Merci Paul

[Esquire]

For every player you mentioned, I could mention one more in the same team as equally or more important. Elite teams have elite players all around - the sooner you people move away from this talisman buffoonery the better for everybody.

Right, for this season you are suggesting someone on RM is more important than Benzema, who will likely win the Ballon Dor, or PSG with Mbappe, who just gave him the keys to the house.

Yes, then you resort to “you people” and buffoonery. So descending to your level, adopting persona attacks and sh*thousery tactics doesn’t make your arguments more valid or cogent.

 

[The Original]

Merci for what? Good riddance I say, what a waste of 200M spread over 6 years.

How'd you get this figure?

 

[Vidyoyo]

I'll always be reminded of him every time I dab

 

[Esquire]

This has nothing to do with wanting to be the main man which is what you used as a criticism. When I asked you about that you talked about Pogba wanting the limelight.

And Pogba has never been consistent, many posters mentioned it before the signings, it's amazing that we are in 2022 and people still have no clue about the player he was before 2016 and are still overrating him.

We can agree on the overrated part.

 

[sunama]

Some sour grumpy bastards all over. Doubt the fan base will ever be happy again even if we were to win the UCL and Prem they'd all get bored within 5 mins and start moaning.

I'm one of the negative nellies doing the rounds these days.
Firstly, if we won the UCL and league, I'd be ecstatic and I would happily eat all my negative rants.
Realistically though, I see nothing but failure. Our last match about 2 weeks ago was a loss. Our penultimate game was also a loss. Based on form (last 5 matches) we were 16th out of 20.

I am thankful that Pogba has left. My worry was that he'd sign the big contract we offered him.
He has less than 5 good games in 6 seasons - quite shocking.
We should've got rid of him when Jose left. I'd have fired the pair of them and sent them home in the same taxi, Apprentice-style.

 

[Zlatattack]

.... goes to troll pogba on twitter...


... in the end i didn't bother. Not worth my time.

 

[simonhch]

I agree that the fanbase is generally far too negative, and the moaning on here can be grating at the best of times. Couple that with the excessively loyal and passive match going fans, and we have had a recipe for disaffection and passivity over the last decade.

But with that said, it is now time for us to draw on those traits to do what is needed at this club. The last ten years have taught us the folly of siding with players over managers, of the pervasiveness and toxicity of player power, and of the acceptance of mediocrity. It really is time for us all to heed Fergie's words, and stand behind our manager. Because he will need it, and even if some don't see it, we need it too.

Then there is the moaning and the grumbling inherent to the online fanbase. The fanbase, which more than any other section of our support, demands the big signings. The show stoppers. And when they don't get it, having a good old moan. Well now is the time to turn that ire on a gruesomely failed showbiz, galatico strategy, that has led to player power, and dysfunction, and to instead demand a team built in the image of the manager. A team fit for purpose, not one fit for maximum social media hits.

And that brings us to dear old Paul. He came with the razzle dazzle of a world record signing. He came with the promise of restoring the glory days. Of taking United back to the top. But no-one can ever argue that is has been anything other than an unmitigated failure. He's collected 90m in wages, and delivered precious little on the field. He cost us a further 89m in transfer fees, and 16m in agent fees. He hasn't delivered. At times he hasn't be used properly, but aside from low pressure moments, he also has never shown the commitment, or professionalism to make the most of his gifts. He has come to embody everything that is wrong with modern day Manchester United. All style and no substance.

The best thing about his departure, aside from the 300K saved a week, are the hopeful end to the incessant debates about what his best position is, how to use him, or the old classic "who do we need to sign to unlock Pogba's potential?"

He is gone, and on the field he won't be missed. I am hoping his departure signals the start of a new direction, a new mentality. The refusal to accept mediocrity or over indulgence. And the reawakening of Manchester United as a football club, rather than a marketing company.

Well, one can hope....

 

[Greyfog]

So sad today....You are free now Monsieur Pogba...Spread your wings and reach the heights, were you belong at the top of the game.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Him dancing with the crowd in Stockholm is genuinely one of the most joyful memories I have of the last 7 or so years, so I find it hard to be too bitter towards him to be honest. He also scored in that game only a month or so after his father passed, so it was a genuinely quite touching moment, back at his academy club, winning a (somewhat) major trophy.

