Manchester United Banter Archive August 23 2015

 

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


23 Aug 2015 23:27:13
I know we signed Darmian and we don't need a Rb but anyone see Coleman vs city? My god he's an engine, ran the full 90 and his defending has vastly improved. Shame we didn't get him but Darmians been impressive non the less

Believable3 Unbelievable4

23 Aug 2015 23:40:19
Ah here that's the least of our worries

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23 Aug 2015 22:42:02
What's the chances we sign Berahino from WBA this week with Evans part of the deal?

Believable3 Unbelievable2

23 Aug 2015 23:23:19
Hope not. Berahino is not the answer.

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23 Aug 2015 23:33:26
We could do a lot worse than berahino but he's not the shiny new world class player some fans are demanding.

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24 Aug 2015 06:11:50
Berahino might give us enough to cement 4th place

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24 Aug 2015 09:04:32
"The shiny world class players some fans are demanding"? Gds, do you think we're stupid enough to "demand" a player fully knowing we have no say in the matter.
Yes, we want a shiny world class striker because we love United and we want to see the team win trophies again. So apologies if some of us actually want to see this club where it belongs, at the TOP.
Berahino is a good player who might become excellent, but for now even you must realise and admit that we are short of pace and goals and only proven strikers and top winger are going to get us these goals.
We only want the best for the club and that means attracting and recruiting the best players. Can you see Chelsea, arsenal, city, bayern, Real, Barca queuing to sign Berahino?

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24 Aug 2015 09:43:42
Red Man,

I think we have more than enough to 'cement 4th place' now, bearing in mind we cemented it last season and we have a much better team.

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24 Aug 2015 12:15:52
Schmid,

Not sure my post suggested anybody was stupid mate, just that Berahino isn't the big name people want to see signed, which you agreed with in the rest of your post.

I have admitted on more than one occasion that I think we are short of a top striker, and I am fully aware you want us to be back at the top, that is what we all want, some of us are just a bit more patient than others about it and are happy with gradual improvement rather than desperation to win the league this season and throwing big money at just about anybody.

If none of these 'best players' are available then what do you suggest we do?

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24 Aug 2015 13:32:03
GDS

I don't think we have enough goals in us at the moment nor any pace to counter attack and as things stand 4th is the best we can hope for.

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23 Aug 2015 22:03:55
Well, as we are in the final week of the transfer window, I'd like to ask all Man United fans on here who do you expect United will sign ( just names, without any explanation and jokes, be serious please). As I'm totally out of ideas I'll say Benzema or Ibrahimovic. Now you GO -

Believable0 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 22:11:21
Ibra and Lucas Moura

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23 Aug 2015 22:20:17
If we overpay we may get Mane. But honestly I'm not sure if we'll see any new faces. More likely that we'll see Evans and two of our keepers in the stands leave.

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23 Aug 2015 22:35:02
Wednesday is massive. We qualify and I think we will see a surprise signing. I think Zlatan but perhaps another surprise. Think Wednesday is bigger than just qualifying for the champions league, could determine the shape of our season based on 1 maybe 2 signings.

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23 Aug 2015 22:52:51
No one

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23 Aug 2015 22:53:56
Oh wait. Sjnieder and gaitan

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23 Aug 2015 23:04:39
Hulk and Berahinho

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23 Aug 2015 23:13:45
Nobody

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23 Aug 2015 23:23:26
The window should be shut before the first game starts,don't think we will sign anyone

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23 Aug 2015 23:23:43
I've been saying one name for months.
Zlatan.

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23 Aug 2015 23:25:32
No one. But hope muller and bale.

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23 Aug 2015 23:32:06
I'm hoping for Berahino and Mane, both premier league experience but I think it's going to end up being Neymar and Muller now

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23 Aug 2015 23:47:27
Would like Zlatan but can't see it after falling out with LVG I can't see either of them being the build bridges type. expect loads of rumours of muller or bale and we will then probably sign Berahino

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23 Aug 2015 23:54:50
Messi and Vlaar.

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24 Aug 2015 07:01:12
Nobody for me

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24 Aug 2015 07:39:13
GREIZMANN AND FELIPE ANDERSON would be exceptional additions to the squad! We could also have an option of letting Januzaj go to Dortmund on loan in exchange for the purchase of Reus?

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24 Aug 2015 08:11:51
Vlaar, pato/llorente/IBRA and bale

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24 Aug 2015 09:11:29
If we end up with Berahino alone, then 4th spot is no guaranteed.
If we end up selling Evans and dave gea and buying Berahino for around £15m (not worth £5m in my opinion) then our net spend will be more or less NIL. So much for the £150m the club were going to spend.
But I'm still hopeful that we will bring in a top striker and winger. If lewandawaski (£40m) and greizman (£56m) are available then I will be on the plane to Munich and Madrid this morning. It all depends on the ambition of the club and whether they really want to spend the mega bucks.

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24 Aug 2015 09:22:09
Realistically Berahino
Hopefully Zlatan and Moura
I do however think there will be a signing before this window close. Someone to be unveiled properly in the new kit!

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mbd              

24 Aug 2015 09:41:02
Pedro.

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24 Aug 2015 11:04:42
Nobody.

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23 Aug 2015 21:43:42
I for one will be glad when this window slams shut. We seriously need to do something about players using us a way to get attention from their own or other clubs. We are losing our greatness and respect by the market these days! Ronaldo, ramos and now neymar looking to use us to get new contracts. Someone at the club needs to realise when a player is messing us around and sort it out behind the scenes

Believable5 Unbelievable0

23 Aug 2015 22:17:15
Don't forget Alves and Mueller.

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23 Aug 2015 22:54:05
I second that pep I agree the tabloids trying to affect us with the pedro situation, I also believe if we really wanted him we would of got him, we might also be thinking it could be waste of money to buy some used as a back up to a bigger target we might be in for in the coming year, anyway seems to of affected Chelsea more than us, I reckon we look stable and great going forward without that finishing product Rooney inform and some better end product with our deliverys we will be destroying teams, as for the big games I reckon we will be seeing a few boring 1-0 our way

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23 Aug 2015 23:27:22
I think you might be overestimating rooney.

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23 Aug 2015 23:38:23
I'm not pal just no he will be better with better deliverys and few goals behind him he's all we've got and if where not signing anyone else he's our only real option he can score we all know that

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24 Aug 2015 09:18:42
Pep. I think the club have been made to look like fools in recent times. We need a strong management,not Woodward, who is going to close deals and re establish our reputation when doing transfers.
Chelsea and Juventus have the right people working for them while our lot haven't. I'm fully aware that the transfer business is a tricky business but I'm also aware that other lesser clubs seem to have better mire experienced people who can negotiate discretely and successfully.
Gill was excellent at this and though he lost out on a couple of targets, he went about his business with great authority and dignity.
I Woodward we have a gun slinger, go out make all the right noises, only to be shot down by a younger, faster and cleverer man.

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23 Aug 2015 21:23:33
Bale is going nowhere, stop dreaming people it's not happening this summer.even gullies ballbague said so 😉

Believable1 Unbelievable0

23 Aug 2015 23:09:57
Wullie Ballbag is as about as useful as going fishing without any rod. he talks absolute tripe.

and you can never say never pep, every player is buyable its weather we pay the price madrid would want.

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23 Aug 2015 21:00:16
I posted this earlier also that this might be a make or break season for Rooney. And as of now it looks like a bad one for him. If this continues over this season then I can see LVG shipping him off to the US. I am a fan of Rooney and hope he will come good but even I believe now that he's just not giving enough. I mostly blamed the managers for playing him in midfield and behind the striker for his less goal returns but now that he has the chance he should have at least made the keeper work in these 4 matches. For a midtable team maybe he's doing enough but not for United. I still can't understand why he just doesn't hold his place as the most forward player allowing others to pass to him. Every pass to him results in his 1st touch taking the ball away from the opposition goal so that he can pass to someone else. This is where the selfishness of players such as ronaldo actually works in favour of the team.

