Aug 20
Rubbish Team Selections Squander United’s Advantage
I saw the match on delay — yes, downloaded it, god bless me — so let me cut out the preface. United were rubbish yesterday; ridiculously rubbish, grossly underestimated their opponents (a gentle reminder of being wary mentioned here yesterday) and were thoroughly deserving of the end result.
If you are of the kind that thought yesterday’s was a good performance, I’d like to inform you that what follows may not be to your taste.
The world will talk about history being made for Burnley and they are perfectly entitled and justified in doing so. But we have no business to dwell on Burnley [fantastic atmosphere from the supporters and tremendous pluck from the players] at the moment.
I really didn’t even have to watch the match; the team sheet made me nearly spill my coffee. I take a lot of pride in being in control of my bodily organs, and so I didn’t spill my coffee. Lesser (or better) men might have. The headline says it, the team sheet was rubbish, whichever way you look at it.
Ryan Giggs and Carrick started in central midfield. As it is, even with three in midfield we tend to put far too much pressure on our defence. Yesterday we had a defence which had players with fitness concerns and little experience playing together as a back four. If anything we needed a player to shield the back four to do the mopping up, yet show enough energy to move forward with the ball. We don’t have such a midfielder — and it has always been a concern I’d raised during the summer that we lack a real dynamic midfielder — but Fletcher comes closest to such a midfielder. Instead we have Giggs and Carrick. Now, dear reader, tell me who has the energy to sit and mop up at the back? I’m sorry, Carrick doesn’t do that for me. He can hold the ball, pick a pass etc., but he doesn’t have the same energy levels a proper box to box midfielder can offer. It had to be either Giggs or Carrick alongside Fletcher and not both.
And what of Anderson, you ask? Why would anyone play him in left midfield (wing)? Yes, he started out his career on the left, but he’s been playing in the central midfield position for eternity with us. If not Fletcher, he should have been played in the centre of midfield alongside either Carrick or Giggs. Not on the left wing!
And Park. Oh, should I even bother moaning? He’s a useful squad player and has his merits. The famous defensive midfield-wing-wizard and part time pitch-squatter. His defensive wing wizardry works on a European night to stifle far superior opposition. Against your Stokes and Burnleys, he’s a luxury, and a wasteful one at that. But I can understand his selection. Ferguson tries to be fair in rotating his side, and I won’t dispute his initial selection despite my misgivings. However, if you decide to keep him on the pitch for the full ninety, despite an obvious show of ineptness, then I have reason to believe your only true intent by that manouevre was to prove you had a good sense of humour. Park staying on the pitch for the full stretch was surreal. And just as you think it couldn’t be topped, Ferguson pulls a rabbit out of the hat: he brings on Neville for Brown. [if it's injury then fair enough, but even then I'd rather O'Shea moving in centre with de Laet coming on at right back -- he gives us more attacking impetus while maintaining defensive discipline]
It’s sad if the best attacking outlet in the wings was from Patrice Evra. And it’s bad luck when a pretty decent penalty was saved. But let the chances we created not fool you. I’ve seen United performances and plenty of slow starts. You just need to search back in the archives of this site [my commentary on our starts in 07/08 and 08/09 always took positives out of the performances, because I could take heart from the effort] to see that. There was something disturbingly impotent about yesterday’s display and I maintain, this was completely down to the choice of starting XI that robbed us of any initiative we may have had in the match.
So am I saying we’re a poor side? No. I am just saying we were poor yesterday. I sort of agree with Rob Smyth’s take on United this season: “The squad is strong enough but I don’t know whether the first XI (if we have such a thing anymore) is. The complete lack goals from midfield is a huge concern”. We have a squad strong enough to last the fatigue factor of a fixture pile-up. However this team will pick up a lot of 1-0 wins because it is one good dynamic central midfielder away from making our strike force work. There was a moment when a marauding Giggs played a lovely one-two with Rooney only for the ‘keeper Jensen to effect a fantastic save. We need a midfielder who can do that more often for our system to work. Carrick is far from prolific to be relied on to score. Giggs, while being the bright spot yesterday, can’t be expected to carry on like this either.
