Jan 09
Birmingham City v Manchester United: Preview
Manchester United are back in action this weekend after the midweek postponement of the Carling Cup semi-final. The F.A. Cup 3rd Round loss to Leeds United has been hard to swallow, with many of the team in for harsh criticism, so expect two things against Birmingham later today. First, a number of changes and second, the dreaded United backlash.
A week dwelling on an embarrassing defeat is almost over and the team will be looking to make amends at St. Andrews, but it will be by no means an easy match. Birmingham are unbeaten in 11 Premier League matches and have equaled the record set in 1907/08, ironically, a run which ended with a 1-0 loss to Manchester United on 29th February 1908. They have also kept nine clean sheets so far this term, only Chelsea have done better.
Sir Alex Ferguson said after the Leeds match he would be ringing the changes for the following Manchester Derby. Since it was called off, these changes will be made against the Midlands side. So it looks as if it will be the 100th consecutive game he has made changes to his starting line-up.
One constant will be Tomasz Kuszczak, who, despite his error against Leeds, will continue to keep the number one spot from Ben Foster or even Ben Amos.
The defence will have a couple of changes: Patrice Evra coming in for Fabio at left-back and the other twin, Rafael, replacing the abysmal Gary Neville at right-back. The centre-back pairing of Jonny Evans and Wes Brown was not up to standard against Leeds, but due to injuries it will remain intact for this match. Sir Alex and his fitness team have now worked out what is wrong with Nemanja Vidic; it appears he has tweaked a nerve in his leg and will be out for just over a week. Rio Ferdinand is edging closer to a comeback, but he is about two weeks away from that. John O’Shea is out for a while yet.
The midfield should look completely different from the weekends match, Antonio Valencia will be restored to the right side of midfield, Ryan Giggs should come in on the left, while Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher will take up their customary roles in the heart of the midfield four. It should be expected that Anderson will see some action against Birmingham, as he was one of the better players at the weekend along with Valencia. Owen Hargreaves has stepped up his rehabilitation from his knee troubles but is only training with the reserves at the moment.
The strike force will inevitably be Wayne Rooney and one other. Dimitar Berbatov was atrocious and it is also rumored he is carrying an injury that needs operating on. Berbatov has scored six league goals so far this season, but none of those have come against a side higher than 10th in the current table. Birmingham are 8th. Will Michael Owen get a chance to start? He should, given the Bulgarians form.
We have not lost to the Blues since 1978 and Paul Scholes is confident we can get back on track, “We’ve been written off so many times before and come back and proved people wrong, so hopefully we can do that again,” he said.
Alex McLeish’s team should remain unchanged for the ninth successive league match. Look out for the centre back pairing of Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, who have both been imperious this term, and behind them Joe Hart is staking a serious claim to be England’s number one goalkeeper at the World Cup. Lee Carsley, Stuart Parnaby and Gregory Vignal are all ruled out through injury
Newly crowned manager of the month McLeish will be definitely be looking to get one over his mentor, as yet he has never beaten his former boss. In jovial fashion, he joked, “The big one for all of us who have played for Sir Alex is to beat him – but you’re not allowed, I’ve never done it. We lost 1-0 at Ibrox in the Champions League when I was manager of Rangers and then got thumped 3-0 down the road. I’ve lost two games since I’ve been here at Birmingham — both 1-0 — so I’m getting closer.”
Lets hope he doesn’t get any closer and 3 points are on their way back to Old Trafford.
Prediction: 1-0 United
Probable Line Up: Kuszczak, Evra, Evans, Brown, Rafael, Giggs, Fletcher, Carrick, Valencia, Rooney, Owen.
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Betfair is the official Manchester United betting partner and we here at Red Rants have partnered with them to offer a free £25 bet when you register. Unlike other betting sites, Betfair allows you to place bets when the game is running and choose the odds at which you want to play. What allows you to do these things is you’re betting against other fans, not the bookie, so if you want better odds than are currently available, for example, you can place an order for a better price (but bear in mind that if your price is unrealistic your bet is unlikely to be accepted). So, give this a run if you’re up for it.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Manchester United 5-0 Birmingham: Berbatov’s Treble Leads Way In United Romp
- Birmingham City vs Manchester United: Match Preview
- Match Preview: Manchester United vs. Birmingham City
- Brum vs Reds: Preview
- Giggs and Brown to Remain Reds | Ex-Reds Clash | Wenger Threat | Takeovers And Other Such Nonsense
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (541)
Stephen (479)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
@Grognard:
. Fergi has always been a good motivator but tactical decisions have failed him recently. I cant help but think that fergie is covering up for the Glazer’s. There is know doubt that if Fergi thinks his current squad are good enough then he is in serious denial and that along with stubborness is a major cause for concern. Personally I just cannot imagine united without Fergie it will be like having my roast with no gravy or cornflakes without milk. However I would love to see Fergi go out on a high before he retires, but the more I watch our performances it may just be wishful thinking!
