Manchester United Banter Archive February 21 2018

 

Use our rumours form to send us manchester united transfer rumours.


21 Feb 2018 23:49:17
This game is painful and the season as a whole has been painful. I’ve been a patient united fan since fergie retired, as I accepted that it would take time and I anticipated around a five year wait for potential success.

I watched with interest as Tottenham and Manchester City grew as genuine English power houses and teams like arsenal and Chelsea begin to decline (in Chelsea’s case very slowly but now more noticeable). These developments made me think we would not see such dominance that united enjoyed in the 90’s and part of the 00’s for any other team again, which I’m happy with cause I was excited at the prospect of an unpredictable season each year, so long and united could still create such moments that made me fall in love with them. Moments like the 1999 game against Tottenham with Andy Cole scoring the second goal. Moments like Wayne Rooney’s dominance of Roma, moments like macheda scoring the match winner against Aston Villa.

I was prepared to be patient and as we begun to sign players such as pogba and Sanchez, I dared to dream of those moments we all know and love united for, as players such as martial and rashford showed glimpses of skill and guile, similar to that of giggs/ kanchelskis / sharpe, from when I started watching united I began to anticipate the desperation in our play to score and entertain old Trafford, no this did not come. I was preparing to accept that mourinho isn’t the coach to bring that type of football, as he has a certain style to his play and tbh, he had begun to build a formidable team, so I showed some faith.

Watching this game tonight and it is not even over, I am wondering how you can have a team with pogba, lukaku, Sanchez and mata and look crap and not just crap, but so bad that I can’t resist my wife’s wishes to watch the Brit awards as I am showing no enthusiasm for this game. I can live with losing, but this is so dire that it doesn’t inspire hope. I’ve stopped believing we are going to get a big win soon, because I just can’t see it and that should not be what this team is all about. Forget the Manchester United way, it’s about looking like we want to play, it’s about looking proud to wear the shirt and it’s about believing that we should be the best in the country.

I don’t care if it’s defensive football, we should still look to go for other teams throats and end games and collect points. Mourinho has managed to make players like pogba and Sanchez, look inept and players like rashford and martial void of any talent. Yes the players should be trying harder, yes the players should be doing better, but surely out of moyes, van gaal and mourinho, the latter should have the know how to make this team work. We look pathetic tonight and knowing my luck we will win now I’ve had my big moan up, but I love united and I want these players to make me believe again.

I hope someone has gotten more enjoyment out of tonight cause I am genuinely struggling lads / ladies. After five years, I couldn’t be silent anymore, it’s becoming painful. Saying that, I like mctominay :) he looks a player, with some more games under his belt.

Believable7 Unbelievable0

22 Feb 2018 05:18:08
Ditto.

I had mentioned the same a week back and was shot down by GDS 2.

For God's sake, Can people hyping up the red team and take their finger our of the arses and agree that 5 years have passed by and we still look new born.

Players of caliber in ranks of Sanchez, Pogba, Lukaku and we still suck big time.

What I saw and want to summarize for the last 3 games (Newcastle, Huddersfield, Sevilla) - Defend like crazy, get outplayed in mddle as if we don't have a mid field, then a long pass, crazy individual skill/ dribble of front 3 and if (a big if) you' re lucky, get a couple goal and a win (Points! all the regulars here worry about), else lose or draw (De Gea is a superman in goal) .

Absolutely bonkers, how people can defend this football and mention about the table and how tough the UCL away matches are is beyond me.

Hate to say it, the only reason I did not fail to sleep (Belong to India, match at 01.15 AM) was watching De Gea and their so called average player's making moves (proper football ones) .

Surz.

Agree2 Disagree2

22 Feb 2018 08:22:42
One thing is for sure (my opinion), we're far to be the close article.
We are adding players that should improve the team, but we still play crap. Yes, most of the time we get the results but at what cost?

