[bhargavgunreddy]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Yeah, what a nice match! Arsenal pulled it back to go through. Very nice, solid work from Giroud - the man who most Arsenal fans don't like! And Campbell - wow, he had a very good game too. He is getting more confident with every game. I wish he would turn out to be a very good player in the future.

Good ManU are out of the Champions League. Happy to see Mourinho's team at the bottom half of the table. Notice I said Mourinho's team

He must be thinking about Karma.

Campbell was excellent always trying to feed teammates and Giroud though appeared to finish his game before 90 min, came back with a bang.
I wish some english team would lift the champions league this time. Man city has enough talent to be a serious contender, Chelsea and Arsenal has the experience.

Jose will get back, not because he always does it. But look at how Roman is supporting him even though the team are in bottom 5. That should boost his confidence to experiment and climb back out of his unusual territory.

Who knows, few players in/out in January transfer window would definitely boost their chances.( hoping for a turnaround silently )

Thanks

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by bhargavgunreddy

Jose will get back, not because he always does it. But look at how Roman is supporting him even though the team are in bottom 5. That should boost his confidence to experiment and climb back out of his unusual territory.

Who knows, few players in/out in January transfer window would definitely boost their chances.( hoping for a turnaround silently )

Thanks

Maybe he can. Hopefully he can't though

You see I am not his fan. But surely there is no way Chelsea can finish higher than 6th in the EPL?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

......surely there is no way Chelsea can finish higher than 6th in the EPL?

One would wish, if only to teach Jose a lesson in humility, but given how unpredictable the EPL is (and how much money Roman can afford to splash in January), literally nothing's impossible. Fabregas doesn't seem bothered, Hazard seems frustrated/lacking confidence and Costa was always going to be a liability once players/refs saw through his barge & bully tactics. That a player who couldn't hold down a starting spot until recently is their player of the season says it all. Chelsea need a big cleanout, all over the pitch (except in goal but then they let Cech leave, only Jose knows why).


The much-criticized and apparently 'boring' and 'embarrassing' (according to Utd. ex-players and legends, not my words) Man Utd. were top just a couple weeks ago, and last season's relegation candidates Leicester are actually top of the pile!

Some journos from La La land were asking Klopp after a couple good games if Liverpool were now title contenders. Lovely to see him react "Are you crazy?".


In other news, just read Benzema got banned from France duty until he's cleared of all charges in his ongoing controversy off-pitch. Fair chance then France may have to play the Euros at home without a top striker at their disposal.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

One would wish, if only to teach Jose a lesson in humility, but given how unpredictable the EPL is (and how much money Roman can afford to splash in January), literally nothing's impossible.

Yes, money brought them here, money will again pull them out of the hole they're in.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

....(except in goal but then they let Cech leave, only Jose knows why).

I've even admitted on this forum that I wasn't excited by Cech moving to Arsenal but after a few matches, I have really seen what a difference he makes! That was a seriously stupid loss by Mourinho. But Mourinho is just that - a specialist in failure

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Some journos from La La land were asking Klopp after a couple good games if Liverpool were now title contenders. Lovely to see him react "Are you crazy?".

That man! How I was wishing he'd take over Arsenal once the boss leaves. May still happen.

[deetjohn]

Football is amazing this season. Cracking game by the Foxes yesterday. And I am so happy for Ranieri.

Roman, do us a favour. Please don't sack Jose. This is just a lot of fun.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Roman, do us a favour. Please don't sack Jose. This is just a lot of fun.

Haha, so true. Please don't sack him. We're having too much fun.

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

The much-criticized and apparently 'boring' and 'embarrassing' (according to Utd. ex-players and legends, not my words) Man Utd. were top just a couple weeks ago

I have been a Man Utd fan for over 15 years now and this is the lowest I have seen ManU reach in these 15 years. Even the Season with David Moyes incharge was so much fun than this season. This ain't Manchester. The fans want to see flair & creativity (Even I want to see that). No Second thoughts about it. Van Gaal has to go.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Football is amazing this season. Cracking game by the Foxes yesterday. And I am so happy for Ranieri.

Roman, do us a favour. Please don't sack Jose. This is just a lot of fun.

