FC Basel captain, Marco Streller, has accused Manchester United of taking his side lightly ahead of the final, and crucial, Champions League Group C tie on Wednesday night. The striker says that United took the foot off the gas in the opening clash between these sides in September, with the Reds leading 2-0 in the tie at Old Trafford before the match ended 3-3. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side was thankful for a late Ashley Young goal to secure a point.
United must get at least a draw from tonight’s match at St Jakob-Park to qualify for the knock out stages of the competition. And Switzerland international Streller says that the pressure is on United. Defeat in Switzerland would send Ferguson’s side out of the Champions League at the group stage for the first time since 2005.
“At 2-0, it seemed to me they didn’t take us seriously,” said Streller.
“But after that, I know they will not underestimate us again. They will take us seriously tomorrow because now they know we are a good team. We have proved it already. The pressure is bigger for them. In 99% of the games they play, Manchester United are the favourites. They probably have 30 internationals in their squad and although Javier Hernández and Dimitar Berbatov are not here, they still have Danny Welbeck to come in. I am sure they can cope with the pressure but maybe there is one or two per cent in the back of our minds that can make it an advantage for us.”
Streller’s analysis brooked no rebuked from Ferguson, who has blamed United’s “casualness” for the draw at Old Trafford in September – a point that, with some irony, may just have saved the Reds place in this season’s competition.
But the Scot will be without a plethora of key players for the clash at the atmospheric 38,000 capacity St Jakob-Park. In addition to strikers Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernández and Michael Owen, United also travelled without the da Silva brothers, Tom Cleverley, and the suspended Michael Carrick. However, Rio Ferdinand is fit despite being substituted against Aston Villa at the weekend.
“We’ve played a lot of big games,” said Ferguson.
“Tomorrow is another. People say we’re not doing well but we’re second in the league and we can qualify for the last 16. Injuries haven’t helped but we have a strong squad and the squad will see us through. We need to make sure we try and control the game as we did at Aston Villa. It’ll be a fantastic atmosphere but we’ve had a good record away from home in the last few years and that helps us. Hopefully, it applies itself tomorrow.
“There was nothing wrong with our tactics in the first game [the 3-3 draw]. It was the complacency as we got wasteful with our chances. We showed a lack of discipline in the second half and it cost us an extra two points. But we did our job against Otelul Galati, did well at Benfica and were unlucky at home to Benfica when we should have won.
“I don’t think that kind of pressure affects us. If you look at the number of games these players play in, they are involved year in and year out in semi-finals, finals and quarter-finals and tomorrow is that type of situation. It is another big game and a hard one. We have to rely on our experience in the last few years away from home.”
The United manager has a delicate balancing act in midfield though, with in-form Carrick sidelined through suspension. Darren Fletcher is fit to come into the side, and Ferguson is likely to choose between Phil Jones and Ryan Giggs to partner the Scotsman, while perennial Champions League performer Park Ji-Sung is vying for a place on the wing. The boss will choose between fit again Danny Welbeck to partner Wayne Rooney in attack, a five-man midfield, or moving Young inside.
Meanwhile, Basel will be without key player Benjamin Huggel for the tie, which the Swiss champions must win in order to progress. However, Valentin Stocker did feature against Luzern at the weekend, his first appearance since April because of a knee ligament injury.
Vogel’s side comes into the match in fine form after securing a ninth successive league victory at the weekend – a match in which Streller scored his third goal in as many appearances. The team has now won 15 of the last 19 games in all competitions.
“He’s one of the greatest managers ever but this match isn’t about me against Ferguson. It’s about United against Basel and everything has to be right for us to achieve what we want,” added Basel coach Heiko Vogel.
“I think everyone, not just in this city but across Swiss football, is looking forward to this game. For us it’s a great climax to a successful year – I hope we can pull off the big coup. Everybody can feel the level of anticipation, but the mood with me and my team is of the necessary relaxation. We are focused.
“Man U are one of the strongest teams in the world and the fact they were in the final last year against, in my opinion, the strongest team in the world, speaks volumes. For me Sir Alex Ferguson is one of the all-time greats and he is unique in being at one club and enjoying success for such a long time; it’s extraordinary.”
During the long career Ferguson’s side has only twice lost out in the group stages of the Champions League – in 1994/5 and then in the 2005/6 competition. The Scot is adamant that a repeat is not on the cards on Wednesday night.
Match Facts
FC Basel v Manchester United, St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Wednesday 7 December 2011, 7.45pm
Likely Line-ups
Basel (4-4-2): Sommer; Steinhöfer, Dragovic, Abraham, Park; F Frei, Cabral, Xhaka, Zoua; A Frei, Streller. Subs from: Ajeti, Schürpf,Yapi, Chipperfield, Stocker, Voser, Xhaka, Herzog, Kusunga, Colomba, Buess, Andrist, Kovac, Tembo, Wieser, Kwang-Ryong.
United (4-4-4-1): de Gea; Smalling, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Nani, Fletcher, Giggs, Park; Young; Rooney. Subs from: Lindegaard, Amos, Fryers, Pogba, Jones, Nani, Valencia, Diouf, Welbeck, Macheda.
Form
Basel: DWWWWW
United: WWDDLW
Officials
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Assistant referees: Sander van Roekel, Erwin Zeinstra
Additional assistant referees: Bas Nijhuis, Richard Liesveld
Do the Da Silva twins ever play a complete game? Are they been paid to collapse on the pitch at the slightest contact, most of which they initiate? Their United record is pathetic. Fergie should clean the squad out. How many City players ever get injured?
Yeah, but knowing our record of selling youngsters in recent times, we’ll sell them to Milan and in a years time they will both look like Roberto Carlos and never miss a game again until their 38.
They do miss a lot of games, but they are only 21 and have plenty of time to become stronger. The problem is that we could bring in a right-back, but it would stand in the way of their future. Playing Jones and Smalling at right-back isn’t a good solution.
Still, I don’t understand why we keep players like Ritchie De Laet or Marnick Vermijl on the books if they aren’t deemed good enough to fill in when we have right-back problems.
At times I feel united should get knocked out of UCL!…may be an early exit is the only thing that might force united to spend on their central midfield…fergie has been gambling on his midfield for far too long
Ooh, I don’t like your lineup at all; Park sucks on the wing. Put him inside – Giggs can come on as a substitute, if needed, Young on the left, and Welbeck up top for me.
Rob – as always it’s a guess at what I think the line-up will be, rather than my personal choice. Thinking being I’m not sure Ferguson will trust Welbeck to hold up the ball away from home, he often deploys Park in big games, and without Hernandez he’ll go safety first and play Rooney on his own. Park will tuck inside to make a three man midfield, with Nani the outlet ball. I almost never get this right though 😉
Nani displaying his split personality tonight via the likely line ups.
