Ben Foster was again chosen to play for England this weekend but is disappointed not to get any outings for his club of late.
“It’s a weird one,” said Foster. “I am third choice for United yet I am playing for my country. It is very disheartening to not even be on the bench at United. Edwin is one of the best keepers in the world. I can’t really go knocking on the manager’s door and say he is not doing his job because he is.”
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I like the lad but he has hardly taken his chance and has only himself to blame, personally I think he will a decent career but not with us we are too big for him I am afraid.
He should keep his mouth shut and get better. He was given a chance and he was utterly disappointing. If he wants to be top choice for United he needs to get better. If he wants to be top choice for England he needs to stop being delusional. He is third choice behind Green and James for right or for wrong.
He is Manchester United’s weakest link so far. But he needs to produce more saves like the Spurs one this season and inspire confidence to the back four. Much of our desperate defending this season is down to him rattling Vidic and Rio with his bad calls.
Sorry ben.you are not good enough.have to get akinfeev.
sorry ben, but first choice keeper for england means fuck all at united!
david seaman, david james, paul robinson, …etc. wouldn’t be good enough to be united’s first choice gk either, but still were england #1′s.
too bad edwin, buffon, and akinfeev aren’t english! they’d be first choice for united and england over foster.
quality keeper….should be our number 1 for next season
haha not good enough??
anyone remember the save from van persie???
i dnt think VDS would have got to that…
so theres 2 points hes saved us
what about birmingham…
benitez???.. supersave.. against VDS would struggle with the quick reaction save.. another 2 points saved
a couple of mistakes after hes bin injured and not bin playing regularly..
what do you expect?.. he is a class keeper.. just needs to work no his concentration
still will be a top keeper… no doubt about that
Tut tut… keep focused on what you’re trying to achieve Ben, dissent in any guise will not serve you well!
Good keeper, every chance to become No.1 yet, you didn’t help matters when given a chance and i’m not sure about your third in line comment!
Do your talking on the pitch.
coz u aint good enough mate. You’ve shown us that much a fair few times this season with the run you’ve just fucked up
England’s number one keeper, Robert Green, is playing for West Ham which are currently in 18th place in the league. Then we have David James playing for Portsmouth which are at the bottom of the league. Paul Robinson at Blackburn is also another option for England.
No offense to those keepers but that competition is much weaker than Edwin van der Sar. But I suspect Fergie will give Foster another chance if he’s patient enough and can keep his mouth shut. If he starts moaning in the press very frequently I’m sure Fergie will just get rid of him. Foster has already got amazing chance to prove himself, he didn’t grab that. I’m sure he’ll get another one next season but if he fails again he will be saying goodbye.
I think Stephen has got it spot on
First Nani and now Foster, somebody should inform them that moaning and getting things off their chest in the open is not the Man U way.
Sir Alex get rid off them both.
Whinging Mother truckers.
Foster piss off and go and play for Watford, loser
Gudjohnsen – I agree that SAF will give Foster another chance – in the Carling Cup or maybe in the next two CL games which are pretty-much meaningless.
The guy had his chance – a good chance, too – and didn’t grab the job. What’s more, he showed himself to be seriously below the expected quality for a trophy-team. The stakes are waaaay too high to give him another chance to show us his indecision, poor distribution, and lack of command in the area.
Arrogant prick. Not only he was handed a chance to shine in United goal but also given support by the manager and further games at the point where Kuszczak should be allowed to play.
He is nowhere near Edwin’s quality and sometimes less reliable than Tom.
The only reason for his presence in England setup is Green’s suspension.’
Humility, boy in a beautiful trait.
Foster Foster Foster……..If you had taken your chance when you had it then you would not be on the bench. Big errors in games when you was number 1 have cost you. Arshavins goal, and Kenwyn Jones plus the derby spring to mind.
No doubt this man ( Too many people say kid ) but at 27 he should not be making the errors he has done and that tells me United is to big for him. It is a huge pressure and he seems more confident for England than he does at United.
That said i do want him to come good and be VDS replacement, he is good enough he just needs to learn how to deal with life at OT.
A bit harsh Hysel!! I agree with Stephen, spot on mate. I think he has got the talent (Arsenal at 1-1) but is too prone to high profile fuck ups (City, Sunderland, Arsenal at 1-0 etc…) which top clubs can’t afford. James was the same before being shipped off to smaller clubs wher he appears to have ironed out his major faults. I think he will get another chance at United, but only when injuries dictate and I don’t think he will then last too much longer. Its a shame because when he’s good he’s excellent but when he’s bad, he’s awful!
its not a ‘weird one’, its quite simple really
United > england
its annoying when players publicly make these comments, like nani complaining. It is up to them to take their chances. If you don’t take your chance you don’t deserve to play. Stop moaning to the press. Train harder and take your next chance
gt rid of him if hes nt happy the way he wud’ve like to be.
