1. Another game at Old Trafford, another game that we were hanging on, but we got the win and restored our seven point lead. After Spurs scored that late equaliser in our last league game you wouldn’t have imagined we would have been straight back in to this position, so there are no complaints from me. Southampton have picked up draws against Everton, Chelsea and Arsenal in the past few weeks and gave us a real game yesterday, so I’ll happily take the three points after watching them dominate the play in the second half, particularly in the last ten minutes. “In my experience of the title race, there is always a game when you were lucky and I think this is the one,” Ferguson said after the game. I think he’s being a tad generous claiming that last night was our only lucky result this season, but I couldn’t care less. We can be lucky every week if it means winning the league.
2. After Arsenal were branded a one man team last season after Robin van Persie dragged them through to achieving one of those precious Champions League spots, there has been some talk of United deserving the same title this season. Even if you ignore the fact that Van Persie scored a higher proportion of Arsenal’s goals than he has ours, it’s disrespectful to our other strikers, let alone the rest of the team, to call us a one man team. Javier Hernandez’s goals have won us five games this season, and Rooney has scored 7 goals in his last 8 games for us now. This season he scored two in our 4-2 win over Stoke, two goals in our 4-3 win over Reading and two goals in our 3-2 win against City, amongst others, and now both goals in our 2-1 win over Southampton. For a player who has struggled for goalscoring form and has been hampered by poor fitness at the start of the season and an injury in the past month, that’s not too shabby. He now features in the top ten scorers this season and has started finding the back of the net at just the right time. More of the same please.
3. Shinji Kagawa can take a lot of the credit for Rooney’s first goal, playing a lovely weighted ball over the Southampton defence to make it easy for Rooney to score. Moments later he could have scored a goal for himself after a great cross in by Phil Jones, but was denied by the woodwork. Jones played his part in the second goal too, winning a freekick for Van Persie to deliver to the back post. Evra grabbed his sixth assist of the season, setting Rooney up for a tap in. After a lovely ball forward from Van Persie, Rooney should have grabbed his hattrick, but a heavy touch made it easy for Boruc.
4. As has become a familiar sight at Old Trafford, we conceded early on, after mistakes from our midfielders. Anderson was the first at fault, giving the ball unnecessarily in his own half. The ball then fell to Michael Carrick, who was under pressure, but his dealing with the situation was so nonchalant. He casually tapped it back in the direction of David de Gea but ended up providing a great assist for Rodriguez. Everyone seems to enjoy giving De Gea stick but he was beaten by a lovely touch by the Southampton player, with our goalie only able to use his feet thanks to the pass back from Carrick. “I just didn’t get enough on it,” Carrick said after the game. “Totally my fault, I take the blame for it and hold my hands up.” Carrick went on to do better as the game went on but losing the ball and inaccurate passing was the theme for Anderson’s game. It was no surprise to see him come off with over 20 minutes to go, although Cleverley will feel a bit miffed to miss out again.
5. Still, Phil Jones had done well in midfield against Spurs so it was fair enough that he was given another go in preference to bringing on Tom. He spoke earlier this week about preferring to play as a central defender and you do worry what impact shifting him about will have. John O’Shea was once an incredibly promising player but never really fulfilled that potential after never owning just one position. Jones is too good to become a utility player but for now, he will have to be content with getting a game wherever the manager chooses. With the likes of Rafael, Rio and Cleverley all on the bench today, Jones should be happy with getting 90 minutes.
6. Van Persie had a quiet game by his standards although saw a goal wrongly ruled out for offside, which would have seen him become the first United player since Ronaldo to score in six league games in a row. This came moments after Boruc made a brilliant save to keep his header out, so he will feel disappointed not to have a goal to his name.
7. So, we’re seven points clear with fourteen games to go. Had 2011-2012 never happened, I’d say our name was on the trophy now. United didn’t blow leads like this at this stage of the season. You’d like to say the fact we cocked up so badly last season would mean it certainly wouldn’t happen again this year, but I’m going to remain cautious for now. We’re in a fantastic position though and even though you rarely get to be relaxed during a United game or thoroughly enjoy it, I’d take performances like last night every week if it means winning our trophy back.
Man Utd News 24/7
Way to go MU! 7 points yea!
Oyeah!!!
good result but a poor performance. It was 20mins into the 2nd half before we even had an attack,I spent the whole game looking on from Stretford End waiting for us to get up our side of the pitch!
United have unveiled plans for a massive flag of the Busby babes with “We’ll never die” on it for the Everton game,as selected by Gary Neville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC5YOEFbInY
United hanging on that second half probably a bit of an understatement. If we don’t find a way of dealing with teams who have a go then it will just encourage more teams that visit Old Trafford to do the same.
well , i dont want to blame the pitch for our poor performance , but , there is something wrong with OTs pitch this season !! maybe they cut down on the maintenance budget
In my opinion , Kagawa was the man of the match , game after game i see him moving faster , more confident and full aware of his position
Anderson ….oooo Anderson …what exactly is he doing in Man U . everyone agrees he s a lovely lad …. but this is football ,not some tv show , he s too lazy , totally forgets he has another leg ( right one )… his arse is getting bigger and bigger ….
Something was missing last night. Maybe an impact of not having any wide players on the field. We need to start getting in to gear in the build up to the games against Madrid now! GGMU
@Fadi – That’s a bit too harsh on Ando.. It’s rueful that he’s been plagued with injuries, but he’s demonstrated how much quality he can bring to our team, and so he definitely deserves more chances, atleast in low-profile games like last night’s.
And it’s NOT Man U or Manchester, it’s “Man United” or simply “United”.
Relief.
“Man Utd” is perfectly fine, but not Man U.
Buzzing today after all the draws last night
If Liverpool play like they did against Arsenal, City will have to do well to beat them too, so we need to go out swinging at Fulham who I suspect will be a different outfit at home.
BTW, was on a random youtube run (bored of work..) and found this video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NQO0xb662Y
Ok, Indonesian Manchester United fans are nuts, I thought they were going to set the place on fire lol but seriously, outside of perhaps Barca and Madrid, what sporting club on EARTH can gather that kind of crowd and that kind of atmosphere thousands of miles away? Serious RESPECT!!
Quite a few banana peels out there for several of the top teams in the last two days. To be honest, I’m pleased to just escape with the three points. Not all of them will be pretty. Fair play to Southampton, which was going for the win from the very beginning.
After dealing with injuries that kept him on the sideline, it was nice to see Kagawa pulling the strings in the midfield. I absolutely love watching this guy. Same goes for Phil Jones, who’s hitting a nice little run of form. It’s great to have that depth in the central midfield to go along with Cleverley, Carrick, Ando (who was a bit off in this one), Fletcher (hopefully next year) and one day, Powell. The present and the future both look bright.
