RvP’s technique was unreal, probably the best we’ve had up front. Saying that, Rooney was the better player for us and Ruud in my opinion was the better goal scorer.
Robin van Persie is the best striker we have ever had in the PL...
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He was a great finisher but our best striker, well no. I was too young to witness cantona or yorke or cole but for me it has to be ruud.
RVN hands down. He was a terror in around the box.
It was 09/10 he got injured against Bayern. 11/12 he scored a lot of goals but I think we can mark the start of his decline from the second half of that season.
Anyway I’d rank Cantona 95/96, Yorke 98/99, RVN 01/02 and 02/03, and Rooney 09/10 all equal to or better than RVP 12/13. If he gave us the season he gave Arsenal in 11/12 then he might rank alongside them.
Wouldn’t hold it against anyone if they picked Van Persie in their XI, but it’s Ruud for me.
Peak Scholes as a #10 behind Van Persie would have shots like rifles. It would have been something special, it’s a shame Robin played in one of Sir Alex’s lesser talented sides.
Peak Scholes as a #10 behind Van Persie would have shots like rifles. It would have been something special, it’s a shame Robin played in one of Sir Alex’s lesser talented sides.
Rvn easily the best striker, but RVP was such a better technical player, and single handedly brought us our last title. Both legends either way.
RvP was the best complete striker we've had in the PL.
RvN was the best goalscorer we've had in the PL.
RvN was the best goalscorer we've had in the PL.
Ronaldo is obviously the best player to walk through this football club. I have to agree with this thread, Van Persie was the most talented attacker we've had (ex Ronaldo) during the PL era, only problem was he arrived past his peak. He would definitely have been a much bigger legend if he had been here for 5 years or so.
Van Persie ruined his own career by staying at Arsenal way too long. Him finally winning a premier league medal with us is proof of that.
Ruud was the best finisher in the box. Rooney was also a very talented overall attacker.
Van Persie ruined his own career by staying at Arsenal way too long. Him finally winning a premier league medal with us is proof of that.
Ruud was the best finisher in the box. Rooney was also a very talented overall attacker.
RVN for peak and Rooney for all round contribution. RVP as much as I loved him is one notch below. Ruud would be my ultimate United CF.
While also scoring lots of goals. So why is RVN ‘easily the better striker’?
Personally its RVN for me due to his longevity and those cracking numbers.
RVP was a super singing and an amazing player but it was a far more obvious acquisition and we just squeezed the last drop out of him. he was pretty poor after we won the title. If wed had him in his prime i think it would be a more valid comparison.
RVP was a super singing and an amazing player but it was a far more obvious acquisition and we just squeezed the last drop out of him. he was pretty poor after we won the title. If wed had him in his prime i think it would be a more valid comparison.
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He was great but is benefiting from serious reputation inflation year on year. It doesn't hurt that he was playing in such a weak team generally and thus stood out.
Rooney and Van Nistelrooy both had better seasons.
Rooney and Van Nistelrooy both had better seasons.
In terms of longevity and numbers, there's no question for Ruud over RVP, but then Rooney betters both on that. RVP was just different class, especially for the modern game, offering complete tactical flexibility at CF position whilst being a top goal scorer.
The seasons following 12/13 I remember the maddening mismanagement of both Rooney and RVP. Van Gaal, especially missed his moment of playing only one of them as a out and out 9 with minimal defensive or playmaking responsibilities further from goal, with Rooney assuming the bench role and regularly replacing Robin in the last 15 to 20 minutes. That would have probably squeezed another top season or two from van Persie, and allowed Rooney to continue chasing his record numbers without badly affecting the team.
I hate the narrative the he won us the league. It's like he had to carry a bunch of deadwoods to the title. Forgetting it was a team that lost the league by goal difference. Rooney, Chicha and Carrick played their part too. You don't play against Madrid they way we did with a bunch of shit players.
And by the way, as much as we talk about his ONE season, 18 in 28 is not a shabby return for his second season either. We had fallen from first place to seventh and we’re nowhere near the same team but his numbers were certainly respectable.
