The greatest United player during the Fergie Era - The Poll

[Chorley1974]

I'm 34 years old, and I put 2 Players as the most influential.

Giggs for longevity and what he represents.

Cantona for creativity and transformation of a team.


You have to take into account where we where when Fergie took over. As much as ronaldo is the dogs tits, I don't think he was anywhere near as influential as these two.

 

[SecondFig]

Feck me that was harder than I thought it would be, could easily do a Top 20 without any dodgy inclusions

 

[ThatOldRedMagic]

Feck me that was harder than I thought it would be, could easily do a Top 20 without any dodgy inclusions

I'm too inexperienced so what for you was hard is for me impossible. I've never really played and although I love the game I just don't know enough about the technical aspects to dare send my list. It'd be too emotional - you know, who happened to score THAT crucial goal or who i think worked so hard (Tevez for example - but technically many rate him none too highly.)

So I'm out.

 

[ALX8725]

this poll definitely needs to be for members above a certain age that were old enough and knew enough about football to have seen all these players, I was too young to remember or recognize just how good Cantona was.... and for that I feel like I had missed out on so much youtube is only a glimpse of how great a footballer truly is

 

[ThatOldRedMagic]

this poll definitely needs to be for members above a certain age that were old enough and knew enough about football to have seen all these players, I was too young to remember or recognize just how good Cantona was.... and for that I feel like I had missed out on so much youtube is only a glimpse of how great a footballer truly is

Yeah, well my inexperience has nothing to do with my age actually. I saw Best score for United at Elland Road once.

 

[The Law of Denis]

this poll definitely needs to be for members above a certain age that were old enough and knew enough about football to have seen all these players, I was too young to remember or recognize just how good Cantona was.... and for that I feel like I had missed out on so much youtube is only a glimpse of how great a footballer truly is

But this is the internet, it would be very hard to make sure that anyone is over 18.

 

[rednev]

When do you announce the results?

 

[KingEric7]

The greatest United player for me during Fergie's era is, without a shadow of doubt whatsoever, Eric Cantona. The most talented is a much more difficult discussion.

 

[Red Dreams]

Roy Keane

 

[The Law of Denis]

When do you announce the results?

Saturday hopefully

 

[Spoony]

Robson by a mile.

 

[MG]

Spoony won't like me saying this (), but the answer is Giggs. Without a shadow of a doubt, he's been the greatest over the whole era.

 

[Spoony]

Spoony won't like me saying this (), but the answer is Giggs. Without a shadow of a doubt, he's been the greatest over the whole era.

I think Giggs has been a fantastic player and a great servant - but not quite up there with the likes of Robson, Cantona, Ronaldo, Keane and Schmeical.

 

[Blair]

Ronaldo was the most talented.

 

[Magnus]

Robson is the best player I´ve ever seen live. Coppell was an early hero of mine. The best player though during the Fergie area, though I don´t think I like him as a person, has got to be Keane for me. Robbo was much injured and later on the downhill between 86-94. Still carried the team throughout the late 80:s. Still Keane for me (Robson was the better player though but his prime were during the Atkinson era)

 

[MG]

I think Giggs has been a fantastic player and a great servant - but not quite up there with the likes of Robson, Cantona, Ronaldo, Keane and Schmeical.

We've had this argument before Spoony.

Actually, I suppose I'm not in the best position to judge because I was only 3/4 years old when Robson left, and only 6/7 when Cantona left, but I just don't feel any player has quite been at the top of his game and playing at the highest level season in, season out as much as Ryan Giggs. He made his debut 2 seasons before the Premier League even began, and has been a first-team player at United from the age of 18, and still is at 35.

I just feel that longevity makes him the greatest. Remember Cantona was only here for 5 seasons, and Ronaldo has only been at the top of his game for the last 3. Giggs has been here for something like 18 seasons. Robson had a very long career, but like I say, I can't really judge on that.

 

[Mockney]

Is anyone actually PMing him, or are we just doing it in here now?

It depends wildly on your opinion of what defines greatness

However great Giggs is, he's not as good or influential a player as others mentioned, regardless of Djemba Djemba

 

[Red Dreams]

there is no doubt that without Roy Keane, we would not have dominated the 90s as we did. I can see us having won the title without any of the others named...but not without Keane.

 

[MG]

Is anyone actually PMing him, or are we just doing it in here now?

It depends wildly on your opinion of what defines greatness

However great Giggs is, he's not as good or influential a player as others mentioned, regardless of Djemba Djemba

Care to elaborate Mockney?

How can Ryan Giggs not be considered as influential? No other player has played at United for longer, or won as much with his club, as him. I doubt any will in the future either. How can he not be anything other than influential to the younger players?