The difference between 2º place and and 4th is our DDG, because as team we look like a new born every time we play.
It's time to show some cohesion, urgency. No wonder the atmosphere at Old Trafford is not the great, people don't spend money to watch this every week and be given the excuses the Mou gives.

Let's hope for a win and a great display next game.

Agree2 Disagree0

22 Feb 2018 08:47:01
“Shot down by GDS 2”. Surprise surprise I didn’t see that coming.

Agree3 Disagree0

22 Feb 2018 09:14:13
FZZ,

You got a problem mate? Grow up.

Agree0 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 23:25:53
I was really looking forward to tonight. 1st game back in the champions league ko stages for 4 years. Tough but not a daunting fixture. Tough place to win only Barcelona have beaten them there in last 35 home games.
But nonetheless not a vintage seville side. Their new Italian coach is getting them organised and they work hard for him.
I got a little less than i was expecting from us though. To play like we did without martial or rashford seemed a waste. Mata and sanchez need the team to have good possesion to thrive. Whereas martial sms rashford dont.
Nil all can be very precarious but if we go at them and i think we will then we will have too much for them.
God knows what will happen on sunday. i'm hoping we see shaw and one of martial jessie or rasford playing.
Not got the balance right just yet. Next 5 games could be glorious or horrendous. Chelsea, palace Seville Liverpool Brighton (cup) . 4 huge home games. Ethnic of ote players are going to come out of these 5 games the hero which player is going to stand out or come into the team and deliver big performance after big performance. There are lots of potential candidates. let's hope a few step forward and rise to the challenge. There is a couple of not lose games there but also a few must wins.
I'm looking forward to seeing who rises to the challenge. Mctominay did it tonight but we need our game changers to start changing games. This is the time of the seadon when the best players shine. The winners come alive dedpite previous form.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

21 Feb 2018 23:50:46
It waa a typical Jose performance which i hoped wouldn't have been thr case as i prrdicted goals in this match.

I thought there eere a few positives to take out of the game, Lindelof made a few good tackles, scott looked very good for a 21 year old and Matic looked good as well and oh yeah David De Gea you beautyy! .

Lukaku didn't really have support and his touch was poor, Sanchez looked like he had no one to play with.

The rest did okay and Pogba looked initially looked like he was restricted but he grew into the game.

Agree0 Disagree0

22 Feb 2018 07:49:12
Oh man! Half drowsy while I sit at my desk and pretend that I have all the energy in the world to go about my day, but the truth is, it's not sleep deprivation as much as annoyance at what I saw last night.


We all tend to cover the bad aspects with the good, I mean yes, De Gea was world class, Lindeloff was good, Smalling was not horrendous, Matic looked energetic and Sanchez was always hungry for the ball, but then that's it. We can't keep doing this and pretend this is the best we will play and the fact is, we have been playing like this, especially against teams that will press us in the middle and who will take the game to us.

Lukaku had a wonderful chance to score a goal but he fluffed his chance, a bad miss, but not the end of the world. The problem is not the miss, the issue is, how many times did United work the ball into the box? How many times did we see the desire from our players to take the game against a side who has struggled to score goals at home and oh, their top scorer was not even playing. For all the movement that happens behind the half-way line in our half, the movement is next to nothing when it comes to us attacking.

Yes, we hoof the ball upfield, and hope that the big man up front will head it or chest it or do something with it. The thing is, even if we are hoofing the ball upfield, there needs to be a second player coming for the drop down or flick on and guess what, we never have that. That's a problem. Putting the ball in the channel is good, opens up the defence, but then, the player running for the ball needs help and that is never there, that is a problem.

The problem is not just passing in the opponents half, it's about absorbing the pressure and keeping the ball, all great teams do it and I cannot accept that the players who play for United cannot keep the ball even when pressed. Or fullbacks, rather than try and keep the ball, kick up upfield, it's more of a - "I've done my bit, why don't you guys go and do your thing up there. "

There is not a single player in our squad who can keep the ball rolling, shuffle possession. Matic tries and does it to a certain extent, but then he can't do it alone. For all the attacking talent that Sanchez possess, I think he's having trouble with the way Mou is making him play, yes, he doesn't have to track back and has the freedom to roam around, but even to play a free role, one needs the support of the other players to make it work.

