[Sing you a song]

We won which was good.

However, we played our key players against a low-level opposition and tired ourselves out needlessly ahead of crucial fixtures which might prove critical to our season. The same thing happened towards the end of 2019 where we got loads of injuries and everyone was talking about 'bad luck'. It's not bad luck though, it's poor management.

And for anyone that starts telling me to be positive, we have enough of those Ole lovers around.

Quite right mate you do your best to try and find something to be negative about .
God help us !!

 

[lex talionis]

A good old-fashioned win that caused only a minor flutter of the heart once but overall was a convincing performance. Even if the opposition was mediocre, this is the kind of result we expect and, if I may say so, as club supporters we deserve.

We're nowhere close to being the polished gem but the day we can field a weakened side and still dismantle an opponent, regardless of the stature of that opponent, is a vast improvement over where we've been the last few seasons and is a great place to be in.

Onward in this situation is definitely upward. Anyone who feels the needs to whinge is free to do so, but I highly recommend whinging when circumstances warrant it rather than just whinging for the sake of whinging.

 

[quackattack]

Romero was great, Shaw and Ighalo the best on the pitch. The rest of the team solid, bar Lingard, which was slightly under par against weak opposition.

 

[RedPed]

FA Cup & Europa League win with a 4th places finish pleaseeeee

Nah mate, that would piss off so many Caf fans....having to endure another terrible successful season under a clueless manager.

Eighth place and no trophies will do just fine.

 

[Bastian]

Happy that we managed to take off Bruno and Fred for a bit of rest. Was actually hoping Maguire was getting a rest, but then heard he's picked up a slight injury.

Thought the game itself was pretty awful and can't remember a decent performance bar Shaw, but good for Ighalo to get a brace. Rooney looked the best player on the pitch tonight.

Our passing was wayward, our movement was poor, our shot selection was often selfish and mindless, but this Derby team was so poor that we ended up winning 3-0. In the quarters

 

[baskinginthesun]

A good old-fashioned win that caused only a minor flutter of the heart once but overall was a convincing performance. Even if the opposition was mediocre, this is the kind of result we expect and, if I may say so, as club supporters we deserve.

We're nowhere close to being the polished gem but the day we can field a weakened side and still dismantle an opponent, regardless of the stature of that opponent, is a vast improvement over where we've been the last few seasons and is a great place to be in.

Onward in this situation is definitely upward. Anyone who feels the needs to whinge is free to do so, but I highly recommend whinging when circumstances warrant it rather than just whinging for the sake of whinging.

And another clean sheet while sticking a few in the net. It's good to see the goal tally on an upward trend again.

 

[MS4]

It was so awkward seeing Rooney.
I cant imagine how awkward it must have been for him. Seeing the fans celebrating and can't joining them because he isn't in the team.
Thats why i am a bit angry. Rooney could have played tonight - for us - if he had taken a bit more care of himself

 

[Amarsdd]

I was listening to the reddevils call-in, and boy some people are just miserable cnuts

 

[Stig]

I think having a centre forward who likes to stand around the penalty spot makes an awful lot of difference.

Rashford and Martial are not out and out centre forwards and goal-hangers and Ighalo seems to be much more of an out and out striker and it makes a real difference.

Look where he has scored his 3 goals from.

 

[Nevilles.Wear.Prada]

Noice

 

[ghagua]

Good win. Great to see Ighalo score again. Think the City game is going to be huge for us this weekend.

 

[croadyman]

Exactly the type of thing you want from your backup striker in Ighalo. Comes on and takes his chances to put the game out of reach. Good performance from him.

Overall, good game. 3rd gear for the final 20 mins and we were able to sub off important players for the weekend.

Yeah I can't remember who it was but someone said if Ighalo scores six before the end of the season he has done well, yes I know the opposition hasn't been top drawer but doesn't matter as he is already halfway to that target.

 

[Florida Man]

Nah mate, that would piss off so many Caf fans....having to endure another terrible successful season under a clueless manager.

