Manchester United Banter Archive August 08 2015

 

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08 Aug 2015 22:56:39
Little bit of a rant.

I've seen a few posts saying that Rooney can't lead the line after one game there today.

Does that mean costa and Kane can't either because neither scored today?

Rooney is praised the world over for his all round ability, the time he has played up front he's scored goals, if Walker hadn't got back Rooney would have scored today.

I don't 'like' Rooney, but it seems like a decent size of this page looks for any reason to criticise him.

Let's not forget he has zero service today even with Depay playing.

The way I see it is that if Rooney played on the shoulder he's be as prolific as anyone, currently we've seen two of the best strikers of their era come in and fail to play this system (with their back to goal) - those strikers are still formidable players in a 'strikers system'.

I can't tell you if Rooney will score 50 or 5 but what I can tell you is that if players equal or superior to Rooney struggled in this system then Rooney will need time to really understand his new role in the team as an out and out striker with his back to goal - which is hard enough as it is without players being to scared to play a risky pass.

Believable5 Unbelievable6

08 Aug 2015 23:44:29
Totally agree. Rooney gets slated for regular performances and doesn't get the benefit of the doubt that other players are granted. It was the first game of the season and he's already coming under criticism from fans when he didn't even play badly at all. People see what they want to see though especially when it comes to Rooney.

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08 Aug 2015 23:48:05
Well said sir well said. I'm a very rare poster but there is some abnormal animosity towards rooney on here. Definitely undeserved in my eyes

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09 Aug 2015 00:36:32
I think Rooney has been great for the club but he's not in the top 10 strikers in world football now and when a team plays one up front and wants to challenge they need a top striker. I think he has a part to play but would like a Lewandowski or benzema unfortunately I don't think those players are available right now.

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09 Aug 2015 00:52:22
Jaime - I can understand that, I'm personally unsure about whether he's up to it, ideally we need a big man with a good first touch, strong, quick and can finish.

Lewandowski, Benzema, etc. all play off the shoulder and in this system they wouldn't be effective.

If I could have a 3 man shortlist without restrictions it would be; Costa, Muller, Benteke. - all 3 were made for that role.

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09 Aug 2015 01:11:11
Moon, Costa looked threatening throughout the game, Rooney did little to nothing of note. I'm not saying Rooney is garbage and get rid, but comparing him and Costa today is comparing apples to oranges.

However, I will say that we need a top class striker to provide depth and competition. Rooney's touch and movement were poor last year and hasn't I'm proved through preseason/today. He needs to be pushed and we need cover, quality cover. If we look at all our winning teams under Fergie, we always had an abundance of talent at forwaed/striker. Even with only one striker in our system we still need a top second choice - one look at the number of games in August is sufficient evidence.

We should also be looking to bring in someone around 26 years old to replace Rooney jn the next year or so. Zlatan is phenomenal player but is too old and we will be left looking for strikers in two years time again. Lewandowski would be my choice.

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09 Aug 2015 02:01:29
That's because of the systems both teams play.

Stick Rooney in a side surrounded by Hazard, Fabregas, Willian & Oscar and he would look just as threatening.

I agree that perhaps Rooney may need to be replaced (if he cannot adjust) however Lewandowski would flop heavily in this system.

LVG said he wants his striker to have 12 touches per game, I'm assuming it's around 6 shots worth. No wonder Rooney isn't getting involved and imposing himself - He's not supposed too!

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09 Aug 2015 07:54:01
We got lucky with that own goal, Rooney should have hit that first time. Ed002 has said that we are/were trying to sign a striker this window, I suspect it was Mueller or Lewandowski, that would have meant Rooney dropping slightly deeper fighting it out with Mata. If we cannot bring in an adequate striker then we will have to make do with Rooney until we can sign a better leading striker. He's far from the best leading striker and we should have better at a club as big as ours, but there are also worse players out there.

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09 Aug 2015 08:25:07
Jm. I like rooney and he's been great for our team. However, he can't play the position he's been asked. And that's my annoyance. If lvg knew he was going to play this way, then he should've bought a striker who can fit. Round holes and square pegs!
I disagree on Lewandawaski. He will be the perfect fit for this roll. He can hold the ball. He is tall strong and quick. And he can finish much better than rooney.
Finally, 1st day of the season, sun shinning, packed OT and United create very little chances against a poor Spurs side. It was very underwhelming.

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09 Aug 2015 08:37:13
Again Costa is miles ahead of rooney. Watch when he gets the ball, he intimidates people, runs at defenders and takes them on. There is a gulf in talent between the two players.

No idea why you think lewandowski isn't suited for this system. Good finisher, can create his own chances and has very good hold up play. He is also a much better target man than Rooney. This makes even less sense when you say benteke, who is an inconsistent, injury prone, and sometimes lazy player would fit the system better.

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09 Aug 2015 09:41:33
I am one of those that expressed this opinion and it wasn't just because of one game.

Rooney for me is a workhorse and there's not a man with eyeballs and a brain that can dispute that, but as a goalscorer he can blow hot and cold and that is not something you want as a solo striker.

Add to this his discipline to stay forward lasted around 35mins then he became frustrated or got bored and started dropping deeper and deeper.

He hasn't got the legs to either chase down defenders in posession or leave them in his wake when we counter attack and that was evident yesterday as nearly every counter attack was pulled up with nobody splitting the defenders.

These are my views not intended to be negative just an honest assessment of how i see it.

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09 Aug 2015 10:48:37
Lewandowski is perfect for this formation.

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08 Aug 2015 23:12:51
The biggest observation from the game for me was that out of possession we were extremely well organised.

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08 Aug 2015 22:38:48
Today's performance wasn't as fluid as we could have hoped but it also wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and at the end of the day we got a good result against a team that could have caused us a lot more problems.

Thought some of the criticism on Rooney was pretty unfair today. While he should have scored the goal himself and could have looked a little bit sharper I thought his link up play was solid and overall his contribution was a good one. Other players may get some leniency for not quite being 100% match fit but it seems Rooney is constantly called into question.

Darmian was excellent today and showed how good of a defender he can be. Really pleased with his debut. Thought Smalling was also very composed and Shaw began to grow into the game as it went on. Romero looked a little shaky in the opening stages, as expected, but finished with a few good saves and a good debut overall.

I thought Mata was class even on the right side where he is clearly stifled. Memphis showed flashes of quality and good awareness at times to play the past. Although why he is playing centrally and Mata out wide still baffles me. Young was industrious but largely blunted.

Schneiderlin was solid and a good foil to Carrick who had a typically composed performance. I was a little nervous to see Carrick subbed with so much time left to play at 1-0. I know Schweinsteiger is tremendously experienced but he is not quite up to match speed and had a moment where he was caught on the ball. Equally fearful when Darmian was taken off for Valencia, whose positioning leaves something to be desired.

Overall a great result and an encouraging performance although not yet the finished article. Could definitely do with another centre back as there are plenty of reservations to be had about Blind playing back there.

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08 Aug 2015 23:01:45
Great summary

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08 Aug 2015 21:57:34
My view on today will get me destroyed on here fair enough but we were crap! Rooney was non existent, I hate depays arrogant lazy style, he expects the ball rather than doing something to get it and walks around like Ronaldo now(Ronaldo has earnt the right to walk). Darmain and shniederlin looked nervous and edgy and Carrick needs to sit back on his own, not with someone next to him or he is cancelled out! Blind is ok at cb when we have the ball but when he needs to defend his suspect! Romeros distribution was laughable and he is no where near good enough to start, even tho we were all sarcastically singing his name in the Stretford end!!! I thought mata, young, shaw and smalling were our best players today and even tho swienstieger looked like a world class player in terms of his presence, he clearly isn't going to win us games!

I know this won't have read very positive butif you were Watching the same game live as me today youl know what I'm talking about! 3 points is massive but we definitely didn't look like title contenders and we most definitely need a top class gk, cb and a striker! If lvg doesn't address this after that performance he is walking a thin line imo

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08 Aug 2015 22:32:35
I suppose the thing to take heart from is the fact that lvg did or has acknowledged, albeit in a more politically correct terminology, pretty much everything you have stated barring the obvious that don't apply. I mean at this point it's quite a given that hardly any manager is going to come out and criticize their team or players in any fashion which doesn't deal with sutble hints. In short, I agree, the performance was not the birthday present lvg would be hoping for or what I would if I was him. But after all said and done, mate, 3 points sounds almost as good as something that makes me wanna forget everything you or I wrote. Sometimes people underestimate how hard it is to win, let alone with this kinda refereeing lolll.

I am curious to know though, why you included mata n young in that list? Did I miss something?

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08 Aug 2015 22:35:39
Some people need to chill out. It's the first game of the season, 5 new players still to mould into the team. Spurs are not no roll over! What was you expecting? A 5-0 win? Not a chance in the premier league against a tough Spurs team. Chelsea also paid poorly today, no one is writing of there title chances. Judge the team in a month or twos time when the players have built a comfortable outlook in the team. So much negativity it's a joke.

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08 Aug 2015 22:36:41
You were definitely watching the same match, the only difference being you saw what you wanted to see so that you could moan later with full dedication.

Darmian just debuted for Man Utd infront of the big OT crowd and put in a man of the match performance. Even if someone finds something to criticize here, its unbelievable

Blind is holding the fort for Rojo who is not fit. He did a decent job.

Romero put some good saves in what was his first competitive game in a while.

LVG said Memphis was trying too hard, which sometimes doesn't work out, and its his first game after all. You find him lazy. Wow. Van Gaal must have been seeing another game then.

First game, everyone bound to be rusty.

LVG has said he wants two more players and the club must be trying to get the right players in. What more do you want? You think the club wants to sit back and lose games?
The club will sign who the coaching staff wants to sign, players who fit their vision and who are available realistically.

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08 Aug 2015 22:36:51
Peppgiggs couldn't agree with you anymore .
Top post .

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08 Aug 2015 22:47:31
I know I hate that lazy Depay too, if only we had kept Di Maria and his trojan work ethic.

In fairness though you're right in your overall assessment of what we will need to compete.

