Sep 27
Would You Like Some FC Basel With That Swiss Cheese Defence?:
I woke up this morning eager as a beaver and highly anticipating the event as the day had finally come. No I am not talking about our big match with FC Basel. Nope, I’m talking about the release date in North America for my favorite addiction, FIFA 12. My life, my love and the reason I won’t be leaving my house for at least a month.
Here I am ready to get into the game as I unwrap it and place it in my XBOX 360 when I realize that the Champions League encounter vs Basel will be starting in five minutes. Do I sacrifice game time with my beloved FIFA video game or do I watch my beloved United bore me in a routine European match against a minnow? Loyalty won over and so I sat through the Basel game but all through it I was pulling my hair over what has become a growing concern over our defensive ineptitude.
Up to now we have been getting away with poor defending and inconsistent keeping simply because our high-octane attack has masked our defensive woes due to all the goals we are scoring. First off, my apologies to FC Basel for referring to them as a minnow. They are a small team compared to such juggernauts as United, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea, Madrid Milan, Inter etc. But the fact is they are a good team with good players who are adept at finding flaws or weaknesses in our defence as well as our tactics and then exploit them. Problem for them is their two highly experienced strikers Frei and Streller were incredibly and uncharacteristically wasteful.
Basel opened up the game like gangbusters and within the first thirty minutes could have and should have easily scored three or four goals. As Gary Neville, said, they should have scored because not only were they clear cut chances but they fell to the right players also. Frankly their German manager had them playing and thinking they were Bayern Munich because they attacked in numbers, moved the ball around efficiently and attacked with purpose. At times our defence was in tatters and often I saw incredible gaps in the middle of the 18 yard box which begged me to ask the question where our two center backs were? Then upon my replaying the game I noticed the problem. It wasn’t that Rio and Jones were lazy or being caught up front. No, instead they were wide trying to cover the sides which had been lost to the ineptitude of both Fabio and Evra. Those two were constantly allowing Basel to win the width war and this was spreading our back four out too much.
Why is it only me that can see what a colossal albatross Patrice Evra has been. Even on attack he overlaps is in a perfect position to deliver a cutting cross or cutback pass and he always but always makes a meal of the chance. I am totally and completely fed up with him. But who cares right? Welbeck scores two quick goals and we are 2-0 and there is nothing to worry about. WRONG!!! You see, Basel never panicked and they never quit. They just kept on coming.
The second half begins and I’m thinking Fergie will have used the hairdryer treatment on the lads and they will come out and take it to Basel and all will be right with the world right? WRONG!!! Instead things get worse. Basel miss three great chances and then all of a sudden in a matter of a few minutes it is 2-2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Never have I cried for the return of Nemanja Vidic as I did at that cold moment when Evra gave the ball up in his typical sloppy manner which led to a quality cross to an unmarked Sebastian Frei and all of a sudden I’m worrying if we even get out of this Group.
Eventually our defensive trouble permeated throughout the squad and we stopped creating chances as well. For me it was a surreal moment in which I was wondering what in God’s name I was watching? What I was watching was a club that had been outed. A club that had been faking it and getting away with murder but who were finally busted, as the police shows love to say. Yes we are decimated with more than our fair share of injuries yet that is surely just an excuse and that a club like ours still should be handling the Swiss champs a sound butt kicking. Instead they served up a major butt kicking to Manchester United at Old Trafford of all places. It was unbelievable, unheard of and above all, unacceptable.
Football is a very funny game and nothing is a given I know, but still, give me a frakken break already. Fergie has a lot of work to do to solidify the back four and De Gea again has to be questioned especially by the manner he handed them that first goal. Was a punch out necessary at that moment? Why not just catch the ball as it was right in his chest. Even our bright light Danny Welbeck disappeared in the second half as did Valencia and Anderson so rather than bringing in Berbatov along with Nani earlier, Fergie delayed until it was almost too late. Eventually Fergie brings on Nani but then he brings on the king of uselessness Park as well. And what is our reward for this? A penalty is awarded to Basel and they go up 3-2 thanks to sloppy control from a tired Valencia. Now it is much more than a surreal experience. It has now become worse than an embarrassment. Instead it has become a living nightmare and a night of total unadulterated shame.
In the end what I watched was as shambolic an effort as the one Arsenal gave against us a few weeks back. We could easily have lost this match 8-4 or 7-5 and this is not an exaggeration. A Swiss wave or Tsunami that ravaged us and left us floating in our own muddied pools of pride and arrogance. Like I said earlier, tonight we were exposed, outed and busted. We were found to be wanting and woefully inept on defence, which forces me to ask the question, are we as good as we thought we were and really, how bad are we? How far can we hope to go in Europe with a defence that has more holes than Swiss cheese and surrender opportunities they way Italians surrender in military battles?
And then it happened while I was hanging my head in shame. Nani and Ashley saved our bacon from a total embarrassment for the ages. Where was Nani in the beginning? He is our best player right now and he should never be sitting in Europe because for me Europe is the most important prize. Basel taught us tonight not to take anything for granted and therefore, we should never feel sit our best player who are uninjured during a European tie. Sit Nani against Stoke, I could care less but I want our best players available for Europe.
3-3 was not a just result. We deserved to lose. Kudos to our attackers for keeping our home run and our
undefeated record intact. As for Fergie, well he has a lot of work to do. What did he think of the contest his club survived by the skin of his chiny chin chin? At this point I’d normally want to offer some quotes from the Boss but this only enflames me because he always laughs off this kind of performance so in turn, tonight I will laugh off anything Fergie has to say because tonight he got it all wrong along with our injuries playing a major role in a near defeat and sure embarrassment.
At the end of the day we escaped defeat and salvaged very valuable point which I hope teaches the players and especially Fergie a couple of major lessons;
1. Never underestimate your opponent
2. Never assume you will automatically win when playing at Old Trafford
3. Start your best team possible in all European matches unless you have clinched the group
4. Never play for a draw like we did at Benfica as every point could prove to be very valuable
5. Playing Michael Carrick is like not playing Michael Carrick
6. Patrice Evra must be sold
7. Dimitar Berbatov brings nothing as a sub and thus, must be sold
8. We must find playing time for Danny Welbeck
9. Thank God we have Nani and Ashley Young
10. It’s a long season and we aren\t going to WOW the world every night out. Was this rare hiccup?
I can get over this match quickly but Fergie has serious issues to deal with and will have some interesting decisions facing him in the coming weeks. So as bad as this result was, it was not the worst case scenario
And so we now must move on, learn from this and train harder to make sure this never happens again. Lets just call it a wake up call or a major reality lesson learned.
![Sir Alex Ferguson – Manchester United Manager – Classic Post [2007]](http://redrants.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/alex-ferguson-150x150.jpg)
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Tags: Match Reports
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Stephen (147)
Go back to making love to your beloved FIFA video game. You have no clue about what you’re talking about.
Everyone\\\\\\\'s talking about this one! - Join the debate.... Like or Dislke:
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What a sweetie. Kiss Kiss
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who are you? Did you just make up an account on the spot to bash Grognard? Get a life.
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Piss off and never darken our door again, we all have opinions and this site is full of them. If you want to go to a more partisan site then that is your choice, this is not one of them. We share views and people don’t have to agree but this is Red Rants, we vent our spleen…
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@ leftback: Is that you Patrice?
If so then go play on the field and not on this forum and dont dare mouth off Groggy. He’ll join your fan club when you start playing on the field till then you are in his (and our) Doghouse…
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I’m not a man utd fan but these were some of the observations i made during our recent game at OT which we lost 3-1 but said volumes about man utd’s defence. Nice write up. Honest. Enjoy your fifa 12!Nice write up. Honest. Enjoy your fifa 12!
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why do you keep saying we if you are not a United fan – you are not WE or OUR lol
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it still bewilders me how for such a huge squad we only have 3 genuine central mids…anderson, cleverly and carrick….nope fletcher is an abberation that looks like he is playing midfeild…
off to plying fifa 12…god this game takes time to get used to
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I agree this was such an upsetting game, but I really don’t understand the problem with Carrick. I am not his biggest fan, in fact I have grown tired of him, but today he was spraying the ball out with expertise. I actually thought him, apart from Welbeck and Young and Nani, was our best player. How ever our defence is a worry, the players are young, Evra has lost it and we need Vidic back. But still it is one game, we shall see how we do against Norwich then judge them more.
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by the way, what is the update on Vidic???? Wasnt he supposed to be back much earlier ??? Somehow, the past 2-3 seasons, we probably have been the squad with the highest number of injuries (along with Arsenal probably). Dont think if any other top teams have so many players on the doctors table. Is it just bad luck or when Hargo says something about our medical staff, there might be something to it?????
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Fair write up. Defense has become something of a blind spot. We had Fabio and Evra in the full back positions against Barcelona in the final and it was no surprise really that both Barcelona’s wide players scored, whereas in previous encounters Barcelona had no joy down the flanks. Oh for the solidity of Brown at right back and Evra back when he could occasionally put in a reasonable defensive performance. Now we start to understand why Ferguson is so fanatical about playing defensive wingers like Park and Valencia, not that they did their job at all well today.
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Defensive wingers – yeah like he chose Valencia for the Wembley final and he was worse than shit poor, and never got past his last man or put in a cross – good thinking Colver mi man – NOT!
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I thought it was a bit harsh to Blame Valencia for the third goal. Yes he commited the penalty but Jones didnt do him any favors by playing him that ball when the box was that crowded. Im all for playing your way out of danger, but He should have hoofed that one.
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Responding to Jay Wire and Tony’s comments on previous thread.
I agree Carrick was not the worst player on the pitch. Anderson was far far far worse and in retrospect Fletcher would have been a better choice as no way does Fletcher go AWOL defensively the way Anderson did. Giggs does give the ball away but he creates so many chances that you accept that.
Still it does seem a common trend that Carrick escapes all blame whenever the team is playing badly. Surely as a holding midfielder when we concede three goals and it could have been many more he must accept some responsibility? He didn’t make any mistakes but he didn’t exactly do much to stem the tide and as in international football he often seems too slow and static against continental opposition. Basically he needs to be alongside world class central midfielders and right now we don’t have any.
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I think the biggest problem with Carrick is that he rarely if ever is found making major errors and giving the ball away. So then his supporters come to his aid using that as ammunition in defending him. Ah but the truth is he makes few errors but is guilty as sin of being completely invisible out there and always taking the safe option in a pass. I’d much rather have Anderson make mistakes but at least try to make something happen with a nice run or speculative through ball than watch Carrick back pass or play Houdini and just vanish.
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Great news about Tevez. I always felt bad about the way we treated him sidelining him to make room for Berbatov and was pleased at the way he resurrected his career at Manchester City. But it is clear he never got over us and at every opportunity he gets he sticks it to Manchester City.
That is my definition of a true Manchester United fan. Someone who refuses to play for Manchester City!
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Lol…never thought of it like that. Thought of him only as the Argie cunt. Turns out he’s a red after all.
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No it is the definition of a true mercenary who care only for himself and not being Champions League Cup tied.. He is what is wrong with modern day football. He doesn’t care for City, United or anything but his bank balance…. Get lost you ugly cunt.
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Personally I hope he and Balotelli stay at City for years to come so that I can watch the team slowly die of cancer from within.
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We shouldn’t be picking on players, it can be destructive. With that said thought, our attacks were nice to watch, I have no idea what happened to our defence tho.. Evans, Rio were all over the place and we had gaps as wide as Tevez’s face!
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What pissed me off most about this game was R Ferdinand
Fuck
Laughs off the foul he got away with, 2 mins later looking down like a fool… as we conceded..
His not a proper player anymore..
ideal defence
Fabio Jones Vidic Smalling
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Spot on Grognard that was a very good dissection, my quick points are.
1, Evra is a fallacy, his form is a real concern. Why is he captain? Maybe this is not helping but really how long can this be a dip and not be the norm?
2, The midfield…. I know I go on about it and the Anderson and Carrick supporters will find another player or manager to blame but come on………
3, Berba from the bench when we need a goal, Michael Owen anyone….
4, De Gea, agreed with Grog why punch a ball when it can be caught.
5, The Twins, will they ever complete 90 mins, the make Saha look like Roy Keane..
5, Park on a sub…. Really I like him and he takes too much stick, but taking off Giggs and bringing him one was pointless.
6, Jones sis a great talent, but clearly still learning, row Z next time…
7, Blaming Valencia for making defensive mistake sis unfair, Fergie he is a winger!!!!
8, Thank God for Nani, how good is he?!?!?
9, Rio was lucky to stay on the pitch, yes he slipped but he did pull the lad down…
10, We had this coming, we in the past few games have been getting away with murder…… Wake up call!
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Foreign press suggesting that Nani is quickly becoming PL’s best player – wow that will rankle more than a few of Man Utd fans.
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Second best player mate, behind Mr Rooney!
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The truth often hurts mate. Fact is he is the number one reason these days I wake up early to watch United play. Love the Lil Man.
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Get some fucking Xbox Live and add me “RedDevilEddy” and I’ll show all you guys how FIFA 12 is played!
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ROFL…defending i super annoying…i have been spoiled by FIFA 11
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Everything I read from people who have tested game say the defending takes a while to get used to, but once you do its far better than the old defending system.