Three points, seven up. A good position to be in. Can’t complain about that.
If i were you, i would worry about you looking at another man’s arse than the football on show. Oh fucking dear. Anderson didn’t have his most effective game but he’s shown his quality this season. As ever, ignore the positives and find a way to hound players out of a club.
On a positive note, I thought Rooney, Jones, and for a large part of the game, Kagawa looked really good. Goes to show that you CAN fit Rooney and Kagawa into the same line up, some of the link up was really good.
BUT – that second half was our worst 45 of the season IMO. That’s 3 League games in a row that we’ve not turned up at half time, what’s Fergie saying to them lol?
Credit to Southampton, they were brilliant….I’ve not seen a team press us like that since Barca or Bilbao. Smalling and Vidic aren’t very good on the ball, couldn’t handle the pressing, so they kept giving it away or aimlessly hoofing it (could really have done with Evans). Throw in the fact that RVP couldn’t hold onto the ball and Kagawa tired…and Southampton just kept coming back at us.
Sorry, but we should not be hanging on for dear life, at HOME, against a side near the relegation zone. Better sides (such as Madrid, who’ll press us the same way) would’ve ripped us apart. Instead of Lambert and Lallana, they’ll have Benzema and Ronaldo….I doubt they’ll waste the opportunities in the final third like Southampton did. Really hope that second half was a kick up the backside, coz we’ve been going to sleep in the second halves of games all too often lately.
Also I was really surprised Anderson started again – his fitness is usually poor so 2 games in 4 days was always gonna be a struggle.
He had a really poor game IMO, it was almost like playing with 10 men, we were carrying him. I still think he should play vs Madrid in a couple of weeks….so give him a rest until then, no point playing him against Fulham or Everton.
David Beckham -> PSG
I don’t think I could handle wins like this every week, too nerve wracking.
Is it us easing off second half or other teams figuring us out and getting a half time strategy talk by their managers? We were second or every ball second half and outmuscled and played by a team that is slower and I do not for a minute believe technically better than United players. They were just more disciplined and wanted the ball more. Mentally and in terms of passing discipline we seemed all over the place second half.
End of last season we all said the same thing when we could see the team was struggling and had weaknesses, everyone said 8 points ahead we will struggle through with our positives, but in the end we were found out defensively and it cost us. We have to give other teams credit if we do not sort these issues out we will pay for it, there are too many good teams out there to gamble. I am sure SAF will be worried about this, he already raised issue of complacency and he needs to get these guys to sort this out.
I’ve been thinking about our performances last night. We were poor. One of two players did well particularly kagawa and maybe evra but nobody really stood out. Rooney scored two goals which is what you want from a striker but his play wasn’t all that great. The same goes for everyone. We’re stumbling through so many games and barely getting over the finish line yet we are 7 points clear and statistically having a very good season. What does that say about the EPL?
What’s happened to the swashbuckling victories where we stangled teams with out power and then when we had a lead we played keep ball until the ref blew. Now we’re falling behind, struggling to keep our leads and relying on individual moments rather than collective superiority and domination.
We’re hot and cold and not just from game to game but almost from minute to minute.
There’s something missing and I can’t put my finger on it.
We have the players, we have the ambtion and desire and the manager and the fans but the play is insipid and disjointed.
IMO we need a consistent CM pairing that can develop. I thought Carrick Cleverly was going to be allowed to develop but Ando perhaps deserved a chance as he is better at running with the ball and assisting attacks. It would have been great to have gone into Madrid game with settled CB pairing and settled CM pairings that were familiar with each others games. Unfortunately injury and rotation to fine the best CM pairing – which we still don’t know – has not helped.
@ Bobby – would you agree that when we dominated we had very settled teams, I think injury and lack of partnerships developing and a settled team does not help. If we get Rio Vid partnership back that makes a huge difference as they played together for years and know themselves. Also we need a steady CM pairing that can become the hub of the team. Think Keano-Scholes.
Most concerning for me was that we couldn’t handle the pressure they applied in the second half. When Southhampton pressed us in our own end, we seemed to lack a plan. Even when we got it up to the midfield you could see the players frustrated by the lack of passing options. We need to figure this out before we play Real or we could be in some trouble.
So much whining and complaining on the last few threads,half you cunts live for Utd to have a bad game just to rip into them.Every other team drops points Utd win and get slagged off,fucking pathetic Southampton had more of the ball 2nd half so fucking what was the final score?.
Always complaining,whining and overreaction makes me fucking sick
Any matchday with Man city, liverpool, chelsea, arsenal and tottenham dropping points is good for me
“I’d take performances like last night every week if it means winning our trophy back.”
You mean you’d take results like last night every week if it means winning the title. Performances like that mirror the complacency of last season and provide no platform for success against Real Madrid.
@NBI – definitely agree that we need a settled team but nowadays even with no injuries we’d rarely send out the same 11 two games running. That just seems to be a sign of the times.
The only 2 players who have been playing week in week out for seasons are Carrick and Evra.
Everyone else whether it be for form or injury or whatever is in and out of the team.
Part of it is that we don’t know our best team or formation. Lot’s of experimenting going on with players out of position and players playing one or two games then being rested etc etc
Thing is Utd don’t play like that every week so any argument that leads to using this game as a comparison is bloody ridiculous.Anyone using this game to bring up Real Madrid is either retarded or a Troll,simple as
Not the greatest performance, 3 points in the bag while all the rest drop points, next round of the cup, players getting back to full fitness after a shocking injury list, not a bad week if you ask me.
Every season we will have games we scrape through, that’s part & parcel of a tough fixture list, massive games coming up, top team spirit, cheer the fuck up
It’s been overlooked a lot since last night but if Southampton had equalized, I imagine Sir Alex would have been furious with the Van Persie goal not counting. Looked borderline onside to me.
Anyway, other than a couple of games against small clubs like Wigan and Newcastle, the rest of our league wins have come in quite a nervous manner. Don’t know why that is. In terms of points, we have gathered an extra 6 points compared to these same 24 fixtures from last season (the Southampton win was the equivalent game to the Blackburn loss) but what’s going to happen when we face a better side than Southampton? Defending a single goal lead backfired at Tottenham and it could happen again.
Erm Costas the season is 2/3rds over we’ve beaten all our contenders away[Spurs draw] and are 7 points clear? you normally make sense mate but the last comment makes no sense.Already proven we can beat everyone in the league so what better teams are you talking about?.
The most obnoxious nauseating transfer of the season Beckham to PSG what a fucking farce
wayne says:
Thing is Utd don’t play like that every week so any argument that leads to using this game as a comparison is bloody ridiculous.Anyone using this game to bring up Real Madrid is either retarded or a Troll,simple as.
