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Great performance from smalling in particular
Smalling was man of the match for me. After him, who impressed me the most was Macheda. He is tall and strong and very confident on the ball. I think he will become a great player in the near future.
Great goal by Gibbo. MOM goes to Smalling.
Well done guys… nice to see Bebe get some minutes, already looks twice the player of Obertan! (hehe)
and City are out, come on Northampton!
Smalling looks like a great prospect. He iis getting better with every match. Bebe showed some nice touches.
Rent Boys out, Shitty out, hopefully Scousers out, looks like our name is on the trophy already!!!!!!
Scousers are loosing …….
but so so dissapointed Chicharito didn’t get to play in usual position
Liked Smalling. Very composed, very vocal, could be a standout signing. Gibbo, Macheda, and Owen all did well. Thought Ando put in a super shift. Look forward to getting back in the squad.
Like to point out that GHTT put in an appearance on the live block. You really can’t keep a good lad down, can ya!
Northampton 2 1 up lol.
aaahahahahahahah
btw, the guy who equalised for northampton was in my year at school… he was a right old twat but all is forgiven now!
Northampton!
Gibson goal was my favourite, bit glad to see Owen get off the mark. The lad still has a part to play for us. I have to say though that Smalling did a lot better than I thought he would. Good job Chris.
Our defensive setup is still troublesome though. There seems to be an unbalance between our defence and our attack. It makes for exciting games, but it might cost us at some point. Nonetheless, 22 goals in 8 games with 13 different scorers is damn impressive.
hahahahah this is too good…what a great night
I wasn’t impressed with Kiko, must do better imo. What alarmed the most tonight, was the amount of shots that Scunny had on our goal, we don’t seem to press the ball the way we used to.
Is it true we only used two subs?… unbeleivable! surely 5-1 up either Eikrem/Evans deserved some minutes
@willierednut
Very good point indeed. Something we have to rectify ahead of the next 3 games.
@Tony Starks
Yes it’s true. Would have liked to have seen Bebe come on earlier or Corry/Eikrem to come on. Maybe Phelan wanted to take the piss out of Chelsea. “You have no subs left, we have one and don’t even want to use it, lol”.
What a night. May it long last. Can’t stop watcing scoreboard.
was quite impressed with Bebe’s cameo appearance, looks to have the ingredients, lets he what gets cooked!
didnt
By the way… fergie must be watching De Gea having a storming game in the Atleti goal (vs Valencia)
Eikrem deffo a better passer of the ball than Gibson.. he couldnt pass a decent ball to save his life
Well done Northampton Town !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Northampton wins
ha ha did you here berbatov new song we song that on the way down from machester last weak . aslo city our out lets all laugh city. ha liverpool lost in penos sky sports news went mental when they sored the goal. its now a certain man united arseanl fianl
sprite
if there is a worse, more retarded poster on this site than you i have not read their posts… you sir have no idea about football
Dippers out to L2 side !!!
cool
Should we even laugh at Liverpool?
Oh what the hell…
hahahaha.
does anyone on here care what sprite says?
Sprite – I thought Gibbo done well, and he scored a goal, unfair criticism imo.
YA LETTS ALL LAUGH AT CITY AND LIVERPOOL HA HA HA HA..
@willierednut & Costas
Exactly mates…we have to press the ball better..it is something we are not really doing well at the moment…and let’s have a laugh at the scousers..hahahahahahahahahahahahaha..and shitty..hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…and the rentboys..hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
willierednut\
you are dead right lad, gibbo did well.. sprite is a fucking idiot.. he has no idea what he is talking about
sprite ya wanker..
From what I’ve seen, I don’t think Gibbo’s passing or his forward play in general is lacking much. That goal reminded me of one Beckham scored at Upton Park. So he has the talent.