Last night, Martial came on around the 80th or 82nd minute. A couple of minutes later, one can see him walking on the field and not pressing for the ball, I mean, come the **** on! You've just come on, the manager has sent you on for a reason, you can for the love the god, press once and then if you feel tired, you stop. But, one doesn't even try.

For all the problem that the media is talking about Mou and Pogba, I think it's utter crap. Pogba's performance has dipped, he seems slightly tired or at best, lost. Is that due to him not being able to play in a 2 man midfield? I don't think so, we started the season with just him and Matic playing in the middle with runners around them, he didn't struggle then, why now? Normally, a manager puts an arm around the player and protects him from criticism, especially that comes from the press, but I guess Mou doesn't work like that and his way of getting a reaction is what he does. Was yesterday a test for Pogba? A reaction that Mou was hoping for? I don't know. But the team and the Frenchman struggled again.

What makes it sad is that one waits for a week, in this case, months before a match of stature comes around and you have high hopes of the team, at least in terms of a performance, but then, you are served this. it's like going to a world famous mutton kebab shop and the owner saying, - "we only have vegan food, sir. "

Agree3 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 21:59:12
Not the worst result. Mctominay, lindelof and Smalling our best players. Before the moaning starts about attacking them etc, they've lost 1 game in 35 at home. We tried to hit them on the break but Sanchez and mata didn't get much service to lukaku bar one chance. Pogba was okay, had some lovely touches. Also De Gea had one save of note to make and boy it was incredible.
Don't forget we did this sort of thing in many games under Fergie, so trust Jose.

Believable3 Unbelievable2

{Ed004's Note - They were there for the taking tonight. There was no urgency, pace, team work, link up play etc. It was a shocking game to watch tonight}

21 Feb 2018 22:03:52
How many saves did their keeper make.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 22:09:09
Surely ed if we go out and try and attack them and lose 2-0 then it’s a stupid decision? Over the years we’ve had many games like that away in Europe over the years, our fowards today were all poor which impacted our ability to carry out the gmeplan.

Agree3 Disagree0

{Ed004's Note - We offered zero going forward. I can't think of once when our full backs got ahead of the play. Even when we countered we didn't do it in pace or numbers}

21 Feb 2018 22:34:12
Our front 3 was awful tonight, we defended well and the midfield played well.

Agree0 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 22:52:11
Ok we were well organised and kept a decent shape but I thought we were poor in possession and did next to nothing going forward. In fact most of their best chances came from our own mistakes giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

I still think we lack any intensity or urgency in our play and I just don't understand us in an attacking sense especially in the big games. There is no build up, no combinations, no partnerships, no fluency and very little understanding. It's all very reliant on individuals producing moments of quality or brilliance.

It was another hard watch and far from convincing. On the other hand Sevilla have a formidable home record so maybe 0-0 was a decent result. Its a dangerous score line and leaves little margin for error.

Anyway we're still in with a great chance of progressing onto the next one I suppose.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 23:03:57
Can you imagine if we had played PSG, Bayern, Madrid or Barce tonight? I shudder to think how that would turn out right now.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 23:22:40
We didn’t though, did we? Jesus, criticise what happened not what could have!

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 23:44:40
Tough place to go, decent result in the grand scheme of things. Lot of whining as per but that's to be expected when you've been spoiled for twenty years.

Agree6 Disagree6

22 Feb 2018 00:00:26
Not enough thumbs up to satisfy that statement hermida.

Agree0 Disagree2

21 Feb 2018 23:52:49
Completely agree Ed a lot of players seemes like they didn't know what they what to do when in attack it could well have been Jose's instructions to not mess up the game and keep it alive for when they come to Old Trafford.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 21:46:14
Yawn of a game I don't think it was a good result that don't get me wrong we didn't lose but it was Seville y on earth did we go for a draw go we should of just gone for the win bored to tears watching that.