Believable2 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 22:04:25
Top observation Sailor. As LVGs system relies on discipline positionally I'm amazed Rooney is an automatic starter as a number 9. He is more naturally a number 10 as is always looking to come and find the ball. Arguably that's actually more a natural pure midfield role but he lacks the ability to tackle or more importantly sheer ball retention skills to play there.

Am I the only one who thinks Rooneys body type means he will in essence age faster from a playing perspective. Look at Ronaldo at 30 and Rooney at 29 and it's clear to see Ronaldo could have potentially double the amount of top level years left in him.

I do believe we will finish top 4 but no higher than that unless we address the Rooney issue. At the very least that means buying a top class striker to be competition.

I think we are making moves for a very big signing but expect we will default to signing Ibrahimovich as he's allegedly available and we are one of few who can afford his wages.

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23 Aug 2015 20:33:53
We need a number 9 and a winger.
A physical presence and pace.

What about Hulk?

I'm not his biggest fan but he would be an upgrade on what we have and his strengths are our weaknesses

Believable3 Unbelievable3

23 Aug 2015 20:16:18
getting bale and ibrahimovic before the window shuts would probably be the best window we have had in a while.


if we get those 2 we would arguably have the best team in the league.

come on woodward let's get the cheque book out.

Believable6 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 21:39:59
Never going to happen

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23 Aug 2015 20:04:09
Hi all,

As is blatantly obvious we still need a proven, out and out striker. Not a lone striker who does this or does that, but someone who gets into the box, makes the runs and most importantly can actually put the ball in the back of the net!

Keep reading on here about Benzema, Muller and Lewondowski. I can't see United signing any of these, and the Bale and Neymar links are non starters in my opinion. Bale wants to stay at Madrid and prove himself after last season, so if it goes badly this season for him then maybe a more realistic move will be for next year. And Neymar is conveniently negotiating a new deal at Barcelona, funny that!

The most important thing in any team is to be able to score. There is no doubt we can create the chances. We do need more pace down the right, but that is a seperate issue. So who is available, proven and more importantly proven in the Premiership as a striker? I like Berahino, but for me he is not an out and out striker yet who is purely about goals. We need a Van Nistelrooy type of player. Now I am not comparing Ruud with this man but for me there is an option staring LVG in the face and that is a Mr Charlie Austin. He is not a star name but he scores goals, is always in the box and makes the runs we need. He is not the fastest but he has a football brain needed for a striker. He scored goals for fun last season and is doing the same so far this season and all the while for QPR who do not have the service United could provide him with.

Needs must and United need a proven out and out striker. Right now Austin is our best bet.

Believable3 Unbelievable4

23 Aug 2015 20:25:32
You're forgetting Heskey, or Nugent, or Lambert, or Fuller. Grow up mate

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23 Aug 2015 21:05:04
I think you being slightly insulting by comparing Austin to those players. Simply stating a fact that the team needs someone to score goals and without some of these star names being banded about he is the best option.

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23 Aug 2015 21:50:48
Your not far wrong Rich and AJH man enough with the trolling. Personally I don't know about Austin maybe a bit of a step backwards I think Kane would partner well with Rooney we should go all out and try get him. But a quick fix would be Ibrahimavic he's got the ego to fit into our club without a breaking in period. Benteke could have been a missed opportunity (hope I'm wrong)
However I still think we have problems in our midfield. Against Newcastle we had no speed and we were so predictable their defense just ate us up and knew what we were doing. I think PSG'S lucas maura(spelling) could be a beast for us and I think we could get him if we tried. I also reckon Muller could be a possibility for us which would be a huge buy if we could get any of them we would be doing well.

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23 Aug 2015 22:01:34
A tad harsh ajh but agree on austin. I say go fo zlatan for a year and work on wilson.

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24 Aug 2015 06:48:37
Sorry mate, too much wine

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24 Aug 2015 09:18:06
Haha Tony, don't blame the alcohol you nasty man!

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23 Aug 2015 19:05:18
I'm not too bothered about not getting Pedro from what I hear he heard lvg was a tough manager and the training sessions were hard. If a player doesn't want to do the hard work then I reckon we are better off without him. Get the players in that want to work hard and by the end of the season we'll be right up there. Could doing with some signings soon though

Believable0 Unbelievable10

23 Aug 2015 18:35:09
This Pedro situation has all the signs of us going to buy him but we got a better offer of someone else so we pulled the plug to get the better player ?

Believable2 Unbelievable3

23 Aug 2015 19:02:49
So wheres the player?

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23 Aug 2015 19:33:48
Im with you redcon .The way it just stopped tells you someone better could of become available all will be reveiled this next week hopefully 😆😆

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23 Aug 2015 19:47:11
Hopefully greizman or bale, what about maybe MUNAIN? if I spelt that right, and hopefully laporte. I think it will become clear after the 2nd lEG against BRUGGE, will decide how many more games, travelling etc. throughout the season. I also think IBRAHIMOVIC may come too

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23 Aug 2015 20:00:39
Stop shouting RW

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23 Aug 2015 20:38:22
Think that's it for us lads. Until January and a panic buy.

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23 Aug 2015 22:06:26
Kev,

What information you got to think that?

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24 Aug 2015 11:13:23
Keep dreaming, I have heard from a member of the medical staff that there is nobody else coming in this window.

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23 Aug 2015 18:26:52
If we are going to spend £100m before the end of the window, ? Why waste our time on bale when Madrid don't want to sell.

I would pay griezmans buyout clause and pay the circa £40m lewandowski's agent said it would cost to get him. I believe ed 002 suggested he was available at the right price. Surely he is more attainable than muller.

That would solve our pace/width problem on the right and give us a proper focal point. Rooney and mata would have to rotate at number 10. I would give Wilson, januzaj and perrera the carling cup games or send them on loan if they can get first team football. I would try for a Dutch or German team.

Believable6 Unbelievable2

23 Aug 2015 19:01:40
Yes yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. ed seem sobsessed with breaking our transfer export. For now, let's strengthen the weaker areas. The 2 players you highlight would be excellent additions. I'd also consider Benzema who is a beast and would get a new lease of life with us.

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23 Aug 2015 20:11:09
I would be very happy with Griezman and Lewandowski , it would make us very competitive at the very top of the table. Bale and Lewandowski and we might even win it

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23 Aug 2015 23:36:38
Lewandawaski and greizman will be heaven. But won't get either.

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{Ed004's Note - That would be perfect however I'd probably be happy with one forward signing atm}

24 Aug 2015 08:15:34
Similarly if we go the Dortmund and throw 60m for reus surely they'll be forced to sell.
Griezmann is more of a striker than winger.
I still hope saf signed Lewandowski that day and not RVP

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23 Aug 2015 17:48:11
Some of you Are so Crazy on us buying players and using vast amounts of money!

Man united we make great players not just buy them!

Lvg will see out his contract !

Believable3 Unbelievable6

23 Aug 2015 19:02:24
V mate, you need to go to exclamations marks anonymous,you have a serious problem. I'm really sorry, your family should have told you but it's been left to me

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23 Aug 2015 19:03:56
Man Utd make great players not just buy them,so Big V how did you evaluate the 70's and 80's? We had some luck with players during SAF tenure but it is so patronising, so arrogant to think it will keep happening, and SAF didn't buy top players did he ?

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23 Aug 2015 19:12:00
Called this a few weeks ago. We fail to do the job in the transfer market and people start spouting this myth.

During the years we dominated the EPL we consistently broke the transfer record, we nearly always had the highest transfer spend, and we had the highest wage bill I the league. As the class of 92 say themselves, the reason they became great players is because they were surrounded by established great players.

But of course you're right, and we should wear our transfer failings as a badge of moral honour.

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23 Aug 2015 22:12:49
I get the point big v was making, we brought through some amazing players through the youth ranks, after Sir Alex had overhalled the youth structure yes we did buy big players but mainly relied on the youth, if we did not have that luxury we would have to have bought more in. that's where we are now i don't think its just a united problem as all prem teams don't seem to be producing the same standad of youth that they were 20 years ago.

