‘The Red Report’: Ferguson & The FA, Scholes’ Retirement, Chants, Player Of The Year

Our second topic is Paul Scholes. He’s still an incredible player but for the sake of the team’s progression, should he retire at the end of this season?

Justin| Red Flag Flying High: Scholes should retire for two reasons. Firstly he’s coming to the end of a glittering career and I’d like to see him finish it at the top rather than fading gradually. Secondly it’s time for some of the players who’ve been dazzling us in the academy and reserves to finally get a chance and show what they’re made of.

I’d love to see the likes of Cleverley Pogba and Morrison being given a chance next season and if Scholes retiring increases their first team chances, I think it may be a difficult but worthwhile step forward.

Nick | United Youth: Scholesy’s still an absolute genius, but he’s also still the only midfielder we really have of his type, which is an unacceptable situation when you consider his age. I don’t think him retiring would be best, but us having someone to ease the creative burden on him would be ideal – whether by bringing someone in or fast-tracking a Morrison or Petrucci for example. Scholesy can still play an important role next season in a more infrequent capacity, although whether he’d be happy with that may dictate whether he does stay on for the extra year.

TG | ManUtd24: I’d like him to stay another year. He showed against Marseille that he is still hungry and willing, displaying another midfield masterclass. No hyperbole. He’s been a revelation in his deep position; and seems to show a great understanding with Michael Carrick and the rest of his teammates. He might not cover as much large distances as he used to, but he still has found success in spite of that. And long may it continue.

Siddarth | Bangalore to Old Trafford: As long as Scholesy is there, we know we can depend on him to control games, and out pass the opposition. But we really feel the pinch when he’s missing!! We have no one else who can step and provide that kind of creativity right now. Possibly Anderson, but he’s been injured too much off late! I think we should keep Scholesy for another year and hopefully Sir Alex also signs someone who can at least offer some creativity in midfield.

Herzog’s Child | Stretford-End: Tough one, this, and highly dependent on what movements come about in the summer. Ideally, Paul would stay on another year – his experience is of huge benefit to the team, of course, and as shown on many occasions this season the class is still there. That won’t change. However, there is huge evidence of reliance – huge reliance – on both him and Giggs this season, which tells two tales. Firstly, that they’re both miracles of a kind never to be seen again. Secondly, and most crucially to United now, it’s a reflection of how below par we are across the middle 4. Gibson is not good enough. Anderson has done little to suggest he’s ever going to be a top class player. Owen Hargreaves isn’t likely to return for very long. Carrick and Fletcher have slumped this season.

I’d keep him on, but only if the midfield is reinforced with quality. Two central midfielders are imperative, it can be argued. If they arrive, sure – keep Paul, and hopefully – for us – his chances will be limited. If not, it will again highlight not only his eternal greatness, but also a persisting problem – our midfield. If keeping him on will result in not addressing the midfield area, it will be hugely problematic. Increasingly, he’s unable to withstand an intense 90 minutes. We cannot keep on relying on him – it wouldn’t be good for him, for a start, and – most importantly – it would be a huge, and unlikely to pay off, risk for us.

So, in conclusion: Staying on will be great, if he’s surrounded by a plethora of quality. If not, and he’s made an integral part again, it would be detrimental.

Chudi | The Busby Way: Paul Scholes is a quality player even at this stage in his career. Marseille was an example of how good he still is but you have to wonder how long he can keep it up. The fact he isn’t picked every game is said to be the reason behind his reluctance to sign a new deal but you have to ask if he is capable?

Personally I would want him around as long as possible, there is the factor that if he leaves we may be forced into buying a replacement but I’m more than happy with what we have!

Real mixed bunch of responses. In short I don’t think anyone would complain if he stayed on but certainly his retirement this summer wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Following the FA Youth Cup tie on Sunday at Liverpool, United’s fans came under immense criticism for sick chants aimed at Liverpool. What can football do to try and put an end to these chants?

