Manchester United Banter Archive December 29 2013

29 Dec 2013 18:10:28
It seems Spurs have gotten out of their rut just in time for the game against us again. Same as a month ago, they had a bad spell and they improved just before the game against us. Hopefully we can get more than just a point this time round and we can finally look at going on a decent run. 4th place doesn't look so out of reach now does it pessimists ;) To be fair Liverpool will probably stay ahead of us throughout January, they have a good set of fixtures, but Feb, March & April look more tricky for them. We don't really have a tricky month between now and May on paper, our tough games are spread out nicely like it was for some of the others early on in the season. Everton will fade, as will Newcastle, but Spurs may well improve and they will be the one's to watch. A win against them on Wednesday is important and I hope we can pull it off with the help of RvP, Rooney & Valencia. We need our best players back and playing and results should fall into place. Perhaps a good signing in January will give the lads some momentum going into the second half of the season.

I do agree with most of what you are saying, I think we need to try and break into the top 3, big wins are what are needed now starting with Wednesday.

Spurs last match before we played them last time was 6-0 against city though so not sure it can be said they came out of a rut before they played us!

Yea Syd. Will have to get all 3 against Spurs.

Hopefully Januzaj, Rooney, Welbz and Valencia all start and RvP comes on as a sub.

Any news on Rafael? don't want Smalling to play there.

Everton will fade? We had a one game blip, Liverpool look like the team on the fade at the moment, we look strong but I'm glad we're still underestimated, I'm still predicting us to be top after the derby.

GDS, they did win in Europe, draw with us, then won away to Fulham and Sunderland. I would say they were turning things around albeit still not doing too great agreed. Since their disastrous performance against Liverpool and losing at home to a poor West Ham, they seem to be getting it right again. But they still don't look great so it's still a good time to play them if we can get our best players back fit.

Baz, sorry lad but I don't see Everton challenging towards the end of the season. Even with your borrowed players.

MB, I think Smalling with play at RB against Spurs. I'm not too concerned to be honest, I just want Rooney and RvP to return as the excellence from the wings (Adnan & Valencia) should be inviting for our two best strikers. Add a spine of Vidic & Carrick and the only real missing cog is Jones IMO. Well I am off to bed, got a stinking cold/hangover ;)

Sydney,

Stop talking rubbish, hoping Liverpool Everton and Newcastle fade.

We are United, the facts are this team has been in decline for 4 years. Failures under present and past management continue to aide this.

we are playing and have played the most unispiring football

Funny how you say borrowed players, there loan players and it's all within the rules, how many loan players did we have on today - one, Barry will sign anyway as he's thriving now

I honestly can't see Everton fading much, yeah they'll probably loose their big fixtures but they're playing better with each game, hate to say it but they're a very good team at the moment.

Yeah Syd - how dare you have any positivity what so ever. Utd have been doomed ever since we let RVN go! ;)

Big Europa league 6 pointer for you on Wednesday

Everton will fade?. don't think YOUR Manager will agree . was always the other way when he was in charge . always came good at the end of the season .as for playing against the top teams .take a look most of them plus United have to come to Fortress Goodison in the second half of the season . good result today with only ONE so called borrowed player . plus two making debuts in Premier league

Cheshire Cat,

You actually make that comment without realising he is our manager now and that means that we will get stronger towards the end of the season. It is the opinion of people on here that Everton will fade, they might be wrong but don't get so defensive. I have come to the conclusion that Everton fans are the most precious about people saying anything negative about their team, it's getting a little embarrassing, this isn't even your page.

DB

This is not about being positive or negative.
Everton is really playing with confidence and has been superior to us this season. In order to overtake them we must win our games.

I think that United fans should concentrate on United and hope we win our games and then think about what the other teams are doing. Now planning top 3 or 4 checking the other teams fixtures lists is pretty silly and childish.

I agree that we've been playing better now than before and the main problems are even clear now, CM, LM and LB being the most urgent than all of them.

Everton will fade? You're having a laugh Syd. Only two defeats all season in the PL and still playing with belief under Roberto. You think Bainsey will want to come to a team destined for Europa League football at best next season when he can stay at Goodison for Champions League?

Sydney

"4th place doesn't look so out of reach now does it pessimists ;) "

There is a lot of work to be done to make top 4 yet and scrappy wins at mid to lower table opposition is not putting fear in anyone just yet.

