Best and Worst Of The Noughties: Signings

101 Comments

1. December 22, 2009 at 11:15

   Triggs says:

   Andy Goram?
2. December 22, 2009 at 11:20

   mhihrh says:

   What about Manucho? Surely he too was really bad.
   Also VDS too has to be amonst the good signings.

   Ronaldo was by far the best. My word we made profit on him. rooney and rio are good signings but they are good, not as great as ronny.had SAF not been patient with vidic and evra would have been amognst the worst and not the best. van Nistelrooy was a great striker.shame he did not win more trophies.
3. December 22, 2009 at 11:22

   Chep says:

   VDS amongst the best? quality vs. cost. incredible
4. December 22, 2009 at 11:23

   mhihrh says:

   nani is gonna join the worst list soon maybe along with berbatov and anderson.berba isnt bad but not worth 30 million. Hope that dosent happen but neither of these players have justified their price tag but they are still at United so they have a chance to make amends.
5. December 22, 2009 at 11:25

   BerbaGod says:

   Liam Miller, hehe…
   also, hargreaves turned out to be a bad signing.. but he can still turn things around, maybe nani as well.. but he falls into the same category as hargo..
6. December 22, 2009 at 11:27

   NotoriousRedDevil says:

   We made money on Manucho!
7. December 22, 2009 at 11:30

   NotoriousRedDevil says:

   If some people consider Hargreaves, Nani and especially Berbatov to be bad signings. Where do Veron, Forlan and Saha fit in then. All 3 have to be classed as bad signings because in the grand scheme of things all failed to deliver considering the high expectations at the club.
8. December 22, 2009 at 11:31

   cherry says:

   This is funny people!! When was Veron signed?
9. December 22, 2009 at 11:34

   mhihrh says:

   @NotoriousRedDevil

   Saha wasnt that bad. Scored 42 goals in 124 games and was bought for 12 million.cant be called bad. Veron and Forlan were disappointing. SCott should have included Veron.
10. December 22, 2009 at 11:34

    mhihrh says:

    @NotoriousRedDevil

    Saha wasnt that bad. Scored 42 goals in 124 games and was bought for 12 million.cant be called bad. Veron and Forlan were disappointing. SCott should have included Veron.
11. December 22, 2009 at 11:34

    cherry says:

    NotoriousRedDevil, Saha was never a bad signing!! Offcourse Nani tick all the boxes to be there and Ron is the best of them all.
12. December 22, 2009 at 11:36

    mhihrh says:

    sorry for the double post. accidental. Veron was signed in

    @Cherry

    After the 2001 season, he moved from Lazio to Manchester United on 12 July for £28.1 million in a five-year deal, the most expensive transfer in English football at that time.
13. December 22, 2009 at 11:37

    mara says:

    For me bad signing is when you buy player, he plays bad. You sell him and he play bad again. Forlan played bad, but in Spain he play very good. So he was not a bad signing. Maybe he could be good even in Manchester United if they were patient with him like with some other players.
14. December 22, 2009 at 11:39

    cherry says:

    mhihrh, I know I was just surprised that he was not included in the bad signings list.
15. December 22, 2009 at 11:40

    arijc says:

    What about Berbatov?
16. December 22, 2009 at 11:42

    cherry says:

    mara..who gives a fuck if a player plays well when he is sold. Bad signing is when you sign a player and he plays bad for you period.
17. December 22, 2009 at 11:47

    cav says:

    If we’re taking the ratio of price to shittiness into account, Nani is definitely up there with the worst.
18. December 22, 2009 at 11:47

    ibrza says:

    anyone sense a theme here, when we sign cheap more often with the exception of evra, they turn out terrible buys.
19. December 22, 2009 at 11:47

    Stretford Ender says:

    Berba bashers are out again – idiots! Well done Scott for not including him in here. Would have probably added VDS as well. Ruud is my best, the guy is a god, no one scored as many as he did!
20. December 22, 2009 at 11:50

    mhihrh says:

    @Stretford Ender

    you dont get the point. Berba is not a bad signing. All that i am saying is he is running out of time to prove himself. He has been average since he joined.There is always hope as long as he is at United that he will do well. The class is there but consistency and Goals are missing
21. December 22, 2009 at 11:50

    devil@singapore says:

    luckily we signed ronaldo in 2003 to over-shadow all the flops we signed that year. haha, our scout team muz be abit drunk that year.
    nice post scott, bring back many memories. RVN was a very very good signing.
22. December 22, 2009 at 11:53

    Lexxy says:

    Berba is d greatest flop of them all. 30 mil and 4 goals thru d season is an embarrassment
23. December 22, 2009 at 11:56

    Fze123 says:

