[funkdoctorspock]

SAF has made mention that the pairing of Rooney and Tevez could potentially be the greatest strike partnership United has seen.

Obviously, the partnership of Yorke and Cole is numero uno. Those 2 were absolutely deadly when paired together.

So the questions for you...

1. Can the pairing of Rooney/Tevez be more effective that the golden standard which was Yorke/Cole

2. How many goals do you think Rooney/Tevez will end up with this season. Keep in mind that in 98/99, Yorke and Cole scored 53 in total.

I personally don't see them scoring more than 40 in total and I would then put the partnerships of Van Nisterooy and Rooney along with Cantona and Hughes ahead of Rooney and Tevez.

United's thunder and lightning

SIR Alex Ferguson believes United's feared Treble winning strike force of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke has a challenger coming up on the rails.

The embryonic Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez twin threat has the capacity to recreate the devastating firepower of 1999.

Tonight in Ukraine they could begin a United Champions League match for the first time against Dynamo Kiev in the Olympic Stadium - almost nine years to the day since Yorke and Cole began their Euro career as a deadly duo

The instant chemistry of the Yorke-Cole duo, which started with a 6-2 win against Bronby in 1998, blasted a path to the historic clean-sweep with a partnership haul of 53 goals.

The Trinidad and Tobago international led the telepathic pairing with 29 goals and his England hitman partner weighed in with 24 strikes.

Yorke was the Champions League joint top-scorer alongside Andrei Shevchenko, ironically when he was tonight's hosts Dynamo Kiev's striker, with eight goals apiece as United's goal-machine thundered towards European Cup success.

It was the kind of link up Old Trafford fans down the years had drooled over with the pre-Munich Tommy Taylor and Dennis Violett combo.

In the 60s Denis Law and Violett combined to stunning effect before the Lawman hit it off with equal success alongside David Herd.

In the 70s there was Tommy Docherty's exciting mix-and-match front unit of Stuart Pearson, Lou Macari and Jimmy Greenhoff.

But in Fergie's 20-year era as Reds' boss his front pairings of Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes followed by Cantona and Cole then latterly, and briefly, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rooney, were outshot by the impact of the Yorke and Cole pairing.

However, the United boss reckons he has pieced together another potential firm to rival his goal-getters from `99.

"In Tevez and Rooney we have two exceptionally good players who are a real threat to defenders," he says.

"There is a test for every player who comes to United, and we always look at that situation. But Carlos Tevez has provided his own answer to that.

Delighted

"He's been very, very good, we're delighted with his attitude in training and in matches, and I think we were very lucky to get him.

"We've had some fantastic partnerships at the club over the years and most of them took time to develop, apart from Cole and Yorke, who were terrific in their first season together.

"Wayne is only 22, Carlos is 23. They are both young players. Hopefully in three or four years time we will see something really special from them.

"Both have got great attributes as strikers. Courage, speed, ability to beat men, all the things are there. But it's maturity. Once you see that, you see greater authority, better timing.

"When that comes, hopefully they'll still be at this club and people will see what really special players they are.

"The evidence is good at the moment. We are encouraged but they are young players. We hope they develop as a partnership and get better.

"The signs are very good at the moment, that's all I can say, particularly with them being so young."

There were some initial doubts among fans and critics alike that the Anglo-Argentine association were too alike to fit hand in glove once Fergie had installed Tevez from West Ham.

But the bulldog and the battleship have scored six goals between them in the four matches they've started since their first outing in Sir Alex's XI against Chelsea. Now the pair are set to rip Europe apart starting tonight in Kiev.
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[USAManUtd13]

This year? No way. Sometime in the next 10 years (assumming they're here that long)? Probably.

[Dirtycheat]

Originally Posted by USAManUtd13

This year? No way. Sometime in the next 10 years (assumming they're here that long)? Probably.

I agree. Yorke and cole have the advantage of already playing for the best part of their career whereas rooney and tevez are still young. I think it will take them about 4 years to match them at the rate they're at now.

Since yorke and cole left, no duo ever got me as exited every match as rooney and tevez. On paper it shouldn't work because theyre way too similar but somehow theyre pretty much unstoppable. Theyre definitely not the best in the air but they both have great awareness, versatility and determination as well as tons of skill. I cant believe how quick it took them to adapt to playing alongside each other. the way they play one two's, make space and pull off dummies is what you would expect from a strike force who played alongside each other for years. I can only imagine what a night mare it would be to defend against them.

I think its difficult to compare them to "the soul brothers" in terms of goals because rooney and tevez seem happier to be the providers for goals.


having potential is one thing, fulfilling it is another.

[GocartMozart]

definitely sounded like a lot of hype. while i don't discount that they will become a great pair, there are so many variables and so many assumptions built into that statement that it's logical to have doubts. I do think they have the skill, but only time will tell. still, i was disappointed to hear SAF go off like that. don't believe the hype

[ROONEYGR]

I also agree that is too early for comparisons but surely Tevez and Rooney has the potential to be a better partnership than Cole and Yorke

[GocartMozart]

to me, you can only compare their stats. This team is so different from any in our history, and inparticular it's massively different compared to last year. I always saw last year as our final bedding in process, but I've come to realize that a team has to bed-in every year and rediscover who they are together. It's taken us two months but I finally see us doing that. With that said, this pair can't be compared in any other way that pure statistics. Their style now and forever will be too different.

[zarafa]

No Way Rooney/Teves are going to score 53 goals or more between them this season not because they cant and dont have the class but because of many reasons:
1- they are still young and still early in their careers where as cole/yorke were way older and had more experience
2- Ronney/Tevez have way more competition from midfield (Ronaldo, Nani, Andersson) to score goals than did Cole/Yorke have during their time, which means a certian amount of goals are going to be scored by midfield players rather than the attackers

[GocartMozart]

They also don't have David Beckham kicking the ball behind the defense every other minute. No one crosses like Becks, and both of those players were a major force in the air.

[dimz]

Originally Posted by zarafa

2- Ronney/Tevez have way more competition from midfield (Ronaldo, Nani, Andersson) to score goals than did Cole/Yorke have during their time, which means a certian amount of goals are going to be scored by midfield players rather than the attackers

I'd say that's the most telling point (apart from possible injuries). If you take away the above fact, and the likelihood of injuries, i think they'll surpass Yorke and Cole by the end of next season.

[funkdoctorspock]

I rate Giggs Scholes Keane and Beckham over our current midfielders.

I also think that Yorke and Cole were out and out strikers.

I just don't see Tevez and Rooney coming close to those numbers. Obviously, I have no problems if they do.

How many did Rooney score in all competions last season?

27 the most. So you honestly think that Tevez is going to put in 26+ goals in the same season?



Yorke and Cole were beyond special.