Given your comment do you think 4th place is something to be happy about?

Red Man, YES! after the start we have had and after losing our manager of 27 years, a top four finish is more than adequate for this season. Next season when Moyes has had a chance to add the players he wants and the players and manager has settled, then we can expect a better title challenge. Hopefully we will have a bit of luck with injuries too. We haven't had our strongest line-up fit all season. Not once.

If you think about it we have had a severely poor first half of the season, well well below even our most average season, the worst season that I can remember and we are still only two points behind Liverpool who are meant to be the best thing since sliced bread. Seven points behind City who should win this league by a canter this season. City are the benchmark and when we were 13 points behind Arsenal and eight behind Liverpool, I knew the title was gone when we went seven points behind City.

We are far from being out of our rut and like I have said I still believe we are fragile due to confidence until we can get our best players back and playing together consistently. So don't think I am playing up our chances whilst knocking everyone elses down, all I am doing is looking at this half of the season and considering it has been a disaster for us, we are not too far behind and we are still in every competition even with the injuries we have had.

Now it's just my opinion that Everton and Newcastle will fade away towards the end. If others think that's not the case then that's their opinion. I am only having my own. Liverpool and Spurs for me are the two more realistic challengers and I think the bookies agree with me on that one. I see us having a better 2nd half of the season than our first and I do not see Newcastle and Everton having a better 2nd half than their first. Therefore "IMO" we will finish higher than these two teams.

Are there any MU fans who think Everton and Newcastle will finish higher than us?

You make me laugh Syd calling people pessimists.
Your the one who claimed that we would finish 20 point above Liverpool this season.
You have gone very quiet about your prediction haven't you?

I have to agree with Syd. Everton and Newcastle do not have the squad to maintain this kind of form and will not accumulate enough points to finish top 4. You might see Newcastle dropping off earlier than Everton due to their schedule.

I still believe we will finish top 4 and never thought we would win the league so I have neither panicked or gone over the top on a weekly basis.

This is a very odd year and no one will be running away with it. If I had a choice after us not winning it, I would like to see Arsenal win it as they are a classy club and do many things the right way and I can relate to.

I still maintain as previously stated Spurs are a bigger threat than Everton or Newcastle. Liverpool is a wildcard it all off this as they don't have a deep squad but get to host all the top teams at Anfield except us and I actually hope they have a good first 11 fit for those games.

Simmo, no I haven't. I think we will finish above Liverpool, just not 20 points ahead.

30 Dec 2013 14:05:18
To be fair to Syd, when he made that prediction I think he like most of us was expecting Suarez to depart.

The only way utd will finish above EFC this year is if they buy anymore of our players ie Barkley and baines. you've already took big wig(thanks by the way). There's no divine right to success just cause support mufc(yawn). The arrogance of your supporters is beyond belief. the mighty have fallen :-)

MrE, we finished 29 points ahead of Liverpool (with Suarez) last season under SAF. I didn't see the manager transition being so detrimental, but it clearly has been. Under SAF we would be much further ahead now. I think it was too much change, too quickly.

Several teams are playing better football than they did last year, it's been a better league this year and will be harder to win.
Be honest how many times did united play great football last year

Jred, I don't think MU have played great football for a very long time, perhaps years. I think we were best when we had Rooney, Tevez & Ronaldo at the club, since those days it's been kind of dull. Would you agree with that?

Syd
Absolutely, I think the team has been going backwards since then. Fergy had to find a way of winning and probably had to sacrifice a bit of style.
For me we have issues with the back 4 the cm and the wingers which is why I don't understand some people's insistence that this is a great team.
When you look at the team with ronaldo and co, that was imo a great team this one isn't.
It's not a bad team but not great even if we did win the league last year

Jred, I doubt many believe this is a great team, I would say we haven't been great since 2008/09 when Tevez and Ronaldo both left. It's a good team, a very deep squad, but we are IMO three top quality players away from having a great side. If we could have kept Pogba & Ravel and added 2-3 top quality signings then I think we would have a great squad now.

