[sammsky1]

Same here. I'll worry about style later - winning breeds confidence. What the players need to do is go on the pitch with a sense of urgency. The manager makes his mistakes but the players need to also take some responsibility out there on the pitch. You are paid well, playing for Man Utd, seen by millions around the world, count your lucky stars and play with passion - that's all I ask. Oh, and finish your chances and get us the much needed points.

We have had enough chances in every game we have played this year to win them all. Our finishing is the weakest attribute in the entire squad right now. Mata letting us down on that front right now. Hopefully Martial, Depay and a new striker will fix that over the next 12 months.

 

[NJM78]

Not getting carried away after that. Was a decent performance but still fairly crap to watch. Cska were relatively comfortable. Our shooting needs serious attention in training and it just shows how some positive forward passing creates chances. So much time is wasted taking three touches before passing everything is that much easier to block or play the offside. Carrick's quick pass to lingard, his first touch pass and a goal. Football is pretty simple if not over complicated by an old stubborn big balled Dutch weed head!

As for pros Lingard is much better on right but he does try hard either side, with more composure and thought he can be a good player for us. Rooney was above average today so good for him. Smalling was a class act.

I agree with crowds response to Martial substitution as Fellaini didn't really impact proceedings, if we had conceded and not got that goal I honestly believe there would have been a fair bit of booing at full time.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

Sterling pretending he's not got wood in Kompany's bare-chested interview

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

the bar for what's an acceptable performance seems to shift per game. Headed goals do not count anymore apparently. I get your point though, I only accept left footed volleys into the top corner as real goals.

Search my posts if you are inclined to see if my opinion shifted.

By the standards we are used to, this is a nowhere good enough performance at home. CSKA went in the match with counters in their mind. Shots on/off target, corners, free kicks etc... are irrelevant stats in such a match. The gist of it is we were allowed the ball to attack and came out with a late goal. Moyes or LvG, it's shit.

 

[Raw]

One thing that pissed me off, our short corners. Think it might deserve a thread on it's own.

90% of the time we try a short corner it just gets passed back to defence, it's fecking infuriating.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

We did well.

I thought CSKA were compact and well organised, I think they set up to hit us on the counter and it almost worked a treat as they were difficult to break down, De Geas save and Smallings block were both equally impressive.

Rooney looked so much better in that number 10 role and took his goal well. Lingard is so good at taking on his man too and showed such composure with his assist.

All in all, work to do undoubtedly, but a massive improvement, another clean sheet too.

Happy.

 

[Shiva87]

Good game. Much better from United. Should have scored 3 or 4 goals. We need to still create much more in games though. Good first half, ok second half. Glad we got the goal. Would have been in a tough spot if we didn't win this one.

Rooney scored! What a surprise. Thank god for that, or I'd be fuming at his goal mouth pondering about 5 mins before that.

 

[NJM78]

One thing that pissed me off, our short corners. Think it might deserve a thread on it's own.

90% of the time we try a short corner it just gets passed back to defence, it's fecking infuriating.

I agree what are we playing at. Then again our long corners are gash too. I actually hate it when we get corners Full stop!!

 

[Tincanalley]

Unbelieveable block by Smalling

 

[bugmat]

Far from our best performance but at this moment the best result possible (a win). We still look lethargic at times, but we did try and attack more and created more chances (though most were half chances or fell to non-strikers). When Rooney fumbled 3 feet out from goal I thought ti wasn't going to be our day but good play by Rojo, Carrick & Lingard gave him a quick shot at redemption and thankfully he took it!

Also DDG and Smalling saved us from going 1 nil down as I do think that might have been curtains for us if they had scored.

A step in the right direction - hopefully we build on this vs having another false dawn.

 

[Tincanalley]

Holey Moley, the goal was amazing. Especially the buildup. Great work first off by Rojo, two great touches by Carrick and Lingard.

 

[Fully Fledged]

Micheal Smaliing again

 

[DomesticTadpole]

We have to carry this on against WBA. Not revert to the pointless passing.

 

[Tincanalley]

Brian Kerr's expert commentary. Is he right that Fellaini's appearance for Martial was the focus of boos at OT?

 

[Striker10]

More intent = more chances. CSKA didn't play much different to BORO - so hopefully that gets through to the players. It's a pity we didn't get an early goal but against defensive sides, you can still have shots and create chances so let's bring the same intent into all games.

 

[steve zizou]

Search my posts if you are inclined to see if my opinion shifted.