On the other hand, I do wonder how good a job Gibbo and Ando did in closing down the opposition outside our box. But in general, I am happy with both given the circumstances. It was Ando’s first full game back and Gibson hasn’t playeda lot of games in the last 5 months either…
o ya for got the rent boy lost to HA HA HA HA HA letsback man city on saturday and we win against bolton which get it back to piont. i think that pretty good weaks work for machester united
The dippers knocked out by Northampton, feel sorry for Hodgson, he should have stayed at Fulham, the shite are in steady decline.
keanesmagichat
you are a fucking idiot
I have read a lot of your posts before, slagging off Scott every fucking time he posts a thread about Berbatov.. you bring nothing but negativity to this site, and you are a disgrace.
anyways, Eikrem made a lot of decents pass last time I saw him 2 days ago, long range balls like Scholes, and passing is his best attribute whereas what I saw of Gibson’s passing tonight was totally substandard, and I am amazed how he keep scoring those goals.
how old are you anyways? cant have a proper discussion just spouting childish bullshit.
I thought gibson’s passing was off the mark but he made up for it by giving the team a physical edge in midfield.i dont know i thought he was one of the top perfomers tonight.
what’s up with overreacting anyways?
just because I think Eikrem is a better passer than Gibson I am a idiot, a retard, a wanker etc.
At least I am having a proper discussion.. child
Costas @ 22:43: “I do wonder how good a job Gibbo and Ando did in closing down the opposition outside our box.”
Absolutely right. That’s half of their job and Scunthorpe had a lot of 20/25 yard shots on goal that were clear-sightted. That just shouldn’t happen.
Gibson is doing OK; Anderson was kept on to build up his stamina – in my opinion (? !!!), Anderson is going to be one of the keys to our season: if he can play up to “my expectations” then we’ll be in with a shout at the end of all four competitions, if not then we’ll be over-run in midfield. Scholes/Fletcherinho can’t play all the big games and Carrick/Gibson/Giggs aren’t strong enough for grind-’em-out matches. Perhaps Hargreaves …… yeah, sure !
The way I see Gibson is that he’s a reliable if unspectacular passer, has a good touch and technique, gets around the pitch, is good defensively. Now, if he improves on all of that aspect of his game, he could certainly improve the way Fletch did. And if you add Gibson’s shot to Darren Fletcher, you have a hell of a fucking player.
Wonderful day today. Chelsea, City, Sours and Liverpool out.
Thanks as always for the wonderful videos. Wonder whether Northampton would be the biggest hurdle for us 
@denton davey
Agreed about Ando. He is one of the main keys of the season. Hopefully he will the one to bring something new and fresh to our midfield. Something we have been lucking in recent months.
There was fuck all wrong with Gibsons passing tonight, he performed better than Ando, who offered very little, albeit, he’s only just returned from injury. Eikrem might be a better passer than Gibson, but at this point in time, Gibson is ahead of him, so why don’t we get behind the lad, and stop criticizing him ffs.
So rentboys, dippers and bitters all knocked out in one glorious evening of carling cup football
what ganmes do people watch gibson was briliant toinght. ball movement vision sharpe passing . what more do you wany grow up sonme of you. and i bet you couldnt score goal like that
@willierednut. costas, everybody Totally agree. Games with Gibbo are often heart attacks on defense. But the guy can shoot!
@Callum I am with you mate. Gibson will get games because of his shooting. We can all pray his passing and commitment improve. On that note. Who would ever imagine that it was Fletcher who floated that absolutely miraculous ball to Nani to set up Berbas second on Sunday. I keep replaying that goal because it was an absolutley amazing team goal. The build up destroyed Pool! Hope Gibbo develops like that!
tell you what, from what i saw of bebe tonight, he might just prove to be a bargain signing. his pace, skill, strength and shot power stood out alot when he was playing!!
“willierednut says:
I wasn’t impressed with Kiko, must do better imo. ”
why don’t we get behind the lad, and stop criticizing him ffs.
he did well..
I do have a real soft spot for Gibson as well because of his attitude. He seems like a bit of a dick, but in a good way (I think you have to to regularly shoot from 30 yards.)
But I mean like telling Trappatoni where to shove it and all that. It seems at odds with the usual professionalism at United but I wouldn’t question his commitment, he seems to love the club and you can’t ask for more than that. Sometimes you need someone with arrogance/balls.
sprite – Difference is, Kiko didn’t play that well, but Gibbo did play well, ya heard!!
