I'm wondering which are worse, the posts in this thread or those in the original 'Thank you Ole' one which was later merged.
Merci Paul
- Thread starter horsechoker
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Have posted this in another thread earlier in the year:
I am certainly in the minority but I will remember him as a good player for us. I don't buy into the whole "he's only played well for 3/4 games" - it feels like whenever he has a good game the narrative is "if only he did this every week". Perhaps not living up to the fee / expectation but never truly given a platform and structure to excel in on a consistent basis.
The only periods in the post-Ferguson era where we've been in genuine title contending form were 1) start of Jose 2nd season, 2) when Ole took over until end of 18/19 season, 3) last season until Feb... guess you could even throw in the post-lockdown period too at a stretch). Pogba was the main / best performing player, most of these were periods where we had a settled midfield and DM partner in Matic - just feels like it could and should have been so much better though!
I also don't buy into this narrative that he's a bad influence around the club - every player who's played with him speaks highly - as do club staff etc. The social media side of things might piss people off but I'm afraid we will just need to get used to that as it's only going to become more prevalent.
Again - appreciate I am very much in the minority on this one - and even I can admit it's the right thing for all parties to move on. Wish him well
I am certainly in the minority but I will remember him as a good player for us. I don't buy into the whole "he's only played well for 3/4 games" - it feels like whenever he has a good game the narrative is "if only he did this every week". Perhaps not living up to the fee / expectation but never truly given a platform and structure to excel in on a consistent basis.
The only periods in the post-Ferguson era where we've been in genuine title contending form were 1) start of Jose 2nd season, 2) when Ole took over until end of 18/19 season, 3) last season until Feb... guess you could even throw in the post-lockdown period too at a stretch). Pogba was the main / best performing player, most of these were periods where we had a settled midfield and DM partner in Matic - just feels like it could and should have been so much better though!
I also don't buy into this narrative that he's a bad influence around the club - every player who's played with him speaks highly - as do club staff etc. The social media side of things might piss people off but I'm afraid we will just need to get used to that as it's only going to become more prevalent.
Again - appreciate I am very much in the minority on this one - and even I can admit it's the right thing for all parties to move on. Wish him well
Paul Pogba is a classic case of could have been, should have been at Manchester United. His return was not the best timing for him and his toxic agent although RIP did not help Paul`s case later.
Paul was not a good fit for the post-Sir Alex instability but he certainly deserves some respect from fans - he was not a troublemaker except when his agency leaked to the media and it seems he was a pleasant presence around Old Trafford to the ordinary staff. Still an amazing talent when he`s on form and I hope he enjoys his next club which I think is Juventus again.
Paul was not a good fit for the post-Sir Alex instability but he certainly deserves some respect from fans - he was not a troublemaker except when his agency leaked to the media and it seems he was a pleasant presence around Old Trafford to the ordinary staff. Still an amazing talent when he`s on form and I hope he enjoys his next club which I think is Juventus again.
The correct answer here is...yours
But significantly more that made us disappointed, frustrated and deeply annoyed.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened
Enjoyed his France performances while he was here, a mixture of "can't wait for his 10/10 next season" and "he'll never have a team like this here".
An incredible talent, but it's safe to say that over his six seasons at Old Trafford that we saw Pogba at his peak known ability at most 10% of the time, and that may even be incredibly generous.
Great player, a tad inconsistent in an underperforming team, thanks Paul for the service, shame it wasn't better for both parties.
He was here 5 years and not a single time did he make it feel as if he ever appreciated playing for us. Just his second season in he started making it clear he wanted to go elsewhere in particular the constant flirting with Madrid.That is why I will only remember his time here as an annoyance having to deal with him and his agents BS.
Lots of talk about him being absolute world class and how he's a mix of Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard for france but funny thing is he's now available for free and the only club actually making an effort to sign him is Juventus. Wouldn't all elite clubs be fighting for his signature right now if he was as good as some claim?
Lots of talk about him being absolute world class and how he's a mix of Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard for france but funny thing is he's now available for free and the only club actually making an effort to sign him is Juventus. Wouldn't all elite clubs be fighting for his signature right now if he was as good as some claim?
More problems than he was ever worth, wrong player at the wrong time. Torino is a hell of a place.
Happy to see him leave. Been a disaster of a signing financially - easily worse than De Maria. He gave us probably 2 good seasons / 1 okayish one and rest were disasters
His signing also was one of the first steps we took towards our landish contracts and broke our wage structure.
His signing also was one of the first steps we took towards our landish contracts and broke our wage structure.
What happened. Him leaving. If so, I agree with you.
To be fair, you're probably right; I took it to the extreme in an effort to balance the extreme negatives we were constantly exposed to. He has to accept some of the blame, of course, but I'm so disappointed by the whole narrative, the way it's played out, and the way we've let a player of his immense talent slip through our fingers once again.
Edited to add that, in my defence, this is a thread for thanking Pogba not rehashing the old arguments. I appreciate him as a player, his many upsides compared to his few flaws.
(1) He's had a bad time with injuries recently
(2) if you spend enough time in this team, you'll be dragged down to it's leve
(3) he's 29
Give him time to recover, a good team around him with actual structure, maybe we'll see amazing things
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Almost everyone within the game thinks he’s a brilliant pro.
