Manchester United Banter Archive August 03 2014

03 Aug 2014 21:23:40
I was just having this discussion with a few mates and I thought I would put it to the banter page.

you need to choose 3 legends, you can only have one legend from each side. So you have to have 1 United, 1 Liverpool and 1 Arsenal.

Liverpool; Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Kenny Dalglish
Arsenal; Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Viera
Manchester United; Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, George Best.

I went with; Scholes, Bergkamp and Dalglish.

Who would your 3 be?

Eds, if you could put this on the Banter page it'll be great.

{Ed002's Note - As a special treat yes.}

Best, : Henry, Dalglish

Owen
Bergkamp
Giggs

Maybe bending the rules a bit but I'm going to pick 3 which we would need to add to the squad now, and the three I would personally most want.

3 we need now:
Veira
Scholes
Carragher

3 I most like:
Henry
Giggs
Dalglish

Cantona, gerrard and Henry

Dalglish
Bergkamp
Best (Best of the lot)

03 Aug 2014 22:47:54
Best,Souness,Brady

03 Aug 2014 22:50:25
Cantona, rush and bergkamp

CAIN

03 Aug 2014 23:19:19
Dalgleish
Henry
Giggs

Daglish (by default)
Terry Henry (pips Bergcamp)
Georgy Best (just to see him)

Besty, Bergkamp, Dalglish

Best, Dalgleish, Henri.
Patrick

Thanks 002! :).

I see some cheating going on with some of these answers! ;).

All great legends though, it's such a hard choice to make.

for me, Scholes is the best player ever to play for United, as an all round professional and as a footballer I think he's just incredible.

Bergkamp, well as far as i'm concerned he's the best striker in EPL history. very calm, very smooth, similar to Scholes in that respect.

and then, well I had to pick a Liverpool player and I can't stand Gerrard or Carragher.

Barnes
Henry
Ronaldo

My choice has been based on who I've seen play in the flesh.

Man Utd Bryan Robson
Arsenal Bergkamp
Liverpool N/A

How could anybody pick above George best or the lawman is beyond belief

Daglaish (liverpools greatest) .
Henry (arsenals greatest) G. best (along with maradonna the most skillful player ever. The only players in uniteds history you can compare to him is ronaldo and maybe bobby charlton. Pele said he was the greatest player he'd ever seen.) . nuff said

Ronaldo
Gerrard (not old enough to have watched 70/80s Liverpool)
Henry.

I also missed out best for the fact I never saw him play.

Always amazed at how many ways people spell dalglish (as it is also my surname) lol
I would have to go for bergkamp, Scholes and Dalglish from your list but you could argue for many others even just from the premier league era alone. Cantona, Keane, Vieira, Rush, Adams could all easily be up there too

Out of curiosity, if you could only pick two from Keane, Robson, Scholes, Charlton and Edwards who would you leave out?

04 Aug 2014 13:16:56
Of those I've seen play for their respective clubs, it would be Scholes, Bergkamp and Daglish.

Of those I haven't seen in the flesh, it would be Best (saw him live, but never for Utd), Brady (tore us a new one in the 79 final), and, well can't think of anyone for Liverpool that stands out the way Edwards, Best, Charlton etc stood out for Utd back in the day.

Robson - a real warrior.
Bergkamp - a footballing genious
As carloto says Liverpool - N/A

03 Aug 2014 21:12:31
I'm probably going to sound really stupid now, but 002 or anyone else who may know, could you please explain what an institutional owner is?

Cheers

{Ed002's Note - A corporation such as an insurance company from China. People who are looking for a medium risk but high return on their money - or low risk nut medium return.}

Thanks for clearing that up 002

Ed. Would the likes of Adidas come under this bracket? Wouldn't it make sense for Adidas to buy the club in 3 years time as their paying out millions anyway?.

