Villa (a), Newcastle (h) and Tottenham (h)

[Wumminator]

7 points out of 9. I think that's a really fine return.

In Fergie's time here in the Prem, he only got 9 points out of these fixtures 6 times, and failed to get the 9 points 17 times. So basically these results are absolutely fine if we're going to have a good season.

Performances have been mixed but I think we've seen enough in our last two games to realise we're trying to build something good in attack and our defence is absolutely monstrous at the moment.

 

[Moby]

Why the hell did you mess up the order?

 

[Wumminator]

Why the hell did you mess up the order?

To annoy you.

 

[Moby]

To annoy you.

F*cking students.

 

[Rednotdead]

What exactly are we building "good in attack"?

 

[Siorac]

It's not a disaster by any means but it's clear that our attacking play needs vast improvement. We scored twice in 270 minutes of football and that's poor. But yes, results wise it's a decent start, especially as it looks like we'll make the CL group stage with relative ease.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Beat Swansea at it will be a very good start.

 

[Jerch]

Swansea (H), Sunderland (A), Burnley (A) - 2 points....

 

[Wumminator]

F*cking students.

 

[Getsme]

What exactly are we building "good in attack"?

The attack has got better as the games have went on, or are you disputing that?

 

[Getsme]

Swansea (H), Sunderland (A), Burnley (A) - 2 points....

Perspective.

 

[buckooo1978]

hmmm......fair enough OP

I'm wondering which United Van Gaal wants to give us

we were dynamic and exciting in the opening period when we played at pace....

when Newcastle dropped back into defensive positions we struggled badly though, settling into the slower possession based football and our players lacked the capability to create clear chances

Hernandez was the only real clear cut chance and it came off a deflected shot

you'd have to think that any well organised defensive side is going to cause us problems but this is the same Newcastle who had conceded 2 in the last 2 against Swansea and Southampton....it wasn't like Krul had this outstanding game either

we are trying to build in attack but Rooney looks lost at 9 and Hernandez looks our best option.....the same Hernandez who has never done well consistently as a starting number 9

plenty of positives to take from the start to the season but we shouldn't be so reliant on Memphis already and there's got to be a top 9 available we can bring in

 

[Moonred]

Yeah it's a good return. But you can be concerned about lack of goals without throwing a tantrum.

 

[Rednotdead]

The attack has got better as the games have went on, or are you disputing that?

Spurs - 1 OG ; Villa 1 goal (courtesy of a deflection) ; Newcastle - 0 goals.

Explain to me how that equates to "got better".

 

[Sereques]

It's not a disaster by any means but it's clear that our attacking play needs vast improvement. We scored twice in 270 minutes of football and that's poor. But yes, results wise it's a decent start, especially as it looks like we'll make the CL group stage with relative ease.

It's not like it hasn't happen before.

 

[Getsme]

Spurs - 1 OG ; Villa 1 goal (courtesy of a deflection) ; Newcastle - 0 goals.

Explain to me how that equates to "got better".

Really? You’re going by goals scored instead of using your eyes and your own judgement? Come on FFS. I noticed you conveniently left out the three we scored against Brugge, whys that?
Our attack has clearly been better over the last two games, to suggest otherwise is simply looking for ways to bash the team.

 

[Rednotdead]

Really? You’re going by goals scored instead of using your eyes and your own judgement? Come on FFS. I noticed you conveniently left out the three we scored against Brugge, whys that?
Our attack has clearly been better over the last two games, to suggest otherwise is simply looking for ways to bash the team.

Er.........isn't the purpose of an attack to score goals??

The Brugge game wasn't quoted in the OP, it wasn't included in the discussion.

 

[Igor Drefljak]

7/9 points is good, and I'd have been happy with a start like that.
Defensively we look solid
I just really worry about how ordinary and negative we look going forward.
Goals win matches, and we are yet to score a clean goal

 

[Getsme]

Er.........isn't the purpose of an attack to score goals??

The Brugge game wasn't quoted in the OP, it wasn't included in the discussion.

FFS. This place is getting worse.