    Where’s tevez in the worst signings part??
24. December 22, 2009 at 11:58

    mhihrh says:

    Fze123

    cmmon mate. sure you are joking. 6 million for a player who scored 34 goals in 2 years including some vital goals and gave everything for the club. His Only problem was attitude
25. December 22, 2009 at 12:05

    arijc says:

    @ Stretford Ender
    besides calling the people who are unconvinced with Berbatov idiots, do you have any rational arguments to back up your stand.
    I would love to see Berbatov emerge as one of the better signings of the decade, but right now even Saha, with his frequent injuries, rates as a better signing. He just needs to forget about his price tag and play. Completely agree with mhihrh that the class is evident but the consistency and goals is lacking.
26. December 22, 2009 at 12:06

    READ CAREFULLY WHAT I says:

    When you look at what we paid for Evra, Vidic and Ronaldo……

    Talk about bargains.
27. December 22, 2009 at 12:08

    rrou says:

    fuck me but im almost getting hard reading patrice evra’s quote.. love the man!
28. December 22, 2009 at 12:22

    mufcdevils says:

    how about VDS
29. December 22, 2009 at 12:24

    bchilds says:

    Agree with a few other posters that Van der Sar should be among the good signings, good list though Scott.
30. December 22, 2009 at 12:48

    Fze123 says:

    I regard a striker who scored 5 league goals in 30 games in one season as a bad signing. Add that on to his continuous whinging and bitching to the press about Fergie.

    I agree with Scott’s list, although I agree that VDS deserves a mention alongside the best signings too. I hope Kuszack improves and becomes good enough to replace the dutchman when he retires.
31. December 22, 2009 at 12:48

    brett1985 says:

    Kleberson was a good signing at the time but as it turns out got homesick.
32. December 22, 2009 at 13:24

    Red Army says:

    Van Nistelrooy. By far the best signing. The goal against Fulham, also no mention of his 2 goals in 90 seconds away at FC Basel in the Champions League. Anyone, checkout those goals against Basel, particularly the one where he beats 2 or 3 then curls it in from on the touchline.

    01/02 and 02/03, when he had his pace, Ruud was the best player in the world. He shat on Henry.
33. December 22, 2009 at 13:25

    doncobaino says:

    Harsh on carrol he was signed for cover. he practically got us to the 05 cup final.
34. December 22, 2009 at 13:52

    mhihrh says:

    @Red Army

    Spot on.

    i Still love RVN. 150 goals in 219 games is some record. He really was ‘fox in the box’. Nothing stylish but he had so many attributes of the perfect centre forward. Deadly finishing,right place at the right time, good penalty taker.Sad that his relation with SAF soured becasue he would still have scored 25-30 goals a season if he kept fit. 66 goals in 97 games for real isnt a bad record, is it?. We also shouldnt forget all that he was signed after he came from a knee ligament injury due to which he missed 12 months.
35. December 22, 2009 at 13:55

    Fred says:

    Best
    Rio Ferdinand
    Cristiano Ronaldo
    Wayne Rooney
    Edwin van der Sar
    Nemanja Vidic
    Patrice Evra
    Michael Carrick

    Worst
    Tim Howard
    Kleberson
    Liam Miller
    Dimitar Berbatov
    Zoran Tosic
    Michael Owen
36. December 22, 2009 at 14:12

    theboogeyman says:

    Fred- Michael Owen?? Michael fucking Owen, who scored a 96th minute winner in the fucking Manchester derby? Can’t believe that.
37. December 22, 2009 at 14:15

    Corea says:

    Owen Hargreaves
    Date: July 1st, 2007
    Transfer fee: £17 million

    Randon quote: “It will be an amazing feeling to run out at Old Trafford again. I’ll be so excited I’ll probably pass out!
    ‘I just want to be part of it again, to be available and healthy. I can’t wait to be involved and to play again for United.
    ‘I want to be able to pull on the shirt and have an effect on games. I just want to compete in matches alongside my team-mates and work with the coaches to improve my game and become a better player.
    ‘I want a good season to repay the faith shown in me by the United fans.’”

    Appearances: 25, Goals 2.
    Trophies: 1 Premiership title, 1 European Cup.
    Highlights: Scoring in United’s 2-1 win against Arsenal from the free kick spring 2008. Won us the game and helped us to eventually secure second straight premiership title.

