Manchester United Banter Archive April 11 2014

11 Apr 2014 23:23:23
Hi all, With 5 games to go I'm desperate for moyes to show some real leadership and pick his best available 11, Evra & Vidic are leaving and a cameo in our last home game to allow us to show our appreciation and say goodbye is the only 1st team action they should see, I want our manager our leader to stop looking back and only look forward. I believe smalling jones buttner a fit again evans hernandez valencia fletch carrick kagawa young even nani and cleverly all have a lot to prove some are desperate to remain as manchester utd players and these 5 games will be judgement time for many. Like it or not DM is here for a while yet so in many ways its up to those players to convince the manager that they can play for him and that they want to play for him and that they wnat to be United players. So he should only play those he wants to keep and give opportunities to those who he is fifty fifty on. we know who won't be here for sure they have chosen to leave or or are retiring he also knows who he is selling for sure so don't play them he is learning nothing, if an opportunity arises to give them a cameo to say goodbye then all the better

No name, agreed with most of the post, the only depressing statement was when you wrote "like it or not Moyes is here for a long time".
You've gone and done it, depressed!

11 Apr 2014 15:53:42
edds, some suggestions for defence and midfield this summer,

DF - Hinteregger - salszburg redbull
DF - Laporte - ath bilbao
DF - Eder Balanta - river plate
DF - Matt Ginter - can also play def mid?
LB - juan bernat/luke shaw/jetro willems

MF - Rafinha - thiagos bro
MF - Davy klassen
MF - adam maher
MF - juan quintero
MF - and of course ross barkley

ST - memphis depay
ST - I still think juan iturbe should be looked at?

Food for thought?

Thanks for reading.

Scott.

11 Apr 2014 18:21:08
I'd be happy if we managed to pull off any of those to be honest
Another one, as unlikely as it is, would be Nabil Bentaleb. Anybody else think he's worth a punt at?

Bentaleb's representatives will be doing their best to get their client a new contract due to his senior appearances this season. He will be on a seriously low salary and his reps will use us and other clubs as leverage to get him a better Spurs contract.

11 Apr 2014 21:10:46
Exactly Syd, that's why it would be unlikely but if he wanted the move if we came calling then IMO it would be a much better option than the Carvalho's of this world

Bentelab won't be leaving spurs. He will be off to the world cup this summer having turned down his native homeland in order to play for algeria, the extremely talented youngster will pen a new deal @ whl shortly & could possibly find himself out on loan nxt term or asked to fight for his place due to the seemingly obvious pending appointment of lvg and possible new player arrivals

Well at least he's available Thursday nights : )

He would be available for Everton then Walton wouldn't he.

11 Apr 2014 13:53:08
I asked this question but he may not see it. Sydney, how would you effectively incorporate Mata, RVP, Rooney and Kagawa in the team? Getting them all to play in their best roles and play well together. Bear in mind we also probably need an injection of pace in there from a new winger perhaps. How would you go about it? What team would you start next season with?

Go to the "teams page" my friend.

Fresh, I think it will be very tough to play all four of the players you have listed in the same team, due to a clash of style and lack of pace. If I was to drop one of them which we will need to do to get the best out of three would be either Rooney or RVP as I feel when both play it pushes mata out wide.
Mata is our best player in the number 10 role, already proven. Kagawa linking very well with mata, even though he is playing left attacking midfield.
This means both rooney and RVP can't play up top together because Roomey can get into RVP space, as he stated, and can also drop into Mata position.

Therefore at this moment in time, I would drop RVP for next season. This is because he is the wrong side of 30, injured a lot and also Rooney, Kagawa and mata are starting to link well.

Add Reus to that front three that will bring another 15 goals a season making RVP loss not as bad. Rooney still scoring high, with 16 this season ( considering injuries and not playing as a line striker the whole season) he can kick on next season and lead the line.

Kagawa Mata Reus
Rooney

Fed up of having to do that lol, but will have a look.

I'd actually drop Rooney and add Reus.
Play Reus on the wing and RVP up top. Kagawa and Mata to interchange in the center.

Simply because Rooneys first touch is embarrassing for a professional football player and already costs us a lot of possession in crucial moments, for example when starting to break.
I think RVP has the better (footballing) brain as well.

Jonny, I couldn't agree more. Rooney these days is no quicker than RvP anyway. And RvP's first touch is impeccable. He holds the ball up well and bullies defenders, something Rooney lacks. Van Persie is world-class. He is a world-class striker.

