Is Paul Scholes over the hill?
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The paul scholes of now is a pale shadow of the scholes of the past, when he arrived from midfield to score important goals. His passing was also immaculate in the past, but these days, his misplaced passes are aplenty, and his goals and creation have dried up. If at 34 he is over the hill, what about when owen hargreaves came back to play next season and he is older next year at 35. Giggs is older than him by 1 year, but he is playing much better than scholes. The older oldie, gary neville, seemed injury prone, cant really count on him for the rest of the season and next. Sad to see scholes performances of late, which is really really bad.
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Last season everyone complained about Giggs performances so this season its Scholes's turn to tio hoot ar.
Giggs was condemened left right centre for being played only to break Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record...then once he scored the goal against Wigan in our last match, everyone forgot liao. Instead everyone praise him for winning his 10th title.
Have you forgotten about Scholes's performance against Fulham that happened only last month liao?
Scholes Inimitable as United Delete Fulham
“His passes stretched forever.”
To cite any other player being more dominant and expressive in a match this season than Paul Scholes was against Fulham is nigh impossible.
The ginger prince shies from cameras and adulation, but on the field he feels, more profoundly than any fortunate observer, the artistry and sheer magnificence he manifested Tuesday like no other; and he knows it gutturally.
But he won’t talk about it. Scholes was one of the first players to leave the field after his side clinically dismantled Fulham 3-0, shifting quickly off his stage as teammates and opponents alike hustled to shake his hand and look into his eyes for any sign of higher being.
This left a slightly more willing, though equally uncomfortable Wayne Rooney to attend to interviewing obligations with BBC.
Rooney stammered, bumbled, and twitched, as well as employing many other impression management mannerisms, to generally evade his way through the queries with perfunctory, scattered answers. But, as the topic turned to Scholes, his eyes squinted in awe and understanding:
“Some of his football tonight, I don’t think there’s any other player in the world who could produce that,” Rooney said, taken aback. “In my eyes…,” he continued, shaking his head, “He’s one of the best ever,” now looking quite certain.
Other players and legends (and writers) have been similarly lovestruck by the intelligent, modest, gentlemanly style Scholesy boy alone exudes.
Edgar Davids: “I’m not the best, Paul Scholes is.”
Thierry Henry: “He has indestructible mental strength and he is a genuine competitor.”
Zinedine Zidane: “Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.”
Bobby Charlton: “I have no hesitation in putting a name to the embodiment of all that I think is best about football. It’s Paul Scholes.”
And, in recent weeks, when asked what the most amazing thing he’s seen in practice was, manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed Scholes is quite cheeky too.
“The most amazing thing is Paul Scholes, in the morning, when a player goes to have a pee at the side of the training pitch and he fires balls from 40 yards right on top of their head!”
“He got Gary Neville right in the head and Neville chased him across the pitch!”
Scholesy might have had even more fun Tuesday at the Theatre of Dreams.
His passes stretched forever, close and far, far away with unerring accuracy—usually bulls-eying the preferred foot of the recipient, to be fair.
Scholes was the conduit; he was the courier. He signed, sealed, and delivered five or six balls, pin to point, from the center of the pitch far out onto the wing in the first ten minutes, as throughout, just stretching his legs; warming up.
Ten days rested, he then flipped, dinked, tapped, and sprayed, weaving intricacies around enamored yet sad Fulham players of which they never contemplated and would never comprehend. He was entranced on the field like a crocodile giving birth along the Nile swamps.
Scholes even had some of the best tackles of the match, getting right up into the Fulham midfield and simply robbing his ball from enfeebled bystanders on occasions.
To be fair, against a beaten and downtrodden team from London, most United players were in control, with Ronaldo being a conspicuous exception. He could do no more than whine and misfire while Carrick and Tevez were also limited.
No one could, or would, compare that night with the inimitable Scholes though.
His lashing goal was a vintage strike on the volley direct from a corner, a routine often attempted over the years of his career with now at least two permanent connections and tallies etched in history. It squeaked under goalkeeper Schwarzer, and Paul Scholes’ grin was ear-to-ear, arms raised in glee.
United went away 3-0 to the good with a classy Berbatov and poaching Rooney also making the score-sheet and match reports.
However, this one is mostly about Paul Scholes. The romantic display by the diminutive Salford man, as he twinkles into memory during the last of his career, might just be the best 90 minutes of it.
And for any fan claiming to appreciate football beyond the goals and awards; who doesn’t look at, but into, the minutia of play, must take the time to download, or otherwise manufacture, a replay of this match, if not for their own personal growth!
For today, the aging paragon modestly exhibited natural football in a simple state, without frills or pretext, as ever, just precision and execution resultant from hours, days, and years of honest application.
And that is the beauty of Scholes.
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for me, i think that he's still important in the midfield controlling the game
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He doesnt have the pace now, and sometimes, he really does foolish things, like volleying the ball into goal in super cup and getting yellow for rash challenges. I dunno if it is me or not, I noticed his passing in recent matches had been bad to worse, like passing to opponents in own half, like against Inter Milan.
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to be fair, we can't expect Scholes to go flying into the goal area and scoring 10-20 goals like in the past.. neither can we expect pin point passes 100%...Scholes can never do a proper tackles, be it in the past, now or maybe in the future..also, he is no "owen" in his prime.. right?
then why does SAF still keep him? the master of EPL who cuts people without mercy?
have you even wonder before slamming scholey?
Cause he still can contribute with his experience.. SAF is trying to blend youth with experience. So that the youths can learn from him.. How to control the tempo, when to release the pass, when to press, and when to relax, that's vital..
look @ Gunners/Chelsea, they are trying to do the same, but not much success.. gunners are @ one end, with too much youths and Chelsea is on the other end, with too many old players. For me, SAF is keeping it in the middle.
Yes, Scholes has dropped in his usual high standards, and I bet he knows. Which idiot will want to block the ball with his hands like in the fulham game? I bet he doesn't. He would want to stay on the pitch and help MU revert to their winning ways. Look @ the way he walks away..
Seriously, I think we may see him only for one the most two more seasons, but while I grinch whenever he launches into another tackle, I will enjoy watching this loyal, midfield mastero at work.
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maybe I am 2 harsh towards scholes, or maybe I can't bear to see the deterioration of the once great player in his prime. but you are only as good as your last match, is the saying isn't it. If you cant perform, other younger players will take your place
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Originally posted by marcteng:
maybe I am 2 harsh towards scholes, or maybe I can’t bear to see the deterioration of the once great player in his prime.
but you are only as good as your last match, is the saying isn’t it.
If you cant perform, other younger players will take your place
true but sometimes, U do need old hands to steady the ship. esp in rough seas..
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Paul Scholes is a good player, a legend. But age has caught up with him and he cannot perform at a high level anymore, day after day. Im sure he can go down a notch to Coca Cola Championship, or Serie B, maybe French Ligue. But to compete at the highest level with Man U? Sorry, Giggs, Scholes, Gary Neville. Time for you guys to move on.