No way I'm not having that ..saha at his best was the perfect striker fast strong movement skill to bring other players in ..his injuries sucked but theres a reason Utd players say saha was the best striker they played with
Ruud Van Nistelrooy appreciation thread
- Thread starter Adisa
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
No way I'm not having that ..saha at his best was the perfect striker fast strong movement skill to bring other players in ..his injuries sucked but theres a reason Utd players say saha was the best striker they played with
What United players say Saha was the best striker they played with? He's not even in the top ten we've had in the last 25 years.
Rooney and Rio have both said it ..saha at his best could do things on the pitch this could only dream off .. Like it or not when saha replaced ruud we played far far better football
Could you point me to the quotes. Saha wasn't close to being as good as Van Nistelrooy. Our improvement coincided with Ronaldo's improvement, Evra, Vidic and Carrick coming in. Louis Saha is a mere footnote in United's history.
Saha as goal scorer is not at RVN level, but Saha as team player is better player. Saha enabled his teammates to up their games while RVN demands service and extreme reliable to finish those chances. But if you can't create much chance, Saha is the better forward as he can bring more players into play
Saha seems to have a good relationship with Ronaldo. Ronaldo even in latter years where he was our indisputable penalty taker, would give Saha chance to take penalty in some odd games Saha stayed fit. This same Ronaldo rather denied Tevez the penalty to complete the hattrick. The same Ronaldo RVN clashed and called out for his show off play and end product into the box.
Saha seems to have a good relationship with Ronaldo. Ronaldo even in latter years where he was our indisputable penalty taker, would give Saha chance to take penalty in some odd games Saha stayed fit. This same Ronaldo rather denied Tevez the penalty to complete the hattrick. The same Ronaldo RVN clashed and called out for his show off play and end product into the box.
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When a team was built in a way that suited him - best striker in the world.
When asked to play in front of a midfield lacking any quality...not so good.
Top United fan, definitely could have given us a few more years but wasn't too be.
When asked to play in front of a midfield lacking any quality...not so good.
Top United fan, definitely could have given us a few more years but wasn't too be.
My favourite football vid of all time. 
The reason why I became an United fan. He was like a clinical Cavani. Superb movement, actually quite good on the ball but mainly a goalscorer, whenever he had the ball it was dangerous and especially in and around the box. Would give my left hand if we could have a clone of him in his prime right now.
Have to say, for the amount that City fans (rightly) go on about how much Aguero's overlooked by the press, Van Nistelrooy certainly is too.
It took him just 150 Premier League games to reach 95 goals. Five more goals in, say, eight more games, would have had him as the third fastest player to reach a century. Faster than Henry.
He really was superb.
It took him just 150 Premier League games to reach 95 goals. Five more goals in, say, eight more games, would have had him as the third fastest player to reach a century. Faster than Henry.
He really was superb.
Our best goal scorer since Law
Easily our best finisher ever imo.
Think Ruud is more appreciated outside of Holland. Most people here agree he's a great goal scorer, but see him as nothing more than a poacher. Underrated here imho.
Though in Holland we also think RVP is an overrated bottler even though he's our all time top scorer. We're an ungrateful lot
Though in Holland we also think RVP is an overrated bottler even though he's our all time top scorer. We're an ungrateful lot
Brilliant striker, easily one of the best I've ever seen and an absolute legend.
Would love to see him back working for Utd in some sort of capacity.
Would love to see him back working for Utd in some sort of capacity.
Sometimes when I drink with friends we watch football vids on youtube and every time I put this one on people are amazed at how many quality goals you can make in a 10 minute vid, it’s insane. I don’t know how many times I watched this one and even I keep getting surprised of how many quality goals he’s making here.
I also really like the oversized shirts, it looks great when he runs, like getting wings behind him.
I also really like the oversized shirts, it looks great when he runs, like getting wings behind him.
loved him at United and was p1ssed off when we sold him - but am always surprised at how little he won at United given his 5 years here.
If we had him instead of Cole we would most likely have won at least another CL
Absolutely delivered in times of attacking transition with Solskjaer still in the squad. That game where he buried Houllier's Liverpool with solid ball shielding against Hyypia, sent him off the field, then scored two. Clear sign of title winning firepower. So many other examples as pointed out in the thread.
One of the greatest despite so many quality strikers at the club.
One of the greatest despite so many quality strikers at the club.
Do you think its partly down to not replicating his club success at the NT level ?Think Ruud is more appreciated outside of Holland. Most people here agree he's a great goal scorer, but see him as nothing more than a poacher. Underrated here imho.
Though in Holland we also think RVP is an overrated bottler even though he's our all time top scorer. We're an ungrateful lot
Brilliant striker, ruthless goalscorrer but his lack of defensive pressing was a lot of times infuriating when we were trailing.
