Manchester United were keen to bring Wesley Sneijder to the club this summer but a deal could not be agreed for the player.
Speaking to the Italian media at an awards ceremony at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Sir Alex Ferguson has today claimed that whilst Sneijder is a great player, he’s still not on a level with Paul Scholes, who retired this summer.
At the end of the Champions League final in May, Andres Iniesta was the first to Scholes, asking him to swap shirts. Our manager reckons it is only him, or his team mate Xavi, who would be capable of replacing Scholes.
“Sneijder is not the ideal replacement for Scholes,” said Ferguson. “He’s a fantastic player but he was not who we were looking for to replace Scholes. Only Xavi and Iniesta are comparable to Scholes.”
Man Utd News 24/7
lol@fergie..true buh we wnt b geting them
He’s almost being too generous there. Paul was so unique.
iniesta or xavi wil control d game wel,gud vision nt gung-ho to get 4ward to score goals,i tink i get where fergie is coming 4rm
They’re not as hard as Scholesy. It’s not just his technique, but his bravery and that nasty streak that makes him so great. Scholes and Keane in the middle, Giggs and Becks on the wings. Those were the days….
Hopefully Clevs can replace Scholesy.
Scholes was the Greatest. As an all-round footballer over the years there’s a case to say that Giggs is the greater, but if you were picking a team of the best in the history of the sport, in the centre of midfield stands Paul Scholes. And he stands there, and he doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t expect or want applause for being in the Greatest Ever First Eleven, and he puts in a shift, plays his game, gets showered and goes home.
“He’s a fantastic player but he was not who we were looking for to replace Scholes.”
Is it just me, or does anyone else think this implies that there is someone – someone else – who we WERE looking for to replace Scholes? And if so, who?!
… or does it mean that perhaps Andrés Iniesta (born 11 May 1984) might be targeted should Barca lose their coach?
smartalex
Haha. I think that’s a dream too far unfortunately. Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi will never ever feel any impulse to leave Barcelona.
Sign this Xaviesta fellow, pronto!
Goetze???
Xavi & Iniesta should be chaffed. Recognition from one of the greatest managers of the Century and likened to one of the best midfeilders of the century.
You cannot replace the Irreplaceable: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix92AUoPbJk
kanchelskis – Never say never!
Although, you are doubtless correct. Of course, if Barcelona (and Real) were to lose the financial support of the Spanish politicians and banks, or FIFA changed leadership through a coup, there might be a few good players looking for work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQXrMbArqSs&NR=1
We were looking, then? Next summer might be the time, we move for said mystery player.
Well said fergie
Does that mean Utd were trying to sign him just not as a replacement,according to WS he had talks with Utd ,mentioned this on a different thread this whole situation has been a strange one
Its all hearsay and rumour but I think this is probably one of the reasons why we never ended up signing Sneijder. If indeed we were in for him the quotes from both sides seem to indicate that they ultimately recognised it wasn’t an ideal move for either party and it wasn’t worth pushing the boat out on either side to make it happen.
What Sir Alex seems to want is an orthodox centre midfielder not an attacking midfielder he has to convert into one. Someone who can play the game that the likes of Scholes, Xavi and Iniesta play deep in the midfield, keeping the passing ticking a long, taking pressure of the defenders and playing pass and move until gaps open up in the opposition. If the papers are to be believed I would hazard a guess he thought Nasri’s game would be more suited to that way of playing before the money men at Wastelands scuppered the deal. In the absence of another genuine orthodox centre midfielder Sir Alex seems to have decided to try and create his own (Tom Cleverley) rather than try and make the impossible move (for Xavi or Iniesta).
It means nothing, Sir Alex was merely stating a fact and by naming those 2 cunts what he actually meant to say was that Scholes cannot be replaced
CedarsDevil
Erm… why are Xavi and Iniesta cunts? Plenty on that team are (Alves, Biscuits, Pedro), but not not sure what Xavi and Iniesta have done to offend you…
Slept with Meg Ryan.
kanchelskis
They did nothing to offend me my friend……….. Just in a cunting mood today! lol
CedarsDevil
Haha. Cunt argue with that!
