Viduka in Man U's Sights

[Nandrolone Stam]

Originally posted by Shinboners
Assuming that it's a RVN and Viduka pairing up forwad, tt would either be Solksjaer or Fletcher on the right.

Giggs would be on the left, Keane as the defensive central midfielder, Scholes as the attacking central midfielder.

Stop educating the boy on our new signings.

 

[Borgsta]

Does anybody at Man Utd actually want this arseclown to play for their club. Honestly if he wasnt Australian half of the people on here would admit that Viduka is nothing special. Fergie will stick with Forlan and with the 4-4-1-1 formation simply because it works. Viduka is so overrated its not funny.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by Borgsta
Does anybody at Man Utd actually want this arseclown to play for their club.

Reading the various United websites and mailing lists, Viduka is not a popular choice amongst the fans for a Fergie signing.

My worry about Viduka isn't over his ability, but over his temperament. He seems to spend a year settling into a new club, then a year scoring goals, and then a year having brain explosions and walk outs. So I don't see him as a long term proposition for United.

If he signs, fair and good. If he doesn't, then it won't worry me.

 

[moomba]

I think Viduka would be a decent signing, but I am yet to be convinced he is capable of doing the business at the higher levels.

I would see him playing behind RVN, holding the ball up, and distributing it wide, or through to RVN. If I was unfortunate enough to support United I would much prefer Scholes playing in the hole than Viduka.

Strangely enough I think Viduka would be a good signing for Liverpool though, pretty cheap, able to play the Heskey role but with the added bonus of being capable to score 15-20 goals a year.

Moomba

 

[Borgsta]

Originally posted by Shinboners
My worry about Viduka isn't over his ability, but over his temperament. He seems to spend a year settling into a new club, then a year scoring goals, and then a year having brain explosions and walk outs.

Yeah overall he isnt too bad a player, but his temperament isnt something that can be changed I think. Your description of him is brilliant and pretty much spot on for his entire career.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by Borgsta
Your description of him is brilliant and pretty much spot on for his entire career.

I wish it was my description, but I paraphrased it from an article I read about Viduka.

Oh, and I agree with Moomba that Viduka would be very good at Liverpool. Owen and Viduka would make a good forward combination and allow Kewell to do his creative work from midfield. But I doubt that Kewell would say too many good things about Viduka to Houllier, so I can't see Viduka ending up at Liverpool.

 

[Nandrolone Stam]

Originally posted by Shinboners
I wish it was my description, but I paraphrased it from an article I read about Viduka.

Oh, and I agree with Moomba that Viduka would be very good at Liverpool. Owen and Viduka would make a good forward combination and allow Kewell to do his creative work from midfield. But I doubt that Kewell would say too many good things about Viduka to Houllier, so I can't see Viduka ending up at Liverpool.

I'm sure Harry would mention that Viduka spends less time on his arse than that fat bastard Heskey.

 

[tribey]

Originally posted by Borgsta
Honestly if he wasnt Australian half of the people on here would admit that Viduka is nothing special ... Viduka is so overrated its not funny.

I reckon you're being overly harsh there...

There aren't too many traditional centre-forwards of Viduka's size that can boast the V-Bomber's technique and ability to create goals for others.

Look at this Charlton game gone by... set up Milner for the goal by running at defenders then flipped the ball to the youngster who finished clinically. Moments later he runs from almost the halfway line outwide, past a few defenders and nearly walked the ball in.

What more can he do at the bottom side in the Premiership anyway? No strike partners (with Smith used primarily as a Mr. fix-it in midfield these days) and no service. Grrrrrrrrrreat.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

According to the English Sunday Express, Fergie could nab him on loan until the end of the season.

 

[Shinboners]

Originally posted by Petrie Dish
According to the English Sunday Express, Fergie could nab him on loan until the end of the season.

Screw that.

If we take him on loan and he scores goals, then he'll just become more expensive if Fergie wants to make the move permanent. With the service that Viduka will get from the United midfield, you'd think that he'd get at least 10 goals.

I'd much rather we just buy him and be done with it. At 5 million, that's small change for United.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Originally posted by Shinboners
Screw that.

If we take him on loan and he scores goals, then he'll just become more expensive if Fergie wants to make the move permanent. With the service that Viduka will get from the United midfield, you'd think that he'd get at least 10 goals.

I'd much rather we just buy him and be done with it. At 5 million, that's small change for United.

