Hargreaves - one signing too many?

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

So that according to you is poor play? 3 fucking times? When he did absolutely NOTHING! You are fucking moron. Who won the fucking game? Spurs or US? A player like Carrick gives people far more chances on goal all the time, even when on form playing in the same role. Even against small teams... Yet you never come up with this same shit. Just feck off. You Hargreaves hating brainless buffoon

MadDogg

Generally speaking, Hargreaves had an excellent game. He made many, many great challenges and was normally in great position to break up Spurs attacking raids.

But he also made a couple of glaring mistakes which directly led to some of Spurs best scoring opportunities. I distinctly remember yelling and swearing at Hargreaves as he just stopped chasing and stood watching as he let Spurs go 2-on-1 against Wes which led to Jenas' best chance (and my curses came the instant he stopped chasing, not when the move almost scored). It wasn't a case of Jenas just getting through. Hargreaves actually just stopped chasing for no reason at all. It absolutely did my head in, for someone who is a defensive midfielder and who has the speed to get back and at least try to make a difference to just stop and watch when he was originally almost equal with the runner. I still have no idea what was going through Owen's head when he did that.

If Jenas had got through by a bit of brilliance, or if Owen had been busy watching someone else then fair enough. But in that case at least it was simply very poor play. If you deny that then you're as biased towards Owen as you are claiming some are against him. Personally, I try to keep myself neutral as I believe he does have a very important role to play. But he has to stop making a couple of basic mistakes like he has in most games so far.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Which is all that matters to me frankly. I dont give a shit if a few Jenas runs went unchecked. Hargreaves is a player who has finally got to full fitness, is still adjusting to a new league yet can perform to such a level like that he did today. I'm just sick and tired of hearing all this hypocritical bullshit of how "he could have cost us the game". that's like saying Rooney, Tevez, Giggs and Ronaldo with all the chances they missed "could have cost us the game" Boo fucking hoo...We won 3-1...we are still not even in top form as a team..yet all some on here want to do is bad mouth Hargreaves... like he is the only in our side who makes mistakes.... and when we concede goals it's his fault alone. Today being a prime example. You can't get any of those cretins to admit he had a very good game. All they want to do is talk up his few mistakes. Not out of obecjtivty but personal hatred. So don't be surprised I'm not willing to entertain their views.

Mozza

Those Jenas runs left him 1v1 with the keeper, can't see a player of Kaka's ability missing them.

Ekeke

If he can't snuff out Jenas' threat breaking out of midfield, what the hell is he going to do against Kaka, when you've said from the very start Carrick was poor against Milan and Kaka ran riot.

Fecking hell.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

And for the record Maddogg,..most of those people pointing out that Jenas nonsense are claiming he never tracked Jenas all game. Makes you wonder why Jenas didn't score at least 2 times. After all, Spurs had enough of the ball to create the chances..and jenas had a good game...this same Jenas who scores for Spurs usually and even scored Arsenal recently..

The most likely conclusion is they are mostly likely talking bull shit. That's why Jenas didn't score at all.

Lizard King

Jenas didn't score because of his poor finishing.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

He snuffed out Kaka while playing for Bayern already. At he San Siro moreover. After returning from a long term injury. Also I said Gattuso ran riot, resulting in Carrick being subdued and Kaka, Pirlo and Seeedorf being free to piss all over us. Not the bullshit you just posted. Stop embarrassing yourself.

Sjarkus

For my money, Hargreaves played a good game today, and he generally looks better when he gets more games under his belt.

But he and Brown made mistakes today that players at this level just CAN'T allow themself to do. Hargreaves was directly responsible for one 100 % scoring chance, which he easily could have prevented, while he was partly responsible for another 100 % chance. He can't do these mistakes when we're up against Milan, Inter, Real or even Lyon.

He still played a fine game, and his passing was leaps and bounds better than against Reading.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

According to them Jenas was left free all game. And he is not by any means a poor finisher. They are talking bull shit. That much is clear.

Ekeke

Gattuso ran riot?

Bollocks, you're just back to lying again. You said Kaka ran riot and if he had played against Hargreaves today he'd have had a hat trick.

massey

exactly.

Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber

Just like you couldn't see the defence the started at the San Siro was actually stronger than that which started at OT, yet we lost to Milan. Yet you claim the defence and tactics not our midfield cost us that game. Yet we sued the same midfield in both legs and the same tactics. With a stronger defence in Italy. Why I'm I not surprised...

Pogue Mahone

I think some people won't be happy unless we win games 6 nil, without conceding a single attempt on our goal.

It's arrogant attitudes like that which give United fans a bad game. How's about giving Spurs some fucking credit, you spackers?

They humped Arsenal mid-week, in case you hadn't noticed. A game which was characterised by Jenas and Malbranque surging forward from midfield' leaving a quick and extremely talented footballer like Fabregas chasing shadows.

Just because Jenas lost Hargreaves twice this is seen as some reason why he didn't have a good game or is going to be our Achilles heel in Europe. Sorry, but that is grade A muppetry. Jenas is an athletic, talented footballer who is quick as fuck and ran his fecking legs off today. He deserves at least some credit for making some great runs from deep and losing his marker.

