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14 Jul 2014 19:09:32
betty you, like most other posters, seem to assume that we cannot be as strong next season merely because we will not have a 31 goal striker.
There is no reason why that should be the case. We WILL make more signings, granted not a 31 goal a season striker, but we don't need to.
We have had a very leaky defence - that will be attended to in this window. A stronger defence will mean less goals conceded. Less goals conceded will mean that less goals scored will not necessarily hurt us.
I will await sight of our and other team's squads at the start of the season before attempting a
prediction - you would be wise to do the same
1.) I personally think Liverpool might struggle next season, to emulate the kind of form they showed in the last quarter of last season.
Suarez is a massive loss. Add to that the increased numbers of games you will have to play, means that it won't be possible to put out your strongest line up on a week to week basis, like you were able to last season.
Looking at the signings Liverpool have made thus far this season, I fail to see where you have improved. Yes, you have added some depth, but some of the players' you have signed - with the exception of Lambert - do not have PL experience, so there is no telling how long it will take for them to adjust to the rigors of PL.
If I were a Liverpool fan, I would be a little peeved if Suarez wasn't replaced with another big name striker of similar quality.
The lesson Spurs learnt last season should not be forgotten: signing all those players' did not improve the team, and mitigate the loss of Bale.
2.) Last year we scored only 64 goals which was the lowest for 10 years. We conceded 43, the same as the previous season when we were champions, only then we scored 86. Had we scored another 22 goals last year we probably would have been 3rd or 4th given how both City and Liverpool scored over 100.
Going back through the records we conceded an average of 39 goals a season for the last 4 years whereas in the previous 4 we conceded and average of only 25 per season. An improvement in defence is clearly required.
However, ultimately, goal difference may be the major determinant. 2013/14's 21 was the lowest in more than a decade. Given the way last season went that number needs to be closer to 50 to be in contention for the premier league title. So, in truth, its a combination of scoring more and letting fewer in.
3.) 14 Jul 2014 22:36:08
samthered, if we ignore the obvious two then this 'replacement' doesn't exist
4.) I think the biggest thing to do liverpool will be the CL games that's where the toll will come
5.) Sam, Lallana has been in the EPL for the same amount of time as Lambert.
17 May 2014 23:09:27
Instead of trawling through the posts - I'll put it here:
redseven - the whole point is they went on to different leagues and proved themselves there!
In my playing days (sadly long, long ago) you would have been known as a pot-hunter - AND despised for it
1.) Muddled - Coming from a Liverpool fan that's nothing short of the pot calling the kettle black - or in this case 'pot-hunter'. Up until we matched your title haul - Liverpool's past successes were all I ever heard about from Liverpool fans. Since then you've all gone a bit quiet (apart from you - who seem to have the typing equivalent of tourette's syndrome).
Trophies aren't everything in football but like it or not they are the best parameter for measuring success.
You say the 'whole point is. ' - but that's not the point you originally made. Your original comment was 'all went on to bigger and better things' - which to me is very different than saying that they proved themselves elsewhere.
I used title success as a way of measuring how they've done since leaving - and as it happens none of the players you mentioned had anywhere near as much success after (or before) they played at Old Trafford.
I'm sure any Champions League winner will tell you there is nothing bigger or better for a footballer than to win the Champions League. Up until now (I expect Ronaldo to win one this week) none of those players have won one since leaving us (I appreciate RVN didn't actually win one with us, mind) - ergo I'm not sure how one could say they have gone on to 'better things'.
Funnily enough all of the players I mentioned who left Liverpool have gone on to better things and are all at bigger clubs (with the exception of Owen - who retired at one).
2.) Ah you want to get back to the original point? You saying Liverpool were a selling club. me saying United are a selling club. The examples I gave were of players you have sold - whether McBluster 'kicked them out' (because they perhaps could see that the emperor had no clothes) is immaterial - they were SOLD.
{Ed004's Note - By that logic every team is a 'selling club' and the phrase means nothing. Are Madrid a selling club? I just ask cause sneijder, robben, kaka, ozil, higuain all left them}
3.) Great logic there, puzzled! I think SAF was justified in those decisions just look at the trophies he won after letting them go. In fact, many pundits hail his bravery and decision making in letting these players go at the right time. If we are a selling club then i'm proud that a selling club could manage to dominate and be so successful for so many years.