Believable3 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 21:37:57
Poor watch good result should do them at home .
Mc Tom grown up performance from him.

Believable3 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 22:02:10
Awful to watch. Ddg and Lukaku played well. mctominay lindelof did ok.
Valencia in particular was very poor tonight followed closely by young.
Matic gave the ball away a lot.
Great home crowd and atmosphere.
I thought Seville were wasteful and playing a team as passive as we were and not taking advantage will cost them
Typical jose style performace in europe or top side away.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 22:23:29
Valencia had a poor game as did Sanchez and Mata .
Sanchez tried a lot but never came off Mata needn't off been on the pitch .
Clean sheet job done but front 3 where poor tonight offered nothing really.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 21:37:52
And the award for most boring game of the week goes to.

Glad we were only playing Sevilla and not Bayern or it would not have been nil - nil.

We really should have offered more going forward.

Believable3 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 21:36:09
Good result.

Believable2 Unbelievable2

{Ed004's Note - I disagree. That's a crap Sevilla team}

21 Feb 2018 21:38:47
Decent result? :)

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 22:01:53
Agreed ed.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 21:15:00
70th min, Sevilla 20: Shots, United: 4, letting the opposition dominate us again, absolutely sick of this bloody dreadful football😡😡😡😡😡😡.

Believable5 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 21:59:38
Some might say its a decent result, although we aren't through to the next round yet .

I say how can Sanchez, lukaku, pogba, mata and then Martial, Rashford not create anything, why are we so cowardly we never even go toe to toe with any team?

I will ratchet it up a bit and say JM is on very shaky ground -from within- no group of players can possibly enjoy playing this dreary, boring football sooner or later the dressing room is going to challenge him.

Agree3 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 21:59:50
How many of those shots were genuine chances? A lot from range.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 19:01:19
You can't win the CL with a back 4 of Valencia (winger) , Young (winger) , Smalling (dross) and Lindelof (woeful start to his United career, looks like a championship player) .

On top of that leave you best player on the bench. What the hell is going on.

Believable4 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 19:07:31
Since how many years we are feeling of wrong players in wrong positions. getting priority. it's always frustrating to see line up now andays.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:07:55
Couldn't agree more.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:09:32
I don't know, very strange, Jose said pogba not tactical not illness but what is it then. Must be a rift between them.

Agree2 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:30:02
I might wait till after the game to criticise. Radical approach I know. :)

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:49:53
RWWD,

We’ve already lost mate, Jose doesn’t have a clue in Europe.

Agree2 Disagree4

21 Feb 2018 19:51:01
Also, how many years does Valencia need to play at RB before he’s a right back. I’d argue he’s one of the best in Europe. Young is a winger, no argument.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 19:56:32
With this lineup it’s obvious the priority is not to lose.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 20:28:25
What’s wrong with that away from home in the champ league? Fergie did it often.

Agree2 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 20:33:34
Somebody wake me up when it’s over.

Agree2 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 21:01:02
Name of your sex tape?

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 21:15:55
Lol RWWD.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 22:20:10
Rwwd i'm just curious as to how you can argue that valencia is one of the best right backs in europe?
Give it a shot, convince me.
Imo he is a solid enough defender and very fit and very good at retaining possesion. However his crossing is awful je rarely gets to the by line he has no left foot at all. He gets beaten one on one too easily.
6.5 out of ten every week with the occasional 8 imo. Just like lots of his colleagues.
He rarely let's you down but neither does a ford escort.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 23:05:59
Fair play Ken. My argument is basically that if you can name ten better he’s amongst the best in Europe. I may be wrong but he is certainly a RB at this point.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 23:06:44
Also Ken, I think the standard atm is so low he qualifies as one of the best.