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08 Aug 2015 22:50:10
I think you watched a different game to me mate, I actually thought bar Rooney we were excellent, disciplined and organised.

May not have been exotic exciting football but it was a very well executed standard of football.

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08 Aug 2015 22:44:16
You clesrly had far to many pints then becuase you wasnt watching the same game as everyone else

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08 Aug 2015 23:04:09
Moon if you think a performance in which a football team had one (weak) shot on target is excellent then you have a very different view of football then me. But then again I'm into that exciting exotic brand of football in which teams create actual scoring chances.

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08 Aug 2015 23:10:01
And that's why we love football folks! We all see things our way! I wasn't meaning to be negative on the whole! Just thought it was a fair assessment of what I saw! I know it will improve, and we will relax more as a team but thought I'd share what I saw live and seen as it's day 1 of season how I th ought we stacked up! On a side note I thought atmosphere was unbelievable, especially when swienstieger started to warm up and ran towards us! Top class from us fans as usual

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08 Aug 2015 23:22:54
We got the 3 points it wasn't pretty we all know that, jeez some people on here could find a diamond and still moan that it isn't coal.

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08 Aug 2015 23:40:13
Agree with you pep apart from Darmain , I thought he was excellent

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08 Aug 2015 23:56:09
It wasn't the best performance, but it's what a expected it being the 1st game of the season against Spurs, i agree about Carrick, i was thinking the same he sould play a little deeper, but new players new system it won't come over night but i think were on the right lines.

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08 Aug 2015 23:59:33
He was OK, just took time to settle into game, he'l be a top player fir us this season that's for sure

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08 Aug 2015 21:28:58
Not posted for ages.I know we all have our opinions. Well here is mine agree don't agree. Thing is either way I won't loose any sleep. So here goes. DGH we all love him.I for one don't want to loose him. But I be dammed if we just let real walk all over us. He is under contract to us. So unless they agree to what we want then f. It the lad stays. Up to DGH he can sit on his arse or can knuckle down and be the goal keeper we know he is. Then move end of season. His choice. Keep the faith boys and girls

Believable6 Unbelievable3

08 Aug 2015 21:45:42
I totally agree! Under contract. simple as that.

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08 Aug 2015 22:51:56
Completely agree

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09 Aug 2015 08:30:28
Sell DDG now, sell Valdes now, sell Lindegaard now, replace DDG with Lloris, problem sorted.

Lloris > Romero > Johnstone.

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08 Aug 2015 21:16:07
My observations from today

Rooney cannot lead our line and I know this will divide opinion but he is not a clinical cf.

Carrick playing along schneiderlin cancels each other out

Memphis looked devoid of drive like a man in shackles apart from his solo effort late on

Mata took about 20 mins to get into gear with a few short passes but looked good after that, however the wing is not his most effective position

Darmians positional sense was great he saved us a few times

Schneiderlin had a solid performance

Blind played Kane onside all game but kane looked a class act despite not scoring

Youngs crossing was woeful, looks like he's been practising with tony v

Shaw was full of spring and had a decent day at the office

Schweiny came on and bossed it like a true captain, he was dictating everything, something which we do not get from rooney

Romeros distribution in the first half (despite the pass to smalling) was brilliant always looked to get the team moving as quick as possible, and some fine saves late on had me forgetting a certain spanish number 1 for a moment

Hererra was energetic, nothing more, he didn't really do much to stake his claim for Friday imo

Memphis and mata need to swap positions asap

WE NEED A STRIKER ASAP

Overall we looked a bit too cautious for the best part of the game, spurs looked the most likely to score and then did (in the wrong net). Rooneys discipline lasted all of 35mins then he was roaming again, and why he didn't take the opportunity first time speaks volumes about his ability to lead imo. There were some great individual displays but as a whole pretty average. But 3 pointa in the bag against a potentially tricky team is all that matters.

Roll on friday night

Believable6 Unbelievable1

08 Aug 2015 22:18:39
I agree with most, but I thought Carrick and Schneiderlin both played well. A few bad passes from MS, but his pressing was excellent. Carrick had a very good first half, a little quieter in the second. Schweinsteiger is a great addition in that we should now always have a composed center mid to dictate things in the middle.

I wouldn't be too hard on Memphis. I think LVG told him not to be too eager. He played Young in beautifully at one point. Herrera as well played fine. Coming on at that moment, the key thing was taking care of the ball, which he did.

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08 Aug 2015 22:52:26
Very similar to what I saw today whoatealldepays

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09 Aug 2015 08:37:27
Zidaniel

Yea mate i wasnt meaning to be hard on him i felt like he'd had instructions which shackled his display or maybe it was nerves (or both) every time he got the ball he found a channel to run into but didn't he was looking to pass instead. I think this is why he cam across as lazy too pep, he looked a little robotic but i have faith he'll loosen up soon :)

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09 Aug 2015 08:42:23
WhoAte. Totally agree with post. I think rooney needs competition up front. He will not bang in the goals for us but he will still be a very important player for us. Need a striker who can play in this system.
Also as I said few days back,depay is better out wide drifting in and mata will be better deployed where depay was playing.

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08 Aug 2015 20:36:39
I am happy with the result to be honest. We were good at the back until Valencia came on and got lost, that is with Blind at CB and a keeper who probably doesn't know who is infront of him. A clean sheet is a clean sheet and it can't be bettered.

Mid was good and did well most of the game, good competition in these areas will do the team a world of good and hopefully they will all get game time. This is what Rooney needs.

Attack was quite poor but Memphis is a spark that will get better and better. Mata is too slow for the wing but when he gets inside he looks like he can create something most of the time. Young was dominated by Walker but I won't write him out of the team just yet.

First game was lost last year so it is an improvement against a top 4 rival. Roll on to the next game a little bit fitter.

Believable4 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 22:20:22
I agree on Ashley Young. He looked quite frustrated by Walker today.

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08 Aug 2015 20:26:15
I think today's performance wasn't what we were all hoping for but what we were sort of expecting.

There were however plenty of positives to take from the game. Smalling, Shaw and Darmian in particular looked very solid in defence, one player away from a solid, title challenging defence.

In midfield, Schneiderlin was energetic and strong in the tackle. His physicality blended with a strong passing range will be great for us this season. Schweinsteiger showed glimpses of the great player we know, he needs to get fully match fit first though. A midfield 3 of one of Carras/Basti, Schneiderlin and Herrera as we all want would suit all best.

Thought Young played well, not great but a solid performance none the less. Memphis sparkled on occasion, Rooney wasn't on his wavelength when he showed his ingenuity. I love Mata, and he showed his class on occasion today but he's wasted outwide. Will be better for the team and Darmian to have a pacey right winger who can take people on.

Finally, Rooney, looked sluggish and unfit. Should have buried the goal and looked off the pace when we attacked. Needs to sharpen up quickly and get back that hunger that often separated him from other players.

Plenty to look forward to in the season ahead!

Believable3 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 19:21:28
Today's poor game has come too early to make serious judgements on. However, it probably confirmed what was obvious from last season. We desperately need a top class, experienced, CB. We also need a Striker, Rooney is not the player he was and needs to play off someone. He also needs to stay up front and not wander into midfield for no good purpose. Depay needs to replace A. Young on the left and we really do need to find a permanent place for Herrera.

Believable5 Unbelievable3

08 Aug 2015 18:44:49
Today's performance picked up where we left off last season. Generally devoid of creating chances but grabbing a goal from a bit of luck.

However there were some bright glimpses, the build up where Spurs couldn't touch the ball right before Memphis' shot springs to mind. Also I think we were pretty solid defensively today, shout out to Mike Smalling who defended solidly against a lethargic looking Spurs.

Hoping we shift Memphis onto the wing and play a more traditional 433 with one pivot next week though. Free Ander. Peace.

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08 Aug 2015 18:20:56
If people are generally happy with today's performance then that shows how much we've dropped as a club . Today's performance was average at best . Yes got three points but please come on . Attacking wise look clueless no pace no creativity very average. Defensively yes first game but Spurs should of been two up before we scored and had better chances than what we did first and second halve . Mata never been a winger Young is one trick pony please come on this is meant to one of the biggest n best clubs in the world and people are happy with mediocre performances like this . Rooney not an out n out striker list upfront by himself . For us to be home team I thought it was a lack lustre display with no attractive football at all. Yes there were few positives in our new signings n midfield looks stronger but I don't like Lvg system and players he's playing on positions. Get a striker cb and winger in straight away . Put depay on right wing Pedro left with rooney and new striker upfront . At the moment we won't see best of rooney and we won't break a lot of teams down because we play at such a slow tempo were easy to play against . Yes three points but please don't say your happy with that performance .

Believable5 Unbelievable4

08 Aug 2015 18:29:41
Think most people are saying they are happy with the 3 points, not so much the performance, the team that started today has barely played together yet, people expect too much too soon i am sure it will get better the more they play together.

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08 Aug 2015 18:50:02
Yes we need time to gel fair point so why on earth has lvg let this saga with de gea n di Maria go on for so long. Get rid for fair price n be done with in long run its hampering our progression for this season . Yes we need time to gel so why on earth have we not signed winger keeper striker n cb yet ! Yes I don't expect it to be that easy but that's going to be another excuse come September player just signed settling in need time to gel . This should all of been sorted PRE SEASON we've had plenty of time . Surely lvg must see what squad we've got and think this is not good enough to compete . We have Herrea Fellaini januzzi all vying for one place . And he plays depay in that postion and mata out wide who has no pace . Lvg got a good record but for me serious questions need to be asked .

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08 Aug 2015 19:01:48
"why on earth has lvg let this saga with de gea n di Maria go on for so long. Get rid for fair price n be done with in long run its hampering our progression for this season"

To get the god damn fair price

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08 Aug 2015 20:06:09
But we didn't get a fair price for Di Maria and DDG will go for £15 million so it's achieved nothing but ill prepared the squad.

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08 Aug 2015 20:14:37
After adm's performance and attitude last year, we got fair price. I don't know which little birdy told you the ddg fee.