 

[Mockney]

there is no doubt that without Roy Keane, we would not have dominated the 90s as we did. I can see us having won the title without any of the others named...but not without Keane.

Thats a pretty lofty statement considering we won our first title of the 90s without Keane, regardless of Djemba Djemba

 

[Red Dreams]

Thats a pretty lofty statement considering we won our first title of the 90s without Keane, regardless of Djemba Djemba

I stand by it mate....the heart and soul of the team was Roy Keane. The fact we may have won the first title with Cantona does not diminish what came during that decade and after.

 

[Spoony]

We've had this argument before Spoony.

Actually, I suppose I'm not in the best position to judge because I was only 3/4 years old when Robson left, and only 6/7 when Cantona left, but I just don't feel any player has quite been at the top of his game and playing at the highest level season in, season out as much as Ryan Giggs. He made his debut 2 seasons before the Premier League even began, and has been a first-team player at United from the age of 18, and still is at 35.

I just feel that longevity makes him the greatest. Remember Cantona was only here for 5 seasons, and Ronaldo has only been at the top of his game for the last 3. Giggs has been here for something like 18 seasons. Robson had a very long career, but like I say, I can't really judge on that.

Yes, but Giggs has always been far too inconsistent to be regarded as a great player(by great, I mean in the true sense of the word). If we were talking about great United careers - he'd probably top the list. But we're not. If anything, I'm left a bit disappointed by Giggs, the player. He should've been every bit as good as Ronaldo - a player the team should've revolved around.

 

[Red Dreams]

Yes, but Giggs has always been far too inconsistent to be regarded as a great player(by great, I mean it in the true sense of the word). If we were talking about great United careers - he'd probably top the list. But we're not. If anything, I'm left a bit disappointed by Giggs, the player. He should've been every bit as good as Ronaldo - a player the team should've revolved around.

very brave statement spoons.....and true.

 

[Mockney]

Care to elaborate Mockney?

How can Ryan Giggs not be considered as influential? No other player has played at United for longer, or won as much with his club, as him. I doubt any will in the future either. How can he not be anything other than influential to the younger players?

I'm sure he's very influential to young players, but he's not as influential on the pitch. Regardless of his longevity he never quite became the super world class player he threatend to be in the early 90s. When we really needed a goal in the big games, it was invariably not Giggs who got it, or made it or drove the team forward to get it. Yes, obviously he did from time to time, but it was usually one of the others. Cantona, Robson, Ronaldo, Keane, even Beckham sometimes were the ones who were really the driving force of United during Fergie's Reign. They were the ones that won games and championships through their sheer force of presence.

At no point has Giggs been central to a team, the fulcrum or the epicentre. The team was never built around him, he's just a brilliant player thats been in it. The reason he's never won PFA before is cos he's never been the outstanding player in a season. He's never quite had the impact on the team the others have.

I get your point, he's got a case for the greatest legend...just not the greatest player.

He's in my list...but I think he's 6th, regardless of Djemba Djemba

 

[Rood]

Yes, but Giggs has always been far too inconsistent to be regarded as a great player(by great, I mean in the true sense of the word). If we were talking about great United careers - he'd probably top the list. But we're not. If anything, I'm left a bit disappointed by Giggs, the player. He should've been every bit as good as Ronaldo - a player the team should've revolved around.

I am in 100% agreement with this assesment - Giggs did make my top10 but only just ...

For me no one comes close to Eric as the single greatest player of the Fergie era - the rest of the top 10 was more difficult and if i did it everyday i would probably come up with a different list everytime!

 

[Cling Bak]

The greatest United player for me during Fergie's era is, without a shadow of doubt whatsoever, Eric Cantona. The most talented is a much more difficult discussion.

I gave it to Cantona as well. I had Ronaldo second.

Cantona won the league title 4 times in the 5 seasons he was here. I have no doubt he'd have won it in 1995 had he not got banned, that's how influential I believe he was. He added the extra spark we had in 1992 and made sure we were crowned Champions the following May. The 1993/94 season was just a masterclass from the man, he was sensational throughout. In 1995/96 he was the King on the throne, guiding all those youngsters with him. The kids done well, but only because of their leader, their inspiration and ultimately, with that experience, wisdom and extra quality to guide them. There was a hole left when he retired in 1997 and once again, without him we couldn't win the title the following year. A genius with and, what many neglect to mention, without the ball.

Ronaldo is the only player in Premier League history to win the FIFA World Player of the Year. Our first Ballon D'Or winner since the 60's. Those are two accolades that prove he really was on top of his game whilst with us, managing 42 goals in a single season and for 3 seasons was the best player in the league, arguably the World. 3 back-to-back titles and a Champions League amongst many other honours. He was integral to the lot. Maybe only looking back in 5 years we'll know how much we shall miss him.

