Manchester United Banter Archive September 29 2014

29 Sep 2014 20:23:22
have to say that whoever said that if someone does not come from manchester, then they are not real man united fans, those words stung.

i am from kenya some town called kerugoya (google map can help you there). haven't missed any of united's games for close to three seasons now judging by different time zones we are in.

you'd all be surprised on how people out here are so passionate about football and all. think i've seen it all, i.e. fist fights, man united themed wedding, suicides last season.

my only wish is that i'll one day get to visit Old Trafford for just one game even an under 21 would be appreciated, though maybe i will, maybe i won't but one thing i am sure of is that my definition of football is, 'manchester united'.

p.s. feel free to pop in for free swahili classes :D

29 Sep 2014 20:56:33
Not what was said chief, must have been a bee :-)

POTRAITS!!!

do you mind if I ask how you manage to watch the games? Do you have Sly Sports or your own international tv station that airs them.

Cheers
Reddevilfan

I don't know if anyone actually said that you are a lesser fan if you don't come from Manchester. It isn't true, a fan is a fan and some fans I know who are not from Manchester travel great distances to follow the team they love with true passion. Like the weather there are different experiences where we live or are from but a fan is a fan. We need to move on

Not sure Brendan(?) in the original post meant it like it's been made to sound but I think the whole debate has been interesting nonetheless, people have such different opinions you'd almost think it's Rooney being discussed lol. The one thing that's common among all these local and fans from other parts is the love and passion they have for the club and is the only important thing really. No point having people taking sides over such a trivial issue.

Reddevilfan

Back here there are several satellite tv hosts and the most common one Supersport actually does air ALL the games involving a 'big' team and any other game if none of the bigger clubs is playing. I actually watch 100% of Utd games every season, including Capital One, FA and Champs league

I Watch all utd's games when in Ghana on SuperSport via DStv

29 Sep 2014 16:02:39
I saw some discussion further down the page about DDG being at fault for some of the goals we have conceded this season, and I can't help but think it is correct. While his reflexes are excellent, he is still vulnerable from crosses/corners. He will have to significantly improve in that aspect, thankfully age is on his side.

Just wanted to ask who people think is a better keeper at this point in time. De Gea or Courtois? I will go with Gav and say Courtois. His reflexes are on par with DDG's, but he commands his box better than David.

Deeps.

I think it's harsh on DDG. He has begun to develop his game, especially his physical strength. However, it's hard for him because he is playing behind an ever changing back line. And this season, in particular, it has been very inexperienced.

If you look at Courtois, he has played behind a very stable and experienced back line at Athletico, and now he's got the protection of the best defence in the league. A lot of the poor decisions DDG has been making are because of uncertainty: he isn't sure if his defenders have things covered or if they expect him to come for it etc. The lad has a long way to go, but he will never develop the confidence and authority he needs unless we have a more stable back line in front of him.

29 Sep 2014 16:39:14
Right now Courtois is the better keeper, but he is the only young keeper in front De Gea in world football right now. De Gea will develop his game lots before he peaks in his 30's and will be an amazing keeper just as Courtois will be.

I think danny has it nailed on, I would love to see in his 100 games how many times the defence has been chopped and changed, its not so bad if its the full backs who are different but when the 2 centre half's are never a consistant pairing its got to be very difficult for him, given that i'm surprised he's progressed as well as he has and remember, every goalkeeper no matter how good will always make mistakes, its how they recover that's the important part.

Hate to disagree with Danny but I'm with Deeps. DDG doesn't look too secure at the moment and his distribution is also proving to be a problem. I know he doesn't want to simply hoof it down the park but that is leading to him kicking it out of play or putting himself in difficult situations.

29 Sep 2014 18:11:49
Courtois just shades it for me, but I totally agree with Danny. It is vital for a Goalkeeper to have a settled defence infront of him if he is to stand any chance of producing his best form.

David would look probably look just as good as Courtois if he was playing with the Chelsea defence infront of him.