I here what your saying mate but I think what Fergi is lacking is a good no.2 like CQ we need to bring him back along with ronaldo asap
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I’m sorry guys, but I`ve had it!
Don`t think you`re gonna hear frmo me for a while, but when I`ve settled everything I will talk to you again. But, it may take a long time so for now I just gotta say goodbye, I love all of you. Take care everybody! 
RedRanter, you keep being a brilliant boss!
Grognard, you keep being such a wise ass bastard, which we all love!
Craig, good luck with your wife and your child and just everything going on in your life. I hope you all turn out great, you deserves the best.
Nico, keep being funny and clever, love you mate!
RedRich, Dan, OPTI, Richmond, Karl, Traverse, Gabriel, just everybody I`ve known on this site during my time here. I love you all, take care now!
We`ll cross paths again one day in the future, I`m sure of it…
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Once again our lack of teeth up front has let us down – not a whole lot of opportunities and of course the ones we had we muffed.
In the PL games we’ve either lost or drawn we scored a grand total of 3 goals. This really needs to be sorted ASAP.
PIG and Fletcher were good, Scholes mediocre, and Park shit. The rest were neither good nor bad. Rooney fluffed a couple of chances and was quite successful passing to his favorite target – “thin air”, (anyone happen to know his pass completion rate for this game?) and again wanted to try the impossible when simple would have done better.
The carelessness we’ve seen for most of the season was there today too – far too many poor shots, crosses, corners and free kicks. Passing, generally was OK (except Rooney) and ball control was just OK considering the cold weather. The overall shape and motion of the team looks undisciplined and certainly not becoming of champions.
We had our best CMF combo out there today and of course, with the extra man we dominated possession, but even so we had neither the vision or where-with-all to break down a middle table team. This has continued most of this whole year and doesn’t improve any, if anything, it’s looking worse by the game.
It’s time now for SAF to admit that his players are just not up to the task, buy some new ones, move on!!
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@Footy4Eddy: What’s the matter, Eddy??
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@Redrich: Quite successful passing to his favourite target – ‘thin air’.
that comment made me laugh so much mate!
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@Footy4Eddy: Eddi what’s going on with you mate – your not suicidal over a Man United poor season are you? I mean its just 22 players kicking a bag of wind – no biggie mate! If something else is troubling you, go talk to somebody you trust, cos your worrying me bro.
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@CraigMc: And watching United this season is making me ‘ave thin ‘air too!!
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Interesting read in the NOTW about Berbatov. It claims his failure at Old Trafford can be linked to a crisis of confidence. I’m inclined to agree. He has all the skills to be a success at Old Trafford. But what separates the true greats is the confidence, the swagger. That is why Eric Cantona was the King and Berbatov is just a pretender to the throne.
In the current squad the only player who has that confidence is Rooney (and Nani as well…but Fergie never plays him). And he cannot do it all on his own. The majority of our team are shrinking violets. Carrick is another example. Obertan too. Valencia too.
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@CraigMc: Don`t worry mate, nothing like that. I`m gonna be alright, turst me I`m not silly but I`m just gonna be really busy this near future. Cheers lads!
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@Gabriel: I know Wes made the mistake in the Leeds game that led to the goal, but he was the best we had at the back today – and PIG did good too. I don’t know Gabriel, I personally think we are done for a couple of seasons of change and reestablishing ahead. This is a very disjointed Man United team, with some players who are done, and some who are not ready but raw, and some who are good but disjointed. I think the message is sinking in with United fans now. We are not playing anymore like champions, because we are missing what were our champion players, either moved on or injured. Other buys just don’t fit, and you know Bro – I am actually beginning to feel some compassion for the players. They have tried Gabriel, they did try today, but I think even they are beginning to realise that something is just not clicking. A creative spark, a player who can take a game by the scruff of the neck, whatever. But we have more ordinary players now, and all the chopping/changing every single game is helping none of the players. Wouldn’t you just be happy to see us play the same 11 for a while to try and get some kind of a run going, and only change if we have injuries and are forced too. I just think the players are confused, because if its not manifold changes, it is square pegs round hole positioning changes on the field, so players not in their natural positions. Other teams seem to play the same players every week if they are fit, Arsenal particularly. We never used to keep swapping and changing all the time, but Fergie has become obsessed with being fair to everyone. I mean fuck that Gabriel, because we need to pick a team who BELIEVE in each other, because the way our players argue and remonstrate with other players on the field, they obviously don’t believe in some of our promoted players do they????? I am beginning to feel for the lads, and want to get back onto the terraces post haste to give them some support!
