Paul Scholes | 2012/13 Performances

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Sarni

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United aren't exactly in inspiring form these days, losing to Madrid (bloody ref), drawing with Chelsea and scraping past Reading. I do believe that if we win against Sunderland it's done and dusted but if we somehow lose against Sunderland and then against City at home, with the FA cup replay in between, It's a 9 point lead with 7 games to play.
Exactly, we could lose two games we're unlikely to lose and still be 9 points ahead with only 7 games to go.
 

Sarni

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Sometimes from my mario kart experience, you can be miles In the lead, lose concentration and fall off the edge of the track. Suddenly that lead isn't quite so big, and a nasty red shell hits you in the ass. now all of a sudden a big black bullet is racing up your ass, your neck neck to the finish line!.

It isn't over until it's over. We've still got stoke away, arsenal away, Chelsea home, city home. That is quite possibly 4 losses if we are not game.

I know it's a long shot but last year we all thought it was safe, I hope to god we don't even give them a sniff but I just wonder if we do lose, will the memory of last year come back to haunt us?.

We hardly have mentally the strongest team right now, quite a few times we have surrendered leads.
We've not lost to Stoke since they came up and I don't think Chelsea and City are both going to win at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, even if we somehow lost all those four games we'd still need to lose another 2 or 3 at least as City will certainly drop points along the way. Can you really see us dropping 18-20 points out of 27 remaining? Even Reading and QPR would be embarrassed to get 7-10 points in 9 games at this stage of season.

This talk about 'two or three draws or losses making it tight' is frankly pointless - we're in a position where we can lose 4 and draw 1 in the remaining 9 games and still win it. In fact, given City's form, we could probably draw another 2 and still be fine. With draws we'd have to draw ALL of them for City to be able to surpass us assuming they win all except the one at OT. Honestly, it's impossible to lose it from this position unless we became QPR all of sudden.
 

Adam-Utd

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We've not lost to Stoke since they came up and I don't think Chelsea and City are both going to win at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, even if we somehow lost all those four games we'd still need to lose another 2 or 3 at least as City will certainly drop points along the way. Can you really see us dropping 18-20 points out of 27 remaining? Even Reading and QPR would be embarrassed to get 7-10 points in 9 games at this stage of season.

This talk about 'two or three draws or losses making it tight' is frankly pointless - we're in a position where we can lose 4 and draw 1 in the remaining 9 games and still win it. In fact, given City's form, we could probably draw another 2 and still be fine. With draws we'd have to draw ALL of them for City to be able to surpass us assuming they win all except the one at OT. Honestly, it's impossible to lose it from this position unless we became QPR all of sudden.
I know it seems unlucky, but I am not getting my hopes up. Last year was ridiculous and it has given me a nervous feel to the run in ha.

I hope we perform as confidently as you both feel!
 

Sarni

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I know it seems unlucky, but I am not getting my hopes up. Last year was ridiculous and it has given me a nervous feel to the run in ha.

I hope we perform as confidently as you both feel!
I might be nervous if it were 6 or even 9 points. 15 though is too much.
 

Sandikan

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There's always a first time a team screw up a ridiculously big lead.

Luckily fergie won't let that happen, and I'm sure he'll put a team out that can take Sunderland down, who are without their best striker and most influential midfielder.

To actually get the thread back on point, Scholesy returning will be nice, but hopefully it means he's properly fit.

He's been alright this season, but he was excellent when he came back last season after his half season break.

There's no chance he'll stay on as a player next year though. It felt too soon 2 years ago, but now definitely feels the right time.
 

Amir

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I highly doubt SAF is thinking like this. I'd be willing to bet on Scholesy featuring quite a bit in the run-in.
I don't know. He was out of the picture big time even before the injury. Maybe the rest will see him doing something huge like his comeback last season. But it's not too likely.

Fergie may use him here and there, but I'm not sure he'll be playing much in the big games, in which we've done well without him. And I doubt we'll hear Fergie's annual 'he's got another year in him'. Not quite sure he had THIS year in him.
 

Sarni

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I also think it'll be his last season. He managed to come back last year but that six months break actually did him a favour, he rested and was well prepared for half a season of football. This season he couldn't keep up though and it won't change, he won't get any younger.
 

NotoriousISSY

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I also think it'll be his last season. He managed to come back last year but that six months break actually did him a favour, he rested and was well prepared for half a season of football. This season he couldn't keep up though and it won't change, he won't get any younger.
He's not been close to what he was last season. Shame, but it's been pretty evident. I mean he wasn't a box-to-box runner last season, but his presence at times this year was painful at times.

He's only completed 90 minutes twice (which is somewhat irrelevant to what he brings to the table) and both games were lost.

For me he's only really had one really decent outing for us and that was Villa away in the second half. Maybe Wigan at home in the second half too. He struggled at Anfield, was one of the reasons Newcastle countered so well against us at OT, similar situation against Spurs with the ball travelling over his head 3 times too many.

Nothing against Scholes (he is probably the best player I've seen and will ever see live) but he's just not had that impact he had last season. Luckily Cleverley seems to be past his injury problems to add a slightly different dimension and style of play and Carrick has ran things single handedly without that aura of Scholes next to him.

That 5 month period last season though, unforgettable and just a huge shame it didn't result in another medal.
 

