I think you probably will get the result, but Brighton are fast becoming a very tricky team to beat, it won’t be easy.
Best to write yesterday’s game off as irrelevant
- Thread starter Classical Mechanic
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
If we got beaten at the end when we run out of gas is a different story. We were beaten not because we were unfit but because they had a game plan and we didn't.
I do watch pre season games and have done so since I began supporting the club in 2008-09, but I do not remember any loss to an Asian side bar a loss to a Hong Kong club called Kitchee under Moyes. Of course, it was under Moyes!
Spot on! People just don't want to be reasonable though, it's easier to be angry then to think. PSG has a similar hangover.
10 league games from now will paint a more accurate picture and people will recover their senses.
I also recall losing to a Japanese club during Fergi's time, and an Australian club that was way back.
Then you can also remember MU beating RM last summer (or was it Barca?). Anyway, even those summer tour didn't mean much on fitness, it was those games back to home side that matter. I recall we usually organised a game with a Scottish club (Darren's club), and a European club, right before season starts. When you are 1-2 games short on fitness, every minute counts.
In another thread people was paying too much attention to the loss to Villa. Losing a pre-season game is not a serious matter, but playing a league game with pre-season fitness, is.
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The 3rd goal - was it fitness or tactics? Fitness isn't just about gas, it is about whether your body obey your command (2nd goal), or whether you are 5ms late, or whether your level of concentration is good enough (1st goal). Just recall the game that we beat Sheffield Utd after season restarted, we were steps ahead of them, could we have done that back in Feb/Mar?
I wouldn’t go to the extent of calling the game “irrelevant”,but obviously we have to factor in the mitigating circumstances around this defeat.We played 1 pre season game while Palace had 4-5 pre season games to get ready for the start of the Premierleague.That’s a huge difference and it clearly showed on the pitch....Palace just looked fitter,sharper,stronger and more dynamic for the 90 minutes...
So yes,there are mitigating circumstances but that’s just the way it is right now,we have to adapt or perish.If we slip up in another few games within the next month then the season might be over before it even began for us...
But we all know we won't get 88 points, come on. This side never once looked capable of that since Fergie's retirement. Anything above 75 would be an encouraging sign.
We got two points in our last three league games at Old Trafford (going back to last season). We should expect a bumpy ride all season long, not fantasise about 88-point campaigns.
Every game win or lose is laregly irrelevant with this group and it has been like this for a season and a half now. I don't really trust any of these guys (Bar maybe a handful) to form a core of winning and using the fact that they lay down a marker of acceptance that there is a job on to win games and build a culture of winning that sustains itself. This team plays like they deserve to win every game and then acts like it isn't the end of the world when it doesn't. Acceptance is more the key here.
And the excuses keep on rolling eh, did you know we let them break a record of theirs, first time they won back to back games at the start of the season, did you know prior to this defeat against the mighty palace, they had beaten us just 2 other times since 1991, that 29 yrs now let that sink in before you come out again with "CP is never easy"
so in other words CP have beaten us a total of 3 times in 29 yrs, two of then under Ole and back to back wins to boot at home.
Yes it is, when we play those games again this season I will compare the progress we are making against the results and performances we had in those games last year. To really consider progress we need to make up points from games we lost and drew last season. Losing at home twice in a row to Crystal Palace shows we haven't made the kind of progress we need to make. We've now lost those points, same as we did last season. If we go on a run now and start picking up points from teams we lost points to I will change my opinion. Until then, I will take it one game at a time, and we just got handed our arses at home to fecking Crystal Palace! Again!
Unfortunately we can't write it off. It's 3 points dropped at home against a poor opposition. Almost like 4 points dropped that. Not only that but it has stunk the place out.
This should be end of thread, but the chicken little fans will carry on regardless.
If you mean future dismal displays, then no, but with the players we have in this club at the moment, it's more likely to happen than not, and it's tiring constantly listening to the ridiculous excuses being made.
Its about time to call a spade, a spade.
It sounds like a cliché, but there aren't really many easy games these days. We can make anything into a struggle.
Interested to see how City look tonight.
They look bang on it during the opening stages against Wolves.
They look bang on it during the opening stages against Wolves.
Watched a couple of the bigger teams at the start of this season, none of them seem to have fitness problems.
City were dealt a bad hand but made the best of it. United’s players look like they were happy to take the excuse. That sums this group’s collective mentality up.
City look very good no question. They have a bigger and better squad than us though. Half their team out there didn’t rack up too many minutes last season but the quality is still there. They control possession and make the other side do the physical work. Wolves look knackered out there in contrast.
We were relying on the same XI in the run in last season and ran them into the ground. My point is not to shit the bed because we will get better once the lads get in better condition, of that I’m sure. We need reinforcements of course because we have to be able to rotate to get top 4.
If we‘re realistic then 3rd is a ceiling this year and I believe we can make it.
