Manchester United Banter Archive June 20 2014

20 Jun 2014 22:05:30
GCU, Danny,
What is la la land?

{Ed007's Note - It's where Syd stays.}

I think you might call it home 'loko'.

Syd only stays there every third weekend of the month. Keep it hush hush but I think it's where him and jred have their rendezvous romantique.

Danny, in my native language lala land loosely translates to 'dreamland'.

Lala Land is best described as a nice place far from reality but can be found when heavily under the influence :)

It is a bit like la la land down here :)

Lala land is a real place - another plain of existence. The inhabitants of lala land are known for their protruding, elongated necks, and their predilection for patronizing poor United fans' with their superior footballing knowledge.

:)

Lallana is the king.

20 Jun 2014 17:09:40
Evening lads

Just want you opinions from fellow united supporters,

Why are so many people bashing rooney and only talking negative about him?

His stats alone talk for how quality off a player he is, all I see and hear is people saying sell him and play mata play kagawa, rooney I think is the heart beat off united he has more passion than anyone in that team why sell one off our better players instead off helping build a team with him mata and rvp in?

Even at the World Cup it was all about how poor his been when his joint top scorers and assists in the England team?
Gerrard had a shocker and not only did he mess up Liverpool title challenge he also messed up us qualifying through the group yet the press don't criticise him?

Rooney I think is unfairly criticised Even thigh his coming close to becoming England and united top goal scorer? Yeah real bad player

The media have a sick obsession with Rooney unfortunately. I may not like him, but I can recognize his qualities. Incredible that Gerrard isn't being slaughtered right now. Or is it Rooney's fault for not getting two?

I think the british press write more sh. it than any other media in the planet and it is unfortunately so prevalent in the culture of the country that it does impact people and things.

The criticism he gets is also testament to how important he is to England. He is clearly our most important player and our best one. No doubt a scouser will come on here and say no its Sturridge or Gerrard lol.

20 Jun 2014 18:42:01
No matter your opinion on him, he is a Utd legend and we will still be talking about him in 20 years

Well said, Ste.

No doubt Stevie, Captain Catastrophe, Gerrard will come out smelling of roses and Wayne will get the blame for not scoring more goals. Who cares. Show him your medals Wayne.

Ste

No we won't. Legend is a word bandied about far too readily nowadays. Rooney has had his moments and he may indeed by a very good player but he is no legend.

Ajh
If he puts another couple of years in he will of been at the club 12 year and probably united record scorer.
In the years that follow he will be regarded a united legend

He is already a legend, well as long as he doesn't move to Chelsea. He will be quickly forgotten if he did that.

I was hoping #PoorStevieG would've been trending now but I'm sure the press will find a way of blaming Rooney for Gerrard'd deft little flick on to Suarez for the winner. Nice assist lol.

20 Jun 2014 16:05:21
R.I.P Ibrahim Toure, younger brother of Yaya and Kolo, who has died here in Manchester at just 28 years old. Reports suggesting he was getting treatment for cancer. The sooner we can come up with a cure the better, I'm sure it has affected nearly everyone on here in one way or another. Very sad.

20 Jun 2014 14:42:14
If LVG has half the ability to motivate players the way SAF did, plus the tactical nous to deploy them effectively, the squad we have should be good enough to compete for a top 4 spot, barring injuries. It will require players like Fellaini, TC, Nani, Rafael, Jones etc to play to their full potential. With one top winger, one top defender, and maybe 1 centre midfielder, and the right attitude, we should be able to compete with anyone.

Pea, SAF proved the season before last that if you can get the best out of the current players you will challenge for the title. I don't see why LvG cannot get the best out of them too. Add four quality players and we should have a decent season.

I have said it for a while that a top manager would have got us in the top four last season.

If you look at our squad objectively, from top to bottom, we do have the talent in the squad to field a strong team capable of competing with anyone. Add to that three or four good additions this summer, and we will be competing for the Premier league next season, IMO.

I really want to see some of the younger player's get their chance. I think we might be pleasantly surprised by how well they do.

20 Jun 2014 15:18:39
Definitely. Last year the players had no motivation and a lot of that was down to Moyes defeatist attitude. Trying to make it hard against teams at home! Hardly inspiring. Van Gaal is a good tactician and motivator. As long as we bring in some good signings to plug the weak points we should be ok. And youth will get a chance.

