Manchester United Banter Archive March 10 2015

10 Mar 2015 22:13:42
Couple of points: Have I missed the news that Falcao has drank a potion to rediscover his form? I can only assume this is the case for people to be crying out for him to be played?

SAF preferred Valencia to Rafael at RB in numerous games are we now questioning him also?

Has anyone got any other suggestions as to where ADM should play or we now just going with the poor man management b.s?

Are we not aknowledging Rooney has only scored 36 goals in his last 2 full seasons as a striker or are we just pretending he's a goal machine so he doesn't play midfield again?

Will people just click disagree to this post because its all factual and abolishes the hate campaign being spread by many on here without offering a counter argument that doesn't consist of contradicting opinions?

Step outside the box guys its beautiful out here. so much clarity away from the blinding smog of disappointment and over expectations. You too can then relax until the team is rebuilt and see the bigger picture :)

10 Mar 2015 23:49:05
Rooney has scored 34 goals each in the last 2 seasons he played as a lone forward, that adds up to 68. No clue, where did you get that number from. Bizarre, because everyone knows he is a goal machine when played upfront.

Deeps.

11 Mar 2015 10:04:58
He scored 19 last season and 16 the one before so I correct myself its worse 35 god knows where your stats came from but I wish he scored 34 last season we would have been a lot better off than 7th

11 Mar 2015 10:06:49
He has only scored 34 goals twice in his whole UTD career other than that he has never broke the 25 mark

11 Mar 2015 11:10:06
Clarity
Has rooney played as a striker the last 2 seasons ?

11 Mar 2015 12:03:11
Where do you think he's played jred? Anywhere but striker his whole career except the 2 seasons he scored 34? If he has not been playing as a striker would everybody be banging on about him not playing there this season or would it be the norm that he's not/wasnt playing there this season?

11 Mar 2015 12:31:42
Clarity
There has been a debate on this site for a few years now that rooney has been played to deep.
He has played very few games as the main striker

11 Mar 2015 12:34:16
Clarity
By the way people are banging on about him playing striker this year because he is the best option this year.
If rvp or falcao where playing as well this season as they have in the past there would be no clamour for rooney to play there

11 Mar 2015 13:01:25
Thank you jred your last sentence has just proven my point.

11 Mar 2015 14:00:49
Clarity
I think your point is you don't watch united much .

11 Mar 2015 15:17:04
"If rvp or falcao were playing as well this season as they have in the past there would be no clamour for rooney to play there"

You wouldn't say that about a Goal Machine ergo Rooney is no Goal Machine (that was my point incase you missed it)

And I've not missed a game in the last 20 years. cheers

11 Mar 2015 17:09:13
Rooney
Has played a number of positions and has played left righ cm 10 and 9 .
You must of missed that.
For me his best position is a 10 but he can defo play the 9 if required.
If rvp or falcao where on fire there would be no need to play rooney there he could play the 10 role.

Rooney is about to break the england and united scoring records but you say his not a goal scorer ?.

I would say he has played as an out and out striker for 1 full season and scored 34.
He averages 20 a season for a second striker come cm that's pretty good

11 Mar 2015 17:12:57
Clarity, if you think Rooney has played as a striker the last 2 seasons, there is no point having this debate. You can probably watch the season DVDs for the last 2. Fact is, the 2 seasons he played as the "main striker", he scored 34 each time. So I don't really get your point.

Deeps.

11 Mar 2015 18:52:18
Deeps, do you have an alert that goes off on your phone, every time a negative Rooney post pops up on here? :)

11 Mar 2015 22:05:39
Deeps u said before lone striker now u say main striker which one is it? Or are you just guessing? Because the seasons u r referring to we had berba. Seems to me u want to make history fit your argument. Jred Rooney has 20 or more in 4 of the previous 10 seasons and that's in all comps so the breaking utds goal records is more to do with time served than goal ratio. I never said he can't score goals i said he's no goal machine, you can call him second stiker he played on the wing (for a few games) etc etc all these modern day fancy position names but the fact is he has always been part of that front line for 98% of his career and the goals are not of the same level as your ruud, shearer, henry, rvp, the list goes on and on. You said it yourself if rvp and falcao were in form u would put them up top ahead of him ao I really don't understand why u r still trying to have this debate tbh.

