Redcafe's favourite Manchester United players.

Wumminator

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So recently I have compiled a poll on the forum. Over 100 of you replied by either PM or on the thread (I even asked my Dad in real life) and I've come up with a list that should represent this forum's favourite players.

This was quite hard to do. I might have messed up somewhere small along the way. I hope not. I'm not going to claim this was foolproof, but I did the best I could. If you're here to complain, then I will ignore you and you will hurt my feelings.

I think recently these boards have been a bit down (obviously there's a reason why) I'm hoping this thread will remind us of some great players and make us question some people's sanity.

I'll try and do a write up for each of the 63 (!) players on the list. I know it won't get fun till later, but as I said in another thread, I'm off for a few weeks, so humour me!


List so far.

56.Anderson
56.Crerand
56. Gregg
56.Rossi
56. Shaw
56. Sherringham
56. Stapleton
56. Tevez
50. Herrera
50. Martial
50. O'Shea
50. Pallister
50. Rafael
50. Schweinsteiger
48. Di Maria
48. Mata
45.Saha
45. Sharpe
45. Strachan
44. Yorke
42.Petrucci
42. Smith
39. Coppell
39. Kagawa
39.Nani
36.Buchan
36. Taylor
36.Valencia
34.Chicarito
34.Viollet
32.Van Persie
32. Whiteside
30. Carrick
30. McGrath
29.Berbatov
28. Kanchelskis
27. Bruce
26. Stam
25. Park
24.VDS
23. Cole
22.Hughes
21. Irwin
20. De Gea
19. Neville
18. Solskjaer
17. Rooney
16. Evra
15. Vidic
14. Edwards
13. Nistelrooy
12. Law
11.Ferdinand
10. Beckham
9. Robson
8. Schmeichel
7. Charlton
6. Best
5. Keane
4. Giggs
3. Cantona
2. Ronaldo
1. Scholes

Threadmarks included if you want to see their write up.
 
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56. Anderson 56. Crerand 56. Tevez

Wumminator

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Joint 56th.
(Eight players)
One Point each.

56. Anderson

Premier League Appearances - 70 (35)
Overall Appearances - 128 (53)
Premier League Goals - 5
Overall Goals - 9
Position - Centre Midfield

Fondly remembered for his dancing and exuberant lifestyle, Anderson may be considered by some to be a flop at United. However despite his large transfer fee (and large stomach) Anderson managed some great moments at the club. He famously scored a penalty in the 2008 Champions League final and at points looked to progress into the world beater some predicted. However injuries took their toll on the player and unfortunately he never fulfilled his potential that seemed evident after winning the European Golden Boy and being the highest scorer (!) at the under 17 world cup. Anderson still plays to this day, oxygen levels permitting.

56. Paddy Crerand


First Division Appearances - 304
Overall Appearances - 397
First Division Goals - 10
Overall Goals - 15
Position - Midfield

Nowadays Paddy is known for his somewhat biased views evidenced on MUTV. However Paddy Crerand had a great playing career at Manchester United including 2 First Division titles and one Champions League trophy. Known for his heavy hitting tackling, Crerand played an important part in a team featuring more famous names like Charlton and Best. Crerand is a fan of United's attacking style and once famously said, ""If the tacticians ever reached perfection, the result would be a 0-0 draw, and there would be no one there to see it,". A player who fully represents the United way and continued his career at the club in his role of Assistant Manager under manager Tommy Docherty.

Carlos Tevez

Premier League Appearances - 49 (14)
Overall Appearances - 73 (26)
Premier League Goals - 19
Overall Goals - 34
Position - Striker

Oh Carlos Tevez. At one point it looked like this player could be a legend for us, but it didn't exactly turn out that way. Signed from West Ham in the summer of 2007, just three years later he was playing for Manchester City...

He signed for us on a two year loan from West Ham and Ferguson was initially pleased, "He'll get me 15 goals this season, and what's more, they'll be important goals." said our manager. Initially it seemed like it would be a match made in heaven and he won two premier league titles and a CL trophy in the club. Indeed, he forged a strong bond with the fans. In 2008 there was growing rumours he would leave the club and at one point the Argentinian confessed "I cannot ever imagine leaving Manchester United. I am in the perfect situation. My relationship with the club is perfect." Shame he wasn't true to his word, otherwise he could have been higher than 56th in this list.