Syd
so just 4 quality out field players to get us challenging for the title?
I thought all we needed was a good manager to rule the world with this squad

Let's be honest, I was hardly Moyes's biggest fan, but our current squad is well off challenging for titles. We need a minimum of four quality signings to get anywhere close to the top (experienced cb, strong lb, top class cm, and a wing forward capable of offering a real threat).

But why not go back to living in la la land and say that after can Gaal walks on water, turns it into wine and raises from the dead, he can go out on win the Premier League title single handedly.

Pea

This squad will not make top 4 and needs 2 or 3 defenders and a couple of midfielders. Most of you live in lala Land and can't see what is right in front of you. Too old or just not good enough players and grossly overrated.

Blinkers off people.
We have been in decline for years, the players are 2 years older since Fergie's last season and some of you think we are still good enough for top 4.
Behave yaselfs.

The same squad won the title the year before in a very convincing manner. Stating people are living in lala land just isn't a credible argument.

Last season, it was very clear that the manager was a disaster for the team. He singlehandley

(Ed's, please post this response. I pressed send by mistake on the last post)

The same squad won the title the season before last in a convincing manner.
Telling people they are in lala land for suggesting that the current squad in capable - in the hands of a top manager - of reaching a top four position isn't unrealistic, given the fact that we still have player's like RVP in the side.

The previous manager did everything possible to mess things up, both on and off the pitch. The man was an unmitigated disaster. He was uninspiring and single-handily destroyed the winning mentality that existed. Sure, we need new player's; but we also have a wealth of talent at the club that is bursting to be given the chance to show their worth.

Van Gaal, IMO, is a winner and a top coach. He will get the best our of player's who under-performed last season.

Where is the United team bursting with talent?

The defence? A lb who has been in decline for years and is now an unmitigated liability, three cbs who can barely stay fit for three consecutive games between them, or an injury prone right back who has been injured for at least half his United career?

The midfield? A fat Brazilian who can just about last twenty minutes before he runs out of steam, an ageing player who can, at best, keep things ticking over, a player whose sole purpose is to pass the ball sideways, and our big signing who can only function as a battering ram high up the pitch?

Or maybe our wing trio of Nani, the most consistent player in the world, one footed, hard working, but hardly effective Valencia, and Ashley Young?

We have a handful of players capable of producing real quality (and three of them like to play in the same position). So unless you think that a host of youth players are all going to step up and take the league by storm, I don't have any idea where you see the quality and depth in this squad. Perhaps you have to be a resident in la la land to see it?

20 Jun 2014 18:17:20
We all know certain players were either not good enough or too old. Well three of the oldest have since left the squad and hopefully three of the worst performers will follow. We all know we need signings and where we need them. It isn't brain surgery after all. But once of the highest problems last season was an out of his depth coach who destroyed team morale with his negative and defeatist attitude. What was it giggs supposedly said in that training ground argument. Well we have sorted that out and now have a coach who knows what it takes to manage a big club and win titles. As long as Clueless Ed can deliver in the market we can only improve on last season.

Sam

You are in lalaland if you can't understand that mate. Watch the world cup same team that won everything for 6 years will be vacationing early. Same players and same great manager, I wonder what happened.

The previous manager was not great but these players are sh. t and need to go mostly.

I didn't say we would win the league with this squad but that we could challenge for the top 4. Yes, we will need 3 or 4 top players to have a chance of winning it all.

The point I am trying to make is that managers make a difference, as do team spirit, team work and cohesion. Inferior management is why United did so poorly last season and inferior management is why England will be coming home bottom of their group.

Jred, I have said for the past two seasons that we need 3-4 top notch players, LB, CB, CM & LW. That being said I still think a manager like LvG would have finished top four last season with the players Moyes had. SAF leaving and Moyes taking over was always going to have a detrimental affect on the players. Even with these exact same players I wouldn't be at all surprised if we finished top four under LvG. Obviously we would need a CB or two to replace Rio and Vidic. In all fairness we are not as bad as we finished this season. LvG IMO would add 15 points to that total with these players. Just my opinion. But if we want to challenge for the title, we need 3-4 top notch players.

GCU,

You obviously have a short memory, because the same player's who you refer to as sh.t, are the same player's who won the league not so long ago. The difference last season was the manager.