Although if those two are cunts today, what are the other three I mentioned?!
i agree with the gaffers assessment
Note: SAF only says Xavi and Iniesta are “comparable.” He doesn’t say they could “replace” him.
There’s no need to look to replace the irreplacable. The Ginger Prince is one of a kind and we should all consider ourselves lucky enough to have supported the club for which he plied his trade.
kanchelskis
Those other 3 are beyond description, best not get started on them or I might face a ban! lol
Willie
No one has slept with my Meg, her flower awaits me!
Dirty cunts?
Megs flower has wilted……..
I couldn’t resist having a quick wank yesterday.
The ref booked me for an “over elaborate” goal celebration.
He shoots ………he scores…….
@ Kings
hello mate, thanks for the lovely links..
and scholesy
fuck, no words can describe the red legend..
the Sat Nav is a big loss
After they laced his boots.
See I said all summer sign Xavi
Hey fellas
If anyone of you is a fan of United statistics, check this out:
http://www.theunitedreligion.com/2011/08/book-promo-manchester-united-players.html
It is every United player’s entire career details at every club they’ve played for.
That Gotze guy from dortmund looks like a potential talent from germany! We may bid for him next summer as I believe he will be a great buy. Watched him played a few times for germany and dortmund and he looks really good. Comfortable on the ball and good vision with great passing skill. A big plus is he is at dortmund, a club that will sell their talent if the price is right. Hope we get him!
Oh what a player.
I wonder who FITB will be rooting for tonight, lol. The United boys or Wales.
sandeep1878 – Hello my friend. Glad you enjoyed them. Yeah he was an amazing player.
Fat Frank recalled. So either 2 things are happening here. a) He was doing Chelsea a favor and rested him or b) He handed his balls back to Terry and co.
United face Leeds away on the 20th September in the League Cup.
“Educational standards have been destroyed. Human-rights laws should be abolished, corporal and capital punishment should be brought back, single mothers should be put into hostels and benefits slashed, and illegal immigrants and asylum seekers should be chucked out”.
Bates, who owns Leeds United continued “This is a rather long way of saying that I am unimpressed by the demonstrations of a few morons last Saturday, and I ain’t going anywhere soon.”
In response, the Supporters’ Trust issued a statement: “We do not feel it is acceptable to refer to Leeds United fans as morons.”
Who is this fucking Goetze I keep hearing about? While ignorant I assume he isnt the one to replace Scholes for fuck sake?
United4Ever – Hello mate. Nasri is not an orthodox central midfielder in the Scholes mould, not by any stretch of the imagination. He usually floats on the left.
Paul Scholes was an exceptional United player full stop. You can go on an on about bringing in this or that player, but the great teams develop there own players. There is a bond to the club from home grown players that means they play till their last breath. Say all you want about Barca players, but I really doubt they would recreate their form with us. Paul Scholes was our player. So proud of that. To heck with the Xavi’s and Wesleys, they are great for other teams. No saying what they will do here. Much rather ask who will be our next Scholes or next Dunc Edwards, Georgie Best, Ryan Giggs etc. They all came from our development and I just want to see more of that please! Not saying that we haven’t made a savvy purchase or two down the ages. But you can’t buy the heart of the team. That needs to come from within.
You can buy the heart of a team… Roy Keane, or Bryan Robson, to name two.
I get your point, though.
Seriously,who gives a fuck about these players that are not putting on the Red shirt…
Am down for Clevs,anyday and everytime….
King Eric – Gotze sill lives with his parents. He won’t be going anywhere, for a few years yet.
Jones and Cleverley not even on the bench. Well that was a wasted 10 days for them..
Willie, True enough, you could add Cantona and Ruud and on and on. But you can’t rely on that. Think we agree 100% of course. Cheers.
Costas – Best news I have heard for a while…..
