We're going to miss steady eddy VDS more than we missed schmeichel

Originally Posted by £#%&! KFC

thiink he will be persuaded to go on for one more year, no chance of two

I thought he'd go on for another year but he'll want to retire at the very top. Being the top professional that he is, if he thinks his standards are gonna drop even by an inch next year then he'll hang the gloves up.

Love him

Originally Posted by Carrick

I thought he'd go on for another year but he'll want to retire at the very top. Being the top professional that he is, if he thinks his standards are gonna drop even by an inch next year then he'll hang the gloves up.

Love him

Yeap I don't think we can expect another year out of him. tbf unless they move for a paypacket (henry ) you don't see too many players playing past their prime these days, particularly the ones as sensible as VDS. It's what makes him great, but unfortunately also means when his time is up it's up. Hopefully he'll stay on as coach.


At least he's given the gimps plenty of time to save up for a replacement

Just a shame we didnt get Edwin long before 2005. Great servant for the past 6 years or so and instrumental in our current years of success.

Think he might stay for 1 for one more season though.... here's hoping anyway.

anyone remember what the reaction was when he signed? i can't tbf but i'm wondering if there was a lot of 'from fulham ffs' type comments.

brilliant signing of course, not sure he's as good as schmeichel in pure keeping terms but his level of consistency, his concentration and his ability off the deck probably makes him a better keeper for the current side than schmeichel would have been.

I wasn't on this forum at the time but there was a general feeling that VDS was rather slumming it at Fulham, sure he was linked with other clubs every transfer window until we did sign him.

I think when he joined them was during that weird Tigana period where Al-Fayed thought he could buy himself the league

Originally Posted by borsuk

anyone remember what the reaction was when he signed? i can't tbf but i'm wondering if there was a lot of 'from fulham ffs' type comments.

brilliant signing of course, not sure he's as good as schmeichel in pure keeping terms but his level of consistency, his concentration and his ability off the deck probably makes him a better keeper for the current side than schmeichel would have been.

he was the cheap option, in the twilight of his career, typical united

signed the same summer as Park, who was the marketing gimmick who can't play football

personally I used to think VDS didn't look like a top class keeper and thought his stint at Juve proved it, hence him signing for fulham. then again I hardly ever saw him play until then, and it was obvious from sitting behind howard especially that VDS was £#%&!ing miles ahead of anything we had. £#%&! knows how we ended up with such a top class keeper for such a small fee.

How old was Schmeichel when he went out on top, 34 / 35?

I doubt many would have thought we'd of got 6 years out of VDS at the time we picked him up, so the £2m would have seemed like a very, very short term view as opposed to the 6 years immense service - the Great Dane did 8/9 ? (120-ish games more).

To get 14 / 15 years of that for what amounts to about £2.5m in transfer fees is a nonsense when you look at what's happened at Arsenal

Schmikes didn't have the body type that lets you keep going into your 40s at the same level. VDS is fortunate in that respect, but then, look at Dida, who's built the same, and whose game has gone to complete shit.

I don't see any reason why VDS couldn't play another season or two, but he's probably just getting tired of it.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

personally I used to think VDS didn't look like a top class keeper and thought his stint at Juve proved it, hence him signing for fulham. then again I hardly ever saw him play until then, and it was obvious from sitting behind howard especially that VDS was £#%&!ing miles ahead of anything we had. £#%&! knows how we ended up with such a top class keeper for such a small fee.

I saw a lot of him at Juve, a fair bit for Ajax and Holland and a little at Fulham and, to be honest, was of a similar opinion. His distribution was always fantastic, at Ajax he was probably the outstanding keeper in Europe in terms of playing with his feet, but beyond that I was never convinced that he had absolutely top level ability. Very good, yes, but not in the class of keepers like Schmeichel, Buffon, Toldo, Khan... And, as you say, this impression was only cemented by his problems at Juve, where it appeared that he probably didn't have the mentality to play at a top club.