Spirit
theres a difference between “just because I think Eikrem is a better passer than Gibson I am a idiot,
At least I am having a proper discussion”
“he couldnt pass a decent ball to save his life”
saying a young manchester united player who put in a good shift and scored a great goal cant pass to save his life isnt having a decent discussion . I mayself am a big fan of eikrem but you went about your first comment ass about face so you can understand the replys. also FletchTheMan I seen a “GHTT” with a few comments on the live blog . He’s needed on days like today to post a chant for us all to sing on todays events. i seen emily did a chant about berbatovs hattrick and the hypocrite fans that love berba these last few days
Everyone apart from the weird naked guy did well.
Now get behind the lad, lol….
I am yet to see Gibson make a decent pass.. that was what I meant.. oh, wait.. I saw one against Bayern, sorry..
Whereas I saw Eikrem make 10 last time I saw him play.. that was what I meant.. I probably went a bit too far.. but the guy (Gibson) made his debut back in 2005, he is 23 years old.. he should be going places, and all I can see is his shot.. I see there are alot of Gibson admirers here, but I tend to get a bit frustrated when I watch him play. period
I wont mention him again around here, that’s for sure..
played some nice counter attcking football tonight, was pleasing to see…thought everyone had a good game, some better than others but NO-ONE had a bad game…
great goal from gibbo, something i didnt think he had in his locker – getting behind the defence and finishing like that – well done lad…mickey owen’s first was great to see aswell, lovely weighted ball by kiko and a great finish from owen..all in all well done boys and roll on bolton away.
gibbo’s goal was class! missed the game as i had to go out, made my friend text me updates. love owen, give the lad some time and he will score
Kuzack – Know he got man of the match although just doesnt seem composed enough for me! Maybe im a little over critical!
Smalling – Wonderful performance! Has showed immense promise
Gibson – with a lovely goal, went missing in periods of the match though
Park – Looked odd having him in the centre – looked a little light weight to be fair
Owen – Played very deep at times, although was quite impressed with his use of the ball & his passing! Very acomplished!
Hernandez – Went missing most of the match, dont think he is suited to a wing role!
Macheda – Some lovely touches & approach play, Would have loved for him to get a goal!
Anderson – This boy is trying to hard, gave the ball away too often & mostly went for the extravagant pass rather than simple! There is a time for both lad!
Obatan – Trying to impress, work rate good. Looked threatening at times. Think he will become a good sqaud player maybe a good first teamer!
Ferdnand – Nice to have the big man back, Composed, Composed, Composed!
Rafeal – Did ok at left back, Guilty of giving the ball away and sometimes in dangerous areas!
Bebe – Big Strong & Powerful. Good Control.. I Cant wait to see more of him! looks very promising
@jellybean
With regards to owen, i think Owen will always return a good goal ratio, his record is second to none and a good addition to have in the united squad!
sprite – Stop pouting ffs, of course you can have constructive criticism of him, but i thought he played well tonight and so did a few others. You say he made his debut in 05, but think of the players that’s been ahead of him in that time, Hargo, Scholes, Fletch, Carrick, Ando and even O’Shea has been played in CM on occasions.
Kuszczak was very poor and I’m woried about next week trip to Walencia. Probably he is going to play in the first 11
@sprite
Im reading the posts upwards. With regards to Gibson he offers a big goal threat, but i think he has to work on aspects of his game. If we can bring them on a little. With the goal threat he has he will become a very useful player!
Unfortunitaly his improvement may only come with continual games in the top flight something we might not be able to offer him!
@willierednut
I agree – Gibbo put in a better performance than Anderson tonight.
With regards to Gibbo – Anderson & Kiko
Lets not forget that they are looking for every oppertunity to impress, all on the fringes of the first time. This added pressure for me is the reason they over play, or not as composed as they could be.
Out of the 3 Anderson is the one who has to step up most, His united career depends on it!
To be honest, I’ve never commented on Bebe’s transfer so far and I was waiting to see his performance or “touch” in general first before I say anything (in a more serious game than the reserves’). I think that some fans were unfair when they critisized him before his debut. Even though he didn’t play much tonight (and it was just Scunthorpe) but his control over the ball was great compared to the negative comments said about him. And I really liked his confidence. Hope he’ll be a successful project of SAF’s plans. I mean he’s a promising player. Wonder why the stupid naked guy chose the substitution moment to show up!