 

pacifictheme

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Remember when we all loved Tevez? Can never decide if he was a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet.

Whos that twat from Argentina?
Whos that money grabbing whore?
Carlos Tevez is his name
And he hasn't got a brain
And he won't be winning trophies anymore!
 
56. Sheringham 56. Rossi 56. Shaw

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Five more to go! Here come the next three.

56. Teddy Sheringham

Premier League Appearances - 73 (31)
Overall Appearances - 101 (52)
Premier League Goals - 31
Overall Goals - 46
Position - Striker

"When I saw Basler waving to the fans it gave me the hump, I wanted to get out there and show them."

Oh Teddy Teddy. Involved heavily in probably our club's most famous night of all, but he only snook on this list with one point.
Signing for Manchester United aged 31 to replace Eric Cantona, Sheringham did not have the best start to his United career, missing a penalty on his debut and remaining trophyless after his first year. However his contribution to the club would grow and over the course of his United playing career he would win three premier leagues, an FA Cup and of course a Champions League trophy. He spent four years at the club and his final year in the 2000/2001 season was his most successful as he scored 21 goals helping Manchester United win the league. A fine contribution from a relative veteran, Teddy more than earned his space on the list.

56. Giuseppe Rossi

Premier League Appearances - 1 (4)
Overall Appearances - 6 (8)
Premier League Goals - 1
Overall Goals - 4
Position - Striker

I don't know if I can say that Rossi's place on this list is merited. Certainly his Manchester United career started promisingly arriving at the club aged 17. He would go on to be our top scorer consistently in the reserves and a lot of Manchester United fans were adamant that he would go on to be a huge success at our club. Unfortunately we had players like Nistelrooy and later Rooney ahead of him ( look out for their names later) so first team options were limited. Sir Alex Ferguson once described the boy as "a fantastic talent and we see a great future ahead" it didn't quite work out that way but maybe he'll be back in the future who knows.

56. Luke Shaw

Premier League Appearances - 20 (1)
Overall Appearances - 26 (2)
Premier League Goals - 0
Overall Goals - 0
Position - Left Back

The first of a few LVG signings who sneak onto the list, Luke Shaw was at one point the worlds most expensive teenager. Although injuries have hampered his United career to date, Shaw still intrigues many Manchester United supporters and his forward runs and defensive stability have been a massive loss in this campaign so far. His 2015/2016 season started off fantastically well before he was injured in a match in the Champions League. Although we haven't seen the best of Luke Shaw in red yet, I'm sure that if he regains full fitness he will be higher up this list in future instalments.

 
56. Gregg 56. Stapleton

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56. Harry Gregg

First Division Appearances - 210
Overall Appearances - 247
First Division Goals - 0
Overall Goals - 0
Position - Goalkeeper

There are many players on this list so far who probably don't deserve it. The same can't be said of this man. Despite only appearing in one list, Harry Gregg is one of the most important names at our club and someone who will be remembered fondly as we progress into the future. Remarkably Harry Gregg never won a trophy with Manchester United, despite playing in numerous title winnings squads he couldn't remain fit enough in our title winning seasons to win the league trophy that his performances deserve. Signing from Doncaster Rovers for £23,000 (a world record fee for a goalkeeper), Gregg was a mainstay behind United's back four for nine years. Although he will be remembered for much more than his on field contributions, it's worth remembering how good of a keeper Gregg was, being voted the best goalkeeper at the 1958 world cup playing for Northern Ireland.

Harry Gregg is of course also remembered for his heroics after the Munich air crash. On that fateful night, Gregg freed himself from the wreckage and returned to the crash site to save a baby and her pregnant mother. He also managed to drag Charlton and Violett from the crash site and helping Charlton and Blanchflower as well. His heroics that day have put him down into United legend and his bravery and regard for others sets him apart. I'll leave the last bit for Gregg himself talking about how he wishes to be viewed.

"People chose to remember me for what I did at Munich, yet I'm proud to have just been an apprentice carpenter who represented his country at every level of the game. Yes, I'm simply Harry Gregg, the ex-footballer."