I wouldn't agree any less with you. It's so much fun to taunt the Chelsea fans who chanted 'The Special One is Back' when Jose rejoined Chelsea.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by tejas08

I have been a Man Utd fan for over 15 years now and this is the lowest I have seen ManU reach in these 15 years. Even the Season with David Moyes incharge was so much fun than this season. This ain't Manchester. The fans want to see flair & creativity (Even I want to see that). No Second thoughts about it. Van Gaal has to go.

really van gaal has to go? as if he plays in the middle every week? its the players who are letting us down.

you are forgetting the utter dross in the final seasons of Sir Alex. There was totally uninspiring football. old players hanging on and SAF even let players like Pogba go while he played the likes of Park and Rafael in the middle! We had the likes of Fletcher, O'Shea, Gibson, Anderson etc in the name of midfielders. Sir Alex royally ignored midfield and left an aging defense. RVP had a great season but age has caught up with him and he hasnt been the same in Turkey as well.

LVG has done well with the clearout. 17 players have left on his watch, which means its a brand new team. Players take time to gel together. SAF took 6-7 years to achieve his first success and he also had spent a lot in that time. People have to give coaches time then only results will come. This instant sucess craving is really crazy. Real fire their coaches every year - they even fired the likes of Ancelloti! Where has that taken them? How much have they won in last 10 years? Its crazy really to think united should fire LVG. Sir Alex wont agree with you!

I have also followed united since 2002. Have seen many ups and downs. 2004-2007 we won nothing. SAF took that time to blood the likes of Ronaldo & Rooney. In his last years he didnt do that really. I see LVG giving young players lot of chances. thats something I really like. Thats what united need. the wins will come. Exciting football will come as well. that will take time. its a project, a marathon not a 100m race really. we need to be patient. United really really needed LVG. we were not good at keeping ball and passing and that was our undoing in europe. thats improving now. The attacking football is just the next stage.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by joslicx

really van gaal has to go? as if he plays in the middle every week? its the players who are letting us down.

I am no fan of ManU but agree with the point about van Gaal. There has to be time given to coaches to settle down, the players to settle down with the coach. Many fans expect managers to just pull wins out of the hat.

Heh, Arsenal top of the table. UEFA draw sucks - to play Barca. But we'll beat them too!

[tejas08]

Originally Posted by joslicx

really van gaal has to go? as if he plays in the middle every week? its the players who are letting us down.

He is the one who is holding back players all across the pitch with his possession style game.

Never have United in even their worst years seen no shots attempted in the first half so many times as in this single season (I am not even talking about the Shots on Target, just the attempted shots).

The creativity in players is already there. (And that's why I suppose LVG has bought the likes of Darmian, Blind, Martial & others) then why hold them back to this extent. Strengthening the midfield does not mean one can only shoot when they are 5 yards away from the Goal.

Just going by the statistics of the last five 0-0 matches played b United:

Man City - Possession 58%, Shots Attempted - 6, On Target - 1

Middlesbrough - Possession 59%, Shots Attempted - 3, On Target - 1 (Mind You this game was a League Cup game and statistics include Extra Time. Thats a Total of 120 Mins.

Crystal Palace - Possession 61%, Shots Attempted - 2, On Target - 1 (Crystal Palace had more in both columns)

PSV Eindhoven - Possession 66%, Shots Attempted - 9, On Target - 6 (Only match where the stats feel better than the 0-0 Draw)

West Ham - Possession 61%, Shots Attempted - 10, On Target - 0

Don't even get me started on the One-Goal Margin Wins or the losses United suffered.

Statistics speak for itself.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by tejas08

He is the one who is holding back players all across the pitch with his possession style game.

Never have United in even their worst years seen no shots attempted in the first half so many times as in this single season (I am not even talking about the Shots on Target, just the attempted shots).

The creativity in players is already there. (And that's why I suppose LVG has bought the likes of Darmian, Blind, Martial & others) then why hold them back to this extent. Strengthening the midfield does not mean one can only shoot when they are 5 yards away from the Goal.

Just going by the statistics of the last five 0-0 matches played b United:

Man City - Possession 58%, Shots Attempted - 6, On Target - 1

Middlesbrough - Possession 59%, Shots Attempted - 3, On Target - 1 (Mind You this game was a League Cup game and statistics include Extra Time. Thats a Total of 120 Mins.

Crystal Palace - Possession 61%, Shots Attempted - 2, On Target - 1 (Crystal Palace had more in both columns)

PSV Eindhoven - Possession 66%, Shots Attempted - 9, On Target - 6 (Only match where the stats feel better than the 0-0 Draw)

West Ham - Possession 61%, Shots Attempted - 10, On Target - 0

Don't even get me started on the One-Goal Margin Wins or the losses United suffered.

Statistics speak for itself.