4.) ED004 I agree that the phrase is meaningless
5.) Muddled - A selling club who sells their best players because they are unable to hold on to them. Us selling players because SAF no longer wanted them at the club is considerably different - not to mention the fact that in all cases we had plenty of other top players at the club.
Liverpool, on the other hand, have consistently sold their best players. Gerrard's the only one who has stayed with you for more than 5 seasons and he came very close to moving to Chelski!
6.) Well of course I do not really regard
United as a selling club I was merely echoing redseven's ridiculous comment about Liverpool
7.) Muddled -
I fail to see how it's a ridiculous comment? If you were to go through the past 10 years and pick out the best players to have played at Liverpool; you will find that they were forced into selling all of them bar Gerrard and Suarez. Suarez will leave in the next 15 months.
If that doesn't constitute a selling club I don't know what does? Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs are not big enough clubs to hold onto big players these days. Deal with it.
8.) 'not a big enough club' the inference of course is that United ARE. Strange then that you couldn't hold on to Ronaldo? I suppose too that you have noticed over the last year or two when United were chasing a player and had a 'biggish' club as a competitor, said player seems always to choose that competitor.
The best you can hope is that van Gaal steadies the ship, clears out the dross left by 'Sir' Alex and manages to attract a few decent players, purely on the strength of HIS reputation not the clubs. Then,
after two or three seasons rebuilding you might again start to challenge. You are not the team/club you were. Deal with it
9.) Muddled - You're quite right. We are a big club. I'm glad that you concluded that too (the word you were looking for was 'implication' - not 'inference'. Perhaps you should stick to using words you understand?).
United are the fourth biggest club in the world in terms of revenue, the third biggest club in terms of value, the biggest club in England in terms of both contemporary and historical domestic success and the joint second biggest club in terms of European success over the past fifteen years. No matter how one chooses to define a 'big club' - we are one.
Players moving elsewhere comes to other clubs offering ridiculous money (as well as being willing to pay ludicrous agents' fees) rather than them preferring to move elsewhere. I think the Glazers are now realising that the economy of football has changed and that to sign the best players you need to spend. Expect us to do so this summer.
If Liverpool were a big enough club to have the finances to even bid for a top player - the same thing would have happened to them. The one time you did have money you opted to blow it all on Andy Carroll - and I'm sure were there a club stupid enough to better your offer (which itself was nothing short of insanity) he would have gone there instead.
03 May 2014 09:03:32
I have read that a lot of you (including the sainted
Sir Alex) want Giggs to get the manager's job -BUT
I assume that this was before you saw that he wanted Ferdinand and Evra to get new deals??
1.) Nope! Didn't and don't want giggs as manager. Maybe in the future if he gets some coaching experience. Hardly had any under moyes and needs to do that first . Lots of people banging on about Pep and giggs being like him he had coached the youth and reserves before getting the barca job he didn't just walk into it from playing.
2.) It would be a massive risk to appoint Giggs. It seems many are being swayed by the memories of the class of 92 but in my opinion he shouldn't be considered for the job.
Others who have been successful in their first positions at big clubs tend to have had coaching experience at smaller clubs with a couple of exceptions like Guardiola who happened to inherit one of the best squads in the world. Whoever gets the United job won't have that luxury. That's why we need an experienced coach who has managed big players and had success as well.
3.) 03 May 2014 13:15:01
Id like to see the class of 92 kept around in some capacity, say Scholes and Butt in the academy, Giggs or G Nev as first team coach gaining the necessary experience under van Gaal then maybe taking over.
4.) Where were the class of 82 when we were running riot over the past 20 years? All this sentimentality is rubbish, the best people should get jobs not people that brown nose or who have excelled in other roles that do not relate directly to the job on offer.
Giggs is nowhere near intelligent enough to be the manager of Manchester United. The game has moved on from people wanting to impress their manager or fear them because they were good players - it's not the 80's anymore. All players care about is endorsements, twitter, agents, women and accessories - and having a schedule that suits them when it comes to football.
