Pick your united flop 11

matherto

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Bosnich rather than Barthez cause I remember Barthez having some decent games and Bosnich was for me a very good keeper in the 90's for Villa.
Di Maria, Pogba, Schweinsteiger, Falcao, Berba, Sanchez would all be in, maybe that's the midfield and attack of my XI but I can't really think of flop defenders tbh 4-3-3 but I need the four defenders.

The thing with Forlan for me is that I can't remember what he was thought of before he signed for us. He went on to have an amazing career post-us which makes everyone think he was a flop but was he just raw talent when he signed or did he already have a good reputation?
 

FrankDrebin

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I remember Forlan having formed a decent reputation in Argentina as a solid scorer and one who had a moment for the spectacular but he wasn't raved about as such.
I mean, he was on the verge of joining Boro before SAF moved in quickly.
 

montpelier

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I really don't understand why Anderson and Hargreaves are flops. Both had terrible injuries and both contributed massively to our success and trophies. The fact they didn't kick off from their early days doesn't mean they were flops.
Taibi was a flop. Di Maria, Falcao and even Forlan though he is a cult hero.
I agree. They are slightly silly picks for me.

Frustration vs potential I suppose.

Veron, doesn't seem as daft but is basically the same but less achievement again, even.
 

montpelier

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Some good posts on Birtles. I was just gonna go with 'indescribably bad'
 

Untd55

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Barthez
Darmian - Quite a lot of hype around him before we signed him. Useless
Blanc
Jones
Shaw - I can't think of a left-back that has had massive hype that has failed completely. Shaw possibly has not lived up to expectations, but I still think he could be great.
Kleberson - Was expecting more after the World Cup.
Veron
Kagawa - Massively hyped up before we bought him, and massively disappointing.
Di Maria - Was good at first, but lasted was way too short; definitely didn't meet expectations.
Sanchez - Obvious reasons.
Falcao - Though injured, still expected far better than that.
 

Revaulx

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For some perspective Gary Birtles must be considered THE biggest flop in the clubs history... 2nd most expensive transfer in England at the time, coming off a season where United had pushed one of the great Liverpool sides all the way before settling for 2nd place the season before, expectations were high going into the 1981-82 season. Birtles for his part was a sought after prospect, young with a decent scoring record and came with TWO European cup winners medals as a key part of the Notts Forrest side which carved out back to back European Cups.

Birtles signed in Oct, he didn't score a league goal for the rest of the season, and only managed 1 poxy goal in an FA cup match. His record for the season 28 games, ONE goal... Injuries were not a factor. He improved the next season to 11 goals in 33 games, but was dropped like a rock for a 17 Norman Whiteside at the start of the 1982-83 season and sold back to Forrest for less than 1/4 of his original fee. He won nothing in a United Shirt.

Again, this is what a real flop looks like.
Absolutely this! (re. bolded: surely you mean 80/81?)

The deployment of Wilkins as a deep lying playmaker was a stroke of brilliance by Sexton. The only weakness of that 79/80 team was that, despite absolutely controlling games, it hadn’t got enough goals in it. Jordan was great but had never been a prolific scorer; likewise the midfield four of Coppell/McIlroy/Macari/Thomas.

Lots of us thought at the time that Birtles was rather a panic buy; the intention was clearly to return to a two-up-front formation, but little thought seemed to have gone into the changes in midfield required to accommodate this. What was needed with the benefit of hindsight was a goalscoring midfielder rather than a striker; that would have just involved upgrading the occupant of a position, rather than a major formation shift.

As it turned out, Wilkins was injured for most of the 80/81 season, and there was no Plan B to deal with that, so we (and Sexton, who was sacked at the end of the season) were screwed in any case.
 

204Red

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Absolutely this! (re. bolded: surely you mean 80/81?)

The deployment of Wilkins as a deep lying playmaker was a stroke of brilliance by Sexton. The only weakness of that 79/80 team was that, despite absolutely controlling games, it hadn’t got enough goals in it. Jordan was great but had never been a prolific scorer; likewise the midfield four of Coppell/McIlroy/Macari/Thomas.