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@Grognard: Maybe Rooney wants to be the new WPOTY and is trying way too hard to elevate his game to the next level?
I would like to see a return of the old, raw Rooney, out-of-control personality, berserk player, that would use his aggression to dominate defensive players.
What we’ve got now is this dumbed down version – Rooney on Xanax, that can’t get a red card and can’t get on the defenders nerves!!
Shame, really.
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@Footy4Eddy: Well that’s a relief, I thought you were going off on one mate, losing it a bit!
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@Redrich:
, all this commotion over 22 players kicking a ball full of wind 
. I think sometimes we all can become a tad too serious, and lose the FUN of fandom. I just realise I might be getting as UGLY natured and venomous as journalists to whom that is their only calling in life – if you gat my gist Bro 
.
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@Redrich: I’ll send you some paper bags mate so you can blow into them and get more air – seeing as your air is seemingly too thin
.
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@colver: I think there’s an element of truth to that.
Confidence comes from the knowledge that you’re doing well.
…..Well??
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Right its 2am here in blighty. My wee daughter has finally settled for the rest of the night, so I am off to get some shuteye too. Night you all!
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@CraigMc: I know mate, where’s the fun when all the time we have to use apocalyptic terms about something that is supposed to make us forget about everyday hassles.
With the likelihood of United going through a few years of mediocrity, things around here could end up being as appealing as an Afghanistan vacation.
As much as I would like to rant and rave this shit to death, I would prefer just to connect with other United Nuts.
You know, …share the pain!!
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@CraigMc: If Rogaine doesn’t do the trick mate, I doubt the paper bags will help!!
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@aron84: Once again though, who is responsible for hiring the #2? Fergie. Nobody forced Mike Phelan down his throat. He did it all by himself so he shows us yet another wrong move he has made that has hurt the club.
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@Footy4Eddy: Take care Eddy. Don’t be absent too long. We all care about what’s happening to you. Try not to let this Man Utd darkness turn you off from coming around Red Rants for a bark or two. Cheers!
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@Redrich: I think Eddy has reached his boiling point when it comes to United and has decided to put his time towards more interesting activities like his own football career aspirations and of course girls. Can’t say I blame him.
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@Grognard: I think he can speak for himself, Grog!!
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@Redrich: Rooney is a shell of the player he was four years ago. There is no mistaking that. Yes he lacked discipline and was often caught doing incredibly stupid things but his energy, pace, enthusiasm and imagination back then coupled with Ronaldo or RVN was magical. But Fergie wouldn’t stand for it. He had to force RVN out of United and eventually made football so dull and boring to play that even Ronaldo felt he had to leave in order to be allowed to play the game the way he believed it should be played. All Fergie is doing with this team these days is causing a mass exodus of our finest players and replacing them with garbage and dirty lies. Whose next, Vidic, Rio, Bebratov perhaps even Rooney? I wouldn’t put it past the Boss to cause such a bad atmosphere and a feeling of hopelessness within the club that all our class players decide they need to ply their trade elsewhere. Great news for the Glazer’s as it will free up a lot of cash for their coffers.
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@Redrich: That’s why I’m so upset. I have always used United as a great escape from my regular life and all the stresses and hassles in it. Being a fan of United never used to cause great stress and aggravation, just joy and a childish giddiness while I awaited a big game. These days I am bored, aggravated, pissed off and completely mystified but I am rarely if ever entertained and excited and following the team is no longer an escape from my problems but an addition to all my problems.
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@Redrich: Hey mate I was just taking a humorous guess as to why, not speaking for him. If he’s really upset I can understand his mindset because I too have often felt like scrapping the whole thing too simply because following the team and having discussions about it was no longer any fun.
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Nice Video… The Legend Of Manchester United
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@Redrich: Rogaine?????
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@Redrich: I know mate, and perhaps we should remember what used to be our Man United signature song “Always look on the bright side of life.” I think the lads know things are not right themselves, so I decided to stop giving them a good kicking when they are down – opposing fans will give them that! I said my piece, and that’s it for me! Back to the laughter
.
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If we can somehow limit Man shitty to a draw or 1-0 loss score at their place, I think we have a decent chance of beating them at OT with all our players fit
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One thing is for sure – these troubled times at United are going to sort out the REAL fans from the hangers on. Once the hangers on move off to pastures new – then ticket prices will drop because of lesser demand for them, and ALL THE MANCS and locals will then be able to go again and stand on the terraces with their families. Then you will know again what OT atmosphere really is!
