Man Utd thread

[Liam]

First topic message reminder :

There are a few Utd fans like myself on the board but like the LFC one set up, everyone are welcome to discuss Utd's results and news etc..

Playing Barca tomorrow night, only a pre-season game but would like to see Kagwa given a run out tomorrow night see what he's got against the best.

[Geordie]

I hope we dont get found out this season Top hat...i think we're still missing some serious creativity...and havent had the best summer recruitment wise...we shall see i guess.

Re Rooney...i lost all respect for him after his go at the fans in South Africa...for booing the team when the team was appalling, heartless, effortless etc.
Im not sure he really cares about playing for England...

[Guest]

Champions league draw later, who do United fans want in the group stages this year.

I think we'll get a tough group

I would like to see Celtic drawn in the same group but my gut feeling after transfers in and out in the summer will be Juventus from pot 3 and Dortmund from pot 4, probably get Benfica or Braga from pot 2 as well as we usually seem to travel to Portugal in the group stage

[TopHat24/7]

I hope we dont get found out this season Top hat...i think we're still missing some serious creativity...and havent had the best summer recruitment wise...we shall see i guess.

Re Rooney...i lost all respect for him after his go at the fans in South Africa...for booing the team when the team was appalling, heartless, effortless etc.
Im not sure he really cares about playing for England...

Keeping Cabaye and Tiote, and keeping them fit, along with that super strike-force should propel you to top 6 this season I'd have thought.

[Liam]

UTD
GALATASARAY
BRAGA
FC CLUJ

Not a bad group by any means. Should qualify but I thought that about our group last year. Hopefully some of the younger players have learned their lessons from last year, as well as some of the senior players who simply did not lead from the front. Also I'm sure Fergie won't think twice about putting out slightly weaker sides as we were punished last year.

[Smirnoffpriest]

Utd easy cl group shocker!

[matth7]

We've got Newcastle in the 3rd round in the capital one cup.

[The Special Juan]

We've got Newcastle in the 3rd round in the capital one cup.

I would love it if we beat them.

[two_tone]

Utd easy cl group shocker!

Worked out well for us last year.

[Josiah Maiestas]

It may be a very easy group, but if I was a major club like Man U I would rather have 2 very difficult teams in the group to test themselves with. I notice Hernandez hasn't been playing recently.. is he going to for sale?

[Smirnoffpriest]

It may be a very easy group, but if I was a major club like Man U I would rather have 2 very difficult teams in the group to test themselves with. I notice Hernandez hasn't been playing recently.. is he going to for sale?

So you'd rather Man C's group than your's? I think you'd be in the minority there...

[TopHat24/7]

It may be a very easy group, but if I was a major club like Man U I would rather have 2 very difficult teams in the group to test themselves with. I notice Hernandez hasn't been playing recently.. is he going to for sale?

So you'd rather Man C's group than your's? I think you'd be in the minority there...

he is not a United fan.

[Smirnoffpriest]

Sorry gramatical error, but would any Man U fan rather have Man City's group than their own?

[TopHat24/7]

Sorry gramatical error, but would any Man U fan rather have Man City's group than their own?

I'm in the camp that believes we perform better when challenged and risk being complacent when in an 'easy' group. Still I would take our draw over theirs.

[Smirnoffpriest]

Sorry gramatical error, but would any Man U fan rather have Man City's group than their own?

I'm in the camp that believes we perform better when challenged and risk being complacent when in an 'easy' group. Still I would take our draw over theirs.

Must have been a kick in the teeth the groups you've had in most of the last 10 years then...

[Liam]

Ashley Young out for 2 weeks. Shame but obviously Nani slots in there with Kagawa staying in the middle.

[Liam]

Berba completes move to Fulham. Good move for both parties and I hope he does well there. Thought he did well for us despite what everyone says about his price tag.

[The Special Juan]

I wouldn't have Nani near the team.

[Liam]

I wouldn't have Nani near the team.

Well on his day he's decent, with Young out I'd have him start then if it's going pear shaped switch to 4-4-2 and bring on Hernandez/Welbeck and put Kagawa out on the left.

[The Special Juan]

I'd stick Shinji on the left and play Welbeck up front with Van Persie in the number 10 area.

[Liam]

I'd stick Shinji on the left and play Welbeck up front with Van Persie in the number 10 area.

Well the 4-2-3-1 worked well last week so let's not change. As good as Shinji was from the left vs Everton he was even better in behind RVP, their link up play was superb, let's not change that. Stick Nani on the left he may have a stormer. Like I said if it doesn't work just switch to 4-4-2 and bring on a striker.

