defending a player he spent an absolute fortune on, who clearly didn’t fit United. Hardly surprising.
we all love Fergie, but he’s just as capable of spin as anyone else.
Was Veron a flop?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
we all love Fergie, but he’s just as capable of spin as anyone else.
Jaap Stam says hi.
And mistakes.
I re-watched a little bit of the League cup final against the scousers in 2003 and by god he was awful. Imagine Pogba or Bruno at their very worst periods of play but with nothing redeemable either (a goal threat or clever assist for instance). Keane came over at one point after another useless overhit pass over the top and calmly told him to to settle down a bit.
I might be doing him a disservice as I didn't watch the whole game but it was quite shocking for such a good player.
I might be doing him a disservice as I didn't watch the whole game but it was quite shocking for such a good player.
I can’t really remember his time here to be honest, which is an indication of time here probably.
The Premier league was too fast for him. He was good in the Champions League where he had more space and the games were slower.
Rolls Royce in a Nascar rally
The very definition of a luxury signing.
Anyone got a radio link
, how times have changed.My enduring memory of him is a ridiculous pass in a preseason friendly...which probably says it all about his time at United.
He probably would have succeeded at Arsenal under Wenger, in a team that tried to achieve 100 passes in a row before scoring each goal. Or he probably would have fitted in well in a Barcelona team under Pep.
He most certainly did not have Utd DNA, even though he could be world class in a different set up.
He was the opposite of what a Utd player should be at the time - dynamic warriors playing at 1 million mph, who cover every blade of grass like Rooney, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Beckham etc.
Essien, Gerrard, Viera are midfielders who would have had the Utd DNA, and been good enough to get into a Utd title winning team under Fergie.
He most certainly did not have Utd DNA, even though he could be world class in a different set up.
He was the opposite of what a Utd player should be at the time - dynamic warriors playing at 1 million mph, who cover every blade of grass like Rooney, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Beckham etc.
Essien, Gerrard, Viera are midfielders who would have had the Utd DNA, and been good enough to get into a Utd title winning team under Fergie.
Funny you mention Barcelona under Pep and Arsenal under Wenger as many on the Caf feel Veron was about 5-6 years too soon for United. Put him in a midfield trio alongside Carrick and Scholes (occasionally Hargreaves, Park, Fletcher rotating) with Ronaldo, Rooney, Saha/Tevez/Berbatov up front and he'd look far better than the 4-4-2 of old. Veron-Carrick-Scholes would have passed opposition off the park.
The control and finish from Ruud though
No and You'se are all idiots
Pogba reminds me Veron.
He came in as the British record transfer & didn’t perform to expectations. However I think history hasn’t been kind to him. I see him in “flop 11’s” which is extremely unfair. He had some very good games for us & I really enjoyed watching him when on form.
personally I think history has been kind to him.
he was sold for half the price we paid for him, and lost £15m on him. That was astonishing, and only because Roman took over Chelsea. Today, that appears to be peanuts.
he was a massive flop.
Per the expectations yeah I agree he was a massive flop. I see him compared with the likes of Djemba-Djemba & Bebe in “worst Fergie signings” compilations which I think is unfair. He had some good moments at United, especially in the champions league. Didn’t Giggs say something about Veron being in the best player he ever saw in training?
It didn’t work out, but he was a very good footballer.
What i'd give to have him in the team now.The control and finish from Ruud though
Haaland is the closest player that reminds me of him, he'd make such a difference.
What a player Ruud was
he’s clearly not comparable to players who were never going to be world class players and just punts like Djemba x2.
but he’s comparable to the likes of Shevchenko, and perhaps Kaka for Real (although that was down to injuries).
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...0-of-the-biggest-flops-in-premiership-history
Has him at no 2. Which I think is fair.
Yeah that’s fair. Shevchenko, Torres, Kaka, etc are better comparisons.
I remember when we signed him & Ruud in the summer of 2001, such an exciting time as a kid. I remember getting the reversable White/Gold away shirt thinking we were gonna win the treble again. All came crashing down when we sold Jaap Stam.
Bang on the money. Obviously a fantastic footballer; just didn’t work out for us.
Far above the level of Bebe. But to be fair the fee at the time reflects that.
No. A flop is a harsh description. He wasn't best suited for this league though. Not the first or last player not to fit in the Premiership. A La Liga or Serie A player.
i loved watching him and the teams he played in in Serie A.
