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Rival Watch

Discussion in 'Manchester United' started by Style, Aug 21, 2012.

  1. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    And you're so much better. All of 5 points better. What a sensational football machine you really are with your stunning attack-minded ethos <laugh>
     
    #11461
  2. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

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    5 points better, and still in the Cup which gives us a realistic chance at Silverware this season, which would be for the 3rd season in a row.

    You lot on the other hand haven't won **** all for over 5 years. And you'll be winning **** all again this season!

    As for our attacking ethos, you clearly didn't watch Liverpool on Sunday, parking the bus with Every man in their own half clinging on to a 1-0 advantage v Tottenham. A good 45 minutes of negative football, from a so called attacking side!
     
    #11462
  3. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    They also seem to forget that our "parked bus" has only scored 8 less goals than them without certain teams collapsing for us to rack up high scores.
     
    #11463
  4. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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  5. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    But, but, but Liverpool's trophy this season is "attacking football" trophy which they have already won. They pride themselves so much on that crap that they've completely lost sight of why the team is there.

    How Klopp is never under pressure is quite astonishing. They've spent so much money in the past few years with absolutely nothing to show for it yet still worships at the alter of Klopp.
     
    #11465
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  6. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    But have you noticed how, when they want to try and get one over on us, they never sing "we play attacking football".
    Instead they sing "we won it 5 times" with FA said about how <laugh>
     
    #11466
    King Shergar likes this.
  7. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    We really need to get Big Tim out of Palace, he is starting to play like Sakho and that would end a promising career before it starts proper.
     
    #11467
  8. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    He should have stayed to begin with. He was looking really promising for. That's what gets me with modern money flushed game.. It is always buy, buy, buy, when solutions are often all around these mega clubs.
     
    #11468
  9. Diego

    Diego Lone Ranger

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    It pisses me off but I can also see some reason for it. Clubs at the top have to produce so it's hard for a youngster to stake a first team claim, do you hold them back on the bench for ever or put them on loan to prove they are ready?
    When you have a measure of dominance over a league you can afford to give young players a run to stake their claim, when you are fighting for every point it's much harder to make a case for dropping a "name" to give a kid a chance.

    There is also another way of looking at it, when a young player is good enough for first team football but those ahead of/older than him are just a bit better or not letting the team down, how long do you hold him back and let him stagnate for?
    Fergie let quite a few go (mostly defenders) who could have made a good career with us but just weren't getting in front of the incumbents at the time.
     
    #11469
  10. King Shergar

    King Shergar Well-Known Member

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    Thats what's so funny about the scousers now boasting about what great football they play. And how they couldn't watch the brand we currently play, as Liverpools most successful sides have been largely defensive sides.

    When you think of our great sides Of the past, you think of Best, Law and Charlton, where as Liverpools sides from the 70s and 80s that won the majority of those cups, most of the key players where defensive players. In fact when you look at the history of both clubs, its quite clear we have a far greater attacking tradition. I'm sure any neutral would agree with that.

    So it does make me laugh how short their memories are, when they now they think they are the second coming of total football.
     
    #11470
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  11. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    I hear you, Diego. But the problem is that so many of these clubs are spending insane amount for one position. Eventually, there would be a day of reckoning when the money starts drying up. The main problem is that FIFA as a governing body is a money laundering organization which is reflective of how football is turning today.

    As for Timo, he should have stayed as he was already getting games under his belt. We shouldn't just give these players games, they should be trusted like Fergie did throughout his career. But I guess those days are now long gone even though it wasn't that long ago.
     
    #11471
  12. cytrax

    cytrax Well-Known Member

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    I puke everytime I hear.. "And you will never walk alone".
     
    #11472
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  13. Christiansmith

    Christiansmith Well-Known Member

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    The RS could get a nice surprise at the Saints, their feeder club this afternoon. They are all assured of a certain win but many of the Saints players will ****ing play out of their skin to get a transfer to the RS.

    And if they don't get the desired result, no sound of YNWA at all.
     
    #11473
  14. Swarbs

    Swarbs Well-Known Member
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    I think they've finally entered Arsenal territory. So long since they had any genuine success to celebrate they have to pin their hopes on the 'at least we play attacking football' line. Arsenal seem happy enough to let them have it now they've put a few FA Cups amongst the cobwebs in the trophy cabinet.

    Wonder if they still celebrate all those European cups they won 1-0 or on penalties?
     
    #11474
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  15. Chief

    Chief Northern Simpleton
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    While endlessly passing back to the goalkeeper to waste time.

    They were awesome, fair play.
     