Nobody said we’ve played like that every week, but it’s not exactly a one-off either. It’s been happening for the last 3 League games on the trot – Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton. Falling apart in the second half.
For what it’s worth, in the big games this season we’ve shown we can do the business, so that’s a confidence booster for the Madrid game. But let’s not pretend that going into that match with a run of performances like this is a positive sign.
@wayne
Arsenal and Stoke away, as well as Chelsea and City at Old Trafford. Doesn’t matter if we beat them once this season. Show the same level of compacency against them like we did in the second half yesterday and we will drop points in most of those games. The same kind of foolish mentality that cost us the title last year.
Sparkz, brett1985 did maybe it has happened 3 on a trot the only one we dropped points in was Spurs down to a mistake so Utd are guilty of taking the foot off the pedal when having the lead,a lot of teams do this.Let’s face it Utd should’ve had a blatant penalty and apart from a cock up would’ve had maximum points
I stand by my comment Real Madrid will bring a completely different level of intensity and the lads will be well up for it so comparing Southampton at home with the lead to Real Madrid away is fucking retarded
That’s right Costas stay positive,no Costas you’re assuming Utd will drop points doesn’t mean we will.Please correct me if i’m wrong everyone goes on about Utd blowing a 8 pt lead but didn’t City have 2 games in hand? so it wasn’t a true 8 pt lead.If fucking QPR hadn’t folded like a bad suit Utd would’ve still won 20 after a season of horrendous injury problems.City don’t even look like their interested,I’m pretty sure they will drop more points before the season is out and no other team has any chance.
Who take the blame for the goal we lose? Only carrick ? Fxxking it’s your lovely ando lose the ball and lovely DDg stay at the goal , and as I said three years ago ando only can being a box to box defensive midfielder but he and many of low level fans think he is a Brazilian playmaker ,fxxk
And don’t always said Italian league are low level pls see pogba playing I’m sure sir Alex will regret for give up him and put the money on yours lovely ando
@Rd54
Ando giving the ball away was silly, but Carrick had a chance to rescue the situation, either by trying to hook it upfield, or even put it out of touch.
10% DDG’s fault
15% Ando’s fault
75% Carrick’s fault
Anyway, Carrick came out after the game and admitted to media, his team and SAF that it was his fault.
@waybe
No, it was an 8 point lead with 6 games left in the campaign for both clubs. The loss at Wigan cut that difference down to 5. The draw against Everton cut it further down to 3. And then the loss at the Etihad nullified it completely. Of course I am not saying we will definitely drop many points. Just that it would be wise to stop living on the edge like we have in recent games. Our team’s attack has been this season, but I don’t want to see us defending single goal leads until the end. Our defence is prone to making errors. That’s all I am saying.
@wayne
No, there was an 8-point gap with same games played. Our points were dropped vs Everton (2), Wigan (3) and City (3), while City won all theirs.
@Costas
Beat me to it!
@Wayne – I agree with you about the intensity, we raise it for the big matches. But like I said, we can’t brush 3 games in a row off like it’s nothing….clearly we’ve been having a bit of a problem lately. Even though we were denied a stonewall pen against Spurs…that’s no excuse for us constantly giving the ball away for the rest of that half.
Also, I don’t think City had any games in hand last year….as far as I remember, we beat QPR, they lost to Arsenal….and we were 8 points clear having played the exact same number of games.
As for the goal we conceded…Carrick started the problem yesterday with his soft back pass….but I do think De Gea could’ve put his foot through it. He was a bit too soft IMO.
Sparkz,i think that’s DDG’s big problem he’s soft,seemed to dance out the way of it not sure what he was doing,not saying it wasn’t a poor back pass but just think he needs to grow balls
Costas&kanchelskis i stand corrected still think Utd are a different animal this year and City are not as good
The “One man team” jape always makes me laugh. Years ago, we were “useless without Renaldo”. Then we were “hopeless without Rooney” Now we’re “pathetic without RVP”? Seems funny that we’re so one-dimensional, but it’s regularly a different dimension.
The only thing more laughable than that are the seasons like last year when we’re told we don’t have a chance because “nobody’s stepped up and taken over.” I.E: we’re to balanced .
Well said by Carrick. More quiet influence from the man who isn’t given enough credit. His taking the blame was needed, even if he doesn’t believe what he was saying (I have no reason to doubt him however.) After Gary Neville stuck the boot in on De Gea it seems like he’s re-opened that door for everyone else, thinking that if United criticizes itself, it must be much worse and therefore time for the ABUs and neutrals to go off the deep end.
SB
“Carrick went on to do better as the game went on but losing the ball and inaccurate passing was the theme for Anderson’s game.”
Neither of the midfielders were up-to-much last night; MC16 did “do better as the game went on” but he could hardly have done worse. There’s a lot of animosity directed towards Anderson but he’s a chance-taker and his passes were often only-marginally long/short/wide of the mark – he should do better but he wasn’t awful, just not good enough on the night.
However, rather than “blaming” the midfielders it might make more sense to wonder why there was so little movement towards them from the forwards. Rather than playing an inter-linked game between the three components – defence/midfield/attack – TheLads were largely static in three banks.
The one player who had a dreadful match was BigManSmalling – in contrast to the authoritative display when partnered with MrJones, he seemed distracted and off-the-pace. Or, just maybe, he was instructed to provide cover for CaptainVidic’s declining mobility ? Interestingly – and quite oddly – the back pairing was better when Rio came on and the team collapsed around the two, slow/aging central defenders.
Yes you can say we have raised our game against bigger opponents this season, but that is not 100% true as well. Against Liverpool both times, we were hanging on. And although Real have been dire this season, but they too have performed when it mattered. So we really have to be up to it fully. All said and done, there is nothing we can do about it, just pray that our players stay fit & on form, as well as getting that bit of luck needed
makes me laugh when people say we need a settled CB and CM they need to be familiar with each other. they have been playing with each other for a few seasons now so im pretty sure they are familiar with each other by now.
7. So, we’re seven points clear with twelve games to go.
I think you mean 14 games to go.
denton davey says:
There’s a lot of animosity directed towards Anderson but he’s a chance-taker and his passes were often only-marginally long/short/wide of the mark – he should do better but he wasn’t awful, just not good enough on the night.
However, rather than “blaming” the midfielders it might make more sense to wonder why there was so little movement towards them from the forwards.
Couple of points on that – as a midfielder, do you not think being a “chance taker” is the wrong thing to be? Same reason why Giggs often plays poorly in centre mid……..the job of a midfielder is to keep the ball. Simple as that. The risk taking (which can lead to losing the ball) is for the wingers and forwards. Having said that, Anderson’s been very good when he’s played this season….I just think he was tanked after playing on Saturday!
