[Escobar]

Too many mediocre players and it's hard dot believe that there is so little off the ball movement. If we mess up top 4, it's not LVG who should leave but a lot of our players. I also think that Fellaini and Young can play a specific role in a specific game but that's about it. We need more quality than they provide

 

[Yorkeontop]

Thank God this is all happening now, f*ck*ng excellent really. Now we have the whole preseason to figure out solutions just in time for the new season.

 

[Timdbro]

Thank God this is all happening now, f*ck*ng excellent really. Now we have the whole preseason to figure out solutions just in time for the new season.

True, also makes it less likely that LVG and the board will think we're close to challenging and don't need much in the transfer window. But then LVG doesn't strike me as the type to be influenced by a few performances either way.

 

[Dante]

I couldn't watch the match live yesterday, so I'm watching the whole thing now. Just got through the first half and I don't think we were that bad. My initial reaction is that Young has been fairly good so far and we were unlucky not to score.

Our biggest issue is that neither Fellaini nor Rooney are comfortable in tight spaces, so we've been reluctant to build attacks through their part of the pitch. I think that's why RvP has been dropping deep so much to become an alternative out-ball.

Once Carrick comes back and Herrera returns to his position, we'll look a lot better. I actually think it's the lack of a technical number 8 that's hurting us most at the moment.

 

[Dante]

We should have won about 4-1. Oh, well...

 

[Mr. MUJAC]

I'm all for an emotional vent after a bad result but some comments on here are hilarious.

I'm all for constructive critique but some comments come across as spoilt kids in a playground. We have no god given right to win every game. We have ten times worse in our past and will in our future. Your support is tested when we need it the most not when we are winning league titles.

Some people really need to get a reality check.

But keep them coming…they are really amusing.

 

[LeftyBlaster]

I'm all for an emotional vent after a bad result but some comments on here are hilarious.

I'm all for constructive critique but some comments come across as spoilt kids in a playground. We have no god given right to win every game. We have ten times worse in our past and will in our future. Your support is tested when we need it the most not when we are winning league titles.

Some people really need to get a reality check.

But keep them coming…they are really amusing.

No but we have a given right, especially at Manchester United, to demand a certain standard of performance. I'm pretty sure any people here are well in touch with reality. I will grant you that there have been some who have shown enough arrogance and complacency to say that we should easily be winning these games against "lesser or smaller" teams, but it's not unreasonable to be so critical after a whole season of crap based on the manager's pedigree and the money we spent. Some of the problems we have are clear as daylight to even us mere mortals.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

No but we have a given right, especially at Manchester United, to demand a certain standard of performance. I'm pretty sure any people here are well in touch with reality. I will grant you that there have been some who have shown enough arrogance and complacency to say that we should easily be winning these games against "lesser or smaller" teams, but it's not unreasonable to be so critical after a whole season of crap based on the manager's pedigree and the money we spent. Some of the problems we have are clear as daylight to even us mere mortals.

I think the manager has lost his bottle a number of times this season and is doing it now. Are some of the players not giving their all, probably. Are some now terrified of giving the ball away in case it causes problems, undoubtedly. However the manager and his system are also causing a problem. Yes there are players missing, so use a system that makes the best of the ones left, not play them in positions that is killing the team. He has praised Rooney to the heavens in the past, so he won't drop him. He has praised Valencia, so he won't drop him. He has also given him a bollocking, so has likely scared him to death. He praised Fellaini and now won't drop him, even though teams have sussed out how to stop him and he is offering nothing up front. I just hope he can now do a confidence building job this week and can get them performing against Palace, or we are in serious trouble.

 

[Silverman]

I'm still pissed at the result.....mainly because a win would have basicaly guaranteed us 4th however onwards and upwards.