Agree0 Disagree0

22 Feb 2018 17:29:26
There are 10 Better in the championship😗😗.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:38:19
Team for sevilla:

De Gea

Valencia
Lindelof
Smalling
Young

Matic
Herrera
McTominay

Mata
Lukaku
Alexis

Thoughts?

Personally, do not want to write the team off before the game but that back 4 does not fill me with confidence. Uncreative midfield, looks like we have set up for a draw. Disappointing to say the least. But let's get the win.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

{Ed004's Note - Very disappointed with the line up. It's missing Bailly, Dojo, Shaw, Pogba and Martial for me}

21 Feb 2018 18:48:36
Totally agree Ed. What is jose playing at? its getting very tedious and frustrating when we refuse to field our strongest team. Young is not and will never be a left back. Smalling is shocking and that midfield has no creativity. And i'm not sure what martial has done to warrant being dropped. This has got a smash and grab written all over it. Spurs go to Juve and dominate and we look like we are going to play for the draw.

Agree3 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:51:19
Agree with you ed4. Shaw not even on the bench. Plenty of attacking options on there if we need them though.

I think jose is running with the plan that of the defence and midfield is solid enough, any 3 of our attacking players should be good enough to create between them.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:58:41
Very surprised with the line up. If Bailly is 100% he should be starting alongside Lindelof for me. Young for Shaw makes no sense and Pogba being dropped for this game is very strange.

Huge risk from Mourinho and if it doesn't pay off then he could look a bit daft.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:02:04
No Pogba! Put him in that team and we look a different proposition! 4-3-3 as well I just can't understand it! Surely now there's no smoke without fire. You need your best players in the biggest games especially when it's his favoured formation.

Shaw not even on the bench!

Ed - I agree but I think Rojo is injured, Bailly just coming back and as much as I like Martial he's not as good as Sanchez and he's been poor off the right when he's had his chance. I actually think Mata, Sanchez and Lukaku have shown glimpses of forging good understandings. That would have been my front 3 anyway but Pogba must start in my opinion.

Maybe Pogba and Martial can do something off the bench.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:02:31
As I said in some post. I am damn sure Smalling and young will make the starting, and arrival of Alexis has ring the bell for Martials confidence, I thought we are buying him for right but no. two of our kids are suffering. He is surely batter but with that we are predicted that all on left and nothing on right.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:03:52
Really hope i'm wrong, but that looks a very uninspiring lineup. i don't know how fit Bailly, Pogba, shaw and martial are of course . but for me they are 4 starters tonight.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:51:55
Fingers crossed the lads prove you all wrong. We are back in CL knockouts, bring it on.

Agree1 Disagree2

21 Feb 2018 23:47:13
It better not go wrong or Jose is going to get some slating this is not huddlesfield.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:17:55
A lot of rumours pogba on the bench tonight . I would be surprised if true.

Believable0 Unbelievable1

21 Feb 2018 18:37:47
It's true alright jred. Jose showing who is boss with that.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:38:15
Me too a little. But why should we be surprised jred? You said yourself he has not been playing well.
You agreed with dropping him. The team won without him.
But I've said before nothing over surprises me with this united team.
I wouldn't be surprised if he played great and got man of the match.
I wouldn't be surprised if he lost his man again and cost us a goal and has a nightmare.
Hard to put a finger on it.
Maybe the lad is feeling the pressure and is not coping too well just at the moment.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:45:47
Confirmed. Scott keeps his place.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:46:17
Just got back from u19’s game. Very poor 1st half. They all look a million miles off the 1st team. I know it’s a learning curve but they need a good kick up the backside.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:52:16
I'm surprised because i didn't think Jose would drop him .
Not saying it's the wrong call he has been awful of late but thought Jose would of give him a chance to show what he can do .
That said looking at the team sheet it looks defensive to me .
Setting out not to keep it tight pinch a couple take it back to OT.

