De Gea, Jones, Smalling, Wootton, Büttner, Giggs, Cleverley, Powell, Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez
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I am afraid to speculate what this means in regards to Scholes starting on Sunday…
Another new line up
@costas i think its more , he know scholes and giggs cannot both start. even for a dead rubber match. seeing as i reckon anderson will be out for sunday , i would liked to have seen cleverly on the bench. but hey its a decent line up who should win .
really interesting line up. No true DM sort of player so i will be curious to see how open we are when defending.
there are goals in the front 3, could be another 4-3 game
Seems like a decent line-up.
I would’ve liked to see more youth players though.
@dasilvatwins
Well that’s the thing with Tom. Seeing as he never plays 2 games in 4 days, this rules him out of Sunday’s game. Meaning either Scholes or Fletch will partner Carrick for that one. HOpe I am wrong.
Fletcher and Carrick and Scholes to start in the middle at the weekend. Rooney on the right, Young on the left. Slow but stable midfield and no drive going forward. Gonna play for another 0-0 me thinks.
Tom shall play this sunday.. Just hope rooney isnt shunned to the right.. Valencia should be fit and back.. That would mean rooney on the left valencia right..
I wonder whats up with davide petrucci. He should atleast be on the bench i think
I just hope this “experiment” with Rooney works out. If he is injured I might just utter a wee gasp of dispare.
Very pleased for Wooton and Powell, wish the bench was all U21 as well!
As SAF said, he’s got to respect the competition. We see plenty of youth in the team. This is not the Carling Cup, it is Europe’s premier continental cup.
Good line-up, we should play some attacking football and prepare for the weekend.
Hoping to see good performance from buttner and powell.
Think frederici was injured few weeks ago, not sure if he is back to reserves football. anyone?
It is also the last game of the year where you could have a look at the likes of Henriquez and Petrucci.
@COSTAS
mate tom started against braga at old trafford and then strated 3 days later against chelsea .he also started against cluj in romania and then started gainst newcstle 3 days later. so i think your point on scholes starting on sunday is wrong
Winning this would be a great prelude for the derby. Above all, we need a solid defensive performance.
blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah … I hope we win.
The thought of Scholes starting vs. City is not welcome.
Great line-up considering we’re already confirmed top of the group and have City to play next. Very interested to see how Powell and Cleverley work together.
@ARUN
True, it’s happened twice. But there were more times when Tom would play a midweek game for United or England and then miss the league game on the following weekend.
@lone star red
why do u think scholes will start vs city
cleverley strted against braga followed by chelsea and cluj followed by newcastle
If Valencia starts this weekend (not sure on his fitness??) then I’d like to see Scholes play a part.
@costas
mate cleverley missed game vs reading so i expect him to start for sure
another horrible display from Giggs.
Almost every pass goes to the opponent.
No, Tom will not play Sunday, Scholes will – and I’ll tell you why. Because whenever Cleverley has played this season, he has looked ordinary at best…I vote for Scholesey starting Sunday. But no Giggsy please!
Passing is so way off. Giggs and duncan edwards in particular
lovely play the last couple of minutes!
Cleverley off, Scholes on. Tom injured… surprise! Ah I feel for the lad but its the same was with Ando at the moment, he can’t seem to play much without getting injured, and he had a similar problem while youth player at United too.
Well, at this rate Kagawa might be playing on Sunday!
Almost like watching a Carling cup game Without the skill.
@Mahesh –> Yep, we might be in a small minority in this place these days, but Scholes picks himself against City IMHO. The only criticism people have of him here is he doesn’t protect the defense enough, which is a bizarre criticism for me considering our defense should do their job and Scholes shouldn’t be blamed when they screw up. Besides, who is he going to play now? Kagawa injured, Ando injured, Cleverley injured now too, so it will be Carrick and Scholes, he won’t take a gamble on Powell and he shouldn’t, though it would be interesting if Scholesy starts, then what will Fergie do after 60-70 mins when he’ll need to come off, particularly as now he has to play an entire half against Cluj.
Mancini went into HMV and asked for an album by the band who sang “The final countdown”.
“Sorry sir, we’re out of Europe” said the assistant.
“Join the f*****g club” replied Roberto
Defensive injury crisis coming to an end, midfield injury crisis begins.
Welbeck the only bright spark on what has been a very dull night of football from United.
Giggs again terrible.
Anderson and Cleverley seem to be synchronized when it comes to their fitness. Oh dear.
@Dela
You need midfielders that will track opposition midfielders when they make runs in the box. Scholes doesn’t have the legs to do that. And as a result, we’ve conceded plentyh of goals from opposition midfielders this season.
But even with Tom out, I’d rather see Fletch start on Sunday. At least he can somewhat do the job I mentioned above.
@Andooo –> Midfield crisis isnt beginning, it has been there all along. Ando and Clev weren’t dropped from the team so often for no reason, evidenced by the fact that both played little football recently and both went off injured. When I say Tom’s name on the line-up tonight I immediately though he was being given a match fitness test to see if he’ll play any role against City this weekend. Unfortunately for him it didn’t work out.
@Costas and others
We just have to hope that Cleverly substitution is case of precaution to prevent any more damage. So that he is fit and ready for Sunday. Else it would be quite an issue
I’d go with Fletch on Sunday too Costas but I can see Scholes starting with Carrick which means a very static midfield.
well with Tom & ando out that,s our midfield fucked for sunday.
getting a bad feeling.
Someone mentioned Jones too guys. Not an ideal choice, but at least he would bring some energy in that midfield.
@Costas –> He also was an attacking asset in several games, people shouldn’t easily brush aside that fact like they do. Tonight so far we saw Powell & Tom have a go at the midfield of Cluj and they aren’t setting the world on fire. Ando did brilliantly in his attacking displays the couple of games he managed but he has never been known to chase down midfielders either. One rule for Scholes, different rule for other players?
I’m not saying you don’t have a point, you do, he’s old and so he doesn’t have the legs anymore to be at full tilt all game, which is why even if he does start this weekend I am wondering who he’ll eventually be replaced with.
Fletcher probably will start though, considering fergie opted to pick scholes over him to replace tom.
Actually Jones isn’t bad at all. He likes to be direct, and bomb down the middle (like Ando), which is an aspect that Tom woefully lacks in his game…
Jones is an option, just please not Giggs. I’d be surprised seeing as he has started tonight but with Fergie you never know.
What’s the excuse this time?
Here we go again………….
Why are great goals always scored against us this season? It’s been a trend.
That’s what we become.
Can’t fucking beat Cluj at home.
yet another piss poor showing from United.
these games seem the norm of late.
Danny Wellbeck could not punch his way out of a paper bag tonight,the lads going backwards.
sorry to say.
Fergie needs to get down from kissing Gill’s arse and sort this shite out. Truly woeful performance, no tempo, no chances, dare i say no belief?
If i had paid to go watch this i would be booing. This is unacceptable, through or not we are playing the Cluj FFS!
@ zelh its like a friendly game we gain nothing from the game win lose or draw apart from experiance and game time for those who need it but on an other note what a strke that was take a bow son city will be trying to sign u for 50 million now u scored against us
still embarrassing what we are playing in europe. any better group and we would join citeh going out.
But the day will never come when Fergie realises that we have a fucking shite midfield.
He rather signs another striker.
Omg… they are really shite tonight. No movement, no penetration, no width, no nothing. I know it’s a nothing-match but come on… have som pride and at least try ffs.
Shite team.
nothing game or not.
fucking rooney, scholes, giggs, hernandez, welbeck playing.
You act like we play with kids here.
I fucking dread Sunday. will be an embarrassement again.
Here goes the drama queens….
Ok, now the frustration is out of my system and of course they’re trying but it’s just not there… and the old guard looks reeeeeaally old tonight. Can’t see a goal in the team right now but I hope I’m mistaken.
there keeper made a couple of decent stops first half amd there some plus points to take from the game so far plus cluj may not be one of europes big boys but they showed in first game how plucky they were and this is there cup final there biggest game ever but glad i gave my ticket away its cold out side
Samuel, fans are entitled to moan about another piss poor performance in Europe which had been sleep inducing. No drama queens here. People have a right to moan after this showing!
David Gill better take note – ROM the place to look for a worthy successor to SAF!!!
I’d rather Powell and Jones in the middle instead of the pensioners. Fergie warbles about youth, but keeps playing two people who shouldn’t be on the playing staff. We can all stomach youngsters losing, but to play this team and those two again is diabolical.
Some positives from tonight, Cluij played like it was a cup final, and United like it was a training match. Still – Welbeck does well in the middle of attack, despite having no service. Phil Jones looks like he’s in match fitness, and Büttner always gives it all. Rooney doesn’t work on right midfield… Lesson learned.
@Joffrey Baratheon
Not only are fans entitled to moan, but the are also obliged to protest. It’s an expression of care. Unless you’re a masochist, watching this team perform week in week out is not a pleasant experience.
People are entitled to moan. My arse is cold and their goal keeper hasn’t had to make a save this half. Scholars and giggs spend most of the time where the back four should be and we are not playing real Madrid here, hardly European giants with flowing attacking football.
It hurts me to say this, but I hope thats the last we see of Giggs playing in a United first team shirt…
Seems like no one`s allowed to show their disappointment at another way below par performance. Dead game or not, we really should be doing better than this showing.
We have no chance of winning this competition lads
Dunno how ferguson can even think about bringing another striker in with this midfield in shambles.
Is he fucking blind or what?!
Was overdue in summer and did nothing fucking again.
Sick of this shit seeing my team being outplayed by no-name teams.
