We're actually quite good

[12OunceEpilogue]

I think a thread like this should probably have been reserved for after the Everton game but there's no denying that we're a better team to watch now with Bruno and the likes of Fred, Shaw, Martial hitting a bit of form. My biggest gripe with Ole hasn't been the results (although they've largely been poor), it's the awful, sleep inducing football we've played. I think if he shows, on a consistent level, that he can get the team playing good football, he'll be in a much better position.

Definitely, the football is better and results have also improved, which is no coincidence. We're producing stuff that is too hot for most teams and getting results whereas earlier this season, not to mention in the poorer periods of Jose, LVG and Moyes, we'd get into dogfights with teams of literally any calibre and it would be a crapshoot between win, lose and draw every week. You cannot accrue enough points in the PL nor expect to advance in cup competitions when you struggle to put average teams away.

Yeah it's true, was great to watch Mata looking like he felt he was in the game playing alongside Bruno. Finally got somebody trying to play the same game as him. About 7 years too late really but hey, better late than never. Even with Herrera and Pogba it was only glimpses of the kind of football Mata likes, Bruno is on that wavelength though.

Yes, it's come a little too late for Mata as he's on his way down but it's good to see him prove his worth.

 

[GailSpaceWynand]

Winning titles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy about the recent developments and the way the team has played. But there is still a big possibility that the next 3 league games can kill our top 4 challenge. And before saying that we're quite good, let's at least break into the top 4, let alone being a consistent part of it.

If I had to put it, I'd say we've actually improved which is an actual fact. While saying we're quite good is a relative term both in terms of our previous glories as well as the benchmarks set by our competitors; Both of which we're significantly falling short of.

We have to put things in context here. Winning titles is obviously the larger goal at United but expecting Ole to do so in his first season which was always going to be about the rebuild and use that benchmark is not right.

Yes we have to be top 4 at the very least and the lowest point total doesn't bode well for Ole but I think we'll make it. I'd say inability to address obvious weakness/gaps on time has been one of Ole's major flaws but having said that we have been very unlucky with injuries. And the transfers have been spot on but we are still far from being complete.

We are being equally unfair in expecting Ole to suddenly match up to Klopp/Pep considering the time they have had. Considering his tactical nous - against the big teams our counter seems to work wonders. Often ignored is how Ole has been spot on with how to set up against big sides and ability to mix it up when things are not going well. Against low blocks we have faltered. Recent games suggests we have worked on this along with adding Bruno. Not expecting us to dispatch all lower teams with ease but quietly confident about where we are heading.

I know there may be a manager out there who may be better tactically than Ole but he has done enough to stay for now. I'd say all this warrants him more time at the least. Agreed that the next few games will be pivotal.

 

[Paxi]

Im sure you judged us before now!

I did and I'm I got burnt one too many times. I don't want another false dawn. That's all.

 

[Wumminator]

Some people are eternal optimists. They get pulled in and can't help it.

why would you not be?

 

[mancan92]

Ugh let's see where we are after a few games. Please let's not jinx it

 

[Cliche Guevara]

A couple of proper quality United signings in the summer, particularly Sancho, and this team will be very good to watch at full-strength.

Ole is tactically very underrated and even the best teams often rely on a bit of individual magic against particularly defensive sides. Let’s not completely overlook all these clean-sheets which is a good sign of progress. You build from the back.

We need our best x1 playing regularly and on form. Every successful side needs that.

Injuries have fecked us this season ridiculously.

 

[Kostov]

Yeah we are great against 10 men Brugge aren't we? In all fairness we played very good even before that but Brugge also had 2 chances and we could have conceded very early, it would have been a different story. Let's see how we play against Everton next.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Dare I ask from what?

It was originally "you bunch of cnuts", but I was just about to get a kebab at the time & I was in high spirits.

 

[Adisa]

why would you not be?

Cause we've been here many times before. Let's put a good run together in the league.

 

[Sassy Colin]

McTom + Bruno are such a massive upgrade on Lingard and Pereira

Laurel & hardy are a massive upgrade on Lingard & Andres.

 

[Jonno]

Im enjoying the run don’t get me wrong but that Chelsea game they were missing Abraham, Hudson Idio, Kanté got injured, they are having issues with their goalkeeper and we still conceded a lot of good chances. The result was great but the win masked over a lot of issues at the back. We were a shambles defensively at times. Plus Maguire should have been off.

We were missing Rashford, Pogba, McTomminay, had Bailly playing his first game in a year, our small squad playing every 3/4 days.... so what if Chelsea had players out?

We won the game and kept a clean sheet, lighten up and enjoy the wins.

 

[Jonno]

We tend not to struggle against top sides. If we beat a few more of the fodder then we can say we have progressed

Beating Watford 3-0? Club Brugge 5-0? Fodder.

 

[Volumiza]

It was originally "you bunch of cnuts", but I was just about to get a kebab at the time & I was in high spirits.

Of course, 'cnuts', the very textual epitome of high spirits

Talking of kebabs, that is on our family dinner menu tonight.

 

[ants7]

Take a deep breath, relax. Have a little laugh on Arsenal expense. Let's get the result at Goodison Park. Take it one fixture at the time. At the moment, life is good.