We’ll draw
Benfica will top the group and we will have only ourselves to blame. Basel will be a tough game. They have good young players and have won 15 of the last 19 games or something like that.
gea
smalling
rio
vida
evra
park
jones
giggs
young
nani
rooney
strong enough team to win at ease, the weather is terrible there though. wont help
This is one of those situations that all teams find themselves in now and then… back to the wall… must perform.
And the best teams prove why they’re the best teams.
If we can’t win… then we don’t deserve to go any further…
And if we do lose, and go out… even by some shitty ref decisions… Ferguson has no one to blame but himself and the team… we never should have been in this position in the first place…
Phil Jones is doing a lot of press, int he
Pissing me off a bit to be honest
i think we will win but looking forward to watching our inept midfield in action again , watch Carrick hide from his team mates and shirk all responsibility ……… awesome to watch..
taggart being positive as ever with that lineup
3-1 united is the bet and 4 draws city hull napoli ajax
Solid at the back, first choice striker and wings, and a decent three-man midfield, who will, at least, look after their defensive duties; a draw at least I should think. If FC Basel aren’t too physical, Park Ji-Sung may even prove useful to the attack.
bollockless is suspended
a win would be expected and achieved im sure
1 defeat away in 4 years speaks volumes
fuck the swiss yodlers
Hilarious…
great.just fuckin great
fuck me.. another injury prob too… fuck fuck fuck
that was a load of bollox
smalling was down injured
that cunt ref should have stopped play
Head injury too – he was dazed and cut
But it doesn’t excuse the shit defending
May this be Giggsy’s last season.
We’re going out and im not even that assed!!
was a goal.. cant deny it
we are shite cant deny it either
How good is shaqiri? Fuck me.
Giggs is finished.
Tbf… whenever Park starts it’s the equivalent of Fergie holding the white flag up!!
They are shit
So’s the pitch
Nani is shite as is young.
Agreed, hopefully he sees that and does the right thing this summer!
These teams must have faced each other in a scene akin to the film, cool runnings. The swiss mocking the jamaicans. Us being the jamaicans here.
Nani can go from world class to Liverpool class in one week!! fucking thick cunt.
God only knows why Fergie has put Rooney up top on his own… LKHF.
rooney needs more support than the shite he has had
So the brainless Nani has shown up today, I miss the other Nani
Park and Giggs have been horrific so far….
We haven’t created a chance yet
They’re a cunt to break down
FFS Rooney, what’s he doing
Great long ball from Giggs to start the move
Rooney you rug head that was a sitter!!
how the fuck Rooney
Rooney won’t turn up for 3 months. Money grabbing whore.
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
looking better in the last 5 mins but rooney should have buried that chance
that pitch looks even worse in their penalty area but we need to up the tempo
class by nani… come on
Young is shite. Why have we signed him?
fuck me…. come on reds
brilliant from Nani
rooney ffs again
I didn’t realise Rooney had gone since September without scoring from open play – he’s such a confidence player – one goal and he tends to go on a hot run – though I reckon its got more to do with Tom Cleverleys absence…
Goal is coming.
what end alfy
Nani killing em
how are we still a goal down?
2 pen appeals ffs
blind motherfucking ref and linesman
aye and the bitters have got it
Much better from nani. He looks more threatening.
bad one for vida.. nightmare for us
Vidic will be fucked for a while now
You know what that means… Evans
That’s Vidic done for a few months.
Just gets better.
good nite all
evans on
Evans means we are fu*ked – I hope I’m proved wrong…
G’won Jones
We should’ve brought valencia on and put Jones at right back.
basle are championship level at best and yet we are still behind
come on u cunts
Defending isn’t our problem… we can’t fuckin score.
that referee is a stupid blind fuck
Out of europe.
if we had defended better on 9 mins they wouldn’t have gone ahead
Not yet. We’ll have the honor of playing for the UEFA Cup
id rather be out.. scouser cup
Maybe that’s a cup more fitted for the current United level. Or maybe not…..
four wingers five defenders and rooney
I’d prefer that too, but it looks like we are going to be 3rd in our group. Reflects our quality right now
what link you got guys – anything in English / sopcast?
we can still do this.
Why are Giggs and Park in the starting line-up while Fletcher and Welbeck are on the bench??
Giggs has been awful as usual. The man is washed up and it is frankly disgraceful that we persist with this rubbish.
Why can’t we have Rooney in the hole behind Welbeck with Fletcher alongside Jones?
Rio Ferdinand is now officially washed up. Jonny Evans comes on and he is still playing right-side of the central defence while Rio cheats on the other side right?
This is not about the Glazers or lack of midfielders. This is about our manager trying to be too clever by half.
Well said Cal. I agree with every word.
I think Park’s done alright but hes not much of a goal threat and should make way. Nani upfront and Valencia on the right.
can anyone please give me a solid sopcast link?
We really have sunk to a new low quality wise!! Park… Evans…..Young……
FFS
me too but we know fergal is a stubborn mule, we need to get behind the team now.
stubborn, deluded and careless but we absolutely must go through.
http://www.footballstreaming.info/streams/todays-links
got a link in Dutch, that will do
RIGHT YOU USELESS CUNTS, EARN YOUR WAGES AND STOP DISGRACING US. THE LOT OF YOU, FUCKING WORKSHY ARSEHOLES. HAVE SOME BOLLOCKS AND EARN YOUR WAGES.
we can do this – come on
Oh yeah… because Fletcher and Welbeck would definitely make all the difference.
park as the one playing in the hole is aa disgrace
ta sid, can’t find any in english but the dutch one will do
Ferdinand needs to fuck off and stick to his twitter apps!
ligament damage for vidic.. out for a while then
Giggs is the only player that can play brilliant through balls and spot runs from midfield
He’s just shit at the rest of the midfield stuff
I love shaqiri.
This Basel team has an average age of 21 LOL
burn that dog eating cunt….
jones as the holder is bollocks, the only position where he’s not able to charge forward
This is embarrassing! We’re getting outplayed.
More shonky defending there
come on cunts. we are completely open in the middle of the park. it’s almost a joke, they are walking through are providing the vaseline. i’m shocked.
why the fuck are our players standing aroung like lemons. do have no one with the bollocks to make a tackle? try and intercept the ball? only Jones is putting a shift in.
this is just not acceptable
holy fuck.. mental
evans is handicapped
Ha! even OG is shite.
Shocking miss by OG
Come on you bastards. Please get park off the pitch. Wake up fergie.
What would be the point? So we can get battered in the next round? Because with this team I don’t see us getting past nobody that already qualified. The only advantage would be for the Glazers to pocket a little more Uefa cash.
rooney has been wank…..
apoel would be our only hope
442 then
If they score we’re fucked
What the fuck does Ferguson see in Park?
Napoli goal!