56. Frank Stapleton

First Division Appearances - 204 (19)
Overall Appearances - 267 (21)
First Division Goals - 60
Overall Goals - 78
Position - Striker

The first man in history to score for two different sides in an FA Cup final, Stapleton was Ron Atkinson's first major signing costing about £900,000. He would go on to win two FA Cup finals with Manchester United. Originally turned down by the club in his teenage years, Stapleton became a regular at Arsenal before moving up north. Frank was known for his aerial prowess and his tough tackling ability from the front lines. After Ferguson took over, Stapleton was one of the first players to be shown the door, moving to Ajax in 1987. His time at Old Trafford will be fondly remembered and as such he just sneaks on to this list, the last of the players in number #56.

 

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nokillingmoths said:
Shaw and Rossi above Teddy. Says it all about the caf. Feck me.
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Well technically they're drawing. But people have favourites for different reasons. The person who picked Luke Shaw said something along the lines of "I'm picking him because he's the bright spot of the last few seasons"

Obviously this list will reflect Manchester United more nowadays. However, I don't think it's fair to criticise the list for Sheringham's involvement. It's not like he'd make many top ten Manchester United player lists.
 

RedDevil@84

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I think people should not consider it as an all-time great list. The question clearly was your favourite players, which in fairness should be the ones whom you have seen or loved at some point in your life.
 

pacifictheme

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Twigginater said:
Well technically they're drawing. But people have favourites for different reasons. The person who picked Luke Shaw said something along the lines of "I'm picking him because he's the bright spot of the last few seasons"

Obviously this list will reflect Manchester United more nowadays. However, I don't think it's fair to criticise the list for Sheringham's involvement. It's not like he'd make many top ten Manchester United player lists.
Click to expand...
True. But it surprises me that shaw and rossi feature on as many as him.

He scored and assisted goals in ucl 1999 final and scored in the fa cup final that season. He was a right lad as well for the club, a great. It just baffles me tbh.

Enjoying the topic though and your right ups of the players, if they are yours. If not, well stolen.
 

Wumminator

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RedDevil@84 said:
I think people should not consider it as an all-time great list. The question clearly was your favourite players, which in fairness should be the ones whom you have seen or loved at some point in your life.
Click to expand...
Yeah. There's someone coming up soon who played less than Rossi! I think it's interesting what makes someone's favourite. I always loved Welbeck, almost put him on my list.
 

Lay

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nokillingmoths said:
Remember when we all loved Tevez? Can never decide if he was a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet.

Whos that twat from Argentina?
Whos that money grabbing whore?
Carlos Tevez is his name
And he hasn't got a brain
And he won't be winning trophies anymore!
Click to expand...
Well that bit wasn't true in the end :wenger:
 

Golden Nugget

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Great list! Ando was a bit surprising - Shaw moreso (Tevez I can understand - could have been higher really) - but Rossi?
 

Massive Spanner

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Anderson is probably my least favourite ever. Fat bastard put more effort into eating pies than his footballing career.
 

Stobzilla

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Think those who were around this place in the early-mid parts of the 2000's will be less shocked to see Rossi, he was a darling on here for a few years and with good reason TBF because he was banging them in at reserve level. If a player was doing it now at the rate he was back then, there would be murder on every week he wasn't selected we even sold him on in 07/08, a season we were going in with Tevez, Rooney, a perma crocked Saha who was magnificent in 06/07 but hardly played thereafter and Solskjaer (who ended up retiring early into the season) as our strikers. Never got a fair shake here and then got done by injuries when he looked on his way to being one of the better 9's in World Football.
 

Name Changed

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Stobzilla said:
Think those who were around this place in the early-mid parts of the 2000's will be less shocked to see Rossi, he was a darling on here for a few years and with good reason TBF because he was banging them in at reserve level. If a player was doing it now at the rate he was back then, there would be murder on every week he wasn't selected we even sold him on in 07/08, a season we were going in with Tevez, Rooney, a perma crocked Saha who was magnificent in 06/07 but hardly played thereafter and Solskjaer (who ended up retiring early into the season) as our strikers. Never got a fair shake here and then got done by injuries when he looked on his way to being one of the better 9's in World Football.
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Rossi could have been a great player for us. He never got a chance. Who knows, he might not have suffered the same injuries he suffered later in his career had he stayed. I loved him when he was at the club. I was disgusted when he (and Pogba) were sold.
 