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08 Aug 2015 20:46:04
Fine then quibble over a few million for adm n de gea but realize in your head they don't want to be at the club don't want to play for the club so get your arse into gear and prepare for life without them and bring in replacements straight away . Why let adm saga drag on for so long knowing he's going to go at some point and not bring in a replacement before he goes de gea the same . Same for Falcao Rvp bring in replacements first and then get rid of some players .

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08 Aug 2015 21:01:33
@Torqs and that is after i offered to run down to tesco and get the necessary ingredients, oh i mean players. i think they had a crazy clearence sale on a few wingers and we all know about that famous "buy one get one CB free offer" . and you know what, to add to that LVG didn't even give me his phone for a second to download amazon app and have one of those drones deliver a 30 goal striker at the door steps of carrigton ( ARGHH aon training complex ), heck with the trees cut down i bet those contraptions can even drop em in the middle of a set piece routine. lolll. all kidding aside, i am as baffled as you are about players being played outta their positions in hopes of proving something to someone somewhere in this somewhat beautiful world.

@ Jamie and imightbesomeone (you definitely are mate) : i can't say much because something tells me we define fair very differently. i don't even think i am equipped enough to define fair in the context of football and transfers.

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08 Aug 2015 21:09:09
I'm not as worried as the rest of ye, we generally splutter through the first half of the season and a first game is no indication of how a season will unfold, David Moyes' first game, United put 4 goals past Swansea. 3 points is the most important thing at this stage, there's a long season ahead.

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08 Aug 2015 21:30:38
Raconteur . Are you seriously telling me that out of all the cbs there are that lvg can't get one of them to improve on evans and Jones because there's plenty out there yes they may come at a price but who doesn't . Lvg has had a whole season watching smalling Jones McNair blackett evans mess up in games so it's not just this transfer window he's had to bring in a cb this should of been scouted last season with short list of several cb. To tell me he couldn't bring one in now is a joke. To me he's either a) sticking with cb we got or b) putting egg all in one basket and trying to get a Ramos which is dangerous because if doesn't come off can kiss goodbye to any silverware this year . Spending millions last season this season and yet positions we do need not been addressing them . Every great team has a great spine to their team . as stand the season has started we don't have a settled keeper don't have a solid cb( although smalling did well today ) midfield ok is sorted but then don't have an out n out striker . For amount we've spent this season and last season we should be in better postion than this now .

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08 Aug 2015 21:33:36
@torqs
"a few millions". Yes,millions.I'm glad you're not the one taking care of our transfers.

@raconteur
Its all subjective mate. But just because we overpaid for him doesn't mean another team would too.

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08 Aug 2015 22:13:48
@Torqs: I won't get into the whole money debate mate because i frankly i know just about squat about the financial dealings and i care even less especially as the product at the end of the day is human beings . i say trade all these spoiled brats for peanuts and put them in boarding school hostels and then we'll see how long it takes to acclimatise to friggin Manchester of all places ( i am not keeping count but only a few billion have moved to that part of the world to earn a living actually doing hard labour) .

Now for the whole scouting thing and identifying and putting all eggs in one basket, surely some part of you is in concurrence with me when i say that between LVG, his own staff, Giggsy, eddie, Sir Bobby, SAF and the glazers and all those other scouts and directors at least one would have knocked on LVG's door and said " Process or no process, you need 2 defenders" ( not every one is as eloquent as you sir ). You got to take it easy pal, i am equally frustrated, what with ramos and otamendi being linked. I can Promise you that there are targets upon targets but sometimes things take a bit too long to unravel and that's a great pleasure or pain of life depending on your vantage point that is.

P.s don't you think from his demeanour, or atleast that's how he tries to manifest himself, that he comes across as a bit of a thinker with a meticulous eye for details, i can only imagine how long and thoroughly would he want to study a player before he actully green lights anything.

@imightbesomeone: Yeah, but that's the thing, "overpaying for someone" is a subjective thought as well. i mean i m sure di maria's mom would disagree with you lolll. but i get what you mean too. i just really don't feel comfortable talking about price tags for people you know lol. let's just say that's one aspect of this sport that i am not especially curious about". I like simple things in life you know. All i want is for Man Utd to play beautiful attacking football and just win a few more euro cups and titles in the next 3 or 5 years. :)

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08 Aug 2015 17:30:21
Job done today, main thing was to win the opening game and that we did, think the lack of pre season games showed today with players going down with cramp and some of the play in the final third breaking down.

All in all a good start and i am sure it will get better and better, great debuts from Darmian, Schneiderlin, Memphis and Schweinsteiger.

Also well done to Romero, had a good first game, looked a bit nervous at first which is to be expected but did well, needs to sort his distribution out tho but that will come.

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08 Aug 2015 17:40:06
I thought we looked undercooked. Hopefully we will get fitter, get to know each other, and add in a couple more.

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08 Aug 2015 18:01:18
I would have loved everything to click in place today but we needed the win and a better start than last season, agree AJH hopefully we will get fitter and get to know each other better, still need that CB and striker though.

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08 Aug 2015 17:25:04
Hi first time poster go easy on me. I would like to share my thoughts on players I watched closely in today's game.

Rooney.

Too many touches on ball, needs to simplify his game as a striker and let the midfield do its job. Too many times he slowed the game down and allows the opposition back 4 time to regroup, (without walkers assistance we may not have taken 3 points today). I have no doubt that if fit he will score 30 goals a season, if scoring is his focus and gains some trust in the rest of the team.

Memphis.

Showing signs of a world class player you can see the player he wants to be and if he was playing in position he'll fulfil his potential. I'd like to see him play with Hernandez.

Darmian (future star)

He played very well on his debut and you could see how much impact he had on the game when Valencia come on for him, our back 4 was under constant pressure. I'm very pleased with him and IMO he will be the best signing in the premier league this season.

Romero.

Had a good game considering the circumstances I believe that LVG only dropped DDG today to show Madrid that we won't struggle without him, so they cough up a fair price for whom I consider the #1 goalkeeper in the world.

And finally, Bastian.

He got the whole crowd pumping today, the game changed and I think he will play a lot more than people think. He doesn't need the captain's armband to show he's a leader and he proved that today on the pitch. Bastian will gel the team together and we will win silverware with him no doubt about it.

GGMU

Believable5 Unbelievable2

08 Aug 2015 18:05:38
Agree totally, Rooney needs someone creating more chances for him, but LVG has said we need that type of player so fingers crossed. Also thought our defence did well all in all. Schneiderlin was my MOTM, thought he did everything well.

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08 Aug 2015 18:37:51
I think that plenty of opportunities will fall for Wayne if he stays upfront as the furthest player. It’s like we play in front of a wall and try to smash it down rather than work around it. Chances are falling short because when he receives the ball he has 3 men to beat, then the chance has gone. Hopefully it will all fall into place soon.

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08 Aug 2015 17:24:24
Todays Positives
The Fullbacks lookes energetic and solid
Smalling was solid
Carrick and Schneiderlin were good together
Depay looked good if a little wasted in the centre Rooney seemed energetic
Negatives
Romero looked rusty
Blind seems small and weak for centre back
Herrera not starting
Mata been played out of position

Believable4 Unbelievable3

08 Aug 2015 20:59:47
Romero looked rusty? Did you miss the last 10mins?

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08 Aug 2015 16:44:29
Nice to hear LVG praising Darmian and recognising he was the best player. Critical and praising of Romero in equal measures. Didn't realise he was 64 today an hasn't lost his sense of humour.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 17:06:53
Damian is a good player and I don't understand who is keeping Herrerra out from the team. You need one midfielder to constantly press high up the pitch.

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08 Aug 2015 17:15:18
The issue is LVG wants to play Depay up front. This leaves only 2 CM spots so Sneiderlin kept him out today. The only way Hererra gets a game is if Mata (or Young) is dropped and Depay moves out wide.

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08 Aug 2015 17:19:12
Today showed if we bought Pedro and Otamendi or a defender of his like we would have a very good team

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08 Aug 2015 17:33:26
anyone else think that depay is being played centrally to compensate for a certain someone's lack of pace and drive?

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08 Aug 2015 17:52:19
AJH

I don't watch a lot of UTD game and no disrespect mate. But Mata is not a wide player and one reason Moyes got the sack. He is a No.10 and if you don't have a space for him then he like every player should be on the bench.
Ozil is not a wide player either and plays in the middle at Chelsea just like Countinho and Oscar.

Cheers guys

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08 Aug 2015 17:59:16
Play Memphis left, Pedro right, Mata as #10 behind I suppose Rooney, still looks as tho Herrera is the odd man out.

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08 Aug 2015 16:42:47
Delighted to get the 3 points today.

I Was impressed with smalling and romero today. Also herrera should be a shoe in for the starting eleven plus I am not sure about memphis playing centrally aswell as blind playing CB.

Rooney looked very slow today but I hope he improves once He gets into his stride

Believable1 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 17:30:16
This is how Rooney performed throughout pre-season and the end of last season. Typical Rooney performance for me - 5/6 out of 10. Young and Mata offered very little today as well.

Defence looked good on the whole. Attacking is where our problems are, as it was last season. We don't create, have players out of position and have too few numbers attacking when we do break. Boring performances are what we are going to have to get used to.

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08 Aug 2015 18:02:14
Everything is always negative with you. Young had a decent game he worked very very hard down the left.

It was the first game of the season against arguably one of the teams that are supposedly going to be challenging for the top 4-6 spots.

If we can play like that and bar a 5 minute spell look very comfortable after 3-4 warm up games it won't be long before we hit top gear.

Also as a side note I thought all the debutaunts done very well.
Schweinsteiger was like a conductor when he came telling everyone where to pass the ball. Looks a real leader

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08 Aug 2015 21:20:22
I think there's a couple of signings still to come.

Currently I don't feel we have enough upfront but I don't think we are a million miles away.

The correct formation and the best players used in their best positions along with a player or two then we should have a very good season.