    #11475
    King Shergar likes this.
  16. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    That went well for you, Chris <laugh>
     
    #11476
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  17. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    José Mourinho’s stodgy, unstructured Manchester United are labouring
    An unattractive style of play and Paul Pogba’s lacklustre form are among the reasons that progress has stalled at Old Trafford
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    Jamie Jackson

    @JamieJackson___
    Mon 12 Feb 2018 17.30 GMTLast modified on Mon 12 Feb 2018 17.34 GMT

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    Paul Pogba, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Anthony Martial have all struggled for consistency under Jose Mourinho. Composite: Rex/Shutterstock, Getty Images, AFP, Action Images
    This was the season José Mourinho aimed to make Manchester United credible title challengers. Instead, the defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday leaves them 16 points behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. After an identical number of games last year Mourinho’s team were 17 points adrift of Chelsea, so their progress has stalled, at best. Here are some reasons why.

    1) Too one-dimensional
    Under Mourinho United are often stodgy to watch – the diametric opposite to Guardiola’s thrill-a-second team. There is a struggle to recall many dazzling displays and when they turn it on occasionally this illuminates how safety-first they generally are. An illustration is the 3-1 hounding United gave Arsenal on 2 December at the Emirates Stadium. That day the Mourinho order seemed to be to go for the jugular in a manner that is rare. Jesse Lingard led a high-energy pressing approach that allowed their opponents no time to breathe. Yet it proved a false dawn: this has hardly featured since.

    2) The manager is becalmed
    Has time gradually turned Mourinho from the man with fresh ideas to a more handbrake-on adherent, or has he been overtaken by others to make the same trusted methods less effective?

    Mourinho has certainly fallen away if measured against direct rivals. When in charge of Chelsea from 2004-07 his record against the rest of the big six – City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal and United – shows 18 victories from 31 games and only four defeats: a 58% win return. In his second incarnation at Stamford Bridge and now with United Mourinho’s numbers – despite winning the title in 2014-15 – against the same group is 16 wins from 40 matches: 40%.

    Whatever the view on why Mourinho is a becalmed Premier League force, what seems clear is that, although Guardiola may in time be blunted too, the football City’s manager orchestrates is irresistible and shining an even harsher light on United’s deficiencies.

    3) Paul Pogba’s form
    For £89m Mourinho – and United supporters – would expect the Frenchman to turn up on a consistent basis in the big games. Sometimes he is not making his presence felt even in bread-and-butter contests, as at Newcastle. On 66 minutes Pogba was replaced for the second time in his past three appearances, Mourinho once more confirming this was because of the player’s contribution. The first occasion came at Tottenham when, against opponents the midfielder is charged to take the game to, he proved as feeble as on Tyneside. So bad was he against Spurs that Mourinho dropped him for the next outing when Huddersfield Town were the visitors. Pogba has to step up.

    4) Can Mourinho elevate players as Guardiola has done?
    In Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Pogba and Luke Shaw Mourinho has a mix of young and established talent who are failing to return the regular eight- and nine-out-of-10 displays any champion outfit needs. At City Guardiola has enhanced a similar experienced and callow band. This would include Fernandinho, Sergio Agüero, Nicolás Otamendi, John Stones, Leroy Sané, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph: all are performing impressively enough for their quality to be freshly assessed, and that is a prime reason why City are tearing the 2017-18 campaign apart.

    5) No overarching football structure is allowing on-field drift
    Might United benefit from a director of football who ensures the club’s ethos is always adhered to, whoever is manager?

    The majority of fans, those within the club, former players and seasoned watchers can speak of the ‘United way’ with ease. This is the scintillating attack-first style of the glittering sides put out by Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson.

    Yet as there is no football executive in place to employ a manager who will play in this manner, United have lost their way since Ferguson retired. The drift began with David Moyes, a pragmatic coach, and continued with Louis van Gaal’s laborious approach. The hope in summer 2016 was United were appointing the Mourinho of Real Madrid’s 2011-12 record-breaking La Liga champions or his first Chelsea side. He may still appear but at some point it may be time for Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, to reconsider whether there should be a bespoke role at United for an employee who makes sure all managers fit into the desired mode and all players signed to so too.

    <whistle>
     
    #11477
  18. Swarbs

    Swarbs Well-Known Member
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    Never had you down as a Guardian reader Cuth...
     
    #11478
  19. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    <laugh> As a rule, I'm not. I don't read any of the ****e now. I just spot tidbits of interest now and again.
     
    #11479
  20. Chief

    Chief Northern Simpleton
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    Read that last night.

    Typical journo soundbites really, I feel he's stating the obvious in most respects and making some things up as he goes along to suit the 'argument'. Are we really supposed to believe Pep has made Fernandinho and Aguero better players? Really?

    Has he ****, both were already excellent and in improving the players around him he has improved how the whole team performs. Stones hasn't improved, that's bullshit.
    I grant you the other players mentioned certainly look improved but when you can spend £200 million on three full backs and a goalkeeper, a further £50 million on a playmaker specifically used in domestic cup competitions and then another £60 million on a centre half then how on earth can they all not appear to have improved?

    I can't argue that Mourinho isn't currently having a similar effect on players he inherited/bought though, with Lindelof being a particular puzzle.

    As for having a director of football telling the manager how to play. I'll just leave that there................
     
    #11480

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