Having a discussion at pub now.
Which year(s) were Scholes peak?
- Thread starter Edgar Allan Pillow
- Start date
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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.
After he came back from being blind. Just because - well, he had one eye. Also seeing the announcement of his name on the bench in such a big game made me run round the house like a hyped Jack Russel terrier.
(He also bought some £70 quid JJB boots for that game iirc)
(He also bought some £70 quid JJB boots for that game iirc)
Very hard to define a peak period for him as he kept refining his game and became better at different aspects of football.
Even adapted his position as he got older.
If I had to decide, I would say from 2006 - 2010. Even though he was injured for a fair bit of it, he was immense and a catalyst for all of our domestic and European success
Even adapted his position as he got older.
If I had to decide, I would say from 2006 - 2010. Even though he was injured for a fair bit of it, he was immense and a catalyst for all of our domestic and European success
2000-2003 his peak as an attacking midfielder but then he had a renaissance in the latter part of his career and was excellent in a more controlling CM role 2006-2008.
Precisely. I think the later version was when he was world class.
There are very few DLPs of Scholes class in his later years.
I get a feeling he'd have been a GOAT and a bit wasted in a 442 era.
Funnily enough I was at the game where we got his eye injury.
It was against Bham City away, I believe it finished 2 -2 in 2005.
I went to almost every 06/07 home game and the one thing I can say about Scholes is my word he knows how to pick the right pass and really calm a game down. He was an unsung hero many times that year.
For me we under rate scholes badly. I can't remember to many games where he lacked composure or the ball was bouncing off him. I can't choose peak Scholes because his partnership with Keane was perfect. And then when Keane was declining Scholes could dictate the play. He could spread the play. It's a shame England were so useless
from 06 until he retired for the second time, genius.
This is correct. To be more specific, I'd rank his two best seasons as 2002/2003 and 2006/2007. I've a slight preference for the younger Scholes.
The forum should be titled, which year(s) did Scholes not peak. Whether he was 25 or 35, the guy was so consistently good that in my eyes, was comfortably the best passer in his generation. Xavi can lace his boots!
Scholes never had great stamina, so for his peak to be considered as when he was "box to box" is ridiculous. Scholes (by his own admission, and I'm trying to convince my equally Man Utd disliking friend who supports Liverpool, but he won't have it) never was that, as he said in an interview with some major paper (I forget which one it was), where he said Pirlo wasn't box to box and said he wasn't either. My friend (who is not Italian) considers Pirlo more box to box (not better, but more box to box) than both Gattuso and De Rossi!
Scholes was obviously world class in 2002-3 (which I'm not sure he was beforehand, though he was at least partly overshadowed by King Roy) but Gerrard and Lampard could probably have played that role better than he did, as they showed at their clubs. They also showed they were much worse at the deeper role in later years.
Scholes' peak, as in his importance to the team, was clearly from 2003-8, though he only had world class support in 2006-8 during that time.
Scholes was obviously world class in 2002-3 (which I'm not sure he was beforehand, though he was at least partly overshadowed by King Roy) but Gerrard and Lampard could probably have played that role better than he did, as they showed at their clubs. They also showed they were much worse at the deeper role in later years.
Scholes' peak, as in his importance to the team, was clearly from 2003-8, though he only had world class support in 2006-8 during that time.
My top BOX TO BOX midfielders under Sir Alex:
1a. Sir Roy
1b. Sir Bryan
3. Paolo Ince
4. Darren Fletcher
5. "The Canadian" (Owen Hargreaves)
6. Nicholas Behind
7. Paul Scholes
1a. Sir Roy
1b. Sir Bryan
3. Paolo Ince
4. Darren Fletcher
5. "The Canadian" (Owen Hargreaves)
6. Nicholas Behind
7. Paul Scholes
His game went to a different level in his second season alongside Michael Carrick, so circa '07, I wouldn't have swapped him with anybody on the planet at that time, his range of pass was superior to anybody i've ever seen in a United shirt, the guy was a genius, simple as
It’s good that you support City.Eye problem comeback > first retirement. Probably 07 if I had to pick a single year.
