Yeah like I said, probably bollocks. It was on caughtoffside too which means it's definitely bollocks. Still, absolutely ideal in as much as he's more your enforcer with bags of creation to go with it. If we signed him we'd need no one else whereas if we signed Nasri we'd still need that bit of steel. I know there is Fletcher but, no disrespect to a dedicated hard working player, all the comparisons now seem to be that we have to aspire to Barcelona and if that's the case he's not good enough. I'm happy to keep winning the league though to be honest, let our scouse friends convince themselves that the european cup is THE most important trophy.
I've said this in other threads, but I don't think we'll be signing a midfielder. I think that in Fergie's eyes, what we have is good enough so long as the players know that the manager believes in them. So Carrick will be the new Scholes, Fletcher will be as good as someone like de Rossi, and Anderson will hopefully become the unique player he's always had the potential to be. Fergie's stubborness is the cause of our midfield problems. His paternal bias towards Fletcher has lowered the bar and reduced the quality of the midfield. But I can't see him losing that stubborness now at the age of 69.
please log in to view this image If Fletcher plays like he did a few seasons ago, and Carrick plays like he did against Chelsea and ando keeps improving, we may not be as bad as we could be. We're certainly not as bad in the midfield department as some think we are. I would love to see us offer Hargreaves a pay as you play deal, however unlikely it seems, but what have we got too lose. We're just missing that one player that controls everything about our team, but then again, it could be Rooney.
I think this is Ferguson's thought process also. Stubborness isn't always a bad thing, especially if it wins trophies. But someone so stubborn and so driven as Fergie sees things a little differently to the rest of us. That's the measure of the man I suppose.
I suppose he sees what they can do a lot more often than we do. Perhaps he's seen something over the past year at the training ground etc. that makes him think they have what it takes. Anyway, in SAF we trust
I think we all recognise the lack of a big name player in centre midfield. Even so, given how Anderson finished the season, the return of Cleverly and the emergence of Morrison, I wouldn't be unhappy if Fergie decides to rotate game time with the above players. We can couple them in many combinations and formations with Fletcher, Carrick and even Giggs to good effect.
Agreed it wouldn't be the end of the world, however a CM would be good addition. Nevertheless your point about Morrison and Cleverly is a sound one especially when you recall that Pogba is waiting in the wings also.
I've seen him quoted as the new patrick viera! Because he's french, black and plays in midfield probably
I don't think we will be signing anyone else. Young can play centrally, so I expect him to play in a role similar to what Giggs does in the centre of midfield. Carrick had a very good season compared to the few before that and has found a nice little niche sitting deep. Fletcher had a poor season, but has had injuries so can be forgiven. Anderson looked very good when given a bit of a licence to free himself. Showed he can score goals- might not be Hernandez when it comes to finishing- but all I want is for him to push on and get into positions to score goals. I liked his goal against Valencia because he pushed forward and gambled on the keeper spilling a shot (from Park if I remember correctly) so there is that aspect to his game that has developed. The only real attribute of our midfield missing with our current personel is the "midfield enforcer" type. Fletcher, Carrick and Anderson are all strong and tough enough, our games against Chelsea this season showed that you don't need the archetypal strong midfield force to win so I don't think we will get a DM.
What SAF actually said was: "We have certain targets in mind and I think two or three will be fulfilled. There's no question of that." That doesn't, to me, imply that he only planned to sign three players. That implies that he was aiming at a range of players and figured that at least three of them (Young, De Gea and A. N. Other) would likely be fulfilled. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't try for young players like Jones, or players who unexpectedly came available like Nasri.
