The old Man Utd Thread

[JLR]

The squad has been fucking brilliant. I'm not sure how much we can come out with this season. Hopefully tomorrow we'll claim one trophy fielding some of our younger players, allowing the rest of the squad the slight rest they're going to need. We've still a got a lot of games but I would be very surprised if we managed to slip up in the PL.

We've obviously got a difficult game against inter, though we're favourites to win it OT, and I'm confident we'll do so.

Exciting prospects, and a chance we can crash out of a few trophies in quick succession. But I'm feeling good about it all.

P.s. Liverpool lol.

[Marzipan Travolta]

Tottenham will be fielding a weakened side today as well. Keane, Cuddicini and Chimbonda are all cup tied, Campbell can't play us and King is on his off game. We'll certainly have the stronger of the 11 players on the pitch. I'm gonna call 3-1 I think. Gibson and Wellbeck to play blinders hopefully.

[fatbob]

No injuries also plz!

[sith]

Man Nani is just not good enough!

[Majora]

We look pretty toothless atm. If things don't improve I'd expect to see Giggs on soon, possibly for Wellbeck.

[Liamness]

My quick list of who I'd pick to take penalties.

Nani

Giggs

Ronaldo

Anderson

Scholes

Tevez

Ferdinand

From there on it doesn't really matter, I'd say. Some really good takers there.

*edit*

Is Gomez so big that he can't drop down to the ground fast enough?

[olliey]

They really need to cut the pitch shorter at Wembley it plays far too heavy for modern Football.

Great win though and Foster's looking good especially with his best VDS impression for the penalties.

[redbloodcell]

Foster is a class GK, you guys are sorted for a good while there.

[Liamness]

Yeah, lately he's looked a little rusty, but he was out for a while, now he looks even better than he did playing for Watford. He seems much quicker and more mobile than Kuszczak. For the moment there's few better than VDS, hopefully he'll develop to a similar standard.

[Mr Do 71]

Well that was a very tight game, Foster made some superb saves and I trusted him come the penalty shoot-out. He did the business too, with a great save with the first penalty he faced.

GIGGS SCORES Man Utd 1-0 Spurs

O'HARA MISSES Man Utd 1-0 Spurs (save by Foster)

TEVEZ SCORES Man Utd 2-0 Spurs

CORLUKA SCORES Man Utd 2-1 Spurs

RONALDO SCORES Man Utd 3-1 Spurs

BENTLEY MISSES Man Utd 3-1 Spurs (goes wide)

ANDERSON SCORES Man Utd 4-1 Spurs

Another cup won then, well done to our great squad

[barkbat]

Well Ben Foster is pretty good.

[Liamness]

When will Anderson score a proper goal for us, though? It's rather odd.

[Mr Do 71]

When will Anderson score a proper goal for us, though? It's rather odd.

Hopefully saving it for a very special occasion

[Mercury]

Great to see Foster put in a good performance. Some of Scholes passing today was sublime. I read an interview with Brian McClair recently where he said the best thing he sees in training is Scholes hitting players on the back of the head with the ball when they are stood on the sidelines having a piss.

[barkbat]

I thought Anderson and Nanni were incredibly poor today in the final third, and neither will be scoring any goals this season if they don't change thier attitude. Basically, if they are in or around the penalty box during an attack, they'll take a shot. If this were during a break on goal, and options were limited I'd undstand, but the amount of times those two have wasted a slow, team inclusive build up towards goal, with a ridiculously improbable shot, with numerous team mates around all in better shooting positions... well its happened alot.

I understand Ronaldo was very similar a few seasons back, and maybe I should be more patient, but while their football improves incrementally, thier whole team ethic seems completely non-existent, and it bleeds onto the team at large when both play together. Today there was no sense of interplay or making space in the final third, just solid build up to pot-shots, or great individual efforts.

They need to hold up assists with the same reverance as goals those two - but you can see the fact they just want to score from 40 yards once a season.

I should probably add that my ownly problem with them as players is the shooting/going for glory aspect. Everywhere else on the pitch they are incredible and great buys by ferguson. It's just the shooting.

[phresh]

Bit harsh on Anderson, I can only remember him having a couple of shots and they were all in decent positions. Nani's shooting was poor but he got into the right positions. I actualy thought Anderson played really well when he came in, he will be an important player in the run in.

[fatbob]

Hopefully saving it for a very special occasion

When hes standing in front of the goal, with his bum out..... against Liverpool.

[Majora]

I still don't like Nani really. I definitely wouldn't call him incredible. I do think Anderson has a lot of potential though, I think he's just anxious to score his first United goal. When he came on he gave some energy to a midfield of Scholes and Gibson which, though generally tidy, were lacking in any real dynamism and seemed a little sluggish.

I know we've had this discussion before, but do people really still think we should be splashing out about 30 million for Tevez? I think it would represent a tremendous waste of money. He's slow, his first touch is usually quite poor and his passing isn't anything special. For want of a better word I find a lot of aspects of his play quite 'heavy'. I genuinely struggle to see what he brings to the team apart from work rate and the pairing of Rooney and Berbatov is infinetely superior. I think for 30 million we could make other, more worthwhile additions to the team. This isn't a kneejerk reaction to him not doing especially well today, it's something I've been feeling for months.

[Guest]

Great to see Foster put in a good performance. Some of Scholes passing today was sublime. I read an interview with Brian McClair recently where he said the best thing he sees in training is Scholes hitting players on the back of the head with the ball when they are stood on the sidelines having a piss.

Some of Scholes stuff of late has been truly brilliant. Fair play to him.