Eighth place and no trophies will do just fine.

I know you jest, but if that happens, many including me will quickly change their tunes. Still a couple of tough tests to pass such as seeing if we can bounce back from a potential walloping.

 

[Devil may care]

Easiest game of the season, we should be strolling through a Championship side that was playing a lot of kids, but it was nice to see us actually do it so comfortably, and the Rooney storyline played out nicely with some great stuff from the United away fans.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Bruno and Fred didnt get enough rest in my eyes, and Shaw played almost the whole game.

This is almost the same situation we had against Brugges, and most players were visibly tired in the second half of the Everton game.

Its good to win, but its Derby ffs. Ole need to sub them out much faster.

Again I think this is a bit off. Yes we made a mistake with playing an injured Rashford and McTominay in the past but nobody is injured now. I think Ole has used the squad brilliantly since the middle of January.

We’re in our best run of the season, is it not a little bit of a possibility that part of the reason for this is a good run of games for this set of players?
We literally came back from having two weeks off a little over two weeks ago. We’ve had two relatively easy games against Brugges (ten men) and Derby where we haven’t had to over work ourselves. Give the players some credit, I am sure they are capable of playing two games a week without suffering from chronic fatigue.

We need to bring an end to this loser mentality at the club that we’ve had. If that means playing stronger sides against weaker cup opposition so be it.
City played on Wednesday night too. This is what big clubs do and have to handle. We did this for years under Fergie. Make a few smart changes here and there. I remember Ronaldo playing a league cup semi final at home to Derby under Fergie. We can’t just be throwing in players like Lingard, Jones, Perreira altogether. We need a mix. On top of that I’d add that Fred and Bruno are easily the fittest players in the squad.

 

[Tarrou]

didn't play particularly great but won comfortably

well chuffed for Oghalo

 

[Alek M]

Glad Ole was able to inspire the players for this one,

 

[darko]

Can we swap Lingard for Wayne? In a heartbeat

Rooney was run out of town by a bunch of morons.

 

[darko]

I think having a centre forward who likes to stand around the penalty spot makes an awful lot of difference.

Rashford and Martial are not out and out centre forwards and goal-hangers and Ighalo seems to be much more of an out and out striker and it makes a real difference.

Look where he has scored his 3 goals from.

Lukaku stood around more. Ihgalo move s around much more but he still stays around the goal area.

 

[Lentwood]

Rooney was run out of town by a bunch of morons.

Let’s not start this debate again....

Love Rooney but he’s yet to score in open play in the Championship for Derby and scoring goals in the US means absolutely nothing - Bradley Wright Phillips is proof of that!

 

[DanNistelrooy]

Best away end for a while. Had to drive so was quite amusing watching it all unfold whilst sober.

Performance wise I thought it was nothing more than decent, we took our chances and Derby didn't. If I was Romero I would be asking Ole what do I need to do to get a start in the league

 

[TRUERED89]

Great result and great draw against Spu.....Norwich.

Love it... We’re in the semi’s surely? Not bad for a bum manager..

 

[Tom Cato]

Since January 22nd. 9 games played. 22 goals scored. 2 goals allowed.

Not bad for a "false dawn" and wasted money on a right back and a centerback

The MUFC defense is currently performing best in the footballing world over that time period.

 

[theklr]

Since January 22nd. 9 games played. 22 goals scored. 2 goals allowed.

Not bad for a "false dawn" and wasted money on a right back and a centerback

The MUFC defense is currently performing best in the footballing world over that time period.

Thats only if you dont take into account the opposition we've played. Is a good statistic, no doubt - but somewhat misleading.

 

[Pexbo]

Thats only if you dont take into account the opposition we've played. Is a good statistic, no doubt - but somewhat misleading.

Man City, Wolves, Chelsea, Everton and Brugge x 2?

 

[theklr]

Man City, Wolves, Chelsea, Everton and Brugge x 2?

Tranmere, Derby? And yes, Club Brugge..

