Manchester United Banter Archive January 01 2015

01 Jan 2015 22:53:31
stoke away is always hard for the big teams, a point at stoke it a decent result. and still 10 unbeaten

especially with the injuries we have and t again we haven't been able to pick our best team.

stoke had 9 men behind the ball and just tried lumping it to diouf all game to use his pace. and set pieces other than that united controlled the game.

you can clearly see what kind of football lvg wants to play we just don't have the right players atm.

01 Jan 2015 21:18:40
Beast mate, i love you and it's great to have you back but you need to chill. I love that you are not a happy clapper and we need people who call out painful truths but to call for LVG to go now is plain silly.

11 games unbeaten, 8 wins and 3 draws, massive injury issues, still trying to find the correct team and formation. Let's all relax and see how the season unfolds.

01 Jan 2015 23:43:10
Oh don't say that tony, he's just bought the banner!

AJH - I am not saying it just for a reaction I promise. 11 unbeaten doesn't count for much to me, it's the performances that are a sign of how we are progressing. I said the same 10 games in, it wasn't the results it was the performances. A bit of luck and the games could go either way because we are doing nothing with the possession.

I understand fully we are in transition, but I do not see the progress still. Newcastle was great, but was a one off, just like the Leicester collapse was a one off.

Most of you back the manager, but what happens when we sign more players? They need to be integrated, learn his style, then they have to keep fit. The modern player is different to the man of the 90's, the training methods he has stuck to are not suitable for the weaker modern professional who has to be 100% fit in order to play. He is a dinosaur, nothing he has said or done has changed my view and believe me I would love for him to change my perception of him and his methodology.

He is not adapting properly to the games, he constantly has to rehash plans because he hasn't planned properly. We are not using the attacking players we have properly and he is using a formation which I honestly feel is not one we will use much in the future, so I don't get all this progress talk. If you are going to open a bakery, teach your staff how to bake bread, not to pull pints!

So we wait until the Summer, he spends another 100mil, he has a massive squad, old school approach and now CL to contend with. I will be hearing people go on about more games being the problem and we have to get used to it again, more players to choose from, more players to settle, more injuries etc etc, It will never end. Can we just call a spade a spade.

That is why I am calling for his head, because he is the wrong man for the job short term and long term. Why give somebody all the money to build a team when he won't be here for long and he clearly has no idea how to handle things anymore. He is a strange man with too big an ego for what he brings to the table.

I would ignore all of this if we just attacked teams with drive and played to win, rather than to keep hold of the ball.

Hopefully I'll calm down tomorrow, good night mate.

02 Jan 2015 01:03:04
Calling for his head lol beast you make great points, I disagree with pretty much all of them but can't help but like how you put them across. 10 games unbeaten and quite a clear progression from last season and you want the manager sacked, I would think you were a troll if I didn't know any better.

Everybody in in agreement that 3rd is the best we can hope for this season, that is where we are with a few decent fixtures coming up, so it is successful, building performance and confidence whilst winning games is the way to do it.

God help Mrs beast again, but I have missed the rants!

02 Jan 2015 07:57:33
The problem is beast that is just an opinion mate, u back up point is u would be happy if we attacked teams but what if that ment a few losses in that 10 game run are we really ment to believe u wouldn't be here telling us he has to go?

I wasn't calling for Moyes's head, the football was poor but it was totally different circumstances and he definitely needed time, obviously the pressure got to him in the end and he cracked. The results were bad, but I didn't ask for him to be sacked, we shouldn't compare seasons its a trap as time moves on. The competition is far inferior this season to last season for starters, but here are some things to consider off the top of my head:

Moyes followed SAF - Hardest thing in football to do. LVG follows Moyes, easiest thing to do.

Moyes first 20 games he was given Fellaini and a team not happy with change - LVG first 20 games, an extra £200m of talent, plus a squad with a point to prove who were playing for their Utd futures.

We had won the league when Moyes took over. LVG took over with us 7th anything is improvement when looking at the league table.

Moyes had roughly 10 extra games in this period with CL & LC (also Moyes was slated before because of his lack of European experience so he had to focus on this more than the league which is unfair) - LVG has had just the league to contend with, so we should be doing better. The teams like Everton, Liverpool and Spurs have struggled with Europe this season, Arsenal are all over the place defensively like we are.

