Manchester United Banter Archive August 22 2015

22 Aug 2015 23:14:04
Douglas Costa playing for Bayern was sensational on the RW today. And he was available all summer until they signed him. Where were our scouts? Where was Woodward?

23 Aug 2015 00:32:07
Bidding for pele and Van Basten

23 Aug 2015 10:41:39
And when that didn't happen Jamie, he tried to ghonfor ronaldo, Bale, Messi, neymar, Muller Lewandawski, Pedro, benzema, cavani, the list goes on unfortunately.

22 Aug 2015 22:38:53
So 4 games in and here's my opinion, defensively not much change from last year Smalling has been excellent, Darmian and Shaw progressing, Blind looking comfortable on the ball and surprised how well he has adapted but there is still a doubt that remains about a midfielder playing at the back. I think we have a good number two goalkeeper in Romero but DDG situation still hangs over our heads and needs resolving either way. Our midfield looks strong with good competition for places, but I think Herrera needs to play more because he gives us much more going forwards than anyone bar Fellaini( in a toatally different way). Going forwards we are ok, but not spectacular I think Depay will be a good signing, 4 games in and still learning (quickly I hope). Mr Rooney needs a goal or someone to come in and threaten his place, Chica can be useful but needs to start games to find some form. We still need a player who can knit our good possession and nice football into an end product ( a knew Cantona if u like, although I have no idea who this is, we may already have in our ranks) just hope we can find him quickly. Sorry if this has been done to death just wanted to add my opinion, I'm still wary of LVG I like the way he handles the media but I'm not sure if he really can deliver the football and success we crave and desire, but I'm willing to let him prove me wrong and I'll always support our team whoever is chosen to play or manage, in the worst times and the best times. I love reading people's views on our current team, tactics, and signings on this website it really does brighten my day even when beast and jmb post!!!! (No offence meant) thanks to the eds who do a great job, long may it continue

22 Aug 2015 22:12:05
Just watched a replay of the full match and for me the biggest problem was not Rooney. For me it was the congestion in attacking midfield caused by not having a right winger.

Because Mata is cutting in he's pulling the defenders into the centre instead of pulling them out wide or making them turn and run towards they're own goal, (as a winger should). This in turn means the Newcastle defence could stay very compact for most of the game. In a rigid 4-3-3 (which is the famed LVG system) you need a big distance between both wingers to create space as it pulls the defenders marking them further apart. If this happens Rooney will start scoring again, simply put, Mata is our biggest problem.

22 Aug 2015 22:40:36
If I could click the agree button a 1000 times I would this is exactly the reason imo hopefully by the end of the transfer window we will know whether we will have a RW to do the job needed and would love Mata to come central, here's to wishing👏

22 Aug 2015 23:18:47
we have young that is right footed why is he not playing rw and mata in cam

22 Aug 2015 21:25:59
Muller,Neymar bale not going to happen. I was against signing zlatan all summer but you know what I think we need him even though it's a stop gap. For the way which lvg wants to play he is perfect. We also need a wide player with pace who has the ability to deliver and score. Griezmann,Felipe Anderson or reus perhaps. We are well organised and look a lot better in defencev with the full backs. I didn't see the need for two sitting midfielders against Newcastle. Herrera needed to be playing. Mata need to be central to get the best from him. Adnan looks light at times and isn't impacting games. Rooney looks unfit he looks like a man who's had one to many mc Donalds in my opinion. I don't think centre half is priority right now. If we want to challenge for the league we need a winger and striker simple as that. If we don't make them signings then it's a fight for the top 4. It's not negative it's just stating the obvious. Well see what direction the owners want the club to go with what's done in the next week or so. On a brighter note we are dam hard to beat and 3 clean sheets is very decent. Also compare the start to last season and things aren't bad. I do thinkb lvg is improving us certainly defensive wise but so far he hasn't attacking wise. I think two signings really could put us in the mix. 3 wouldb be quite something. Say laporte,griezmann and zlatan for argument sake.

22 Aug 2015 21:47:39
Agree 100% with that. A proper centre forward would allow Rooney to drop in behind as number 10. Januzaj is too light and will never be truly dominant in a game. He's being asked to do a job as a number 10 because he has neither the pace nor power to be a wide man. That's just my own opinion. Can't see us signing that centre forward tho. No established world class players will leave their clubs in a season before a major championship. Unless they are pushed out or are looking for playing time. Hence there is zero chance of Muller, Lewandowski or Griezmann I believe. Zlatan maybe. if he can work with Van gaal that is.