Big call tho to leave out a player of the profile of pogba in a big game like this and play mc Tom. Brand pogba won't like that as Jose knows rumours of a rift could well be true.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:15:02
Big call alright. To bee fair he had never been afraid to make the big calls and go his way. Big chance for herrera.
Im assuming shaw is injured not being on the bench.
Looking forward to the game even a little more now.
Got my tickets for the return leg this morning.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 17:09:03
That's one for fans. out of two potential targets which one is more prefered. Jean Seri or Jorginho? Please share your input.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

21 Feb 2018 17:41:47
Jorginho by far. Great passing range and ball retention which we seem to miss in our midfield. He has the capability of passing long and also providing incisive balls from midfield to start attacks. His passing statistics are consistently 90% in every game he plays. His is tactically aware and intelligently positions himself to break up play. His workrate is very good and his has good pace which we lack in midfield. The key for me is his footballing brain which we seem to lack in our team. Weaknesses would be that he is fairly slight in frame and poor in the air but we have other players for that and that should not be a measure of a footballer imo.

Onto seri, he is much more versatile player than Jorginho, with the ability to play deep lying midfield, box to box or even behind the striker. He has a good shot from distance and is decent from set pieces. He is not the sort of player to grab the game by the scruff of the neck or pull his teammates up, he can often go missing which is something we do not need. His is also relatively short 5ft 6 if I am correct so it would be a strange signing for Jose. He also suffers from some condition which reacts badly to cold weather so I am not sure whether it would be sensible to sign him. Clearly talented and almost moved to Barca, but we need a Carrick replacement and Jorginho is perfect.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 17:57:21
2 players with very different attributes. We need both🤣 or as least players with simialar attributes.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:03:19
Blimey park you know your stuff!

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:22:32
Haha not going to lie Deano I love to watch a lot of of European football as I wanted to be a football scout before the parents told me not to waste my time 😂. But I agree with ken both would do nicely with attributes we lack in midfield. Still would like to see Herrera stay instead of splashing on another midfielder like seri.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 18:43:02
On the total another view. my first choice here is Milincovic-savic. And Scott McTominy to replace Carrick and Fellaini. Returning Andreas Parera and TFM will provide more depth and versatility.

Agree0 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 18:44:03
I thought herrera might start tonight. He knows the ground and style of play experience we could do with tonight.

On the above great assessments. I like seri been watching a while now after reading we were linked. Veey industrious busy player but jorgihno is more in the deep lying playmaker mould . His size is not an issue he is a crafty tough little nut and can look after himself and the ball.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:21:30
Here's a midfield option out of left field, Leandro Paredes of Zenit St Petersburg. He has excellent at Roma before his move to Russia looks the complete midfielder to me. Tackles well, passes excellently, cleaver movement, good reading of the game, able to dictate a game and works hard.

Agree1 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 14:27:08
With all the talk about Chong and gomes, can any regular watchers of our youth give us information about promising players?
I remember there was quite a bit of hype when we introduced indy boonen, and talk about roshaun. But all of that seemed to have died down now.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

21 Feb 2018 15:10:05
I am surprised Callum Gribbin hasn't kicked on.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 17:58:15
Im not. Questionable attitude. Good dribbler though.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 10:35:31
Anyway boys, back to united a 1 or 2 nil would be nice tonight. A small bet on lukkaku to score first.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

21 Feb 2018 13:12:14
That'll be great, but I do believe we will shut shop and they will score. So I am going for 1-1.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 13:48:41
I'm the same leahy. Close game. Be great to Nick the win.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 14:13:03
I'm fairly confident. I actually think our style of play, and the pace of our play this season, might be better suited to European football. 1-0 to us.

Agree0 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 14:34:49
3.1 to us have a sneaky feeling pogba will score a goal as well.

Agree0 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 15:43:03
3-0 rom score 2 qnd pogba with the 3rd (and 1 assist)

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 16:05:04
I feel like 3-0 is a little optimsitic!

