STATS: “Dirty” Scholes vs Arsenal Players

146 Comments

1. August 25, 2010 at 14:25

   xol says:

   Dirty Manager
2. August 25, 2010 at 14:26

   Eight08 says:

   That’s three articles on this topic now. lol.

   Same old Arsenal, always cheating!
3. August 25, 2010 at 14:28

   Gerry Gooner says:

   OMG. You’re right. We are dillusional! NOT
4. August 25, 2010 at 14:33

   Gotta hate tiny tears says:

   Im loving this that wengers comments get defended and scott is not letting up

   Love RoM

   Sholes to get the nobel peace prize compaired to Arsenal
5. August 25, 2010 at 14:33

   Tom14 says:

   Oh deary me.
6. August 25, 2010 at 14:35

   ASYD says:

   eerrmmmm What happened to Red Cards??? The number one punishment for been dirty in a Game is a Red Card…..Yellow card do no really give a clear indication of a dirty player. give us stats on red cards!!!
7. August 25, 2010 at 14:36

   Giggsy's right foot says:

   So it’s purely the number of fouls that make a player dirty? It doesn’t matter that most of a players fouls are cynical, as long as he doesn’t foul that often then he isn’t dirty?
8. August 25, 2010 at 14:39

   Mic says:

   Why does anyone even care what Wenger says? He’s a manager that’s not changed with football, sure developing youth is great but it doesn’t win trophies, you need a mixture of buying and developing. Much like us, or Barcelona, two teams that share similar footballing ideas. Wenger is struggling to change with the times and 5 years without a trophy shows this. He’s too high and mighty for the Carling Cup and tries to use it to blood youngsters instead of giving him current squad trophy winning experience and cup final experience.
9. August 25, 2010 at 14:41

   meh says:

   As an Arsenal fan, I wish our players were a bit more dirty. They might not get broken so easily.
10. August 25, 2010 at 14:41

    Gerry Gooner says:

    @GHTT

    I can’t keep up. On a side issue I’ve seen that girl of yours singing those ‘songs’ on the net. I have a 4 yr old i’m trying to brainwash at the moment but he hasn’t a note in his head!
11. August 25, 2010 at 14:41

    lordhillwood says:

    Scholes for sure a brilliant player, tackling has not always been his strongest suit, and whilst you can compare data, the real indication is bookings and Scholes like Gilberto is a master of the art of avoiding those, too many naughty fouls which should have been rewarded by seeing yellow weren’t, I don’t think Scholes is a dirty player or malicious, I met him and mrs scholes in spain many years ago and you won’t come accross a more polite withdrawn quiet and unassuming guy who is a family man. As a gooner he was a player who cost us dearly on occassions and a player i like, I don’t think Wenger said he was dirty, but said unfair, for me I would say fortuitous with bad tackling thrown in, and as the years ticked by he got late on more occassions than normal. Still a great player and that bit of steel and bully boy side is not a bad thing in my book
12. August 25, 2010 at 14:42

    Boomer says:

    Your missing wengers point, hes not saying he commits more fouls, hes saying he does more of them on purpose, therefor dirty player.
13. August 25, 2010 at 14:43

    sesse says:

    Tbh.. Even though I’m an man u fan. If you compare the fouls scholes makes compared to many arsenal players, except maybe vieira.. then scholes are much more aggressive unlikely to the arsenal players. stats can be misleading. anyways good article..

    Glory Glory!
14. August 25, 2010 at 14:43

    Boomer says:

    MIC, have a word if you think you get even near to the quality of Arsenal or Barca in terms of how the game should be played, trophies yes, best footballing team, no
15. August 25, 2010 at 14:44

    Paul N says:

    geez, i just posted this on the last article as a joke.

    “Dont tell me this is going to be a five part series of stats defending scholes and dissing wenger?”

    wow!
16. August 25, 2010 at 14:45

    DeludedMancs says:

    Interesting to see how much time you lot have devoted to aqquire proof that that Scholes is not dirty . Totally disregarding the facts. If it means so much to you I suggest you read the article in its whole he never said scholes was dirty nore was he asked if he found him dirty. Your stats are also quite amusing , i personally had Scholes as the best player in world football for quite some time. But fact is his tackling is AWFUL (quite often at) at times and he performs tackles like that a couple of times every season everybody knows and everybody has seen it.. English commentators joke about it and pretend it hassent happened because he is ENGLISH (jonny foreigner would have been crucified for less) so its not about quantity its about ..eerm quality for quantity you have fletcher.
17. August 25, 2010 at 14:45

    Paul N says:

    smh
18. August 25, 2010 at 14:46

    jimbo says:

    I think someone above hit the nail on the head. If a player commits 5 little niggling fouls over 90mins and another player commits one, leg breaking foul, then who is the dirtier player? the first guy or the 2nd?
19. August 25, 2010 at 14:47

    Wainy says:

    And this coming from the supporter of a team who fielded Roy Keane?! This article is totally flawed – basically comparing 1 player against several Arsenal players who you have picked and chosen without much logic (other than to support your case), like Bergkamp & V Persie (forwards) and Lauren (right back). Why don’t you compare like for like? Scholes is an attacking midfield so compare him against Arsenal’s attacking midfielders ie Arshavin, Rosicky, Walcott etc. Then I don’t think your argument would stack up. It’s like saying that the Citroen C4 is rated no.1 for emissions against the Renault Megane and Audi TT, when presumably as a result all other cars on the market rate better than the Citroen C4 for emissions! (this is just an example, I’m not saying this is fact!)

    Also, these ‘facts’ don’t take into account the severity of tackles, they just relate to how many tackles made, of which Scholes doesn’t make that many because he’s an attacking midfielder. Where is mention of how many of them were ‘bad’ or ‘sinister’ tackles?
20. August 25, 2010 at 14:48

    Gooner says:

    good article – some good stat finding

    but depends what you mean by foul?

    are you including ‘offside’ as a foul?

    also depends on the type of tackle, someone like gilberto gives away petty fouls, whereas scholes dives in all over the place – but no doubting his quality as a player.