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I don’t get why the fuck people struggle with it? Yes it’s different from all the other FIFA games as this one is natural, and you have to be clever. The best FIFA 12 players are those who know football tactics, and the art of defending. As a defender myself I am lucky to have this advantage, so far I’ve not had any issues with it. Playing as United I find it pretty simple, just use the midfielders to cover space instead of going at the player, and try to push him into making a cross and going wide. Rio and Vida handles everything in the air.
So far I’m fucking Barca on Live. Spanked them 5-0, 4-1 and 4-0 in the three games I’ve faced them on Xbox Live, pretty fucking easy! Patience is a virtue, thankfully!
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Man have they made massive improvements to the game. I love the close control and dribbling options a player has now as it is tough to take the ball from me at close quarters. The shooting has been improved as I used to hate the old system and long shots always being too weak or way to high if over hit. The tackling and marking features are fantastic but it is also easier for an attacker to skin you and get by making you look very Jonny Evans in the process. Gloalkeepers are more prominent and the good ones are just a treat to watch. Try beating Manny Neuer in that game. Very tough to do.
My first goal scored in FIFA 12 was by none other than Tom Cleverley and it was the kind of goal that I used to struggle scoring in the previous game, getting a diagonal through ball and then shooting against the grain low and to the far post. It was beautiful. Not as beautiful as the epic counter attacking goal Germany scored against Ivory Coast that started from a defensive header in their box and ended 6 fast passes later in an open net chance for my boy Thomas Muller to pop in. I also love the way Nani and Young are accurately represented as both have scored wonderful goals cutting in and letting one go. Nani’s more of a drive to the far post while Young also goes far post but finesses it with an arching curl. Also loved putting together a young England team with no Terry’s, Cole’s, Lampard’s and other old warts and allowed the young boys to go out and destroy Bulgaria 5-1 with Parker scoring a goal from 40 yards out with a cracker after stealing the ball. Just one day of playing so I have hardly had a taste but what I have played tastes wonderful. Overall grade from me on this game is 9.5/10
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First goal I scored was a treat. Playing my way out of defence, then getting it to Ando who produced a magical long range pass to Nani on the right side. Beat two players with him, passed the ball around nicely around the penalty area for about 2 minutes before I got it to Young on the left, who skinned Bosingwa and cross the ball into Hernandez who heel chopped the ball in. Magical stuff!
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I’d like to get some of your thoughts on something please – have you ever seen Rio sliding and falling down as he is, and other of our players? Somebody tell me if you don’t think the groundsmen water the OT pitch and make it like a swamp, or is it that our players are not wearing appropriate footwear for playing on said over watered swamp. Appreciate your thoughts guys, because it happens a lot our players slipping all over the place?
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Aside from Rio I really didnt see anyone else fall down?
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Errrm Park, Fabio???
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Oh and RMJ, I wasn’t just talking about last nights game – but quite a lot of games at OT
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Hey Craig, me old mate! i hear ya! thats not the first time i noticed it, definitely the pitch was waterlogged!
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Hi Phoenix mi man – you ok? That is my point exactly regarding players slipping and sliding – a good few of them on our pitch. May be inappropriate footwear rather than soggy pitch – can’t quite fathom it myself
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when i played rugby and it was wet, we wore longer studs, simple!
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Sounds logical to me mate
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Excellent observation. I noticed a lot of slip[ping and sliding myself which means that either they are watering the pitch too much, too late or the pitch is not draining properly before a match. I found it very frustrating indeed. Great point mate.
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Tell me Stephen mi man, does Mr Rooney have the dribbling skills of Nani? Or the guided missile right on to your head Son picked out pass of Nani to the Mr Young’s of this world, or the speed to lose his marker AND SPRINT away in the dying seconds to score the winner at muscle sapping Wembley like Nani – NAH thought not sunshine! But I so love our Mr Rooney/Mr Nani spats Stephen mi man!
. Regarding spectacular type goals though – I think Mr Rooney and Mr Nani draw equal for the finest of the fine, and I am giving you some leverage there 
.
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Nani is yet to bicycle kick thou
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Oh yeah right – I’ll send Nani a telegram post haste Jos, and tell the lad to do me proud and BEAT the shit out of the Roon bicycle goal by doing a better one himself. I gotta say though – Berba’s bicycled goal was every bit as spectacular as the Roons
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NEVER!!!
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Listen mate, Nani is fantastic and is finally making his claim as a world class player. That does not mean you need to continue to slag Rooney who is also a world class player whether you want to accept it or not. Just show the Roo a little more love like many of us did when Nani was having his struggles. He has done nothing to piss us off this season but score a ton of goals. Having said that now that he is injured expect him to come back and take ten games before he scores a goal because he always seems to lose his form after an injury.
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Haha CraigMc I love your Nani baiting. Rooney is still Number One but Nani is definitely catching up with him in his importance to the team and it has definitely gotten to the stage where Nani should be exempt from the rotation system just the same as Ronaldo and Rooney and should be played every game.
Without Rooney and Nani in the team we look distinctly average.
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Bit harsh Colver, Vida, Young, Chicharito, Rio, Berba, Cleverley, Jones and Smalling are hardly average bro.
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Mate it wasn’t me saying that Nani is becoming the best payer in the PL, it was the foreign press – but of course I am going to agree with them on that one, as a lot of foreign players are saying too. I purposely read the things said by foreign media and press, because they are more honest than English press who have a hard on for English above average players! Most of whom are overhyped in my opinion!
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Well if you love it I’ll bait right on then Colver
– wouldn’t want to disappoint you! 
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I think yesterday showed me something that I hated to see. We are poor defensively due to injuries and indifferent form, but we are incapable of winning without both Rooney and Nani on the pitch. Nani saved our bacon yesterday by coming on late and our attack just lacks without both him and Rooney causing defenses havoc.
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Its amazing how Fergie still isnt over the drab of a midfield of Park, Giggs, Vally after what we saw whole of last season and in the final against Barca. We seriously need a strong MF player. Anderson can never be world class and consistent and Carrick will always get a divided opinion.
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We won the league last season and lost in the Champions League Final so they can’t be that bad.
The centre of the park is a real concern still, the Anderson supporters were asking where were his critics after three decent games, but like always his form has gone.
We need a player who can dictate a game, take control when it seems to be drifting away. We simply have not replaced Roy Keane and even an aging Scholes is better than Carrick and Anderson. Cleverley is a glimmer of light, but will he be consistant and will he produce in Europe so ealry on in his career, probably not.
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It’s unfair to judge Anderson IMHO, because he never was a holding or truly defensive or central MF. In his true position of AMF – he is bloody good, able to drive forward and his passing is not half bad mate. But as usual United players SELDOM get played in their natural positions, and then get fan bear baited for not doing as well!
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Where was he playing last night then mate, ahead of Carrick and he was garbage?
