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Been There, Done That - Paul Scholes Rolls Back The Years To Prove His Worth In Manchester United's Title Bid
The 37-year-old made a dream return to Premier League football with the opening goal in United's 3-0 victory over Bolton on Saturday
15-Jan-2012 2:18:00 PM
Getty Images
COMMENT
By Greg Stobart at Old Trafford
Two weeks ago, a normal Saturday afternoon for Paul Scholes might have been playing with his children in the garden, sitting in front of the television or making a trip to Boundary Park to watch Oldham.
This week, though, Scholes was back in a red shirt scoring the 151st and most unlikely goal of his Manchester United career to mark a perfect comeback from retirement.
Less than a week after announcing that he had reversed his decision to quit at the end of last season, the 37-year-old was wheeling away towards the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, arms aloft as his sported an almost disbelieving grin.
“Paul Scholes, he scores goals,” rang around Old Trafford - and lucky he does. Until he popped up on the stroke of half-time to turn the ball home from six yards from an unmarked position, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had been frustrated by relegation strugglers Bolton.
It was a goal that harked back to the legendary midfielder’s goalscoring exploits when he was in his pomp - but at the same time proved that Scholes’ return until the end of the season will be about more than sentiment and nostalgia.
It surprised Ferguson as much as anyone, but the Scot was on the front foot after the 3-0 win that saw United draw level on points with Manchester City after Danny Welbeck and Michael Carrick added to Scholes opener.
"He popped up and scored when he should have been sitting back, taking control of central midfield,” Ferguson said.
“He has always had that instinct for goal ever since he was a kid and he has delivered for us today. He has been one of our greatest players and yet there has been all that negative stuff in the press about his comeback which has been really pathetic. You don't ever lose that quality.”
He’s right about that. In his 69 minutes on the pitch on Saturday afternoon, Scholes proved he still has the technical ability to control these types of games, even if the legs aren’t what they used to be.
It took a while for Scholes to get going after two or three misplaced passes early on as he got to grips with the pace of the game having been handed a surprise start following his 31-minute cameo in last week’s FA Cup win at Manchester City.
Soon, though, he was finding a rhythm and pulling the strings in a balanced United midfield, sweeping crossfield passes out to the excellent Antonio Valencia, who gave Bolton left-back Sam Ricketts a torrid afternoon.
Scholes provided a creativity that has been missing in the United midfield for much of the season and his calm-under-pressure approach seemed to bring out the best in his team-mates, most notably Carrick, who played some wonderful passes off his own and rounded off the victory with a precise shot from 25 yards.
Even Scholes’ tackling seemed as good as ever - as damning with faint praise as that may be - as he produced some well-timed challenges while also managing a trademark thigh-high tackle on Bolton midfielder Mark Davies.
Yes, it does not send the best of signals to United’s young guns that Ferguson felt the need to cajole Scholes out of retirement to bolster his dilapidated midfield. True, it raises concerns over whether the Glazers will be prepared to spend in the transfer market on an A-list midfielder who could be considered a legitimate heir to the little master.
But Scholes has attributes, both technical and mental, that United’s inexperienced title rivals will be unable to call upon in the run-in to the end of the campaign.
After all, he has won the Premier League title 10 times and has won just about every trophy available to an English footballer during his 18-year career. The winning mentality the likes of Scholes and Ryan Giggs bring to the dressing room is invaluable in a close title race.
While City and Tottenham have shown signs of panicking under the pressure of being considered potential champions, United have the nous and experience of picking up results in the second half of the season. Everyone talks about how difficult it is to win the title 'the first time' - and Scholes and United have the crucial experience of doing it year in, year out.
Next week, Scholes and Henry will be on opposite sides as two club legends resume an unlikely battle when United travel to Arsenal.
Scholes is likely to be on the bench at the Emirates Stadium, but his special return against Bolton will not be his last telling contribution of the season.