    I think the whole world and his wife knows that Paul Scholes has a dirty side to him, no hiding that. also no hiding the fact arsenal have had some players with dirty sides to their games (vieira, keown etc).
21. August 25, 2010 at 14:49

    Gerry Gooner says:

    @jimbo
    and these are fouls that were punished and recroded as such. How many do/ did current and past England players get away with? Shearer, Terry, Rooney etc
22. August 25, 2010 at 14:50

    degs says:

    Your way wide of the mark here. Wenger was not saying he is a presistant fouler as you have taken it. He ment that he can be brash and a little spikey in a handfull of cames over one season. It is completely true, there is no defence for it.
23. August 25, 2010 at 14:50

    GoonerDan says:

    What a great player Scholes was and still is. I think the point Wenger was making is the number of nasty/late challenges Scholes has made over the years, not the total number of fouls he has given away. Your stats don’t show that. I personally don’t have a problem with Scholes challenges, but I don’t think anyone would argue with Wenger that for recklessly timed challenges Scholes is right up there.
24. August 25, 2010 at 14:51

    Gotta hate tiny tears says:

    Gerry Gooner

    Should of started when he was 10 months old

    Emily knows 2 Arsenal chants- but not ones you’d teach your kid keep at it mate
25. August 25, 2010 at 14:52

    manuforever says:

    i think you take some number and present them in a way to fit your point but in all numbers you didn’t mentioned how many players did Scholes wounded and how many times he dived intentially in to a players legs.
    i love him as a player but he is dirty alright.
26. August 25, 2010 at 14:52

    Livers says:

    Come on, it’s well known Scholes gets away with Murder… point here is “gets away” with….

    Foul on Reyes semi final he should have been given straight red…not even booked and scores the winner………..

    It’s not just Scholes to be fair, most English players get away with it and Gerrard more than most
27. August 25, 2010 at 14:53

    MG says:

    The force is strong with this Scott The Red

    He shall be a thorn in the dark side

    (aptly assisted by most of us of course)

    : )

    For United – For costas

    Bring home the 19 – May 2011 : )
28. August 25, 2010 at 14:54

    Gerry Gooner says:

    @GHTT

    I tried mate! A buddy of mine is of your persuasion and is trying to teach him the chants you’re talking about I’d say!
29. August 25, 2010 at 14:54

    Joe says:

    No one is saying Vieira was the cleanest player on the planet but I reckon he may have made just a few more tackles than Scholes? hmm?

    A fair comparison would be fouls per game/total tackles per game.

    I would say that the main reason Wenger remembers Scholes being such a bad tackler is (a) he is a bad tackler (b) When Reyes came on in the semi final 2003-04 he literally fouled him out fo the game, simply going for the player not the ball. Obviously it was under Fergie’s instruciton becuase he knew United could not live with him at the time but it was still Scholes who did it.

    I’m not being critical of this approach it makes sense and i wish we did it more, Rooney would not have scored that breakaway goal against us last year if we had just clattered into him in the centre circle but you cant argue that Scholes i dirty, he is.
30. August 25, 2010 at 14:55

    MG says:

    GHTT

    Emily is my hero – she keeps Fareed entertained big time – he just looks at me – how does she sing all those songs : )

    United in the blood – who needs anything else…
31. August 25, 2010 at 14:55

    Overmars says:

    Scholes is a very good player and he is a bit dirty there is nothing wrong with what wenger said. Most great players have dirty side like Vieira like keane, so get over it, trying to make it sound he said something wrong. For a united blog you do talk about arsenal alot maybe you should worry about your own team.
32. August 25, 2010 at 14:56

    bigphil2003 says:

    @Wainey – What positions do Diaby, Song, Gilberto, Fabregas and Vieira play?
    Either way, I don’t know if there was any need for a third article but hey, I don’t own the site!
33. August 25, 2010 at 14:57

    East End Gooner says:

    In all fairness, your stats are just showing fouls per se rather than the severity of them.

    Why don’t we look further into the TYPES of foul committed?!

    1. No Arsenal player has ever tackled like Scholes – lateness or persistent yes, but not in tackling illiteracy
    2. Most of his red cards are in either Europe or for England – stressing further the idiotic English referees
    3. Apart from Diaby’s shock tackle against Bolton in 2008, please can you show me ANY tackle made by an Arsenal player that is worse than any in Scholes’ repertoir?

    From memory, i can name 3 instances of Scholes getting away with just a yellow when a red would have been more worthy when your lot played us:

    on Edu in May 2002
    on Reyes in April 2004
    on Rosicky in September 2006

    You just cannot stand the fact that Wenger has made a valid point and that referees may act on it like they did with Fletcher last year. Truth hurts, doesn’t it?! Also, you seem to put your foot in your mouth by highlighting 2002/03 where Henry got more yellow cards than Scholes despite making fewer fouls per card. What ever possessed you to write about this?!

    The real point is that if he cannot tackle, WHY ON EARTH DOES HE EVEN BOTHER?! Pires could not tackle, so he did not try. It did not stop him being the player that he is.
34. August 25, 2010 at 14:57

    kanchelskis says:

    I think you’ve gone a bit stat-crazy here, Scott.

    You’re original umbrage with Wenger’s comments was that Scholes has a ‘dark side’.

    That question of intent/malice is not something that stats could ever hope to capture.

    I’d argue that while Scholes is often cynical and will chop down a counter-attacking player in the centre of the park when he knows he can’t win the ball, he is by no means malicious.

    With the exception of that one time he took a swing at Alonso (and got sent off), I’ve never seen him go in dangerously or with the intention of injuring a fellow professional.
35. August 25, 2010 at 14:57

    gerkeo says:

    Off topic but more bad financial news regarding the Tampa bay Leprechauns:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/24/manchester-united-glazers-mortgage-malls
36. August 25, 2010 at 14:59

    kanchelskis says:

    East End Gooner

    Gallas on Bolton’s Mark Davies?

    Eboue breaking John Terry’s foot?

    Those are just off the top of my head.
37. August 25, 2010 at 14:59

    kanchelskis says:

    …oh and Eboue again, poleaxing Nani in the FA cup when we beat you 4-0.
38. August 25, 2010 at 15:00

    brokenkirby says:

    This a wind up?! I had a bit of respect for this blog before the 2nd post.

    Used to like the banter, but this is just comical.

    Wenger’s Entitled to his (pretty much spot on) opinion, as are you entitled to splurge stats which dont disprove the fact that scholes has a reputation for intentional fouls, some soft, some very hard.

    Dark side….Yes?

    As do many Arsenal players past and present, but he wasnt asked who are the dirtiest players in the prem, or even whether any arsenal players are worse. He was asked his opinion on Scholes.

    And he was spot on.

    Keep up the banter, but change the record.

