[jambutty]

Originally Posted by Mancie

You did get my goat up Jambutty... what you were saying was that Ronaldo should not be in the team, and that he delayed United's winning of the EPL.. that is total rubbish.
Like most fans I have only seen Sir Stan in old footage, and so I may well be wrong , I never doubted his talent and ability in the 1950's .. but in todays game he would not be a factor.

I never stated that Ronaldo shouldn’t be in the team. Kindly don’t put words in my mouth.

The only total rubbish is your inability to read and understand what I wrote.

During the course of last season Man U lost 6 matches, many by the odd goal and drew 5. In some of those matches Ronaldo’s selfish desire to win the match or draw it by scoring an almost impossible goal rather than passing the ball to another player with a better chance of scoring cost United the game.

His arrogant and selfish attitude has been much less prevalent last season than the season before and hopefully will be a more complete team player next season.

On the other hand Ronaldo’s goal against Aston Villa, I think it was, was pure genius and lightning fast thinking. That one where he flicked the ball with his right heel to nutmeg a defender and score. It was featured in BBC’s Goal of the Season and in my opinion should win it, more so than his other entry – that free kick into the top corner. Then there was that other goal (I can’t remember which match it was) where the ball arrived at thigh height and he just thighed it into the net. Again another spontaneous reaction to an almost impossible situation.

Apart from his super fast reactions Ronaldo only has his speed of foot and the ubiquitous ‘step overs’. Stanley Matthews would leave the defender wrong footed and more often than not sat on the deck as he ghosted past to present yet another near perfect cross into the box. Stanley Matthews didn’t need speed of foot (although he was plenty fast enough to outstrip most defenders) to get past a defender, he had the skill and guile to leave the man standing even at the age of 50.

Not a factor in today’s game? Get real! Players of Matthews’ calibre would hold their own in any era.