By Greg Stobart at Old Trafford
Two weeks ago, a normal Saturday afternoon for Paul Scholes might have been playing with his children in the garden, sitting in front of the television or making a trip to Boundary Park to watch Oldham.
This week, though, Scholes was back in a red shirt scoring the 151st and most unlikely goal of his Manchester United career to mark a perfect comeback from retirement.
Less than a week after announcing that he had reversed his decision to quit at the end of last season, the 37-year-old was wheeling away towards the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, arms aloft as his sported an almost disbelieving grin.
“Paul Scholes, he scores goals,” rang around Old Trafford - and lucky he does. Until he popped up on the stroke of half-time to turn the ball home from six yards from an unmarked position, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side had been frustrated by relegation strugglers Bolton.
It was a goal that harked back to the legendary midfielder’s goalscoring exploits when he was in his pomp - but at the same time proved that Scholes’ return until the end of the season will be about more than sentiment and nostalgia.
It surprised Ferguson as much as anyone, but the Scot was on the front foot after the 3-0 win that saw United draw level on points with Manchester City after Danny Welbeck and Michael Carrick added to Scholes opener.
"He popped up and scored when he should have been sitting back, taking control of central midfield,” Ferguson said.
“He has always had that instinct for goal ever since he was a kid and he has delivered for us today. He has been one of our greatest players and yet there has been all that negative stuff in the press about his comeback which has been really pathetic. You don't ever lose that quality.”
He’s right about that. In his 69 minutes on the pitch on Saturday afternoon, Scholes proved he still has the technical ability to control these types of games, even if the legs aren’t what they used to be.
Back to winning ways | An impressive performance gave United a first league win in three
It took a while for Scholes to get going after two or three misplaced passes early on as he got to grips with the pace of the game having been handed a surprise start following his 31-minute cameo in last week’s FA Cup win at Manchester City.
Soon, though, he was finding a rhythm and pulling the strings in a balanced United midfield, sweeping crossfield passes out to the excellent Antonio Valencia, who gave Bolton left-back Sam Ricketts a torrid afternoon.
| HE SCORES GOALS |
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| FROM OUR LIVE COMMENTARY | |
| 45' | Finally they have broken the deadlock and of course, it was that man Scholes! Another flowing move involving Rooney and Nani sees the Englishman play the ball across goal for Scholes to finish from four yards out. |
| PLAYER RATING |
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| 7.0 | Made it a fairytale as he put United ahead from seven yards on the stroke of half-time. Initially made a couple of sloppy passes but soon began to dictate play and produced some lovely crossfield balls for Valencia. |
Even Scholes’ tackling seemed as good as ever - as damning with faint praise as that may be - as he produced some well-timed challenges while also managing a trademark thigh-high tackle on Bolton midfielder Mark Davies.
Yes, it does not send the best of signals to United’s young guns that Ferguson felt the need to cajole Scholes out of retirement to bolster his dilapidated midfield. True, it raises concerns over whether the Glazers will be prepared to spend in the transfer market on an A-list midfielder who could be considered a legitimate heir to the little master.
But Scholes has attributes, both technical and mental, that United’s inexperienced title rivals will be unable to call upon in the run-in to the end of the campaign.
After all, he has won the Premier League title 10 times and has won just about every trophy available to an English footballer during his 18-year career. The winning mentality the likes of Scholes and Ryan Giggs bring to the dressing room is invaluable in a close title race.
While City and Tottenham have shown signs of panicking under the pressure of being considered potential champions, United have the nous and experience of picking up results in the second half of the season. Everyone talks about how difficult it is to win the title 'the first time' - and Scholes and United have the crucial experience of doing it year in, year out.
Next week, Scholes and Henry will be on opposite sides as two club legends resume an unlikely battle when United travel to Arsenal.
Scholes is likely to be on the bench at the Emirates Stadium, but his special return against Bolton will not be his last telling contribution of the season.
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