That exactly is what one means when one says coaches and teams need time. The team needs time to settle into the style of play that LVG demands. This was the same at Ajax, at Barca and Munich etc. Once the possession style is well drilled and players get comfortable, they can start taking chances. The philosophy is very simple really - the less time the opposition has ball, the less chances they will have to harm you. Right now our players are still in learning phase (tell me did you not love that 45 move goal? How many such goals have you seen ever). As I said, it takes time. LVG himself had said by the third year we should see better results.

And really people in media love to bring united down thats why you see so many critical articles these days. Eng teams football royally sucks - its all effort and no tactics no grace. Thats what they know it seems. But continental football is not like that. Its about possession really. Look at stats for Barca or Munich or even Arsenal - teams that play continental football. Thats the right way. The earlier 100kmph football - lobbing ball forward and crossing it in the box hoping to find a striker is passe. The striker is a dying breed. Future is what Barca are doing - a 4-6-0 which means 6 attacking players all comfortable playing the ball. That will harm the opposition the most. That is what LVG is trying to install at united. But it takes incredible skill and patience to develop. I am optimistic and I like what is going. I am happy to wait. You are welcome to criticize but do please read tactics and how they are evolving and whether we were evolving with the times. You will be surprised!

Originally Posted by naveenroy

Heh, Arsenal top of the table. UEFA draw sucks - to play Barca. But we'll beat them too!

Arsenal just cant catch a break. This is becoming an annual affair n'est-ce pas! Good Luck with the CL

[satan's_valet]

Originally Posted by tejas08

He is the one who is holding back players all across the pitch with his possession style game.

Statistics speak for itself.

It is not really fair to blame everything on LVG. Agreed that his tactics are different from SAF, but you should give time for the ideas to settle in. I share the pain you feel. It is difficult to see the team you love struggling for goals. But like everything, this too will pass. As LVG himself has said, we need a couple of creative players who can make his style of football look more beautiful. I for one, honestly didn't believe we had any chance of winning last week against Bournemouth. You have 10 first team players who can't play and a team which is still developing. There was only a fool's chance.

Originally Posted by joslicx

That exactly is what one means when one says coaches and teams need time. The team needs time to settle into the style of play that LVG demands. This was the same at Ajax, at Barca and Munich etc.

Exactly. The Barcas and Munichs of today's football have had this style drilled into them. Man U needs finishers, no doubt. Be it be creative wingers or explosive forwards to put a finishing touch to our current style of play. Another important thing to note is the huge inflation of player value in the current market. A 20 million pound worth player is being sold at 45 millions. The 280 millions that Man U have spent in the last couple of years should have been reduced to half if players were bought at their original value. But that is not the case and this makes the media portray that Man U has spent so much without any results. We still have to spend a little more to achieve that perfection. As a fan, I just hope that day comes a little sooner.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by satan's_valet

A 20 million pound worth player is being sold at 45 millions. The 280 millions that Man U have spent in the last couple of years should have been reduced to half if players were bought at their original value. But that is not the case and this makes the media portray that Man U has spent so much without any results. We still have to spend a little more to achieve that perfection. As a fan, I just hope that day comes a little sooner.

Money is all owners money. We are privately owned remember. I dont care about costs anymore Its their pockets. If they dont spend, they will just keep it. Nothing we can do about it.

Which player/s (achievable) do you guys think we should buy, now that the shopping window is about to be operational again.

[satan's_valet]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Money is all owners money. We are privately owned remember. I dont care about costs anymore Its their pockets. If they dont spend, they will just keep it. Nothing we can do about it.

Which player/s (achievable) do you guys think we should buy, now that the shopping window is about to be operational again.

Yep. It is not our money..

I would love to see Bale playing for us. He has pace and creativity that we need in the right flank. And we need a big burly forward who can improvise as well. Someone like Lukaku. He is only 22 and has got his best years ahead of him.

[Chetan_Rao]

Transfer fees mean nothing these days, when 15-20 Million is equivalent to chump change. World class players were available for that much (or less) not very long ago, now half-baked teenagers like Raheem Sterling are going for ~50 Million.

United's transfer spending is brought up against Van Gaal at every opportunity, but what have they really got themselves for all that money? How many of these acquisitions are world class players AND long-term prospects? Have to be both to be VFM, not one or the other.

Same story elsewhere too, Liverpool bought 100+ Million worth of 'could be great, if ever' talent in the Rodgers era. I'm hoping Klopp can bring in some real stuff from Dortmund in the next couple of transfer windows.