 

[buckooo1978]

FFS. This place is getting worse.

he does make a fair point....not in the OP and lets face it - the win against Bruges did paper over the cracks a little

we had two wonder goals and a Fellaini header....I wouldn't have called it an excellent attacking performance by any stretch and we just about got the third

also consider the opposition - Bruges lost yesterday by the same margin to the mighty Zulte Waregem

 

[Wumminator]

Our results at the beginning of 07/08 we're interesting

Reading (H) 0-0
Portsmouth (A) 1-1
City (A) 0-1
Spurs (H) 1-0
Everton (H) 1-0

Remember that spurs goal? Tevez was looking completely useless so when Nani smashed the ball off of his head for a deflection we all tried to claim it was his goal.

 

[esmufc07]

Our results at the beginning of 07/08 we're interesting

Reading (H) 0-0
Portsmouth (A) 1-1
City (A) 0-1
Spurs (H) 1-0
Sunderland (H) 1-0
Everton (A) 1-0

Tepid up top but solid at the back. We all know what happened that season.

I'm not in any way saying we will have a repeat, but people need to calm down. Creating chances in our first two games was the issue. The past two we have created plenty but struggled to convert. I refuse to believe Rooney will play as bad as he has been for the rest of the season and clearly LVG thinks the same.

 

[Getsme]

he does make a fair point....not in the OP and lets face it - the win against Bruges did paper over the cracks a little

we had two wonder goals and a Fellaini header....I wouldn't have called it an excellent attacking performance by any stretch and we just about got the third

also consider the opposition - Bruges lost yesterday by the same margin to the mighty Zulte Waregem

Even taking out the Brugge game our attacking play has improved from the start of he season, only someone with an agenda would think otherwise.
It's not great, but it's as clear as day that we have improved in the few games we have played this season.

 

[NJM78]

Chelsea 1 Utd 0
Everton 3 Utd 0
Utd 0 WBA 1
C.Palace 1 Utd 2
Utd 1 Arsenal 1
Hull 0 Utd 0
Utd 1 Spurs 0
Villa 0 Utd 1
Utd 0 Newcastle 0
Depressing reading looking at our last 9 league games, 5 goals including an own goal. Yes we created a fair few chances yesterday but finishing and final ball woeful. So defensively we are very hard for teams to score against but find it even harder to score ourselves. We need to start scoring soon as Swansea will provide us our toughest test yet and I do not see us not conceding.

 

[11101]

I don't think anyone who thinks we're not improving game by game has actually watched the games?

The last two games have had some very good attacking play. We cut Newcastle open a few times.

 

[Rednotdead]

Even taking out the Brugge game our attacking play has improved from the start of he season, only someone with an agenda would think otherwise.
It's not great, but it's as clear as day that we have improved in the few games we have played this season.

It may be as clear as day to you, but then again maybe goals don't matter to you as long as we have 61% possession.

 

[charlenefan]

City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool may all drop points this weekend as well meaning no ground lost but even that won't excuse us not beating Newcastle yesterday, it's a fixture any team going for the title just has to win

Watch Arsenal batter them away from home next weekend as well

 

[Getsme]

It may be as clear as day to you, but then again maybe goals don't matter to you as long as we have 61% possession.

Our attacking play has improved, we could easily have won 3 or 4 nil yesterday compare that to the 2 shots on target against Spurs and you can see improvement. Stop watching games with an agenda and you might see something other than what you choose to see.

 

[WR10]

7 points out of 9. I think that's a really fine return.

In Fergie's time here in the Prem, he only got 9 points out of these fixtures 6 times, and failed to get the 9 points 17 times. So basically these results are absolutely fine if we're going to have a good season.

Performances have been mixed but I think we've seen enough in our last two games to realise we're trying to build something good in attack and our defence is absolutely monstrous at the moment.

It baffles me how people use this logic

 

[Rednotdead]

I don't think anyone who thinks we're not improving game by game has actually watched the games?

The last two games have had some very good attacking play. We cut Newcastle open a few times.

And they cut us open a few times.

The only thing that counts is goals. The rest goes for nothing if you don't score.

 

[Rednotdead]

Our attacking play has improved, stop watching games with an agenda.

It seems to me that you're the one with the agenda. Clearly scoring goals has no place in your assessment of how well a team attacks.

 

[Getsme]

It seems to me that you're the one with the agenda. Clearly scoring goals has no place in your assessment of how well a team attacks.