@georgejoseph: unless we have inherited Chelsea’s luck from last season!
Fuck that, we can still get our shit together next year and take this trophy back to Old Trafford where it fucking belongs/
one can only hope we get Real Madrid in the next round to see how average we are.
For the sake of football, I hope messi’s injury is nothing serious
Sneijder in January?! :p
Boy, Macheda looks the sharpest of our strikers though! Blast from the past!
Embarrassing!!!!!! Piss poor yet again! Not one of these wankers deserves to be paid for that shit!!!! Great preperation for the derby fergie
@zelh he did bring midfielders in kawaga and powell just unlucky kawaga didnt get going b4 injury but as i say positives about tonight 90 mins for jones and smalling so we got 4 cbs and 3 rb buttner looked good again powell and wotten got champions league experiance not a great result but oh well didnt lose out from it just a shame rooney played 90 and wasnt rested for city game
Although it was a meaningless match, the lads should be ashamed of themselves. The have embarrassed the club!!!!
Giggs, why don’t you just fucking retire? he didn’t even bother to actually play a bit of football.
forget snijder over rated injury prone one season wonder
I wish I could say onwards and upwards. But who can tell what will happen next with this erratic band of underachievers?
Awful. Just plain awful. Our midfield is shit. No two ways about it.
woodsie – Fergie still didn’t figure out how to use Kagawa. And what I mean is a central midfielder. The position is won or lost nowadays.
That’s where we’ve become worse than average.
Can’t even create anything against a fucking pub team like Cluj and people are talking about winning CL. My arse.
@zelh –> he bought Shinji Kagawa, not his faul;t he is injured. Powell also came in. Our problem is injuries not Fergie inaction, and his big purchase of the summer, RvP, is WHY we are top of the league, so give it a rest will you?
with that said…
We lost but overall I’m not too disappointed. The first half display was rubbish, second half was better but we have no wingers. When you are relying on Buttner to move forward, Rooney to get on the wing etc. you get the kind of service we saw tonight from the wings.
If we needed to win this game we’d have won it. Cluj had something to play for, a shot at qualifying whereas we confirmed top spot weeks ago. I was surprised Fergie left Rooney on for 90 minutes though.
Last time the excuse was the hostile environment and that we played so many youngsters.
Well this time I ask you this thing… Was this a hostile environment and why your so called youngsters didn’t dfo well.
Do you know the definition of a young footballer. Young is when you have no experience, in this case Wootton and Powell again.
Other young experienced players like Welbeck, Clevs, Smalling, Chicha (MOTM for UNITED) and Jones have no excuse for us losing.
We had almost the same players like we did against Galatasaray.
THESE guys aren’t youngsters!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are experienced young not matured players. Powell is young with non experience and not matured player, so he can be forgive.
The others like against Galatasaray cannot be forgiven for our loss.
Say what you say, that is not an excuse in Barcelona, not in Arsenal, not in Chelsea not in Real Madrid not in Milan not in Bayern not in any of the teams, if they play 21+ players of age. So stop with stupid excuses.
We lost and I am damn mad, nothing good exept Chicharito.!
peace. and let’s start focusing for SHITTUY cause this game is one to forget and not be proud off.
Anyone that comes on here stating any positives, then you need to go and see your doctor tomorrow!!
that’s 94 mins of my life I won’t get back.
why oh why is Fergie letting this happen? people have paid good money
for tonight game, and United serve up short like that.
we are Manchester United & are better then this load of Crap.
come on Fergus sort out this shambles of a midfield, even if Tom & a do stay fit they are not good enough!!
Wooton did well I thought, great positive today. Smalling was shaky a little bit, but ok. Good run out for Jones.
Buttner and Powell had reasonably alright performances, our play in the final half needs improving though.
Good to see some crosses coming in from buttner, jones and rooney. We missed real purpose in the game, bit too flat at times. Great goal from cluj though.
Jesus fucking Christ. We didn’t have RvP, Tony V, Nani, Anderson, Young, Kagawa, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Rafa or Rio… Tom went off injured before half time, and Fletcher didn’t come on until the end of the game. Rooney was on the pitch, but hardly played as the main man did he? He found himself the one to put in the crosses instead since we HAD NO WINGERS OUT.
Cluj on the other hand had a prospect of qualifying, while we already qualified weeks ago. With all that said, we have people in here still calling their team embarrassing, cursing Fergie and so on.
Fucking plastic, good-time fans. Wouldn’t hear half the shit that comes out of your mouths if we won.
That was an utter disgrace. The effort put in by the majority of the players tonight was atrocious. Only Phil Jones and, to some extent, Buttner and Smalling can be happy with their performances tonight. Those players out there were probably paid the best part of £1m this week to play for a club with the stature and history of United and they strolled about like they couldn’t give a fuck.
I’m usually realistic about these things – we have already qualified, it was a meaningless match, but you have to keep some momentum going and we have a proper game on Sunday and we’re probably going to lose it.
Think: When was the last time you got excited watching Utd play?
For me it was the game against Newcastle. That is how long ago it was!
Wow I haven’t see the game, but the squad on the show should have been enough to put them to sword. This team has been embarassing us far too often this season and dead rubber or not, 75K people paid for the game, so the result is just pathetic. How many other humilations are we ging to see this year?
The moaning does tend to lack any constructive side to it. It’s the same old “shite team” “buy every man and his dog”.
This match was disappointing though, yet again the scholes and giggs axis, combined age of 77, sluggish and lacking impetus. They’re players i’ve admired greatly but they’re now influencing the team in the wrong manner. They both play in a key position and dictate the tempo of a match, they just can’t produce anymore. I’d rather see petrucci, tunni and others playing, at least experience can be gained.
That had to be one of the worst united percormances i have seen..i no the game didnt mean shit and there were 10 changes but it proves that united dont have 2 good teams like alot of people seem to clai
..infact i would argue we just about have 1…i dredd to see what midfield we put out on sunday i really cant see anything other than a defeat especially with our outstanding defending this season..we just dont play as a team at all its been individuals ie rooney and rvp who have us were we are otherwise we would be down there with arsenal…..we really need some top class midfielders in the team, i hope the manager goes and gets 1 in jan but not sure he will, i also wana punch cleverly in the face how many times does he get a chance to shoot and bottles it i mean wat the fuck…scholes and giggs are finished through no fault of there own of course..legends the pair of them… And i really think we are back at the stage with goalkeepers that we were wen the big dane left…fergie really cant sign goalkeepers……i no im harpin on abit about what didnt matter but fuck me old trafford was a fortress now it means nothin to other teams…im just sick of the slackness and lack of quality in our midfield which the manager continues to ignore and classes carrick as a great player.hahaha…im big enough to see past some stats that people will pop of about we are top and we lost in on goal difference last year..but i will say last year city deserved it and we got k ocked out at the group stages and also tanked in the europa league..this year we strutted through the champions league and in the league we have been shit yet again, if city beat us then they will be top and unbeaten with the 2 nd best scorers and the best defence, we will have been beaten 4 times with a fuckin shockin defence record…like i said im harpin on a bit but u will see what i mean wen we come up against teams like real madrid who will arse rape our defence and also teams like bayern etc…we will get found out unless the manager brings real quality that we need in jan….fuck im off to bed in a mood now as i hae gettin beat regardless of the importance of the game…only bonus tonite is chelsea gettin knocked out
Tom didn’t really looked like being in controle of the game before he went off.
Whatever Vidic, Evans, Evra, Rafa and Rio have to do with our play in the last 3rd. Problem was that the midfield couldn’t create fuck all again.
And not like Tony and Young set the world on fire the last time they played.
we can be lucky if we get a draw at the weekend.
@samuel – united WE stand
POGBA…! You know you love it.
@Dela
We didn’t have… Young? Yes, he would’ve made a world of difference like he usually does. LOL.
I get that this game was not important, but what do we teach to our players?
That losing is good?
Anyway, nothing positive, and the people who know me here knows that I’m not moaning, just saying the obious.
If we want to be masochist, then the positiv thing is Wootton ( I don’t like the lad) and Powell (future player) gained experience.
We have Smalling and Jones back,
DDG again playing.
We see that Giggs and Scholes can’t be playing.
Cleverley is the man, unfortunately he got injured.
Chicharito is currently our best player with RVP.
And this was a meaningless game at HOME.
As a team in the last two CL games… Well rubbish. rubish rubishh. say what you say, we as UNITED have no excuse. Anyway, we have to forget this, it was an non existend game, and let’s focus to the game against SHITTy.
BTW. some stats.
Manchester United: 23 games 15 gone behind the opposition and 11 times won from the behind. This says that oru attitude, mentality and attack are at the great stage, but our concentration is lacking.
peace, and don’t get me wrong, not moaning, just stating the facts. Happy that it
Scholes and Giggs are legends but not adequate enough to play top football anymore. They are slow and lack pace. Macheda , the lucky guy to be still playing in a red shirt. Wootton still a long way to become a Man Utd regular. At Least Powell, Jones , Smalling and Cleverley showed that we have a future after all. If we are to win something this season, we must not concede more goals and start getting some clean sheets. hate to see three strikers let alone four. Waste of space on the pitch. as long as SAF play the 77year pair together we have no hope.
I’ve forgot this game all ready Sunday totally different team different attitude and think we will be six points clear on Sunday night
@AntiScouser — He would have provided something on the left wing. BTW way to get behind your players!
