<DIV class=cite>Posted on Wednesday, March 14th, 2007</DIV><DIV class=cite>Filed under: Extra Time, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Arsenal, Premiership, CaughtOffside Opinion, Watford, Andy Gray, General Football and Soccer, Champions League, Ryan</DIV>
Ryan isn’t convinced the Premiership’s most creepily well-groomed player is worthy of the hype (yet).
Saturday’s replay-salvaging penalty against Middlesboro saw the much-vaunted Portuguese winger score his 17th goal in all competitions in this his annus mirabilis. He’s having the season of his young career, and the propaganda machine at the self-styled ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has been wheeled out to laud him as “the best player in the World” relentlessly over the last few weeks.
A cynic might suggest that they’re trying to trump up his market valuation should the indecisive winger opt to ‘do one’ over the summer. A United fan on the other hand would only be too willing to remind us all that there’s another 10-15 games left in the season for them, which could lead to his already-impressive stats finishing up as glorified cricket scores.
That’s the problem with him, and United specifically; contrived nonsense interchanges with actual fact so often it’s hard to make out the wood for the trees. Here’s what we definitely know about him…
• 174 games for Manchester United, 43 goals. Approximately 1 goal every 4 games.
• 27 European Games, not one goal. In 4 years of Champions League football, he’s yet to score. Roy Keane had 14 for United.
• 26 League games this season, 16 g
Ryan isn’t convinced the Premiership’s most creepily well-groomed player is worthy of the hype (yet).
Saturday’s replay-salvaging penalty against Middlesboro saw the much-vaunted Portuguese winger score his 17th goal in all competitions in this his annus mirabilis. He’s having the season of his young career, and the propaganda machine at the self-styled ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has been wheeled out to laud him as “the best player in the World” relentlessly over the last few weeks.
A cynic might suggest that they’re trying to trump up his market valuation should the indecisive winger opt to ‘do one’ over the summer. A United fan on the other hand would only be too willing to remind us all that there’s another 10-15 games left in the season for them, which could lead to his already-impressive stats finishing up as glorified cricket scores.
That’s the problem with him, and United specifically; contrived nonsense interchanges with actual fact so often it’s hard to make out the wood for the trees. Here’s what we definitely know about him…
• 174 games for Manchester United, 43 goals. Approximately 1 goal every 4 games.
• 27 European Games, not one goal. In 4 years of Champions League football, he’s yet to score. Roy Keane had 14 for United.
• 26 League games this season, 16 g
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