1-1 I think but would be great if we could snatch it. I think we will beat them at OT in a few weeks so a draw would be fine, they have been good at home this season.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 16:22:31
I'm saying 1-1 but if Eric Bailly starts I'll go 1-0 united. I hope we go with a 3 man midfield too.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 16:25:01
It smells like 0-0 to me.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 16:40:11
2.0 United Seville are beatable, don't score enough.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 16:48:25
They have been good at home, they have only lost 2 games at home i think and barcelona was one of the games.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 19:47:14
Just seen the team. Can I change my prediction?

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 08:46:33
This whole should Aguero have been punished thing seems to have split everyone straight down the middle.

I feel he should have been, but in trying to see things from the other perspective I have come up with a thought.

It seems most people defending Aguero have the same argument, he was defending himself and it is a justifiable reaction.

I think most people who have that opinion have so due to putting themselves in the same situation and asking what would they do? They then come to to conclusions that if they would do the same thing then it's justifiable and therefore shouldn't be punished.

However, I still find I disagree with this point of view. Just because you feel justified in an action it doesn't make that action the right one.

A real life example of this was many years ago someone ripped me off at work, there was an argument and this person left. A couple of weeks later I saw his car parked up in a car park and I vandalised it.

I felt justified in my actions, but I had in fact committed a crime. I would like to add this isn't something I would do now, I was young and stupid at the time.

What I'm getting at is that old saying "two wrongs don't make a right".

You might feel Aguero was justified in retaliating, but he brought himself down to that guys level, the correct thing to do was to walk away, take the sting out of the situation then report it to the police. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands no matter how justified you think you are or unfair you think the situation.

Aguero should have been punished.

Believable11 Unbelievable11

21 Feb 2018 09:05:40
Shappy you where bang out of order it's not even in the same ball park pal .

Agree5 Disagree5

21 Feb 2018 09:08:32
The difference being, mate, yours was a few weeks later, rather than in the heat of the moment. I still don't believe anyone wouldn't react angrily if someone allegedly spat in their face, and was generally acting aggressively in your space. I still can't see Aguero doing anything more than shrugging the job off him, then being stopped from going after him. I thought he was quite restrained considering the circumstances.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 09:24:35
Personally, I feel Aguero should be punished too. Not to the extent of an Evra or Cantona ban which I have heard it compared to but 3 Match ban. If that had been during the game with another player it is a straight red, 3 match ban. I am also concerned about the message it sends out that if not banned, will players then push the boundaries when confronted by fans? Wigan and City have been punished for their fans behaviour and rightly so and I don't agree that Aguero should have been subjected to that but people bang on about the magic of the cup when smaller clubs beat the elite, pitch invasions are inevitable. So we need a solution, players must get off ASAP, stewards must get to players ASAP, staff must get players off ASAP. It's sad that we are in this situation but it is was it is and any wrong doing during those events should be punished.

As for Guardiola, his behaviour cannot be ignored, I can only imagine what the uproar would have been if that was Jose or Sir Alex.

Agree9 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 09:42:38
Thought I had found the wrong page then, just about all of this first banter page is about Pep, Aguero or City. Can we change it back to Utd please? :-)

Agree3 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 09:53:49
Trying to chase after a fan to return a supposed punch is not self defense, it is attempted retaliation. No grey area here.

Agree5 Disagree2

mbd              

21 Feb 2018 10:00:05
I have watched that incident a couple of times. It's by no means conclusive. It looks like Aguero is assaulted in some way and reacts with more of a backward slap/ brush off than a punch. It's very inconclusive as to what actually occurred. The moron fan, who initiated the incident, looked like he was enjoying himself nonetheless. If anyone should be charged it should be him. I have absolutely no problem with Aguero escaping punishment.

