I think only Moyes underestimated the task ahead of him. Such was the mans incredible arrogance. To take an extended holiday prior to taking on a job the size of United (regardless of who was manager before) was a stupid decision. In that time our rivals had already made waves in the market and got their pre seasons started. He then strolled in and started treating it like Everton. The man was clearly an arrogant idiot who thought he had hit the big time and had nothing left to prove. Failure was inevitable.
No. Just a few teams who think they are better than everyone else and deserve top 4 regardless are being shown up as the clowns they really are. Arsenal and Liverpool.
Make all the excuses you want, you have the same points as last year but are higher up the table. for one reason alone, the failing of the other big clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs. LVG has been very lucky in that respect as if he was now 7th, more questions would be asked. To spend all that money and have a ****e defensive is inexcusable really. Did you really need to invest potentially 50 million plus wages in a crock like Falcao when that could have been spent on much pressing areas of the pitch? Simply, no. To then leave the guy at home getting paid 250k a week is embarrassingly bad management as is his failure to get the best out of your best players. Liverpool showed last year you don't have to play defensive just because you have a weaker defence. They played to their strengths and nearly won the league with a much inferior squad to what you have. You can't now say it'll be alright in 2 windows time once LVG has worked out what the rest of us knew last season. He's a good manager but he nearly ended up at Spurs for a reason.
I think your assessment of Moyes is somewhat harsh mate, always has been. Your Moyes out rants last season were a particular highlight for me last year, as you seem to really have a hard on for the guy. He wasn't ready to make the step up, nor was the squad at an optimum level for someone below to make a step up. You would have been much better getting someone like LvG or Hiddink in for the short term to rebuild the squad and return it to glory, then allow someone like Moyes to step in for the long term once **** had been sorted, and let him find his feet for a few years before another rebuilding was in order. It took a few years of mediocrity before SAF could build a title winning squad, because he was given time to do so. But Man United weren't coming off the back of 20 years of dominance at the time, which is why he was allowed that time. Moyes was basically expected to hit the ground running and carry on where one of the greatest managers in football history left off, and that was never going to happen. So I would agree that Moyes was the wrong man at the wrong time, but to just dismiss him as an "arrogant idiot" because he didn't give you the results you wanted right away is a little harsh imo.
Who was left at home? Falcao was at Old Trafford and then joined up with the team in the tunnel at fulltime. The man himself has said so. Liverpool nearly.... thats all you need to know. And excuses? What excuses? We are 4th, on course for the targets set out by the board in the summer and above several of our direct rivals. if they thought they were worthy of a top 4 place because they are big clubs then thats their own fault for underestimating several sides in the league. LvG, new to the premier league is out performing seasoned premier league managers. This says far more about them than LvG. We've spent slightly more than Liverpool btw. Not all that much more than Arsenal and Spurs spent over £100million not so long ago. Your argument falls down on almost every level.
As for LvG's signings...... Shaw.......Too young, you needed to strengthen right away, not buy for the future, he may in time become a good purchase, but you needed players for the now Rojo......Very hit and miss, I read an in depth analysis of him when he was first targetted by United that said basically he is very suspect positionally and will ship you goals. Blind.....Again, probably a slight improvement, but he plays as a DM quite often though right? You have Carrick Rather than Falcao and Di Maria, you should have gone for two awesome CBs, Hummel and one other. Di Maria is a great player though when fit. Falcao....dont think he will hit the heights of his time at Atletico ever again, but thats just me.
This focus on money is irrelevant. The players bought may or may not be rubbish but the huge amount of money paid for them was to be expected. I said right at the outset that every player that United buy will have a 30%-50% premium so it proved. This is not relevant because the clib's FFP limit is not being reached. If only that limit is a key factor inj brining in certain players, then it will become an issue. United have always paid more for players and these days it will be even more so. If this season is a failure, some of the players will be got rid of and new ones brought in. If the next season is the same I can see a new manager coming in. United will not rest until they have a competitive team. Their business plan just cannot allow anything less.