29 Sep 2014 18:28:01
AJH his distribution has always been top notch, I think the defensive reshuffles and nerves are affecting him as a very young keeper. 23 is no age for a goal keeper so for him to be playing and learning at United, is a huge compliment to his ability and will help him become a truly great goalkeeper in the coming years. We need to get behind him and keep supporting him, he saved us from a lot more embarrassment last year don't forget.

29 Sep 2014 19:04:52
Danny is spot on, I don't think Courtois would be half the keeper he is now if he was behind a constant changing back line of ageing/inexperienced defenders.

No doubt as soon as we sort our defence out and get that area of our team settled he'll start to build on his game dramatically. He shouldn't really be targeted as a scapegoat for our awful defence at the moment, it'll achieve nothing but knock his confidence.

Brendan, he has my support I think he has huge potential. My worry is he is learning his trade at a top club under immense pressure at a time of great change. He's certainly not a shrinking violet is he?

29 Sep 2014 19:51:45
It will make a man of him my friend :-)

Thanks for the replies! I was certainly not making him out as the scape goat, but yes, he has made a few errors. That said, I certainly think time is on his side and he will come good. Brendan is right, only Courtois amongst the young keepers is better than David as of now. I don't agree that Courtois won't be half the keeper if he didn't have a settled defence behind him.

Deeps.

29 Sep 2014 20:34:23
Just to clarify, I'm right behind DDG and hope he continues to improve. But right now I'd take Courtois as I'm more positive about his all round game. The settled defence argument is valid but not definitive IMO.

There's no disputing that DDG is a superb shot-stopper. His problem always has been, and continues to be, an inability to command his area. He's woeful at dealing with crosses and hardly ever comes off his line to deal with loose balls in the area. Seems that the goalkeeping coaches are trying to work on this which probably led to him trying to deal with the cross that resulted in the goal on Saturday.

Last season (presumably on instruction from Moyes) his distribution consisted of hoofing the ball up-field as far and quickly as possible. This season he's at least trying to find a team mate and build from the back. This will improve, but I have my doubts on his commanding his area.

Perhaps, rather than the back 4 (or 5) not inspiring confidence in him, its the other way round - by not dealing with crosses or loose balls often leads to defenders panicking in the area.

Just look at Joe Hart, he is made out to be one of the best keepers in the world, or he was before he was found out, just because of Vincent kompany, he commands the defence and takes a lot of pressure off hart

Just look at Joe Hart, he is made out to be one of the best keepers in the world, or he was before he was found out, just because of Vincent kompany, he commands the defence and takes a lot of pressure off hart

30 Sep 2014 16:51:22
Deeps,

If Courtois had a settled back line behind him rather than infront of him then, statistically speaking he'd likely be the best goal keeper in the world ;)

Ouch! Haha Ozwald, I actually thought more on the lines of a team formation that Fresh! may have posted ;-)

Deeps.

29 Sep 2014 15:21:31
Hi Guys

Just to add my two penneth to the debate about where you come from etc.

In my opinion it doesn't matter where you come from its what's in your heart.I have supported United since 1966 due to Bobby Charlton being my hero.I was 5 at the time.I have been through every emotion possible including the heartbreak of relegation in 1974.

Where I come from doesn't stop me feeling sad every anniversary of the Munich air disaster, it doesn't stop me feeling ecstatically proud every time we win something and it doesn't stop me cheering our great team on every time we play.

I get annoyed every time I get called a glory hunter because of where I come from and because of my accent.
I feel angry when I'm told that I'm not a real supporter.I love United with all my heart and always will.I have lost girlfriends in the past because I would rather watch United then be with them.I have arranged social events around when United are playing and I've been late for things because I have to see United to the very end.
Some may say I'm stupid including some of those girlfriends
most of you if not all of you will know that when you have United in your heart it has to be something life threatening to stop you from watching them and getting behind them.

I laugh every time I see that banner at Old Trafford that says

United
The Kids
The wife

In that order

Now maybe its a dead heat with the kids but we know where they are coming from.