Agree with you johny but unfortunate moyes isn't strong enough to drop not on £300k a week

I wouldn't be surprised if rvp left
I think we might go to a very fluid front line with not quite a false 9 but with a lot of interchanging between positions.
Rooney and Danny done it a lot against Munich .
I don't buy the mata or kags can only play 10 as I have seen both play a wider position but interchange with the10 for previous clubs and national teams .
Make no mistake moyes paid 37 mill for mata and rooney a new contract to play them in the same team.

Both Danny and Rooney proved against BM that they aren't good enough. The amount of chances fluffed between them was criminal. If Van Persie leaves and is replaced with Rooney, we will be even weaker. There's nothing Rooney can do that Van Persie cannot.

Yes Syd, I agree. RVP has never missed sitters in a CL Q/F, ohh wait. Real Madrid! Seriously man, you are one of my favourite posters, but sometimes you talk utter guff mate. Are you for real when you say Rooney is not faster than RVP? I don't see any issues with Rooney playing as a 9, he will get you a 30 goal return, is a better finisher than Persie, defends from the front, better at a pressing game.

Deeps.

Has Rooney gotten us 30 goals this season? No, in fact RvP is still the most potent striker we have even when he's been injured for the most part. Rooney is a good player and a player who I want to see sitting behind RvP pulling the strings, but Rooney is not an improvement on RvP.

RvP is a nuisance for defenders, he bullies them and gives them as much as he receives. Rooney doesn't which is why Rooney is easier to contain. RvP does a lot of running and defending and closing down up the pitch. Rooney isn't even close to being a better finisher than RvP. That is absolute nonsense Deeps.

Van Persie is one of the best finishers on the planet.

Rooney - 38 apps - 17 goals.

Van Persie - 25 apps - 17 goals.

Now I am not saying Rooney cannot play as a number 9. All I am saying is RvP is a far better number 9.

I don't want it to be a case of Rooney or Van Persie, I want to see them both playing together.

Syd, how many games has Rooney played as a number 9 this season? Shall we bring the 23 assists he has got into the picture? No, because Persie has not played as a No 10. Look at Rooney's record when he has consistently played the main striker, he has an excellent hit rate.

I agree wit you that both need to play, they are our 2 best players without a shadow of doubt. But when you say that Rooney is not quicker than Persie, I can't buy that. When it comes to finishing, I would put my money on RVP finishing the more difficult chances and missing out on easy ones. Infact in his span with us, I can create a 5 minute video of Robin missing easy chances. Rooney puts them easy ones more often than not. I had a problem with your basing the Munich game as a stick to beat Rooney and somehow endorse Van Persie. Last year Van Persie missed 2 easier chances against RM. Anyways, for me both have to play.

Deeps.

Deeps, fair play, but that's exactly why Rooney needs to play behind RvP. Because Van Persie is the better number 9 and Rooney is the better number 10. Rooney's 17 assists this season and RvP's prolific goalscoring is a deadly combination, we just need them both 100% fit at the same time. Add Mata to the picture and RvP and Rooney will score more goals.

For the most part of the season Rooney has played upfront in a 442 either alongside Welbeck or Van Persie. It's only since Rooney got his new deal that he has dropped back slightly and the team have began to improve slowly. In the Olympiakos game RvP was getting back to 100%, then BANG! He's smashed out of the game and season.

I am not saying Rooney cannot play as a number 9, as he can and he would score goals, all I am saying is Van Persie is a much better number 9 and Rooney is a good number 10. My point about the UCL games was that we scored two goals, both were scored by defenders. Rooney is a good striker, but he isn't in the class of RvP. Hence the reason Moyes and SAF have played him as the number 9 whenever he has been fit.

12 Apr 2014 15:16:02
But then both of them in the same team means that the likes of Mata and Kagawa get played out of position and we look disjointed as we did trying to play both Rooney and van persie plus Mata. It does need to be one or the other I think.

MrE, then the discussion we should be having is Mata or Rooney, not RvP or Rooney. Also, even if RvP isn't playing, you still cannot play Mata and Kagawa in the number ten position.

11 Apr 2014 12:46:02
Rio, Evra, Giggs, Vidic, Young, Anderson and Cleverley are the players I would sell this summer.

Id keep Nani, I still believe he has it in him to come good, like he was in 2011.

Buttner is a great back up left back and I wouldn't sell Kagawa, he and Mata need to be played together.

11 Apr 2014 13:21:43
Nani? Seriously how many chances does this guy need, he's useless, get rid.

Spot on!

JK92,

I don't think it matters that you would keep Nani, he has hardly featured for 2 years and when he has he has not done anything. If we can find a buyer he will leave.

