I know we get a few people take the piss that we are not a great side. an we all jump to defend our club. But the truth of the matter is, I think it is the ****test United team I can remember for quite some time. If we win the title i think there is truth in what other fans say, the reason we all get ****ty is we know there is truth to it. I dont think we have ever really hit top gear all season, a considerable amount of our team have been in poor form. Yes the table doesnt lie, we deserve to up there but, I think this is the most uninspiring United side for quite some time. Discuss..
I don't think it's a particularly average side but I do think it's different from the sides we've been spoilt with in recent years. We've had the flair team like the Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo era. The late 90's with the midfield of Keane, Scholes, Giggs and Becks - that's probably a midfield that we will probably never see anything like that level again. Then there was the Kanchelskis, Sharp, Ince, Robson etc team - again an absolute classic team. We simply don't have those sort of players at the minute so we have to get results in a different way. More boring to watch but none the less just as effective at getting the required results.
Do you mean the most average side in general, or the most average one to win the title? In terms of the title winning sides, I think the 03 one was worse - RVN and Scholes aside it was pretty dire with Keane being injured / unfit for so much of the season. This one does push it quite close, but I think that's more down to the lack of form many of the players have shown. Valencia, Young and Nani have been off form most of the season, and Rooney, RVP and Wellbeck have all had very poor periods where they couldn't do anything right. If all of them, or even most of them, had played at the level they were at last season (season before for Nani) then I think we'd still be in the running for all three competitions. Not sure why all of them have been so inconsistent all in the same season.
You've got players that fit Fergies system and enjoy playing for the club. I was saying on our board that the main difference between you and the rest of the 4-5 teams below is that you consistently do it against the teams lower down in the table but the other 4-5 can match you when they play you. Average is maybe the wrong word as you've still got Rooney/RVP but I agree it's not as strong as other United sides down the years.
I dunno Drogs, maybe average is the right word. When you compare it to other sides, I think we have fewer top quality players, but also fewer poor quality players. If you look at all our other title winning squads, most probably had better first teams, but poorer squad players. This year round we may not have a Ronaldo, Keane, Stam, or vintage Scholes, Giggs, Rio and Vidic, but we also don't have a Cruyff, Poborsky, Clegg, Eagles, Silvestre, Blanc, or any of the other make weights which made up much of our previous squads. Like Tennisball says in his other thread about our midfield, no matter what players are missing we can always put out a team of good enough quality to beat most teams. It's not like 99 where if we missed Stam, Giggs, Keane, Scholes or Beckham we were dragging out David May, Jordi Cruyff and Jonathan Greening and getting whipped by Sheffield Wednesday.
Yeah I know what you mean, in comparison to other United sides maybe it is average but I wouldn't call you an average side. Good job matth ain't on here, he'd be seething
I think swarbs has hit the nail on the head, the squad is better but our first team quality is worse... The other issue is I dont ever feel like we are going to destroy anyone. We have had some entertaining games this year mainly due to not being able to defend.. So in my assessment of being average its also related to our approach to the game.. we sit back more and play on the break as we just dont seem to be able to control a game and dominate.. we probably have on a few occasions this year but i am not one for remembering the intricacies of every match ever just really saying it as to how watching us makes me feel. I even sent an email of compaint to Old trafford when i went up the to West Ham game as I missed the goal due to traffic and we played utter dross for 80 mins
I hope at least one of the United coaching staff have an account on Not606, since we are all pretty much in agreement. What do you guys think? Is Mike Phelan hiding behind an alias on this board? Maybe a certain American poster is one of the Glazers?!
I didn't realise Mike Phelan was KPR's dad. Maybe his Utd hatred is actually all down to daddy issues
Far from average but missing a spark, we've had far worse squads than this. I believe it to be a transitional side and most of our transitional sides make do with a cup and don't win the league, this one should at least clinch the league and then kick on next year, with the getting rid of some players and bringing in of others in key postions happening over the summer that has already been discussed on other threads today. The problem is we're ending the season with a whimper, the hard work already having been done, and that is what a lot of people will remember. It's criminal to have not raised our game for the derby (and the Chelsea cup tie) and I suspect they won't for the upcoming Chelsea and Arsenal games, prefering to instead pick up the remaining points needed to secure the league then probably losing the last three games, which we have done before but with more entertaining squads than this one. If they do, they are ripping off the support in my opinion, who no doubt expect value for money every game and they aren't currently getting it. Not an avergae squad though, they are still streets ahead of the rest of the league.
dunno about that. Over 38 games you are, but when you've played the other top teams you haven't been exactly dominant/streets ahead. City and ourselves have some of the best players in the league, main difference between you and both of us is the manager.
The main difference is twelve points, and in your case nineteen. Next season perhaps yours and City's great players might decide to come to the fore.
yep, and the managers being part of the reason we are 19 points behind. Squad for squad there's no difference in quality apart from up top. I think the past week or so has proved we can both match you.