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I am not surprised by this shite of a season at all. How many one-nil victories did we have to pull out of our arse last year even with Tevez and Ronnie? Way too many is the answer. Therefore, I am not sure what any of us were to expect this season after we lost Tevez and Roonie and only picked up average players at best and only one of which were we going to give ample playing time to in Valencia. All this talk about needing another stiker is fine and all, but if the strikers have no distribution or service what does it really matter?! It does not. I do not care if we even got Torres or Villa, no midfield and little to no goals! We have one of the worst midfields in England.
And I don’t give a shite what anyone says, Scholes needs to retire. If we had a penatrating midfielder to play along side him, alright, maybe a game or two, but his slow and dilapidated arse slows this team dowm way too much to have another slow arse like Carrick or Flethcer playing along side him!
It seems to me that Wayne Rooney never really left Everton, because that is the same kind of team I see in front of me week in and week out. A team that playes five across the middle on the road and trys to nick a goal, who has average, slow players, with amazing work rate! Well that is Everton and not United at all! So Fergie might as well retire and then we can bring over David Moyes, because we have the same type of team so he should have no problem making the switch! Then again, maybe he should go to a club with some promise like Villa or hell, Burmingham! Why would he want to come over here and manage our players? It might even be a step down. In fact, I think it would be, other than the name of Manchester United which this season means absolutely nothing!
And who is to blame for all of this mess? Well, as Grog has pointed out, it is the owners! But I lay more blame on SAF! He is the one saying that our team is fine and he likes the squad he has. That in itself tells me he has lost the plot. Does he really believe the shite coming out of his mouth? If he really did then that in itself is enough for Fergie to be kindly asked to start his search for a replacement. But it is not just the squad Fergie, it is your terrible selection of said squad and then to make matters even wors, if that is possible, you feck it up with this God awful formation of a lone striker!!!For the love of beautful football…who the hell does that…scared out of their britches clubs…Everton, Sunderland etc…now it appears United. What the hell is going on?
Then Mr. Nosehairs himself, SAF has got to blame to refs time after time! Shut it please! It is not bad enough that I have to hear it from all my other United hating mates about drawing or losing, but to have to hear about my managers rants about the refs time after fraking time is almost as nerve racking as discussing the loss. It is absolutely pathetic.
I certainly hope the rumors are true and Fergie is looking to let a lot of players go in the summer and is planning on making over theis team and building a new one. But if he is then he better make over himself as well and quick bullshitting the fans about these palyers we have. We see them play just as much as he does, so who does he think he is fooling? Not me I can tell you that. Our squad is shite right now, and to be honest it was not the greatest last season minus Ronnie and a few others. In fact, I feel we were over rated last season by the media and if was not for wonderful performances by our defense and a moment or two of brilliance from Ronnie last year we would not have one anything and never made it to the final in Rome. Now the defense was suppose to be solid again this year and with all of the injuries I do not lay blame on them for our bad performances, but we have the same offensive shite players we had last year, without Ronnie and Tevez and we have replaced them with a raw Obertan, a one-trick poney in Valencia (who I like by the way) and a slow version of Michael Owen (who I also like but feel Fergie is not using him enough to matter). What did we expect to happen then eh? For me, I have been dooped. I believed in all the Fergie talk and I wanted to believe we would be alright. I lied to myself and I am not going to do it anymore. I admire SAF, but he has got one more summer to get it right for me. If he comes back in the summer and we buy a bit player here or there and we get the same excuses of no value in the market I am crying bullshit and for his head. One summer, to let some shite players go and bring in some fresh talent because I honestly cannot take another year of this boring arse, lame excuse football, from a club I have grown up loving for there grit, their passion, their never-say-die attitude,but above all, their attacking style of play which today does not exist.
I can handle most of the losing guys, I really can. But entertain me for crying out loud while you are doing it. Play to win with attacking formations and attacking players with flowing football, flicks, backheels, stepovers, whipped in crosses, diving headers…not this slow pedestrianing shite. Look, I understand in football it is not always like that and to play football you have to backpass and knock it around, but I also know in football that is not the only thing. We used to do all the other beautiful things before, even before Ronnie arrvied. Here’s hoping it all did not go away, taken by a couple of Portuguese (Ronnie and Queiroz) 
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This club has a lot of optimistic supporters. I’m not sorry to burst anyone’s bubble but it’s not likely that we will retain our title. In fact I’d go as far as saying we will not even win anything this season. C’mon what more evidence do we need;we lost at home and for the 1st time in a million years we crashed out in the 3rd round of the FA Cup to a League Two team. Not by some fluke,but they played more fluently than us and were more organised. Quite frankly I don’t know how in the world we are still in the top four because we don’t deserve it. Arsenal given their average form,so far this season deserve to be above us. SOme say they are imploding,without even considering the fact that they are being forced to play without their talisman Cesc and top marksman Van Persie. No Song too who has been magnificent this season. How well would we fair without Rooney and Fletcher for most of the season. Take away Valencia too and see if we amount to much.
