any sopcst links?

He took out his shirt to reveal... nothing.

thanks to unknown for the link.

Wonder what that means?

Fantastic quote on your siggy choy!

Scholes till he's 40? A bit hard I imagined. But certainly another few seasons is very doable if his fitness level, health and form are good. Same goes for Giggsy and VDS. I don't see why it should be a 'problem' to still have to rely on them. They are the top 3-5 players in their respective position in the history of the club and probably in the top 20 in the world?.. and they can still perform to a very good level consistently. It's no shame. It's a credit to the club and the players themselves to have been able to still produce at their ages when most players over 30 are almost back at the bottom of the mountain.

That would have been some goal..

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Added on August 29, 2010, 3:21 pmOld man combo..

We got quite a few of them huh?
30's club.
VDS, Gary, Scholes, Giggs
Wes, Rio,, Owen,

Soon to be..
Vida, Carrick, Park(next February), Berbatov(next January), O'Shea(next April), Evra(next may), Kuszczak, Hargreaves

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 29 2010, 03:21 PM

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Added on August 30, 2010, 6:45 amThe Kid had an impressive game against them for Sunderland from the reports..

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 30 2010, 06:45 AM

Vida is a regular while Giggs will be in and out of the team. If Rio is fit, he would probably be the one to lead the team probably. But Gary is still the official captain right?

Before this the official line was Gary as the captain, Giggs as the vice, and after that given to seniority(except for some cases like with Scholes). But who knows maybe SAF decided to change it up this season although I guess Gary is still the official captain being English and homegrown. Its just that we have a new #2/#3? We haven't announce anything official yet. So who knows. But from the first game till now it's been Vida all the way? I forgot. Anybody knows?

It's just an armband at the end of the day. Someone wearing it will get to choose which coins the ref gonna throw and decide which sides we start on. The ref will consult him on whatever stuff happening on the field. Nothing more nothing less. Those with seniority will have that aura of respect anyways.

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Added on August 30, 2010, 10:24 pm

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Added on August 30, 2010, 10:29 pm
His delivery was a little off though most of the time. The whole team seem to be misfiring a little. Still early in the season though. We will pick our form up. Slow starter and all that. Can't wait for Carrick and Ando to get back into the thick of things. Expecting big things from them.

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 30 2010, 10:29 PM

If they watch/listen to Shebby spout crap stuff at half time, doesn't mean they will follow it to a tee. It's just like how a a group of people doing presentation and stuff. Just because you have a lot of talented people working together, doesn't mean their view point is absolute. It's good to hear 'others' viewpoint on the matter and the criticism that we might not see for ourselves.

You think the players/coaches/SAF don't read papers and what they write about us? Same thing. SAF and the coaches will have their own notes on what to say, what not to say, which players need the hairdryer and boots kick at them. But it's good to hear it from a third party even if they are not right. It will be a different view point from someone outside the box. Like Wenger said, everyone think they have the prettiest wife at home. Can be used as a tool to motivate the players as well. Turn it into a siege mentality.

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Added on August 30, 2010, 11:47 pmIt's always been like that. I don't have the stats to back me up, but we know goals don't come easy especially at this level. Same goes for the other teams. And just because it shows up on the stats, doesn't mean it's a sure thing goal opportunity. Sometimes it could be a long kick from VDS straight at the GK and it will be counted as a shot on target. With Gibson and Nani in the side, it will be more with them firing rockets and thinking they play rugby. And add Berba heading ability, it would shoot up even more.

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 30 2010, 11:47 PM

You think the clubs banned them from reading/watching football related matters especially when it's ManUtd related? It's no different from watching/listening it right as it happens. Either way they will know. They will have section of the crowds, if not most of them shouting bad stuff at you in games. SAF and the coaches pestering about it whenever you come in contact with them whenever they feel like airing out their views.

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Added on August 31, 2010, 12:16 amThe weak ones won't be able to handle it well, but then they won't get far in what ever they do if a bit of criticism got to them badly and for a long period of time(say a few years). Most players at the club have been there and done it, whether with us, or with others before joining in. They know what they're getting into in top flight football where the spotlight is on them especially with them playing for one of the top teams around in the world. Up to the players themselves to overcome that obstacle. If they can't handle the heat, it's best we let go. Everywhere he goes, he will get the same treatment.