Anyway, that should be enough grief from me. I really don’t care if I get some stick for negativity here [if you've been a regular reader you'd know I don't take pleasure in this]. On yesterday’s evidence we aren’t title worthy, which in itself doesn’t really bother me. I can live with a season without a title. But insipid performances and uninspired team selections, are a completely different matter.
You all have a good day.
Till tomorrow.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Manner of United’s Win More Important than three points
- United’s debt situation explained
- What Should Be Manchester United’s Starting Lineup Against Arsenal?
- Fast and hard, fast and hard.
- United Look For Winning Return At Swansea
Tags: Match Reports
Opti (541)
Stephen (485)
RedDevilEddy (459)
Craig Mc (345)
Moscow is my heaven (272)
Do we really want to win the league this year with a team this subdued? What makes United great is their attacking football – there will be none of that this year, it’ll be 1-0 wins all the way…. In a way I think it’d be better if United get shown up this year and come 5th – we need to clear out a lot of players and bring in new ones! Bring back attacking football!!!
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The way fergie speaks, kind of puts everyone at ease, almost makes you forget whats really going on and start thinking maybe, the squad is as good as he says
.and maybe we shouldn’t have been too rash,it’s united after all,depleted and lethargic as it is, hope he doesn’t give the same sort of speech in the dressing room,we dont need calm players, we need fired up players this weekend.
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This was supposed to be for the Wesley Sneijder thread, but i cant post there!!!! So ….. this is what i say about Wesley
but i cant see it happening to be honest.
Buy him buy him Buy him buy him Buy him buy him Buy him buy him, do you get my drift? Buy him for all of the reasons above and he’s a free kick specialist too! @Beachryan: to be fair Beachy, dont you think this team needs disrupting of some sort? We could do with a bit of (Dutch) mastery in midfield. I’ve been saying this for months now
My opinion masks something Craig Mc was saying, this is Fergie’s last season. The “missing” transfer money will be handed to the new man taking over the reins next summer. A World Cup summer, where we all know what happens to players price tags every four years
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Please transfer-list Carrick & Park. They’re well past their sell-by dates. Sorry to be so clinical, but there’s a lot at stake, and they simply do not strike fear into the opposition or confidence in the team. And oh yeah, they can be superceded by transfers in such as Sneijder and Silva.
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@Onkar: The move was finished three weeks ago and to be honest, I barely survived it. It wasn’t the moving that killed me, it was the packing and unpacking as well as the cleaning up and throwing out of trash and useless furniture that was really tough. I was wasted physically and went to see my doctor because I felt so tired. Fortunately the tests she took all came out fine and over the past few weeks I have regained my strength through rest and just taking it easy.
I really like the place. All my furniture and stuff has fit in here well, like a glove really. The place has some real character for an apartment on a budget. You have to realize that I ma 50 and this is the very forst time I have ever lived on my own. Before this, I either lived at home with my parents, was out living for over a decade with my ex or having my mom live with me after my father passed away back in 92. So independence is a new found thing for me. I kind of like it but I kind of feel a bit too much solitude. I have moved to a great place in a great neighborhood but I am so far away from friends that even seeing them now is going to be hard. Ah but there is a cure. It’s called my ne Sony 40″ Bravia tv. My pride and joy. I love it. I have not yet set up HDTV on it, that’s coming, but at least watching tv is fun again and the HD factor for gaming with my XBOX is making life very enjoyable indeed. I will be buying a PS3 next month not so much for the gaming but because it supposedly has built in the best Blue Ray player available. Add to that HDTV and I am going to be in 7th heaven. Now if only Setanta and GOLTV would go to HD so I can watch my footy the way it was meant to be watched.
So yes, I have moved and everything is pretty good now. Now if I can finally get my mother out of the bloody hospital and into a could retirement home, I will be really fine. Commuting back and forth to the hospital to visit her is a real grind because it’s far. But, it’s a small price to pay for seeing the person who brought you into the world. Cheers and thanks for asking mate.
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@spizzy: Hey everyone needs support from time to time. God, the number of times I could have used some support from the endless attacks?
