CONFIRMED LINE-UP: United vs West Ham

November 28, 2012 132 Comments

Lindegaard, Rafael, Evans, Smalling, Evra, Anderson, Carrick, Cleverley, Hernandez, Rooney, Van Persie.

Author: Scott Filed Under Manchester United News

132 Comments

November 28, 2012 at 20:09
Costas says:
I prerfer seeing the diamond in away games but given the circumstances, this is better than seeing Welbeck on the left and Young on the right. Hopefully Valencia and/or Nani will be ready for Reading.

Rio had to miss a game I guess. Evans and Smalling have to be careful in the air.
November 28, 2012 at 20:10
mitchou007 says:
Where’s de gea ?!
November 28, 2012 at 20:10
curtis says:
Are we not at home tonight costas
November 28, 2012 at 20:10
RedMist says:
Positive selection.
Like the look of it.
Only question..Where’s DDG? If he’s fit, he should start.
November 28, 2012 at 20:11
Costas says:
And hopefully Fergie will one day make up his mind about who’s his number 1 goalie.
November 28, 2012 at 20:11
parryheid says:
No Valencia thats a blow,decent enough but hard days night methinks
November 28, 2012 at 20:11
dannysoya LOVES USAIN BOLT says:
ZERO Width but if that is the price we pay for starting younger midfielders than I am more than willing to allow it. COME ON BOYS!!! WIN THIS THING!!!!
November 28, 2012 at 20:12
Zemmamma777 says:
No DDG… I guess this is trying to anticipate the aerial threat of Carroll? I’ve found DDG’s done quite well in a few of those games (i.e. Norwich, Stoke, etc.)
November 28, 2012 at 20:14
Costas says:
@curtis

That’s what I meant. Normally I wouldn’t want a narrow midfield formation in a game like this. Wingplay suits us better at OT, but with Valencia and Nani out, it wouldn’t have been effective.
November 28, 2012 at 20:14
stuart says:
Really strange how he’s not picking De Gea.Fergie knows how to bring a player on and turn him into a world class player but sadly he knows how to ruin one too.
November 28, 2012 at 20:14
Proverb says:
Great line-up, a big shout out to anderson this start has been long overdue absolutely love this. Get in laads
Only prob is DE gea not, where the f* * is him
Anyway

ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!!!!!
November 28, 2012 at 20:15
Andooo says:
Bar the GK this team is spot on for me, first time I’ve said that ALL season.
November 28, 2012 at 20:17
mladenManutd says:
shiiiiiiiiiiit I want de gea..and jones
November 28, 2012 at 20:20
Hans says:
Any United line up should beat West Ham at home!!!!!

An early goal would help to settle the nerves in. Hopefully the attitude of the lads will be good from the first whistle. We are fed up with slow boring starts, waiting to go behind before we start playing.
November 28, 2012 at 20:23
MARKYBOY says:
any good sites for game im bareed from the local…lol
November 28, 2012 at 20:24
eddieTheRed says:
Balance and energy – let’s hope it works!
November 28, 2012 at 20:26
FletchTHEMAN says:
Subs: DeGea Jones Rio Young Welbeck Fletcher Buttner

3 Forwards! Get in…..
Rooney hat trick last year
Chicharito 1 last year
think Robin put 2 past them albeit with Arsenal

Should be a confident lot of forward play!
November 28, 2012 at 20:26
Rohan_19 says:
Great team.. I guess fergie’s given ddg extended rest so he can be sharp for the busy christmas period..

Excellent team otherwise.. Just hope anderson cleverly link up very very well .. We will need swift and incisive passing.. Hoping for a great game..
November 28, 2012 at 20:27
Haval_MUFC says:
great line-up but i want DDG instead of Lindegaard
November 28, 2012 at 20:27
dasilvatwins says:
first time in a while no giggs scholes young. at last! anderson cleverly start my prayers have.been answered
November 28, 2012 at 20:28
Van Da Man says:
SAF knows his job better than me, but I can’t understand how a team as big as UNITED can rotate goalkeepers week in week out… Stability is vital at the back, maybe the age is getting the better of the great man
November 28, 2012 at 20:29
WeAreUnited says:
@Proverb

————————–DDG

Rafael ———–Rio——-JohnnyBoy————Evra

———Carrick (I hope Fletcher)——— -Cleverley

————————Andeo——————-

—————————-RVP ————-Wazza
—————– ——————- Chicha

Almost got it right, Lindegaard and Rio were excluded ;D
November 28, 2012 at 20:34
Gandalf says:
wow, attacking line-up from Fergie. Will it make up for the lack of width though? I hope we perform well. Where is De Gea – I was looking forward to seeing him as our No.1
November 28, 2012 at 20:35
kagawa bunga bunga says:
Our team
Carrick=slow
Fletcher=not fit
scholes=old
giggs=old
nani=out of form
valencia=form is droping
rooney=out of form
rio=old
kagawa=injured
evra=hard but not in form
young=out of form
welbeck =good but outpositioned
our HOPE
Hernandez
Anderson
Van persie
Smalling
Jones
Evans
Rafael at least they can perfom at maximum level near their full 100%
November 28, 2012 at 20:37
FletchTHEMAN says:
Costas, I think he has done. But I also think he has enough confidence in both keepers that he can use this to advantage and help take pressure off the lad. De Gea is the future, but fergie would love to keep him relaxed, confident and young. Lots to learn for both of them. THink we all need to relax and stay positive on this as well.
November 28, 2012 at 20:40
rory says:
story with DDG?
November 28, 2012 at 20:42
Yomighty says:
Why is Nick powell not on the bench? He really needs playing time.
November 28, 2012 at 20:47
FletchTHEMAN says:
Chavs v Fullham.

