EDWIN VAN DER SAR: Consistently calm and in command. When called upon has been as safe as houses.
8
GARY NEVILLE: Like a good red wine gets better with age. Defensively and as an overlapping menace has never played better.
9
PATRICE EVRA: Confounded a lot of the doubters and is now é5m worth of full-back.
8
GABRIEL HEINZE: Has suffered a World Cup hangover after rushing back. But fitness returning.
5
RIO FERDINAND: England form on the big stage now matched by United consistency.
8
NEMANJA VIDIC: Has he lost an aerial battle yet? Has stiffened rearguard with his no-nonsense approach and has added a set-piece danger to United's armoury.
8
WES BROWN: An impressive six-game start and looked to be ready to cement regular role but Vidic's form has reduced him to bit-part.
6
MIKAEL SILVESTRE: Down the pecking order both in central defence and at left-back.
5
CRISTIANO RONALDO: Sensational season. Stays on his feet, makes the right choices of delivery and is scoring goals.
9
PAUL SCHOLES (pictured): A star turn. Don't think he's ever consistently matched the form he's shown this season. Has got over his eye problem and is a `must have' in the XI.
9
MICHAEL CARRICK: Polarises United fans. Lovely passer but has been steady rather than spectacular. Has the vision to run game but not seen enough.
7
RYAN GIGGS: If only you could bottle his elixir of life. His intelligence has added new dimension to his game.
9
JOHN O'SHEA: Not had run of games to impress but hasn't taken his chances by scruff of neck.
5
DARREN FLETCHER: Another fringe player and does divide United support. Has never let side down when he's played.
6
JI-SUNG PARK: Early season ankle op has set his career back. Looked lively again on his recent return.
5
OLE SOLSKJAER: What a shame he suffered hamstring injury in Copenhagen. An astonishing comeback and has lost none of his scoring nous.
7
WAYNE ROONEY: United couldn't do without him last season and has shouldered strike burden well this year without really being explosive.
7
LOUIS SAHA: Lot on his plate following van Nistelrooy sale but has taken over mantle well. Rid himself of injury- prone tag and now showing his true form
8
SIR ALEX FERGUSON: Is obviously seriously narked that many still question the depth of United's squad. Fringe players have held up well when called upon but will they be good enough at the business end of season in Premiership and Champions League? Fans would be comforted more if a couple of permanent quality bodies - on top of Henrik Larsson's loan - could be secured during January transfer window. Has clearly settled on a first choice XI and, after the festive season programme freshening-up exercises, a return to those established regulars on a permanent basis will surely be his priority. If injuries don't bite then has nothing major to worry about. Side playing how he and fans love.
Stuart Mathieson
WHAT do you think of Stuart's assessment? Have your say.
Comments
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Agree with them. If Carrick can be bolder & add a few goals he'll prove an excellent player but so far he's been just ok.
Two glaring errors here. Firstly Gabby is worth more than an O'Shae or EIH 5, and secondly the Roo is a whole lot better than a Carrick 7!
Giggsy started well but isn't now as consistent as Scholes,and Rondo.Even so 8 isn't bad! That's his mark for me.
Agree in general but Giggs has faded recently and deserves an 8. Rio and Vidic are outstanding and deserve 9s, and Ronaldo really deserves a 10. He's that good. If he can keep his form we're in a great position to win the title.
I disagree with the weekly ratings almost every week but I agree with every single rating in this summary. Amazing.
Derrick, Bournemouth Heinze is better then O'shea but hasnt been playing like it and deserves his 5 IMO. As for Rooney I think he has been WORSE then Carrick so far. Lets hope all the players can get an even higher rating by th end of the season and bring our trophy back
I think Park deserves at least a 7. The chap's movement off the ball and passing has been overshadowed by his high work rate and a meek goal output as well as his advertance of the media spotlite. Saha deserves a 9 together with Giggs/Ronaldo/Scholes. He has fit rite exactly into the RvN's boot. A perfect if not better fit. A 9 for Gary seems alittle overvalued. a 7.5 seems more true to his efforts.
The analysis is pretty good. I'm not sure G Neville is a 9 -I would award him an 8. He is on par with Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra. Rooney is over rated. His finishing is atrocious except for the Bolton fixture. Ronaldo is a 10. The best player in the premier league. His second touch used to let him down. Giggs is an 8. He has missed some easy ones in front of goal. He cant have the same mark as Cristiano
I think a 6 for Wes is a tad too low. Wes could have fit into prob any other teams' 1st 11 centreback position. Chelsea would agree. And is only kept out b'cos Vidic has been such a revelation.
Ole surely deserves more than the usual 7. His rise from injury is more phenomenal then the naked eyes can see. A thorough vintage wine. Seems to get better and simpler everytime he plays.
Park for 5 is an obscene miscarriage of justice. Before his injury, he was actually in a purple patch. Such was his performances that the now rising Ronaldo actually commended that Park was true quality. SAF admits that Park is one of the most underrated player whom he realises is an integral part of team. Understandably, only the vintage form of giggs & the phenomenal rise of Ronaldo is keeping Park a regular 11. A 3mth injury did not stop Park from being instrumental in the Wigan game. & lets not forget, his contribution so far has completely crush the theory of players taking a season to adapt to EPL. A "veil" which Shev is hidding behind right now. Clearly this rating attempt is a effects of a short term memory.
Last but not least, where is SAF's rating? So far this season, there is no manager who is better than Fergie? Bolton's Sam may have a shout fot his team's splendid run. But i tink Fegie deserves a 10 for the way he handles Ronaldo/Rooney saga, preserves his loyalties to his staff in MU privatisation & his older batch of players. He is turning out to be the granddad of MU as well as all the EPL managers. Truely a year of vintage for MU.