    End of.
39. August 25, 2010 at 15:01

    gerkeo says:

    @East End Gooner: Gallas horror tackle vrs Bolton from a few years back is one. But i suppose you have the same eye condition as Arse Wenger “I didn’t see it”

    From Arsenes wikipedia page: “Wenger’s sides were often criticised for their indiscipline, receiving 73 red cards between 1996 and 2008″

    Fook off mate
40. August 25, 2010 at 15:01

    neil says:

    manchester united get away with alot more then any1. like the double footed slide tackle fletcher in the box on arshavin where he got none of the ball and all of the man and was not given a foul. scholes get sent off for dirty tackles arsenal players get booked for easing a player off the ball. look at the pentaly u got against fulham the ball hit duffs arm and u get a soft pen
41. August 25, 2010 at 15:02

    smith14 says:

    This still doesn’t show the amount of tackles made per game so it’s still irrelevant.

    The fact is that no Arsenal player on your list has ever been part of a calculated assault on a player like Paul Scholes was with Jose Antonio Reyes.

    You can crunch all the numbers you like but Paul Schoels does have a “dark side”. You might justfiy it as it helps your side win games. It doesn’t make it a false statement though.
42. August 25, 2010 at 15:03

    Henry Scobie says:

    This is completely missing the point. Yellow cards can be for all sorts of things. Red cards are the measure of dirtiness. Paul Scholes is a dirty, cynical player and can’t time tackles. Still a very good player. Of course Vieira gets booked a lot because making tackles is his game (and he was/ is excellent at timing them).
43. August 25, 2010 at 15:04

    rob says:

    no point putting stats of events that made the ref whistle….with scholes its how many times the ref didnt whistle!!
    Face it, hes a dirty player that can’t tackle…not saying some of the arsenal players are not over the top sometimes….just that scholes seems to get away with it more (bit like dirty gerrard)
44. August 25, 2010 at 15:05

    le prof says:

    isnt it enough that the guy gives you a technical breakdown of the player? he is quailty and wenger stated that clearly! scholes is dirty-not bowyer dirty but he cannot tackle and doesnt want to learn-is that hard to admit? it must be-same with keown, grimandi and whoever you want to throw up.

    take some feedback on the chin-there is an elite agenda for certain players like john terry and over the years he has got away with stuff like scholes has. this helps us arsenal supporters becuse it shows that this prawn sandwich thing is true-wenger and every manager through europe and the world rate scholes very highly as 1 of the greats-not enough for you guys though is it.
45. August 25, 2010 at 15:05

    kanchelskis says:

    neil

    You’re gonna come on here and chat about soft penalties when Cesc robbed us of our only midfield destroyer for the CL final, just for the sake of a soft pen?
46. August 25, 2010 at 15:06

    Paul N says:

    Thought the Eboue tackle was just two players going for a loose ball.

    This however was serious.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GEB-TYLMmQ&p=A62C5051A3EAC4AC&playnext=1&index=4
47. August 25, 2010 at 15:08

    Paul N says:

    Damn, I didnt know that Cesc was a theif!
48. August 25, 2010 at 15:08

    Le Gooner says:

    Lol, keep ‘em coming, Scott. Dont leave anything out. Next time include red cards aswell. Ok?
49. August 25, 2010 at 15:08

    Le Gooner says:

    Lol, keep ‘em coming, Scott. Dont leave anything out. Next time include red cards aswell. Ok?
50. August 25, 2010 at 15:10

    kanchelskis says:

    Paul N

    Neither did I… what’s a “theif”?
51. August 25, 2010 at 15:10

    Wainy says:

    BigPhil 2003, of the players you quote, only Diaby and Fabregas are attacking midfielders like Scholes. The others all play different roles which require tackling a lot more than an attacking midfielder! How about comparing Scholes to Nasri? In fact I’m going to write an article comparing Nasri to Vidic, Keane and Evra. Then see what you say. You would argue exactly the same thing as me.
52. August 25, 2010 at 15:12

    kanchelskis says:

    smith14

    Couldn’t remember what you meant by the Scholes “calculated assault” on Reyes. So I looked for it on youtube.

    Nothing came up.

    Must’ve been reeeeaaal bad.
53. August 25, 2010 at 15:14

    theboogeyman says:

    kanchelskis- Picking on typos is pretty sad lol.

    Scott, I love these articles that bring rival fans here. Can you do something to bring Liverpool fans? Because those idiots are the most fun of the lot.
54. August 25, 2010 at 15:14

    Paul N says:

    oops!

    As my people would say. blasted teif! oh sorry tief. translation thief!

    Thanks for the correction dude!

    lol
55. August 25, 2010 at 15:15

    datopage2 says:

    @Brokenkirby … intentional? From the looks we had, can’t say i agree with you … maybe we shd get you into the yard for a spot of mindreading crinimals for queen and country
56. August 25, 2010 at 15:19

    Paul N says:

    @ theboogeyman

    when you come up against someone as intelligent and witty as I am you have to pick on whatever scraps you can find.

    ahh, such is life.

    dont worry kanchelskis, I used spell check for this comment.

    Its all in fun, at the end of the day is just a game.

    Have a blessed day all!
57. August 25, 2010 at 15:19

    GoatinaUnitedShirt says:

    Whats the problem? Scholes fouls, yeah probably. Any player found in the middle of the pitch and organising play will get fouled and will foul himself, its life get over it. What is Wenger complaining about that Scholes has fouled more than most. Well thats not difficult hes been a regular since 95, since then Wenger has watched his midfielders part for the bigger stage. If any of them had stayed their records would be far worse than Paul Scholes. Flamini, Viera, soon Fabregas and Denilson etc left to play on the bigger stage as i said before only to be shown up for the clowns that they are. They went to leagues where you cant get away with manly play and in turn most of their game was taken away from them. You’ve got to give Wenger credit for cashing in on the shite.
    Wengers real problem is that he has to shout out about the robust style of United and alert his team to the fact because its shown that you need a bit of grit to win the league. Unfortunately all of his players are children in stature and the fact that their tackles are laughable at best. I mean if Nasri or Arshavin came in to tackle me I would fall down, laughing. There is alot to say (mostly unpleasant) about a man that surrounds himself with child like figures. He looks like he has had a nose job and his playground is a fucking circus. His country produces a wide range of Jesus juice so Mr Wenger, which one are you sleeping naked with you fucking PEDO.
58. August 25, 2010 at 15:19

    bigphil2003 says:

    Wainey, they’re all CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS. Sometimes you attack, sometimes you defend. Sure they have different strengths but they play the same position. None of them are of the Makelele type.
59. August 25, 2010 at 15:21

    King Eric says:

    Boomer – Typical pretentious gooner. Arsenal don’t play the beautiful game they are fucking boring to watch pal. All tip tapping about and no end product. At least United can mix a passing game with getting stuck in. We have played you off the park the last two away games. Mug.
60. August 25, 2010 at 15:22

    bigphil2003 says:

    And from what I’ve know of Nasri/Arshavin they are more wingers anyway.
61. August 25, 2010 at 15:22

    King Eric says:

    Wainey – Scholes an “attacking midfielder”. Yeah ok mate.
62. August 25, 2010 at 15:23

    Wainy says:

    Kanchelskis so you looked up Scholes “calculated assault” on Reyes on youtube and couldn’t find it. So that proves it didn’t happen does it? Is every bad tackle in the history of the Premier League on youtube? And maybe it’s under a different title? It’s like you telling me that you slept with your wife on 27 July 2005. I could tell you you didn’t so I say ‘show me the video’. But you didn’t make a video so did that prove it never happened?
63. August 25, 2010 at 15:25

    Wainy says:

    And why is there no comparison on here with other Utd midfielders like Carrick & Fletcher? I’d have a fair bet that they rate high on tackles per game.
64. August 25, 2010 at 15:27

    East End Gooner says:

    @kanchelskis – I stand corrected on the Eboue and Gallas fouls – they were bad but not as shocking as Diaby’s in 2008

    @gerkeo – my eyesight is quite good. By the way, telling me to “fook off” dispalys the lack of intelligence you have. What’s the matter – did your mum go binge drinking when she was expecting you?!
65. August 25, 2010 at 15:28

    RockyLives says:

    To be honest mate Wenger’s comments weren’t that bad and I’m think your response might be regarded as overkill. How long did it take you to compile all those stats? Bit of a waste of time really because they are such a broad brush.
    And anyway, as has been well demonstrated by Wenger in the past, Arsenal players get more yellow cards per foul than any other team. Don’t really know why (I don’t buy the conspiracy theories) but it bears thinking about and further underlines the pointlessness of this sort of stat-splattering.
66. August 25, 2010 at 15:28

    kanchelskis says:

    Wainy

    No of course I didn’t look up “calculated assault”. I searched “Scholes Reyes”. Pretty open-ended, no?

    And no, not every ‘bad tackle’ is on YouTube, but a vast majority of those which have gained any kind of notoriety are. The two Eboue instances and the Gallas ‘challenge’ that I mentioned are both on there.

    And I’m not saying it didn’t happen. I’m saying that if it was as malicious as was being made out, the chances are someone would have stuck it up there. They haven’t.

    *awaits flippant response*
67. August 25, 2010 at 15:29

    King Eric says:

    Any United fans on here EVER posted on a gooner blog? EVER? No thought not. Rival fans are just obsessed.
68. August 25, 2010 at 15:33

    MG says:

    Let me say something else

    Every player has a dark side – every player has a weakness – every player has a limitation

    Again Wenger can comment all he wants on Paul Scholes – but none of his players even Fabregas are a patch on him

    Ultimately Paul Scholes will be remembered for what he did rather than what he didn’t do or couldn’t do.

    To all:

    In his BBC interview he clearly states when asked why he can’t tackle that it is a part of his game and so be it if he gets a yellow or a red card for it.

    Many people do not understand that he is a few of his or any generation that love football for what football is.

    In saying so he isn’t like a Ronaldo or a Henry on now a Fabregas to play for a team but have his heart set on on something else.

    In his entirety Paul Scholes is a one club man who understands that football is just a game – but a job where you lead by example to the younger players and listen when you are being taught

    If anything his interview showed his dark side – and that dark side isn’t the whole point about him not being able to tackle – because he accepts it and rightly points out that it is just part of the bigger picture of the game – his dark side is that he is cool and unattached when he should be accepting honours and compliments. To that he responds by answering that he will take criticism any day to teach those that question him a lesson.

    For any young player whether at United or at Arsenal – that is the ultimate lesson – the ability to not be pussy footed around or laden with riches beyond belief – but to be encapsulated in a very deep place where you are prepared to learn and take on every negativity and turn it into something positive.

    Ultimately this is what Paul Scholes is about – nothing more nothing less.

    And he is of a dying breed – it would be amazing if there are players like him in the future playing for any team let alone United.

    The fact that he is so sure of himself coming 36 only tells you that these players are now becoming rare and that football will be a lesser place without them

    Not without the Ronaldos or the Henrys or the Fabregas’ of this world that have a dream and want to fuck off accordingly

    Go figure
69. August 25, 2010 at 15:33

    Paul N says:

    King Eric said “Arsenal don’t play the beautiful game they are fucking boring to watch pal.”

    The whole world believes that Arsenal are great to watch but the opinionof a biased United supporter should trump that, innit?

    Maybe Arsenal are boring to you but I am thinking that even most United supporters wouldnt agree with that nonsense.
70. August 25, 2010 at 15:35

    Paul N says:

    I only came on here because the article was on newsnow Arsenal and I just thought it would good fun.

    I think 3 articles in a row about what Arsene said about Scholes is an obsession.

    Think about it.
71. August 25, 2010 at 15:37

    Costas says:

    In the last 24 hours, there have been more Arsenal than United fans over here, lol.

    I love the picture of Darth Paul. I find the lack of Wenger’s faith disturbing though.
72. August 25, 2010 at 15:37

    Eight08 says:

    He came from Senegal
    He gave giggs the ball
    and arsenal won fuck all.
73. August 25, 2010 at 15:37

    RockyLives says:

    King Eric, have a look at some of the Gooner blogs the day Wenger’s comments about Scholes came out. You couldn’t move for outraged Home Counties Mancs slagging off AW.
    It’s natural when an Arsenal blog writes about ManU that ManU fans read it and, if so inclined, offer up a response. And vice versa when ManU blogs (as this one has done) write an article about Arsenal.
    If you’ve never posted an another club’s site that’s your prerogative, but I can assure you that plenty of you fellow supporters post regularly on other clubs’ discussion boards. Sometime they’re even quite eloquent.
74. August 25, 2010 at 15:37

    East End Gooner says:

    @kanchelskis – see this from Scholes against Barcelona

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W66JLyOAt7g

    Unfortunately cannot find that Scholes “tackle” on Reyes
75. August 25, 2010 at 15:37

    Paul N says:

    thougt I would have some good fun, that is.