Dela, if you want to shout down fans then I’m going to do the same back. Why don’t you shut your self righteous mouth. Sprouting shit that any sane United fan who was unhappy with performance is a plastic fan. I held a season ticket for 6 seasons and would defend United till I die but I’m a plastic fan because I’m getting sick of drab performances week in week out and 2 seasons of absolutele car crash viewing in Europe. I can accept if we lost but had tempo to our game and threatened their goal while forcing their bloody keeper to make the odd save but we couldn’t manage that! This was Cluj for fuck sake! Fans paid good money to watch that performance!
Dela!!!! Get real you clown!!! People pay good money to go to the game and they put a performance in like that!!!!! Man utd are MEANT to be one of the best squads in world football, so should they really be allowed to put a performance in like that????? Take your blinkers off and get fokin real
@Dela
Only a masochist can see something positive in our current situation.
.
That was fun. 2 years of always scoring at OT for it to end like this.
I agree with Mahesh. Kiko looked pretty sharp. And I hope Fergie takes Buttner into consideration next time he thinks about playing Welbeck as a left winger. He and Jones were probably the only 2 that played well.
Pogba tends to get mentioned as a Messiah that we lost which I would disagree with. However, it’s quite depressing seeing an ex United youth player make his mark elsewhere while we are still using Scholes and Giggs as much as we do.
@Dela
Scholes is still the best passer of the ball we have no doubt. But when I try to put things in balance, his cons are more noticeable than his pros. Especially in a game like the one coming up. He could start if we had the luxury of playing 2 midfielders behind him.
Gopher Brown hit the nail on the head perfectly for me.
@Fuming –> Just because the Glazers charge full whack for games like tonight — which have no significance for us whether we win or lose — does not mean Alex Ferguson has to risk playing his first 11 ahead of the Manchester derby. Fergie did the right thing, left the defenders likely to play against City rest, let Carrick rest, only put on Fletch for minutes, etc. People going to that game tonight knew he was never going to play a strong side, so you get fucking real.
Anybody no wen fergie last played the same team 2 games in a row? Cause fuck i dont…this is why there is no consistancy…..all i can say is midfielders midfielders midfielders defenders….oh and i mean quality ones aswell
@AntiScouser — Yep, our terrible situation on top of the league and in the last 16 in Europe after topping our group. Awful, terrible. We’re not playing well, but I don’t shit on our players… because you know.. I’m a fan…
@Dela your are in point, of course :
“We didn’t have RvP, Tony V, Nani, Anderson, Young, Kagawa, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Rafa or Rio… Tom went off injured before half time, and Fletcher didn’t come on until the end of the game. Rooney was on the pitch, but hardly played as the main man did he?”
But one thing, it’s stupid to say, but I didn’t have this and we did not have that, We Are ManUtd, our second string should be strong.
Nani (unfortunately oru best player, injured and out) Kagawa (same), Tony V the terminator, injured, Vidic injured, So count them out, cause we have made it without them against other teams.
Evra, Evans and Rafa rested like they should in this game. Rio, well he should have played but he is rested for Shitty game. And Young same for Shitty game, he would have brought us width, but that was not the case why we lost.
Cleverley, unfortunately got injured and for me played really well. SHame that he is Anderson on the making
gettign always injured. Fletcher Rested.
As for Rooney, well that’s not an excuse cause he’s been playign that role all the time.
Why we just not admitt that this time we sucked ass and were utterly shit.???? WHY? Let’s admit it, forget it and move towards the Shitty game. Don’t make excuses that players were out, they have been for a long time, it doesn’t matter.
I get it if it were Real MAdrid or Bayern Munich as our opposition. but it was CJSH CLuj, so we should win them at our home, in the THEATRE OF DREAMS with our second string!!!
Don’t be blind. Some positives like I mentioned, but positives don’t win you trophies
peace.
@Costas –> I respect your opinion mate, but I think you are amplifying his cons. You aren’t alone too. Take tonight, he attempted a pass, it didn’t come off, then Cluj started an attack close to the half way line. That lad wasn’t even closed down by defense, they dared him to shoot and to be fair he scored a cracker, no chance de gea. But the commentator on the channel I was watching banged on about Scholes, not the defense, or the fact that the attack came from the half way line… just as they did with the spurs game… had it been any other midfielder (except giggs), nobody would have put as much blame on the midfielder’s shoulders.
Such a shame, people forget fast. We didn’t have Scholesy last year when we didn’t make it out of our group, and when he came back into the team we went on a decent run after our horrid Christmas. People forget fast.
@Dela
Such opinions are not uncommon in the ivory tower. Do you need to be reminded how we fared against Braga? Lost against Cluj and Galatasaray. Lost against Norwich, Spurs and Everton. Defeated in the Carling Cup. Lost 3 goals against Reading in the first 30min with Young, van Persie, Evra and co.
Remember what happened last time we played against City? We “went to make a statement”. Boy did we make one.
nobody forgot what Scholes did last season, but that was last year and not now.
And you shouldn’t forget that football is a freaking fast business. Last year Giggs was okay, now he’s just sad to watch and you just want him to accept that he’s not good enough anymore.
Same goes for Scholes.
They HAVE to go. For the sake of younger players. Pogba was only the first of the promising ones gettin frustrated to see that non-performers like those two get stil games.
Listening to fergie harp on about positives tickles my balls…really he needs to jump all over these cunts
@WeAreUnited –> My point in that post is people on here are talking as if the team and performance tonight are us at our current best, which is bullshit. Of course we should just move on and get over this result, it means absolutely nothing to us. That’s what I’d like to do, but I can’t come back to my favorite United blog without an insane overreaction circle-jerk these days, and it’s pissing me off. It was bad enough when people crucified Berbatov in 09/10, Gibson in 10/11 and so on, but now its just all out hate from some users here on any player not currently in form.
I don’t make excuses for us, I’m trying to point out how under-strength we are and to put things in perspective but it’s like talking to a fucking wall at times.
Losing againts minor team like Cluj is normal for United this seson..
Can’t wait to see scholes and giggs get retired soon..
Look guys, don’t compare this game with our league games.
We are in the fuckin TOP OF THE LEAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But, we can’t be happy that our second string who we should rely on when first teamers are injured, can’t win CLUJ.
I get it that we did not have players, but it would be an excuse against Real MAdrid in the Quarter finals, cause there you play your first team.
Against Cluj AT HOME, we should win with our second stringers.
DON*T MOAN about the LEAGue, we are at the top!!!!!!!!
Alot of people seem to think as we have won the group the result doesnt matter. No I suppose it doesnt BUT we have decided to play youngsters eager to prove they are worth considering now or for the future. It seems they dont think it matters. Another rather lifeless performance where they out ran us and out passed us and to be honest i thought they were shite.
Macheda is a bust, get rid. Buttner is a lower premier league defender, Wooton was decent and Giggs passing was criminal. This has to be Giggs last season, he is taking a youngsters squad possition but watching some of them today you may as well say Giggs could just as well stay in the mix.
The seats were half empty and those that were there were outsung by 10 coach loads of school kids. Manchester is blue I mean red I mean prepubescent.
everything about tonight was shit. The fans were a let down, the opposition was a let down and the players couldnt give a fuck. I realise in the big picture it doesnt matter but nor does pride really.
@Dela
I REALLy get you mate, I really do.
But, don’t make excuses cause we are not Liverpool. We should win CLUJ with oru second stringers. Do you agree with me? or are we Loserpool?
IF it were bayern Munich who needed the spot to qualify, and we played this team with these first 11 against them, then I WOULD BE satisfied, cause it would be second strings against Bayern Munichs first team.
But it was CLUJ at HOME, so no point to be happy, but no point to moan about the league or players neither
to be honest our team is trash
thats the reality
no one is class and have form except rafael,van persie and chico
our mid is the worst ever
i feel the disaster is coming at knock out stages
Kiko has no future at united, he’s gone back ward since his cameo vs villa. Welbs is not doing it either, rooney was non existent……
We really need to do something fast
I have to say, very little quality on display, if they weren’t wearing the shirts and the label you would not know it was Manchester United. Anyone who thinks its ok to just lose this match as we are through does not get the Club.
Jones for me is not even close to taking Rafael’s place. Rafael has been our best player with RVP so far. He is not a MF. He has no passing range or vision, he can run fast, tackle and do short passes, he is a defender who can also help out attack.
Cleverly is perplexing, when he was injured last term after doing well everyone thought he would start of where he left off, he has instead been relatively poor. Hazard and Oscar are his age and size and new to the league, no comparison. Not quite sure what;s going on there.
Powell – haven’t seen enough, but not quite sure what he is about. Is he a MF? He used t be a striker, he was not able to put himself about in a way that found space linked attack without overcrowding. But some potential there. He was never going to start this season he was always one for the future. Can’t quite see what he brings. his passing ok ok, his defending poor, he is a decent attacker but we have enough strikers. i am really hoping Ando can deliver, he can be the real deal on his day, I would love to see him stay fit and stake his claim.
Why was Rooney playing 90 minutes in this game? Or Pea. Welbeck and Macada used to play well together.
On the plus side Macaeda reminded us he exists, I still have hope for him.
Wingers…..!!!! Fergie please buy a winger! Pref. two. And a ball playing aggressive holding MF. Our wingers all shit so far this season and its half over. I miss Nani. I can’t believe we would actually sell him and keep Young. We are missing Nani.
how is this a fucking second string?!
You call Welbeck, hernandez rooney and Scholes second string?
I wonder how many talents do we have to lose until fergie realises that he fucked up with scholes and giggs?!
Pogba was the first one and btw our most talented.
Petrucci will be next if he doesn’t get any gametime.
Loosing at Old Trafford no matter the circumstances cannot be pardoned. Shameful!!!