Lots of us thought at the time that Birtles was rather a panic buy; the intention was clearly to return to a two-up-front formation, but little thought seemed to have gone into the changes in midfield required to accommodate this. What was needed with the benefit of hindsight was a goalscoring midfielder rather than a striker; that would have just involved upgrading the occupant of a position, rather than a major formation shift.

As it turned out, Wilkins was injured for most of the 80/81 season, and there was no Plan B to deal with that, so we (and Sexton, who was sacked at the end of the season) were screwed in any case.
Yes... Absolutely 80/81... my bad (I'll correct the original post)

It does boggle the mind when I see people complaining about players with championship medals (in some cases multiple medals) compared to this guy who was such a monumental flop and won nothing. He'd played in 2 European Cup finals, he had England caps and should have been able to respond to the pressure - but he folded like a house of cards and failed so spectacularly in that first season, there was no real way back for him. - Stranger still, he resumed his career at Forrest and put up some decent goal scoring numbers when he went back.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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Barthez (wasn’t terrible but expected so much more from a World Cup, European Championship & Champions League winning goalkeeper)

Darmian (I remember signing him in about 3 United career modes on FIFA before he signed in real life. Rated him so highly based on his performances for Italy & was absolutely convinced he’d be a Evra-like servant for us for many years)

Fosu-Mensah (was supposed to be first choice centre back by now, but failed loans, playing out of position & injuries pretty much ended his United career)

Jones (Our best player since Duncan Edwards, the new John Terry. Goodness me)

Shaw (I know this is harsh but he’s been nowhere near the player we thought we were getting from Southampton back in 2014. Injuries, poor fitness & 2 managers constantly shattering his confidence haven’t helped him)

Kleberson (I was so excited when we signed him, was one of Brazil’s best players in their 2002 World Cup win & I thought we had a world class baller on our hands)

Schneiderlin (I was more excited for him than I was for Bastian, I thought he’d be our DM for the next decade. Looked completely lost for 90% of his United career & never looked the the player we saw at Southampton)

Veron (huge fan of Seba and look back on his time here much more fondly than most, but it’s undeniable that we expected so much more from a player who cost us £30m in 2001! (Probably about £150m in the current climate) never looked like he fully settled, which is a shame as I remember Giggs saying Veron was the best player he ever saw in training)

Sanchez (nuff said)

Di Maria (nuff said)

Depay (just based on how excited I was for him coming in, could say that for pretty much the entire 2015 summer window, I thought we’d hit the jackpot with all of our signings, and every one of them flopped bar Martial)

I’m basing it more on not meeting my expectations, rather than bad performances, so that’s why there’s no Bebe, Obertan etc Anderson came very close but that penalty in Moscow & the brace in the CL semi final keep him out. Januzaj also close based on u fulfilled potential. No Falcao as at the time I expected him to be a flop. I remember warning people getting over excited that it’s a new league & he’d just had a bad knee injury. Him flopping didn’t surprise me.
 

Canagel

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Darmian Jones Lindelof Rojo Shaw
Schweinstieger Schneiderlin
Lukaku Sanchez Mkhitaryan
 

Baneofthegame

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How people are putting in Hargreaves/Anderson and to a lesser extent Kagawa, when the former two injuries contributed to their downfall after stellar seasons.

Kagawa was also productive before his injuries.
 

AshRK

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Flops and worst players are two different things. That's why including bebe oberton taibi doesn't make sense.

Each one has their own way of interpreting flop but for me I would have flops as those who I had expectations but theu failed to live to that. And as the OP said I wouldn't be basing this on price tag.