{Ed002's Note - I have explained before about such matters and don't want to get into it again. It won't be an option when the club is sold.}

03 Aug 2014 20:45:56
Do we hold any interest in other centre midfielders other than Vidal?

{Ed002's Note - Maybe but the clear message is don't buy for the sake of it and don't buy players you don't want. This is a good policy.}

04 Aug 2014 10:34:30
See Tottenham last season for a case of buying players for the sake of buying players against a managers wishes.

03 Aug 2014 20:08:16
I never saw the Madrid game. How did we play, who played well and who didn't? I know young got 2 but didn't he play left wing back? Surely he will never be a wing back?

Played ok considering we are still adapting to a new manager/formation/system. Jones was a rock and marshalled his younger CB partners very well. Fletcher had a very good all round game. Young, I can't believe I am saying this, played very well and yes he will be a wingback in this system. Kagawa's vision and link up play was great to watch when he came on. His pass for the goal was brilliant, as was the little chipped pass through a few minutes before, which Hernandez should have scored from. Big mistake to let him go, if he goes, I think we would see the best of him under LVG.

Those were my stand out players from the game, although it was a very good team/squad performance.

Welbeck deserves a mention he was very good first half

Cheers Brendan.
Good that Fletcher and Jones are having good pre-seasons.
I get that Young on form might offer something going forward but against a decent right sided attacking player he would surely be a weak link? Shame Evra has gone, he would probably have done ok at wing back, good back up anyway.

03 Aug 2014 18:29:47
Would just like to ask everyone - Do you expect Giggs to replace LvG as manager at the end of 2 years? Personally, I would rather van Gaal stick around for a further 3 years after his initial contract, then give Giggs the job. I think 5 years under van Gaal's guidance would be enough for Giggs to be a good replacement but if Klopp was to become available I would go all out for him to take the reigns. Everyone's opinion welcome. Cheers.

I would rather gamble on Gary Neville than Giggs. Some of his comments and decisions have been ludicrous and aside from his dedication to the club I don't find him appealing, not clever enough for me and far too clicky, which shows a lack of back bone which is a crucial factor at this level.

In 5 years who knows, but if Giggs can be groomed by LVG to be United material he could groom a great many more in less time.

Also - LVG says he wants his players to be all round good guys not just on the pitch etc, what must he think of Giggsy's off field exploits (not having a go at Giggs the footballer, but Giggs the loyal man and manager leave a lot to be desired imo)?

Giggs is expected to replace LvG in three years. Not sure it will work out, but it's the plan.

{Ed002's Note - I am not sure the new owners would agree with that Syd.}

I would see how the LvG era pans out. In business succession planning is important so LvG will give an opinion on Giggs fairly soon to the powers that be and when the time is right. My concern is that Giggs had 4 games but didn't do anything different, didn't show tactical acumen beyond the norm. I think if he had shown the ability to think differently I might be more favourable towards him. I know people say x years learning from LvG will be great but a lot of the leadership and ability to make a difference comes from within, it isn't taught.
As things stand Klopp is a stand out candidate, but let's see where we are in 2 years. We also need an understanding of the size of the role. It is a massive role and Giggs himself was overawed by it. He is a person who could grow but I am not convinced yet that he will grow enough. Time will tell, at the moment Klopp for me, as things stand.

We shouldn't be taking a gamble on any manager, regardless of their history with the club. If Giggs wants to manage a top club, he needs to prove that he is capable of managing a lesser club first.

Syd, where do you get this stuff from?

New owners 002?

{Ed002's Note - 2017.}

AJH, it came from SAF, but I am more interested to know who our new owners will be?

{Ed002's Note - With the debt exit and a potential peak in current value everything is looking at 2017 as a change of ownership. It suits the extant owners and gives time to finalise the way forward. A company in Jersey has provided a staggered disposal plan for a number of First Allied assets including the club.}

03 Aug 2014 20:03:03
We need a top manager, amd in modern football that isn't the guy who barks orders from the side line but a thinker.

