I have a feeling SAF wants us to start strong this season, and not rely on end of season run ins like usual. Chelsea are getting mechanically too consistent during that period too. Hence the Fulham game.

SAF said he's not signing anywho

Diouf scored in Blackburn friendly hehe?

But he often needs too much time on the ball imo. Confidence will make him an improved player but a lot of teams are pressing us higher up the pitch these days in hope of catching the CM and counter attacking. Running speed and size is no longer key as Iniesta and Xavi has shown; its more of having nimble footwork, quickness and agility - which Hargreaves embodied when he was fit. Carrick who could pick brilliant passes 2-3 seasons ago now have to content with moving the ball sideways and making the full-backs work harder than they need to, because the opposing team is up on his face as soon as he gets the ball. He is sort of found out in my opinion.

This is just a theory btw, but in order to make opposing teams drop deeper and leave gaps in the middle for players like Carrick and Scholes to operate, the strikers need to get up against the defenders and push the line all the way back to the opposition's half; similar to how andy cole used to play, right up against the shoulders. Rooney often drops too deep when he doesn't get the ball and Berbatov always plays in the AMC role anyway. Owen I think was bought for that purpose but he hasn't got the pace to worry defenders like he used to, so they'd rather play the offside trap with him.

Hernandez.. now that's a different kettle of fish altogether. Stick him up between both Centre backs making angled runs, that should force managers to provide more cover. Theoretically

I think teams have experimented various ways of playing against the top fours for the past few years, and last couple of seasons it seems that fortifying the middle seems to work for some, sacrificing a forward for an extra holding midfielder. Although it does make the EPL a little bit more exciting, surely big teams who have previously trained to break down the parked busses now have to content with a different strategy. It could also mean that the overall standard of the league is getting better and opposing managers are confident of getting results even against the bigger teams. hence the increased pressure in midfield.

I am not slating Carrick tbh, all players have their weaknesses - I think he just needs that extra 1 second to pick a pass that only he can. And this can be afforded if the players up front were to push further forward and leave him gaps to exploit.

Here's hoping Owen is going to be fitter this season and cracking in goals to push Hernandez all the way for that number 3 spot on the bench Some of the United players are comparing Hernandez to Solskjaer. oh I do so like quickness in a player. Should have left that shot for Nani though

Amazing how he turned to sidefoot the shot with his right

LOL fuelling the mystery of Valencia's lefty

For our sake let's hope that's true. With Rooney's post ankle injury form (scoring wise; he still assists) plus his World Cup dissapointments, he might take some time before banging in the goals again. But who's to say that he won't put 3 past Newcastle assuming SAF starts him. Good thing Berbatov seems to be coming into some kind of form with that green eyed boy. Might take the pressure off him for a bit.

Carrick was clearly out of form and yes the confidence factor was a big blow to us. We also have to take into account that he deputised for the injured centre backs for a few games.

There's a Coldplay song called "Green Eyes" that the crowd could sing in the stands LOL

Green Eyes, yeah the spotlight, shines upon youuuuu! And how could, anybody, deny youuuuu LOL



This post has been edited by gizmoduck: Aug 10 2010, 11:45 AM

ooooo yeah..

We'll never sign Mido if we sign this guy.

have to disagree with you mate, the red cards say otherwise. hehe love the ol' ginger nut tho! I always feel that he just wants to get the inevitable yellow card out of the way early in the game so he doesn't have to think about it later

This post has been edited by gizmoduck: Aug 10 2010, 05:14 PM

Selamat Berpuasa

SAF going to snipe bid 30 seconds before the auction closes ebay styleee

Yes we must exude more hatred in order to be taken seriously. I hate this!! I hate that!!! aaarggg feck feck feck bloody bloody!!! aaarghhh I hates youz I hatesss! Someone please hug me..

D'you reckon Rooney's call up is going to backfire on the Newcastle game or would it be a good thing for his fitness?

No need to worry then

Quite a high buy out clause for a young player, the team and coaches must rate him quite highly at 7 million pounds. I suppose he is bought for his versatility i.e. AMC / FW type of player rather than adding another striker to the list. Might be SAF's long term solution to provide cover in the middle of the park. You might say he is a cheaper version of Ozil? can't say, not much on him although he comes from quite a good and competitive team in the league, always challenging for UEFA cup spot. Finished third 3 seasons ago as well, so the youth set up might be decent, and we know a lot of gems have come out from Portugal to Manchester lately thanks to Queroz.

I didn't know there was a homeless world cup... how come they don't telecast that!?

Agreed somewhat, but we all have to bear in mind that transfer talk is part of the fun in pre-season anyway. You can't really talk about performance, matches, etc at this point so it is natural to comment on news etc. Even on the official site, they quote newspapers and tabloids that made headlines. Of course transfer talks are not a given and I am sure everyone on this thread agrees with the fact that a particular team might not sign anyone at all at any point, and that's ok. Commenting on transfers suggest optimism and desire to improve, not criticsm on the team in question. A forumer here suggested that a fan should support each individual player in the squad regardless of performance etc. Yes, that's true but that doesn't rule him out of criticsm. Fair criticsm is fair. Players earn millions every year and if their performances were to drop it's only fair to analyze the reasons why. Blind support is just that, blind.

And if it is true that you should support the team blindly no matter what, then please explain the gold and green movement. SAF has repeatedly come out and said that the Glazers are ok and yet the same group of so called "true fans" disagree with him and keep saying that we have no money. All this "we have no money" crap comes from the tabloid as well, there is no proof, there is no empirical evidence to support i; and yet we are selective to what is ok to believe from the tabloids and what is not. I'm not saying we have money, but you get my drift. Pot calling the kettle black.

At least the United fans on this thread comment on rumours rather than prophesize transfers out of thin air. Just read a few pages from the Chelsea and City thread and you'll know what I am talking about. It goes something like this:

"We lost today because our right back can't defend. Let's sign Lahm he looks good!" and queue everybody else coming up with names they could sign with all the Russian money at their disposal.

So let's all new and senior just get along and look forward to the new season. Like Alien said, if you don't like transfer rumours, just ignore it and become a reader. There' no need to abuse. Show that you've got some class and maturity.

Yes, but he wasn't interfering with play so Hernandez was definitely on.

But Hernandez's pace was like

Puyol was like

He went straight for that game because he knew the ball was going to come.. And Casillas was like

The main point is not about being patronizing or sugarcoating words. It's like what alien said, respect towards other fans and usage of abusive language. The thread does not belong to one person or a group of individuals. It is a dynamic collective of individuals with different backgrounds and point of views.

You may not identify yourself as a senior but citing instances 'back in the days' does not really endear you as a young pup either. Do you feel threatened that there are new members posting on this thread? Is your aggression or in your word 'bluntness' a self defense mechanism to protect your beloved thread?

we've spent more than chelsea so far this season