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24 Aug 2015 06:22:04
We always bought big players until the Glazers arrived and it took that debacle of a season to loosen the purse strings. The difference is that in 95 SAF knew he had bought time with the title wins to throw the youth in and fortunately it worked. However look at that team and outside the kids that came in the rest were top class title winners at their peak, it made the difference. Our manager now is under immediate pressure which means any kids coming in have to be immediately good enough and they all know it.

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24 Aug 2015 11:25:03
I don't think we did always buy the big players, the biggest name we bought was probably Veron for me who unfortunately never did the business. Most of the time when we paid big money it was to sign the best home grown talent; Keane, Cole, Rooney, Rio etc. We never have gone out and tried to get anyone that I would have put in the world class bracket with the exception of Ronaldinho.

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23 Aug 2015 17:31:29
As many posters on the site I have given the striker situation a lot of thought. I think the reason we need a new striker so badly apart from the obvious lack of goals is the lack of doubt Rooney has that he will play every week. Take for example Herrera who has numerous competitors in his role, who in my opinion has done nothing wrong but this competition has given us one of the best midfields in the league along with raising the game of each midfielder. This is not reflected in Rooneys game as Wilson doesn't have a hope of game and Chica barely gets a half. Why would anyone raise their performance if they are ensured their wages? This brings us to the possible solution which will have to be a top flight striker and with at least five other clubs in the market for the same the choices are slim. We should pay for the like of the ibrahimovic's and see how we stand at the next transfer window.

Believable1 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 17:47:53
Exactly, RVP nearly made Rooney leave last season and it would be fair to that any decent striker would've done better than he has.
It's easy to judge that when chicha plays we look better and with rooney we look worse. And chicha is a west ham level first choice striker. Rooney needs to up his game, sometimes even a rash yellow card if what one needs to fire himself up.

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23 Aug 2015 17:51:47
And we said that even before the season started. Rooney looks disinterested. He needs a kick up the arse.

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23 Aug 2015 18:30:08
Maybe we should try and buy Suarez purely for the wind up factor

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24 Aug 2015 11:26:59
Van Gaal is going to start Hernandez up top on Wednesday with Rooney playing 60 minutes in the #10 role.

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23 Aug 2015 17:05:13
Three games in the EPL and people are panicking. 7 points from 9 isn't bad. We haven't played world class football yet but what we have done in the league is still pick up points when we've not been brilliant. The players won't be fully fit and sharp yet. I think after the internationals in sept we will see a different sharper UTD. Hopefully we may add another couple of players before the window shuts.

We are currently integrating 5 new players into the team. This will take time. I would like to see Perreira giving a chance and Herrera more game time.

Believable2 Unbelievable3

23 Aug 2015 17:34:18
Agree Mad Hatter.

More on Perriera and Herrera please.

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23 Aug 2015 17:52:52
And will the other teams players not be sharper as well?

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23 Aug 2015 18:26:36
I think its not the points because if we had 7 from 9 and we drew to either Chelsea/City/Arsenal yesterday and played the way we did then yeh fair enough, but it was newcastle, a side we need to beat otherwise we will end up like last season.

The annoying thing i saw was the laboured approach with a min or so to go passing backwards and not aiming for the box.

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23 Aug 2015 16:36:32
La Liga 2013-14


Real and Barca had better squads but Atletico walked away with the title.

Do you know what Atletico had?

Philosophy and Process.



Chelsea and City may have better squads but god knows we have an abundance of philosophy and process. :-P

Believable4 Unbelievable3

23 Aug 2015 17:08:24
That is a major Point to make!

We Have a system in place ! It won't always work but 9/10 times it wil.

We won't lose more than 6 games this season !

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23 Aug 2015 17:09:30
That atletico side had a Diego Costa who is one of best CFs I've seen play. He is so bullish up front.

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23 Aug 2015 17:54:23
Agreed rohan. We have the unfit rooney telling us he's a lot better than people make out.

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23 Aug 2015 16:20:35
For the people arguing that we shouldn't judge Pedro on one game, most of us have actually seen him play a few times already.

Today reinforced what we already know about what he offers: pace, width an direct running at the opposition. He's not world class, but he is good at what he does and, as evidenced yesterday, would have added a lot to our right side. His width and pace would stretch defences giving space to the rest of our forwards in contrast to how Mata narrows and centralises our attacking play.

It's obvious to see why LVG was looking at him, and while he certainly isn't a top bracket player, for £21m he would have been a very useful addition. Hardly a panic buy, and an instant improvement over what we already have.

Believable6 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 16:27:14
danny
100 % agree

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23 Aug 2015 16:29:16
I agree Danny, Pedro would certainly have improved us.

But let's wait until the end of the window to see if LvG/Woodie have any surprises in store for us.

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23 Aug 2015 16:34:49
Fair assessment Danny. Would have been an improvement , but I won't be saying we missed out until the window closes. I'm still think we must be looking at someone to play on the right , but that is based only opinion.
Of course , if come September we haven't signed a right sided forward , it will be fair to say we missed out in Pedro.

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23 Aug 2015 17:05:31
Theres plenty of players who can do the same job as Pedro .Reus ,Montero , Bale and Goetze to name a few

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23 Aug 2015 17:11:36
Fair point. LVG traditionally has been blessed with top class wingers in his career and hopefully we're looking at someone like a bale or reus and also at upcoming players like berardi and felipe anderson who are still young but have that quality to win games single-handedly like depay did previously.

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23 Aug 2015 17:34:01
a friend ther are plenty more but none of them play for us

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23 Aug 2015 21:45:02
Neither does Pedro

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23 Aug 2015 16:09:56
Not directly related to United, but I would like to talk about ex-pony footballer Craig Burley who now works for ES.N. The guy is a tool of epic proportions. You should listen to his rant about us signing Neymar, basically stating that we are not a big club like Barca because we buy players from Southampton LOL

How do crap ex-footballer such as Burley get onto TV? In fact, the ES.N football analysis team are made up of a load of football light weight no marks. That said they are aimed at an American audience so I suspect it wouldn't matter a great deal who they stuck on there; and their current team of football experts (LOL) must of come really cheap.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

23 Aug 2015 16:03:49
One game does not define a season !

We have made a decent start, Mufc improve as they go on,

When was the last time we actually Had an overall outlay off 15-20 million ( that many things to contend with you can't say exact amounts)

If de Gea and evans leave we will have not Spent any money in theory!

If we can not Buy a player to improve lvg's system then we won't buy them!!

Possibly one arrival but if i was Lvg i would give januzaj and pereira alternated games !

Believable1 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 16:15:31
I agree with what your saying but I'm pretty sure otamendi is better than what we have at cb apart from smalling who I for one was not happy with him up until the back end of last season he looks like he's growing in that position being able to nail it down and get a long run there,but surely otamendi is better than having a makeshift sb there like blind,don't get me wrong he's impressed me there n done a job that's needed but he's not a cb and we could have had a new signing in there

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23 Aug 2015 16:18:15
Has city signing otamendi and Chelsea signing pedro pushed them both even further in front of us?the players we were supposedly signing or in for gave gone to direct oppression and made them stronger I'm my opinion and left us further behind.

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23 Aug 2015 16:23:25
BIG V so by your post that only "time" could improve us. Yes I am all for it.

But having a strategy which takes time to be enforced with a 64 yr old manager at helm doesn't sound like a good plan, does it?

We will then we back to square one once LvG goes.

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23 Aug 2015 17:02:30
When a manager comes in it will be someone with the same ilk, our game is based on possesion and positioning, I do feel once we are more complete with that lvg will release the shackles abit.

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23 Aug 2015 15:36:06
So you can all go overboard now about Pedro, and how we messed up not signing him. If you want to judge on one game should buy Callum Mcmanaman , he tore Chelsea to bits, or Morrisson who scored 2. Pedro got man of the match for a deflected goal and a miss hit shot that set up Costa. He would have got MOM just for carrying the drinks, so the media can make it a United story.

