The old Man Utd Thread

[ckny]

3 hours ago, feltmonkey said:

Thank fuck we rescued a point there, if for no other reason than that I don't think I could have stood reading Plissken telling us how Burnley outplayed us with superior tactics despite the 72% - 28% possession and 23 - 3 shot count.  

 

Nah it’s all about the xG now. Soon real goals won’t count for shit.

[5R7]

jose seems to think we havent spent enough !?

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11185779/jose-mourinho-compares-man-utd-spending-to-man-city-and-says-its-not-enough

 

[Seanfl9]

He really can't make excuses for being so far away from Man City in terms of the league position and the level of football they play. He has pretty much got everyone he's asked for. First summer he wanted a spine and he got it, this summer he got everyone he wanted apart from one, which seemed to be Perisic. He's going to be itching for a move to PSG in the summer, he's just stirring up shit now so it doesn't look entirely HIS own fault. 

[feltmonkey]

He's doing what he always does - saying something mad to deflect attention away from the results. Now the headlines are about him, and not about us dropping four points from six over Christmas.

[JPL]

3 hours ago, Seanfl9 said:

He really can't make excuses for being so far away from Man City in terms of the league position and the level of football they play. He has pretty much got everyone he's asked for. First summer he wanted a spine and he got it, this summer he got everyone he wanted apart from one, which seemed to be Perisic. He's going to be itching for a move to PSG in the summer, he's just stirring up shit now so it doesn't look entirely HIS own fault. 

I’d say our team was in a far worse state than City’s when José and Pep took over.

 

How much have we both spent since?

 

Irrespective of that though, City seem to have made some great buys, whereas we still seemingly need to strengthen in a lot of areas.

 

We’re not doing too bad at this point of the season, but with City absolutely flying, it makes us look a bit shit.

[Baring]

Even with the extra 4 points it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Man City are on some Fifa level of dominance. 

 

Go win the CL that’ll do

[Seanfl9]

I think that's the sad part, we need to strengthen in a lot of areas... Yet we have the best keeper in the league, one of the best strikers, Matic and Pogba who I can't really see anyone coming in and making them sit on the bench. We have so many great attacking options. The defence, fair enough it probably needs some work, but we certainly don't need a new influx of attacking players. I think the players have been a little perplexed with some of Mourinhos tactics in certain games. The City game, in particular. 

[Plissken]

22 hours ago, feltmonkey said:

Thank fuck we rescued a point there, if for no other reason than that I don't think I could have stood reading Plissken telling us how Burnley outplayed us with superior tactics despite the 72% - 28% possession and 23 - 3 shot count.  

 

First up I don't usually post in team threads without good reason because that might be seen as trolling, second off, if you would be so kind as to tag me next time rather than talk about me behind my back.

 

But seeing as I'm here...

 

I don't think we outplayed you with superior tactics.  I just think we took advantage of your manager making shit decisions.  I think we took advantage of him dropping the most statistically clinical finisher in the team from the 18 (while running him over with the bus) and sticking the current hotshot young striker on the bench for 45.  Instead we were up against a 36 year old with a fucked knee and a record signing who is dangerous in the penalty box, as long as it is his own.  (When I heard Lingard come on for the second half I was "Ah, fuck. Here we go.")  Celebrating a last minute equaliser at home like one of the great comebacks of old except now it was to a club missing 4 of its regular back five and its top striker.  Still, at least everyone is talking how United are 13 points behind City, having only spent 90% as much as opposed to how he picked the wrong team and used the wrong tactics.  The renowned defensive genius, has now conceded 2 goals in each of the last three games.  Bristol City, Leicester and Burnley.

 

Well, you did ask.

[JPL]

It all started with the Liverpool game. Up until then they were playing really good football to watch, they were full of confidence and they were scoring loads of goals.

 

I don’t think they would have kept that up all season like City have, but I’ve no idea why José hasn’t looked at what made our early season games work so well and gone back to that.

[Plissken]

4 minutes ago, JPL said:

I’ve no idea why José hasn’t looked at what made our early season games work so well and gone back to that.

 

Because the early season games were against Swansea, Palace, West Ham, Everton, Stoke and Southampton.  The first four of which sacked their managers.  Only one of which is in the top half.

 

And with that, I'll see you in the main thread.

[JPL]

Yeah, that was a response to @Seanfl9‘s post to be honest.

[feltmonkey]

1 hour ago, Plissken said:

 

First up I don't usually post in team threads without good reason because that might be seen as trolling, second off, if you would be so kind as to tag me next time rather than talk about me behind my back.

 

 

Sorry man, I didn't mean to insult you behind your back.  I didn't mean it like that.  No hard feelings? 

 

As for your analysis of the match, I can't disagree with any of it.  Despite all that, if United had won 4-0 it wouldn't have been unreflective of the overall balance of play.  I suppose that backs up your point about Jose not picking the players who are in form in front of goal.  Lukaku's clear headed chance that somehow went went away from goal kind of summed up his recent form.  Although if you're talking about recent form in front of goal, Rashford and Lingard were the most at fault against Leicester, so you never know.