Costas. Cheers. There is a development process. Cleverley was at the CL final in 08, in the stands. Being around the team, in the team meetings, is all a part of the process. Jones is what 19/20?! needs to be brought in to have pride in the shirt, yeah even engurlund! Ha. Smalling and Jones wouldn’t get a sniff of the national team if they weren’t showing their quality at United. Smalling?! How many games did he play for Fulham? Everything he has is down to his United dream. It will be similar for Jones in that the whole process will be accelerated now that he is with us. All good for the young lads. As I have said, National side has a place to play in the development of the young. Just wish there was a cap of senior players so that it was more about youth.
@Cedars
It’s just sad they didn’t spend these 2 weeks with the manager and instead got lost in the mix of Capello’s politics.
My main worry right now is Rooney.
Jones is a certain England starter. For now though, I just want him and Tom fit for United. Catch yous later!
Willie, To continue re home grown. Just saw the Ireland game and thought Richard Dunne put in a shift. Always thought the Bitters showed they really didn’t get the importance of homegrown metal when they shipped Dunne off to Villa. Our own Paul Mcgrath just gave Richard some credit as well. My feeling about home grown would extend to lads like Paul who were juniors elsewhere, but then “discovered” by United. Smalling will be one, Jones another.
Credit where it is due:
Twitter:
Paulmcgrath5
Richard Dunne congratulations The Best performance I have seen from any Irish centre half and that includes myself…
Costas – On the plus side at least Jones & Clev would have been training and keeping fit. I share your concerns over Rooney, that dick manager keeps him on for 90 minutes every time regardless of opposition or score….
@FletchTHEMAN
In a way I am glad there is no such cap because this just shows how much Capello values youth. Do I think that Jones and Clev are regular England starters at the moment? No, but at least allow them to sit on the bench and get a run out once the game is won for us. Or, instead of playing Barry (again), why not capitalize on Cleverley’s momentum? Anyway, I give up. Like I said, at least I hope our 3 lads that are starting will see the game out with no problems.
Speaking of the TwitterVerse. Roy Keane to manage Iceland? Really???
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2033870/Roy-Keane-set-charge-Iceland.html?
Costas. Ha ha ha, Lesser men than you have “given up” on Engerlund. They have always been a bit of a sham then haven’t they! Bit full of themselves and always have been. Always will be because of the FA connection. Just sayin…
Hello Cedars and Costas..hope you well,
talking about clev and jonesy,
Capello has bottled it again..
if he wants to use them in future, then this game was tailor made for him to put them at least on bench..
for a moment i think we are stupid, because we are expecting him to do things that the great Sir Alex does..
madness,
its beyond us some cunts have made it to bunch when our young kids are roasting them..
any updates/opinions on our interest in Ross Barkley?
i would love to know..
O/T just watching the build up to the England game on telly. Totally pissed off with the build up – you can see from the prelimaries the build ‘em up knock ‘em down tabloid nonsense at work.
United players always come out getting the short end of the stick playing for the England side. If they are lucky, they avoid injury, for the privilege of playing with overrated no marks from other teams who get more out of playing for England than United players need or do . Never thought I would say this but the less our players have to do with the FA and England set up as it currently is the better.
Costas – HAHAHAHAHA tough one, must be wales but I have not got much hope for them tonight, I just hate england that much, if it was england or spain I could not route for any hate both
Also Costas what is the news on cleverly, I heard he has picked up an injury
FITB?
what the fuck? are u serious on Clev injury?
Sir Alex, i m not retiring :0
http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item668688/Ferguson-vows:-I'm-not-retiring/
SERIOUSLY !
Is Gareth Barry a slug dressed as a traffic cone?
3 days and bolton
cant wait 
cant wait to see De Gea, Jonesy, Smalling, Clev
sandeep1878 – that is what I have heard not official
Bale has started on the right, probably to avoid falling into Chris Smalling’s pocket again
Good night ROM and red fellas
peace
Bendtner on the double for Denmark, think we missed out on a gem here fellas!!
FITB,
mate i hope he is not injured..
it would be sickening to see him and Danny sidelined at the same time, after a delicious start we have had..
good night mate
@ CD..
its better for Bendtner play is whole career in denmark..just to remind everyone that he is a striker
FITB
Any source for your news about Clevs? I’m just praying it’s not true
Lloyd Webber – its a fan from a fan I heard it from
England are technically poor !
