Nicky Butt

[madras]

Lets get Xisco back and let him lift the trophy, he's done more for our cause this season by not being here then Butt has.

yeah right 

[Teasy]

Closet Butt fan?

 

At least Xisco not being here saved us some money, what did Butt being here do for us?

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Xisco not being here saved us some money, what did Butt being here do for us?

That's a fair point, tbh. Still, Butt did provide our most skillful and athletic moment of the season.

[Teasy]

Xisco not being here saved us some money, what did Butt being here do for us?

That's a fair point, tbh. Still, Butt did provide our most skillful and athletic moment of the season.

 

That was some decent comic relief I suppose.

[Willow]

who gives a flying fuck who lifts the trophy. as long as butt's time is up, it's a fair trade-off..

[madras]

Closet Butt fan?

 

At least Xisco not being here saved us some money, what did Butt being here do for us?

i've never hid the fact thats it's pissed me off that he gets slated and smith lauded for identical performances.

[Guest Geordiekev]

TBH I couldn't give a flying fuck who lifts it as long as the atmosphere tomorrow is one not to be forgotten, planning on setting out around 11am and making a day of it..

 

We have all contributed to a record breaking season in the championship (whilst putting two fingers up to those that had written us off as the next Leeds) so I plan to just enjoy the day along with the thousands more that plan to do the same, I wont dwell on what was..

[captainhaircut]

He had better not start tomorrow. I don't give a shit if it is his last game, we've got an unbeaten home record to protect.

[Teasy]

Probably because they don't produce identical performances.  On several occasions this season Smith's done what Butt is supposed to be doing.  Breaking up opposition play and passing it simple to our own players.  Without the attempted Hollywood long balls that go wrong every few minutes and crucially giving away dangerous freekicks to the opposition the rest of the time.

[BlufPurdi]

Still dislike him a little bit as a professional, even if it's somewhat unjustified.

 

Butt had what is most likely the worst season the Premiership has ever seen from a regular player in our relegation year. Absolute dogshit doesn't begin to describe the majority of his performances, and he had a bigger hand than any other player in us going down, mainly because he was consistently the opposition team's best friend.

 

My point here is that with his standards (both ability and fitness) slipping to such shocking lows, why not just call time and retire? A good player with real integrity would have retired last summer. Cantona did so at 31 after his standards had slipped, but then he was genuine class and had pride in his ability/reputation. Butt on the other hand seems to be from the Souness school of 'hanging-on-for-every-penny-you-can-get'. He was happy to sit on the bench nearly every week in the Championship on mammoth wages after extending a contract option put in by a previous manager, despite knowing that his time was up and his standard had gone to pot, with the icing on the cake being that he did so at a club that had to sell anyone and everyone it could to reduce the wage bill, a club that even had to axe a large number of normal non-playing employees. It's not as though he wasn't already a very wealthy man having had a long career at ManU, playing for England, picking up a hefty wage from us, etc.

 

Maybe the expectation is a bit unfair given that other players were on large contracts (though all useful ones not on the verge of retirement), or that he has every right to look after himself and be paid whatever salary was offered to him by the club. But then thinking about Butt's awful standard of play and fitness + his hand in our relegation + his wages + the players/staff we had to let go in the summer (even if Butt leaving might not have changed any exits), forgive me for holding a slight grudge against him.

 

What an amazing well summed up post.  Spot on!

[Guest Mantis]

captain schmaptain, the likes of Butt and JT as well as many others have proved there is no honour in the title and it is token gesture.  Any trophy should be lifted by the player of the year by fans or manager choice.  Enrique or Colo for me, or Butt to quickly pass it on to someone who has put some effort in.

[madras]

Probably because they don't produce identical performances.  Smith does what Butt is supposed to be doing, without the attempted hollywood long balls that go wrong every few minutes and crucially giving away dangerous freekicks to the opposition the rest of the time.

smith gives away as many free kicks, butt moves away from our centre halves pushing play out, if there is space to move into he will. smith stands in front of the centre halves inviting the opposition to come straight back in. puts in tackles without winning the ball, creates 50-50's out of 50-50's. i have never seen as poor movement from a central midfielder as from alan smith... i'd marginally have butt over smith due to the fact that last season when we needed to trey and get forward butt was left looking round and thinking that the others aren't going to move forward, i'll have to, a movement i'm still waiting from alan smith 12 months later.

[Teasy]

Smith at least does the basic job, he doesn't overstretch himself with some delusion that he can play 40 yard passes every few minutes, or push on and be a attacking threat.  Butts a complete liability, Smith just isn't that good.

 

Anyway you've got to be and I'm not playing

[Ronaldo]

Smith is shockingly bad in all fairness.

[Teasy]

Smith is a shockingly bad in all fairness.

 

So you've forgotten his decent performances earlier in the season already?  He's not particularly good, I'd try to get rid of him in the summer.  However we're talking about Butt, are you telling me he's contributed no more then Nicky Fucking Butt?