Sarni

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True but the age has to take its toll. He doesn't have the ability to run games anymore but I can't think of many players who would still have it at 38. It's an age at which defenders and goalkeepers and occasionally strikers (Sheringham, Romario) and obviously Ryan Giggs can still be productive, midfielders don't usually last that long, for a reason too.
 

manutddjw

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I think he'll retire, but it's unfair to say he's diminished this season. Scholes is the same player he was last season, his ability and limitations are the same, the thing that has changed from last season to this one, is that our wingers have been dire for most of the season.

Usually Scholes has had the benefit of having at least one winger in good form, and alot of the opportunities we created in the last couple of years, were from Scholes simply smashing the ball out wide and our wingers would do something productive. Scholes would get praised for starting the attack, by doing something he's still quite capable of doing today. This season, Scholes will still get the ball out wide, but our wingers didn't do anything with it and basically Scholes' main contribution has been diminished.
 

MPTutd

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Just found this in a mail article. Not sure it has been posted before so thought I would.

Brings a smile to my face.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 'When we were in training, I used to do a lot of tricks which hardly any players at club could do.

'Once I was showing my skills to Scholes. After I finished it, Scholes took a ball and pointed towards a tree which was about 50m from where we were standing. He said I’m going to hit it in one shot. He kicked it and hit the tree.

'He asked me to do the same, I kicked about 10 times, but couldn’t hit it with that accuracy. He smiled and left.'
 

Brwned

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Just a shame Scholesy said it's not even true in an interview last summer. I reckon that's a case with quite a few of the quotes attached to Scholes to be honest.
 

holyland red

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Just found this in a mail article. Not sure it has been posted before so thought I would.

Brings a smile to my face.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 'When we were in training, I used to do a lot of tricks which hardly any players at club could do.

'Once I was showing my skills to Scholes. After I finished it, Scholes took a ball and pointed towards a tree which was about 50m from where we were standing. He said I’m going to hit it in one shot. He kicked it and hit the tree.

'He asked me to do the same, I kicked about 10 times, but couldn’t hit it with that accuracy. He smiled and left.'
Read that story before. Excellent stuff.

It would be so nice for Scholes to win another title before retiring.
 

Adzzz

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If Mario Kart has taught me anything it's that the race leader doesn't often spin out on banana skins. We're way too far ahead of City for them to hit us with a red shell; and even on the off chance that somebody picks up the blue shell as we prepare for the final bend, we've got a good enough lead so that we can take the hit and still cruise to the finish line laughing. We're throwing the fecking banana skins, not trying to dodge the cnuts.
:lol: If we're in double dash territory which players represent which characters?

Rafael is certainly one of the little mushroom fellas. Vidic is Bowser.
 

kps88

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Heh not surprised to learn that Ronaldo - tree story was fiction.
 

Chesterlestreet

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"Thankfully I've been born with...er...a bit of an ability to pass the ball...and..."

Yes, sir. You have been born with "a bit of an ability" to do just that. I just...no. He's great, isn't he? Simply great.
 

adamwest

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Are we going to see him play before the end of the season? Against the arse on Sunday ?
 

Rowem

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After his fantastic return in the second half of last season it's a shame that this season has been a real poor one for Scholes.

Hopefully he gets a run out as it's presumably his last season.
 

Ronnie O'Sullivan

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It's his 11th title yea? High chance he will really retire this time, but United have to make sure he's still involved with the squad
 

Genius Me!

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I don't know why he doesn't go and play for Oldham for a year like he's always wanted to and then come back to coaching here afterwards.

Also Fergie said he wants to get him playing in our last home game.
 

Drifter

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Paul Scholes is certain to be at Old Trafford next season, but Sir Alex Ferguson isn't sure if it will be as a United player or coach.

The 38-year-old midfielder is out of contract in the summer and is expected to retire for a second time after an injury-hit 2013. But Ferguson has assured fans that Scholes, who spent six months as a reserve-team coach before returning to the first team in January 2012, will revert to a role on the United backroom staff if he decides to call time on his playing career. The Reds boss stressed that Scholes, who is behind only Ryan Giggs and Sir Bobby Charlton in United's all-time appearance makers, is yet to say whether he will be in the squad again next season. "He'll be here anyway - whether as a player or coach," said Ferguson. "We'll have to wait and see with Scholes." Scholes did not join in with the title celebrations on the Old Trafford turf after last Monday's 3-0 win over Aston Villa but Ferguson played down the significance of that. He told the club's official website: "I don't think he came onto the pitch but he's not that type. He was probably home by the time the game ended! "I think there will come a time when he has to quit anyway, whether it's next year or this year. He's not made his mind up about that. He has got a lot to offer us and we do this now, it's a very important part of our club to get players who have made a great contribution." The United manager reiterated his wish that two more of his current playing squad will become members of the club's coaching team. He added: "Nicky Butt is with the reserves; Darren Fletcher, when his time comes, will join. Ryan Giggs will join. [Then there are] Brian McClair, Tony Whelan, Paul McGuinness, Marek Szmid. We have a lot of former players in positions at the club which is healthy for us."



Great news .Hopefully Giggs will also get stay on,if that is what he wants.
 

ArmchairCritic

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Slipping out of the back door again? This is already the worst summer ever.
 
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