybe now that Woodward is going to leave, things will get slightly better overall. Not sure if that means we're going to buy someone like Kane or if other positions will be adressed.

What's clear is that there needs to be a ruthless approach. I think the last managers we've had post Fergie got too much authority to shape all the transfer stuff.

The problem is, the board itself doesn't seem to understand much about football, so the manager is pretty much the only one who can do it.
I agree. If they had wanted someone to rebuild the side, they should have got someone other than Moysie. LVG's transfer policy was the worst.
 

cyril C

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Easy to say in Hindsight but Aguero cost 40 million and was like 21(fergie breaking the transfer record for a player than young doesn't seem likely)

RVP was at his absolute peek but we couldn't predict he'd fall off so hard the following seasons. He didn't rely on pace so he could have conceivably replicated his 2011-2013 form for another 2 years
No doubt on RVP's quality, but to me it was the opportunity cost. Yes we went after an established and experienced striker brought in instant result, unfortunately follow by not so successful seasons.

When I stated opportunity cost, it was Robert Lewandoski. Had we approached Dortmund in 2012 summer, for their 24 years old top striker, they might not want to sell. But if you remember the BM saga, by 2013, Dortmund would probably want to sell him on the cheap, denying their best player to BM. Eventually they kept him for the last season and allow him to join BM as free agent. With Lewandoski, we still have a top striker start of next season.

Perhaps, this explain why we SHOULD not go after Kane, which will be the same mistake with Sanchez. Think longer term for someone within the age bracket of 23-26 years old.
 

Luke1995

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I agree. If they had wanted someone to rebuild the side, they should have got someone other than Moysie. LVG's transfer policy was the worst.
Moyes wasn't actually the first choice, right ? I think he was on a list, like, the third or fourth target.
 

shamans

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Tbf, even a great RVP for 2 seasons would've been great value for money. Its a shame, we wasted that second season on David Moyes of all people - because under a more competent manager he might've got us another trophy.
It's an easy out to blame it all on Moyes but RVP imo just had the perfect 2012/13. He was always a phenomenal player when fit but whether it was injuries or not he never got consistent enough.
 

shamans

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Absolutely.

The whole team deteriorated. It's possible RvP could have had another outstanding season or two had Sir Alex stayed on to manage.
It was an aging team like no other. The fact that none of those players went on to regain their form despite the 7 months under Moyes shows it all imo.
 

Roane

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RVP was a phenomenal player for us. Kane is also a phenomenal player.

However I think our issues aren't about finding the final piece of the puzzle currently. More finding the main pieces.

With Cavani doing well and Greenwood coming up, potentially and Marcus and maybe a revitalized Martial I think I'd be happier with an Ings signing up top and looking to spend the bigger amounts on our MF and right wing.

I know we have likes of Amad but unless he is to play a lot more maybe an older signing for a season or two, even if Amad plays then it would help with cover.

Defence also needs looking at. And I think the priority needs to be the middle and back not the forwards for this coming season.
 

Number32

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It was an aging team like no other. The fact that none of those players went on to regain their form despite the 7 months under Moyes shows it all imo.
That's not a fact, Vidic was still a beast at Inter, Evra was still got it at Juve and playing in UCL final, Van Persie had a great world cup, Carrick was still at his best. They still had 1-2 years left to play in elite level, but Van Gaal didn't want them because he wanted to rebuild completely with fresh and young players.
 

TheRedHearted

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What I find sad is hearing how hard it was on him hearing about sir Alex leaving. I assume he figured a couple years with him and an actual run or even a CL trophy.

RvP instantly became one of my favourite players at United.

He was better than I thought when he came to United. He would have been at the very top of Premiership goalscoring charts had it not been for his injury issues throughout his career. Unfortunately, there is a massive price difference in what we paid for RvP and would need to pay for Kane.

Kane at 28 would end up costing United nearly 50 Million a season with his salary and transfer fee over a 5-year contract. Just can't see how that is feasible. This might be controversial and open to debate but personally, I'd choose a prime RvP over Kane.
Kane
Appearances245
Goals166
Assists34

https://www.premierleague.com/players/3960/Harry-Kane/stats

Van Persie


Appearances280
Goals144
Assists53
https://www.premierleague.com/players/2616/Robin-van-Persie/overview
 

9 Stone Elvis

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Why? If the club is willing to pay over 100 million and if get the PL or CL it is fully worth it.
Well yes if you can guarantee a CL and PL win Im sure it would be seen as sound business. Im pretty sure you cant do that. As a business decision to invest over £100m on a player at 27/28 with a slightly dubious injury record is a risk no one should really be taking. I would say especially in our current position where if we have an extra £100-150m to spend on players it would be best served elsewhere in the team.
 

buckooo1978

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You'd love Kane but that would be it for our Summer. I'd be surprised if the Glazers spent the 120m or whatever it would take anyway.

A player who would improve our attack but wouldn't solve long standing issues with us not having a specialist right sided attacker, and our main issues - A DM and a leader in defence.

Doesn't make sense after the Cavani extension anyway. We've Greenwood who can play in there with Martial/Rashford getting games between there and on the left. The Right side is the area most in need.
 

Sultan

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What I find sad is hearing how hard it was on him hearing about sir Alex leaving. I assume he figured a couple years with him and an actual run or even a CL trophy.


Kane
Appearances245
Goals166
Assists34

https://www.premierleague.com/players/3960/Harry-Kane/stats

Van Persie


Appearances280
Goals144
Assists53
https://www.premierleague.com/players/2616/Robin-van-Persie/overview
Thanks

Minutes on the pitch comparison would be good. I seem to remember RvP playing a lot of matches as a substitute or coming off early due to managing his injury issues.
 

Sultan

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It was an aging team like no other. The fact that none of those players went on to regain their form despite the 7 months under Moyes shows it all imo.
Bro, we're talking just 10 weeks between Moyes taking over a Premiership winning team. Hardly time to show their age given the timescales.