[Liamness]

Mourinho may technically have a point, as Guardiola has spent slightly more since he joined City and I would say of the two managers, he had the bigger restructuring job to do. But money is not the only thing in football; yes they have crazy resources but they're also utilising them well, with a long-term plan that seems to be coming to fruition. He just comes across as sour really, particularly given that he has enjoyed financial dominance over other teams in practically every role he's had. We don't have to be congratulating City, but we don't have to be trying to find ways to explain away their superiority either. We should just focus on ourselves and how we can improve and hopefully surpass them.

 

The last three results (and performances) have been awful. He has to inject some belief and optimism into the players... but I don't see how this kind of negativity can do anything but extend this rut.

[spork]

I hope when Mourinho does go the board actually have a plan of what happens next. Would be nice to actually have a vision for the future that can ultimately be implemented even if the manager changes. 

[5R7]

tbh, i sometimes think i have a longer term football manager plan than our board over the last few seasons!

 

thought though, how long has bailey been out for? and has that coincided with our conceding more?

 

[ckny]

 

Just give them all the monies and stop fucking about.

[Seanfl9]

I really can't see us making a big signing in January. Perhaps in the Summer with Ibra leaving, along with Miki and others.

 

Mourinho will just persist and see how far his tactics take him in the CL. If we make the semi final of the CL, it'll be considered a successful campaign finishing second in the Prem.. Maybe even the FA Cup.

 

I also think next season is his final crack at the Prem with United. He'll splurge in the summer in players like Bale, Dybala etc, some may come and will try go all out to wrestle the title back from City. If he fails, he will blame City for having Delph and too much money and then just go to the next big spending club, PSG. If he wins, he will say look what I did, I brought back the title, now leave me alone. 

[5R7]

line up for today! and in another note, im hoping we go in for goretzka! go to schalke and try and buy him now, instead of waiting for the summer, or trying to get him on a free now. edit:having wrote this, apparently lpool are odds on favs for him...ffs

cant understand that dybla one either, apparently they want £85mil ish, just pay it!

 

 

[5R7]

well, that aint good...

[Guest]

Blessing in disguise. He's knackered anyway so the rest will do him good.

We need 3 points here. We've dropped far too many recently.

[5R7]

christ, miki needs to get off the pitch, he has got no left foot at all!

 

and we could have done with zlatan today!

 

plus point of the day,  is luke shaw is looking like his old self, and thats a good thing!

[5R7]

that, was not good. we look berift of ideas! lukaku went off, and there was no game plan!

[feltmonkey]

This is worse than the LVG era.

[Liamness]

aaaaaand we're third.

 

Yeah Shaw did look good. But ultimately we seemed to be backing off Southampton too much - at home we should be penning teams in, trying to keep the ball and therefore the pressure. Basically the way we played during the last five minutes is the approach we should be taking for the 90. It was a good team selection but the focus was all wrong. We've been so shit going forward this month.

[JPL]

8 minutes ago, feltmonkey said:

This is worse than the LVG era.

I know (think) you’re only joking, but it really is at the moment. What the fuck is Mourinho telling these players? He’s absolutely sucked the confidence out of them. It’s a mess.

[Liamness]

No excuses at all really - Lukaku going off early (probably just concussion, will probably miss the next game) aside, that's pretty much a full strength side and we still look toothless. Players look lacking motivation, ideas and confidence. While some of that they have to bring themselves, for the whole team to stink up the place like that, something has to be seriously wrong with the coaching and preparations. I think that was a new low even in this winless run, at least until now we'd still been scoring.

[JPL]

I don't really understand what's changed from the start of the season. We were playing with confidence back then and the team looked like they were having fun. I can understand dips in form from some of them, but they're just not playing as a collective at the moment. As Liamness says, there's something seriously wrong with the coaching. The players are better than what they're being made to do.

[5R7]

tbh, for a while now ive been thinking we simply do not press enough, none more evident than the city game. its been done time and again, to beat peps game, you press his teams none stop.

again today, sitting off, shouldn't have.

 

 

[Marlowe]

I genuinely prefer the LVG era. I liked the identity he was building for the team, he developed the younger players, and while his tactics were often frustrated by weaker teams parking the bus, he set the team up to dominate big games rather than unsuccessfully playing reactive football. Yes it was patchy, and he was unfortunate in that second season with the amount of injuries, but balanced against the extra money spent under Mourinho, it's hard to argue that the team is in a considerably better position now.

[Seanfl9]

I think the devastating gap between us and City has really affected the players confidence. This season was built up and started off, like it was going to be an amazing race to the title between the two clubs. We had new players, Pogba settling in and it seems as the weeks have gone on the motivation has just tapered off to an all time low this evening. I'm praying that the squad just dusts themselves off after New Year and play far more relaxed football, because it's just a race for automatic CL now. 

 

Hopefully we can give the CL a decent bash too, that is until we come up against City, PSG or Barca.