Anyway, you are free to voice your feeling mate, even if sometimes they aren’t popular with the masses. Soon they will all be singing our tune because soon they will all realize how wrong they were, if they haven’t already. What needs to end is this myth that Ferguson is a flawless God who is incapable of making mistakes or poor judgments. It’s unfair to burden the Gaffer with such BS. He’s human like all of us and he’s coming up on 70 pretty soon. Like I wrote a few days back, 70 is the age when a lot of great coaching legends in other sports seemed to lose the edge and the fire and where the game seemed to pass them by. It may, and I emphasize the word MAY be happening to Fergie. He certainly has gone soft and seems to relaxed and to composed that today we all must ask if he really truly gives a damn anymore or if he is really just tired and fed up and running on fumes?
If I have to be honest with myself, I think he has lost something of his old fire and brimstone. I don’t think he gets the attention of the players like he used to and I think the days of the hairdryer treatment and boot kicking are in the past. When I see him sitting on his hands during games and never venturing out to the touchline to direct, scare and inspire his troops makes me wonder just exactly what is he doing? He just seems to be going along with the players for the ride and is nothing more now than a back seat driver.
I have always been a huge admirer and supporter of Sir Alex Ferguson but I cannot and will not sit back and refuse to criticize the man or the team if things look bad or out of place. It’s not in my nature to stay quiet and one thing I am not nor ever will be is a trained chimp who is loyal to a fault and who never questions a damn thing someone close to me does. That’s what an entire nation did when Hitler came to power. I am not that gullible and that is why I am bleeding heart liberal. I refuse to be told what to do and ruled by the mob. So all those that bully you and me and who feel we need to fall in line with the status quo just because they deem it so and because they are trained monkey’s are going to be very disappointed indeed. Life is too short to be told to tow the line and to lose your independent freedom of thought. So criticize away mate. But just be fair and accurate in your beliefs.
For me Fergie either needs to show me he is still up for the challenge, or he should retire. And if it’s a question of money being tied uop and unavailable to him, then he should come out and say so and then retire. Let Mancunia know just what kind of cunts the Glazer’s are and then wash his hands of the whole situation. He’s get my respect and appreciation ans well as my thanks for his honesty, instead of the dirty lies he has been spouting on behalf of his employers who are systematically taking the greatest club in the world and destroying it day by day with their greed and corporate selfishness, not to mention their massive debt repayment. It’s time Fergie thought of the fans for a change. Ask the break away fans of FC United if he really is a supporter of us all? So why then do we support him through his moments of cowardice, stupidity, stubbornness and downright misguided loyalty? Fergie has some explaining to do.
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@Craig Mc: Craig, you know I like you bro and that I have the greatest of respect for you but I seriously have to tell you this mate and I hope you do not get to crossed with me and don’t hate me. But you have been acting a bit like a hypocrite now for quite a while. Let me explain before you blow up.
You like to challenge me and guys like Spizzy when we say things like Fergie is senile or United is dead and buried but please, lets not forget that just a few months back, you used to offer up just as controversial comments not to mention you would get all hot an bothered with Fergie and call for his beheading just because of the way he used to treat Nani of all things.
Ever since you found out the great news that your GF was pregnant, you have mellowed considerably and like all men do in that situation, one grows up a lot and looks at life differently and with a new found perspective. So I understand and applaud your change in personality and your new found priorities, but please do not forget that it was not that long ago that you and I agreed a lot more with each other. Because back then you were a lot (and I mean a lot) more negative and dare I say, angry. You said a lot of bad things about Fergie back then but now, you let me and others have it if we rock the boat and challenge the establishment.
Today you are overdosing on extreme happiness and I for one cannot blame you, but if that’s going to change you by making you lash out at others for speaking their mind when you once shared much of the same views, then I’m sorry but I call that hypocrisy mate. Spizzy, RedRich and others like myself who are not afraid to challenge the esteemed hierarchy at Old Trafford do so because we care as much as you mate. We just aren’t happy and carefree as you are at this stage in our lives. We don’t have such a wonderful thing to look forward to as fatherhood. So please understand that your new found joy and contentment in life is only hiding a Craig I remember who was pretty volatile and pretty outspoken against the OT establishment at one time. And this was also during better times at the club. So please, get off of the backs of those who do not share your new found optimistic outlook on life. And never forget where you came from bro. And I hope you don’t hold this little reality lesson against me.