10 Mar 2015 17:34:44
I have now watched the match. Ref performance was extremely frustrating. He sent off di maria for pulling his shirt slightly, yet jo hart head butted him in a recent match and got away with it.
Also, ho how did the arsenal full back stay on when he'd already been booked and committed the foul on Young?
There has to be some consistency somewhere or does that go out of the window when United are playing?
Having said that i do no condone diving and both dm and januzaj should be fined by the club.

10 Mar 2015 18:05:24
If we were down to 10 then Arsenal should of been to. To be fair, I'd of been happy to go down to 9 if the ref had been kind enough to send off Valencia. Then we would have Valencia and Evans banned which would be a blessing.

10 Mar 2015 18:51:07
This is my argument NM mate, I have no problem in the ref 'managing' a game and not wanting to ruin the game with a red but as I have asked a few times today why was ADM not afforded that luxury.

The ref has not deemed it violent behaviour because he only gave a red so it has to be dissent he has given it for, therefore why has he not 'managed' that situation the same as the one 5 mins before?

I don't condone diving at all but when a ref makes an accusation of a player cheating he has to except there will be questions he will be asked by the player and captain in that incident. he can't just say "I think u have cheated and no one can talk to me about that".

10 Mar 2015 19:01:20
I don't think we can have any complaints about dimaria's red card he dived when he was barely touched plus he grabbed at the ref when you should not do it! We can't compare other incidents to Make it right when it clearly wasn't I like the majority believe it was a deserved red card. Fellaini committed about 5 fouls before he got booked but all in all due to dodgy substitutions and couple of errors we threw it away no excuses

10 Mar 2015 19:10:22
Obviously I mentioned he only gave a yellow lol

10 Mar 2015 20:26:13
Damon, so do u think Di Maria got sent off for violent conduct or dissent? I will argue a fact mate and the fact is this is not another ref it's the SAME ref that allowed that to take place with Hart, therefore comparisons can be made.

As I said the ref has NOT deemed this violent conduct and the yellow proves that. Imo I think Oliver got caught up in the moment got a bit shook up and over reacted to the situation(I will also add I don't see a problem at all if Oliver straight red cards ADM).

I have no qualms with a rule stating u can't touch the ref but then that rule has to be carried out across the board and not decided and acted upon at different times of games and not by everyone, the reason there is no president to this is because most of the time a ref will look at a player after that player is arguing his case and say "Oi don't touch/grab/nudge etc me" and the player backs off.

10 Mar 2015 20:43:11
Yes I agree 100% mate that it should be consistent across all boards.

I just think he's booked him for the dive then he's booked him for grabbing at him like a minute later so two yellows then he's walked so I couldn't complain on that sense. I watched the replay and u can see rooney lookin at angel as if to say you should not of done that lol.

The most annoying thing of last night was how we gifted them the win it really Gutted me and was a horrible way to lose. If we were battered then fair enough plus it was a bloody quarter final of our only chance of silverware so frustrating. There is no question the substitions put us right on the back foot in the 2nd half as I thought we were clearly the better side in 1st half

10 Mar 2015 20:53:23
I believe he's only been given a one match ban so I would assume its been given for dissent which I must agree is a little strange but the red card as a whole I have no argument.

On a positive note though it showed a bit of passion from dimaria if nothing else for once when a lot of us were questioning his commitment and desire because lately he hasn't looked interested.

Let's just hope we can get at least third and if van gaal can get that for us then I would let him continue but if we miss top 4 (perish the thought) I will be stunned if he's not sacked

10 Mar 2015 21:39:17
I have a problem with how the red came about mate, I would have no problem if it was a straight red that was given because Oliver felt threatened, only he would know how he felt. But he didn't and the yellow tells us that so my question is how can u obviously take a lenient stance against Bellerin 5 mins before and decide not to take correct action as the game would of been spoilt but 5 mins later have a total shift in attitude in managing the same game?

10 Mar 2015 22:20:17
'showed a bit of passion', my ar$e! It was petulant and selfish. I hate fans clapping players off, as if they'reaccidental, like Nani against RM, I can understand, but these Beckhamesque, big-girl's blouse hissy fits do my head in. He let himself, his team-mates, and most importantly, the fans, with his actions.

If he'd shown that much passion earlier in the game, he wouldn't have been falling over at every little touch, but got stuck in instead.

10 Mar 2015 22:33:10
To be honest Chris he had to go. I feel the ref did us a favour by giving him a second yellow rather than a straight red. If he hadn't already been booked he would have got a straight red in my opinion.

You could argue that Bellerin should have had his marching orders but a number of our players could have joined Di Maria down the tunnel, especially Felliani. I don't have any gripes at all with the refs performance. Taking into consideration the circumstances he did a great job.