Digging into his Arsenal crate, it always saddens me that his injuries overshadowed the way he did play when he WAS fit. I’ll never forget that season BEFORE his great last Arsenal season. He finished with 18 league goals, only two short of the golden boot. This is despite him being injured for the first half of the season. He only scored his first PL goal of the campaign in January, and went on to equal a PL record of 18 goals between January and end of the season. His 10 PL goals between Jan and February 12 was the quickest ever time to reach 10 league goals in a calendar year, and he scored in 9 straight away games, which was/is a PL record.
And you know Van Persie, these were not tap-ins and pens we’re talking about. Very underrated player. Dutch record goalscorer too. As much as Arsenal we’re our rivals, I was totally smitten with him when he was there. Fair enough if it isn’t caf consensus, but he’s certainly a personal fave of mine. You rarely see a centre forward like him. Usually if they are that gifted, they don’t score as many, or if they score loads, they are rapid or something. Persie was a pure artist. And a prolific one, which was less common.
Digging into his Arsenal crate, it always saddens me that his injuries overshadowed the way he did play when he WAS fit. I’ll never forget that season BEFORE his great last Arsenal season. He finished with 18 league goals, only two short of the golden boot. This is despite him being injured for the first half of the season. He only scored his first PL goal of the campaign in January, and went on to equal a PL record of 18 goals between January and end of the season. His 10 PL goals between Jan and February 12 was the quickest ever time to reach 10 league goals in a calendar year, and he scored in 9 straight away games, which was/is a PL record.
And you know Van Persie, these were not tap-ins and pens we’re talking about. Very underrated player. Dutch record goalscorer too. As much as Arsenal we’re our rivals, I was totally smitten with him when he was there. Fair enough if it isn’t caf consensus, but he’s certainly a personal fave of mine. You rarely see a centre forward like him. Usually if they are that gifted, they don’t score as many, or if they score loads, they are rapid or something. Persie was a pure artist. And a prolific one, which was less common.
RVN for me, with the bonus he never played for Arsenal.
Dwight Yorke generally underrated.
Dwight Yorke generally underrated.
Same. If anything Carrick is the one who was absolutely glorious that season. Better than any season by Scholes, and I don’t say that lightly.
RVP was fantastic that season, but the notion that he dragged us to 20 is overblown.
Rooney in 09/10 was better than RvP in 12/13, would probably have Rooney #2 overall for us as an individual season from a striker.
Van Nistelrooy definitely better than RvP in that one season as well, and who I would put at #1.
RvP in 12/13 is on par with a few others in individual seasons since 2000, but a level below the 2 above.
Van Nistelrooy definitely better than RvP in that one season as well, and who I would put at #1.
RvP in 12/13 is on par with a few others in individual seasons since 2000, but a level below the 2 above.
Van Persie's last 18 months at Arsenal and first season with United was in my opinion up there with as good as we've seen in the Premier League - Go and look at a compilation of the goals he scored (many with his right foot as well) and in big important games and important moments. In my opinion , RVP could do everything RVN could and more....
No. He scored 30 goals in all competitions at that season. And missed too many vital chances(esp in the CL matches) in the later part of the season.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, I have spoken
Andy Cole is always forgotten in these discussions. Dude was fantastic
Rooney and Ronaldo are so much better "strikers" and more all-around complete.
Though, if we only consider pure strikers then..
Though, if we only consider pure strikers then..
+ RVN is the better finisher.
+ Saha minus the goals is arguably the most problematic striker for defenders to play against.
+ RVP is the best at striking the ball though.
*Highlights worthy so I get the high admiration and regards of him as the best striker came from. It's unique style, high level techniques eg his volleys, and all those high goal stats to prove it, yet unfortunately too short term (2-3 seasons). Remember how he miss sitters/easy type of goals even at his best seasons, that is just ridiculous -- no way he's our best striker because of that.*
Every striker misses chances. Let’s not try to imply Persie was an erratic finisher, he was brilliant. He was a better finisher than Ruud in my opinion. With Ruud, most of the beauty for me was in him actually getting in the position to score the goal. Timing, movement in the box etc. Unrivalled. For the actual technical side of finishing, he wasn’t even as good as Ole for me. I may even put Scholes ahead. Persie had a range of finishes, and could find the top or bottom corner with whip and speed with either foot.
And Ronaldo was not a United striker.