So here I go

Valdes

Darmian Rojo Jones Butner

Schneiderlin

Di Maria Kagawa Depay

Falcao Sanchez
 

diarm

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Picking my team based on how good I thought they were going to be vs how good the ended up being. Not necessarily the worst players, just the most disappointing:

Barthez
Darmian Jones Blanc
Kleberson
Bastian Veron Anderson
Di Maria ------------------------------ Sanchez
Falcao​
 

Freak

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-----------------------------Taibi------------------------
Darmian-------Jones-------Prunier------Buttner
--------------Schneiderlin----Schweiny---------------
----------------------------Lingard--------------------------
Sanchez----------------Falcao--------------Di Maria--
 

Vooon

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How people are putting in Hargreaves/Anderson and to a lesser extent Kagawa, when the former two injuries contributed to their downfall after stellar seasons.

Kagawa was also productive before his injuries.
Good point on Ando, I forgot about his injuries.

For me the biggest disappointments re Ando was the fact that he was pretty much considered a wonderkid, not just in Champ Man, but in real life. The other thing, which I'd say wasn't his fault, was the way he was used on the pitch. I couldn't understand why he was used as some sort of CM and not an attacking left wing/striker which as far as I can recall was his preferred position in Porto and for the Brazil U-teams.

He had a massive wasted potential. Him playing for some second rate Turkish club just before turning 32 is nuts.
 

montpelier

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I'll try a few that are mainly older and a bit different.

Jim Leighton - OK ish start to hopeless
Viv Anderson - injuries I suppose
Ian Ure - Birtles esque
Prunier - be rude not to, but Jovanovic if we're looking for a proper signing
Rojo - we can't expose Jones at LB
Mike Phelan - dependably average
Phil Jones - DM, with instructions to get on the ball as little as possible
Schweinsteiger - we were done
Birtles - so physically uncoordinated he struggled to run sensibly
Terry Gibson - not sure he ever scored did he?
Ted McDougall - cost a lot of money at the time

Subs and others

Sivabaek - big hopes but disappointing
Jesper Olsen - frustrating, was a potential star, still the best player listed here by miles
Ralph Milne - very unlucky to only be on the bench
Djemba Djemba - can only think you loons picking Anderson never saw this guy
 

thepolice123

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There is some revisionism here. He was slow, and couldn’t get up to speed in the PL. He didn’t fit it with the way we played. Clearly there were adaption issues on both sides, but he was poor. He obviously has class, and there were some moments of brilliance, yet poor overall. He was poor at Chelsea as well.
Veron actually had good games for us in Europe. In the PL we played him in a two man midfield alongside Keane when it was clear that wasn't his best position. It's just like what Mou did with Pogba. People were expecting miracles from him when all he needed was time to settle in. By the time he went to Chelsea, his confidence was shot.

I don't deny that Veron was a flop but was he worse than people like Hargreaves and Saha, who had lesser pressure to perform but were too mentally weak to overcome their injuries? I mean they were given way more chances and were on the club's payroll for years despite not playing.
I really don't understand why Anderson and Hargreaves are flops. Both had terrible injuries and both contributed massively to our success and trophies. The fact they didn't kick off from their early days doesn't mean they were flops.
Taibi was a flop. Di Maria, Falcao and even Forlan though he is a cult hero.
According to Ferguson, it was a signing that was to prove a "disaster’’, with Hargreaves accused of having no self-belief or strength of character to beat his physical adversity.

"I saw him opt for the easy choice too often,’’ carped Ferguson, who admits that when Hargreaves was fit, his contribution was more than good enough but that he simply did not play enough.

www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/alex-ferguson-autobigraphy-owen-hargreaves-2480978.amp
Hargreaves was deemed a flop by the man who bought him.
 

Champagne Football

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A flop for me is someone who was supposed to be the game-changer signing, regardless of whether costing a fortune or getting what we thought was a bargain at the time.


Bosnich
Darmian Jones Rojo
Di Maria Veron Schweinsteiger Pogba
Sanchez Depay Mkhitaryan


Subs - Barthez, Blind, Mata, Scheiderlin, Bebe, Obertan
 
Last edited:

montpelier

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A flop for me is someone who was supposed to be the game-changer signing, regardless of whether costing a fortune or getting what we thought was a bargain at the time.