That makes this shit slightly easier to watch
asian money
Our shooting has been dreadful lately
we will get fucked in the uefa cup too
lets face it
at this level of quality we look shit
we would smashed in the next round but getting through would surely mean that the stubborn mule fergal would have to listen to fans and purchase some talent or promote the youth. if we do get through we will do so my skin of teeth.
if we went out now he wld have no incentive to improve the midfield and the ryan air standard of play will continue.
this isn’t about glazers its about shit fuck squad selection and constant media shite that fergie spouts about his midfield / squad being OK. he’s a stubborn fucker who won’t see the blindingly obvious.
get in there napoli.. something to smile about at last
Well at least Napoli have scored.
so napoli have scored what does that mean – we only need a draw?
I love rooney and welbeck as a front two
Are the Bitters still in this?
having said that in my previous post, we have had enough chances to be leading comfortably
23 mins to get a goal
come on united
The whole team has been wank.
In fact… the whole fuckin club… management and ownership included.
The Bitters need Napoli to lose.
Too little too late
Wayne is in a right shitty run of form.
its his new hair piece
weighing him down
Rooney missed even that. take that fucker off
fuck off rooney that was a gimme
You and I noth know he’s never going to “listen” to fans. If we do go to the next round it’s gonna be the same old “we made so far, that means the team is good enough”. But “good enough” doesn’t cut it anymore. And yes, it’s not about the Glazers anymore, because even with them being the livid, moneygrabbing c*nts they are, we still signed over $ 50 mil worth of players and none of them a midfielder.
maybe cos taggart shifting him into midfield and the cunt is burning himself out
rooney left wing?
I can’t believe we’re losing to this dreck.
United really is a miserable outfit right now.
how many more fucking chances does rooney need ffs
the only thing he will score with tonite is his dick in the shower after the match
does a draw get us through?
Napoli 2-0 up
City out
Yeah
It’s sad that we’re struggling to get a draw
15 mins – i feel sick.
fuck that keeper
we will score
come on united
We’ll play them in the Mickey Mouse Euro Cup in the semis and get butt f*cked again
Macheda on
Is it really that bad
Rooney will go out left now
Oh no… don’t take off Park.
cap prepare the lkhf topic
Any reason why this kid is not on the first team along with Welbeck? Other than “he’s too young”
Come on United score.
And we’re out
…
all over
Excellent!
10 mins …
fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck
Uefa Cup, here we come….
were shit offical.
Smalling’s fault, he leaves it, he doesn’t know the cunt is behind him
Disaster
cunts all of them
utter disgrace….
out of 2 cups in a week
nice one SAF
Yeah, keep chewing your gum you old bastard!!!!!
fucked.
I’m really looking forward to Ferguson rationalizing this.
LOLOMFGPMSLFAFCYBTSWTF!!!!!!
Season over.
Evans should head that
Just shit all round
Shit defending, shit in the final third, ultra shit in midfield
What a fuckin joke of a goal!!!!!!
offical we are rubbish., sod europa cup, put reserves out for it, get knocked out early.
At least there is no hiding place for any of our players because non of them are good enough.
credit to the yodling swiss fucks
they are the dregs but we are fucking worse
hate this game
2-1
FFS… deffo crossed the line
Who else in our current squad apart from Rooney is world class?
come on reds
Fuck sake… how did we manage to get that in.
don’t care
too little too late
We tried our best to miss it but it went in anyway
come one one more
come on United
One more, one more you total absolute set of bastards
Really, REALLY waiting for Fergie to spin this loss and make it look like a good thing…since we still have the chance to win the Uefa Cup!
does a draw work? fucking hell
Don’t get your hopes up.
Aye
Just one more, come on FFS
come on bastards. PLEASE.
Is he still World Class? Not up there with Messi, Xavi or Aguerro is he?
** Sniggers **
No Chance! took 89 Mins to fluke one!
There substitution took a fucking minute
Well then…..
No hiding place now for ALL our team. None of them are good enough.
aye mad red – i half agree with you
except even the shit 11 we put out tonite would get stuffed in the uefa so we dont need to worry about the reserves doing us proud
Utter shit, this European campaign
In the horrific and embarassing post mortem I hope Fergie takes some stick, and it pressures him in to signing a top midfielder
bitch slapped like a bunch of cunts.
finally will taggart take his head out of his arse and see what crap has been assembled.
250k per week for rooney and that shit was served up.
brilliant start to the season, now its a writeoff come december
Really pathetic display. SAF looks perplexed. He does not know what to do. You can only polish a turd so much Fergie…
hate to admit that you are right on this one for once
Go on Keane, tear ’em apart
And to think, fuck face Glazer bum boy Fergie claims there is no one who could improve this shite squad.
FFS Why do we keep playing Park in the big games?20 minutes of bluearsedflyery, the rest of the time he mis-directs passes or is caught woefully out of position. Get rid of Phelan as well.Many on this site blamed Queros for boring tactics and football.At least we would not lost tonight or drawn at home to Basle. By the same token if you blame him for tactics so Phelan should be blamed. The players rate him?! They would say that, wouldn’t they!!
standard united bummers will come on here and say “in fergie we trust, etc”
this is such a shock
glazers get your fucking money out, we need players ffs, Europa league can fuck off, this embarrassing , easy group , we were going to improve this season, to take on barca, we couldn’t be palace ffs.
season is a disaster so far.
fuck all to do with Glazers – this is just shit management, plain and simple.
he’s worn rooney out by putting him in midfield and he’s not brought the youth into the squad like he said he was going to. so when average players like fletch and pakr – and old cunt giggs loose form, they represent truly ryan air quality.
it’s a complete tragedy that giggs was playing – and is being offered a new deal. fuck that shit, i’d rather our reserves get an outing.
we are really looking at the dregs
smalling and de gea will learn, jones and nani were good
how keane can say giggs was the best player is farcical – he passed the ball to basle more than their own team did
rooney needs to really examine his inner self
young is a waste of space at the moment
hope the yankee fucks sell up damn soon
Standard united bummers would blame this on the glazers.
It’s like the priests attributing everything to God.
I think we can thank our midfield for getting us into the Europa Cup.
Even before he scored, I thought Jones was United’s best player on the night.
4 wingers and a defender in midfield doesn’t help
Sign some fucking midfielders to replace the 3 we have lost, then Giggs and Jones and Park can go back to their proper positions where they are less shit
i think the dollar is there – how the hell did we fork out 250k per week for rooney all of a sudden. it’s taggart and his general stubborness – he identifies two or three and if he can’t get them, then that is it he says he has the youth. but he bullshits us by not playing the youth
he also refuses to act on his mistakes.
anderson – CRAP for four years
10 MILLION on BEBE – what a fucking joke.
Obertan – SHIT, Tosic and Ljajic – shit or not given a chance.
Diof – SHIT
Mecheda – ruined by United and Fergal
Smalling and De Gea have been class but they have been dwarfed by awful purchasing decisions.
Giggs created a lot of chances today. Rooney was a liability and should have been taken off instead of Young.
Nani was brilliant, he almost single handedly kept us in the game.
I hope United use the UEFA cup to give the likes of Pogba and Morrison more game time.
If Diouf, Macheda, Kuszczak, Berbatov and Gibson were sold in the summer then we’d have had an other 20-25m to buy one or 2 players but no. We can’t blame the Glazers for that.