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@Frank Scicluna: Sorry the sir but we have every right to express ourselves exactly the way we want to. Those who live by the past learn from it but there is no golden rule that says just because we have had poor starts in the past and recovered, that we will do so again. Perhaps you haven’t noticed but our team has been recently gutted of it’s mojo and it’s talisman. We no longer have our get out of jail card. Ronaldo is gone and Ronaldo is not easily replaced. But to not even try to replace him, well that’s bloody well intolerable and bordering on conspiracy.
If you have an optimists view on things that is great and honestly, I respect you for it. But what I don’t respect is when people challenge me and others for our feelings and beliefs and belittle them by calling them knee jerk, as if none of us have a brain cell in our heads because we see the glass half empty rather than half full.
I have been a fan of this club for going on 35 years and I have seen the ups and the downs. I have seen patterns emerge and I have seen the team play poorly and be in some awful slumps during Ferguson’s reign as manager. But I haven’t seen this since the 92/93 season shortly before the savior the great King Eric Cantona came to save the club. At that time the club was mired in a terrible slump and couldn’t buy a goal. Too many old codgers were still around that were beyond their expiry day and the kids were not yet ready to take on the challenge of elevating the club from it’s quicksand. Only a special player named Cantona and then the the arrival of Keane were able to change our fortunes.
Let us not forget that Ferguson’s first three or four seasons at OT were anything but successful. In fact he came very close to getting the sack. But he didn’t. At that time he was young and full of energy and he had a master plan. And the rest is history. My point is that Ferguson is only human and is not infallible. He makes mistakes. Of late his tactics and squad selections have been dismal at best. His lack of energy and out and out coaching during games is a joke. No longer does he prance on the touchline like he used to and direct the team and scare his players into working harder. Above all, his decision making process on squad selection when it comes to the buying and selling of players is just a joke. And to add salt to the wound, his appalling loyalty and protective instinct to support and condone the disgraceful actions of his employers is nothing more than criminal.
Only a fool would buy into the statement that he wouldn’t buy any more players this season because he does not agree with the over pricing of players in this year’s transfer market. A atmosphere he created himself by selling Ronaldo for 30 million more than what he was worth. I call that hypocrisy. How about the other day when he came out and blasted players for theatrics and for diving. That’s sweet since he supported and condoned the king of such violations in Ronaldo. Pot, kettle, black I believe the term is.
I think it’s time people like yourself collectively got you heads out of the sand and saw things for what they are. Loyalty is great but blind loyalty is just pathetic. It’s blind loyalty that allowed the United States to fall in to disgrace and into moral and financial ruin because of their blind faith in an administration that was so immoral and so corrupt that the rest of the world is trying to recover form it’s eight year influence. It was blind loyalty that led to the Third Reich. Good proud people blindly falling for the song and dance of an evil dictator and regime and how many millions had to die for everyone to learn their lesson? Blind loyalty is a disgrace and a sin and I am not trying to preach here but please, get off the backs of those who do not prescribe to your mantra. We have a right to ask questions or to dislike the status quo. It doesn’t make us any less supportive or any less devoted to our club.
This is football after all and not world politics. But when people start telling football fans just how they should think and just how they should act, then that is crossing the line. You support your team as you see fit and kindly allow myself and other do do the same without adding your moral judgments and disdain to everything we have to say. Disagree and debate if you must, but respect other viewpoints and above all, offer up a little tolerance for them as well. Hows that for a knee jerk reaction?