Massive Spanner

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Name Changed said:
He was a very likable character to be fair.
Click to expand...
no he wasn't. How can a player so lazy and devoid of effort be likable? he was paid tens of thousands of pounds a week, had oodles of talent, and did nothing with it. That's not likeable. That's very, very dislikeable.
 

Dominant

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Massive Spanner said:
no he wasn't. How can a player so lazy and devoid of effort be likable? he was paid tens of thousands of pounds a week, had oodles of talent, and did nothing with it. That's not likeable. That's very, very dislikeable.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Never understand where the likeable part came from. I find him a waste of space in his last few years.
 

Scarecrow

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He just had a likeable, positive vibe. What's weird though, is that Payet is basically identical to him, yet looks like a prick.
 
50. Martial 50. Herrera

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Joint 50th
(Six players)
2 points each.

50. Anthony Martial



Premier League Appearances - 23 (1)
Overall Appearances - 36 (3)
Premier League Goals - 7
Overall Goals - 12
Position -Striker/Left Winger

When Manchester United announced on the last day of the 2015 transfer window that they had signed a young French teenager for around 50 million pounds the football world was shocked. It only took a few days until The Mirror announced him as a waste of money. However Martial would announce himself to the United fans with a stunning goal against arch rivals Liverpool and since then he hasn't looked back. His pace, dribbling and goalscoring has been a constant highlight in a mediocre season for the club and when this list is repeated again in the future, don't be surprised to see footballs most expensive teenager to be higher up.


50. Ander Herrera


Premier League Appearances - 34 (13)
Overall Appearances - 46 (18)
Premier League Goals - 9
Overall Goals - 9
Position - Centre Midfield

Ander Herrera arrived at Manchester United in 2014. After a long (and sometimes embarrassing) transfer saga fans were eager to see what the Spanish midfielder could bring to the team. Since his arrival, his time at Old Trafford has been somewhat eclectic, with his performances winning over fans yet he seems unable to cement his place in the first eleven. A cultured footballer with a range of passing, Herrera always seems to be pushing the team forward and it is his energetic attacking tendencies that has earned Ander a spot on this list.
 

LawCharltonBest

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Wouldn't it have been easier to do top 10?

But good effort doing 50+. I'd have got fed up and quit by now :lol:
 
50. O'Shea 50. Schweinsteiger

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50. John O'Shea



Premier League Appearances - 188 (68)
Overall Appearances - 301 (92)
Premier League Goals - 10
Overall Goals - 15
Position - Wherever he was needed

It's great to see John O'Shea make this list. He's not near the top of the list and he doesn't deserve to be, but after over 300 starts for Manchester United it's great we can recognise his contribution. A product of Manchester United's famous youth academy, John O'Shea was an ever present figure during United's success. His spell at the club lasted for 12 years and while at the club O'Shea won a Champions League medal and five premier league trophies. John O'Shea's versatility and professional work ethic meant that he was a great player to have in our squad, often filling in where he was needed without complaining. Who can forget John O'Shea's time in goal v Tottenham? Or his winner against Liverpool? Or the time he nutmegged Figo? I'll leave the summary for Alex Ferguson, talking about both John O'Shea and Wes Brown (who unfortunately did not make this list)

"They were instrumental in a lot of our successes over the years," said Ferguson.

"They are fantastic professionals. I love both of them in terms of their attitude and loyalty to the club."

50. Bastian Schweinsteiger




Premier League Appearances - 13 (5)
Overall Appearances - 21 (10)
Premier League Goals - 1
Overall Goals - 1
Position - Central Midfield

Signed by Louis Van Gaal in the summer of 2015, Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived at Manchester United as a highly decorated midfielder. The majority of his career was spent at Bayern Munich where he developed a reputation for being one of the best midfielders in the world. It's a shame we will never see the best of Bastian in a United shirt, but even in his contributions this season it is easy to see why he is such an influential figure. His variety of passes, his immaculate technique and his willingness to drive the team forward have resulted in a spot near the bottom of this list. Hopefully as he recovers from injury he drives the team onto bigger and better things in seasons to come.


 
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