Many Are Called. Few Succeed. Manchester United: Beyond the Promised Land

Farewell Ruud

A wee bit late i know, but he sure is owed a tribute for the 150 goals! Goodbye to one of the best strikers Old Trafford has ever seen. I personally think his best year were behind him now at United we had him at his peak. The past couple of seasons he looks as unmotivated as ive ever seen him. Perhaps a change in environment might do his game good and i sure wish him well in Madrid. I'd just hate to see a United legend like Ruud come up against us in the Champions league, especially if he scores, id be kicking myself silly.

I personally remember him as one of the best goalscorers I've ever seen. His movement, his hunger, awareness in the penalty box, goalscorers instinct, incredibly fast reactions and his composure in his prime sure sets examples to any aspiring footballer. He single handedly dragged the team to a Premiership title in the 02-03 season by leading from the front when others around him were lacklustre and about to give up. A good example of this was in the game against Lyon in 04-05, where he scored a great headed goal followed by a fist clenched with passion and a rallying cry of "Come On!" which gave a previously piss poor team display a kick up the arse to equalise and grab a point.

That was Ruud, no matter what idiots in the press or rival fans say, he was a big time player, he was a team player, and if the ball was in the box then he would be there before the defender, the goalkeeper, usually with the most clinical of finishes.

A frequest criticism is that he only scored tap ins, usually this comes from dimwits with no idea of the game. At the top level, to get yourself into a position to just knock the ball home, week after week after week, requires world class talent, vision, anticipation, agility of body and mind. And of course he scored some visually great goals as well, at home to Fulham, away at Arsenal, West Ham in the FA Cup to name a few, never the most graceful in running style he made up for it with pure drive, touch and work ethic.

For a club as prestigious as Manchester United, to outdo Charlton, Law, Best, Cantona and many other magnificent players to set yourself as the all time top scorer on Europes biggest stage, the Champions League, is perhaps the biggest testament to his quality. The best of defences shat themselfs silly whenever he was on the prowl.

I do think he has lost that hunger for MUFC and maybe the game if his World Cup performances are anything to go by, it probably is time he moved on, what goes up must come down, and Ruud was certainly up. Whatever happens wherever he goes, Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a fucking majestic striker for Manchester United Football Club, and dont you let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Anyhow, with all that said and done, i cant hardly wait for next season with Saha and Rooney leading the front line, we're definitely gonna revert back to the 4-4-2 which brought us a throng of cups. We move so much faster with Saha in the side, he's sharp and quick, can turn on a dime He's the most underated player we have and I can't wait to see him and Rooney up front this season as our prime attacking force.

With Carrick feeding them and Scholes(or Senna) back there we have one of the most potent attacking forces in the World. I'm full of confidence that this will be one of our best seasons in years and can't wait for it to start. We've been stunted in the previous year by Ruud being our main attacking force and I can see us flowing again as in days of old. Get excited ya'll.

Tackled By The Red Devil at 7:29 PM,
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