I never have and never will be the biggest fan of Rio Ferdinand. Whilst his injury time winner against the dippers allowed the majority of fans to kiss and make up, nothing can be done to entirely repair the damage done after he missed his drugs test. After demanding more money, after serving a lengthy ban during the crucial second half to what became a failed season, he showed us something that can never be undone. He is not a proper red. Whilst it is unrealistic to expect all our non-Mancunian players to love us in the same way the likes of Giggs and Neville do, it is not going to do any player any favours to show themselves for what they are. They will not become adopted in to Mancunia, and they will not become one of us. We have seen a number of foreign/non-Mancunian players over the years commit to and love us the way we want, and sadly, Rio Ferdinand will never be one of them.
Regardless, over the past season or so, I have come to love and admire another characteristic of Rio’s, and that is his desire to win. The hunger we see from him in every game he plays is certainly the quality I want to see in one of my players. To have someone who loathes losing so much is just what you need when you have you’re eye on winning a lot. When Van der Sar came charging away from his goal line at Fratton Park last season, and Rio watched his back pass role painfully over the line, he was mortified, he was seething, he was absolutely livid. He saw his team’s tight grip on the title start to losen, and he couldn’t stand it.
When Ferdinand first donned our captain’s armband, I was none too pleased. The captaincy should go to a player who loves the club, as a representative of both the team and the fans. Whilst Rio certainly has the presence to pull it off, I didn’t like that a player, who so soon after they’d shown they were not as committed to the team as we’d expect, was the captain. However, as I’ve softened, (and another goal against the dippers is put away) I see more than ever the real need to have Rio as our captain, currently. Despite Gary Neville’s continuous “two to three weeks away” claims, we cannot rely on this to be accurate. Whilst Giggs will always be loved at United, what he shows in love for the club and experience, does not compensate for his lack of leading abilities. Ferdinand is the man who, for the short term at least, should be leading our team out, instilling the same desire to win, and following that up with action.
Ferdinand had a great season for us last year, along with Vidic, and was an integral part in us winning our trophy back. He played more games for us than any other player, picking up just three yellow cards all season, two of those in the league, showing his ability to tackle clean on top of well. He was egged on more and more to come forward, and a number of occasions we saw him bursting in to the box (including the memorable occasion when he booted the ball in to that woman’s face after the moronic ref blew his whistle too late).
Oliver Holt, whose ABU bullshit has earnt him the prize of Sports Journalist of the Year a couple of times on the trot, wrote an interesting piece about Ferdinand a fortnight ago. Our defender is given constant bashing by England, and has faced the axe from the team for below par performances. When however, during the past World Cup for example, he bails out the entire defence (including John “can’t put a foot wrong” Terry) nothing seems to be said about it. England were shockingly poor in that World Cup, with Joe Cole, Owen Hargreaves and Rio Ferdinand being probably the only three who could return with their heads held high. Of course, Holt forgets about this, as he launches in to yet another damning piece about United.
“Steve McClaren might have a lot of players missing. But the man the country’s missing most is the man who shrunk back into the shell of the player who will take the pitch alongside John Terry at Wembley… The system chewed him up and spat him out as an Average Joe… Ferdinand has got to the stage where he’s ripe for demotion…He could have been the jewel in England’s crown. Instead, he’ll run out at Wembley one more bad performance away from being dropped. It’s sad to say it but it looks like Rio’s on the way out. Going without having fulfilled a magnificent talent. What a waste.”
As if you hadn’t guessed, I’m not England’s number one fan, and the dismal football they’ve been playing for years makes it easier to feel as nonchalant about them as I do. The 3-0 win over Israel, whilst not setting the World alight, showed some of the most creative football we’d seen from them in years (I know, which doesn’t say a lot), and I’m beginning to think maybe their matches are more worth watching these days (although I do struggle to show an interest when our lads aren’t representing the country). There’s always a groan in the local when someone like Lampard scores for England. “Why did it have to be him?” As the ball hit the back of the net for the third time last night in England’s Euro 2008 qualifying game against Russia (following a wicked Michael Owen goal), it was nice to be able to cheer in a very genuine way, for a change. Whilst somewhat clumsy in his skill, it was still a top class goal, tricking the defender, and rifling it with such power, making it difficult for any keeper.
Rio likes playing for his country, and scoring for England can only mean positive things for United. It can only mean the best for us. All going to plan, he should turn up at Goodison Park at the weekend with all the determination, fighting spirit, and confidence we could hope for.
If England don’t want him, fine, their loss. They can happily drag back Ledley King or Jonathan Woodgate for all I care. It won’t be the first or last time a red has been screwed about by England.
He’ll never be my favourite, but he certainly is growing on me, and I’d like to see him raise his game this season. He’s got what it takes to go down in our history books, and I hope years in to the future he is remembered fondly. Whilst he’s given a lot of stick, he can be the difference between us winning and losing, between giving up and fighting on, and that is the kind of player I am more than happy to see wearing United red, and for now, the captain’s armband.
Man Utd News 24/7
Good piece. I also read that Holt article and was amazed at the tripe he was coming out with about a player who remains England’s best central defender, by a stretch.
The English press just won’t say a bad word about John Terry, a player who isn’t half the defender he appears to be at Chelsea, whenever he plays without Makalele in front of him.
Yet Rio is constantly the subject of tired (and quite possibly racist) cliches about being lazy or unable to focus.
I think you’re being quite harsh about his contract negotiations. He did owe the club for standing by him throughout his ban, but he has paid them back by signing a new contract and by his performances in the red shirt since.
