It is just that right now we seem to be hardly threatening. Ando, Rooney and Nani should be made to stay after training and just work on them – maybe Valencia as well (I remember one he took for Wigan that was a rocket if not mistaken). It’s not just our direct freekicks especially when Giggs isn’t around, we seem to have no aerial threat and play a lot of short corners. The players can’t suddenly grow a few inches but, it is one part of our game that suffers the most right now with the departure of Ronaldo and that Vida hasn’t been as lethal in the box, we can’t seem to put pressure on other teams when they concede freekicks in their half.

He’s taken more of a Wenger style approach. Obertan was a steal and as well as being one for the future, I think he can contribute to our team considerably this season. Owen was a clever signing and the fact that he was free only makes it better. Valencia, well the jury’s still out on him, but like many people have said, he has all the attributes of a good player, strength, pace, attacking and defensive intelligence. His delivery is getting better and he should boss the lesser teams in no time. I’m not going to entertain the thought of him ever replacing Ronaldo, but he’s part of a new look United team, one that (when they play well) function as more of a team unit than when Ronaldo ran riot with his free-flowing attacking minded play.

Somebody said before that we need more aerial prowess in the box and they’re right in saying so. Carlton Cole is an interesting one and I’ve contemplated him at United before, but he’s another one we’re yet to see reach their potential. He certainly has the ability but could he ever really be a United player?

I think January probably will hold some excitement for us United fans, but we have to remember that this isn’t fantasy football. Villa would be good, but still not the biggest or the strongest and Fergie definitely won’t break the bank to acquire his services. So all you Villa fans will have to keep your fingers crossed and hope that Chelsea don’t have their transfer embargo lifted – I’m sure a lot of the world’s strikers would love to play along side Didier Dogpaws.

In my years of running this blog, I can say most of the regulars qualify their opinions (positive or negative) with backed up reasons for their thought process. As long as they don’t infringe on another’s right to express their view everything is fair game in my eyes.

I participate in debates, but remain objective enough to allow freedom of expression because this site is a platform for that. I have seen a lot of fan forums where people have been hounded out just because they have a negative opinion. Anyway, that’s my view on it, and hopefully we are done discussing how this site is run and you are here to offer your two cents on United.

It’s just that some people are being defeatist, we’re not in a state of emergency, Chelsea are looking good, yes it’s bad we lost to Liverpuddle, but the season’s far from over and I don’t like to see people panicking and losing faith so early on. I have confidence that United can do it again this season, a rather conservative statement of faith it may be, but who knows, maybe a refreshing point of view.

I know people won’t be delighted by the failure of players but it’s perfectly possible that people have formed an opinion too quickly and human nature is to not retract a point of view, unless utterly convinced otherwise. Also I think the whole ’stubborn child’ syndrome comes into play here. Not that people are being stubborn about their opinions but rather they enjoy going against the grain and portraying a negative image. I’m beginning to sound like a psychologist here so I’ll let it be, I don’t want to undermine anyone’s opinions, especially not if they are adequately justified at whatever point in time. It’s just we have plenty of other team’s supporters who can criticise our ‘Nanigoats’ and ‘Donkey Welbecks’.

I realise I’ve left another comment on this subject so, rather abruptley I’ll say that Fergie should have swallowed his pride and swooped for Beckham under Milan’s bushy, Italian noses.

I think you have a problem with negativity in general. I think, if you’ve read this blog regularly most of those who are negative have been quite expressive and elaborate in their criticism. I don’t want to take names, but I’ll do it for now because it’s fairly obvious. Redrich and Grognard are two people for example who have been accused of being negative. They often get stick for it. But most of their criticism has rarely just been a mere “so and so player is crap”. They’ve written essays here detailing their reasons. I think anyone who takes the effort of doing deserve as much credit (or in fact more credit) than someone who just says: “United lost. But I believe, we’ll win the title.” (That sort of comment doesn’t really contribute much by way of rational debate — and is more a statement of faith.)

Some comments that I’ve read on here (and I’ve been reading, just not commenting for a while now) have no insight, they’re just useless criticisms which nobody bothers to justify.

You can voice any opinions and I really won’t mind. This will be the last post I make about this subject.

But people seem to take delight in the usual chunner about players being crap, they must just resent their own club in some form or another.

Of course, if reasons were provided for these opinions then I would think differently.

But… at least he didnt give away possession and made less back passes than scholes would have so i can see him being ahead of scholes in the pecking order now.