Believable4 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 15:44:20
Really like the post.
I could say that even Bojan and Deolofeu have had similar games.
Should we sign them too?

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23 Aug 2015 15:47:43
Inhope. I'm not pedro's biggest fan but even I had to admit he was class today.

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23 Aug 2015 15:50:33
Callum Mcmanaman was very impressive.

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23 Aug 2015 16:17:08
Everyone is impressive when they come up against Ivanovic as a right back :-P every game the opponent's left winger has looked world class against us.

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23 Aug 2015 14:59:58
So rooney is basically a passenger at the moment. So why not drop him, play Carrick or schweini and schneiderlin in two holding midfielders. Memphis and lingard/pereira on the wings. And put fellaini up top.
I never thought I'll say this but we'll be more effective.
And rooney will get the kick up the arse he deserves.
Win win situation.

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23 Aug 2015 15:46:10
I actually think playing Fellaini up top would be a great move. He holds it up well and we make a tonne of space out wide without having anyone in the box worth crossing it to. He could also flick it on to whoever plays just behind the striker. I'd start him against brugge. But we all know that won't happen.

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23 Aug 2015 15:46:27
And Mata playing behind fellaini.

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23 Aug 2015 16:20:53
I hope that all the slating of Rooney makes him come back stronger because let's admit it's always happened in the past and shut every one up!

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23 Aug 2015 17:19:00
I do hope Rooney gets his scoring touch back, but it's the basics he's doing wrong and you could say playing out of position has lost him a bit of an instinct of no.9 but he is a player that has been there and done it all.
Players need to adapt themselves with age and Scholesy and Giggs and to an extent Ferdinand did that brilliantly.
Scholes sat back deep, a flying winger Giggs became a top class passer and Ferdinand even after losing much of his pace and having back injuries changed his game.
Rooney needs to stop dropping back even if he is a passenger in play, he just needs to hold the line and make runs, the typical CF he needs to be, and I don't really think he needs to do a defensive job in midfield any more as we have 2 holding players there always. He just needs to stay up there and be when the cross comes. If rooney gets his touch back, all the talk of a striker may fade away.
And I believe Rooney had a great understanding with Herrera behind him with both of them playing one touch football and that seems inexistent with Januzaj, I hope Herrera plays in the middle as he shoots a heck of a shot and has decent pace. If he plays behind Rooney, I could see us playing better football.

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23 Aug 2015 14:40:46
I must admit I have been impressed with Pedro Rodriguez thus far in the Chelsea Vs WBA game but then again I was mightly impressed with Di Maria during his first few PL games.

Let's see what the first few months of the season holds before we decide to dub someone as the one who got away.

Believable4 Unbelievable0

23 Aug 2015 14:26:49
Pini Zahavi(Neymar's agent) seen next to DDG during the game on Saturday?

Why is he wearing a MUFC tie? photoshop.

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23 Aug 2015 15:21:45
according to sky sports Wagner Ribeiro is neymar's agent not Pini Zahavi who i read represents mitrovic

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23 Aug 2015 14:25:44
This place is going to be in meltdown mode all of today. Here's my take. Lvg really wanted pedro and was sure of getting him. So we have no plan b. Ed fluffed it up and now lvg is trying to save face.

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23 Aug 2015 14:58:23
Doubt it, if we wanted him we would of made a bid like lvg said it was a easy transfer to complete if we wanted it

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23 Aug 2015 15:08:43
We did bid just not he release clause Pedro and Barca said fogey you hello Chelsea. Let's not try and cover it up, we messed up it happens would rather admit it and move on instead of this Neymar embarrassment

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23 Aug 2015 15:16:39
Isnt that something lvg will say?
Consider the scenario i proposed. If we truly fluffed the transfer(read some report about someone saying that we were very slow and chelsea swooped in), lvg won't come out and say ed screwed it up.

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23 Aug 2015 15:27:06
Who said we bid? The press? Must be true then.

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23 Aug 2015 15:27:17
But we didn't thou we never made any bid for him lvg said we didn't and that we was not even looking at him but that people are putting words in his mouth

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23 Aug 2015 15:55:12
Hi imightbesomeone,
Good post but again not something I agree with, I think you have got the wrong end of the stick here so to speak.
LVG and United were in discussions with Barcelona regarding Pedro 100%. However LVG was never 100% sure that Pedro was the right player for us anyway, Pedro was one of 2 Barcelona players being spoken by E.W. LVG then decided he did not want to sign Pedro (rightly or wrongly it remains to be seen) and so discussions about a transfer stopped. Hope this gives you some clarity.

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23 Aug 2015 14:11:25
Hi eds, I posted a while ago when the manager said he could make a surprise signing that nobody was talking about, that I thought it could be hulk, but my post was never printed, was that because you all knew and didn't want to draw attention to the real deal lol, but his agent is the same as neymar's, and I don't see Neymar as a realistic target, but Hulk could be.
Cheers.

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{Ed007's Note - Do you mean this post:

22 Jul 2015 19:40:42
Have we been linked with hulk? Just saying, don't really want him, but I'm trying to think of names we haven't been linked with.

That's the ONLY post you've made mentioning Hulk and you must admit, it's hardly an earth-shattering vision of the future you had is it?}

23 Aug 2015 17:22:40
Hulk is all physical and everything and the guy has a cracking shot and I loved watching him with Porto when he played against us.
But don't you think he's the kind of money-hunting guy who took up a easy challenge in life by joining Russia and playing lower level football when he could at least have gotten into a club of liverpool or tottenham stature.
I would keep away from him TBH.
He doesn't even score that much for Brazil either.
I'd rather play Fellaini uptop.

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23 Aug 2015 14:00:37
And Pedro scores. What a craptastic week for United. ugh !

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23 Aug 2015 15:26:46
LOL

Don't look up now but there is a giant flying pig about to crash into the earth.

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23 Aug 2015 13:58:23
The Pedro lad for Chelsea looks like the type of player who could have made a difference yesterday. I wonder if we are looking at any players like him?

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23 Aug 2015 14:09:00
danny
and people didn't want him ?
doing the exact thing for chelsea that we missed yesterday

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23 Aug 2015 14:31:39
I wish we had pedro and costa.

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23 Aug 2015 14:43:05
Got to say I was one of the ones who wasn't fussed but he has looked excellent.

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23 Aug 2015 15:02:23
im not a big fan of costa, decent player/ good player but not amazing imo

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23 Aug 2015 15:18:25
I'd gladly have costa over what we have.

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23 Aug 2015 13:58:01
Pedro has scored the same amount goals in the EPL as our entire squad after 20 mins, I don't know how much more incompetent the club looks as the transfer window goes on.

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23 Aug 2015 14:13:01
And a assist so goals and assists luckily for LVG their not something his current squad are short on. Stand by for a leak of a bid Ronaldo to try and mask a terrible week on and off the pitch

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23 Aug 2015 14:20:34
I know pedro would have been a good signing and we fluffed it up but this kind of oversimplification is laughable. When your sample size is so small you can make the stats say anything you want.
- chelsea have conceded infinite times more goals than our defense
- barca have conceded 9 goals in their last 3 competitive outings

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23 Aug 2015 13:57:16
West Brom v Chelsea match.

It flippin' had to happen, didn't it?

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23 Aug 2015 13:56:46
I see we're now being linked with Neymar, Filipe Anderson & Alexandre Pato. After Rafael left, it was said that Van Gaal didn't particularly like Brazilian players for their usually "off the cuff" or "maverick" style of football, don't know how true that is or isn't, but what is certain is that all three of those players are Brazilian.

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23 Aug 2015 13:27:23
I genuinely think that we'll sign Laporte as our new centre half and then either Berahino or Zlatan on deadline day
I think that'd make us title contenders
Berahino left out of squad today and can't help but feel that we might be involved

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23 Aug 2015 14:48:19
Berahino will be a disaster move for us. As for title contenders, I don't think so.
If we buy zlatan and bale then I'll agree with you.
And what's with the name? Could you not get one of your own?