@AntiScouser –> That’s where we differ. You make mental notes of everything negative and I look at the bigger picture. You look for reasons to complain, I look for reasons to get behind my team. I don’t shit on players like you shit on Young earlier, who had a decent game at the weekend when rightly, as you said, we had a shocker in defence, but managed to score 4 (should have been 5) to cover our losses when we needed to.
Yes, we lost to Everton… at Goodison… a tricky ground. We lost to Spurs because of the first half, ouch, but still, it’s Spurs. Norwich was a bad one, that’s what happens when we lose a player like Rooney. I could give a shit less about what happened at Galatasaray and Cluj tonight. We also won at Anfield and Stamford Bridge, but who gives a fuck about that right? Always better to run people down than give them support.
I remember a particularly bad game a couple of seasons ago, when Scott rightly had a huge rant about United in his analysis of the game after. The very last point he said was something like this…
“Booing the team at full time? Fuck off back to Wembley!”
And I have the same attitude. Don’t shit on your own fucking players.
So it’s one of six in the last 16. Milan, Real, Shakhtar, Celtic, Porto or Valencia. The way we have played in Europe for 2 years we can take nothing for granted. Milan are playing even worse than us at present so would probably be the tie I would choose. Obviously we want to avoid Real Madrid like the plague but I also don’t fancy Celtic, you just know we’d make an absolute meal of that tie.
@Dela
Well the defenders have to keep a distance in cases like this. If they attempt to close down the guy making the run down the middle, they might leave empty spaces behind them. That area of the pitch is one the central midfielders have to patrol. Scholes losing the ball wasn’t an issue. The problem was that the only way he could recover it was by tackling Alberto. Because he knew he wouldn’t keep up with him.
I won’t speak about any neutral because I don’t know what their agenda is, but no United fan wants to disrespect Scholes and Giggs or forget what they’ve meant for this club. But that doesn’t mean we have to like the fact that they play a bigger role in the team than they should. It’s already proven to be costly. But I won’t blame them. It’s the manager’s job to realize this. And he seems to have a hard time doing it.
@Zelh well, soem call these players youngsters, I call them second stringers.
But then Chicha, Rooney, Welbz are hardly second stringers.
I am so confused, I just wanna forget these 2 CL games and move along.
Proverb
Did you just say Welbeck isnt good enough. If you did then you need glasses – big fucking thick ones.
Give us Real and let Fergie see how fucking screwed we are.
Also – please lets not overreact – United always do things the hard way – our history is too kill fans early with stress and joy in extreme.
There were alot of young players out there and new player who have not played together in a game like this before. So chill out. Stupid fools who keep slagging the team off, comment, analyse, criticise if you will but stop this idiot hysteria.
THE TEAM IS NOT CRAP. It is top of the bloody league and top of its CL group. Get a grip you fools.
Dela, we lost to Norwich because Rooney wasn’t fit? For fucks sake that is a poor excuse. Anyway that game is done now and over but back tonight in hindsight nope I’ve not changed my mind, it was bloody piss poor.
@Costas
My mate, you said it liek it is, and Dela is not wrong also,
My point is don’t be happy when our future players don’t give a damn about the win.
Well moving along.
CMON UNITED½!!!
@WeAreUnited –> Right. We more or less agree!
I’m not happy with tonight’s result, I just don’t see it as justification to overreact, but overreacting seems to be in the DNA of a lot of our fans now. Like I said, I’m all for moving on and saying OK, let’s focus on the weekend instead, but it’s kind of hard when its next to impossible to have a positive conversation here anymore. Frankly, it’s ruining the fucking place that even when we win, some users here bitch and whine to the extreme. Namedropping and cursing players. Cursing Fergie. Playing Nostradamus about how badly we’ll get buttfucked by this team or that team. It’s fucking annoying.
Zelh, well yea we’d be big underdogs against Real. Can already see Ronaldo scoring against us and doing his subdued celebration. Would be hard to stomach. He should have stayed at United where he was loved and still is.
@NBI
Don’t start again with that youngsters bullshit.
They are not anymore that young and unexperienced.
The only ones are Wootton and Powell. Wootton is 21. Same Buttner no experience but he has played top league amd is 23. That’s not the excuse.
Our players just didn’t care. Maybe in this kind of games, the whole team should be with Powells, petrucis tunnicliffes daehlis cause they care about just one game in CL. Though I know you can’t play them if they aren’t on the list.
peace.
@Joffrey Baratheon –> It was my opinion, we missed Rooney badly. I didn’t say that’s why we lost the game but it hurt our performance. But nice of you to quote-mine me like that!
@Dela
Well my thing is, to communicate with users, that have some points, Costas, United Till I Die, Proverb and Samuel and you.. Even though I don’t always agree with you guys, but it’s conversations and not complaints.
We shouldn’t overreact like some vampires waiting us to lose, but wer can’t be happy, it was not Bayern Munichs first team, it was CLUJ, but they fought well and deserved it to win.
We were shit. But we have to move on.
But not be happy and make excuses like they were young or we didn’t have certain players, cause it was no Bayern Munich and we were at home.
@Dela
Glad you understood what I meant.
DECEMBER 5, 2012 AT 23:14
Proverb says:
“Kiko has no future at united, he’s gone back
ward since his cameo vs villa. Welbs is not doing
it either, rooney was non existent……
We really need to do something fast”
DECEMBER 5, 2012 AT 23:19
Goat Peticoat says:
“Proverb
Did you just say Welbeck isnt good enough. If
you did then you need glasses – big fucking
thick ones.”
Welbz still has a long way to go, there’s a good chance he can turn out one to be reckoned with
But as of now he aren’t doing it
@WeAreUnited
I am not in their mind so it’s hard top say how much they cared. But it’s never easy playing disjointed sides. Other than the 2 league cup games this season, I can’t remember any other time in recent years when we played a mix of first and second string players and they actually played well. Our last home defeat in the Ch.League was pretty much the same. For their sake, I hope they cared. From what I saw, Jones, Smalling, Buttner, Wootton and Kiko did. Powell just seemed a bit off his game, but I don’t know whether it was nerves or what it was.
“Norwich was a bad one, that’s what happens when we lose a player like Rooney” Now if that’s not an excuse for what was a drab performance against a hard working but average side I don’t know what is. Embarrassing to point to that.
@Costas –> I think we disagree on Scholes, but thats cool, I know you respect him and Giggsy as players, so don’t think my rants are directed at you bud! Speaking of Giggs, things certainly aren’t clicking for him at all at the moment, which is such a shame. On Scholesy though, I just think he has far more potential left than we think. It’s just my opinion but for what it’s worth, I think he played a huge role in our Anfield win when he came on, and even RVP pointed at him for the turn around at Southhampton, which really means something coming from a guy who just scored his first hattrick for the club. I could be proven wrong come the end of the season, I hope I’m not
i understand that we lose last game against Barca because we are in the next round, but i dont see why we dont want to win Cluj and get another million for winning…obvioulsy we have enough money…
@Joffrey Baratheon –> Yes, we didn’t have Rooney for Norwich and his presence was really missed. Do I think we should have lost the game, No, so what the fuck is your point?
To face the reality and remember the ROONEY SAGA..today i believe his statement that we have average players and not world class…so dont blame the guys…they are just average and ordinary players…thats is the level of their efforts…if giggs and scholes will not hang the boot at the end of season…i will not respect them anymore…why?both are liabilities,huge burden to our mid area…no movement,no legs,slopy passes,little defending and covering the pitch…they have to follow the fellow ones like van de sar and retire in pride.Strootman,Snedjer we badly have to bring in these kind of class mid who have energy and legs
NOTE:If you are beaten and overun in mid with a team of calibre like cluj
you are totally trash
Central midfield is the key position in a team, any inadequaces there transfers to the team. We’ve spoken about the giggs/scholes axis all season, it’s become tedious and tiring. I’m an admirer of both but being brutally honest, they’re pale shadows of themselves. They’re not contributing going forward or defensively, they’re now ultimate passengers, we are now playing with a deficit of 9 men, it’s incredibly frustrating. I genuinely would rather see a petrucci or tunni scampering about and getting experience whilst paired with seasoned pros than our very own legends who have gone through the blows of 20+ years and waning.
This match wasn’t meaningful and constructive views should be found at least but i’m now struggling immensely to explain why these two are getting starts.
@Costas,
maybe I rushed a little by saying they didn’t care cause I neither read their mind haha. And you made good point thath they tried.
But liek you said, the last time we playeed exellent when our first stringers and second stringers and some youth were mixed were in the league cup, ESPECIALLY against Chelsea.
We played so damn well there, so why they care so much there, in the sense of “care” but when it’s CL where every little kid wants to play, they play rubish at home?
Hard to say. Good points mate! Had a new perspective to the issue.
My excuses, freaking typos!
proverb
Id have to disagree fella. I thoiught Wellbeck was the only real force tonight. He ran and blocked clearances, he tackled (the only forward to do so), he dribbled (the only forward to do so) he got a head in that nearly scored.
Alot of people will disagree with me but I rate Wellbeck and what potentially he will be as alot more than Chico, RvP and Rooney. I believe Wellbeck when he is 25-28 will be a 40million pound striker. Not by reputation but by work ethic. I certainly thought he was the best forward out there tonight.
@Dela
i also agree aboyt what yo usaid about Giggsy and Scholesy, nothing against the legends, btu Scholes has it more left in him that Giggsy.
The only time we saw the “old” Giggsy tears you apart Giggs was against Chelski in the league cup. He was brilliant,.
