Vidic

[Lance Uppercut]

They said the same shit last season.

This time it is apparently Fergie's decision, as opposed to Vidic wanting to leave.

 

[Rado_N]

Sounds like bollocks to me.

 

[Brophs]

I don't think he'll leave, but then I wouldn't be amazed if he did either. This is probably the last summer we'll get big money for him and if Fergie reckons that the young players are ready to step up then he might do it. I reckon he was persuaded to stay by Fergie in the past - I don't believe all of those stories were just paper nonsense, though it might have been to get a better deal - and he might not be opposed to playing in Spain for a few years if offered the opportunity.

But I don't see Fergie letting he and Rio go in the same summer and at the moment Rio's position looks more precarious.

 

[wr8_utd]

Best defender in the world. Hopefully he's playing with us for a long long time.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

This time it is apparently Fergie's decision, as opposed to Vidic wanting to leave.

When has Fergie ever said he'll show a player the door at the end of the season and then kept him in the team for the intervening 6 months? Doesn't seem like classic SAF behaviour to me...

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Sounds like bollocks to me.

The piece even had a name attributed to it. Duncan Castles. Go on Twatter and call him names.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

I don't think he'll leave, but then I wouldn't be amazed if he did either. This is probably the last summer we'll get big money for him and if Fergie reckons that the young players are ready to step up then he might do it. I reckon he was persuaded to stay by Fergie in the past - I don't believe all of those stories were just paper nonsense, though it might have been to get a better deal - and he might not be opposed to playing in Spain for a few years if offered the opportunity.

But I don't see Fergie letting he and Rio go in the same summer and at the moment Rio's position looks more precarious.

He's said Rio has another 2 years at United recently though, hasn't he? Would be odd to keep Rio and show Vidic the door...

 

[Lance Uppercut]

He's said Rio has another 2 years at United recently though, hasn't he? Would be odd to keep Rio and show Vidic the door...

The piece says both will be leaving.

 

[wr8_utd]

However good Smalling and Jones might be they're not half as good as Vidic. Vidic is a one man defense for us and we rarely look like conceding with him at the back. Losing him would be a complete hammer blow to our title chances.

 

[Rado_N]

The piece even had a name attributed to it. Duncan Castles. Go on Twatter and call him names.

I've never posted anything on twitter and don't intend to start now.

 

[Cutch]

1 in the league since his return.

2 in the league, including the opening match against WBA.

With Vidic/Rio at the back, and Carrick in front of them, we look like a cohesive defensive unit again. Now we only need to gind our attacking self again, and we'll look a bloody good team again. (But probably not good enough to halt the City juggernaut this time around.)

So the only 2 goals in the league we've conceded with Vidic on the pitch was the De Gea feckup (West Brom) and the scandalous penalty against Newcastle?

Wow

 

[Lance Uppercut]

I've never posted anything on twitter and don't intend to start now.

I thought you were on it?

 

[Brophs]

He's said Rio has another 2 years at United recently though, hasn't he? Would be odd to keep Rio and show Vidic the door...

Depends. If he keeps Vidic he doesn't bring in any money on either player to reinvest. If he sells him for big money he has Rio for his 20-ish games a season and the younger players to take Vidic's spot. Not that I'm saying they're as good as him, obviously.

I don't know if that's a consideration, particularly when Rio looks like he's on the slide.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

The piece says both will be leaving.

And? Ferguson has made it clear umpteen times recently that Rio is staying and has a future at United. And that was before his recent good displays.

 

[Rado_N]

I thought you were on it?

Only to follow news sources etc, I've never written anything on it. In fact I've not even used it for news for ages I don't think.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

And? Ferguson has made it clear umpteen times recently that Rio is staying and has a future at United. And that was before his recent good displays.

And that is what the piece says.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

Depends. If he keeps Vidic he doesn't bring in any money on either player to reinvest. If he sells him for big money he has Rio for his 20-ish games a season and the younger players to take Vidic's spot. Not that I'm saying they're as good as him, obviously.

I don't know if that's a consideration, particularly when Rio looks like he's on the slide.

Actually, I'd guess something has to happen as he won't want to prevent Smalling and Jones from playing.

That said, seems crazy to let a player like Vidic move on while still in his prime, and the above stats make it so clear that that element that Vidic brings us - alongside Rio particularly - is what has been missing at times this season, and what makes this United side potentially great.

I think Vidic is crucial to us still - 1st season without VdS and Rio is struggling. We'd be significantly weaker without him - even next season - if he moved on.

 

[vuc]

I don't think he'll leave, but then I wouldn't be amazed if he did either. This is probably the last summer we'll get big money for him and if Fergie reckons that the young players are ready to step up then he might do it. I reckon he was persuaded to stay by Fergie in the past - I don't believe all of those stories were just paper nonsense, though it might have been to get a better deal - and he might not be opposed to playing in Spain for a few years if offered the opportunity.

But I don't see Fergie letting he and Rio go in the same summer and at the moment Rio's position looks more precarious.

Yeh I too think that if he leaves it will be this summer, otherwise he will retire at United.

I don't think Fergie would sell him though, he knows how vital Vidic is to the defence, plus he learned from selling Stam, that it's not easy to replace someone that good.

 

[Brophs]

Actually, I'd guess something has to happen as he won't want to prevent Smalling and Jones from playing.

That said, seems crazy to let a player like Vidic move on while still in his prime, and the above stats make it so clear that that element that Vidic brings us - alongside Rio particularly - is what has been missing at times this season, and what makes this United side potentially great.

I think Vidic is crucial to us still - 1st season without VdS and Rio is struggling. We'd be significantly weaker without him - even next season - if he moved on.

Yeah, I agree with all of that and I'm not utterly convinced that we're ready to do without him - Jones particularly is still very raw defensively, and Evans is prone to crucial errors - so it'd be a big decision to let him go.

But as I said, this is arguably the last summer we'll get somewhere around £20m for him. If Fergie wants to extract a bit of value from the player then you'd think he'd do it now.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

Juventus and Anzhi Makhachkala were the two teams named as potential destinations. Though it said that his availability has been made known around Europe.

All apparently stems from his attitude to being dropped. This is why he didn't make the bench for the Shitty game. Apparently.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

Yeah, I agree with all of that and I'm not utterly convinced that we're ready to do without him - Jones particularly is still very raw defensively, and Evans is prone to crucial errors - so it'd be a big decision to let him go.

But as I said, this is arguably the last summer we'll get somewhere around £20m for him. If Fergie wants to extract a bit of value from the player then you'd think he'd do it now.

I guess. Sad to think of United considering selling a player of Vidic's class though. If I was Mancini and allowed to pick a United player it'd be Vidic, easily. Losing him would really diminish us.

 

[wr8_utd]

We need to stop being a selling club and looking to "extract big money" for our star players. I rather Vidic stayed till the end of his contract and left on a free rather than lose him for 20m. He's irreplaceable. I'm sure Fergie must have noticed the rubbish our defense served up without him at the back.

 

[Brophs]

We need to stop being a selling club and looking to "extract big money" for our star players. I rather Vidic stayed till the end of his contract and left on a free rather than lose him for 20m. He's irreplaceable. I'm sure Fergie must have noticed the rubbish our defense served up without him at the back.

In what sense are we a selling club?

 

[wr8_utd]

In what sense are we a selling club?

Not exactly a selling club but this mentality of "getting as much money as possible" seems to be seeping into the fans. I can't even believe people are actually thinking that Fergie would sell Vidic this summer as it's the last time we'll get good money for him. Who cares about how much we get for him? We might get 20m but we're surely not going to win much with a defense as bad as ours is without Vidic.

We're Manchester United, we shouldn't be looking to sell our best players a year or so earlier just to get 5-10m more for them.

