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Manchester United Thread

Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

I heard Tevez didn't travel back with the squad as the Loan is officially now over?
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Yeah he didnt get on the coach apparantly. That's all I've heard.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Interesting, Good luck to Carlito if he's off then.
 
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I've also heard hes not talking to a Spanish Club in Spain, but associates of a certain Spanish fella who like "facts"
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Ronaldo: "I cannot explain," he told RTP. "We, the players, were not well, the tactics were not good... everything went wrong.

"We have to give credit to Barcelona, but they were a bit lucky to be here because Chelsea did not deserve to lose and no-one has mentioned that.

"I have to congratulate Barcelona, they were better, but football is just like this: only the winners get talked about."

lol chelski?
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Well 24 hours on from last night where a fantastic season got a bad ending, were now on course for a long summer. I think emotional levels should be dieing down by now so what do you lot think we might do or not do in the summer. Not the defeat itself but the manner of the defeat has left some of with "Well are we as good as we thought we were?" I still believe were seeing a "Great Side" in our current crop but maybe we need to take a step back and see where we can still improve.

I'll start of with saying our Midfield, Last night people don't realise but we faced the 2 best CM's in the same lineup. Its like Messi and Ronaldo in the same lineup. What we missed IMO was the bite of Fletcher and Hargreaves and with both back next season I think were covered in that area. Carrick is IMO a nail on starter and was effectively on his own with Ando and Giggs out of sorts. so again no Issue. So With Carrick and one of the other two nail on starters we have 1 Place up for grabs with Ando/Scholes/Giggs fighting it out. I think Anderson will become a World Class player one day but as we saw last night he just isn't ready for games like that. Giggs and Scholes are greats and Legends both have given their all for the club but with their age are they still upto for the big occasion and both surely only have 1 season left in them before they call it a day. So With that in mind I think we need that position looking at or we could do the obvious and play Rooney their.

While on the subject of Wayne Rooney, He's been here 5 seasons, He's played behind the CF, he's been played as the CF, He's played lately as a LAM. Why haven't we found a position for the lad, Surely with his ability we should try to get the best out of him rather than play him out of position to get the best out of others? Even England have figured out were he's at his best and have built their team around him and have finally gone on a good winning streak with has also seen Rooney have a great spell for them. Play him behind the forward end of.

I'll know move on to the reason of why Rooney's been LM, We don't have anyone to play their! Nani had been brought in to play that role but after a good season nothing has gone right for the lad this time. I think this is an Area that definetly needs looking at which is our flanks. With Ronaldo on one side we normally require a more defensively aware player on the other side, We've decided to use Park in this area which has worked well but on occasions like last night its not enough and you need someone with more quality then that IMO,

The CF role is something which SAF needs to sort out, I can't understand why have your 30M CF on the bench along with your best player out of position to play CF. I think were sorted in this area but may need to look for a replacement for Tevez but not a big signing.

Currently how I see it is....

-------------VDS---------------
Brown--Ferdinand--Vidic----Evra
-----Hargo/Fletch-Carrick-----
-Ronaldo---Rooney-----??????
----------Berbatov----------

So with that said I think all this Media bollocks of United not being all that needs to stop, Were not that far off Barca but a few adjustments can see us top of the tree again.


Thoughts:

Fergie played the formation everyone expected, and it failed spectacularly. I was absolutely sure there would be a twist, but we set up to neutralise Barca. That's not the United way. That's not using our best strengths. It was just negative, and you know what? It was cowardly. That’s what I’m most annoyed about. That with the team we have, we’d show that much fear.

Your kidding surely or you must have been watching our game from the season before, We did anything but look to neutralise them, In the end Fergie's trump card was for us to go for them and it didn't work, In the first 10 minutes it was all us but the goal hurt us. It was anything but cowardly but brave to attempt that, We could easily have parked the bus and looked for a break but we didn't.
 