What’s my point? It’s the same point I’ve been making forever. We don’t have a competent coach. Not since CQ left have we been so incompetent and ultimately mediocre. Noone can convince me that the reason is Ronaldo’s departure because even when he was there in his last season we still played crap. He played well but there was still no fluency in our performances. He scored goals but the tactics benefitted him alone and at least he made full use of it. We have been missing technical sanity at Manchester United FC for a long time now and it has cost us this season and the same loss will prove an impediment in the coming years unless addresed immediately.
SAF and Mike Phelan are not competent coaches at all in any way. They have continually displayed this since CQ left and Phelan took over.I know very well that I’m making very few friends with statements like this but in all honesty none of us can truly claim they have been impressed by our “way of play” since the departure of Carlos Quieroz. Yes we won the league,but then again Chelsea collapsed at key points and so did Liverpool. Yes we deserved to win the league but that cannot be attributed to the coaching staff,but squad depth,motivation and one Cristiano Ronaldo. At some point things will catch up with us and we won’t be so fortunate. It has started already this season and it would be a miracle if any of our proud records remain intact by end of May.
So what’s wrong with SAF’s coaching? I’d rather ask what is right with it. Where would I even start? The absolutely ridiculous rotation system is the number one enemy of our club today. In fact I would put it above our gazillion dollar debt as PE No.1. Just the recent match against Brum will illustrate this perfectly. Birmingham City are the league’s in form team at the moment or rather the unbeatable team in the league. They are well drilled and almost impossible to break down and each player is fully aware of their role in the team. Each player knows the individual role of each of his teammates and can predict their actions with relative ease. How did Birmingham get to this level and how are they unbeaten in almost 10 games running? Simple. Consistency. Alex McCleish has named the exact starting 11 for the last 9 consecutive matches. How come Chelsea are on top and play like a world class football team? Well Carlo Ancelotti has played more or less the same team since he took over in August with minor changes here and there. What does this bring? Fluency. Invincibility. Confidence. But most of all results. In contrast,Alex Ferguson has not named the same line up in 2 consecutive matches for last 101 games. This is not a typo I really mean one hundred and one games. What more do we expect?
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@RichmondRed: Mmmmmm so you think strongly eh mate
. We are going to win the PL, the CL and the Carling EGG cup, as we whip Man shitty’s arses, and that with all our ‘bright shining young things’ out in full force on the pitch. What you don’t believe in miracles then mate 
.
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@RichmondRed: I do agree with most of what u are saying but I don’t believe an overhaul of the squad is what is necessary here. We need CQ back and by that I mean any level headed and competent coach who will be put in charge of tactics and team selection. Leave SAF in charge of what he does best…..management. In other words issues that have to do with motivation of players. Nothing to do with the actual nitty gritty of on pitch football. That’s how we will succeed. We can bring the mega superstars of our times and their talents will be destroyed by SAF’s lunatic rotation. Ferguson’s idea of football is to reward a 2 inch striker who goes to play for us in Germany upfront by himself in a must win Champions League game,supported by noone from his midfield with a patched up defence and scores a hattrick. He is rewarded by a place on the bench the very next game,so what makes people assume that he will change approach when Kun Aguero and David Silva arrive from Spain is beyond me.
We need a radical technical overhaul,in fact all our coaching staff should probably be intergrated into adminstrative positions cause I don’t believe in job dismissals. They are definitely doing the wrong job
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@RichmondRed: OK let me end the rumors right now before they start. RichmondRed is not Grognard in disguise.
What can I say mate but that was a beautiful, intelligent and highly passionate rant that spoke to my heart. Pretty well what I have been singing now for a while but refreshing to hear it spouted out with the same passion and venom as myself.
I would add one thing to it however. Unlike yourself, I am not willing to wait until summer for Fergie to make the big changes buy cutting lose players and buying new ones. That would be cutting it to close and after the World Cup prices for most great players will be going up and he will be singing the old no value tune I have become sick of hearing. Fact is he should buy a big player or two right now with the supposed 60 million he has from the Ronaldo money. Now as you and other must know from my many rants, I do not believe he has that 60 million but Fergie has said he does and if I am to refrain from calling him an asshole liar, then I will buy into his deceit and let him prove me wrong.