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23 Aug 2015 15:03:15
berahino would be a great buy .
pedro would of been a good buy as well

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23 Aug 2015 12:18:19
Eds, do you honestly think there is any chance utd can get bale before the window shuts??

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - no.}

23 Aug 2015 15:11:06
Could be a little positive ed! I'm joking, I totally agree with you unfortunately for us.

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23 Aug 2015 12:30:16
There is a reason we keep playing Januzaj or Depay in the No.10 role instead of Mata and it was told to us by LvG himself.

LvG has said he wants to play with a second striker in the No.10 rather than a midfielder such as Herrera. He also said that he likes the idea of the midfielder some times being more advanced than the striker.

If he was to play Mata in behind Rooney it would cause more problems than it would fix. Mata's style of play isn't built around running either with or without the ball. So if he was to play in the No.10 position how would he run beyond Rooney? The answer is he wouldn't. Thus we would then have Rooney dropping deep into the space Mata is trying to work in and them just getting in eachothers way.

The way we are currently setting up is being done to try amd fit both Mata and Rooney into the same team. The problems it is causing though is that with Mata playing wider we lack any penetration down that flank and with Rooney playing as a main striker he is dropping too deep. Against Newcastle Depay was our most advanced player. And the only one who was regulary in the final third. Newcastle played with more players on left hand side and blocked that side of the pitch up knowinf that with Mata and Rooney on the pitch there was no threat of someone running down the right hand side. That is why LvG brought on Valencia for Darmian as he is more likely to push on down that flank.

Mata was a sucess playing on the right last season because he had Valencia running past him on the outside amd Herrera on the inside. But that left that flank over exposed and from a defensive point of view it was a disaster waiting to happen.

For this to work we need to play with one of Mata or Rooney and not both. We need more pace down the right to offer the same kind of threat as Depay does down the left. Then we need a striker to play as a striker leaving one of Rooney or Mata to play in the No.10 position.

Other wise we will remain one dimensional and teams will he differcult to break down.

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23 Aug 2015 13:06:11
In short we need some pace on the right

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23 Aug 2015 13:10:24
I disagree with this Shappy. I think Darmian has been a revelation at trying has damnest to overlap on the right even more so than Valencia last season. I also think Rooney in the '10' is pointless as we all seen last season that he is not a midfielder he is a striker and if he plays it must be up top or not at all.

One last thing this No.10, second striker or whatever it's called is effectively an advanced midfield player and if your looking for someone to push beyond the striker that guy should be Herrera.

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23 Aug 2015 13:18:57
Of course he would run ahead of rooney. Mata, rooney, fellaini or herrera need to play as number 10. Not Januzai

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23 Aug 2015 14:34:51
Pretty much jred. Lol.

Maze, Darmian has been over lapping on the right, but he hasn't been playing as far forward as Valencia did last season. He is still a defender first. Besides the reason you want your full back to over lap is to create a 2 on 1 situation against the opposition full back. This happened last season but it was Herrera and Valencia. This season Mata is droping deep and central again but there is no one doubling up on the right with Darmian. Which is the problem down that side.

As for Rooney I'm inclinded to disagree, I don't think he has what it takes to be a No.9 anymore. He has lost too much pace and he no longer has that strikers instict.
So far this season he has averaged more key passes per game than shots. And He has only managed 2 shots on target all season. He is no longer a striker who can lead the line.
With one striker on the pitch he has to be the furthest player forward or the pitch becomes compressed. Rooney was playing between Januzaj and Mata on Friday. He had as many touches in our penalty area as he had in the oppositions. He needs to play just off the main striker. In that space between the midfield and the forward line which the No.10 traditionally play. But he is a deep striker rather than an advanced midfielder. He cannot lead the line anymore as a striker, we have seen that in his last 8 games. Personally on Friday I would have brought Mata off and replaced him with Hernandez, shifting Rooney into Januzaj's position and pushing Januzaj wide right.

Pep, Mata will never run beyond Rooney if he was played in the No.10 position. If you watch Mata he vary rarely scores in the first phase of attack, nearly all his goals come in the second phase after the first phase has broken down or been blocked off he is the guy who is there to sweep the ball home from a cut back. But with no one running in for the first phase there will never be a second phase.

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23 Aug 2015 11:53:37
I'm going to make a bold prediction regarding griezmann. Slate me if I am completely wrong.

If the rumoured buyout clause is true of 58mil and we are entering the final couple of days in the transfer window, I think he will be signed.

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23 Aug 2015 14:14:10
Januzaj is not a second striker wants 48 touches every time he gets the ball

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23 Aug 2015 11:53:17
Intresting point made by Van Der Sar about us having 3 established goalkeepers sitting in the stands and watching us play.


I assume (i hope actually) that the reason we have not sold DDG is because Madrid have not come up with an acceptable offer yet.


But are we not finding takers for Lindegaard and Valdez?
So what if we don't find clubs for them are we just going to keep paying them until January at least?
With 8 days to go paying off their contracts to make them free agents gives them very less time to find a club. Not really a good option for them, is it?

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23 Aug 2015 13:20:08
It's ridiculous how ddg and valdes are frozen out. De gea should be playing and valdes should be back up. Simple as that

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23 Aug 2015 13:27:01
I don't really understand what you're trying to say here? I was under the impression that as a free agent you can sign for a club after the transfer windows closes as it is not a transfer? I'm probably wrong! Also what do we achieve by paying up their contracts? I may have completely misinterpreted what you're trying to say?

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{Ed001's Note - not if the contract gets paid up after the window shuts, as they then have to wait until the next window to join another team.}

23 Aug 2015 14:03:36
Cheers Ed thanks for the info!

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{Ed001's Note - very welcome.}

23 Aug 2015 11:20:11
Well at the start of the season I predicted we would take 13 points from a possible 15 with the points dropped coming from Swansea but if we can beat them then I will be happy regardless of the Newcastle result.

We were very unlucky and it was just one of those games that it never happened. Rooney was a big toe offside for his goal and Smalling could have won it late on but alternatively when they hit the bar that could have been game over.

I do think City may struggle to win today as Everton are a bit of a bogey team for them and also anything could happen with Chelsea. No time to worry just yet anyway as we are normally better mid season so if we can rack up a good total by November we will be within a shout.

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23 Aug 2015 11:43:36
With our lack of firepower I am a little concerned Swansea will score and we will not be able to break them down

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23 Aug 2015 10:39:00
Going to have a bit of a rant here,

I think Frustration is the word that best describes yesterday's game, we had 70% possession, 8 shots on target (although I only recall being tested twice really, mata and chicharito) and where far the better side.
We look solid at the back thanks to lvg's 2 holding midfielders, I hold my hands up, all summer I have said we need a new cb to replace blind but to be fair he has done fine so I think I would be willing to sacrifice strengthening that area now and give them a chance.
As I said the 2 holding midfielders have helped a lot and look strong, the main problem for me seems to be the link up between midfield and attack, and the finishing.

Firstly for me if Lvg is going to persist with this formation (which I have no problems with) then firstly either Mata or Herrera should be in the number 10 role, if a new striker comes in then possibly Rooney in that role. I like Januzaj but he's very lightweight and probably not intelligent enough to play that role, he wants to constantly run at defences but often finds himself trying too much. Herrera and mata are both very intelligent players as is Rooney. When you look back at lvg and his teams when he plays with a number 10 it's always an intelligent player who is great at finding space, Litmanen, Rivaldo, Muller, Riquelme and sneijder. These with the exception of maybe Rivaldo aren't going to try and beat every man every time, they're the types of players that open up space for the wide forwards. We have 3 players who could easily do this but I don't understand why lvg doesn't see it.