10 Mar 2015 23:21:17
Well put it this way noucamp he dropped a blooper of course he did but he did more in that game last night than he's done for months.

I hate diving aswell mate more than anyone but its become part and parcel of the game you see it all the time.

On a side note though it looks as if dimaria could do with a bit of grub down him he looks painfully skinny and perhaps he wouldn't get knocked off the ball so easily. Let's have a win sunday as we will all be even more cheesed off otherwise

10 Mar 2015 23:29:47
Also Chris I must admit mate that I was furious with the bellerin incident and thought it was a joke but its always the same with us.

Was it not Michael Oliver Who sent off smalling at the etihad with 2 yellow cards for 2 fouls? So it is frustrating when you think of it like that because it isn't consistent why not the same treatment I understand where you're coming from when you put it like that because it really winds me up

11 Mar 2015 06:54:38
I agree he has done us a favour if he sent him off for violent conduct.

But my point is the ref didn't have a great game.

10 Mar 2015 11:37:07
Hi Ed002

Last summer you were of the opinion that it would take MU 3 windows to get the team to where it should be, do still think this given this summer will be the 3rd window since?

Also is there anything in the fact Berahino was at OT last night watching the game?

Many thanks as I appreciate your a busy person!

{Ed002's Note - It is still the case. Don't read anything in to a player watching a game.}

10 Mar 2015 15:47:18
Thanks for the reply.

10 Mar 2015 14:08:34
I know fans will say it's a knee jerk reaction in getting rid of Van Gaal but juan matas beard put up a very good post.
Last season when it became obvious that we couldn't get champions league football for this season, Woodward pulled the rug from under Moyes time as manager. Moyes spent just over £68m (?) & yet for Van Gaal the club has spent considerably more in less time.
If we don't get at least 4th spot then how can we justify in keeping this manager?
Woodward must be thinking "we spent x amount of pounds on Mata, Falcao, yet these players don't even get off the bench"
I know players have to earn their right to play in the 1st team but when you have a recognised right back in Rafael on the bench but he persists in playing Valencia there, or a play maker in Mata or a poacher as in Falcao but they don't get used then things for me don't add up.
How different our mind set is now as under Ferguson in that situation last night, being down to 10 men, 2-1 down & with only 5 minutes left, we still would've fancied us to get something from the game & more often than not, done so.
If hoofing the ball in the air to Fellaini is part of his "philosophy" then god help us (this is not Fellaini's fault though)
I thought the football under Sexton during the 1980-81 season was the worst but this is pretty close to rivalling it.
No complaints about any of the referees big decisions last night either because if we have to resort to blatant cheating then how low have we got, especially after Evans spitting incident.
Please Van Gaal, even if you don't like Mata Falcao or Rafael, be big enough to give them some games till the end of the season & have players playing in their natural positions. You never know, these players might just save your bacon at United

10 Mar 2015 17:02:08
Being a football manager must be one hell of a job! Imagine what those guys go through when they unfortunately or deservedly lost a football match. There are different options expressed or verdicts passed by pundits, experts and fans. It must be a very difficult experience for football managers.
There were times fans on this site complained of LVG persistence use of RVP and Falcao even when they were not cutting it. Now that he's cdropped Falcao for couple of matches, we are quick to point this out again. I guess none of us will like to be in those managers situations.

10 Mar 2015 11:33:30
Banter please Ed's

Is it just me or is fellaini a bit overrated in the air? I hope valencia is dropped for rafael and Mata and falcao are given a chance even though I know it won't happen.

It does worry me at the moment as even the games we are winning tend to be quite lucky or a bit of good fortune. I do feel beast talks a lot of sense on here and can see where he's coming from a lot of the time. You hear people saying the manager deserves time and I must say I find that incredibly naive as if your shelling out top dollar on players and then not delivering due to the financial side of things in the game today realistically you are going to lose your job.

Last night there were positives to take of course but I can never a united team trying to cheat their way to get a result in such a blatant way it was almost as if they would rather cheat than actually try to score. Januzaj was clear in the box and chucked himself on the floor it disgusted me and dimaria well I've seen better behaviour from amateurs. It certainly wasn't all van gaal's fault last night but the strange substitutes last night baffled me it seems like even when we need a goal we are still holding back which is strange let's remove the shackles and just go for it for once. Hope we bounce back sunday and finish at least 3rd and then we can come again next season but I for one wouldn't be surprised to see van gaal go at the end of the season and if that's what we have to do to get back to where we want to be then that's what has to be done.