Take that 60 million and go buy Manuel Neuer or Rene Adler and forget about far inferior keepers like Akinfeev and Doni. Then go buy the midfield attacking general this team needs. It’s got to be one of two players as I see it. David Silva or Yoann Gourcuff. Then go get another great young CB like Simon Kjaer or Jack Rodwell. Many would say we need to go and get a LW like Di Maria and a striker. I would agree and i would add a RW to that group even though Valencia is decent. I still would love to see Milos Krasic on this club. As for strikers, they are the toughest to find and the most expensive to buy. He will need to sell the players that I am reading will be gone this summer, Nani, Anderson, Foster, Berbatov and even Vidic for the money to be available for that. Personally, I would add Park and Rio to that must sell squad and demand that Scholes and Neville retire in order to free up all that high salary money vets like that get.
As for buying that forward, this time he needs to go after a forward that not only is a goal scorer, but who will fit in with the club and who will blend well with Rooney. Benzema is an obvious choice and is a possibility if Real Madrid show interest once again in David Villa. I do not like Benzema, his attitude and his lack of desire. Everyone knows I love Huntelaar but I know Fergie is not that keen on him. Aguero is a great player but clearly not of any interest to Fergie so I would look for some kind of surprise like a Fabiano or a Hulk to be the answer. I hope not but then again Fergie no longer thinks like I do. There was a time he used to be simpatico with me, but not anymore. If Liverpool collapse out of the Champions League I could see Fergie make an attempt to get Fernando Torres but three obstacles get in the way of that. First, no matter what, I cannot see Liverpool ever selling a player of that caliber to us. Their would be riots and lynchings in Scouseville. Secondly, I seriously doubt Torres would want to come and play for us knowing that our team is now a dull team that plays negative football and that our owners are even worse than Liverpool’s. Finally, we cannot afford the price tag that will be placed on him.
So there you have it. Time for Fergie to shut up and show us the money. And then after showing us the money, show us he knows how to spend it. So help me, I do not want to see us sign another teenager for two years. It’s time to go out and replace the crap we have with proven players.
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@Jay wire: And SAF for spmeone who was hell bent on being the worlds best manager, and making history few would be able to catch, has suddenly decided to throw it all away without batting an eyelid. He threw away our proud home unbeaten record in the CL, and the one where we have NEVER in God knows how many years been knocked out in the 3rd round of the FA cup. When did we last lose so many games in the 1st part of a season have we have done so far already, and so lucky not to lose more – against City, Arsenal, and Sunderland we were very lucky to sneak a win or draw in the very last minute! We have been unfortunate to have a good few of our best players out injured though, which will disrupt things. Yet who could tell whether the MOTHER OF ALL TINKERMEN SAF would have played them regularly even if they had been fit. Still we are the best squad and that in depth, we will win PL, CL, and Carling EGG cup, because Fergie has faith in this squad, and don’t you know we are good enough and don’t need new players coming in Jaywire. Who said so? – why the one who never apologises, Sir Alex Ferguson. It truly would not surprise me though Bro if Fergie gets lucky again at some point, and pulls the proverbial lucky rabbit out of the hat!
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@CraigMc: MUFC has enough “real” fans in Northern England to fill OT twice so don’t bank on it. Very few fans who actually pay money to get a seat at OT would consider switching clubs. They’ll probably just stop going to the stadium which to me is the most sensible thing right now. Watch at home if you have time to spare,but pay real money which you could logically channel to other needs to watch such rubbish is something only those who do it understand. You see for the rest of this season it is a guarantee we will keep playing like we have been playing and if current performances are worthy of spending money on then each to his own
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I agree with Jaywire regarding playing our best 11 players on a regular basis until they GEL again with each other, and get some kind of understanding and winning streak together. I said that clearly in an earlier post. I think United fans are more pissed with Fergie’s swapping and changing, and his square pegs/round holes philosophy, to the degree we cannot perform as a cohesive machine. I heard Fergie talking after a game from 4 years ago I saw rerun on MUTV, and this is what he said – “You never under any circumstances CHANGE a winning team, unless you have to because a main player is injured.” Well WTF happened to that philosophy, which is a winning one. I don’t care really about allowing the kids the opportunity in Carling and FA cup – but play the kids then, and stop swapping and changing your mind even regarding that when it suits! SAF has become an indecisive ditherer, and it is not like him, he was never like that – he was a ruthless winner. What happened? I dont think any United fan understands really!
