Premier League match discussion thread | 2014/15

Lol, even Ander Herrera knows he didn't mean it.

Got our swagger back. Made QPR look like relegation fodder.

Sean wrote:Are United fans legitimately singing Viva Ronaldo right now?

We often sing about our greatest players when we have very comfortable leads. It's been a while, granted.

Just relegate QPR now and get it over with.

ResurrectionRooney wrote:Got our swagger back. Made QPR look like relegation fodder.  

Sean wrote:Are United fans legitimately singing Viva Ronaldo right now?

We often sing about our greatest players when we have very comfortable leads.  It's been a while, granted.

He was there, what 5 years? 3 of them being exceptional. Dont get me wrong he was amazing, but it seems a little strange when you have these new players putting in their first good performance the crowd sings about someone who hasnt been at the club in 5 years

Sean wrote:

ResurrectionRooney wrote:Got our swagger back. Made QPR look like relegation fodder.  



We often sing about our greatest players when we have very comfortable leads.  It's been a while, granted.

He was there, what 5 years? 3 of them being exceptional. Dont get me wrong he was amazing, but it seems a little strange when you have these new players putting in their first good performance the crowd sings about someone who hasnt been at the club in 5 years

We've got a pretty odd culture of chants I'd agree. Van Nistelrooy had chants after he left and it pissed Saha off, Cantona chants have gone on for years and years, especially around Christmas time and he was a far inferior player to Ronaldo and here for less time (Ronaldo was here for 6 years by the way). I've noticed we do a lot more chants about our rivals than any other clubs, maybe that's what happens when you're successful for 20 years.

On Ronaldo specifically, I think a lot of our fans have never really got over him leaving and see it as an error that can be rectified by bringing him back and they're actually advocating that with the chant. With the fan demand for it, the noises he's making, Edward Woodward's enormous and fragile ego and the money we have available now I do think he'll come back in summer, but I don't think it's a good idea. Spending £50m+ and giving £550k p/w to a guy who is past his best, even if he is in the top two players ever, is rarely a good idea.

How much longer do you think he has at the very top? He is 29 and his game is obviously based alot of explosive speed and dynamism, do you think he could change his game when he gets older?. That said he is a freak of an athlete and so could probably go on like this another 5 years or something.

I can imagine him becoming an out-and-out striker when he loses his pace. He's a terrific finisher.

He's played as a striker before, SAF used to play him there in big games and he was never that great, well for his standards.

Sean wrote:How much longer do you think he has at the very top? He is 29 and his game is obviously based alot of explosive speed and dynamism, do you think he could change his game when he gets older?. That said he is a freak of an athlete and so could probably go on like this another 5 years or something.

The very top? Not long, one, maybe two years, his game is too much based on physicality and speed to go much longer. He'll still be a very good player going forward, probably until he retires, but he is going to have to alter his game pretty substantially. Maybe he'll end up as a striker, maybe he'll end up as a No. 10. I think he'd be very good as either but you never really know until it happens and we've no real need for a player like that with Mata, Falcao, Rooney and Van Persie.

The HGH science experiment will be devastating for much longer than him - not least because of his age - which is why I think he'll go down as the GOAT while Ronaldo is more at a Zidane level.

SBSP wrote:I can imagine him becoming an out-and-out striker when he loses his pace. He's a terrific finisher.

I disagree. His best asset is his pace and athleticism. For a guy who takes so many shots, his scoring ratio is pretty low. If he loses his pace, he'll be easily marked.

I fully expect him to transform himself into a Giroudesque target man. He'll be fine as long as he has runners.

SBSP wrote:He's a terrific finisher.

Cristiano Ronaldo conversion rate, last three league seasons: 14%, 14%, 17%
Robert Lewandowski conversion rate, last three league seasons: 17%, 25%, 19%
Zlatan Ibrahimovic conversion rate, last three league seasons: 16%, 19%, 20%
Radamel Falcao conversion rate, last three league seasons: 18%, 23%, 19%
Lionel Messi conversion rate, last three league seasons: 18%, 28%, 25%

Four of these players are terrific finishers. The other is just average. You are such a Penaldo fanboy, it's just pathetic.

He takes and misses a lot of long range shots, which I can imagine lowers his conversion rate. I'm nowhere near a Ronaldo fanboy.

I don't consider SBSP a Ronaldo fanboy. I think he likes Messi more. It's just one of those myths that people believe like Ronaldo being great at taking set pieces.

Sometimes I wonder how Ronaldo can be considered at the same level, let alone better than Messi.