    Fuck off.
38. December 22, 2009 at 14:21

    berba_is_king says:

    berbatov is a top signing. get off it all you haters- shows how much you base your opinion on tabloid ramblings rather than watching every game for yourself. he offers so much more than goals, he’s practically a midfielder at times yet he’s still judged as an out-and-out striker by the press which he ISNT- if he was he’d have been a poor signing and rubbish, but he isn’t that which he often gets mistaken for. our forward play has been lost without him at times and he runs the strings in the last third with his beautiful linkup play and elegant touches. we still need to bring in an out and out striker in the ilk of villa or fabiano to complement rooney and berba, because we’re lost for goals recently, but berbatov has a role given by fergie and he fulfills it brilliantly and beautifully..
39. December 22, 2009 at 14:23

    King Eric says:

    Corea – ? Who are you telling to fuck off?
40. December 22, 2009 at 14:24

    Fred says:

    Criticisms of Scott the Red’s list:

    Carroll was bought as a back-up keeper and was largely useful in that role. TIM HOWARD cost us more than Carroll ever did. You could even say Barthez was a bigger flop.

    Djemba-Djemba was an unknown, relatively cheap too. He was seriously limited as a player but nowhere near as bad as people make out. An even bigger disappointment was “The New Roy Keane” LIAM MILLER, who came with a big reputation. All permiatations of our midfield (Djemba, Miller, Kleberson, O’Shea, Smith, etc) during those couple of years were very adept at passing the ball sideways and backwards but not much else!

    Bellion wasn’t that bad. He was bought as ‘one for the future’ rather than a first choice winger. I think all these flops from around 2005 suffered from the team constantly changing. He made a good few appearances and scored a couple of goals during his time with us. Can the same be said for £14m ZORAN TOSIC, the most expensive reserve team player of all time? Bellion is doing alright at French Champions Bordeaux now.

    Dong was a raw young “talent” (arf!) from China. He was shamefully bought for his commercial value in the Far East but only ever played about once I think (the dead rubber against Chelsea in ’07) and was abysmal. However, can he be regarded a bigger flop than £31m DIMITAR BERBATOV? Berbatov was bought to add a new dimension to our attack and unlock the meanest European defences. All he did was bring our attacks to a halt with his casual style and he can’t even dominate games against mid-table opposition, let alone the biggest games – games for which he is frequently dropped anyway.
41. December 22, 2009 at 14:25

    King Eric says:

    Fred – How is Owen a bad buy? He cost fuck all and has scored seven goals this season including the hat trick to top the group and the winner in the derby. Are you even serious?
42. December 22, 2009 at 14:27

    Corea says:

    King Eric – Hargo is my favorite player after Scholesy. Obvious answer.
43. December 22, 2009 at 14:34

    Fred says:

    I’m sorry Boogeyman, I still hate seeing that little Scouse twat in a United shirt. Besides, we wouldn’t have been in that mess in the derby if it wasn’t for that prick Ben Foster – now there’s a bad signing.

    Other thing about the Owen signing is that Manchester United should be signing TOP strikers, mate. Villa, Eto’o, Benzema, Aguero, whoever. It was depressing seeing us pick up Scouse has-been Michael fucking Owen on a free transfer.

    Don’t forget this was a player who was hawking himself to whoever would listen with his embarrassing brochure in the summer. A laughing stock who seemed to be bound for the likes of Stoke or Hull City.
44. December 22, 2009 at 14:41

    bigphil2003 says:

    I think when talking about quality of signings you have to consider the amount they cost. Keeping this in mind I’d have to say that Ronaldo (£70m increase in value), Evra, Vidic and VDS are probably the best value for money. I’m still unconvinced that Anderson is any better of a signing than Kleberson considering he cost £17m.
45. December 22, 2009 at 14:50

    Fred says:

    Phil, don’t forget Ando played a big part in our glorious Premier League and European Cup Double of 2007/2008.

    Hargreaves did too. That’s why I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call either of them flops.
46. December 22, 2009 at 15:01

    NotoriousRedDevil says:

    Saha had half a good season for us and thats it. When we got him he didn’t help our league position, didn’t help in Europe and hardly played throughout his time here. He was getting the type of abuse even worse by United fans. I consider him a flop. £13 million paid couldn’t even get one full season out of him in 4 years. FLOP in my opinion.
47. December 22, 2009 at 15:28

    Fred says:

    Notorious, I think that’s unfair. Saha was a beast of a striker when we signed him and showed flashes of his power between 03/04 and 05/06. He offered us something different and when we ditched Ruud, Saha was brilliant for the first half of 06/07. He was an important part of our team but his problems seemed to start when we brought in Henrik Larsson. Saha was even doing good things in his cameos during the 07/08 season, including the only goal in the 1-0 win against Sunderland at Old Trafford.

