United did win in 08, no?
What Happened To Park Ji-Sung?
- Thread starter jderbyshire
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United did win in 08, no?
Those first few years of Tony Fernandes were crazy, they were throwing money at every player going.
They had a particular fetish for past-it “names”. Park’s United career had been well on the slide for quite a while and his appearances had become progressively fewer, yet QPR expected him to lead them to glory playing every match.
QPR bought a player whose main attribute was running and his legs had gone. No wonder they went down.
Worth a listen to his recentish interview on the official club podcast - he answers all this himself
QPR for the 12/13 season? Looked totally burnt out after putting in an absolutely biblical stint for SAF. Man marking Pirlo probably took a few years out of his career in all honesty. Hero.
After his short, unsuccessful QPR stint (mainly due to terrible club organization and injuries), he rejoined PSV on loan and ended his career there.
After his football career he's been as dilligigent as he was as a player:
- he became an ambassador of Man United
- he occasionally worked as a football commentator, like at the 2018 world cup
- he studied "The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport"
- he worked briefly for the Korean Football Association where he revolutionized the Korean youth system to become closer to the European system
- he coached the U-16 side of QPR
- he's currently the technical director of the Korean club Jeonbuk Hyubdai motors, after being an advisor for them for some time
- he's appearing on a fun documentary tv show called "Man in Europe", together with his pal Pat Evra (just type "man in europe" + "evra" on Youtube and you'll find it), where he visits young Korean football players who are playing across Europe and encourages them
- he's married and has two children, a girl and a boy
- he still visits Andrea Pirlo in his nightmares
Still a legend. Three lung Park.
After his football career he's been as dilligigent as he was as a player:
- he became an ambassador of Man United
- he occasionally worked as a football commentator, like at the 2018 world cup
- he studied "The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport"
- he worked briefly for the Korean Football Association where he revolutionized the Korean youth system to become closer to the European system
- he coached the U-16 side of QPR
- he's currently the technical director of the Korean club Jeonbuk Hyubdai motors, after being an advisor for them for some time
- he's appearing on a fun documentary tv show called "Man in Europe", together with his pal Pat Evra (just type "man in europe" + "evra" on Youtube and you'll find it), where he visits young Korean football players who are playing across Europe and encourages them
- he's married and has two children, a girl and a boy
- he still visits Andrea Pirlo in his nightmares
Still a legend. Three lung Park.
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He left the season when RVP joined us because he wanted more games time. But I think he knew his body or his knee couldn't handle it anymore at top level so he downgraded to QPR with less expectation, then he probably realised even his body or his knee no longer able to handle PL intensity so he moved back to PSV. If I'm not mistaken watching some documentary, Rene said Park had been playing throughout his career with pain on his knee.
Alright calm down Jay. Did she happen to sail to Africa via a pedalo? is she friends with one of your mates who had a trial at Westham?
Was great on Running Man. He got Evra on it, too.
He proposed to the club? The Club and Park are married?
I knew he left in 2012 but couldn't tell you he went to QPR without having to google it
Ahh those days. You can be down 2-0 at 75th minute and you see giggs and Nani warming up, you know shit just gonna hit the fan for them. You want to play rough? We have rooney and vidic. You wanna outrun us? Try take on fletcher and JSP. Oh you wanna pure skill it? Pftth Ronaldo and Berba. Ref not doing it properly, SAF gonna destroy it.
Oh lord, what a well rounded team that was.
Think even Tony Fernandes himself said he got played for a mug in those early years by agents etc because he had no real experience of the football world.
So did his opponents he man marked
Ed Woodward says hello
Yes it was. And you haven't even mentioned Scholes, who could control a game single-handedly, van der Saar making goalkeeping look so easy and Evra, the best left-back for years
Yes it was. And you haven't even mentioned Scholes, who could control a game single-handedly, van der Saar making goalkeeping look so easy and Evra, the best left-back for years
Can randomly remember O'Shea ending in goal for 20 minutes one match in that time and the opposition couldn't score past him!
