That 4-0 loss against MK Dons in 2014

[horsechoker]

Sorry to bring up a painful memory but 7 and a bit years on how important was that result and should it have been more important? I was reminded of this by another poster in another thread.

At the time LVG had just joined so he largely escaped criticism for the result, had it come a year later I imagine he would've bore the brunt.

1 de Gea
36 Vermijl
41 James Booked at 51mins
28 Oliveira
6 Evans
38 Keane
37Janko Substituted for Pereira at 45'minutes
26 Kagawa Substituted for Januzaj at 20'minutes
14 Hernández
19 Welbeck
22 Powell Substituted for Wilson at 57'minutes

Substitutes

11 Januzaj
29 Zaha
33 McNair
39 Thorpe
40 Amos
44 Pereira
49 Wilson

From the squad that day only 2 players are still at the club and one of them is out on loan. On the face of it the result may have helped us clear out a lot of so-called "deadwood" but more worringly it took us far too long to shift some players and seemed that certain lessons may not have been heeded. According to the BBC website, Evans was playing left-back which is strange in itself. However despite it being a ragtag group of players there was still enough quality to avoid losing heavily to a league 1 side, Evans, Hernandez, Welbeck and Kagawa were still very much Premier League quality at the time, Zaha and Januzaj were also great young talents back then too, the fact we didn't even score to keep it respectable puts question marks over LVG's immediate impact.

 

[SirAnderson]

And I thought that would be the worst loss ever...how far we have come.

 

[Skills]

I think that result ended the careers of quite a few players at the club.

Evans and Keane being 2 of the most high profile casualties. They weren't trusted again, and even the likes of McNair & Blackett jumped the pecking order.

 

[Champ]

Sorry to bring up a painful memory but 7 and a bit years on how important was that result and should it have been more important? I was reminded of this by another poster in another thread.

At the time LVG had just joined so he largely escaped criticism for the result, had it come a year later I imagine he would've bore the brunt.

1 de Gea
36 Vermijl
41 James Booked at 51mins
28 Oliveira
6 Evans
38 Keane
37Janko Substituted for Pereira at 45'minutes
26 Kagawa Substituted for Januzaj at 20'minutes
14 Hernández
19 Welbeck
22 Powell Substituted for Wilson at 57'minutes

Substitutes

11 Januzaj
29 Zaha
33 McNair
39 Thorpe
40 Amos
44 Pereira
49 Wilson

From the squad that day only 2 players are still at the club and one of them is out on loan. On the face of it the result may have helped us clear out a lot of so-called "deadwood" but more worringly it took us far too long to shift some players and seemed that certain lessons may not have been heeded. According to the BBC website, Evans was playing left-back which is strange in itself. However despite it being a ragtag group of players there was still enough quality to avoid losing heavily to a league 1 side, Evans, Hernandez, Welbeck and Kagawa were still very much Premier League quality at the time, Zaha and Januzaj were also great young talents back then too, the fact we didn't even score to keep it respectable puts question marks over LVG's immediate impact.

I think you need to take a look at teh MK Dons side and who they had playing to explain why it was 4-0.

Dele Alli, Benik Afobe, Will Grigg, George Baldock, Kyle McFadzean have all gone on to have very good careers in football, it was simply a case of a well drilled and young talented squad playing a complete bunch of strangers and reserve team players off the park.

 

[R.N7]

Always thought this result got way too overblown.

 

[tomaldinho1]

I'd happily bomb out of the league cup playing a second string to be honest, from memory whilst we were dross the 4-0 was a bit of a weird scoreline - their goals were absolutely atrocious defending & it was quite even

 

[Varun1]

Who's Oliveira?

 

[AaronRedDevil]

What a weird team we had during the LVG era.

 

[Uniquim]

From the squad that day only 2 players are still at the club and one of them is out on loan. On the face of it the result may have helped us clear out a lot of so-called "deadwood" but more worringly it took us far too long to shift some players and seemed that certain lessons may not have been heeded. According to the BBC website, Evans was playing left-back which is strange in itself. However despite it being a ragtag group of players there was still enough quality to avoid losing heavily to a league 1 side, Evans, Hernandez, Welbeck and Kagawa were still very much Premier League quality at the time, Zaha and Januzaj were also great young talents back then too, the fact we didn't even score to keep it respectable puts question marks over LVG's immediate impact.

The lineup picture also have Oliveira (aka Anderson) as a CB, Janko as central midfielder, and Powell up front whilst Hernandez was LW. Michael Keane listed as RW. I've been able to press most of this game out of memory, but I don't think that's how we lined up. If so, no wonder we lost 4-0.

The article text itself says: "There were elements of inexperience in United's line-up, particularly out wide where there were debuts for Saidy Janko and Reece James, who operated either side of the defensive back three that Van Gaal has steadfastly stuck by in his three games in charge."

So I think it would've been: L > James, Vermijl, Evans, Keane, Janko < R

Who's Oliveira?

 

[DWelbz19]

Who's Oliveira?

Is that Anderson? Was he still here? Otherwise who the hell is that?

 

[Santos J]

Who's Oliveira?

Anderson

 

[DWelbz19]

This was the game that propelled Alli to superstardom too (for about 2 years). What a weird trajectory he had — how did he just suddenly lose all ability?

 

[AltiUn]

Who's Oliveira?

Anderson.

 

[Adam-Utd]

This was the game that propelled Alli to superstardom too (for about 2 years). What a weird trajectory he had — how did he just suddenly lose all ability?