My point is your reaction to that defeat was yea it was a bad one but that’s what happens Rooney is missing. There was 11 bloody players out there that day the same as Norwich and they fucking outplayed us. We might as well get the excuses in ahead of Sunday. Oh well we lost to City but that’s what happens when Nani and Vidic are missing. Shit happens!
@Goat
Welbeck was good today, yes he was.
Chicharito our MOTM btw did you notice how good the lad is?
Even though I will never forgive 100% to Rooney about the saga, we did miss him against Norwich, he is an important player for us.
and some good points @Samuel!
@WeAreUnited –> Yep, I’m not sure what to think about Giggs because he’s the type of guy who could just do something magic, or at least that’s been his history but I know his age and I know nobody beats retirement and lives to talk about it
On Scholes, even tonight when he came on, sure he made that passing mistake (I’ve already mentioned that earlier) but his performance wasn’t bad at all. He moved the ball around very well, and he tried to get stuff going in front of goal. I think he probably will have much more of an impact if he comes on at 60-70 minutes when both sets of midfielders have been battered a bit, especially if he has players to spread the play to, like Valencia.
I think he’ll feature against City but late in the game. I think Fergie will pack in carrick and fletcher in the middle and have rooney playing an attacking role but still dropping back to help out. I would love to see two wingers, and even though it could backfire, I’d like to see Rafa move forward. I don’t think we can be too cautious against City, we need to score and with RvP i think we will!
@Dela
I get where you’re coming from, no worries. It’s a touchy subject for all of us. I always try to keep a clear head because I grew up watching those two. But just like with Gary Neville at the end of his career, I hate seeing United fans (me included) groaning when they see those two on the teamsheet. Do they have a part to play? I agree with the manager that they do. But we haven’t figured out what that part should be. For example, Scholes proved this season that he’s good as an impact sub. Giggs has been played in a deep midfield role for so long, that it’s easy to forget how good he can be on the final third as a winger or a second striker (also as a sub though). Of course it hasn’t helped that Carrick is the only medically reliable CM other than the 2 veterans…
@WeAreUnited
There was extra motive mate. The Chelsea game was a big one and none of our players wanted to underperform. Plus, it was a more sensible side than tonight. We had Fletcher and Ando in midfield with Giggs playing behind Javier. Today the line up was unbalanced. Rooney wasted on the wing, Tom and Giggs playing together for the first time… Like I said, I hope they didn’t overlook their opponent tonight. Because they won’t get many more opportunities this season.
We are not playing with any sense of urgency, our engine room is really piss poor and as you all know, once the engine is fucked no matter how shiny is your car it still aren’t going to move properly,
Rooney doesn’t even bother this days rush forward he prefers to either pull the strings or be the work horse in order to supply the forwards and win the ball respectively as he know he’ll get fuck all if he never go after it himself, it has become a very depressing scenario this days.
Let’s buy a decent midfield, you’ll see the whole team get pumped up
I previously said it and with a realistic lense on, i don’t think united are amongst the favourites for the CL. Dortmund, real madrid and barca will battle it out. We’re in transitional period, still got a couple of players hovering around the horizons of retirement, sone will have to prove their quality, some younger talented players are gaining experience, if united drag themselves into quarters would be moving above my personal expectation this season. Massive improvement would have to occur if we are to even get near lifting big ears. Football is a mystery though, you just never know.
The only thing giggs does these days is jogging around and giving the ball away.
Does at fuck all to our game.
With Ando and Clev out I’m happy that we signed that midfield powerhouse everyone was crying out for.
Oh, wait…
By the sounds of it, Tom had an injury to his calf. The extent isn’t known yet, but the City game is probably too soon for him.
We can be happy if we survive the next round.
Porto, Real, Shaktar easily above us.
@Costas –> Ye man, you really made a good point on Giggs there, that when he is in the final third he can be indispensable with his crosses and so on. Last year coming to the end of the 10/11 season he really showed that to be the case by assisting all three goals we scored to put Chelsea out of the Champions League, while also assiting Vidic’s winner against them at OT and starting the move for Hernandez’ 36 second goal earlier in the day. So ye, when Giggsy is in a position to contribute that final ball, he can be lethal, and as you said, with him playing a central midfield role that’s not likely to happen much, and if he started, by the time we’re trying to get aggressive if we need a goal, he’s probably the most tired man on the pitch. It’s all very difficult to figure out, and with all the guessing as to why Tom and Ando weren’t starting more, I think unfortunately we’ve seen why. It’s not down to ability its the risk of playing. I have said that to people here a lot, we don’t get the medical staff reports, we don’t see the dressing room chat or the training and so on, so we can only speculate why a team is picked.
Before anyone starts slating me
I know rooney has been deployed to play in the hole, but still think his much deadlier when played as a target and still can pull in a couple assists as well as scoring loads of goals
To be frank I expected us to not play well tonight. That’s been the theme in meaningless European games for a while. The absolute WORST thing however about all this is the fact that both Cleverley AND Anderson are out. Good thing we signed that world class midfielder eh? oh wait…..
Rooney is now like Owen & Fowler…………the boy was better then the man.
I will keep on saying it I dont rate him.
Since he held a gun to the clubs head & got his big pay rise, just what has he done?? Fuck alll
Does not look interested anymore.
Get rid!! Just my opinion and its not just tonights game,
He does not make my top twenty United players I have seen better, been watching united since 1963!!
Lots of “Chicken Littles” in here today…
@Dela
Well I think, that Giggsy will tear anyone apart even in the age of 45
but, after this season, and if he’s a United fan (joke) he will get that maybe it’s better to him to hang his boots and start concentrating in the coaching side. With his experience, he will add a great value there.
As for Scholes, I also agree that the gingerhead played very good today, one mistake, yes, btw, wasn’t it Powell who misspassed it? anyway. He played well, he would have been introduced later on, but Cleverley got injured, so he got more gametime than he expected.
Like you said, we need him at the 65-70 minutes
@Costas
yeah you’re right, against Chelski, players wanted to show what they are capable off and there were Nani, Ando and Javier, but that hardly differ from this games teamsheet. Anyway. It is what it is.
as you said, after all these conversations,
“Like I said, I hope they didn’t overlook their opponent tonight. Because they won’t get many more opportunities this season” period.
@Samuel
Dortmund, real madrid and barca, can I add also Bayern Munich? I think they’re tough like always, Juve could surprise also, they haven’t been there in a long time, and when the games goes tougher, Italians tend to get better like Germans, and their team consist alot of international Italian players, they have gelled together a long time ago.
peace.
Red Devil Canuck
Dont come out with pointless comments name and shame and put your argument across
Okay @goat understood but you need to understand my logic
I totally agree with you, welbz offers a lot more to our game but he needs to starts scoring cause once our squad returns to full sharpness he runs a risk of being relegated to the bench
That’s just a dream though, we never seem to ever have a full fit squad
@Proverb
“Before anyone starts slating me
I know rooney has been deployed to play in the hole, but still think his much deadlier when played as a target and still can pull in a couple assists as well as scoring loads of goals”
I won’t slate you cause you’re correct mate, yes the lad gives assists, btu he’s better there upfront. BUT, the thing is, we have Chicha the MAN who’s playing so good recently and RVP scoring goals, that we need him playing deeper, and when we know our winger situation and the midfield injury dilemma after the defenders.
Rooney has to play there. Can’t wait to get the Terminator V, Nani and NinjaKagawa back.!!!
@Proverb again.
As for Welbs, he’s a prospect and a good player, who still lacks that goal sense and needs to improve there. Ronaldo also did.
But with Nani, Valencia, Kagawa, RVP, Rooney and Chicha back. Can’t see the lad playing that much.
That’s why some are disappointed, which doesn’t mean in my eyes moaning, but expecting more from him, cause he is getting chances.
Soon, he will not get. I hope the best for the Manc lad!!!!
Rooney has to play deeper cause the rest of our midfielders are fucking shite. that’s the reason.
Dunno for how many years fans are crying for new midfielders and while we are playing a 39yo guy who can’t do fuck all anymore teams like Real hoard all the talent.
They have someone like modric on the fucking bench.
We could be happy if we have a starter half as good as him.
Costas – it’s the same injury that knocked him off the team for a considerable amount of time, he’s out for sure. I’m struggling to see how he solely can stop the tide of attacking wave that city will no doubt inflict on the united backline.
Proverb
Well he nearly got one tonight.
We have a few on here that dont rate Rooney and a few that understand that hes been put in the hole between the strikers and the midfield. Rooney wants to be in the engine room. For my side of things I actually think Wellbeck is more suited to that job. Rooneys shorts range passing on the edge of the area is woeful and he no longer runs at defenders. Wellbecks scoring has dropped off but that is mainly the majority of his games he has played on the left.
I say, play Wellbeck in behind RvP and Chico and play Cleverley Anderson and Jones behind them. Sell Rooney for 50million and bring in another striker and midfielder with the cash.
I want to see
DeGea
Rafael Smalling Vidic Fabio
Jones
Cleverly Anderson Wellbeck
RvP Chico
@Dela
Tom kind of disappointed me. I pretty much suspected why Anderson wasn’t starting more often. Tom on the other hand, seemed to have grown stronger this season. He survived some pretty tough tackles. I don’t know what the hell happened today. Didn’t even notice him getting injured. It forces Fergie’s hand as far as Fletcher is concerned. And we still don’t know how much he can take at this point.
@zelh
I get it what you’re saying. I will also be glad seeing Modric on the bench and Özil starting, of course and Ronaldo and benzema together. But that’s Real Madrid mate!