Syd
I would disagree, people went on about this being a great team for most of last season on this page

Jred

I think the 2008 team was great but most also forget that we had scholes and a very good midfield. Whilst losing CR07 was a huge blow but never having anyone with half of scholes ability to replace him has been our biggest mistake. We also have never really replaced park or hargreves and watched our midfield just get thinner and thinner.

GCU
We had a good team from front to back, at the time van Der sar, ferdy and vidic as a unit where for me the best in the world.
Add a good midfield and attack and you have a quality team.
Much better than the current team, which is why I have never bought in to the idea of this being a great team.

Have the players we bought since then been as good as the players they should of been replacing, I would say no

Jred, I cannot remember anyone saying it was a great team. I think pretty much everyone said we were 2-3 top signings away from where we needed to be. We had a good enough squad, but our first XI was not strong enough.

I hope we can get those 2-3 top signings and perhaps buy back Ravel.

29 Dec 2013 12:50:26
man united want antoine griezman from real sociedad in january but will face competition from psg

I think he's average. I would rather see our kids being promoted than buying average players.
If we go all out to buy the best talent, then that's a different story. But griezman is not top talent.

He's not average NM, but he does play for an average team. In a better side he would flourish. He is not the best out there agreed, but he is a good player and far better than what we have currently got. It's very hard to buy players in January and with LW being a position we are severely weak in, and the editor saying we could move for Konopylanka if someone moves for him (a LW) does suggest the interest in Griezmann may have some legs. let's be honest, Koke, Coentrao & Griezmann in January would be amazing. Albeit highly highly unlikely.

Sydney, if we get griezman, I think you will find that he'll prove a big disappointment.
I agree that good window will be coentrao and koke. Add Fernando, and that will be a fantastic window.
I don't think our need for a winger is as bad as midfield and left back. We have to change to play with one winger. Between Valencia who is not superb but is back on form, and januzaj, we have options wide.
I'd we can buy two midfielders and lb then we will be in a much stronger position.
Its all theory though, it all depends if glazers are prepared to back Moyes with a lot of money. Interesting month ahead!

I'm not sure we will have an interesting month ahead NM, but I hope we can make one good signing that will install some impetus into our first team. I hope we can get our best players fit and all playing well together. If we can make the top four then I suspect we will spend a few bob in the summer. The Glazers cannot risk another poor season.

29 Dec 2013 11:24:55
Manchester United only need to do one thing in January, get Rooney signed up to a new long-term contract. If the right player becomes available then why not but otherwise the January transfer window is just another excuse to be ripped off (especially for big-money deals of £10m+).

A couple of fringe players could go (Anderson, Nani - reported interest from Juve) but I doubt anything drastic will happen this transfer window at Old Trafford. Signing Evra to a new deal would also be good but I think he's off at the end of the season.

There is only one way that Evra signing a new deal and that would be if we bought in another left back and made it clear to him that he is very much back up.

29 Dec 2013 01:11:24
Half way through the season and isn't it starting to shape up to be a decent second half? I was always expecting this with Moyes, the the huge crack SAF had covered up for so many years finally was reviled and it was all left to Moyes to sort out. And I think he deserves the time to fix it as I do see a bright future ahead for him.

But to see some real forward motion in the David Moyes era we need to make some signings this January, nothing to spectacular or expensive, just one are of our weaknesses (LB/Midfield) to be partially improved. This could mean anyone who can put a shift in and offer more to us compared to the likes of Evra, Buttner, Fabio, Anderson etc. I also think it'd put a little more fear into our opponents knowing that we are rebuilding.

I've always said it and I still want to say that we will win the league this season or come close to the 1st position, may it be 2nd or 3rd I see us right up there until the final day. there's just something about Manchester United, even without SAF we still have that drive in us, not showing as much lately but it's there, that determination to carry on winning and I don't think it will ever go.

Anyway that's my view from this point of the season, most of you may have forgotten me due to personal situations but I think I might blood myself back into the regular posting again.

Have a nice new years guys!

You don't get forgotten that easily jake, good positive post, hope you are well and had a great Christmas and look forward to reading more from you in the new year.

Nice post Jake, nice change to read a well thought out post, rather than some recycled posts that appear on here now.
Hope all is well with u now mate, the regulars ain't forgotten ya :-)

Aw you guys are making me blush. ;-)

Yeah all is well, I just like to sprinkle my positivity all over the negative posters ;-)