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Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

We need to play Tevez as a target man. I think he's very underated in that role. Looking at that formation in your post, I'd replace Berba with Tevez and then put Anderson in that left side that you've left empty. I'd then keep Tevez up front as the lone striker with the three men behind him swapping and changing positions during the course of the game to confuse defenders. The idea with Tevez is something I can't explain very well but everytime I've seen him upfront, I've always been impressed with his strength to hold up the ball, his ability to bring others into play and his VERY quick acceleration from a standing position (which I think is something people over look in Tevez). Other than Ronaldo, I think Tevez is the next best player we have at losing their marker when attacking. All those qualities make him a great forward for me and one that can complement our other attackers, much like Drogba (theres an idea for a signing, but we'll leave that discussion for later, :LOL:).
As for Anderson, I think we've seen enough of his passing ability but not enough of his dribbling skills (which we know he has) so putting him in wide positions (basically where Rooney has been playing lately) we might get to see the real Anderson where I imagine him being a lot more lethal.

To simply put it, when you look at a line up of Messi, Etoo and Henry up front, it can scare the life out of anyone. Rooney, Ronaldo and Park just doesnt have the same effect. Now take away Park and make it Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez and Anderson and it definately sounds a lot more dangerous.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

We also need to play a bit more like Barca.Pass,Pass and Pass like how we used to when Roy Keane was around.Its a bit heartbreaking to see Xavi,Iniesta and the rookie Busquets passing effortlessly through our midfield.

If reports are true about Tevez,then we have seen the last of him.I wish him well and hope not to see him again,as an opponent in the Premiership.

YoungGun's formation would be perfect with the addition of Franck Ribery on the left and maybe Gigi Buffon in goal,if we can afford him.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

I think its hilarious how the media built you up and up and up before the game and are now slaughtering you for your performance and asking the question, oh maybe they aren't the best British club side since Liverpool 84 etc (tto me your 99 side is better than the current)

Or...maybe Paisley really does own Ferguson

(ive used these two examples because they were talked about before the final)

There is no shame in losing to Barca, end of.

You won the CL last year, along with the league, the league this year, unlucky to not be in the FA Cup final, won the Carling Cup and the World Club Cup.

I think the real shock in the media is that nearly everyone backed you to win the thing. Overall, you have the more solid, balanced side than Barcelona, the difference last night? Xavi and Iniesta, and the fact that Barca's defence had a great game for once.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Tevez as the frontman wouldn't work at all Rune, He doesn't have the build for that and whenever he's played their hes been awful, try crossing the ball expecting him to beat Terry in the air. Doesn't matter as he's off anyway

I can't see Ronaldo leaving at all, he's already been asked it a million times and has put the story to bed. Its great having players who can play different positions but we were unbalanced against Barca due to a lot of people playing out of position.

Agreed Petrov, The difference on the night was Xavi and Iniesta and the fact we had no Spoiler. We need slight tweaking and that was the case before the final aswell. We haven't played like Manchester United all season, are attacking flair has been missing which needs to return.
 
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Is it a complete dream to suggest we'd sell Berbatov?

Oh and I think we really need to push Nani and make him prove his worth. We need a right winger so we can play Ronaldo up front, and right now he's our only option.

How many other right wingers are there out there that could do a job for us?

Bring on having Hargreaves back as well, trully missed the guy this year, regardless of how good Fletch has been.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

It would be a nightmare if we sold Berbatov. He's an amazing player who needs to be played CF. I don't even consider Tevez a United player anymore so we currently have. Berbatov, Rooney + Kids and Ronaldo who can play uptop.

Nani will get games next season but I hope we give Ronaldo his "Free Role" back of 07/08. He's not a Winger but he's not a CF either.

We don't need a right winger but a left winger. Even this point may not be true because we need to have a formation first, Wether it be 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or even 4-2-3-1 and then fit the players around that. I could ask 1000 United fans and I doubt any of them would know what is our formation or best 11.
 
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Haha, Berbatov in not an amazing player mate. He has amazing talent (arguably), but he is nowhere near a good player. The way he strolls around the pitch, not bothered. How can you stand him?
 
