When in doubt, blame Fergie!

Wim van Hanegem has come out today saying that Ruud feels betrayed by Alex Ferguson. He said that Ruud has now realised that Ferguson has a funny way of ditching his biggest stars. “Ruud has seen what happened to Jaap Stam, David Beckham, and Roy Keane”

So what did happen to these players, which is now happening to Ruud?

Jaap Stam
One of the best defenders in the world, a great player who made all the difference to United. But Fergie soon got fed up with him so pushed him out of the team for a £6mill profit.And we won’t believe it’s any other way than that, because Ferguson has a temper on him. He shipped out Kanchelskis, Ince and Hughes all in one season, so of course he’ll make random, impulsive decisions. Poor Jaap.

However, people seem to forget that he released a book whilst still a United, saying pretty slanderous things about United. The Nevilles were ‘busy c**** for their endless grumbling about everything in general and nothing in particular. They never stop.’ Alex Ferguson had illegally ‘tapped him up’ while he was at PSV and had instructed players to dive in Europe. As well as insulting other squad members including David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel and Nicky Butt.

Surprisingly, Fergie wasn’t too keen on him after this and got rid. Stam failed a drugs test 2 months later, and served a 5 month ban (and it was a good job he wasn’t still a United player, if Rio got 9 months for turning up a day late to be tested and passed!).

David Beckham
He loved Manchester United, grew up supporting them, and it was a dream come true when he joined the youth team. Then Ferguson got annoyed with him, kicked a boot at his head, and forced Beckham out.And it’s as simple as that, right? Wrong.

United offered Beckham the wages he demanded straight away, only for Beckham to sit and renegotiate his contract over image rights for EIGHTEEN months. Whilst still a United player, he came out and said ”I’ve never said I would always be in Manchester, and I’ve certainly never said I would end my career there,” as he clearly knew he was ready to leave. He then talks of Ferguson, saying he has been like a father to him, and that although they’ve had their ups and downs, he knows he wouldn’t be the player he is today without Ferguson.

The transfer window opened, and he signed for Real Madrid straight away. “The deal was too good to turn down,” he said, which is reinforcing how important playing for a club he loved was over earning more money was, right?

If people want to believe it was Fergie who “forced” Beckham out, fair do’s, the fact of the matter remains that Beckham was a greedy bastard who’d had a rubbish season. If Fergie did “force” him out, then he was right to do so. How quick we are to forget the lack of ambition in Beckham’s game that season, the new haircuts every couple of months, the constant photographs of him out and about, and all over advertising campaigns. It’s much easier to look back and block those things out, and blame Ferguson, isn’t it?

Roy Keane
Loyal servant to United. Spent the best years of his career there, some of them as captain, helping to bring United glory. Fergie figured Keane was getting too big for his boots, so forced him out.

I love Roy Keane, and he is one of the greatest, most important players United have ever had. There were split views over his decission to slag off half of United’s team on television. I’m on the side that says NO United player, under any circumstances, should go on to MUTV and have a rant about how useless his team mates are. He was right, the midfield were piss poor. But it was not his place to say anything. Just like it wouldn’t have been another team mates place to give Roy a hard time for all the crucial games he missed through suspension that could have cost us big time (most striking in my memory are the incidents in 1999, with the yellow card against Juve which meant he missed the CL final, and the sending off in the Arsenal semi final, 20 minutes before the end of normal time, meaning we played for almost an hour with 10 men).

Keane was told that he wasn’t going to get his contract renewed, whether this be based on the fact he’d had this rant, or the fact he was 34 with a knackered hip, or the fact that United needed to move on and stop clinging to the past. He hit the roof and had a big row with Carlos, which resulted in him storming out and leaving the club.

So when in doubt, what do we do? Blame Fergie!

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Pledged to spend the rest of his career at United. A world class striker, one of the best to ever play in Europe, who is a clinical finisher in the box. Then Ferguson drops him for no reason, and leaves him out of the team for the last game of the season.

How dare this van Hanegem talk of how Ruud feels betrayed. United’s fans hopes have been put on this man’s shoulders several times, and more often than not, he has fulfilled them. Ask any United player (or even rival fans for that matter) who would you want playing for you up front in a big game, and the answer would be Ruud. So a few games before the end of the season, when United, for the first time in a couple of years, have the tiniest glimpse of the Premiership title, Ruud gets brought back in to the team. United 2 Arsenal 0. Brilliant. But where was Ruud? Where was Ruud when we drew 0-0 to Sunderland at home? Or when we drew 0-0 with Middlesborough? Or when we lost 3-0 to Chelsea? I didn’t see him, did you?

Ruud has been sulking for a good month or so now. I was happy to see Beckham leave after his performance significantly dropped, and he strutted around like he was too big for the club. You’ll remember the pictures of him on the bench, sulking. “I’m David Beckham, I should never be dropped.” Ruud has had a similar attitude. Does he not believe he has to earn his first team place, just as Louis has strived to do all this season?

So now it looks like he’s off, and yet again, Ferguson is the bad guy. It’s his fault Ruud is leaving, and now United will start to drop. Ferguson has been reckless again, he’s pissed off another of our great players, just for the hell of it. Give me a break.

If/when Ruud leaves this summer, you’ll be hearing the names Stam, Beckham and Keane more and more. Ruud will be listed as joining “their club”. I don’t agree with every decision Ferguson has made when it comes to our team, but when it comes to these players mentioned above, I’m 100% behind him. Nobody is bigger than this team of ours, and the sooner our “superstars” start realising that, the better.

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