Edit: How much does Berbatov earn to make a special appearance? Fuck United must be losing millions in wages.
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
defending like a bunch of women don’t help
shame our season is over so early
out of the cups without so much as a whimper – and that includes getting an arse hammering in january at the council tip
still SAF will persist in the old mantra about the squad being good enough no doubt
ffs we got shat on by a bunch of cheese eating, toblerone guzzling cow herders in both games
7/12/2005 repeating itself
true – it’s a complete fallacy.
so we are playing with scousers and citeh whilst the Londoners play with the big boys whilst we are left in the Group of Downs.
fergal has ruined berbatov too – we wld be lucky to get 8m for him now after wanking out 30m for him. what a shit businessman taggart is.
gill is a cunt too.
Nothing quite like watching them go out in a room full of Scum fans
city cup game is our cup final, what a turnaround from the semi
getting thru to the 1/4 finals of the champions league is part of the glazers big plan every season
so lets hope they realise that saf needs a good kick up his arse and some proper funding to buy quality
You might want to rethink that. Midfielders are needed, but only to allow Giggs to retire before we forget how great he was and for Park to move on to Sunderland or QPR, because central midfield is his best position; he is total shit on the wing. I though Jones played very well; he is learning to play in midfield pretty quickly; he can probably play anywhere across the back and DM.
citeh got 10 points in the group of death, they would destroy us (again) unless taggart sorts it.
Sign some full backs while youre at it
YOU ARE A GOD!!!!!
United in any other season would have been in serious danger of going out of the top four in the Premier league. We’re lucky that Chelsea are so shit and Arsenal are well Arsenal.
Fergie still has January to sort it out. Players need to go first before players are bought.
If Pogba isn’t extending his contract then sell him too for fucking 5p. What’s the point of having a player who doesn’t want to stay?
Are we going to mulitply his wages and make the Rooney mistake?
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
mate its saf who needs a kick up the arse not the glazers
so are you telling me that SAF the man who has alienated the media, BBC, UEFA, FIFA and also the FA on countless occasions who does not take shit from any authority, would not take issue if he had no cash to spend?
no fucking way – it makes no sense – he would walk or say something.
he has the cash, he just won’t spend it because he sees 40m plus as too expensive for anyone.
he has lost touch of reality.
We didn’t even get 10 points
Why didn’t that shit house cunt Fergie speak after the game?
overall I think the good purchases have outweighed the bad. You cant seriously expect every new player to be a success. The problem is too many strikers an wingers and NO midfielders.
Still no comments from Fergie or any United player
agree with all that but i think arsenal will come good and so will chelsea come Jan once AVB has his clearout. see tagg thinks that keeping gibson is a good idea – AVB has said anelka and alex can fuck off so they handed in requests.
fergal is losing touch of reality.
Nah I think it’s more of faith in his players that cost him the next round and trophies this season. 40m for Sneijder wouldn’t have worked well – I didn’t see him fitting in our team, he plays well in Rooney’s position if anything.
His faith in Anderson and the rest of our midfielders didn’t pay off.
He probably expected Jones to be Duncan Edwards this season as well.
He’ll probably see it now, bite his lip and see through the season before making big changes. Hopefully this at least after today.
fair point but that still is shoddy management and a complete lack of balance and foresight.
we have not gone forward since Fergal’s genius decision to put Alan Smith in midfield. in fact he would have done better.
How on earth did we lose that match? Rooney is just an amazingly overrated player. honest to God. He has the nerve to say players are not good enough.
Ryan Giggs should just retire. He was awful.
This is another horrible night that I just can’t understand.
Aye, Cal
Rooney should cop some serious stick for fucking up that sitter
Big players, big games etc.
yeah – that is also part of the problem, he doesn’t act on his mistakes or rather gets so deluded that he does not admit he has made a mistake.
what fucking possessed him into buying Bebe for 10m? i don’t blame park and fletcher because when they are in form that are very good but when they are out of form they are very shit – that is because they are not truly talented atheletes.
it’s this bubble mentality that fergal has been living in and it must also be created by that lap dog puppy murdering phelan.
i’m sure CQ wld have seen the decline and deteroriation of midfield depth and done something about it.
De Gea has been brilliant. Jones is solid potential. Smalling is bloody genius.
Young has been quite good and he does strenghthen our 11. We don’t have a better left winger in our team. I don’t like Nani there, he must play on the right.
Next season we’ll probably need an other defender if Rio is drafted out.
And perhaps a fullback, although I’d give Fabio, Rafael one more season to prove their fitness and Fryers looks pretty good.
Fergie wont be a midfielder that’s for sure.
Edit: Even if Fergie goes gung ho and buys a defender, full back and a holding midfielder who will our match winning players be next season. We’ll still only have Rooney (at what price) when he decides to show up and Nani.
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
I’m just speechless. I know we’re shit but I still expected us to at least draw the game.
The more this season turns into a train wreck, the more I think Fergie should retire. If he’s not going to retire, bring an assistant to fucking show him what’s what.
He’s clearly run out of ideas. He’s spent money over the years on players that weren’t good enough but wouldn’t buy even 1 top class midfielder. Ashley fucking Young being the most recent waste of money.
Tactically, God knows what he’s playing at. One minute Rooney is a centre forward the next he is a midfielder.
Then there’s the challenge of our rivals.
I think this current United side is one challenge too many.
Is team in transition a valid excuse?
ROY KEANE
“I think (going out) reflects what United have done in truth, they haven’t scored enough goals and they haven’t beaten Basle or Benfica.
People have talked about the young players – you’ve had [Phil] Jones, [Chris] Smalling, [Ashley] Young coming in, everybody building them up but they’ve got a lot to do, it’s a reality check for some. I’d be getting hold of some of those lads, saying ‘you’d better buck up your ideas’. United got what they deserved tonight.”
Can’t argue with that.
good post – it’s like he doesn’t understand the needs of the team anymore. he needs a strong, young and tactical minded assistant as a minimum.
you are right – this team still had a draw in it.
Fuck me! I remember a commentator, when the group stage was drawn, saying something along the lines of :”No question there for the 1st place, the fight will be for the 2nd spot”….
Well, look at it now
If Pogba, Welbeck and Morrison were getting more game time then yes.
Manchester United are the first team to be eliminated in the (first) group stage the season after playing in the CL final.
United better pay him an other 50k pw or he’ll be off.
Yep. The kids have failed their first big test
A lot was required of Jones, Smalling, De Gea and Evans tonight, and all except Jones fucked up
Stop doing press, cut out the bullshit mistakes, start concentrating for 90 minutes and nail some form
It will help if they get sound tactical backing from the bench Sid. What was our manager thinking starting with Giggs and Park? Seriously…
What did De Gea do wrong? I missed the goal – was running back home from work
I thought Giggs played well tonight. It was Rooney, Young and Smalling (for the goal) who failed it. Jones apart from the goal was poor – who was that who past him in midfield once as if he wasn’t there? I think it was Shaqiri or that other guy with his name starting from X
Sir Ryan Giggs? No no no. Sir Paul Scholes say.
