Manchester United Banter Archive December 04 2018

04 Dec 2018 21:19:46
So painful watching city play such great football. Say what you want about Guardiola, but he is head and shoulders above any manager in the world. This city side imo is the greatest ‘premier league’ side we have ever seen. Can’t see them getting beat this season. Scary to think de Bruyne has hardly played as well. I guess this is how city fans felt all those years we were winning titles for fun. Not saying we should wallow and accept mediocrity. But sometimes you have to accept that winning comes in cycles. We had unprecedented success that we thought would never end. We just have to suck it in at the moment. Until we don’t focus on ourselves and reshake our structure, manager and mentality, we will not close the gap between ourselves and city.

04 Dec 2018 22:17:10
Some of us thought it would end a year earlier than it did. #20 was something of a bonus that masked the clubs problems.

04 Dec 2018 22:35:32
Sorry park but I have to disagree about being the best ever. They look far better than they actually are because everybody dit’s off them and let's them play. Could you imagine Robson or Keane sitting off Silva and letting him play. Get into em and see if they like it. I know times have changed but you can still tackle.

05 Dec 2018 03:51:03
Times have drastically changed the wonderful game. The day when football was a man's game for now a distant memory. The ladies teams tackle like men and get up and keep playing on where as the men roll round screaming like a bullet has hit them playing like girls.

How long before any tackle is banned and only interceptions are permitted to gain possesion. The day this happens footballers will be ex ballerina'$.

{Ed001's Note - that will never happen, as City are allowed to kick players without any kind of punishment. Just ask Delph, who right at the start of the game jump kicks the ball nearly taking Success's head off and then, when Success just powers through it, he then trips him. At the absolute minimum there should have been a yellow card given, but he didn't even get spoken to by the referee. And Fernandinho and Kompany could castrate someone with a rusty table knife and decapitate random children in the crowd without getting booked. So tackles will only be banned against City to allow them to play this 'great' football....}

05 Dec 2018 08:00:28
One thing that gets overlooked at city is the quality of wing play. The amount of times mahrez and sane or sterling were one on one with their full backs in and around the box was remarkable. Its almost old fashioned, reminds me of previous united teams at their best.

Imagine if martial or rashford could get those same oppurtunites instead of having to carry the ball 50 yards just to reach the box.

05 Dec 2018 08:27:25
Ed001, I watched with a city fan friend of mine and even he said he can't believe what Fernandinho gets away with every game. Fans see it, pundits have discussed it, and journalists write about it, so how come referees are oblivious to it?

{Ed001's Note - I don't believe they are oblivious to it, they are just under huge amounts of pressure and bottle it.}

05 Dec 2018 10:20:30
Park, I love your posts but the greatesr Premier League team is a stretch. Good yes, best ever? Not by a long way.

05 Dec 2018 14:54:58
Tony maybe the alcohol impaired my vision last night 😂 so the greatest perhaps is a stretch. But every time they play I don’t expect anything else but a a huge win for them. They expect it, the opposition do and their fans do. Perhaps it’s because the situation is so dire at the moment that city’s ability seems even better. But if they score 100+ Points, go unbeaten and score more and concede less than last year, I think it’s hard to disagree with their status as potentially the greatest. They would only be the greatest ‘premier league team’ though instead of the greatest English side, if that makes sense. To be the greatest English side, they would have to top the treble winning side. Not out of the realms of impossibility.

05 Dec 2018 15:03:29
And do it for more than two seasons.

05 Dec 2018 20:29:28
Some of the "tackles" and "blocks" Fernandinho has gotten away with over the past couple of seasons are pretty incredible.
Busquets was the same at Guardiola's Barcelona.

04 Dec 2018 14:21:27
Ken makes a great point down the page by saying we need to get rid of 8/ 9 players and go with youth the rest of the season, providing the next manager with a clean slate.
If this means the end of Jose before the season is out, well then fair enough. But it's about time this club got back to its core principles and values.
There is a few players coming through with massive potential.
Instead of buying a centre half, why not try and bring Tuanzebe back from loan? Progressing nicely I believe at Villa. Bring him back and play him.