Berbatov to captain Fulham!

I kid you not. Benitez? A Red tie Really?!

Can SOMEONE FIND THIS MAN A BLUE TIE! OMG.
November 28, 2012 at 20:51
KVN says:
We needed energy and imagination from midfield. And SAF has addressed that. Lets be positive and go for their throat.
November 28, 2012 at 20:52
Costas says:
@Fletch

Hi mate. Berba vs Benitez then? I wonder if this will be the outcome.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9842/fcll77.gif
November 28, 2012 at 20:58
FletchTHEMAN says:
The ref this evening deserves a look. Bit card happy him

That odd might be the ref
Mike Jones is by any measure simply card happy.
24matches 81Yellows. 6 Reds (incl 2 StraightReds)
Of officials with 20+ games, Jones is 1 of only 3 referees with 6 reds this season.

Hope our lads stay on the right side of him!

Costas, Steady mate, lads will worry.
November 28, 2012 at 21:00
Ice Cube says:
Good team.
November 28, 2012 at 21:01
Emyoueffsee says:
Stream?
November 28, 2012 at 21:04
knightsmith says:
Who’s this Van Persie chap then?
November 28, 2012 at 21:07
Dicko says:
Stream? Streaming site I used has just been pulled. Was meant to be at game but circumstances intervened. Arse!
November 28, 2012 at 21:14
MARKYBOY says:
stream,,,vip box
November 28, 2012 at 21:16
cruserer says:
Where is our support? All I can hear is “Im forever blowing bubbles”
November 28, 2012 at 21:16
dannysoya LOVES USAIN BOLT says:
BOOM BABY!!!! THANK YOU ROBIN!!!! Com on crowd SING. SING SING. Another goal soon for us please.
November 28, 2012 at 21:30
belfast red. says:
Any other streams people?
November 28, 2012 at 21:34
R.V.P legend says:
COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! R.V.P
November 28, 2012 at 21:42
Harry says:
Watch it at espn3.com
November 28, 2012 at 21:46
Proverb says:
Ando walking uncomfortably
November 28, 2012 at 21:47
matt says:
dicko

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/watch/155872/1/watch-manchester-united-vs-west-ham-united.html
November 28, 2012 at 21:47
The team that wouldn't die says:
Anderson best player so far! So great to see him perform.
Cleverley is a bit off key. But we know what he can do. This is our best midfield.

Please RED God in heaven: Let Chelsae and City draw or lose.
And Liverpool. Bit that’s just normal these days….
November 28, 2012 at 21:47
parryheid says:
No failures out there tonight great game
November 28, 2012 at 21:48
belfast red. says:
Cheerz m8.
November 28, 2012 at 21:48
matt says:
fuck rafael has been a beast.. he’s won two one on ones box and made two interceptions all around our box that ive seen
November 28, 2012 at 21:50
Costas says:
Thankfully we got an opening goal. The lack of width and West Ham’s game plan was going to make this really tricky.
November 28, 2012 at 21:53
santaClaus says:
Our play has been good overall. Bit sloppy when it gets to the final third and killer pass. But then west ham are also making it difficult in the final third by bringing the numbers in. Overall a decent performances. Can expect us to score a couple in the second half. Cleverly has been a bit off key
November 28, 2012 at 21:54
Proverb says:
There are a lot of questions we should be asking about first half performance
Yes we are leading but we looked allover the place, we barely opened them up
Defensively we are sound but improvement needed up field we are lacking width, sometimes we cross when we shouldn’t
Ando passes and stop sometimes you wonder if he was told to see back and never go forward more often, we question his stamina but problem is more evident
November 28, 2012 at 21:56
dee says:
glad to see anderson threading some lovely passes thru.shld have scored instead of shooting straight @ jussi.
November 28, 2012 at 21:57
Proverb says:
Seat back*
November 28, 2012 at 21:59
Gandalf says:
Rafael has been very good. If only evra can cross to our strikers head! That good cross to van persie came from chicharito. We could’ve been 2-0 up or even if w.ham finished better 2-1.
Smalling and evans doing well at CB and lindegaard as well.
November 28, 2012 at 22:02
Proverb says:
Rafael best player of the half, really been putting himself there and there about and haven’t a 50/50 challenge so far
Best player, great going forward awareness at its best and really bossed that right side, if only we had valencia to provide more width

Second half on
Come on you reds!!!!!
November 28, 2012 at 22:04
AntiScouser says:
Nonsense. Our play was captivating at times and, after a long long wait, I believe, with the right kind of instructions from the management, this could be a turning point.