@United1990
Sometimes its difficult to judge a player until they have played 6 or more plus games etc!
What we can judge is raw talent, attitude and potential
One other thing that i am keen for is for our own fans not to jump on the band wagon of our rival fans or the tabloids! They all cant wait to knock united, laugh at us in our low moments knock us at our high! WE are united, we stay united!
“Ferguson will also be pleased to hear positive reports from Mike Phelan about the late contribution of £7.4million signing Bebe.
The 20- year-old was only on the field for 16 minutes and the first three of those were spent with his hands on his hips as a pitch invader – naked apart from his socks – did a couple of lengths of the field.
But when the youngster was finally given his opportunity he acquitted himself well. He would appear to have pace to spare and he may even have scored a spectacular goal, only for his ambitious shot to take a deflection and spin over the crossbar. ”
-The Daily Mail pulling their head out of their butt.
SAF was accused of disrespecting Rangers last week, with a supposedly weakened team, now there saying he’s disrespecting the league cup, because he wasn’t at the match.
I think as a cost cutting measure Sir Alex has been saked
Wait till the Daily Mail have a world exclusive then backed up by News of the World on Sunday
Apparently Sir Alex had been spotted in Valencia but instead was in Abu Dhabi signing on to be the next city manager
This is inception I will tell you something and you have to believe it – the dream is real
Or is it : )
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/446694842?-11193
Sorry, forgot to post the link, doughnut!
As far as pressing is concerned, we aint closing down jack shit. I look forward to the return of hargreaves, was fairly pleased to see ando back. Great to see Owen getting some mins and goals, we should definitely use him more often. To be honest i was disappointed Obertan and bebe didn’t get too much game time. Gibbo and Park did well to get the goals but i thought they could have been more industrious. That’s missing, we aren’t as industrious as we have been in previous seasons. Chicharito had a terrible time of it, he looks a bit light weight, certainly a great amount of talent there but got bowled over easily a couple of times. Kiko disappointed. Everyone keeps saying Smalling man of the match. Fuck that, The Pole in goal saved us a fair few times. It’s a shame VDS is so good cause i really like him. I understand these lads haven’t played huge amounts of football this year but i expected better tbh. There’s just something lacking with the squad as a defensive unit. Attacking though i’m well pleased.
@Costas, i bet that little praise in article by the daily mail was reluctantly published, they’ve definitely being out of order for the wierd unnecessary obsession with bebe
Great game!
Epic when our fans were singing “City, Manchester City, no body knows their name!”
ahh i see the problem here, sprite didn’t watch the game last night, and is basing all of his ‘decent discussions’ based on games of old.
…while everyone else is talking about last nights performances.
geez might as well say fletcher was the worst player of the match!
p/s the last time i watched fletcher play was 3-4 years ago so I should know…
Why doesnt Gibson play forward or striker since he can only shoot??
greatt……….
I thought Gibbo had a great game. Very calm and mature in the middle. Cris Smalling also had one of his best game so far for United.
@trevor
I agree with you on that. I didn’t judge yet but I took a slight idea about this raw talent you mentioned. He had a confident attitude and as Sir Alex said, he has strong potential. But what I was saying is that people gave him a lot of stick just because he’s “unknown”. It’s not like we’ve heard of Ronaldo before United played against S.Lisbon and clubs showed interest in him as well.
Yet it might take a couple of years till he improves and become a quality player.
First it was Nani, now we are seeing Berba. Any bets the next renaissance might be Ando’s? Here’s hoping.
I suppose the difference between Anderson and Gibson is the we’ve all seen that Anderson can do it at the top level. Scoring a penalty in the Champions League final, his nutmeg on Fabergas etc.
Unfortunately he isn’t a consistent player yet and can be found out of position.
As this clip shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL9e6sj5JMk&feature=related
These videos illustrate how good Anderson can and has been.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEfkBFX8Vew&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6NoqSwi6cI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP9pIFAXAq0&feature=related
Gibson hasn’t hit that level yet, but I’m hoping he can – like we know Anderson can. Lets hope this is the season where both players blossom.
