dcmk

2 penalties and a tap in. simply awesome

Needs a run of games more like, but he's not going to get that just yet. Everyone was slagging Andy Carroll off in the first half of the season and look at him now. No just the knee jerking folk, who couldn't understand he was playing as a lone striker most games away from home, where we hardly excel at retaining the ball and creating chances. Even then he was still playing reasonably well.

Agreed. Just imagine if he'd been given a chance last season instead of Michael Superstar Owen a couple of goals from our own local hero might have kept us up. Good post - as per usual.

Just goes to show how quickly people right out our young kids. He was performing reasonable well as a solo striker - in and out of the squad - but not regulary amongst the goals and people threw their dolls out of the pram saying he would 'never make it' and wanted him traded for Jermaine Beckford plus cash. Unreal.

Or since Harewood leaving? Or since having 2 Wingers? Or since not having to play the lone striker? Take your pick.

yep some people like to write off young players completely after two or three average games. the epitome of knee-jerking and having zero patience.

He wanted a few supporters to come down from where they were sitting, and when it looked like one of them was about to do just that, he nearly jumped over the sponsor board to get at the guy. This was his first game back at LA Galaxy after his Milan stint. And in that one act, which didn't even involve him kicking a ball, he showed more guts, passion, determination and loyalty than the spineless little s*** currently occupying your avatar space. Showing the desire to prove yourself and caring what other people think, and striving to correct them is part of what makes truly great players. Wanting to fight a supporter of the team you are playing for is now considered loyal? It's loyal towards his family, who were being targeted. But it's not being a model professional is it. Which was the original point. Other professional have had insults about their personal life but have resisted the urge to smack someone - they rise above it.

Excuse me. Look at the very high percentage of footballers who constantly go out on the piss several times a week. Beckham in 2005 had been on something like 4 or 5 nights out in his career (not including ones after a cup final win) or something like that. His 'stag do' before getting married was sitting in his house with a few close friends, a few bottles of beer and a games console. There's no way you can say the man is unprofessional, he takes the game very seriously. Yeah screaming at his own supporters and offerring to fight them is certainly professional. Also, his first stint at Milan showed utter disrespect for LA Galaxy and their players - his behavor isn't exactly model. Also 'he takes his game seriously' - well then why is he playing in America? Taking the game seriously has nothing to do with who he's playing for. He shows passion for the game, and does not think he can abuse his body just because he is minted. The man is only human, anyway. Who are the other candidates for this title? Steven Gerrard... well, he's been a whisker away from the clink on a few occasions and is constantly out on the piss. If I remember rightly, the supporter that was shouting at him was saying incredibly disgusting and untruthful things about his family, and I don't blame him at all for reacting to that fan. Highlighting that one incident as your main basis for him being unprofessional shows that there's little of a case against him. Half the bloody England team have been banned, locked up, arrested, unfaithful or found sozzled after a night out. Our national team is filled with people who aren't exactly saints, but Beckham is the most professional of the lot, almost. In terms of being a 'professional' player, the only player who I can think of since Gazza who rivals Beckham is Paul Scholes. And as much as he was (and still is, to an extent) a terrific player, I don't think he was quite as good. 'Taking the game seriously has nothing to do with who he's playing for' I don't agree with that at all, by doing that move - he damaged his England hopes and didn't want to achieve anything else significant in football basically. Only went for the money. What other offers did he have, like? And also, he didn't damage his England hopes at all, did he? He was out of the team for about 4 or 5 months because Steve McClaren forgot that he was still a very good player, and he came back in and showed his worth. He's been in more or less every squad since. In hindsight his England career hasn't been that badly affected, but thats complete hindsight. When that move was announced the general consensus amongst pundits, fans, media was that his England career was effectively coming to a premature end by doing that move.

He wanted a few supporters to come down from where they were sitting, and when it looked like one of them was about to do just that, he nearly jumped over the sponsor board to get at the guy. This was his first game back at LA Galaxy after his Milan stint. And in that one act, which didn't even involve him kicking a ball, he showed more guts, passion, determination and loyalty than the spineless little s*** currently occupying your avatar space. Showing the desire to prove yourself and caring what other people think, and striving to correct them is part of what makes truly great players. Wanting to fight a supporter of the team you are playing for is now considered loyal?