 

[RedPed]

Thats only if you dont take into account the opposition we've played. Is a good statistic, no doubt - but somewhat misleading.

I had this argument in the Smalling thread that his stats didn't make him a world beater or United great just because they looked good on paper. But I was told that stats can only be objective, not subjective.

But to counter your point, we are doing pretty well at the moment.

 

[Tom Cato]

Thats only if you dont take into account the opposition we've played. Is a good statistic, no doubt - but somewhat misleading.

Tranmere 0-6
Man City 0-1
Wolves 0-0
Chelsea 0-2
Brugge 1-1
Watford 3-0
Brugge 5-0
Everton 1-1
Derby 0-3

There's two teams in that list that have not either beaten a top team this season, or is a type of team that should never give us any problems. Brugge drew 2-2 to Real Madrid in this CL campaign in Spain, Watford just beat Liverpool.

You're talking like somehow most of our opposition is weak. 7 games have come against teams that can do some damage against any team.

 

[matt10000]

We won which was good.

However, we played our key players against a low-level opposition and tired ourselves out needlessly ahead of crucial fixtures which might prove critical to our season. The same thing happened towards the end of 2019 where we got loads of injuries and everyone was talking about 'bad luck'. It's not bad luck though, it's poor management.

And for anyone that starts telling me to be positive, we have enough of those Ole lovers around.

The Caf seems to be full of posts like this.

There is no way a match going fan would have this attitude. You don’t leave work early and travel to an away match to hope that the players don’t tire themselves out and pjt leas than 100% effort into trying to win.

 

[theklr]

Tranmere 0-6
Man City 0-1
Wolves 0-0
Chelsea 0-2
Brugge 1-1
Watford 3-0
Brugge 5-0
Everton 1-1
Derby 0-3

There's two teams in that list that have not either beaten a top team this season, or is a type of team that should never give us any problems. Brugge drew 2-2 to Real Madrid in this CL campaign in Spain, Watford just beat Liverpool.

You're talking like somehow most of our opposition is weak. 7 games have come against teams that can do some damage against any team.

That Brugge draw was a fluke, Watford win was a fluke (or down to Liverpool's really bad form), neither wont happen in 9 out of 10 games in my opinion.

I really dont think Watford and Club Brugge can do some damage against any team.

City, Wolves, Chelsea and Everton is the only ones that fit that category.

Dont get me wrong, its a good statistic against the PL teams. And even though the others are against lesser opposition, its still very solid not slipping up.

But to say we're the worlds best performing defence when we're playing Europa League and FA-cup lesser sides I dont agree with.

Even if the statistics says so.

 

[Pexbo]

Tranmere, Derby? And yes, Club Brugge..

Yeah there was some dross in there, but the point was being made about our defence only conceding 2 goals, take out all the dross and just leave in City, Everton, Chelsea and Wolves and to concede just 2 goals in those 4 fixtures is commendable.

Or you could decide being objective doesn't fit in well with the "everything is shit" narrative and continue bitching. Your call.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Great result, job done and an easy passage into the next round with no new injury worries. Pleased to see Ighalo doing what he's here to do, happy for the lad. Shaw was very good, to his credit. Onto the next one.

 

[theklr]

Yeah there was some dross in there, but the point was being made about our defence only conceding 2 goals, take out all the dross and just leave in City, Everton, Chelsea and Wolves and to concede just 2 goals in those 4 fixtures is commendable.

Or you could decide being objective doesn't fit in well with the "everything is shit" narrative and continue bitching. Your call.

I am not bitching, I just tried to bring some nuance into it.

I just said that statistic against PL teams is good. This is how United is supposed to be.

I might just be damaged by the number of false dawns we've had and dreading the City game on Sunday, who knows.

 

[ThinkTank@Cafe]

Think they all should have been subbed earlier . Especially Shaw when Williams easily could have done the work there.

