Manchester United Banter Archive December 08 2012

08 Dec 2012 22:46:18
Heard from a friend that we will be putting in a £40 million bid for Gareth Bale in January, he is the one that will replace Nani. We have missed that Ronaldo figure since he left, and Bale would be more close to that with his powerful runs etc. Less risk than Rodriguez also. What makes it even better is that he is eligible to play in the CL and is getting better and better and becoming more and more consistent.

For me, I'd like to see this:

-------------De Gea
Rafael--Smalling--Vidic--Baines
-------Anderson--Strootman
---Kagawa----Rooney----Bale
----------------RVP

Bale would be given Gigg's number I think at the end of the season, but for now would take the 17 shirt.

RD19

I Guess he would be a less risk and without a doubt he is an amazing player (When on form) But he is extremely inconsistent and I don't know If I would want to have him at United for that price. Hey ho I guess anyone is better than Nani right now after his form unfortunately.

-JakeW

Comparing Bale to Ronaldo, my palm is currently planted on the wall behind my head. Just because Bale thinks he's Ronaldo doesn't mean he is. For 40 million I'd rather get Gotze, Reus, Muniain, Isco and plenty of others, infact we could probably afford 2. No way would I want a 40 million pound kick and run merchant who only makes an impact against small teams.

Percy

Percy - For once you have just posted something that I can agree with 100%.... Bale is nothing more than a expensive Valencia. I would love Rodriguez or Goetze if we are talking one signing but maybe going for Muniain and Isco for a few million more would be better.

Bale would struggle for us when teams sit back and give us no space in behind.

But in games against top opposition who push onto us he could be very useful. Playing Real or Barca in a direct style on the break he would definitely be an asset.

I'm yet to be convinced he could break down a resolute defense though... So £40M does sound very pricey.

If he could develop this aspect of his game he would be excellent for us.

DodgyBanter

I like Bale as a player but i dont want us having our pants pulled down over the price again from spurs, it does my head in!


Parks

LOL.

Sydney!

Is he better than what we have at the moment?

08 Dec 2012 21:21:03
According to BBC sport, we are set to sign asmir begovic for 8m. IMO he's an improvement on linde-can't-guard-his-own-goal.thts plz!
Campian

08 Dec 2012 19:39:10
I'd take a point. Not due to city due to us been so poor recently and lackin a midfield. Possibly the only time in all my time following united I've ever said if take a point going into any game. We should be going into every game as favourites and expecting a result and it hasn't been the case. If there's ever a time to kick start the season it's tomorrow.

I would have taken a point last year.

08 Dec 2012 18:09:28
LFC red here chaps.

Couldnt help but laugh at Fergies mind games again, the old fool. As Im sure you all know, United have consistently had more penalties given in their favour for the last 17 years than any othe premiership team, plus they are currently leading the penalty table for 2012, yet he still has the cheek to mention that City have had more penalties than united.

Personally I couldnt care less about his mind games, but surely this is another example of the depths a sad old man goes to, just to try and win games before kickoff + its jolly well against the rules of good sportsmanship eh what ?

The games moved on, maybe its time Fergie did too ?

Lord Wellingtons Left Boot

Is this Blair Mayne posting under an alias? Smells like the same old BS to me.

TK-Red

Time has moved on... liverpool are no longer relevant to united and neither are their fans.. so maybe move a long with the time and banter with clubs on your level....eg: fulham, villa, swansea, west brom..

08 Dec 2012 18:42:11
Is your team in top flight football
i think liverpool shuld be looserpool i hope you guyz r perparing for a religation battle next season considering ur current form

Clearly you're a dumb liverpool fan with no knowledge. He's the best manager ever, only an person would disagree.

Do your research.
Arsenal have had the most penalties over the last few seasons (8 or so)
City have had the most in 2 seasons.
United have only had the most penalties in one season over the last few. {Ed004's Note - Also didn't Ferguson say it was the most home penalties? If I am wrong correct me I can't remember haha}

If they work why stop? hows 11th place feel like?

You say you could care less about SAF's mind games but the bitterness in your post shows that what Fergie said really got to you, so it's good to see that SAF's mind games are still working.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Infuriating scousers since 1986.

CnM

Maybe liverpool fans should be bantering with other teams who have got to keep the european cup because they've won it 5 times or over like milan an real madrid. Dennis 89

Including the year they only played 4 teams to win it?

AJH

08 Dec 2012 16:36:54
i bet bonds happy his boys scored twice.

I'm starting to think he would be an excellent little addition to the squad, and now he's started scoring goals!

DodgyBanter

He had a great game today. MOM by a countrymile. And beeing just 22, with the experience he already has, he would be a great addition. ( james mccarthy )

Mick {Ed004's Note - You are now bonds new favourite poster}

08 Dec 2012 14:42:11
I have a sneeking suspicion that De Gea is angling to return to Spain. Why else would SAF be so hesitant to give him a run of games and why else would we be looking at goal keepers when we have him and Lindegard already.