We should score more goals, too, provided a certain player that gives us width stays on the bench.
November 28, 2012 at 22:14
lawman10 says:
I getting fed up
united are once again piss poor, when will we start playing like a true manchester united side.
when will Wayne Rooney start playing? thought he was world class!!
hes a fucking joke, 250k a week!!!
November 28, 2012 at 22:28
evisu says:
Wtf is Rooney doing in this game? All his shots are 5 times over execpt one, he keeps giving away the ball and passing is horrible..FFS
November 28, 2012 at 22:31
Ice Cube says:
Someone buy Young a left foot. We have two wingers who can only use one foot, Valencia being the other. It’s embarrassing a proffessional footballer can only use one foot.
November 28, 2012 at 22:32
Ice Cube says:
I’d sell and run with Rooney. For the money we could get, surely we can buy someone else. His touch can be embarrassing.
November 28, 2012 at 22:35
Proverb says:
Rooney has been tonight rightly being taken off
November 28, 2012 at 22:36
Proverb says:
Rooney has been poor tonight rightly being taken off
November 28, 2012 at 22:38
AntiScouser says:
It’s embarrassing to be A.Young. His game is so appalling, he should be demoted to the reserves’ bench.
November 28, 2012 at 22:49
Proverb says:
Is there anyone in the league soft enough to go legit shoulder to shoulder with Ashley Young and lose?
November 28, 2012 at 22:49
dannysoya LOVES USAIN BOLT says:
disappointed that we have not gotten more than one goal that came 31 secs into the game. Ugh.
November 28, 2012 at 22:54
Theredarmy says:
Awful performance… honestly, with the current team, which I think is miles beyond west ham, we should be getting better results. 1-0 home is not good enough. Although first clean sheet in 10 games, something positive
November 28, 2012 at 22:55
parryheid says:
Great three points no problems despite slack finishing.
November 28, 2012 at 22:55
Ice Cube says:
meh… At the moment I’m hoping for a big signing in january and SAF to keep the same side for two games in a row. We look so disjointed. We looked faster on the ball, but lack the cohesion going forward.
November 28, 2012 at 22:55
georgejoseph says:
Poor , poor and more poor
November 28, 2012 at 22:57
evisu says:
Positive: Rafael, Smalling and Anderson althou he got tierd in the end, still good.
Negative: Rooney what a fucking useless game he had, Young…why we paid 16m for this guy still baffels me. So many sloppy passings from A LOT of players, Evra almost fucked it up in the end. Not looking forward to the derby with our shitform, hope we can shape up. But seems whatever lineup we use its so damn SLOW.
November 28, 2012 at 22:58
zigoo says:
tbh poor poorr piss poor performanc so edgy and nervy…best players were rafael,smalling and evans..

van persies passing was piss poor and rooney was just ballooning everything tonight,,,,young obv was shit,and welbeck comes on n does fuk all as always,,,

3pts in the bag,and lets hope we cn start winning safely becaue we havent done tht this year,,,,AT ALL
November 28, 2012 at 22:59
feedthatllama says:
We don’t have the God given right to blow every team away just because we are Man Utd. The Premier league is the hardest it’s ever been. 3 points. Top of the league. Stop complaining…
November 28, 2012 at 23:01
orez says:
Another tricky game I guess. Haven’t seem the game but against West Ham 1:0 is not good enough. Lucky didn’t drop points, but how long can we keep this up?
November 28, 2012 at 23:02
Costas says:
The win and Rafa are the only 2 saving graces from tonight. The diamond does complicate things in games like this. Width will always be part of our play as it showed when Young came on and had a couple of good moments down that flank.

That being said, the next 2 away games are more suited to our diamond formation. And knowing Fergie, he will probably play with wingers, lol.
November 28, 2012 at 23:03
Dela says:
This happens sometimes, you get an early goal and then that ends up being the only goal of the game. I think the lads actually wore themselves out a bit tonight. Fast attack play, up the field in seconds but by the time they got there they were exhausted, couldn’t bloody finish. That being said if West Ham had scored with enough time left we’d have gone on to win I’m sure, but still.

Rooney didn’t have a great performance, but calling for him to be sold is frankly retarded. We took him out of the team for one game and lost to Norwich. Neither Javier or Ando are the same players when they start the games at the moment. With Hernandez thats easily explained… you throw a lad with that much energy and speed into a game at the 60-70th minute, the heavy legged defenders are going to have a very difficult time with him. With Anderson I’m not really sure, he didn’t have a bad game I guess, he was no more sloppy than anyone else, but didn’t have the impact predicted of him for tonight.

Still, at the end of the day its three points, and it keeps us top of the league. It could be worse, we could be Chelsea
November 28, 2012 at 23:04
Ice Cube says:
@feedthatllama So to disgaree but the premiership in my eyes has fallen in quality. All English teams have struggled in the CL and we have been lucky to be in such an easy group.

You are right we don’t have a god given right. We all see the problems and are complaining because things need to be fixed. We all can agree the midfield has been poor for 5 years.
November 28, 2012 at 23:08
Joffrey Baratheon says:
It’s like watching the German sides from the 70s watching United these days. A mechanical team ugly on the eye that grinds out results. The amount of boring games are piling up in recent years.
November 28, 2012 at 23:09
Gandalf says:
This performance is way better than what we produced against norwich for example. Rooney wasn’t that bad, he linked up pretty well. We could have scored atleast one more, but I’m quite happy with today’s 3 pts.
Lindegaard did well with crosses and long balls, produced a great save in the end.
November 28, 2012 at 23:11
United Till I Die says:
Good game. Agreed with Costas this wasn’t going to be easy with no width, 3 points is a job well done.