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Mate it was Giggsy conceding possession more than Anderson in our MF last night. I remember once telling you all about having a bet with all my mates that Giggsy is a United player that loses possession and causes our play to break down than anybody else. All my mates shouted me down, so I asked the to watch the next 12 United games with me and notice every time the play broke down, and I bet them all a mint of money, because I was sure I would win. Sure enough the player who conceded possession every time in those 12 games more than anybody else – GIGGSY. My mates couldn’t believe it – but I became rich overnight from winning the bet, and yet lost most of it because I had to buy them all free beers all night
. Giggsy’s strength lie in other areas mate, so not saying he isn’t one of our legends.
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Agree. Of late I have seen Giggsy lose the ball more than any other player.
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Giggsy does give the ball away a lot I am refuting that bro. Anderson and Carrick were rubbish last night and lets stop making excuses for them, they are not god enough full stop!
I have never seen so many fans making up so many reasons why they fail to produce, we needed to buy at least one midfield player this summer and it will cost us.
Fletch is hardly the answer, Clev looks like he has something but that is simply not enough.
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@ stephen:- mate i would say that Anderson struggled but Carrick played well like he always does usually in Europe bar the finals ie barcalona.
For me Andy has always struggled in the 3 man midfeild where he is asked to play a bit wide and then struggles…I thought yesterday our wingers were dreadful in keeping possession.
yet overall I think yesterday’s loss came down to our tactics 451 at home? we automatically switched on when we shifted to a 442 with berbatov and attacked relentlessly.
We got away with it yesterday but my biggest worry was the fact that we did not have one recognized defender on he bench last night for all our apparent depth in defence
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I said it many times last year and I’ll repeat it again. We lost the Champions League final because the team that beat us was infinitely greater to us in all categories. We won the EPL because the League is going through a mild crisis in quality as all the elite teams have dipped a bit in form and allowed some of the minnows or mid table teams some freedom to breath and improve. Nobody can look me in the eye and tell me that Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal fielded great teams last season. This allowed Spurs and City to get pbetter and because we already had a strong nucleus of players and a great manager and tradition, our pride and play was good enough to win the league. We were also good enough to make the final in Europe but make no mistake, we are nowhere close to toppling Barcelona as they may actually be the greatest club side ever. I say that with a heavy heart because I hate them. I only put the Ajax side of the early 70′s, the Bayern side of the mid 70′s and the 1989 AC Milan team up against them in comparison of total greatness. Real Madrid I also believe are better than us but we could beat them on any given day. Barcelona are unbeatable in a big match with our current club. Our midfield is not good enough and our tactics need a major overhaul for the miracle to happen.
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Is it ‘orrible of me to say that if Man Pity are kicking Tevez out on his arse, then I wouldn’t mind giving him food and lodgings again at Old Trafford? I really would – and now I am off quick sharp to get my body armour and crash helmet BEFORE the Red Rant super snipers come to attack!
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NEVER EVER, EVER, EVER. The guy is a class A scumbag, we also do not need him as we have Rooney. He is a trouble maker and a greedy cunt, NO FECKING WAY!
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Awww come on Stephen – maybe Tev is just a misunderstood football genius, who has never got over his sad bereavement from Old Trafford. And put your bloody long range rifle away, cos you just caught me one on the arse as I was running for cover!
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Have you ever been to Salford mate? Most of us are the biggest trouble makers this side of the Mersey Tunnel! Going thru high schools in Salford is like manouevering thru the wild wild west dodging bullets – as the testosterone flows in all its full menacing force. Tevez would fit in just fine with his trouble causing countenance!
Gotta go now, I have work meetingss at 4.30 – talk laterz!
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Yes it is orrible for you to say that. Fuck him. Everybody was ragging on poor Owen Hargreaves last week when he signed for a team after being kicked out of OT on his bony ass but Tevez left because he was selfish and a mercenary and then slagged the club, it’s players the manager etc. Hargo only put down the medical team which he has every right to do in my opinion. Tevez is a great player but he is a lone wolf type. He hates competition for his position and he would have tons of it here. Also, quite frankly we don’t need him.
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Just received a telegram back from Lil Man Nani – he says he will go one better, and get an overhead kick goal by doing it together with his celebration double back flip. So double back flip with overhead goal scored adjoining it. Lil man I would pay very good money to see that, and even more much money to see the looks on the faces of the Roon army fans
. Oh YES!
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… and here comes the Ando hate. What have his supporters always cried for? A settled midfield and him played in the same role consistently. At the start of the season all the haters didnt say shit because he wasnt playing “Average” he was a fucking beast. It was silence of the lambs around here, even Grognard became a fan So please save the “Average” bullshit. You dont sway Grogs opinion after 3 years of passionate hate with average performances. And also it wasnt 3 games it was the first 5.
when did his form dip? It was cleverly went down injured and all of a sudden we didnt have a midfielder who paired up so nicely with him. They both had the ability to drive forward and drop deep depending on the other man. Carrick plays the holding role brilliantly but he isnt mobile like cleverly who is constantly working to give people options. He can play clever little one-twos, with anderson and the other forwards. Then SAF decides to give fletcher a run out and he was the antithesis of everything that made us start the season so bright. He isnt a attacking player and dont even bother playing the ball to his feet, he cant control it and he cant offer quick return passes. But who gets the blame? Anderson because he is asked to all of a sudden drastically alter his game.
Is Anderson perfect and removed from all blame? Of course not. His fitness levels also play a part and he could work on that. And I will concede that he isnt a very versatile player. He can only play one way, and thats all out attack with attackers surrounding him. If you ask him to be a one man attacking Midfield army then your wasting your time, you will see him get frustrated and try Gerrard type passes time and time again. Like I said before he needs to be surrounded by attacking options.
There is plenty of stuff to criticize Ando for, but please stop with the lazy “He isnt good enough full stop”. Give reasons why he is not good enough, and be little more honest when his role in the team is altered.
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As you say he cannot adapt his game at all. He can’t shoot, he is over weight and thus his fitness levels are poor. He does not dominate the midfield and plays on the fringes of a lot of games. This really is if the side plays well so does he, If United are playing poorly as a midfield player he needs to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. He is lazy, many times during games he stands still or jogs back when the opposition are attacking. He also looses concentration in games and plays lazy passes. Is he one of the Worlds best midfield players? No we are Manchester United and we deserve more. He is 24 next year and no longer a kid and that is what he plays like. I keep hearing this he has all this potential, but when does that end and he simply hasn’t got it?
Mate you and many are clearly fans of him and I don’t hate him but feel we deserve better. But if you think he has played like a “beast” then you and others who cannot see his clear faults. He is very inconsistent and a top centre midfield player simply cannot be that I am afraid.