As for the second point….I’d move it further back. Look at how often we lost the ball from the back. They pressed us right near our own box, and we kept losing it from there.
De Gea : great save from the free kick but weak on their goal
Vidic : good defensively especially in the air (as usual) but poor distribution
Smalling : good defensively but distribution was fucking abysmal
Evra : excellent performance showed his 2007 metal
Jones : excellent, dominated the right at full back and filled the gaps in the middle.
Carrick : abysmal, mistake for goal, couldn’t pass forward and didn’t want the ball in the second half.
Anderson : abysmal, didn’t want the ball either which is unusual … he is fat.
Kagawa : played well, great assist, looked capable of keeping ball and moving with it.
Wellbeck : pshhh, in and out of the game, not a right midfielder
Rooney : two good goals, few sloppy moments but he scored the goals so … motm
Van Persie : anonymous, when your midfield contains one person that can play under pressure strikers wont get much service.
Quit playing Welbeck wide bring in Nani get him sharp and get Valencia to play himself into some form.
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/Jan/nemanja-vidic-admits-southampton-was-a-tough-fixture.aspx
Their goal was far from De Gea’s fault wtf is wrong with the media. It was 1 million percent Carrick’s fault FFS.
People need to realise from now on no game is easy. Every team will be giving their best . It is foolosh to expect us to beat southampton or reading easily. Every 3 points is a gold. Honestly I won’t mind whether we win 1-0 or 5-4 or 2-1 the main thing is WIN and 3 Points. Southampton are the same team who just 2 weeks ago held Chelsea. Look at what QPR did against City and Spurs. They also beat Chelsea. Winning is key . Ultimately the game against city will be the real game. If we win that game then we will win the league.
I don’t want the tittle to go on till the last day. Remember we have to face Arsenal at emirates. They will want to beat us. Wenger knows if they beat Manchester United their fans would be ecstatic eventhough they may not finish top 4. We also have to face Chelsea at home which will again be a tough tie. So the game against city is the key. Hope scousers also take some points from them this week eventhough I don’t expect anything from them.
Looking at the goal several times i thought DDG had a 50/50 chance to get it but avoided contact a lot of goalies would’ve made the save or got the ball.He has many good qualities but he is timid,this has to be obvious to everyone has anyone seen him bark commands at the defenders it’s like he’s invisible out there.It’s also obvious he’s not into physical contact has to start putting his body on the line and getting more involved.
yestarday game was a wake up call we should rise our game if we want our trophy back
we will have some difficult games west ham stoke sunderland arsenal away and shity chelski at home
every singel game is like a final
i just hope that we will not suffer from injuries
A bouncing ball and with the striker likely to have more speed and instincts, it was a tall order for de gea to get anything on that, he tried to put the player off but jay rodriguez is a very composed striker, De gea steams in and he will get sent off. The simple fact is, carrick was at fault and he acknowledged it.
rooney took his tally to 101 goals at Old Trafford as United became the first club to win 300 Prem home games
One of those games that indicates more hardwork and improvement is needed as united enter the crucial period. From now on, i think we can expect more tough games, teams are fighting for something one way or the other, they’ll throw the kitchen sink and all for a morale boosting result, united must match that. Sometimes, it will be about dragging yourself over the line, more so than constant free flowing football. Need every pulling in the same direction and working hard even if some so called fans are looking to cause a division.
http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/claim-from-morocco-that-manchester-united-and-belhanda-have-an-ag
Everyone sees things differently personally thought DDG could’ve got to the ball first and don’t even know what he was trying to do.I’m not blaming DDG for getting picked every week but to me looks way off being a num 1 for Utd,there’s normally always a fumble or 2 per game and imo he’s just to timid
Maybe in time it’ll get sorted but once anyone is picked for the first team needs to learn quick,it takes a lot more than being a good shot stopper to be Utd’s number 1.
kanchelskis
Thanks the shares are fair enough
Its carrick s fault And I just want to said its not ONLY
any criticism of DDG is deserved! he may have got a shit pass but it don’t excuse his part in it. He could’ve stood up tall follow the player, tried to put his foot through it, anything other than “jump” over the ball like he did.
Kagawa’s improvement is encouraging. I couldn’t even predict who will start against Real. Only SAF knows.
Shit performance, great win – which matters more?
And I don’t know its good or bad for Danny because sir Alex create a new position for him———– a defensive forward !to be honest I m very impressive for his hard fighting work
ddg was not at the fault
he made a important save on lambert free-kick
i hope that the media leave him alone
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2013/Jan/england-squad-named-for-brazil-international.aspx?newsid=14BAC565-DD35-4FCD-8CA9-516CD2F4CBB8
Team vs Ronnie
DDg
Rafael Vida Johnny pat
Jones carrick
Tom Danny Wazza
Rvp
imo a team shouldn’t fuck with the goalie position arguably the most important position,at Utd’s level its not a position the team can afford to give an apprenticeship in because 1 mistake can be costly.I hope DDG comes through this quick but the problems i see in him haven’t changed much since day 1
Does anyone remember last time Utd had a rookie goalie at num 1?
Welbeck in the no. 10 role? Haha
Fergie felt it was right to buy someone with the quality and potential to be a main-stay for the long term. De gea is not that much of a rookie, he’s won the europa league (a tough competition even if some people degrade it on this shore) and u21 european championship but he’s still not very experienced, especially in the premier league but with every situation, he will learn. I think he’s over-analysed and scrutinized far more than any other keeper in this league, the constant spotlight does not help confidence regardless of a keeper having experience and not having any
DDG was not at fault and moreover he did EXACTLY THE RIGHT THING. In fact what he did was incredibly clever. It was unsuccessful, but it was the right move. Let’s look at the possible scenarios.
1. DDG goes in half-arsed. As he did. He has a chance to get the ball (he didn’t) but not a great chance, and he’s quite likely to concede a goal. This seems bad. But let’s look at the other option.
2. DDG goes in hard for the ball. He’s very likely to get the ball. But he is also somewhat likely to get the man. HE CAN’T USE HIS HANDS. He has to make a last ditch tackle on a player with his feet, in the box, and he’s the last man.
So what does he do? He does the right thing. He risks the goal, because it’s two minutes into the game at home to Southampton. 94th minute holding a lead against City of course he goes in hard, but if you’re going to concede a goal might as well do it now.
The worst case scenario is he goes in hard, takes the man out, then boom. We’re a goalkeeper down, on ten men, facing a penalty, first choice keeper suspended, and then likely 1-0 down.
There are worse things in football than conceding a goal after two minutes, namely getting your keeper sent off after two minutes.
Case closed for me, DDG played it perfectly. He’s getting the blame for Carrick’s fuck up, and that’s not fair.