Nice to see swansea have a real good go of chelsea today and I thought they battered them

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08 Aug 2015 16:41:57
Everyone talks about our defence, but I felt during the game we never looked a real threat going forward? Ok, Memphis needs to get used to the prem but Rooney imho considering he's now our new out and out striker kept AGAIN as he always does drops back? We NEED A NEW STRIKER before the window ends!

Believable6 Unbelievable2

08 Aug 2015 16:58:38
I didn't know Rooney was playing Ronnie ha.

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08 Aug 2015 17:14:22
Who's Rooney? Nah, joking, I didn't think he played too bad tbh. Wasn't much created for him in fairness.

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08 Aug 2015 16:09:52
Tough game as i expected and happy we bagged the points. Darmian is proper player and very impressed as i never saw any of the pre season games. I thick depay needs to play left wing or right wing as centrally his pace gets nullified and it is very tough place to play for a young guy like him.

I still believe we need another winger and can see pedro playing there.

Smallling was very good and who know by the end of this season he might be considered something special with a proper midfield in front of him. Carrick is class and hope he can stay healthy.

Believable5 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 16:39:08
I agree entirely.

I think we looked quite solid today. I think we will be a lot better defensively this season because the CM is so strong now.

Having a player of Darmian's quality at RB really shows what we have been missing. It wasn't no coincidence that Spurs got more joy when he came off.

I think if we can add some more quality to the attack and play with three forwards - Depay playing down the left side; Rooney central, and a new right sided attacking player - we will be a right handful, especially with the full back over-lapping at every opportunity.

All in all I am quite hopeful about this season.

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08 Aug 2015 16:43:27
Feel like a dog chasing his tail. Round and round and never getting anywhere!! I've been shouting my disgust at central Depay 4 aaaaaages! !!
NO ONE listening lol!!!
Would have been interesting to see how he got on against a well playing Walker!! (Og aside, he fone really well)

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08 Aug 2015 16:08:15
Weekly thingy yes or no?

So I thought i’d do this weekly column thingy on this site, which immediately brings to my mind, two things. One, giving credit where its due in the case of the site and the eds ( Hey you guys, seriously big fan of all aya) its truly well deserved. Thank you so very much for keeping this site so awesome for so long (long may it continue)

The 2nd thing that popped into me mind was, introductions are in order, after all, i know most of the posters and contributors here for the past few years now and have enjoyed it thoroughly and now hoping to reciprocate. i am living in Malaysia and am a Manchester united fan so much that i can’t help it…

08/08/2015
Now the 2015 version of Manchester untied looked a bit, oh how do i put it, tiresome in its first showing. I don’t think that its a sign of things to come this season as there is far too much quality lurking at good Old Trafford. So I m not going to try to put my thoughts across and then try and preempt any responses by justifying my opinions by pointing to minuscule incidents which, in the grand scheme of things, are… well, minuscule :)

I am however going to just quickly shed a little bit a light on a few thoughts currently residing in my mind…

LVG: I was glad we got him. I am of the opinion that the job was too big mr. moyes ( now that should help with the matter of ‘which group my allegiances lie with’. And at the end of last season we finished with a bit of a flourish which reinstates my faith in him. A few things of his that i do not admire however are quite strange traits to be had by a truly experienced and successful manager (oops sorry, “coach”) how he always reveals his plans way ahead of the match, (Sir Alex treated that as a cardinal sin so perhaps that's why it bothers me. I m not one of those ooh pep this, ooh mourinho that… SAF is the BOSS). Then there’s the matter of him not standing in the technical area and everyone has said almost everything about it so what am i to say…

The thing that does annoy me is his neck for playing players out of their preferred positions ( i know SAF was a guilty of it a few times too, but this guy does it like he is losing a race or something), and its worse because you have had three transfer windows now ( well 2 and a half …. and there’s my first and final tribute to the famous sitcom that is coming to end after 12 glorious years; Tiger blood) and you still want to convert depay into a no. 10.?!?!? Here’s a genius idea, let's get our most pacey guy and shove him in the middle where he can’t get no space… And this doesn’t help the team one bit, atleast not in that match. From all that i have read about that guy, he loves intricate attacking play and i am aching for my team to play like the ajax of the 90’s which is what got me excited in the first place. Now i know, i know it takes time and that's why i am still hopeful that this beautiful football with trophies as a consequence is coming soon to a seat near you in Old Trafford ( and i am talking to the home crowd, you .01% of smart asses out there) as i refuse to believe that someone who has publicly and repeatedly professed his love for the passing game won’t be too pleased with what we have achieved so far, unless, all he knows for real is what to say, when in trouble???

Mata: Gots to go. Don’t like him. know about 20 spanish players better than him. If LVG doesn’t see him as a good enough 10 than no point playing him in the wings or wide because spinning with the ball ain't going to get you anywhere despite the brilliance of your touch. Hopefully with Pedro’s arrival, we can finally see mata in the middle for a few game and decide once and for all, if he is any good for us ( not really interested in what he has done for chelsea or valencia or what anyone else has done in their past for that mata ( i had to make the pun, that's the kind a humour i am peddling :$ and yes i went double parenthesis, in fact i ma go triple parenthesis( Boo yah!) ) :D)

New Signings: AWESOME. We got ( oh crap now i got to google his spellings) friggin schweinsteiger from munich… And he looked a class above with that silver streak on the side of his head… This is is the stuff of legends… ( i don’t subscribe to the 'oh he is past it’ debate… regardless of how much footballing he has left in him. its akin to getting giggs from us, even at age 35… These are just things, i am sure at least one or two of ya will agree, that just seem like they are never going to happen, especially these past few moons have been a bit tough so this kinda news mixed with depay’s new haircut (bye bye wolverine) Darmian’s swagger and schneiderlin's ( lol googled to spell check, but turns out i already know his spelling ) tackles and suddenly life seems beautiful again…

Now get me a CB won’t you please eddie. i’ll ask blind to cover for shaw…

di maria: Good riddance. said no to SAF once before. should never have gotten him (although like all of you i was excited about him too but hey, that's life). Seems like an alright guy though with a family, and hey if he is actually moving to please his wifey then good on him…

De Gea: don’t want him to go. But romero looks like he’ll give Johnstone ( a bit Neuer-ish, Talent and a half) a tough battle to be Loris's deputy… :)

Parting thoughts: More Herrera & Perreira (didn google this one) Please!!!!

Believable2 Unbelievable5

08 Aug 2015 16:45:11
I'm sorry but mata is our best player and should be in at 10 with the team built around him.

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08 Aug 2015 16:46:35
Are you by any chance American?

Not sure what you mean by a weekly thingy. You are as free as anyone to post your thoughts, daily or weekly, whichever floats your boat

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08 Aug 2015 16:41:54
Ask about the possibility about writing for the FNV page, ED001?

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{Ed001's Note - he would be very welcome if he wishes to do so.}

08 Aug 2015 17:09:08
@Ryan12: Hey man you don't have to be sorry about mata :P. Let me tell you something, i genuinely think you maybe right, i actually hope you are. i like him as a guy.

@AJH: No. I am not American *was totally expecting this question B-)*.
SO wait a minute, i can do whatever pleases me????!??!? are you sure about that? are you messing with me??

@Jose Moonrinho ( hahaha clever ). I'll take that as a compliment and i respond in gracious thanks. I'll definitely check with the eds.

@ed001: i am not sure if u read the post but i take your offer as an even bigger compliment because i'm just such a big fan :)

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{Ed001's Note - I will get Ed033 to email you the details then mate.}

08 Aug 2015 18:01:55
@ryan12: don't be sorry about someone else ever bro!!! i jest of course. But lemme tell ya something, i think you maybe right, which is so infuriating to me because that makes me think about reasons why he may not be playing in his ideal position ( or as LVG would say 'Poshishun' ) and i can't think of any besides LVG's ego or some unfounded obligation to the world of football to prove that mata can't play in the wings and not till he has heard from the very last soul on earth will he do anything about it, it would seem i am afraid to say brotha.

@AJH Dude i have read so many of your posts so THIS is kinda cool. Now. hold the phone!!! dju mean to say i can do whatever i chose to, do!!! Is this even legal you, Outlaw, you hahaha. And no I am not an american.

@Jose Moonrinho (hahaha clever): I take that as a compliment ma man and respond with a gracious thank you.

@Ed001: I don't know if you actually read my whole post ( i know it was long, I am sure they'll get shorter) but if you did, that's an even bigger compliment because i am just such a fan. i'll write anywhere you folks want me ta. i'llll wwrrite on the walls for ya lolll

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{Ed001's Note - I was too busy blushing to reply to that bit. I am just saving it to show the missus.....}

08 Aug 2015 18:03:16
Oh crud!!! i thought my earlier post didn't go through. urghhh. ok things are bout to get weird.

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08 Aug 2015 18:05:27
Sure thanks Ed.

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{Ed001's Note - no thank you mate, always on the look out for good quality writers.}

08 Aug 2015 20:42:43
Hahahaha. you and kyle walker sure made my day. ( i have a few theories on what rooney was thinking while prepping for the shot, the most logical one of those is that, that ( couldn't think of another word :S . oops maybe i shouldn't be telling you about my mental block. darn it there goes my writing career :D, and yes!! double parenthesis again because we're level on points with the top of the table team so i figure today we live a little) was the exact moment he realized that maybe he overpaid for his hairjob or maybe that wasnt an old prosi but a poor ol helpless ol lady he was trying to help, but he smoked so many dunhill lights that day that he thought ferdinand was naomi campbell and he actually propositioned him.

Thank you very much for the kind words mate. And i am totally not going to check my email a hundred times in the near future, and even if i do, i want you to know that i do that all the time, so no pressure lolll . ok i am getting outta hand. back to footie.

Peace

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{Ed001's Note - double paranthesis and lol in one post, now that is worrying.....

Ed033 should send you the details fairly quickly via the email address you used on sign up, he might have even done it by now for all I know. It is just creating a specific page just for you to use, so it signs off with your name and you can get full credit for what you write that way. If it does work out for you and you end up going for a job as a writer, you can then use the articles for your CV.}

09 Aug 2015 08:50:41
Hahahaha. i worry myself sometimes.

Thats great. i haven't received anything from you folks ( although i did have a bit of a meltdown thinking i may have deleted the email, but gmail takes good care of what's important so ). I'll definitely give it a whirl.