Let see MU going more futuristic in their off field strategies & more passionate inside.
Happy new year, guys.
Everyone deserved a pat. Roo, Ronaldo, Giggsy, Scholes, Evra, Vidic, Rio, Saha - all chip in their contribution. Hopefully, as the new year comes, Neville, Heinze, and the rest of the team can keep on doing the same. Happy New Year to all supporters! Come on MU!
agree with them on the whole but believe the best is yet to come from carrick it's only his first season, wheras o'shea and silvestre we have seen there best! Heinze will get better is still lacking in fitness and solsskjear is just amazing for his age!! 3 of our best players are entering the twilight of there careers and this more than anything gives me cause for concern!!
Of course cannot agree with these.
Rooney has so far under performed - and I still thgink that he's not 100%.
It's pity for Heinze - the latest being rumoured - Heinze has been told Fergie will not renew his contract, which has alerted Valencia.
He was. I think rushed back for the WK and this took more out of him than expecte, hnece he is not sharp at present!
Evra and Vidic - in the same sentence - are shwoing thazt they are class and needed time. (I for one decried the value of 2 defenders in the transfer window!)
CR - no comment necessary and if we don't get the title it won't be becasue he's not tried!
The older hands have been so far worth their places, in Scholes and Giggsy we have
'new players' and Nevs has given all down that right-flank so much that I've been worried he'll burn-out!
Sahá has added to the XI - he's so mobile, the dynamicsm fits into the syatem and no centre-back can be confident if we play 4-4-2 with him as roving striker!(Just wish he was more ruthless!)
All-in-all, half-term marks 8/10 for the class of 2006.
Up The Reds
One thing the first half of the season has done is dispel a few myths. Here's my top 10: 1) Chelsea have greater strength in depth. Er, no. They have no decent cover at centre half, not one right-back the manager rates and no cover for Drogba. It's all very well having six great central midfielders! Meanwhile, United have rested most of the starting XI at some point over Christmas and still picked up three wins. 2) Ronaldo is much less effective on the left (some bizarrely quantify it as 25%!). Er, no. How many assists and goals have we seen from him playing on the right? The boy has got everything and can play anywhere. With Park fit, we now have good options and back-up on the wings. 3) Solskjaer is finished. Er, no. Ole is the new Teddy (how appropriate) and what he may lack in pace, he more than makes up for in intelligence, maturity, a deadly eye for goal and a never-say-die attitude. I can think of no better option to have on the bench and he has also shown he can last for 90 minutes when needed. 4) Evra and Vidic are the latest in a long line of Fergie blunders. Er, no. And apart from those who will continue to mention Djemba-Djemba long after Fergie has brought the PL and CL back to OT, the blunders are a dim and distant memory and now regarded in their proper context of errors along a path that is otherwise glorious. 5) Scholes and Giggs are finished. Er, no. Nuff said. 6) We will struggle to score goals without Ruud. Er, no. 47 goals in 21 PL games so far. 6) United will be competing for the fourth CL place only this season. Er, no. LOL! How ridiculous. 7) Fergie is a dinosaur, no longer able to motivate players, a one-dimensional hairdryer on legs, unable to compete with the sophisticated new-school managers such as Mourinho, Wenger and Benitez. Er, no! Really, what nonsense. 8) We need a tough-tacking midfielder in the mould of a Keane, Hargreaves or Essien. Carrick is simply not the kind of player we needed. We will never cope in the middle against teams like Chelsea, Bolton, Liverpool or anyone who plays five-across for that matter if we rely on Scholes and Carrick. Er, no. The results and performances speak for themselves. 9) Wenger has built a great young team. Er, no! Will they miss out on a CL spot? 10) Saha is made of glass and will spend more time on the treatment table than on the pitch this season. Er, no. And he's taken quite a battering from defences this season. See you all in 2007.
Spot on,except undervalueing OLE and FLETCH.Rooney not playing well but just wait till he is.WOW
I Agree with everything here, especially with Rooney = 7. He needs to improve when he's in the box waiting for those passes.
Heinze is and has been a tremondous player whenever he puts the shirt on...easily a 7 even when considering his recovery from injury...to think someone could rate him lower than Fletcher & O'shea ...on his worst day he contributes more than those two!!! What an assessment by the writer of this article...our reserves do not even belong on the team with the quality they have...get real...we need to dump DF, MS, JOS and KR and add some quality.
Spirit of Keano
Plus 1 for the following: CR7, carrick, JOS, Gabby, Wes.
Alias, I am sure you are glad to get that lot off your chest! Having said that, all your points don't really hold as much water as you would like to think or have us believe! It is really easy to pick & choose, then discount ANY extreme statements made when things are not going too well (or even when they are) at particular points in time. However, it would be more helpful if you looked at the overall trend & view things over a longer period. N.B. We are only half way thru this season & the issues people have been going on about, have been occurring over the last few years! Who really knows what's going to occur in the rest of this season & the next few years? It's dead easy to do your crowing now, but all the hard work still lays ahead of us! Most supporters just want Manchester United to be in the best possible position to deal with anything that is likely to be thrown up in front of us, given our status & the resources available. In recent years this has been far from the case & should be put right! Please do not misunderstand my point here. Even if this is done, Manchester United will still not have the 'divine right' to win anything! It's about giving it our 'best shot' & being entertaining at the same time. That is what Manchester United FC is all about!
Ronaldo 9 Scholes Vidic 8.5 Giggs Evra 8 GNev Rio Saha Ole VDS 7 Carrick Rooney Heinze 6 DF Oshea 5. A 7 would suggest that Rooney has had a good season so far ??