I remember that game - Spurs VDS went off with an injury. Think rio wanted to go in goal but can't remember who put O'Shea in goal instead
Looking at his stats on wikipedia, he didn't make as many starts as you might think.
But unfair on him, as he was a level above Milner. Now in terms of longevity, you got hand it to Milner, but Park did massive work in big teams but no player talked about Milner as they did Park when it came to following a task and doing it beautifully. I.e Pirlo.
He also loved a game against Arsenal, a thorn in their side. Like Chicharito against Chelsea.
He was so good in the big games. He was MOTM (or a serious contender) multiple times against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, AC Milan and Pep's Barcelona.
I also remember him winning us a few games against weaker opposition. I don't remember which PL team it was, but Park scored our only goals that game with one of them being a nice run where he dribbled past multiple opponents. He clearly had more tools in his locker than you'd think. Although playing a drinking game where you take a shot every time he falls over would result in death
I also remember him winning us a few games against weaker opposition. I don't remember which PL team it was, but Park scored our only goals that game with one of them being a nice run where he dribbled past multiple opponents. He clearly had more tools in his locker than you'd think. Although playing a drinking game where you take a shot every time he falls over would result in death
I went to their stadium once on a corporate and we got access to a windowless room that had one of the tiniest, blandest spreads of food you've ever seen. It was totally in keeping with the incredibly ugly stadium exterior.
They did have a VIP lounge that the owner took his pals to.
The good thing was we won 2-0 and Rafael scored a screamer. Their fans were shite.
The player that Mount should aspire to be for us.
That’s just what most people think. When we bought him, he was more than just a runner in midfield who would do the dirty work that other player didn’t want.
His time at PSV and for South Korea showed he was capable of doing more with the ball if needed, but he recognised that the team had better options and changed his game to suit what the team need. If our current squad had a quarter of his attitude, we’ll be top 3 every year easily.
Remember him leaving well. Everyone made a big deal about the fact he was crap in that City title decider because it was the first big game he’d looked off the pace.
My guess was straight back to PSV in 11/12.
Forgot about QPR and he left us a year later than that.
Forgot about QPR and he left us a year later than that.
Yes, he started just 93 PL matches for us. Obviously every player gets their injuries which means they miss some but I don't remember his injuries being out of the ordinary. Not as bad as players like Saha, Hargreaves, Alan Smith etc. We played 266 PL matches during his time here. He had 24 starts out of 73 CL games that United played when he was here.
There's that niche stat where he started a lot of CL knockout games but overall mostly a squad player. He was never in the most used 11 for minutes on the pitch during any season he was with us (all competitions). 12th, 20th, 18th, 14th, 16th, 15th, and 15th again.
If he was here now he definitely would be! One of the first names on the teamsheet, probably the very first actually.
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Parked the bus and moved on with life.
A great servant to the club
A great servant to the club
I went there once in the 90's and remember cutting through the council estate! There was a 5 a side pitch or basketball court right by it. Went on the train then got the tube to whatever the nearest station was.
Think it was 0-0 or 1-1. Les Ferdinand and Ian Holloway were playing for them.
Last went there in 94 beat them 3 2 I think the away pub was on that housing estate general smuts or the springbok it’s the biggest council estate in England or was the White City estate famous alumni roger dalterey
Funny this subject should come up - it was only yesterday I sang his song to my wife (call me romantic!) as we are on holiday in Vietnam and went past a street food stall selling dog meat with a dog’s head on the stall! That song had to be one of the best!
from Park himself "I know that United fans don't mean any offence to him for that song," said Park, "but still I have to educate the fans to stop that word [dog meat], which is usually these days a racial insult to the Korean people " (Oct 21, when Utd fans sung it about the wolves player Hwang)
I seem to remember him working as an ambassador on matchdays, not sure how that worked out, maybe he's still doing it