Ronaldo (il fenomeno)

Originally Posted by MJ Ramone

very few 'free spirits' & dribblers in the game too.

All you hear about now is 'pressing' & possession stats.
The so-called flair players only seem to turn it on once a month - if that.

I'm not entirely sure what the fundamental changes are in Football over recent years but I don't enjoy it anywhere near as much as I used to.
European Football is a chore 'Ronaldo V Messi' for about the 8th year running

Experts £#%&!ing raving about Hazard, Griezeman, Lewandowski etc.. before the Euros. It's like watching paint dry.
Nothing players in the grand scheme of things.

What I wouldn't give for a return to 4-4-2 with out & out strikers & wingers + a ball winning midfielder paired with a creative one. Classic
Ooh, you can't do that! you'll get outnumbered in midfield when the false number 10 & a half drops back to make a 3

£#%&! off.

I think it's cyclical though, football goes through phases of the players & coaches available making the best of what they have. If you had that list of strikers available at world level these days you'd have a vastly more attacking set of clubs to feed them. If another player with the qualities of a young Ronaldo broke through you couldn't stop him playing that way (well, Van Gaal might of) but ultimately the players make the systems. Let's hope the youngsters of today who grow up with all of these outrageous street skills make it onto the pitch ahead of the hoof£#%&!ing bungle-@#%&!s that can run around a lot.

Originally Posted by Sapien

"As I was going off I had a little tear in my eye. I looked up and saw a huge man holding up what looked like a bedsheet saying 'Rolando the gratest'. I couldn't stop the tears from that point."

Why, was he upset that his name had been misspelled?

Probably wouldn't have won the treble had he been fully fit for those two games in 99.

Originally Posted by MrBishi

The game -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI7H-8F1Rm8


Longer highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2iuCChCayQ

Love Nicky Butt's reaction on that 2nd Ronaldo goal. Throws a wobbler after failing miserably to track Roberto Carlos's run.

As great as that United side were at times going forward, £#%&! me they were awful without the football at times. Madrid just walked through us.

That goalkeeping from Barthez for the first was abysmal.

Originally Posted by Dave

Probably wouldn't have won the treble had he been fully fit for those two games in 99.

this guy. About as much to contribute as a dribbling @#%&!.

Originally Posted by Dave

Probably wouldn't have won the treble had he been fully fit for those two games in 99.

All I'm picturing is Bert faces the moment Tyldesley screamed "And Solskjaer has won it!"

Originally Posted by Baron

I think it's cyclical though, football goes through phases of the players & coaches available making the best of what they have. If you had that list of strikers available at world level these days you'd have a vastly more attacking set of clubs to feed them. If another player with the qualities of a young Ronaldo broke through you couldn't stop him playing that way (well, Van Gaal might of) but ultimately the players make the systems. Let's hope the youngsters of today who grow up with all of these outrageous street skills make it onto the pitch ahead of the hoof£#%&!ing bungle-@#%&!s that can run around a lot.

huge problem in the US with the coaching out here its all about playing it safe and not taking the risk to be creative. This generation of youngsters are having that freedom on the pitch taken away

Originally Posted by Sparky***

yeah, he's still the benchmark for me. That 1996/7 season with Barcelona.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDCjsxrGy5U

Back when scoring 40+ goals in Spain was an incredible feat, the talent was spread, a healthier time in European football. One of the greatest ever at his absolute peak while Messi and Cristiano can sleepwalk to 50+ goals.

Originally Posted by Neo

All I'm picturing is Bert faces the moment Tyldesley screamed "And Solskjaer has won it!"

Or the faces of their wives .

Stockport A&E full of women who had "walked into doors" that evening

Originally Posted by MJ Ramone

Ooh, you can't do that! you'll get outnumbered in midfield when the false number 10 & a half drops back to make a 3

£#%&! off.

Originally Posted by Dave

Probably wouldn't have won the treble had he been fully fit for those two games in 99.

Treble, £#%&!ing treble?

You were at Wembley playing against Gillingham you absolute dipstick.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

Love Nicky Butt's reaction on that 2nd Ronaldo goal. Throws a wobbler after failing miserably to track Roberto Carlos's run.

As great as that United side were at times going forward, £#%&! me they were awful without the football at times. Madrid just walked through us.

That goalkeeping from Barthez for the first was abysmal.

Not much better for the third. Way too far off his line, gives himself no reaction time, ball goes in nowhere near the corner.

Originally Posted by Grimson

Not much better for the third. Way too far off his line, gives himself no reaction time, ball goes in nowhere near the corner.

He was not great in the first leg either. The narrative after that tie was that Utd were outplayed by the superior class of Madrid but the Keepers were the key difference, Utd created many more chances than Madrid over the 2 legs.

Missed some chances the last time around against Madrid as well, Van Persie after having a great 5 months had dropped off badly at the time of that tie,had not enough chances to put them away by himself

2000 was a screw up as well now I think on it, Utd had the better team, maybe still the best in Europe at that stage.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

He was not great in the first leg either. The narrative after that tie was that Utd were outplayed by the superior class of Madrid but the Keepers were the key difference, Utd created many more chances than Madrid over the 2 legs.

Missed some chances the last time around against Madrid as well, Van Persie after having a great 5 months had dropped off badly at the time of that tie,had not enough chances to put them away by himself

2000 was a screw up as well now I think on it, Utd had the better team, maybe still the best in Europe at that stage.

Varane should have been sent off in the away leg in 2013

Originally Posted by Ranier Wolfcastle

Varane should have been sent off in the away leg in 2013

Yes, we were robbed in more than one sense back in 2013. Maybe our new manager might admit as much now

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

Yes, we were robbed in more than one sense back in 2013. Maybe our new manager might admit as much now

Think he did at the time tbf

Cicinho has been talking about his time at Madrid and his alcoholism, love this quote about the snakey £#%&!ers in the Madrid dressing room, and Raul in particular..

He then says that after Ronaldo Nazario had one bad game, the next day the press were conveniently saying Raul was better than Ronaldo, when Raul ‘would have to be born three times to play like Ronaldo.'

http://www.101greatgoals.com/news/ci...spanish-press/

Pogba schmogba. Why couldn't we have broken the record on this bastard?

Originally Posted by andyroo

Pogba schmogba. Why couldn't we have broken the record on this bastard?

Fergie was gagging for all the worldies of the '90s. Ronaldo, Batistuta, Rivaldo. Constantly #@&%!-blocked by the board.

Ronaldo at 40...

https://www.theguardian.com/football...P=share_btn_tw

Any excuse...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vBQVtH3A

http://youtu.be/uVueW6X7TM0

Utterly mesmerising.

Love the 10 second shot clock thing

Originally Posted by dunk

Ronaldo at 40...

https://www.theguardian.com/football...P=share_btn_tw

Any excuse...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4vBQVtH3A



http://youtu.be/uVueW6X7TM0

Utterly mesmerising.

Love the 10 second shot clock thing

Incredible. It's like he has a bullet time button or something.