 

[The Law of Denis]

Is anyone actually PMing him, or are we just doing it in here now?

I've had little today, about 40 overall.

Send messages along with the discussions please!

 

[rednev]

I think some people are forgetting just how good Giggs was back in the left wing days. The talk of him having had a great career, but not quite being a great player is way off. He was a fecking great player.

He was the most exciting player in Europe at one point, for me. The sight of him weaving in and out of defenders down the left wing will always be my fondest memory of the 'Fergie's Fledglings' era.

 

[MG]

Yes, but Giggs has always been far too inconsistent to be regarded as a great player(by great, I mean in the true sense of the word). If we were talking about great United careers - he'd probably top the list. But we're not. If anything, I'm left a bit disappointed by Giggs, the player. He should've been every bit as good as Ronaldo - a player the team should've revolved around.

I just don't get how you can say that. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't understand how you can call Giggs anything else but a great player, and certainly don't understand how you can be in any way disappointed with him. You say he's been inconsistent, but no player in the world can have played in the United first team for 18 seasons without being a great player, else Fergie wouldn't be constantly picking them year in, year out to play in the first team of one of the greatest teams in the world.

Yes, he's not always been brilliant, but didn't people use to say that Cantona didn't play as well in the 96/97 season? Surely the fact that Giggs has always been able to come back and prove his doubters wrong is a sign of what a great player he's been. He's just won the PFA player of the season at 35 after all! And if I had to choose a player to sign at 18/19 out of Giggs and Ronaldo it'd be Giggs everytime. Ronaldo has only been brilliant for 3 seasons, he'd need at least another 10 to be nearing Giggsy's longevity.

Maybe if Cantona had been here for 18 seasons he'd have had a few poor seasons himself. Fact is he was only here for 5 years... Giggsy has had 5 seasons good in a row as well.

I'm sure he's very influential to young players, but he's not as influential on the pitch. Regardless of his longevity he never quite became the super world class player he threatend to be in the early 90s. When we really needed a goal in the big games, it was invariably not Giggs who got it, or made it or drove the team forward to get it. Yes, obviously he did from time to time, but it was usually one of the others. Cantona, Robson, Ronaldo, Keane, even Beckham sometimes were the ones who were really the driving force of United during Fergie's Reign. They were the ones that won games and championships through their sheer force of presence.

At no point has Giggs been central to a team, the fulcrum or the epicentre. The team was never built around him, he's just a brilliant player thats been in it. The reason he's never won PFA before is cos he's never been the outstanding player in a season. He's never quite had the impact on the team the others have.

I get your point, he's got a case for the greatest legend...just not the greatest player.

He's in my list...but I think he's 6th, regardless of Djemba Djemba

How can you say he never became a world class player? All he's been his entire career is a world class player. And it hardly matters if the team was never built around him... doesn't make him any less of a player, just that he was never the focal point because he was always making the chances (which is just as important).


At every other club in the world if they had a player that'd played in their first team and at the top level for 18 seasons they'd be saying how amazing he is as a player. Only here, he's something of a disappointment?

'Ryan Giggs' and 'disappointment' simply do not go together.

 

[gulli_G]

Cantona took us up a level and brought back the glory years, so for that alone he is definately the best. The likes of Giggs, Beckham, Scholes learnt so much from him.

He changed fergie's methods (technical, Nutrition, restriction on Alcohol, training etc.

 

[Spoony]

I just don't get how you can say that. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion,.

Because I've seen his whole career. I've seen him making his debut. I can recall the hype surrounding him when we signed him as kid. Basically, if you don't understand why I can say that, it's because you're biased. If you're honest, you'll agree. And I mean that. As I said - he didn't live up to his early promise - but turned out to be a very very good player, anyway.

 

[Cling Bak]

I am in full agreement with MrsGiggs. You cannot be inconsistent or not a great player and play for Manchester United's 1st team, week in, week out between 1991 and 2009. Not with the trophies, not with the consistently high league finishes and European Cups we've had between those years. You just cannot. I believe in years to come we'll look back at the Fergie era as a whole and wonder how the feck one player played through almost its entirety.

I feel sorry for anyone who has been disappointed by Ryan Giggs as a player or by his career, that's a shame. He's done the business and exceeded expectations. I doubt many would've believed he could hold down a first team spot this long when he was 23 or 24.

To say he isn't or wasn't World Class is also surprising. World XI's named through the years would have him on that left wing and rightly so.

 

[MG]

Because I've seen his whole career. I've seen him making his debut. I can recall the hype surrounding him when we signed him as kid. Basically, if you don't understand why I can say that, it's because you're biased. If you're honest, you'll agree. And I mean that. As I said - he didn't live up to his early promise - but turned out to be a very very good player, anyway.