A defensive forward? How on earth can you be a defensive “forward”? Why don’t united pick up a couple of double decker buses and pack it up front? or maybe use the bollocks of a couple of overweight mugs to block the opposition’s passage.
Doghouse – it’s nice to see someone bring up different scenario which could have concieviably happened, it could have been far worse in a footballing sense if de gea went in rash trying to prevent that goal. fact is, the strikers had the advantage and although conceding goals is not nice but ten man and a goal down against that southampton could have proved a defeat. Carrick’s pass gave the keeper little chance, michael’s been in fantastic form this season but he has that knack of being occassionally, united can’t afford that in the next 3 difficult fixtures.
In La liga goalkeepers are just more protected. I really feel DDG earns us points on balance. Just need him to be assertive. On another note, felt the second half was really crying out for a Scholes like presence. Cleverley perhaps would have helped possession more. I also think that the pitch was acting up, all of our passes just were not hitting the right target. That tends to happen when teams are pressing but yesterday was particularly bad. Dont want to make excuses but when the likes of Carrick are misplacing short passes then that does make you wonder…and the Saints’ game is not built around that sort of fast pass so they didnt suffer by comparison. Certainly credit to their aggression, thats what forced it. Also felt that there is an extra gear that United find when attacking. Our movement forward is that good, but without scholes and the wingers it seems the team is out of ideas with how to retain the ball. They are just used to those diagonal balls to create space. Fulham beckon, hope to see Tom and Hernandez.
Ocassionally sloppy*
My Arse played it perfectly,uses his hands it is a free kick,give away a penalty worse case scenario a penalty. And they score but equally they dont.Correct me if I’m wrong but they did score.And what gives you the idea if he went in wrong a penalty and sending off were sure to be given? Seen many times refs turning blind eyes stop continually trying to excuse him he fucked up as he has done virtually every game he has played slow of the line as normal.
Wayne
Nah mate you’re retarded if you think we can just switch on the intensity like a swith.
What you tthink Madrid have no intentions ot winning the game
Take a chill pill fella. If you felt all was well after the game, no drama, its what you thought of the game.But calling other opinions retarded is just plain retarded
Simple as
slim don’t need a chill pill mate just sick of all the negative cunts ready to slag the team off and if you don’t get the bigger the team/game the bigger the intensity only one retarded one on here
Parry – basically, what you’re implying is for him to take that risk, which is more likely than unlikely to result in a sending off?. Lambert has one of the best penalty conversion rate, he would have slammed it home. I would rather de gea deal with reality than hypotheticals of “he may or may not be penalised” or “the penalty may or may not be dispatched”. The pass was weak and inaccurate, it would have put even the most experienced in all sorts of bother, it is de gea and the situation gets over-magnified.
I would rather rodriguez score that goal that early but with no deficit of players, it means united have enough men on the pitch to claw their way back, ten men against that confident southampton side would have resulted in them exposing united on the counter, far more costly scenarios could have occured, simple as that.
@parryheid
If he uses his hands, the ref could interpret it as DOCGSO, which would have him sent off after 2 minutes and them with a penalty.. You’d have liked that, would you?
@Parryheid
If he fouls the guy he’s the last defender. He needs to make an inch perfect tackle, with his feet, or it’s a goal anyway and he’s likely off. Do you really want to ask your keeper to try to make that challenge two minutes into a game?
Picking up the back pass is dicey. I believe that it’s meant to be an indirect free kick and a yellow card, but how lucky do you feel with refs these days? I wouldn’t bet against a red card for it.
DDG knew what he was doing. He’s seen us come back and win a dozen games this season. So he doesn’t take any risks, he takes the goal, and unsurprisingly we’re in the lead twenty minutes later. It’s not his fault the team then seemed to get wobbly and let them back into it. Nor is it his fault he was thrown into the bad side of a one on one by Carrick.
By rights we should have destroyed Southampton, and DDGs knows that which is why he knew the goal wasn’t the end of the world. He saved us later in the game.
Honestly, while at the time I was a little unimpressed, in retrospect my respect for DDG has gone up. He made a mature decision. Not many players can see past the next goal, but I think he was looking at the big picture and knew we could turn it around.
United looked cold and slow for most of the game. The pitch also seemed to play on the minds of United players. Southampton ran through the ball and players and looked hungrier.
Worst game by Smalling in a red shirt. He was flat footed and his distribution was just plain awful. Never thought I would suggest it, bu Evans was missed.
Part of the issue with Carrick was the lack of a pass to Anderson. Anderson tends to hide behind his marker and left Carrick on an island most times. That said, Carrick has to beat his man and create the space to play to the forwards.
A good reminder of how important the running off the ball is. Especially for the CM.
I heard a great call on Match Day Review from a Rita last night “Carrick very rarely plays well. He is a poor player. We should swap him with Diame”. Says it all. 3 points and the only top team that won. Will take that.
Wee Tom – No mate not surprising at all, Evans is missed. Top drawer distribution from both feet and comes out with the ball to get attacks going. Been missed badly IMO.
england team 4 world cup
amos
jones ferdinand smalling baines
carrick cleverly
zaha rooney young
welbeck
His job is to Defend his goal period,I dont know what DOCGSO stands for apart from goalkeeper sent off,.and could interpret could also mean not a deliberate act or I didn’t see fuckall wrong there.No way are we talking a surefire sending off and if he had been most fans would hae admired him for taking one for the team + there was a comptent keeper on the bench and imo we would defeat them with ten as the rest would have buckled down to the job/
@parryheid
Denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity. If done by illegal means (eg handling a back-pass), means a red card for the offender. Could easily have been interpreted that way by the ref, and there would be few grounds for complaint.
You’re telling me – with the issues you have with DDG – that if he’d handled it, got sent, and Lambert had nailed the pen past Lindegaard, you’d have ‘admired him’? The fuck you would.
You’d have preferred a 85% chance of a goal, with a lead to be chased with 10 men, rather than a 95% chance of a goal (Rodriguez could still have fucked it from that angle), with a lead to be chased with 11 men? Ridiculous.
I mean I know the media go to some lengths to hound De Gea, but his own fans? Why?
Sparkz @ 14:49: “as a midfielder, do you not think being a “chance taker” is the wrong thing to be?”
If he were primarily a defensive player then I’d agree but Anderson is an attacking midfielder who runs at opponents and also looks to exploit gaps in the opposition’s defence – to be fair, he’s not made many “defence splitting passes” but he’s always looking to drive the team forward with chance-y passes. Often they don’t work but when they do then it’s off-to-the-races, like his perfectly weighted ball to Chicharito a few matches ago.
“Look at how often we lost the ball from the back. They pressed us right near our own box, and we kept losing it from there.”