At the risk of sounding a little girl caught up in emotions, i must say, at best i was hoping for was a few regulars either ripping me apart or agreeing with what i wrote in their own way which, in reality, actually seems like they are disagreeing. I was most nervous about what or if eds would say anything, so this a huge thing for me is all i wanna say. i think i got to stop selling my self short eh.

Thanks a tonne you guys!!

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08 Aug 2015 15:52:56
Keep in mind we had not had much games, new players still settling and we normally build into the season,

All the new lads did well with obviously darmain the stand out!

Smalling might prove a few wrong on here this season!!

We are lacking up top !

Sure everything will be fine by the time transfer window closes :) !

Believable4 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 16:11:03
One shot on target shows where our problems lie. Needs to be addressed before the window shuts.

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08 Aug 2015 16:47:40
Rooney was outstanding, his energy and selfless running was incredible. He was so mobile and was every where, I'm surprised he didn't get a hat trick

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08 Aug 2015 18:42:52
I was being sarcastic yet 3 people aged with me. I thought Roney looked liked an unfit lump

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08 Aug 2015 15:45:47
Spurs played more pre-season matches than us i think. We should have played one or two more pre-season matches. But i am puzzled how spurs have that much possession, ours 485 passes to theirs 481.I am happy with the result though.

Believable0 Unbelievable1

08 Aug 2015 15:38:20
Just because a player CAN play in other positions, doesn't mean he has to. For every player whose position change worked successfully(schweinsteiger, henry), there are so many more who are not able to cope and are forgotten(kagawa, Anderson).

Believable5 Unbelievable2

08 Aug 2015 16:49:16
You clearly don't understand the process or the philosophy

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08 Aug 2015 15:32:16
I hope it's not all hanging on at the end of games my heart won't survive. Can't understand why the movement up top is so poor, surely Memphis and Mata and Rooney should be inter changing all the time to draw out defenders and creative space, otherwise Rooney is man marked, he gets frustrated and will get booked regularily. We could even play the false no.9 with options now. Is lvg too rigid ??

Believable0 Unbelievable0

08 Aug 2015 15:14:44
Few points from our game
Must start with Darmian . This fella gave a world class performance today as a Right Back . Defended every piece of ball and bombed forward whenever needed. Mata surely got lots of options to choose when Darmian was playing which we hardly could see with Valencia. His position was outstanding, good interception, good aerial power, pace to fight back anything and most importantly height and strength to bully the attacker instead. He gave a world class performance today and i reckon in two years time he will be called a world class player.
Smalling was another to impress. I am surely worried about our defense but only one CB addition can solve many of our defensive problems. A new world class CB alongside Smalling, Darmian and Shaw would be exciting. Smalling had many hugely important interceptions today and bullied Kane in most of the time they got one on one. He cleared the ball very well, won almost every aerial duel, surely was coordinating the defense and was trying to pass the ball forward which we don't have much players at defense line. TBH last season Smalling developed well but if he continues it this season, he may be the perfect soluition for our RCB position.
Going into the game, must say we were really sluggish. Spurs who just played two days ago were better side for much portion of the game. There was very less space for players to do anything special. May be most of the players were nervous due to it happening to be the first game of our season and pressure of winning it considering our last two seasons. I just hope we will perform well as time drifts on.
Depay is a kind of player who needs space to run to show his ability. The no. 10 role obstruct it. can't also complain for not playing him at LW as Ashley Young has done no wrong to warrant him dropped. Memphis is considered a real pacey player but i failed to see his sprinting ability today. He did show some piece of skills today which showed his ability. With time, I can see him flourishing as he has a real hunger to do something and become a legend. You could see when he was subbed, he was unhappy not because he was subbed but because he couldn't do well which he wanted to do.
Schneiderlin played well except some sloppy moments and Schweinsteiger added new dimension to the game after he came in. He certainly was sluggish at some moments but he did had an acute eye for a forward pass . He just passed forward and gets himself into the position where he can score. Since Scholes era, we really missed player like that. Shaw was looking fit and was good, not better though. Young could have scored but he did play well from the left wing. As usual Carrick brought some calming influence in the ball. Herrera had not much time to do much thing but surely did well . Mata did play well too. HE has small body but was good enough to not get bullied. He also tried to produce something with his good passes which unfortunately didn't turn well. I really like Mata and would hate to see him sold which i think won't happen. Romero had clumpsy moments on first half especially when he had ball in his feet but it changed on second half. He also did produce some class saves to keep us ahead. With two years and playing very less games in that time, although he did play in world cup and copa, he was playing like regular. I can see him improving. He is not as good as De Gea but I think we can manage with Romero as a Goalie this season if it means we will get a world Class CB rather than DDG's another replacement.I was pretty much dissapointed on Rooney when he couldn't score the goal. Walker did score goal for us but Rooney should have put it into the net long before Walker scenario.
Overall, happy with the 3 points but not with the performance. I think the performance will improve with time but we surely need a World class CB and a World Class winger

Believable2 Unbelievable1

08 Aug 2015 15:20:11
Liverpool fan in absolute peace

Depay should play on the flanks to take on his man and Mata centrally or drop Mata and play Herrerra in a 3 men midfield. Mata doesn't cut out wide just like Oscar or any ACM.

Your midfield couldn't keep pace with Spurs through out.

Cheers

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08 Aug 2015 16:16:01
phil

Sorry man, Just thought to give my honest view on the match.

Cheers

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08 Aug 2015 16:49:48
Chill Phil, he was spot on

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08 Aug 2015 17:48:27
Phil , this site isn't just for us united fans. His views are pretty bang on. Get a grip

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08 Aug 2015 15:11:43
3 points better off than last season . I sense a new fans favourite in Darmian, very assured and seemed to take everything in his stride.

Carrick made some lovely interceptions, makes it look effortless- a small thing but Shaw played 90 mins - a good sign glad he's worked hard pre season. Smalling looked assured one great tackle .

Some obviously more rusty than others as to be expected, but we did look a bit toothless up front, 60 odd minutes before we had a shot on target tells its own story about creativity - Mata is not a winger, Memphis showed nice touches and we shouldn't expect a ronaldo type debut -

None of us know how sharp players have been in training but would have liked to have seen Herrera on from the start .

Blind and Romero hard to call, can certainly expect tougher tests than this not sure what to expect. Kudos to Blind, not a CB but did his best, probably hoping himself that its a short lived experiment .

Believable2 Unbelievable2

08 Aug 2015 15:00:47
Romero - good shot stopper, distribution poor but early days to judge.
Darmian - excellent, great buy.
Smalling - excellent reading of the game, MOTM
Blind - steady
Shaw - good performance after a rusty start.
Mata - in and out, nice touches but he's out of position.
Carrick - steady
Schniederlin - steady
Young - one touch too many but looked lively
Memphis - can see the potential, dangerous at times, looked unhappy at going off.
Rooney - inaffective, touch deserts him, steady but little service.
Valencia - seemed we was nervous after he came on
Herrera - instantly looked better with him on
Bastian - great leadership

All in all nervy start, looked solid defensively after that and when we play freely with speed look dangerous but still seem inhibited somewhat. Need that pace up top a la Pedro and a commanding partner for smalling. Need to upgrade on Rooney but hoping when we gel we will improve. I think we are looking at a more solid if unspectacular United this season who are going to work hard for results, kinda like Chelsea tbh.

Believable1 Unbelievable4

08 Aug 2015 15:23:38
Glad for the 3 points, and a few excellent performances, esp. Darmian and Smalling. Romero came up big when it mattered late on. Schneiderlin had a lousy passes first half, but he brings so much to the midfield with his pressing and interceptions. Others had very steady games: Carrick, Shaw, and Schweinsteiger apart from his yellow.

My concerns: we offered no threat at all from the wings. Young was quite frustrated by Walker all day, and Mata is too slow to beat his man. They are good professionals though, and made key defensive plays in the second half. But we need the threat of a dribbler on both flanks. Even Memphis looked rather conservative on the ball. But a good start for him, he looked unfazed by the occasion, opening day at Old Trafford against a decent opponent.

Secondly, getting the balance right. I would love to see Herrera start, we know what he offers. But LVG seems to have a new flavor this year in his tactics, with only 2 center mids and Depay up front with Rooney. Most of us would prefer the 4-3-3. To be fair, Rooney does seem to need a partner near by to play off of. He is not big enough to hold the ball up on his own. I have a feeling this question may drag on for a while for us supporters. The formation itself is not a bad one, only that LVG is leaving out Herrera, one of our best players.

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08 Aug 2015 15:30:05
Have to say Smalling looked like a proper defender .

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08 Aug 2015 15:32:09
We also need a striker. If we don't sign a striker we will struggle massively this year. Rone is not enough on his own and won't reach our target if he is the only striker .

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08 Aug 2015 14:50:59
What we learnt today.
Didn't think any side deserved a win hard game with both sides looking like it was the first game of the season.
In Darmian it looks like with have signed a proper defender strong quick and steady.
Shaw looked fit and back to level that made us spend £30 million on him.
Schneiderlin all over the pitch pressurising and breaking play up again just what we needed.
For all those pundits writing Bastian off, don't think I've ever seen a player coach other players during the game natural leader when fully fit has to be first name on the team sheet for me.
Neither Mata or Memphis looked happy or natural in their positions for me they need to be switched. Like I've said Mata too weak and small on they wing but great at finding those holes in the middle of the pitch. I think Memphis likes to be on the move with the ball and would see more of it out wide and could really stretch the defence.
Smalling actually surprised me think he had a good game but still think we need a senior ball playing organiser in there with him.
blind did ok but not relly put under much pressure would struggle against a quicker striker, don't even want to imagine what Aguerro would do to him in there.
Romero did everything asked of him, for someone who has hardly played since last January didn't look ring rusty at all.
Rooney worked hard but didn't get a great deal of service the fact that we had one shot at goal suggests we will have to get at least one creative player in hope we sign Pedro but we will need more in front of goal to challenge for me.
3 points in the bag a lot of positives but some of the same negatives as last season let's hope Ed gets some action before September 1st.