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Alright. Here are my reasons and am happy to be proven wrong over the season:
1. Yes, he is attack-minded but i think he is very inconsistent.
2. He tries too much of fancy Barca like passes which lot of his team-mates are probably not used to or not good at handling. Not his fault there, but then he has to adopt sometimes to his team mates. At the same time, he tries a lot of long fancy passes and he comes off well quite a few times but is vagrant for many of them as well.
3. His fitness levels are a concern and unless proven wrong i am not sure if he will last the whole season if played on a regular basis.
4. He does not seem to work as hard as needed to raise his level of game/
5. He practically has no use of his right foot, making him a bit easy to read once teams figure out his game the more games he gets to play because he is not a winger like giggs nor as talented as giggs who also has limited usage of his right foot. Most of the times the arse is used as a defensive weapon but with successful effect
6. For the amount of time he has spent at United, he couldve been a much better player if he had worked harder maybe? Its subjective
7. He is called an AMF but i dont think he has potential to try to get as skillfully close to the likes of many world-class AMF’s we know of
8. ANd if we accept all of the above including the last point, it does beggar the question – even if he might be good or promising, Is he world class and United class? How many other top teams will he walk into? And how long do we wait for him to really blossom?
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Anderson for me is the least of our problems. I think his major problem is not his form per say but who he is partnered up with. Bring back Cleverley and watch Ando excel. I am not going to get too down on him as he needs to be given the chance to see if he really is the knees bees or not. I still have my doubts but I want to be fair to him. Anderson has improved an awful lot this season and it started toward the end of last season. He still makes mistakes and can get sloppy but he is also the only central midfielder on our club other than Cleverley who has a pulse.
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Did I just read you tell us to give Ando time? And that you appreciate him?
My God I think a pig just flew in my window!
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I’m sick I need help.
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I will readily admit that we need atleast one more MF. Im happy with Ando,Cleverly an carrick as three players who can be rotated. Giggs is good cover but he should be 5th choice not 4th. Pogba is atleast a season away from filling that void.I think it would do him wonders to get loaned out to a championship side this season, He has maxed out his potential playing in the reserves. Fletcher has his uses, but Im of the opinion that he was useful for last years teams, not the new energetic and technically skilled one.
I hope Fergie has someone in mind for january, We should either sell Berbatov in January or swap him straight up for another midfielder. Tiote from Newcastle comes to mind. A player like him would be good enough to provide cover, but at the same time he would know his role as a squad player and not rock the boat over playing time. I also have a lot of time for either of the two dortmund players Kagawa and Goetze. either of those guys would come in and instantly challenge for first team spots. Goetze in particular looks to be an incredible talent and before long he will be worth 30m+. I can see dortmund letting him go for 15-20m aka money from the hypothetical berba sale, or even dangle him out there as a makeweight.
Sneijder was not and still isnt the answer. He is on Tevez money, and he isnt the saviour some of you make him out to be. Like most players he is only good as the tactics allow him. We saw this early this season at inter and I have no doubt we would have seen it here as well. He would make good cover for rooney, but as soon as our talisman comes back Sneijder would be another Berbatov; a supremely talented player who doesnt really suit us. Yes Sneijder would give us another option, but you dont 250k a week for an option. You build teams around players like that, and with rooney here that would never happen.
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Agree with all the points bro.
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Agree on Sneijder, though disagree on Ando (given reasons above). Sneijder is too costly and too high paid to go for him anyways, should try one of the upcoming talents like Gotze. Maybe the belgian guy fergie used to adore would have also been good in Cleverlys absence. We need anyone but Giggs or Park right now to be honest. No disrespect to Giggs, but age does matter.
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agree about sneijder..for midfeild i would love it if we got a look in at Javi Martínez from At Bilbao…great talent he was at u21s.
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I tried to buy Gotze on FIFA 12 and those pricks Dortmund were asking for 70 million Euros. Give me a break. Imagine what they would be asking in real life? At this stage Sneijder is older but he actually is cheaper because his upside isn’t as great.
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If we got Goetze, he would be the signing of the century. He’s that damned good and when you put him in a situation where he has such great players as our forwards and wingers to mix in with, then only great things can happen. But he is German and so you will never see him wear a United jersey as long as Fergie is running the club.
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fifa huh? – add me on PS3 – SS7 EagleEye – im warning you already i am very good at fifa so if u choose to play me dont be disheartened if your ass is handed to you!
Have to agree with grognard on one point – carrick cannot keep up with a high tempo game and he seems to have completely lost his ability to control a game also, cleverly and anderson have been far more impressive at the start of the season as a pairing.
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GreatestDane83 — PS3… add me if you wanna get beat in FIFA11
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few thoughts,
We all agree that last season we massively over achieved and it showed by the gulf in class between barcelona and us. its truly bizarre that we got to the champions league final. in actual fact, we had the luck of the draw.
I say this with confidence, should we meet bayern, inter, ac or real, we would easily be beaten. The fact is we are massively under strengthen. We lack so much quality that i’m beginning to wonder if fergie is so deep into it , he can’t see our problems.
Goalkeeper: We have to be patient, he will get better. i honestly cant fault him for much in yesterdays game….his initial save for the first goal could have been better HOWEVER no keeper in the world could have covered the shot on goal. if we are honest, we can see he’s growing from strength to stength with every game he plays for us. i mean he single handedly got us a point against stoke.
Defense: No complaints, we have quality in numbers, so much so that our reserve defenders can compete with the starters.
Midfield: We should be embarrassed to be asking for Tom ”our savior” Cleverly. we cannot win the champions league with clev and ando in the middle.. i really don’t care what you say about Sneijder but he gives goals and assists on a consistent basis…. he also has pedigree, experience and a winning mentality. So gimme a Sneijder or someone close. Carrick and Fletch have their qualities but fact is they’re just too damn immobile… we need a squad not just a starting 11. Sneijder, Tiote would be great additions, a well managed taarabat and the young Ross Barkley( i love the look of).. i’m really not sold on Rodwell.. he is injury pro one and i just don’t see it.. sorry lads. i don’t believe the hype… great first touch and composure have to be a priority
Wingers: im happy with Ash,Nani, Tony, giggs and park.
Forwards: I’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry.. As much as i love berba, please please please sell the genius. he’s never been a major hit.. the manager has treated him badly sometimes.. Fact is pound for pound, he’s probably our best footballer and at the same time least effective. 20mill to PSG would have been amazing.
Chicarito…. hear my words, NOT GOOD ENOUGH.. he’s a poacher.. his passing poor, finishing okay at best, holding up play poor, dribbling poor, first touch poor. Don’t sell him, don’t start him either…. he needs work and at 23 he is not young!!!!!!! but as an impact player hell yeah!