    Over all, he didn’t cover himself in glory but without him we would not have won the title in 06/07, a very important title win which stopped Chelsea’s dominance and restored United to the pinnacle of English and European football, where we belong.
48. December 22, 2009 at 15:34

    Tony Starks says:

    @Fred.. How can Zoran Tosic be the worst signing, the guy has not even had chance to play in the first team!
49. December 22, 2009 at 15:40

    Costas says:

    Best signing? Well, many players have come good in recent seasons, so it’s tough to pick out one. I will go with Rio Ferdinand though. He has been here the longest out of the new players and he gave us the stability we needed at the back. Pity the decade closed in such a miserable fashion for him.

    Worst signing? How about Andy Goram? In terms of failed expectations, i would go with Kleberson. I really liked him and it’s a pity he never fitted in.
50. December 22, 2009 at 15:50

    Bangladeshi Red says:

    Saying that Tosic is a flop is wrong, look at how many players he has to deal with. Also when ever he comes of the bench, he looks bright and Brilliant.

    Wheres Nani? Veron?

    Im not mentioning Forlan because he came from Uruguay to make the scousers cry!
51. December 22, 2009 at 15:54

    Fred says:

    @Tony – £14m or whatever it was on a player who, as you rightly point out, “has not even had chance to play in the first team” is a waste of money. Why did we even buy him?
52. December 22, 2009 at 15:56

    Marq says:

    Micheal Carrick signing sparked 3 years of success, period
53. December 22, 2009 at 15:59

    Fred says:

    Besides, I didn’t say he was THE worst. Just one of the worst.
54. December 22, 2009 at 15:59

    seni says:

    nice list Scott. Does Berbatov remind anyone of one Ukrainian who cost about 30mill , played for Chelsea for about 2 years, You could count the number of goals he scored for them on one hand.

    Funny the argument coming from the Chelsea camp those years is similar to what a lot of United fans are saying

    1. He’s class
    2 He just needs goals and consistency
    3. He needs confidence

    The surprising thing is i like Berbatov, i like him a lot, but IMHO he a luxury we should only be savoring every other game not on a regular basis

    Oh yeah in case you’re still thinking about who the player in question is – SHEVCHENKO (class player but crap at chelsea)
55. December 22, 2009 at 16:04

    Fred says:

    I agree Marq. No coincidence that when Fergie stopped pissing about and experimenting with the likes of Miller, Kleberson, Djemba, O’Shea, Giggs, Smith and company in central midfield and bought one quality central midfielder in Carrick to partner Scholes, we saw an amazing improvement in performances and results.
56. December 22, 2009 at 16:06

    NotoriousRedDevil says:

    @Fred 04/05 he did nothing 2 goals because he was injured. Agree with 03/04 but ultimately did little to benefit the team. His last goal was against l’arse in Feb/March that season and didn’t score again. There were a lot of fans who gave him horrendous abuse similar (probably worse) to what Berbatov is getting. I’m not saying you were one of them (neither was I) but since he’s left he’s been getting more praise than when he was here! You say he offered something different to Ruud, well he replaced him for a start by the end of 05/06. 06/07 Larsson was brought in because Smith and Saha were both injured. He did play well for us that season but after that Celtic penalty and one-on-one miss the United fans turned on him and he never really recovered. Everytime I went to games I could hear people moaning about how crap he was, how many chances he missed and how he gave the ball away. I’ll admit he won the Sunderland game for us in 07/08 but apart from that did fuck all. 30 years from now when I’m at the pub with my mates and we’re talking about transfer flops I’m sure his name will be mentioned by one of them probably by someone who doesn’t support United but his view will be backed by both ABUs and United fans. If some people are saying Berbatov should be considered a flop if he doesn’t improve, well in my opinion Saha should be inducted way before he does.
57. December 22, 2009 at 16:09

    Costas says:

    @seni:

    I will agree that Berba hasn’t set OT alight, but he has surely done better than the Ukrainian. He hasn’t scored many goals but he has got some important ones as well as some vital assists. For example, Berbatov played a crucial part in the 6 poitns we got against Stoke and Boro last December, as well as the 3 points at the Reebok and at St James Park. That’s 12 points in total. Has he played like 30 million pounds? No. But he hasn’t been anonymous like Sheva was for Chelsea.
58. December 22, 2009 at 16:30

    NotoriousRedDevil says:

    I can remember during the 07/08 season towards the end my mate and I made a shortlist of forwards we would like to see at OT that were realistic to buy. Berbatov and Benzema were the only ones. The idea was for Berbatov to come in score 20 goals and be magic with creativity. He has been creative but thats been lost on some of our fans. Unfortunately he hasn’t scored a lot so therefore he’s been deemed flop by some. He isn’t worth £30 million and I don’t think the club was happy to pay that. However we blatantly needed another forward and we left it till deadline day which is why we paid what we did and wrecked Campbells career in the process. Fergie has bought players who have been over priced the same thing happened with Yorke and Stam although those gambles paid off.
59. December 22, 2009 at 16:35

    seni says:

    @Costas

    Well united is a better team than Chelsea so i guess you can say he’s done better than Shevachenko, BUT you cant deny both players seem to be in the same predicament. Its a shame really cos SAF wont be happy, he’ll try to boost his confidence because he knows Berba is a class player and IF he raises his game he could be really something.

