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Vieira: Scholes' Premier League return shows Manchester United's weakness

City's Football Development Executive is forecasting a tough few years for the Red Devils, and says if City win the Premier League it would be a huge psychological blow to United


Manchester City’s Football Development Executive Patrick Vieira believes the return of Paul Scholes proves there is weakness in the Manchester United squad.

Scholes announced his retirement from the game following United’s title-winning season last year.

However, the former England man made a dramatic U-turn earlier this year, and was named as a substitute for United’s 3-2 FA Cup win over City in January.

But while Vieira is full of praise for the midfield maestro, he thinks the 37-year-old's return shows that United squad is lacking in depth and says they could be in for a tough few years following the sale of Ravel Morison and potentially Paul Pogba.

“Paul Scholes is a player that I really love and admire, one of the best English players of the last few years, and seeing him come back is good for him and for United,” he told reporters.

“But for him to come back just shows a little bit of weakness in United, because they had to bring a player back who was 37.

“I think it shows that, in the next few years, it will be really difficult for United to cope with other teams because, with all the respect I have for Scholes, him coming back shows that they don’t have talent in there to replace him.

“When you see United losing young players like Ravel Morrison and maybe Paul Pogba, they should be really worried because that wouldn’t have happened in the past.”

Vieira’s side take on Chelsea on Wednesday night as they look to close the gap on United to just a point.

City are looking to win their first league title since 1968, and Vieira believes if United lose the crown to their city rivals it will prove a lot harder to bear than in seasons gone by.

He continued: “When United lost [the title] to Arsenal, they were in Manchester and Arsenal were in London, so it is different.

“It will hurt United a lot more to lose the title to City.”

While City have begun to feel the heat in recent weeks, dropping out of the Europa League and losing at Swansea, teams around them like Arsenal have been going from strength to strength.

Yet Vieira says they are happy with the position they are in and claims the pressure is part and parcel of fighting for titles.

“Arsenal and Chelsea, they all want to be in our position, so it is something we have to enjoy,” he added.

“You want to feel the pressure when it is a positive pressure. You would rather feel that pressure than the one that comes with being at the bottom.”

Mind games ? Haha. Go for it PV.

Wonder why PV didnt take on a more active role in the club like coach or something? Seems a top guy.

Dubciteh wrote:Wonder why PV didnt take on a more active role in the club like coach or something? Seems a top guy.

He has been given a free role more or less, to look into all aspects of football, & decide what he wants to do. At the moment, he does a bit of everything. Whether his future will be at City, I don't know, but both are benefitting from the present arrangement & he is deeply impressed that City have given him this freedom.

Whilst I agree pretty much with everything he says I am not sure of the value or timing of it.Isn't it as likely or even more likely to fire up the scum boys than be of any value to City in the mind games game?

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Whilst I agree pretty much with everything he says I am not sure of the value or timing of it.Isn't it as likely or even more likely to fire up the scum boys than be of any value to City in the mind games game?

I think many of the rags team are just as vulnerable to this as they perceive us to be. This kind of thing is designed to get the media & fans thinking, as much as the opponents, then to spread to the opponents through that.

It may not seem like anything now, whilst we're behind, but if/when we are in front, Vieira & Co spreading the message that Utd are under extra pressure to win the league & relying on Scholes because their younger players aren't upto it, will suddenly become an issue & something the media starts to quiz them about.

Vieira has made them crack before, he knows how it works.

It's a response to the red nosed drunkard's comments about us facing an inform Chelsea and how it would be 'interesting'.

Vieria should keep his fuclin gob shut, you'd think we'd learnt about stuff like this biting us on the arse by now, for me, he's just put added pressure on our players now .... tsk

Chinners wrote:Vieria should keep his fuclin gob shut, you'd think we'd learnt about stuff like this biting us on the arse by now, for me, he's just put added pressure on our players now .... tsk

i don't believe that. i think he's just answering questions honestly. We've all said it. It's about time normal, logical people talk about it instead of sticking their tongue up the rag butthole every time they are mentioned.

What would the media have said about us if we'd brought Vieira out of retirement this season? it wouldn't have been positive or pretty even if we were sitting where we are now.

cheers

The World seems to have a funny perception about this stuff.
If they do the winding up and mind games to us, Taggart is seen as a mastermind, playing mind games and piling the pressure onto us.
Paddy Vieira does it and it's seen as firing them up....Sorry Doug.

Just one look at their squad, their ages and the polarisation of some old players hanging on like grim death to the end of a career, coupled with a bunch of youngsters who have very little experience, shows how fragile it could be. Nobody will convince me that they will have that old arrogant confidence of the recent past. Their dressing room will be full of doubts and they will be just as unsure of the future as Paddy has pointed out.

The City dressing room will have few doubts about the future, some about the present, but we are a rising club and they will know that. Our question is have we got there yet.

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:Whilst I agree pretty much with everything he says I am not sure of the value or timing of it.Isn't it as likely or even more likely to fire up the scum boys than be of any value to City in the mind games game?