Michael Owen- get rid.
diouf- not seen enough to judge
Wellbeck- start him alongside the irreplaceable, relentless genius that is wayne Rooney ( wellbeck has bags of talent and will be fantastic)
in a nutshell a world class midfielder (two if i’m being honest), a world class striker.. we can continue to cover evra…….
\
comment ppl
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Right now with our injury woes and a few uncertain points in our game we would definitely be fodder for Barca, Madrid, Bayern and a few others away from home. I mean lets be honest, FC Basel came to OT and almost and should have knocked us off. Still, there is a lot to be optimistic about this team. We need to get healthy in our back four and Fergie needs to makes some very hard decisions this season about the futures of players like Carrick, Fletcher, Rio and Evra. Age, injury and indifferent form have left these players behind the others. I also have concerns about Evans and the Twins as they seem to be constantly derailed by injuries and also indifferent form. Honsetly, with Vidic sidlined I’d hate to think where we would be had we not had such stellar play from Jones and Smalling.
But as bad as our back four has been, it pales in comparison to the pedestrian performances of our central midfield ever since Cleverley went down with his ankle injury. I am tired of waiting for Fletcher to regain his 2009 form, fed up waiting for Carrick to just wake the fuck up and show me that he has a pulse and tired of seeing a 37 year old Giggs be our lone creative element in midfield. Anderson is coming on but even he has taken a few steps back these past few weeks and so it becomes clear as day for me that we need to address this part of the field now rather than later. I mean how badly can Paul Pogba derail our team if he were to be given a chance? Frankly I do not see how he could be any worse than our midfield was yesterday. Fergie needs to stop being a cheap miser and stubborn old coot and he needs to wake up to the facts. As good as we are, we are being held back from true greatness as a club by a very pedestrian and rather agricultural midfield. Heaven help us if either Young or Nani go down with a serious injury. Depth is nice but sometimes you also need quality and we have very little in midfield these days. And this has been going on for near three years and yet Fergie continues to deny there is a problem. I frankly do not understand the man’s thinking in this matter.
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My cautious side says Pogba is a year away, but deep down I have a hunch that if he was thrust into the fire right now he would end up surprising a lot of people. During the second half of the leads game I saw flashes of a player with loads of potential, but I also saw a player who was a little timid playing at a level much higher than the reserves.
I find that alot of people dont realize how big of a step up mentally it is moving up to the top flight. Obviously I have never played at a professional level anywhere close to United but I liken it to my jump from High school and college. In high school I was a stud, I was all state and the game was super easy. I had superior size, skill and speed than everyone around me. When I made the huge step up to college in a major conference I was a nobody. The first time my name was called by the coach to come into the game my stomach was in knots. The biggest crowd I had played before in high school was around 400-500 people. Now I am checking into a game against Arizona(at the time a national powerhouse) In front of 10,000+ fans, with future NBA players Like Mustafa Shakur,Andre Iguadala, Channing Frye, Hassan adams and a hall of fame coach Lute Olsen. I am playing against guys I have seen on tv and read about in magazines.
It was very overwhelming and the game seemed to move at lighting pace. But the more you play the calmer you become and the game starts to slow down. You realize the people you are playing against are good but they arent the gods you once thought they were.
Now imagine someone like Pogba, who went from playing in the reserves to playing in a hostile enviroment like leeds. alongside players who are household names the world over. It is understandable that he would play well within himself in order to not screw up. Only the rarest few can make step ups like that and not be over awed by the occasion. That takes a certain level of self confidence that borders on arrogance to not be effected by the occasion. but the more he is blooded and the more he truly believes that he belongs at this level, I think you will start to see a player that has world class potential. I dont believe Cleverly would have had the self belief to sieze his golden opportunity this season had he not spent that year playing week in and week out in the EPL. He saw what was out their and how he stacked up against everyone else. Now I know Cleverly and pogba are two completely different situations, but I think fergie might never know if pogba is ready or not unless he throws him into the fire.
If I was fergie I would try him in a few more carling cup matches, and if he struggles I would send him away on loan in january. He will get a taste of the rough and tumble English game and he will also realize what a first class blessing it is to play for a club the size of United. I have no doubt that when cleverly got back to United from his loan, he knew he didnt want to leave and was determined to make it. Think of it as the football version of “Scared Straight” haha.
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1. We dont all agree that we massively overachieved last season. Champions league 3 final 3 out of the last 4 years, PL winners 4 out of the last 5 years. So for us to win the league and reach the CL I would say we just about hit our standard. Its very clear to me that last years team while boring was criminaly underrated, most notably by doom sayers on this blog.
You say you dont care what anyone says about sniejder, but you forget he was a failure at Madrid and he didnt exactly get off to a flying start this season. Does that means he is rubbish? Of course not, but he does need to be placed in formation optimized for him in order to bring out his strengths… which wont happen for him at United.
COuldnt disagree more about Chicharito, his white hot form and partner ship with rooney Ended Berbatovs United career. Not to mention he was instrumental for us to close out the season. The only game he became a liability in was the Barca game. So for you to say “not good enough” is laughable considering he was PL wide the signing of the season hands down.
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P.O.G.B.A. — Problems are Often Generally Blamed on Anderson
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Groggy – stop busy bodying into the world war player baiting, and sabre rattling going on between Stephen, Colver, Eddi and me regarding the roon, the nani, the anderson, and uncle tom cobley and all, We are Mancs (Eddi being an adopted Manc) and we like a bloody good sparring match about who is better than who among our favourite players. Nobody was doing down anybody, and most of it was Manc humour, so live with it mate. Couldn’t you see that Stephen, Colver and I were pissing about jesting with each other about who is better than who mate. To me Nani is better than all others, to Stephen Rooney is, and same with Colver its the Roon, With Eddi it’s Anderson, but now he has also added Jones and Welbeck to his beloved ones. Me I am Nani loyal, and if it means roughing up the Roon a bit to rankle Stephen and Colver – so be it mate. MANCS always take the piss out of each other and stir things up. Leave us to play our favourite player defending – we are enjoying it Grog.
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I’m moving to Manchester next summer, how fucking cool is that?!?!?!
By the way mate, Ando and Welbz are my only beloved ones. I think you can add Young to that as well, but when talking about players I will stand up for no matter what it will be Ando and Danny. Jonesy just gives me a boner and is amazing, but he’s not “there” yet!
Oh and don’t forget I’ve loved Cleverley since his goal against Kaizer Chiefs way back in 2008! But since so many love him these days my admiration for his doesn’t really come out as much as it used to did. And I love the Lil Man, as he’s the complete winger in my opinion.
I LOVE UNITED!!!
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How you moving there??? School? Parents?
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Starting at the Manchester University, psychology studies.
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very neat!! So now I have a place to sleep when(ever) I come to Old Traffor in the future
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Sorry mate, I wasn’t aware of the competition and that I was excluded. Now I know.