Became a twitch streamer, started banging peps daughter, let the limelight go to his head.

 

[Uniquim]

Is that Anderson? Was he still here? Otherwise who the hell is that?

It was actually his penultimate game for United. Played again for 20 minutes at the weekend v Burnley, left for Brazil 6 months later.
Nothing to feel embraced like getting a manager with a reputation of hating Brazilians and then going from having the #8 shirt to having #28.

 

[RUCK4444]

Over 7 years ago? Wow

 

[horsechoker]

Over 7 years ago? Wow

The 99 treble was 50 years ago

 

[RUCK4444]

The 99 treble was 50 years ago

Before I was born then, no wonder my memory of it is hazy

 

[Varun1]

Is that Anderson? Was he still here? Otherwise who the hell is that?

Anderson

Anderson.

Thanks Guys

 

[The Firestarter]

Admit it @horsechoker this is is a ploy to expose the next mad winger iteration.

 

[Catt]

Didn't happen.

 

[Sandikan]

Of course we shouldn't lose to MK, but it was the league cup, and it was an absolutely horrible mix of youth teamers and fringe players, all lumped in together.
Most seasons we look disjointed when making mass changes. It surely isn't that much of a surprise that a team who play together constantly can see off such a motley crew?

 

[tenpoless]

I was at Uni and remember none of my roommates knew about MKDons that they automatically joked about it. United losinf against McDonalds and how the mighty have fallen.

 

[marktan]

That MK team was actually pretty decent for a league one side. They got automatically promoted that season, and were more akin to a decent Championship side. They had a young Dele Alli, Will Grigg and Afobe who'd go onto get some big money moves up front that season. All got about 20 goals each.

 

[devilish]

Mcnair was hilarious. We had some shit players in the past but he took things to the next level. It was like Steve G had infiltrated our team and he was able to constantly sabotage us without us noticing.

 

[antohan]

It was so long ago that we even had the wrong Reece James

 

[CodeRed]

It wasn't long enough for me. I was at at the game. I was so fuming at the the final whistle I started to walk to my car which was parked at the local supermarket. Then just as I got to it 2 supermarket trolley guys just walked up to me and asked what the score was whilst laughing. I had no United scarf or anything on. It was a like a huge red neon sign was ebove me saying 'United'.

I got in my car and I remember shouting out 'Sack them all', that being the United players. It was like being at Southend away again with that waste of space that played...Kieran Richardson. To this day I still think I could have played both those matches and still would have done better than the dross we had.

 

[Revaulx]

I think that result ended the careers of quite a few players at the club.

Evans and Keane being 2 of the most high profile casualties. They weren't trusted again, and even the likes of McNair & Blackett jumped the pecking order.

Not quite true with Evans. He was out of favour for a while afterwards, but had to be brought back into the fold later in the season when we had our usual (in those days) centre back injury crisis.

He acquitted himself well and had a decent run of games. It all came crashing down when he got a six match ban for spitting vaguely in the direction of a Newcastle player. That was the last straw for LvG.

He was such a frustrating player. For someone with loads of GCSEs or whatever, he did seem prone to moments of idiocy. Which carried on into his West Brom days (“borrowing“ a taxi etc.)

 

[Robertd0803]

I remember we signed Di Maria on the same and was super hyped about that. That ended as well as the MK Dons game.

Evans giving the ball away in the box and Hernandez putting his penalty wide are pretty much all I remember.

 

[Cloud7]

Was Anderson still here under Vangle? I have no recollection of him at United really after that season when him and T Clevz looked like the second coming. Felt like he left before the SAF era ended.

 

[Denis79]

And I thought that would be the worst loss ever...how far we have come.

 

[Ferguson’s Hairdryer]

At the time LVG had just joined so he largely escaped criticism for the result, had it come a year later I imagine he would've bore the brunt.

Fans no, but the newspapers and pundits were after LVG very early… he got ridiculed for losing his first match and it didn’t take long for Scholes et al to start questioning his tactics

 

[Buchan]

What an away day that was. 4-0 down to MK Dons and the United end was bouncing. That’s pretty much my only recollection of that game. Great day out.

“Oh, Manchester,
Manchester United.
A bunch of bouncing "Busby Babes",
They deserve to be knighted.”

 

[Florida Man]

Was Anderson still here under Vangle? I have no recollection of him at United really after that season when him and T Clevz looked like the second coming. Felt like he left before the SAF era ended.

Yes, and it's when he had short hair, the #28, and a larger frame

 

[Winrar]

I think that result ended the careers of quite a few players at the club.

Evans and Keane being 2 of the most high profile casualties. They weren't trusted again, and even the likes of McNair & Blackett jumped the pecking order.

That's my immediate thought.

I know it was more of an experimental side but it was still one of the most embarrassing United defeats that I could remember.

Little did we know that was basically that meme with Homer where he tells Bart "worst day of your life so far"

 

[Ibi Dreams]

Vermijl and Janko completely forgot about them, haven't heard a single thing about them in years

 

[Siezard]

Luckily the current crop of youngsters is so much better than before. Just one Greenwood already owns all other forwards in this squad.

 

[Rood]

What an away day that was. 4-0 down to MK Dons and the United end was bouncing. That’s pretty much my only recollection of that game. Great day out.

“Oh, Manchester,
Manchester United.
A bunch of bouncing "Busby Babes",
They deserve to be knighted.”

Ye I remember it being a top away day since we had a big allocation and everyone kept singing despite the crap result

I do think LvG was a bit hasty with a few players he dumped but having a clear out was a good idea at that point