[Segun Oluwaniyi]

Comparing Smith to Butt is like comparing a bad automobile to a diseased horse. Smith is not of the highest quality, but Nicky Butt is a 1000 times less effective despite Smith's flaws.

[Teasy]

Nah has to be one big fishing trip this, I'm getting out of this looney bin

 

EDIT:  Finally some sense from the Minister

[Decky]

He had better not start tomorrow. I don't give a shit if it is his last game, we've got an unbeaten home record to protect.

 

Because its his last game he will. If we lose ill go fucking mad as I desperately want this record now. However even with Butt playing, I cant see that lot beating us at SJP.

[madras]

Smith is a shockingly bad in all fairness.

 

So you've forgotten his decent performances earlier in the season already?  He's not particularly good, I'd try to get rid of him in the summer.  However we're talking about Butt, are you telling me he's contributed no more then Nicky f***ing Butt?

you mean cardiff away.

 

nicky butt is just the whipping boy and people are afraid to say when he's done ok as it means stepping out of line (happened all the time to bramble aswell)

[Ronaldo]

Smith is a shockingly bad in all fairness.

 

So you've forgotten his decent performances earlier in the season already?  He's not particularly good, I'd try to get rid of him in the summer.  However we're talking about Butt, are you telling me he's contributed no more then Nicky f***ing Butt?

 

No. I've wanted Butt out of the club for 3 years and have never wanted to confront a player more than him at HT during the Fulham game last May.

[Doctor Zaius]

Smith is a shockingly bad in all fairness.

 

Agreed. He simply doesn't have the attributes of a good centre midfielder. Not a great passing range, not a great tackler, positional sense isn't the best, poor disciplinary record, doesn't make up for his failings in goals i.e Nolan. Nothing about him really. Sure he can run around like a headless chicken all day and put in some hard graft but that alone just isnt good enough for the Premier league. He's a poor mans Robbie Savage.

 

He's always been a tad over rated imo, not especially good at holding the ball up and didn't really score that many goals, that horrific injury set him back loads like, dont think he's ever truly recovered from it.

[Interpolic]

Smith is a shockingly bad in all fairness.

 

Agreed. He simply doesn't have the attributes of a good centre midfielder. Not a great passing range, not a great tackler, positional sense isn't the best, poor disciplinary record, doesn't make up for his failings in goals i.e Nolan. Nothing about him really. Sure he can run around like a headless chicken all day and put in some hard graft but that alone just isnt good enough for the Premier league. He's a poor mans Robbie Savage.

 

He's always been a tad over rated imo, not especially good at holding the ball up and didn't really score that many goals, that horrific injury set him back loads like, dont think he's ever truly recovered from it.

 

Aye, he's been finished since the leg break and we've been paying him £50k+/week for much of the time since.

[JJ7]

I've not liked him since that semi-final. He was an absolute disgrace that day.

 

He's been fuckin awful this season, but that said, we don't know the influence he's had in the dressing room. He could have done a lot more behind the scenes in getting the squad together and keeping them close throughout the season, along with some of the other senior players. Would I let him up first to lift the trophy though? No

[TheGuv]

I've not liked him since that semi-final. He was an absolute disgrace that day.

 

He's been fuckin awful this season, but that said, we don't know the influence he's had in the dressing room. He could have done a lot more behind the scenes in getting the squad together and keeping them close throughout the season, along with some of the other senior players. Would I let him up first to lift the trophy though? No

 

This, he was definitley playing for Man Utd

[S.S.R.]

Still dislike him a little bit as a professional, even if it's somewhat unjustified.

 

Butt had what is most likely the worst season the Premiership has ever seen from a regular player in our relegation year. Absolute dogshit doesn't begin to describe the majority of his performances, and he had a bigger hand than any other player in us going down, mainly because he was consistently the opposition team's best friend.

 

My point here is that with his standards (both ability and fitness) slipping to such shocking lows, why not just call time and retire? A good player with real integrity would have retired last summer. Cantona did so at 31 after his standards had slipped, but then he was genuine class and had pride in his ability/reputation. Butt on the other hand seems to be from the Souness school of 'hanging-on-for-every-penny-you-can-get'. He was happy to sit on the bench nearly every week in the Championship on mammoth wages after extending a contract option put in by a previous manager, despite knowing that his time was up and his standard had gone to pot, with the icing on the cake being that he did so at a club that had to sell anyone and everyone it could to reduce the wage bill, a club that even had to axe a large number of normal non-playing employees. It's not as though he wasn't already a very wealthy man having had a long career at ManU, playing for England, picking up a hefty wage from us, etc.

 

Maybe the expectation is a bit unfair given that other players were on large contracts (though all useful ones not on the verge of retirement), or that he has every right to look after himself and be paid whatever salary was offered to him by the club. But then thinking about Butt's awful standard of play and fitness + his hand in our relegation + his wages + the players/staff we had to let go in the summer (even if Butt leaving might not have changed any exits), forgive me for holding a slight grudge against him.

 

Summed up perfectly. End of thread.