Moyes was criticised for changing the style of Utd - LVG is praised for it, this current Utd looks nothing like the SAF Man Utd, in fact it changes every month.

Moyes was a "Boring" appointment to the media - LVG causes a media bukakke party because he is interesting and just did well in the world cup, the man that writes stories for them.

All in all the dice are loaded in LVG's favour because of how low our standards are, which is plain wrong. So don't compare to last year, just watch each game and make your own mind up as to whether this is what you want to see, because every time I hear LVG speak after a game he says what I thought about it - LVG agrees with me, the performances and chance creation is shockingly bad!

Man Utd is something I have enjoyed and watched for over 25 years. The past 3-4 years have been painful watching, this year is the worst yet because we don't even create chances anymore. I would love to see our shots on target stats.

We all talk about progress, but progress to what? We are going around in circles with the formation, the use of players, the injury problems. The only thing increasing is the money being spent and the time its taking to see what this football philosophy is, because there is no structure in watching the games unless its to keep meaningless possession.

I am sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes which will have long term benefits, but a new manager can eradicate that in one second. No point building new foundations if a new manager decides he wants to live somewhere different. All of this time, patience, benefit of the doubt and money should be afforded to a long term replacement in my view.

The football is bad to watch, the system is not long term, we need a lot of new players still and we could easily be sitting in 7th now had DDG not been so good.

Remember Moyes did lead us to the CL QF against a Bayern team and DDG made a howler against Sunderland in the LC semi, no howlers this season for DDG! That is the only difference in terms of the league table, LVG should be praising DDG for why we are 3rd now and funnily enough no contract has been signed STILL!

02 Jan 2015 11:07:22
Beast I go from missing you to wanting you banned for stupidity and ignorance. you want LVG fired?? that for me means you have no clue about real football and should stick to xbox

Ken - I know he won't be fired, but if I were in charge he would be. How you feel toward me is exactly how I feel toward our club, I go all week missing watching them and looking forward to the next game, only to feel frustrated by what I end up seeing. It's a kind of sick S&M.haha

Beast i'm sorry but you full of pal. the football is 10 times better than last year which we have to compare it to because it was such a disaster, even under fergie we played better football than moyes, moyes was the biggest mistake in my 25 years supporting united, and was rightly sacked.

at least with lvg you can see what football he wants to play, a few players in certain posistions no injuries and we will challenge again.


lvg had more of a job than moyes, moyes took over champions, confidant on a high. lvg took over embarrassed chumps who played negative football and players who we were calling to be sold have blossumed.

to say lvg isn't the right manager i'm sorry is just BS, who would you havw hired? pep was not available, jose wanted chelsea and klopp isn't up 2 the task of managing united yet. this year has proved he is still a manager in learning.

Simeone in a heart beat. Young, tough and intelligent.

01 Jan 2015 18:53:58
After 2 good performances against Newcastle and Spurs, a very disappointing day all round. The 1st half in articulate was pretty dreadful. Lots of emotion on here but I saw different things today. Our back 3 constantly had the ball but were unable to find a pass. On 2 occasions we had corners and ended up passing back to DDG.

In the days of Keane and Scholes, they would pick up the ball deep and start the moves, it seems the back 3 are being tasked with that.

We have great players but they are not quit clicking. I would play Hererra who is busy and energetic and if that means 1 of the Fab Four has to be sacrificed then so be it.

Shaw looked great, not sure why he was subbed, Falcao also looked dangerous. Another big issue is that Falcao and RVP and constantly havng to come deep for the ball and are facing away from goal. They are both incredible when facing goal and I think LVG needs to think about how we are playing.

ADM will make a difference as he has ace turn but we do seem a little disjointed and today were far too pedestrian.

Finally, slagging off individual players doesn't really help, Evans s currently scapegoat of the month but as another oster said, unbeaten in 11, winning 8 of them. Southampton is a big game given they are right behind us and bang back in form but I'm still confident we will finish 3rd. Just need to pick the pace, pick the best players, and not sub the ones playing well!