You need to be a student of football, someone who is interested in looking at what other have done and how they can learn from it. People like Klopp, Pep and Roberto Martinez would be my choices ahead of Giggs at this moment. And although van Gaal is probably one of the best teachers, Giggs needs to want to learn. Also nothing helps you learn faster than actual experience, something Giggs isn't going to get by being LvG's assistant.

Wow, This is shocking news, don't know if this is for the good of the club oe not.

That's why I didn't get sucked into this £200 million rebuild! I can't see the current owners spending big money when they will be looking to cash in on their investment in the coming years! 3 years is worrying. Change of ownership and manager all at once. could seriously destabilise the club!

Thanks for that Ed. Can I ask will the new owners buy MU without borrowing money? I couldn't deal with another leveraged buyout and I don't think the rest of the fans could either.

{Ed002's Note - It is too early to say but with the business being worth so much, institutional owners seem far more likely than anything else.}

Ed, who do you, personally, think May be interested? It will be a huge amount of money. Is it likely to be a consortium or some oil rich guy who wants a play thing? Just your personal thoughts, obviously no one knows for sure. As bad as people think the Glazers have been, I would worry what may happen with new owners. There would be no guarantees of more money for players, would they want to change things that are important to the fans i.e. the Old Trafford name etc. Better the devil you know, as they say.

{Ed002's Note - I would think institutional owners remain the most likely scenario.}

Boca - given the caveats in the Adidas deal it incentives the owners to ensure that we are back competing for titles. The more money that's invested in the club the; more the share price will rise and the more the club will be worth.

Thanks ed.

I see red! Speculate to accumulate is what your saying?. makes sense, but obviously it's going to be controlled spending like Ed suggests rather than splashing the cash like most fans on here want!

03 Aug 2014 22:24:26
Are we to expect new owners at some point over the next three seasons?

03 Aug 2014 22:24:40
I don't expect Giggs to be the next manager.
Ed002 what do you mean by new owners?

I'd would like to think giggs could do it. It worried me a bit if it's true he would have kept rio on because he was gone . It seemed job for the boys which would have been wrong. Like Fergie and van gaal it seems, you need to be cold about things you can't have mates on the team. If he doesn't learn that then he is not right for the job .

04 Aug 2014 06:50:54
wow I think if this site was twitter it would of just blown up bit time, major bombshell doled out by Ed002 there! were all sat here scrambling for info on vidal hummels and anyone else who might be joining and ed goes and sends us all into meltdown by bringing out the big guns not cool ed not cool this is a transfer window and were united fans its hard enough as it is! in all seriousness just wow! so casual as well that will show us not to mess with Ed002 again (if we didn't already know that)

04 Aug 2014 07:36:47
I expect Ed002 hit the nail on the head further up in that we will buy players the manager thinks we need rather than just buying players because those we want aren't available. A great strategy - assuming we're able to attract the players the manager thinks we need.

04 Aug 2014 14:27:04
Ed002, if that's true, and I've no reason to doubt you, then the saga of who we get this summer, and who goes, sort of pales into insignificance.

03 Aug 2014 22:25:53
Ed002, is it possible they could float all of the club on the NYSE? Thanks.

{Ed002's Note - It is possible but does not need to be New York.}

03 Aug 2014 17:14:17
I'm fed up now with the whole vidal saga as I am sure most are. Could you please explain why it is difficult to sign players on the market? I thought if you wanted a player you would just make a bid they can't refuse? Then keep bidding until they say yes? Everyone has a price? I know there's lots of factors but why are we not making a public official bid?Also looks like we didn't bother to sign di Maria which is a shame!
Do you think there is a chance we may bid for khedira or a? We do need 2 world class midfielders! Vidal would be the best and maybe khedira? He's cheap and available?

Don't know which part of that post to start with. Bid until accepted? not a great idea. Public bid, remember last summer? You want Di Maria for a reported £50m+? really? Khedira cheap? have you heard of his ridiculous wage demands?

This place gets worse!