Cahil, Milner,Slug, Lumps aren’t good enough for english football,clueless,slow and irregular movement. Barry gets caught out even winding his leg back just for a simple first touch, slow cunt.
Hope england lose
amongst the very best theres been u only have 2 see comments of the likes of vieria and zz 2 see just the kind of esteem hes held in
what i find amazing is how SAF keeps the wheels turning Cantona Keano Ronaldo Scholsey
every time we lose a fantastic player we keep performing already producing the goods this season
never forgotten ginger prince
I really hope it’s not true, and I’m holding out hope.
Incidentally, Ingerland are still shite. A midfield of fat frank and that cunt barry has no hope of winning fuck all
Clint-iamyourpapii – despite how good rooney and young have been, having no cleverly anderson nani etc etc has limited these 2 gems goal threat, when you have lampard downing terry cahill who do not play it on the deck, like when smallen jones evra cleverly and anderson build play up on the deck which starts at the back. The style is poor and the quality from some of englands midfielders is just woefuk
Ashley Young scores a great goal!
Good finish by Young. Did a good job of keeping that ball down
United help out England yet again!
Good assessment by FITB….Well said
Ashley Young puts one in
C’MON Greece! (This one’s for Costas)
Young’s all round play is very good tonight. Ashley Cole is playing like the cunt that he is!
@Cedars
I appreciate it mate, but it’s not going well today. Croatia will probably take top spot in our group and that means we have to beat them in our next game.
@sandeep1878, FITB
I hope the Cleverley thing isn’t true. It’s bad enough that he went missing from Carrington for 2 weeks without playing one minute. But an injury on top of that?
Anyway, Capello doesn’t care about England’s next generation because he will fuck off in the summer. He’s trying to finish on a high at Euro 2012 with the experienced players he has. It’s becoming obvious to me by now. And if that’s the case, maybe he shouldn’t call upon any youngsters. There’s no point.
Scotland had a penalty saved. Fuck!
Sorry everyone for going off Toppic,i wasn’t around to reply MG in the other thread,and it seem like that thread has died out now, hence why i’m posting this here.
Look MG, you called me a cunt and bastard,and i didn’t like it.when i said the saint thing,you could’ve saved the whole drama by acting the bigger man like you are claiming to be now, and apologise(or not),but acknowledge what you did wasn’t right,and that would’ve been it,but instead you called me a bastard and a cunt again,and things went the way it went.
I’ve honestly forgotten about that little quabble,i didn’t even go back to that thread after my last comment,i thought you’ve put it behind you too,until your forgiveness statement today which i thought was hypocritical.
And your ”I’m already in a
place where not many people get
to” sounded kind of proud to me.i dont know where you are in life right now or what you do,that isn’t my business, or you think because i come here,comment with a trademarked username, you i’m a pauper,kid or something, hence that statement?,you don’t know my job,my age,what i’m worth,how much i earn,where i’m at or have been in life,what the trademarked name stands for,how/why i use the trademark,nothing at all about me.
To make a statements like that was kind of unnecessary,you don’t know the personalities behind all these usernames you see around here and what they have achieved also.
with all that said,i do not keep any grudges against you,if you want,we can bury the hatchet and move on.ryone for going off Toppic,i wasn’t around to reply MG in the other thread,and it seem like that thread has died out now, hence why i’m posting this here.
Look MG, you called me a cunt and bastard,and i didn’t like it.when i said the saint thing,you could’ve saved the whole drama by acting the bigger man like y
Smartalex – alright pal. Note to Sir Alex, don’t let Fletcher take penalties!
On the Barkley front read this morning Fletch might be involved in a swap deal
@Zibbie thanks mate it all got a little crazy,think a lot had to do with no football
Funny reading some Scotland fans comments having a real go at Fletch for missing the penalty, saying things like he is a big shot and thinks too highly of himself! lol
How on gods good earth did Gareth Bale get player of the year?!!
Mikekelly12 – all good buddy. there’s no ways he’ll get a sniff at United!
