As time has gone on we’ve just become conditioned to accept these bizarre opinions. Apparently -Beckham was an average one trick pony, Keane couldn’t pass and was limited, Scholes never won POTY so was rubbish and Giggs was only longevity. The best midfield in UK history!!

We just accept it. No-one has come close to Schmeichel but let’s just say Cech and Ederson were better. Jamie Carragher didn’t win a PL but says nobody grew up wanting to be a player who won seven, so now Gary Neville was rubbish too.

Jaap Stam played 20 years ago so he’s not even included in the comparisons, instead we pit VVD against Vidic, who is ahead by any meaningful metric, but “Kloppology” made a GIF of Vidic errors so that makes him AND Stam worse than VVD

These are the modern takes. I’m old enough to remember most people saying the ‘Spice Boys’ were better than the class of 92. That Arsenal were the better footballing team despite Utd steamrollering them 6-1.

I can hold my hands up and say Liverpool are easily the best team in the league this season and it has been a genuine example of fantastic management. But that’s it. You get 1 trophy for that, not 20, and you don’t get to rewrite history.

And Liverpool - of all clubs - should be respecters of history! Of how hard it is to win this many league titles. But because people are more preoccupied with United’s history they have to be the standard bearer and basis for comparison

Tell me this - if Beckham was so rubbish, why are you using him for TAA to be compared to? Why not Pires? Why not Robben? Why not Jesus Navas? Stuart Ripley?

Why not even Rob Jones? Didn’t Jamie Carragher play right back? What about Phil Neal - do they even know who he is? Why isn’t he the natural basis for the comparison?

I shouldn’t grumble, really. Nice timing to plug a book that’s coming out where I took over 100,000 words to elaborate why Beckham was so much better than people give him credit for

(Forgive me, it’s my thread, my feed, I’m entitled a cheap plug https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beckham-Making-Megastar-Wayne-Barton/dp/1785316761/)

On Beckham in particular, here’s a passage from my book (out in September)

Which goal am I talking about?

and, finally on this, the episode of @OnManUtdPodcast where Paddy, Matt and I go into detail about how good Beckham was https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/barclay-barton-on-love-sport/id1497795469?i=1000467237604