You can understand Ben’s frustrations, you can’t hammer the lad for voicing his opinion, he was probably asked the question so what can he really do?
What I will sya though is that it just about sums up the state of English keepers if Foster is considered the country’s number one goalkeeper.
Hes good enough….for watford
2nd choice for England.
Akinfeev
So now he’s third choice? Fergie must of had a word after he dropped him in favour of VDS.
I’ve never been impressed with foster, so what if he makes a good save or two, I’ve seen terrible goal keepers make amazing saves but that doesnt make them good.
Hes not the man to replace VDS, Igor Akinfeev is and I’ve been saying this for the past 2-3 years.
Foster isn’t first choice for England. Where’s that coming from?
He’s good enough for Villa, everton, tottenham level but no way near consistant enough for utd. To win leagues & european cups we need a keeper we can rely on not fucking up in a big game and Foster can’t be relied on. It’s a shame cos he seems a decent bloke but he’s not got the confidence for utd. If he had Les Sealey’s (RIP) self belief he’d be ok but at 27 he ain’t going to make it. The CSKA keeper will come in and could be our No 1 for the next 10 years. By the way, do you all remember what a star Sealey was after the disaster of Jim Leighton. For 2 years Leighton was a liability but Sealey came in and was fantastic. If ever a player was born to play for Utd it was Sealey. In my opinion he made a vital contribution to Fergie’s era. God bless you Les, you will never be forgotten…
You only have yourself to blame Benny.
If he were a few years younger Id say keep the faith and the man’s like a cat diving through the air but I mess my pants every time a cross comes in or he has the ball at his feet
I think we should agree a deal with Akinfeev now so his value doesnt skyrocket at the world cup but let Moscow keep him until the summer when we can let Foster go. I do wish him all the best though and hope he becomes England number one, just not United’s
Foster is an absolute joke. I seriously cannot believe there are United fans who rate him. Remember calamities such as:
- getting mugged by Tevez in a 70/30 (in Foster’s favour) challenge almost costing us the derby we were cruising until that point.
- making barely any effort to stop Bellamy as he closed in for City’s third in that game. A strong goalie would have flattened the neckless twunt.
- his limp-wristed flap at Arshavin’s speculative effort dropping us in it against Arsenal.
- Weak goalkeeping for both Sunderland’s goals at OT.
- also culpable for goals conceded against Burnley and Spurs.
- at fault for Chelsea’s goals in the Charity Shield.
- makes another typical Foster gaff against Brazil
But for a game that sums Foster up, see Barnsley in the League Cup. An embarrassing performance even against these small fries; dire kicking, no command of his area, a baffling David James-style run out of his goal at one point and even got tackled by those kids who ran on the pitch in the last minute.
He’s not a Manchester United player and never will be. Oh and tuck your shirt in, you slack-jawed muppet.
I will agree with everyone that he only has himself to blame. This season he had the perfect opportunity to establish himself anf he blew it. And to be fair, if anyone should complain, it’s Tomasz Kuszczak. He was never given his chance to prove if he can become a regular goalkeeper at United. I know he made mistakes in the past, but he never had a big run of games.
More examples that UTD>ENGLAND
I’ve got three words for this discussion ….SIGN AKINFEEV QUICK!!
Some of you are being a bit too kind to Foster saying he could make it at a mid-table club. This is the fella who let in a Paul Robinson goal kick, don’t forget. Utter crap. Fergie, get rid ASAP.
There really is no room to train a fresh keeper on the job at United. Any other club can do it, because it doesn’t matter if they fail to win every game while their keeper gets up to speed. We on the other hand need to buy the finished article, a complete player who can ideally replace even VDS this season. It’s harsh for goalies, harsher than it is in the outfield, but that’s the game.
Another proof of that United > England!
Says less about Foster than it does about the lack of quality English keepers.
To quote steve99……”God bless you Les, you will never be forgotten…”
Perfect mate. Was a cracking goalie. Could’ve done with him instead of the disaster that was Chris Turner. Always did well for Luton as did a certain Mal Donaghy……..
Its worrying to hear Sir Alex say that the future number 1 is already at the club and that hes not interested in Igor Akinfeev at all !
Ben Foster has a mental block when it comes to playing for man utd like so many others before him .
I hope he proves us all wrong , i doubt that he will going on the same errors hes made in every game pretty much .