Without Tony, Nani or Young starting Anderson was easily MOTM. He pretty much created everything of note for 80 mins and barely made a single wayward pass.

Rooney is getting better in midfield, its not just about knocking the ball across the pitch, its about keeping possession and making the right pass. His overall movement and touch is improving.

Hernandez and RVP both did well considering the lack of crosses, but Ando created so many chances it could’ve been 2-0 or more on another night. Credit to West Ham they were hard to beat.

Im sure the League Cup battering was on the mind of a few young players out there. When you add in the pressure of staying top I think the lads showed real maturity. Cleverley had a quite game, but the formation didn’t help tbf, especially with Anderson in the attacking role.

Rafa and Evans were class, and Smalling didn’t put a foot wrong. Jones getting more minutes is a bonus. But the man of the match was Ando, not bad for a 24 year old finding fitness and form.
November 28, 2012 at 23:14
United Till I Die says:
@ Parryheid you was bang on the money with your prediction before the game mate, that 30m Brazilian is completely over-rated!
November 28, 2012 at 23:14
united will never die says:
yes ando was savage come united u do not no what will happen at reading
November 28, 2012 at 23:19
Proverb says:
Did some of you moaning even watch the game??
Boring is a word that shouldn’t go near the game I just watched tonight
November 28, 2012 at 23:23
Andooo says:
I maybe saw a different game to everyone else. I thought we looked good, maybe we just scored too early! But first clean sheet in a long time want to see more of this team and line up. Rafael was an absolute monster on the right, MOTM for me followed closely by Ando who produced again (and has done every time he’s played).

Only negative for me was Rooney, thought he was our worst player. Just what is his deal, what is going on with him? Ever since his wage rise he just hasn’t produced anything that could be considered world class which is what it should be considering he gets paid more then Messi and Ronaldo.

4-3-1-2: “It’s the future!”
November 28, 2012 at 23:24
United Till I Die says:
Dala says:

With Anderson I’m not really sure, he didn’t have a bad game I guess, he was no more sloppy than anyone else, but didn’t have the impact predicted of him for tonight.

- If you said Cleverley’s passing was sloppy I’d agree he didn’t have a big impact on the game, but Anderson’s passing was the best on the pitch tonight. Looking forward we can only judge him on his performances, but if he plays consistently like that he’ll up there with the best midfielders in the EPL. His passing was almost flawless today imo, credit where its due. I hope it continues.
November 28, 2012 at 23:26
Proverb says:
I like how Chelsea haven’t won a league game since before they falsely accused Mark Clattenburg or racism. May it continue all season.
November 28, 2012 at 23:27
murt73 says:
@ Ice Cube You can say the league has fallen in quality and as much as I hate to bring it up but aren’t the current CL winners from the EPL who only finished 6th in the league last season. What other league in Europe can produce the CL winners from a sixth place finisher in their league.. None I reckon
November 28, 2012 at 23:32
Joffrey Baratheon says:
Murt73, that Chelsea side rode their luck to point it was almost as if it was a movie script. Chelsea were in the brink of going out in the last 16 and that meant no English sides in the quarter finals after Arsenal were knocked out by Milan, and Utd and City out in the groups. Yet again two of our best sides (city already and Chelsea probably) are out at the group stages. The premiership has fallen a long long way in recent years. The Bundesliga can make a good claim to be a stronger league than the prem now.
November 28, 2012 at 23:33
georgejoseph says:
The worrying factor is that we have lost 3 games and shitty are unbeaten and they are also not playing well
November 28, 2012 at 23:34
allwellbeck says:
nice to see a clean sheet and 3 points in the bag
November 28, 2012 at 23:34
samuel - united WE stand says:
Rooney didn’t have his best days but he rarely looks annonymous and always looks inventive. Regardless of wages, i think it’s unrealistic to expect perfection from anyone, let alone evert game. Rooney is a world class talent, he’s an important cog in the united machine and will hopefully make more crucial contributions this season. I think the fact he’s played a little more of supporting role has impacted on his goal ratio, the razor sharpness which he has may have just dwindled due to not playing further forward regularly but then again, he’s racking up more assists.
November 28, 2012 at 23:38
Proverb says:
@United Till I Die
Respect!
One sensible poster I really admire, its breath taking
Boy, trolling has gone to new heights on here….
More great posters please
November 28, 2012 at 23:39
samuel - united WE stand says:
“feedthatllama says:

We don’t have the God given right to blow every team away just because we are Man Utd. The Premier league is the hardest it’s ever been. 3 points. Top of the league. Stop complaining”

This comment is music to my ears.
November 28, 2012 at 23:54
Proverb says:
Great game
I’d like to see more of that please, and also if we are to play the diamond we must tell our players to try and beat one or two players before they passes
It becomes pointless, I don’t want us to become the new arsenal I was screaming, pass it to ando as I thought he was the one who looked like beating one or two even three before he passed it on.
against a more open side, or an attacking side like chelsea we’ll destroy them, but there were a few occasions where he looked like was desperate to find a shade to hide on, its only his first start its understandable but he needs to put more shift and become more involved he can become one of a kind
Wazza work rate was on but his final ball and finishing was off, he’ll learn selfishness sometimes paysoff
November 28, 2012 at 23:55
matt says:
feedthatllama says:

We don’t have the God given right to blow every team away just because we are Man Utd. The Premier league is the hardest it’s ever been. 3 points. Top of the league. Stop complaining

end thread. evans and rafa were very good today, evra is in much better form than he was before, ando and carrick did quite well too.
November 29, 2012 at 00:00
Ice Cube says:
@murt73 Porto won the CL not so long ago, so did Liverpool. From my memory of last season taking Chelski and their luck away. City went home early and so did we. Along the way, both teams got out played in the Europa league by Sporting Lisbon and Athelic Bilbao. We were out passed and out run.

So if the best two teams in the premiership went home in the group stages and then proceeeded to be totally outplayed by teams that are not european heavy weights. What does that say about our league?

Chelsea rode their luck. They should have gone home in the group stages too. Their result was a freak.
November 29, 2012 at 00:01
murt73 says:
Joffrey I see your point but still the Bundesliga hasn’t produced a winner of CL in over ten years and since then EPL has produced 3 different winners all be it 2 of them i agree rode their luck but untill the germans start winning again you cant actually say their stronger… Currently City and chelsea seem to have strong enuf teams I just reckon they need to change their management:)
November 29, 2012 at 00:04
FletchTHEMAN says:
3pts. RvP back to scoring. Clean sheet. On wards.

Sir Alex rightly congratulated the defense who were magnificent.
Ando did well as well.

Good to see Jones come on in the closing minutes. We will need him.

First clean sheet in 11 games? Ok then. Onward.

Laughing at Brendan Rogers…. what is it that decent managers become completely delusional when they go to Liverpool. “65% possession was more important than a win” …… come again?
November 29, 2012 at 00:06
United Till I Die says:
Something tells me there’d be more posts on here if we lost??

Bottom line is the Keeper, that whole back four (minus Evra) and that midfield (minus Carrick) are all players yet to play season after season as United regulars. They’re all players that need to make that step up, and we can only judge them when they play important games like today. West Ham under Allardice are a half decent side imo as Chelski will discover next weekend at their ground. The last time our youngsters faced West Ham we got battered, but tonight we took a risk with no wingers and still created the most chances. I was impressed by the maturity out there, Evans and Smallings made it look easy, and Rafa was definitely a contender for MOTM. Better cut backs from him and Young towards the end would’ve made it 3-0, and to be honest 1-0 flatters Allardice.

Its not like this is the team we’ll be playing in Europe or v City. One ugly mid-week win v West Ham sounds about right to me. No new injuries is icing on the cake.
November 29, 2012 at 00:09
FletchTHEMAN says:
Actually said; “That’s more important than goals” – Roders.
November 29, 2012 at 00:16
Kungfoocantona says:
Positives and negtives from 2nite….negatives were our lack of touch infront of goal and the silly as 4 3 3 formation….positives are the win of course and alao a clean sheet and in defence of the negs we have been ruthless infeont of goal this season and also i can understand fergie not playing young as we already have nani and tony v injured and away to reading is a tougher game so no complaints there….hope ando gets a start again sat and id be fucking fuming if he didnt..he was disappinted to come off and rightly so but the manager is never gona take carrick of as thas his love child for some reason but if he doesnt get a start again dat then the manager needs a talkin too big time…also he needs to start playin rooney as a striker again to get the best out of him and stop playing players out of position to acomadate others…..but a win is a win at the end of the day so happy enough…look forward to sat now
November 29, 2012 at 00:21
murt73 says:
@Ice Cube your right no way chel deserved it but sometimes its all about riding your luck and
Yeah we were played off the park for sure in some of those games and I know the PL teams sometimes can seem very slow and naive but still I think they hold their own. The two top players in spain now Messi and Ronaldo, well i cant say for sure but dont think they would be scoring the amount of goals in the EPL as they do in La Liga as prolific and all as they maybe it also highlights the lack of strenght there..
November 29, 2012 at 00:24
FletchTHEMAN says:
Happy Birthday Ryan Giggs
39 today (Nov29).
919games, 165goals.
12 EPL titles, 4 FACups, 2 Champions League.
100% Verified United Legend
November 29, 2012 at 00:31
Joner89 says:
I always read this blog after every united game and don’t contribute much. This season the standard of content has sadly dropped. When we lose the blog is full of negative reviews and even when we win like tonight it is! We are top of the league regardless of the performance. Haven’t seen the game but sounded like a solid 3 points. Roll on Reading. I think the problem is too many spoilt young fans who live in a society if instant gratification. If we don’t win 3 or 4 nil then it means we played shite. Wake up lads this is the real world. We are doing fine this season and will only improve once kagawa is back!
November 29, 2012 at 00:33
pablo says:
weren’t vintage but 3 more points.positives being rafael again brilliant andjonny evans.special mention to evans he’s turned from being 5th choice centre half to probably 1st choice.think its a straight fight between us and city now hope we strenghthen in jan though
November 29, 2012 at 00:36
denton davey says:
Andoooo @ 23:23: “4-3-1-2: “It’s the future!”