Many have already decided he’s a bad influence. I don’t know why but that’s just how it is.
The main reasons he did not work that well for him with us imo were:
1. He did not have a solid, hard working CDM next to him, like Kante or Vidal.
2. The intensity and pace of the PL did not suit him that much as he is rather slow and likes to take his time with the ball.
3. He is not the type of player that raises the team by himself, he is rather a luxury piece of an already well oiled machine, which we looked to be only from time to time.
Wish him luck and I will always appreciate his best moments with us.
1. He did not have a solid, hard working CDM next to him, like Kante or Vidal.
2. The intensity and pace of the PL did not suit him that much as he is rather slow and likes to take his time with the ball.
3. He is not the type of player that raises the team by himself, he is rather a luxury piece of an already well oiled machine, which we looked to be only from time to time.
Wish him luck and I will always appreciate his best moments with us.
Quality player no doubt. But severely lack consistency and fitness.
We’re a class club. Merci to anyone who defended our club even for a second.
All the best Paul Pogba.
We’re a class club. Merci to anyone who defended our club even for a second.
All the best Paul Pogba.
Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Yeah I get that, and I don't think a defence is necessary after your first paragraph, it's pretty much spot on. I think some folks are struggling to remember that he's had some good moments with us, due to him not being bothered this season, but early on he had some great times with us.
So many thanks, Paul, for performing with maximum effort every time you stepped on the pitch. And of course, for always putting the interest of the club first.
There’s no doubt Mourninho fukked with you, but you gave it everything you had under Ole.
There’s no doubt Mourninho fukked with you, but you gave it everything you had under Ole.
Brilliant pro. Taking multiple weeks vacation to recover from simple muscle injuries in fecking Dubai.
He's a super charismatic dude and a baller on his day. He's clearly not toxic, but he's not a model professional either.
Lost for free, bought for 90m quid, couple of good games, lots of injuries and yapping from Mino, lost again for free.
Big contender for the worst piece of business we ever did.
Big contender for the worst piece of business we ever did.
Good in about 1 every 6 games. If you think that's united calibre you're supporting the wrong club..
For me, he's always been a luxury player. Any player who needs certain players beside them to show their level cannot be categorised as 'world class' and for me that.sums pogba up..
For me, he's always been a luxury player. Any player who needs certain players beside them to show their level cannot be categorised as 'world class' and for me that.sums pogba up..
For sure. For some, I imagine it softens the blow to think of his entire time at United as disastrous. Handled differently, dare I say with Ferguson-type managerial skills, we might be in a very different place with Pogba (and in general) right now. But now I'm getting into "if my auntie had bollocks" territory. I think we essentially agree, though.
Don't think he was ever toxic. I think people think of Mourinho calling him a virus when they say that, but nobody else seems to have anything bad to say about him - quite the contrary. But I do think maybe he's lacking a little bit of the professionalism, drive and mentality required to reach the very top (and stay there).
He clearly became disillusioned with life at United after we collapsed and missed out on CL under Ole in 2018/19, and I don't blame him too much for that. The club has been a shambles for years, and even though he shares a bit of responsibility in that, I can understand him being frustrated at spending 6 of his prime years at a United in disarray - miles away from challenging for the top trophies.
I won't miss him though. Not one bit.
He clearly became disillusioned with life at United after we collapsed and missed out on CL under Ole in 2018/19, and I don't blame him too much for that. The club has been a shambles for years, and even though he shares a bit of responsibility in that, I can understand him being frustrated at spending 6 of his prime years at a United in disarray - miles away from challenging for the top trophies.
I won't miss him though. Not one bit.
A better ratio of good performances than almost every other player in his time. The last 18 months especially some of our players have had a handful of good games in that entire period…despite stats. Perhaps the players aren’t the problem, or perhaps all the players are the problem. But I wouldn’t single out one of the better performers.
fecked you over when he left on a free to Juve. Then you buy him back for £100m and then he leaves you on a free again. In all that time he never lived up to his hype. I don't think there's ever been a more expensive and overhyped player in Uniteds history. 
When did he cost 100 million pound?fecked you over when he left on a free to Juve. Then you buy him back for £100m and then he leaves you on a free again. In all that time he never lived up to his hype. I don't think there's ever been a more expensive and overhyped player in Uniteds history.
He was basically out injured or being benched by the likes of Scott and Fred in the past 18 months.
We wouldn't have signed him again if Sir Alex was in charge.
His injuries were certainly a concern and the reason why I feel it was wise to let him go. As for the rest of the last 18 months he has started 88% of the games he’s been available for and 55% of all the games in that time.
He was basically out injured or being benched by the likes of Scott and Fred in the past 18 months.
So your narrative, like so many others is laughably wrong. In fact in the last 18 months he’s had more good games than any other player in the squad….which can be evidenced in the performance threads rather than in the narrative of posters brains that have bias as proven above.
See, this just proves my point that so many of our fans fell for the narrative. Sir Alex has literally said that he wanted to keep Pogba and it was Mino Raiola that caused the transfer to Juventus. Fergie saw Pogba's value as clearly as most of us who love football did.