Yorke 98/99 vs Van Persie 12/13

[KeanoMagicHat]

I see a lot of similarities to Yorke and Van Persie, both being big money forward signings after United had lost the previous league season, then came into the team and we won the following season.

We often hear that signing Van Persie won United the league, yet we just got the same points as the previous season. He was brilliant but it was City dropping completely off the pace that really did it, United just kept up the same level as before. Does Yorke get enough credit for his impact as a signing? Was that legacy diminished by the way he fell out with Ferguson?

Both burned so brightly briefly and then were pretty much done at the top level by their third season. But who do you think was a better player in those one-off seasons?

Premier League

Van Persie scored 8 more goals than Yorke in the league but both were top scorers, albeit Yorke joint top. Yorke did play 6 fewer games and I imagine his number of minutes was lower with Solskjaer and Sheringham itching to get on. Van Persie also scored more goals in a league which was sligtly easier to score in. In 12/13, there was an average of 2.8 goals per match vs 2.5 goals per match in 98/99.

Champions League

When it comes to Europe, Yorke was joint top scorer there with 8 goals. Van Persie scored 3 goals against Cluj and Braga. Yorke scored 1 away at Bayern Munich, 2 away at Barcelona, 2 home to Inter to take initiative, crucial away goal against Juventus.

Cups

Van Persie didn't start any cup games but did have a memorable moment in the FA Cup third round against West Ham. So not the fairest comparison but Yorke scored the equaliser against Liverpool and knocked 2 in to beat a good Chelsea side in the FA Cup.

Other considerations

Both really knitted their team together really well, Van Persie gave United a lot of extra stuff from set-pieces, taking them, attacking them and defending them, while having a great winning personality. Yorke's happiness was infectious and he immediately formed one of the great strike partnerships with Cole. But also the way he dropped into midfield was excellent and I'm always impressed by it when watching clips of older games.

The standard of team-mates was definitely higher for Yorke than it was for Van Persie, but it's common to dismiss that last Fergie team as not being up to standard because of the mess Moyes made of it. They lost the league in the last second of 11/12 otherwise they would have won 6 out of 7 league titles in a row, with European success in there too. United's team of the 90s was iconic and a player like Cleverley would never have featured as much in that team as he did in 12/13, can't argue with that.

 

[Spaghetti]

They both had fantastic seasons but it’s got to be RVP for me. You make some good points about the crucial goals that Yorke scored, but he was in a great team, whereas van Persie carried that 12/13 team.

The way I look at it is:
Would United have won cups without Yorke in 98/99? Probably.

Would we have won cups without Van Persie in 2012/13? Definitely not.

Yorke was “one of the best” players in the treble team, Van Persie was the standout player in his title winning season. By some distance.

 

[Desert Eagle]

They both had fantastic seasons but it’s got to be RVP for me. You make some good points about the crucial goals that Yorke scored, but he was in a great team, whereas van Persie carried that 12/13 team.

The way I look at it is:
Would United have won cups without Yorke in 98/99? Probably.

Would we have won cups without Van Persie in 2012/13? Definitely not.

Yorke was “one of the best” players in the treble team, Van Persie was the standout player in his title winning season. By some distance.

That's what it comes down to for me as well.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

I’ll always remember Yorke more fondly but RvP was a man possessed that season; I looked at the Wiki for league appearances that season & he was the only real constant.

The teams they were brought into differed massively so it’s hard to really compare the impact; drop RvP into the Treble squad & he’s getting goals in those big games aswell.

I just liked watch Cole & Yorke so much that I remember them more fondly than most in any comparison.

 

[youngrell]

Wasn’t Yorke’s season something like 29 goals, 22 assists?

Those were great numbers for that era.

In my mind, RVP was the better overall player but I think Yorke, who was sensational that season, pips it for me.

 

[Offside]

I get the arguments on both sides but I’d have to say Yorke.

 

[El Jefe]

Yorke for me.

RVP started on fire the first half of the season but his 10 game barren spell was a bit of a downer especially as we happened to get knocked out in the CL, he really should've put that chance away at The Bernabeu.

Yorke was just as good in Europe as he was in the league and not to mention his creativity, all assists from open play too.