By the standards we are used to, this is a nowhere good enough performance at home. CSKA went in the match with counters in their mind. Shots on/off target, corners, free kicks etc... are irrelevant stats in such a match. The gist of it is we were allowed the ball to attack and came out with a late goal. Moyes or LvG, it's shit.

Mate, I was referring to the forum in general. Here's a game we have dominated from start to finish, creating numerous chances to score and then finally doing so (our first in 3 games no less). Up you pop, moaning about the game and making the point that it was a headed goal? Why the feck does that matter?
Last time CSKA were at OT, we drew 3-3. How's that for high standards?

 

[Tincanalley]

Kevin Kilbane on United: "Everythings all wrong at the club".

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Thought it was an okay performance. Crowd's frustration was more to do with previous games and lack of goals than performance I think. Nice to see directness from Lingard.

Has to be said that CSKA didn't really look at the races. Incredibly experienced defence but a good ball, like for the goal, would have done them earlier.

Thought rooney looked better at 10 but again they were a very poor side tonight

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

Great practice for a Pulis West Brom but will LvG set up the same or will he overthink it?

 

[Acole9]

Not the best performance or the best match but we got the three points and finally broke our baron spell in front of goal, what a relief! I didn't think it was going to come tonight especially after Rooney sodding around with the ball at his feet deciding where to put it.

It was rather desperate tonight but when the goal did come you could see the confidence in the team lifted. We must carry this on against West Brom.

 

[sallycinnamin]

Brian Kerr's expert commentary. Is he right that Fellaini's appearance for Martial was the focus of boos at OT?

I don't think he is right the boos I feel were at the decision to take Martial off and were by a section of the crowd but it was hardly followed with chants of "you don't know what you're doing" , it was not welcome but it was coupled with anxiousness, tension and frustration.

 

[SqueakyWeasel]

That goal by Nacho for Real

 

[Tincanalley]

I don't think he is right the boos I feel were at the decision to take Martial off and were by a section of the crowd but it was hardly followed with chants of "you don't know what you're doing" , it was not welcome but it was coupled with anxiousness, tension and frustration.

Cheers

 

[Stack]

I didnet get to see the game but checked in to the match thread at one point and it was full of postings slagging off Lingard. Was just now looking at the bbc website and see they have him as motm.

 

[Paul the Wolf]

I didnet get to see the game but checked in to the match thread at one point and it was full of postings slagging off Lingard. Was just now looking at the bbc website and see they have him as motm.

Saw the match live on TV - I had him as MOM as well, was a bit wasteful in the first half but always trying to make things happen.
Given up on reading the match thread, it's only people with agendas and fanboys supporting their pet personal favourites and slagging anyone off who isn't

 

[stu_1992]

I was getting pretty nervy in work when I saw that it was 0-0 at half time. Very happy/relived we managed to get the win in the end. Of course I would have liked a few more goals to shake this "shite attack" stigma we currently have, but the result is what matter foremost. Top of the group now, and feeling reasonably confident.

 

[Ødegaard]

5 clean sheets in a row.....

1 goal scored in 4.

 

[.Rossi]

1 goal scored in 4.

Liquid football

 

[Stack]

Saw the match live on TV - I had him as MOM as well, was a bit wasteful in the first half but always trying to make things happen.
Given up on reading the match thread, it's only people with agendas and fanboys supporting their pet personal favourites and slagging anyone off who isn't

Cheers for that. Match day threads have got a bit weird lately.

 

[soap]

It was weird seeing our CB-cum-LB playing what seemed to be considerably further up the pitch than our RW-cum-RB. I get that the idea was to stop the CSKA RB who looked dangerous in the first leg from attacking, and I'm probably being very nit-picky but if that was the plan, mightn't it have been better to go with Blind at LB? Rojo was decent and competed well, even a decentish cross or two, I just feel Blind could have made better use of a few of the positions Rojo found himself in. Perhaps not, maybe Blind is better suited to overlapping with late runs rather than having a high starting position like Rojo did today, and perhaps Valencia would have started RB with Young LB had he been fit.

I do think Herrera should have started too (shock horror). Like with Rojo they both actually had good games, I only say this because, A) I'm not sure we needed both Carrick and BFS in order to dominate possession at home to CSKA, and B) with Rooney playing as a striker rather than a 10 one of them which was BFS) had to make forward bursts which Herrera is more suited to.

