lots of journalists and pundits praising Rices performance yesterday, despite some of our fans claiming he had an OK game.
Barney Ronay of the Guardian on Rice
United looked for long periods like a team that seemed to have no content, no centre, and certainly nothing in midfield to match Declan Rice, who was the best player on the pitch by some distance.
Rice has the kind of running style sports writers get very excited about. He glides, he whispers, he trots and frolics. The urge is there to use terms like “Rolls Royce". The main thing is how relaxed he seems, a player who sees the game as a series of spatial puzzles to be solved. Is he a “holding midfielder"? Is he “box to box"? He doesn’t really seem to follow any of these standard forms. He’s a gliding run-pass funnel. He’s a defensive superconductor. He’s a strolling ball-magnet
(Continued in comment 1. Thanks spam filter)
Rice underrated?
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 6 minutes ago
What sort of sad sack buys a Mondeo 🤣
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So…60k then ?
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What do you make of Rice?
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by Miyagi doh 😣 (U19849)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 2 hours, 13 minutes ago
comment by Miyagi doh 😣 (U19849)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
Kante, Fabinho, Rodri arent available.
Kessie, meh. De Jong, Meh.
Very few players are worth their transfer fee, however the market is the market.
The fact you cant name 5-10 better midfielders that wed have a chance of getting says everything.
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Define can't get?
What I mean is if you think Rice is gettable at 100-200m (Moyes words) then everyone is gettable. Arguably some more than others. What I mean here is look at some of the teams and their finances. Throw 100m at any player and you've got a chance.
You didn't ask for better midfielders. You asked for the ones available for big money ie 100m
At lesser prices you can get many more not least likes of Haidara for 30m and bar the injury situation which is being monitored Zakaria at 6m would be better for us than Rice. (I can list you 10 names if you want but that would just be pedantic and you've tried this route a few times)
And before you get facetious "better" here is what I have argued from the off as in our system not a defensive set up like WHU and England. Even Phillips is better suited to is and what Ralf is doing than Rice.
Statistically even Mct isn't far off Rice but where he has strengths they suit us more, again I've given detail on this as in mct makes more passes forward than rice.
The market being the market is why we are where we are. Buying players don't fit what we want to do. 80m for Maguire who turns like a tanker.
I even gave the example of shneiderlin being a palyer who was very good for Leicester in their system. We paid big money at the time and look where he is.
Seems to me like folk want an 11 of all the players they rate. Regardless of whether it's what we need. Under Ole I can see a case for rice (not for 100m) but his skillset would have suited us. Now no way.
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1 Casemiro, Kante, Rodri, Fabinho arent gettable in that they are at rich clubs, competejng at the tob table and are therefore very very unlikely to come to us
2 I asked for the names of the elite midfielders somebody claimed we could get for less than it would likely cost to get Rice.
3 You clealry underrate Rice and what is he capable of on a pitch.
4 Rice would be signed to play the McTom / Fred role, which is primarily defensive / transitional role, which he is more than capable of doing.
5 Maguire and AWB arent good enough. That doesnt change if wed paid what we did, or a 1/4 of that fee.
in summary, Rice is going to be world class in his role, a role we desperately need to fill, and will tjerefofe probably cost a huge fee, which j think we can / should pay. You disagree, fine.
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I do disagree. However you don't seem to be "listening".
Your comment about me not rating Rice is the evidence of that.
I rate Rice highly. Just not 100m worth or world class yet or will be but that's an opinion we can disagree on.
I don't think he is what we need with what we seem to be doing or Ralf says. I've alluded to stats and his style for club and country for this. His performances also point to this but that is a different discussion
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You arent listening. Claiming i said you didnt rate Rice is evidence of that.
£100m is only expensive if you can name loads of players as good if not better than him, and cheaper, but people have struggled to.
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I have named players who are cheaper and I have also named players who I think we should be spending 100m on and rated higher than rice.
What other people have said is not my fault/problem
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
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Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
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Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
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Rice is being elevated on this thread to worlds best level. I just don't see it and wouldn't pay more than 40-50 million for him even in the current mental climate.
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 24 minutes ago
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
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Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
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A better analogy is this.
You have £60k to spend on thr BMW you want, but your mates who know F all keep telling you to buy a mitsubishi for £20k, because the last expensive car you bought was a bit of a pig.
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Funnily enough I had a car conversation with my brother last night.
He currently has a touran but wants Mercedes vito. I told him for his budget and needs he needs something better.
Vito's are not all that. But have a Mercedes badge (which is the attraction for him). A VW transporter would be a better vehicle. But some of his needs he may need to buy a Mazda bongo or import estima.
posted on 24/1/22
What do you make of Rice?
—
Sushi sometimes, Thai red curry, jambalaya.
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice is being elevated on this thread to worlds best level. I just don't see it and wouldn't pay more than 40-50 million for him even in the current mental climate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly irish. He’s a good player who’s effective in defensive teams, and in form but nothing special.
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice is being elevated on this thread to worlds best level. I just don't see it and wouldn't pay more than 40-50 million for him even in the current mental climate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly irish. He’s a good player who’s effective in defensive teams, and in form but nothing special.
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It's rather telling that most teams MF have given us a hard time of late. Yet mcfred didn't give WHU a sniff
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 46 minutes ago
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice is being elevated on this thread to worlds best level. I just don't see it and wouldn't pay more than 40-50 million for him even in the current mental climate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont think ANYONE has said he is the best midfielder in the world
posted on 24/1/22
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 52 minutes ago
comment by Irishred (U2539)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Ole dirty Baztard - penited and penandes (U19119)
posted 34 minutes ago
comment by Don (U22703)
posted 1 hour, 45 minutes ago
comment by CurrentlyStuckIntheUK (U11181)
posted 10 minutes ago
Do you're arguing we drop 100m for Rice?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously id rather we paid less, but I wouldnt be upset if we got him at £100m.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you buy a Ford Mondeo for £60k?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rice is being elevated on this thread to worlds best level. I just don't see it and wouldn't pay more than 40-50 million for him even in the current mental climate.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Exactly irish. He’s a good player who’s effective in defensive teams, and in form but nothing special.
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£50m for a 'good' player?
posted on 25/1/22
ndidi, bissouma, and aurelian will be more sensible cdm signing imo
We already have 2 decent ball winners in fred and mcT. Like most, i think we can do with a better options. But what I think we transform us is a cm that can play alongside one of mcT/fred or whatever cdm we play. We currently lack the ability to control/dictate from deep. The one player in our squad that can do this (pogba) happens to be a defensive liability.
I still have hope this guy will be the longterm solution
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aEpOYLSYD8