Also any comparison between Saha and Persie is just disrespectful. Louis is becoming some sort of great on the Caf it seems these days. There have been countless PL strikers at the same level as him. In fact, there have been plenty of better PL strikers than him that are still not in a conversation with Van Persie. Only Rooney, Suarez, Aguero, Shearer, Henry, Torres, Van Nistelrooy, Kane and Drogba can talk to RvP in PL history. Saha is in the Defoe, Robbie Keane sort of conversation. Then there are the Anelka, Vardy, Costa, Owen and others who sit between them and the very elite.
I think a part of the problem was we were holding onto older players for too long actually but I totally agree with you on RVP. He had everything, I just wish he’d been here for his peak. He was a great signing by Arsenal. He’d have made it here too.
yes
Exactly - best technical striker of a ball I have ever seen. And, in a sense, he did carry us to the title - won us games we had no right to win with ridiculous goals. Of course he had to - his purchase totally unbalanced us as an attacking force and paved the way for a lot of our subsequent misery. It, and Moyes, are the only things I hold against SAF. It was a little like United with RvN - great for a season and then crap for three as our goals scored dived into the basement. We were not and are not a club that should have a central striker that everything funnels towards - it's not the "United way".
Exactly.Van Nistelrooy was the best striker we've ever had in the league, the guy was a machine.
02/03 Ruud was just
He wasn’t even the best Dutch striker we had.
i agree with all of this - Van Persie 2009-13 was the best player in the Premier League, despite the injuries. His goals, assists and all round play were all elite, and aesthetically more enjoyable than anybody else in Europe, Messi and Ronaldo scoring 70 a season on PEDs included.
The Van Nistelrooy adoration on here amuses me, considering his 5 years at the club only produced one PL title, yet was sandwiched by 3-in-a-rows before and after him. He sabotaged the balance of the team with his selfishness and obsession with the Golden Boot. Andy Cole and Saha’s all round games and selfless movement facilitated much more success than Ruuuuuuuuuud. I can actually see Haaland having a similar impact on his next club, as he arguably has at Dortmund.
Van Nistelrooy takes the cake for me. Persie gave us 1 great year. Van Gol gave us a longer great time.
Agreed 100%. In that period he is unplayable as a striker. RVN is just an penalty box poacher.
Another vote for Rooney.
Ruud and Robin were great but peak Wazza was just
He was unstoppable.
I discount Ronnie because he played as a winger for us, not a striker - although he is obviously a great attacker too.
Ruud and Robin were great but peak Wazza was just
He was unstoppable.
I discount Ronnie because he played as a winger for us, not a striker - although he is obviously a great attacker too.
As mentioned above, those 2 years around the transfer to United were better than what Ive ever seen Ruud do, but on the whole he was far less clinical and prone to missing sitters.
Raw talent wise, he's better than both Ruud and Rooney for me.
Raw talent wise, he's better than both Ruud and Rooney for me.
I think the measurement of a striker isn't the total goals but the amount of matches he scored in.
Eg. Joe bloggs scores 30 in 38 games but scored in 15 games. Vs Bill Bloggs who scored 25ngoals in 38 games but scored in 20 games.
I'd rather the latter, someone that scores regularly most weeks than someone that's a purple patch striker who scored heavily then goes on a Barron spell.
Eg. Joe bloggs scores 30 in 38 games but scored in 15 games. Vs Bill Bloggs who scored 25ngoals in 38 games but scored in 20 games.
I'd rather the latter, someone that scores regularly most weeks than someone that's a purple patch striker who scored heavily then goes on a Barron spell.
I like this thread!! RVP for MVP.
Username and post matching.
If United had RvN today we would be top 4 easy. Penalty box poachers score goals. The point of football.
I love the guy, but Rooney edges it for me
Nothing to do with the shambolic state of our goalkeepers at the time? And the quality of our squad players was also way down during this time. AND Arsenal and Chelsea having great seasons too.
Bit much to put the emphasis on RVN for the lack of success during his spell.
I wholeheartedly agree with the thread title. You just knew he was gonna score everytime he got the ball. Ruud was a close second. It's still a shame Fergie had to retire when he did. I thought we could've gotten a couple more titles with Van Persie.
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