Yes, I felt the same way when watching the game. My second thought was that may be Ole wanted Luke to enjoy his performance more. It is important to play when you are in great form. Also, Williams breakthrough made Shaw life easier in terms of match load, so he is not as tired as Fred who played insane amount of time lately.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

We won which was good.

However, we played our key players against a low-level opposition and tired ourselves out needlessly ahead of crucial fixtures which might prove critical to our season. The same thing happened towards the end of 2019 where we got loads of injuries and everyone was talking about 'bad luck'. It's not bad luck though, it's poor management.

And for anyone that starts telling me to be positive, we have enough of those Ole lovers around.

I was baffled to see Bruno and Fred starting, I think we could have won the game without involving them at all. However though I thought Shaw also shouldn't have played he's turned in a MOTM performance which builds on his fine form this calendar year, Ighalo's chipped in with another couple of goals and McTominay has another strong 90 mins under his belt.

So it's clear that though we obviously don't want to start all our best players who need rest there are positives for players to be involved in a good win.

 

[Pexbo]

I am not bitching, I just tried to bring some nuance into it.

I just said that statistic against PL teams is good. This is how United is supposed to be.

I might just be damaged by the number of false dawns we've had and dreading the City game on Sunday, who knows.

The point is though that 4 of the 9 games were against very tough opposition, 2 were against a EL knockout side and 3 were against lower opposition. That's not an easy run of 9 games that hides the context of the statistic, that's a very reasonable set of 9 games which make the statistic perfectly legitimate to take at face value.

 

[Jeffthered]

Look at us being all professional and that.
It's almost as if we're finally in a good place as a club as a whole.
Hopefully we can finish the season strongly, an fa cup would be fantastic

Steady on. We beat Derby County reserves.

 

[Tom Cato]

That Brugge draw was a fluke, Watford win was a fluke (or down to Liverpool's really bad form), neither wont happen in 9 out of 10 games in my opinion.

I really dont think Watford and Club Brugge can do some damage against any team.

City, Wolves, Chelsea and Everton is the only ones that fit that category.

Dont get me wrong, its a good statistic against the PL teams. And even though the others are against lesser opposition, its still very solid not slipping up.

But to say we're the worlds best performing defence when we're playing Europa League and FA-cup lesser sides I dont agree with.

Even if the statistics says so.

The Brugge draw was a fluke. For Brugge. We retained the most shot attempts, possession, passes complete, pass%, corners and free kicks generated. Im sure youre insinuating that we were somehow dominated, but that's not reality.

Watford just beat the worlds current best team (Ill go stab my mouth for saying that), 3-0. I think you can do better than "just a fluke" to describe what's one of the best moment in Watfords club history. Funnily enough, Watford also beat us this season. While drawing v Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Beat Wolves 2-1. I am by no means saying that they are a GREAT team. But they are also not a garbage team.

Club Brugge results in the CL campaign of note: 2-2 v Real Madrid in Spain, 1-1 v Galatasaray in Turkey, and a 1-0 loss v PSG in Paris. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't some backwater team that will get dominated night in and out. Big losses to top flight sides is the exception, not the rule.

Thing is, you can only play the team in front of you. Why you believe that other teams only play world beater teams in that same time period I am a little bit curious about, mostly since its not true.

Liverpool in that same time period

9 Games Played - 6W - 1 D - 2L -

Wolves, Shrewsbury x 2, West Ham x2, Southampton, Norwich, Atletico Madrid, Watford

15 goals scored - 9 goals allowed

Manchester City in that same timer period

9 Games Played - 7W - 2L

13 goals scored - 5 goals allowed

Sheffield United, Fulham, Manchester United (Loss), Tottenham (Loss), West Ham, Leicester, Real Madrid, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday

So, knowing that. Can you tell me in which universe is that spell of games comparably harder than ours?

 

[Buster15]

Rooney is still better than Lingard. Wouldnt have minded if Rooney scored that free kick.

And Andreas.

 

[Full bodied red]

FA Cup & Europa League win with a 4th places finish pleaseeeee

A tad ambitious and wishful thinking, no ?