 

[paulscholes18]

Yorke, 51 goal involvements in 51 games, also scored key goals in the Champions league knockout phase which RVP didn’t do.

 

[Acole9]

van Persie was crucial to us winning the title that season but I'm going to say Yorke. He was one of my favourite players growing up.

 

[Mainoldo]

Loved Dwight. I remember being disappointed he didn’t score in any of the three finals. Just felt it’s what his season deserved.

RVP is a GOAT to me though. His 2 year build up to United was immense.

 

[11101]

RVP was the better individual player but the way Yorke linked up with Cole was something else. The two of them were unstoppable, Yorke without Cole would not have been the same player.

 

[Idxomer]

Yorke's season was slightly better.

 

[JJ12]

Maybe it’s nostalgia but Yorkey for me

 

[Gabriel Allon]

An argument could be made for either, but I’d choose Yorke. The bias is that it was my favourite time of being a Man Utd fan. I liked all of the players from top to bottom. Then there’s the fact Man Utd were the best team in the world.

 

[2cents]

Got to be Yorke for me. But I can see it both ways.

 

[united_99]

Yorke was incredible but had a fantastic midfield all in their prime behind him whereas we played the doughnut formation in RvP’s first season with us.
That 99 team had many good to great performers whereas RvP more or less carried us to the title. The “joke” back then was there for a reason: “Poor RvP, he will break his back after first carrying Arsenal to 3rd and then United to 1st”

 

[2cents]

Thinking about it more, van Persie’s goal drought in the second half of that season tips it more in Yorke’s favour for me. It was quite a considerable dip in form at a crucial point in the season.

 

[Irwin99]

Yorke's assist tally was fantastic too (joint top with Becks I think with 20+). I think RVP was the better player and did carry the 12/13 team more.Tricky choice.

 

[Harry190]

Yorke man, Yorke. 99 is magic. Pure magic.

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

Wasn’t Yorke’s season something like 29 goals, 22 assists?

Those were great numbers for that era.

Never mind that era.... i'd be very happy if we had a striker doing that now!

 

[R0nald0]

Here is how I see it.

RVP was the better player
Yorke was the better United player
The two seasons are very similar but RVPs season edges it as without Yorke, we'd still have a chance in his season. Without RVP, we'd have had no chance

 

[Sylar]

He was brilliant but it was City dropping completely off the pace that really did it, United just kept up the same level as before.

I mean not entirely true
Our level increased to the point we basically won 3 of our last 8 matches or something like that because the title was already won or we were so far ahead

Whilst city did drop off, if they hadn't we wouldn't have slowed down and made changes like we did. We lost home games to city and Chelsea and drew with arsenal, west Ham and west Brom
We finished on 89 points, and won by 11 points despite taking 12 points from 24 available in our final games
Before that we won 16/18 games and drew the other two
Insane levels and rvp was a huge reason as he scored many winners or important goals along the way

However I'd edge Yorke due to his season in europe. He scored some important goals against some big teams and got some assists too
For rvp I just remember that huge miss at bernabeu that would have put us 2-1 up but he scuffed it

 

[Giggs86]

RVP. Yorke was in a team surrounded by the co '92 in their prime while RVP was a one man show in a team which was in a huge transition.

Both were great but RVP is more memorable. Just rewatched his goals compilation from that season, man was possessed.

 

[Crustanoid]

Nothing to do with Yorke vs RVP

I just watched a comp on YouTube of Yorke and Cole and damn, that wasn’t just telepathy, it was sorcery

I don’t think we’ve had anything of the like since then.

 

[Bobski]

Nothing to do with Yorke vs RVP

I just watched a comp on YouTube of Yorke and Cole and damn, that wasn’t just telepathy, it was sorcery

I don’t think we’ve had anything of the like since then.

Yes, we might have had better individual players up front since, Rooney, RVN and RVP but the chemistry that Yorke and Cole had and how they linked with our midfield was generational. That goal at Barca is one of the great Utd moments.

 

[Crustanoid]

Yes, we might have had better individual players up front since, Rooney, RVN and RVP but the chemistry that Yorke and Cole had and how they linked with our midfield was generational. That goal at Barca is one of the great Utd moments.