Cedars – Don’t mind if he gets it out of his system playing for the jocks (sorry smartalex) as long as he’s ready for us.
England are shit, Wales are shit, Bale is brainless, Scotland don’t have a clue.
Why don’t they just scrap international football altogether?
That’s ok! I’d love us to qualify, but we’d just be singing “Don’t come home too soon!”
Ok….60mins gone now. Can we get Rooney, Smalling and Young out now please?
Mikekelly
Apparently you are no football pundit my friend, because every dick with a mouth spouted all that crap about Bale last season, some dared saying he second only to Messi in world football!
Fucking ridiculous !! lol
Fuck me, Earnshaw still plays? I could swear he’s been around since the 70′s…. Or was that his dad?
Ashley’s goal is up in a new thread. just saying.
Cedars – ha, no chance we’d get a job for the daily mail then?!! Would be nice to see Cahill pull up with a tweak that’ll keep him out for a week!
.Scotland at last get the breakthrough! Barry Bannan on the right chips a lovely ball over the top of the Lithuania defence and Steven Naismith converts on the half volley. Great delivery and great finish..
Erm, this might be a stupid question but I’m not an England supporter so bear with me. Why do England have a supporters’ band? I mean, if I was a player it would annoy me having the theme from the Great Escape and the national anthem played at me all night.
And what does the Great Escape have to do with England or football anyway? Has it got something to do with the Germans?
It’s almost as stupid as that ‘it’s coming home’ bollocks. I doubt the Germans have one about how they stuff England all the time because it happens so often it’s become routine to them. They should play rousing songs like ‘Viva John Terry’, ’5 Cantonas’ and my personal favourite ‘Keano’s Magic Hat’.
^ ex BBC ^
Bale acts as though he was close with the free kick. Fucking useless!
Fuck me…only one substitution left…..I hope Rooney or Young get taken out.
Off topic (tbh, this whole thread is off topic) any news on Tony V?
I don’t think Bale is shit but at the moment he’s so reliant on power and speed,pretty one dimensional.as his injuries catch up with him and loses a step,needs to develop his all round game
Wayne – Not Fletcher. Gibson, you must mean?
No Willie it was Fletch being mentioned it was on Newsnow
There were reports of Gibson being offered for Barkley. all conjecture, no substance.
http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/united-plan-midfield-starlet-swap-for-new-robson–
Must be bollox. No way Fergie will let Fletch go. Not for a young lad, anyway.
smartalex – That’s the article I saw.
Scots wi hae Wallace bled.
FletchTHEMAN – I heard Dunne was top class against Russia. Real backs against the wall performance from the Republic of Ireland.
Willie take more than Gibson to land him if he is that talented,haven’t seen him play
I don’t think we need tbh. We’ve got Pogba and Tunnicliffe coming through. Red tops are just bored, making up stories.
‘Now’s the day, and now’s the hour:
See the front o’ battle lour
Scotland can qualify, although it’s not likely. Spain are through, Lithuania are out, so I think we havew to win our last game, and try to be a top 2nd placer.
Sir Alex was in Italy, and Drogba has an italian sports car, so we might be swopping Macheda for Lampard in January. You heard it here first!
Fletch missed a penalty? I didn’t know he ever took one before today.
Typical bastard Capello. He took off fat Frank after 70 minutes but kept Wayne on until the 90th.
Its great 2 see the utd boss trying 2 sign the best milfielder is Xavi from bara and i think Ireland will quality Dunne played very well and given is a top goalkeeper 4 Ireland
SAF had already said, earlier in the summer, that Scholes was irreplaceable — that there is no like-for-like replacement for him. I think he said it several times. And it’s true.
As smartalex pointed out, there’s always the possibility that FCB will implode financially. They are bankrupt by any definition of the word, except the legal one. But Xavi is already 31 and will be 32 in January. Iniesta will be 28 by the end of the season. People on here were saying Wee Wes was too old, but Iniesta is more than a year older than him. And I can’t see how Messi would work in our team at all. (I also can’t stand the thought of the smug-faced little prick wearing our shirt.)
