Dong
Manucho
I played it safe. Who's ready to get slated?
Manucho
I played it safe. Who's ready to get slated?
Players that Should NOT Have Signed for United
- Thread starter RedDevilCanuck
- Start date
From the player's perspective or the club's perspective? Dong and Manucho both benefited from signing for United.
Do you mean 'players that United should not have signed'?
Do you mean 'players that United should not have signed'?
Taibi
William Prunier
Kleberson
Blanc
Liam Miller
Alan Smith
Kleberson
Blanc
Liam Miller
Alan Smith
Tosic.
Michael Owen...
Both perspectives.
Just players that flopped, were too expensive, too young, too old, etc.
Eric Djemba-Djemba
I think Anderson could have done with another year or two in Portugal before coming here. Would have helped his development. Though he wouldn't have two Premier League medals and a Champions League. But I think him signing for us, whilst not incorrect, was too early.
Also, Diego Forlan, another case of right player, wrong time.
Also, Diego Forlan, another case of right player, wrong time.
Pig
Anders Lindegaard soon.
This is Peter Schmeichel talking.
This is Peter Schmeichel talking.
Short loan doesn't count as he was never signed.
Not fair on Smith. He did well while Ruud and Rooney were injured to start out his United career. He was bought to be a backup, a decent one at that. SAF fecked up his career moving him to midfield and then the leg break and he lost any top class ability he had possessed. Perhaps in the sense of his career stagnating maybe he should have went elsewhere.
Some posters have such terrible memories.
David Bellion
Arthur Gomez
Andy Goram
Arthur Gomez
Andy Goram
Bosnich in 99
This thread is going to get retarded, rapidly.
Christ maybe Marcello's right, I don't even remember Gomez.
Smith had a career-changing injury, there weren't many complaints before that.
Smith had a career-changing injury, there weren't many complaints before that.
I'm waiting for someone to pluck up the courage to say you know who...
Ber....
..ry. Bill Berry. Came to the club in 1906 after three seasons for Tottenham, but he mostly played for our reserve team. We sold him to Stockport in 1909.
..ry. Bill Berry. Came to the club in 1906 after three seasons for Tottenham, but he mostly played for our reserve team. We sold him to Stockport in 1909.
Alan Smith shouldn't be on any list, in my opinion. He did well for the club.
Berbatov.
There, I said it. We'd have been better off signing Tevez full time.
There, I said it. We'd have been better off signing Tevez full time.
Even though Kleberson fecked up, I understand why Ferguson signed him, because he was amazing at one-touch football and really good for Brazil when he captained them to the world cup gold in 2002. We should have given Veron more time than replaced him with Kleberson and Djemba-Djemba, both of those were far worse.
Blanc did decent, good temporary signing while we waited to get optimal value for the Stam money. Contributed to the title. Great player.
Smudge did decent before he got injured, but he never got back to his former self. After all he was a £7m player, and he delivered as such.
Dessie Baker
Paddy Lee
Paddy Lee
We tried, but Tevez went Judas on us.
Actually, we would have been better off signing Diego "Best" Pele. Unfortunately, he didn't want to sign for us, either.
Well done
It is almost, like, you illustrated my point. Thanks for that. If I require help wiping my ass in the near future, you are now third on the list.
Hargreaves
Anderson (well maybe signed, but not for the fee they paid)
Anderson (well maybe signed, but not for the fee they paid)
Evidently.
How do you judge this type of question?
Because it's very easy to do so with the benefit of hindsight. Alot of signings which would be seen as fitting the profile of a club like United at the actual time and being for the benefit of the clubs were ultimately bad buys(Veron, Birtles, etc) and others who think were abit below the expectations of a club like United went onto to be relative success.
A good contrast is this.
Personally, I would not expect a club like United to sign an experienced but passed his best keeper whose peak years were spent with mid table and relegation threatened sides who had lost his place with such a team and then play him as number one for a whole season and a hat-trick of cup finals.
Conversely, I probably would expect and approve of United signing an experenced keeper with a good track record of winning trophies in their domestic league, being the international number one for their country for a decade and also being seen as one of the best keepers in Britain for a time.
Nevertheless, Les Sealey fits the example put in example one and he was a good signing for United who served United well, whereas Jim Leighton fits the second example and he still gives me nightmares until this day.
My personal list would include most of Atkinson's signings in his last season and abit. They put the club backwards, including:
Peter Davenport
Terry Gibson
Peter Barnes
Chris Turner
Should never have been United players IMO.
Because it's very easy to do so with the benefit of hindsight. Alot of signings which would be seen as fitting the profile of a club like United at the actual time and being for the benefit of the clubs were ultimately bad buys(Veron, Birtles, etc) and others who think were abit below the expectations of a club like United went onto to be relative success.
A good contrast is this.
Personally, I would not expect a club like United to sign an experienced but passed his best keeper whose peak years were spent with mid table and relegation threatened sides who had lost his place with such a team and then play him as number one for a whole season and a hat-trick of cup finals.
Conversely, I probably would expect and approve of United signing an experenced keeper with a good track record of winning trophies in their domestic league, being the international number one for their country for a decade and also being seen as one of the best keepers in Britain for a time.
Nevertheless, Les Sealey fits the example put in example one and he was a good signing for United who served United well, whereas Jim Leighton fits the second example and he still gives me nightmares until this day.
My personal list would include most of Atkinson's signings in his last season and abit. They put the club backwards, including:
Peter Davenport
Terry Gibson
Peter Barnes
Chris Turner
Should never have been United players IMO.
What was wrong with Blanc? 
He'd lost all pace but still did a good job as a stop gap imo.
He'd lost all pace but still did a good job as a stop gap imo.
Michael Carrick...
Surely it should have been marcos senna at the time!
Surely it should have been marcos senna at the time!
He was a class above, the way he stepped in front, took the ball and found a man to pass to however tight things were.What was wrong with Blanc?
He'd lost all pace but still did a good job as a stop gap imo.
Trouble was that complete loss of pace meant the whole defence had to sit back so no one could run past him.
If we'd have signed him 10 years younger though, wow.
I think our performences around that time were connected more with our midfield rather than Blanc to be honest.
Veron and Berbatov. Not because they're shit players, but because their style of play doesn't suit their respective teams. I honestly think Berbatov has wasted his career in England. He would have been sensational in Italy.
Taibi
Blanc
Goram
Bellion
Barthez
Dong
Manucho
Cruyff
Owen
There were others who flopped but to be honest I thought there moves were worthwhile, I have only listed the ones where I went...Oh dear god why!
Blanc
Goram
Bellion
Barthez
Dong
Manucho
Cruyff
Owen
There were others who flopped but to be honest I thought there moves were worthwhile, I have only listed the ones where I went...Oh dear god why!
Uh-oh.
Cue 20 odd pages on that Tevez vs Berbatov debate that has never been seen on here before, ever!
Disagree with those in bold.
Blanc has already been discussed.
Cryuff was obviously nothing on his dad but was a more than capable squad player for the club at a time when we had our most successful season ever.
Owen scored that goal against City. A goal which, in itself, merited his free transfer.
Fergies many times now admitted letting Stam go was a mistake, we lost a top class centre half and replaced him with an over the hill veteran, Blanc was decent but his lack of pace was a major problem especially in matches against higher class opposition, it was nice to see him Kiss Barthez on the shiner a few times though.
I think no i know for sure listening to Sir alex himself if he could go back hed not make that mistake again.
I think no i know for sure listening to Sir alex himself if he could go back hed not make that mistake again.