 

[Winrar]

I think the manager has lost his bottle a number of times this season and is doing it now. Are some of the players not giving their all, probably. Are some now terrified of giving the ball away in case it causes problems, undoubtedly. However the manager and his system are also causing a problem. Yes there are players missing, so use a system that makes the best of the ones left, not play them in positions that is killing the team. He has praised Rooney to the heavens in the past, so he won't drop him. He has praised Valencia, so he won't drop him. He has also given him a bollocking, so has likely scared him to death. He praised Fellaini and now won't drop him, even though teams have sussed out how to stop him and he is offering nothing up front. I just hope he can now do a confidence building job this week and can get them performing against Palace, or we are in serious trouble.

I said these exact words (or almost so) last week with the 0-3 vs Everton but they've thoroughly disappointed with the lackadaisical performance vs WBA.

Whether it be due to the individuals not performing or LVG's plan being found out I don't exactly know, but again, yesterday was unbelievably disappointing.

I haven't said this but credit to WBA for having a game plan and sticking with it to make it work. I would like to blame bad luck but for how long can we do so before it starts costing us who knows. If we lose similarly against palace next week there will be no doubt some will go around blaming luck again.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I'm still pissed at the result.....mainly because a win would have basicaly guaranteed us 4th however onwards and upwards.

I can't believe that I am still so angry. I usually calm down by the next game, but I am still fuming.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I said these exact words (or almost so) last week with the 0-3 vs Everton but they've thoroughly disappointed with the lackadaisical performance vs WBA.

Whether it be due to the individuals not performing or LVG's plan being found out I don't exactly know, but again, yesterday was unbelievably disappointing.

I haven't said this but credit to WBA for having a game plan and sticking with it to make it work. I would like to blame bad luck but for how long can we do so before it starts costing us who knows. If we lose similarly against palace next week there will be no doubt some will go around blaming luck again.

If we lose 4 in a row it will not be down to bad luck.

 

[Gannicus]

The moaning here really should be about three straight defeats, not about this particular defeat.

Had RvP made his pk and had the WB free kick harmlessly hit the wall, we're suddenly victorious and sitting very pretty in the CL chase.

That's how it goes in the English prem, luck having the last laugh quite often.

Look at Hazard's pk...saved but fell beautifully back to him. Luck. A bizarre deflection off a free kick for West Brom. Luck.

We need to make our luck, no question. But who here doesn't understand that we're lacking in the striker position? Not one poster doesn't understand this. I have to believe Van Gaal understands this. But nothing can be done about the lack of quality strikers -- in their prime -- right now, so we plod along until the summer transfer window.

Yesterday was just one of those days. I quarrel with the player selection, but no one here can quarrel with the job LvG has done to lift us out of the shit Moyes left us in and now has us within touching distance of CL qualification.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

The moaning here really should be about three straight defeats, not about this particular defeat.

Had RvP made his pk and had the WB free kick harmlessly hit the wall, we're suddenly victorious and sitting very pretty in the CL chase.

That's how it goes in the English prem, luck having the last laugh quite often.

Look at Hazard's pk...saved but fell beautifully back to him. Luck. A bizarre deflection off a free kick for West Brom. Luck.

We need to make our luck, no question. But who here doesn't understand that we're lacking in the striker position? Not one poster doesn't understand this. I have to believe Van Gaal understands this. But nothing can be done about the lack of quality strikers -- in their prime -- right now, so we plod along until the summer transfer window.

Yesterday was just one of those days. I quarrel with the player selection, but no one here can quarrel with the job LvG has done to lift us out of the shit Moyes left us in and now has us within touching distance of CL qualification.

To be fair, I think it is. If yesterday was a one off, we would be disappointed, but it would have meant we had got points somewhere in the previous two games. The situation wouldn't be so precarious.

 

[El-Manos]

We missed a creative runner in midfield for this match. In other words, the perfect game for Di Maria to play in central midfield.

 

[Gannicus]

To be fair, I think it is. If yesterday was a one off, we would be disappointed, but it would have meant we had got points somewhere in the previous two games. The situation wouldn't be so precarious.