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 31 2010, 12:16 AM

True about the being eaten alive thing. But they gotta live with it. I'm sure SAF knows which player to full blast and those who he silently pinch telling them one on one. At the end of the day, their confidence will be shot anyways after the game if they can't handle the pressure while the game was on. There's a lot more time to analyse the performances of a particular game after that. There would be a lot more fuel thrown into the fire.


Anybody else not feeling the 'merdeka' thing this year? It surely felt like nothing to me, even now. Puasa may play a part, but there's a lot more going on besides that. Uncertain future we're going into methinks..

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Added on August 31, 2010, 4:03 amCleverley going on loan to Wigan? Good move. Just hope they don't concede too many and be shit throughout.

'Latics close on Cleverley'
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11667_6348930,00.html

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 31 2010, 04:03 AM

If news from Hargreaves' camp is negative, we would buy a midfielder of similar ability I guess. If it's still undecided, don't think we'll make a move as frustrating as it is. Saha case again. Luckily we have Fletcher to perform similar type of roles. But even he need a backup.

err why not?

Not that it'll ever happen, but yeah, why not? SAF can't win every trophies?

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Added on August 31, 2010, 2:25 pmGood talented UK/Irish players will always be on our radar..

This post has been edited by Wan: Aug 31 2010, 02:25 PM

Rodwell ain't defensive. He's not that much of an attacker as well, at least skill wise. But like Gerrard and Lampard, he could be really effective going forward getting and making goals. Just youtube him and see how he gets his goals. He really is imperious looking.. elegant while not skillful. Who knows how he might develop his vision/creativity part of his game, but like Lampard(goal scorer and nothing else, poor man's Scholes before Roman took over Chelsea), he could improve by leaps and bounds once he reach 25. SAF once commented on Lampard apparent improvement as a player. While he saw him as a good player, he never thought he could be as good as he is today.

We might have a similar(talking about Rodwell here) player in Gibson. He's not defensive. While going forward right now he looks nothing special but he has that way of striking the ball that will ensure he would get a good amount of goals wherever he plays. SAF seems to trust him to get the goals. He played last season against Bayern at OT and came up with a goal. Only 23(next October), so he still have another 2 seasons of big improvements to make, and hopefully by the 3rd season(counting this season), he should be a proper midfielder who is consistent in his play. Same goes for Ando.

Maybe there was a typo or lost in translation somewhere there. Maybe they just saw Wesley Brown.

Take note please.
I want them both back after Raya.
kthxbye

Nothing beat the Berba to us on transfer dateline. That was the best dateline transfer ever. Spurs playing hardball, Citeh got a bid accepted, and apparently Berba flown to Manchester to meet Citeh only for SAF to hijack him at the airport and pick him up to take to OT for transfer discussion. Rumours flow said we haven't agreed a fee with Spurs and they didn't allow us to speak with him yet at the time, blablabla. He can be seen walking inside OT through the windows.. fuuh. That was epic.

Just because there's a budget and the Ronaldo money still laying around, it doesn't mean we should spend that much every season. There's no point spending just for the sake of it. We should look at our needs and what we want to do regarding the shape of our team. If we feel we need a midfielder, we go and get one within our budget. If we feel the player is worth paying a bit more, we would do just that. See Berba just a few seasons back. Since the Glazers have been in charge, while our net spend have been pretty low, but it doesn't mean we are broke as a club and have been stingy in spending. It's just that it meant we have been pretty good in the market regarding buying and selling players. Pique, Rossi, Richardson, Campbell, Heinze, Foster.. we made money on all of them maybe except for Heinze but we still got a lot of money for an aging player.

25 is the age I see right now for midfielders. Lampard transformation from just a good goal scorer into something more, Schweinsteiger change of position into a full time CM and excelling there last season, Fletcher.., Carrick in his Spurs days.. plenty more, but that's the ones I know of. Of course there's a few exceptions like with Fabregas, but he's a bit special whereby right from the start he has been awesome there. It won't mean a thing if Gibson and Ando don't improve of course, which could easily happen. But while Gibson have been steady in his game, we have seen Ando hit the heights plenty of times for us to be hopefuly that once he reach a certain age, he would be able to show that type of performances more on a regular basis. Nani seemed to have found his level and and able to maintain it.. 23-25.. it's where they really get into gear.