It’s everything to do with the Glazers… Ferguson isn’t blameless… but fuck me, only a team watching it’s pennies would see the value in retaining Giggs.
Years ago, Giggs would have been gone by now… but his status as a playing legend, is worth a lot more in shirt sales than his relatively paltry weekly wage.
Ferguson has nothing left in the game to play for… except another European Cup… it’s only my opinion, but I believe that one more Champs title is the only thing left that he really wants… and IF he had the funds, he’d spend whatever it took to build the squad capable of winning it.
After last years tonking from Barca… he said all the right things… he sounded like a man that recognised what was needed. But that was Ferguson working his own mouth… without the the hand of Glazer up his arse.
Who here honestly thinks that, when Ferguson claimed, Barca have set the standard, and we will meet that challenge, and there will be some new signings in midfield… Ashley Young was what he had in mind???
Ferguson wanted a Sniejder, or similar… but there was too much haggling over financial details… who here thinks it was Ferguson bickering over a few quid?
Ferguson is an old school manager… maybe too old… the days of winning football matches with sheer bloody mindedness and great captains is gone… now you need the best players and that takes big money…
Had the Glazers NOT latched on to United like a vampire barnacle… Ferguson would have carried on spending Uniteds’ profits on the worlds best players, and keeping United as “THE” most prestigious club to play for in England.
Saying the Glazers aren’t to blame for our problems… is like saying Cameron isn’t to blame for our taxes.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
So positives from tonight:
* Confirmation that Fergie has lost his fear factor.
* We won’t get humiliated by a “Real” big team.
* EVERYONE now knows were are nowhere near good enough!
Tonight… only Nani was better than Giggs.
Didn’t Fergie buy Vidic and Evra after United went out in the group stages the last time? Hopefully he’s buy us a couple more of brilliant players, I don’t want superstars.
Alf you have consistently ignored the fact that Fergie has wasted money on shite and in areas that weren’t a priority for investment. Time and time again I have listed a whole load of players we signed that were utter shite.
In the same transfer window that Modric went to Spurs for £15.8 million, we signed Berbatov for £30 million odd. Hargreaves and Carrick weren’t exactly signed on the cheap. How much did Anderson cost?
Fergie has handled our transfers disastrously – and then you say if he had more money he would have signed world class players. That Veron signing turned out well, didn’t it?
No, I blame the manager for this. The Glazers have crapped on our ability to sign the out and out best players in the world but whenever Fergie has had money he has wasted it.
You talk about Ashley Young. Why did Fergie sign him when we didn’t need another winger? If we have as little money as you suggest, why waste it in an area that isn’t a priority?
He could easily have improved our side without spending City money but he failed to see the flaws in the team.
58m spent on wingers young valencia tosic bebe since we last signed a cm
…and Obertan.
“Poor” is harsh. He is not a midfielder and he’s only 19 years old. In a game when only Nani could compete with him for “United’s best player on the night”, Jones won the ball back, won headers, and put himself about a bit – especially in the first fifteen or twenty minutes. The boy is class. Health permitting – for both players, the Smalling & Jones partnership in central defense could be United’s best ever.
No they’re not. Porto were.
I haven’t seen him play well enough DEFENSIVELY to call him a quality defender. He’s very young and he’s very good on the ball. That’s a lot of talent, so he’s got potential but his defensive skills are questionable.
Smalling on the other hand has the potential to be the world’s best defender in a few seasons.
FFS Cal… if we had some proper midfielders… then I’d agree… but you’re making a big assumption that Fletcher, or anyone else in our squad, would have been any better.
We have a rubbish set of midfield options… “RUBBISH”… and there isn’t one of them, I would trust when we’re up against it.
Giggs/Park… Giggs/Fletcher… Park/Fletcher… or Gibson, or Anderson, or ???, pffft… all the same garbage… only Carrick is of any real quality… and even he is more miss than hit.
Where is the Manchester United standard Cal?
I dont think the midfield was to blame this time though. It was the finishing, we had more than enough chances.
Only the Qatari’s taking over could possibly turn us around. And their first signing should be Jose. And his first job would be to order a one way mini bus for Jimmy Spark, Wobbly gob, Carrick, Anderson, Fletcher, Evans And Giggs.
Simple as.
A ball is played across the 6 yard box and for some reason he goes at it with his feet which pushes it into the path of the Basel player who smashes it in
After this debabcle — and maybe as bad or worse in the league to follow, do you think a top midfield player would want to come to us in January?
Now we must start looking for midfield players with Messiah complexes: who will come here looking not to fit into a pattern (there’s isnt one, we don’t have one!) but to be our salvation.
How could it all fall apart like this?
At least Fergie has another excuse not to sign a top player – “he didn’t want to come”.
Yeah, but, right, Jones won’t play as a centreback until we sign a defensive midfielder/holding player/destroyer, because right now he’s the only one that is up for it. Yeah, there’s Carrick, but he has been woeful for 2 years, so there’s no reason to think his good run of form is going to last.
To become a top centreback Jones needs to play in that position, a lot. Obviously top players at top clubs have to be versatile but relying on him in that position week in week out, and in such a big game, and alongside Giggs who can’t play at a consistent high tempo, is asking too much
Giggs should be being used as a cameo player; the old master who comes on and does sensible things when everybody else is panicking, and provides a last minute assist for Hernandez. We shouldn’t be relying on him to do all the creative stuff in the hardest working part of a team
If we signed a couple of midfielders to replace the 3 that are missing, we could get more use out of Jones and Giggs
Also, now that Vidic is fucked, Evans will start because Smalling is covering out wide, and Jones is needed in midfield. And Evans will cost us
we’ll sign a goalkeeper in Jan , a random fullback who might get two games all season and a teenage siberian striker that some scout reckons we’ll need in 2015
And a winger…surely we will sign another winger?
I keep ignoring you, because you keep repeating the same shit.
I don’t think anyone here has ever suggested that Ferguson is great when it comes to transfers.
And his reputation with transfers goes back long before the Glazers got involved… never mind Veron… what about Poborský, Cruyff, Djemba-Djemba… or the parade of rubbish keepers he’s signed?
So what’s your point?
Ferguson has also made some fantastic signings… but that still has fuck all to do with my argument.
Before the Glazers shit all over our club… nobody cared much about Fergusons rubbish signings… because his good signings made us the envy of England.
These days all we get is rubbish signings… because Ferguson isn’t allowed to be so free with the cash.
Now… if you’re a bean counter, you may think that’s a good thing… but the truth is… and history will back me on this… if we’d have topped the group tonight… with 10+ goal difference, and bragging that no one would want to draw us in the next stage… no one here would give a fuck about Bebe, Tosic, Anderson, or anyone else.
