Sir Alex Ferguson has been full of praise for Chris Smalling since he has come in to our first team, particularly at Scunthorpe, which has put Rio Ferdinand’s nose out of joint a tad. With Nemanja Vidic being preferred for the United captaincy, despite Rio retaining the England captaincy, Rio has felt a bit pushed out by the United manager.
With Rio being listed as a director at an incredible 10 companies, as well as becoming dreadfully injury prone, the manager has started to become weary. Apparently Fergie has told Rio this is his last chance to prove himself, to stay fit and to keep his eye on the ball.
However, I believe Rio being touchy about Ferguson’s praise of Smalling can only be seen as a good thing, because at least it means he still cares.
Regardless, Smalling looks up to Rio and there’s no denying it’d be hard for him to find a better defensive role model.
“The stature of the guy is something to look up to and he has been a real joy to be alongside,” Smalling said. “Rio has built up that presence over the years. He is just very commanding. On the ball, he just gives you that composure. Whether he puts on that captain’s armband or it is just in training, he is leading the team. I have had to pick up along the same way, because I am the eyes of the central midfielders and that is something I have been working on, and he has been helping me. Rio is great to play with, so is Vidic, so I cannot be in a better atmosphere to be learning my trade.”
Man Utd News 24/7
Good boy. Good attitude.
Alex Ferguson has a lot of decisions to make on a lot of careers this season.
Goalkeeping: First step ,hired Eric Steel the goalkeeping guru,his first task was to settle in as quickly as possible;study the dept,staff,players and make improvements.Then make the recomendations.
Step 2: The reorganization done based on those recommendations.We now have only 2 senior goalkeepers, 1 junior as number 3,and 4 young ones.Trialled few 20 year olds,most famous is the
danish keeper Anders.
Step3: Waiting for that now,what will it be? 1 new keeper in January or 2 keepers in August?Different possibilities avaliable.
Defense: Sorted out Vidic,now sorting out Rio ,Wes.Chris has done well.Evans looks stressed out,Rafael doing well,Fabio back on track briefly against Chelsea then rangers.Evra slowly getting back in.Wondering if James Chester,Gill,Joe dudgeon,De laet will make it.
Midfield: Will Anderson have a career with us? Nani seems the player we hoped for,Hargreaves back for few years?Scholes retire and of this season,Carrick makes it or not,Darron good enough,Fletcher out of sorts,looks really tired. Will we sign Steven Defour in January?Promising Tom and Corry and Magnus. Park out of sorts,Gabriel more time needed?Valencia return better than before,how long? Alexis Sanchez is he the real deal?
Fowards: Rooney needs time,how long?Hernandez jewel for us. Berba genius,but i cant stand his suking and he deserved to be booed at Ewood Park last season,he just had no fight. Michael Owen I hope will score more goals than last season,an important ones like he did last. Macheda,Wellbeck,Diouf make it or more time on loan?
I think Carrick,Owen,Brown are vulnerable,and the four pillars VDS,Gary,Giggs,Scholes will retire this season if others can step up.Steven Defour and De Gea would be my picks to be signed by Fergie.
@Dave Malaysia
“Berba genius,but i cant stand his suking and he deserved to be booed at Ewood Park last season,he just had no fight.”
Mate please don’t start up the berba debate again.Blame the entire team for that draw, not just berba.
As for your overall assessment on the squad..lots of if’s and but’s there..lets just wait till january and see if the team improves or not..
@utd4life
Ok with the berba thing.
The ifs are the many decisions Fergie is going to have to make this season,thats the jist of of it.
In my opinion replacing the likes of VDS,Giggsy and Scholesy are completely upto SAF..But the rest are upto the players..there’s nothing SAF can do about a player’s form or injury apart from motivating them and giving them more playing time..But I’m sure SAF has a backup plan if incase things don’t go according to plan..
good god dave. your comment… sounds like you said in one breath.
VDS is fantastic this season, but yes, we should at least be looking out for a keeper. a creative midfielder will be a good addition too as it will give us an additional thrust from the centre of the park, but its not that critical. we have a good team. they just need to find their groove and that killer instinct.
the international break is killing me! come back, united!
Scott – Where did you get all that info that Fergie is getting weary etc?? Cheers mate.
I remember those people saying only 5 months ago “why the fuck have we bought Smalling, he is making mistakes all the time” and so on. Once again Fergie looks like he has bought a diamond. Looks a great prospect.
Do you seriously think Fergie and the scouts are not loooking for a keeper etc and just standing still? Good grief.
Legend.
.
.
.
.
.
In the making.
It seems that you can barely put on a pair of gloves these days without Eric Steele watching you from the bushes, so to suggest we’re not following that one up is ridiculous.
@King Eric
im sure they are looking for a keeper. Fergie has always kept an eye on this sort of thing. i was just adding my 2 cents worth to dave malaysia who wrote quite a bit on keepers and on steven dafour.
I really want alexis sanchez in our team. That guy is wounderful, he remind me of cr7. Sanchez on the left while nani on the right. When valencia return that will give saf more option to chose from. Obertan is too gud to be in the resever he should be send on loan and bebe need some yr to graduate. GGMU.
Costas we are legends in the making too
Or are we legends already?
Scott, to be honest I’ve heard nothing about Rio’s nose being out of joint and I don’t think you’ve mentioned it on here before. A proper blog piece detailing what’s going on would be much appreciated as to be honest it’s all news to me! While Rio looked a cert to be our next captain, Fergie can’t very well take the armband off Nev because he “doesn’t play enough” and then give it to Rio who played less than Nev last season.