Believable2 Unbelievable2

08 Aug 2015 16:04:55
For once a pretty fair summary Jaime.

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08 Aug 2015 16:37:37
I'll try to throw one in every few weeks

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08 Aug 2015 17:52:50
Hahaha nice one I will keep an eye out 😁

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08 Aug 2015 19:11:43
Love it jamie. Fair assessment imo. A much better read with good points well made. You sounded like a Manchester United supporter for the first time in ages

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08 Aug 2015 14:50:40
Well we got the win which surely will give us motivation to carry on going strength to strength. Credit to smelling who I think was fantastic and got us out some difficult situations. We can see where the problems lie though. We created like no chances and reliefs on an own goal to win which clearly shows we need a quick forward. I was scared when AV came on and straight away we nearly conceded due to his poor ppsitioning but thankfully big Chris was there. Shaw and darmian look fantastic and did well. We need a cb strongly. Although we got a clean sheet, Spurs really didn't test blind. Against another team we'd be punished. Also Sergio Romero looks like he's been here for years. Calmly played. Let's hope we can continue moving up!

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08 Aug 2015 15:48:15
I love typos, smelling lol. Reminds me of inspector Clouseau, 'is this your minkey?' Romero made some good stops but the dilly dallying on the ball was concerning.

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08 Aug 2015 16:30:40
Lol seeing typos after sanding is so frustrating D:

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08 Aug 2015 14:43:00
Top of the table. Long it may continue.

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08 Aug 2015 14:41:26
Satisfactory result. First game of the season, plenty of players still rusty looking for match fitness. Personally prefer Hererra on from the start. Positives I thought Darmain looked very solid, depay showed potential. Negatives, I still think we're toothless in attack. 1 shot on target at old Trafford is not good enough.

Conclusion - happy with the result and the 3 points, still feel we need a gk, CB and a forward. Rooney isn't prolific enough to be our number 9 IMO

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{Ed004's Note - We need to improve on Blind and Rooney IMO. We won't challenge if we don't unfortunately}

08 Aug 2015 14:55:02
Exactly. We share the same view. Thought Darmain was solid, and it was only when he came off for Valencia that they started troubling us down that side. Just goes to show for all his effort, Valencia isn't a full back. It cost us time and time again last year. Darmain needs to be in permanently

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08 Aug 2015 14:41:20
Not the greatest of performances but a wins a win.

Standout performers for me where smalling and darmian.

Valencia proved he isn't a rb got caught a few times.

Defensively sound for most the game that was partly down to a hard working midfield (schneiderlin)

But very happy 3pts on the board

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08 Aug 2015 14:40:43
Hey Ed or anyone.
Can anyone explain the the decision of subs??? Specially darmian to Valencia??
I felt so dodgy defending that one goal lead specially when Valencia came on.

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{Ed004's Note - Commentator was saying that Darmian was stretching a lot before he came of, looking like he was cramping, if true I can understand why he was subbed off}

08 Aug 2015 15:01:32
he definitely cramped up after he hit a cross. he took a while to get back up. is it warm in the uk today? the weather was looking decent.

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08 Aug 2015 15:49:08
Yes, it's very warm and sunny

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08 Aug 2015 16:35:11
Not in all of the UK, I can assure you.

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08 Aug 2015 17:31:26
Stevie, when is it ever warm over here in God's country ;)

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08 Aug 2015 14:38:42
3 points better off than at this point last season, bring on the title!

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08 Aug 2015 13:45:46
In the first half we look average,Spurs look better tbh.we need a striker with pace,will be happy if we get the 3 points

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08 Aug 2015 14:39:32
So you're can be happy now!

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08 Aug 2015 14:43:20
Before I demand a transfer to brought in. I would like to see how game changes when mata get central role and depay gets wider.

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08 Aug 2015 13:45:08
Mixed bag first half. Romero hasn't played a competitive league game since December and starts ahead of our young lad on the bench. RB looks good, Carrick great, Morgan poor touch, Rooney and Young having an extra touch when shouldn't, Depay looks brilliant. We are prob a tad fortunate to be winning at half time to be fair but we started to look better in the last 15 minutes of first half. Fingers crossed we get an early goal in the second.

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08 Aug 2015 14:45:51
Not much to read they just looked so scared to shoot and have a shot. Its like LVG will get their salary cut for loosing possession. Very less interest was in fearless shooting. Seen from opposition corner to own CB passes with scared further passes.

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08 Aug 2015 13:41:44
Happy with the first half, didn't expect beautifully flowing football on match day one but on the whole not bad.
Tottenham showing signs they could have another good season too.
On a separate note. How can anyone seriously be moaning and demanding signings etc. after 45 minutes of football. that we are winning.
It's beyond a joke really. Negative viewing supporters really get on my nerves , we win every game this season and they turn into the worst type of winners too. Sulk when we lose and over the top gloat when we win. Classless .

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08 Aug 2015 13:47:21
If we won every game this season mate people would moan that were not playing attractive football or the opposition is terrible it's pathetic.

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08 Aug 2015 13:39:20
StevieK

No entry from you mate, it's not showing at all.

(Sorry Eds, last one)

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{Ed004's Note - Have I one in?}

08 Aug 2015 13:54:57
No Ed, just Ed007 (unless you did it in the last couple of hours) The link still works.

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08 Aug 2015 14:32:05
I wasn't going to bother, but just did it any way.

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08 Aug 2015 16:36:34
Bugger. Definitely fired one in. Well, at least I can retire as undefeated champion, now :)

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08 Aug 2015 13:34:47
Dunno how many times Rooney has to give the ball away for a pundit to say he's playing poorly. The own goal shows we need someone more clinical. The first half shows our disjointed defence and lack of speed in build up play but when we play with confidence and expression we look good somehow we go back into our nervous, safe mode. Memphis looks good as does Darmian, mata frustrates me and it's not is fault he's better centrally.

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08 Aug 2015 13:43:23
1st game of season mate, i'm not rooneys biggest fan but geez, say this in 5 games time when he's found his feet in the new season.

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08 Aug 2015 13:52:37
So all the times last season he gave the ball away and couldn't finish was cz of what excuse, it's just excuses, his first touch is poor no matter that time of season it is, the bias toward Rooney does my head in.

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08 Aug 2015 15:50:08
This could be a make or break season for Rooney. My money is on break.

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08 Aug 2015 13:30:09
Damian looking excellent so far: defence and attack

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08 Aug 2015 13:36:34
Hasn't put a foot wrong IMO.

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08 Aug 2015 13:39:23
100% agree. I also thinks our CM is helping our center backs a lot, and because of that, it don't look that awful :)

Dunno what I think of Romero tough. Looks calm, which is good, but a little too calm at times.

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08 Aug 2015 13:54:49
Ultra critical but i would like him to cross the ball

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08 Aug 2015 12:59:21
Kane looking good so far, really do think he could be a very good player, in the present and future. I wouldn't argue if we went in for the lad, he would be a great Rooney replacement, but don't see it happening this season.

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08 Aug 2015 13:30:09
Carrick's looking really sharp. Making some really good interceptions and tackles. If he can stay fit and sharp, we might be in for a good season.

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08 Aug 2015 13:34:43
I'm not convinced Brendan, he scored a lot of goals but he just looks a bit clumpy to me.

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08 Aug 2015 13:39:16
Darmian settling well , scneiderlin impressive closing down and work rate. Mata looks a little uncomfortable as does romero under pressure but as the half goes on mata coming more inside as 10, depay interchanging. Overall looking positive early days and 1-0 up -whats not to be happy about:)
Kane is a cracking player needs to be kept quiet.

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08 Aug 2015 12:50:57
4 mins in Smalling has hoofed it twice and mata losing the ball twice. But we don't need a CB or proper winger on the right

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08 Aug 2015 12:56:56
4 minutes into the new season and you are at it already. Why don't you grow up and do something constructive with your life. Something like j walking would be ideal.

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08 Aug 2015 13:30:06
would have been sooner took me 2 mins to find my phone. J walking great dig wrong continent

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08 Aug 2015 13:33:34
Well said BS.

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08 Aug 2015 13:35:28
Jeez Jamie, 4 minutes? I know you are passionate but I thought last season proved how foolish it can be posting during a game.

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08 Aug 2015 13:42:11
Come on Jaime ffs is this how it's going to be again all season this site is becoming pointless if you have even the slightest shred of optimism it really is becoming very boring now.

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08 Aug 2015 13:44:23
Who has said we don't need a winger or CB? The fact your more worried about Smalling hoofing the ball than Blind getting bullied puzzles me. While we want to keep the ball and no one likes to see long ball football I'd rather see that than one of our CB's being thrown around by a centre forward. Even if they aren't built like Kane I think Blind will struggle there.

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08 Aug 2015 12:27:25
Those soccer Saturday pundits are so anti united.

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08 Aug 2015 12:34:41
just been thinking the same, I'd forgotton how stupid some of them were, they were actually laughing at Depay's performances last year saying they don't count because of who he was playing against.

They did the same last year and wrote us off, let's beat em' on the pitch again.

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08 Aug 2015 13:01:26
Suddenly now Falcao is a great signing for Chelsea aswell.

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08 Aug 2015 12:20:21
Blind out of position
Memphis out of position
Mata out of position

Wouldn't be surprised if Rooney is sweeper!

LvG myth?

Spends the summer buying midfielders and selling everyone, doesn't buy a striker or defender. De Gea replaced by Samp's sun keeper.

Got to start questioning the philosophy process?

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08 Aug 2015 12:28:41
Memphis spent a lot of time this year playing as a 2nd striker, he even did at the WC.

Mata has played RW for the past 4 years.

Stop talking rubbish.

Blind is the only one I agree with and even then I understand it and actually think it could work, think of him as our Mascherano.