 

[ZupZup]

You can see how hard the players are working. The likes of Fred and McTominay are everywhere when they play. Bruno puts in a shift.

We give away possession and the team are so fast to get men back behind the ball, organised and compact. It often kills counter attacks as soon as they even start. There really is a lot to like about this team and these players. We just need to add a bit more quality now and I can see us having a really decent side.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

the progress was visible all the time. For a long period, even in the worst games, we‘ve had at least a couple of players playing really well.

No it wasn't. Bruno has a made a massive difference to our team. We have creativity and it helps when you have decent players around him - which we've always had.

 

[Coxy]

If we beat Everton this weekend - then I might agree with the OP. Promising signs but just too inconsistent.

 

[Denis' cuff]

Maybe it's his fault haggling so much to get that 60 million from Lukaku. That's just the way it is, unfortunate? Yes, but I think he got a good deal from Lukaku.

I'm not backing Ed, far from it, but sometimes transfer business isn't as easy as it looks.

Well imagine if we signed bruno first, and we didn't sign Maguire in the summer. What would happen? I'd think that would be more disastrous.

it was until this idiot got involved. He had months to sort this, with everything in his favour.

Read what I posted: it is actually what happened.

Stop making excuses for this lot; Glazers, Woodward. Why do people take the alternative view for what is good for the club?
is it for attention or to try and look clever and understanding on the Internet? When this lot came along, the club was perfectly poised to buy almost whoever they wanted. The club were involved in 3x cl finals in 4 years before their presence took its toll. We’ve gone drastically downhill ever since. The stadium has been neglected for the first time since it was rebuilt after WWII. As if that isn’t enough, the club is burdened with nearly 400m of their personal debt, which the club and real fans will end up paying for. Furthermore, we replaced Ronaldo with Obertan, a crocked a Michael Owen and thats before we get to Vidic, Rio, Evra, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney replacements and I’m still merely skimming the surface.

when will people wake the feck up and stop defending these cnuts, Raiola, Pogba etc... support anyone but the club. Not a clue what it is to be a United fan. Just let anyone milk the club for their own personal gain whilst forumites try to look knowledgeable. Try being a supporter and go to a match. Even better, go to an away match. The regulars will put you right.

Sorry pal, went a bit beyond your post but hey, open your fecking eyes and stop excusing these leeches.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

We are

We're also quite average

And we're also quite shit

Consistency is key.

One thing i'll say - Bruno has made a massive difference.

The club needs to get oles transfers done early this summer. He has proved he is exceptional in the market at this end of the market. If woodo had got fernandes over the line in summer it might have been a different season. Meanwhile at the other end we have 6 clean sheets in 7 as our two defenders really start to look at home

 

[Withnail]

We were good after a decent start. Yes the 10 men did help but lets beat Everton next week. I still do not like the parallel two midfield players. Against better teams we have been found out.

Which ones?

 

[Denis' cuff]

We were missing Rashford, Pogba, McTomminay, had Bailly playing his first game in a year, our small squad playing every 3/4 days.... so what if Chelsea had players out?

We won the game and kept a clean sheet, lighten up and enjoy the wins.

Man who knows

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

We were good after a decent start. Yes the 10 men did help but lets beat Everton next week. I still do not like the parallel two midfield players. Against better teams we have been found out.

Are we talking about Liverpool at Anfield and City at OT? To be honest I'm willing to accept the occasional misfire against the top teams if we're getting the basics right week in week out. The reason we're playing catch up in the PL isn't because we lost two PL games against City and Liverpool, it's because of the list as long as my arm of games we drew or lost against opposition we didn't have the consistency, patterns of play and even work rate to put away. Actually we've got up for one-off big games fairly well this year, it's the meat and drink of midtable/lower opposition that we've struggled with.

 

[ColvaleGoa]

Feelgood result but still think Everton will bring us down with a bump.

 

[mewnew11]

Feelgood result but still think Everton will bring us down with a bump.

I am awaiting the everton test. Goodison has always been a tough place to go to for United. They have also picked up and will be up for it at home.

This game will show us the grit and the determination side of the team.

 

[redmanc]

Even before they went down to 10 men we could have been 3 nil up on another day, especially if we had Rashford on the end of the chances. I'm actually feeling quite positive since we signed Bruno, not only has he brought some much needed creativity, the other players finally have someone to link up with, we're seeing give and goes in midfield into scoring positions, flicks and tricks, killer passes, if we sign sancho and grealish in the summer, ITS ON.

 

[Denis' cuff]

With McTom + Fred behind Bruno, I’d be tempted to start Mata and Iggy in the absence of a genuine striker with the option of Greenwood off the bench

 

[MancFanFromManc]

The Bruno affect. Confidence is king in football and he's come in and given everyone a lift. All season our main weapon has been an awesome counter attack. That's great but it only works against teams that try and attack us, hence (imo) why our results have been so inconsistent. Bruno gives us the extra dimension we've been missing.

 

[Suvvernmanc]

I've been saying that we're not that far off and need a couple of good windows to get close to a great squad. We've had january which got us temporary striker cover and a class, creative goalscorer.