Justin| Red Flag Flying High: For starters it’s a lot easier to see people making Munich gestures than it is to see what people are chanting so any of the people seen at Old Trafford, doing the airplane signs should be ejected and banned for life.

I’m a hundred per cent convinced that if it wasn’t for antagonism by opposing fans the sick chants by some of our own would stop almost immediately.

If stewards or police hear people chanting things that are out of order then it’s up to them to try and act.

Nick | United Youth: It’s a shame, but there are still a number of fans, even otherwise relatively sane ones, who think the Munich/Hillsborough tit-for-tat (and similar such chants) is an acceptable part of an intense rivalry and that the rivalry would be worse off without them. Bollocks, frankly. There’s so much more to the United-Liverpool rivalry in particular than that, it just isn’t needed, and that’s before getting into how pathetic you have to be to consider the death of players or fans as an acceptable stick with which to beat others with.

How do you cut them out? Million dollar question I guess. Peer pressure and self-policing strike me as the most effective method, but that clearly isn’t working currently. It’s just so hard when you’ve got an idiotic minority like those at Anfield last weekend who clearly go along with the intention of singing such nonsense rather than supporting their team. You can only hope things like cctv/effective stewarding(!) and so on can weed those people out, but then you risk that overstepping the mark, infringing on supporters’ liberties and so on.

The media have a part to play as well – both in reinforcing how unacceptable this behaviour is, but also in not overblowing certain occasions and increasingly fanning the flames with inflammatory, inaccurate reporting.

TG | ManUtd24: What can we do? It’s not the perfect option but it’s the only logical one and that’s to fine and even, in the most extreme, deduct points or order to play a game behind closed doors. Sometimes, this action might be taken for abuse that is racially motivated. Now, there’s no point in saying what is worse whatever your opinion, racism or mocking the dead, but neither are things that are tolerated in society. So the Premier League and the Football Association have to act and charge the team – that way the fans will be cautious and only the idiotic would dare to jeopardise their club’s position like that.

Siddarth | Bangalore to Old Trafford: It was disgraceful behaviour from those fans really, that too in a youth cup tie! Guess the FA will have to get strict about such things and also clubs should start banning people who do this from attending games! There’s a limit between friendly banter between fans and just insulting/ degrading the opposition, even if they are Liverpool. That line shouldn’t be crossed; even if the opposition does it to us, why should we stoop to their level?!

Herzog’s Child | Stretford-End: Quite simply, I don’t think they can. Personally don’t think it’s as wide a problem as the media have attempted to suggest this week. Of course you get your idiots – the ones who think it’s witty, or big, to go that step too far and attempt to rile even more. Sad thing is, most who sing it are doing it for one reason only – to wind up. Deep down, I don’t think people are really sneering at the death of others. It’s mere winding-up, albeit loaded with inexcusable fuckwittery

It’s the sorry side of the game; the side the majority, thankfully, do not take part in. As it’s simply the ejecting of words – of crass sentiment, admitelledley – it’s almost impossible to stop. People should know better. And, to be fair, on occasions I’ve heard the odd shout of ’96 etc.’ shouted down and condemned by reds who understand the idiocy of it. Again, a lot of it is just crowd mentality – fuelled by a buzz to make those you’re chanting at desperately irate. It has no place, but sadly it’s something that crept in and stuck. Only the advent of a semblance of decency among all would stop it, but what are the chances of that?

Chudi | The Busby Way: There have been a number of instances where we have been highlighted as the ‘bad guy’, first Arsenal and the Wenger chants and now Liverpool but to be honest we aren’t the only club that has fans that indulge in these chants and secondly it is a silly minority.

There is nothing funny or smart about mocking the death of innocent people but unfortunately as obvious as this is there are fans who can’t grasp this and never will. We can condemn them as much as we like but it is likely they will continue.

Time for the authorities to get tougher?

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