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The old Man Utd Thread

ThePixelbarks

By ThePixelbarks
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ckny

ckny

Posted
Posted

Wem-ber-ley! (again)

 

Great match with some excellent individual performances. Thought Rooney, Martial, Lingard and Rashford were all superb. Fellaini too, one of his best games in the shirt. Fosu-Mensah was awful, I was going to post at half time that he needs to come off but thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, he's young and to play at Wembley before he's even hit double figures for United appearances is a meteoric rise, wonder what Darmian makes of it.

 

We've got to be massive favourites to win it, hoping we face Palace after their insipid display against us the other night. Can't wait for the final now. Ah, the magic of the cup.

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ckny

ckny

Posted
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You know what, I'd like LvG to still be manager next season. The emergence of the young players has been thrilling this season, one or two more robust signings in the summer to shore up the defence and we'll be challenging again.

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feltmonkey

feltmonkey

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Haha, I'd been thinking that as well, but I thought I might be the only one.  I worry that Mourinho wouldn't pick any of the young players.  Right at the moment we look like United again, with Rashford, Martial, and Lingard up front.  When the commentators yesterday said that both sides were better going forward than defensively, I thought back to the first half of the season, when we were unable, and apparently unwilling, to score a goal.

 

We were saying this at the end of last season, though, when we were beating Tottenham and Man City on our way to fourth.  We looked like we just needed a couple of players and we'd be challenging.  We looked like a focused, tactically intelligent, attacking side.  Then this season started, and we seemed determined not to do any attacking when we could pass sideways.  Van Gaal seemed so determined to make us defensively solid that he threw out a lot of the good stuff that we had developed the season before.  Right now once again we look shaky at the back, so I wonder if a third LVG season would start the same as the second one did, too focused on possession and not enough attacking impetus.  

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Guest

Guest

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We've just scraped past a team that an average Liverpool side just put 4 past. And don't forget getting spanked by Spurs last week. We're not just a few decent signings away from a decent side. We're a few decent signings and a competent manager away. 

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ckny

ckny

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It was a cup semi final. We got beat by Sunderland, who are in the relegation places. We beat City home and away and they're in the CL semi finals. Football doesn't work like that. I look at the football we played yesterday and I see real progression, the front three of Rashford, Martial and Lingard were excellent. I still don't agree with Fellaini ever wearing a United shirt (as well as he admittedly played yesterday) and think that Schneiderlin and Herrera should be our first choice midfield pair. When we've a fit Luke Shaw playing again, I think we'll look a completely different prospect, going forward and at the back. I say give him another year.

 

Spoiler

I'll be calling for his head again next week though.

 

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Bleeders

Bleeders

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Just managed to snag a couple tickets for the final, very chuffed.

 

I quite like LVG as a person, but his decision making has been questionable at best. Sure, him bringing the young players through has been the one positive this season. They have provided more of an attacking impetus for us, no doubt.  I think the cracks are being papered over by teams around us not showing consistency, which has given us a glimmer of hope for fourth. Oh, and David De Gea saving our skin many times. 

 

Let us not forget the dross football we've been serving up most of the season, the gutless performances, registering one of the lowest amount of chances, LVG's substitutions, playing Ashley Young up front and dropping players inexplicably. He's been banging on about having a senior play-maker this season, and yet we have Mata, Herrera and Memphis on the bench.

 

Personally, I'd prefer Mourinho. Many would argue he doesn't promote youth, although he gave Loftus-Cheek and Zouma their debuts at Chelsea. Varane at Madrid, so he does where he thinks they will excel and are better options. Luke Shaw back next season will be like a new signing for us I think.

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feltmonkey

feltmonkey

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You have to remember though, in each of those cases of "promoting youth" the chances are that Mourinho was making some kind of political point to his senior players. Consistently through his career he's shown that he does not trust young players.

 

I don't know what I think any more. LVG has given us shit football for three quarters of the season, but right now we look really exciting. Would Mourinho bring a crashing halt to the career of Rashford? Probably, yes. Would we lose Mata and Herrera? Yep, definitely. Would we be a better, more efficient team? Yes. Would Mourinho behave in a really embarrassing way at some point? Of course.

 

But what would LVG do? Christ knows - the man is completely unpredictable. It's like the devil you know or the devil you don't, but the devil you don't know is the current manager.