“Badges, to god-damned hell with badges! We have no badges. In fact, we don’t need badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges, you god-damned cabrón and ching’ tu madre! Come out from that shit-hole of yours. I have to speak to you.”
Yeah, that is the worry with Jones. Sir Alex will fuck him about, playing him here, there, and everywhere but Centre Half until he ruins the lad. You are spot on about Giggs as well. In my first post in this thread I called for Giggs to be used as a substitute, if needed.
its a sad evening for anyone supporting the reds
this is really becoming the final season for SAF i fear
he is too old to carry on fighting on all fronts – the passion may be there, but at the final whistle, all i saw was an old man trudging back to the dressing room, bereft of ideas and wondering how it came to this
the sad fact is that he will retire come the end of this season and then god help us in the impossible quest to find a manager who would ever be able to follow in his footsteps
Alf, you equate having more money to spend to having the freedom to make more mistakes in the transfer market, but in previous posts, you also make it out that we’ve been so utterly financially crippled that Fergie couldn’t buy the players he’s wanted.
The latter point is absolute nonsense, IMO, hence why I have taken you to task over the shite we have signed.
I have cited the numerous players we signed that weren’t cheap but were shite. Modric wasn’t expensive (and was a player we needed) but look how he’s turned out.
You keep ignoring my posts because I keep picking holes in your above argument such as the fact that Fergie has prioritised signing players in other non-priority positions (such as wingers) instead of buying a centre midfielder which we have needed for years.
Why has he wasted the money like this?
If anyone has limited his ‘freedom to make mistakes’ by wasting our limited transfer funds, it’s Fergie, let alone the Glazers.
You ask me what my point is. The point is that, Fergie could have engaged his brain and used the money he wasted on 6 bad players for positions that didn’t need spending (mainly wingers and strikers) to sign one that we actually need for a position that needs actual investment. The way he has prioritised our positions in terms of investment has actually compounded the bad midfield signings he has made.
Sheesh: “Young is shite. Why have we signed him?”
Second match in a row he was subbed off – and not without reason. The guy just isn’t a left-winger and UTD never needed another player “in the hole”.
Both Young and Valencia (as well as Giggs and Park) are now blocking the progress of Welbeck and Morrison.
SAF has a bit of a quandry – only five points behind Shitty but if the gap isn’t closed over the Xmas period then I’d reckon that it won’t be in the new year. So, he has to either fish or cut bait – does he hope for a last hurrah from the likes of Giggs and Park (and a tiny hurrah from Young and Valencia and Dimmy) ? or does he “win nothing with kids” ?
In fact Alf, you have also ignored my previous posts where I have listed players we could have signed and actually needed before they became ridiculously expensive.
I wonder what you have to say.
We can see it – so why can’t Fergie
You know what though, I think he can. There are signs that suggest we are looking for a midfielder. But why it didn’t happen in summer when we lost 3 players is just bonkers
We dominated that game tonight and just needed a central midfield that would dominate, create and dictate the game.
And no that dosent mean signing the headless chickens like Parker, Cattermole et al that some of you cunts call for, it means getting some real quality in e.g. Sneijder, Ozil, Modric, Silva, Goetze.
I wonder what would cost United more Sneijder’s wages for this season or missing out on the CL later stages?
You see, this is exactly the problem many of us have with the Glazers. They see United as a business, and hope to use it to generate profits that they can then siphon off, but, in order to do so, they need to understand both business – which I will give them some credit for – and football, where they haven’t got a fucking clue. In an effort to maximize their profits, they, like every business in the U.S., are trying to “run lean” – that means having just enough of the right people in your organization all doing the right things to get the job done. In this regard, they have had to rely on Sir Alex, and, for whatever reasons, he has finally dropped the ball; a timely investment in quality midfield players would have hurt the accounts a little in the short term, but having a side that could compete at the top with Barca, Real, and now City would have paid off big time in the long run. Short-sighted business decisions are killing our club.
at last an insightful post
hit nail on head – SAF is really at fault for not demanding the best players should be at united
he stuck his head out for rooney last year so why can’t he do it for the likes of modric or snijder?
You can list all the players you like… unless you know the situation at the time… it means absolutely nothing.
All the players you would like us to sign… that’s just a wish list… and you’ve got no idea why we didn’t or couldn’t sign them…
I recall a couple years back… Yoann Gourcuff was in the running for European PotY, and some, me included, wanted us to sign him… he’s done fuck all since… then there were some who wanted Ben Arfa… supposed to be the bollocks… Newcastle is his level… etc…
We have signed Ronaldo, Nani, Vidic, Evra, Smalling… sometimes it works.
There is always some new name that gets some notoriety on youtube, and that follows, with everyone and their dog, screaming for us to sign them… and 9 times out of 10, they turn out to be ordinary… who knew much about Modric before he went to Tottenham?… turns out he was a good’n… but we might well have signed him and been disappointed.
My point is this… signing promising young talent is great, when it works… but teams that aspire to be the best in the world… such as Real, Barca, Chelsea, Milan, Juventus, and now City… don’t rely solely on this strategy… they have no qualms about spending stupid money to sign the Keanes, Verons, Rooneys, van Nistelrooys, Ferdinands… breaking transfer records, and making no excuses for being so wealthy.
Be honest Sheesh… we’re not that team any more… and that is not Fergusons doing.
FFS… Rooney is a money machine… he’s the most profitable player since Beckham… Modric and Sniejder would be just an expense… Ferguson wanted Sniejder, but the money wasn’t allowed, and Modric just wasn’t allowed to leave Tottenham… Levy is a cunt, but he’s a tough negotiator.
Alf, modric was a fully fledged international when he signed for spurs, not some new kid on the block.
Look, I criticise fergie for not focussing on those areas of the team that are a priority and then being shrewd about it in the market. I accept that we have limited funds compared to elite clubs (clearly entirely the fault of the glazers) but Fergies job is to be clever with the money given, not sign expensive crocks/players clearly not good enough like carrick or to sign half a dozen pointless wingers.
Even with limited funds, I find it impossible to accept that after all these years we couldn’t sign a single midfielder.
This is where i fault the manager. Prioritising a need and dealing with it.
Sheesh, I’m with Alf on this one (for once) – every manager f(cks up signings now and again, we don’t live in a “Championship Manager” world where a manager gets the full stats on a player and keeping them fit and in form is easy. We focus on Fergie’s failures in the transfer market because we are United fans and it hurts to see donkeys like Veron, Djemba Djemba and Kleberson in the famous red shirt. But if you sit down and go through our rivals, you can think of shite players at every club – even if you think about the current season, anyone think that Carroll, Luiz or Mertesacker are good signings?
