Rival watch

Absolutely spot on.

The signing of Falcao is out of Real Madrid's book. Let's go for the feel good factor and hope we can score our way out of trouble (whilst papering over the cracks). I'll reserve judgement on Blind and Rojo until I've seen them, but they don't strike me as either powerhouse defenders (like Vidic) or speedy covering defenders or sweepers (like Ferdinand) - you need one, or preferably both, in your defence if you're going to challenge at the top end of the PL. Keeping the opposition out regularly is vital. Even with SAF's most attacking teams, Utd still had to grind out a number of 1-0 wins.

 

You might be waiting a while to see Rojo, unless that mess gets sorted out. Still doesn't have a work permit.

 

Utd remind me of Ossie's team when he was manager, only with better players

 

And worse results, as things stand! He won three of his first four league games.

 

Give it to me then, because I don't think it's hard at all. It's true Van Gaal still doesn't have the players he needs to make his system work, but he does have the players to make a number of other systems work.

De Gea

Mediocre defender mediocre defender mediocre defender Rojo when he gets his work permit, mediocre defender in the meantime, and permanently if Rojo turns out to be mediocre

Carrick/Herrera (sp) Mata/another mediocre DM Rooney/another mediocre DM

Di Maria Van Persie Falcao

Fifth this year. Pick up three top defenders and a top DM and a title challenge is on next year if you can replace/keep Falcao and maybe even if not.

 

And when its clear there is no hope this season he can bring in half that lot during january so they are bedded in and ready for next season.
Piece of piss this managing lark. Dunno why ol' big hair is making such a meal of it

 

The only problem is half the players that aren't "mediocre" will hate LVG by Jan/Summer/tomorrow and want out. Especially fat git Rooney

 

As much as it seems to always be bandied around as 'the Man Utd way', playing a 4-4-2 is not viable at the top level these days IMO unless you do it like City - with players like Silva or Nasri who are quick and nimble enough to be effective out wide if they have to be, but more often rotate inside and allow the fullbacks to overlap. They also have forwards who can fininsh in and around the box or drop a bit deeper, link play and cause avow with their movement, and a whole raft of CMs who can both attack and defend effectively. United have a player in Di Maria who could fit as one of the widemen, but Mata doesn't fit that mould and the likes of Young and Valencia don't have the nous to operate as inside forwards/playmakers like Nasri or Silva. Januzaj could do the job if they wanted to play that way but its still early doors in his career. But I don't think they have the CMs to do it, or perhaps even the forwards. Purely playing with two out and out wingers on their correct sides, in my opinion, would not work for Man United either, the 4-4-2 sees them outnumbered in central midfield which almost never goes well these days against the better teams. The 4-5-1 could work but is still problematic because they have to fit in all those players, which was bad enough a problem before the transfer window let alone now.

Anyway all that is academic because van Gaal's signings have left him needing to play a formation with 3 at the back in order to fit in all the big money players. I think with the right players and with time to bed it in (we're talking a year or so, not just a pre-season) 3-5-2 could work in the premier league but I think the changes and challenges involved to players unanimously used to playing with a back 4 for pretty much the entirety of their lives are not to be underestimated, especially when they're still trying to play and win against top teams while learning the system. And now he has nailed his colours to the mast I think he is too single minded to change it. It might pay off in a year's time but its a big big risk, and he'll take a lot of flak while the players are still adapting. But if theres one manager in the world who can brush aside all criticism once he has decided he is right though, its Louis van Gaal.

 

Utd could play 4-2-3-1 which is really what City and Arsenal play.

de Gea - Rafael, Rojo, Jones, Shaw- Carrick, Blind/Herrera- Rooney, Mata, di Maria- Falcao.

No RvP but his injury record will probably rule him out a lot anyway.

 

It's embarrassing and hilarious, in equal measure, how all the Gooners on this site's Gooners' board have convinced themselves that Wellbeck is the striker that AFC has been waiting for. Not even Arsenal87 is trying to get these idiots to see that the Emperor has no clothes!


No one of them seems to have reflected on the fact that United got rid of him because he's ****e!

I'm so glad that we dodged that bullet. I'd rather us keep Ade than get Wellbeck in, that's how poorly I rate Wellbeck!

The poor deluded Gooners are going to discover soon enough just how big a donkey they have been saddled with!

 

I'm not a massive fan of Welbeck and his price and wages are both a little silly, but it's a bit of a no-brainer for Arsenal.
He's probably on a similar level to Giroud, though a very different player and he's much, much better than Sanogo.
Given the Frenchman's injury, if it was either the former Manc or nobody, then that's not a hard choice.

Should Arsenal have gone out and bought the centre-half, holding midfielder and top-notch striker that they needed to challenge for the title? Of course.
An injury or two at the back and/or up front could totally destroy their season in the space of about a week.
Does this mean that Welbeck's completely ****? Not in my opinion.

 

Welbeck isn't really a striker though and I'd put Sanchez, Walcott and even Podolski ahead of him and Sanogo to play up front while Giroud is out.

What Wenger has done to his defence mystifies me: he has got four first choice defenders, plus the always injured Gibbs, and the untested Chambers to cover everyone else with only some youth players as further back up.

 

Arsenal need someone to guarantee them goals. If there is anything that Wellbeck has proven with his career up to this point is that he is not that person. And that, in my humble opinion, is the reason why United had no qualms about letting him go.

 

Humble

 

Okay, that may be pushing it, just a tiny bit.

 

If Arsenal lose to dispirited and washed-out United, what will that tell us about them?

I'm thinking that Dodgy Barnet Fella (Van Gaal, not Rooney) might well nick a point off the Gunners.

 

Any one been over to the Chav board recently?


I don't know so much about "the shed," I think they should that board "the morgue!"

 

Sutton fans put a post on there about non-league Day,because a lot of Chavs fans come from the area,and someone deleted it

 

Personally, I think the Chav board should be deleted. It's an affront to everything I hold dear and vital.

Let's be honest, if it were to disappear, would anyone really notice?

 

What happened to our old "pal" District Line.