We had our superstar moment. Ronaldo, Tevez, Vidic, Berba, Nani, ANdo, hArgreaves, Scholes, Giggs, Rio, Rooney etc. The 2008 team. But the team is gone. Now it is starting all over again,
and as SAF is getting older and soon retires, we just have to wait for the next manager to make the transition. Until then, we have to watch what our SAF the greatest of all time does. At the moment, we are through in the CL and TOP OF THE LEAGUE. Not bad.
Our performance is great in attack, that’s why we win, but after that not that great but not that bad like people say. Just be patient mate. After SAF, the real transition will start. Trust me.
We will miss the gaffer.
We are not a very good team and our squad is weak.
I really am starting to think that we maybe have only four or five United quality players.
Rafael, Vidic, Van Persie and errrr maybe De Gea and Anderson.
Please God spare us from having to continually explain what is holding Rooney back from being a world class player – It is a state of delusion with far too many fans – Tonight for example, wherever he was playing, a world class player would have gotten hold of the ball and created his own chance and smashed it in the fucking net.
Please face facts ………….. Rooney is a busted flush and has been since about the age of 21. If we keep kidding ourselves about players like him we will soon become Liverpool.
God help us the first time we come up against a proper CL side with a tactically modern and energized manager.
Goat – united aren’t foolish enough to sell the main talisman. I’m one of those championing welbeck and with his talents, he’ll hopefully go far but he’s no playmaker. Rooney, for me, is still a class act.
As fantastic as Fergie is he fucked up big time with our midfield and his inability to strenghten it. I don’t care for the reason if it was simpathy to Giggs and Scholes or not.
But it’s his fault if the team doesn’t click and he has to take the blame.
And atm I see a defence and an attack. That’s it.
No connection at all.
We have ony 1 (ONE!) midfielder we can count on and that’s carrick.
horrific situation. And that’s Fergie’s fault for not even looking to buy a freakin midfielder.
@WeAreUnited
Ofcause mate, we’ve a lot of strikers and are short in the midfield department but that’s not an excuse to sacrifice our performance due to wanting to keep everyone happy, we must play everyone in their best possible positions or they have to earn it.
The midfeld problem has to be fixed soon, rooney has to return back to his favorite position cause he’s being wasted in midfield.
@Costas
I also thhough Clevs going injured surprised me and the thing why he didn’t play.
But could it be that Ando and Tom, have so much little injuries and that’s hwy they aren’t played. When they get the run, they get injured.
How unfortunate
btw. it has been like 9months we haven’t seen Kagawa, Nani and Valencia. Imagine these players and what kind of a boost the ywill give to us. ( IF Nani is kept here)
@Samuel
Was it the calf or the ankle that Kevin Davies damaged last year? I can’t remember for sure. If it’s the same injury, then he really has to be careful.
All things considered, it wouldn’t surprise me if Fergie looked for the draw this Sunday. And Jones playing as a CM is probably a given.
@SHINJITHENINJATROLl
Rooney is not at his best, but he’s in another position playing, I will never forgive him 100% but that doesn’t make him a bad player.
last season he scored second to RVP. is he flushed? please. spare me my friend.
We are United. Agreed Rooney is still a fine footballer but his versatility is hurting him in my opinion. This man should be played as an out and out striker cuz that is where he is BY FAR his most dangerous. His versatility has given Fergie another exploitation opportunity to play him in other positions thus taking away from his overall effectiveness. Rooney was BY FAR his most dangerous when he was played upfront. TWO SEASONS we have seen that now. The way to solve this problem? SIGN GOOD MIDFIELDERS and get Rooney back to doing the job he is paid to do……SCORE GOALS IN BUNCHES.
Samuel @ 23:32: “This match wasn’t meaningful and constructive views should be found at least but i’m now struggling immensely to explain why these two are getting starts.”
Well, by playing tonight it’s increasingly unlikely that SAF will go back to Giggs/Scholes on Sunday. My view is that he needs energy in midfield and that means MrJones along with DarrenFletcherinho, backed by the all-seeing Michael Carrick. A draw is not a bad result for UTD; it’s not a good result for Shitty.
If those three – Jones/Fletcher/Carrick – are played in midfield, I’d like to see RVP, TheWayneBoy (who was utterly abysmal tonight) and probably DannyTheLad (who was not abysmal) because Welbeck offers height and energy. Chicharito for a late subs’ appearance.
Tring to be “constructive” about tonight’s display, I thought that both DannyTheLad and MrJones were good; Chicharito didn’t get service and why was he out on the wing ? The less said about TheWayneBoy the better. Nick Powell looks to be a couple of years away from being a serious contributor and I thought that YoungTom was disappointing again – he’s got the chance-of-a-lifetime to cement himself into the first-team but seems to incapable of doing so. Wootton started slowly but grew into the game; BigManSmalling was inconsistent. AND no one could have save that shot-on-goal – what extraordinary movement on that strike.
@WeAreUnited
Yeah, we have kind of forgotten what Valencia and Kagawa look like haven’t we? They have been missed. As has Nani. Pity we will probably never see those 3 play together. Even with Rooney and Van Persie starting, I really hope Valencia makes it on Sunday. We will need his drive.
It has been an eventful day, very happy the current holders have been eliminated from the CL, them and the bitters making history, woeful at that……
Now signing off to bed
Although I’m very optimistic of a win on sunday. Come on you Reds!!!!
As the reds go marching, on, on, on…… Adios!
@Proverb
The midfeld problem has to be fixed soon, rooney has to return back to his favorite position cause he’s being wasted in midfield.
That is what I also am thinking, only a blind man would thing otherwise. We had Ando back and got him at his best, and thought that finally we got rid of our curse with him. PROWED WRONG. Same with Clevs, even thoug hhe’s nto even playing that much.
So yes we need somebody for our midfield. We’ll see who will it be, after this season. Kagawa could be the answer, btu he’s hardly a CM, and maybe Ando comes back stronger? It’s bad on depending on him
So yes, of course we need more midfielders.
As for Rooney, want it or not, he has to be sacrificed, cause what happens when Chicha scores again 8/9 and RVP 10/10 ? Rooney won’t get their playing time, and when Kagawa comes back? and Valencia with Nani?
rooney will be sacrificed and that’s why we have to respect the lads working ethics and the will to be sacrificed for the team. He’s very often the last man getting the ball back. Give him some break
peace.
NBI Red Onion @ 23:15: “On the plus side Macaeda reminded us he exists, I still have hope for him.”
I have hope for Bebe – but I don’t usually make that opinion public.
The only hope I have for Macheda is that he’s gone in January.
@dannysoya
“The midfeld problem has to be fixed soon, rooney has to return back to his favorite position cause he’s being wasted in midfield.”
I also agree 100%, Rooney scored there two times over 30 so that is his place. But with RVP and Chicha on for and without our Valencias and Kagawas, we need Rooney in other places.
Am I happy with this? NO. But it has to be done.
Let’s hope Kagawas versatility doesn’t give SAF’s a reason to play him out of position also
same for Jones who is a CB for me. That’s always been the case with SAF. Look at Ando also, everyone has done here great, but you need to pick them where they play and make a plan with that.
@Costas
“Yeah, we have kind of forgotten what Valencia and Kagawa look like haven’t we? They have been missed. As has Nani.”
Tell me about it, what has it been 9 months??? :===) Valencia come back to sunday bro! haha.
Costas – Jones as a midfielder has never really worked. Bundles of energy but poor tactical knowledge/positioning will be exposed by clever players, he’s a centreback and until he regularly plays there, he won’t avoid the “jack of all trade” tag. As for looking for a draw, that usually ends in disappointment. You set out to stifle the position but you end up paying with a poor attacking display. If united’s midfield was strong enough then we’d think of stopping them but it seems any setpiece/cross will end up as a goal. Another rescue job is on course, only this time we have to get past kompany and co.
@Denton this was funny, and no disrecpect to NBI
“I have hope for Bebe – but I don’t usually make that opinion public.”
For me the wonder boy against Aston VIlla 2 times, needs to go. Sorry for that., we wil alwasy remember you with great warm feelings, but bro it’s over for you.
He will never go infront of RVP, ROoney, Chicha, Welbs, Angelo Henriquez ( Chile international) and Will Keane.
I think SAF is smart and played him, so that scouts see him and he gets some CL games in his CV so that they sell him with a good price. Unfortunately.
@we are United
so tell me, when did Rooney last score an important goal that really mattered ?
Or are you just going to count all those penalties last year as “real” goals ?
When it actually mattered – where the fuck was wonderboy Wayne.
By the way, this “Troll” paid (forced to) nearly £50 to sit and watch that piss tonight. I am sure you dont actually put any money into the club that you defend so valiantly.
just got back freezing my bollocks off watching another woeful performance.look i can accept this type of performance to an extent 10 changes from saturday no fluency no creativity and we dont wanna risk any injuries for sunday.however NO excuses for the derby now hes rested his main men so no 15 mins of brilliance then 75 mins of shite,no conspiracy theories from refs like halsey and clattenburg giving hooky pens and hooky red cards to opponents fergies gotta deliver on sunday…………NO fucking excuses
@samuel
yeah, Jones in the midfield is a catastroph, he’s a CB no CMF DMF OR AMF OR RB, he’s a center back, and he should develope there. It’s great for him to gain experience, but that’s it when it matters.
Either in the bench, or as a CB.
well he scored 2 against Reading, when it mattered, we got 3 points.
Does those 3 points not matter?
Look not praising him, but he’s a talisman, like it or not. I am not blind and say he’s doing well, which he isn’t, but he is a talisman.