Nope. Whatever SAF’s plans and targets may have been, I reckon he’s moved on. It’s my theory of why he’s so successful — that he’s got the mental and tactical agility to adapt to whatever is the “best solution” at any given moment. If he has a plan and can find the right players to execute it, he will do so. But if he can’t, then he will assess what players he has available, and devise a new plan to make the most of them. This is fundamentally different to the way most other managers operate. And it is strengthened by the one thing he will never compromise on, which is insisting that whatever their skill levels, Manchester United will not buy a player unless he has the “right” mental attributes (and we all know what they are, don’t we).
I think messi is a top player maybe one day messi could play 4 utd
And maybe I’ll tank Megan Fox! You never know…
^
I agree with him. Sneijder is not suitable for Man Utd because: 1. He’s costly @ 35m pds 2. He is not an idiot like Gibson, Park or Carrick 3. He can pass, score and dribble whereas the current “crop” of players at Utd are utterly and totally incapable of doing any of that 4. He has played at the highest level including WC final. How many of Utd’s players have done that? Oh, zero? Therefore, he is not suitable. Bravo, SAF. May be someone can teach him a better story to tell. This wouldn’t cut ice with even Utd’s enemies. Sour grapes…Sadly
John Tring understands Utd’s enemies, and admits sour grapes. Sad little twat.
John Tring
That was a very funny post, you did make a complete fool of yourself in the process though. I suppose some would do anything to get noticed even if it meant announcing the truth about themselves being a single celled brained human beings.
Tring Tring . . . Tring Tring . . . Tring Tring.
Nobody home.
fergie certainly is being generous here!! xavi and iniesta cant even tackle as well as scholesy did!
what about those screamers from 18 yards! havent seen the catalan duo do that!
Am sure there will be better than him in the yrs to come amongst the young players, Scholes did his job magnificently, and the search is ongoing for his replacement, with the likes of Götze and Sneijder (not that young however ) being linked
Fuck off John Tring you silly ignorant cunt. Would Sneijder put in the work rate of Park that you slag off in that post? Do you post on the Daily Mail site or MEN. I have seen you on one of them and you are a fucking idiot. Yeah none of United’s players have played at the highest level have they? Mug.
Sorry but I don’t agree that the World Cup is the highest level. I think the Champions League is.
Fair enough Spain are going through a ‘golden generation’ phase where they suddenly have lots of great players just like France did a few years back and Brazil have had in the past, but on the whole
international teams basically consist of one or two decent players from that country plus a bunch of fillers. For example, Vidic is easily one of the best defenders in the world but his Serbian team-mates are pretty average so they wont win anything.
In contrast, the top club teams consist of the best players regardless of nationality. Therefore club teams are stronger, meaning better competition. United are way better than England and most national teams. The only national team we might have trouble with is Spain and that only because they’re basically Barca plus Silva and Casillas anyway.
That’s just my view…
Spot On fergire is absolute right on this
John Tring – Fuck off you ring piece.
I think sneijder will come 2 utd this jan and beratov will go i hope beratov stay at utd ever and De Gea is still going 2 be the best goalkeeper 4 utd this year plus Young goal 4 england was so deadly and class well done Young and I think Littlepea will score first on saturday i think or Nani goat
Cyril sneer – I think the great escape was first played when Beckham was sent off against Argentine and Ingerland played through extra time with 10 men before losing on penalties. At the time it was pretty arousing and inspiring, now it’s just annoying.
Champions19 – Sneijder is over mate. Why would he come in January when he is cup tied?
I don’t wanna see any of those barca players in Red especially Messi. One thing though, why won’t shitty bid 200million for the smug-faced lil punk argentine that aint scored for his country in ages and why won’t Chelski bid for xavi or iniesta. I’d dearly love to see the team broken up and see just how good those players are playing with different people.
No replacement for scholesy sneijder is good, but he can’t be a replacement for schoesy,ever playe have is own syl of play.No replacement for scholesy sneijder is good, but he can’t be a replacement for schoesy,ever playe have is own syl of play.