--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], GeeDub <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In the case of defenders and certain 'midfielders' this is certainly > true. I have often thought / observed that it can take the best part of > a season, perhaps more, for defenders in particular to 'slot-in'. I > recall being a bit impatient with Pallister and Irwin (as examples) - it > took them quite some time to become comfortable and 'part of the > furniture'. I think that Ferdinand is only now becoming to look > regularly comfortable and think that Silvestre also took a fair amount > of time. >
Good point. Although I disagree regarding Irwin, I thought he looked the business right from the start (perhaps that has something to do with the alternatives at full-back being Lee Martin and Clayton Blackmore). If you consider how rubbish some players were in their first one or two seasons, only to flourish after that, puts the hasty judgements after just FOUR matches, into perspective. When we signed Ince, I was a little too impressed by his solo dribble goal of the season for West Ham. Personally I felt he was crap for his first two seasons. He was doing a Carlton Palmer before Carlton Palmer ploughed his way into the England team. Even by his third, 1991-92, when I saw his game take a perceptible step up, I was convinced, Ed-like, that Ince wasn't good enough, and Fergie's insistence that he would take over Robbo ridiculous. Pallister took a couple of seasons too, and he wasn't that young either when he started. I believe he was about 24 when he signed for us. So is Kleberson. As far as I'm concerned, Kleberson can be rubbish for this entire season, nevermind his "bloody awful" less- than-90-minutes, and it still wouldn't be fair to judge him. This impatience has to do with our club changing its status from domestic also-rans to near-perennial champions and Euro contenders. I don't think we can persevere with such lengthy "settling-in" periods as enjoyed by Ince, Pallister etc. Even Schmeichel took a year. Now we want players to perform right off the bat, which isn't really fair. Andy Cole was signed just as we got into the habit of winning trophies regularly, and there was a bit of a schism between supporters who were willing to give him the time to fit in, and those who wanted something more like Van Nistelrooy's first season. To his credit Cole did maintain his goal count in his first two seasons, though it was typified by five-goal flurries against relegation fodder like Ipswich and misses (re: West Ham '95) in the clinchers. There was huge row on this very mailing list over Cole, which makes our current Ed war look rather gentrified. In his first full season, I thought our championship-clinching match against Forest settled the argument when Cole was substituted for Scholes who went on to plonk in two crucial goals. Then when a 1.5mil signing from Norway, Solskjaer dominated our forward line the following season, you would've thought Cole was finished at Old Trafford. We KNOW how good Cole was in the following seasons. And the same with Silvestre, and Veron, whom I feel would've come good in his third season at OT. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for Your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at Myinks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/l.m7sD/LIdGAA/qnsNAA/GtUolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Subscription info WWW http://red11.org/list Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] = subscribe to the list. [EMAIL PROTECTED] = unsubscribe from the list. Post message [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