Yeah but I think the reason for that was a lack of co-ordination between the three banks – especially the forwards who seemed less mobile than usual yesterday which is suprising since all four of them (RVP, KagawaBunga, DannyTheLad, and TheWayneBoy) usually drift back into midfield to “hunt” the ball. The passing from the back was also dire – especially BigManSmalling.
kanchelskis.
Thanks for clearing up the DOCS part for me,I said most fans would admire him,personally I think he is average but that’s me most of the rest of your post is supposition/might be and seem unwilling to accept none of the things mentioned may have fell the way you suggest but just as likely would not. Regards your last question its because more of our own fans are scrutinizing him now and dont like what they are seeing.
Doghouse @ 16:16: “The worst case scenario is he goes in hard, takes the man out, then boom. We’re a goalkeeper down, on ten men, facing a penalty, first choice keeper suspended, and then likely 1-0 down.
There are worse things in football than conceding a goal after two minutes, namely getting your keeper sent off after two minutes.”
You’re right.
The dilemma for DDG was remarkably dis-similar to the one that Jonny Evans faced against ManShitty @ OT last year. Evans was caught out by Balotelli (?) and basically rugby-tackled him rather than letting his man go in on goal one-on-one. I thought that Jonny did the right thing although he caught six kinds of shit from second-guessers. At that point, I think UTD were one-goal down and letting Balotelli (?) do in on the keeper one-on-one might have finished the game. Evans sacrificed himself but gave the team a chance to come back – and they might have done so if Ashley Young (him again !) hadn’t missed taking a very good chance a few minutes later.
For DDG to have played the ball aggressively risked a red card, sending-off, and a penalty – waaaaay too big a risk in the second minute against a team at the bottom of the table, playing @ OT.
parryheid says:
the rest of your post is supposition/might be and seem unwilling to accept none of the things mentioned may have fell the way you suggest but just as likely would not
… as is your assumption that he wouldn’t have been sent off.
Medumtum @ 16:35: “Fulham beckon, hope to see Tom and Hernandez.”
4-2-3-1 – with Chicharito up-front and an interchanging combination of RVP, TheWayneBoy and KagawaBunga between him and MC16/YoungTom.
@Fado
Way to go,spotted perfectly,tot am d only one seeing d daily increase of his bottoms….
Wonda wat d physios at d club tell him all his big azzz
kanchelskis.
But I am Not assuming he wouldnt have been sent off,I am saying it is not a defo and if he had went for the ball wholeheartedly may have got it cleanly and been fouled himself and Lambert got sent off Who knows if he hadnt wimped out what the end result would have been
With Saints goal its a brilliant pass by Carrick, it favours the attacker slightly but forces the Keeper to commit to making an attempt. If he had done that at the other end we would all be raving about it.
DDG was pretty much in a lose lose situation.
1)He stays on his line and he is in trouble and would be critised for not coming out,
2)He charges out and goes in fully committed and almost certainly gives away a penalty and gets a certain red
3)He comes out like he did with at best 50/50 chance and hoping mainly to force the striker to make a mistake and get critised for not being committed enough
@parryheid
Since you seem not to even know who the Southampton player involved in the incident was, you’ll understand if I take your view with a pinch of salt.
i am only sad for that goal scored by Southampton, otherwise would have been a clean sheet for my hero. He did screw it up a little bit by jumping over it, but hey, you never give a back pass like that to your keeper, do you? He did well to collect that spilled shot from the freekick. Also, he held on to that shot which he normally pushes to the other team forward which was a real improvement. No need to tell about the other free kick which he handled with true professionalism. He is improving and will get even better… GGMU…
kanchelskis’
So a simple error of confusing a likely penalty taker with the actual goal scorer negates the points I make? Weird logic that which makes it all the more understandable why you and other of a similar type wont face facts about players like DeGea no matter what.
DDG should have been more decisive for that ball last night and put his boot through it.
He might have got the player and been off, he might have whacked it into the guys face and it could have rebounded into the net. Who knows? The simple matter of fact is he chould have gotten to that ball first and I bet that any goalkeeping coach would be telling the same to any young keeper – react quickly, be decisive and take no fucking prisoners. Carrick fucked up but DDG should have gotten us out of jail. He didn’t. I still think he’s a good goalie though and more than happy to have him between the sticks.
In all honesty if that had happened down the park on a sunday morning you’d be fucked out of it if you were the goalkeeper. Granted you mightn’t be up against strikers like Jay Rodriguez but frankly that’s besides the point.
@parryheid
Just leads me to suspect you may not have seen the incident. Reasonable?
None of the points I’ve made have been about DDG’s form, tendencies or abilities. We’re talking about one incident. If he’d handled the ball and been sent off, you’d have laid into him. Does it not say something that you are the only person on here blaming this on DDG? It was so obviously Carrick’s fault that this argument really doesn’t warrant any more of my energy. Carrick has admitted as much himself.
Honestly, if DDG was injured and sat in the stands when we conceded a goal, you’d blame it on him breathing too heavily and sucking the ball into the net. Pathetic is what it is.
DDG made the correct call 100% of the time, especially 2 mins in, despite what some idiots in the media (public forums) may believe.
Really comes down to
1-0 down and on 10 men
1-0 down and on 11 men
I know which one I prefer.
OFF your boring ddg TOPIC: Beckham is donating all of his 150k a week from PSG to charity for children. He’s a real legend on and off the pitch!
@Canada
Naaah mate. Put your fackin foot through it, innit! Get sent, who gives a fack?! Take one for tha fackin teaam!!!
kanchelskis.
Your little short of an idiot clutching at straws
well said canada…
De gea did try his best in my opinion and he cannot risk getting send off which would make things worse…
denton davey – that is why carrick and cleverly are miles ahead of the rest, they are great at ball control, and cleverly is a much clever player than anderson, he nicks the ball, and unlike anderson, cleverly is such a technical little player, he is brilliant at finding the right man, as anderson like always is guilty of giving the ball away. It is also a big help, they sit deep, we do not need someone from CM to keep going forward, leaving us exposed, when we already have the fullbacks and the front 4 going forward. We do not need one of our midfielders to keep going forward leaving carrick and the backline exposed
Absolutely bang on Canada. De Gea was smart. You are at home, it’s the third minute. Why would he risk getting sent off and cutting our chances of victory in half when he knows fully well that whether or not Southampton score, with 11 men on the pitch for United at home it’s difficult to see us losing. Criticism of De Gea is really unnecessary. Southampton claimed they targeted De Gea yesterday. LMAO well they didn’t do a very good job at it then.
BCC – there is no way in hell could DDG save that, it was such a layed back pass, and well over confident from carrick, DDG would have been sent off. The pass was too short, and lacking the concentration, sometimes in games like this, GK’s will have to do that. The pass was not only layed back, but it made such a horrible bounce, DDG would have defiantly been sent off, he tried to use his body put of the player in hope he is put off
All of this talk about better to let one in and stay on the pitch justs sounds like people are making up excuses to justify the error. Any keeper worth his salt would have cleared that ball.