He still looks to be our vice captain which he should be happy enough with!
Off topic not that I care about England, but if Capello gives Stevie GBH the captaincy he’s a hypocritical twat. “Common assault? Yes! Consensual sex?! That’s a big no-no!!!”
@Costas
You got me there……..
“Legend.
.
.
.
.
.
In the making.”
I thought we’re handing out “legend’ titles too easily nowadays……
At least let them get through a few “Hell in a Cell” kinda games…Scunthorpe? I dont think so..
Then suddenly i see..in the making!
good one!
@MG
We are ROM legends.
@Red Devil
Kind of scared you, lol. Don’t want to put any pressure on the kid, but in terms of physical attributes, he is very promising. Like the “Hell in a Cell” line. There will come a point when he will have to come out of age in one such game. Don’t know when will that be though. I don’t believe it will be this season.
I didn’t know fergie has been getting weary of the Rio saga, but I can certainly understand it , if true. After all these years, even with major trophies stacking up, there is still the feeling that Rio could achieve so much more if he only put his mind to it. I like Chris Smalling’s attitude and keeness to learn his trade from the top pros around him (and when I say ‘pros’ I don’t mean THAT sort , Wazza). Legend in the making? Bit early to tell, but he certainly looks the part.
Question: hell in a cell: keano, brucey, vida, schmikes. who will be victorious?
@user 404
One hell of a lineup you go there mate……
You can add Bryan Robson and Nobby Stiles to that and we can make it a Six-man Survival Chamber match!
@user404
Don’t know who would be victorious, but I know who would be the certain loser. The entire planet. It won’t withstand the clash of these 4 forces of nature.
@ Red Devil
Throw in Best, Law, Charlton and Cantona and you would really have a ‘crap’side!!! lol
Alexis Sanchez would indeed be an exciting signing. I’m not sure we need him, but i’ll be glad if we sign him. He seems like a Fergie player too – exciting, check, young, check, pacy, check, impoverished background, check, hard-working, check, physical, check….
if we had to sign a big player i’d pick him or Pastore
He is going to turn into a good in time, scores a few aswell.
All this talk of us trying to find a replacement for Paul Scholes is madness, I think there is only one player who can do this and his name: Wayne Rooney!
I think he has all the attributes you need as a central midfielder. An excellent range of passing, brilliant energy and enthusiasm for the game, natural goal scoring ability and a good engine.
Paul Scholes used to be a striker and to his vision for the game his best position became central midfield. This would give Hernandez a chance to shine upfront with Berbatov. Plus last season was the only time Rooney weighed in with a genuine goal return.
@Cedars Devil
yep that would be ‘crap’ side wouldn’t it… Lol
but two out of Keano, robson and Stiles would have to play as full-backs coz we got too many in midfield ….lol
@Red Devil
i’ve never seen nobby stiles in action but my old man tells me he was as hard as nails.
@ Costas
lol your theory might be right. some men must be kept separated to maintain balance in nature.
@CedarsDevil
haha more like a ‘HOLY CRAP!!!!’ side lol cantona and co would certainly hold their own eh?
@ Red Devil
LOL
I would never want to be a footballer if I had to face Robbo and Keano week in week out… blimey !!!!
alexis sanchez who didnt look up from his feet the entire world cup?
pastore is only good in Football Manager isn’t he?
how about Rooney in right back since he’s aggressive and right footed?
Jeez….
@ user404
How do you mean!?
Yeah, because we all know how choosing players based on world cup performances works out. I actually thought Sanchez had a good world cup, but it’s what he does in the Serie A week in, week out that’s most important.
As for Pastore, and as a seasoned football manager player, he’s alright on there but not great. He’s a lot better in real life and I expect a stats boost when the new game comes out. Both of these are pretty widely regarded as players with massive potential, so I don’t know why you’re being so sniffy, i’m not sure how much you’ve seen either play, but I watch a lot of Italian football… he’s very tall and strong as well, so should adapt well.
@callum
regarding alexis sanchez…i agree that he has huge potential…and already performing well for udinese…i would like to see him at old trafford
but i dont think pastore will be that big player in epl..he will turn out to be a aquilani kinda signing…he is too lightweight
Where’s the evidence Rio’s nose has been put out of joint by the boss praising Smalling? Should Rio not plan for life after football? If that’s what he’s being accused of, then he is guilty.
Smallng’s one lucky boy. I like what he said about Rio in this thread but I was kinda pissed when he said a week or so ago that Rio will have to fight for his place now or something like that. If true (press could have been making it up) then I thought that was a bit arrogant.
@user404…. de Jong?
and smalling got that absolutely right… United is the place to be!
These comments seem much more appropriate and are coming through believable channels. Even if Smalling did say something about Rio fighting for a space, Rio will be only too aware of the truth of it. Everyone knows that any game could be their last at United, with the depth of backup talent and the risk of injury. One is always fighting for a spot. That said, a fit Rio will not be replaced by Smalling in the near future. In my view, a fit Rios command of the defense is un rivaled in the United back 4. That is no disrespect to Vida or even to Smalling. It is just a fact. Rio is vocal and commands respect, both in his attitude and in his assured play. These will not be transferred to Smalling in a heartbeat. Like Evans and Pique before, Smalling understands that the title of Center Full for Manchester United comes with a great deal of effort and a proper understanding of protocol, on and off the pitch. That said, I am very very pleased at Smallings progress. I also appreciate these quotes showing his understanding of the maturity required to win respect in Uniteds defense.