Dan

Maybe he is hinting towards a new keeper to get his keepers to man up a little ! old SAF mind games infact I heard he is getting a role in Star Wars VII

If he does that, it is about someone is moving on, which means another net loss in the transfer column.

shahram

08 Dec 2012 14:23:14
I read an interesting article this morning that changed my mind slightly on the 4231 formation. Firstly it had the total goals conceded by the top 4 teams the past few seasons in it and this year the top 4 are predicted to concede 180 which is a lot more than the past few years.
Now it talks about how all the top teams are turning to a 4231 formation and it I think it was Kompany that is quoted as saying that for a 4231 formation you need 2 defensive midfielders. Now for the past while I thought it was best if you had one defensive midfielder alongside a play maker and the two best examples in the premierleague that spring to mind were Modric and Parker and Tiote and Cabaye. Now he suggests you need two proper dm's to play this formation.
So my question on here is. If a 4231 is to be played successfully do you need to have two midfielders who sit deep to cover the space in the middle and space left by the fullbacks or do you need one defensive minded one and a playmaker who gets about the pitch but can put in a decent shift defensively as both Modric and Cabaye are decent defensively and Cabaye even has a nasty streak like Scholes in the tackle....
I personally always thought the way forward was the former and would still love to see Bender and Cabaye signed as neither would cost a fortune but I am not sure if Kompany has a point and thus I was unsure whether i'd prefer to see Bender and Wanyama
The Red Manc

Both should be able to tackle to some extent. But you need one solid physical presence as a DM and along side him a midfielder who can play his part in defence but can also run with pace up the pitch. i.e. Ramires type of player.

08 Dec 2012 11:32:32
Ferdinand Fletcher Giggs and Scholes. Should not be allowed anywhere near the Council House tomorrow. Ferdinand is coasting through his last season at United and will not put his head where it hurts if a cross comes in. Plus his strongest asset his pace has gone. Fletcher is so slow now that it is embarrassing for the poor lad. He was never the most skilful of players but he had 100% energy and could hassle players not anymore I'm afraid. We have covered Giggs and Scholes too many times on these pages. Both will go down in United Folklore but both should be playing in the masters 5 a side competition for us. Ashley Young will just frustrate us and then embarrass us by diving about. Rooney this is your chance to shut me up I have spent all season saying your distribution is poor and you never go past a man. Here is your opportunity to take a game by the scruff of the neck and dominate it as world class players do. I won't hold my breath. Now to the positives. RVP he is the one player I know they are scared of and if he gets the ball he will hurt them. Jones, he needs to get into the midfield and bully them by putting himself about physically. Smalling and Evans are both good enough to handle their attack. Full backs just please be full backs and remember every time you bomb on you leave a big gap behind you. But you know what the biggest possitive is and what I really believe. Tomorrow they will walk out at the Council House wearing the Red Shirt of United. If that isn't enough to make you give 100% and run through brick walls then you shouldn't be at the club. I will be there and I know our away support is second to none and we will back the team all the way. I am convinced we will get a positive result tomorrow but all I ask is that they show pride in the shirt. I AM KLOOT

Pace was never Ferdinands strongest asset, positioning and reading of the game were.

MUMBAI_BOY

MUMBAI, I disagree. During his younger years, Ferdinand's biggest assests were his ability on the ball and his pace. Positioning and interceptions were not his strongest assets.

Mick

Always thought Ferdinand was a secondary centre-half, ie never a 'one man defence' like Vidic or Stam. He's past his sell-by date for sure. Jones and Vidic are only centre-halves that would walk into other top teams.

Halesini

08 Dec 2012 09:36:10
Biggest worry is martin Atkinson as ref. But the boys will come out fighting and hopefully stuff city.
NoMidfield

Biggest worry? The ref will do his job as always, who do you think we are blaming the ref before the game even starts, we aren't Liverpool. The more you post the more you sound like a troll.

GDS

To be fair, GDS, Martin Atkinson has shown himself to be a bottler in quite a few big games in recent years. He is the sort of ref who will hand City a penalty in an instant if they go down in the box IMO. I hope he proves me wrong and has a good game but him and Andre Mariner are 2 of the worst refs in the league in my opinion.

TK-Red

Atkinson is what I describe as a 'homey'. He will always favour the home crowd and he will do is best to level things up if the home crowd get restless. I can forgive a ref for getting things wrong, but I cannot forgive a ref for bottling under pressure from home fans.

Sydney!

Chelsea game, cross hits Carricks arm within 2-3 yards still next to his body and penalty. Where? Stamford Bridge. He then followed that up with a few other shockers for them the seasons after that.

Never been a ref I have liked even when not dishing us sh*t decisions so will be interesting to see if the 'homey' tag fits again Syd at our current biggest rivals.

One things for sure, I'm backing both a red and a scored peno in the match!