    I always say to the fans who want us to score lots of goals, play football the right way (what my mate calls the barca-esqe way) is Berba will be the one player we will need if indeed that is the level of football we aspire to get
    I also think his team mates havent adapted to him, he has adapted to them, but the gesture hasnt been reciprocated. In fact its a problem we have with our forwards really,

    For example Rooney will take the ball anyway you give it to him cos he’s all action, but the honest truth is he would be so so so so much better if he recieved through passes that he could run onto or at least a constant mix, instead 90% of the time the ball is blasted towards him(area) and a 100-0 pass (guaranteed pass)that could easily have been made, now becomes a 50-50 (challenge from a defender or he just barely gets the ball under control)

    i dont think defoe at spurs is a better player than rooney, but goodness he’s playing better than him at the moment, why? cos team mates play to his maximum strength.

    (sorry to go off topic with the defoe/rooney thing, but just felt it had to be aired
60. December 22, 2009 at 16:44

    Costas says:

    @seni:
    Agreed. They are in the same predicament. For one thing, i don’t think many players are worth 30million pounds. I actually blame the press for this. They single out players. Veron costs 28 million? They get on his back straight away. Same for Shevchenko and Berbatov. Rio costs us 30 million, has a shaky first 6 months and not one rag made a fuss about him. Tevez costs Man City (allegedly) well over 30 million pounds and i don’t think they have crucified him the way they are doing with Berbatov. Same for Robinho. I respect every fan’s opinion, but sometimes i tend to wonder how much we allow the tabloids to get in our head.

    I am really not trying to say that these players were worth their money, but this issue isn’t black and white in my opinion, despite the tabloids’ sensationalism.
61. December 22, 2009 at 18:06

    Gotta hate tiny tears says:

    Myself and my brother used to forever play championship manager and my brother came across some guy called Ronaldo , he went nuts on the kid and told me about him he said united should buy him and I remember him saying ” he’ll be as good as a Ronaldo” Then united signed him for 16 million and I taught my god that’s alot for a player only my younger brother heard of. My god how wrong I was
62. December 22, 2009 at 18:41

    SteRDLK says:

    VDS should be in the list ahead of Rooney, much more important signing
63. December 22, 2009 at 19:36

    King Eric says:

    gotta hate 16 million? I thought he was 12.

    Costas – That is just the problem, far too many fans let the media get inside their heads. Where do you think the term “languid and lazy” for Berba were coined?

    Regarding the signing of Carrick this may be a bit off topic. But Adrian Durham on Talksport who NEVER has owt decent to say about United, tonight said Carrick is the best passer of the ball in the Premier league.
64. December 22, 2009 at 19:39

    King Eric says:

    seni – I note you mention that Berbatov in the right system could take us to the next level. That is exactly what Mulensteen said last Wednesday. Lets hope Fergie and the coaches find that system as I do believe he could be an outstanding player for United over the next few seasons.
65. December 22, 2009 at 19:51

    Ulster Red says:

    ronaldo was bought for 12.75 mill, and was the best signing in the past decade for me
66. December 22, 2009 at 20:03

    Toms says:

    Saha could play 142 games? …
67. December 22, 2009 at 20:39

    Chris20LEGEND says:

    Veron…
68. December 22, 2009 at 20:48

    berba_is_king says:

    dong fangzhou is the standout worst for me. nani would be up there too.
69. December 22, 2009 at 21:08

    sanj says:

    I’d have to say Ronaldo is the best signing. Not only because of the profit we made off him, but the success he helped us achieve in the past 3 years.
70. December 22, 2009 at 21:14

    Costas says:

    Oh yeah, i forgot about Dong. I went with Kleberson though because he didn’t look anything like the player we had watched at the World Cup in 2002. I still believe that he is a decent player. He just wasn’t made for the Premier League.

    The middle of the decade had plenty of misses. Bellion didn’t quite make an impression, but he is doing well at Bordeaux and i am happy for him. Djemba Djemba was a hard battling midfielder. I don’t know where that went wrong. In those days Keano’s shadow was too big for anyone in my opinion. Maybe Djemba suffered from that? Finally, i was sad that Liam MIller didn’t establish himself. I had high hopes for him that summer.