{Ed002's Note - There are already some tentative discussions with another side over Di Maria. Real Madrid are concerned that Khedira will see his contract out making him able to negotiate with others in January.}

I think Bayern maybe interested in Di Maria

These days most transfers can be completed by getting the player interested in the move. Apparently we, as a club, are struggling to do that.

03 Aug 2014 14:19:47
Evening guys

I think we should all put the Vidal rumours to bed now, it's unlikely to happen it's just another fustrating saga that's gone on for to long now

If we sign anyone it will be a cb possibly vermaelen as I believe hummels will remain at dourtmond.

I've never been Fletcher's biggest fan but from pre season he looks in good form and could play the defensive role well, I also think Ashley young deserves props, he seems to be knuckling down and playing asif he knows this is his last chance. And I'm more than happy to have him as a squad player. I think the biggest signing off the summer has been lvg

I think its looked unlikely for a while now, bit gutted as I thought we would of made a big for him and he would of been a great signing.
However there are plenty more players out there I just hope lvg hasn't turned down kroos a vidal in favour of strootman as i'm really not a big fan of his

If Vidal is no longer an option we should push for Carvalho, really don't want Arsenal to get him.

Why isn't Vidal still an option?

Jred

I don't for one second believe we are in for strootman and turned down krros and Vidal for him. think Vidal will get sold as Juve will need to cash in, I think it is about the asking price and trying to get other clubs involved.

I still believe he will come our way but would not be surprised to see chelsea and maybe RM getting involve depending on them being able to move players on.

03 Aug 2014 11:56:01
Is it me or does fletcher look like he has buffed up and put on quite a bit of muscle?

I think since his last op, he has been able to train properly again and put some hours in the gym.

His condition was stopping him being able to train fully and was limiting the amount of nutrients his body could absorb so he lost quite a bit of muscle prior to his diagnosis and during the early treatment.

But since his last op he seems to have been able to regain that lost muscle and train fully which obviously has helped loads in his overall health and condition.

I couldn't be more glad for the lad, he may not have ever been in the world class bracket in terms of ability, but he was a world class professional who always gave his all and lead by example. With the loss of so many experienced heads in the dressing room he will play a vital role both on and off the pitch this season. Which 18 months to two years ago looked like he would never be able to do again.

There's a small part of me that doesn't want to sign Vidal just so Fletcher can get more games. Only a small part though. lol.

Fletcher has shown physically that he can be more than sufficient back-up next season. We still need another worldie CM to play alongside Herrera.

He has gcu. If he's fit, then there is no better captain than him.

03 Aug 2014 13:39:00
I could not agree more Nomidfield. He has all of the captain qualities and I have always believed a central midfielder should be captain due to their positioning on the pitch.

For his dedication to get back to fitness and passion for the club you have to admire him.

We still need another mf not going to mention names, let's hope we are serious or we won't make top4.

You guys might say i'm under estimating our team but we need to remember there are two teams in a match and the top 4 teams of last year have a strong squad and are a another year experienced.

Totenham will be strong too with their players being more experienced then last year.

If he has conquered his illness then he will be a real asset next year. a few years ago he was Mr dependable. Maybe Van Gaal can get some flare out of him too.
For those concerned it could flare up again then you.l only need to look at novak djokovic to see someone who conquered it (maybe not to the degree as fletcher) and look, at the level he plays such a physically draining sport.

I am beginning to hope we don't sign another CM player, and use Fletcher. All these player's being banded about and the ridiculous sums being talked about, is getting out if hand.

If Fletcher can produce the type of performances we have seen in recent weeks in the Premier next season, why do we need someone else? He has put in first class performances and enabled others around him to shine.

I would personally like to see a low key CM signing, as opposed to splashing 40 plus million on a guy who I personally don't rate as high as some do on here.

Just my opinion.