10 Mar 2015 12:16:30
So we sack managers every 9-10 months?

Who do you suggest as manager and if he's struggling at Christmas would you sack him.

10 Mar 2015 12:33:54
MrE once again it has to be noted that LVG spent more than any club in Europe this year. If he gets CL then by all means the majority of fans (myself included) will get behind the philosopher once again next year but if not he should suffer the same fate as Moyes. The board would look like hypocrites if they kept him at the helm.

10 Mar 2015 12:45:53
Thank you JMB glad your talking sense.

I don't want to do that MrE but as I said if its for the good of the club and we don't finish in top 4 then how can anyone argue?

10 Mar 2015 13:15:37
It's the mistakes on the field that are the problem. Last night they came mainly from 3 players: 1. Valencia - his, led to the goal, 2. Smalling's luckily did not, and 3. ADM, who is a constant liability in possession in his own half (even if he started again to show his value in attack)

Now last night was always going to be a tight game. Did we really expect to waltz over an Arsenal team that's recently been on a pretty good run, and has become tactically more mature, even beating City at the Etihad? To me LVG's tactics were pretty much spot on, and while the substitutions were a little odd, what they did was tighten the game further. The Gunners had very few chances prior to us going down to 10 men. So, notwithstanding the half time changes, had it not been for the fatal error and then ADM's rush of madness to the brain, we could have won or maybe come back and equalized.

When Arsenal are allowed to play they are capable of ripping a fragile defense apart. The fact they did not do that last night is testament to the generally good defence, including Blind. He was not spectacular but, to me, the criticism is totally overblown and without merit.

In the end it was the diving that left the sourest note. It's both reprehensible and frequently counter productive.

10 Mar 2015 13:25:35
When should we start to think about sacking an under performing manager MrE? Give him another season and win sweet F A again? Or wait till he's spent half a billion pounds then we can say now he's underperforming?

10 Mar 2015 13:43:16
We were the better team in 1st half but the substitutes changed the whole balance of the game imo. I thought blind was our worst player in the opening half and just could not understand how he stayed on over herrera and It came back to the favouritsm thing again. The same as rvp will come straight back in the team when fit. I don't like how he isn't consistent with all players. I like a manager to drop anyone if they ain't peforming and that everyone is on an even keel

10 Mar 2015 14:10:23
Rebuilding this team is no small thing. Let's look again at what LVG inherited.

In defence: Smalling, Jones, Evans, and Raphael, all of whom spend most of their time crocked and are all prone to serious errors. The additions of Shaw and Rojo have generally been positive.

In midfield/wings: Valencia, Young, Carrick, Fellaini and Mata, all of whom have come in for serious criticism on this site. No wonder he's been playing Rooney there. The addition of ADM has provided some spark, but it's clear he's going to need another season to prove his value. Blind has been good value for money. Herrera has had some good moments but has yet to fully impress in his overall game - like Mata, his defensive side is seriously underwhelming.

Up top: Rooney - when he plays there he scores, and RVP whose been pretty awful all year. Unfortunately Falcao was a gamble that hasn't paid off, and Wilson may need another year.

Add to the above the departures: Cleverly (0 assists, 0 goals), Chicharito, Nani (doing okay in Portugal), Welbeck (good, but not great, his goal last night was an ironic distraction), Buttner.

I'm sure I've missed a few, but you get the point!! There's not a player on the team he inherited, other than de Gea, that hasn't been lambasted and pilloried from here to kingdom come by the fans.

Take out ADM from the equation and reduce the spend by what we collected, and the net amount is more like 60m - which is not unreasonable, and it's certainly not enough to remake a team as flawed as this one was. Given where we're coming from it would be a big mistake to sack the manager, especially based on last night's performance, unless we have someone much better in the wings. So, unless we capitulate during the final 10 games, I think LVG deserves more time, another 150m to complete the transition, plus the opportunity to clear out some more dead wood.

10 Mar 2015 14:59:04
Great post Shawthing.

Whilst yesterday was disappointing I take heart from the general performance. If we can play at the same performance level for the rest of the season - especially the first half performance - I think we can get some big results. The most damaging aspect about yesterdays game is how it will affect the players confidence. That said, we have been very good at bouncing back from defeats this season, so I hoping for the same on Sunday.