100 years has a point..... LvG MIGHT have benefitted from taking a leaf from Rodgers book last season and unleashing the attack and saying "to hell with the defence", but it could have just as easily backfired and you could have ended up where Everton are this season (they have pretty much done this). BR obviously puts more stock in the "score more goal than them" thinking than LvG does. I can understand LvG's caution to an extent.
He was an arrogant idiot. I dont call him so because I dont like the guy ( I actually like Moyes, or did prior to having to hear and see his work day after day ) but because he was exactly that. He thought he had made it and that there was no more work to be done. United would just win and that was that. His attitude was appalling. Nobody but Moyes can be blamed for that.
He did. We lots 5-3 to Leicester as a result. Had Liverpool drawn that match with palace earlier in the season, Rodgers two would have worked on protecting the defence (well tried, Gerrard offers more protection so he would have been limited). A successful side is always, always built on a good defence. One season of 'almosts' isnt of interest. A steady season and getting into the top 4, assessing the squad, what they are capable of and then making the next stage of purchases is a far more healthy way of moving United forward. There is every chance Hummells (who wouldnt have left Dortmund last summer, he had just won the world cup and I suspect staying in Germany was a given. Imagine being a world cup winner and playing in your home country the following season. Spain players were treated like gods when they did it. I suspect Germanys are too) will be a United player by the summer. We are heavily linked with a young lad called Laporte. dont know much about him mind but hes a highly rated French defender playing for Bilbao.
Thats the main point of contention to be honest. That LvG spent that much money on players and still has a defence so ****, it shipped 5 goals against Leicester. Its not like they are Spurs or anything But yeah, ALL that money should have been spent on shoring up that defence before an attacker was even looked at. I guess injuries haven't helped though. But anyway, no one has a crystal ball, but for me I think LvG will make you twice the team you were under Moyes, even if you dont go back to dominating again (Which I dont think you will, at least not to the extent you did).
We bought 3 defensive players. A CB, LB and DM. I think he put some thought into shoring it up. It clearly requires more work though and I expect that work will take place over the next 7 or so months.
Falcao being 'left at home' comment wasn't to be taken literally UIR, but then I think you know that He wasn't in the squad which is the key point. No you can't be blamed for other teams failings but you also can't say LVG is doing a brilliant job when he's on the same points as Moyes at the same stage having spent a hell of a lot more - a manager you slag off constantly and consistently. Those be the fahkts as Rafa would say . Liverpool's 'nearly' is still better than you'll achieve this year and they did it playing some exciting attractive football. Yawnited are making even us look like Brazil 70 at the moment.
Care to explain the correlation between one season and the next? Otherwise I fail to see what your point regarding the point tallies one season to the next are? Is the fact Man City finished on less points last season than United the season before relevant? Or is the position they finished the only factor that matters? I think we all know the answer Liverpools nearly season was worth nothing to them. If anything its hampered them enormously.
They all like to think it is because other teams have got worse, they don`t like the idea that many of the so called lower teams may have got better and so are taking more points of big teams. United and City have managed to keep their points level, Chelseas little horse have improved a massive 3 points with the addition of Fabregas, Matic and the amazing Costa. So, is it true that United, City and Chelsea have made no progress while others have declined or is it that many teams have made progress including these three?
I can only hope those using it as a stick to beat United and LvG are doing so in an attempt to get a rise out of me and others because if they are being serious.... wow. This site is full of absolute idiots. I am going with the latter as nobody would make themselves look so stupid just to get a rise.
I think it`s just a comfort blanket for them. They try to reasure themselves that United haven`t got better, everyone else has got worse
For my part it is just to annoy you specifically bud seriously though, some people are going out their way to say United haven't gotten better, I feel thats erroneous. I will concede that you haven't improved as much as I expected though, what with a much better manager, £150m worth of reinforcements and no Europe to contend with.
