How do we assess and assign value? Who gets to decide the criteria upon which athletes, or art, or food, are graded? These questions are not quite unanswerable, but their exploration is far beyond our scope here at The Busby Babe. We’re just a football blog, and we’re here to argue.

Manchester United Players

Overrated

You guys are trying to get me to write about Scott McTominay aren’t you? - PK

Underrated

The hill I’m willing to lay down my life on is named: Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He scored a number of important goals in cup competitions that ultimately saw United lift silverware under José Mourinho. Mikki was a stud playmaker in the Bundesliga, and he could’ve replicated similar success for United had Mourinho not been the manager who killed Mikki’s confidence and suffocated his offensive creativity. - NH

Wayne Rooney. Something something, 2014-2016 he wasn’t that bad. - CD

Properly Rated

Ryan Giggs. Because Twitter is the worst place in the world, no matter how well you curate your timeline, the timeline algorithm (surely designed by a team of war criminals) will eventually force a tweet upon you that features the worst opinions in the world. This week, I had the unfortunate experience of one such opinion: someone born in 2016 calling Ryan Giggs overrated.

I have been known to contextualize Giggsy’s career by reminding our dear readers that there are times when he would go missing for half a season at a time, and I’m old enough to remember Giggs even being booed by his own fans. But let’s get real here. On top of having one of the greatest careers in the history of club football, peak Ryan Giggs was unplayable. Not good. Not very good. Unplayable. Overrated? Give us a break. - BM

Non-Manchester United Players

Overrated

Steven Gerrard. Sometimes the obvious answer is the correct one. Liverpool’s midfield general couldn’t even get in to Liverpool’s midfield in the only good team that they had while he played there. “Hollywood ball” merchant who lacked the discipline to be a top center midfielder, and who lacked the steel to win a league title when it was in his grasp. - BM

Another obvious answer is Jozy Altidore. - Every USMNT fan that has correct opinions

Underrated

Frank Lampard is often placed third in the rankings with Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard, and it seems pretty disrespectful to me. Especially the way that it’s just assumed by some (albeit on Twitter, so not the best of opinions). He may have fallen off a bit sharply around 2012/13, but from 2004-2012 He was arguably a top 10 — or often top 5 — Premier League player every season. He is Chelsea’s all-time record goalscorer as a midfielder with 211 goals, and has won a complete set of medals with the club. - CD

Properly Rated

Andros Townsend. Everyone agrees he sucks right? - PK

Sergio Aguero is a really, really good goalscorer. I wouldn’t necessarily trust him too much with another task, like link-up play, but overall he’s rightfully trusted most as a centre forward who is excellent on the ball, finishes ruthlessly, and has phenomenal awareness in the attacking third. - CD

Food & Drink

Overrated

Champagne. Honestly. What’s the point? - BM

Most deli food. I can make a sandwich at home. - CD

New York Style Pizza. I shouldn’t have to dab my pizza with seven napkins before ingesting it. - NH [...THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT GOOD NATHAN - PK]

Underrated

Chicken Noodle Soup. Mom’s specialty. Never really disappoints you, but you rarely ever have it. Ordering anywhere besides a Chinese takeout restaurant is borderline crazy also. - PK

Properly Rated

Pizza. Some dishes you can only get in certain cities or in certain parts of the world. But I’ve never been anywhere where there at least wasn’t an attempt to make pizza. It might not be the best pizza you’ve ever had, but wherever you are in the world — you can find pizza. That’s because everyone knows what’s up. - PK

Skyline Chili. Proper shite. - Everyone outside of Cincinnati, OH.

Movies

Overrated

Anything associated with Quentin Tarantino in the last 25 years. Over-long, self-indulgent, and consistently mistaking gratuitous violence and a liberal sprinkling of racial slurs for actually having something to say. Great cinematography, great individual performances, but overall not nearly as great as advertised. - BM

Most James Cameron movies look pretty nice, especially for the time in which they were made, but my goodness: hire a writer for god’s sake. Actually, I take back some of that first part, Avatar [Ed.: Pocahontas In Space] looks really weird to me. Listen to Lil Dicky’s “Too High,” where he explains some of the odd plot points. Just a garbage movie, and you all like it for some reason. Also, Titanic kinda sucks. - CD

Return of the Jedi. They rescue Han and then what? They got nothing! So they just decide to run back the plot of the first one and blow up the Death Star again (and also do some Pocahontas with Ewoks). Sets the stage for future Star Wars movies where the writing seemed to be “when in doubt blow up a Death Star type thing.” - PK

Underrated

Enemy of the State was one of the first R-rated movies I was allowed to watch growing up, and I’ve loved it ever since I first saw it. It’s infinitely rewatchable and on TNT (in the US). It’s fast-paced, features Will Smith and Gene Hackman throwing dialogue haymakers all over the screen, and a bunch of NSA agents sporting Street Fighter haircuts.

Also, I guess watching this movie about American spy agencies spying on Americans made seven-year-old me cynical in 1998 because I was the only one not shocked by the Edward Snowden leaks (insert shrugging person emoji) - NH

Interstellar might be Christopher Nolan’s best movie. Incredible cast, moving emotions and dialogue from one scene to the next, looks amazing, and has a classic Hans Zimmer score. I’m a bit biased because it might be my favorite movie ever, but it should have won all the Academy Awards. Wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture in a year where Spotlight (a good but not great movie) won. - CD

Properly Rated

Hi, it’s me, Nathan Heintschel and I’m rebelling against my Blog Dad, Brent Maximin. Inglourious Basterds is a Quentin Tarantino movie made in the last 25 years that is great and a lot of fun to watch. Frankly, the majority of this movie’s dialogue is in a foreign language and it was a massive success in America, so that’s pretty impressive.

Plus, fun fact, the secret mission the Basterds embark on in the final third of the movie is called “Operation Kino” which involves the assassination of the major figureheads of the Third Reich in a movie theater. Did you know the German word for movie is “kino?” Heady stuff from QT, am I right? - NH

Wedding Crashers. Is it the best movie ever? No. But I’ve never met someone who said it was bad. It’s a fun 90 minute ride and everyone accepts that. - PK