Hi folks,
Rarely posting these days but had a few observations on last night’s game. Some positives for sure – Smalling was excellent. Owen, Anderson and KitKat had very good games. Also liked the cameos from Obertan and Bebe. Obertan in particular looks like he’s certainly developed since last season and may be worth a run in the team. Men of the match for me though were the fans – top performance lads – non-stop singing throughout….
It must be difficult being thrown together like that, with players out of position and clearly not match-fit etc, but I was concerned about our inability to pass the ball at times and Scunny had way too much space in front of goal. A different day and we could have been hammered last night. Still, a great result made even better with chelsea, citeh and then the scousers getting dumped.
Can we change the ticker-tape now to 35 years??
In 76, oh this is true, a cup was won by a team in blue…..
Asked the question couple days ago how Mail would explain away a half decent Bebe performance.Well seem’s they’ve sacked the schoolboy reporter, they were complimentary they even know now it was Uniteds Portugese scout who brought the clubs attention to Bebe.
Saw the game yesterday and i thought we could pass the ball a bit better, dis pointed it was just lumped forward half the time. On the plus side smalling,Rio and Park got some match time. I’m not sure what game some of you guys watched but i thought Gibson and Ando were poor.
In the case of Ando maybe since he just got back from injury but i was far from impressed, same thing with gibson, nice goal no doubt but offered little else for me. I’m just going say it i don’t see Gibson as a United regular. His situation shouldn’t be compared to fletcher’s.His position is a vital area and giving him 3-4 yrs as we did fletcherino to get up to scratch may be not such a good idea. Fletcher was touch and go he could have bombed, even Keano wasn’t too impressed with him up until he left the club,anythijg could have happened.
Kiko and Hernandez were okay, but i think its safe to say Hernandez is no winger he should be playing up top and no where else, it might seem a bit harsh but i can’t wait for Owen to call it a day at United, we went on and on over the summer about new players shunting the progress of the younger ones, well the same is true of owen, the sooner his time is up at United the more we’ll see of Kiko and Hernandez
@Mark – Gibbo scored against Bayern Munich in a Champions League quarter final, that sounds pretty “top level” to me
bigphill03 – Nice comeback there, it seems people forgot about that one. @ Slim disagree mate, thought Gibson played well, but Ando was well off the pace.
@exiledred
Always nice to hear fellow fans views and thoughts!
Morning. Pleased with last nights outing. I do find it bizarre almost the stick Gibbo gets. Why? The lad fucking scores everytime he plays but thats all he does? Is it fuck, he gets a foot in, CAN pass, covers the fullbacks and makes forward runs. What do folk want, really? Give the lad some credit. I thought Ando second half looked decent. He gives us energy, always drives forward and his big arse a la Kenny holds players off. He played some belting through balls actually . Even the commentator said “word is he has found a new desire since his return”. Keep it up fella. Smalling looks some player, including pre season he has already bagged two. Could we have a centre half that scores goals? He is comfortable on the ball and can play it out of defence, great pace and good in the air. Very very promising. Micky doing what he does best. PIG had a decent game but the lad just cannot distribute the ball. Impressed with Bebes cameo. Can run at pace with the ball and great strength.
Could not get tickets last night and gutted as once again our away support was top drawer. Had to laugh when the commentator said that ten minutes from the end it was United fans who were loudest. Don’t think so, we were the loudest from start to finish. Great to hear Ronnies songs being sung. Wonder if is aware he is still lauded? Sure he still watches United.
A good night.
The cunts on your on skysports are a joke. The tosser with Cundy said he thinks Arsenal are the Rentboys nearest challengers. What the fuck? Our third string just hammered a Championship team away from home and yet we still get fuck all credit. Even Le Tissier was saying the game at the bridge was the best and for most of it Chelsea were great. They are fucking out son. It will not go unnoticed last nights result and the form we are hopefully picking up. We have more of that swagger this time round.
U-N-I-T-E-D-
slim – Time Owen called it a day? Fuck sake.