I agree – and it will only get better when KagawaBunga gets healthy.

Anderson controlled the pace of the game – running at the defence and slotting through a number of slide-rule passes. Not enough movement from the guys in front of him. I guess they’re used to the more familiar sideways, sideways, sideways that occurs when Paul Scholes – the man formerly known as a GingerNinja – plays.

Michael Carrick also seemed to play a more adventurous game when he wasn’t shackled to being Scholes’ minder.

YoungTom looked off-the-pace. He needs more game-time.
November 29, 2012 at 00:47
dannysoya LOVES USAIN BOLT says:
To the man who made the comment about the God-given right thing. Sure we don’t have the God-given right to sweep teams. We have to go out on the pitch and do it. But when you look at the gulf in class between us and west ham coupled with the fact that we had two of the best strikers you will find ANYWHERE in the world on the pitch at the same time add to that we are at home. We SHOULD be putting more than one goal past west ham. No offense to them they are doing well this year but STILL. Seems like a lot of us forget SO EASILY that we lost league title on a GD of just eight goals. EVERY GOAL COUNTS in this league believe it or not.
November 29, 2012 at 00:59
Doghouse says:
West Ham won’t play much better under Big Sam than they did tonight make no mistake. Really good performance from them. I think we were closer to routing them than it looked a lot of the time, lot of close opportunities, but happy with three points.

Big result of the day is the Chelsea failure. Too early to write them off, but I’m going to anyway. It’s us and City.
November 29, 2012 at 01:18
samuel - united WE stand says:
Every goal counts but are united realistically going to batter every team? I don’t think so. Gulf in class or not, you have to earn your corn and with football improving and the gap between premier league teams, we will be seeing close contested ties and tonight was one of them and reading will be up for it. Get some realism.
November 29, 2012 at 01:54
samuel - united WE stand says:
Anyway, looking at the positives, i thought rafael was brilliiant. He’s,always had all the technical skill and brazilian flair but he’s become more powerful. He drives forward with the determination that typifies a united fullback, his crosses are getting more consistent, he has individual skill to get out of difficult position and is a key part of united attacking set up. defensively, he really has stepped up another gear. Some criticised his slackness defensively and yes, he was rash due to inexperience buti always knew he had the potential to improve on that front, his performances against ronaldinho and ribery before he got sent off showed it. The fact that brazil also castigated him for not winning at the olympics and subsequently not picking for a couple of international has really kicked rafael onto another level. He’s not got his twin next to him which also brings added focus. I only hope he keeps up this level and improves further as he’s not the complete player but he’s getting better.

Anderson was superb. Felt baffled when some claimed he didn’t play well. Ando was powerful and drove forward with.purpose, creating opportunities with clever flicks. He gives united that added tempo and we look sharper with him and cleverley in the middle, carrick was the anchor and that brought balance. Another good thing is seeing ando getting fitter, he still can’t comolete a game but he’ll hopefully get there.

Smalling looked good too, was rusty in the two games he’s played but westham was a test and i was worried but he looked a pillar of strenght and always looks good with the ball and i still see him hopefully turning into a class act. Evans has come on leaps and bounds too, really looks confident and is taking more responsibiity. Add jones and we look better at the back. Maybe the fact rio is not as sharp as he once was has played a part in united looking shaky this season and these 3 along with michael keane are going to snatch rio’s place but ferdinand is still quality and hopefully, he’ll play a part in a long + difficult season.
November 29, 2012 at 02:27
WeAreUnited says:
Hi guys, I hope you have the patience to read my post, maybe a bit long, but it has some good ideas.

Haven’t been able to comment the game.
I thought we scored too early haha. I was so happy for RVP, that he got back to scoring. Did you see how he beat his man???? Did ya?

For me Brazilian double were the men of the match -> Ando and Rafael. SOlid, great play,, only ones, that seemed a bit interested beating their man.
Our midfield was good, it’s a shame our TomClevz has not the ability of Ando, Though I think Clevz played his part, but he needs games under his belt, and knowing that he hasn’t played that much, a good apperance from him.

Carrick for me looked liek a different man, when he played with our deadly duo, tom and jerry. I think he did very, very well. Who said he passes only backwards? Did ya see his assist for RVP?
Not praising Carrick, but I think he found himself yesterday when playing with a dynamic duo.

Smiling and Johnnyboy did extremely well for me, Smalling should start from now on! He has what it takes, so why put him back to the bench?
Evra, was quiet, nothing good, nothing bad, maybe that pass was the only thing he did noticable in the game.

RVP, well a goal and contributed very well to the game, he has that ability to do what ever he wants with the ball. Brilliant player, can’t believe yet, that he plays for us now.

Chicha, well did everything he was asked to, deserved to start, and he was electric. But the only thing I noticed was that, in this game, for the very first time since peaking he felt uncomfortable with the ball. Still, I think he did good.

Rooney, rooney, rooney, what can I say, he isn’t anymore a striker, so can’t blame for that, he keeps the ball well, but, he lacks something!
For me, we need Rooney all the way, cause when he didn’t play, we lost to Norwich. Coincidence?
I say NO. But in this game, he was very bad for me, by his standards, I know he has a different role, but he lacked something. Maybe SAF said that he should rest for the weekend, so he didn’t have to give his best.