03 Aug 2014 09:45:45
I cannot wait for the season to start I think this one has all the ingredients to be the best EPL season ever.
A rejuvenated United, a quietly strong City, the ego fest that is JM chelsea and a resurgent Arsenal(who imo look to have done the best business so far and will be the team to beat)
Plus we will be able to watch the scousers return to to middle of the table where they belong(I hope).

Van Haal has already made much more of a difference than I expected and I honestly believe we will contend. He has a much better squad here than he had at the world cup yet he still managed to get the very best out of his players. Exciting times:)

I think it will be super competitive between 6 teams and my guess is that Arsenal with a midfield signing and walcot back have a great squad first 11.

Many here think chelsea is going to win it but the blue half still have a great team and spurs will gel with all their signings from last year and be a lot better.

we need 2 more signings an fit will be fascinating watching the top teams play each other.

I think we will finish 3rd.

Get vidal and we can compete it's as simple as that

I don't think the scousers will be as bad as you think, if we don't strengthen properly, then we'll not make top4.

03 Aug 2014 13:25:35
I think your right Shahram, it is going to be a super competitive season this year.

Chelsea look stronger with the signings of Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa. Along with Hazard, Oscar, Cahill, Azpilicueta, and Courtois they have a very solid group. I expect van Ginkel to have a great season this year too after his bad injury last year. I really rate the kid.

City have been a bit too quiet for my liking, they have added more quality in midfield with Fernando and they are looking at either Mangala or Benatia to come in and play alongside Kompany, if they manage to sign one of them two they will have an extremely solid defence along with the signing of Sagna for competition. Jovetic coming back from injury will be like a new signing and I still expect them to pull off one big surprise transfer yet.

Arsenal have done some fantastic business, Debuchy will make them stronger down the right hand side and Sanchez has the potential to become one of the best players in the league next season, especially in Arsenals free flowing attacking style. If they can avoid injuries to key players then they will be right up there challenging imo. Ramsey's injury totally derailed their season last year. And they are still looking to add one more key signing or maybe two if you listen to Arsene.

Everton and Spurs will have strong seasons, they both have young progressive managers who will get the best out of their players. If the rumours are true and Everton somehow manage to get Isco then they will be a very tricky team to beat.

Then we have Liverpool, they could go one of two ways. Either the loss of such an key player along with the rigours of UCL football will take the wind out of their sails and they will drop off, or the loss of Suarez will force the other players to step up and the added incentive of playing on the biggest stage in club football will inspire them to play better. Looking at their team on paper I feel with the loss of Suarez and the additions they've made so far that the first team is weaker than last season. They've signed good squad players which will help with the extra European games but they aren't any better than the players they already have. Lovren is a solid defender but he prefers to play on the left of a CB pairing which puts him in competition with Agger who is their best defender but then he might be leaving. At best if Lovren plays instead of Skrtel then he is a slight improvement. Lallana and Lambert won't be able to replace the 30 goals or the brilliance of Suarez, and defensively they aren't currently any better. Imo their biggest problem defensively last season was that they played Gerrard in the holding role, now even though he played very well as a deep-lying playmaker he wasn't able to offer the security that a true defensive midfielder would thus making them prone to counter attacks. Imo they should look to pair Gerrard with a more defensive midfielder in a more 4231 type formation to provide more cover for their defence. Either way it will be a make or break season for them in many ways.

Then you get to us, LvG is a great manager and any great manager is worth 10-15 points a season at least, which without any improvements would put us back into top four contention. But the confidence is back, we have a plan and the players are playing again to their potential. We've made a couple of good signing and I fully expect a couple more regardless of what LvG might be saying to the press. Several of our players look to have found an extra level with the new found confidence, Jones, Smalling and Evans seem to be loving the new defensive set up, Fletcher Welbeck Mata and Rooney are playing very well, and of course the much maligned Young in great form so far in his new role. And RvP nor Januzaj have yet to join up with the squad. Shaw and Herrera seem to be settling in, Shaw will take a little longer. Keane Blackett and James seem more than comfortable in the first team and look like they could do a job if asked this season.

