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· Proto-Hipster
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49,169 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
That is the opinion of the man who proved Manchester
United's very own starmaker for so many years, Eric Harrison.

The former academy chief knows a thing or two about
replacing the "irreplaceable" and while he is adamant life
will go on at Old Trafford should Ronaldo complete an
big-money move to Real Madrid this summer, he believes
that only the signing of Messi could soften the blow of
losing the double footballer of the year.

Sir Alex Ferguson is facing up to the growing inevitability
that Ronaldo will head to the Bernabeu, leaving him needing
to identify a successor to the talisman of last season's
Champions League-winning side.

Harrison was arguably charged with an even more perilous
task when needing to find replacements for Paul Ince, Mark
Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis when that trio moved on in 1995.

He responded by furnishing Ferguson with a golden generation
of academy graduates, including David Beckham, Paul Scholes,
Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.

But he says replacing 42-goal winger Ronaldo could be even
more difficult.

"Bryan Robson, Ince, Kanchelskis and Hughes were all great
players," he said. "But Ronaldo will be harder to replace because
there is no one in the juniors to do it.

"Back then we had the golden generation. We were always
confident they would eventually play in the first team, it was
a matter of when.

"Ronaldo is probably the best player in the world at the moment.
If you were twisting my arm, I'd say the only guy who can replace
him is Messi and there are no guarantees that Barcelona will be
willing to sell him. That means it might be a more difficult situation."

Ronaldo's future has turned into the transfer saga of the summer
with United infuriated by Real's blatant attempts to unsettle the
23-year-old.

Harrison has been disappointed by Ronaldo's failure to put an end
to the debate once and for all, but is still convinced he will be a
United player come the start of next season.

"I'm not happy with Real or Luiz Felipe Scolari," he said. "If not for
them driving the situation I am sure Ronaldo wouldn't have even
considered it.

"Why would he want to leave? He said he would make an announcement
on his future once Portugal were out of Euro 2008 and he still hasn't
done it, which is disappointing.

Plans

"The worry is that the longer it drags on, the more difficult it will be
to attract someone like Messi. It has got to come to a head quickly.

"Alex will already have his shopping list, but that will have been made
under the assumption that Ronaldo would still be at the club. If he
goes they will have to change their plans."

And while Harrison is reluctant to criticise Ronaldo, he believes the
winger could learn a thing or two from his United teammates and,
not least, his manager.

"Alex will be disappointed," said Harrison. "Just look at the amount
of time he's been there.

"Given the success he's had, there is not a team in the world that
wouldn't have wanted him as manager. But he's got loyalty to the club.

"So did all those players who came through the youth system. Even
the ones who left, people like Beckham, Butt and Phil Neville, they
never wanted toleave.

"If Ronaldo goes or keeps on going on like this, he will regret it. He's
got a wonderful life. United have just won the European Cup and the
championship again.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that we are a better
team than Real.

"And Real is a funny club," he added. "They change their president
regularly and they throw their toys out of the pram.

"I've been there and seen how the fans react when things aren't
going well and they start waving the white hankies.

"It is a very strange club and nothing like United. For as long as he
is at United he knows he will be under no pressure. Even if he comes
back and says he will only give them another one or two years, he
will still get a great reception.

"It's not just a case of throwing a great player into another side and
expecting it to work. He's been taught a lot at United.

"I want him to stay and want him to continue playing with a smile on
his face. I'm not sure that would be the case if he went to Real."
haha harrison you are a muppet haha
messi gets injured weekly when he is playing at the poor la liga
so what will happen to him when he joins an english teams
shut up harrison you bring shame to our club you muppet
...
there was a tv program about "messi in the epl" on showtime sport arabia
they said that messi will never adapt the english play cuz he is a shemale
they said that he will get injured and he maybe play just 5 games
....
signing messi is the signing of a flop
messi is great but he is the worst player to play in england
 

· TROLOLOLOL
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4,211 Posts
I wouldn't go as far to call him a Muppet,i think he knows a tad more about footballers than you or I.He's basically saying the irreplaceables can only be replaced by the closest thing,in this case he's highlighted Messi.Im not entirley sure Messi would fit in the Premiership,or Kaka,and whether they would have the desire etc to come to OT.But Harrison is right in what he's saying and i think your wrong to call him a 'muppet'.
 

· Registered
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1,185 Posts
here we go again, abo your the muppet for obviously not knowing the club once again, Eric Harrision did a great job bringing through talents and will know far more about the game than you ever will clearly.
 

· Registered
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1,894 Posts
Rooneys_Temper said:
I wouldn't go as far to call him a Muppet,i think he knows a tad more about footballers than you or I.He's basically saying the irreplaceables can only be replaced by the closest thing,in this case he's highlighted Messi.Im not entirley sure Messi would fit in the Premiership,or Kaka,and whether they would have the desire etc to come to OT.But Harrison is right in what he's saying and i think your wrong to call him a 'muppet'.
exactly,

Incredibly stupid thing to say calling Harrison a muppet, top of his field
 

· Least popular Moderator
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26,061 Posts
Eric Harrison is a top guy and usually knows his stuff but i have to disagree with him.
Messi may be the only player who rivals Ronalod for best player in the world, and yes they play in similar positions, but the are nothing alike in terms of style.

We use Ronaldo as more of an impact player whi is great in counter attacks, Messi is completely different as he is no where near as explosive as Ronaldo.

We us Ronaldo in all of the attacking positions, even up top, but Messi can't do that.

Messi ay be an incredible player, and IMO has more talent than Ronaldo. but Messi is not what we need to replace Ronaldo.
 

· TROLOLOLOL
Joined
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4,211 Posts
I still think your missing the point,its like cars.If you have a Bugatti Veyron and it breaks,do u get a good old reliable Volvo or an eye flashing Ferrari.You cant get anything close to the Veyron,like you cant with Ronaldo,so you have to look at the top end market and find the next best thing.
 

· He wipes front to back
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27,747 Posts
i say break the bank for titus bramble ---- he is the biggest impact player in the prem . he has an impact in every game he plays and his tactical awareness is like no other player around today . its not his fault everyone elses thought pattern differs from his ---- genius like his is a rare commodity indeed
 

· Banned
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15,754 Posts
How on Earth you could call this man a muppet is beyond me.

This guy, you could say, is a genius. He really knows what hes talking about, and hes a great coach.

I agree with him in some terms. Messi is the second best winger in the World, and would be the best replacement in terms of ability, which is what I think hes talking about.

But obviously, I don't think he would adapt very well to the Prem, with his style and injuries.

But really, calling this man a muppet is beyond a joke.
 

· MUT all-time great
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21,930 Posts
haggler said:
i say break the bank for titus bramble ---- he is the biggest impact player in the prem . he has an impact in every game he plays and his tactical awareness is like no other player around today . its not his fault everyone elses thought pattern differs from his ---- genius like his is a rare commodity indeed
Without a doubt! The fact Pele left him off his list of the greatest living footballers is a modern-day tragedy.
 

· Stretford Ender
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2,454 Posts
Drew9 said:
here we go again, abo your the muppet for obviously not knowing the club once again, Eric Harrision did a great job bringing through talents and will know far more about the game than you ever will clearly.
well said drew9

abo, all your posts seem to be consistent at least!!!!
 
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