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How highly do you rate... Robert Pires?


Beren

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He had a shaky start at Manchester United as I recall but ended the season as a Treble winner. He had good pace, good positioning, and brilliant in the air. There haven't been many better central defenders in the Premiership era, if any.

Taggart certainly made an error asserting his power with Stam and getting rid way too early.

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He had a shaky start at Manchester United as I recall but ended the season as a Treble winner. He had good pace, good positioning, and brilliant in the air. There haven't been many better central defenders in the Premiership era, if any.

Taggart certainly made an error asserting his power with Stam and getting rid way too early.

 

He wasn't bad with the ball at his feet either, had everything really.

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He had a shaky start at Manchester United as I recall but ended the season as a Treble winner. He had good pace, good positioning, and brilliant in the air. There haven't been many better central defenders in the Premiership era, if any.

Taggart certainly made an error asserting his power with Stam and getting rid way too early.

 

I remember when they had agreed to sign him half way through the season and he looked very shaky in the World Cup and like you said had a bit of a bad start at Man Utd too. Soon proved everybody wrong though. Love watching top class central defenders. It's a shame there's not that many around at the moment.

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He was absolutely fantastic. The best central defender that Man Utd have had in the Premier League era IMO. Ferguson should never have sold him.

 

£16m for a 29 year old CB in 2001. It wasn't as big a mistake as people made out IMO, especially since the money went towards Rio a year later.

 

The mistake was signing Blanc as cover when we sold Stam. :lol:

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Ferdinand wasn't that great at Man Utd in his first couple of seasons either. Took him a while to sort out his lapses of concentration.

 

He was fantastic in the World Cup in 2002 though and was flawless at Leeds. As I said just took him a while to adapt to being at Man Utd.

 

Stam was better than him in his prime too IMO.

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Ferdinand wasn't that great at Man Utd in his first couple of seasons either. Took him a while to sort out his lapses of concentration.

 

He was fantastic in the World Cup in 2002 though and was flawless at Leeds. As I said just took him a while to adapt to being at Man Utd.

 

Stam was better than him in his prime too IMO.

 

Stam was definitely better than Rio when they were both at their peak but I'm just pointing to Rio as Stams replacement, and it was a very good replacement indeed, especially given the general level he has played at for us for over a decade.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2001/aug/15/newsstory.sport7

 

:yao:

 

Scott Murray

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 August 2001 11.40 BST

 

Jaap Stam has launched an astonishing attack on Michael Owen ahead of tonight's friendly between England and Holland.

 

The Manchester United defender, whose slip allowed Owen to score Liverpool's second goal in Sunday's Charity Shield, has suggested the England striker is "hyped" and over-rated. He also explains how his talents are easily neutered.

 

Peddling his autobiography, Head to Head, in the Mirror, Stam writes: "In this country everyone believes that the Boy Wonder can do no wrong. I find the hype surrounding him a little over the top.

 

"There's no doubt he's a fantastic striker, who has great strength in his ability to run at defences with that pace. But opponents such as England's Euro 2000 rivals have learned to combat that by dropping off him, ensuring there isn't the space behind them for him to attack.

 

"Without that option, he loses much of his potency. He's not such a big threat when people play balls into the channels for him to latch on to.

 

"I am not saying he is a bad player," Stam continued, the word "but" hanging in the air, "but his first touch isn't the greatest.

 

"As a defender, you will know a player's particular weakness, and with Owen you try to get him on his left side. If you do that, you feel there's time to get in a tackle or block before he has total control of the ball and is ready to set himself up for a shot."

 

Fair criticism, some would say. So with football being what it is, expect Owen to mark tonight's performance by dribbling past a deep-lying Dutch defence (nutmegging Stam twice) and adding to his total of 10 international goals with a calm left-foot finish.

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To go along with his physical attributes, and technical excellence on-the-ball, he also head a professor-like aptitude when it came applying a gameplan against an opposite marker - as alluded to in his assessment of Owen. Has the makings of a top defensive coach, possibly future management material too. Doesn't strike me as somebody who will fall back on ProZone stats-driven mumbo jumbo, and preach those findings on the training paddock.

 

Will say though it was good to see a young & brash Saha (Fulham) tear Stam a new one, at OT. I remember that Saha killed him esrly through the middle, and during the next-on-one Stam guided him out to right channel, and LS answered the challenge and said see ya later ie. burned him again. That was the day Saha announced himself on the big stage, and showed Man United's statesman & defensive pack leader no respect whatsoever - it was a great thing to see actually.

 

Fergie gives a fair weight to his players' judgement. The dressing room urged Fergie sign Ronaldo, after he put in an impressive shift at pre-season friendly against them (in the US iirc). I bet Stam borrowed the ear of his manager, after removing the lube between his arse cheeks (fresh from the raping he copped from Saha). That was the only time i remember seeing an 'established' Stam being dominated for an entire shift. Considering the time spent there, and the calibre of opposition every week - taking into account the CL workload too,  it speaks volumes for his rock-like status as a top class defender.

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