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08 Aug 2015 12:33:45
Not until the end of the transfer window and we see how we go once the season really gets going. No one wins the league before Christmas, so people need to stop panicking. The negativity before a ball is kicked is ridiculous.

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08 Aug 2015 12:35:49
mata was always a winger, at Valencia, for Spain, it's only that 1 season at Chelsea where he was through the middle and even then he drifted out to the right of a 3.

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08 Aug 2015 12:40:10
And remember the last time we played spurs,we absolutely dominated them.
We really up our games against good teams, and we face a tired spurs.
4-0 or 5-0 us.

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08 Aug 2015 13:09:46
Sorry i know it's a bit negative - moment of weakness when I read the team sheet but in truth for me the veil is slipping with LvG. Just goes to show how good SAF was.

Blind > Otamendi
Mata > Depay, Pedro, di Maria
Depay > Herrara

Simple changes that would see us more balanced. Depay in place of Mata would be marked improvement. Mata has no pace and is always coming inside and crowding space. Lovely guy and nice player but needs the team to built with a striker like Drogba who can ply with their back to goal.

Constantly playing people out of position and seeming to go out of his way to mismanage players show he isn't good en
I hope he makes me eat my words but don't think he will. 3rd or 4th place finish then I hope for Ancelloti

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08 Aug 2015 11:56:43
Liverpool fan in peace, just wondering are you guys worried about the cb and striker situation at your club, i think if you guys signed a ramos like player and then a striker of a lewandowski mould, you could genuinely push for the title but without another two signings like that i think it would look very worrying for you guys, your options in midfeild are ridiculously good especially adding schweini who just adds experience to help the other quality you have be more organised and up there game but without a world class stiker or cb i think it will be a 2 way comp between arsenal and chelsea for the league with ourselves city and yourselfs fighting for third, fourth and fifth

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{Ed004's Note - Agreed with your post. We are lacking a Striker, winger now and cb. That's assuming De Gea stays as well}

08 Aug 2015 12:19:55
As I said in a reply below, I expect DeGea to depart, we may see Lloris come in, but I like what I have seen from Romero in the past, so not sure if he is a possible number 1 in LVG's eyes. It seems Pedro is on his way and I expect a CB, not sure who yet though. I don't really see a striker coming unless Hernandez leaves and we buy another backup. We won't play 2 strikers much this season, so a top striker won't sit on the bench behind Mr Rooney. We have Depay, Januzaj and maybe Pedro who can play across the front line, Wilson and The Wig who can be used if needed, should Hernandez leave. If we get Pedro, a CB and possibly a keeper, if Romero isn't seen as a number 1, I will be happy with our first 11 and squad.

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08 Aug 2015 12:28:51
Brendan i'm a big fan of using youth but having rooney as what looks like your main striker then wilson as a back up as hernandez may possibly leave isn't going to be a competing front line say rooney gets injuring and no other signing is made you guys may struggle to get the top 4 spot its all well and good having wingers and trust me i think pedro is quality would be really jealous if you got him but you already have senior players in winger positions and no real striker bar rooney who hasn't even been used as an all out striker consistently for the last 2 years

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08 Aug 2015 12:31:26
I'm not worried and I think as we stand we will do a lot better than last season, however I agree in order to challenge for the title we need to sign a keeper forward and cb if we get the right players of the type you mentioned above then I would see us with a squad capable of winning the title. Lots of time left in the window and we have still to secure CL group stages and I think that is the reason for some delays in signings. None of the big clubs have their squads finalised just yet. I am comfortable that on Sep 2nd all united fans will feel more secure with our finished squad.

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08 Aug 2015 12:38:48
Jft, we will get a striker if Hernandez departs, I don't feel it needs to be a so called worldy though,as they won't get much game time. A solid backup striker,with all our other options will be fine for this season. Depay, I think, will end up a striker, a bit like what happened with Henry from starting out wide when younger,he will surprise many this year.

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08 Aug 2015 12:53:08
Brendan it would depend a lot on how depay would feel if tried there but i do agree with you again was gutted when you pipped us to depay he is going to be world class one day

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08 Aug 2015 13:34:55
Jft96

If you ever read this page you will see my recent posts which mirror exactly what you have said. Good constructive post! Agree with it completely!

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08 Aug 2015 16:25:02
If Rooney continues to perform like today a new striker will have no worries about getting game time. All told a great result some find performances and real promise. V. Happy. Blind and Rooney need replacing onmiddellijk!

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08 Aug 2015 11:54:25
No start for Herrera think he will be looking for a move by Xmas if He has not broken into the staring team he's far too good to be a squad player, thought he proved that last season obviously not for LVG. Mata wide right and a Depay playing central. Wonder what LVG sees in training because I doubt any other person on the planet would put those players in that position

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08 Aug 2015 12:35:01
Can you not just wait a few hours before your moaning and whining starts. You really are a miserable sod 😄 They should put you out front to moan the enemy into surrender

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08 Aug 2015 13:45:31
It is ridiculous Ken every time you come on here lately it's just negative nonsense for the sake of it . I'm sure some "fans" don't even like the game it is just a platform for a good moan.
Zzzzzzzzz

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08 Aug 2015 14:29:31
Dean the phrase empty vessels make the most noise was invented for the likes of him, it might be childishness it could be ignorance perhaps he is just a troll, I suspect he is a Liverpool supporter That just comes on here on the wind up either way it makes no difference I think its obvious what everybody on here thinks of his posts

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08 Aug 2015 15:09:19
It is all very tedious mate I find it much easier looking for the positive like today for example Darmian was superb as was schneiderlin and smalling still look a little light up top though but all in all a very professional performance.

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08 Aug 2015 11:54:20
No Herrera so disappointed, rather put depay left Herrera Central.

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08 Aug 2015 13:36:51
But then who supports Rooney? I think LVG wants a central 2, he prefers others to Hererra

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08 Aug 2015 11:51:15
There you go Herrera not starting

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08 Aug 2015 11:50:43
Would i be right in saying that a spanish clubs release fee is only aplicable to spanish teams?
Maybe that's why utd are haggling and Can't rather than Not willing to pay the release fee qouted.

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08 Aug 2015 12:34:07
As was seen with the Herrera deal as an example, clubs outside Spain can transfer the money to the player, who will then buy himself out of his contract, and sign for the club. However, this means tax has to be taken i to consiteration, and at the €30m which is Pedro's release clause, you are talking maybe an extra €10m in tax.

I think we will get him for the €30m Barca want, but under their terms, ie. when they are ok to let him go.

Better having him miss 2 matches, than pay an extra third on top of the price, which could be invested into another position.

I believe I have explained this correctly, do correct me if i'm wrong, Ed's.

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{Ed004's Note - I'm pretty sure that's how it works}

08 Aug 2015 11:47:24
team news
Romero, Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw, Schneiderlin, Carrick, Young, Depay, Mata, Rooney

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08 Aug 2015 11:35:32
Not posted for a while as my laptop is knackered, got anew one now so here goes. This has probably been answered before, but as i said its been 4 weeks without a laptop so would take forever to find answers. What happened to the supposed Otamandi transfer?. It was supposed to be nailed on, he wanted to come & Rojo even tweeted to say hurry up & sign, he was just what we needed because of his experience & aggressive no nonsense style, would also have been the older head for the likes of Smalling/ Jones/Rojo to learn from. IMO Ramos & Hummels were both never going to come, they were just after new deals. Bit dissapointed that we haven't got our CB positions sorted & we kick off the new sesson in a couple of hours. Anyway good luck to the team this afternoon & hopefully we get off to a flyer.

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08 Aug 2015 11:07:14
We need to start firing all cylinders quickly as first leg of CL qualifier will be at OT and that is in 10 days time. We need to win first leg comfortably. As club brugge may play defensively, shutting us out and getting the away goal in the first leg. That make second leg complicated for us.

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08 Aug 2015 10:50:39
Good morning all, especially all the EDS.
I hope you all enjoy the season, I'm excited and optimistic and confidant that we will show very significant improvement on last season. I don't believe our business is done but I'm sure we will all be pleased with our squad on September 2nd.
Personally I would like to see no slating of any of our players on this site this afternoon. The next 3 weeks are huge and all playersneed our 100% support because they will all be giving 100% effort.
My wish for football this season would be to see less cheating by the players.

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08 Aug 2015 10:41:29
So the predictions competition is now closed. This year we have had 131 entries and I can’t see any 2 that are the same so hopefully we will have a single winner this year.

In terms of an overall summary of our views, 66 have plumped for Chelsea as Champions followed by 37 for us, 21 for Arsenal and 8 for City. Views on our finishing position are split fairly evenly across the top 4 with 6 people thinking we will be 5th.

Almost half the posters think we will win the FA Cup whilst 6 have predicted us wining the Champions League. Favourite picks for Champs League are Barcelona with 68 followed by Bayern with 30 and then Madrid with 18.

74 of us have plumped for Aguero as top scorer, 22 picked Rooney and 13 Costa. Every other player picked was in single figures including Benzema and Lewandowski. Perhaps some posters know something we don’t.

However, things get interesting when we get to the bottom 3. Whilst a couple of posters have taken a punt on the top scorer, the 7 who have tipped Boro and Hull to go down are stretching things a tad. The usual suspects dominate but 24 have Villa going down, 11 have picked West Brom and 1 poster has Spurs finishing bottom whilst 1 has Southampton finishing bottom.

Finally, I have also entered but as I control the sheet I need to post mine on here so there is a record of them and I can’t simply claim I won!

1st Chelsea
2nd Arsenal
3rd United
4th City
5th Liverpool
6th Spurs
18th Sunderland
19th Leicester
20th Norwich
FA Cup United
League Cup Arsenal
Champ League Madrid
Scorer Aguero

Good luck everyone.

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08 Aug 2015 11:09:38
Ajh, I'm almost certain I'm one who has put Boro to go down you know. When I was filling in my predictions I was steaming pissed at the poolside on Cyprus. And for some reason the next day I'm thought I think I've put Boro in. Blame the ale. I meant Bournemouth haha

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08 Aug 2015 11:24:31
No, it was me.