I hope so. There was a lot more to bitch about with our performance v Everton than yesterday. That was a bad loss that began, apparently, with a lack of motivation in the pre-match warm ups and continued with bad play on both sides of the ball. Yesterday we actually played solid football but the better side lost due to two freak plays that turned a 1-0 defeat to a 0-1 defeat.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

To be fair, I think it is. If yesterday was a one off, we would be disappointed, but it would have meant we had got points somewhere in the previous two games. The situation wouldn't be so precarious.

Exactly. And the biggest problem is how similar the three games were. Dominate the possession but rarely (if ever) look like actually scoring -- I honestly knew van Persie was going to miss that penalty. Wanted Rooney to take it, because some times you just know a player is going to miss. Bit like Ronaldo in the CL final.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

I hope so. There was a lot more to bitch about with our performance v Everton than yesterday. That was a bad loss that began, apparently, with a lack of motivation in the pre-match warm ups and continued with bad play on both sides of the ball. Yesterday we actually played solid football but the better side lost due to two freak plays that turned a 1-0 defeat to a 0-1 defeat.

We passed the ball from side to side. I mean, it was nice to watch, but it's a bit like the way Arsenal used to play. Possession for the sake of it.

 

[Gannicus]

We passed the ball from side to side. I mean, it was nice to watch, but it's a bit like the way Arsenal used to play. Possession for the sake of it.

True up to a point. But some credit had to go to West Brom for excellent defending. They collapsed on RvP brilliantly. The keeper made a great save on the pk. They set up two banks of four and really didn't even push for counters at all. So there just weren't spaces to exploit and when your facing two tall CBs they're going to take care of business on crosses.

It's not as though there wasn't a serious effort to hit the channels either. As I see it, putting bad luck aside, we relied too heavily on a rusty and old RvP in the first half. He worked hard, but he labored to position himself in shots except for the volley in the second half.

I'm no football genius, but when we brought in Falcao in August I had no expectation that he would be a success in England. His knee needed another six months at least to fully heal and he was never going to be back to full fitness for another six months after that. RvP is shot, or getting close to it. Rooney is no longer the striker he once was, though he could be brilliant behind a top striker. Wilson is still an apprentice.

Yesterday we launched Fellaini as a center forward, which tells me all we need to know about our lack of options in that position. The problem was a tactical mistake by Louis to play Rooney in midfield. Play Blind in midfield, Di Maria wide, Young at left back and sit Fellaini. Collect three points, whether a grinding 1-0 win or a goal fest.

 

[Sam]

We passed the ball from side to side. I mean, it was nice to watch, but it's a bit like the way Arsenal used to play. Possession for the sake of it.

Thats an insult to Arsenal.

At least they used to play attractive, high tempo, football. Even during the height of their 'lets try and walk the ball in and over complicate everything' days. What we saw yesterday was boring as shit, and horrible to watch.

 

[caisenma]

They are nothing alike?

Beckham

• Best crosser in the world
• Fantastic range of passing
• Had little pace so more often than not crossed from deep
• Defensively wasn't great
• Always played right wing
• Guaranteed 8+ goals a season from set plays

Young

• Tries to cut inside to shoot/cross constantly
• Defensively very solid
• Tries to beat his man (or used too)
• Limited range of passing

i can't believe you actually took the time to respond to his absolute horseshit question. you're a good person, a much better one than me as this is one of the dumbest comparisons i've ever heard.

 

[Asger]

If i see that first 60minutes of idiotic, sideways, methodical shite passing around the edge of an opponents box one more time this season I'm going to move into the LvG out camp.

How how can you expect to break a team down without any incision, pace, taking on a man?

3rd game running. 0 goals playing that rubbish.

Its not like we have many players with pace and taking on a man... Di Maria and Januzaj both maybe the only one and both has been poor..

But how the hell is Rooney still in the starting XI? He is so past it as striker and not a midfielder...

 

[Dr Fink]

I thought the worst when Utd came out second half with Fellaini up top and Rooney and RVP in midfield. Woeful decision. The guy on Talksport made me laugh - he'd been to game too like myself and said he pitied anyone sitting behind either goal watching game as it would have been like a game of tennis - left to right, to left.......