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When I went to bed last night this thread had 94 hits and when I woke up it had 94 threads. Has a nuclear holocaust spread through planet earth or is everyone just bored when we do not play champagne football? Come on people, wake up and offer this blog some love. Jeez!
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it’s the calm before the storm…. or people are trying to catch up on work they missed b/c of too much RR
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I’m playing FIFA 12 with my new girlfriend, I call her Myh And, so a little busy these days…
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I’ve played tons of FIFA the past few days and still found time to get on the blog. Problem with this blog and United in general is that there seems to be a lot of fair weather fans but nobody wants to talk footy or debate when the club isn’t playing champagne football.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15118581.stm not a defence of tevez at all, I just find it funny how people have one standard for one person and a different standard for another.
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I dont this its a matter of standarad in this case. To Fergie, Scholesy and the clubs creadit we did it all in the backroom and not in front of the world. He was given a punishment and PS accepted it and went about his job. I did not know about it till now and i guess even if it was published then the fact that we got over it quickly is more credit to us.
Also, the Ginga Ninja has since shown his loyalty is more to the club and not to himself. Thats the difference between him and Carlito.
As i said earlier ” We are United and classier than the rest”
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It is a different sitation, not playing in a Carling Cup game is hardly the same of refusing to come on as a sub. Also Scholes all his career has been a model professional, Tevez has been the total oppersite. As a human you should be allowed one error, not several as in Tevez’s case, he is a serial trouble maker, Scholes a model professional.
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How is refusing to warm up, any different than refusing to play period? Its alright to admit Scholes fucked up, his legacy speaks for itself. even he said “He stated what he did was “equally bad if not worse” than Tevez’s situation.”
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I have to say, the reactions of us football fans is normally over the top and unfounded. I’m sorry but it’s true. Anderson has played 3 successive games ranging from awful to okay. In that time he has played with Fletcher two games and Carrick one game. These games have succeeded 5 competitive games in which he has been in the excellent to imperial range. Suddenly his supporters are being called out. On that note, as a request for the support of the war on lazy “assessments”, can the phrase “not good enough” be banned?
I mean honestly. Now there’s even an opinion that Chicharito is “N.G.E.”. What? Are we talking about the Javier Hernandez,who top scored for English champions and Champions League finalists Manchester United Football Club? That Javier Hernandez? I’m sorry but as a tribute to OTT observations, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read on the internet.
Am I suggesting there are no concerns? Of course not. But all things in perspective. We’ve been losing our personnel every 90min, and the main victims have been the ones in great form. Welbeck, Cleverley,Rooney,Evans,Vidic. If Nani is ruled out for the next month, I won’t be shocked. If Real Madrid lose Ronaldo, Oezil,Alonso and Carvahlo,they’ll be quickly excused if a determined say,Ajax Amsterdam upset them at home. Barcelona tried to be clever, resting top players like Messi,Iniesta and Villa and started the game with a not so regular line up against Real Sociedad and left with a thoroughly unconvincing 2 all draw, losing a 2 goal lead.
One thing has been clear though. We are creating loads of chances. It’s very different to the efficient, clinical but creatively economical performances of the last few years. The main problem in the last 4 games has been the poor defensive organization. Individually, our defenders are excellent, but they’ve not been working as a tight defensive unit. Clearly the tactics are at fault here. I blame the absence of a holding mid as well. I marvel sometimes at the criticism levelled at Carrick. In the last game he had an 8.5 performance, only bettered by De Gea. He played almost zero back passes,intercepted like a mad man and advanced consistently. If Anderson had been close to that performance level, we would not have this debate today. But for me that’s the problem. There was no one shielding the back four. It was all out attack.
In attack we created many chances and were it not for Anderson’s lack of composure,we could have killed the game off much earlier. But the problem of two vertically mobile central midfielders, is the lack of cohesion when not in possession. I’ve always said Anderson and Carrick is our best combination. But it has to be played in a balanced manner. Anderson,attack, Carrick defence. Look at the Bolton game. Anderson was so in the mood,linking well with the attackers. Carrick was being Carrick. Tidy, efficient, quiet. The opposition was limited to hopeful shots outside the box.
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If Anderson is “not good enough” than that what he is, was Dong “good enough”? He has been then lets say then “inconsistent” since his arrival from Porto. Many think he is an attacking midfield player then a record of 6 goals in 136 games would put pay to that myth. Or he has been playing with the wrong midfield partner, well in my view he should adapt his game, which clearly he is incapable of doing. I love how his supporters blame his form on tactics, not the fact he is clearly over weight, has no right foot, does not take charge or dominate the games, can’t shoot and generally plays well when the team is. Anderson played also with Carrick against a poor Basel side and was awful, we are talking Basel here at home. Glen Whelan and Rory Delap ran the midfield for Stoke last Saturday and lets not mention the Chelsea game when he was terrible. I do struggle remember him being “excellent to imperial range” against West Brom, so he had good games against Spurs, Arsenal and Bolton oh yes we scored 16 goals in 3 games, so Anderson the myth continues.
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i think Stephen you are overlooking the fact that we were playing 3 in midfield instead of two. i am not saying Anderson is without fault here but how many times have we seen this happen? Chances are we will still top the group regardless. Carrick i thought had a very decent game but it seems to me he was going out of way to be more attacking(i think i saw him close down the keeper once) and as such we left our defenders exposed and had Rio doing a bad impression of ballet and showed while i love jones, he still needs someone to hold his leash. I was originally mystified when fergie bid for Varanae who went madrid even after we got jonesy in the window and i guess it showed in that game.
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Carrick for me was equally as poor, he has no mobility and considering he is 6ft plus cannot tackle.
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“generally plays well when the team is.” you could also say the team generally plays well when he does.
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Not really, I think you are overlooking the fact that other players play well when the side does not, Anderson does not fall into that type. He is hardly the conductor of the orchestra is he?
In some peoples eyes Anderson is faultless and it is Fergie who is not playing him correctly ect. It is easy to look ar someones elses faults rather than his, for me he has far too many and I have lisred them in great detail which are factually correct.
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I just laughed at this article. I agree defensive organization is bad as you describe but you seems like United got all luck to win last season league winning and gone to CL final.
Some of responses too
what? united so lucky, it was lucky draw result in CL finalist last season eh? ha ha you cannot made it up.
You think Park is King of uselessness, well why not sack Ferguson who give contract extension to him and waste club money. You must miss last season title decider Chelsea game did you?
All vent anger is good thing but this kind of blind and plain insulting type article make you look like child. you made point very obvious things like use strong line up. well Ferguson must lost his mind I guess.
Well this game show up some defensive problems and showing inexperience of young players which is understandable. Not a big problem.