Hargreaves has had a stop-start season and needs a few games to get fully match-fit. Just because he lost his man, a couple of times, is no reason to get on his fucking back. These things happen in football matches. When you play against a good team, you will concede chances. And Spurs, under Ramos, are a good team. No need for a fucking CSI-style post-mortem on ever single opportunity they created.

Wouldn't it be nice, just for once, if you caftards could praise the opposition and give credit to players from the other team, instead of this constant fucking obession with scape-goating our own players? I won't hold my breath.

Bape

You can't really say if 'player A' played against 'player B' in this match that he would have done well or not because it simply dosent work like that.

Fact is, Gattuso bossed our midfield around in both legs which in turn allowed Kaka (Pirlo and Seedorf) to run riot against us. You could see how important Gattuso was to them when he was injured in the second half at OT and this made the structure of their team completely fall apart.

Wes

Ekeke

Jenas played very well, seeing that Hargreaves was out of position and made the somewhat inteillgient runs into the space he left behind him.

His finishing was awful and was a large contributing factor to us not losing the game.

Hargreaves on the other hand had a decent to good game, but his most telling contributions were not in the areas a defensive midfielder is most effective and left us exposed 3 or 4 times.

Doing everything he did do, but 30 yards behind where he did it, he'd have been the best player on the pitch.

Wes

He's a good player, but he is a bit of a headless chicken.

I mean how can anyone deny this?

choiboyx012

jenas played more like a striker today. in the midfield he was quiet with hargreaves and carrick on him. when he played further upfield having a go at our back 4 he was dangerous, as our defense was playing farther upfield than usual, thus leaving ourselves exposed on several occasions.

i wouldn't say he was MoM, but definitely top 3 today. made mistakes no doubt, but played well for the most part.

Pogue Mahone

Once again, you're focussing on the negative, instead of giving credit where it's due. VdS made a blinding save to keep Jenas off the score-sheet. He made a horse's arse of his second opportunity but hey, shit happens. I don't think many sides will concede so few clear-cut opportunities to Spurs, between now and the end of the season. I'm very happy with the protection that Hargreaves gave our back four.

The only glaring defensive weakness today was Evra, who made a string of howlers. He was just having one of those days. No big deal, though. Everyone's allowed an off-day.


Yeah and he'd have been kind of fucking up our offside trap

Ekeke

It wasnt me who said it, it was many of those who are calling Hargreaves' performance "great" today, including a certain Red Chief of Indians person.

Fact is, Gattuso didn't do it alone. Ambrosini played centrally with Gattuso on the right and was just as successful surpressing our attacks. Gattuso made more intimidating noises and scowly faces though. Contributing factors included our extremely weak defence and Milan's constrictive formation.

Gattuso did his job well on the day. So did Ambrosini and the rest of the team. He wasn't the only one defending well and he wasnt in the middle (Ambrosini was) so Gattuso didnt suffer the same problem we often have with Hargreaves' passing in the middle (though most of his passing was pretty good at times today, he had the odd fluff up.. Like when he hit the ref from 2 yards away which led to Lennon's chance)

Pogue Mahone

But when players like Gattuso and Mascherano run around like headless chickens they get called terriers instead. Why is that?

mu77

same here - not MOTM stuff but played better than most. to be fair that midf spurs threw out there wasn't the best either. rather scholes and anderson.

Wes

I dunno, sound like some sort of Motson-ism to me. Mascherano deosen't get dragged up field to the same extent as OH. Gattuso has Pirlo and usually Ambrosini or someone in behind, i don't think Hargreaves works in a two man midfield really, he's far too limited.

This opinion is based on everything i've seen of hargreaves, and not just today (where he played well, bar a few mistakes)

Ekeke

Well okay you caught me there, maybe not everything he did 30 yards behind. But what I'm alluding to was where he was trying so hard to win the balls on the half way line, when our defence was half way back to our box. There were times when he was ahead of the play because of this and not in the position where his tackling would have been most vital.

Of course its nice to win the ball on the half way line now and again, but its much more important to stop clear goalscoring chances.

What would have happened if Spurs had been clinical today and we lost the match 4 - 3 ?

Would people really be saying he played 'great' today because he won the ball 2 or 3 times on the half way line, whilst making mistakes for 3 of the 4 goals that beat us?

I'm not saying he was bad. This was his most impressive performance in a 442 for us and as I said earlier (not sure if it was this thread mind) he did show glimpses of a £17 million player. But he could definately improve on his defensive play today, because that was by no means "great"

If Fletcher had allowed Jenas through twice and Lennon though once, we'd have had sell Fletcher threads all over the place.

Mozza

Gattuso does not run around like a headless chicken, infact teh job he does is pretty precise, he on the right and Ambrosini on the left work on doubling up with the fullback outside them or Pirlo if the ball comes ithrough the middle, they don't stray from that as they have to be in position to let the fullbacks attack who provide all of Milans width.

Mascherano is near enough a 3rd central defender, don't understand the why'd you'd apply headless to him.