@Mark
To be honest i dont think you are being fair to Gibo!
Do you not think if Gibson had been given the same number of games as Anderson Gibson wouldnt now be more advanced on the LEarning curve?
I have to say Anderson’s shooting is Shocking and i love the lad to bits! Christ i think Rio would score more goals from outside the box! No wait. I think VDS Would!…
If Gibson was a 9 out of 10 for Shooting Id say anderson would be a 3 or 4!
Lets see my other ratings
SPeed – Ando 7/8 Gibo 7/8
Passing Ando 8 Gibo 6/7
Tackling Ando 6 Gibo 5/6
Experience Ando 7 Gibo 3
these are just my views and not the views of Alex Fergusion Although we talk regurly! haha
Slim – What are you on about? I am sure Owen played ALONG with Kiko and Hernandez. The two young lads need to prove themselves mate, Owen doesn’t.
I’ve said it before, but the only way to get the best our of players like Kiko and Chicha is to challenge them. Owen does that. If we just hand them a spot in the team, they won’t have the same motivation to get better. Last night Owen did better than Kiko. Now it’s up to Kiko to elevate his game.
If Ando wasn’t Brazillian, he’d probably get more stick from fans, Gibson seems to be an easy target of fans misgivings. The only excuse i can see for Ando is he’s not match fit yet, so I’ll hold off on proper judgment until he achieves that.
@ King Eric says
Nothing against the lad, dont get me wrong, if my post came across that way, not my intention Te he thing is its difficult keeping 4 strikers in a team happy, We’ve got 5 of them, and they are all exciting prospects. Mickey knows better than to moan about being on the bench or not starting games, but you must admit he’ll be frustrated being on the bench. And i belove we could do without him, kiko, Hernandez are suitable, little experience between them, but i’m sure no one will be happy if either one of them doesn’t force their way into the team next season
King Eric says:
Slim – What are you on about? I am sure Owen played ALONG with Kiko and Hernandez. The two young lads need to prove themselves mate, Owen doesn’t.
Respect your opinions on ROM Eric but i respectfully disagree. Not with the younger players proving themselves but with exempting micheal owen. Fantastic player from his beginnings at liverpool but time has passed and he has to prove himself just like everyone else, Hell even Scholes tries his best to make it difficult for SAF to bench him
:@willierednut
Sometimes i forget he’s even Brazilian (trying to justify my criticism of Gibbo here) but them 2 players need to step it up massively IMHO. Personally don’t have too much faith in Gibbo. Same thing with Ando, i guess people give Ando a bit of leeway cause he has an all action look about him that makes it look as if he’s about to tear the opposition a new asshole coupled with the fact that a lot of people remember his good games against Liverpool and Arsenal and finally because of the belief that we’re lacking a true Attacking central midfielder.
Owen doesnt need to prove anything if you cant realise that then too bad for you.he is a goal scorer and he has proved himself and quite frankly i would start him before kiko or chicha.he has 11goals in 21games what more do people want from him.
@Chicharito14
Thats your opinion and i respect it. i say he has to continually prove himself
slim – No problems mate, but those performances against the dippers and Arsenal are 3 years old, i feel he’s been living of those for some time now, but as i say, i don’t agree about Gibson. We’ll have to agree to disagree on the latter, there’s just something about him that i like, maybe that he can bang one in from 30 yards, it’s a great thing to have in your game.
@ willierednut
Indeed, that were quite some time ago, and you’re right he has been living off those games, the fans have been guilty of that as well, if he received half the stick berba’s got maybe he’d be better off. i like that Gibbo is getting into in the goalscoring positions and taking them, but i want him to perform in the middle of the park. The midfield “problems” we have is crying out for someone to step up and make a name for himself.
I see the goalscoring aspect of Gibbos game akin to berbatov last season and previous seasons. A lot of people cried “he’s a striker, he should be scoring goals not messing about with passes and flicks”. or a poor defender who scores a lot of goals when coming up to take corners or free kicks, he may be helping out on the scoring front but is found wanting in his primary position, i just feel he places too much emphasis on scoring and is ignoring other parts of the game
Agree with Slim there. It’s not about Ando being Brazilian. It’s his impressive first season that maybe made fans overrate him. Gibson has never put in these kind of performances. Right now though, I’d say that both are at about the same level. On the plus side, they are still young and can become very good players for us.