I think the whole team played like they waited for the weekends game. Nothing great, but nothing bad, we controlled the game, clean sheet and 3 points. Not exited, but not disappointed. Hell no.

But we need our Japanese ninja, Valencianator and give me some love Nani back.
With those three, we can change our tactics to 442 or use Kagawa and Nani ffor the 433.

My ideal is, that Ando would play in Cleverleys place, Rooney in Andos and
uprfont trio of Kagawa Chicha and RVP
OR Kagawa RVP and Nani
OR Kagawa RVP and Valencia.
Here we have Kagawa playing as a AMF. A bit the Barca style. I preferer the combination with Nani.

If Kagawa can play in the peak of the trio midfield then, the midfield of Carrick/Fletch Ando/Clevs and Kagawa.
Upfront -> Rooney CHicha RVP
or, Rooney RVP Nani,
or Rooney RVP Valencia.
In this case, Rooney could drop a bit fo the midfield.
Here also the combination with Nani.

In both cases we have strenght and running power in the midfield.
Basically, as we can see, we have a lot of options, when we get our trio back!
November 29, 2012 at 02:46
WeAreUnited says:
PS: Lindegaard saved our ass with that last save from Cole.
Solid game. Everything that is required from a goalie
November 29, 2012 at 03:02
Esteban says:
georgejoseph @23:33 “The worrying factor is that we have lost 3 games and shitty are unbeaten and they are also not playing well”

- I posted below on another thread, but I don’t think we need to be concered vis-a-vis City at this point in the season. In fact, we should be extremely pleased given our injuries and relative strength of schedule to date
“If you look at games against members of last year’s top 8 (city, utd, arse, spurs, newcastle, chelsea, everton, pool):

Man Utd – played 6 (2 home, 4 away), won 4, lost 2, drew 0, 12 points (2 points/game)
Man City – played 4 (2 home, 2 away), won1, lost 0, drew 3, 6 points (1.5 points/game)
November 29, 2012 at 03:14
The Scottish Wonder says:
Happy Birthday Ryan Giggs, 39!
November 29, 2012 at 05:52
Passmaster16 says:
Well 3 vital pts 4 us.. Surely Ando or Rafael for man of the match.. One thing i have noticed quite often is tht Rooney is our engine.. without him we are not the same side like when he is around.. thou he hasn’t been on best form stil is our most important player.. Decent game by Carrick, i still believe u got more in u son, thts why SAF trusts u.. Lets go 4 Reading now.. Come on utd
November 29, 2012 at 06:18
ji sung says:
Wow how shite was Cleverley last night.?!?! Fucking piss poor. Not United class I’m afraid to say. Too much hype as always. I bet his nationality has a lot to do with it to be faie. Needs to buck up his ideas, hit the gym in a big way and more. Too lightweight, lost the ball too many times last night…just all round not good enough to make it big at United imo.
November 29, 2012 at 06:25
samuel - united WE stand says:
Ji sung – as always, a great insight and constructive.
November 29, 2012 at 07:38
rohan_19 says:
It was never going to be an easy game.. don’t think why everyone says west ham are mugs.. they drew with city at their place and probably deserved to win… We played well imo.. considering the fact that there were no wingers and our players always look to pass to te wings..
Overall a great 3 points clean sheet and a good defensive performance. Smalling Evans and Rafael were excellent.. Anderson was good too..
Onwards now.. hope Valencia and nani are fit for Saturday.. I seriously hope young doesn’t play
November 29, 2012 at 07:40
rohan_19 says:
Who the duck defined the term united class btw?
Ji sung you don’t have the the class to be a united fan.. stfu
November 29, 2012 at 08:31
Proverb says:
Ji sung haven’t got class to become a proper football fan actually, I don’t if he was being sarcastic or maybe he wasn’t, he cannot know the amount of sarcasm on here is in another level
But if you were being frank surely you need some brain check.

Tom clevs wasn’t all good but did a great job to keep us and the tempo on the level it was for the entire half an hour, he was abit off the pace has you could see secondary balls or rather 50/50 balls were a problem for him to win without clashing with one of our opponents, but he got stuck in which is good
Two thing I’d like to see him improve on, is the final ball and his overall play, he gets kinda predictable sometimes
I’m asking him to be like iniesta in that note, but should atleast beat one play and put those dangerous crosses or through balls
November 29, 2012 at 08:38
Proverb says:
I’m ‘not’ asking him to be like iniesta…
November 29, 2012 at 09:02
calebkzh says:
Roll on Reading! A bread and butter three points. Some of the lads definitely could have upped the tempo, but I’m glad, no I’m really pleased to see Smalling, Cleverley and Ando get starts.

The result takes away a bit of shine from what they did to get three points. I’m not saying they put in a stellar, win-the-champions-league-type performance, but the lads got stuck in, upped the tempo from our usual lethargy, and boy oh boy what a goal from RvP.