As Alf says, it’s all about money and the lack thereof caused by Glazer debt. Fergie likes to spout his stuff about the youth policy now that he has not got the cash to spend, but what about all the record or near-record signings he made pre-Glazer like Roy Keane or Ruud van Nistelrooy? He would have broken the bank for Shearer had Shearer been willing to come (and thank God he didn’t but that’s another story). The youth policy is not total fiction as Fergie has got a fantastic record of grooming kids into world-class players…but you need a mix of youth and experience, and right now we’ve got promising youth (Smalling, Jones, Cleverley and the twins), some genuine legends who are now either over the hill or at least on the downhill slope (eg Giggs, Evra, Ferdinand and Vidic who is still top-drawer but won’t be in 2 years time given how he’s put his body on the line for the club), some decent players who would shine in another squad but are really workmen at a massive club like United (eg Fletcher and Carrick, I like them both but they’re never going to dominate the midfield at any club, let alone United – Park, Young and Valencia are in the category as well for me), some guys who had potential but are never going to make it at the top level (eg Anderson, Gibbo and Jonny Evans – Fergie must be gutted that Brucie has been sacked by Sunderland as I would imagine he already had a verbal deal done to flog Evans and Gibson off to Sunderland in the summer which won’t come off now that O’Neill is in charge there) and 2 genuine world-class superstars who are horribly out of form (Rooney and Nani). In the old days Fergie would have gone and bought a world-class player to fix his problems but now he’s not got the cash.
Trying to be objective about the situation, as opposed to just pissed off, it seems to me that the Glazers are about to get caught in their own debt trap. Gill, Woodward and the commercial director can bleat about the DHL training kit deal, but deals like that won’t be coming too often if the team is not winning silverware. If the club’s not generating cash, there’ll be even less cash to spend on wages and transfers as we know for certain that the Glazers won’t be dipping into their pockets to fund the club. There are rumours that the Glazers valued rhe club at around 3 billion USD (or maybe that was pounds) when they were thinking about the IPO…that figures was laughable even then but will be absolute fantasy if we’re also-rans domestically and in Europe.
Sorry mate, Rooney and Nani are not out of form. Rooney has been playing oput of position for most of the season so far and Nani has been our only consistent performer!
When was the last time either of them scored in a Utd shirt then?
Maybe I was a bit harsh – I do acknowledge they’re both world class.
Why the fuck would any top quality midfielder want to come to united in January now? For fecking Europa league?
We’re stuck with this dross for at least the rest of the season.
I hear a question in and/or behind some of these postings: the question goes something like this: did Fergie think…Didn’t Fergie see..
I think we are started to get really baffled by how our manager thinks. In the days of glory it was Ok if we didn’t understand at the time — at most maybe a little baffling or disconcerting — when he did strange or odd, seemingly illogical things — because it always seemed to work. We had the luxury of faith — sitting back and thinking: let’s not worry, all will be revealed. Mostly it meant we would win major silverware. If he did get it wrong — then it would mean, finishing second — missing out just by a whisker (the 1995 season is a good example).
Now things are different. Tryng to figure out what is going on that head is like trying to predict the behaviour of subatomic praticles in quantum theory. We don’t even know if he is being told there is no money, or whether there is and he doesn’t want to spend. If the latter, we have no idea why he won’t spend — especially in midfield, where most of us think something like: “even a four-year old can see that there has been a problem in central midfield for the last four or five seasons and now the situation here is just hopeless.
My point is — now I think we would like a manager who thought more logically and made more sense. We are getting sick of these perspectives that run so much against our personal grain that it’s as if they came from Mars.
I only hope he won’t think that we will think that moving for midfiled players in Jan would be an admission of failure.
In his advancing years he does seem less able to recognise and correct his own failings/failures than was the case before.
meh, i’m not too bothered about missing out on the CL for one season itself – it was clearly coming.
the bigger worries are about missing out on the champions league revenues, and fergie’s insistence on fucking players around. a midfield 5 without a single genuine midfielder ffs. was fletcher unfit last night?
having to bring on macheda was fucking embarassing. rooney fucked up big time last night.
If we finish in the top 4, that will be a miracle in itself considering the shower that make up the side.
We were never going to sign anyone in january or next summer as clubs are reluctant to sell unless we offer stupid money. I think the challenge Fergie has set in creating a new team will prove too much for him.
I fear he has done a brian clough and helped turn a once great club created in his image into also rans. Turn triumph into decline.
He has allowed things to fester for too long. Glazers will never hand over a huge transfer warchest but Fergie should look at his own transfer dealings with regret.
It really was a sad sight. As much as i hold him responsible, i felt a bit sorry for fergie in that moment. What he has done for us over the years is incredible but perhaps what he has to deal with now is too much, even for him as much as it pains me to say that.
Get a grip the lot of you. The position we are in this morning is no different than 2006(ish). SAF too old etc…yeah whatever pillocks!
Our biggest problem is the transfer market. Our squad and the way it was playing at the start of the season was good arguably very good. Ignoring current injuries its a good squad however the midfield needs overhauling. Forwards and defence quality. Just two-three players short in midfield. Thats it. Now the problem is that unlike 2006 the Glazer situation has become more acute as midfield is not being addressed as players retire.
I’m not a mind reader so like everyone I don’t know if it’s the Glazers or Fergie or clubs outbidding united and offering crazy wages. I think it’s a combination of them all minus Fergie. Are we doomed it’s unlikely.Maybe this is a jolt to invest. Maybe SAF can go to Glazers now and say we need to spend. The only bonus if we don’t spend having gone out of CL and lost all that money is that in my opinion it’s the start of the end for the Glazers. They don’t want to invest as they are gearing up to leave.
What do you mean by DOOMED? Obviously the club is not going to fall to pieces so we are not doomed in that sense.
But some supporters will feel that it is the end of the world when we don’t win the league (because the way we are playing now– as opposed to the way City and Chelsea are playing right now, it is practically a given, especially if we also lose to City in the league and in the Cup at the Eithad. There is also the `dream’ (sarcastic irony, everybody) of a big zero four against City if we should also meet and lose to them in the Europa Cup.
Four defeats to City in the same season: how does one even begin to get one’s head around this?
Wonder what we will do for the Europa league? Hope we get knocked out really quickly focus on league.
I say treat the Europa League like the Carling Cup – play the kids and the fringe players who need to be put in the shop window.
If we get the semis, maybe we can take it seriously but I wouldn’t bother until then. And based on the loss to Crystal Palace, we probably won’t get there anyway!
i wouldn’t care so long as fergal puts his hand up and says that he needs help – he needs a right hand man to help pick teams, to wise up to tactics and to be more savvy with purchases. he needs help – gill and phelan need to step-up.
he also needs to stop bullshitting himself – don’t say that if players are not available then youth will get a chance but then don’t play them.
don’t say there is no value when you can spunk 10m on bebe on the basis of a youtube video
he also needs to be decisive like AVB and Wenger with the shit. just fuck them out – gibson, obertan, diof, mecheda – no need for this rubbish. just get rid and promote the youth.
he also needs to stop ruining players – Berba and Mecheda are classic examples – Jones is going the same way.
none of the above is due to Glazers per se and lack of money, this is just sub-standard management and lack of vision and investment in key areas.