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@CraigMc: Exactly. I just shrug my shoulders these days and accept the reality of what we have become. I’m just trying to quickly adjust to how it is to support the Wigans and Boltons of this league since we are playing at the same level. The quicker u adjust the better
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@CraigMc: He said that? ARE YOU SURE? That’s a shocker
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@Jay wire: Where are you actually from Jaywire, if you don’t mind me asking? I was more referrig to the fact that a lot of local fans would die to go to OT regularly, if the prices of tickets were just a little less than they are at present. I suggested this might happen IF the ones like yourself decided not to support the team thru this bad patch, wasting their money as you put it! So if enough likeminded people as yourself abandon the games, then maybe United would bring down prices to sell out, which they have actually done BEFORE!
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@Jay wire: You made one friend for sure with that rant me and that is me. It’s up to you whether that is a blessing or a curse.
I agree whole heartedly with you on everything except that when Ronaldo was around, we were capable of still beating anyone at any time and even though our philosophy was one dimensional and designed to cater to him, he continually delivered for us and made us one of the top two or three sides in the world. Frankly his greatness was irreplaceable but what bothers me to this day is that Fergie never even tried to replace him.
Here Fergie had 80 million to work with and he could have built an exciting new team with that money and by also selling some waste product like Anderson, Park and a few others and rebuilt this team this past summer. Instead he patched it up a bit with some Scotch tape and some thumb pressure and moved on like there was nothing else wrong. And now we are paying for the fact he never had the foresight or vision that I had to predict the very exact thing would happen tot his team that I predicted 6 months ago. I knew this team would perform exactly as it has. My only surprise is that we are in second and not third or fourth. The only reason for that is that the league in general has become more competitive because all four of the big clubs have fallen back to the pack, not just us. If not for that, Chelsea would have a bigger lead and I am still convinced that Arsenal are way better than us except their injuries have been to skill players as opposed to just defenders like ours.
Our one blessing has been this club’s depth. We may not have a lot of world class quality in our squad but we do have a lot of depth and a lot of players who can play multiple positions. In this regards Fergie has done a good job getting the most out of the club. His tactics and rotation are a disgrace but trust me, if he never used these negative formations and slowed the game down by adding back passes and boring ball control, we would be in seventh place right now. Frankly, we do not have the talent to compete with the big boys and Fergie knows this and so he has concocted a style that basically hides the fact that we are a pile of rubbish. Three out five times we can get away with this stuff because ball control and a slow tempo is a sure fire winning tactic despite the fact it is boring. Fergie has learned well from the Italians. But there are those other two instances every five games where we stink and we either lose or only draw.
There is no more building momentum. We lack the pace, the imagination, the bite and the passion to beat defenses these days. Yes, losing CQ and having replaced him with the Muppet Mike Phelan was a colossal error by Fergie. It should be rectified asap. And if Fergie was truly concerned with the club, he would either retire or come clean and admit to everyone just what is going on with the club. Fat chance that’s ever going to happen. Although he has done a decent job with no talent, he has also systematically taken this club from a Champions League champion and turned it into an ordinary outfit. If all we were was a team built around one man, Ronaldo, then it’s time this team had a change at the top and it’s time to bring in a new manager with new ideas and a fresh approach. Because frankly, whatever it is Fertgie is trying to do of late, INSN’T WORKING.
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@Jay wire: He did say that after a Birmingham game 3 or 4 years ago which I was watching on MUTV. He said it in post match talk to the tv reporters! I was a bit amazed myself, but I heard it with my own ears, and Jaywire, don’t know how long you have been United fan Bro, but we NEVER used to mess around with changing our regular players as we see happening now
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@CraigMc: I’m a big Lord of the Rings fan and so I am into high fantasy and us winning anything this season is nothing more than high fantasy that Tolkien would be proud of.
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@CraigMc: I’m glad you have mentioned this right now. I said this after the Burnley game early on in the season and I’ve said this since. Look at the clubs who maintain consistency in their starting lineup. Chelsea,Spurs,Arsenal(when health permits) and now recently Birmingham(who just broke a club record dating back to 1908 of 8 games unbeaten run). Now look at the master rotators in the league, Manchester United and Liverpool. Need I say more
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@CraigMc: I won’t quit the club but I won’t spend money to watch certain crap. Even if it was for free,there are psychological issues to consider. Things will change for the better for sure and that’s when I’ll consider paying money to watch United. I can follow results and support like that. Even if I wanted to switch sides,I’m already too attached to United. Point of no return. South Africa is where I live
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Actually the problem started last season only.We were winning almost all the matches with 1-0 with Ronaldo in the side.The defenders were in the form of their life.But the midfield which is major concern today started to show their useless quality last season only.Ronaldo’s 30 goal tally came down to 18.Then only Fergie should have known that the squad lacks a lot.
But it was Ronaldo who covered all the cracks in the 2nd half of pitch and Vidic did it in the 1st half.