I think that Owen proved again yesterday that if you had to choose anyone being one on one with the keeper, it would be him. He made the first goal look so easy and natural and was involved with our overall play too yesterday, which was nice to see.
I guess I’m not the only one who was impressed with our fans yesterday. If only such an atmosphere existed at Old Trafford, the opposing team would shit their pants every game.
slim – Ok mate fair enough but we all know when Owen plays he scores. His record holds up against ANYONE in World Football.. He has nowt to prove .
Costas – Maybe Ando being Brazillian, isn’t a factor with you and slim, but some fans think he should be putting in top performances every time he plays for United. My point is this, his form has been poor and his attitude is even poorer. If the roles were reversed and this was the case with Gibson, he probably wouldn’t get the same benefit of the doubt. The thing that frustrates me with Ando is he’s got the ability and talent to do so much better, i really do hope he makes it at United.
@ King Eric says
I won’t lie i’m desperate for Kiko and Hernandez to play and play well early on and yes Owen does score when he plays i won’t dispute that. Problem is he doesn’t see himself as a squad player. he still harbors thoughts of playing for England for fucks sake. Anyways i’m glad its SAF’s headache to pick who he plays cos i’d probably fuck it up
@ slim
How doesn’t he see himself as a squad player? He took a massive pay-cut to play for United and he always knew about our situation with Berba and Rooney. He doesn’t expect to play every game.
With regards to England, I can hardly remember Owen talking about England recently; I think it’s more the media that has an obsession with the whole England-Owen thing.
Personally, I think he still has a lot to offer to our cause. If anything, with all his experience, Kiko and Chicharito can learn a lot from him. It’s still early days and I’m sure all our strikers will have their chance.
@Che Guevarist
Hmmmn yes took a pay cut, no one was going to pay him what he got at Newcastle,I remember him talking about the England set up recently. Does he have a lot to offer us ? In my opinion he’s a good player to have around, i’d just prefer come the end of the season kiko and chico played more than him individually or a combined total. And i’m not slating the guy for Gods sake, i’m just anxious to see our young players grow and become successful, Remember Hollier took a chance on him when he was a teenager at looserpool, i want us to do the same with our young guns
@bigphil2003 @Trevor
I suppose we’re not comparing like for like players in Anderson and Gibson.
I think you’re right about chances and the progression curve. Anderson has made more then 100 appearances for United, Gibson has 40 or so, and they are both about the same age, I think. I’m not blaming Gibson for where he is on the curve. Maybe if he’d have been bought for £18m he would have been given more playing time.
I’m just saying that I think Anderson made good progress in the past and shown good consistent form. But unfortunately since then he has regressed (even before he got injured). Anderson has shown he can consistently produce the form to push himself into the team, ahead of other fit players. I know that his injury has set him back but if he can get back to where he once was I’d be happy and it would be good for the team. As you say – he also needs to work on his shooting.
With Gibson, I feel that we’ve seen flashes of brilliance from him (like the goal against Bayern) but he’s yet to impose himself on a game in the way I feel Anderson did when he was on form. I’m sure that in 60 games time when Gibson catches up with Anderson he’ll be flying. I just think he needs some match time, to work on certain areas of his game and he’ll be great. We’ll hopefully get to the point where Gibson is putting pressure on Scholes for a place in the starting 11 for the big games, because that’s what we need.
I actually think Gibson is ahead of Anderson in terms of form at the moment. Gibson is improving all the time, Anderson has been a bit up and down.
@: Mark,
We have no player at United who will put pressure on Scholes!
If scholes is fit he plays!
@Trevor. On current form I agree.
Mark @ 14:09: “I actually think Gibson is ahead of Anderson in terms of form at the moment. Gibson is improving all the time, Anderson has been a bit up and down.”