Rooney was a good captain for England . The press are just Anti Man Utd allways have allways will be.
u are the next taibi…
love him..quality..fergie or peoples opinion on this forum?? ermm i think i’ll go with fergies
i can already tell you that the next united #1 does not currently play for us, no offence ben but when you had your chances you choked, a few good saves is nothing compared to consistancy, id rate foster 3rd string at united
I just think he just has to be even more patient than ever now. I would not surprise if he is our No1 keeper next season, but first he needs to improve his kick. The same applies with Kuszsacsk. They both possess decent reflexes, however both can… barely kick the ball properly every time the ball is passed back. In the Brazil game yesterday, everytime Ben kicked the ball, it either dropped to a Brazil player or was out of bound; this is not good when we’re under pressure especially in a big game. With VDS, his kick give us opportunity to win the ball in the air because its accuracy and as well give us a little break too.
Well, i hope ferguson still have faith on him as he should be quality goalkeeper as he ruin his chance when doing few error on absent of VDS this season.
But definitely he need to wait for VDS retirement as VDS still do his jobs quite well….
Foster, please be patients. MU just need to loyalt and best players!
lol – first choice for england – well of course when england have such a rubbish keepers
and he’s not the first choice for england
What worries me about BF even more than a propensity to Barthez/James-like moments of madness, is his inability to read the play, anticipate what might be coming his way, and position himself appropriately BEFORE it actually happens.
A number of times people have said “Foster had no chance with the goal/goals”, it’s seemed to me the reason for that is because he was so unfavourably positioned in the first place. Saturday’s goal against Brazil being a case in point – yes it was a great header, yes Wes’s contribution was dismayingly rusty, but look where Foster was: an ideal distance for Nilmar to be able to lob him. Had he been reading the play the way a keeper should, he would either have been out quicker himself to clear it himself, or back on his line to reduce the angles, but not where he was – a position casually adopted for spectating not participating.
Simply put, he’s a 100+ top flight games-short of the finished article. As of course are many of our players – the Da Silvas, Gibson, Tosic, Macheda etc etc. We need to take a much more strategic long-term view as to these players’ development: give them the runs they need to reach their potential, meaning a period of transition for United before a period of potential tremendous strength, or accept that we need to pay market rates for players in their prime to come in and do a job straight away (accepting that even £31m doesn’t buy you a guarantee).
But 10 minutes here, a Carling Cup game there, and months on the bench, whilst those past their prime get game after game after game, seems the worst of both worlds to me.
“anyone remember the save from van persie???
i dnt think VDS would have got to that…
so theres 2 points hes saved us”
Except that he should have done better with Arshavin’s goal in the first place. That’s the problem with Foster, he makes great saves, but then screws up other times.
sorry , i gotta say this… he is typical english keeper…
and he put his worth before he prove any of it yet…
I like the lad….he was fine before the City cock up…If we don’t sign anyone (highly possible) then i have no trouble to hand him over the No.1 spot…since his debut against Derby, where he saved our asses not once but twice i have had a soft corner for him….
I agree with Jack ill stick with SAF opinions. And i still stand by an earlier comment i made on a diff article, PATIENCE is needed with him, all those mistakes can only make him beter now he isnt playing and is takin outa the firing line. Learn from his mistakes and become a better keeper, and become our no1. Patience was needed with Fletcher the same is needed here instead of slating him, how many bad games did fletcher have in his 1st few years? Now we are weakened without him
Also i dont think he was moaning to the press, just something he has said in a conversation and as usaul press blow it out of all proportion!
I wouldnt read to much into his comments, as people are making far to muchout of them.
Some people are far to quick to slag and write players off.
Decent keeper and I have no problems with him being the United number one for years to come.
Ferguson should sign Akinfeev before the World Cup. We don’t want his price tag to go higher then it is.
People are also reading way too much into Fergie’s comments about Foster. He kept going on about how much faith he had in Veron right up until the day before we sold him.
Good Afternoon guys
i feel that foster would’nt have been in this situation had he taken his chance. either way i think that he’ll be our number 1 next season he needs to be patient. the press do like blowing things out of proportion don’t they? they’re unbelievable! the referees union are a bunch of fucking cunts they want a clear heartedely apology from fergie who the hell do they think they are? the premier league is fucking annoying they want to change media rules why should fergie be forced to speak to the BBC scum after the way they disrespected him regarding his son darren. this is nonsense!
spot on tufty
Foster will never be United quality or England quality….seems to struggle under pressure.
If he wants to know why he isn’t playing take a look at games v Arsenal, City, Community Shield etc.
Spot on, Jack.
i do seriously think foster has a big future here, he can make some wrong decisions sometimes maybe more than others but he can change that and im sure he will, just look at some of the saves he makes sometimes, not even the best in the world make some of the ones he has for us this season
Foster’s a pussy, looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights every time he steps onto the field – another wayward clearance for England on Saturday could easily have seen him with even more egg on his face. He hasn’t the nerve for first-team action at a top side, the guy is a good shot-stopper, end of story.
Neuer looks a decent prospect in my eyes.
Why are people so convinced Foster will be a success at United when Howard couldn’t cut it? Foster has the talent but I don’t think he has the nerve for United.