 

Moving away from that, what do we think of Palace for the final? A repeat of 1990, which was one of the best cup-finals of all time. I'm looking forward to it, but not particularly confident. Alan Pardew definitely sees a cup win as something to put on his CV for the England job, which makes it all the more important that we win.

 

 

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Ran

Ran

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LVG seems to be getting plenty of credit for playing youth but he's had little option due to injuries at various points in the season. Rashford is a perfect example, he only got on the pitch when Keane (very unluckily) pulled his groin and from that point on he'd have been certifiably insane not to continue playing him after that debut performance and how he's played in most games since.

If he manages to creep us back into the champions league positions and wins the FA cup it's hard to begrudge him a final season in charge but I won't soon forget the many ineffectual displays this season littered with negativity, over-cautiousness and bewildering substitutions he's made at times.

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feltmonkey

feltmonkey

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, RobNoyce said:

LVG seems to be getting plenty of credit for playing youth but he's had little option due to injuries at various points in the season.

 

That is true.  LVG has had a history throughout his career of playing young players, though.  He's consistently picked Lingard ahead of Depay, and Forsu-Mensa ahead of Darmien, and they were both quite high-profile signings.  I think his history of trusting and developing young players was one of the reasons he was given the job in the first place. On the other hand, Januzaj.

 

I'm glad I don't have to make the decision.  Although not so happy that it will be made by Ed Woodward.

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Guest

Guest

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Posted

Lose LvG. Forget Mourinho. Simeone for our next manager. Please.

 

Why do I feel that Ed probably hasn't even heard of him?

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Liamness

Liamness

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Van Gaal has managed the squad excellently throughout the two seasons he's been here. Definitely feel like we're on a better footing for the future than we were two seasons ago. On a tactical level though, he seems to be trading on past glories these days, particularly when he comes to how he uses the forwards. He's just repeatedly made some very puzzling decisions, particularly in terms of substitutions, that has made it difficult to have any faith in him. We're in the middle of the table in terms of goals scored, and only ever look genuinely threatening in flashes. It's a problem you can't really ignore. Mourinho would not necessarily implement more attractive football, but it would probably be more effective.

 

Simeone in the Premier League would be interesting, there's no doubt his Atleti display great quality on the ball and can hurt teams, but there's also no denying that they are set up (particularly when playing teams of their calibre) primarily to frustrate. The British public and media seem less willing to accept this than, say, the Spanish or Italians particularly, even if a team are truly exceptional at it.

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Guest

Guest

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Who's to say he'd play United that way though? The problem I've got with LvG, and to a lesser extent Mourinho, is that they're set in their ways. Especially LvG, who I find is so stuck in his ways, that it's detrimental to the team. I'd much rather have a manager who's young and hungry and able to adapt to the situations in front of him, and I'd say Simeone seems like the right kind of manager to do that.

 

Anyway, back to today and it's a must win game if we're serious about trying to grab 4th. I can't say I'm confident with Louis at the helm though.

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Guest

Guest

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Although still mathematically possible, I'd say that's 4th gone. No Champions League next season then. Hopefully, that's signed his P45.

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Majora

Majora

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50 minutes ago, Jon said:

Although still mathematically possible, I'd say that's 4th gone. No Champions League next season then. Hopefully, that's signed his P45.

 

City are losing 2-0 to Southampton which would leave them 4 points ahead having played a game more. Far from over yet. Although their goal difference being far superior than ours essentially makes it 5 points behind with a game in hand. 

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feltmonkey

feltmonkey

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37 minutes ago, Liamness said:

Van Gaal has apparently asked a reporter if he'd be ok with him pulling his hair, and then said it's only acceptable during sex. :lol:

 

We'll miss this sort of thing when he's gone.  

 

2-1 to Southampton at half time.  Come on Saints!

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Liamness

Liamness

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Yeah, I had assumed 4th was gone after this result, as we'd need City or Arsenal to drop 5 points which seemed unlikely. City are about to drop three though, then play Arsenal at home after playing Madrid in midweek, then will presumably muller Swansea. So we basically have to win all our remaining games (away to West Ham being the major potential sticking point there, and it's also going to be the last game played at the Boleyn) and count on Arsenal to get something against City. So it isn't done yet, even if a win against Leicester would've made things much easier indeed.

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