= poor decision making, tyvm

you are one of the biggest Fakenaldo fanboys I have ever seen SBSP, stop fucking bullshitting just look at your posts about Crynaldo here

ahly look at my shrine for Messi

Messi goals: https://imgur.com/a/yGFJw#0
Messi assists: https://imgur.com/a/upYno?#0
Messi chances created: https://imgur.com/a/7Xx0i#0
Messi misses: https://imgur.com/a/YXhj2#0
Messi other shit: https://imgur.com/a/8jaX5#0

It's amazing how some people actually think Flopnaldo is better than Messi. It absolutely boggles the mind. Fanboys like SBSP are no help either.

I thought this was interesting...





There's some more stats and charts on here: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/lionel-messi-is-impossible/

ok so u r just gonna disregard my efforts thanks a lot ahly

Sorry, I was still looking through them. Well done, mate.

I was defending Messi to the death during the World Cup. I don't see what he's got do with how good Ronaldo is at finishing.

FCB wrote:I don't consider SBSP a Ronaldo fanboy. I think he likes Messi more. It's just one of those myths that people believe like Ronaldo being great at taking set pieces.

Sometimes I wonder how Ronaldo can be considered at the same level, let alone better than Messi.

I didn't even bring up Messi! No one's going to be good at anything if you compare them to him.

SBSP wrote:I was defending Messi to the death during the World Cup. I don't see what he's got do with how good Ronaldo is at finishing.

He's not that amazing of a finisher as people think he is. Once he starts losing his pace and be tightly marked, he will have even worse finishing stats.

SBSP wrote:

FCB wrote:I don't consider SBSP a Ronaldo fanboy. I think he likes Messi more. It's just one of those myths that people believe like Ronaldo being great at taking set pieces.

Sometimes I wonder how Ronaldo can be considered at the same level, let alone better than Messi.

I didn't even bring up Messi! No one's going to be good at anything if you compare them to him.

I didn't really bring up Messi either until vela brought it up and I said I wonder how people think Ronaldo can be even compared to Messi. That wasn't towards you by the way, I was just talking in general.

FCB wrote:

SBSP wrote:I was defending Messi to the death during the World Cup. I don't see what he's got do with how good Ronaldo is at finishing.

He's not that amazing of a finisher as people think he is. Once he starts losing his pace and be tightly marked, he will have even worse finishing stats.

Maybe not, but he's still easily one of the best in the world.

FCB wrote:

SBSP wrote:
I didn't even bring up Messi! No one's going to be good at anything if you compare them to him.

I didn't really bring up Messi either until vela brought it up and I said I wonder how people think Ronaldo can be even compared to Messi. That wasn't towards you by the way, I was just talking in general.

Oh, ok.

SBSP is getting so defensive after I called him out...typical. Honestly the Fucknaldo propaganda is spreading everywhere and it's just unbearable. Tristiano had probably the greatest ever statpadding performance in the Champions League last season but he's regarded as some sort of hero for it. Embarrassing.

Fuck off.

i know you were getting vexed bro

Hey, it's not Sponge's fault that Ronaldo is better. Stats don't win football games, Ronaldo wins football games. You can't measure HEART with numbers.

Messi is a system player who could easily be replaced by any manlet creative player. Suarez will outscore him in that system.

I think Ronaldo has the ability to re-invent his game and still play at a very high level. Now what we define as high level is subjective, Ronaldo right now can get 45-50 goals a year EASY. I think later in his career he will drop into the 30s, into the mid 20s. But that's still an amazing rate.

penaldo can't re-invent his game because the most major facets of his games are already so disgustingly bent which has allowed him to concentrate his worth solely on end product. he is usually a periphery figure in the second and third phases so his teammates can give him the ball so he can take a shot. it's been his game for the past 5 years, you can't just fix it magically. it takes a transition period and i'm sure whoever will be paying him €500k a week doesn't want him to become a 8/10 player at all phases rather than a 10/10 player in one phase. penaldo is just an anomaly, quite simply. I have never seen a player like him in my lifetime (in a bad way).

He was easily Mehdrid's best player yesterday but that was when he was on the right, dribbling and getting involved all throughout the pitch. He used his typical free role but he did it in a way to make Bale and Fatzema the central figures in attack...and look how it worked out. mans creates two great chances for Fatzema and he bottles them both

pace is a huge part of Penaldo's game, he basically plays as a SS for Mehdrid and so he gets the opportunity to drive from space because there is always someone occupying the central defenders. he has played as a sole #9 countless times and he has never, ever been as good as he has been in his free role. he doesn't work well without the space to run.

that's the biggest difference between Penaldo and Messi. Messi is a 10/10 player in transitioning, creating and goalscoring. Penaldo is a 10/10 player only in goalscoring.

i will bet my e-reputation that Penaldo won't be able to reinvent himself as a lone #9. i am never wrong about Calcio so i'm not worried tbh