Lingard was my MOTM. Poor finish in the first half - I actually though his touch to set himself was good and it was just a wank shot, which was the opposite of what Michael Owen said. Idk. Did better when he stayed wide and played as more of a typical winger, which is kind of not what I expected from him (admittedly I've really not seen a lot of him).

 

[markhrad]

I'm getting even more upset with Mata. He has the ability to be a creative force but he is more concerned with getting in the box than being a playmaker. He is even starting to do a " reverse Rooney " that is, playing the ball out wide to the Left then heading into the box.
To be positive Schweinsteiger was impressive. Smalling and De gea are special talents.

 

[Galactic]

Some of us must be very unhappy that Rooney scored and LVG 's team won.

 

[Dominos]

We have had enough chances in every game we have played this year to win them all. Our finishing is the weakest attribute in the entire squad right now. Mata letting us down on that front right now. Hopefully Martial, Depay and a new striker will fix that over the next 12 months.

Really doubt that, I think a comparison of our conversion rate with other teams would back that up. You can't score from every chance, we barely create anything and I'd say in some games we have managed to be incredibly efficient such as Southampton and Everton.

 

[MZX7]

Not getting carried away after that. Was a decent performance but still fairly crap to watch. Cska were relatively comfortable. Our shooting needs serious attention in training and it just shows how some positive forward passing creates chances. So much time is wasted taking three touches before passing everything is that much easier to block or play the offside. Carrick's quick pass to lingard, his first touch pass and a goal. Football is pretty simple if not over complicated by an old stubborn big balled Dutch weed head!

As for pros Lingard is much better on right but he does try hard either side, with more composure and thought he can be a good player for us. Rooney was above average today so good for him. Smalling was a class act.

I agree with crowds response to Martial substitution as Fellaini didn't really impact proceedings, if we had conceded and not got that goal I honestly believe there would have been a fair bit of booing at full time.

Actually, brining on Fellaini proved to be their undoing. It was a very shrewd move by Louis to disrupt their defensive shape.

Before that, both Lingaard and Martial were trying to dribble past defenders and failing. When Fellaini got on and the crosses came in, more than one player got pulled towards Fellaini, opening up space for other players to take advantage of. That sub changed the game for us.

Who should've been taken off was probably debatable. But, I guess taking off a 19 year old who has played continuously and may be too fatigued to contribute in a high pressure situation is not all that questionable. Keeping seasoned, experienced players on the ground to soak up the pressure and provide a breakthrough is genuinely a better option. Carrick stays calm, crosses the ball into the box, Lingaard brilliantly sets it up for Rooney who finishes it off coolly. Any other younger player other than Carrick or Rooney may not have been too cool in that situation. This is where experience counts. Plus, your captain cannot be subbed off in a tense situation like this unless he has been God awful which Rooney wasn't tonight.

I think, our team will fight for the wins if the fans get completely behind the manager and them. OT did feel a little embarrassing today with the negative chants and the booing.

 

[Dante]

The most telling thing about our performance was the width!

Rojo and Lingard on the left, Young on the right. We made the pitch big and that gave our midfielders the space to pass with a higher tempo than usual. It was back-to-basics stuff. Sometimes I think LvG is too clever for his own good.

 

[ChaddyP]

Some of us must be very unhappy that Rooney scored and LVG 's team won.

After taking off Golden new boy and sticking Rooney back up to striker. Cant make this shit up

 

[Tomuś]

Good win in the end. The supporters pissed me off, poor form from them all game. Should be ashamed of themselves. 1 win from our next 2 and we're through.

Were you out there? You orobably weren't because you would not have the decency to say such bollocks. Your input here is embarrasing.

 

[kopviolator]

To be fair it's hard to break down teams with 10 men behind the ball

 

[dsch]

I didnet get to see the game but checked in to the match thread at one point and it was full of postings slagging off Lingard. Was just now looking at the bbc website and see they have him as motm.

I had him as MOTM as well. Smalling may have been better, but I'm always happy to see a young player doing well.

I've learned that I enjoy matches much more if I don't follow the match thread. (Unless the ref is being a tit, in which case it's cathartic to be complaining along with other people.)

 

[bosnian_red]

Were you out there? You orobably weren't because you would not have the decency to say such bollocks. Your input here is embarrasing.

Your right, it's perfectly acceptable for the fans to boo the manager/team and to openly be so against them. That really helps the team.

And if I was at the ground I'd say the same thing to everyone being a cnut around me as well. That's not how you support your team.