All downhill from there, but you have to appreciate those things in football, it’s what it’s about, after all.

Good post.

I am pleased he is gone but he gave us some moments of joy down the years in a period that hasn't been very joyful.

We have not exactly been inundated with players who can perform genuine moments of magic and he has done that on many occasions. I watched his debut live and it will live with me forever, he looked like he could run through their entire team anytime he chose.

 

[Ace_Ventura]

How'd you get this figure?

90M transfer fees + 110M (wages+appearance fee) over 6 years, he was on 350K/week(wages + appearance fee) which comes to 18M/year.

 

[The Original]

90M transfer fees + 110M (wages+appearance fee) over 6 years, he was on 350K/week(wages + appearance fee) which comes to 18M/year.

He was on 290k. And obviously started lower (around 150) when he came so actually that's averaging closer to 220k per week over his time here.

 

[Berbasbullet]

Him dancing with the crowd in Stockholm is genuinely one of the most joyful memories I have of the last 7 or so years, so I find it hard to be too bitter towards him to be honest. He also scored in that game only a month or so after his father passed, so it was a genuinely quite touching moment, back at his academy club, winning a (somewhat) major trophy.

All downhill from there, but you have to appreciate those things in football, it’s what it’s about, after all.

Thanks for some positivity, didn't work out but nice we had some moments, good luck to him.

 

[Robertd0803]

Ill argue Lingard gave us more positive memories in the same time frame.

 

[Vernon Philander]

Made the Glazers and Adidas very rich indeed with all the endorsements and adverts.

His football wasn't too bad either, albeit underwhelming for the price tag.

 

[Ted Lasso]

My highlights of his time here.

Shame it didn't work. Ultimately player and managers both share some fault. But most of all it's the Glazers and Woodwards fault.

 

[TsuWave]

Right, for this season you are suggesting someone on RM is more important than Benzema, who will likely win the Ballon Dor, or PSG with Mbappe, who just gave him the keys to the house.

Yes, then you resort to “you people” and buffoonery. So descending to your level, adopting persona attacks and sh*thousery tactics doesn’t make your arguments more valid or cogent.

You people isn’t inherently derogatory. I just meant you “talisman” merchants. PSG has great players all around. Real Madrid have quality all over. Modric had core moments in their CL campaign as did Courtois and Vinicius. It wasn’t a Benzema one man show. Elite clubs have elite players all around their team. It was the same for Messi at Barca and for when Ronaldo was at Real. These “build a team around” notions are ridiculous archaic. Just build a good team with great players

 

[Vanrouge]

One of my favourite players to watch play football. A powerful, athletic, technical virtuoso. Undone at United by mean-spirited and false rumours plus some very dodgy and familiar tropes thrown his way by punditry and swallowed, sadly, by some fans. If we'd united (the clue is in the name) behind him and not allowed these agenda-driven criticisms to take root, his years at United could have been glorious. I'm not disappointed in Pogba but in the many fans who were gullible enough to believe the crap written and said about him by others outside the club and who had an agenda. I don't blame him for wanting to leave given how he was scapegoated so often.

 

[No Idea For Nickname]

Merci for what? 5 years of dancing?
Merci for leaving. Good riddance dabman!

 

[RedElf]

I wont miss him, failed to live up to the hype. Probably the clubs fault to be fair.

 

[poleglass red]

good bye, hope it works out for him. Unfortunately for me his time here wasn't a success. Talent was there, consistency wasn't. Blame the club, blame the managers, blame the lack of quality, all valid points, but he has to take his share of the blame as well. I still don't know his best position. Not our problem anymore.

 

[devilish]

Juventus are smiling alot.

 

[crossy1686]

Juventus are smiling alot.

Until they start paying him and see his performances in return

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

His injury record is a major major issue and that's what should really be worrying Juve.

Even more than his actual performances.

 

[Bobski]

Great talent, but that talent always created more problems than it solved when it came to putting out a functioning midfield. Not really a deep midfielder, not a 10 despite what some think, didn't have the fitness at PL tempo to be a box to box player, there was always this mythical inside left advanced midfield hybrid with no defensive responsibilities but also no expectation to score goals role that was supposed to bring the best out of him.