I would love to see us replicate that with a front two but maybe the changing tactics since then means it’s not possible? They also had Giggs and Beckham out wide providing everything. Maybe it’s not possible now?

 

[KirkDuyt]

God how I looked forward to United matches that first season with RVP. Shame he had so many injuries, on form he was truly world class. Cant say much about Yorke, there was no prem coverage here back then.

 

[RooneyLegend]

Yorke in all competitions, RVP in the league.

 

[RooneyLegend]

I would love to see us replicate that with a front two but maybe the changing tactics since then means it’s not possible? They also had Giggs and Beckham out wide providing everything. Maybe it’s not possible now?

Bayern play a similar system to the one we played back in them days. We could make it work and I personally wish we did.

 

[0le]

Just looking again at the fixtures we had in that 99 season, it was just insane. Inter x2, Juventus x2, Barcelona x2, Bayern x3 in Europe and Liverpool, Chelsea x2 and Arsenal x2 in the FA Cup.

 

[youngrell]

Never mind that era.... i'd be very happy if we had a striker doing that now!

Very true. 51 goal involvements is not to be sniffed at!

 

[Fergies Formula]

 

[TrustInOle]

Yorke, 51 goal involvements in 51 games, also scored key goals in the Champions league knockout phase which RVP didn’t do.

This. What he did in that 99 season will forever have a soft spot in my heart

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Love RVP - and he clearly had the better career. But in this comparison it’s Yorke. Part of one of our greatest ever achievements.

United wouldn’t have been the same team without either player, but I could live without SAFs last title, but not without that Treble.

Dwight Yorke - I salute you.

 

[Gazza]

Yorke scored against Barcelona, Bayern, Inter, and Juventus. He also scored against Chelsea and Liverpool in the FA Cup. Massive games in our season, he scored against absolutely everyone that season. It sounds harsh, but in hindsight RVP didn't do enough for us in the games against Madrid -- especially at the Bernabeu where he really should have scored, which would have put us in command of the tie.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

RVP was incredible but Yorkie won a treble and was very important to the whole thing so I'd give it to Dwight

 

[Gazza]

Yorke was incredible but had a fantastic midfield all in their prime behind him whereas we played the doughnut formation in RvP’s first season with us.
That 99 team had many good to great performers whereas RvP more or less carried us to the title. The “joke” back then was there for a reason: “Poor RvP, he will break his back after first carrying Arsenal to 3rd and then United to 1st”

True, but that midfield only reached a CL final and won it the season that Yorke was on fire. Otherwise it was 2 semi-finals and 2 quarter-final finishes. Take out his exceptional link up with Cole and the rest of the team, and you can't say for certain that they would have achieved as much as they did that season.

I think elevating a very good team to a great one (a la Yorke in 1999) is just as impressive as taking a decent team to a very good one (RVP). Yorke was essentially a one-season Cantona in terms of taking us to another level.

 

[Ludens the Red]

I would love to see us replicate that with a front two but maybe the changing tactics since then means it’s not possible? They also had Giggs and Beckham out wide providing everything. Maybe it’s not possible now?

I think it is. It’s worked for Atletico for years although there’s is a little different as it doesn’t have natural wingers but just look at Southampton now. Yorke used to drop deep a lot too.
There’s also a lot of teams now playing 352 variations which has in turn brought back some teams using a 442 to counter it. I suspect with the death of the number 10 role and the more focus on energetic midfielders even more so could there be an even bigger upturn in traditional 442’s.

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

RVP had an amazing season and I actually couldn't believe how good he was.

But his amazing season was actually an amazing 6 months - I think this was the best first half of a season out of any player since I followed the league since 2005 - better than Ronaldo, Suarez, Rooney, KDB, Kane, Vardy, Torres, Salah, Aguero etc.

It was incredible to watch. RVP just kept on winning us games we had no business winning. We were not a special side at all.

Rooney, Chicharito, Carrick and Rafael kept us going after January as RVP either injured or not fit.

 

[Bondi77]

Yorke was the much better performer......according to Jordan