Parma, Lazio, Sampdoria
I didnt want him at United though.
my top midfielders on my wish list were: (no Zidane cos he was destined for Madrid)
1. Rivaldo
2. Vieira
3. Nedved
4. Rui Costa
5. Petit
Parma, Lazio, Sampdoria
I didnt want him at United though.
my top midfielders on my wish list were: (no Zidane cos he was destined for Madrid)
1. Rivaldo
2. Vieira
3. Nedved
4. Rui Costa
5. Petit
Come on! He was a huge flop. He came in for a record transfer and he bombed massively. Showed some glimpses of his talent but for the most expensive player in the country, he didn't perform consistently like that.
I was so excited when he came in, it was an era where Italian football was on C4 and so everyone watched how good he was for Lazio. An incredible player but not suited to the EPL whatsoever as he showed for us and for Chelsea. We did very well recouping the money we did from Chelsea
I was so excited when he came in, it was an era where Italian football was on C4 and so everyone watched how good he was for Lazio. An incredible player but not suited to the EPL whatsoever as he showed for us and for Chelsea. We did very well recouping the money we did from Chelsea
He was a very talented player, he didn’t quite do it for Man Utd but that was partly to do with how many great midfielders we had at that time, we were spoiled for choice.
We would probably build the team around him if he played for us today, shows you how far we have fallen since those days.
We would probably build the team around him if he played for us today, shows you how far we have fallen since those days.
The goal against juve in pre season. Veron to Ruud. I remember thinking these two are gonna rip the league a new one.
Edit, just seen it's been posted.
That commentator
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that summer Roman took over Chelsea.
they were desperate for big money signings, goodness know how much of a hot we would have taken if not for that.
Yeah complete no 9. Would absolutely perfect for us.What i'd give to have him in the team now.
Haaland is the closest player that reminds me of him, he'd make such a difference.
What a player Ruud was
RVN would bury 9 out of 10 such chances. Now just imagine what Rashy or Martial would have done with that chance 9 ouf of 10 times.The control and finish from Ruud though
hint: row Z
Veron was like many other players his style did not fit in properly with United and at the time he was also up against some of the best PL midfielders (possibly in the world).
Best game for me was undoubtedly the 5-3 defeat of Spurs when we recovered from 0-3 at half time.
See Donny going the same way unfortunately, almost for the same reasons.
Best game for me was undoubtedly the 5-3 defeat of Spurs when we recovered from 0-3 at half time.
See Donny going the same way unfortunately, almost for the same reasons.
Man Utd’s right man at the wrong time
https://www.planetfootball.com/nost...n-veron-man-utds-right-man-at-the-wrong-time/
https://www.planetfootball.com/nost...n-veron-man-utds-right-man-at-the-wrong-time/
Brilliant player. Always loved to watch him play. Wrong time, wrong club and wrong system.
Was excited when we signed him despite flopping at United, I felt a new challenge/system plus being reunited with his mate (Crespo) would being a new lease of life for him.
Nine games in he was out due to lack of fitness and didn't play again until April.
Nine games in he was out due to lack of fitness and didn't play again until April.
Of course he was - when you sign a player for £28 million - he stays for 2 seasons without really establishing himself in the team, and then sell him with a £14 million loss - of course he is a flop.
Veron was a flop, had huge expectations as a fan and he under delivered, he had some good games but was never consistent and couldn't seem to handle the pace of the PL. fergie always made the wrong signings when he had built a great team, we needed to strengthen our defence and GK, but he bought veron, veron was the equivalent of the berbatov signing in my opinion, just didn't fit. The defence and GK were not right in the team that veron joined, this is why the 08/09 team will ways be better than the treble team, only 6 or 7 of the treble team could get in the 08/09 team. Still loved veron and I believe every utd fan wanted him to do well, no one gave up on him but was evident to see that he did not improve the midfield, he just added to it.
Scholes could do everything he could but at pace. So it was an odd signing.
Slightly frustrating was that just as he left he seemed to be getting it. How we played.
The silver lining was that his signing elevated us into another transfer category. From that point on we were the type of club capable of signing big reputation european based players. There was Ruud and Stam before him but they weren't big established players.
Slightly frustrating was that just as he left he seemed to be getting it. How we played.
The silver lining was that his signing elevated us into another transfer category. From that point on we were the type of club capable of signing big reputation european based players. There was Ruud and Stam before him but they weren't big established players.
That was down to wage structure, IMO. United would have signed this star or that star well before Veron if Edwards would break the wage cap. Lost out on Blanc, DeSailly, Batistuta, etc. due to wages.
He was definitely a flop. He was one of the best midfielders in the world when he came to us. Then he was one of the worst midfielders in the league.
Seemed to need too much time on the ball.
Seemed to need too much time on the ball.
He simply was a flop.