    I had to correct that fast before kanchelskis commented on it.
76. August 25, 2010 at 15:39

    MostonRedG says:

    Wow if only arsenal had anyone near scholes’ class and ability maybe there fans wouldn’t be so bitter about it. Anyway i thought they were all too bothered crying about their best player being desperate to escape to somewhere were he has a chance of winning something for once.
77. August 25, 2010 at 15:39

    kanchelskis says:

    Paul N

    “thougt”?

    
78. August 25, 2010 at 15:42

    kanchelskis says:

    East End Gooner

    Well, Scholes wasn’t supposed to be going the midfield destroyer thing that night. It was supposed to be Fletch.

    But thanks to a certain Catalan pansy, that never happened…
79. August 25, 2010 at 15:44

    Wainy says:

    Kanchelskis, but the fact it’s not on youtube still doesn’t prove it wasn’t a malicious tackle. In any case, this is just one example of many bad tackles by Scholes, not just on Reyes.
80. August 25, 2010 at 15:47

    MG says:

    Paul N

    United play better football than Arsenal – we’ve actually proved that time and time again.

    Maybe King Eric is being a tad harsh but his opinion is still warranted – as so far as that the media have had an Arsenal thing for years – even when United win – what is really funny now is the medias warped view of Chelsea over Arsenal.

    Now Chelsea are really boring to watch – Compared to Arsenal – if we couldn’t get to the holy grail – I would hope that City and Chelsea would be beaten by you lot.

    You can’t argue that you have blown more cold than hot over the years – I wouldn’t personally say that is boring football – more like infuriating football – but that’s just my opinion.

    We are not obsessed by the way. If Wenger has a right to make his point I think we do too. You can’t expect to open up a can of worms and then not be prepared to have it done to you.

    However – we mostly do this to keep it in house and as mentioned before most of us on here have and never will comment on United on another blog – we just don’t really have the time to or care enough to walk away from here.
81. August 25, 2010 at 15:49

    East End Gooner says:

    @Eight08 says

    Wow – that was about 11 years ago. Do you sing that in your sleep or do you utter it when you make love to your boyfriend?!

    To anyone who wishes to take up the baton of Arsenal going 5 years without a trophy – we want it to change, but we have to be realistic having just built a stadium and not getting the money back from property deals oweing to the recession.

    Of course, we could go the United way and sell out to a leprechaun on leveraged finance, enjoy some short term success and then make moronic statements later about “no value in the transfer market” exactly one year after paying £30m for Berbatov. We may not have the trophies yet, but we’re not going to go bankrupt chasing them.
82. August 25, 2010 at 15:49

    Gotta hate tiny tears says:

    sorry for this off topic but Cantona just accepted me as a Facebook Friend and with a quick of his info i seen one of his kids is called Walid Mancunien

    this man is a god
83. August 25, 2010 at 15:50

    kanchelskis says:

    Oh, and it’s late and hard. But it’s not malicious.

    Bear in mind this is Busquets FFS, he could get tickled by a feather duster and make it look like he’s been macheted.
84. August 25, 2010 at 15:54

    East End Gooner says:

    @kanchelskis

    I understand your point. Fletcher got the ball when he made that tackle, but the ball was still playable by Fabregas had Fletcher not left his foot in. On that basis he deserved the red. Look at it closely to confirm.

    In all fairness, I really could not understand why he even made that tackle seiing as you were 3-0 up with about 20 minutes left. Perhaps it points to a deeper malaise where tackling no matter what is encouraged by old red nose. I could be wrong.
85. August 25, 2010 at 15:55

    theboogeyman says:

    East End Gooner- 20 years is short term is it? And it’s not like the Glazers helped us, they’ve been pulling us down. You do make some stupid statements.
86. August 25, 2010 at 15:55

    LT says:

    You Gooners asking for the stats on red cards are asking for trouble methinks…
87. August 25, 2010 at 15:56

    theboogeyman says:

    East End GOoner- Why he made the tackle? Because he has the mentality of a winner and he never wants the opposition to score. That’s why.
88. August 25, 2010 at 15:58

    bigphil2003 says:

    Sergio Biscuits? You’re really gonna believe that Scholes hurt him as bad as he claimed? Same goes for Reyes, diving cunts.
89. August 25, 2010 at 15:58

    MG says:

    GHTT

    Congratulations mate : )
90. August 25, 2010 at 15:59

    East End Gooner says:

    @theboogeyman

    I meant your spending since they arrived has gone up until recently. Prior to his arrival your success was down to being better than everyone in aspects such as team, stadium, marketability. You spent big every now and again.
91. August 25, 2010 at 16:00

    King Eric says:

    Paul N – It IS boring mate. I like to see end product not some 5 ft 3 fairies playing tip tappy shite. Of course all the London media love you.
92. August 25, 2010 at 16:00

    68-99-08 says:

    I admire arsenals passing style but at no point in the last 20 years has it been as entertaining as uniteds. Uniteds attacking football has always been easy on the eye but also very potent. The reason for this is we have always been able to back it up with real heart, desire, and fight. IMO something the recent arsenal teams have lacked.
    Paul Scholes epitomises this. His technique, one touch play, vision, shooting, awareness and all round ability are second to no-one in the game, yet when it comes down to the kniity gritty stuff, he is never found wanting, never bottles a 50-50 and never gives his oponent time to find space on the ball, because they are shitting themselves that hes going to come flying in on their heels.

    Just ask zidane; “Scholes is my toughest oponent, the complete player”.
93. August 25, 2010 at 16:00

    bigphil2003 says:

    East End Gooner @ 15.54 – I thought it was a stupid post after reading the first paragraph but the second one completely blew me away. You don’t understand why a player decided to try and stop the opposition scoring? Bizarre.
94. August 25, 2010 at 16:01

    Slim says:

    oh fuck, we’re still on this paul scholes topic, seems to me there’s fuck all to talk about
95. August 25, 2010 at 16:01

    lucas says:

    ha ha.. beat that you Arsene !

    Well.. I did not zee dath coming!! I can’t comment right now… Ciao!
96. August 25, 2010 at 16:01

    theboogeyman says:

    East End Gooner- Not really. We always spent big once in a while.
97. August 25, 2010 at 16:01

    East End Gooner says:

    @theboogeyman

    Just goes to show Fletcher’s lack of intelligence that he made the tackle without ensuring it made the ball go out further or that he pulled his leg out to avoid fouling Fabregas.

    Cynical foul = red card.
98. August 25, 2010 at 16:04

    MG says:

    KIng Eric

    G’day mate!