The conclusion is:
1) Ben Foster has only HIMSELF to blame.
2) United > England
But i think Ben has the time on his side for United, but not for this WC. Anyway, i thought it’s quite obvious he’s our SECOND choice gk now; signs of the media blowing things out again here.
Totally agree with Tuffy. This Foster bashing is getting really irritating. After starting season brilliantly he had couple of poor games and criticizing him is fine but don’t you guys think he deserves another chance? The problem with him is he is little inexperienced than most of the keepers of his age because of lack of first team action in last 2 seasons.The lad definitely has potential.
look at the keeper united had in 1998
look at the keeper arsenal had in 1998
the arsenal keeper was Englands number 1
but united keeper was number one in the world
just cause your the best in england doesnt mean your the best in the world and united are world champions
one of Irelands best and most important players in there squad is dunne
anyone want him in Uniteds first team
Spot on, Jig. Foster makes at least one of those gaffes in EVERY game.
I think Fergie has a soft spot for Foster because he ‘discovered’ him. If Foster was foreign, he would have been axed long ago.
I read today that United have offered Edwin van der Sar a new contract which will extend his current contract (which ends next sumemer) till June 2011. I guess Foster needs to wait or find himself a new team…
As a shot-stopper Foster is probably superior to VDS – but that’s where his advantage over the Ducthman ends. Foster’s positional sense is poor (if improving), he doesn’t know when to stay and when to come on crosses and his kicking is laughably inconsistent (even more so than Ed’s) – to wit, his performance in Qatar at the weekend: one kick 80 yards straight and true, the next skidded suicidally along the ground into enemy feet.
It will pan out like this – he will be kept on when VDS leaves (end of next season, or end of this if we win CL), but then we’ll get Neuer, Akinfeev or Lloris and I imagine he will lose out to one of those.
GUESS WHAT GIRL JUST GOT TICKETS TO THE FULHAM MATCH FOR HER FIRST GAME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbrpzGS0bWQ&
Only 4 years ago, many United fans were slagging VDS off, saying he was finished.
Tufty
I ask you to please back up what your saying about people running down van der sar
James is ahead of him – just isn’t fit enough for Capello.
Foster needs to get his head out of his ass and find a kicking game that doesn’t make him take a shit in his pants each time he gets a half way dodgy ball back.
That and grow a pair and be more authoritative in the box.
whether or not foster is the next #1 keeper for united is not even the issue here.
foster is trying to make a public complaint yet he doesn’t even have the character to fully commit to it.
he goes on about it being “weird” and how he can start for england and not even get on the united sub bench. then he says that he can’t complain about edwin getting the starting nod because edwin is one of the best keepers in the world. so what is he trying to get at here?
weird? can you imagine foster knocking on the gaffer’s door and trying to tell him that his playing situation is weird? fergie would probably kick him up his backside, tell him to stick “weird” up his arse and fuck off and play better if he wants to be united’s #1!
for foster to weakly come out with this passive aggressive rubbish in public is ridiculous and pointless. public whinging about playing time i never agree with, but if foster wants to do it he should at least have the strength to say that he is united’s best keeper, he’s better than edwin, and he will prove it to the world the next time he gets an opportunity.
GHTT – I heard numerous people at games saying VDS had finished, the worst one was Portsmouth away towards the end of the season a couple of years back after he tried punching a ball out and errors against AC Milan, it then carried over to the start of the next season, at Everton away people were saying he was finished.
I even got into an arguement with one lad at Eveton away after he was slagging VDS.
People are very quick to jump on a bandwagon were players are concerned.
Fletcher was slagged off for years.
Berbatov and Nani get slated by people who know little about football, other than it being an excuse to wear face paint and a jester hat!
Sometimes Old Trafford would be a better place with 25,000 fans in it who appreciate football, rather than people who know litle about footbsll, boo off the team if not winning and then spend more time filming the game/taking photos than they do supporting the team or watcing the game.
I can’t side with him anymore. Even if Foster becomes England first choice doesn’t guarantee you can play well for United. United goalkeeper should be world number 1 and not England number 1.