10 Mar 2015 22:47:20
Shawthing - isn't that the same team David Moyes inherited minus the £150million of talent and he didn't have Mata until Jan 2014? Moyes had big personalities such as Rio, Vidic and Evra who were pretty much past it and even everyone on here was calling for them to be moved on along with their huge wages.

If it is a big rebuilding Job now it was a huge rebuilding job then.

11 Mar 2015 01:28:00
JMB. Yes, it was a huge rebuilding job then too, but I honestly don't think that by the end of the season Moyes could stay on. Do we need to go into the reasons again?

Given the way the football world is today, and the circumstances which make it unlikely we will see another SAF type, or even Wenger, who can dominate a club for 2 decades or more, the whole structure of the club needs to be rebuilt to allow for more of a revolving door.

So, while I am very disappointed by the season thus far, and do not think LVG has achieved as much as he should have done, I do appreciate the enormous job that needs to be done both on and off the field. I don't think changing managers again this summer will be helpful - unless it's an exceptional candidate. I want to see what he does this summer. It's all a question of balance.

11 Mar 2015 05:44:59
I agree with most of your points Shawthing but if we don't get top four this season then I believe the Baird have no option but to let LVG go in the same way Moyes was sent packing.

I don't want to be turning over management year after year but to lose out on CL this year could be the begining of a downward spiral for us. Are you confident LVG can re-ignite the fire next year and push us on if we fail to secure top four? I'm not so sure.

10 Mar 2015 10:56:11
I have seen every game this season and this morning has left me feeling as low as I can remember feeling for a long, long time about this club and state of things on the pitch.
I can't understand this "philosophy" that is spoke about, nor the peculiar tactics and substitutions that LvG does.

People keep asking me, over and over again. What is wrong with Man United?

And I really don't know how to put my finger on it, without slating Van Gaal. So would anyone else like to answer.

Sam

10 Mar 2015 12:01:02
The manager not knowing his best side isn't helping.

Mata should have played yesterday IMO.

10 Mar 2015 12:06:36
Sam

Start by researching the transition from Busby to McGuiness and then consider how the SAF transition was handled, players allowed to age, insufficient investment, poor handover and a new CEO having to step in at the same time as SAF left, disastrous planning. Add the effect of appointing the wrong manager compounding it by potentially getting it wrong a second time. The players are shell shocked and confidence is low. With years to prepare for SAF's retirement the club spectacularly got it wrong and now we are paying the price.
LvG is taking everyone's anger and those half time substitutions and team selections didn't impress me last night but it is the sum of all the above olus Woodwards over confidence that has created a perfect storm

10 Mar 2015 12:35:14
Good response Redman, I often struggle to pinpoint the issue. Each game that passes I think right the next one, we are going to batter someone. However each game delivers new lows of disappointment. I am going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that LVG's management style and tactics are 20 years out of date. I think that the Premier League, the pace, the way football is played in this country has taken him by surprise and his naivety is showing through in abundance. Everyone refers to his past, his CV, but English football is a different beast. Just look at the players that failed here for the reasons mentioned above, Veron, Shevchenko etc.

10 Mar 2015 12:37:39
As low as you can remember for a long long time? Did you not watch last season then? We was beaten by a mistake to an in form Arsenal stop over exaggerating

10 Mar 2015 13:32:46
yes clarity, but looking at our next 6 fixtures, we could potentially finish worse than last season. anyone who doesn't see it is very blinkered. I hate being dramatic, and negative, but reality is kicking in. game by game

10 Mar 2015 13:43:00
Redman
Strange thing is all them issues /excuses maybe wouldn't be relevant with a better manager

10 Mar 2015 14:06:25
I'm afraid we've gone down exactly the same route as the end of the Busby era. A fantastic manager retiring and choosing the next manager ( Mcguiness, a good man but out of his depth) and then various managers not good enough. Similarly, the greatest manager in the modern game choosing Moyes, another decent man but also out of his depth with Utd.
For me, the only candidate with the ego big enough not to have been daunted by the size of the job, would have been Mourinho. We'd probably be top now, still in the champions league and hated even more! However, that ship sailed long ago so we must look forward. I realise that it's going to take longer than a lot of younger fans expect to get us challenging for the title again but as long as I can see gradual progress in the team I am happy for anyone in charge to be given time. But I cannot really see much of this under Lvg considering the money spent, and it's this that concerns me. People who say we can't sack managers never watched Utd under Mcguiness, Ofarrell, Sexton etc Sometimes it has to be done. I think there must be someone better out there, who would you like?