Now at this stage the old and day by day becoming useless brain of Fergie has realised that they need massive change and are going for major sell in January.Why he waited till this time???What signs Anderson,Foster,Nani,Berba showed last season to gamble on them this season???What Park has done to get a new contract???Gallas performs at very high level for Arsenal but then also Wenger is not too eager to give a new Contract but here Scholes and Neville are getting extension.
Gallas ,as defender ,has scored more goals this season than our ACM Scholes.
Now about some players choice.What our scouts do ???Merida was available free and is a far much better future prospect than Obertan.But never,there was not a single mention of this player ever.When Barca was asking for Nani and we could have some good price,then why was he not sold???Valencia is a good winger but he cant tore defence on his own.But we had to replace Ronaldo,not to buy a winger.Has Fergie and his scouts really heard the name of Arshavin before he joined Arsenal???I am sure no.Our scouts are paid good amount needlessly and they should take 1 month coaching from GROGNARD.
So the season is almost over for us.Having Fun watching the conversion of Rooney to Tevez.But then also Tevez is doing better now.For the first 5 matches when Tevez was not playing regularly this season and Owen scored 1 or 2 goals,Everyday there was a column at ROM comparing these 2 and proving how much better Owen is.But now there is no mention there.What a funny side.
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@CraigMc: Since 1996. I’m just shocked he would actually say this knowing fully well that it makes sense and then a few seasons on he does the exact opposite thing. I don’t know how that can be explained
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@Jay wire: I am a big fan of Dale Steyn.Best of luck for last test.
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@Jay wire: We need someone like a CQ back but come on mate, we are in massive need of a squad overhaul. Park, Anderson, Berbatov, Scholes, Neville, Foster, EVDS and even poor Nani are just not fitting in with this club. Changes have got to be made. How many years will it take before the manager realizes that Anderson and Park are nothing more than massive liabilities and a complete waste of time and effort? Scholes and Neville are done yet they continue to take away playing time from younger and better players.
Carrick has been alright but far from what we expected and for what he is being paid. Hargo has been a bust because of his injuries, Rio has reached his peak and with his injuries and age can only be expected to slide downhill from now on. EVDS is near 40 and is almost ready to call it quits, Foster is the single worst and most overrated keeper in the the game over the past 30 years. Then we have Berbatov. A player I personally love but a player that even I have to admit fits as well into this team as pepper does in strawberry shortcake. He is a square peg trying to fit into a round hole and no effort is ever going to get him to finally fit.
Valencia and Obertan are ok but hardly anything to write home about. Average players with very little WOW factor and for me, wingers need to have WOW factor or at least have the ability to cross the fecking ball and skin a defender and get by him. Our only positives in an otherwise negative season have been PIG in goal who has been a bit of a revelation but for me is still not the answer as our starting keeper, Evra who has returned to his best form after a season and a half of just terrible form and of course Fletcher, who has shocked me, but who has kind of lost a bit the last few games.
Other than that I am generally disappointed in each and every player. Rooney has the goals but has been missing a lot more than in the past, his passing has been horrendous at times and his pace and desire has gone missing in many a game. Owen we hardly ever see so how can I really be critical of him. Valencia is scoring a fair amount of goals but for me lacks the jump, tight dribbling ability and burst that is need from a wide man and he cannot cross the ball. He does work hard though which is appreciated. Obertan shows signs of promise but he is very timid, has no left leg, cannot cross or shoot worth a damn and for me is a doubtful project.
Park is a simply the second worst signing by Fergie ever. The least talented and most meaningless player I have ever seen on the pitch at Old Trafford wearing our colors. Anderson would fall second into that category followed by Foster. As for the twins, well it’s time to either play them or trade them. I do not see Fabio ever replacing Evra and Rafael has his moments but I still believe we would be better with a Lahm or Maicon. Evans for me is good but is he up there with the best of Vidic or Rio? Time will tell but he has not shown me so far that he is everything many make him out to be. I still prefer Wes Brown to him. And as for the old guard, I still enjoy watching Giggs play provided he is adequately rested but scholes and Neville are done like dinner. Spare us from their slow footed mistakes and Scholes endless back passes andlets move on.
My point to this long reply is that I do believe the team is in desperate need of a major overhaul. If not due to panic, by sheer necessity. Simply, too many players are just not cutting it at the highest level and when they cannot seem to cut it against the Leeds Utd’s, Birmingham’s, Burnely’s etc, then we are in deep shite. Nope, we are Manchester United, not Man City, we deserve and demand a better quality of team with a better compliment of talent. No more excuses and no more BS from the owners and especially the manager. It’s time for him to shut up and start delivering the goods, or bloody well retire and let a new man with great ideas and a fresh approach come in and overhaul the team.
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