Fair play to Carrick for putting his hands up…but while he fucked up DDG had the chance to solve the problem and didn’t.
I have played in goal in a bit of a kick around, and I have been given those horrible back-passes with the bounce that is just right for the attacking player, and that is what the Soton goal was, the bounce was a GK’s nightmare, DDG could not grab the ball, because of how slow it was, he could run out or he fouls the player, so what is your only option? try and put the player off by jumping at him in hope he gets the ball, that will not exactly foul the attacking player, DDG tried to call the players bluff, and it never worked.
I wish everyone would get off his back, DDG needs trimming, he does have his rough edges, but he does come up with that bit of brilliance is well. And when you see this brilliance, he is worth the waiting in goal.
I’ll say again for the final time Had DeGea really went for the ball instead of wimping out what makes you think he wouldnt have gotten the ball cleanly and if not that the ref would definately called a foul/penalty/sending off?Baffling that.
David Beckham: “‘I always said I would never want to play for another English club. I have history with Manchester United. I have always supported them, I always dreamed of playing for them. I am very honoured by the offers I had in England, but I wouldn’t have played there if it wasn’t for United.”
Can’t say I agree fitb. He simply wasn’t committed to the challenge.
If you think DDG could solve the problem with that goal, you really are deluded. The pass was short, slow, the bounce was horrible, any keeper would have caught that, really? tell me how joe hart is doing? reina’s dodgy periods, the clangers valdes and casillas make, cech, tell me how many mistakes he has made? DDG fucked up HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHA, no mate, carrick fucked up the pass, he made such a casual pass to the keeper, especially when he did not expect him to pass it back to him so poorly, when carrick should have been allot stronger passing it back to the keeper. The only one to blame for that goal, was Michael Carrick, and that’s a fact. And the stats that DDG is ranked the 4th best keeper in the world, not even cech, valdes hart make the top 10
You cannot be committed to the pass, when the pass itself was too short to claim. Impossible to get the ball cleanly
What was wrong with the bounce? I’ve watched the goal 20 times from all different angles and I don’t see the ball bouncing funny.
People seem convinced that if he had gone for the challenge it owuld have been a penalty and red card. it could also be a a free for DDG if he gets there first and is caught by Rodrigues.
It’s not about hart, reina, valdes or casillas. It’s about ddg for last nights goal. You expect your goalkeeper to clear that ball. I can’t say anymore on the matter other than I hope to see him bewteen the sticks at Fulham and I have every confidence that he will do well.
parryheid says:
I’ll say again for the final time Had DeGea really went for the ball instead of wimping out what makes you think he wouldnt have gotten the ball cleanly and if not that the ref would definately called a foul/penalty/sending off?
Have to agree with this tbh. I do think he should have gone for it, and I do think he could have made contact with the ball. Even if it was the slightest contact, that would have prevented him from being punished, and probably would have stopped the goal.
Wayne:
I agree that Real will bring a different level of intensity. I just hoped we are well practiced in ‘turning it on’ prior to that game. A track record of not conceding sloppy goals would be preferable. Though I do realise we had a goal ruled out, the professional thing would have been to score a third at the earliest opportunity and then contain the opposition in order to save energy.
I’m sorry but what does “he wasn’t committed” have to do with anything? Full intent from de gea would have resulted in a goal. He’s not a tackler, so unlikely to time it properly and the striker is pretty fast, rodriguez was always going to beat him to it. It’s not making excuses for him, it’s dealing with reality. It was a fuck up from carrick and even the man puts his hands up, yet others would put a different spin on it. Kanchelskis is right, of course parry’s disapproval for de gea has never influenced his analysis.
“Being a wimp”, What is this? The playground for hooligans?. What does have to do with anything?
http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2013/01/31/3716180/mock-the-window-beckham-takes-french-lesson-from-joey-barton?ICID=AR_TS_1
David beckham and joey barton apparent phone discussion transcript, brilliant!
I cant stand this DDG hating, United have always been a team of DEVELOPING young TALENT. I remember Ronny, Beckham, Scholes, RedNev etc all making mistakes. I remember Ronnie being abused for his end product in the first few years. What made me keep the faith in him was the moments of class, that one turn, trick, shot etc. DDG plays in a position where his mistakes cost us goals, but no one can tell me that he has not made world class saves as well……..
I am a United Fan, I dont abuse our young players, if in 5 years DDG is no better than Foster, then I will admit I was wrong, but for now, I say enjoy his development and get behind the lad.
Side note: I fucking love our Ninja, If he can stay injury free and get a run of games, he could be a real force against Madrid. I hear all the talk of Benzema this, Ozil that, but they will also be thinking RVP this, Chicho and Rooney that!
Stay positive boys, we aint fucking Chelsea.
Lee Martin’s Winner – Top post pal. The way some fucking clowns were carrying on last night you would think we had lost the game.
I always remember Nev saying a year or so ago, and this sounds bad, but at this stage of the season the players are “bored” . Its when the really big games come they are focused and up for it more. We will be fine against Madrid.
Thanks KIng – I think its mostly the United fans who remember a little of the pre SAF era and those early years that appriciate where we are now more. Not all, but in the main. We have no right to just roll teams. The EPL is more competitive than ever this season and repect should be given to Southampton who are in my opinion a cracking little side.
La Liga is a very different animal and while I am not disputing the class of players like Messi and Ronni, there is no way in hell Messi would score over 70 goals in England. The standard of the overall league and some championchip sides is twice that of the Spanish weaker teams. English teams in the main just dont bend over like they sometimes can in Spain. I point to the recent FA cup round as an example.
This season has been strange, but those fans thinking the united we saw last night, will be tho one that turns up v real must have forgotten our performances against the big prem sides. In the main, we have played our best against our big rivals…..
We are still in the top 3 competitions this season, 7 points clear at the top, a strike force most teams would die for and a defence which is improving,
David Beckham the legend
A shame we never gave him a chance to come back, I don’t care what his age is, it doesn’t mind
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/85/england/2013/01/31/3716594/beckham-i-would-never-play-for-another-premier-league-club-other-?source=breakingnews&ICID=HP_BN_5
a legend, the man behind my lvoe towards Manchester United! without his crosses in the world cup 98 I would have never discovered him and ManUtd.
!
Don’t see any DDG hating some of us just don’t think he’s ready to be num 1,lol must be fucking joking Goalie is not the position you develop players.Goalie has to learn in a hurry
Hey it sucks but goalie mistakes are the most critical and magnified 10 fold.