The team needs new player's - yes; but I think that a few of the under-performers from last season, will play at a higher level this season. Player's like Nani, undoubtedly have the talent. In the right system and manager to implement it, we could see the best of him next season.

At the end of the day, it is just an opinion; and all I am doing is giving mine.

Sam, I agree and it wasn't just that the players didn't want Moyes and that they didn't respect him, he also had no set plan. He didn't know what he was doing. We went into every game with a team of individuals who looked like they were struggling to do their individual jobs. Now I am not putting all the blame on Moyes, the players should have been more professional, but equally Moyes was well out of his depth and from the time we won the league (May 2013) to say October (2013), five months, the team looked a shadow of it's former self. SAF got 100% out of those players, Moyes probably 50%. I think if LvG can get 90% out of them with a few good signings and we will look a completely different side.

Syd
You said in the above post if you could get the best out of these players we could challenge for the title.
You have also argued long and hard only city have better players.
I disagree.
We need at least 4 good players to even challenge for the title .
If lvg got 4th spot with these players it would be a good achievement .
As for it was always going to have detrimental effect fergy leaving i'm sure you argued long and hard about a smooth transition, while others pointed out it would be a hard season.

Jred, I just reread the earlier post. I worded it wrong. I meant LvG could get top four with this current squad. 3-4 players to get us challenging. My bad.

Totally agree, Syd.

Moyes' was the wrong choice for so many reasons. We needed a winner to take over, and not the supposed 'steady' hand that Moyes' was apparently bringing to the club.

Chelsea have definitely overtaken with Fabregas and Costa Jred. But before that I don't think they had an overwhelming better bunch of players. Jose has plugged the gaps very well thus far, it's time for MU to do the same. Four top notch signings and we will be there or thereabouts. Say Shaw, Hummels, Schweinsteiger & Sanchez. I think we would be challenging, but the way it's going getting these players look a long shot.

Anybody who thinks we have a decent squad is definateley in la la land we won a very average premier league 2 seasons ago playing mostly boring predictable football.the squad is now 2 years older and depleted with rio, giggs and vidic leaving, anderson is a fat useless lump, nani couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, cleverley has declined, carrick is getting too old to hold the midfield together and just because the waste of space we paid 27.5m for scored a goal at the world cup he's going to rip the premier league apart next season.we have had very little nett investment in the team for a few seasons now and that is the reason why were in the state we are.we even took the cut price route for a new manager with moyes and this also could set us back years.as good as lvg might look at the world cup without the right players he won't change were we find ourselves.lets hope we sign some quality as that's what's required no more haggling over the price and no going the extra mile, its time for the yankee leeches to put up the cash or see further decline, if they sell utd tommorow they have made plenty of profit and probably won't spend what we need while attendances stay at current levels.i feel so strongly about the dross I've watched for the past 2 seasons that after being match going for 42 years I've not renewed my 2 season tickets.rant over must get another bottle of stella :)

Sam

Nani is useless and you can hang on t this notion that guys like him will come good eventually but they don't.

Teams and players can go the wrong way very quickly with age. The young guys have done nothing and many have gone backwards and the winning spine of all those championships is either retired or too old. All in all a team that needs an overhaul of about 8 to 10 players over a few windows to catch up to the rest in order to win the pl.

20 Jun 2014 12:24:22
Funny how Stevie me isn't getting any stick from the media, he's been dreadful, bring back Terry!

20 Jun 2014 13:07:07
I thought that. The most over rated English player around.

Stevie G: specialist in handing the opponent victory in extremely important games.

20 Jun 2014 14:00:56
I agree 100% if cleverley had played and played like that, the media would of slaughtered him and rightly so!

The fact remains when its a massive game mr liverpool bottles it again!

20 Jun 2014 10:19:52
I see Vermaelen has denied any contact from United to sign him
Also a dodgy rumour going about Suarez has a 50m ish clause if Real or Barca want to sign him, madness if he does I don't expect him to play in England again in the prem

When Suarez signed his new deal someone said there was a €65m clause installed into his new contract. I am beginning to think it's true. But we know they are useless in England. Vermaelen said there's no agreement to join MU. It doesn't necessarily mean there's been no contact between MU and him via his agent.

{Ed002's Note - You would do best to ignore any thought about clauses Syd.}

As always, Vermaelen is hardly going to say 'yes I will probably join'. If it fell through he would be turned upon by all the Arsenal fans. It's standard procedure for players to deny these things and then move to the club a few weeks later.