01 Jan 2015 17:44:56
Looking at some of the games over the weekend, it seems like a few teams have struggled. City, for example, have conceded 4 goals at home in two games, to teams in the bottom half of the season. Liverpool, today surrendered a 2.0 lead. Why have they struggled? Could it be that they, like us, were physically incapable of maintaining high performance levels?

I am watching the Spurs Chelsea game, and Chelsea look a but leggy. Spurs, who have a lot of youth in their side, might get the result today because of their extra fitness.

They have all played a lot more games than us, also the same players for a lot of them. We had a stroll in the park against Newcastle, so although of course fatigue played a part, I don't think we should be using that to excuse our poor performance.

It was no different to the Palace game at the start of this run.

I was unaware that Chelsea and co have played more games over the Christmas period.

Well hey played one more but not over christmas and that was the league cup. They are in the semis against liverpool.

01 Jan 2015 16:55:29
Its worrying how poorly rvp is playing. He seems sluggish. Wilfred Bony is a good finisher and is strong and quick. So worth a punt at £20m ?

01 Jan 2015 17:24:07
Not for me mate, we aren't that desperate. If need be, play Falcao up top with Rooney playing off him with Herrera now fit. We have plenty of other issues to sort before considering that move.

Nomid

I agree on RVP and he has been almost nonexistent in so many games. He seems to be so left footed nowadays and takes the wrong option trying to score with the left where the natural choice is a right footed shot.

Bony is interesting as he is a totally different type of a forward that we currently don't have along the lines of costa and drogba. Strong and can hold up the ball and buy us time as other players join in and he is also very skill full and does some great layoffs for players running into the box.

01 Jan 2015 13:07:51
This is the type of game Mata was bought for to unlock a team who sit deep, so let's see just exactly what £40 million got us. So far Evans again out of his depth and falcao needs to be off loaded asap

Agree on mata and evans but falcao is starting to get his fitness and sharpness back and looking a threat with his movement

Half time - Yet another borefest. RVP, Mata & Rooney, are they playing?

If the wind is bad, play the ball on the deck, stop the long ridiculous cross field balls and clips in to Shawcross.

Painful to watch yet again.

01 Jan 2015 13:41:37
Evans is getting massacred there.

Another terrible performance hanging on against Spurs last game now Stoke with all that money spent heads should roll. Too many players carried again should never be allowed at this club

Falcao looked so unhappy on the bench, just staring into space. LVG crumbling his desire in front of our eyes for favouritism sake.

Like he does in every game he's a clown how is it 2015 and he's still at the club ????!!!

I would like the manager to seem a bit interested just sits on the bench. Things are going wrong again and nothing from him just plodding on can only hope for a draw here now. 8 points dropped away from home over xmas is rubbish. Need to get busy in the transfer market and buy 2 CB a RB and 2 CM

Playing Rooney in the middle is not the answer to our poor midfield come the hour mark he's knackered

Jaimej it's your constant moaning post that make me want to log out of here. Never satisfied are you? 8 wins and 3 draws in last 11 isn't good enough in transition no? Falcao has looked good, yet you want him gone? And you think signing another 5 players on jan is the way forward? Get a grip of yourself

01 Jan 2015 14:40:15
Falcao was getting about well and he took his goal very well. Why Van Persie wasnt sacrificed is anyones guess.
Herrera needs to start and Rooney needs to move up top with Falcao and let Robin have a rest.

First over reaction of 2015 calm down

I fear LVG is playing it safe after we were knackered against Leicester.
All his away teams have been setup in a way to avoid defeats.
RVP needs to be benched. He's been very bad all season and probably played one or two good games.
Herrera needs to start more and we certainly need to play Januzaj a bit more now.
The front 4 is all unbalanced, Rooney rvp falcao mata all lack pace.
Maybe an influx of 2-3 signings will help us.

I am not one for over reactions but I am beginning to wonder what Mr Van Haal s philosophy is exactly. From what I was watching Shaw was our most composed defender yet LVH said he was playing with no rhythm? Falcao was by far our best attacker and he gets subbed ? I am beginning to feel a little nonplussed by it all and I think today showed exactly how far away from the title we actually are.