Then we saw him function perfectly well in a more reserved and orthodox midfield role for France, and those excuses waned, people tired of hearing what he needed instead of what he could provide for the team to be better.

Probably a great player as a pretty bow on top of a great team.

 

[Speedicut75]

Poor guy wasted his prime years in what has been a shambles of a club in those past few years.

And in his own inimitable way he's certainly helped accelerate that process.

 

[MattofManchester]

I'll always be reminded of him every time I dab

Soooooo, you won't be reminded of him, essentially.

 

[tomaldinho1]

The classic 'on his day' platitudes keep popping up. The sign of an overhyped and inconsistent player.

 

[RedBanker]

Virus.

 

[elnorte]

A disease that we all played our part in spreading. Shame we're doomed to repeat our mistakes.

 

[antsmithmk]

Where does the CAF stand on the calling Pogba out as lazy?

 

[Dread Devil]

He played for us in the worst period I have experienced as a United supporter but he provided many moments of magic and if he had a good team around him the whole experience would have been much better, I wish him well for the future and hope we can return to a club that could attract players of his stature very soon…..

 

[TsuWave]

He comes off well in Laurie Whitwell's autopsy of his time here for the Athletic:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

https://theathletic.com/3343886/2022/06/01/paul-pogba-manchester-united-juventus/

 

[CarbonStoolBites]

Where does the CAF stand on the calling Pogba out as lazy?

I never thought of him as lazy, he’s just slow as feck.
Add to that his lack of positional awareness and how often he loses the ball and you get yourself a midfielder that will get you in serious trouble when countered, and that happened so often.

 

[DRJosh]

A club legend

 

[Idxomer]

He comes off well in Laurie Whitwell's autopsy of his time here for the Athletic:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

https://theathletic.com/3343886/2022/06/01/paul-pogba-manchester-united-juventus/

Doesn't seem like the toxic personality people like to portray.

 

[shamans]

So since Pogbas arrival to our club, who has been a better player than him consistently? No one comes to mind apart from Ronaldo and maybe Bruno (though I think he's had more bad games than good now).

Pogba is not without blame. He has many faults and in the end, it just didn't work out but people need to stop acting like he was some Di Maria. Thanks for the memories Paul, though I can't lie I am glad to see your era here ended because it just wasn't working out.

 

[RedBanker]

A club belle*d.

Fixed

 

[The Hilton]

One of my favourite players to watch play football. A powerful, athletic, technical virtuoso. Undone at United by mean-spirited and false rumours plus some very dodgy and familiar tropes thrown his way by punditry and swallowed, sadly, by some fans. If we'd united (the clue is in the name) behind him and not allowed these agenda-driven criticisms to take root, his years at United could have been glorious. I'm not disappointed in Pogba but in the many fans who were gullible enough to believe the crap written and said about him by others outside the club and who had an agenda. I don't blame him for wanting to leave given how he was scapegoated so often.

The punditry stuff you have a good point about, but a lot of the transfer rumours came from Pogba's own agent, who acted on his authority, so blaming the fans for believing them but not Pogba despite him being the root cause is bizarre.

I get defending him against some of the absurd criticisms he faced, but your post is absolving him of any blame whatsoever for his disappointing time here, which is going too far the other way when there's plenty he could have done better (fitness, dedication, consistency, etc).

 

[Kopral Jono]

Pogba wasn't "the man" for the hype but he was a far better player for us than is given credit for. His first season in particular, there was a weird narrative about him being a flop when individually he was actually very good. He should have left last season, the club should have made more of an effort to push him out as he's been phoning it in this season.

I appreciate this post.

 

[TsuWave]

Doesn't seem like the toxic personality people like to portray.

Never was. Guy is ultra polite and jovial. He’s beloved by his team mates and opponents. Every single one of his managers, bar Mourinho, speaks highly of him. It’s a shame how things went, but he was not toxic or a virus, in fact, reading that article, he was one of the few trying to keep the squad together. Which is hilarious considering how people speak of him.