This isn't a game anymore and I wish people would stop thinking this way. We can't accept anything other than the very best from now on, otherwise we continue to fall.
30 Apr 2014 11:07:50
Re all your posts on the captaincy. To be honest you must all accept that the captain's armband is little more than a personal honour for the chosen player. Only in cricket does the captain have a REAL influence on a game
1.) Absolutely. There's no way that Keane being captain had any effect on the team, or Robson for that.
Whilst they would still have had an impact as non-captain, it would still have been diluted if they weren't captain.
Putting the captain's armband on the RIGHT player is absolutely essential - even if they aren't deciding who is fielding at third-man (which is where I would stick Rooney!)
Did you see what I did there.
Timbo
2.) Timbo you are talking about the drive and determination in those two players - are you saying they would have behaved differently, or indeed been ignored, if they had not had the armband?
3.) With the arm band comes respect.
the captain also has last say on who does what.
If you have say Evans as captain, and he isn't good at organisation. would you want him having the last say on where/what the defenders move and do?
Would you prefer him saying push up when it doesn't seem logical to do so? and you have (for example) Vidic (let's assume he knows better) disagreeing but gets "out-ranked" by Evans so has to push up anyway.
4.) If Rooney moved to attacking midfield without arguments, then I would give the captaincy to Rooney with Jones as vice.
5.) JK92 that's not true at all. Vidic and Neville have been out last 2 captains. Evra and Giggs on occasion but if you listen to any United midfielders of the last 10 years talk about such things, they talk about Rio Ferdinand being the voice from the back that would organise the players around him. A captain needs to be someone that galvanises the players in the dressing room, on the training pitch and in terms of attitude. As for their jobs and organisation, there should be several of them in our side.
6.) What if Rio isn't there TK?
7.) Well obviously he needs replacing but my point is that the captain doesn't have to be the sole organiser on the pitch. It does help but it's not vital so long as we have other experienced pros there to help. A captain needs to inspire his players whether it be by his words or by example. Your example was Jonny Evans and, whilst he isn't my choice for captain, there's nothing to say he couldn't do it without being the man to organise his defence/midfield IMO. Beckham wasn't a great organiser, even Gary Neville wasn't but you couldn't say they were poor choices of captain.
8.) De gea should be captain
9.) I completely agree that Keane and Robson were perfect captains. And I feel very fortunate to witness their reigns. It was certainly more than a privilege to those men. For me the only man close to this mould is Rooney, and it would only benefit the team and himself.
Pure commitment in EVERY game from your captain, and rollickings being dished to those who need them are very beneficial to a footy team IMO.
10.) A captain does have a major influence and affect on things, maybe if you had ever played the game and been a captain you would know, do you think we would of been as successful over the years if we would of had Valencia captain instead of Vidic, or Chelsea would of had Ramirez captain instead of Terry, or if City would of had Nasri Captain instead of kompany then they all would of still been as successful? Maybe that's why you've never won the league having Gerrard captain, you should of had Lucus as your captain then.
05 Apr 2014 10:39:16
So, mid-table clash today boys. Are you
confident?
1.) U are a strange kind of creature puzzled.
20 times :-) u will always be that club that people say, 'oh is that near man utd?'
2.) What's the matter CTR- genuine question about your confidence levels. 5 gold stars!
3.) Puzzled yes I am confident, just as I'm confident Liverpool will not win the league in your lifetime.
4.) Hull city v Swansea? Got to favour the home side I suppose.
The amount of times your on here lately puzzled.
I reckon your lazing in your Manchester United pj's with a cup of hot chocolate. Don't worry we won't tell.
22 Sep 2014 05:50:03
Tao Te Ching? Pearl before Swine
Ed002 ?
{Ed002's Note - I was a great fan of Tom Rapp back in the early 70s.}
14 Jul 2014 22:36:08
samthered, if we ignore the obvious two then this 'replacement' doesn't exist
14 Jul 2014 15:20:47
Ouch Betty!!!
14 Jul 2014 15:05:28
Nothing wrong with having a wishlist roonbest but don't waste
any money with the bookmakers on this
Disney - LET Evra leave? I would have thought there would have been 50 or 60 thousand of you willing to drive him to his next destination