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@Grognard: I have never had a problem with people challenging SAF’s decisions and player treatment or round pegs in square holes – and I explained that to Spiggy, that what I don’t like is people calling SAF senile! You should no what I mean by that, because your Mum has not been well, and is is a horrible thing to go on about somebody being senile because the team is slipping or whatever. The deal I have with you Grog, is that yes I do have my moments of NEGATIVISM, and you only have to read back on some of my comments in this thread to see I have admitted so. What I personally don’t like though is to continually dwell on the dark side. It is not healthy and it is not helpful to those around us. So my negativism BY CHOICE has to be short lived. Anyway back to the problem I have with you and Spizzy is exactly what I have stated in the recent post to Spizzy, that when people CHOOSE to have a change of heart, or different viewpoint, or you feel some of your posts are ignored, you chide about it Grog, call people IDIOTS, or SILLY, or ascertain that everybody in the end is going to come to your viewpoint. You don’t take different viewpoints and
disagreements to your viewpoints well Grog, but everybody then gets accused of ATTACKING YOU, when they are merely attacking your viewpoints. Spizzy was doing the same, but hey that’s up to him. With regards to RedRich, he just says what he has to say, and if folk disagree with him, he may argue the toss, but I never known him to cry that everybody is always attacking him personally, because he seems to be able to differentiate between disagreements about the way he sees things and the way others see things , and not equate that with the continual thought that HIS VERY PERSONAGE IS BEING attacked, or he is personally vilified etc etc. (Red Rich – sorry mate if you are not happy about your name coming up in this debate, I apologise now!). Anyway Grog, just to CONFIRM I have no problem with you munching on the Manager, the team or individual players, the Glazers or whoever. War on, others do – and that is what it is all about. As for me, I don’t want to dwell in the negative for too long, as I said it is not healthy for ME or for my friends and loved ones. So lets just go our seperate ways Grog, and I will leave you to it, and do my own thing too
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@Frank Scicluna: It’s not just about the three points or about style and substance. It’s about the future direction of the team and what Fergie is doing to it right now and what he is allowing the Glazer’s to do it. If you or others cannot see all the red warning flags that have been popping up, may I suggest a new eye prescription. It’s there for all to see. The club’s on field product is being run into the ground. It’s of field product, that being the brand and licensing is flourishing at a record pace. If the Glazer’s think it will continue to do so while the on field product becomes the subject of ridicule and mires itself into obscure anonymity and mediocrity, then their is a lot more than optimistic naiveties going on here. There are serious concerns over the direction of the club as well as it’s financial stability in relation to how the team performs and builds for the future.
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@Craig Mc: Thanks for the reply mate. I see where you are coming from but I do need to clear up one major misconception you have about me. I do not and have not ever gotten hot under the collar over people disagreeing with me. I have said this to you in the past on numerous posts and i have pointed to examples of why I have gone on tirades defending myself. Because in those instances of defensive anger, I have been attacked personally. It’s not been attacks on my beliefs but attacks on me. Yet you seem to think that I regularly attack people myself by calling them idiots or stupid. Please, show me examples of my calling people names unless I have been attacked first? I am not perfect, I recall a few times where I did do just that with Dan and a few newbies who came on here and were bothersome, but other than a handful of times over two years, I have always been very respectful of others personally. I may reduce their arguments to rubble and disagree with their viewpoints or arguments but I do not get into name calling. But I do get defensive when I am labeled a shit disturber, negative gloomy and pathetic.
I mean at the end of the day what are we all debating and arguing over? A bloody fucking football team. It’s pretty silly to get into heated debates and arguments and start lashing out with name calling and other forms of abuse over a football team. But hat is what has been going on for decades now in the terraces and on the streets in passionate footballing countries. It’s called the football tribe and its a culture that is hard to understand unless one lives it.
I respect your views mate, I think you should know that. We might not always agree but we need to be respectful of those differences. You are presently in a good place right now. Perhaps I am not. As much as I must respect your good place and your happiness and contentment, perhaps I need the same kind of respect and consideration if mine is a bit darker.
As for people calling Fergie senile, no I do not take exception to that and no, it does not offend me. Yes my mother is suffering from Dementia (not the same thing as being senile) but that doesn’t mean that I cannot call somebody whose views I really disagree with any name I feel like calling him. Especially if I don’t even know him or have any kind of contact with him. If people call Fergie senile, it’s not meant literally. It’s a statement of dissatisfaction with his decision making of late. But when fans idol worship complete strangers and start defending them like they are family, well, that’s just silly and I for one am also guilty of this silliness. How many times have I defended Fergie, Riquelme, Ronaldo, Ballack, Huntelaar etc to the death, much like you have defended Nani? It’s just human nature I guess when you really love or admire someone. But calling a stranger senile when angry is also just human nature and should not be taken so seriously. It’s a heat of the moment kind of comment.
So I hope this clears up some misconceptions you have had about me and why I get angry at some. As for you, yes we both do go our separate ways in life but I still hope we converse and shoot the banter here on the blog. Cheers bro.
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