I know 002, like I said these clauses are not binding in England. John Henry knows this, clearly Suarez doesn't as he has fell for the same trick again by signing such a contract. What happens when RM and Barcelona agree the amount and Liverpool block it? How will Suarez feel then? How will he behave whilst away from Liverpool?

{Ed002's Note - You are digging a hole for yourself here Syd.}

No surprise there Ed :)

Ed, care to speculate? What do you think will happen this summer in regards to Suarez? Personally I think it's a now or never summer for him. RM will make it clear to him that they want him this summer, I guess it's a big decision for him to make in the coming weeks.

{Ed002's Note - There are at least two clubs who are looking for a deal for him. There is a thought that a third might also bid - but this is the MUFC page and you will have to discuss it elsewhere.}

That's okay Ed, was just wondering that's all. Real Madrid, PSG & Barcelona I'd guess? Not sure anyone else will pay up.

{Ed002's Note - Your guess is incorrect, but we can move on.}

Syd, Man City I would guess.

Syd remind me never to ask for any betting tips off you :)

20 Jun 2014 03:44:06
Just looking back and watching the game between us and city for the community shield, winning 3-2 with a brace from nani

And Jesus lads what the hell has happened to tom cleverly?
Back then he was taking people on beating men going forward with the ball.
I hope this lad kicks himself and realises what a talent he can be and I hope with the time lvg is manager that he can be the one to put cleverly confidence back Into him

Tom has gone backwards, no doubt, but how much of that was Moyes fault? Let's face it, how many mids did we have that actually attacked or even passed the ball forwards?
In the pre season in USA he scored a very good goal and was a big hope for us. Before we chuck him out I'd like to see if LvG can get him playing.

That game was definitely Cleverley's and Nani's game. Cleverley played very well against Barcelona before that too. It's kind of mind boggling for me as I have watched him play well since 15. He has never been the same since that bad ankle injury which kept him out for the season. Since that he's afraid to get stuck in. Hopefully it could be similar to what happened with Ramsey and he may snap out of it, perhaps that's why Wenger wants him now while he's suffering because he believes he can get him out of his rut like Ramsey finally got out of his? Don't get me wrong Cleverley is no Toni Kroos, but he can be a very useful squad player if he can regain his confidence.

He has the potential to be very good in a midfield 3, but sadly Nani is just plain rubbish with no stones

As Sydney says he can be a very useful squad player and if you bring him on he could be a very quick impact sub

20 Jun 2014 11:13:48
Seriously Sydney,

Arsene in for Cleverley, is this what you read;

As Jos� Mourinho continues to scour Europe, making bids and agreeing deals for the continent's best players to address glaring deficiancies in his side, Arsenal and Manchester United have positioned themselves outside their local Primark, hoping to pick up 2010 fashions at knock-down prices.

After Manchester United opened talks with Thomas Vermaelen about a £10m move to Old Trafford, Ars�ne Wenger wants to return the favour and take some dead wood off Louis van Gaal's hands by moving for Tom Cleverley and Chris Smalling. Quite why Wenger would desire a small, tricky playmaker such as Cleverley having passed up the opportunity to sign Cesc F�bregas because he is so well stocked in that area is anyone's guess, but Wenger knows. A bid for Smalling to cover for the losses of Sagna and Vermaelen makes more sense, apart from the fact the former Fulham man is rubbish both at right-back and in the centre of defence.

I know you're prone to the odd crazy prediction but even that's bad for you Syd.

He'd get lynched if he thought they were the way forward. It was bad enough when we had Andre Santos. Maybe you should pick up Bendtner on a free. That would pretty much be on a par.

Jenny, I am not saying TC is a major target for Arsenal this summer, I doubt that very much to be fair, but if he was available as a makeweight for a player Arsenal no longer need, it wouldn't surprise me if AW would consider it. He fits better in an Arsenal team than he would in ours. He's 24 and English. At the very worst Arsenal would make a small profit on him. At best he could go back to the player he used to be and be a good squad player. let's not forget the treatment Ramsey got the season before last. All of you lot wanting him sold. Then look how well he did last season.

Jenny

I salute you, top post

Jenny, let's not forget you have someone in your squad that is far far far worse than Cleverley. How Yaya Sanogo got a chance in the Arsenal team amazes me. This guy makes Bebe look like Ronaldo.