Jono

08 Dec 2012 02:15:24
Have to agree with ppl about Ando. Have a sneaky feeling he may play on sunday. No mention of ando on the city vs utd preview on the utd site

James

Don't know if Anderson will play but I'm pretty sure there will be a surprise in the line up. Hopefully a good one rather than an oh sh!£.

Kuala

08 Dec 2012 00:43:17
anyone seen the dynamo zagreb kids play ? eds ?

nikz {Ed001's Note - were they in the Next Gen? If they were I will have seen them, though they have not stuck in my mind to be honest.}

Ed001 - If your around I would just like to ask you which youngsters stand out in world football in your opinion as I am fed up of hearing the same names.

Thanks
George {Ed001's Note - {Ed001's Note - sorry it took a while to reply George, I was just off to bed last night and wanted to take the time to pick out a few more unusual names, rather than the usual ones. I am just looking at U18 or younger level as well. I won't bother with ones in the United or Liverpool academies.

Jack Grealish of Villa, I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some games towards the end of the season, if Villa drag themselves out of the relegation tussle. Crewe have got a few talents right now, it is difficult to pick out the best of them but Ryan Colclough, Joe Gorman, Liam Wilson, Billy Waters, Callum Saunders (son of Dean), James Jones and possibly Perry Ng all look to have real talent. Jones is probably the outstanding talents of those, though Wilson and Colclough did stand out in earlier age groups. I won't mention Max Clayton as he is a first team player there, also that rules out Will Hughes at Derby County too.

Douglas Santos, the Nautico (I think) leftback, well he is Brazilian so it is more of a wing back. He looks a bit special. Alex Grimaldo I like the look of at Barca, only about 16 I think, he stood out at left back too. I found a way to search the names to remind myself, so I am doing this by position, so another left back who is top class is Luke Shaw, I really like that lad.

In right backs there is Romario, who I watched mostly because of his name, but he looks quality, he is at Vitoria, and he is Brazilian. Barca's Portugese right back Edgar Ie looks good too, though I do wonder with the Barca kids if they are really being tested defensively. One I want to watch, that I have heard a lot about from scouts, is Kenny Tete of Ajax, he is supposed to be a bit special.

For centre backs there is Kurt Zouma, of St-Etienne, though he is probably a first teamer really. Rosenborg's Serge Gamwanya impressed me in the Next Gen series too, though their whole team has impressed in that. I am not sure if Nathaniel Chalobah is just a defender, I seem to remember watching him play in midfield as well, but he stands out when I have seem him at centre half for Chelsea's academy sides.

In central midfield there is Barca's Sergi Samper, Marco Benassi of Inter looks good too, I think he is part owned by Modena. A lot of people tell me to watch out for Blackburn Rover's Robbie Cotton, but I have yet to see him play. Paul Quaye of Espanyol and Oliver of Atletico Madrid look to have real talent as well. I have to say Nick Powell has to be right up there as one of the top talents in world football in this position though.

Wingers, or rather wide midfielders or wide forwards these days would have to include Julian Draxler of Schalke and Viktor Fischer of Ajax, both are outstanding talents. Alexander Jagiello of Legia looks good, I was told to look out for Joao Rodriguez of Chelsea and Matthew Kennedy of Everton, though I have yet to see either play. Lazar Markovic is probably a usual name by now, but he does look a real talent, as does Betis winger Alvaro Vadillo.

Attacking midfielder/second strikers seems to be rich in talent, Adam Maher of AZ Alkmaar, Mateo Kovacic of Dinamo, Nikola Ninkovic of Partizan, Otavio of Internacional, Moi Gomez of Villareal and Maximilian Meyer of Schalke all look quality for the future. Then there is Adryan of Flamengo, Lucas Andersen of Ajax (the reason that Christian Eriksen will become available), Alen Halilovic of Dinamo, Michel Araai of Marseille and Enzo Zidane of Real Madrid that all impressed me on the one viewing I have had of them.

Forwards there is Carlos Fierro (who I believe has been watched by United) of Chivas, Jean-Marie Dongou of Barca, Adili Endogan of Grasshoppers, Aleksandr Mitrovic of Partizan, Hervin Ongenda of PSG, Joel Pohjanpolo of HJK, Mason Bennett of Derby County. I guess everyone already knows about Tony Watt of Celtic by now, but Islam Feruz of Chelsea (that they got from Celtic) is some talent too, just needs to sort out his attitude off the pitch. Zakaria Bakkali of PSV, Fabrice Olinga of Malaga and Jose Pozo of Man City I would like to see a bit more of, but they all look extremely talented.

Sorry it is a bit long, but it is difficult to keep a list like this down!}

Ed001 - Thanks mate, I am tired of hearing the same people over and over and your list is great thanks for all the details..

Cheers Buddy
George

Ed001, I see you havent listed Henriquez in your forwards. What's your view on him?

Mick {Ed001's Note - I haven't seen a lot of him to be honest, I was trying to limit the list, though I didn't do a good job of it!}