I think that your comparison is the proverbial “apples and oranges”. Yes, “at the moment” Gibson is “ahead” of Anderson BUT Anderson is just coming back from an injury lay-off of six months. A more appropriate comparison would be to consider their age: I believe that Anderson is 12 -18 months younger; their experience in the first team at UTD; and their up-side potential. In all of these categories – and also Anderson’s left-footedness – I believe that Anderson has the edge BUT Gibson “seems” to have more steel in his desire although it is always difficult for an outsider to interpret body-language. Perhaps another way of looking at this kind of comparison is to ask a somewhat different question – which player would you choose if both of them reached their absolute up-side potential ? For me, it’s Anderson because I think he has the combination of physical power and skill to be simply awesome whereas Darron Gibson could be excellent. Given that this is a narrow – but crucial margin of difference – it’s a close-run thing; and, what is more, it’s a delightful dilemma for SAF because it seems that he has the same confidence in Gibson that he had in Darren Fletcherinho (football genius) – and we all know how that’s turned out.
Trevor/Mark – I’m in partial agreement with you guys about Paul Scholes’ pre-eminence because he has been absolutely terrific in the games I’ve seen so far this year (I missed the match on the weekend but have seen the others) BUT in none of those games – except the second half of the Fulham match – has the opposition pressurized the GingerNinja. That, for me, is a crucial element in making the claim for Scholes’ pre-eminence. Of course, it’s not his fault that the opposition has given him time/space but it is pretty significant because no player is as good when he’s harrassed and harried as he is when he can stroll. This next CL match at Valencia might be a good indicator of Scholes’ continuing ability to weave magic in midfield because it’s my undestanding that Valencia’s defensive midfielders are very, very good players (Ever Banega, in particular); if they harry, harrass and hound Scholes – and they will be the home team – and the GingerNinja continues to weave his magic then it would count heavily in favour of your claims but if Scholes isn’t comfortable and can’t dominate then you might want to reconsider your argument. As in all comparisons, the key is “as compared to what ?” We’ll see – and I would just love it if you guys are proven correct.
On LittleMIkey – in my opinion he’s a great asset to UTD for several reasons: first, he has a long, proven track record of scoring on a consistent basis; second, he’s a model professional; and third – and, I think, most importantly – he’s a barrier to Chicharito and KikoTheKid. This third reason is based on my understanding that young players have to “earn” playing time by proving themselves to be better than the more experienced incumbent. Competition for playing-time forces these youngsters to improve (and accept advice about how they must adapt their games in order to improve) while, as it were, cutting them down to size. In the short-term, these hard knocks are a tough form of schooling for youngsters but the lessons they learn will serve them well – they will know that to be walking out of the tunnel at OT, wearing the red shirt, is a real badge of confidence because they will know that the greatest manager in the world has selected them ahead of, say, legends like LittleMikey or RedNev or RyanGiggs or PaulScholes. And if that doesn’t fill them with confidence in their own ability – and a certain modesty about their role in a team game – then their name must be CR7 ! Most of UTD’s kids don’t have Cristiano’s other-worldly skill-set, they are merely “ordinary superstars” – so for Chicharito or KikoTheKid or Bebe to be selected for a first-team role ahead of MIchael Owen is a major step towards their development as proper – but “ordinary” – superstars in their own right. SAF won’t give them that chance, they will have to earn it and that’s why LittleMikey (and the other geezers) play such a valuable role in developing a team ethos.
Mark – Good post.
hello denton – You ok mate? I think it is very difficult for ANY team to close Paul down. One minute the opposition has him in their sights the next he has turned 180 and made space. VERY difficult to close down and mark.
King Eric. Cheers.
Denton Davey. I think we’re in agreement about Anderson v Gibson. You also make a good point about Scholes v Valencia (the team, not the player). I’m very much looking forward to that game, and seeing how The Ginger Prince gets on. Fergie is obviously taking that match seriously enough to miss a United game and scout them in Spain last night.
SAF wasn’t there to watch Valencia, he was there to watch Player/players.
willierednut @ 17:31: maybe he was both scouting Valencia AND the Athletico Madrid keeper, David De Gea ?
denton davey – Yeah probably, but it’s worth noting, that Eric Steele, the goal keeping coach, was with the boss in Spain.
So, Gibson scored his obligatory one for every fifty shots? Nice.