Well rant over lads and lasses.

We might come from all over the country and all over the world but we all have one thing in common and that's our unbreakable love for every thing Manchester United.

Who cares where you're from. For me, there is no debate! We wouldn't be the club we are today if we weren't supported globally! Every other club wishes they had our fan base! I'll support who I want to support and nobody is going to tell me different!! What a ridiculous discussion this is!

29 Sep 2014 16:25:52
I have seen utd once. It was boxing day 1970 and utd were away at derby. I was 11. I borrowed my cousins derby season ticket. He couldn't get in as the game was a sell out and had to sit in the car and listen to the radio. There was a fight after the game and a stray bottle landed on my head. I am now 55 and am paralysed from the waist down due to ms so i doubt i will ever see utd live again. For the record derby won 3-1. Mcfarland 2 davies with ian storey moore replying for utd.

Sad to hear about that Allan am still young enough myself and haven't seen United play yet live in Ireland and going to England isn't something I can do regulary but I

It's the first time I post something on here and it's all because of Allan. Let's all help and get Allan to Old Trafford again!

I hope in the flurry of posts, people don't miss out on Allan's post. Put things into perspective .

Deeps.

Allan

I know United are pretty good when it comes to your situation, they helped someone I know in a similar vein. I have also done the OT tour and the facilities can cater for any need. Why don't you write to the ticket office and tell them of your situation I am sure they would help you to get to a home game with appropriate facilities. I really hope so. If I could help I would. Also I remember Ian Storey Moore.

29 Sep 2014 14:38:51
So who gets the armband for the next 3 games, assuming Fletcher remains on the bench.
Would love to see Harera or Blind get it myself, I know they are new players but that work there socks off and lead by example and work for the attack and defence.
Could add an extra 5% to there game as well.

Rvp i would of thought

29 Sep 2014 15:15:50
I reckon RvP will get it.

But if Jones is fit and playing i'd give him the armband.

29 Sep 2014 14:01:17
Hi all, that was an impressive win on Saturday, not swashbuckling or very stylish but a great battling performance when backs were to the wall.
I thought Shaw played well and I also thought young PmcN had a very impressive debut alongside rojo.
Rooney made a rash decision but nothing more, if he had tugged his shirt back he would have got away with a yellow.
However I genuinely believe that he will find it hard to get his place back. I would place a large wager that RVP will work twice as hard to insure the team is succesful without Rooney. I think we will see a more cohesive unit without Rooney in the team. I don't hate rooney at all I think he has been a great player over the years I just feel that he is no longer our best striker on the books and he is also not our best no 10 therefore should not have an automatic place in the starting line up. if we can get 2 wins in the next 2 games i'm predicting a victory against Chelsea in the final game of Rooneys suspension.
Results have been kind to us to date so we are still in the mix and we can only improve as time goes by and while its not pretty at the moment it will get a whole lot better.

As far rooney goes i think lvgs comments today would suggest he will get straight back in . Rightly or wrongly

Ken, if Persie is going to do exactly what you think he would, i won't want him anywhere near the club.

Deeps.

29 Sep 2014 16:26:01
Not saying I like the idea its just what I suspect will happen. I also think LVG is palaying the long game with Rooney. he had to name him captain to keep harmony when he 1st joined but I think he will see that Wayne does not live up to his hype and will move him on at some stage in the near future

29 Sep 2014 18:06:57
I agree Ken, I thought he might be sent packing this summer but maybe with all the other departures it would have been a step far. Plus, we were struggling for anything remotely resembling a captain who has any experience and was British like LVG wanted.

Brendan/ken
"He is for me an example for the squad. That I saw in the USA and when he came back he kept that example and that's why I made him captain, because he is also a great player.

"And as you know, when you are my captain, you have more privileges, and you have to play always more or less, and I have to be sure of that, so that is also an argument. And I saw in advance that he would play a lot of games"

Van Gaal added: "Three games is a big miss, especially as I am thinking now he is playing at a good standard in his new role. And he likes to play there.