We can always whine and moan but I think it’s better to be positive. And ji sung’s comment, constructive as always.
November 29, 2012 at 09:07
calebkzh says:
And I think with DDG, the issue is now that Lindergaard’s been some games, Fergie wants to give him some momentum, so while DDG is fit, Lindergaard’s still started. Wouldn’t be surprised to see DDG back in goal against Reading.
November 29, 2012 at 09:19
DAVID DE GEA!!!!! says:
true ddg should have been in goal lindegaard good aswell doh!
November 29, 2012 at 09:37
FletchTHEMAN says:
I donno about Clevers, thought he was alright myself.
90% pass completion most of it in the very very congested final 3rd.

I would look to credit WestHam for remaining very dogged in defense. Never opened up atol. Think it was Smalling on MUTV who credited Tom over Ando for keeping the tempo of the game high. Maybe I’ll take his word for it if it’s all right by you lot.

Didn’t he have a nice shot off the bar as well? And don’t get me started on how many times Tom was fouled. Really wish refs would do more to protect youngsters. It really is the reason that we have no one left standing by internationals time.

West Ham held there own ……….. for about 33.5 seconds.
After that, there was really only one result anyone was to worried about. Several nice chances and their keeper had a good game. Not much to write about then.

3 points, then? Right, bring on Reading away
November 29, 2012 at 09:45
Marq says:
DDG is out becase of his wisdom tooth extraction I thought? And such procedures can affect you for as long as 2 weeks.

And as always, some muppet comments here, just ignore them. I’m not sure what game they were watching, but it wasn’t as bad as some make it out to be. Yes it was frustrating, but overall it wasn’t a poor performance, just an average one, which the likes of Clev & Rooney can do much better. Rooney was putting himself all about but there wasn’t any width available to stretch them.

The bright spot was Anderson, who made a few outstanding passes. If only he could last 90mins, he would be such a important player for us. As it is now, he still looks absolutely knackered after 60mins

After what happened last year, I’d be happy to chalk off games one by one, getting all the points
November 29, 2012 at 12:37
wayne says:
See all the usual suspects slagging off a Utd performance again,honestly those cunts are so predictable its boring.
Was working so listened to the game on the radio commentors was raving about Evans,I guess Carroll was total shit again he’s not prem quality.
Watched the replay of Rent boy game last night FSW already setting up completely negative tactics at home to Fulham ffs,what I couldn’t get my head around Mata has been head and shoulders the best rent boy is on the bench and FSW is playing both left backs
Fucking unbelievable
November 29, 2012 at 13:21
samuel - united WE stand says:
The thing with anderson is he mustn’t be dropped, he needs to keep playing as he’s filled with confidence now, he has staked a claim and should start at reading. That man has been held back by the stop starts in his career but the,quality is there, just needs to keep it going as he could be crucial for united this season. Another improvement in his game is the accuracy of his shooting, he’s hitting the target far more and with his ability to drift past central players and find a key pass, i hope he can continue on this positive trend. Another thing is playing him alongside midfielders that get the best out of him and can share the workload, that midfield against wesrham had the right balance.
November 29, 2012 at 14:03
belfast red. says:
I was nervious wotching the game last nite as it sat at 1 nil. But we Looked comfortable enough. For me ando is Looking even more fitter. Hope he starts at the wkend again. This formation is quite new to us, and i believe we will get better with it. Im happy today we are sitting top of the league and its not even crimbo yet!
November 29, 2012 at 14:12
denton davey says:
Samuel @ 13:21: “The thing with anderson is he mustn’t be dropped, he needs to keep playing as he’s filled with confidence now, he has staked a claim and should start at reading.”

I agree – SAF changes the midfield too often.

What I found interesting in last night’s match was that the energy of Anderson/YoungTom seemed to rub off on Michael Carrick who was more “involved” and “aggressive” than usual. My thought is that he had license to roam a bit because he didn’t need to be TheGingerNinja’s minder.

In a major reversal of his usual way of organizing the team, I’m hoping that SAF plays a midfield of Scholes, Giggs, and DarrenFletcherinho against Cluj next mid-week, saving Anderson/YoungTom to play alongside MIchael Carrick in the EPL against Reading on Saturday and then again in the M/C derby a week-Saturday.
November 29, 2012 at 14:35
wayne says:
I’m not a fan of the narrow football formation,I just watch to many games were a team has plenty of possession but lacks penetration,what I could gather by the radio commentary especially first half Utd completely dominated play but didn’t create many chances.It was exactly the same with the Rent boy,Fulham game both teams knocking the ball around with nothing happening
I know a lot of lads think Utd need to switch to the diamond,all I can say wingers add pace,width and stretches defenses and on the whole makes the game much more exciting
November 29, 2012 at 16:05
torontolovesunited says:
its quite appaling how some fans here are flip-flops.they have jumped on the andos bandwagon.andos was alwalys and will still be a good player..fergie needs to have faith in him.i recently heard pogba saying the reason he left was fergie had no faith in him
November 29, 2012 at 17:06
allwellbeck says:
good result should have did better but suppose should have done better ando and cleverly should always be playin there instead of the likes of scholes giggs defintley gone past it carrick is 2 slow for a midfielder it should be ando fletch and cleverly and hopefully Kagawa wil be bac soon and put him attackind mid and either play wazza or chico up front with RVP
November 29, 2012 at 17:09
allwellbeck says:
torontolovesunited what u on about

CONFIRMED LINE-UP: United vs West Ham

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