He's only my favourite player because I think he's the best player that has ever played for the club I support. And if Giggs didn't live up to his early promise... then I honestly think no-one has, or can! What else does he need to do?

I am in full agreement with MrsGiggs. You cannot be inconsistent or not a great player and play for Manchester United's 1st team, week in, week out between 1991 and 2009. Not with the trophies, not with the consistently high league finishes and European Cups we've had between those years. You just cannot. I believe in years to come we'll look back at the Fergie era as a whole and wonder how the feck one player played through almost its entirety.

I feel sorry for anyone who has been disappointed by Ryan Giggs as a player or by his career, that's a shame. He's done the business and exceeded expectations. I doubt many would've believed he could hold down a first team spot this long when he was 23 or 24.

To say he isn't or wasn't World Class is also surprising. World XI's named through the years would have him on that left wing and rightly so.

Agreed.

 

[Spoony]

He's only my favourite player because I think he's the best player that has ever played for the club I support. And if Giggs didn't live up to his early promise... then I honestly think no-one has, or can! What else does he need to do?



Agreed.

Hang on, you weren't even born when he burst on to the scene, so how can you even pass judgement?

 

[MG]

Hang on, you weren't even born when he burst on to the scene, so how can you even pass judgement?

I was born, I was just a baby though.

And ok, I can't judge completely I guess, but I've seen plenty of clips of the early days, and pretty much grown up watching his career, which is the point I'm making. How can he not have reached his potential when he's been so good and done so well? You can't do better than he's done.

 

[Spoony]

I was born, I was just a baby though.

And ok, I can't judge completely I guess, but I've seen plenty of clips of the early days, and pretty much grown up watching his career, which is the point I'm making. How can he not have reached his potential when he's been so good and done so well? You can't do better than he's done.

because he had the potential to be as good as George Best. Ronaldo reached, in fact surpassed his potential - Giggs didn't. Simple really.

But again, you're not qualified to debate Giggs' early promise. Red Dreams, Mockney and Roodboy share the same opinion. . .and they've seen his whole career, they also don't appear to be blinkered.

 

[Cling Bak]

because he had the potential to be as good as George Best. Ronaldo reached, in fact surpassed his potential - Giggs didn't. Simple really.

But again, you're not qualified to debate Giggs' early promise. Red Dreams, Mockney and Roodboy share the same opinion. . .and they've seen his whole career, they also don't appear to be blinkered.

I have seen his entire career and I do not agree with you.

I can understand the point you're making, but I don't believe he never lived up to his early promise. Unless that early promise is that of unrealistic expectations, which I'm sure someone somewhere had that he had to be World Player of the Year every year for 5 years or something, but Giggs has been one of the best at the club and in the league the entire time he's been with us.

He's torn full-backs across Europe a new one for years, has always been one of the most feared opponents and even now he's proved he can mix it up with the best in the middle of the park, too.

 

[MG]

because he had the potential to be as good as George Best. Ronaldo reached, in fact surpassed his potential - Giggs didn't. Simple really.

But again, you're not qualified to debate Giggs' early promise. Red Dreams, Mockney and Roodboy share the same opinion. . .and they've seen his whole career, they also don't appear to be blinkered.

I'm not blinkered Spoony. I can see why you'd think that because of my username and the fact he's my favourite player and all that... but he's only my favourite player because I think he's been the best.

Ronaldo has been amazing, but I just don't see how 3 seasons at his absolute best can be compared with about 15 seasons of great play like Giggs has given us. Only a brilliant footballer can have that longevity at the very top level.

I've spoken to a fair few older reds (in my family) who've said that Giggs is actually the more similar player to Best than Ronaldo.

I simply don't understand how anyone can say Giggs hasn't reached his potential. Like I said, if Giggs hasn't reached his potential, after everthing he has done, then no one has at this club.

 

[Mockney]

MrsG, your opinion seems to be based almost entirely on his longevity, which although obviously a big factor, isn't the be all and end all of a players greatness. Yes his longevity and relative consistence make him a great, just not the greatest, and certainly not greater than Cantona, Keane, Ronaldo & Robson. Is Scholes no2 on your list? He should be, since he's been in the team almost as long as Giggs and has been just as influential. How about Neville?

I've said my piece, I don't think Giggs has driven us to titles the way the others have...thats what makes great players great, not staying power. Yes he's won Leagues & European Cups, but he's never been the player most crucial to winning those...just a player who's greatly contributed. If you can't see what I mean then I think your being a bit blind sighted, regardless of djemba djemba

 

[hotshot2004]

Greatest - Giggsy - no questions asked.
Greater - Scholes
Great - Ronaldo