"And when he gets three matches it means also that my captain is away.

"He is a very important person, especially in my vision because not for nothing is he captain of this team."

I think you will be stuck with him for a while yet

29 Sep 2014 11:51:28
i don't get all the haters on rooney, he's easily been our best player for a number of years.

it was clear to see he was trying to trip downing to break the attack up. just unlucky downing was a bit faster than what he thought.

Shaw should have played the simple pass, rather than going for a 30 yard long ball, and rooney wouldn't have been sent off.

for me the last 30 minutes was the united of old, dug deep, stayed organised are grounded out the win.

the first time in a while we have played badly and won, hopefully that's a turning point and the confidence booms.

defensively i though we dealt with the long balls and crosses good. the defence was much stronger with rojo cb shaw lb and the young lad in the centre played brilliant.

and although falcao hasn't scored his runs and hold up play is class. the space he creates for other playes is what we've been missing and i'm going to look forward to him up top.

hopefully another 3 points weekend before the break. we have a few hard games coming soon, injuries coming back and we looked great again going forward.

He is being played in his second best position for me as an out and out striker he could of got to Messi Ronaldo level maybe that level below but as a number ten isn't as effective he is a deadly finisher not a creater

29 Sep 2014 08:40:00
Theres been a few posts recently that ask the question of whether a supporter born within the shadow of Old Trafford feels more for the club than one born and raised in other parts of the country or even the world.

To me this is the same thing as asking whether a mother loves her children more than the father? Or do the children love their mother more than their mother loves them?

It differs in every case and no one can truely give you an accurate answer.

I was born and raised in Bristol, and although a respect everyones opinion for someone to say they feel the pain of a loss more than me just because they were born in Manchester is unfathomable. They may well know how they feel but they have no true indication of how I feel so how they can make such a statement is just r*******.

I envy people who were born closer to the club I love, do I feel they are better fans or they feel closer to the club than I do?

Some might but other won't.

Lets stop dividing supporters of our club into different groups. We are United in name let's be United in spirit.

29 Sep 2014 09:00:16
Not what I was saying Shappy, I have explained further down.

29 Sep 2014 09:18:36
Brendan, i'm not saying that was what you were trying to say. What i'm getting at is once this tooic gets brought up it draws a line in the sand which divides us into two groups, those born in Manchester and those not. But how does that really effect an individuals feelings for a club? Well its impossible to tell.

Just recently Scotland voted on its independence, now there were many proud Scots born both inside and outside of Scotland who voted and how they voted was not detirmined by where they were born. Yet they were all proud to be scottish, and they all love their country.

This is why I hate this debate. Its pointless and just divides us over something no one can prove and every case is individual. It doesn't matter where your born, what colour, race or religion you belong to, if you love this club then you are my brother and I will enjoy every win with you and we will share our pain in defeat. And at the end of the day isn't that the important thing?

Being part of this club is to feel that community that sense of belonging, togetherness. We are United.

Brendan, I agree that people jumped on your throat and took things out of context to an extent, but the original point still remains the same. What you think or feel about Rooney has got nothing to do with how much you love the club. It is just a personal opinion like/dislike. Are you saying that the match going reds or our away support are not walking your definition of a true fan? GDS has lived in Manchester for ever but has a different stance, should we then disqualify him? It's a game of opinions mate and Redman was right that people have selective memory when it comes to Rooney. For the last time, my opinion on Wayne Rooney in no way shape manner or form makes me a lesser fan than anyone else

Deeps.

29 Sep 2014 11:06:18
Ok, it's obvious we all have very different ideas of what is acceptable and unacceptable, and people are obviously happy to ignore things players do because of who they are. For me and many many many match going reds, what he has done is unacceptable. He will get support on the pitch but away from it, is another matter totally.

29 Sep 2014 19:28:45
Whenever I've had the chance to go to OT Rooney seems to get the most vocal support from the match going fans TBH. I think it just comes down to individual views rather than how strong your love is for the club.