[The Special Juan]

Yes, good points. I like the 4-2-3-1. It will win us matches, like it helped Man City last year.

[two_tone]

Nani '1 good game in 10' is a liability, wouldnt mind Hernandez having some input at least while Rooney is out. Worried we will lose him if he doesnt get his game time.

[The Special Juan]

Stick Welbeck on the wing, he can play there on occasion.

[Liam]

Nani '1 good game in 10' is a liability, wouldnt mind Hernandez having some input at least while Rooney is out. Worried we will lose him if he doesnt get his game time.

Well personally I'd like him to come on this sunday instead of Welbeck. Think he needs to be shown by management that they still have faith in him. You can have too many good strikers sometimes. Look at Madrid, just Benzema/Higuain who they can rotate to keep both happy. I'm not complaining though, rather have 4 good strikers than 1 good one with 2 average as back up.

Nani has now got to show Fergie that he can return to the form he showed the season before last. In fairness to him, he had an injury last season and never returned to any sort of form after. New season, new start and with Young out, he can really but a stamp on that LW position.

[Liam]

Stick Welbeck on the wing, he can play there on occasion.

I've always wondered why we haven't put him there occasionally. That's where he made a name for himself at Sunderland and ultimately gave him the confidence to perform when he returned to Utd. Wouldn't like him there permanently but would free up Hernandez to come on and play up front.

[TopHat24/7]

Nani '1 good game in 10' is a liability, wouldnt mind Hernandez having some input at least while Rooney is out. Worried we will lose him if he doesnt get his game time.

£25m bid was rumoured from somebody....would bank that!

[Liam]

Nani '1 good game in 10' is a liability, wouldnt mind Hernandez having some input at least while Rooney is out. Worried we will lose him if he doesnt get his game time.

£25m bid was rumoured from somebody....would bank that!

Rather keep him and sell him on next summer, as long as he has a couple of years left on his contract. If he goes this window (Which i don't think he will) it leaves us slightly short on the wings imo.

[Ent]

Nani will be crap on the left, he is good when played consistently on the right, I we aren't going to do that may as well cash in.

Thus ends a terrible transfer window where we spunk £40 million on our 2 strongest areas (regardless of their qualities) and not strengthened despite a glut of centre mids moving all over europe for reasonable fees.

Frustrating.

[matth7]

Quotes from Berbatov - “Tevez did it out of spite. But I wouldn’t do something like that. I had the opportunity to sign for City but I chose United."

“I feel happy playing in this team. It is everything I thought it would be. Ryan Giggs has been here since the beginning and says he never wanted to go anywhere else. I don’t want to go anywhere either.”

“I am just myself. I don’t want to be compared with anybody else – especially a legend like Cantona."

"I don’t play for myself, I play for the team. You have 75,000 people supporting you every game, the most successful coach in the world and the best players in the world. What more could you wan"

“I am lucky. I have loved my time here. I was disappointed with myself that I could not please all the supporters. I have said before the people of Manchester United are the judges and that is the way it should be. It is their team. I am a guest. A privileged guest.”

“He is one of the most successful managers in the history of the game. I write things down about the way we train and how he treats people. It is like a school. You work with the best manager and play with the best players. I try to learn. I am at the biggest club in the world. If I can learn anywhere it is here.”

“My agent called me to say we have interest from Manchester United. I said: ‘Don’t joke with me’ but he said he was serious. So I was speechless. When the biggest club contact you, it’s a big deal for me coming from a small country like Bulgaria.”

“The truth is, I love this club, but I am not going to be useful to anyone, if I am not playing. And I want to play, I want to help. But for unknown reasons it’s not going to happen, or my chances will be limited, so it’s better for everyone if we say goodbye.”

"By joining United, I achieved everything"

[Ent]

Whilst its sentimental it's how I feel about united and we must judge him on hat he did on the pitch ie not much.

Unwilling to adapt and a frequent complainer to young players all in all a flop and considering our change from European champions to domestic also rand on his tenure our worse signing ever.

[matth7]

He helped us to win the league in the 2010/2011 season and scored a hat-trick against Liverpool.

[Guest]

Thoughts on today's game?

I can see same line up as last week but Evans to start alongside vidic and carrick to move into midfield in place of Anderson. Also I believe Young is out so Nani to come in on the left as well

I'm gonna go for a hard fought united win' maybe snatch a couple of goals late on after Southampton are drained, possibly 2-0 or 3-1

[The Special Juan]

Fergie's 1000th league game today I think.