Tufty
Fletcher got stick for a while because his desision making was poor he seemed to have all the gifts but he made mistakes left right and centre
including the club captain on the clubs own tv station
but hes grown in to the top footballer that we see now
but if he plays shit people can say he plays shit
human free speach
Nani has so many signs of possitives but so many games of negitives so people put him down
I have never had a bad word to say about Berbatov
the only bad thing ive ever said about him is why hadsnt he signed for United yet
If van der sar makes a mistake that causes United a champions league game then fans will have a go but for you to hold on to that for 4 years means you are an ABUF anything but a united fan
cause you seem to have a shit opinion of there opinions and hld on to something for 4 years to use as ammo incase a convo comes up about a manchester united keeper and not even the same keeper
IMO fergie keeps digging his own grave deeper when he says he see a Foster as our future No1. I dont know maybe he’ll stick around for many years as a No2 and 4get his dream of being the England No1……..who knows
I’d prefer if fergie kept VDS for as long as possible and then make a serious effort in getting any of the top GK playing in europe
what happened since 1998 (GHTT), there was lots of solid goalkeppers back then, even the best goalkeepers now would be considered flappers compared to the seamans or smeichels
http://www.redcafe.net/f6/happy-birthday-paul-scholes-275703/
van der sars made quit a few mistakes lately, dont hear no1 slagging him off?? excalty
slim,can i just ask you what you would expect ferguson to say? would you prefer he say he has no faith in his options beyond van der saar? and if he has to call upon these keepers in the coming weeks what good would that do for them having a manager that has no faith in their ability or in their developement? ferguson is not stupid he says the right things im sure,whether or not he wont choose another goalkeeper from elsewhere is another thing, he will decide who the best man is for the job, signing them is another issue
arsene wenger
Im not saying keepers have gone shit since 98 at all my man i was just using a year that i taught peter schmeichel was unreal that year above most and at that point the English number 1 was the second best keeper in that league, just because your top of your international team doesnt mean your the best as Ive already used an Irish example ill use another 1, if Gibson was fit Id say he’d start on wednesday but he’s far bit off starting for united i big big big games
tiny tears, i understand, but goal keepers dont really carry a fear factor any more, schmiechael used to fill the goal and put the shits up strikers, i dont know what people think of seaman, but when i used to speak about playin united the big dane was listed as a threat along with the attacking stars, where as van der saar good goal keeper he is, we talk about rooney an vidic and hopin to kick lumps out of evra rather than hoping the keeper dont have a great game, not singling out van der saar at all, im talking about goal keeping worldwide,the position is not very competitive any more
seaman for the record in my opinion was unreal
just something different about goalkeepers these days, a lot more athletic than the seamans or scmiechaels, they play for free kicks where as those cleared out anything infront of them, liverpool fans think reina is the best goalkeeper in the world they are having a laugh their a team that defends like their lifes depend on it and when they do play attackin and open up a bit that goalkeeper turns very fabianski, for england id put calamity james in goal ,i always thought roy carol was gonna be a top keeper
I’ve realised that everything Tufty says on this site is immediately written off as rubbish as soon as people see his name. But to ask for evidence of when and where VDS was described by most fans as finished is ridiculous. Sometimes he speaks rubbish just like most but I’ve found him to say a lot of meaningful things too. Fletcher was written off and described as a total waste of space. Look at him today. Someone gave the reason that well he was inconsistent that’s why he was justly written off. That’s absurd. It’s because we have a lot of knee-jerk specialists in our fanbase who know nothing about judging talent and potential. These days it’s Nani who is under fire and how that is justified is beyond me. He has been treated in a grossly unfair manner by Ferguson and it’s his fault. He has performed better and been more effectively in his 1st 2 and a half seasons than Ronaldo in his. This under such adverse conditions. Berbatov was written off last season, Michael Owen is a spent force and we should cut our losses with Rio. The boundaries of the ridiculous are breached with every day.
feel bad for foster, but his performances when he gets the chance are not really up to the United mark., may be upto the England mark.
However I do feel he should be given one more chance, a run of 4 – 5 games.
He mat still turn out good, but we need a VERY good keeper, Akineev think may be that kind of a keeper. Foster needs to show better temperament, speaking rubbish to the media is not one of them.
Let Sir Alex be the best judge…
Jay wire
to compair foster to rio or berbatov is silly thou
take say Diego Arismendi if he played for united right now people would say he’s shit , you cant say oh look at fletcher everyone said he was shit and look how he turned out its just that Diego Arismendi , a much much better footballer than I’ll ever be, is not good enough for Manchester Uniteds first team and what people seem to forget is when people where saying Fletcher isnt good enough for Uniteds first team it was for a very very sinmple reason………HE WASNT……. Robbie Savage wasnt either but it worked out for him.
Nani’s not up to United first team is a relivent comment
but people,few and far between, said the same thing about another winger when he started playing for united in 199 bundles of talent but his final ball is muck….. not that Im saying nani is giggs
Jay Wire – Agree with alot of your post pal except the bit about Nani. How has he been treated unfairly? Playing on the left instead of right or playing some games then dropped? It is entirely up to the lad to prove himself whether it be on the left or right. He just hasn’t done it in my opinion. As I said to denton yesterday he DID start on the right against Wolves and they were there for the taking. He was shocking that night. Hope he proves me wrong and it is rare of me to diss a player but to me Nani will never make it at United. To say he is better than Ronaldo in his first two and half seasons is absurd. He ain’t in the same league. You only had to see his debut against Bolton at 17 or 18 to see he would develop in to a top top player. He had that summat about him. A similar thing I personally get from watching Obertan’s cameos thus far this season.