Secondly, the right wing/right forward position. Again another problem, I think personally he see's a goal threat from mata cutting inside, only problem is his pace, I believe lvg wanted to keep Di Maria for this role and now isn't quite sure who could do it instead, Bale and Robben probably aren't available so who else? If it's pace he wants down that side we do have that, young, Valencia, pereira and lingaard are all relatively quick, but I think it's an inside forward he wants. I for one would give lingaard a chance if I'm honest, the kid has been on tour the last 3 seasons and scored goals and played well every year, he's got a knack of being in the right place at the right time, yet he can't get a sniff.

Thirdly. The striker. For me it's not working with Rooney, he gets too frustrated when the ball isn't near him then drifts back and basically leaves us with no striker. Zlatan is a must for me until we find a top class replacement. I believe the games when chicharito has been brought on we have looked a lot better going forward but I wouldn't be too keen on him being number 1 striker all season, however he is a penalty box player which is what lvg seems to crave. Him or Wilson should get a start against Brugges in my opinion to give them a go. I seen a stat yesterday that said it was only the 2nd time in 21 games that Rooney had over 1 shot on target. That is not good enough.

In all I believe we are a striker, a right forward and a gk (if de gea leaves) from being a top class side. For arguments sake let's throw a cb in there too.
The striker situation needs sorting tho, I would imagine Aguero would of had Newcastle finished yesterday at half time. The next game I'd try Rooney behind chicharito just to see how it is. If it's not sorted then I would imagine we would be 3rd at best

Thanks guys

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23 Aug 2015 11:52:42
I'm sorry, mate. Agree with most of it, but I'm really concerned about this myth that seems to be gathering pace about Rooney being an intelligent player.

To me, he's always been an instinctive striker, not a no.10 that's full of craft and guile. he's too slow, and his touch is too leaden, to be an effective no.10

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23 Aug 2015 12:52:32
Agree with all of that.

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23 Aug 2015 14:45:08
Nou camp 99,

I'm not a rooney fan at all but we have to accept he's going to play. I stil believe if fergie had carried on one more season then Rooney wouldn't be here. But he is a clever player, plus his work rate is decent enough to. But if it was up to me we would of moved on from Rooney 2 seasons ago

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23 Aug 2015 10:32:19
Mata is wasted on the right he needs that number 10 position in the middle .Herrera at Bilboa was a number 10 and a good one at that.

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23 Aug 2015 11:13:15
My suspicion is that Januzaj has just been filling in until Fellaini comes back. If LVG is still here next season I can see Herrera leaving. Best outfield player in the latter half of last season, but just isn't rated by the manager.

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23 Aug 2015 10:17:54
Alex Neil of Norwich loves playing possession football but once they get into the final third they actually move the ball quickly and attack with 4/5 players. We're playing slow boring football we don't need a ibra we need a bale/lewy young fast attacking minded player!

Can we clone a young Ryan giggs?

Believable1 Unbelievable1

23 Aug 2015 11:04:40
Difference is when Norwich get into the final third they don't have 10 players in front of them all defending compactly. Teams set up to stop us whereas teams go to attack Norwich leaving them vulnerable at the back, Brugge attacked us which left space in behind for Depay and Januzaj.

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23 Aug 2015 11:29:59
Spot on anon

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23 Aug 2015 13:59:52
Ministam we've already got one. Lingaardor is it Lindegaard? My bad. But he's a flying tricky winger and we are crying out for him. Plus I don't think Rooney is good enough anymore.

We desperately need a striker!!!!

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23 Aug 2015 09:56:09
Morning. Just watching some highlights of Giggs career and in a match against west ham, we had Giggs, Ronaldo, Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov on the pitch and in the box with them was Scholesy as well.
Now you look at our front line, and you know how desperate we are for not one but two front players, a striker and a right winger.
As it stands, we are winning nothing as we can't score, rest of the team is well organised and playing well, but the aim of the game is to score goals.
I'm not sure how ambitious the club are, but haggling over £3m difference in the Pedro deal does not vouch well. And immediately and on cue, the next day we get rumours that we want to buy Neymar!! Do me a favour, these things are not washing over most people's eyes. I think our lot have decided that we have bought a few and sold more than we bought and that's that.
Going after Ramos, neymar, Muller,Bale makes nice headlines but that doesn't make us a big club, and in fact, it is actually turning our club into a laughing stock. In my humble opinion, Woodward is totally out of his depth and is a Yes man to his employers.
With all that in mind, lvg comes out and speaks utter rubbish about us not needing anyone in attack, he might be playing tricks and having a laugh with the press,but time is running out as 2 months ago, people were telling us not to panic and we'll buy a striker, a centre back etc but 9 days remain and nothing is forthcoming. I think the last laugh will be on lvg and our club and unfortunately us fans are going to suffer for it.

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23 Aug 2015 11:18:49
Be careful nomid, if you go around asking why we haven't bought the players that our squad needs you'll be accused of acting like a spoilt brat. Don't you know that wanting your club to have the best chance of challenging for titles makes you a glory hunter? You should get behind the manager and the players we have because if we really wanted any player we would have them no problem.

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23 Aug 2015 12:24:34
Ha danny pughunited funny!

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23 Aug 2015 12:56:46
Danny. Love the post.

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23 Aug 2015 09:40:25
Hi all,

First time poster long time reader.

What do you all think about Jefferson Montero from Swansea? I think he is just what we would need on the right wing, pace, skill and can cross the ball.

Believable1 Unbelievable0

23 Aug 2015 11:00:12
Doesn't he play on the left

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23 Aug 2015 13:00:17
He's actually been used on both flanks in the past. A very good shout and he gave Chelsea full back a lot to think of in first match.
I would rather buy him than go for the impossible dreams of muller bale neymar et Al.
Of course I would rather we just put our money where our mouth is and go after greizman or Reus. But if they don't seem likely then Montero will be good.

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23 Aug 2015 09:26:20
I have a few points in regards to yesterday's game against Newcastle that may have not been touched on as of yet. Firstly, I must admit the performance was much better in general and as someone else touched on if Rooney's goal had stood and a few of those early attempts hit the net it's a different game completely. Playing this way you have a chance of winning rather than scrapping and hoping to get a goal like we have done previously.

I will not get into the Mata on the wing debate nor the need for another striker as those have been well documented but I would like to touch on Herrera. Why isn't he playing? What is going on? No one seems to have an answer. He would would have injected energy and urgency into the game yesterday and ultimately could have been the difference. I have no idea why he is being left out or not even given a chance from the bench.

Some will say Herrera doesn't fit the No.10 spot which is fine but I ask you why can't we play with a flat midfield 3 of Herrera, Morgan and Bastian/Carrick? Herrera could push on box to box, Morgan press when he gets the chance and help out the back four when needs and BS/MC ultimately set the tempo and drift in and out the defensive third? Why is it so fashionable to have a DM and a No.10? Why can't we just have 3 very good midfielders to share the workload?

Lastly, Daley did very well again. I don't rate him as high as some nor as little as others but I can see why LVG likes him. He is very strict with his positioning and always does the simple thing as he knows he is not the most technically gifted. Can he cut it as a CB in the PL? I think he can. Can he hold his own against the big clubs in that role? Maybe, maybe not. I have said it before and will say it again Blind is 10 times better as a defender than he is or ever will be as a midfielder.

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23 Aug 2015 11:18:56
I rarely agree with you JMB. But you are fairly spot on with everything. Yesterday was a much improved performance, had those chances been put away we would be all here lauding how good we were.

Note on Blind. Very clever footballer. Always seems to pick the right pass and reads the game fantastically well. The added protection in CM also means we are much more solid defensively.

Looking forward to the next game. Hoping Herrera might get a run out.

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23 Aug 2015 11:28:08
Good post JMB

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23 Aug 2015 12:26:03
The whole Blind at CB rests in Smalling playing, in the form he's in Smalling is a beast and his pace covers blinds complete lack of any. However with Smalling injured or banned how well can Blind cope with Jones or Rojo. Hopefully that is something we never have to see

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23 Aug 2015 12:52:51
Credit where credit is due JMB - Great post.

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23 Aug 2015 13:20:28
As I have said before Rosie I get the negative tag as soon as I post but I give credit when it is due as I just want the best for the club. I was full of praise against Brugge also.