    @King Eric:

    I think Carrick is one of the best passers, if he is on form. I was watching the reviews for the past 3 seasons and it was amazed to see how many attacking moves(that didn’t necessarily end up as goals) started from him. I hope he can get back to that.
71. December 22, 2009 at 21:19

    schmikes1 says:

    nah ronaldo came for £12.24m
72. December 22, 2009 at 21:21

    seni says:

    @ King Eric Said :

    Man it could be really good, i b’live that mixed with the right set up without even any transfer business , WE could do it, – although new signing wouldnt be bad though but i’m not holding my breath. I think i’ll let Fergie surprise me
73. December 22, 2009 at 21:56

    MG says:

    I want to say something

    A lot of people went against Veron – but in that second year he was brilliant and then he got injured if I remember correctly in the league cup final and we missed him – esp in the CL where I thought his play was beginning to make sense. Of course SAF decided to get his money back when he sold him to Chelsea but I do wish he had stayed because I reckon he would have bettered himself – but we’ll never know

    As for Forlan – same again – Ruud got injured before Christmas that very same year if again I remember correctly and Diego came in and hit some goals. Then I think he was so unfortunate when Ruud came back and he got dropped. Again I think he was an arm around the shoulder type of player and SAF chose to send him on. To be fair he’s been scoring goals left right centre in La Liga so he was never a bad player – just a little to anxious when he first came – understandable but there you go.

    I will tell you the best signing of this decade – Edwin Van Der Sar. After Pete – we went through hell finding the right GK. When Edwin came in everything began to fall into place and for the first time since Pete left we were formidable again. I think we need to address that problem of when he goes – I don’t know if TK or BF are good enough.
74. December 22, 2009 at 23:51

    NorwichRed says:

    Hang on! Does no one remember this awful player! Wiped him from your own memories? Maybe because it was thankfully a brief spell…

    Massimo Taibi.
    Or was that the 90′s?

    Rooney for the best singing though. Without a doubt!
75. December 23, 2009 at 00:10

    mara says:

    cherry Said,
    December 22nd, 2009 @11:42

    mara..who gives a fuck if a player plays well when he is sold. Bad signing is when you sign a player and he plays bad for you period.

    LIKE I SAID….

    Maybe he could be good even in Manchester United if they were patient with him like with some other players.
76. December 23, 2009 at 00:10

    Costas says:

    @NorwichRed:

    Massimo just didn’t make the 2000s mate! He was brought in during the fall of 99! I think he won the flop of the 90s award didn’t he? Or was it William Prunier?

    @MG:

    That was a very good comment about Seba. I think he had a fantastic first couple of months in 01-02 and then he tried really hard to become more consistent in 02-03. He had quite a good season, especially while Roy was out for his hip operation. Who can forget his goal and perfomance against Arsenal at Old TRafford? United even started playing good stuff when Roy came back and we played 4-5-1. All that came to a halt as you said in the Cardiff final. I remember that after we lost at Madrid and Scholesy got suspended, i was praying every day that Seba would make the second leg. I believed that he would take Real apart. He came back on time, but he it wasn’t his night. It was a disappointing end to a United career that on paper promised so much. I was ecstatic when we got him. Anyway, he is a very good player and seemed like a decent bloke too. Unlike a couple of Argies that came to the club later on…
77. December 23, 2009 at 00:11

    King Eric says:

    Norwich Red – Taibi had a decent game against the dippers bar one mistake but had a shocker against I think Southampton. Another mistake or two after that and he was gone. 2001/2002 season I think, I may be wrong.
78. December 23, 2009 at 00:14

    Gotta hate tiny tears says:

    Sorry people Ronaldo came in the news I read d’or 16 million been that I live in a euro land, oh and never believe that story that Gary Neville told sir Alex to sign him after united played sporting in a pre season, ronaldos people stuck a deal with united the day before the match when they were all in the same place
79. December 23, 2009 at 00:21

    Costas says:

    @King Eric:

    It was the 99-00 season. He came in that game at Anfield in September of 99, hence why i think he belongs in the 90s category. The game that really did him in unfortunately was a 5-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. We had a terrible time that season with goalkeepers.
80. December 23, 2009 at 00:33

    manci_yanky says:

    ruud is a legend!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H9pTgQY_mo&NR=1
81. December 23, 2009 at 00:37

    Costas says:

    @manci_yanky:

    I have never seen that! That was hillarious! I mean, who in their right mind would make fun of Ruud about missing a chance? There’s a very good possibility that he will make you eat your words within 5 minutes!
82. December 23, 2009 at 01:07

    King Eric says:

    Costas – I knew you would know, Stamford Bridge the 5-0 defeat. Cheers mate.
83. December 23, 2009 at 02:47

    Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney - R3 says:

    Quality post Scott! I especially luv the fact you placed Ruud as ‘the first’ in your list..the man was absolutely PHENOMENAL!