22 Aug 2015 21:09:14
I agree with most in view of Rooney as a no. 9
Not his best position(maybe few years ago). But if LVG is going to persist, which I think he is stubborn enough to do, I think we need more pace and movement around Rooney.
Mata is not a RW, creative and intelligent yes, but not a RW. We need speed on wings because Rooney will always drop looking for the ball. If we a speedy RW he could threaten behind with Memohis to slow the room for our AM and Rooney to make things happen.
Our current setup is very lobsided in that respect.
Also Herrera in Cm or no. 10 role would give an option running past Rooney. I don't think we need two DM when playing against lesser teams.
I would like a setup of

Schneiderlin Herrera
Januzaj Mata Memphis
Rooney
Against bigger teams I'd push Herrera into no .10 role in place of Mata with Schweinsteiger into DM role.

This of course is with our current options. I would love to see Bale on RW. Think he could become a Utd legend

23 Aug 2015 08:42:27
You know a players finished when the talk is all about how the team isn't working right for him and not him working right for the team.

22 Aug 2015 20:59:19
Regarding lvg's post match interview, he was pretty honest about the match but when it came to questions about transfers, it felt like he had so many things to say that he couldn't.

22 Aug 2015 18:42:22
A draw is a bad result for us but hey it happens sometimes, part luck and part lack of imagination.
Romero did another okay job but when did he have to make a decent save, can't remember, his decision making is absolutely woeful and he would one day give concede an useless goal.

Darmian defend well as he always has but he isn't the best going forward, rafael was better suited to it, even though Darmian has pace and he even won us a freekick that juan mata shot. There were times when he could run but he passed it in inwards and having Mata infront does hinder the right wide areas as mata goes inside and if he wider then they are more susceptible on the counter.

Smalling defended well, he even won the ball and a made a run into the CF position but was ignored. And Smalling has turned into a complete CB and won the header which another day would've been a 'LVG time' winner

Blind kept things ticking and had a great shot on goal which would have been 1-0 had coloccini(not sure?) not blocked it.

Shaw is like Walcott as a defender, he is so genuinely quick and that helps him in so many situations, and there's always a moment in every game when he outruns an opponent wins the ball and passes it to the middle. One thing he lacked today was experience in that chance for Newcastle when there was a 3 vs 1 situation and Shaw was running and that guy(can't remember who) just slided to get to the ball but didn't. Another experienced player would've pulled the shirt and taken a yellow card.

Schneiderlin, Schweni and Carrick were their usual self.

Mata was unplayable when he started the game in more of a no. 10 position spraying passes and unlocking defenses and it was frustrating to see being shifted back to RW. He is a number 10 and it's a waste of talent when he doesn't play there.

Januzaj had a decent game again but he still lacks the tenacity and guile to play as no. 10. Mata is better suited.

Depay had a bad game but he looked to be doing his utmost best, but Mpemba defended well and prevented him from cutting inside, he should gotten more outside and crosses with the left foot more often.

Rooney is having a nightmare start, he scores a goal which is ruled offside, he doesn't win any headers, he gets offside, he doesn't stay uptop, drops deep when there isn't a need to. He isn't running channels. And without Herrera behind him he misses that 1 touch play.His movement's been shit too.

Hernandez comes on and he always causes problems, had he come on at 55 minutes maybe he should have had a goal. He always finds spaces and causes problems to defenders whereas Rooney remains static.

I've heard how good tactically LVG is but he looks a bit Moyesy to me, no genuine plan B without Fellaini.
He already knew Newcastle would come here and would park the bus.
Why not start Herrera in the middle with Schweinsteiger? Herrera would have linked up better with mata and that could have been the key to unlocking the compact defense. It is stupendous to drop the guy who has the most number of goals a manchester united midfielder has scored for the past 3 seasons. And against a newcastle team who would not have been so much of a work defensively. He could have atleast brought herrera on for schweni but that stupid manager who sticks to same known variable brings on a defensive minded carrick when he could had a player like Herrera there.

Mata in the hole. Everyone wants that.

I personally would have substituted rooney for hernandez. Rooney needs to sort himself out.

Ashley Young?
Why the hell is he not playing? The game was compact and could Young not have played on right wing and stretched the defense, this is a manager who changes players positions at will and can't Young play as a right winger. You drop the same winger who kept ADM out last season and not even bring him on when you need a goal. He could played at RB for godsakes.

Antonio Valencia, what's the point of bringing him on at the 82nd minute, all he does is pass inwards and cross a ball without even thinking. I hope he leaves us next season. Bad winger, bad defender.

It is fairly easy for an away side manager to come here and play because he knows what formation we'll play and what players we would play. There seems to be no unpredictability to our attack and that is the sole reason goals are drying up.