We also have Chong who looks a big big talent, can only hope we see him very soon. A front 3 of Chong, Rashford and Martial would be exciting.

We also have youngsters like Garner, Laird, Gomes, Barlow. Now I'm not saying any of these lads are ready, or anywhere near ready, but Rashford took his chance. Some of these lads have a lot of potential. I think it's clear champions league is going to be tough to qualify for, and we don't have the tools to win it this year either imo.

Don't forget Mason Greenwood. Anyone who's watched him will know this kid is destined for big things.

Now I'm not saying we need to throw them all in at once, but I'd rather watch us start giving these younger lads a chance than watch some of the same players, who at times don't look like they care at all. I mean that regardless of who is, or isn't in charge. We need to start planning for the future now, and what better way to do so than start believing in our acadamey again.

Caolán.

04 Dec 2018 15:21:53
All very well but a run in a losing toxic team can be devastating for a young player. Gomes and Chong in an FA cup game here and there makes sense dependent on oppposition- Greenwood looks like he knows where the net is . a great trait for any forward, usually sticks with them through their career. you either have it or you dont.

04 Dec 2018 15:27:58
I partially agree, however you can't run before you walk.

04 Dec 2018 17:13:51
If we came out and said yeah this seasons a write off so we're going to play younger players then I'd applaud it. We need a massive clear out. There's only about 10-15 players i'd keep out of the current squad an 20% of that is goalkeepers.

04 Dec 2018 17:31:13
The thing is that we don’t really have a load of players coming through with massive potential. Our academy is in drastic need of modernisation and investment, and over the last two decades I’ve seen more than enough ‘world class’ academy players struggle to get anywhere close to the top level.

The reality is that we already have young players with massive potential in the first team, who are failing to perform at their best. A rot has set in throughout the club from the owners to the manager to the players (even to fans like me) . Either something changes, or we will end up permanent also rans.

04 Dec 2018 18:00:14
Maybe we should start with Lukaku in defence? If the ball comes anywhere near him it will bounce 20 yards away.

04 Dec 2018 19:44:54
What 8-9 players? are u guys playing fifa? 😁 what happened after all ken was advocate of mourinho saying how he has improved from Moyes and LVG despite spending over 400M and smashing wages lol.

04 Dec 2018 23:33:23
There will never be another class of 92. The game has changed. It is now completely internationalized. We need a new approach appropriate to the age. After 3 managers in succession, none of whom pursue a more modern approach and a completely shambolic transfer policy coming on top of a failure to replace top players with those of similar quality during the last years of SAF's reign, and a board that knows little to nothing about the game itself, we are now far behind the top teams of England, let alone Europe.

It is hard to see this turning around any time soon.

04 Dec 2018 09:32:52
So, Klopp charged for running on the pitch. Double standards, eh? 😉.

04 Dec 2018 14:05:02
I don't think you understand Noucamp, Managers aren't allowed to run on the pitch. Players are but uniteds choose not to.

04 Dec 2018 14:47:00
Very good, redal 😁 Just glad to see our resident conspiracy theorists were wrong on this one. It's a bit sad to see us deflecting from our own troubles by trying to point fingers at other clubs/ the media/ take your pick.

04 Dec 2018 14:51:29
in what way?

04 Dec 2018 15:17:53
I thought Klopp was completely out of order -then I read a statistic that he covered more ground and sprinted more than Lukaku, Matic and Pogba had in the SOuthampton game and sort of found a bit of respect for him.

04 Dec 2018 18:18:07
smokeandmirrors - by assuming that Klopp would get off with it. It's because there's a big anti-Utd/ José conspiracy at work in the EPL, didn't you know?

boyfromburrenway - love it, mate.