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23 Aug 2015 07:58:05
Oops. Hit the wrong key. To continue. I think given the right ball, Rooney will score, but the service to him is poor. We need another striker but I wouldn't say he's a replacement. Until we have 2 flying wingers, we will never play like the old United.

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23 Aug 2015 09:08:12
We have only played 3 games , we have a new system and some new players but I can see it coming together.
Could do with some pace down the right imo but I think we will do well this year

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23 Aug 2015 10:03:49
The general play is much better up to the last 20 yards. Rooney will not suddenly become prolific even if he has Messi playing alongside him. Why? Because in order for a striker to get the goals, then he has to work hard for space,run through and beyond the defenders. Watch Costa, benzema, Lewandawski and you'll see what I mean.
Rooney is not prepared to make these runs, they take a lot of energy and not all players are willing to run 30 yards and nine times out of ten will be unsuccessful. Rooney is static most of the time and that attitude is not going to get us 20 goals from him this or any season. I said that before a ball was kicked this season and I stand by it.

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23 Aug 2015 07:54:52
It amazes me how our priorities have changed in just a few weeks. Priority 1 was a CB or two and playing Blind there wrong. We would never win anything with that back line. Two weeks into the season and our FBs are performing well, Smalling is improving rapidly and Blind looks very comfortable considering he's not a natural CB.
Then we badly need another striker. We still do IMO but to a lesser degree as it now seems a lot of us on here are now stating the immediate need of a RW. Its easy to bash Rooney but as the old saying about Charlton goes, 'Not a great scorer of goals, more a scorer of great goals'.

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23 Aug 2015 09:08:06
Aren't they the clubs 2 top scorers?

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23 Aug 2015 10:14:23
It is not a matter of bashing Rooney, but it is the blind stubbornness from lvg and Rooney to think that a 29yr old striker, who has never been known for making the runs upmto and beyond the defence should suddenly change his style completely and start pulling defenders all over the place. It is not happening and is not going to happen. So unless you have a RW to stretch the defence and Memphis on the left doing the same, then Rooney will have little space to work with.
Insaid before the season started that our attack is completely underwhelming and lacking in pace and that has showed very clearly in the games we've played so far.
As some might know I'm in Portugal a lot, and last year, in had the pleasure of playing golf with Alan shearer, and he said to me then that United should be buying not one but two strikers. He mentioned that they need a striker who can hold the ball and also make runs to stretch the defence, and he also said that we need a striker who likes playing wide and coming in. Of course, he is completely right in his assessment, and in the ulikekly event of us getting Muller and a striker then we will all see the benefit of the system lvg is trying to implement.

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23 Aug 2015 10:21:18
I think they are. GDS2

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23 Aug 2015 12:34:12
Carlton and law are the clubs two leading goal scorers Rooney is 7 behind law and in current form Law won't be looking over his shoulder anytime soon

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23 Aug 2015 14:39:13
Apologies, just never heard that said about Charlton, I was beginning to think he meant Charlton the team!

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23 Aug 2015 15:25:17
Bobby didn't do tap ins GDS2

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23 Aug 2015 05:42:45
This a neutral post. I am asking questions here not sharing my conclusions.


How much time is really acceptable for a team to start playing well and establish a legitimate style of their own?


I realize that there is no fixed answer to this but how long before we unanimously(maybe 80% of the fans) say "that's it we've had enough"


Please note that I am not saying that time has come, I am not saying we should sack LvG I am just saying that i don't really know how long will it be considered as acceptable.


LvG has approximately been incharge of of 50 odd competitive games in all competitions and our gameplay is extremely basic. There is no real signature style that we have. Well uninventive passing so that you don't lose the ball is not really a signature style, is it?


Would any other high profile manager take the team Moyes left then spend 250odd million and have us play like we have been playing?
LEts not talk about winning trophies or anything and just focus on the gameplay.
Wouldn't any other high profile manager have us playing better football than what we do now?


Yes we look a bit stable defensively but hasn't that come at a cost of stifling our attack? Ie the fact that we don't have fast attacking players stopping us from playing good football?
Koeman also took over last summmer but he didn't seem to have a problem with that aspect of the game.


I don't want people to misunderstand. This is not a post calling for LvGs head or asking for drastic measures to be taken. this is just a post where I ask questions I don't know the answers to.


Would appreciate comments.

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23 Aug 2015 06:31:18
I simply do not understand why the amount of money being spent is being equalised to the quality of football. You do realise that with 200 million, he has acquired individual players and NOT a team. It's not an individual game. It's a team game and the team needs time to gel before you see the "good" football being played. You keep making wholesale changes to the team, then how do you expect them to play. Yesterday we had 6 New faces starting the game ( I have included Shaw) in this count. These players have known each other For not more than a month.

Give the "team" time to know each other and gel in. I am sure we will see the style return.

On another note, saw An analysis on lvg in the pre game show, it is always been like this. Fewer goals scored and a hell lot fewer conceded. So I do not think we should expect the United of old banging in goals for fun. The word I believe they used was "pragmatic" United.

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23 Aug 2015 07:05:30
Shan I think you have looked at the post negatively.

I mentioned multiple times that this is not the post to criticize LvG or anything, I am just looking for answers.


Koeman took over last season and basically created a new team but we all remember how brilliant they were in the first 10-12 games. The were in top 2 if I remember correctly.


Pellegrini in his 2 seasons has brought in 12 players(+4 this season), majority of them 1st teamers but their game play is brilliant.
(Note that I am not talking about winning trophies but just about the gameplay)

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23 Aug 2015 08:03:32
@mumbai I asked Jose a similar question the other day as he seems to have a grasp of what lvg is aiming for, I'm sure he said he's a coach.

He said we're doing everything the way lvg wants us to do it just not finishing.

Once the goals start to go in we will start to look a very good side.

Possession high , shots against low, it's not that we didn't have attempts at goal against Newcastle we just couldn't finish, how can anyone blame lvg for that?

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23 Aug 2015 08:15:27
strebor if you read my post carefully I am not talking about results or goals at all. Yes we had a legal goal ruled offside and were good for 20 odd minutes.

My point is how much time is really acceptable for a team to have a consistent signature style of play. I am sure you would agree we still don't have that.

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23 Aug 2015 08:31:36
We have a signature style of play mumbai boy
You(and many others including me) just don't like me

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23 Aug 2015 08:32:09
*it instead of me

Damn that sounded emo.

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23 Aug 2015 08:33:06
Strebor, the reason people are blaming LVG for the fact we aren't finishing is because people feel that if certain players were played in their natural positions but we still played with this style we would probably create more chances.

For example a long running debate has been about where Juan Mata fits. No one doubts his quality but he shouldn't be playing on the right. Why not try swapping Januzaj and him for 20 mins yesterday? It's obvious Mata wants to cut inside as he did it all game and Januzaj has far more chance of going past a man than Mata. Things like this are frustrating fans. It's almost as if he is sticking to things that are not quite working just to show his philosophy works. Sometimes you have to try something different from your usual to win a game. He did it at times last season for example with Fellaini but he also stuck with 3 at the back for longer than he should have.

We need to play with a bit more urgency as even towards the end of the game yesterday when things were getting desperate it was more of the safe pass than anything.

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23 Aug 2015 08:56:02
Mumbai - In direct answer to your questions:

1. I think 2 seasons is sufficient for any manager to have fully stamped their identity on a team and to not be able to hide behind any excuses. So I think LVG needs a bit more time as the teams and philosophy required by LVG is so different from what he inherited.

2. It doesn't matter what us fans think, the board will sack him until only they have had enough. That will happen once profits and revenue dip. He needs to be successful in order for us to keep growing the brand and improving the share price. So most fans may not enjoy the football, but on this site most people it seems prefer trophies/success to the brand of football (not me but when asked the other day 90& of the people said titles over performance). The board will be thinking the same.