Probably true, but it depends on the takeover bid rumours circling Leeds and whether or not they get relegated. If they get relegated and they're still under the same management then I'd say we could get Viduka at a knockdown price, regardless of how he does for us (unless he scores 20+ and is courted by the top clubs, unlikely).

What would Saha be available for? Fulham are flying high at the moment and aren't in financial trouble, but I'm a big fan of the frenchman.

 

[tribey]

Originally posted by Petrie Dish
What would Saha be available for? Fulham are flying high at the moment and aren't in financial trouble, but I'm a big fan of the frenchman.

Is Saha capable of scoring under the pressure of playing for a big club such as United? Knocking in goals at Loftus Road and the odd one away from home are all well and good when you're with Fulham, but under the global spotlight of Old Trafford when every centrehalf you come up against both at home and abroad is playing in his own mini-cup final?

I know that when Saha was with us he was very raw and didn't do much... however he has since gone on to be a decent forward with the benefit of a quality attacking midfield (Boa Morte, Malbranque, Clark, Legwinski, Davis) providing him with A-grade service.

Could he reproduce it week-in week-out for United? Personally I doubt it, but who knows?

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Originally posted by dyertribe
Is Saha capable of scoring under the pressure of playing for a big club such as United? Knocking in goals at Loftus Road and the odd one away from home are all well and good when you're with Fulham, but under the global spotlight of Old Trafford when every centrehalf you come up against both at home and abroad is playing in his own mini-cup final?

I know that when Saha was with us he was very raw and didn't do much... however he has since gone on to be a decent forward with the benefit of a quality attacking midfield (Boa Morte, Malbranque, Clark, Legwinski, Davis) providing him with A-grade service.

Could he reproduce it week-in week-out for United? Personally I doubt it, but who knows?

Fair call. No doubting Saha's ability because he has matured into a fine player skillwise, it's whether or not he could handle playing for United. To be fair the same could be said about Defoe and Viduka to a lesser extent. Sometimes you have to take a risk I think, he may be a viable option if he's around the 5-6 mill mark. Wouldn't pay too much though.

 

[Shinboners]

I doubt we'll go for Saha. He's in that netherworld of not offering an immediate impact (as Viduka would) or range for improvement (as Defoe potentially has).

But reports on Red Issue say that Fergie is keen to have 4 strikers in the squad (which implies that he doesn't think that Bellion is ready for first team football....or perhaps that Bellion won't make it).

 

[GlovemanGayfer]

kezman

Today's paper says that Kezman might be on his way to old trafford. I'd rather see him in our shirt than Viduka. Compare their international records, one performs in big games and the other never performs in the ones that count. United want a big game player and viduka has shown no signs that he is one.

 

[Shinboners]

Re: kezman

Originally posted by GlovemanGayfer
Today's paper says that Kezman might be on his way to old trafford. I'd rather see him in our shirt than Viduka. Compare their international records, one performs in big games and the other never performs in the ones that count. United want a big game player and viduka has shown no signs that he is one.

The one thing that runs in Viduka's favour is that he did score the goals that help save Leeds from relegation last season - it was something like 7 or 8 in the last 10 matches (iirc, Kewell scored roughly none). They might not have been big games in the United scheme of things, but they were pressure games.

 

[tribey]

Re: Re: kezman

Originally posted by Shinboners
The one thing that runs in Viduka's favour is that he did score the goals that help save Leeds from relegation last season - it was something like 7 or 8 in the last 10 matches (iirc, Kewell scored roughly none)...

He actually scored 14 Premiership goals in his last 10 games - you're right though, an absolutely tremendous record at a side fighting relegation.

Just as an aside:

Mark Viduka apps for Leeds (EPL): 109 (4 as sub)
Mark Viduka goals for Leeds (EPL): 50
FA Cup apps: 7
FA Cup goals: 4
Lge Cup apps: 3
Lge Cup goals: 1
Other apps: 25
Other goals: 7

And then of course there's all his assists and creation for others since he arrived at Elland Road. I really don't understand why some people don't rate him.

 

[Shinboners]

Thanks for those stats Dyertribe.

AS for people not rating Viduka, I think they look at his record playing in Australian internationals and they remember his hissy fits. When it comes to the Premiership, he has a bloody good record. He probably isn't as dynamic a player to watch as Harry Kewell, but he's effective.

However, as I said before, as a signing for United, I think he'd be a 2 or 3 season proposition. He does seem to need a change of environment every few years. But then again, they said the same thing about Eric Cantona.