The upshot is that the fans should not be on the field while the players are. The blame therefore rests primarily on Wigan and they should be fined for failure to control their crowd. It's not as though something like this was not 100% foreseeable once Wigan had gone into the lead. The ground staff should have been notified to prepare for, and to try to limit a pitch invasion should the result hold, and to more importantly to protect/ escort the opposition players off the field.

As for the incidents that led to the bad feeling, I have no doubt in my mind that it was exacerbated by a tackle on Aguero that didn't get a card. Having watched that incident, there is no doubt in my mind the Wigan player deliberately/ avoidably followed through with an intent to injure him. A red would not have been out of the way. That made Delph's justifiable red card a touch more bitter.

I'm delighted City lost, but if that had been United I would have felt aggrieved by what went on too.

Agree4 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 10:05:11
This is boring now. He should have been banned but he hasn’t. Let’s move on.

Agree3 Disagree2

21 Feb 2018 10:11:41
I'm more than aware of that jred, my point is feeling justified about an action doesn't make it the right reaction.

Nou, I'm aware that there is a difference between doing something in the moment and doing something after you've had time to calm down.

Agree4 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 10:14:05
That sent too soon. My point is the law still considers a crime in the heat of the moment a crime none the less.

I'm not saying his reaction isn't understandable, just that he has taken a swing at a supporter which isn't acceptable and he should be punished for it.

Agree4 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 10:26:15
Was he spat at? No one seems to have any footage. Is the verbal abuse and spitting line - potential legal action being wheeled out by the city media machine.

Agree1 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 10:41:10
I think English Law is pretty clear about this. Under Common Law a person is entitled to use reasonable force in order to defend themselves. This can also include a pre emptive strike to prevent a crime from being committed namely an assault against themselves.

I don't know the full circumstances of the incident but with fans invading the pitch and approaching him in a aggressive manner I don't think it was unreasonable for Aguero to feel threatened, intimidated and believe that he was about to be assaulted. The bottom line is the fans shouldn't have been on the pitch, he was surrounded and Aguero can argue that he was justifiably acting in self defence.

I'm sure the FA have spoken to the referee, the player, reviewed the CCTV and even consulted with the Police.

Would this have been blown out of all proportion if it was another Club? Possibly? But let's get real if this was a Utd player we'd all be defending him to the hilt and I bet not one of us would be criticising him and saying they deserve a ban.

I agree with TOT let's move on now, we've got a massive game tonight. The important questions for me are will Pogba start? Will Bailly start? And what formation will Jose play!

Agree5 Disagree1

21 Feb 2018 10:56:01
Danny
Good post pal.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 11:11:01
I tried to explain the legal aspect yesterday, Danny, and it seemed to fall on deaf ears. You're spot on, mate.

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 13:21:12
No one should retaliate about anything, but the match had just finished and the moron fan spat on Aguero. So I can see why Aguero reacted.
However, a fan at Crystal Palace ran 20 rows to hurl insults and abuse at Cantona and he performed the famous KF kick on him and ended up with 5 month ban and 3 months extra dished out by United. So I would have like the angel-like City Football club to have come out and said while Aguero was defending himself, it is not the reaction we expect from our player. But they have said nothing.
Also, I would have like City to apologize to the Police and security and Wigan staff for their fans behavior at the end and hurling all the boards and other items at them. Again, City have said nothing. Small club, small mentality as I said previously.

Agree2 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 13:48:03
Good post Danny. That is the legal definition hence why no action taken.

Shappy, that OP is a mad post, I don't see the correlation between what aguero did and what you did. Chalk and cheese. Grasping at straws trying to prove a point.

Agree5 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 14:53:31
if only we had VAR!

Agree0 Disagree0

21 Feb 2018 15:06:54
one of the worst analogies i've seen, Shappy.

Agree5 Disagree2

Review Of The Day 21st February 2018

21 Feb 2018 05:05:48
{Ed's Note - Tris Burke has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 21st February 2018

Believable0 Unbelievable0

21 Feb 2018 11:33:25
Interesting read 👍.

Agree0 Disagree0