10 Mar 2015 14:10:31
So your low point is based on what potentially could happen for the rest of the season if we lose every game?

But last seasons reality was a higher point?

10 Mar 2015 14:25:25
I don't blame the manager at all. Yes, he could have done things differently and maybe got better results as a consequence, but I keep alluding to the fact that he must be under a lot of pressure to get us in the top four; and that pressure is having an influence on team selection IMO. He seems hesitant to play an offensive minded set-up and allow the players the freedom to express themselves, because, IMO, he doesn't believe we are strong enough defensively to be so open in our play. That is my opinion anyway.

Yesterday's game was lost because of poor individual errors. Our general play in the first half was very good, and we looked the stronger side.
We don't look miles away from Arsenal. In fact, on another day, we could have won that game comfortably.

Sunday is now massive for the season. A good result against Spurs is a must.

10 Mar 2015 15:21:35
Jred

All those issues may have been avoided if we had appointed a top manager to replace SAF . We didn't which made them all relevant

10 Mar 2015 15:48:00
Redman
Many people seem to think lvg is a top coach

10 Mar 2015 15:53:14
You hit the nail on the head, Red Man.

10 Mar 2015 16:10:56
Jred,

LVG wasn't appointed last season though. If he were, we would have done a lot better IMO.

10 Mar 2015 16:30:27
Sam
How can u know that ?

10 Mar 2015 18:35:47
Jred

You can't know in complete certainty however this year, whilst the football isn't great the players are playing for LvG, we are beating Newcastle not making it difficult for them, we aren't rolling over and taking the club from Champions to a complete embarrassment.
In my opinion LvG would have done a better job if he had replaced SAF but not as good as Mourinho who we should have moved heaven and earth for at the time.

10 Mar 2015 18:53:44
He doesn't jred but there have been a lot of 'I thinks' that have turned into 'I knows' lately on this page mate. He's hardly in a exclusive club is he lol

10 Mar 2015 19:45:54
We had a good spend in the summer i'm sure di maria herrera shaw and co would of made a difference last season.
Taking over from moyes and not fergy must of been a bonus for lvg .
No European football .
Yet out both cups struggled against some poor teams .
4th place is going to be tight.

Yer i'm sure on that evidence lvg woild of done great last season .
Lvg can do no wrong

10 Mar 2015 21:41:41
Jred

"Taking over from moyes and not fergy must of been a bonus for lvg "
A bonus, taking over a broken club with shattered players demoted from Champions to mid table mediocrity, rather than the fully confident Champions?

Lvg can do no wrong"
No one is saying that, he has made errors including last night but there are many factors why we are so poor and the dreadful transition including who we initially appointed is a major part of it.

11 Mar 2015 08:13:47
Redman
You have argued and preached long and hard about the difficulties of taking over from fergy, seems that would be easy now .
Poor lvg has it much harder .
Lol when fergy was leaving everyone was aware it was a near impossible job to replace him and would be better to be the second manager.
A point you raised many times . Until you went in to defend lvg mode .
The team fergy left had got old had been under invested in and needed rebuilt, again a point you argued until you started your "moyes can do no right, lvg no wrong "
As always you hypocrisy on this subject is shocking

11 Mar 2015 10:26:42
Jred

Tell me where I said LvG can do no wrong?

A top manager properly transitioned into the role after SAF would without doubt have made a better job of it than what actually happened.

11 Mar 2015 14:05:56
Redman
So we just need a top manager .
O wait i forgot about your boy lvg .
Who after adding 6 players has us 5 points better off

11 Mar 2015 18:36:04
Jred

We needed a top manager to replace SAF, we appointed a failure and are paying a high price.
"Forgot about your boy LvG", obviously you haven't read my posts and just assumed my position to suit your argument. To repeat myself, again, I was in the Mourinho camp to replace SAF, and the Klopp camp to replace the failure. LvG would not have been in my top 5, the failure would not have been in my top 50. It was tough following SAF but the mess the failure left gave LvG a very poor position to start with.
I am no LvG fan but I can see the utter mess the failure left him with, LvG is not doing great things and I was annoyed with selection and half time substitutions on Monday but the hate on here for LvG is not taking enough of the mess he inherited into account
What is it with this comparing points, did we bother how many points we had the previous season when we won the league, it is where we finish not how many points that is the judgement.

10 Mar 2015 08:35:21
First of all I'd like to congratulate Michael Oliver for his fantastic officiating. He did a great job under the circumstances. Secondly, fair play to Danny Welbeck. It was his first FA cup goal in almost three years and I have no problem with his celebration at all. Thirdly well done to the Gunners.