Excuse me. Look at the very high percentage of footballers who constantly go out on the piss several times a week. Beckham in 2005 had been on something like 4 or 5 nights out in his career (not including ones after a cup final win) or something like that. His 'stag do' before getting married was sitting in his house with a few close friends, a few bottles of beer and a games console. There's no way you can say the man is unprofessional, he takes the game very seriously. Yeah screaming at his own supporters and offerring to fight them is certainly professional. Also, his first stint at Milan showed utter disrespect for LA Galaxy and their players - his behavor isn't exactly model. Also 'he takes his game seriously' - well then why is he playing in America? Taking the game seriously has nothing to do with who he's playing for. He shows passion for the game, and does not think he can abuse his body just because he is minted. The man is only human, anyway. Who are the other candidates for this title? Steven Gerrard... well, he's been a whisker away from the clink on a few occasions and is constantly out on the piss. If I remember rightly, the supporter that was shouting at him was saying incredibly disgusting and untruthful things about his family, and I don't blame him at all for reacting to that fan. Highlighting that one incident as your main basis for him being unprofessional shows that there's little of a case against him. Half the bloody England team have been banned, locked up, arrested, unfaithful or found sozzled after a night out. Our national team is filled with people who aren't exactly saints, but Beckham is the most professional of the lot, almost. In terms of being a 'professional' player, the only player who I can think of since Gazza who rivals Beckham is Paul Scholes. And as much as he was (and still is, to an extent) a terrific player, I don't think he was quite as good. 'Taking the game seriously has nothing to do with who he's playing for' I don't agree with that at all, by doing that move - he damaged his England hopes and didn't want to achieve anything else significant in football basically. Only went for the money. I'm also sure other players have heard 'disgusting' things and not wanted to climb over a sponsor board to hit the guy.

He wanted a few supporters to come down from where they were sitting, and when it looked like one of them was about to do just that, he nearly jumped over the sponsor board to get at the guy. This was his first game back at LA Galaxy after his Milan stint.

Excuse me. Look at the very high percentage of footballers who constantly go out on the piss several times a week. Beckham in 2005 had been on something like 4 or 5 nights out in his career (not including ones after a cup final win) or something like that. His 'stag do' before getting married was sitting in his house with a few close friends, a few bottles of beer and a games console. There's no way you can say the man is unprofessional, he takes the game very seriously. Yeah screaming at his own supporters and offerring to fight them is certainly professional. Also, his first stint at Milan showed utter disrespect for LA Galaxy and their players - his behavior isn't exactly model. Also 'he takes his game seriously' - well then why is he playing in America?

David Beckham.. professional? Ok.

Bendtner has just missed another sitter. Unbelieveable.

To be fair to UV he, like many others of us, appears to be more concerned about the actual nosedive into the CCC rather than a still notional threat of financial oblivion. And it is, and must always remain, notional; who knows what the previous owners might have done to protect their investment? On the basis it was a public company rather than them being "the owners" their options were fairly limited. This isn't difficult; if you own a lot of shares in a plc and the plc goes under you lose a lot of money. The Halls and Shepherd owned a lot of shares and therefore had a substantial interest in maintaining the club's viability. Or in flogging it off quick so someone else had to pay their bills. Shepherd didn't want to sell.. in his last few years as chairmen he was actually buying up more shares. There goes your theory.

Owen was still our top goalscorer along with Martins you knacker. So "joint-top with less goals from open play than Martins despite playing more games" would have been more accurate. So it was not a lie then huh

I'm worried about Colo next season, has been exceptional this season, but that doesn't cover up the fact that he was shocking last year.

I would take that in a heart-beat in our first season back up, and then season after season push on.

Exactly what i was just thinking.

What is the point of you even posting in this thread?

He has caused every defence, including ours, he has played against problems. A bit like Heskey but better in my opinion. When does Heskey ever create problems for defences? When he plays for England apparently.

He did, the timing of his move was bad. I wish the guy luck, he was a terrific goalkeeper for us.

When is Barton back? It can't come soon enough.

C Ronaldo is ridiculously good, has got everything, and still pretty young.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/204/204718_fergie_watches_nolan.html Looking back, it's just staggering how everybody once rated him - just 4 years ago.