I know we've had this discussion before, but do people really still think we should be splashing out about 30 million for Tevez? I think it would represent a tremendous waste of money. He's slow, his first touch is usually quite poor and his passing isn't anything special. For want of a better word I find a lot of aspects of his play quite 'heavy'. I genuinely struggle to see what he brings to the team apart from work rate and the pairing of Rooney and Berbatov is infinetely superior. I think for 30 million we could make other, more worthwhile additions to the team. This isn't a kneejerk reaction to him not doing especially well today, it's something I've been feeling for months.

You know if I say Tevez isn't quite the player he's often made out to be I get crucified in here

[barkbat]

It's difficult with Tevez, because he just doesn't play enough first team football anymore to really hit form. If staying at ManU means more bench warming he should probably move to another club - Tevez is no super sub and he needs regular football to be a player worth his price tag.

[fatbob]

You know if I say Tevez isn't quite the player he's often made out to be I get crucified in here

Boy who cried wold innit.

[Guest]

He'd still get in any other team in the Premiership though

I think he might struggle at Chelsea, and Benitez is crazy enough to use a strange rotation system and play Kuyt as some sort of defensive right sided ball-loser, so...maybe most of them

[Majora]

You know if I say Tevez isn't quite the player he's often made out to be I get crucified in here

I think people get defensive because they like him and fair enough, he always puts the effort in (though so does Rooney), but I just don't think he's an exceptional player, which the price tag on him seems to imply he is, and he lacks the lightness of touch our other forwards possess. If the asking price was half what it is then maybe I could make a case for buying him but no way is he worth 30 million.

[Guest]

I think people get defensive because they like him and fair enough, he always puts the effort in (though so does Rooney), but I just don't think he's an exceptional player, which the price tag on him seems to imply he is, and he lacks the lightness of touch our other forwards possess. If the asking price was half what it is then maybe I could make a case for buying him but no way is he worth 30 million.

[ckny]

Tevez +

Work rate

Tevez -

First touch, finishing, dribbling, passing, vision, decision making

[ckny]

Oh, and I can't believe no-one's mentioned Anderson's dance when he put away the winning penalty! It was absolutely amazing!

[phresh]

Anderson's dance was brilliant. On the ITV highlights they showed him from the front and his face just makes it!

Have to say that Evans was brilliant yesterday, he has the qualities that most defenders don't get until they are much older. He always looks comfortable on the ball and even put in a decent stint as RB when required. Evans really should be nailed on for our young player of the season, for someone with relatively little experience to come in and play as he has in both the League and the CL is just incredible.

It's interesting looking at other teams and how the fans say they just need a few players here and there to compete, but when I look at the quality we have coming through right now it really does fill you with confidence.

Happy times!

EDIT: Foster had a great game too and after Kuzack's performance at Blackburn that should stick him 2nd behind VDS now. Ferguson even hinted as such saying he'll be United's keeper for the next 10 years or something!

[phresh]

I think he probably will be at the end of the season.

[Trigg]

It's difficult with Tevez, because he just doesn't play enough first team football anymore to really hit form. If staying at ManU means more bench warming he should probably move to another club - Tevez is no super sub and he needs regular football to be a player worth his price tag.

He's played quite often this year though, he just hasn't done himself justice in a lot of those games. He's started 26 (11 sub) games all season, Berbatov as started 27 (2) and Rooney as started 24 (8). So he's more or less the same amount of football as the other strikers. Not sure what the reason is for his below par performances, but I don't think the lack of games is the reason.

Anderson's dance was brilliant. On the ITV highlights they showed him from the front and his face just makes it!

Have to say that Evans was brilliant yesterday, he has the qualities that most defenders don't get until they are much older. He always looks comfortable on the ball and even put in a decent stint as RB when required. Evans really should be nailed on for our young player of the season, for someone with relatively little experience to come in and play as he has in both the League and the CL is just incredible.

It's interesting looking at other teams and how the fans say they just need a few players here and there to compete, but when I look at the quality we have coming through right now it really does fill you with confidence.

Happy times!

EDIT: Foster had a great game too and after Kuzack's performance at Blackburn that should stick him 2nd behind VDS now. Ferguson even hinted as such saying he'll be United's keeper for the next 10 years or something!

Evans was great yesterday and as been fairly solid through the season so far. Defiantly going to be around for many years to come which is nice to see. Saved ourselves a nice tidy sum there, because he can become one of the best in my eyes.

Thought Foster was tremendous too! He showed what he's capable of and I just hope he becomes the proper number two now. No more alternating with himself the Kuzack now. Who knows, given the chance he could be the England keeper at the next World Cup.

[fatbob]

I cringed when Fergie said that. If Kuzack heard then surely he'd want to be on his way.

I think he probably will be at the end of the season.

Me too. Especially as he isn't even playing regularly in the Reserves. Amos seems to be the first choice reserves keeper.

Kuszczak knows where he stands, Foster was at the club and being groomed to be VDS' replacement well before he came to the club. Which was initially on loan as to cover Foster while he went out to earn experience in the Premiership. Kuszczak has remained the sub goalie since Foster came back largely because up untill this point Foster has been injured 90% of the time.

Hes a pro, and as I said i'm sure hes aware of what has always been SAF's plans, and i'm sure he knew them when he signed on loan and then perminantly. He can either stay and proove hes better than Foster, or stay and become his number two, or he can leave and become a 1st choice elswhere

With reguard to Amos, he is below Heaton on the pecking order, by virtue of age, Heaton was the reserve keeper untill he went on loan (in a similar way to Foster) and Amos is the youth team keeper.

I'm realy happy Foster did well yesterday, he looked very nervous understanably before the shoot out, I think saving the first did wonders for his confidence. I'm glad SAF is still behind him 100% to take over from VDS, as would anyone whos watched him on his loan spells. Hes got talent.