Everything seems poised for a great season.

I agree with nomid, the pre-season form is starting to lull people into a false sense of cockiness. If we don't sign at least one top class cm and a top class cb, we will struggle to get back into the top four. We have made two good signings, but our squad lacks any depth in cm or defence. An injury to Herrera or any one of our three 'senior' cbs and we are in deep trouble.

I fear that the Glazers and their lackies are prepared to roll the dice again, and bank on a top manager wringing the most from an inadequate squad. It's funny that the likes of Madrid, Barca and Bayern never feel the need to boast about being able to pull off massive transfers, they just do it. I said at the start of this summer that this was the time for our owners to back up their boasting with some actions, so far we are left with the all too familiar farce of long protracted transfers with little to show for it.

Agreed danny. If we want to be the best then we have to buy the best players when they become available.
No one knows what's happening with Vidal, hummels or do maria, but one thing that never changes is the way we mess around during transfers.
I'm surprised no one else has come in for Vidal, but if you believe the papers, arsenal are sniffing around hummels. So what are we waiting for?
Smalling Jones Evans are not good enough nor consistent enough and all three have continuous injuries, so signing at least one top cb is a no brainer. And I hope it is not vermalen.

No Midfidld and Danny great post I cudnt have worded it btr.

Nomid. I think Liverpool will struggle to score even a fraction of the goals they were scoring last year. Suarez goals are on thing but he was so disruptive to opposing teams defensive shape that he opened up the pitch for the likes of Sturridge. I think they will find it difficult.

Rodgers can fart hot air about his diamond formation, but suarez is what made them tick.

Henderson and Gerrard don't do it for me for a top 4 pl team.

03 Aug 2014 17:07:14
I think there is potential for it to be another competitive league this year but I think Chelsea are too strong and have too much strength in depth throughout their squad to not contend for the title regardless of what you think of Mourinho, City may not have improved their first XI but they have improved their squad greatly with players like Sagna, Fernando, Lampard etc. so they will also be atrong favourites for the titke next year. Arsenal I agree that they have done the best business this summer and they have every reason to challenge for the title and they will strengthen further this summer just like Chelsea and City.
Now I really hope Liverpool do a Spurs and go to s*** this season but I get the impression Rodgers is a very smart manager who knows what he's doing and I really think they will strengthen further this window as well as buy a big world class star name to fill the void left by Suarez. Spurs' signings last summer will have had time to gel by now and will be stronger next season as well as the players they have already bought this summer should slot into their team very nicely and I expect them to be a much better team especially when they improve their team further this summer just like Liverpool.
Now call me a pessamist but i'm convinced that's us done i'm terms of transfers I think van Gaal will stick with what he's got as opposed to strengthening the team in the transfer market, most of the players he will find worth buying will have either gone to other clubs, won't want to come or just aren't available so I don't think we will challenge for the title we're a few years away from doing that again and I think optimistically it will be between us/Liverpool/Spurs for the 4th spot

Danny, nail on head mate.

Look, we were MILES behind the top teams last year – its not like we were unlucky to not finish top 4. We were so far behind in terms of quality, and Chelsea, Arsenal and City have all began to fill in their gaps, putting them even further ahead of us.

Liverpool will be worse this season but are still a threat for top 4. Spurs have a much better manager, stability and have made a few astute signings. Everton will be no worse than last season.

So far, we've signed two good players but without serious reinforcements at CB and CM, we're not making top 4. IMO, anyway.

03 Aug 2014 09:25:53
Well with us now playing Liverpool on Monday Louis van Gaal now has the chance to go from very good manager to god like status in the eyes of many fans if he was to put the scousers in their place. And the season hasn't even begun, what a difference a year makes. Lol.

I think Liverpool will have a difficult set to the season and Spurs are more of a threat for top 4.

I agree GCU - there isn't enough focus on what their new manager did with half decent players at Southampton. He has much better players at Spurs and will turn them into a real force, plus his English will be getting better by the day.