Well SHINJI, your’e always complaining and saying some crazy stuff here, so maybe it’s better that you don’t go and watch the team anymore, cause you only cause negative energy there.
Maybe it’s better when I by United merchandise more than you go and sit there and moan all aroung like a school boy who acts like a first timer. How the hell I could know do you go and watch games,
And how the hell you know my financial reason, why I can’t and don’t go and come there to watch games. It doesn’t make me less or more of a supporter than you. I also have 2 eyes and know how two judge and support a team. Just liek you. The difference. Can’t afford to come every weekend to the UK.
If you are willing, buy me every weekend a ticket my friend, I will come. Then I can call myself a supporter. Right?? Are you willing to pay me every weekend to come and watch a game, if so, I will be happy.
Until then, I support my team via the TV.
@Samuel
Yeah I am inclined to agree with Jones as a CM. Said it after the Reading game too. Didn’t seem to be comfortable there. I just think that given the circumstances, we should use him there against City. We will need an energetic midfielder in the line up. Personally, I hope we’ll go out to win the game. As we saw last season, playing it safe led us nowhere.
Before I go to sleep, last say.
I sincerely hope we get Real Madrid next, it is do or die.
If we do get past them, I believe we could / never write us off /, if we don’t, well, let’s concentrate in the league.
good night.
@Costas –> Ye man its a wicked shame about Tom and Ando, really good players who for the moment are just cursed. Thankfully we do have Darren Fletcher to call on, but as you said, he’s not a well man either. I have often wondered about the affect our training regiment and so on has on our players, because we definitely tend to have players out noticeably longer than our rivals. That being said, how many times have we pulled a result out of the fire?? The dying minutes when the opposition is just shattered but United suddenly seem to have rocket fuel in the tank? I guess it might cut both ways or something.
@WeAreUnited –> There is a strange feeling in me that wants us to draw Madrid, yes. I can’t quite explain it but I’d like if we can run into a big team early. It’;s a very real chance of facing an exit, but even at full strength it would be the same, Real are just brilliant when they play well, and Cristiano is more or less a guaranteed goal against anybody in the world. That being said, if we want to be seen as the best we have to match and beat the best so if that’s the draw that comes up, I’m not going to allow myself to worry, I’m going to just go apeshit for it
The only good thing out of this, is that Giggs probably won’t play against City.
With Clev out, I hope Fletcher will be the one partnering Carrick.
And about Rooney, I’ve mentioned this before. His level of performance has always had a huge disparity. The likes of Ronaldo & Messi, even when they are off form, the most you could describe their performance is that they are quiet in the game. But the case of Rooney, when he is out of form, he is absolutely horrible. And the way Sir Alex has always persisted to get his form back is keep playing him, which is why I suggested before he has a sort of free pass to the team.
Oh well, rant over. Big game next, hopefully the guys are up for it
P.S. I see that someone just have to mention Young even when he doesn’t play, what a sad fellow that, probably can’t sleep without doing that I suppose.
Costas – only way jones will work in midfield is by using him to specifically man mark players and shut down the attacking midfielders city have. His energy is a plus and he can close players down, we just can’t rely on him for an inspiritional pass or even goal, he’d need to have a designated role.
Samuel @ 02:12: “only way jones will work in midfield is by using him to specifically man mark players and shut down the attacking midfielders city have. His energy is a plus and he can close players down”
Nicely put. Considering how important GreatBigHugeYaYa is to Shitty’s attack, it wouldn’t be a bad strategy for him to have MrJones up-close-and-personal.
Denton – it would be a battle jones wouldn’t shirk from, i remember him going toe to toe with drogba and matching him. It won’t be easy because yaya is very experienced. I just think maybe united should solidify the midfield and put emphasis on the forwards to create, basically giving them the platform to build and to shut city attack down without leaving gaps. I think counter attacking might be the answer, valencia’s drive could be valuable if he’s fit and back to form. Easier said than done.
denton and samuel – I wouldn’t say that the ONLY thing Jones would bring us would be as a shut down man. He always seems to have 1 or 2 rampaging runs from end to end in him and while nothing came of them today he did put some good passes/crosses in that put the keeper and defenders under pressure. While he’s not a pick em and ping em midfielder ala Scholes I think he can provide the energy to take pressure off of the forwards and allow them to stay further up.
Morning rom!
Our injury crisis hurts in the ass more so than our dreadful showing in our last couple games in the champions league.
One for your diaries folks – One for your diaries people – The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League is on 20 December, and the games are due to be played on 12-13 and 19-20 February 2013, with the second legs on 5-6 and 12-13 March 2013.
Courtesy of Bbcsport
Having Kagawa back before the Christmas break would be fantastic. Our wingers have been out of form this season and we have been playing unusually narrow, something that would play right into the hands of Kagawa who is best used in a narrow formation.His penetrative and direct way of attacking through the middle brought something new to our attacks. You only have to look at the impact of David Silva and Juan mata to see how important a central attacking playmaker can be to the team.
The question is whether the fans will be patient? Sir alex has himself said that he is a an admirer of Silva so that could be a main reason of him buying silva lke player in kagawa. With kagawa being injured all the plans of Sir alex has gone to waste. I can bet if kagawa was still fit scholes and giggs would have played minimal role. I seriously hope he returns and returns with a bang. Kagawa could be the key for us this season.
Jones is best in midfield played alongside carrrick because van persie,Wayne and co still don’t make our attack better than theirs. 4-2-3-1 with Rooney in the central attacking role
I still don’t still don’t see kagawa close to silva @ash, kagawa is not penetrative or anything.he is a waste of money
Tope99
Yeah he is waste of money and waste of player that is why he was awarded with the german league player of the year last season you silly. That is what I said that the key would be whether the fans would remain patient. If sir alex could bid 32 millions for an unknown kid in Lucas moura then Don’t you think is he wants he could buy a sneijder . The point is kagawa could easily become our star player. And it is very rare that an asian player is awarded in a european league. I have watched kagawa play for dortmund ( I bet you haven’t) so I can tell how effective he was. Sorry to say Tope 99 but we won’t buy a messi or ronaldo or a 30 million player just to impress fans like you. We are in transitional period and we fans have to be patient. Even I get frustrated when we lose but I do understand that we have players who are raw and need time to develop.
Sorry I just don’tbuy this transition stuff becuase its the fourth year of it … since 2009 we have gone downhill raidly in my view and the manager has to take responsibility – last night was another insult to those of us who paid good moneyand turned up – what was verytellingwas how many did not even bother.Fergie said he got out of it what he wanted – while I am sorry Alex thats just notgood enough – how about some entertainment or have you lost sight of what this club is fundamentally about…
The list of failures at the moment is stark
Goalkeeper – ludicrous rotation and np certainty
Wideplayers – from Ronaldo, Giggs, and Nani to Valencia and Young
Midfield – a joke – not a single top class player in their prime – this is Manchester United!
Old players – people playing on way past their value date
Overall rotation – far too much – the only reason Rafael and Evans have established themselves is due to injuries leaving no options
No pattern of play – I have no idea what ourbest team is- players are bought without a clear plan – its a squad full of squad players
This is not transition any more its the result of poor decision making over a 5 year period
Yes we are top of the league but thats partly because our rivals have imploded – City are not great – Tevez left us because he could not get a game in 2009 and rightly so. Our ability to pay decentwages (unlike Arsenal) keeps us up there and we have not been fucked up by lunatics like Dalglish as Liverpool have but make no mistake Fergies own abilities have waned – anyone who does not see it is blind to the truth – age has caught up and I would like him to go at the end of the season hopefully with another title before this gets worse and a new man to come in who can address some of the issues
Voice of reason says
“Sorry I just don’tbuy this transition stuff becuase its the fourth year of it … since 2009 we have gone downhill raidly in my view and the manager has to take responsibility ”
I don’t agree with you that we are going downhill. If you look with broader perspective you will find that we have been very unlucky with injuries.. The only thing that is poor is our midfield. Like many I also wanted atleast one quality midfielder to be signed after the departure of ronaldo. Look at our squad
De gea- Raw talent will be top class in 2- 3 season
Smalling/Jones- Again same. They need run of games like rafael has got. Look at rafael now. He has become our first choice rb
Vidic and rio’s injury problem have given us a huge problem. Now I would love us to buy a hummels or a chellini but that would hamper the growth of two promising young defenders in smalling and Jones. People may not like evans but honestly he has improved a lot.
Midfield
Giggs and scholes will retire in year or two (Better if they retire next season). Hargreaves’s injury was a major blow to us. More major than Ronaldo’s going to madrid. We were never able to replace hargo type player. Sir alex waited for the development of gibson. But he never fulfilled his hype. Then flecther got virus which gave us another blow. Now we were left with Ando,Cleverly and carrick. Honestly if anderson plays full season without any injury he could be our best midfielder but injuries have again cost our team. Same with clev. He is raw who needs time to develop. I believe we need one quality midfielder. If you have notice my above post you will find out my love for kagawa. Again our misfortune with injuries continues.
Even in the striking department Welbeck needs time to develop. Patience is the key. That is why I say this is a transitional side. Yeah sir alex should have bought atleats one midfielder but again that won’t change the fact that we have many raw players who need time to play and become top class.
This is a massive blow if Cleverley is out, already missing any energy in midfield with Kagawa and Anderson gone. We will have to play Jones or Rooney alongside Carrick. Please God dont play Giggs or Scholes in Midfield or we will get teared a new one. I reckon he is gona pack the midfield and try to keep it tight for a draw. Fucking injuries always come at the worst time!