Bosnich
Darmian Jones Rojo
Di Maria Veron Schweinsteiger Pogba
Sanchez Depay Mkhitaryan


Subs - Barthez, Blind, Mata, Scheiderlin, Bebe, Obertan
Yes, that's fair.

Pogba, Veron, Anderson all fair enough picks on the game changing, really very highly rated upon arrival basis.
 

Snow

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Dong Fangzhou's name has come up in a couple of articles recently. Has to be one of the first names on the list.
Why? Came here 19 year old, got loaned out because of a workpermit played 1 match and obviously never adjusted as he was a long way from home in a completely different environment at Manchester United no less. Lad never stood a chance.

People putting Dalot on here are nuts. Just turned 21, has gone through 2 managers and been injured. Listen to him on the United Hour podcast and tell me again that he's a flop. He signed with us understanding that he would have to fight for every chance at playing and he's still optimistic about his future here.
 

simplyared

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I'll try a few that are mainly older and a bit different.

Jim Leighton - OK ish start to hopeless
Viv Anderson - injuries I suppose
Ian Ure - Birtles esque
Prunier - be rude not to, but Jovanovic if we're looking for a proper signing
Rojo - we can't expose Jones at LB
Mike Phelan - dependably average
Phil Jones - DM, with instructions to get on the ball as little as possible
Schweinsteiger - we were done
Birtles - so physically uncoordinated he struggled to run sensibly
Terry Gibson - not sure he ever scored did he?
Ted McDougall - cost a lot of money at the time

Subs and others

Sivabaek - big hopes but disappointing
Jesper Olsen - frustrating, was a potential star, still the best player listed here by miles
Ralph Milne - very unlucky to only be on the bench
Djemba Djemba - can only think you loons picking Anderson never saw this guy
Ted McDougall is a great shout. He was so hyped up. Yes he came from the lower divisions but he'd scored so many goals for his club Bournmouth we all had high expectations. I was at OT when he made his debut. Something extra with him being a striker. Atmosphere electric! What a fecking let down he was. Flop would be an understatement!
 

James Ward

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People been way to harsh on Dalot here. He only turned 21 this month FFS.

He has great potential.
 

Jezpeza

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I wont go for the obvious - luke chadwick, djemba djemba, etc. I’ll go for people who arrived here with a rep and or a pricetag and either fell off a cliff or turned out to be S***e or both.

Barthez

Darmian Blanc Jones Rojo

Di Maria Kleberson Anderson Kagawa Sanchez

Forlan
 

204Red

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I'll try a few that are mainly older and a bit different.

Jim Leighton - OK ish start to hopeless
Viv Anderson - injuries I suppose
Ian Ure - Birtles esque
Prunier - be rude not to, but Jovanovic if we're looking for a proper signing
Rojo - we can't expose Jones at LB
Mike Phelan - dependably average
Phil Jones - DM, with instructions to get on the ball as little as possible
Schweinsteiger - we were done
Birtles - so physically uncoordinated he struggled to run sensibly
Terry Gibson - not sure he ever scored did he?
Ted McDougall - cost a lot of money at the time

Subs and others

Sivabaek - big hopes but disappointing
Jesper Olsen - frustrating, was a potential star, still the best player listed here by miles
Ralph Milne - very unlucky to only be on the bench
Djemba Djemba - can only think you loons picking Anderson never saw this guy
I forgot about Terry Gibson, and boy was he useless, but he did score ONE goal for United vs the Arse in the 86/87 season in an impressive win for the rejects Fergie inherited from Big Ron
 

hmchan

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In fact, I can nearly name a flop 11 only using players signed by van Gaal. Amazing manager.

3-5-2
GK - Valdes
RCB - Darmian
CB - Rojo
LCB - Blind
RWB - N/A
LWB - N/A
RCM - Schweinsteiger
DM - Schneiderlin
LCM - di Maria
ST - Falcao
ST - Depay