We were relying on the same XI in the run in last season and ran them into the ground. My point is not to shit the bed because we will get better once the lads get in better condition, of that I’m sure. We need reinforcements of course because we have to be able to rotate to get top 4.
If we‘re realistic then 3rd is a ceiling this year and I believe we can make it.
I understand people making the City comparisons but there's a problem I have with it.
The work ethic.
The sheer drive by City players to dominate and win the game is so far above that of 90% of our squad that it feels ridiculous to mention.
Will probably see it in Wolves as well.
One thing that comes to mind is Atalanta vs PSG. Atalanta were a tired team but gave absolutely everything till they were barely moving in the 85th minute, which ultimately cost them the game..
I've seen that effort from Bruno last season and overplaying resulted in Rashford's injury, probably McTominay too, but who else that is of decent quality at this club gives that amount of effort?
If we look at the players on the pitch, it feels like none of them do. And that I think gives way to how we look like we have absolutely no urgency to win the game.
The work ethic.
The sheer drive by City players to dominate and win the game is so far above that of 90% of our squad that it feels ridiculous to mention.
Will probably see it in Wolves as well.
One thing that comes to mind is Atalanta vs PSG. Atalanta were a tired team but gave absolutely everything till they were barely moving in the 85th minute, which ultimately cost them the game..
I've seen that effort from Bruno last season and overplaying resulted in Rashford's injury, probably McTominay too, but who else that is of decent quality at this club gives that amount of effort?
If we look at the players on the pitch, it feels like none of them do. And that I think gives way to how we look like we have absolutely no urgency to win the game.
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This type of mentality probably reeks through the club as well.
No wonder we've fallen so far.
It's amazing how our fans accept mediocrity.
No wonder we've fallen so far.
It's amazing how our fans accept mediocrity.
I wouldn't really have a problem if we came out on Saturday looking leggy/flat in attack and scraped by. Players hardly having a preseason and expecting to immediately get back to sharpness would have been impressive and unexpected. But losing 3-1 (and could have been much worse), with how many times we carelessly lost possession, and the manner in which the first and third goals were conceded was ridiculous.
Are we still keeping our heads in the sands and pretending that everything is ok ?
bump
I was going to bump it myself. I still stand by it. City have been pumped, Wolves have too. We’re one point behind City and can equal Wolves‘s total if we win our next match. We’re still off the pace compared to Spurs. The international break comes at the right time. We should look at it as a reset and fresh start. Hopefully our players will get good game time in the internationals and we’re closer to full fitness when the league starts again.
your optimism makes me laugh.It's not just a matter of fitness. The tactics and set up are all horrible. You think Ole needs a break to get that right too?
You can add Liverpool to that list.
All four of them have played better than us overall this season. By a country mile. Can you name another team in the league whose level of performance overall in the league so far has been worse than ours? Because I would honestly struggle.
Do you think the team that finished third last year and went on a long undefeated run has suddenly become the worst team in the league?
The game vs Spurs is also irrelevant.
We're still not fit, Spurs already is
We're still not fit, Spurs already is
Im actually a profound pessimist. Maybe you‘re right about Ole long term but this is not our level.
It's not just a matter of fitness. The tactics and set up are all horrible. You think Ole needs a break to get that right too?
I think the team that spent the last few games of last season playing like a mid to lower table side has picked up where we left off. In the same way that the team which won 12 (or more?) games in a row when Ole took over was unable to turn things round for fecking ages once that hot streak came to an end. Ole has form for not being able to turn things round once opponents figure us out. So isn’t it likely that’s happening again?
Best to write today’s game off as irrelevant.
*the season
....and the next dozen or so
I just don’t think it’s time to crap the bed yet. Let’s get the transfer window out of the way and give them a chance to pull things round. Premier League football is played pretty close to the edge physically so you to be 100% or you’re at a serious disadvantage.
Other sides are dropping points too so we’re not getting lost yet.
I hope you’re right. It’s the deja vu that’s killing me. Hot streak followed by long run of diabolical performances. We’ve seen this before and the bad run is only getting started.
You just knew this was getting bumped even you made it... this is going to be a recurring “I told you so” thread
I'm sorry but I really feel we are lost. Our performances have actually gotten progressively worse in the 3 Premier League games. Palace, we were still in it but got hit on counters, next Brighton we should have been absolutely spanked in fairness, and today we were indeed, absolutely spanked.
Sure some teams are getting surprised results but the bottom of their performance level is no way near as low as ours. And ours has been this low consistently now, from the close of last season to the opening 3 fixtures of this. I don't give a shit about who will join the squad, because Ole has enough talent at his disposal to field better performances than we've seen. Much better. The problem is far deeper than just getting players in and re-grouping. Our system on the pitch, pattern of play, lack of press, lack of fight is a systemic issue at the moment.
Best thread title ever. This thread will be popular for years