Date: 25th June 2010 at 1:00pm
Written by:

We all knew the Golden Generation at Old Trafford would come to an end sometime and with Paul Scholes announcing that this coming season is likely to be his last that’s one more player down.

We’ve all known Scholes would retire soon and it was a massive possibility with the eye injury he picked up during the 05-06 season, yet since then no replacement has been sought or found to step into the ginger wizards boots.

A player like Paul Scholes is near irreplaceable, anyone in the know in terms of football will tell you the quiet, unassuming midfielder is one of the most technically gifted players this country has ever produced. I don’t need to bang on about his passing, shooting and goal scoring feats. Zinidine Zidane, a player considered one of the finest to ever play the game, declared that Scholes is/was the”greatest midfielder of his generation” and he wouldn’t be wrong.

Even in his twilight years Scholes is still putting on masterclasses, dictating play from a deeper position than normal yet still popping up with the odd goal here and there, so is this why a greater effort hasn’t been made to replace him?

We’ve been in this situation before and paid the price heavily.

Peter Schmeichel left Old Trafford following the Champions League victory in 1999 but many, myself included, feel that he wasn’t properly replaced until 2005 when we signed Edwin van der Sar from Fulham, some 6 years later. In that 6 years the lack of a clear #1 disrupted our efforts as we had to put up with a number of pretenders including Fabien Barthez and Massimo Taibi.

The same can be said for Roy Keane, who was clearly ready to pass his torch on to a younger pair of legs before he left the club by mutual consent in 2005. The difference between Keane and Schmeichel is in some opinions Keane has yet to be replaced. Hargreaves was ear marked as his replacement but injury and the fact that when he was fit he seemed more effective on the right as either a full back of winger curtailed that.

As I said a player with Paul Scholes’ talents isn’t easy to replace. There are very few players that could hold a candle to a prime Paul Scholes and only a slightly larger number that can do so now. The fact we have been given a years notice to replace him should force the club to free up some funds.

I have said before losing Giggs, Neville and Scholes would be a huge blow but losing them all at once would be even worse. It’s only now that it’s starting to dawn on me how massive a job it is that we face in replacing them. Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have people ready to step up in the likes of Gabriel Obertan, Nani and Rafael but nobody has stood up and thrown their hat in the ring to be named Scholes’ heir.

Darron Gibson and Anderson have both been mentioned but there are still some questions to be raised about them whilst Magnus Eikrem is yet to see proper first team action and Davide Petrucci has a while to go before he claims a first team spot.

There is the saying bad luck comes in threes and we have already experienced it twice with Schmeichel and Keane, we have a chance to buck this trend with Scholes lets hope Fergie seizes the opportunity to do so this summer.

 

9 responses to “Will we let history repeat itself at Old Trafford?”

  1. Amrith says:

    It would indeed be a sad day when ol’ Scholesey hangs up his boots. Quiet, reserved and the consummate professional, he was and continues to be what every footballer should strive to be. The most gifted of his generation, he will certainly be missed. A replacement is not really an option. As players go, United evolve. A case in point would be Ruud’s departure. Saha was brought in as a direct replacement but his injuries meant that we played without a typical number nine for a long time, and continue to do so in some respects (Berba is not really your archetypal number nine is he 🙂 ) United’s style became more fluid, more European if you like with Tevez, Roo and Ron interchanging places. Thus, I feel that United cant really replace Scholes but United will evolve. We have done so and will do so.

    Cheers

  2. Amrith says:

    Oh and almost forgot … great piece mate 🙂

    Cheers

  3. Chudi Onwuazor says:

    You make a good point Amrith and I agree to an extent but I think if we are going to play a midfield 3 we need a Scholes type player to provide a creative outlet. Carrick can pass but is missing the other aspects whilst Fletcher, Hargreaves, Anderson etc don’t match up

  4. jonathan says:

    Though I’d agree with Chudi in that we will need a creative midfielder to replace Scholes, I’m inclined to agree with Amrith in that the team evolves and you play to your strengths. (IMO, it looks like it is with Rooney and our wingers)

    Since Scholes is one of the greatest of his generation and United for that matter, it would seem foolish to think he can be directly replaced. If that’s our game plan than the odds are that it will be a failure. Could you imagine coming onto the team and having the expectation of filling in the same mold as Scholes?

    When Beckham left, did we expect to have another player who could do the same things? No, instead we rightly shaped our team according to the next star in Ronaldo.

    Don’t get me wrong, we need a very capable person in place of Scholes, but we shouldn’t expect them to be his prototype.

  5. roger says:

    Paul Pogba is said to hold an immense talent. Maybe he can step up and become our new boss in central midfield. If he’s as good as it’s said, he should be able to play in a cm three or two, and with Scholes for one more year, Hargreaves, Fletcher, Carrick alongside young prospect Cleverly, highly spoken of, I’m not sure wether we need a central midfielder (unless one of the established world class players should come available). If there’s any money to spend, then we might use that money on a creative player that can play wide, like Ozil, Ribery, Krasnic or that chilean No7.
    As goes for a No9, I’d say that the shirt Rooney should wear. Then shift Berbatov to play behind a striker or even in midfield, in front of two central midfielders. He’s got all the creativity and skill we could ask for – Sir Alex just haven’t started to use it yet!

  6. Tom says:

    Scholes is the best player I’ve seen put on the Man Utd shirt and that include’s Cantona and Ronaldo. We are not going to be able to replace a player of his qualities, they just don’t make them like him anymore. He just loves football and has no interest in all the celebrity culture that comes with it. His was the most gifted English player of his generation. I think replacing Scholes is a harder task than replacing Giggs. I agree with Amrith that football evoles and there would be no point trying to find a replica. We have to play to our strengths and move foward with the right players. When we had to replace Keane we signed Carrick and Hargreaves to help fill the void, but the two together would never replace his influence. But they both helped us to win the title and the Champiosn League. Ferguson may not even sign anyone to replace Scholes and could choose to give that responsibility to Anderson and Gibson. Neither of these players are a Scholes, but they have there own abilities that could develop and help us win more trouphies in the future. I would like a new signing, but I trust Fergie and if he thinks Anderson and Gibson can do it, I will support the pair and hope they become top quality players.

  7. Russell says:

    As much as I truly rate Paul, It’s Ryan that will be harder to replace. The first player to score 100 Prem goals for United, the all time leading assist maker in Prem history (in-spite of records only beginning in 2002 discounting Ryan’s prime, since he has been in his 30s he’s racked up more than Lampard, Gerrard etc. check the premier league offical stats page) And its not often mentioned Giggs is the record British goal scorer in Euro cup/ Champions league history. Along with all his other records of course.

  8. Tom says:

    Hey Russell nothing against Giggs when I say Scholes is going to be harder to replace. Giggs is a legend and will be missed when he retires. I think in terms of moving foward we can get a winger, like Nani, who can do a good job. He won’t be Giggs but he can help us in the future. Scholes is in a class of his own and is a unique kind of player. His control, passing and technique is rare in English players. He was also a great goalscorer. You don’t find many midfielders like him, so you have to evolve in another way.

  9. jonathan says:

    Tom, you hit the nail on the head when saying:
    “His control, passing and technique is rare in English players”
    Can anyone doubt just how much he was missed from Team England? Rooney disappointed somewhat, but his (and Defoe’s) lack of service was almost to a comical level today against Germany. Nothing but longball garbage from the England midfield and I’m sure Rooney will be relieved the next red shirt he puts on will include a red devil on it.