I could see the result coming as the game went on - another smash 'n' grab by a team.

What the Utd players need to understand is that you cannot play safe passes all the time - sometimes you need to under-hit a pass or such like, to accelerate the move, zip it about, quicker. Try something different and commit to going forward, take a chance some times not all the time.

The next game is crucial. If we don't improve, arsenal will make mince meat out of us and that's saying something!

 

[Lawman]

I know we haven't won any the last 3 games but I've been majority impressed on how well we get into the final 3rd. Our build up play is magnificent it's now the final 3rd we need to work on. We need guys wide of our front man and who can beat a man and a midfielder who can break late into the box or run past the centre forward imo.

 

[Crumpsall Red]

I know we haven't won any the last 3 games but I've been majority impressed on how well we get into the final 3rd. Our build up play is magnificent it's now the final 3rd we need to work on. We need guys wide of our front man and who can beat a man and a midfielder who can break late into the box or run past the centre forward imo.

But on Saturday it was slow and ponderous. The other thing is that we seemed to have stopped pressing as a team, something that we had started doing in the last month or so.

 

[dannyrhinos89]

Its not like we have many players with pace and taking on a man... Di Maria and Januzaj both maybe the only one and both has been poor..

But how the hell is Rooney still in the starting XI? He is so past it as striker and not a midfielder...

We should've sold rooney the second time he had his little hissy fit, the first time was forgivable because he was our best player but the second time was really taking it too far, at least we'd have got a decent transfer fee for him if we sold him, now though we would be lucky to get 20 million and we can't sell him anyway because of the obscene wages he's on.

Why do we pay so much out in wages on average or past it players. Get rid of Falcao, rooney, RVP and di Maria and that's near enough to £1 million a week saved on wages right there. Truth be told the majority of our squad needs a complete overhaul.

 

[The Purley King]

I disagree with the mentality with which LVG sends his teams out. Its all about control, composure etc. I understand what he's trying, but at the end of the day you have to have some get up and go.
Liverpool last year was a great example of what you can do if you absolutely fly at teams in the first 15 mins. We used to do the same in big games at home. Now its all nice and safe and before you know it 30 mins have passed and fack all has happened.
I actually think its playing scared rather than an all encompassing philosophy. Take some risks and go for it ffs.

 

[Cassidy]

Its not like we have many players with pace and taking on a man... Di Maria and Januzaj both maybe the only one and both has been poor..

But how the hell is Rooney still in the starting XI? He is so past it as striker and not a midfielder...

We don't have any other strikers who have done any better

 

[Lawman]

But on Saturday it was slow and ponderous. The other thing is that we seemed to have stopped pressing as a team, something that we had started doing in the last month or so.

The need to press when we have 80% possession is much less. We were to slow and ponderous but that's not the point I was making. The way we get to the final 3rd is impressive, it's the final 3rd that needs improving.

 

[Jazz]

The need to press when we have 80% possession is much less. We were to slow and ponderous but that's not the point I was making. The way we get to the final 3rd is impressive, it's the final 3rd that needs improving.

Agreed. We're just missing a clinical striker. It's bizarre we have RVP, Rooney, Falcao and none of them can put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent basis. All that money in wages and they can't do that consistently? How long can you blame the system they're playing etc? Sometimes the players need to use their brains as well. They are the ones on the pitch - you apply what you've done in training and adapt as the situation calls for once you're playing. What's so difficult about understanding that?
Most of all we need a tough bastard leader type in that dressing room. They better have some urgency this weekend or get Fergie and his hairdryer to come in and have a talk with them.

 

[Roosney]

I was at the game, and the highlight were definitely the Rio chants, specially the one on the fifth minute.
About half way through the game, my wife who doesn't really know anything about football tactics, told me it was such a shite game because "the opponents are not trying to do anything on the pitch". Apparently even my wife could figure out Pulis' game plan.

EDIT: Not to be too gloomy I think we played decent football but really need a quick striker to attack the space.