I don’t think you can be too annoyed about a professional sports-man taking his time to negotiate the contract he thinks he is worth. There’s no evidence he held the club to ransom and he kept a dignified silence in the press throughout (unlike certain other, big-name players, at other clubs in the league)
As you correctly point out, his passion and will to win has been there for all to see, ever since. Never mind the own-goal, or when he puts the ball in the scousers net, Rio is almost always first on the scene to celebrate EVERY goal we score!
IMO, Ferdinand has earned the right to be called, not only the club captain, but a true Manchester United player.
Agreed – Rio gets a lot of unjustified stick, always has – initially because he was “too laid back”. But he’s seldom if ever caught in possession and have you ever seen a lanky lad going nineteen to the dozen, legs going like Roadrunner ?
Last night v Brazil he was by far the better of the two centre backs but the only one that Motson criticised, especially when Richards dithered once and left Rio in it on one occasion.
Re Richards, as a centre back v United he reacted brilliantly, like Terry at his best, and is very good going forward and linking, though not at crossing. However, am I alone in finding his return to defence remarkably slow and leaving a huge onus on Wright-Phillips to cover him. one who tackles only marginally better than Scholesy.
Pointless piece.
It’s nice to have players who are felt to epitomise the club and its geopgraphical area. But surely, what is more important is a dedicated player who performs well and helps the team consistently. What then does the “Mancunian” issue – by your definition, matter?
You admit to Rio’s personal prowess in the game, yet attempt to detract from this due to your admitted personal dislike for the guy. What then is the point to this post, especially at a time when he’s done nothing wrong (if anything he’s just helped England on their way to qualification with some good performances)?
Resurrecting the missed drug test suspension says it all – you’ve got much time on your hands, but nothing positive to write.
Odd to see so many misinterpretations of this piece. While the title calls up the Rio bashing quote, the article says something quite different. Telling the full story of Rio includes the shite and the glory. The author agrees Rio has what it takes to be the interim captain over Giggsy… that’s the most controversial of all I’d say. While it pains me to see anything taken from the glory of Giggs… I have to admit Rio stepped up his game more than he had in a long while the day the captains band was on his arm. Pointless article? I think its long overdue for someone in the Red community to point out the good and bad of Rio. While he stepped up for England and United on the day he took the captains band, has his Ronaldo-like attempts at fancy footwork really show the kind of honour the above responses herald? Was he earning the right to a glorious reputation with the ball to the woman’s face? How quickly some forget.
Hold up, Hold up- Anon is implying that he intentionally booted the ball into the woman’s face?? He booted the ball with no intent to decapitate the lady or anyone else for that matter. What a baseless end to quite an articulate point.
And Rio is everything that Scott said, everything that Redrose said, he is played down by the crappy sports media this country thrives on, John Terry is played up to be some sort of invincible by-product of an illicit encounter between Franco Baresi and Tony Adams when he is just the poster boy for the Anglo-Saxon model of player that the media hacks love to idealise and nowhere near the defensive qualities of Rio, and that’s even with Makelele doing the business in front of him. Point being, Rio is Rio, it is so apt that he so nearly threw away his United career, doesn’t kill off his detractors with a season mistake free but until the boys Pique and Evans grow up or we can snap up a Nesta or a Puyol in the next season or two I know I’d rather have Rio playing his heart out at United than any of the other so-called world-class defenders.
And I think the first Anon missed the point about how Scott titled the piece- it’s the irony of it Rob Holt’s Anyone But United headline of demoting Rio, by citing it as the title for this piece there is a sweet sweet irony that you obviously have not taken on board.
Scott? Another smashing piece mate. Red Rose? Well pointed out mate.
Anon? You sort of didn’t get the point in the beginning so anything after that was really gona be blinkered.
Keep up the good work Scot.
Brilliant article!
I too will never love Rio as the way I love Giggsy, Scholes or Rooney. But there is absolutely no doubt that Rio has been playing brilliantly and his partnership with Vidic was one of the major reasons why we got our trophy back.
And anon : well pointed out mate. Rio is almost always the first to celebrate any goal we goal score
Good piece. Rio is class. Oliver is a daft prick. Nuff said.
I agree with everything you’ve stated. Rio is a world class defender in a very different mold to JT who’s ‘blood and thunder’ performances I translate as panic defending. Rio is calm in defence he reads and times most things perfectly which is why he rarely goes to ground and only picked up 3 bookings last season. Of course he has a few bad moments were he faffs about a bit too long with the ball but that’s Rio.
He did make two massive errors in his United career, missing the drugs test and getting pictured with Kenyon and Zahavi in London. To me, that raised a few question marks around his commitment to the United cause as it looked like he was hankering for a move. If that hadn’t have happened I’d have had no problems with his contract negotiations as I remember a certain OT legend was ‘Keane’ to hold out for what he felt he was worth. That meeting left a bad taste in my mouth.
For the record, I’m not putting Rio in the same league as Keano.
“he is played down by the crappy sports media this country thrives on, John Terry is played up to be some sort of invincible by-product of an illicit encounter between Franco Baresi and Tony Adams when he is just the poster boy for the Anglo-Saxon model of player that the media hacks love to idealise and nowhere near the defensive qualities of Rio, and that’s even with Makelele doing the business in front of him.”
LOL
Rio is a world class centre back – thats all that has to be said about the man. yes, he has made mistakes as a united player….but how many of those so called mistakes happened on the pitch? not many because rio has the uncanny nack of staying on his feet when all around him jump in for the tough “better looking” tackles. That is exactly why he is in a class of his own. in my opinion any centre back who is good enough to play football in midfield is worthy of praise and Rio Ferdinand is definately a man who would love to wear the armband on a permanant basis.