I read opposition Swiss team player’s interview today. They can’t believe their luck to snatch 1 point from OT and they couldn’t cope United player at that game. It was very difficult game to them and CL game made him so nervous.
I think Ferguson will fix defense problem sooner rather than later and I suggest you when you write down something actually useful. this article is example of venting anger only.
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I wasn’t writing about our defense from last season Mr. Yang. I was commenting on our current defensive situation which is without a doubt in trouble due to many injuries and a few players not performing up to par. You can laugh all you like but all you do is expose the fact of what a hopeless homer you are that you are incapable of finding fault with your club despite the fact that all is not well with it. That’s your prerogative but I do not subscribe to such blind faith and conformity. I challenge this club and it’s manager to do better because I know and believe they can.
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Yang – you are surely not suggesting that Fergie always gets it right TACTICALLY and team choice wise are you? If you are I would look at your own childlikeness – NOT Grognards! I presume Park is one of your favourite players and FAIR ENOUGH! Yet Park though he does have some very good games for United also has some aweful ones. I defend and commend your right to support the player/s you like though as I do that relentlessly
.
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Really do you!?!?
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In fairness Park is treated very poorly by the masses on this site. He does offer us a lot and is normally very good in the big games. I like him as he is another option, never moans and gets on with things, good lad.
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I agree Park is a far better player than people give him credit for. He’s about as good as you can get for a squad player.if he was Any better and he would be mad for not being a first IX player. Now that I think about it he has sacrificed a lot by staying here. He could have been a star at smaller clubs.
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NANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN- IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII – FOOKING GENIUS
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ROONEY – ALMOST AS GOOD – NOT QUITE THOUGH
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You wish Naniboy!!
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ANDERSON!!!
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You can blame tactics but a more obvious answer is the lack of leadership in the team. De Gea is great but understandably he is not the commanding presence Van der Saar was. I never rated Rio as a captain, he needs to concentrate on his own game. Evra is even worse in that respect. Carrick is a mouse for all his tidy play and totally incapable of commanding a midfield. Anderson is immature. Giggs is too quiet. If anything Rooney and Vidic are the only leaders in our squad and even then they lead by example rather than by telling others what to do.
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Leadership I agree is a big issue with our side. I do feel Rio if fit should be captain, Evra really needs to concentrate on getting his own form straight and burdening with the armband seems to be an issue.
I am not even sure Vida is a great captain, he is not a massive talker, Rooney again is too immature so if Rio is fit, for me he is the man.
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@Stephen- “so he had good games against…”
Well, so he had average games against… What’s the point? Against West Brom he had a better game than Cleverley in my opinion. He played a regista role, deep and disciplined. So it’s funny that you say he doesn’t adapt. He is naturally an attacking midfielder. The psyche of an attacking mid and a CMF are totally different. An attacking midfielder would find it much easier to switch to a winger than to CM. How many Kaka-types have you seen being converted to CMF? It’s an extremely tough ask. Central midfield proper requires a very strategic way of playing. Attacking players, like forwards, play for goal. They play forward almost instinctively.
So in fact, Anderson’s adaptability is heavily overlooked. The problem with many ppl incl, our coaches and manager, is they don’t believe in specialising. Why do you think it always takes ages before our players become world class heavyweights? Most never achieve that status because we shuffle too much. How many roles have you seen David Silva playing for City? Let’s see how well he adapts when he swaps roles with Yaya Toure. Anyway, as I’ve pointed out already, as an attack minded player, he has not had enough “pre-school” education in central midfield strategy. So the concept of simultaneous attack, defence and game control is something he has not had the chance to develop to a very high level. Injuries,lack of games,inconsistent tactics, personal attitude,too many roles,technical weaknesses of his own. So that is the reality.
That is exactly why I have been going on and on about the best combination in midfield being Carrick-Anderson. Because I know that it’s a tough ask for any attacking mid to be converted to a CMF overnight. But it has to be with Carrick as a holding midfielder. This takes away the bulk of strategic pressure from Anderson. He can concentrate more on linking up with the attackers,whilst Carrick does the rest of the “thinking”. It’s easily complimentary because it evens out the central midfield role. There’ll be no holes left in midfield and the attack will not be compromised.
Lastly, I’ll give you a few examples to clarify. Carrick-Giggs is almost the exact effect as Carrick-Anderson. Mr Giggs as a natural winger,would be more comfortable transforming into an attacking mid. Why? Both roles involve linking up with the attack as the primary function. He does not have the strategic psyche to play the CMF proper. If you have analysed his partnership with Carrick,it was always high tempo. When we beat Chelsea in the Champions League,both players were attacking. Very entertaining, but very dangerous. It becomes an end to end type of game, because of the lack of balance. That’s what causes defensive problems. But it’s exciting for the fans. That’s how we played on Tuesday.
Steven Gerrard,ask any Liverpool fan, is not the most technical central midfielder. That’s one of the reasons Benitez played him wide, or behind the forward. He is a technical liability in the middle. That’s why his best form in CM, was with Alonso, a more strategic and disciplined CMF proper. This have Gerrard all the freedom to do what he does best. Attack and run around like an idiot. In my view, he’s more of an attacking mid. Think of a Xaviesta central mid with no Busquets or Keita. Both players highly mobile or box to box. It’s a great recipe for defensive disaster. There’s no balance. It’s too attack minded. That’s why I’m one of the only ppl against an Anderson-Cleverley midfield or any of those two together with Fletcher and Giggs in any two man CM combo is totally unbalanced. That’s why I always said we need cover or competition for Carrick because any midfield without him and withouti him in a holding role, is vulnerable when not in possession.
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I agree on all the points about Gerrard and have been saying the same for years, he is a force of nature not a player easily played within a system.
You like many are just making excuses for Anderson. He has been played as an attacking midfield player, but is not particularly creative and doesn’t score enough goals. 6 goals in 136 games is hardly a great record for a player who you deem to be “attack minded”
You stated he had “5 competitive games in which he has been in the excellent to imperial range” Which I refuted and is totally incorrect. Carrick and Anderson/Celverley is probably our best combination but would that start for Chelsea, Liverpool, Barca, Inter, Real and Bayern, no is the answer. You have been an Anderson fan and I applaud your loyalty to the player, but as I state and cannot be denied, he drifts in and out of games. He is over weight, cannot shoot, lingers on the fringes of games and does not take charge when a midfield player needs to to gain control. Likening him to Kaka is another thing, Kaka is a World Class player you build a side round as he is a match winner, Anderson alas is far, far from it.
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http://www.xposureuncut.com/index.aspx?postID=4940
Surprise surprise it’s all kicking
Off at Citeh. Someone needs to tell Mancini it’s too late to lay the law now. The players don’t respect him… Period.
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I don’t believe 4 single images to tell the whole story (i.e. from 2 minutes at 24 frames per second = 2880 images).
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