I think Henry is more appreciated in England than in France. When you play your best football by far in another country then you tend to be appreciated more in that country than your home country unless you deliver for your home country in the biggest stages.Think Ruud is more appreciated outside of Holland. Most people here agree he's a great goal scorer, but see him as nothing more than a poacher. Underrated here imho.
Though in Holland we also think RVP is an overrated bottler even though he's our all time top scorer. We're an ungrateful lot
So calm and composed. You just knew when he was one on one with the goaly, he would score.
In Holland van Nistelrooy is seen as penalty-box striker, but a rather good one. We were rather critical after Patrick Kluivert, who is seen here as having been the much better footballer, but it has to do with styles a somewhat. Kluivert was from the Ajax academy as was the majority of the starting eleven in the national team. They played the possession football Louis van Gaal had taught them and they had won the Champions League with, and Kluivert was like a fish in water playing it.
Ruud was sometimes thrown into that and expected to do the same things Kluivert did, which was play with his back to goal, hold up play, play one-two's, link up teammates. He couldn't do those things and it made him look bad. But it didn't make sense to overhaul the way a good national side was playing either, just a bad fit with Ruud and it hurt his reputation in Holland.
Cruijff thought he was a good finisher, but a mediocre footballer (he had high standards).
Ruud was sometimes thrown into that and expected to do the same things Kluivert did, which was play with his back to goal, hold up play, play one-two's, link up teammates. He couldn't do those things and it made him look bad. But it didn't make sense to overhaul the way a good national side was playing either, just a bad fit with Ruud and it hurt his reputation in Holland.
Cruijff thought he was a good finisher, but a mediocre footballer (he had high standards).
The best striker I've seen. He was lethal, and the "poacher" reputation is undeserved. I saw him live, and his holdup play etc. was top notch too
Perhaps, but our obsession with the Dutch school of football combined with the fact we somehow always think we have the best national team in the world sets the bar at an unrealistic height.
RVP is our all time topscorer, but gets flack for bottling it when it matters most. Granted he only scored once in our 2010 world cup run, but his link up play was invaluable. Ruud had the opposite, he did score his goals, but his link up play wasnt good enough. Unless you're Marco Van Basten we will find a way to blame you for not ever winning a world cup.
One of the best and most clinical classic number 9 strikers the EPL have ever seen easily.
Same here. Even though he didn't leave under the best terms he's probably the main reason why I became a utd supporter. Not always the prettiest style of play but god could the man find the back of the net
One of my favorite Madrid players during those years.He was always in the right place.
At present a fit Van Nistelrooy would cost 150m€.
Pity that we only could enjoy his last years
At present a fit Van Nistelrooy would cost 150m€.
Pity that we only could enjoy his last years
He seemed to average a goal per game every time I watched La Liga highlights in his first two seasons. He suffered a big injury at the beginning of his third season and at his age he was always up against it.
Legend
Absolutely, Words can't describe his brilliance in front of goal. Sad that he faded in last couple of season and Saha was better.
If I had to bet my life on any Man Utd in the last 25 years finishing a chance in the area (random chance to head, left foot or right foot), I would take RVN.
The things i remember him for most were missing a pen in 2005 (and possibly an open goal) and missing that pen in the league in 2004 v arsenal.
Not sure he had the right mentality either. Not really a fan.
Not sure he had the right mentality either. Not really a fan.
'kin lethal.
150 goals in 5 seasons despite his last two seasons being on and off with injuries and being frozen out by the manager.
Ridiculous record.
Ridiculous record.
Van Nistelrooy, Shearer and Henry have been a cut above in the premier league so far. Everytime they had a half chance you'd think it would result in nothing less than a goal.
Every player has dips in his form. Van Nistelrooy had his dips too. However, his goalscoring stats don't lie, the guy was brilliant in putting the ball in the net.
He was brilliant. Absolutely loved the guy, and it's nice to see Real Madrid supporters in this thread rating him so highly even if some of our own fans don't.
The thing with him was he hated being involved hence he scored so many goals in what was a rather mediocre side for most of the time he was here. Only a player like he was could post those numbers with limited supply. Want to see a modern day version? Catch an Inter game or a Argentina game when Icardi is playing. Oh he'll score a goal or two but not much else. When he received the ball outside the box, he'd turn and pass it out-wide and head straight to the box. Very unfortunate that he played so much of his football when we were in transition, he would have won so much more and would get the respect he deserves. Love a striker like him, nothing pisses me off more than strikers that are here, there, everywhere but apart from where they are supposed to be to stick the ball in the net.
The Dutch destroyer.
This guy was lethal in front of goal and made it look so easy,shame it went a bit pear shaped near the end of his career with us but was delighted to read in Fergies book he called him up years later and apologised.
This guy was lethal in front of goal and made it look so easy,shame it went a bit pear shaped near the end of his career with us but was delighted to read in Fergies book he called him up years later and apologised.