    Don’t they love Chelsea more : )

    And now that there has been a shift of power – love Manchester City as the new kids on the block

    The delusion continues – : )

    So that’s Arsenal into third – and well they’ve never cared about about us

    But we don’t care – many of us real United fans on this earth to keep each other going – who the fuck needs the non believers… I certainly don’t

    Remind to send Talksport and everyone a card after we do this 19 : )
99. August 25, 2010 at 16:04

    East End Gooner says:

    @bigphil2003 says

    What I meant was making a risky challenge when the opposition had no chance of recovery.

    As explained to theboogeyman, lack of intelligence on part of Fletcher really evident. He took a needless risk, did not get away with it, and paid the price.
100. August 25, 2010 at 16:05

     smith14 says:

     Kanchelskis;

     I said he was part of a calculated assualt. He was one of a few players who’d clearely gone out to target Reyes and kick him out of the game.

     We can all bring up examples of bsad tackles but Wenger wasn’t asked who he thought was the dirtiest player he just said that, wghen asked about the specific player, that Scholes was dirty.

     Statistics will never prove or contradict such a statement but we all know Scholes, at best, can’t tackle. I would suggest that the common knowledge that he can’t tackle gets him off sometimes.
101. August 25, 2010 at 16:07

     MG says:

     @East End Gooner

     Shows the lack of respect from your captain Fabregas where he couldn’t turn around and tell the ref the truth – however that’s not his job

     And before you start you know he’s off next year – so much for loyalty

     Cynical relationship = transfer next year – correct?
102. August 25, 2010 at 16:07

     kanchelskis says:

     The only person in that situation who displayed a lack of intelligence was the cocking ref.
103. August 25, 2010 at 16:13

     East End Gooner says:

     @MG

     What was Fabregas supposed to say? “Hey ref, dont send him off, he left his foot in and tripped me to stop me scoring”?

     There is no doubting that Fabregas will be off – when is a matter more to do with what we can do with him in the side this season.

     Debts not paid + interest accruing = goodbye to being top dogs
104. August 25, 2010 at 16:15

     theboogeyman says:

     East End Gooner- He got the ball. It wasn’t a foul.
105. August 25, 2010 at 16:16

     bonaku says:

     What about the red cards and two foot tackles by scoles ?
106. August 25, 2010 at 16:17

     East End Gooner says:

     @theboogeyman

     I dont dispute he got the ball. It was still playable by Fabregas had Fletcher not left his foot in.
107. August 25, 2010 at 16:19

     kanchelskis says:

     East End Gooner

     Didn’t need to be that. But it’s a shame it was more like ‘Ref, although we’ve yet again blown our chances of winning anything in Europe by being schooled on our own patch, I can at least have an impact on the final by making sure the team that have embarrassed us are without a player they’re definitely going to need. So down I go, limbs flailing. Please send the naughty man off. Remember what uncle Arsene said? He’s anti-football. That’s it. Nice one, ref. ’
108. August 25, 2010 at 16:23

     bigphil2003 says:

     @East End Gooner – yes it was a risk, but football is all about taking risks at both ends. And in this situation Fletcher’s risk was well worth it, or at least it would have been were it not for shitty refereeing.
109. August 25, 2010 at 16:23

     MG says:

     East End Gooner

     Do yourself a favour and don’t sound stupid like a city fan

     United have been under the Glazer’s since 2005

     In your equation of debts not paid + interest incurring = goodbye to being top dogs – you have been overcome by some serious anger or blood filled rage that you have forgotten that we have won the premiership three times – CL once and got to another final – world club cup – three charity shields – three league cups

     Fuck sake when you talk get it right – your assumption is bullshit – United continue to make money which is helping the Glazer’s pay off the debt – they continue to be successful because of a long term plan in place under SAF.

     You do not become the worlds most expensive club or brand – according to Forbes TM for no reason. No one is denying the debt and what is happening – but United get bigger and will continue to service it until 2017 when hopefully the Glazer’s are happy enough to sell it on when the club is hopefully worth what they require in order to make a profit

     Get a life come back with something else this United fan has done his homework
110. August 25, 2010 at 16:28

     East End Gooner says:

     @kanchelskis

     Look I know he got the ball. Simple fact is that had the ball rolled through to van der Sar or gone out, there would be no issue.

     Fact is that the ball fell invitingly in front of Fabregas AFTER Fletcher made the tackle. Unfortunately, being the unintelligent moron that he was, he left his foot in, impeded Fabregas, and the rest was history.

     Touche on the winning trophies part. Lets see old red nose trying to win trophies (major trophies) while balancing the books like we have for over 6 years.
111. August 25, 2010 at 16:34

     Republic of the Arse says:

     You’re not wrong and stats dont lie; Vieira is a true legend and knew how to be PROPERLY dark (no pun intented!). Scholes is a just an old tart (but was a great player).
112. August 25, 2010 at 16:37

     East End Gooner says:

     @MG

     Actually I have done my homework.

     Simple facts are that United are paying £40m evey year in interest only. The loan (£700m) that the Glazers took out on United has not been paid back. When the term expires (2017 or thereabouts), the banks and hedge funds will demand their money, the Glazers cannot repay it, and they take possession of Man United as a result.

     If United are worth £1.5bn as the Glazers expect in 2017, then all is well and good. But is there any certainty that this will happen, especially with the global economy as it is?
113. August 25, 2010 at 16:40

     Devil Without A Cause says:

     Republic of the Arse.

     Scholes is miles better than ANY player you lot have ever had…………
     stop being so illiterate……………
114. August 25, 2010 at 16:41

     salford jim says:

     ARSENAL FANS – SOUNDS LIKE YOUR MORE SUITED TO NON-CONTACT SPORT LIKE BASKETBALL. MIGHT EVEN WIN SOMETHING THEN BUT I HIGHLY DOUBT IT!!
115. August 25, 2010 at 16:45

     utd4life says:

     scott,love the pic..

     this is my final comment on the wenger praising scholes saga..

     scholes is a LEGEND but he cant tackle properly..arse fans can interpret the “he cant tackle” part as his dirty,dark,sinister,unfair,etc side..i frankly dont give a damn..
116. August 25, 2010 at 16:51

     utd4life says:

     @east end gooner

     mate we will manage the debt..don worry about that..you just continue to play your beautiful,orgasmic football and win nothing..i thought the bitters were bad but your equally worse..
117. August 25, 2010 at 16:54

     East End Gooner says:

     @utd4life

     Will do mate. I’m not saying that we are going to do this or that, but we’ll slowly build up, whereas you can worry whether or not United will exist in 7 years time.