3. It is a signature of how he wants to play. He needs a magician to score the goals because we create so little, it's like a computer at the moment and he is relying on crashes for goals. We have shown several times we can play this way with tempo and have looked very good, but we don't maintain it, I would ask is that because the manager stops it because we are too open, or the players are simply not capable of following all of his instructions and maintaining a high tempo yet?

Most professional managers would have expected to do more with the budget and players at his disposal. This has been a wasted period for me, because even if the manager succeeds in totally changing the clubs philosophy, the chances of his replacement maintaining it are virtually nil. I don't see the point in searching for this unique style of play which has fundamental flaws in the modern game (teams just camp and break now 90% of the time). We were lucky last season, this season we are going to concede so few and the attackers will need to pull rabbits out the hat - that isn't good management, it's a stubborn lecturer demanding more than he is putting in if you ask me.

He needs more time if the board are happy with the style. I hate it and think we have blown a great opportunity because even when/if it all clicks we are still in a very weak position because he over complicates certain things with players out of position and relies too heavily on magic to score. Our magicians aren't on stage long enough and unfortunately don't look capable of performing regularly enough. Expect a lot of 1-0 or 0-0 games for the foreseeable.

I'd sack him tomorrow and bring in a young manager with a more progressive style of play, one that actually makes all the transfer money bring back exciting play rather than fine tuning a pretty dull machine.

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23 Aug 2015 09:08:45
I know you can never be sure exactly what money changes hands but according to reports our net spend on transfer fees since LVG took over is more like £120m which in 2 years is not that much for a club the size of ours undergoing a major transition. The reality is we simply haven't made any true marquee player signings except for ADM and that didn't work out. We were clearly never his preferred destination, which seems to be a common theme running through the last few years - all things being equal the top players are going somewhere else.

The reasons for this apparent state of affairs have been much discussed but whatever your opinion, LVG is left with few options, one of which is youth, and the other is a goal threat comprised of Mata, Rooney and Fellaini.

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23 Aug 2015 09:12:39
Mumbai
The problem is , this is how a lvg plays.
His team's haven't been great to watch for some time I've made the point many times his Munich team was awful to watch but as people keep saying he won the league .
This is what u get with lvg,

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23 Aug 2015 09:47:50
@rj didn't we have 20 attempts at goal yesterday ? How many chances do we need to create

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23 Aug 2015 10:02:19
In answer to the question, I think it will be until the manager wants to go which given his age is relevant or until the board feel the direction is not right and or the results are unacceptable.

Some months ago I posted on here that the club must have made a decision when going down the LvG route that they wanted to stamp an identity on the style of play that we have not done previously. The club must have known what LvG was going to do and bought into it. My guess would be that he will have explained the structure of how he was going to do it, the time it would take to change and the long term benefits. If the club opted out now I would say the decision to appoint LvG in the first place would have to be questioned and that would have to cost Woodward his job. So I see this continuing until the structure is there and it is the next manager that is going to be interesting.

What I saw yesterday and why I think LvG was saying fantastic is that we are playing his system closer to what he wants. That is not to say I liked watching it because at the moment it is month of the goal rather than the other way round.

I posted yesterday that we played like Barcelona prior to Suarez and Neymar arriving but when Messi was injured. The structure of their play was there but no one to break the opposition defence. In honesty this style needs a genius like Messi to succeed and we don't have one.

Given this is a major overhaul of our style and method of playing I think the club will see where we are at the end of the season especially given the managers age, his tendency to undertake short sharp change management roles and the likely availability as things stand of at least three younger top managers in Pep, Klopp and Ancelotti.

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23 Aug 2015 12:59:25
Strebor, how many of them were clear cut chances? Hernandez 1 on 1, Rooney's disallowed goal. Not many other than that. We need a finisher or players who will carve out more clear cut chances rather than half chances or shots from 25 yards.

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23 Aug 2015 04:29:49
Evening all, 3 games in to the season and with a few days of the transfer window to go it's fair to say we haven't been great and that we need re-enforcements.
Having said that we started the latest match with 5 new signings on the pitch and up to the final pass played good football for large chunks of the game. The big surprise for me has been Rooney's inability to influence matches. I have no doubt that he will come good and bring plenty of goals and assists this season but you have to wonder whether he is suited to playing No.9 these days.
There is no doubt that the introduction of Schneiderlin along with the well managed, improved maturity of Chris smalling and good performances of Darmian, Blind and Shaw have given us the great platform required for our flair players to do what they do best, only they aren't sharp (or quick) enough yet to pull off the intriacate passes required to break down even the most mediocre defences using the current formation.
I think Paul Scholes' criticism on BT Sport was harsh as we are not expected to be on top form at this stage of the season and with the past 2 seasons terrible starts still so fresh in the memory the fact that we havn't conceded in the first 3 games should be commended. I even think that if Chelsea had had the same start to the season, people would be talking of Mourinho preparing his squad for a marathon not a race.
This leads me to think that the only position that requires attention this window is a new striker.
I would not want to get one of the so called European "world class" strikers that are now in their late 20's/30's and may need time to adapt to the premier league. I also don't believe that we will sign any of these "impossible" signings so late in the window as, for one thing, the selling club would not have the time to replace someone so important to the side.
I genuinely believe that LVG's track record with young players means the more game time players like Januzai and hopefully Perreira get the better equipped we will be for many years to come.
I would therefore like to put forward my case for making Lukaku our final purchase of the window. At 22 he will only get better, he suits the style of play we have adapted under LVG and he not only has experience at the top level in the premier league but has also shown the mental toughness required by starting the season well after a slightly underwhelming year last time round.

Who does everyone else think we should sign should we only be in for a number 9. (not including "fantasy" signings we've been linked with) in order to get us back in with a shout for the title.

This question is very much open to all ed's

Peace out

P.s. Love the site, even if it has driven me round the bend this summer.

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{Ed001's Note - for me I think Benzema would be very good for the style of play adopted.}

23 Aug 2015 10:31:53
Lujaku, benzema anyone for God sake. Just get a bloody decent striker.

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23 Aug 2015 03:05:34
Our play is lop-sided at the moment. Right side is non-existent. Mata always wants to cut in, and the pitch is already congested in the middle. Nothing he can do there to produce something. He needs to be playing through the middle.

Through balls and crosses: two of the most important elements to get goals. We don't have either at the moment. I believe Darmian will come good with his crosses.
And we need Herrera there in the middle to provide telling through balls. See any other top team and notice the number of quality through balls they produce. There is very little for the forwards to pounce on in our case.

If I could choose only one, I would go for a pacey RW over a CF at the moment. Our play is too congested. Mata cutting inside congests the middle even more and there is no room to work on. Having quality players is a good problem to have, but Herrera being left out is costing us big time.

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23 Aug 2015 09:13:49
Red
I made the same point yesterday everything comes down the left as there is no pace on the right

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23 Aug 2015 10:13:31
Or does everything come down the left because Mata is constantly drifting off his wing?

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23 Aug 2015 11:34:19
chris
its the same problem , mata has to come of the wing he has no pace to go wide.
i think we would look a better team with some proper pace out there .
maybe someone like pedro

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23 Aug 2015 00:56:39
My expectations have gone from challenging for the league and CL to just finishing above Liverpool ,if we don't get in a world class striker and a right winger,
The goalkeeper is another disaster waiting to happen,I don't fancy him against top teams,he is getting away with it now cause he hasn't faced any top sides.

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23 Aug 2015 09:13:25
Because of one draw where we played really well?

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23 Aug 2015 10:17:52
Playing well gets us 1 point,how many times can we play well without winning,we need a goalscorer.a world class striker

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23 Aug 2015 10:35:48
Agreed leehy,top4 with Liverpool is about the level at the moment. If we can't score goals then it pouts a lot of pressure on the defence keeping clean sheets, and we all know, as soon as we face a decent team, our defence will be under a lot more pressure.
I'm all for building from the back, but not at the expense of a lacklustre attack. It is pathetic.

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23 Aug 2015 15:28:37
You really think it's just going to be like this all season with low scoring games? When does that ever happen?

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