The summer is huge for us and we need a minimum of a RW (Sancho) and another top midfielder.

I personally don't think we need a DM. Matic, Fred and Mctominay plus Garner as our deeper players is ample for a 2 or 3 man midfield and with a top player like Grealish coming in, our box to box/attacking midfield options look great. Bringing Grealish in will also give us the option of playing him wide left meaning Rashford and Martial can get time as the #9, or be rested.

The rise of Mctominay and Fred has been very important for us. Rashford and Martial have given us the goals lost through Lukaku going, and our defence is in good shape with a settled group. And with talents coming through like Williams, Axle and Laird. And a shout out to Shaw who has been superb in the last month with a couple of good performances at CB. Hopefully he can push on and be at the very least a great squad option.

We are in good shape and we are actually playing a better style of football that Ole should be credited for. De Gea is passing out from back more. Our defenders are comfortable receiving it, even under pressure. The midfielders are pressing well in the middle of the park and taking possession back quickly after losing it. (Fred has been a beast at this) The attackers have been starved of creativity for along time and Bruno coming in has transformed us. Players are making runs in behind and as they trust Bruno will find them. Getting Rashford back in the mix and maybe Pogba (hopefully before the end of the season) we will continue to progress.

I think some of our fans are stuck in a negative mindset due to Moyes, LVG and Jose dishing up dross for years. Seeing positives were hard then but IMO they are clear to see now.

 

[Bruno8]

We still dont look convincing defending set pieces, crosses and corners

 

[Sassy Colin]

We still dont look convincing defending set pieces, crosses and corners

Are you Nostradamus? Where did that username come from in 2013?

 

[ChaddyP]

"Everton will be the real test"

 

[flappyjay]

"Everton will be the real test"

It's so fecking weird ain't it. I would rather play the likes of spurs /Chelsea every week than the traditional bottom 10 and midtable teams

 

[Isotope]

I am awaiting the everton test. Goodison has always been a tough place to go to for United. They have also picked up and will be up for it at home.

This game will show us the grit and the determination side of the team.

Maybe United should borrow Liverpool shirt. It's guaranteed then Pickford would be playing like amateur Gk.

 

[peridigm]

Against 10 men

from Belgium

 

[Escobar]

Ugh let's see where we are after a few games. Please let's not jinx it

I agree. We had some good results but we had that before. Lets see if we show proper consistency

 

[Gehrman]

Honestly we are only a couple of top signings away from challenging.

The key is consistency though, we would be up there this season had we not dropped points to teams we should be beating.

Arent we like 40 points behind Liverpool?

 

[Bilbo]

Back in the day it used to be - 'I really hope we beat Everton as it is an important result for our season'

Nowadays it is - 'I want to see if we beat Everton so I can decide whether our team are crap'

 

[Gehrman]

Back in the day it used to be - 'I really hope we beat Everton as it is an important result for our season'

Nowadays it is - 'I want to see if we beat Everton so I can decide whether our team are crap'

I dunno how many years that's going to go on. I suppose next year will be the year to yet again to see if we can solidly be top 4 and incredibly low ambition for Man Utd.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I've been saying that we're not that far off and need a couple of good windows to get close to a great squad. We've had january which got us temporary striker cover and a class, creative goalscorer.

The summer is huge for us and we need a minimum of a RW (Sancho) and another top midfielder.

I personally don't think we need a DM. Matic, Fred and Mctominay plus Garner as our deeper players is ample for a 2 or 3 man midfield and with a top player like Grealish coming in, our box to box/attacking midfield options look great. Bringing Grealish in will also give us the option of playing him wide left meaning Rashford and Martial can get time as the #9, or be rested.

The rise of Mctominay and Fred has been very important for us. Rashford and Martial have given us the goals lost through Lukaku going, and our defence is in good shape with a settled group. And with talents coming through like Williams, Axle and Laird. And a shout out to Shaw who has been superb in the last month with a couple of good performances at CB. Hopefully he can push on and be at the very least a great squad option.

We are in good shape and we are actually playing a better style of football that Ole should be credited for. De Gea is passing out from back more. Our defenders are comfortable receiving it, even under pressure. The midfielders are pressing well in the middle of the park and taking possession back quickly after losing it. (Fred has been a beast at this) The attackers have been starved of creativity for along time and Bruno coming in has transformed us. Players are making runs in behind and as they trust Bruno will find them. Getting Rashford back in the mix and maybe Pogba (hopefully before the end of the season) we will continue to progress.

I think some of our fans are stuck in a negative mindset due to Moyes, LVG and Jose dishing up dross for years. Seeing positives were hard then but IMO they are clear to see now.

Agreed on all counts I think. The bolded in particular struck me last night; it was a brilliant energetic display from start to finish. Obviously we have to bear in mind they're no great shakes and were a man light for most of the match but we should applaud the contrast between our attitude from minute one last night versus what we've served up against bang average opposition this year.

Let's see how we do against Everton and in some difficult fixtures after that before we start getting really excited but there have been clear tangible improvements recently.

 

[Foxbatt]

Which ones?

Every team we have lost.