     That’s me out of here!
118. August 25, 2010 at 16:59

     theboogeyman says:

     EEG- Whether United will exist? We will buddy, don’t you worry. We’ll still be ahead of you too.
119. August 25, 2010 at 17:00

     MG says:

     East End Gooner

     Let me indulge you

     There are people out there that would buy United – United are a global reach – music to any buyer or investor – Are you?

     United are worth 1.8 billion according to Forbes – In order for the Glazer’s to make a serious profit on United they have no choice but increase the investment in the club in order to service the debt – have you seen the amount of sponsers? But it isn’t just that – United are globally bigger for a reason – it maybe a sell out – but that was done under Edwards and company – the Glazer’s have just refined it.

     Let’s assume the worst happens – that United is owned by banks and Hedge-funds – the only thing they would want to do would be to sell it on to a buyer to get there money back and make a profit – meaning at that point the Glazer’s would get fuck all back – hardly unlikely – would love them to rot but they are not as stupid in this case as they seem. Your point holds no water – of course this would be good for you and City fans and Liverpool fans and Chelsea fans – it would give you hapless lot a better chance of winning the premiership a lot more often if United were closed for business

     Even for you – that fantasy talk is just a fucking fantasy – bullshit a bullshitter do not bullshit some one who knows the game.

     If there were a worldwide recession it would only mean that the Glazer’s would just sell up to the highest bidder

     All scenarios you have put forward have an answer – you have your Russian and American holding shares in you – nobody’s in the football world controlling you in there millions. For you to suggest that a nobody or somebody would not come forward for United would be just be laughable – in fact you like many fans who want United finished are just an excuse for the lowest form of fuckallness ever.

     I would never wish you or even those noisy neighbours such damnation – but you are warped and I’m the bigger man.

     Only Manchester United in their superiority and name can service the debt – it is not the Glazer’s that are doing it – it is united – it is a shame that many like you do not understand

     It is hard for us to accept what is happening to our club – we know that United would crush just about anyone in the Global game – but we are laden with this debt that only we can get rid of.

     Get a life – talk to me in 2017 and I’ll stlll be right
120. August 25, 2010 at 17:01

     elliot54 says:

     This is stupid…..Scholes goes to ground. The Arsenal players mentioned do not as much as him. Therefore the percentage of ‘dirty’ tackles made by scholes is higher than that of Arsenal players…..he goers to ground far 2 often without winning the ball, Song is far from dirty and gets penalised for litlle niggling fou;s which in my opinion aren’t even worthy of a free kisck, it’s just a biot of pressure
121. August 25, 2010 at 17:08

     Fergison says:

     Fuckin Wenger !
122. August 25, 2010 at 17:21

     Sherif says:

     @ East End Gooner

     Foolish .. Keep playing beautiful and win nothing !
     Seven years isn’t enough to build a team .?

     About that .. Don’t worry .. If you’re talking about the debt , there’s hundred of companies which wishes to buy United because It’s the most valuable sports company and club , Forbes . And you see , Red Knights offered 1.5 Billion pound to buy United , and the Qatarian Company had offered more .. But It’s about the fuckin glazers .

     United is the most Valuable team in the world .. United had gained 37.4 pound from champions league award , Only winners Inter Milan (£39.8m) earned more although we were out from the quarter final .. and although the presence of big teams like Barca and Bayern in the semi final .

     So , don’t worry , After 7 years , You will , as usual , see Wayne Rooney lifting the Premier league for the 24th time .. As you will see fabregas in Camp Nou and Wenger in St James Park

     I think you should Care about your babies and your beautiful football than caring about teams who wins Trophies ..
123. August 25, 2010 at 17:28

     Scholes the Architect says:

     In the 90s such tackles were fair tackles besides, that is a typical Scholes tackle signature.

     http://soccer.mynucleus.org
124. August 25, 2010 at 17:29

     Sir Alex says:

     Nice image, haha. Wenger’s a bastard!
125. August 25, 2010 at 17:47

     Drew Vader says:

     I like the photo!
126. August 25, 2010 at 17:51

     Drew Vader says:

     And after reading through the majority of the comments, I think the one thing we can all agree on is that Paul is f’ing fantastic, he’s a one off CM and he has talent we will be lucky to see again in a United shirt.

     So lets all smoke the peace pipe and concentrate on our mutual hatred of Chelski. How about we both try and not get swept by those fuckers this year?! Lets sign a blood oath on that please
127. August 25, 2010 at 18:04

     willierednut says:

     Arsenal fans still banging on about the Scholes tackle on Reyes, give it a rest ffs.
128. August 25, 2010 at 18:08

     Costas says:

     @willierednut

     It’s ok. The forum gets plenty of hits and grows in popularity.
129. August 25, 2010 at 18:08

     Overmars says:

     Reading most of the comments on here quite alot of man u fans know what they are talking about makes a change coz down south where there is quite alot of united fans, most know fuck all about football let alone united. So l guess the ones talking shit and giving insults to Wenger and Arsenal come from the south and dont know shit about anything.
130. August 25, 2010 at 18:11

     MG says:

     Overmars

     With all due respect

     Manchester United or Man Utd

     I don’t know who the fuck this man u is – never heard of them – they are not my team. Please with a little respect – not asking much
131. August 25, 2010 at 18:16

     willierednut says:

     Overmars – Oh do shut up you tart. Arsenal have their fair share of fickle fans and they apparently love ROM.
132. August 25, 2010 at 18:42

     geneside says:

     arsenals patrick viera and bergkamp was were fucking dirty tacklers…
     in recent times rosicky and clichy are so dirty they cannot be disposed……..
133. August 25, 2010 at 19:06

     Dave says:

     Sherif,

     think you will find the red knights made no such bid and also they valued united at less than 1bn.