 

[Brophs]

Not exactly a selling club but this mentality of "getting as much money as possible" seems to be seeping into the fans. I can't even believe people are actually thinking that Fergie would sell Vidic this summer as it's the last time we'll get good money for him. Who cares about how much we get for him? We might get 20m but we're surely not going to win much with a defense as bad as ours is without Vidic.

No, hang on, I made the point that if he was to be sold it may have to do with getting money on a player who won't have a resale value in a couple of years. Not that we should sell him so we have money. Which is relevant when we're competing with other big spenders and we have young players in that position.

Also, I would have thought you'd be the last person to start questioning how other people support this club.

 

[Kraftwerker]

No way should Vidic be sold.

He's only just turned 30, hardly on the wane, and experience is vital in defence.

 

[Varun]

There's no way SAF will do a Stam again.

 

[ha_rooney]

Vidic will not be sold. His agent has come out time and again denying these stories and I'm confident Vida has no intention to leave.

 

[Mick1991]

I read that yesterday. They put it in a little paragraph up in the corner a couple of pages in......well hidden for a pretty big story.

 

[BaldwinLegend]

Vidic will not be sold. His agent has come out time and again denying these stories and I'm confident Vida has no intention to leave.

Point is that this time it's SAF who supposedly wants him out - not the fear of losing him to another big club.

Still find it hard to believe Ferguson would make it this clear he wants him out in the summer and then play him the next 6 months and get these kind of performances. Doesn't add up to me.

 

[Lance Uppercut]

It is probably a load of shite. Keep a note of that guy's name for future reference.

 

[Rado_N]

His name rings a bell already but I can't think why, was he behind some summer transfer super bollocks?

 

[Lance Uppercut]

His name rings a bell already but I can't think why, was he behind some summer transfer super bollocks?

No idea. Usually if something is out and out bullshit they don't bother putting a name on it. Which is why I find this one interesting.

 

[Kelvin]

And that is what the piece says.

they are making things up.

 

[moses]

He's said Rio has another 2 years at United recently though, hasn't he? Would be odd to keep Rio and show Vidic the door...

Not if Rio's heart was here and Vidic's wasn't. Rio could do the 'Blanc role' quite well, both in theory and most likely practice too. But really, it is plausible Rio would stay and do some hand holding for Smalling and Jones.

 

[wr8_utd]

No, hang on, I made the point that if he was to be sold it may have to do with getting money on a player who won't have a resale value in a couple of years. Not that we should sell him so we have money. Which is relevant when we're competing with other big spenders and we have young players in that position.

Also, I would have thought you'd be the last person to start questioning how other people support this club.

Not questioning how other people support the club. Just find it bizarre that we'd even entertain the thought of selling Vidic in the summer to get 20m for him when he's clearly very much at his peak and easily the best centre back in the world.

 

[Commadus]

If SAF decides to sell Vidic then he has his reasons and as long as he reinvests the money then thats the end of it.

Why would Vidic want to leave? He is revered at United and well paid = £90k a week?

 

[wr8_utd]

If SAF decides to sell Vidic then he has his reasons and as long as he reinvests the money then thats the end of it.

Why would Vidic want to leave? He is revered at United and well paid = £90k a week?

Reinvest in who? Smalling and Jones are fantastic prospects but Vidic is in a different class. Whoever we would get in wouldn't be a patch on Vidic. Selling Vidic would be a bigger loss than selling Ronaldo was imo.

 

[SteveJ]

Duncan Castles: If I remember correctly, he's the guy who claimed he had a very big Sneijder exclusive upcoming; his 'reveal' was a major letdown. The whole thing read like an utterly shameless plug for his employer's website. Read more at my site, www.hecticforpresident.com!

 

[Commadus]

Reinvest in who? Smalling and Jones are fantastic prospects but Vidic is in a different class. Whoever we would get in wouldn't be a patch on Vidic. Selling Vidic would be a bigger loss than selling Ronaldo was imo.

I don't know but the point I was making was that if SAF decides to sell vidic it would be to replace him with someone else he has in mind whoever that is.

SAF wont sell just because we can get a good fee for him - he's never thought like that.