250k a week we pay Rooney – we have the dollar but SAF is just a stick in the mud by insisting that only certain players are relevant.
fact: we went for Ozil and Villa, fact they did not want to come to manc land.
fact: we went for Sniejder, fact inter wld not release him unless tev deal went through.
also if we had no cash, Fergal wld speak out or walk away. he can ruin himself by gobshiting to the FA, bbc yet he has no bollocks to go against the owners. i don;t buy that at all.
like wenger he has the $ but like wenger he has a principalled stance against spending those sorts of figures. both may end up suffering as a result of it.
i’d like fergal to put his hand up and just say we need to go in a different direction either spend or promote youth, and get some help.
bollocks to citeh and the UCL, just get back on track I say.
Powerful stuff! Of course, if F gets us back on track then it won’t be like we are stumbling ahead — heading for disaster. And victory in the 3rd round of the Cup followed by a glorius campaign that takes us to Wembley and gives us the trophy is a possibility.
http://www.teamtalk.com/news/2483/7361772/Fergie-demands-United-response
“Of course we’re disappointed, there’s no other way you can feel,” explained Ferguson.
“It’s part of football. You have to deal with the disappointment, and this club has used it as motivation many times.”
Bloody hell… he’s not even trying any more… he just talks bullshit on autopilot.
You must be joking.
The Glazers had gotten used to Champs League final money… this year, out so early… there will be great wailing and gnashing of teeth, round the Glazers house… and they’ll want Ferguson to try even harder to win the “also-ran” trophy.
I know it’s Christmas and all that, but some of you cunts are dreaming…we are fucked
Simple thing is we needed to buy big in the summer, and by big i mean 3 world class midfielders.
We bought no one, and our best midfielder retired. As a result forget Barcalona, Forget Citeh…it’s your teams like Scouse, Spurs etc who will invest we have to watch out for.
I blame both the Glazers and Fergie for this. It’s as clear as day we have no money, but it is also clear Fergie wont say shit, and when he does spend he buys a fucker like Bebe etc.
Sheesh and Alf..you are both right.
We need to buy proven world class players in the positions we clearly lack. THEN and only then do you invest in young potential players to eventually replace the proven class. We aint done this in years, and the purchases of Carrick etc aint world class..they are see saw purchases where they may go world class or stay at good….we need top quality, world class winners with the appetite to succeed….
FFS, as if we will spend 100 million to rectify this. But if we dont, it will cost us alot more than 100 million in the long run, i tell you fucking that for nothing.
It is a fucking disgrace…a footballing holocaust of denial and greed…..cunts
LKHF
faffing
That must be your 9000th post starting with “we are fucked”.
We will finish in the top 2 this season. Whether we can overhaul City will depend on the fitness and form of Rooney, Cleverley, Nani and Vidic. One of those already looks fucked and another is injury prone, so it ain’t looking good, but we are still stronger than the rest.
Chelsea are a mess that no amount of spending will put right consistently until next season. Arsenal have done better than I thought, but van Persie will eventually get injured.
We need to watch out for Liverpool and Spurs because they will invest? Liverpool have spunked a load of money on mainly average British players. If they fail to qualify for the CL next season (they have little chance this year), they’ll probably lose their only special player, Suarez. We currently pay Rooney about £100k a week more than Spurs are willing to pay any player. How exactly are they going to compete with United? Spurs are a good team, but they will bottle it like always when it comes to the end of the season.
Fergie should have bought at least one CL quality central midfielder. Every fucker’s agreed on that. He tried and failed and thought we could get by, but Ando failed to step up and Cleverley’s been injured – I think he knows he’s made an error. I doubt he’ll be able to fix it in January, but given that we no longer care about CL elibility our options are more open, e.g. Goetze.
The team needs an injection of guile, creativeness and quality in central midfield. If Fergie acts now we can catch City, if he dosen’t, I fear the best we can do is 2nd, unless there’s a meltdown at Wastelands.
Agreed^^^
If you park the Glazer issue, I don’t have too many complaints. We have been crap for the last 6(ish) weeks. But we have been consistently good for about 5 years. What an incredible run. I’m thankful for any success. Also we have started to rebuild most of the team except midfield. I’m reasonably convinced that will happen.
Also let me just say this. What would you think if SAF turned up and said “The Glazers are cunts and they are the reason we can’t attract anyone to the club”. What would be the outcome of doing that? He would either get sacked or leave the club.
Do you really think he is the sort of man who walks away when the going gets tough. Has he not proven how much he loves Manchester United. I’m sure he knows that this is a difficult time. Its a time which needs him at the helm managing the club and all that such a job brings, in the best way he can.
If he was the sort of person to let a situation threaten the club by failing to see the bigger picture and put his own thoughts and feelings ahead of the club then we would not have the success we have had over the last 20 years.
Yes he as been at the centre of problems e.g. race horses etc. But he is still here and they fucked off. That tells you something.
He isn’t beyond crticism and has made countless mistakes. But it’s very short sighted to blame him for the current position United find themselves in and expecting him to criticise the Glazers isn’t a matter of integrity it’s about the bigger picture i.e. keeping what he has built intact and moving forward. Nothing in life is perfect and you always have blips and this season looks like one of those. If I was in the shit I know what sort of person I’d want stood next to me…SAF.
good post triggs. i agree that the squad is decent, although fucking bloated. the kids are actually pretty good.
the management keeps fucking about. i think if fergie gets his head sorted (he probably will in a couple of months), we’ll be okay.
the biggest drawback of crashing out of the CL is losing out on the money.
Sadly this is true. Had we qualified for the next round, as I understand it, even if we’d lost to our next opponents we wouldn’t have ended up in the Europa League and therefore wouldn’t have had to deal with the hassle of playing European matches on Thursdays and league games Sundays and I think this would have helped us.
We all know that we struggle after European matches as it is. The longer we stay in the Europa League (I can’t believe I just typed those words), the more it will burden us in the title race.
hard to even consider us in a title race if we’ve got atleast a couple of months of evans being in for vidic to put up with
What Fergie says about using defeat as motivation is true. The kids have been bummed to fuck, but they’re not United players until they achieve something
Remember Evra’s comments the other year, where he said that nobody will remember Arsenal’s much bummed youngsters unless they win something – well the same applies to us
Jones, De Gea, Evans etc. have to prove they are top players by winning something – the league, would be nice. Then they can start doing press about how the future has never looked so rosy etc.
Unconfirmed reports from SSN that Vidic’s agent told some website that he’s out for the season
…
If that’s true then it’s time to sign a defensive midfielder so Jones can go back to centreback
Can’t be doing with Evans starting
we don’t have to buy tickets
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Club-News/2011/Dec/europa-league-tickets-excluded-from-manchester-united-cup-scheme.aspx
seems to imply it’s going to be very low on our priorities. hopefully the likes of morrison, pogba and fryers
Thank fuck.
Edit – Mind you, that’s the least the club could do. How about ditching the Automatic Cup Scheme altogether, eh?
o ye of little faith..