Jay Wire
Mate I love open mindedness in football or life and some people have football as life. But If You Open Your Mind Too Much, Your Brains Will Fall Out
Nani has only himself to blame, he has had games but has failed to perform, blaming Fergie is laughable.
Also to compare Nani to Giggs or Ronaldo is simply not right Nani will be 23 tomorrow, Ronaldo is 24 and Giggs at 23 was streets ahead of where the Portuguese lad is.
I would take a 60 year old Van Der Sar in a wheelchair and on bottled oxygen over Foster. The guy is not good enough. Simple enough. How many chances can you get? He’s been shit every time he’s played for us. Constant mistakes, no confidence, no sense. I really think SAF is not doing himself any favours by talking up Foster. The guy continues to prove you wrong with his play. If you are all ready ship Nani out for his performances it would be at least fair to ship Foster out too. He’s older than Nani and is showing no signs of the drastic improvement that he needs
Nani was fantastic against Bosnia on the weekend. His cross in for the goal was fabulous. I think if he had a go on the right he’d be a lot more dangerous for us.
Shut your whinging mouth. You were given a golden opportunity to prove your worth. You failed in every sense of the word. Nothing personal, you just aren’t good enough. You are a quality back up at a club of this size, but you’ll never be a number one at a top club.
@ King Eric – How was Nani unfairly treated? Simple. Inconsistent selection. Football is very simple and there are certain rules and equations you can’t undo. Inconsistent playing time equals inconsistent performance. No other way round it. We all cry about how long Nani has been at United but it counts as nothing if you’re the most inconsistently played player. It’s only time that progresses not the player. Nani was impressive in his debut season and with a sustained run in the team it wasn’t long before the goals and assists followed. Thanks to key injuries ie Rooney,Giggs and Park, the manager’s hand was forced. He had to play him. As these returned one by one he found himself more and more out of the team and so progress was cut short with no real justification. It was even worse in the following season, even less games, even less frequency in selection, even more competition (no way was our new left winger Rooney going to be dropped). He’d play something like one game every four and nothing more than 70 min if he was lucky to start. Last season was a real trying time for him but he still delivered under such adverse conditions. This season the nightmare has continued. Valencia was at best average in his first games but was consistently played. Nani probably has not played two games in a row once. He played well in Moscow and his reward was to be dropped for the next game. And that’s been the story of this season. No one can expect anything from a player being played 60 min at most after 4 games or so. Where’s the consistency? Ronaldo had virtually no competition in his 1st three seasons and would be played so many times, probably more than most 1st team players. He was extremely frustrating at times and didn’t bother with crossing but would do a million stepovers to nowhere. At one point he was described by the media as an “empty bag of tricks”. Then he’d play a blinder another game. He was so inconsistent and played with his head down. Even when he would start almost every match. Now Nani has been more PRODUCTIVE and more EFFECTIVE in his first 3 years than Ronaldo was in his. Even when he has been treated unjustly as compared to Ronaldo, Ferguson’s darling.
jay wire
look at Obertan
he is higher up the pecking order because of Nani’s Inconsistent performances which Obertan doesnt have with keep him in selection
He didn’t take his chance when he had it, how he expects to play more is beyond me. He’s only been playing for England due to injuries / suspension.
@Jay wire – I’m sure I must be watching a different player than you for you to state the following;
“Now Nani has been more PRODUCTIVE and more EFFECTIVE in his first 3 years than Ronaldo was in his.”
I’m not sure why people continue to stick up for him. If he has the quality people seem to think he has then he’d of at least been able to have some sort of impact on the games when he has played but he simply hasn’t.
RedDeviled Egg
Ireland v Italy
then
Ireland v France
Irelands best player
liam lawrence was unreal and really at times took france and the world champions apart
Now since I’ve compared Nani to Ronaldo, it’s only fair that I qualify my opinion which at first glance sounds absurd. But let’s all agree on one thing. If Nani in his 1st seasons at the club was more effective than Ronaldo then our arguements about him being useless and not but out for us are wholly unjustified. No? Let me qualify my arguements with facts. Nothing can be more solid than facts. It is a fact that Ronaldo had it extremely easy in his whole time at United relative to Nani. 2003-2004. Ronaldo played 39 times, started 23 of them(14 starts in the league). His production was of 6 goals and 4 assists. 2004-2005. He played in 50 matches, started an incredible 40( 25 league starts). This produced 9 goals and 4 assists. 2005-2006. 47 appearances with 37 starts (24 in the league). He reaped 12 goals and 7 assists. Let’s take a look at Nani’s performances then. 2007-2008. He played 39 times, started in 25 (16 starts in the league). This yielded 4 goals and 11 assists. 2008-2009. 30 appearances, 23 starts (7 in the league). The productivity involved 6 goals and 2 assists. Now I think I have sufficiently qualified my answer with facts. Verify stats on soccernet.com under profiles.