Very much enjoyed our first half performance. We were unfortunate to go behind but our response was instant and we showed real character, aggression and determination to get back in the game.

As for the second half, well I felt let down by LVG. Shaw and especially Herrera coming off perplexed me and I envisioned the game going downhill from that decision. I see Valencia getting a lot of stick (yes he made a huge mistake) but for me Smalling, Jones and Rojo (when moved to left back) were just as bad if not worse in the second half.

Di Maria's red card was idiotic and his constant falling over the was embarrassing. He and Januzaj should be reprimanded by the club for their antics. The game was crying out for some craft and why Mata is constantly overlooked is beyond me, any ideas?

Finally I feel we lacked discipline big time and at moments we even came across as quite unsportsmanlike which was really disappointing. We have always had a touch of class on and off the park about us and I hope that was a one off due to sheer frustration.

10 Mar 2015 10:06:19
Mata is needed to unlock teams, why does Fellaini keep getting played? And there was no one on the pitch worse than Valencia, he was terrible and at fault for both goals. Blind was very poor also.

10 Mar 2015 10:08:03
I agree with all off this Valencia is an embarrassment I've been saying for years how he plays for man utd is beyond me he's constantly out of posistion defensively has lapses of concentration can't beat a man and his crossing is pathetic the guy can't even take a throw in. I think carrick was a good sub to bring on however carrick blind and Fellaini are not mobile enough so it should of been Fellaini off and pushed Herrera in behind Rooney. The one thing that gets me most is why is mata not in ahead of Fellaini in the first place. For the last 3 weeks we've been lumping it up to Fellaini and 9 times out of 10 he either doesn't win the header, or we don't win the second ball it makes me cringe seeing united play like that. None of the forwards were coming short for the ballso they were constantly going back. And when we had it in forward positions there was no killer pass.

10 Mar 2015 10:28:23
Fresh I agree with you on Mata. I think with all our possession we are constantly knocking on the door but we don't have a key. Mata could be that key. He has only played 35 out of the last 540 minutes (last six games). If I'm Juan Mata I'd be instructing my agent to find me a new club, I'm sure there won't be any lack of intrested party's.

10 Mar 2015 10:46:45
Ryan - I think having the option to 'lump it' to Felliani is a great plan B or plan C but I agree mate, we should be playing players like Herrera or Mata in advanced MF roles to look for killer passes.

10 Mar 2015 11:29:47
RB should of been dealt with in summer even the summer before its shocking we play a winger at RB for me we should go all out for Clyne I'm huge fan and he improves every year

10 Mar 2015 08:05:53
It is not a secret that our season has been pretty poor upto now when considering our playing style unattending the points.LVG from his past CV is always understood as an arrogant manager who likes possession based attacking football. His most famous "philosophy" is never getting any old as day after day he moans about how his philosophy can be implemented and learned by his players. He has achieved success in many clubs and has done many good works but there remains a fact that he is also known for much of wrong decisions.
On account of the ongoing season, after nearly 30 games, finally we can glaze at something philospphical about him . We may be hurt and devastated by our football for quite sometimes now but slowly we are gaining some style from his much called philosophy. Possessional passing has drastically improved with defenders trying to attack and attackers trying to defend. We can even see some much one pass attack which have not yet succeed . Players are slowly learning the playing style and understanding their role in the team and hence our team game is improving day by day . The major flaw is that we are not yet clinical in our attack which i think will slowly improve over time . Team understanding is not something learnt in a day . It takes countless hours of training and devotion and slowly the fruitful result can be achieved . Though I am sad about our result against arsenal yesterday but our game was very good compared to previous. The same arsenal who are in pretty good form now could have been defeated if it was not that sloppy back pass from Valencia who was very poor (dont get why LVG thinks he was best player yesterday) . Putting aside our result i think we can be positive about our game as we have to put the 1st half performance for entire 90 minutes for every game we play.
Thought there are something positive about LVG, negativity is also yet present.Just as in our student life, i remember when i had very little time to prepare for the test, i would only study important questions hoping that luck pours upon me with little preparation though being fully prepared is best. Playing fellaini in our team is similar like that . We throw him forward hoofing every ball to him and wishing it works, whereas we must focus on preparing every aspect of the game without any shortcut . It is good when we have little time to prepare but when we have a week to train then it must always be plan B when things do not really work out, just like preparing every course while having time rather than focusing on only important ones So maybe LVG must learn a way to play without fellaini and gain a real playing style .
I don't know where we will be at the end of the season but seeing the positive lately and also our chain of tough games, i hope it finally works and CL comes back into our beautiful theatre of dreams

10 Mar 2015 07:12:14
Ok, so we lost and we had some shambolic defending, but is anyone else getting sick and tired of the slating our club is getting from the media all the time?