How do I have an agenda, do you know what agenda means?
It's our attacking play that has improved, why are you finding it so hard to understand. It's as clear as day yet you keep going on about our lack of goals. Read the posts properly.

 

[Question234]

Chelsea 1 Utd 0
Everton 3 Utd 0
Utd 0 WBA 1
C.Palace 1 Utd 2
Utd 1 Arsenal 1
Hull 0 Utd 0
Utd 1 Spurs 0
Villa 0 Utd 1
Utd 0 Newcastle 0
Depressing reading looking at our last 9 league games, 5 goals including an own goal. Yes we created a fair few chances yesterday but finishing and final ball woeful. So defensively we are very hard for teams to score against but find it even harder to score ourselves. We need to start scoring soon as Swansea will provide us our toughest test yet and I do not see us not conceding.

it's still far to easy to set up shop against us and leave with a point.

I agree with the bolded but I'm hearing this far too often, the exact same excuses when we lost to chelsea, west brom, southampton and etc etc and overall they were just poor attacking performances, dominating possession isn't enough and moving into the final third doesn't make it a good attacking performance.

The first 20mins against newcastle were good, that is how we should be playing every game, that should be the standard not an achievement. We started off as an attacking team, we took the gas off and as newcastle crawled back into the game we returned to our usual slow build up, often recycled possession.

Hopefully it will get better but lets be clear drawing to newcastle at home is poor and it isn't a result in isolation it's a game that goes on a list of games where we dominate but look toothless upfront, krul once again had a fairly light afternoon . A good attacking spell of 20 mins doesn't validate that performance.

If lvg really believes the team doesn't need any additions up front then he is really rolling the dice this season or still underestimating the competitiveness of the prem.

 

[Rednotdead]

How do I have an agenda, do you know what agenda means?
It's our attacking play that has improved, why are you finding it so hard to understand. It's as clear as day yet you keep going on about our lack of goals. Read the posts properly.

You simply will not accept that scoring goals is the purpose of attacking play, and if you fail to score there is a clear deficiency in your attacking play.

It's like saying defending has nothing to do with stopping the other team scoring.

You can have the best attacking play the game has ever seen, but if you don't score it goes for nothing.

I've laid it out as clearly as I can but it appears you just don't want to see so there's no point in trying any further.

 

[Getsme]

You simply will not accept that scoring goals is the purpose of attacking play, and if you fail to score there is a clear deficiency in your attacking play.

It's like saying defending has nothing to do with stopping the other team scoring.

You can have the best attacking play the game has ever seen, but if you don't score it goes for nothing.

I've laid it out as clearly as I can but it appears you just don't want to see so there's no point in trying any further.

Of course scoring goals is the purpose, I don't have to state the bleeding obvious
Just because we didn't score against Newcastle doesn't mean our attacking PLAY hasn't improved, you're really not getting that and I can only assume you're not actually watching the games.

Was our attacking play yesterday as bad as our attacking play against Villa? No. Was our attacking play against Villa as bad as it was against Spurs? No. See an improvement.

 

[Question234]

And they cut us open a few times.

The only thing that counts is goals. The rest goes for nothing if you don't score.

100%.

How many times have we used this very line to critique Arsenal's "pretty" football.

 

[11101]

And they cut us open a few times.

The only thing that counts is goals. The rest goes for nothing if you don't score.

Really? Other than an outstanding header from range and a counter attack in the dying seconds they didn't get near us.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool may all drop points this weekend as well meaning no ground lost but even that won't excuse us not beating Newcastle yesterday, it's a fixture any team going for the title just has to win

Watch Arsenal batter them away from home next weekend as well

It's not. Pretty much all title winning teams drop points at home in games you'd expect them to win.

 

[Getsme]

It's not. Pretty much all title winning teams drop points at home in games you'd expect them to win.

Especially this season given the improvements of the smaller clubs in the league, gone are the days of certain 3 points.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Especially this season given the improvements of the smaller clubs in the league, gone are the days of certain 3 points.

Crystal Palace, Swansea, Liester City (on current form) are all going to be difficult away games for any team. Arsenal's result the other day was something I reckon not all the top 4 will achieve.