[Skills]

Average positions vs West Ham from the BBC

 

[red_7]

We must stop playing a system to find a place for all our Superstar strikers! Honestly I'd drop both who started up front yesterday and there is no reason so far pay 50m and 300k wages on 29 year old striker. I think he is world class and may bang in goals elsewhere but unless we have endless money to spend I'd prefer it to invest in other areas.

Rooney has to play striker or at least no.10! He can do a job in midfield, no question but not as long as he would do a better Job up front then those he must make way for!

Put Januzaj and diMaria on the wings. Pick a 3 man mid out of Blind, carrick, mata, herrera, Fellaini

 

[Sunny Jim]

You sound like one of those Britain First twats. I bet you vote UKIP.

I like Nigel Farage.

 

[Sunny Jim]

Average positions vs West Ham from the BBC

1-2-3-1-4 formation??

 

[IwatUwat]

I really didnt understand why we pursued with RVP and Falcao after half time.

(if he didnt want to make dramatic changes) Why not bring on Fellaini or Herrera (my preference) to play alongside Blind or in the diamond and push Rooney up top taking one of RVP or Falcao off. If this didnt then work, he could have had the option then for a second sub to change things round a bit, or move Fellaini up top as he did with the sub anyway. Just seems so reluctant to change RVP or Falcao even when they are playing poorly.

Januzaj could have even been sacrificed as he was also poor, as was Di Maria, but you'd hope he may produce a moment of former glory and something special, so can understand leaving him on.

I thought after the first half there had to be a sub at half time, and it didnt come.

 

[Trigg]

It's easy to blame the strikers like a lot of people are at the moment, and to be fair both striker had two great chances to score and fluffed their lines but thats a bit easy to just blame the strikers.

I just think too many players are playing in odd positions, I know we don't see training but some of the decisions from Van Gaal are strange. I don't like Rooney in midfield, I don't like Di Maria behind the strikers. Januzaj in midfield too, whats all that about? It seems seem really odd. I also don't think Falcao and Van Persie are viable partnership. They get in each others way far too often. In fact I think both are better suited to playing as a lone striker.

That does mean that Van Gaal needs to grow a pair and something about it. Also, I was surprised as to why he changed the team from Cambridge? I know everyone needs to get games but we're getting to the business end of the season and continuity should be the prime focus. Not giving players playing time.

With what I've seen from the past 6-8 weeks I think we're in real danger of dropping out of a top 4 position.

 

[m1y2]

Fellaini should start over Januzaj, I haven't seen the latter live up to an inch of his hype.

He did a good job last game he started, so he deserved to start today. Herrera should start over anyone in the first place but I don't complain when Januzaj starts it's at least something to be excited about even playing him out of position doesn't guarantee you the excitement you were getting seeing him last year.

I don't think he was much worse than diMaría or Rooney whose performance was one of the very worst I've seen from him.

 

[POF]

A very disappointing performance again. With Burnley to come next this was a key game to continue a run of victories and build momentum. The more Van Gaal strives for balance the more unbalanced the team becomes.

The diamond worked really well earlier in the season because it suited the players in that system. I don't think I have seen Rooney, Januzaj or Di Maria play well in that system in the roles they played today. Delivery from the flanks was terrible with the best crosser of the ball in the #10 role.

Positives were De Gea, Rojo and Blind again. They are key players just now. Good fighting spirit to salvage a draw in the end. The impression that a top class performance is just around the corner is getting further away with every game.

 

[lynchie]

Average positions vs West Ham from the BBC

Says a lot. The defensive 5 are pretty well organised. The front 5 are just randomly scattered. No one seemed to know what their role was, or what to expect of their teammates.

 

[lalloyd]

Watching us play at the moment is incredibly frustrating. We're so boring to watch.

 

[NK86]

I really didnt understand why we pursued with RVP and Falcao after half time.

(if he didnt want to make dramatic changes) Why not bring on Fellaini or Herrera (my preference) to play alongside Blind or in the diamond and push Rooney up top taking one of RVP or Falcao off. If this didnt then work, he could have had the option then for a second sub to change things round a bit, or move Fellaini up top as he did with the sub anyway. Just seems so reluctant to change RVP or Falcao even when they are playing poorly.

Januzaj could have even been sacrificed as he was also poor, as was Di Maria, but you'd hope he may produce a moment of former glory and something special, so can understand leaving him on.

I thought after the first half there had to be a sub at half time, and it didnt come.

This relucatance/arrogance/stubbornness to persist with his two favorite strikers could cost him his job and more importantly us a top four place.

 

[Pexbo]

Says a lot. The defensive 5 are pretty well organised. The front 5 are just randomly scattered. No one seemed to know what their role was, or what to expect of their teammates.

It's average positions on a football field for christ sake. It's not some army parade. Of course the attack isn't going to be as regimented as the defence.

Di Maria roamed about the pitch and changed position, Januzaj sometimes went outside of Shaw and sometimes cut in and the rest are pretty self explanatory.

Maybe next game Rojo will get a free role instead and it'll look a bit different.

 

[Pexbo]

This relucatance/arrogance/stubbornness to persist with his two favorite strikers could cost him his job and more importantly us a top four place.

Falcao is his favourite striker? What on earth gave you that impression? I get the impression that he isn't much keen on him.

As for why he plays two strikers, it's because the other option is to play one and then you have to play with more midfielders and they can't all be central then... And we don't have any wingers.

Falcao/Van Persie > Young, Valencia, Januzaj or Di Maria (out wide)

 

[NK86]

Falcao is his favourite striker? What on earth gave you that impression? I get the impression that he isn't much keen on him.

As for why he plays two strikers, it's because the other option is to play one and then you have to play with more midfielders and they can't all be central then... And we don't have any wingers.

Falcao/Van Persie > Young, Valencia, Januzaj or Di Maria (out wide)

His quotes about Falcao when he joined us. I have seen nothing so far which shows he is not keen on Falcao. He starts almost all the games and generally stays on irrespective of how he plays.

 

[Pexbo]

His quotes about Falcao when he joined us. I have seen nothing so far which shows he is not keen on Falcao. He starts almost all the games and generally stays on irrespective of how he plays.

Manager in talking up new signing shocker.


He was dropped entirely for the Stoke game and despite declaring his fitness in early December Van Gaal insisted on holding him back before subbing him off almost every game.

He's averaged just 57m per game this season in the ones he actually has played and he's played in just 15 of our 28 games meaning he's played just 34% of our minutes this season.

 

[NK86]

Manager in talking up new signing shocker.


He was dropped entirely for the Stoke game and despite declaring his fitness in early December Van Gaal insisted on holding him back before subbing him off almost every game.

He's averaged just 57m per game this season in the ones he actually has played and he's played in just 15 of our 28 games meaning he's played just 34% of our minutes this season.

I am not aware of the stats but barring that Stoke game, I cannot remember LVG dropping him once he was fully fit.

 

[stu_1992]

What did he say?

Bit late with the response, but this article contains the bones of it.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/...poor-display-at-west-ham-says-jamie-carragher

 

[Nathan]

Yet another poor performance, would have thought with the other results going our way it was a massive performance to show that we mean business. We had no rhythm to our play & the string of misplaced passes was frustrating. Our corners, we can give it more variety, those players crossing from wide positions just never seem to find a United olayer.

Yes playing west ham is always difficult but we lacked any urgency in our play until they scored then suddenly we started playing just marginally better.

 

[lilcurt]

We're playing a system to get all the big names on the pitch, despite the fact they don't slot in well together. We need to sacrifice a forward, not play Rooney in midfield and give Herrera some pissing playtime!