2002-03 as an attacking midfielder/second striker
2006-07 as a creative playmaker/centre mid.
2006-07 as a creative playmaker/centre mid.
Exactly this.
Late 90's until about 01/02 he was a very good box to box player.
02/03 he was a world class AM.
06-09 he was a great DLP.
He was good to great in 3 different central positions. That's why I have him down as the best CM I've seen live. Probably alongside Iniesta.
02/03 he was a world class AM.
06-09 he was a great DLP.
He was good to great in 3 different central positions. That's why I have him down as the best CM I've seen live. Probably alongside Iniesta.
I'm more worried about your selection of take away after. I mean, you're sat in a pub, asking people you don't know, questions about Paul Scholes. Rather bizarre tbh.
Remember he was amazing in 2007/2008 when we won the third CL.
He was an absolute gem as an attacking midfielder/second striker in the early days, he had very quick feet and an accurate, powerful shot. He went back to that role when signed Veron in 2003.
But as other have said, it was in the mid-2000s that he settled into the CM role and was acknowledged as one of the best in the English game.
But as other have said, it was in the mid-2000s that he settled into the CM role and was acknowledged as one of the best in the English game.
To be fair, right at the beginning circa 94-97, we played him up front!
I don't remember most of that period as I was very young, but I do remember seeing him as a sort of SS in some games! I was mainly talking from about 97-02 in regards to him being a box to box player when he and Butt would rotate partnering Keane. Then we went and bought Veron and moved Scholes to an AM where he was just magnificent.
Back when I was a season ticket holder, I would literally watch Scholes all game, off the ball, on the ball, for probably 200 or so games. Pure genius.
He struck me as someone who didn't need to train. He was just incredibly gifted and absolutely bossed matches.
I've seen lots of goalscoring attacking mids but not so many deep lying playmakers like him, so I personally preferred his 2nd phase.
He struck me as someone who didn't need to train. He was just incredibly gifted and absolutely bossed matches.
I've seen lots of goalscoring attacking mids but not so many deep lying playmakers like him, so I personally preferred his 2nd phase.
Urgh, box to box Scholes was nothing great in a broader pool. It really doesn't class him in GOAT category.
England were so obsessed with trying to find a way to get Gerrard and Lampard to play together when they should have just been playing Scholes and Carrick...
Puff, puff, pass my friend...
Outside of the last couple years he was a 7 - 9 out of 10 every week, he was always good. His peak years were the teams peak years. He was pretty good when Blanc and Barthez were a comedy act at the back but no one will remember it much. He was good when Keanes legs had gone and we had djemba djemba and Liam Miller doing the running for him.
I kind of think people are underrating his years as an attacking midfielder too. He popularised the position in the Premier League. #10's previous to him were much more geared towards being strikers like Cantona or Baggio or Yorke. The Premier League in particular was very slow to move away from 442. He was pretty involved in our play and was as much a prototype for the #10 position, as Makalele was for the #6. He scored absolute screamers as a matter of routine too. He deserves some credit for scoring beautiful goals doesn't he?
I kind of think people are underrating his years as an attacking midfielder too. He popularised the position in the Premier League. #10's previous to him were much more geared towards being strikers like Cantona or Baggio or Yorke. The Premier League in particular was very slow to move away from 442. He was pretty involved in our play and was as much a prototype for the #10 position, as Makalele was for the #6. He scored absolute screamers as a matter of routine too. He deserves some credit for scoring beautiful goals doesn't he?
He was amazing. I remember watching him even after he came back for that last short period. He dictated the game and it was amazing to watch. Such an influence no matter where he was playing. I never saw a decline so maybe he was always at his peak. He's my favorite player so I might be biased.
You don’t ‘rc’
He had his vision problems in 2006 and had several great seasons after that. His comeback from retirement in 2012 wasn’t due to eye problems, and that was when he bought the boots.
Pretty much this.
Two peaks, amazing in both, but personally prefers his second mode. IMO, great at first, but world class at the second.
all years