[Guest]

I don't undertsand Ferguson's obsession with Welbeck. I really don't see it and it annoys me to see him starting ahead of Hernandez

[The Special Juan]

Hernandez can't really play on the wing.

Why's De Gea been dropped?

[Guest]

Hernandez can't really play on the wing.

Why's De Gea been dropped?

Ferguson has said about the mistake last week

[The Special Juan]

Ah that's a shame. Lindegaard is a tank though, he'll do fine.

[The Special Juan]

"Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been talking before kick-off at St Mary's about his decision to drop David de Gea: "I think young David made a mistake last week and he knows it. He's been in good form and made some great saves, but that mistake could have cost us a game. It's just a learning process for him. He will be back in the team in a couple of weeks' time."

[Liam]

Well just 3 games in and that 24m is looking a bargain already. Typical Utd really, never know when we're beat. Thought Hernandez also made a real difference, allowed RVP to drop deeper and give him more space in behind.

Thank God he scored that hat trick and the winner after that dreadful penalty, seemed to catch his foot in the ground just as he struck. Don't think he'll be hitting one like that again.

Going forward, would like to see Hernandez playing ahead of Welbeck, whether from the bench or starting in general. Got a little lucky today but a wins a win and thankfully, rather than 3 from 3, we've got 6 from 3.

[Thomond]

Was the winning goal in injury time? Did we have a Fergie time incident like? Fair play to RVP, and well United have been doing this for years.

[Liam]

Was the winning goal in injury time? Did we have a Fergie time incident like? Fair play to RVP, and well United have been doing this for years.

4 mins added time which was about right. corner in the 92nd minute, RVP unmarked and headed past Davies into the far corner for the win, superb header, awful marking if I can call it marking.

Worrying that we still haven't replaced Scholes. Even though he is still superb, we shouldn't still be needing him to come off the bench and dig us out of a hole (Once again).

[The Special Juan]

We're one player away from becoming a great team, but that one player is absolutely key. A Modric or Moutinho player is paramount.

I don't care about the result today. The fact is we're awful, but at least Van Persie is used to bailing awful teams out.

[Ent]

We're one player away from becoming a great team, but that one player is absolutely key. A Modric or Moutinho player is paramount.

I don't care about the result today. The fact is we're awful, but at least Van Persie is used to bailing awful teams out.

Prob 5/6 players shy of a great team. Fine on the wings and up front but the centre of midfield is gash as is the back 4 vidic aside.

[Liam]

I think Cleverly is looking better every time I see him. Although its way too early to ask him to take over from Scholes, it's only his second proper season with Utd.

We should have been in for a creative midfielder like the ones suggested, but Fergie though Carrick and Scholes would be enough. Not sure on that one.

[Ent]

Cleverly is tidy and would suit playing higher up in 433, for me he isn't a player to take the ball off the defense and control a game. He is also lacking in physical attributes which is unfortunately becoming extremely
Important.

[The Special Juan]

Rafael started well but got progressively worse. Jones can replace him though. Can't blame him for the goal though, ok he lost Lambert but he's never going to win that ball in the air. Evra was just about ok and, although everything Southampton created was down the right, he put in a reasonable shift. Ferdinand will be short of match fitness but he'll get better. We have to keep Vidic and Ferdinand fit to have any chance. I'd like another FB, but we have more pressing issues.

Midfield is where we were found out again. Kagawa had an off day, but he's been excellent this season so I'll let him off. Carrick..... he puts in a shift but he's just not got that "wow" factor about him. He's consistently ok, but we need more than "ok".

[The Special Juan]

Unfortunately for us, there's no one equal to Paul Scholes in terms of controlling a match.

[GSC]

We're one player away from becoming a great team, but that one player is absolutely key. A Modric or Moutinho player is paramount.

I don't care about the result today. The fact is we're awful, but at least Van Persie is used to bailing awful teams out.

Prob 5/6 players shy of a great team. Fine on the wings and up front but the centre of midfield is gash as is the back 4 vidic aside.

Have to agree with Ent. CM is a massive hole, and upgrades at FB needed

[Crimey]

It seems almost everybody, but Fergie, thinks United would be better off using Hernandez than Welbeck. I would say it's because Welbeck is English, but Ferguson wouldn't care about that.

[Ent]

Welbeck can play wide and is a stronger lead the line front man.

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