I think scousers will do a lot better than people think. Also spurs will be stronger with their new manager.
I think we have a lot more work to do to catch up with the top 5 teams.

03 Aug 2014 08:55:58
Does anyone think Fletcher is one his way to being back to his best?

I think he has been pretty good in pre-season so far as a box 2 box midfielder (hasnt been completely defensive)

Could play an important role for us.

Very impressed with most of our players but mostly impressed with LVG for getting them playing as a unit.

Herbie, I think by Christmas time, the team will have all the kinks worked out and with the correct personnel this summer and next, we may just become the team of old again. It's been a long time since we had a plan.

I agree Syd, also got a feeling LVG may hold out for Strootman and play Fletcher for now, it seems to be working well enough.

5 or 6 teams have a good chance of top 4 which is good.
I fancy arsenal for the title

I think Chelsea or City will win it this year, I fancy Arsenal for a top four spot despite what Michael Owen says. That leaves just one spot that ourselves, Spurs & Liverpool will be fighting for. If we can get Hummels & Vidal then we have a great chance. Top four this season, next season all out for the title.

03 Aug 2014 08:20:25
He eds there is a picture on Twitter of Ronaldo standing next to Rooney smiling, does this mean we are trying to re sign him?;)

03 Aug 2014 09:17:50
Said in jest. I hope.

Er yes.

03 Aug 2014 07:55:54
Morning everyone. One topic I have not seen discussed regarding the new season ahead is that of squad rotation. AF never played the team twice in the premiership often making 6/7 changes each week citing the need to keep people fresh as well as resting players for champions league matches.
As we have no C league matches this season my question is should we look to play our strongest 11 every week or should we look to tinker around each weekend and make 1 or 2 changes to ensure all of the squad are match fit.
Finishing in the top 4 this season is our absolute number 1 priority so imo we should look to play our strongest team each week and not just pick an 11 that we think can do the job. After all if players are getting 7 days between league matches they shouldn't need to be rested for a match the following weekend. Also we all know how important goal difference might be at the end of the season.
Without wishing to betray my age liverpool once won the old division 1 using only 15 players in a 42 game season and the leeds team of the early 70s( sprake reaney cooper hunter charlton bremner giles gray lorimer clarke jones sub madeley) hardly ever changed.
Anyway I am not going to enter the debate around different players/formations, that can wait, but I would be intereseted in reading peoples opinions of how we should use our squad once it has been finalised.

The two teams that you've mentioned were very good, and you're right, they didn't use many players. Modern day football is different though. It's quicker, more physical and requires SOME rotation. I think the best approach would be for LVG to determine his strongest 11 whilst trying to work out which players could 'fill in' if any of the 11 are tired or injured. I think if that approach is taken, we could see a main group of 18 players that would be considered the first team, whilst other players appear intermittently where necessary.

Good post Allan, you forgot to mention Vidal though ;)

I think the modern game is different to the old division 1 days. The players run incredible distances, more importantly a lot of this running is done in sprints. It is inevitable that this will take it's toll on players over the course of a season - even without UCL games.

We should be looking to win the cups this year, we must have a very strong chance given that we have no European games.

Players form during the season can go stale. LVG will look to keep players at the top of their game by ensuring someone is ready to step in should their be any drop in form. Competition pushes players, I'm a firm believer that no player should be un-droppable.

Injuries will happen during the year, reserve players need to have some game time else they will not be up to speed when called upon.

Young players at the club need to see a route through to the first team. Good performances through the youth set up should lead to minutes in with the first team for the chosen few.

Of course, if we were to buy Vidal, he is super human and should play every minute of every game ;)

03 Aug 2014 00:01:46
Kagawa is very talented. He is technically and outstanding and he reads the game in a split second.What a pass for the third goal!

This 3-4-1-2 is tailor made for Mata and Kagawa. We may not often see both together, but in the right setup like we have now, they are both among the best #10s in the world.