    Two goals which have stayed in my mind forever

    1) The one he scored against Fulham! The bugger turned his marker, ran past 3 different defenders, then proceeded to control the ball and SCORED with his right foot in ONE movement!

    2) The solo goal he scored against a team (I cant remember!) which i believe was a Champions League qualifying game. Watch Scott’s linked tribute video..its the second goal! AWEsome-sauceness! =) =)

    Ruud was a goal-scoring God…nuff said =)
84. December 23, 2009 at 03:25

    musvn says:

    man, I missed Ruud when watching that youtube video He definitely has the Red blood in him. We’ve never had a better forward of his type since then. I hope he’ll come back to OT one day. Anyone thinks there’s a chance that Sir Alex Ferguson will open his arm to Ruud this January or later? (just because he’s almost free now )
85. December 23, 2009 at 06:24

    aig alex is god says:

    Good List Scott.

    Ronaldo obviously has to be the best, no doubt about that.Really miss Rudd.i will go with him as the 2nd best just ahead of Rio and Rooney. I dont mind saying he was amongst the best 5 strikers United have ever had.SAF will look on and admit one day that selling ruud along with Stam was one of his biggest mistakes. He hasnt made many, has he?. I know we won a lot after he left but we have not had prolific striker since. Ronaldo is not a striker.At this moment the team would do well with a striker like Rudd.RVN loved United. It was sad to see him depart like that especially considering SAF preferred crock king Louis Saha over him.RVN has scored 64 goals in 97 games for the facists despite his injuries. WE really sold him very cheap for 10 million. Was worth atleast 20 million pounds.

    @musvn

    Dont think so mate. SAF dosent sign players who he has fallen out with back.I would love to see him back myself but he has become very injury prone now. has hardly played for Real this season.
86. December 23, 2009 at 08:56

    Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney - R3 says:

    @ aig

    “I know we won a lot after he left but we have not had a prolific striker since”.. So true so true =)

    Ruud indeed would have benefitted from the style of play we’re currently adopting atm. We desperately need an out-and-out striker who has the uncanny ability to score from ANY position within the box..

    I swear, EPL defenders during Ruud’s reign were seriously pissing in their pants trying to defend agst him. Berba and Rooney are quality players, no doubt about that..but in the current league climate..the flashes of intermittent brilliance from Berba and Rooney’s inconsistent form pales in comparison to the presence of a proven, consistent, i’ll-put-the-ball-into-the-goal-no-matter-what mentality in the form of Van the Man..

    BUT..no point in wishful thinking imo…lets just cheer the lads we DO have atm to an unprecedented 19th title win!

    OoRAH!
87. December 23, 2009 at 09:18

    aig alex is god says:

    @Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney – R3

    spot on mate. One more thing is that we havent had that sort of strike partnership since. Rudd and rooney were brilliant together . Rooney did thje running anc creating while ruud was always there to finish the chances off.Berba and rooney so far havent been able to develop that sort of understanding but i hope they do so. Tevez and rooney were good but not as prolific or threatning as rudd-rooney.The thing defending against RVN was his positioning was always perfect and Rooney pace and awareness drove defenders out of position on many ocassions allowing RVN to score. He only needed one chance most of the times.Good to read that our fans still rate him highly
88. December 23, 2009 at 09:53

    Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney - R3 says:

    @ aig

    Yup yup. I guess most fans would counter that when Ruud was around, our play was slow as heck (which is still quite true to a certain extent). Him leaving was the catalyst of Ronaldo’s ascendancy which we must be grateful for.

    But to see how many fans have come to rate him rather poorly (attitude/personality-wise) over the years (those that I know of mostly) without acknowledging his AMAZING contribution of 150 goals in 219 games seems blasphemous to me.

    My God..just speaking of him in terms of his scoring prowess gives me the goosebumps.

    Situational-awareness,positioning, heading, shooting, ball-control,turning defenders, penalty taking..he had it all! (yeah..except ‘pace’…well, noone’s THAT perfect!=))

    And however much i Loved ronaldo, NOTHING beats the feeling of hearing Utd supporters stadium-wide chanting ‘Ruuuuuuuuuuuuud’..nothing =)

    PS No guessing who my Utd hero of all time is, eh? Perhaps i should reconsider changing my nick..rofl =)
89. December 23, 2009 at 09:57

    NotoriousRedDevil says:

    Ruud Van Nistelrooy the best striker I’ve seen play at Old Trafford. 150 goals in 219 games is phenomenal. The last forward we had of his class since (before my time) Denis Law. Lets hope its not 30 years till we get another one. Its just a shame he didn’t win more here. He deserved a European Cup medal more than the argie troll! Best Signing – Ronaldo. Worst Signing – Djemba-Djemba. Special Award for getting paid sitting on your arse – Saha.
90. December 23, 2009 at 09:59

    Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney - R3 says:

    @ aig

    The only other phenomenal striking-partnership that I can think of (in my time) is the Cole-Yorke partnership. Think it was the season Utd scored..80-90 goals or something like that (im not a man for statistics as you can see); was it in ’99?
91. December 23, 2009 at 10:17

    aig alex is god says:

    Ruud, Ronaldo, Rooney – R3

    spot on again. Cole and Yorke were brilliant together.It was the 1999-00 season in which United scored 97 goals in the league. But our defence back than wasnt as good.

    in the 2007-08 double winning season we scored 80 goals but conceeded just 22 which is some record. that goals difference of 58 in 07-08 is the highest in BPL history.
92. December 23, 2009 at 12:16

    musvn says:

    @aig

    I think Ruud didnt play a lot this season because of all Kaka, Benzema, Ronaldo, Higuain and so on. They’re probably priority in Pellegrini’s list. Real probably set their mind on selling him so there’s no point of letting him play unless it’s urgency. But I think Ruud still gets his rate of goal per game better than anyone else at Madrid, like Micky did when he was there.

    To be honest, I was really ok with selling him at that time because I felt that we needed some changes to win trophies.Sometimes I felt he slowed our play and made our game more predictable. Probably this was why we did not win much in his time. But after three years without him, I realize that I really miss him, not only because he’s the type of forward who we need badly atm but also because he loves United badly (Im supposed those gossip about Ruud coming to Anfield is rubbish)
93. December 23, 2009 at 12:46

    aig alex is god says:

    @musvn

    Fair enough mate. Its not that he dosent play much but he has been injured for long long time.I dont agree that he slowed our play because most of the times he did not get involved in the build up but just applied the final touch.If he would have stayed we would have still won the double in 07-08.It was just that we lacked a world class player in our team and Ronny decided it was his time from 2006.The defence has improved remarkably since 2006.cant compare evra to silvestre or any central defender we had then to vidic.Rio has matured a lot since 2005. Thats the difference. None of the strikers we signed since owen,tevez or berba are/were as good as RVN.
94. December 23, 2009 at 15:01

    Red Army says:

    Don’t see Ruud coming back as a player. If he ever wanted to get involved in coaching (he is a smart guy) he would almost definetely have a roll here.

    LEGEND.

    Beckham and Van Nistelrooy> any partnership in the last 20 years.
95. December 23, 2009 at 18:06

    redboy says:

    @Fred

    dude, u gotta stop hating michael owen, he’s been a great lad and he’s really trying hard to score goals.. i disagree with u naming him as one of the worst signings… we got him for free and he scored the winner in the BEST manchester derby. im not sure bout you, but that game is one of the most memorable one for me.

    im sorry if any of u berba lovers disagree with me but seriously, berbatov has got to do better and be more consistent.. 30million and he’s not paying back by scoring goals and playing well
96. December 23, 2009 at 20:16

    musvn says:

    @aig:

    I agree, mate. You made your point crossed.
97. December 24, 2009 at 01:44

    keano86 says:

    there is a very, VERY good reason why “berba” is dropped for the big games. lazy bastard. I go to OT and away games and watching him on and off the ball in matches, when he decides to join in, honestly he is brilliant, but sadly that’s not nearly often enough. can’t wait til he’s gone.

    my worst would be barthez. he was he best goalkeeper on the planet when we bought him. a hort while later his positioning cost us more and more. his mistakes against Madrid cost us the games in 2003. that summed it up for me.
98. December 25, 2009 at 22:16

    marsy the red says:

    Flops

    Liam Miller
    Zoran Tosic
    Nani
    Seba Veron
    Forlan
    Alan Smith
    Barthez
    Manucho
99. December 31, 2009 at 18:16

    kinkyp says:

    after their first 6 months i wonder how many people would have had Vidic and Evra in their worst list ??
100. January 2, 2010 at 14:32

     YourAllCrazy1121 says:

     Best and Worst…….names that were missed out!!

     Best – Denis Irwin, Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Peter Schmeichel

     got i could go on!!

     Worst – Tosic (easy), Tiebi (cant spell it, the keeper between schmeichel and Bartez), Cruyff (done the job for every team apart from UTD)

     soooo Yeah!!

     owwwww and u cant forget – Cole and Yorke!!!
101. June 2, 2010 at 20:38

     redscot says:

     Fantastic reads, all of them, Edwin* for me all day long if you equate transfer fee to his performances,spectacular.
     I see Nani* in the lists as one of the worst buys, Grrrrrrrrrr. lol