I think many of the rags team are just as vulnerable to this as they perceive us to be. This kind of thing is designed to get the media & fans thinking, as much as the opponents, then to spread to the opponents through that.

It may not seem like anything now, whilst we're behind, but if/when we are in front, Vieira & Co spreading the message that Utd are under extra pressure to win the league & relying on Scholes because their younger players aren't upto it, will suddenly become an issue & something the media starts to quiz them about.

Vieira has made them crack before, he knows how it works.

example talkshites resident rag irani and brazil saying about vieras article, slur alex is the mastermind of mind games you wouldnt want to go up against him, bollox the rag media repeat things and they become true ,cos it was on tv or in the paper so it must be true, very powerful the rag media ignore bad about them and highlight our every bad thing, rags in the media there everywhere. all high profille, 5live chappers, eamonn holmes sky news, soccer sat the panel, all talkshite not one city fan on talkshite a presenter.
all cringeworthy repeating rag propaganda all day every day. theres the latest city have blown an 8pt lead ,when?

United are seen as a team full of 'experience' of title chases, a team who 'won't let nerves get the better of them'.

This is all very well while they're on a good run, one bad result for them though will leave the majority of their players (who don't have any such 'experience') gasping for oxygen as the panic attack sets in.

Kladze wrote:United are seen as a team full of 'experience' of title chases, a team who 'won't let nerves get the better of them'.

This is all very well while they're on a good run, one bad result for them though will leave the majority of their players (who don't have any such 'experience') gasping for oxygen as the panic attack sets in.

could well be, a convincing win tonight should be a great morale boost to us the fans and players, go 2pts clear after stoke then the balls in their court v fulham. i just hope were within sriking distance before we play them and well do them at ours with 2 games left
see how they handle that.

If we beat Chelsea tonight, I recon the title decider will be at the Emirates not at the Etihad. If we beat Chelsea & Arsenal, I think we will fuck the rags up the arse & make them squeal like a pig.

Tonight is a decider imo.

Ted Hughes wrote:If we beat Chelsea tonight, I recon the title decider will be at the Emirates not at the Etihad. If we beat Chelsea & Arsenal, I think we will fuck the rags up the arse & make them squeal like a pig.

Tonight is a decider imo.

All this experience we "don't have" (unlike De Gea, Welbeck, Young and Cleverly who are apparently very experienced at winning titles in the Prem if you ask anyone not wearing blue) will magically come to us (via the media) when we win all three of the matches you mention Ted. I think you are spot on here.

I had a rag fan who has been quiet all year until today make a similar comment. All I can say is it easier to come from behind when you are close than to hold onto a small lead. Then I said exactly what you did (sans the pig comment) and apparently that made me sound bitter.

Ted Hughes wrote:If we beat Chelsea tonight, I recon the title decider will be at the Emirates not at the Etihad. If we beat Chelsea & Arsenal, I think we will fuck the rags up the arse & make them squeal like a pig.

Tonight is a decider imo.

Last week the rags were just favourites. They then beat a terrible Wolves and they were engraving their name. If we beat Chelsea tonight, the media will climb back on the fence. Win all the way through to beating Arsenal and I'd say we should be favourites again. The rags out pressure on us by beating Chelsea and Spurs. Let's do the same to them and see how the cope.

At the moment, we don't need anything from them, other than there arses at the Etihad. Let's make sure we don't change that, as I can see them cracking too

Vieira kinda set us up for Fergie's response. He lobbed Fergie an easy pitch and Fergie knocked it out of the park.

If the rags bringing back Scholes means that they're desperate than us brining back Tevez--who the boss said would never play again--surely means we're desperate. Fergie is right and Vieira set us up for this. Tsk tsk.

phips wrote:Vieira kinda set us up for Fergie's response. He lobbed Fergie an easy pitch and Fergie knocked it out of the park.

If the rags bringing back Scholes means that they're desperate than us brining back Tevez--who the boss said would never play again--surely means we're desperate. Fergie is right and Vieira set us up for this. Tsk tsk.

For fuck sake grow a pair.

Paddy V and Mancini are doing there best to throw swerve balls at the munes and keep the players focused on football. Do you really think a swapping of digs between them and fergie will get to Yaya or Dave or Vinny? No chance.

I don't agree at all Phips. This rant from Fergie shows he's rattled, the reason he's rattled is because he knows there's truth in what Vieira has said.

Funny, we throw the 1st pitch and United take the bait!

It's a bit of fun to keep us going for the weekend.

Take it how it's meant, not too serious, just kill the fockers!

phips wrote:Vieira kinda set us up for Fergie's response. He lobbed Fergie an easy pitch and Fergie knocked it out of the park.

If the rags bringing back Scholes means that they're desperate than us brining back Tevez--who the boss said would never play again--surely means we're desperate. Fergie is right and Vieira set us up for this. Tsk tsk.

wumtastic. if you can manage a boner, go pull it instead of posting drivel like that next time please.

cheers