Since barcelona got marc van bommel who should manu go after? Fergie screwed up with his replacements so far What about EDGAR DAVIDS, hes unhappy at inter and remember what a turnaround barcelona had when he went there for half a year they went from midtable to finishing second........ I think he has 2 years left in him
Not sure, however, you hit the nail on the head re: Fergie... let's hope he or whomever is in charge makes the correct choice this time. Did you hear about Barcelona making a bid for Rio? Off topic, but what the heck!
bahahahah....i would cry if davids came here as a replacement for keane..... no old over the hill, former class players please, we have our own to fill that role
You know what the fundemental problem with replacing Roy Keane is, don't you? It's ROY FREAKING KEANE! They don't roll those kinds of players off of some assembly line in Cork. You need equal doses of: Shrewdness and Luck in order to get a player like that. If you don't have either, you're gambling 2 or 3 years worth of transfer fees on 1 player.
well keane wont be able to play all 38 prem games plus the cl games so lets hear it who would you guys get for that crucial role arsenal have viera chelsea have makalele liverpool have alonso who do we have john o shea lol
First of all, accept that Keane cannot be replaced. With all due respect to Makelele, Viera and Alonso, none of them do what Keane could do when he was at full power. A more realistic approach is to evaluate what we have already and then determine what type of midfielder we need to complement those players. For instance, if Fletch is the other midfielder then we don't necessarily need a Keane clone, just a balanced midfielder who can tackle and pass. (It also wouldn't be bad if he could take free kicks.) I assume there are a number of quality players who could work in that role.
Makelele wouldn't work unless United changed it's style of play to allow one midfielder to sit in front of the back four full time. Plus, Chelsea doesn't want Ferdinand.
You guys are in a similar situation to us....that being...how to replace/phase out an icon....a one of a kind.... It's nearly impossible. There's only one Roy Keane.....just like for us there's only one Dennis Bergkamp. You do the best you can realizing it's not realistic to expect a clone of that particular player.
For us there is optimism in part because we've done it before, in replacing Bryan Robson with Keane. I think we can do it again, but it'll take a good eye, good luck, and good money as well.
First off, i don't think we are really gonna 'replace' keano as he really is a one off type player. Secondly do we really need a DM to replace him? Could we not be as successful with more of a box to box, hard tackling, CM. I remember a few years ago, this is what keane was really classified as anyways.....a box to box midfielder, not a DM......just a thought....it would give us more flexibility
^^ The problem is, that a whole host of very good CM's came up in Keano's era and are now 2-3years older/younger then he is and after that there really isn't that many class CM's coming up to take over. Essien is the only one who even comes close in years gone by there was a lot of talent in the position and it wouldn't have been as hard as it will be now to 'replace' Keano. This really is a British/Irish positon for United and that, is just not going to be possible this time. We've always gone for true hard men of their time in that slot. In Fergie's era it has gone Robson, Ince, Keane all three of them absolutely loved a scrap literally as well as figuratively... who is out there in the EPL who can provide that? All there is (imo) is Parker and he is not in the same stratosphere, for quality as any of the 3 we've had pass through here. Gerrard is staying at pool and I'd also doubt his defensive capabilities anyway...besides his way outside of our budget now. So we're gonna have to go abroad and that is always going to be a risk for us. This position needs steel and grit and a never say die attitude as well as the required quality to take over from Keane.. I don't see many out there with all those attributes...only Van Bommel and Essien...De Rossi doesn't have the mental strength for a place like OT and I can't think of many others who are young enough and have the quality to even be worth our time. Players like Mascherano and Gattuso don't do what Keane did and I'm not sure they could actually keep a midfield like ours ticking over (flowing) like a Keane or Ince. What I'm basically saying.... is we're fecked
the board has to be willing to splash big if we idenitify a possible player to take over from keane, we can't be hanging around or trying to get him on the cheap.
Clint Dempsey ! The next Roy Keane ? It could happen. Beast Ed -- Take the soccer survey: https://www.quickbase.com/db/baqwa3ay6?a=nwr
Okay....Clint Dempsey is a fun player and has loads of potential. But that is just bat-******** crazy. Here's the thing. Nobody wants to replace Keane, because he has been the most fantastic player; however his days are numbered. He's getting older and doesn't have the presence that he used to in the middle. That means he's still a quality DM, but not one of the best any longer. So somebody has to be found. It's not a United thing or an England thing, it's a football thing. Great teams have great DM's. They take pressure off the back line and they allow creative players to move forward. And isn't that is what has happened to the MF recently. Keano needs help, which means that we have less service with someone tracking back to help much more than was ever necessary. We have a very expensive strike force with little service. There are other problems there, but this is a big one. Keane still has loads to give (he was pure quality in the FA Cup Final), but more and more of that will come from grooming his hier. So I don't think we need anyone who can move forward the way he was able to in his day. If they can fine, but a Maka or a Marquez is fine. It will do the job and lead to better service by allowing the other 3 or 4 mids to press forward. In fact Davids is a perfect replacement in his ability to disrupt the opponent and his mental/physical toughness. But I do agree that you can't replace a 34 year old with a 32 year old. Same with Maka. You need something younger. Who that is, I'm not sure, but attitude is as important as ability, which is why I like Gatusso but I agree with the above poster that he doesn't necessarily play the same role.
forget davids, go for the player keeping him out of the squad, cambiasso. Box-to-box hardnosed midfielder... would bring balance to the midfield...
actually thats not a bad idea, i have been impressed by cambiasso in recent years, and he's only 24/25, a perfect age for a keane replacement imo. Although he may not be a 'replacement' of sorts for keane, he would be an excellent midfield pickup who would help solidify the middle.....and i think he ouwld be hard enough to compete and survive the EPL