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Eh? So your telling me "he is nowhere near a good player" Fuck me but that is dillusional. Berbatov at Spurs was along with Drogba the best CF in the league. one below par season doesn't change that, Berbatov oozes class. I'll be sure you bump your post come next season :))
 
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I agree, Berba will come good. He's lacking confidence and the ridiculous price tag is affecting him. Having the fans on his back doesn't help either but hopefully he'll come through it. Our problem is we're not playing to any of our best players strengths, which is obviously stupid and Fergie needs to decide which system we'll go with and keep the players that suit, and buy whatever is needed.

Apparently Scholes is considering Stoke's player/coach offer. Would be weird to see him go.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

Tevez as the frontman wouldn't work at all Rune, He doesn't have the build for that and whenever he's played their hes been awful, try crossing the ball expecting him to beat Terry in the air. Doesn't matter as he's off anyway.
I dunno. Almost every goal he scores is a real targetmans goal. His headers, his finishing, his movement, is great to watch sometimes. Its very easy to forget what he gave us during his first season with us cuz his last season was spent mostly on the bench after the arrival of Berba.

EDIT
YouTube - Best of Carlos Tevez
YouTube - All Carlos Tevez league goals 2007/2008
Here are two compilations of his 07/08 season where he played as a forward (unlike now where he's kinda playing where Rooney's supposed to play). Now everyone watch those, especially the second one and tell me he's not worth £30million or whatever his price tag is (if you do, then you're a bloody idiot).
The finishing, the technique, and most importantly the importance of some of those goals are hard to compete with. Some of the passing and counter attacking movement was just beautiful. If it was that Tevez playing Barca, I'd gladly put a £50 wager on our team cuz he was brilliant that year.
We're willing to give Berba the benefit of the doubt, we gave a dozen other players the "second season syndrome" excuse so why can't we trust Tevez to bring back the United of 07/08 again?
I've said this atleast twice before and I'll say it again. I know Berba is a good player but the main thing wrong with his signing was the fact that he has stifled Carlos since he has arrived here.

Sorry to make this sound like a rant. This is starting to remind me of the time when we sold Alan Smith a few years ago cuz no one agreed with me then either. Both situations have a lot in common too cuz Smith and Tevez both felt like a part of the "United Family" and both showed love and passion for the club. Its just a shame when someone like that leaves, especially when we have to settle with someone as laid back as Berba. I mean, he recently came out and said he's still too nervous and wouldnt want to take another penalty if it went to a shootout against Barca. Which IMO is quite embarrassing when we have great youngsters in the team who arent phased by the same responsibilities.
 
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That argument about Tevez not playing as much this season is rubbish, Im sure he's got more appearences than Berba and Rooney. One thing I have to say is he's a player that pops up with important goals and has changed games for us. At the end of the day he is worth the fee being quoted but we already have a better version of him at the club in Rooney. Another thing is we spent that season with 2 CF's we needed another and got Berba. The fact Tevez can't handle competition and demands first team football when he hasn't done that well this season is silly. I hope Tevez stays but I think he's come out and said to much crap to the press lately which hasn't helped his cause.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