We dominated the ball last night and they scored through really bad defending, especially the second goal (valencia worst player on the pitch). But the way the media twist it is that we were "awful" and "crashed out" of the FA Cup.

I actually thought it was one of our better performances in the first half and just didn't take chances.

Maybe i'm wrong.

10 Mar 2015 08:44:37
But for the back pass, valencia was solid for a change. Alexi had it tougher than i expected.

10 Mar 2015 09:49:22
mbd I am sorry I disagree.

I think Valencia was woeful throughout the game. I don't remember when was the last time he made a proper attacking contribution to the team.

In defence he made a lot of fouls in the second half(although he did get the ball once or twice).

10 Mar 2015 10:48:54
Agree with Mbd. Valencia wasn't fantastic but he wasn't ridiculously bad (apart from the goal). Smalling and Blind were worse in my opinion.

10 Mar 2015 04:59:41
I was really disappointed with the diving from Di Maria and Januzaj.
Januzaj did well to get into the position and he could have either created or scored a goal but he chose to dive. embarrassing moment.

Valencia and Fellaini have both done pretty good in recent matches but I would like to see a proper team with Rafael and Mata in for Valencia and Fellaini. Maybe Januzaj for Dimaria as well

Only 2 guys had a very good game.
De Gea and The Referee.

Hope our team does well in our next game

10 Mar 2015 07:34:53
The ref had a good game? I don't think so, he didn't have a shocker but he didn't have a good game either, I feel from the 60th min he changed the way he was reffing the match which led to inconsistent decisions.

What puzzles me is Bellerin should of seen a second yellow but Oliver gave himself some time and must of thought it would ruin the game so didn't book him therefore sending him off.
I find it a shame Di Maria was not afforded the same luxury before sending him off.

10 Mar 2015 08:57:50
I completely agree Chris. I have noticed that Oliver sometimes tends to favour the away team in matches. He is a good ref though.

10 Mar 2015 09:26:32
I'm with you Chris I see a lot on here saying Oliver had a great game I for one disagree I thought every time an arsenal player hit the deck they got the decision I'm not complaining about Di Maria that was petulant and idiotic and he deserved everything he got but Bellerin should of had his marching orders too this was compounded by Wenger knowing he had got away with one and bringing the lad straight off.

And Fellaini makes it so easy for refs I think he gave away 6 fouls in a 5 min period yesterday and it's not on.

10 Mar 2015 00:07:59
Some players are not up to the level needed but lvg has to be accountable for tactics, style and team selection. Rafael over Valencia at full back. Mata should play ahead of fellaini all day long. The owners will not accept finishing outside top 4. Pointless possession with little pace and creativity. Why can lvg and giggsy not see what what we all see.??

09 Mar 2015 23:22:46
Was Van Gaal referring to Valencia when he said 'We gave it away but the man who did that was the best man on my team. That's also for him so disappointing.'

Best man on the team? What a stupid statement, he was awful tonight. The one good thing he did was the ball to Di Maria. Apart from that he was never in position and was rinsed 9/10. We desperately need a right back.

Fair okay to the ref, all his decisions were spot on despite them being infuriating at the time.

Lastly, sick of seeing Fellaini - not his fault but all we seem to do his hit it up to him and see where he can head or chest it towards. Not his fault at all but it's a crap tactic and is miserable to watch. Since when have we, or Van Gaal for that matter, been long ball? It's embarrasing and beyond boring.

10 Mar 2015 00:30:03
We have a right back, but for some reason, he isn't playing.

10 Mar 2015 00:35:39
The defending for the 2 goals was shocking at this level of football you can't make silly mistakes, plus carrick and blind shouldn't play together, agree about the fellani tactic but one thing about him he gets stuck in, we have to have someone who will go in to tackles cause our midfield is lightweight, di Maria is afraid of his own shadow.

10 Mar 2015 07:38:59
I wouldn't personally want di Maria to fly into tackles and risk injury.
I also agree with most of what you said fresh but I think the RB should've had a 2nd yellow card then there would be no arguments for the refs performance from me.