All Utd goalies have been good shot stoppers but have to be fully rounded which DDG isn’t at the moment anyone thinks any different is just deluded
That’s not hating just realizing he’s not close to the standard required
its sickening wayne the way you come on here attacking the players .support the team you fucking plastic troll
Put yor FACKIN foot frew it you CANT!!!
Cretins
We can be 10 points clear of Citeh if we beat Fulham on Saturday!! If peanut head aint play for the berties I can see bin dippers doing em.
Not attacking anyone call me what you fucking want lol.When VDS retired he was still twice the goalie DDG is today,put DDG alongside VDS that’s what a Utd goalie is.Don’t want. To hear DDG is still learning he’s Utd’s num 1.The lad may turn out to be the best ever I’m tallking this moment in time
Nothing to do with putting his foot through it,it was a 50/50 ball
VDS or Schemichel would have gone for the ball, no question of that, they would have gone for it and backed themselves to get it or a touch on it. No way would either of them have skipped about like that. It is ridiculous to suggest they would have. Some chance of stopping a goal -v- zero chance of stopping a goal – no brainer. Like any CF worth their salt is going to be put off by a goalie flapping at them and sticking a leg out like karate kid. Get real. If he had come of his line with a bit of pace and determination he could have nicked it, but he got nervous and did that weird skip an did not even look like he was really trying, he looked scared. Also anyone who thinks goalies are trained to think, well you know I might foul him so I will just let this one in and hope that we have time to score, is a damn fool.
DDG – Jury out – everyone wants him to succeed – but I do agree with @ wayne on this he is in a key position and GK for a top team is one position where you don’t have the luxury of mistakes and learning on the job as an outfield player does, that is why SAF will make a decision on whether he has done enough and whether we buy an experienced GK or push Lindy up. Ofcourse experienced goalies make a mistake but they make less over a season and have more savvy and organisational skills, if you could start with VDS in goal or De Gea who would you choose.
People really underestimate the impact a goalie can have, it affects the whole team, it was no coincidence that we were at our defensive best and winning titles when VDS was in goal. People say Vidic is a miss when he does not play but I would say we are still missing VDS, there is total failure to often appreciate what keepers like him bring to the table on many levels.
I hope De Gea becomes a VDS rather than a Foster but no one knows yet. There is also the mental element that Foster has admitted he could not handle the pressure of playing for a Club like United. The pressure on DDG must be huge. Playing in goal at one of the biggest Clubs in the world in a foreign country with no family or familiar things around you plus trying to learn quick enough to save your position, huge pressure. I do feel for him. But SAF will be ruthless if he does not make the grade and rightly so.
Also remember SAF said in buying DDG he was influenced by how Chelsea had bought Cech at such a young age and how he turned out. Cech was phenomenal until he got his head injury after which he has not quite reached the same level.
Personally I think United historically have done well when we bought experienced proven keepers who commanded respect and had the personality and character needed to succeed here.
unitedforever @ 22:47: “its sickening wayne the way you come on here attacking the players .support the team you fucking plastic troll”
Don’t be silly – Wayne is expressing his view. We should all be happy to hear it. Scott’s blog is best when we can agree to disagree but not descend to name-calling. Wayne’s a passionate Red NOT some “fucking plastic troll”.
I may not agree with Wayne about some things – Ashley Young ??? – and sometimes he seems to get really, really pissed with my opinions – but I would never attack his support for the guys in the red shirts; in fact, I’d say the opposite, he’s often too likely to see “no evil” but that’s a very different matter.
Denton cheers mate,the silly little cunt wasn’t reading what I was saying just wanted to take a shot for whatever reason,its duly noted but thanks again pleasant surprise that you’d stick up for me
Wayne @ 04:51: “pleasant surprise that you’d stick up for me”
Why ? I don’t take our disagreements personally – it’s not like you could pick me out of a line-up composed of two geezers.
Lol I’d have a 50/50 chance,we’ve both being coming on here for years and very rarely agree figured you’d enjoy someone taking a shot.I misread you mate I apologize
I don’t see any DDG hating. It’s a simple opionion over how people think he should have dealt with that ball. I’m crtical of him in that instance but I think he’s a fine goalie and have every faith that he will continue to progress. It’s not like VDS or Schmeichel never dropped clangers or flapped at the odd cross or were made to look stupid now and again. It’s what happens when you’re a goalie but at the end of the season they save us more points than the cost us and I’d say the balance with DDG is just about in his favour.
I don’t think either Schmeichel or VDS would have got to the ball first either. They ball isn’t a 50/50 ball and is slightly closer to the striker than the keeper. DDG would have had to be Usain Bolt to get to the ball first.
Now I suspect Schmeichel would have prevented the goal without getting sent off or even having to fully commit as the sheer size of him was imposing and him charging out would have been a distraction and perhaps enough to present a second opertunity but Edwin wasn’t anywhere near as imposing in such situations so I’m not convinced he would have been able to prevent it.
And those saying what DDG did had no chance of working arent correct. Anyone who has played or watches tennis will know that it can be your movement that takes the opponents eye that can be the difference between them hitting an easy winner and them missing the shot. Sure it was last resort stuff but without the bulk of Schmeichel to distract with his physical pressence it was all he had left as an option
Lads, I live in Qatar, and my hours are a bit different than yours. So I love coming on here in the mornings and reading all your comments. Rarely come on and post myself, but love to come on here and get real insight into the game, the players and Man. United generally. Thanks from myself and hopefully lots of others like me around the world for all time and effort you put in on this blog, which is far and away the best place to join up with other United fans.
Just a general observation after reading all the posts above, but everyone deserves to make their comments. Some are critical, some are blinkered in their support, but its a free world, and freedom of speech is everything.
This year I’ve watched United and loved every single game – yes we have made some mistakes, but how fucking exciting has it been to watch United come back time and time again. Some games we have been magical, others we played poor at times, but that is what life is all about – no-one is perfect all the time. We are 7 points clear again, and winning nearly every game. Personally I am loving it and can’t wait to watch every United game. If we go 1 or 2 goals down now I think Fuck it, who cares , we’ll just score 2 or 3.
I would like to make a personal plea for some not to criticise our younger players, and give them a few years to settle in and grow. Players like David de Gea, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck (fucking love him, and his whole attitude to the club) and Anderson. When you are not getting long runs in the team, maybe you have injuries, and your are right at the start of your career, you need support and nurturing. Everyone needs time to learn their trade and learn from experience. I remember when I was 22 I knew fuck-all about my job, took me 5 or 6 years to know my arse from my elbow, and of course we all get better as we age and experience more situations. So please all those that have a go at our young players have a bit of understanding.
DohaRed – Top comment sir!
To those who criticise, appreciate DohaRed’s fair criticism. Please, hear his plea!