That argument about Tevez not playing as much this season is rubbish, Im sure he's got more appearences than Berba and Rooney. One thing I have to say is he's a player that pops up with important goals and has changed games for us. At the end of the day he is worth the fee being quoted but we already have a better version of him at the club in Rooney. Another thing is we spent that season with 2 CF's we needed another and got Berba. The fact Tevez can't handle competition and demands first team football when he hasn't done that well this season is silly. I hope Tevez stays but I think he's come out and said to much crap to the press lately which hasn't helped his cause.
I'm not sure about the amount of appearances but I'm sure he has played fewer minutes cuz he was always on the bench or only used in "unimportant" games like in the Carling Cup (where he actually averaged a goal every game) or when a starter needed a rest. And not being able to handle pressure is nonsense cuz the only reason he wasnt played was because Berba was almost guaranteed a start regardless of his contribution in the previous game, unlike Rooney who actually performs well so his position was justified. The pecking order should have been Rooney, Tevez, Berba, not Rooney, Berba, Tevez. You're right that we only had 2 forwards last season so the idea to buy Berba is understandable but that year we scored a lot more and also won the Champions League while we failed to match that this season. You can blame and point fingers at a lot of things like injuries, the Ronaldo saga, etc but on the other hand, you can argue that not having that extra striker (Berba) would have meant players like Ronaldo and also Giggs would have played up front in that free role position a lot more, which was one of the many reasons why 07/08 was such a great season. Ronaldo is now used like a lone striker (which makes him easier to read) and Giggs now plays in midfield through the center. And now recently, Rooney plays on the left.
We had a formula that worked. And I'm not saying we made a new system around Berba but his arrival did mean we had to change things around. And you know your attack isnt meeting its potential when you have Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Berba, Giggs, Anderson, etc in your team and its (no offence) the defence thats stealing the headlines.
Which brings me onto another issue. If you know that your defence was your biggest strength this season, why did we want to hit Barca straight on like we did? If defending was what we were good at then defending is what we should have done. Chelsea did that and didnt conceed in 180+ minutes. We couldnt even last 15 minutes against them. There was a lesson to be learnt for everyone that night. Stick to what you're good at, not what you think was gonna be right for the occasion.
 
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you dont spend 30 million on a player for him to be 3rd in the pecking order, for me he's just plain better than tevez. tevez does a lot of running and shows passion but if those are your best qualities you shouldnt be a starting cf in a club like united.

i agree we should've played more to our strengths but i also think we didnt do the wrong thing tactically. if they didnt score on us out of nothing so early on i think it would've been a very different game. the tactics were right up until the players got the stuffing knocked out of them with the goal. i think our biggest mistake was playing our best players out of position, when we went a goal down they didnt know what to do. we should be playing to our players strengths not to a systems. rooney in the hole or at cf ronaldo roaming or on the right and and build the team around that.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

you dont spend 30 million on a player for him to be 3rd in the pecking order, for me he's just plain better than tevez. tevez does a lot of running and shows passion but if those are your best qualities you shouldnt be a starting cf in a club like united.
But its not the price tag thats wrong, its the pecking order thats wrong. Tevez is clearly more important to the team and is younger so theres always the arguement of him being able to improve further. And I posted those two videos which (if anyone bothered to watch) clearly shows that he's a good finisher, has a good header, has the ability to be in the right place at the right time, and most importantly has a better understanding with Rooney than Berba and also has the natural abilities (pace, energy, etc) to keep up with Rooney and Ronaldo. Not many players are agile enough to keep up with those two, especially the opposing defenders, which is why we were so fluid in attack last season cuz even though we only had two strikers, the players used up front were guys like Giggs and Anderson who can get around the pitch and not allow the rest of the team to step down a gear once we got going. Now its more stop and start rather than a continuous flow of attacking football. If you look back over the recent years, our best performances came the moment van Nistelrooy left us. And that lasted until we signed Berbatov. One of the things those two players have in common is that they need to alter the pace of the game to their liking if you want the get the best out of 'em.
 
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Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

I just think all this talk just suggests Berbatov simply isn't right for United.

He could have the greatest year of his career next year and the price will still be an argument against him. I also think that the price will always be in the back of his mind as well

I don't think he'll ever fit properly into the squad, never fit our style of play, and we'll never get the best out of him.

It's a shame as well because he's a marvellous footballer, a real magician and the world seems to slow down when he's on top form, but this never seemed liekly to happen to much last season, and I still doubt it will ever happen for him.

I just want to see Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez floating around upfront like 07/08 when it just seemed to work wonderfully. The goal against Middlesbrough just reminded me how great they are together up top.
 
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Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

YouTube - Rooney goal against Bolton
This goal summed it up for me. Although that video doesnt include Tevez himself, it shows the kinda of attack we used to have when Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Giggs and Anderson were our forwards.
 
Re: Manchester United Supporters Thread.

I miss those days as well and I wonder how much better we would have done if we'd had as much strength in depth in that squad as we do now.
 
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