I expect Young might stay but you will be right about the others leaving. Obviously we will not be 'selling' Vidic, Giggs or Evra though as they are all out of contract.

I see Cleverley leaving if we can buy 2 midfielders we want in the summer.

Safe to say everybody who knows anything about the club is in 100% agreement we need a left back, a centre back, 2 centre midfielders and a fast winger. 100-150 million spent wisely on these 5 players would bring us back to a level where even the worst manager would struggle not to get us into the top 4.

Only chance of selling Giggs is to the South African baddy in District 9. He might want to eat his left foot in an attempt to gain his amazing powers?

Or perhaps to stud? (Although he's not exactly kept his stock exclusive)

Maybe a glue factory, but there are others who should take that "final journey" before Giggs - even he'd 40!

Nani has had all his chances, most fans feel this - if we can find a buyer he is gone, his wages are an issue though after we handed him that new contract to up his sale value.

I would agree with that for departures maybe also Nani and Hernandez they can be top notch but not as often as we need. I think Wilson will fill the gap by little pea and Powell will come back, but we need lb cb cm and at least one of each and a world class winger, were we will get one is the hard part Di Maria and Rues are two Shaqiri is another potential target but they will all attract other clubs we need to get transfers done early that's for sure I think Youth will start to help the first team because we have some players in the set up that may go on to be world class players Wilson Perreira and Pearson for me are great prospects that can go all the way to the top

You'd sell Giggs?

Nani has to go. Assuming we can find someone foolish enough to buy him and pay his wages.

Wow, people moaning because I said sell? really? you all knew what I meant.

You have nothing better to do than pick faults?

Rio Vidic Giggs Evra Nani is the other side of half a million of the wage bill

I have said for some time Nani should have been sold and have said similar to Flappington before. We could have been rid of Nani quite easily if someone had not given him a nice juicy new 5 year contract. We would have been waving him off in the next few weeks instead of being committed to another four years of pay because why should he leave unless he gets similar pay. Will we have to continue to pay part of his wages or take a ridiculously low offer to get rid?

Nani getting a 5 year deal was ludicrous. I could understand the Rooney 300k as it's as much a statement to the best European players that we will pay top wages. Giving Nani a new contract though just means we'll pay regardless of lack of talent and application!

11 Apr 2014 10:20:51
A rumour of Klopp to Barcalona in summerprobably iffy imo

I think Barcelona may go for Martinez in the future.

Syd,

Lets not say that, the Everton fans will be on here having a go at you, they are not a small club you know!

Syd,

Ive said a few times to freinds that Martinez will be at one of the worlds top 5 clubs within 5 years, I really rate him, not only because of the football he encourages but also because of how confident and 'precise' he is in everything he says and does.

RD

{Ed025's Note - hes already at one mate.. :)

You lot really define flavour of the month LOL. Barca's next manager will come from one of the world cup and their manager.

I am assuming if they fish 6th like last year and drop to 8th to 10th next year then he is toilet paper material I guess.

Klopp is not Barcelona's type, he is a leader and a manager. He has his own style whilst Barcelona define their own style and bring a coach on board to play that style, the coach at Barca doesn't have the importance or level of a manager, which in my opinion may be too stifling for Klopp.

Barcelona have Cruyffs philosophy of football and tend to try one of their own in what are usually relatively short term coaching roles. One of Cruyffs disciples is Michael Laudrup who I think played for Barca under Cruyff and may be a more likely candidate. Perhaps De Boer but even though he played at Barca it may not be the right time for him given what he is doing at Ajax.

Klopp is not flavour of the month, but a brilliant leader, winner, whose teams play fantastic football, he also develops youth and is the type manager we should have appointed and still should

You mean like Moyes has done to us?

Nomidfield

Indeed by GCU's definition Moyes is actually "toilet paper material" now.

Moyes was toilet paper material by end of December lol.

I absolutely want to be proved wrong but have said it before and say it again we will not win anything with Moyes. We can spend £200m on the team and it won't matter. We are too negative in our tactics and not attack minded enough. We should play fluid attacking football and let the opposition worry about us not the other way around which is Moyes style.

Red Man/ NoMid

Settle down kids. I was not talking about Moyes but about Martinez going to Barcelona. We were always in the toilet with or without Moyes after our summer transfer dealings.

Any team defending like we do will not win anything.

GCU So moyes getting everyone including all our attackers to carry out endless amounts of defensive drills has proved pointless then!

11 Apr 2014 09:03:42
Starting to wonder if we would be so desperate for a new left back if Moyes had given Buttner a chance this year, Even has been average to poor all season. Not suggesting Buttner is amazing but who knows with a season or half a season under his belt.