Stand-United, I appreciate you trying to take a bullet for me, but I'll face it like a man.

I actually meant Hull.

No I didn't. I meant Bournemouth :)

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08 Aug 2015 12:01:30
I think I put boro, no sure why will go for Watford instead.

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08 Aug 2015 09:55:28
forgot about valdes , shame he is on the naughty step

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08 Aug 2015 09:53:53
Start of the new season. Let's kick off with a win and 3 points.

So far so good with our signings. Perhaps that we haven't achieved CL yet maybe off putting for some players.

Our GK will either be Johnstone or Lindegaard. More than likely Johnstone as Romero has only just signed and Johnstone had more game time than Lindegaard.

I hope Herrera plays. For some reason LVG doesn't rate him. The 2nd half of last season he probably was our best player. Only due to Carrick being injured.

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08 Aug 2015 09:28:52
Something different from Match day madness and transfer saga's, Was having a discussion with one of the client on Lunch, the best England player who never got the limelight he deserved, he said Le Tissier(southampton Fan) i said Steve Bruce.
Discussion now turning into an argument :D :D

your picks??

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08 Aug 2015 09:54:08
le tissier, what a player

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08 Aug 2015 09:58:02
Bruce was a great centre half who should have at least got a cap but was unlucky to be playing in an era of strong competition at centre half.

Le tissier was capable of magic but too often did very little in between those moments. There's a reason successive England managers overlooked him. Luxury player that didn't do much.

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08 Aug 2015 10:09:31
mort
and he only played for southampton.

if he was playing for united etc he would of been an england regular.
between 93-95 he was amazing, 25 then 20 league goals playing for a mid table team ,several of them goals worldclass and yet couldn't get a game for england

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08 Aug 2015 10:31:26
I was only 3 or 4 when Le Tissier was in his prime but as I've grown up watching the PL the amount of brilliant goals he scored was quite amazing. Bit like Berbatov in that way as he made the game look so easy while doing unbelievable things.

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08 Aug 2015 10:45:05
Bruce was immense. He joined as part of the SAF revolution and was there through the initial winning years. is wining goal deep into injury time in '93 will always stay with me; my season ticket seat was directly in line with the trajectory of the ball. Would w have swapped him for one of the England CBs? Not for me.

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08 Aug 2015 10:50:16
Scholes - England's loss was MUFC's gain. Best midfielder in Europe and England shoehorn him in as a left mid. Crazy.

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08 Aug 2015 10:23:16
Fowler

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08 Aug 2015 09:04:55
For anyone that's panicking about our CB/CF situations, don't worry, the club knows what it is doing, I wouldn't be surprised if the players are waiting to see if we win our qualifier for CL first, be patient guys.
tell me one team who have finished their business yet :)

3-1 united today, depay, Rooney, Mata with bentalab scoring for spurs

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08 Aug 2015 10:24:54
Stop talking sense Sparky your not going to talk me off the rooftop😄

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08 Aug 2015 08:18:44
I may be wrong but i think this year, the club has decided not to be duped while selling OR buying players. let's have a look.
Fellaini - 27m
Shaw - 30m
Mata - 37m
Adm - 60m
Even if city or psg paid that kind of money for those players, i would still consider it absurd. Now have a look at this year's spending.
Possibly Southampton's best midfielder and one of the best in the league - 25m
One of the best upcoming wingers in the world, top scorer in his league, part of the National setup - 22m(in context, we paid 17m for zaha)
Schweinsteiger - 12m
Darmian - 14m

Now add to that our stance with ddg, which i think is the right way to go. As far as transfers are concerned, we're sending out all the right messages. Now how that affects us on the pitch is a different story. I do not blame lvg for the goalkeeping dilemma at all. If anything he's done a good thing bringing in Romero. Btw i don't think he does the bargaining and the negotiations. Madrid may be offering 10-15m for all we know.

Now, i do blame him for our cb scenario. Even if we're being priced out of our main targets, there are plenty of other cbs who will improve us massively.
I will also blame him if he plays mata on the wings, depay central, a combination of BS and MC, or if hererra is on the bench.

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08 Aug 2015 10:47:24
Great post mate and you have summed up my feelings exactly with your final sentences. I fear this is what he will do

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08 Aug 2015 07:55:04
Morning all, thanks to the Eds as always for the site.
What a less than desirable situation the 'De Gea fiasco' is turning out to be. I appreciate LVGs honestly, it's nice to actually be aware of what is happening. However I'm no liking what I read at all. Madrid should be ashamed of themselves. I mentioned in an earlier post this Summer the reluctants of the club to pay large fees for a GK. although De Gea can leave for free next Summer surely the difference in price can only be £2-5 million max and for the return they will get from him in terms of points saved I think they are being overly shrewd.
I think De Gea must be home sick or something or have issues in his personal circumstances as we are only talking about a 12 months time scale here.
I honestly thought he would stay and give it 100% once more and I am really disappointed with how things have ended up so far. We could end up with him playing in the reserves for a year.
Still, good luck to the team later today, let's hope our young GK gets a chance.

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08 Aug 2015 08:31:08
If he was going to stay he would have signed the deal offered to him 2 years ago. He didn't. It's always been his intention to run down his contract and leave for Madrid for as cheap as possible. He isn't an innocent in all this.

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08 Aug 2015 09:01:05
I applaud LvG for his stance on DDG, if for no other reason than he's peeing RM off. For so long they have done this to us, getting our best players for less than their true value. If they won't pay up before the window closes, DDG plays for the reserves and goes for nothing next year, a keeper that hasn't played at the top level for a year and is worth very little, exactly what we would get for him. Would a big club want him then? DDG will then realise he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world and that they deserve more respect.

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{Ed002's Note - Fortunately the club are not as stupid as you are.}

08 Aug 2015 09:15:54
So we leave our best player for the past 2 seasons on the bench just to spite RM? Oh my. Ed002. You have my sympathies.

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08 Aug 2015 09:20:13
You haven't been right for awhile either Ed, but its all about opinions without abuse isn't it Ed. or doesn't that apply to you?

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{Ed002's Note - I have no idea what you are talking about - I don't provide any information regarding transfers to this page because of the vegetables. Your post was complete nonsense, hence my correct comment about you being stupid.}

08 Aug 2015 09:24:28
I don't think ddg is going to play for the reserves. If he doesn't leave, he'll play first choice after the window shuts

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08 Aug 2015 09:25:56
Ed002, I thought you'd left on a Bosman. But there you are scoring with a little zinger from the right back position. Is this an omen that Darmian gets his first for United today?

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08 Aug 2015 09:36:23
Agree with the clubs stance re DDG. No way should we sell him on the cheap. If DDg feels let down then it should be with RM and not us after all, he, like everyone else assumed that RM would enter into some sensible negotiations and simply buy him. RM on the other hand assumed that we would let him go on the cheap rather than letting him run down his contract and getting nothing for him at all. Seems both clubs are playing hardball with each other leaving DDG stuck in the middle.
I seem to remember that when CR7 was asked to give us 1 more year rather than sulk he rolled up his sleeves and was absolutely magnificent for us. I hope DDG will do the same and put his dream on hold for 12 months afterwhich time he can go with our best wishes rather than with a bad taste in the mouth like a certain argentinian.

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08 Aug 2015 09:44:01
Hi ed 002 how you doing ?

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{Ed002's Note - Just fine thanks Dean.}

08 Aug 2015 11:42:55
LvG right to drop De Gea because of distraction: he genuinely seemed to feel for him in the press conference, like a caring teacher might with a student who's distracted in class because of family issues - powerless to do anything but trying to empathise with him all the same.

Looks like United are waiting for a higher bid (reported they'll accept £25m) but Real would now appear to be in the driving seat now as Ramos deal nearly extended and they can see the effect on DDG.

I think he'll probably go for a compromise price, even though LvG frustrated that United always seem to get short-changed, paying too much and getting little for players (Was he thinking of ADM when he said that yesterday?) We would then have to get a replacement GK such as Cillesson, Lloris etc (paying top dollar, sigh. )

If, in the unlikely event he stays, then he'll be first choice GK until he eventually leaves: he's too good to stay on the bench and, in the pragmatic world of big business, he's just too valuable a product to make a principalled stand against. Points are more important than ethics. Plus DDG has behaved impeccably throughout, unlike other signings with questionable attitudes (ADM, RVP).

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{Ed004's Note - Edited just because it'll just attract attention to a situation best not discussed haha. Especially as we have the new season to look forward to and discuss}

08 Aug 2015 13:20:02
No worries big fella, completely understand. Thanks for all your hard work in the site.)

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08 Aug 2015 04:49:59
Last season we had some top quality strikers (on paper) atleast. But how much RVP, Falcao, Dimaria scored in total? Even fellaini scored some important goals than them. Mata and Herrera contributed to goals tally. RVP, Falcao and Dimaria almost contributed nothing in some matches. I believe pedro(or another forward we sign) and depay will score more than RVP and Falcao. With Lewandowski and Laporte and lloris(if ddg leaves) we will be serious contenders for title.

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08 Aug 2015 06:48:06
Di Maria got 10 goal assists and 4 goals, Rvp got at least 12 goals and falcao got 4, there's 30 they contributed too straight away off the top of my head

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08 Aug 2015 08:03:06
Assist stats are such a joke though, honestly, can u remember Di Maria actually feeding someone a great pass for a goal other than Mata's at anfield?

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08 Aug 2015 08:21:07
A few of ADM's assists were actually shots that were so far off target they turned into assists

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08 Aug 2015 08:27:53
I swear di Maria got about 2/3 of those assists with misplaced shots,mounds like I'm joking but watch it back.

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08 Aug 2015 09:09:45
Check out his assist in man utd 3-0 win over hull city. 2 yard side way pass to mata! sublime!

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08 Aug 2015 04:36:55
After plugging in those 2 qualification games into our fixture list it looks like we have a very busy August.

Need to try and win the games and hit the ground running.

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08 Aug 2015 06:04:21
Having a 25 man squad certainly helps.
We just look a bit short at the back and CB is needed more than we need a Pedro or a striker

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