Manchester United

[McDermotX]

[frank the tank]

i saw a post by paddypower on facebook yesterday. 3 years ago to the day, Manchester United put 8 past Arsenal with a starting 11 of De Gea, Evra, Evans, Jones, Smalling, Young, Cleverly, Anderson, Nani, Rooney and Welbeck......their subs bench looked a pile of ****e as well.....

In reality, as a club they lack direction, identity and passion. Their squad is totally unbalanced. Although they have Rooney and RVP up top - which looks as good a striker partnership as anything in europe - both players aren't singing from the same hymm sheet. I would say that is more RVP than Rooney. RVP is a rat. He was the main man at Arsenal, but thought they weren't good enough for him and he deserved to be at a better team. Fergie played up to that by making him the main man but for me, Rooney is much more of a team player. The fact that RVP hobbled off last Feb to be ready for the world cup said it all about his committment....

They have spent £200m in the last 12 months. Net spend. Fellani was 28m pretty much flushed down the toilet. Mata is a class act but needs to be played as a #10 - where rooney is also most effective. And at £37.1m, i think they have over-paid by about £18m. For a guy that couldnt get in the Chelsea team - it is hilarious.

[Bender]

Amy Lewis @SkySportsAmy 21m
Sources: Valencia latest club to bid for Man Utd player Tom Cleverley. More on #SSNHQ

[baronvonskidmark]

Amy Lewis @SkySportsAmy 21m
Sources: Valencia latest club to bid for Man Utd player Tom Cleverley. More on #SSNHQ

This is a guy who the press were proclaiming the next big thing from United. I think he was even being compared to Scholes at one point.

Ah yes, here is a Guardian headline: 'Tom Cleverley assumes Paul Scholes's United mantle with youthful zest'

I won't bore you with the rest of the article

[PTP]

apparently van gaal has said it'll be a new look team by time the window slams shut

i'm really hoping they don't go and get more players - couple mates last night convinced they will go and spend another £100m or so and get Blind, Vidal and another defender

that would be sickening if they somehow managed to turn it round....

like we did last year, without loads of competitions and just 38 league games to concentrate on, you don't need a huge squad and a couple of additions to centre mid/centre half could really sort them out.

a starting XI of

De Gea

Rafael
New cb
rojo
shaw

vidal?
blind
mata

rooney
rvp
di maria


with a bench/squad players

lindergaard
jones
smalling
valencia
carrick
fletcher
herrera
januzaj
hernandez


that would be a decent 20 man squad that if they got sorted, van gaal got his head out of his arse and if they clicked would be capable of doing well. Keep a few kids to make up the numbers and then bin off all the ****e

Evans
Young
Welbeck
Cleverly
Anderson
kagawa
fellaini



but i'm hoping that it's too much for them to get sorted in the last couple of days

[baronvonskidmark]

apparently van gaal has said it'll be a new look team by time the window slams shut

i'm really hoping they don't go and get more players - couple mates last night convinced they will go and spend another £100m or so and get Blind, Vidal and another defender

that would be sickening if they somehow managed to turn it round....

like we did last year, without loads of competitions and just 38 league games to concentrate on, you don't need a huge squad and a couple of additions to centre mid/centre half could really sort them out.

I think that there is a bit of a difference with us last season and United this season though mate.

Firstly, as Rodgers has said, the team had an identity and way of playing that he had installed from his first season in charge. It really began to take shape from the the second half of that season when we signed Coutinho and Sturridge. We were then playing great football and getting results, so in a sense we were heading in the right direction before we made our jump, whereas last season, United in comparison were playing ****e and now have to adapt to a totally new system. Their expected jump therefore comes off the back of a ****e season, whereas ours came off the back of promising signs (and a world class player, obv)

Also, the team was settled and we only added Mignolet and Sakho for the first team last summer. United will basically pretty much have half a team of foreign players to integrate into the style of play, league and country. And a manager who has to do the same.

And the thing that annoys me the most about the press saying United will be right up there because we did it without European distractions, is that it insults our achievements. It was an incredible feat to go from not qualifying for Europe to challenging for the title in 12 months or so. The idea that the press roll out makes it sound that United have some kind of bye to challenging for the title just because they have no European competition. No doubt it will help, but it is extremely unusual and everything needs to be in place for it to happen imo. And United are by no means a settled club at the moment.

[PTP]

thats reassuring

i do agree united defo have more issues and are making more changes etc and i think if van gaal continues with this attitude he seems to have of "i'm van gaal., i can do no wrong" then it could really effect......

i'm prob just looking at it too black and white - they have plenty of attacking options but are screaming out for a couple of midfielders and defenders - IF they got them in and they managed to gel, they'd have a decent enough XI to compete.


but if they don't - then it's all gravy

[baronvonskidmark]

thats reassuring

i do agree united defo have more issues and are making more changes etc and i think if van gaal continues with this attitude he seems to have of "i'm van gaal., i can do no wrong" then it could really effect......

i'm prob just looking at it too black and white - they have plenty of attacking options but are screaming out for a couple of midfielders and defenders - IF they got them in and they managed to gel, they'd have a decent enough XI to compete.


but if they don't - then it's all gravy

Oh, don't me wrong mate, I hope they don't sign any more players. As you say, IF they gel quickly enough perhaps they could compete, but there is no certainty that the players they have signed now will gel, let alone any more.

Also, van Gaal/Beavis has said that Utd fans shouldn't expect much for a few months and that Di Maria won't change things over night. It will be interesting to see how that ugly **** in particular does. He is an excellent player but does dive a lot and that will probably get short shrift in the PL - especially now Webb has retired. The PL could be quite a shock for him.

[Alex]

They are in a transition season this year, and I think alot of the chat about them is with a heavy bias. Im guilty of it, most of us are.

Bottom line is with the players they have they should be Top 4. But so should Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Us. So itll be interesting.

Them dropping points early on will help us no end.

[PTP]

i also have a couple concerns re spurs. they could be pushing for top 4 too.

[baronvonskidmark]

i also have a couple concerns re spurs. they could be pushing for top 4 too.

Yeah I agree mate. I think they'll be in for a good season and are a worry for Sunday.

[Roboklopp]

Me too. Cunts.

[Bender]

Ready to start the championship! 100% let Juventus !!!!!

Arturo Vidal
@kingarturo23
Listos para comenzar el campeonato! Al 100% vamos Juventus!!!!!


....Looks like Vidal staying at Juventus

[dom9]

This is a guy who the press were proclaiming the next big thing from United. I think he was even being compared to Scholes at one point.

Ah yes, here is a Guardian headline: 'Tom Cleverley assumes Paul Scholes's United mantle with youthful zest'

I won't bore you with the rest of the article

Was that Henry Winter by any chance?

[dom9]

Ready to start the championship! 100% let Juventus !!!!!

Arturo Vidal
@kingarturo23
Listos para comenzar el campeonato! Al 100% vamos Juventus!!!!!


....Looks like Vidal staying at Juventus

Why have you posted a picture of Wham?