Rooney always had a Dog n Duck type performance in him even when he was good. So the fall, when it came, didn’t look that unusual or sudden to me
Regarding Carroll, I thought it was way premature when Liverpool bought him. You need to give players like that full seasons to see if it's a purple patch or not. I don't think you can say he declined because he wasn't that great to begin with. Same with BentekeAndy Carroll and Christian Benteke both unrecognizable playing in a Liverpool shirt. Since than playing for their current clubs gone from bad to worse. Both Prolific goalscorers at Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Under Southgate? Don't think so. Under Hodgson? For sure.Carrolls career has been mostly upset by injury. I reckon he'd still be in England squad if not for those.
his form had declined at liverpool due to injuries, he's lost more then a yard or two of pace but the team was still set up to play to his strengths so it wasn't as noticeable.Torres was a real head scratcher. Genuinely one of the best strikers I've ever seen, I was pretty jelous we never signed him after being convinced for two seasons that we would.
However, I still can't quite understand how he went so bad at Chelsea. Every week he was a laughing stock, and I just kept thinking "he's too good not to turn this around". Yet he never did.
There was a lot of talk at the time about how most people just believed his motivation went after SAF hung it up. The consensus seemed to be that he came to United because of SAF, and to win the league, and when we won the league in his first season, and Fergie hung it up, it seemed pretty understandable that he would lose his edge.Good shout. It was like there was a mutual understanding between him and Utd fans. He turned to shit after winning the title and no one seemed too surprised or upset.
Ya i get that where he ended up was a decline but he did have that good year at boro, i saw them live that season a few times and boro fans loved him.I dunno, Boro did have some good players so tbf calling them shite was stupid, but I don't remember Mendieta ever impressing much for them. I remember them playing him a lot when he was on loan to try to get him to stay but I don't think he was anything like their most important player at any point which you'd have thought he would be. He just looked pedestrian. He was also a dud at Lazio before that, albeit he seemingly played a fair bit for Barcelona. I still think compared to the rep he had at Valencia he was basically done at the top level by about 29 which is really when a midfielder should peak.
Not only injuries but a medical condition as well — myopathy. And he was already in decline when he scored that goal.Gotze has to be up there. From scoring a world cup winning goal to barely making the Dortmund team. Guess injuries had a huge part in it but it's a steep decline nonetheless.
RVP was good in the Moyes season just injured a lot, it was the first van Gaal season that he went to poop.RVP. it was like his form went off a cliff after he won the league with us and Fergie left.
If you look at stats, Rooney was still one of our most productive players under Moyes and LVG's first season. His wasn't a sudden decline, age just caught up with him as he approached 30.I think Rooney had 2 pretty rubbish seasons at United before fans admitted it to themselves.
His last decent season was under SAF and SAF knew he was past it.
One of Jose’s big plusses was phasing him out.
I think he's more of a one season wonder.Amr Zaki.
Appeared out of thin air to join Wigan for one season. Was quite the goalscorer IIRC. Then disappeared back into thin air.
Rio, Rooney and RVP were all still top players when Moyes took over, and finished by the time he was sacked.RVP. it was like his form went off a cliff after he won the league with us and Fergie left.
His dad dying affected him greatly from what i remember.He was incredible - pure power & precision - imagine one of his shots hitting your face. Literally rose to the top with no answer from anyone then it all went away.
well he got game time here but well was poor in almost of the games he played. pace of the game here was just to much for him, if he had came at his peak then it might have been different.Was he ever allowed to show his class at United? if "players" was "football people" in the thread title, i'd nominate van Gaal and Mourinho.
Huh?2 players we've bought from Everton:
Both top strikers at their previous club.
One of them, for some reason, we play in a midfield role and he has struggled throughout to hold a regular place. The other one, although decent hasn't reached the same level he was at at Everton. Hopefully the latter can recreate his previous form.
Fellaini and Lukaku
?!2 players we've bought from Everton:
Both top strikers at their previous club.
One of them, for some reason, we play in a midfield role and he has struggled throughout to hold a regular place. The other one, although decent hasn't reached the same level he was at at Everton. Hopefully the latter can recreate his previous form.
Fellaini and Lukaku
At which point in his career? Celtic??Roy Keane.
If it had been less sudden and more gradual he would probably been able to deal with it more graciously.
I liked him the most when he was playing LB for Juventus despite being right-footed, although he was great for Juve and on the right side of the pitch. Once he moved to Barcelona he started to play only on the right side and that's when his form went down as you said.Zambrotta went from world class to mediocre at Barcelona and Milan rather quickly. I think he lost his legs when he turned 30.
Rooney's season under Moyes, him and De Gea were our star players and I remember back in the day everyone thanked Moyes for keeping him at the club. Then the next season with LVG he was alright. Not the old Wayne but he scored some good goals and had good games. He declines after that.I think Rooney had 2 pretty rubbish seasons at United before fans admitted it to themselves.
His last decent season was under SAF and SAF knew he was past it.
One of Jose’s big plusses was phasing him out.
Torres at Chelsea is definitely one of the weirdest declines I've ever seen. One of the best of his generation. He could do so much with the ball and score from so many areas.Not sure why Bastian and Mata are being posted here. Thought their decline was obvious and not a surprise.
For me it's Torres. Went quickly from one of the best strikers in the world to a meme for misaing open goals in no time.
That's a ridiculous post (the one you replied to). I think maybe he means Fellaini wasn't a striker but player as an SS kind of having that free role in the hole. He is wrong though. Fellaini played midfield for Everton a lot.?!
Fellaini was never a striker.
That was purely down to that injury playing for England though. Those last couple of months before the injury though he really had become quite unbelievably good. I genuinely thought he was going to be world class.Joe Cole