     Know where Manchester is do you by any chance??
134. August 25, 2010 at 20:36

     Buytheclub2012 says:

     Thanks for stats from scott and Dear all :
     Dirty and not dirty are not just only base on the stats,we also want to see his mind ,for example scholes s tackles are not dirty ,his fouls because his leg are short and made some wrong decision from his nerve ,for me the dirty mind players goes to : Michael brown de Jong clattermot van bommel …etc and the most dirty —-Danny wise
135. August 25, 2010 at 21:02

     che lah says:

     the problem does not lies in scholes or scott for being over board in defending scholes, the problem is mr wenger who doesn’t justify himself over again in his comments over scholes. what scott wanted to tell you guys is how can he said things like that to scholes, when arsenal players have been guilty or even more than scholes in this ‘unfair, dark side’ comments on him.

     better mr wenger doesnt comments anything if he wants to praise and then put unnecessary bad remarks on top of it. or its just bad manners from him. its just not a proper way to say things like that as a manager. ppl lose respect even more to him than ppl to scholes even he has this ‘dark side’.
136. August 25, 2010 at 21:41

     Overmars says:

     No l didnt say arsenal didnt have fickle fans but no way near as much as united. The arsenal fans only came on this site through news now coz this site seems to talk about arsene and arsenal. Bergkamp dirty l dont think so, Vieira yes. These days arsenal are not physical enough if we were maybe we would win more titles.
137. August 25, 2010 at 21:55

     willierednut says:

     I’d say Arsenal do have as much fickle fans as United, but that’s just my opinion. Yeah, Bergkamp he was handy with his elbows, but of course he wasn’t dirty.
138. August 25, 2010 at 22:00

     comonureds says:

     Scholes must be a such filthy player when you go to such extrremes to try and prove otherwise.
     Look here you are fooling nobody we all know what he is like!
139. August 25, 2010 at 22:34

     ResidentGooner says:

     Why don’t you add the stats for Fletcher as well?
140. August 25, 2010 at 23:54

     bruce thomas says:

     Look away now if you still believe that the Glazer family has plans for Manchester United that are anything but malevolent and would rather not know the truth!
141. August 26, 2010 at 00:17

     bruce thomas says:

     Look away now if you still believe that the Glazer family has plans for Manchester United that are anything but malevolent and would rather not know the truth! In an occasional series investment analyst Andy Green – andersred.blogspot.com – publishes further information on the family’s US property business, First Allied Corporation.

     The report makes uncomfortable reading for United supporters still harbouring hopes of a late investment in the transfer market this summer, with the Glazers’ US strip-mall businesses failing an alarming rate as predicted by Green earlier this year.

     In May Green identified 34 of 64 Glazer-owned shopping malls that were at serious risk of defaulting on their mortgages, with the entire portfolio highly indebted. In fact First Allied is failing so fast that several shopping malls have failed to pay their mortgages in the past quarter alone.

     “Mortgages of five of these centres have become “delinquent”, that is to say the centres have started to miss mortgage payments,” explained Green yesterday.

     “These five centres, originally valued at over $38m with over $7m of equity, have become delinquent in the last four months.”

     Additionally, says, Green, “five new centres, which had previously been covering their mortgages, have now joined the “at risk” list after seeing falls in occupancy.”

     Worse still, while occupancy rates remain low across the group some malls reported as fully let by the Glazer family have also fallen into delinquency because they have come out of interest-only periods on their mortgages.

     Green estimates that many more of the family’s malls will fail even with full occupancy because the group is so highly leveraged.

     “First Allied’s problems are not just a product of a weak US economy struggling to come out of recession, they are in large part due to aggressive financing structures put in place before the credit bubble burst,” explains Green.

     “For 15 shopping centres, the terms of the mortgages on them make insolvency virtually inevitable.”

     In fact the entire property business is now in such a poor state that it made just $9 million before taxes and other costs in the past year. The true group position is worse, with Green’s estimate deliberately ignoring the centres with negative cash flow. Each centre is non-recourse, meaning it can fail without impacting the group position.

     Insignificant in a portfolio of 64 centres? Probably not, with the family’s NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers also heavily in debt, United is and will remain the family’s only cash-cow.

     Indeed, given the lack of free cash-flow in its empire and the family’s extreme indebtedness, the Glazers have little choice but to remove hundreds of millions in dividends from the club’s coffers under the terms of the £504 million bond issued last January. This will pay down the so-called Payment-in-Kind (PIK debt), while Sir Alex Ferguson remains short of transfer funds and seeking “value” in the market.

     There is, to paraphrase the Scot, no doubt that, although inexplicably some supporters still doubt this is the family’s intention.

     The picture is of course similar to that unveiled by Green, the Guardian’s Daniel Taylor and BBC Panorama last May, with the Glazers’ property position deteriorating in the past quarter. It explains almost entirely the family’s motivation for issuing a bond that actually increased United’s interest payments, why Sir Alex Ferguson is suddenly seeking “value” and the reasoning behind both the Bucs and United’s “investment in youth” – read cheap – strategies.

     While the Bucs came off disastrous 3-13 losing season on one of the lowest wage budgets in the NFL, United had ‘only’ the Carling Cup to show for a largely disappointing campaign in a mediocre quality Premier League after selling Cristiano Ronaldo last summer.

     The response to relative failure?

     Tampa Bay has invested in a range of younger free-agent players during the off-season, while the fans have walked away in droves. The franchise sold less than 40,000 season tickets and the club must now black-out TV coverage as games have not sold out for the first time in decades.

     Meanwhile, following a remarkably similar strategy United has spent around £10 million net this summer on three youngsters this summer as the club also failed to sell all available season tickets for the first time in recent memory.
142. August 26, 2010 at 03:12

     brisbanefan says:

     Dirty = Malicious.
     Scholes’ tackles are not malicious – they’re amateurish and school boyish.

     Besides, AW would have loved to have him in his Arsenal teams.
143. August 26, 2010 at 05:17

     matonian says:

     It’s really obvious:
     1) Scholes can’t time tackles, so he makes the occasional tackle that is awful
     2) That is a flaw, it’s not deliberate – look at when he’s done one of those, they’re hardly if ever worth it, never rationally thought through, such as taking down a player who is through on goal. They’re usually in the middle of the park when a player is moving or turning at speed, but not in a goal-scoring position. So, he’s not dirty, just a poor tackler.
     3) Arsene Wenger would kill for Scholes in his squad (though he’d have forced him out for being too old), but he always tries to get a psychological advantage
     4) most importantly, Scholesy doesn’t give a crap about all this and it won’t make any difference to how well Arsenal or Utd do, though Wenger may hope (like Fletch) that it makes refs think about punishing a Utd player
144. August 26, 2010 at 05:19

     matonian says:

     “August 25, 2010 at 14:28
     Gerry Gooner says: OMG. You’re right. We are dillusional! NOT”

     I’m sure they have some schools and dictionaries in London … try one out.
145. August 26, 2010 at 15:27

     Altrincham Red says:

     I don’t think we should take Wenger’s comments and opinion too seriously, I mean he also thinks Arsenal could win the league…
146. August 27, 2010 at 04:49

     Arcee88 says:

     Ranking 33-37: Totally agree ! Scholes is miles behind this guy at being Dirty !

     I’ve always hated Vieira anyways ! Dirtiest player on earth, even Materazzi doesnt even come close !