I forgot Jones as one of the back up players Anyway, I understand what you are saying Treble but I think we've got enough in defence now. The first choice set up is pretty darn good while we've shown over the last 9 months that even the back up players can step in and do a job. That's all you can ask of back ups. Valencia was first choice last season and i have made it pretty clear I am not much of a fan anymore, but he did pretty well. I seem to recall someone posting something about him comparing pretty favourably to the leagues top right backs. So he must have been ok. The defence is probably as secure as it's been for a years. With the midfield in front of it it's unlikely to see too many teams charging through it at will like we did when we had literally no midfield or even as recently as the start of last season.
Aye. Striker is indeed priority. I think this United side will surprise many of these so called pundits. All of them like lemmings have given United any chance at all. We have 2 of the best left backs in the league, we have 2 of the best holding MFs. And our creative midfielders are not shabby either. Fellaini is one of the best at doing what he does: being the target man if a long ball needs to be played. Even in the last few years of fergie we haven't had so many of the best players around. When the mid season Moyes team stepped out at OT, I said to myself. Is this team better man for man against the opposition? I wasn't sure and we were playing WBA , Stoke and Everton.!! Now there is a different feel to that LVG team. Yes not as loose and swashbuckling as a fergie one but still solid and with the likes of Memphis have enough flair to excite the crowds.
Yep. A few pundits and united fans alike. Maybe we are a piece away from completion but we are on the verge of something very good. The quality in the team is right up with the very best in the league. You won't see sides taking us lightly as they have done in recent times.
UIR it's ok to accept where we are weak while also believing we are on the verge of something very good. It's ok to accept the club or manager or Chief Exec's mistakes while also believing the quality in the team is right up there with the best in the league. The two things aren't mutually exclusive and that's the insecurity you have that I mentioned earlier.
I have no idea why you think I see van Gaal or Woodward as infallible. I've criticised both when I feel they are wrong or have made poor decisions. I blasted Woodward in his early days as he was quite frankly and idiot. Last season he improved, actually learning to close out deals for starters. Now he's just helped negotiate some of the best transfers we've had in a long time. With van Gaal, what I have seen is someone who has completely rebuilt us from the bottom up, significantly improved our position in his first season, all but secured Champions League football at the first time of asking and shown a year on year improvement at the start of this season. He's brought a stable defence to our team and given us a midfield we have been crying out for. There is most definitely work to be done but the signs are good. You have to expect mistakes in this rebuilding phase as they are inevitable. Systems will be tried, ideas brought to the table, some work, others don't. You don't put this much quality together with someone as successful and knowledgable as van Gaal without it eventually getting results. How many of us would be truly shocked if we won the league this season? I mean truly gobsmacked? I wouldn't be. I suspect I am not alone. We've started good, if a little slow. Points on the board and confidence high, a rather welcome change in Europe last week should have us all optimistic about the up coming games.
I can't see LVG buying a CB, but if a good one is available then he'll certainly look to offload some of our backup CB's. I know our guys are injury prone but we have a ridiculous amount of cover. 1. Smalling (1st choice CB on the right) 2. Rojo (I think he'll be 1st choice CB on the left once match fit, also can play LB) 3. Jones (2nd choice CB on the right) 4. Blind (I think he'll be 2nd choice CB on the left, also can play LB and defensive midfield although we have a lot of cover there) 5. Evans (5th choice CB, can play on the right or left side) 6. McNair (next in line CB after the above players on the right side) 7. Blackett (next in line CB after the above players on the left side) Then at right Fullback you have Darmian and Valencia on the right (plus Jones and Smalling can cover there although we don't want them too). At left fullback you have Shaw with Rojo and Blind as backups. So 10 players for 4 positions. And 3 of those players seem nailed on as starters when fit, although I guess we'll rotate a fair bit this season due to increased number of fixtures and to hopefully avoid injury. Most of our title rivals have very little cover at CB. I can't think of any that have 4 decent CB's without buying someone in the next few weeks.
No, this is incorrect. We NEED to buy Otamendi because he's a big name flavour of the month no one had heard of a year ago and everyone says so.
The Daily Express said we were interested him. City signed him so he must have turned us down. That's if you are a frustrated **** monkey with a gargantuan chip on your shoulder.
Forced myself to watch Southampton in the Europa League last night. That Mane kid didn't seem a 'stand-out' talent from the rest of the side which was full of industry and good passing. Maybe it just was one of those nights when he was off-form, but nothing at all special on that showing and certainly not worth backing out of the Pedro deal for in my view.
If the Daily Express said that it must be true then. The reality is that Agents put out all sorts of rumours that get started by one paper and recirculated all over the place. We may or may not have been committed or even interested. We'll never know for sure. If agents don't do this, they won't be doing their job. Which is to get the best money and the best club for their player. It is better for the player to be seen to be coveted by several big clubs than to be acquired easily by a single club. The selling club gets more money out of City. The player gets better terms and City themselves think they managed to get one over other big clubs. Win- win situation. If one outstanding CB becomes available, I am sure LVG will be interested in buying him and then offload one of ours. But no point in getting and fighting for one that is not clearly better than ours.
please log in to view this image So much for Maureen bleating that other clubs are trying to buy the title.. Damn hypocrite would be a mild description...
Hardly, no Chelsea fan expects us to sign Pogba. Some hope maybe. And we don't swallow every tabloid story: Ronaldo to United, Mourinho to United. Chelsea and City have no money so Pedro to United.
I wouldn't believe everything you read in the star.... Anyway I wouldn't worry about it, we have no money. Well so UIR tells us.....
You swallow every tabloid story about United...and invariably start a few threads about each one of them!
