Recent content by GreenHeron

Being a ref, or a VAR ref, is not so different to many other jobs. People choose the path of least resistance. If you need to do, or not do, something at work to stop a difficult customer going ape, you do it for a quiet life. So if Andre Marriner thinks he'll have the Daily Mirror, half of Sky...

For those of a superstitious nature, we have won the league in the last 3 years ending in 3, and certainly in the last two (and possibly all 3) it's arguable we weren't the best team in the league. 2013 we were absolutely bang average other than RVP who shot us to the title, and 2003, we were...

I know several people who regularly deal with the United and City players on a regular basis eg in airport lounges etc. The feedback is the same throughout - the city players are polite, pleasant and engaging whereas the United players are - with a couple of exceptions - arrogant, unpleasant...

Some of sadler's stats he uses to back up his arguments are suspect to say the least but he's right in one regard, but possibly not for the reason he thinks. It's true that we look a worse team when Maguire doesn't play. This was massively true at the end of last season as well as in Jan. But...

Not a great watch, and not an accomplished team performance, but nor should we have expected there to be after 11 changes and a few CL debuts. I'm quite positive - the way I saw it everyone was audtioning for a 1st team spot and I think 4 clearly passed the test well - Henderson, Bailly, Shaw...

I'd start by saying that our tactics after going down to 10 men were awful, the substitutions (barring the first one) awful and I genuinely believe OGS got it badly wrong on Tuesday. I'm sure if he's honest he'd say the same. However, some of the talk on here and even more in the press, has...

Are we 1. A squad with some obvious talent but also with some glaring holes - a centre half, a centre midfielder and an entire right side in terms of an attacking threat? Or 2. A really strong and balanced squad that should be competing for honours? Only one of these statements can be true...

Mourinho deliberately threw a match (v West Ham) by playing Herrera and McTominay at the back despite having 2 defenders on the bench and then dragged us further through the gutter by praising West Ham's scouts for a player who's scarcely played since. He dragged us through the gutter with...

A couple of facts about United since SAF retired. 1. We have never finished in the top 4 two seasons in a row. Every time we've finished in the top 4 it's fallen apart the next year. 2. We have never finished in the top 4 and won a cup in the same season. 3. Prior to the recent run of semi...

VDB was brought on for Fred, who had picked up a yellow card earlier in the game. With the game all but gone, there was no point risking him doing something stupid (which he has history for) and picking up a needless 2nd yellow and a ban.

Time is on his side in terms of improving his attacking output. There are parallels with Gary Neville, who was pretty useless in attack until he was around 26 but went on to become a club great at right back. Shaw is every bit as good a defender as Neville was, and like Neville while he has the...

The same group of players who shafted Ranieri have now shafted Puel, and it is their continued briefings in the press that has created the toxic atmosphere at home games. Bad as yesterday's result was, I think the guy's been badly treated and that the issue lies in the dressing room.

The next few games will be a test for OGS and I suspect that he will have to find a new tactic while Martial and Lingard are out - as we saw in the second half of PSG shoehorning Mata/Sanchez/Lukaku into a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 doesn't work. A diamond or a 4-4-2 without out and out wingers with Pogba...

Thought that this was worth bumping up. This piece was savaged when it was written but has IMHO aged very well.

Those talking about our failure to sign a centre half should also consider that Mourinho wanted to sign a left back to replace Shaw and a winger to replace Martial, both late 20s/early 30s, and the board blocked those as well. And a good job they did in my opinion. They got 2 out of the 3 calls...