Money issue? We have always operated within a budget. It was even more apparent in the PLC days where they have to vote to give the yes or no to SAF. Valencia came with a fee of 18m. That wasn't big enough for you? You are basically just looking at the 'small' numbers and seeing those three were not big names you obviously is not happy still. We may be in a lot of trouble, but what's the difference now and then when we were happy enough to pay big money for Carrick(06/07), Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson(07/08), Berbatov(08/09), Valencia(09/10). 16m in 06, 50m in 07, 30m in 08, 18m in 09. And this season so far we've spent 20m. You would think if we are in so deep shit, we wouldn't waste our money away on some kid nobody have heard about who was playing in a third division club just a few months back for big money especially in one or two position where we have talents in abundance there.

We got knocked out in the group stages in 05. We lost Keano midway that season. And come the new season we sold Ruud without replacing him, and we only bought Carrick who was hardly a star that time. Logic would tell you we need a replacement for Ruud, and a bigger name than Carrick to replace Keane. We should have no chance to beat Chelsea who just got Sheva and Ballack in that season. I don't need to tell you what happens at the end till now. It's about buying smart and asses the situation regarding our squad. If we feel a LB needed improving, we would go get one. If not, why bother to spend just for the sake of it?

What are you suggesting? We should have replaced Ronaldo and Tevez with more than just a Valencia and Owen? Should we have gotten another winger or a couple more GK, LB, RB, CB, CM, DM, AM, striker? We matched City's bid for Tevez, but he wasn't happy not being a regular even though he got more than enough playing time on the pitch. And we did made an offer or something along those lines for Benzema, but we couldn't beat Real to tempt player and paying the right fee to get him. There's the likes of Dzeko, Pato, Aguerro, Lukaku that time, but it was likely not the ones we have in our mind in terms of budget, and what we want or likely to get.

Don't look at the numbers in pure numbers. Oh look we spent only 20m, but we have another 80m from the sale of Ronaldo laying around=We should spend it all or 'spend it BIG'. It doesn't work that way. We got a very good replacement for Ronaldo in Valencia. While Valencia is far from Ronaldo's level, but who else is? And Tevez contribution in his last season was 5 league goals and another two in the CL(38 appearances in both competitions). Owen is a good replacement on a free. While we didn't get our main targets, it's been rectified now having Hernandez around. Defence we don't need nobody. One the wings we have plenty of good options. Upfront at the time was pretty good as well with Macheda and Welbeck emerging. We could do with a little help in midfield, but obviously SAF was and still is happy with the options there.

Semi god: Scholes, Giggs
Peak: Carrick, Fletcher, Hargreaves
Developing :Ando, Gibson

IMO that's good enough especially if Carrick find his form back. Ando and Gibson will improve and Scholes and Giggs won't turn shit overnight. What is another season to them when they can play as good as they doing right now? Our main worry is that with Fletcher. If he's out, in the big games especially we will be royally fuuuuu! Pray that Hargreaves comes back or that Ando &/or Gibson will prove to be a hit that we don't miss him when the time comes.


Forgot to add. If we feel the players already at the club are good enough or can develop enough to be at the level we wanted and needed, why should we spend our money away on a star that might not work out? We have always use a use a mix of stars and potential. Right now we have a lot of potential in the squad, and SAF may want to see those shine through without hurting us so much in the short term.

This post has been edited by Wan: Sep 1 2010, 10:00 PM

It's just natural IMO to have that doubt. Scholes and Giggs are getting older and likely to have only a season or two at most being as effective as they are today. We have Fletcher, but he's a different kind of a player. Ando and Gibson doesn't look like a certainty ATM. And so the spotlight is on Carrick to help lessen the burden and help us have a smooth transition from the old to the new generation.

He has never been that kind of a player. In fact I don't think we have someone with that type of presence since Keano left. He has been consistently good for 3 seasons. Only last season was a blip. We'll see how he does in the coming season. If his form doesn't pick up, we'll let him go and brought in someone else. Until then, he has every chance of capturing his form and place back. Looked like his former self against Chelsea. Just a matter of time before he gets his chance again. SAF might just silently let him know he got to earn his place by putting him on the subs list in all our games so far although another possible reason is that SAF just want to build our form and momentum by playing almost the same side for a few games before making changes to the side.