We need ball playing defenders so our midfield doesn't sit so deep miss di Maria have virtually no pace without him on the counter attack need a general in the middle to dictate games

Dean that is my exact view. I have gone from being apoplectic to just hmpf now, expect the unexpected with this guy and to try and apply logic to it is futile!

I want my club back, I hate being beholden to this ego maniac who makes zero sense with his decisions and frequent contradictions!

I must admit to being a bit puzzled by some of the managers decisions, like the one today to take off Falcao. But I personally think he is pushing the team in the right direction.

If we would have had everyone fit for the majority off the season, I am 100% convinced we would be at least 8 points better off. The frequent injuries - which is my own biggest concern - has had a destabilizing effect on the balance of the team.

I will stick me head out now and say that we will comfortably finish third this season, which for me would represent a very good season.

Beast I always try to find a positive with our games and today my positives were Shaw and Falcao to remove them both was equivalent to pulling out our teeth it was mystifying.
we will qualify for the UCL imo but we look light years away from the title.
The way that Mourhino and his team adapt to there opponents and match them is brilliant and the reason they will be champions and LVH is not capable of such tactics apparently.

He is stubborn Dean, he will have decided on what will happen before kick off and that is why he subbed them, part of his Philosophy. He probably can't even see what is happening on the pitch, he just sits there doing his cross word.

Falcao was our only threat, I nearly punched my screen when he came off.

01 Jan 2015 17:19:29
Jeez, the knives were out quickly there weren't they. Not a great day for us but luckily results have gone our way making an away point at stoke a half decent result. After Southampton we have a good run of games where we need to pick up 3 points as often as poss and if we do that things will be looking rosy again.

Winning the epl was never an option, for me I'm still looking down at the results of Southampton, Arse, Spurs and Liverpool as for me 3rd should be the target.

I find some of Lvg's decisions strange too but all top managers make those calls. Don't we remember some of Saf's team selections? The only reason I can think Rvp stayed on today was for his height at set pieces, at both ends. Which would at least have some logic, given how they were dominating us with the high ball. Could have easily been 2-1 either way at the end. Falcao does well to get involved in the game so it would be nice to see him and Rooney up top together at some stage.

We have missed Di Maria's pace in attack and Herrera's mobility in midfield. Our injuries continue to hamper us and that has to be a consideration. Chelsea are flying but they have had hardly any injuries whereas we are nearing 50 for the season so far which is an incredible obstacle.

We do need to see an improvement into Jan and Feb and I'm hopeful we will see that. Some of the points above are valid but the tone of some of the posts scream overreaction to me. 3rd is the target and that is where we currently sit. The season is 38 games not 1 so let's hope we are still there in May.

Shaw is coming back from injury,Falcao also returning from serious injury. When players get injured a lot of posters moan saying that the players aren't managed back to fitness properly or conditioned properly. And when they are eased back, posters moan that players are not being used properly or the coach doesn't know what he is doing. United were poor today but Stoke is always a tough game. Rooney is not a midfielder, he is a number 10 all day long.I think Falcao/ Rooney up front has a lot to offer. We need two quality defenders and a top box to box/ combative midfielder. Come on people, we have had an unbelievable level of success over an unprecedented amount of time. We have had the Glazers take over and the most successful manager in the modern era has left. It is going to be turbulent.But this is Manchester United.The very essence of the clubs story is one of triumphing over adversity. Things will get better. But it is going to take time and a concerted effort. Happy New Year people, let's try and stay positive.

Chelsea are getting knackered at the moment.
The premier league is a tough but.
The top clubs have had a severe drop in quality and lower teams have improved.
Chelsea conceding five goals? They could be in for a mid season collapse.

01 Jan 2015 09:02:37
Happy New year to all eds posters and our manager and players and staff. Hope 2015 is a successful year. Good luck to all.

31 Dec 2014 23:12:00
Happy new year to all the posters and EDs. Thanky you all for contributing to this site and giving me a better insight of our club and listening to everyones opinions which i fully respect. And an extra big thankyou to the eds who made this possible. Thankyou and may you all have a blessed new year, let's hope our fellow reds can start with a bang and give us a year to remember

{Ed001's Note - cheers mate, happy new year all!}