——-De Gea——–
Rafael—–Smalling—–Rio——-Evra
Valencia—Rooney—Carrick—-Jones—–Young
——————–RVP—————–
I expect something like that, i honestly think if we play 4 in midfield we will get over run. Mind you if David Silva is out then we might be OK, Yaya has looked out of form lately too so we still beleive! If Silva is out then go two upfront and do the cunts, we have scored plenty this season no reason why it cant continue.
I will just say brace ourselves for another whiplash against mancity, as the current squad has lots of things not going the right way, with a very weak defense, and almost non-existant midfield and winger.
Jones in midfield… You really have to wonder the logic behind that. He hasn’t got the ability to play in midfield, because he hasn’t got the technical ability nor the awareness required. He is a defender who still has a long way to go. Right now he is just working as a short time fix for SAF’s reluctance to buy anything that even remotely resembles a midfielder. When SAF finally calls it a day, I’m sure the first priority for the new manager will be to address that gaping hole in midfield.
I can say one thing for sure if we play for draw this sunday then we will lose. Let us play to our merits. I think there are many who are underestimating our team. I don’t know why but I have a feeling we will beat city this week.
@Diego – Every time i have seen Jones play in midfield he has been good, i think he is a decent right back too but a centre back?!? When we lost 3-0 against Newcastle last season he was atrocious, he is incredibly dodgy at the back. In midfield he reminds me of Park but with more power, he has plenty of running in him and a physical presence, Rooney will supply the technical ability and Carrick the awareness.
Top sportsmen rarely know when to call it a day. They’re too competitive, too hardened to adversity, too used to fighting through every set-back. They don’t know when to quit. Which, sadly, is why so many of them keeping going long past their use-by date, unable to recognise what everyone around them can see: that they can no longer cut it. It happens in all sports. We’ve all seen it. The champion boxer who fights on too long until one night he’s left bloody on the floor by some mug he’d have eaten alive a few years earlier. The sprinter who used to burn his rivals off with sheer speed who now brings up the rear. It’s sad, sometimes even pathetic, but what can you do? At the level we’re talking about, the “best of the best” don’t know the meaning of the “quit”. But Old Man Time will not be denied, and at this level, there is no mercy: the competition is absolutely ruthless.
That is why, when the time comes, someone has to take such people aside, thank them for all the good times, and then escort them through the “Exit” door. And unfortunately, that time has arrived for Giggs and Scholes.
It’s not a question of disrespect. It’s not a question of repaying loyalty. It’s just recognition that time has moved on and they can no longer cut it — at least not week-in, week-out. Furthermore, they are standing in the way of younger players who need the opportunity, the experience, and the pressure. It’s not about whether those players are “good enough” now. If they are going to be good enough in future, they need to grow into the position. And if they are not going to be good enough, the sooner they are found out, exposed and shunted on, the better.
Giggs and Scholes will always be hinoured. They will always be legends. But I do not want to see their legacy tarnished. It is time to say “thanks, but no more”. And then SAF needs to focus on the younger players, reduce (not eliminate) his rotation policy so that the same guys play together more often, and then we, as a club, need to run with it. It will be a rocky road. It will require patience, persistence, and faith, from us fans too. And some of the younger players won’t make it. But those who do will forge their own legends, and the others will be replaced with fresh talent.
@StatesideAussie
I wish I could have wrote that. Very well put and totally correct. Bravo.
@Ice Cube, cheers!
StatesideAussie – Like I said on the new topic, fergie has wasted the last 4 years of his manager career, the squad is not even being rebuilt for me. There is a revolution, or an evolution. We have neither
he is picking the wrong GK, no idea how lindergaard deserves his spot ahead of DDG, and the reading game summed up how average lindergaard actually is, poor at set pieces, average shot stopper, he never communicates with his defense.
The defense is past its prime physically, in ferdinand vidic and evra, none of these guys have been replaces, jones and smallen are nowhere near of the standards of the 2 at the back. Midfield is a mess, not just the central area, the wingers in all sorts of problems, not able to get kagwa young and nani’s form on track, valencia is our only shining light, while giggs is past his prime.
Thank fuck for the attack, but fergie must have a long had look at himself, and realize, he has let the squad stagnate, to just doing enough. and we have gone from a great European machine, to a very mediocre side, we can say we are top, but the way we defend, and continue to pick either scholes or giggs and not rebuild our shattered spine, is ruining our chances
FITB … G’day mate, how’s things? What I said about top sportsmen not knowing when to quit — that may also apply to SAF one day. I know some on here think he has reached that point already. I’m not sure. But there is a lot in what you say, even if I also think you’re being a bit harsh on some of the younger players.
What’s most disappointing is that we’ve been fed that line for so long, about rebuilding the squad with younger players, about how our policy precludes us from buying established players over 27, and yet here we are: half the squad is made up of young players who can’t get a regular start (and are often disappointing when they do get a look in); the other half is made up of a couple of aging legends who frankly are past it, along with a handful of other loyal servants who are rapidly heading the same way, and one or two who ought to be in their prime (but if they are, then lord help us). Were it not for RVP, we would probably be behind the top 4 already this year.
Don’t get me wrong, I love RVP to death. (I was critical of the purchase to begin with, but have to admit his class and quality have shone through.) But for me, it speaks volumes that we are being propped up by a guy who doesn’t fit our much-trumpted youth policy, whose purchase at the age of 29 clearly gives lie to everything we’ve been told over the last few years.
If the club is serious about rebuilding with younger players, then do it. Don’t fuck around with it. Don’t keep buying young, inexperienced players simply because they’re cheap or no one else wants them and who knows, over time a few of them might actually turn out to be someone. If we want to rebuild with younger players, then get on with it and take the plunge! They (including SAF) need to put their balls on the line and do it: Giggs, Scholes and Rio should all be pushed (gently but firmly) aside; Carrick, Vidic and Evra need to be told their time is coming to an end, not because they’re no good anymore but because they are clearly getting older and it is time to bring the younger players through.
And if we’re not going to do that — for whatever reason — then stop pissing around: sell off the younger players who clearly aren’t going to make it and go buy some experienced players who can do the business.
I can get behind a young-team strategy. I can also get behind a buy-experienced strategy. But what gets me is that right now, we don’t seem to be doing either. Cheers!
StatesideAussie – hey dude, yea been great thanks, yourself?
I hope you are still going back on this page, has want a real discussion on this squad. It happens to us all, fergie is worrying me, and someone of his calibre has really slumped since 2009, I could say summer of 08 when he really got the berbatov situation horribly wrong. But for rebuilding the squad, summer 2009 will always be a huge peak where the boss has got things wrong. I may have a user name FITB, that still does not stop me questioning his methods that have made no sense what so ever.
Let us look at the 4 area’s of the squad stateside,
first GK – DDG I think has been a very good signing, lindergaard average GK, but clearly nowhere near DDG’s level. And I really do not get how lindergaard deserves to play ahead of DDG, when he has been abysmal.
defense – look at the names, rafeal, smallen, ferdiannd, vidic, evans, jones, evra, butner, and fabio is on loan. Now in ferdinand vidic and evra, 3 of these have not got much left in the tank, when these 3 drop off, look at the options, even if smallen and jones become top class defenders, we are still short of not only a world class LB like evra, but we have very little back ups to guys like rafeal smallen and jones if the latter 2 break through
midfield – needs allot of rebuilding, carrick is slower than he has ever been before, it never helps carrick when he has scholes next to him, cleverly is still in and out of the team, fletcher is just returning, while anderson once again is injured. Out wide has become a real worry, nani young and kagwa’s form has gone to hell, TonyV never lets us down, but he is injured
attack – is our only beacon of light, which is atleast something we can take positives out of
With a mix of picking the wrong keeper, stubbornness of keep giving both scholes and giggs games, when we should have players taking their places, and players at the back either peaked, or about to peak. we are deeply short of 5 or 6 players. And that really concerns me. So in other words, fergie needs to wake up, and realize he has and continue to make huge mistakes, which could cost us the league, Europe forget about it, not with this spine
FITB … yeah, I’m doing fine, settling back into Oz after moving back this year. I have continued to read this blog though I haven’t been making many comments, partly because I’ve been very busy getting myself and my family settled in, but mostly because with the time difference between Oz and the UK, I often find that most people aren’t around when I make a comment (and I am not around when they are commenting). But I’ll try get back more often
There’s no harm in questioning things — even things that are so sacred to us, like SAF. You’re not one of the rabid fools who come on just bagging stuff and slagging people off. For mine, what worries me the most about SAF is that he appears to be increasingly conservative in his policies. He seems much less wiling to take a risk, a gamble. It is exemplified by his insistence on persisting with Giggs and Scholes (some of the others too, as you’ve mentioned, but mostly those two). I just don’t get it. The SAF of old never had any hesitation in moving star players on once they’d reached the peak of usefulness and were starting to decline.
Indeed, his greatest achievement was that he kept the squad fresh. It was often brutal to watch, even callous. But he did it, because he knew it was necessary — and because he was always prepared to back his own ability to make the transitions work, to bring the new guys through. To do that, when you’re at the helm of the biggest club in the world, takes real balls. You’ve got to have a real “screw you” attitude, not only to the players (loyal servants) that you let go, but also to the fans (who often don’t want to see their favorites depart and don’t get why it’s necessary).
But these days, it seems he’s simply not prepared to act. Is that because he genuinely believes Giggs and Scholes still represent his options? Or is it because he no longer has the drive and ruthless bloody-mindedness to do it? Either way, I think it’s a problem.
Back to work … cheers!