22 Aug 2015 21:19:03
Apart from all that though we were pretty good.

22 Aug 2015 18:29:50
What this reminds me of a bit at the moment is the United team in 92 before Cantona arrived Back then we looked solid, strong midfield but just lacking that bit of magic . I hope we can find that player before the window closes

22 Aug 2015 19:00:36
For Cantona. enter Zlatan!!

22 Aug 2015 19:10:25
that magic would be ibrahimovic, both very similar and both can plant a kung fu kick.

22 Aug 2015 20:00:58
That is a tremendous post Bilko. We were stuttering back then and Cantona ignited us: he wasn't the best player in the world but the impact he had was immense. We are not that far off, just need some magic

22 Aug 2015 18:08:48
3 clean sheets in the league which is a possitive, but still not enough chances created. It's not all down to Rooney, I've not seen him miss many and when he does score he will go on a run like allways.
We were unlucky not to win today but wish we had been a bit more possitive with our subs. When Schweinsteiger came off why not Herrera on. We still had morgan to protect back 4.
Herrera should b starting for Janusaj. And we obviously need more options up front.

22 Aug 2015 18:20:36
It is harsh to solely blame Rooney, but it was the same last season with RVP & Falcao. A striker does need to create chances out of nothing in our team and all of these strikers struggle to create for themselves.

A few of us have said it must be horrible to be a striker for Utd at the moment. The tactics are mainly to blame, but Rooney is not putting himself in the right places to get chances or breaks of the ball, etc, he has lost that knack as he has lost that yard. He is too easy to mark and whilst Ibra isn't much quicker, he is more intelligent, and more of a presence. I honestly think Vardy would do better up front for us than Rooney, we either need a Zlatan or a workhorse that is a nuisance (Suarez/Aguero would be the best).

22 Aug 2015 18:45:15
Actually I think we looked like Barcelona but Barca prior to Neymar and Suarez arriving and in a game when Messi wasn't playing, ineffectual. Barca had a structure yet struggled when playing to a formula, a pattern. They required the game changer that was Messi. It was how we looked today, knew the structure but waiting for someone to do something special

22 Aug 2015 20:02:42
Beast, I both agree and disagree. Rooney is pretty immobile so to say it must be difficult to be a striker is misleading; a striker who makes good intelligent runs will,get service. Too often the midfield were looking to play balls but had nobody to play to.

22 Aug 2015 20:04:18
He isn't on form that is obvious, but he does need more support and pace around him. I'm not going to write him off like most have but agree we do need other options.

22 Aug 2015 17:28:31
Everything is clicking but putting the ball in the goal. Very frustrating seeing Rooney with heavy touches and next to no ability to play his back to goal.

When we dominate possession a striker that can play his back to goal is essential as we won't have the space in the final third to run at defences. Unless we cross it in, which is a task for either wide player in this team.

We have no strikers that can play with their back to goal. Ibra would be perfect for us.

22 Aug 2015 17:56:20
I don't care what anyone says we look so much more threatening with chicharito up front so instead HAVING to accomadate Rooney play our best number 10 Juan Mata there.
We need to get out this mindset of of we did well and a draw will do, we are man United a draw today isn't good enough and results like this and 50 mins in the middle of the game where we tippy tappied around is why we won't seriously challenge for this league.
First and last 20 show's it's in our locker to play good footy.

22 Aug 2015 17:07:29
I don't care what age he is or how much he wants a week Zlatan would vastly improve our attacking options. Is tall and strong can hold the ball up has great skill and would frighten defenders just seeing his name on the team sheet. It looks like we will be putting crosses in from the left wing with Memphis able to get to the by line but who is going to get on the end of them unless Fellaini is on the pitch. I think Zlatan is a no brainer unless he really can't work under LVG again. Zlatan would bring the the benefits of Fellaini but with all the skill and vision he possesses too.

22 Aug 2015 17:22:12
I agree, we need someone to put the ball in the net.

22 Aug 2015 17:27:01
Zlatan may be our last go to option if no othet transfer works out.

22 Aug 2015 17:29:15
so what would zlatan of done today .
what chances would he of finished.

we should maybe put fallaini up top and play long

22 Aug 2015 17:38:43
I agree I've always loved zlatan and he always came across as a united player with his type of arrogance. i think there lack top quality strickers about tho. he is 1 of the best so if avail i say get him lvg .

22 Aug 2015 18:11:01
jred mate, why do we look better when chicharito plays and slow when rooney does? All Rooney does is drop deep, take a pass, return it back to the player or pass it wide and then when the winger is on the touchline there is no to cross to.

22 Aug 2015 19:50:04
roh
chica has played 20 minutes , wh8le rooney was still on the pitch.
whe it was a home game when newcastle had put a lot into the game and united where pushing fir the win , at the end of the game .
but yes it was just because chica was up top ( even tho he missed our best chance)
should also say we looked better in the first 15 minutes

22 Aug 2015 15:43:29
First game at Old Trafford and what a magical experience, loved it all!

However we look so slow up front, Mata needs to be put in the middle and a pacey winger needs to be bought in. Fingers crossed someone is bought in.

22 Aug 2015 15:49:49
Shame we didn't get the goal for you mate, just not quite there is it but lots of positives.

22 Aug 2015 16:35:54
Plenty more games to come where i'm sure ill see some wonder goals! Yes definitely, i thought Depay and Shaw were very good in the first half and Smalling once again performed well.

Where abouts did you sit?

Onwards to Thursday!

22 Aug 2015 21:02:57
Ain't it Wednesday weggy? Hope you enjoyed your first game mate. Even though no goals was a great buzz.

22 Aug 2015 15:42:03
In all seriousness what is the deal with Herrera? His energy, pressure and hustle and bustle approach would have made such as huge difference today especially when the game began to slow down.

What is going on with him? Is it a discipline problem that is keeping out of the team? Has his ability diminished over the pre-season? Has the manager got a personal problem with him?

It's truly baffling.

22 Aug 2015 15:52:08
JMB,

Where would you play him? I'm not sure he should be in the number 10 position and I am happy with the 3 men who are rotating in the midfield. I think it's a simple case that he doesn't really fit in any of the positions as first choice. Once we start using the squad after the international break I would expect he will get plenty of game time to prove himself, loads of games to play.

22 Aug 2015 15:59:05
He loses the ball more than LVG likes.
We really missed him and I would drop Mata for Herrera in a heartbeat.
But the main concern is Rooney who hasn't scored a goal this season. Nearly 350 mins and no goal. If the strikers fail to score then we have a problem.
SAF had problems all over his squad but never did he not have a striker who was out of form. We always had an inform, goal banging striker but we lack that which is arguably the most important player on the pitch.
If striker isn't getting much of the goal, they make chances on their own and get into better positions.
On current form, chicharito is 10 times the striker Rooney is and that Mitrovic lad would have been better than him.
Rooney needs to be dropped and Hernandez should be played the next game. I hope we sign a striker or else 4thplace finish is coming.

22 Aug 2015 16:31:54
gds
r u joking he played the 10 in spain

u would play adan in there before herrera.

im a big herrera fan, wanted us to sign him before moyes made a bid.
what are u talking about

22 Aug 2015 17:16:27
Jred,

Just because you are a fan of Herrera my OPINION is wrong? I think he would play the number 10 in a different way to januzaj, they are different players, like I said Herrera will get plenty of games to prove himself mate.

22 Aug 2015 17:35:59
gds
i didn't say u where wrong , u asked where we should play him .
maybe his main position, which has been 10?
i like adan but he is a bit away from playing 10 for united .
after the last games u think adan or depay has looked a better player than herrera is in the 10 role .
u ask where does herrera fit in ? he fits in the 10 position where adan and deapay don't and where herrera is at his best at

22 Aug 2015 21:34:16
GDS. Are you kidding? Herrera would have made all the difference. He would have introduced more energy as the game was slowing down and also he does score goals which is more than I can say for Rooney!!!

22 Aug 2015 15:25:45
Struggle to be too annoyed by the one to be honest, best we've played and couldn't get the goal, the need for a new striker was evident again and I agree with everyone we will struggle without that elusive striker.

I did come on here expecting to see a meltdown and there does seem to be a few overreactions as always, but I think if people watched that match back they would see we are a million miles ahead of where we were at this stage last season, on another day the Rooney goal is given and we go on to win by a few, hard to get a rhythm going with all the time wasting etc, nobody could argue we didn't deserve the win in that game and more often than not we will win games playing like that.

Frustrated but hard to be too downbeat.

22 Aug 2015 15:55:36
We have improved a lot in so many ways. I am personally very happy with how we are shaping up; but we need some more firepower in attack. We get that and we will start to score goals.

22 Aug 2015 15:17:32
7 points from 9 let's give the team time then give all your negative post

22 Aug 2015 14:54:40
Great solid point that, God that Rooney is on fire.

22 Aug 2015 15:05:04
Let's hope anfield copies Rooney next week then eh

22 Aug 2015 15:12:16
Wow, it takes a special brand of averages to make that Newcastle back four look good.

Champions league, league, FA cup and league cup are in the bag. Quadruple here we come.

We definitely don't need a striker, no need for pace on the right wing. GGMU.

22 Aug 2015 14:46:41
jesus absolute pathetic depay seems to want to do it on his own we desperately need a striker big time darmian getting better every game
but please please buy a striker
or top 4 will be a struggle big time

22 Aug 2015 15:15:57
It was anything but pathetic, another day the Rooney goal is given and we go on to win by a few, our play was quicker and we were much better to watch, even beast might have enjoyed that, 20 shots and no goals, we need a new striker, but plenty of positives, hard to feel too downhearted.

22 Aug 2015 15:46:44
GDS2, I am sure there is something wrong with me and you because I actually thought we played well today. We had so many chances to score but the ball didn't want to go into the back of the net. It happens.

We do need a striker though. That said I think in games such as the one today where teams sit deep, Fellaini would have been a massive help.

22 Aug 2015 14:42:39
I am sorry to disappoint the eternal optimists yet I have seen nothing today that convinces me we can mount a title challenge, for me I maintain with what we have that we will have to fight for 4th place.

To win titles you have to score goals and we are struggling to do that, Newcastle were wide open at the start but whilst we rely on our present forward line it is not going to happen. We certainly played better football but it isn't incisive upfront and the word nil against Rooney continues.

A word about Memphis, he is going to take time to develop so it is wrong to place so much pressure on him to produce when others around him are just not good enough. However he needs to stop believing his own hype and focus on his game, he will be inconsistent this season.

I believe that performance merely highlights the issue that as several of us keep saying, a top striker is desperately needed and a pacy wide creative player or we will be playing for the 4th place trophy

22 Aug 2015 14:57:09
It unbelievable how the only man that doesn't see this is the only man who can do anything about it. We won't many games this season but we won't win enough. Maybe if we played a right winger Memphis wouldn't have so much responsibility to win the game for us

22 Aug 2015 14:57:11
At the start of the season I was of the opinion that we were OK up front , but desperately needed a CB. I still think we need a CB, but I was wrong about being OK up front. I don't want to moan about you know who , but I agree that if we don't sign a new striker we will struggle. YKW will score goals , but no where near enough for us to challenge. A CF must now be the priority.

22 Aug 2015 15:18:04
the team is fine .
the manager maybe not .

22 Aug 2015 15:25:40
I know Depay has talent but he seem so little lazy to me. He wasn't making runs and ambled around a lot. Possible not match sharp yet

22 Aug 2015 15:31:48
I agree with you in regards to Memphis Red Man. He is a kid who will lose his way if he doesn't come crashing back down to earth soon.

I honestly feel LVG should have moved Mata from out wide early on and I also feel Herrera would have put pressure on the Newcastle defence with his hustle and bustle approach which would have forced a mistake.

0-0's at Old Trafford are not going to get us were we want to be come May.

22 Aug 2015 14:39:57
Anyone still believe we can win the league with this attack? Am I still being negative? Or realistic?

22 Aug 2015 14:38:16
Unbeaten, yet to concede a goal and Fellaini back for the next game. On the basis of the first three games we are definitely going to be up there challenging for top honours.

22 Aug 2015 14:44:53
We were crying out for Fellaini last 20 today. Makes me think Ibra will be the striker even more, we just lack that aerial option with the midgets up front, and with the lack of general movement it's so hard to create space.

When will Hernandez lose this "great finisher" tag? I'm sick of pundits and others saying if he gets a chance he scores, he simply doesn't. He did ok when he came on, but I hate how he is labelled as this "perfect sub" etc, it's just plain wrong.

22 Aug 2015 15:00:05
Can't believe you got a "disagree" Danny :)

22 Aug 2015 15:03:00
The way we are set up, I think we will see Fellaini as the mainstay number 10. Hernandez is a decent player but his strength is in making space for others, and when the others are misfiring he's completely wasted. Did well enough when he came on, but him and Rooney are just not enough.

22 Aug 2015 14:04:22
Of all our signings so far of which I'm happy with, I have to say I'm so impressed with Darmain. We finally have a top class RB. He impresses me more every time I watch him. Solid defensively and makes brilliant overlapping runs. Great buy

22 Aug 2015 14:39:33
Needs to work on his end product badly!

22 Aug 2015 13:47:11
Fail to see why Herrera doesntmakethe starting 11 again. Never thought I'd say that young offers a threat and should be on and it's easy to see why Fellaini will still have a big part to play.yet again Rooney keeps dropping deep yet again!

22 Aug 2015 14:54:04
Badly missed Herrera today. There was a stat going around today that Rooney has scored 4 goals since the start of 2015. I was surprised it was that many. 75% of the first 250m United spent was wasted. We are now 60-70m ish into the original 300m refurb that was needed to avoid being the next Liverpool and that was before City spent another 120m. Newcastle are a pub team with a lot of young legs nothing more. Feel like I've reacted quite well considering Valencia and Little Pea came on to give us goals and creativity. I'm still not sure which team had the strongest bench out.

22 Aug 2015 15:18:24
How disrespectful to Newcastle.

22 Aug 2015 15:39:57
It's an opinion GDS(relative to my own team) and like arseholes we are all allowed one. Though myself I draw the line at telling a grown man I prefer my own to his. :-)

22 Aug 2015 13:39:34
Although a solid midweek, Memphis has been way to wasteful in key areas and at key moments. I am sure that will improve with age.
We have a great prospect on hand for sure.

22 Aug 2015 13:35:26
not to far away from good that.

bit one sided , we miss pace on the right so it all comes down the left . makes it easy for the other team

22 Aug 2015 13:44:32
I think we have the right options to cause newcastle hassle in the second half, i'd get valencia on fellaini on if we don't make progress.

22 Aug 2015 13:20:57
Solid first half so far. Would like a goal but we are certainly knocking on the door. UNITED!

22 Aug 2015 13:32:32
Ild like to kniw what door this is? The play is slow and no one is running in behind.

Wrong decisions every tine we get into the box

22 Aug 2015 13:36:58
Great first 20mins, we've now surrendered the initiative and allowed Newcastle to regain some control (they looked completely lost). Darmian on a booking and Mata not able to track is a bit concerning. Smalling & Blind look solid, but worried about our keeper's fairy like nature.

Rooney looking sharper, shame they disallowed his legitimate goal, it would have been a question of how many? Just need better balls in the final 3rd and better finishing, hope we start the 2nd half how we started the 1st - but maintain it this time.

22 Aug 2015 13:44:06
I didn't see the disallowed goal. Was it legit?

22 Aug 2015 13:50:45
Very tight call just off but hard to call

22 Aug 2015 14:38:07
Slightly off after close analysis, but no way lino could tell - favour the striker!

22 Aug 2015 12:59:51
Amazing link up play with good understanding! Great to watch

22 Aug 2015 12:04:17
We have all seen how awesome Darmian is in 1-1 situations and how brilliant a defender he is on the whole.
Would it be asking too much if we play him a LCB in our defense, he doesn't put a foot wrong, has bags of pace and is tactically brilliant and is a better of the ball than Blind.
I think Darmian could become a good CB but then our RB spot could susceptible again, but surely there are more right backs available?

22 Aug 2015 12:44:29
Although I don't doubt he could play there when you have found a player perfect for RB why on earth would you want to move him?

22 Aug 2015 12:45:08
He has much bigger tests ahead of him,but he has done well so far.
Coming to your suggestion, it would mean going rb hunting again with another player out of position.

22 Aug 2015 12:46:01
So we should move a RB who is playing awesome to a position unknown to him and bring in a makeshift RB to do that job?

Great solution.

22 Aug 2015 13:03:17
There's a shortage of top class defenders in all positions hence why average to decent players are going for 30 mill plus and players who have had one good season are suddenly must haves.

22 Aug 2015 11:33:38
GDS , why are you so negative? I agree with Pep and JMB. Your glass half empty attitude is embarrassing. Maybe you could be a bit more positive by creating an alter -ego with a more positive , glass half full approach?
I think you need tomfrow upma bit. I've got my eye on youmyoung man.

22 Aug 2015 11:48:27
Betty , good post mate. I agree 100%. GDS thinks he knows it all but is so negative. Even Beast has been more positive lately. Maybe he should listen to Maze and Rollo a bit more instead of moaning all the time.

22 Aug 2015 11:52:09
Bit harsh Betty Swollocks. GDS is a long time , well respected member of this site. Why do you feel the need to troll him. He is one of the most positive posters on here. I think it's you that needs to grow up.

Oh , any why do you keep calling me Betty ?

22 Aug 2015 12:01:55
The last few sentences baffled an educated man like myself Betty but all in all I firmly agree with this post.

22 Aug 2015 12:17:19
I agree with betty.

22 Aug 2015 12:26:02
Lol are you feeling alright betty! I never fell of my chair

22 Aug 2015 13:05:12
Singh , never? Everyone should try it at least once.

JMB , yeah reads a bit badly doesn't it !! For some reason my tablet keeps replacing "space" with "m".

22 Aug 2015 13:06:15
They told me blue smarties were safe again. Obviously not.

22 Aug 2015 11:04:13
Seems like we are done with our business this summer, what do you guys think about the transferbusiness we've done this window if that is the case?

22 Aug 2015 12:26:09
You know more than the rest of us then

22 Aug 2015 10:21:16
I find it funny that people are so quick to totally right off our chances of winning anything this season based on the idea we didn't sign this player or that player.

There seems to be two main issues people keep bringing up as reasons why we won't win the league. The first is our defence.

Well atm I would say Smalling is performing as one of the top 3 or 4 CBs in the league. Darmian has shown he is an excellent RB, Shaw was in the team of the year a couple of seasons ago and has started the season in storming fashion. Blind has not given us reason to doubt him in any of the games he's played at CB and Rojo is a solid back up. McNair will hopefully kick on if he is needed.
On top of all that we have the best defensive record in the league between November last year and now. Admittedly between November and March a lot of that was down to DDG but since March our team has clicked defensively and will only get stronger. The defensive unit is all about understanding and communication, these are things that can only be improved with time and not fancy new signings.

Add to that the new additions in midfield such as Schneiderlin then I think from a defensive point of view we are well placed.

The other issue people have is Rooney and the lack of quality cover for him. Well Chelsea won the league last year with Costa, Remy and Drogba as their only options. Drogba is a fading talent, Remy imo is no better than Hernandez and Costa missed large parts of last season. I see no reason if Chelsea could win the league with those options then we can also with Rooney, Hernandez and Wilson.

Last season we were a match for every team that finished above us. Our problems came against the smaller teams, that is where we dropped most of our points last season.

I will agree that I doubt Rooneys ability to be a 20 goal a season striker. And that it might ultimately cost us silverware. But we have a team that is more than capable of challenging, and if you can challenge then you can win it.

When I look at the strongest possible team we could field then imo the only positions we need strengthening are a world class centre back who is a leader. And a striker who can get us 25-30 goals a season. Beyond that a winger with pace for the right hand side would be a nice option to have but not vital imo. The only thing we would need beyond that is replacements if current options were to leave such as DDG.

But there isn't a team in the league who doesn't have a few areas they need to strengthen. City are in injury to Aguero away from struggling to score as we saw last season, Silva always starts the season strong then fades after Christmas due to the lack of rotation options, Toure is a fading force and they seem to lack some coheasion in midfield. Left back is also an issue and defensively they could have issues. Kompany seems to have rediscovered his form but with how badly it dropped off last season that would be a concern it could happen again. Otamendi has shown last season he can play at the highest level but he didn't shine like that at Porto. How will he settle in England? Beyond those two the other options are sketchy. What if Kompany and Otamendi struggle to work together? They are a similar type of defender, they both like to attack the ball. They might not compliment eachother all that well. Of course this is just opinion and we won't know until we see them play together. But things aren't perfect.

Chelsea have had their worst start to a season in 17 years, I'm sure Jose will turn that around pretty quickly but they are short of defensive cover in central defence, and they still look lacking of cover up front. In a lot of ways they are suffering the same issues as we are.

Arsenal, have the same issues too, lack of depth amd quality upfront and potentially weak defence with a lack of quality options beyond their first choice. And a lack of options at DM.

So when we compare oursleves to our opponants we match up pretty well, to win the league we will need what every team that wins the league needs. A bit of luck. To avoid injuries at key times, to get the bounce of the ball in key moments and for vital decisions to go our way. But these are the things that are beyond our control and these are the things our opponants also need.

Could we do with strengthening certain areas? Yes. Do our opponants also need to strengthen key areas? Yes. Our we signifcantly worst off than our opponants? No. Can we match them out on the pitch? Yes. Can we there for challenge for the title? Yes. There for we CAN win the league this season. that's not to say that we will, just that it is possible with this group of players. let's just get behind the team and enjoy the beautiful game for what it is. let's leave the season diagnosis for after the season and not try and the be mystic meg and predict things we have no real chance of predicting acurately now.

22 Aug 2015 11:17:02
Post of the day

22 Aug 2015 11:18:01
shappy
there is an argument that we could do with another player or 2 but that is always the case.
a lot of people don't seem to care about how much we spend or the players we buy its all about buying the players they want .
if we had of bought reus instead of depay many would be happy .

22 Aug 2015 11:29:09
Excellent post
Plus we're possibly not through with the transfer market

22 Aug 2015 11:29:20
Excellent post and very wise words. Cheers, Shappy.

22 Aug 2015 12:02:03
Excellent post Shappy, too much negativity around here.
If you look at our squad,
we have RCB, RB nailed on with 2 just a level below World Class signings.
We have 5( 6 if you count Blind) absolutely top midfielders and you can even say it's in europe's top 5 best midfields. Behind only madrid, barca, bayern and psg IMO. Better than Juve too.
We have a top class upcoming LW. We have a very Attacking Mid in Mata.
We have a striker called Rooney who will score at some point, one goal and his form would improve immensely.
We have a quite few who could do a decent job at RW.
LCB is a concern but hey Blind hasn't been bad.

Cheer up guys, Rooney's fitness is better than aguero or costa.
Trust in van gaal, I could assure you with the this squad we have, Alex Ferguson would have won us the title, a carling cup and atleast a top-8 finish in Premier League.

22 Aug 2015 12:23:02
Shappy

I maintain that to have any chance of winning the league we have to have a top striker as a minimum, to truly challenge a wide pacy creative player as well and to do anything in Europe a classy centre back

I note your point about City yet it doesn't do justice to Bony, who is a very good reserve striker or Sterling who has added to their attack, they have also strengthened at the back and haven't finished. We are not at their level

We could win a cup but we spent 26 years like that and it isn't enough. It is all about opinions but I don't see a title challenge with what we have.

22 Aug 2015 14:44:50
I think that game proved my point

22 Aug 2015 09:12:13
Not really United related but just think it's funny when . The special one said United, arsenal and city were tryin to buy the title . Now the draw wit Swansea and get battered by city and he signs Pedro, and could get Stones and pogba . Hypocrite

22 Aug 2015 09:31:13
What an owner starts the season badly and knows it so goes out and splashes the cash on world class players like pedro stone and now pogba. Same with city see a weakness and go out and rectify buy getting otamendi and probs de Bruyne. We have at least 2 positions that need strengthen with 10 days to go. Woodward and van gaal better get their finger out or we'll. Be lucky to get top 4 at this rate .

22 Aug 2015 10:16:10
Plus that £20m full back that not many have heard of. I hate how there is no accountability now, blatant lies and hypocrisy just get classed as "mind games", no it's drivel and shouldn't be given air time.

22 Aug 2015 02:53:39
I know it is silly season but some posters must be under the impression as building a team is as easy as playing FIFA.

We have up to 5 players who can realistically demand a place in our first 11. Romero, Darmian, Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin, and Memphis. All are major improvements on those they have replaced with only Memphis reliant on potential, and Schweinsteiger on fitness and Carricks form.

That is half our team that plays this weekend could have only been in Manchester for only a couple of months. Yes they are professionals and yes they are paid big bucks to do a 'job'. However they are only human and all the new changes will take time to overcome.

Do i think our squad is 'complete' and ready for a push at major honours? Maybe. Do i think a ST and a CB would 'complete us? Yes. Do I expect them both to arrive before the window closes? No.

I would like to see this team gel and some exciting football to return as there are some quality footballers in the side. All I hope for this season is for an improvement on performances, a few goals from midfield, and some more clean sheets. If we scrape 4th again then so be it.

Anyway onto tomorrow, I think it's going to be a 2-1 victory for us. I also feel Rooney might grab a goal tomorrow as he tends to put in decent performances against the Geordies and I expect Memphis to have an impact in the final 3rd.

22 Aug 2015 08:05:17
El Paso. Good post. But playing well and not scoring goals or creating chances is a waste of time. We need to be more positive in our approach with meaningful possession, not just passing it for half an hour for the sake of it!!
And without a top striker we ain't going to be challenging or winning anything. Of that you can be sure.

22 Aug 2015 08:28:36
With this current squad we will compete and challenging in the league and maybe even win a trophy (fa or league cup) but we will not get past quarter finals of champions league

22 Aug 2015 08:51:31
I agree with Pep. I did think we showed more promise on Tuesday and hope that's a sign of things to come. There was still too much passing back but there were more chances, more pace, and more penetration. If we can find pace on the RW then we can play much more expansive football.

22 Aug 2015 09:40:32
this is squad is good enough for a title push imo , its now down to the manager .
no squad is ever perfect

22 Aug 2015 10:20:02
I think we have more chance in the CL than anything else the way LVG sets us up. Now we know how he is playing with two holding midfielders we are going to be very difficult to beat. We could have a surprisingly good year trophy wise and if the football is improving then even us critics could finally be satisfied.

I hope we carry on today how we left off on Tuesday.

21 Aug 2015 21:48:46
Eds, a few posts have disappeared. Just to confirm. I'm happy to let CTR have my contact details for the proposed podcast.

{Ed001's Note - just use the contact form at the bottom of the page mate to get in touch with me.}