When we signed him, I thought he'd be a very solid stop gap, with the odd high profile mistake; I certainly didn't think he'd go on to perform at such a fantastic level, let alone for such a long time. Cech was the better player before his injury, but over the whole period I don't think there can be any doubt that he's been the best in the country. Incredible.

£2m for Edwin?

I don't think it was just mentality when he was at Juve. He had already played in two Champions League finals, a European Championships, and a World Cup went he went there. I think he had an actual technical problem with his footwork, which caused some shot-stopping problems. These persisted through his Fulham days and into his first year at United, but they've long since been ironed out. If you can recall, he used to land on his stomach a lot, which is a byproduct of letting his feet cross over before diving. That in turn makes it hard to get the hands in good position, so especially at Juve, there were balls he appeared to get a strong hand to but not keep out. But those days are long gone.

I think over the last 5 years he's been the calmest, most mentally strong keeper in the world.

Originally Posted by Grimson

I think over the last 5 years he's been the calmest, most mentally strong keeper in the world.

That's what always strikes me about him. He never looks arsed about anything.

Originally Posted by Grimson

I don't think it was just mentality when he was at Juve. He had already played in two Champions League finals, a European Championships, and a World Cup went he went there. I think he had an actual technical problem with his footwork, which caused some shot-stopping problems. These persisted through his Fulham days and into his first year at United, but they've long since been ironed out. If you can recall, he used to land on his stomach a lot, which is a byproduct of letting his feet cross over before diving. That in turn makes it hard to get the hands in good position, so especially at Juve, there were balls he appeared to get a strong hand to but not keep out. But those days are long gone.

I think over the last 5 years he's been the calmest, most mentally strong keeper in the world.

To be honest, I don't recall that, but then I don't have The World's Best Goalkeeping Blog ("One to bookmark" - The Guardian). Good stuff anyway. You should put something about this on your blog. Very rare that you read anything about the technical side of goalkeeping. You could maybe try and find some videos or images to illustrate or something? If you could then integrate something about cuts in British public sector expenditure I bet you'd get featured in The Guardian.

I'm serious BTW.

Originally Posted by Zorg

That's what always strikes me about him. He never looks arsed about anything.

Someone once described him as always having a look on his face as if he is judging you unfavourably.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

To be honest, I don't recall that, but then I don't have The World's Best Goalkeeping Blog ("One to bookmark" - The Guardian). Good stuff anyway. You should put something about this on your blog. Very rare that you read anything about the technical side of goalkeeping. You could maybe try and find some videos or images to illustrate or something? If you could then integrate something about cuts in British public sector expenditure I bet you'd get featured in The Guardian.

You can't alternate serious and wum posts, or in this case serious and wum sentences, and expect a response, except for one that points out the serious/wum nature of your posts/sentences.

Originally Posted by Grimson

You can't alternate serious and wum posts, or in this case serious and wum sentences, and expect a response, except for one that points out the serious/wum nature of your posts/sentences.

Just pretend the first and last sentences aren't there.

Good point grimey now you mention it, he did kind of half twist in flight

what did you make of schmeichel's weakness on FK's, keeper's side? i'm thinking rivaldo, basler, fowler and maybe even going back to schuster? where's your weight meant to be when the ball is struck?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

Good point grimey now you mention it, he did kind of half twist in flight

what did you make of schmeichel's weakness on FK's, keeper's side? i'm thinking rivaldo, basler, fowler and maybe even going back to schuster? where's your weight meant to be when the ball is struck?

I think when that happens it's a problem of anticipating wrong. For the Basler one, you can see he expects it to go over the wall and his weight is moving that way, so when it goes to his left, he's helpless to react.

Originally Posted by Grimson

I think when that happens it's a problem of anticipating wrong. For the Basler one, you can see he expects it to go over the wall and his weight is moving that way, so when it goes to his left, he's helpless to react.

yeah i've got the video

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Just pretend the first and last sentences aren't there.

Okay.

Jokes aside that's pretty interesting stuff tbf