Jay Wire – How does that prove Nani was more productive?
Ronaldo first season 6 goals 4 assists
Nani 4 goals 11 assists
Ronaldo second season 9 goals 4 assists
Nani 6 goals 2 assists
Nani may have had a few more assists but Ronaldo scored considerably more goals. What is to say if Nani DID play the same amount of games he would have produced in those games? It really hasn’t proved anything.
I used to defend ben calamity James mark 2 foster
But not now. He waited paitently to get his
Opportunity to show SAF what he’s about. And showed
SAF indeed. That he buckles under pressure, has poor
Kicking technique especially when the ball is passed back
To him. Also, he fails to command the penalty area. What Foster, PIG and
Other goalkeepers fail to understand that being a United goalkeeper
Is different from other goalkeepers. Let me break it down for the likes of Foster and his supporters
1- self confidence
2- arrogance
3- presence
4- good communicator
5- good organizer
6- focused and alert to danger
7- give confidence to your defenders
8- mental toughness
9- show no fear to your enemies or own team mates
10- decisive and knowing when to play it safe
11- making the right decisions in a game
12- consistenly good or excellent in games – even if it’s just
Making one key save in a game. But producing this on a weekly basis.
Having watched foster, pig and vds it’s very clear that. Those two
Are not in vds league or even the great peter smichael.
Foster and pig do not show these qualities enough to be a United
Goalkeeper.
Additionally I’d put other supporting facts. Please take note that I’ve just been comparing the “very useless” Nani to the current World Player of the Year. Also let’s take a look at the surrounding circumstances. The fleece footed Ronaldo was mainly played on the right which is his best position. The right footed Nani has been played primarily on the left even if right wing is more natural to him. It was easier for Ronaldo to get more assists in his time playing supplier to a cast of ruthless finishers. Chief among them, Ruud(clinical with both feet and dangerous in the air) also Ole, Saha, Rooney and even Forlan and Henrik Larsson at one point. Nani has had to play supplier to the hobbits Rooney and Tevez and suspect in the air Berbatov and the rarely used Michael Owen. Those who are sharp would have noticed that I added League starts for a specific reason. They are more “consecutive” or closer together than say Champions League starts. So a player can keep building momentum and form, rather than start stop nature of cup competitions. It is also interesting to note that Nani started 6 Carling Cup games and scored 3, qualifying my arguement that more play equals better performance. Now if you wish to argue against my opinions please bring facts to the table and qualify yourself as I have done. I’d prefer to have intelligent debates with intelligent people who won’t just say “you must be high saying that” or “how many more chances does he need”. Tomorrow I’ll deliver a knockout case for Nani with even deeper facts than these
Look at the appearances of both players. Productivity is yielding more fruit per game. If Nani had played considerably as many games as Ronaldo it is clear he would have surpassed his figures. His averages are higher. Please look at the whole picture
Nani has been poor when used, Ok he has not had a long run in the side but all players are over rotated in my view, personally I would have a first eleven and stick it for period of games, but Nani would not be in that side. When played he has not performed and throwing statistics at the argument does not wash for me, his decision making is poor, he goes down far too easily and shots from ludacrous positions and runs int cul-de-sacs he is young but not that young.
Are you saying stats are not applicable because you’ve got no logical reason to blame him? I brought stats to the table to support an arguement. Bring facts to support yours.
GHTT, how can you say that “Obertan is higher up the pecking order”? As Nani has been sarting games, whilst Obertan was only a sub. That would suggest that Nani is actually higher up the pecking order!
Nani has a lot more creativity than most in the United squad, at times when people blame Nani, they need to look at the bigger picture, for example who is playing at full back behind him, who is playing up front.
Take the Bolton Game, Rooney was missing first alf and every time Nani broke with the ball, he had no option to give to in the box.
Away at Stoks Nanin had a decent game, however with the score being 0-0, peoples frustration grew. There was two times that Nani could/should ahve gave the ball and didnt, Giggs came on, gave one pass and made it look simple, but in truth its not that easy to compare. Nani offers more of a goal threat and an attacking threat than Valencia or Park.
As for Foster, the lad in reality is pretty in experienced compared to a lot of other keepers and has lost a lot of football through injury. The lad is still a top drawer keeper and will only get better. I wouldnt have an issue with him being our number one for years to come. The only reason the spotlight falls on him more than other keepers is beacuse he playes for Utd and because he is English.
