This. He was criminally miss usedAll we needed was a manager to bring the best out of Scholes in his pomp. We shoulda built the team round him, he could of ran games by himself.
This. He was criminally miss usedAll we needed was a manager to bring the best out of Scholes in his pomp. We shoulda built the team round him, he could of ran games by himself.
Years ago Scholes was wanted in Spain. Xavi of Barca has him as his favourite player. Think Hoddle would of used him right but as we know Hoddles strange ways and the press both got him sacked.
Possibly regarding Wilshire but I don’t think he’s done enough to warrant inclusion but no denying he has tha natural talent.I think we were banking on Kane banging them in and he looked completely out of sorts in the last couple of games.
We could have done with Jack Wilshere last night.
I think Henderson deserves a mention. I'm not a fan of his but he's been good this tournament. Really sets the tone and keeps everything ticking over nicely.
A reporter once asked Zinedine Zidane: "How does it feel to be the best midfielder in the world?" Zidane replied: "Ask Paul Scholes."
Fantastic analysis this, fully agree. Scholes is the one from the names you pull out that potentially could have done it for England, am never really sure why he didn't excel at international level as he has all the right ingredients, possibly Gerrard as well although I was never his biggest fan - I think they both had the potential but there's something about the English game that didn't allow them to realise it.
Whether Zidane said that or not (finding the actual interview seems difficult to say the least, though Zidane was evidently a fan), it's not true, is it? Like when people go on about Pele saying George Best was the best player of all time, so therefore it must be true (Pele has made this claim about a number of players, but has most frequently named himself when asked that question). Scholes was terrific at domestic level in England - which is the environment in which most people have seen him given the Premier League's global popularity - but he wasn't as effective in European club football and he rarely played well for England (it's no coincidence that his best game at international level came against Scotland; effectively a domestic British game). Yes, he was eventually moved out to the left-hand side of a midfield diamond (where Zidane would sometimes play for France, as it goes) but that was after he'd been given four years in his favoured attacking central midfield position and largely been underwhelming. He may have suffered from Sven Goran Eriksson's cowardly post-2002 team selections - when the manager was simply trying to get his best 11 players somehow into a team - but the truly great players find a way to make themselves effective at whatever level they're playing at. Scholes never really did that for England. And at no point in his career was he ever the best midfielder in the world, as outstanding as he was for Manchester United.
Whilst I agree with most of your comments Rich, I think Messi hasn't really found his level playing for Argentina. He is regarded as a 'truly great' player by a lot of people.
Whether Zidane said that or not (finding the actual interview seems difficult to say the least, though Zidane was evidently a fan), it's not true, is it? Like when people go on about Pele saying George Best was the best player of all time, so therefore it must be true (Pele has made this claim about a number of players, but has most frequently named himself when asked that question). Scholes was terrific at domestic level in England - which is the environment in which most people have seen him given the Premier League's global popularity - but he wasn't as effective in European club football and he rarely played well for England (it's no coincidence that his best game at international level came against Scotland; effectively a domestic British game). Yes, he was eventually moved out to the left-hand side of a midfield diamond (where Zidane would sometimes play for France, as it goes) but that was after he'd been given four years in his favoured attacking central midfield position and largely been underwhelming. He may have suffered from Sven Goran Eriksson's cowardly post-2002 team selections - when the manager was simply trying to get his best 11 players somehow into a team - but the truly great players find a way to make themselves effective at whatever level they're playing at. Scholes never really did that for England. And at no point in his career was he ever the best midfielder in the world, as outstanding as he was for Manchester United.
I'm not sure if it's an urban myth (as you say, it's hard to find the original interview), though he has certainly said in interviews that he was the best midfielder he ever played against.
Interviewed by English journalists, yes.He did indeed. But what does Zidane know compared to 606 experts?
He did indeed. But what does Zidane know compared to 606 experts?
Interviewed by English journalists, yes.
Interviewed by Italian journalists, an Italian player.
They all do it. Good pr.
I know Wimbledon is special and the best tennis tournament, cos the winner will say that.
Strangely th French one the other week was then.
Then it'll be the Aussie one.
Who gives a flying **** about multi millionaire foreigners knocking a little ball over a net?

Do you think that Scholes was a better or more effective international midfielder than, say, Zidane, Kaka, Pirlo or Ballack, whose careers overlapped his?
Footballers earn their living playing for clubs. There have been many great players who have done nothing at international level due to the players around them not performing or the manager not using them properly.
This is what Zidane actually said. "My toughest opponent? Scholes of Manchester. He is the complete midfielder. Scholes is undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation."