Manchester United Banter Archive August 23 2012

23 Aug 2012 22:54:59
Right ladies tis nothing to do with who's our next buy, formations etc but 34 years after I first looked at the posh seats from a cold rainy Stretford Paddock ... I'm gonna be sat in one. Permanently!

I literally feel like a 7 year old again and can't wait for the first home game of the season.

Gentlemen. Start your engines .....


Halesini

No dont do it lol,i had a 4 year spell in the international suite before returning to the unwashed lol.
johndenton
ps great on champs league night when you want a beer and the normal bars wont serve alcohol,could never work out why they dont sell alcohol in the normal stands yet cl sponsored by people like heinekin

I had the chance of a pair of seats in International this season but turned them down for my beloved W3103.

RRED7

Halesini

I was standing in the Stretford Paddock in 78 but having started a few years before that. Used to be towards the back in the middle above one of the exits

78 must have been the Dave Sexton era , a very dull period of football after the Doc. Enjoy your seat

Red Man

How much did your season ticket cost in .international?

23 Aug 2012 22:24:16
I'm really curious in how is it going to be to find the right replacement for Scholes, I'm sure it won't be a copy of him.
But my main concern will be at what price we'll get him(the possible target)? We are on verge to let Sahin go, we lost Modric and maybe Moutinho. Witsel will have the same target price next year unless the unnexpected happens, anyway it could be good to have the so called replacement already to get ises ro the team and net season start with a well prepared enggen.

Nick86"The Angolan"

Nick Powell.

Caolán.

We had a replacement for Scholesy ? His name was Paul Pogba ! but we couldn't or wouldn't pay him decent wages ! Now if rumours are right , we're going to pay millions for a young Mexican lad!!
I wonder what wages SAF will pay him ?

fozzy58

Fozzy,

I am sure we offered pogba a great deal for a player his age but his agent wanted him to go. I wouldn't say he was a scholes replacement anyway, totally different players.

GDS

GDS, the advantage of having Pogba was that he could do Scholes' job and Carrick's all in one. He was very talented and was just what we needed next to Cleverley. There is nothing wrong with what we pay our youth regardless of what RFT says, we are one of the biggest payers to graduates in Europe. Pogba could have earned £20k a week here and that would have been doubled or trebled a year later. It wasn't about the weekly wage, more to do with image rights and bigger money in the future which United wouldn't have given him.

Sydney!

23 Aug 2012 22:12:43
Kaka not even on the bench for RM in the Spanish Super Cup tonight. Does anyone know if he is injured ? Or on his way to Manchester perhaps?
CAW

Was he not spotted in Manchester?

Caolán. {Ed007's Note - Kaka is spotted all over the world at times, he does a lot of charity work for his church that means he travels a alot.}

Cheers ed I though it was possibly a meeting.

Caolán.

23 Aug 2012 20:54:54
I've always thought saf is a great manager and never fell asleep at the wheel,so why is it that he can't see what everyone else can see is that we need a world class midfielder. We have signed 3 strikers in RVP kagawa and the chilian kid when we already had 4/5 very good ones as I'm big berba fan and think he has had a raw deal. We signed a left back and loaned out fabio ??? Now I'm delighted of all these signings but cannot understand why we have not done something big in midfield. I'm wondering is there one more coming and maybe nani part of a deal somewhere or is jones going to be turned into a midfielder. I don't agree that it's a play maker or defensive one it's just an all round general box to box that ain't afraid to snap someone or have a shot. I like the kid at Wigan James McCarthy as he reminds me of a young Roy Keane.

Hes to set in his ways we need a new younger assistant coach with new idears been great manager but football is changing so may be one more season and try win number 20 think think he will call it a day

It is not our way of doing things, we like to pay kings ransom once everyone and their mother is after the player. So give it a couple years and we will be in for him at about 30 mil. Sorry just can't make any sense of our buys this summer or last summer as a matter of fact with the exception of kagawa and quite frustrated to be honest. Shahram

Bond - are you now posting under an alias !!?!

DodgyBanter {Ed007's Note -No!!}

I appreciate we have not (yet) bought the world class midfield 'engine' that we have been crying out for sometime. However we do need to have a little faith in the greatest British manager of all time do we not ?

And as for being quite frustrated how would you feel if we had not signed the Bundesliga Player of the Year and the Premiership Top Scorer ?

Halesini

I did say with the exception of Kagawa. I am in 2 minds on Van Persie and no denying he is a great player but given the money and his wages I pray there are other buys coming in.

I don't believe our offense had a dire need for that sort of expenditure and we should have used the funds to buy for our midfield and a central defender.

I realize we will have games where we will rip certain teams apart given the RVP addition but I honestly believe our midfield is very poor and will show when we play Europe's elite in CL and some of the top premiere league teams.

I am also very concerned about our back 4 as we seems to have spent the last 12 months with players who are constantly injured and hence all this shifting of players into odd positions.

I agree with Wenger's view that football has changed today and is about who wins the battle of the middle(look at spain and Barcelona). So if we don't buy a midfielder or 2, the team is not notably different from last year with Kagawa being the exception.

shahram

23 Aug 2012 20:01:26
I do feel SAF wont be getting another strong enough centre midfielder so thats why I think we should try slotting Jones in a CDM role

23 Aug 2012 19:46:53
For the game against Fulham, I reckon this would be a good shot to try:

De Gea
Rafael - Evans - Vidic - Evra
-Carrick-
Valencia Nani
Kagawa-Rooney
RVP

Subs: Hernandez, Anderson, Wootton, Young, Lindgaard, Welbeck, Scholes

- Def3

__________DDG
Rafa__Evans__Vidic__Evra
_____Carrick__Clever
Tony_____Rooney_____Kags
_______Van Persie

Sydney! {Ed004's Note - That is what I am hoping for. Is Evans back? Hopefully young Buttner gets a run out}

Same formation syd but we are at home and i would like to see us take the game to fulham...

i would start this team

__________DDG
Rafa__Evans__Vidic__Evra
_____Ando __Clever
Nani _____Rooney_____Kags
_______Van Persie


although fergie rates carrick so i can see him starting instead of ando

Oxred

I would love to see that team out Syd, I think that is the team Fergie wil want too.

Kagawa excites me and I want to see him doing some nice link up passes with Rooney and RVP. Valencia will do much more in the game too playing higher up where he belongs.

1redarmy

Nani won't play for definate
ARB

Agree with Sydneys personnel but I think our formation is slightly different i.e. a 4-2-1-3 of:

De Gea
Rafael - Vidic - Evans - Evra
Carrick - Cleverly
Kagawa
Valencia - Van Persie - Rooney

I appreciate Valencia is more of a 'fixed' winger but he's such a great player for us I'd like to see him at least attempt the interchanging positions between the 3 attacking players.

Halesini

004, Hoping Evans is back. Should be as he has been training for sometime now. Would like to see Buttner get a run out towards the end.

Sydney!

The problem with the 4-2-1-3 is that saf will insist that both Rooney and Valencia defend their wings, which pulls them away from where they're needed which is up field. Both can do the job but I'm tired of seeing Rooney dropping so deep and then having no threat up top or no support for RVP. Let's hope saf makes the needed changes. But after his oblivious comments on Monday I doubt it. If he thinks that was a good performance then we really are in trouble. -KG

004, Hoping Evans is back. Should be as he has been training for sometime now. Would like to see Buttner get a run out towards the end.

Sydney! {Ed004's Note - Ok thanks}

23 Aug 2012 19:15:49
Plss you guys reply to this
Who is better between dis players

1.HAZARD
2.CAZORLA
3.KAGAWA
4.MICHU {Ed004's Note - Kagawa but I am biased}

The top three are top players. Have to say Hazard > Kagawa > Cazorla > Michu

Sydney!

I would say hazard is the best winger out of them but kagawa best attacking mid

IMO 1 Hazard 2 Kagawa 3 Cazorla 4 Michu

For me kagawa :)

Caolán.

Either Kagawa or Hazard, it is too early to tell. Both have had good starts.
MU93

Whats the point in that question. Each player will have good and bad games. each has different variables they bring to their game. Their game and the way they play it, is also measured by the quality of players that play with them.

Watch the big games and you will see that kagawa performs better against the big clubs than hazard..... `

for this reason come the end of the season kagawa will be number 1 in everyones lists

oxred

For me its between Hazard and Kagawa but both have different strengths. Kagawa is the more clever player and Hazard the more explosive.

Shappy

A month ago, I would've said Hazard at number 1, but Kagawa never gives the ball away. He is a top class player. He seems to have brought his form from the Bundesliga into the Premier League. I would put them level.

G.A.G.U.S

Im hoping Kagawa outshines Hazard this season. So far Hazard is going pretty good, 2 games 5 assists. Then again they were against Reading and Wigan. City kept him at bay and had him holding his knees.

Just out of curiosity, was Kagawa actually Hazards replacement? Or was Kagawa always one who Ferguson showed interest in and wanted? To me it seams Moura was Hazards replacement.

Def3

We would have signed Kagawa regardless of whether or not we got Hazard.

G.A.G.U.S

True but kagawa is a very quick, fast and clever player and its so hard to get the ball from him as he is small but hazard is a penetrator and more like a dribbler but to me I will say dey are on d same level. But I don't understand why all d arsenal fans in my neighbourhood are sayin cazorla is better dan kagawa and they are saying van persie will be fake.

23 Aug 2012 18:16:42
Zeki Fryers off to Belgium?! Didn't see that one coming. I bet he regrets assuming Spurs were going to come him for now! Glad to see the back of hm and got what he deserves, playing in a league that fits his current standards. Prima Donna. The old saying is true again, once you leave Manchester United you can only go downwards... ( ok, apart from Piqué!)

#ags

And Ronaldo...

Andy!

Ronaldo tevez

Neither Tevez nor Ronaldo would swap their Manchester United medals for their current club's medals.

Sydney!

Ronaldo n tevez have won more trophies at Man United so wouldn't say they've stepped up.

What do you expect, Ronaldo had been Man Utd longer than hes been at Madrid and Man Utd dont have to compete with Barcelona for trophies (apart from CL). Im sure Tevez will go on to win more trophies too. Not everyone who has left United is going to go downhill.
MU93

I never saw him progressing w/ us anyways. I didn't even think he was better than Blackett. He needed a future somewhere else to be secure and still looking I guess.

23 Aug 2012 17:25:34
This might split the room ! A lot of posters want a midfielder to sit in and distribute it through midfield, a rough rugged keanesque type. De Jong is going cheap , yeah he's a dirty player with a chip on his shoulder but so was keane. Granted hes not a box to box guy but a terrier he certainly is. His distribution is better than tiote and proven at a higher level. Ps I know it's not great taking on his baggage and the fact he played for buythetitle city but could he do the job ?

Would never happen city direct to united ? No chance pal wouldn't want there rejects anyway !

Salford red

Cheers for your opinion red, although there have been more rejects that have been world class at other clubs that we would run out of space on here. And player power with one year on his contract might sway the city board. Seen as there no real Manchester men at their club it might not be as big an issue as you think.Shandy !

That's right....we wouldn't want....Sergio Agüero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany or Yaya Toure if they were to be sold......me thinks Fergie may disagree!

De Jong is a workhorse. To mention in the same sentence as Roy Keane is quite frankly baffling. Not in the same leage. Hell they ain't in the same sport!

Halesini

23 Aug 2012 16:38:16
Zeki Freyers has signed a 2 year deal with Standard Liege

Dylan

Seems a strange one. it all points to him being told he was never going to be in contention with the united first team in my eyes.

GALWAY RED

Big step down.
Caolán.

From United to Liege ??
What the hell is the kid thinking surely United were offering him more money than Liege are....this is a massive step down.

Does Ed or Syd know what the lad was thinking or did he just get caught with egg on his face ?

Devil Dust.

Down to the ridiculous amount that United offered to raise his wages by. We will not hold on to our golden youth if we only pay pea nuts. I AM KLOOT

I believe that if he stayed in the EPL, United could have asked for compensation as much as up to 6m. Not sure how this rule works, maybe the Eds could explain it but that's the reason he went abroad.


CRMike {Ed002's Note - Compensation would have been minimal after only three or so years at the club and taking account of his age.}

Kloot you said it so well. Completely baffled by the clubs treatment of the youngsters. We can go blow millions on bebe,billion,djembe djembe and a host of others but seem to actually make an effort to push young guys out, pogba, fryers. I am going to write a long one later on this issue and look forward t lots of feedback.

RFT, Zeki was hardly golden, average at best. Ravel was a pain in the arse, only Pogba is the one the club are disappointed about losing.

I heard Zeki tried to do a U-turn and the club told him to jog on.

Sydney!

I think Welbeck would have been told to jog on too if he'd held out for appreciably more than the very attractive £75k a week offered him.

Halesini

23 Aug 2012 16:30:21
Would everyone stop moaning about the everton game!! It's the first match of a 38 game season!! Yes we got done by feliani AGAIN ! So will many other teams we just have to face it saf will not sign a "combative" midfielder he would have done this by now Unless a big surprise is coming tbh IMO no more signings this window!

Salford red

Loving the use of "tbh IMO"... Particularly the implied shouting of IN YOUR OPINION... No-ones gonna come back at you on that one ;)

DodgyBanter

23 Aug 2012 15:30:19
why do people keep putting line ups with us playing three centrebacks? Fergies never played three at the back in almost forty years of management so he isn't going to start now. Hardly any british team plays three at the back as british players are not technically competent enough to make the best of the system. I'm struggling to think of anyone who has tried it in britain. I'm sure the national team tried it under either Venebles or hoddle but wasn't a success. The germans played that system for over forty years but they have abandoned it recently.

Hiya mate! I have posted a team with 3 cb.
My reasoning is that SAF hasn't been buying full backs in recent yrs , he seems to buy wing back types ! It also allows us to play with Roo and RVP as strike partners with Kag behind them in his favored position ! The only problem with that system at present is that we could do with is a really solid dmf's in front of the back 3 !! So ! I have the belief that this system suits all our players ! just could with "that "new midfield !
--------------ddg-------------
-----smalls----vid----rio--------+
-toni--------------------buttner --
---------"witsel "---carrick--------
-------------Kag-----------------
-------roo--------rvp ---------

I think that's a great team !

fozzy58

I agree fozzy that its a great team, its just I can't ever see SAF playing it except for a pre season to try it out. It would be very flexible with say one sub like Nani for Buttner could make it extremely attackive if needed, or swapping a striker for a midfielder could make it more defensive.

Welsh Dragon

23 Aug 2012 14:39:51
Eds, big thanks for the website great job. Just a quick suggestion that the site may benefit from a phone app aswell instead of the usual rubbish like sly sports and that. I'd be well up for the 79p if it keep us in the know.

IrelandRed

Use the mobile version of the site haha I have it bookmarked to my phone :)

1redarmy

23 Aug 2012 13:23:48
i really hope we get zorro so that we can replace scholes hope we beat liverpool reports say that zorro prefers manu and we and his manager are trying to persuade him to go to manu

I know we need someone to break up opposition attacks but isnt signing someone who uses swords a tad too far?

He'd certainly slice through the midfield.
Make mincemeat of the opposition etc etc

Halesini

23 Aug 2012 11:41:10
It would be interesting to see who United identified as transfer targets at the end of last season and how many we actually signed.
KAGAWA was obviously a target.

Kagawa, Hazard, Powell, Witsel would have been targets. RVP became a target after he refused the contract.

G.A.G.U.S

23 Aug 2012 12:25:49
why not try jones/smalling in CDM, they are both tall, strong, fast and is good on the ball..

something like this:

..............de gea.............
...evans..ferdinand..vidic...
.........smalling/jones..........
valencia..................young
........kagawa..cleverley.....
........rooney....VPersie......


- Smalling/Jones would just sit infront of the back four and play the busquets role.
-Cleverley and Kagawa would play in an CM/CAM role. -rooney could drop deeper and have RVP on his own as the striker.
-Young and Valencia would be like wing backs, when we are possession they get forward and when we are defending they will drop back into a RB/LB position.

Just a thought, no abuse please =)

23 Aug 2012 11:47:29
Someone is gonna say this, so I'll do it, Malaga's Isco looks a promising player, Replacment or competition for Nani? personally I wouldn't bin Nani off yet. (TheInvisibleMan)

Here's the problem with Nani. He has 2 years left on his contract so a decision has to be made by January or risk loosing him for cheap next summer. He was poor last season and has started off poor this campaign. Can't justify giving him a new contract over 100K / wk with the way he's been performing.

I say give him a chance to restart his career somewhere else and replace him with someone who has more desire bc to me he's lost that.

KB

We either sell him during this summer or give him a new contract. I think he will be sold.

Sydney!

Nani sold ? Is it christmas already :)

Halesini

23 Aug 2012 10:04:53
Only just got round to watching clips of Buttner on youtube. Obviously its hard to see his actual ability in a match from these clips, but if he is a left back, or indeed a wing back, then why in almost every clip is he on the inside or in the box? Maybe fergie might want him as cover on the wings as well as lb? I always remember the game where he put fabio and rafael on the wings, great ploy

Fagan

23 Aug 2012 09:31:11
Here is a thought, Valencia has often played for his country in the centre of midfield. So do you think it would be possible to deploy him on the right side of a midfield 3. This way we could have a midfield of soemthing like Cleverly, Carrick and Valencia. Valencia would drop back to cover Rafael when we were being attacked and the left forward would drop back to the left handside with one of the striker dropping into midfield. This would give us plenty of numbers back that could press and win the ball back quickly. This would be the basic shape that we would line up with:

_________DDG
Rafa__Ferdy__Vidic__Evra
__Tony__Carrick__Clevs
__Rooney__RVP__Kagawa

The forward line would be very fluid although I'd like RVP to stay central with Kagawa and Rooney floating around. Then Valencia and Rafael could get wide and Evra would provide us with width on the left handside. Carrick would sit deep and Cleverly would float inbetween the forwards and the deep lying Carrick.

I think that would work very well.

RedDevil19

Why waste Rooney's talents by playing him on the wing?

MPez

Rooneys talents lol

23 Aug 2012 08:18:11
I feel Fergie should put in a bid for Nicolas N'Koulou of Marseille only 22 can play CB and DMF comfortably. Wouldn't be more than 10- 12 million. Looking like Marseille need money as they are selling some of their assets Azpilicueta, Mbia, guy is a very good young player and easily kills two birds with one stone. Still bring in Herrera and we're laughing.Scholes, Fletcher must be replaced.

RHJ

Giggs needs to be replaced too.

Mad Matter

23 Aug 2012 04:33:00
The only one i will answer is GDS. I am staggered that you can say that you have compared your team with other sides at the top of the table(last season obviously) and that you found you were very strong?
and then to go on to suggest you are only short of a midfielder is beyond belief......

What is your address? Shady Pines (home for the bewildered)?

Puzzled
-----------------------------

I did a comparison of every position against the other top teams in the league (Chelsea, arsenal, city, everton, Newcastle, spurs) and I worked out that if you rank them there is not a position other than centre midfield and left back where we do not have a player in the top 3. We have already signed a left back to hopefully cover this problem and just need a centre midfielder to push us to that next level.

As I said, everyone on here already knows that, so your post is not needed. Liverpool fans would love for united to collapse like they did because they are bitter and jealous of our success and in their heads (as you proved) they have already decided united have collapsed. It's a shame really how a once great club now only has success when united fail, embarrassing some would say. As somebody else suggested, your opinion (biased views) aren't really wanted here. Maybe you should be worrying about your relegation battle?

GDS

We are not about to collapse any day soon, how can you believe what you are posting. All of the football pundits are saying it's a 3 horse race between United, City and Chelsea. I'm wtching Sky Sports News as I type and Harry Redknapp who most people believe knows a lot about the game is saying the same thing.
you should worry more about your team getting into the top 6, they missed out last year and I think you'll struggle again this year, but that's not my concern.
We finished the season with the same amount of points as City and 37 points ahead of you, that's 37 points!! a huge amount of points!! wow 37 points thats amazing hahahhaha!! sit the **** down!!
flyhalf(Mitch)

23 Aug 2012 02:01:30
jus watching old clips of rooney he really was much thiner his thighs were nowhere near as big, im starting to realize that its not jus fat he needs to lose its bulk, i think fergie had him on heavy weights in the gym since 2-3 seasons ago thinking it would have the same affect as it had on ronaldo but wayne is of a naturally stockyish build already so what he'll gain from the extra bulk in power he'll lose in agility, n being heavier the delicacy of your touch will be affected giving you clumsier ball control, also if not maintained when the seasons over you'll bloat fast sort of like a boxer between fights, n going up n down in weight like that can leave u drained n cause you to lose speed permanently, its cool to bulk up a BIT if your neymar thin but personally im not into players using heavy weights unless there defenders or your target man sort of striker who isn't agile anyway n most of there game is based on power ie drogba, carrol ect.
i think ronaldo was an exception as hes sort of a freak of nature geneticaly, n i know its early days but im noticing all those points about losing agilty n touch ect with hernandez whose also been on this heavy weights regime or am i wrong ?

marlow

Mate heavy weights can add to your pace look at all sprinter they are huge, Rooney would not be on heavy weights during the season due to possible injuries, chicha never had a great touch but he's really fast and comes alive in the box, if you think Rooney has lost pace look at Valencia when he first came he was a stick now he's bulked up quite a bit, the kind of weights player would do is more muscular endurance type of work.

Caolán.

I'm sorry but Valencia was never a "stick". He has always been built like a tank, in footballers terms.

TK-Red

I have to disagree TK i dont think he was even nearly as big with Wigan.

GALWAY RED

Yeah youll be fast running at full pelt but ur dribbling speed n heaviness of touch can be affected if your carrying to much weight id like to see a footballer get 100 metre big n try n run with the ball also there very stiff n have to no agility.

marlow

Tk I don't mean a stick but look at him and the difference 3 years ago? Big big difference

Caolán.

Marlow it all speed with ball all depends on dribbling technique.

Caolán.

Yes i know but if ur carrying too much weight ur technique can be affected

marlow

22 Aug 2012 20:39:38
Ed, since when have all the pitches been the same size? the pitch at Goodison looks alot smaller than the pitch at Eastlands (Man city)?

George {Ed001's Note - this season it is a new ruling. Length:105 metres, Width: 68 metres according to the official PREMIER LEAGUE HANDBOOK Season 2012/13.}

Are u sure thats not just the minimum a pitch has to be coz theres no way stamford brige n OT pitch are the same size

marlow {Ed002's Note - Unless the available area is too small these are the required dimensions.}

United's pitch is much bigger than that Ed. United's pitch is 116 by 78. That ruling must be a minimum guideline.

Sydney! {Ed002's Note - Unless the available area is too small these are the required dimensions this season Syd. Unless they are using a Fergie Metre.}

Thats interesting, whats the official size in La Liga?

Cheers

Cban

Stupid rule if you ask me.

REDFAITH

23 Aug 2012 00:11:37
Theres been alot of Rooney bashing over the last day or so which I think is alittle unfair. Any of you with memories that date back further than last week will know that Wayne tends to be a slow starter to the season. Sir Alex has mentioned that he needs games to be able to play at his best. So trust me he will kick on. He just needs games to get back into the swing of things.

Shappy

So, pretty much exactly what I said earlier, but in a shorter post ;)

MPez

Totally off topic, but you like to scout the leagues around the world, as do I. What are your thoughts on Stefan johansen of Strømsgodset. Few People saying he's really up and comin after a torrid time thinking he was the Barry Mcquigan. Now he's slimmed down, knuckled down and spoke to a few Norwegians who rate him higher than henriksen. Let me know if you can find out any more than I can.

Sanshine

Mpez mate don't be intimidated by my length. Lol. Its not the size of your post but how you use it. Lol.

Sanshine, I know very little of norwiegen football, Bundesliga is my speciality. I have several friends from around the world and I tend to watch players they tip me off on. Other then that I try and watch teams who have a knack of bringing through good players, teams like River Plate or Ajax ect. Unfortunaty I don't have any Norweigen friends tipping me off.

But i'll try and see if I can catch a few games he plays in. Always good to keep an eye on young talents.

Shappy

22 Aug 2012 23:55:59
Am I the only one who thinks Buttner has been bought just as emergency cover and will get maybe 5 games a season Evra is so highly rated by SAF even though he has been poor for 2 seasons now and was even dropped for Clichy in the French team who I believe is shocking. So Buttner just waste your career on the bench even though I would like to see him used against Fulham as I believe he may be a good goal threat with his long range shots and ridiculous pace.

The manager wanted Baines to replace him this summer? The manager has eyes and will see what the rest of us are seeing regarding Ev, he just wouldn't publicly criticise his player, and rightly so. Sadly there isn't many top LB's about and Baines isn't worth £12m let alone £17m. Buttner will play more than five games this season, I think he will make his debut in the next couple of games as a sub.

Sydney!