There are people on this forum who are very quick to slag players and write them off after one bad performance and who on the other hand are very quick to build players up after 30 mins on the pitch or in the case of Diouf/Llajic before they have even arrived at the club. I suppose thats one of the biggest problesm with modern day football fans and modern day United fans.
100% agree with tufty – people are far to quick to write off players, as i have said so many times that its getting boring now, patience is needed with players, too many people are too obessed and expect immediate sucess with players. Development takes time, and by that i mean more than a handful of games at a time.
As for Obertan, yes he has looked good with a few sub apperances but i dont think he is ready to make the 1st team place his own.
Whats goin to happen if he plays 6 games in a row, after a few games he makes a few mistakes – ie wrong passes & shooting when he should have passed??
I know what will happen – Everyone will be on here saying
Hes not good enough, get rid, will never make it, why did we buy him, not a united player, we need to buy *insert any players name here*
I want Nani to be a success but surely at 23 and over 80 games we now have an idea if he will make it a Old Trafford and how long do we give him? 100 games 200 games? He has been poor for a long time and for me it is obvious that we are probably too big for him, or we are not right for him facts or no facts I have eyes.
@ Stephen – Can you prove that Nani has been poor? I’ve proved and I think beyond reasonable doubt that he has been productive and effective. You haven’t.
reddarren – It is a bit more than “6 games” though mate. He has been here 2 and a half seasons.
Jay Wire – It is all opinions mate. You want to give him more time whereas personally I don’t think he will make it. I suppose THE only way to see is give him ten games or so consecutively.
When you think of some of the wide players we’ve had in the past like Coppell, Hill, Giggs (in his prime), Sharpey, Kanchelskis, Becks, Ronaldo, the current crop are no where near that level. Valencia is ok although certainly not special, Obertan i know its early days but he’s closer to bellion than ronaldo and nani just isnt going to make it. I understand where Jay Wire is coming from with regard to Nani’s stats but in my opinion stats only tell half the story. Ronaldo is 6ft+ and really bulked up and that power to make him almost impossible to stop. Ronaldo also obviously worked incredibly hard at his game whilst i’d doubt nani has the desire to put that work in. The biggest problem that the current crop of wide players is there is almost no goal threat. The previous wingers i mentioned would almost guarantee 10+ goals per season. Without goals from wide & midfield we are reliant on our strikers for goals and whilst Rooney & Berba are great players i don’t think they are 30 goals each per season. It could be a season of frustration where we drop soft points because we simply get the number of goals to kill teams off. I hope i’m wrong.
King Eric – i dont think Obertan is ready to step into 1st team and play 6 games in a row, i still think nani is ahead of him and my opinoin would be to stick with nani for a bit of a longer run in team rather slate him after bein in and out of team
Can I prove he has been poor? I watch him play mate that is all the proof I need there are “Lies, damned lies, and statistics” If you think he has been a success then I believe you need to open your eyes mate, he simply has performed well enough and no amount of talk will change that.
I have a hard time seeing how so many can claim that Nani is poor.
If he is so bad then why are teams like Fiorentina, AC Milan, Inter, and Valencia showing interest in him.
He is literally the only guy in our squad that has any creativity and flair. He’s willing to go at defenders and do it with some style and panache.
Other than Rooney there are few that can take on defenders 1 v1. Valencia tries but he only has one move(fake left go right) because he only has one foot. It proved ineffective against a competent defender like Asshole Cole.
If Nani was shown any sort of confidence in him he’d become the real deal.
I’m positive that if we ship him out we will regret it
“Style and Pananche”. Come off it mate he has been poor when given the chance this season. He has no style whatsoever. Just a flash bastard with no real substance.
“Any sort of confidence in him?” He has played 85 games for us for fucks sake, and he has too much “confidence” in his own game rather than just get his head down and get on with his game and learn of players like Giggs.
King Eric, Spot on pal.
question – why is it ok to spit on nani and it’s forbbiden to do it on berba
they both can produce flashes of brilliance and they can both be very frustrating to watch
surely berba has imporved this season but he’s long way to go
i say – stop being hypocrites – either criticise with gore both of em or stop doing it to both of em
CROoney – You cannot compare Berbatov to Nani. Different league mate.
Stephen – Spot on pal. Can’t understand how people are still siding for him. When Rooney, Giggsy and previously Ronaldo got the ball I get out of my seat in anticipation that great things will be done. When Nani gets the ball I just don’t get that, I am just waiting for him to run into a cul-de-sac or sky one over or get tackled and flap about. He is the THE most frustrating player I have seen at Old Trafford. He hasn’t really even shown glimpses of what he can do. I can count them on one hand. Spurs goal, Boro goal, dippers goal, Charity shield and Arsenal in the FA cup. Juggling a ball around and taking the piss is not talent. Even his goal celebrations annoy me. I just haven’t or ever will take to him.
Grow some fucking balls and fight for your place.