Manchester Utd Thread

Was that Mark's opinion on it?  I haven't read the Star today...

My own opinion on that is - as I've said here lots of times - people tend to put way too much emphasis on individual players and individual positions.  It's crazy.  The fact that football is a team game seems to go out the window.  Whether Alex Ferguson has had or has not had what people refer to as a world-class midfielder in his team over the past 20-years doesn't really matter in teh grand scheme of things does it?  What matter is that the TEAM are winning things...Who can argue with what United have won over teh past 20-years?  You'd be a moron to expect anything more than what they have done...in fact what they have done in that time remains the longest run of success in English football's 130-year history - so to question it is just plain daft.

Does anybody think any United fan would rather have a top world-class midfielder in their team and not have the team overrall be a success - or would they rather have it the way Fergie currently has it - winning four league titles and been in three European Cup Finals since Roy Keane (the last great midfielder United have had in Mark's opinion) left the club six years ago?

It seems to be a hurdle fans can't get over - forget the success this team have had....where's the world-class midfielder?  Mental thinking in my opinion.  Horrendous thinking.  The team - overrall - is ONLY what matters.

I think Fergie genuinely takes an approach whereby he doesn't purposely have players in his team that he can't rotate and drop.  He likes the idea of having a big squad and utilising that squad as best he can.  I think buying Sneijder for 25million - while he is undoubtedly a great player - would bring with it pressures that Fergie doesn't want.  How can I drop Sneijder for Park when I want to keep everybody on the same fitness level?    Can Sneijder play in the middle alongside Giggs-Carrick-Valencia one week and then adapt to playing with Young-Anderson-Nani the next?  

That's teh beaut about Fergie's midfield options...he can play different names in even in different positions at different times for different matches - and nobody batters an eyelid....Nobody mentions that ANderson is dropped, or young is left out, or Valencia's on the bench..or Giggs, Park, Cleverley, Nani....he can adapt as he wants.

Bring in a Sneijder - and suddenly the media are asking questions of why he is on the bench against Bolton at the weekend...extra pressure on the player, pressure on the manager, pressure on the team.

That - I genuinely think, is Ferguson's approach to handling modern-day football, managing a big squad which is what you need.

People will say that a midfield duo of Carrick/Fletcher just isn't good enough on paper for such a big club...and that may be so - but football isn't played on paper.  However the fact remains - and this can't be disputed, that the midfield duo of Carrick/Fletcher has been the most successful midfield duo in United's 130-year history - just look at the amount of trophies United have won since those two became our important midfield players...more than we ever won with Robson - or Keane - or Charlton - or Duncan Edwards - or Ince - etc, etc, etc..

Football is all about the results the TEAM bring home, not about whose name looks prettiest on paper!  And it always will be that way!