qwertyell

I think we have a shot on two counts. Firstly, they're physically spent right now and we can surely out work them. Secondly, even at their best they tend to struggle against the high press - they like passing slowly and sideways along the backline and in midfield. We can hustle them into mistakes. Obviously they're super strong up front, so it'll be hard to keep them quiet, but I feel like we've got a much better chance of getting a positive result from this game than we ever had going to United. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Weak defending. I reckon his knee was offside. We could go under here, United all over us. Need to show some character here, take the game deep, see if they get nervy trying to see out the 2-1. Austin off, Armstrong on. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

0-1 h/t. We've played well, in the main, although defensively we've ridden our luck. Can we hold out? Will Lukaku keep missing? Unlikely. Referee's been as bent as I've seen in a long time. Perhaps replace Bertrand at h/t before he gets himself sent off? Seems to be in a niggly mood today - and his challenge that got a yellow card was almost a martial art, so ridiculous was it. Credit to Valery for a belting strike, but also because he's owned the right side so far. I'd still be happy with a point. No way United won't get a soft penalty from this ref. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Holy smokes! Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Maybe Ward-Prowse has 20 loyalty and 1 ambition. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Park the bus, there's no way we're winning this. United can be poor at breaking down compact, deep lying, hard working teams. If we can escape with a 0-0, it'll be a sensational result. 5-4-1. Gunn; Valery, Bednarek, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Romeu, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Redmond. That's pretty much how we lined up at Arsenal, and things didn't exactly go well, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope... I think Spurs at home is a better chance of an upset. They've been on the absolute limit all season, with multiple players having no rest since the World Cup and injuries piling up - the last few games they've looked out on their feet. I never thought they could maintain their "title challenge" as it was inevitable that they'd hit the wall at some point. It feels like that point has arrived. They've obviously got some match winners up their sleeves, so it won't be easy, but with a fair wind and a bit of luck I can see us getting something. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's not a wing back (which Hasenhuttl seems to have settled on as our immediate tactical future) in a million years. If Valery can't play, Ward-Prowse is his most likely replacement. Not ideal, to put it mildly, but not much about our squad is. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

It means Ings can come back against Spurs, come off injured again, and still be in contention for the next match. It might be the only way we can get him playing in consecutive games. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

I think there's only 12 points maximum for us available, realistically. I doubt we'll manage that - and it won't take us over 40 points in any case. Hope to be proven wrong, but I think we're in deep merde. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Five at the back, a midfield who pass backwards and sideways, Austin leading the line, Elyounoussi still making the bench... Optimism abounds. Jesus, we're a mess. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Or someone who wasn't very impressed with his laboured performance against Cardiff and thinks he needs to up his game if he wants to start. I'd play him over Targett all day long, but let's not rewrite history: Bertrand looked way off the pace against Cardiff. We're carrying enough passengers as it is. Hopefully he's getting sharper with every training session. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Babel's speed and strength, and Mitrovic's aerial power will be too much for our useless defenders, whether we play four, five or six at the back. We just have to go for broke, try and get the minimum three goals we'll need to win. There's no way we're grinding out a 1-0. Bring Yoshida and Bertrand back - get some experience in that defence. Sims had a storming game for the u23s the other day (2 goals, 2 assists) so should be feeling confident. Get him involved. We can't keep wasting time on Elyounoussi - he's got nothing we want. We need someone who can run quicker than walking pace, who isn't Shane Long. (4-2-2-2) Keeper; Valery, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Romeu, Hojbjerg; Armstrong, Sims; Redmond, random striker tombola winner. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's a good manager, I think, destined for better things than trying to get a tune out of this rabble. His hands are tied. He wants to play a back four, but we don't have two competent centre backs so he needs a five. He wants to play a high energy press, but he's got a squad that lacks physical conditioning. He wants to attack with pace, but almost all his options are plodders. He definitely expected the board to strengthen in January. Some of his decisions have been questionable, sure, but that's what you'd expect from a manager desperate to find a workable formula with these losers. I can't understand his treatment of Gunn, though. A young keeper who has never played in the PL before, yet rather than easing him in at home, or letting him have a decent run in the side, he's been dropped into the deep end for two one-off outings away to Chelsea and Arsenal - two of the hardest games on the fixture list. I fully expect McCarthy to return against Fulham. It's not a big thing, but it is weird. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Well, at least our goal difference hasn't been annihilated. And that's the end of the positives. If we don't win on Wednesday, that'll be it for us. The lack of quality in our hugely expensively assembled squad is beyond belief. Let's not pretend that we were going to Arsenal with any great expectations, but there's a feeling that our long malaise has finally caught up with us and there's no turning this mess around. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

And have three more points than us, a better goal difference, and plenty of winnable games left - Huddersfield at home for them next weekend. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No point obsessing over everyone else's results - if we can't cobble together 40+ points we don't deserve to stay up. We won't get away with survival with 34 points again. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Don't think so. Kick off time is the same as Man United vs Liverpool - I imagine TV folk will be slightly more interested in that one. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

How will their two other international centre backs cope with the spasmodic lone threat of Shane Long chasing after aimless punts? This will be a damage limitation exercise in preparation for the must win game with Fulham. I doubt the Arsenal keeper will even get his gloves dirty. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Didn't specify up or down. The Championship is the next level. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Good eyes. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That's just not true. I think McCarthy is a pretty average keeper and Gunn's ceiling is miles above his, but he's far from the liability Forster became. Yes, Frasier was exposed by a weaker defence - but exposed as not being very good at goalkeeping when more frequently called upon to do something. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

No two hernia ops are alike. Some folk are back within 3-4 weeks, others 6-8. I'm still confused about the picture Lemina posted of his leg in a futuristic knee brace. We may never know what was really wrong with him. As long as gets back and helps us survive, I suppose it doesn't really matter. It's kind of weird when you think about it, how much the public seems to know about strangers' medical conditions. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

He's spent his injury lay off really exercising his jaw muscles. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

That was a performance that wouldn't have looked out of place at the back end of Puel's tenure. All backwards, sideways, hesitate, backwards, slowly does it. Valery played well. No-one else was even close to being good enough - against a glorified Championship club. I don't think we've got enough to stay up. The defence has at least one calamity per game in them, the midfield can't create, and our attacking threat is the oh so reliable Nathan Redmond or bust. Hope the mini preseason in Tenerife gives the manager enough time to come up with some kind of way forward. What that could be, God knows. Getting the team fitter can only improve things so much. Bleak. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk

Can't believe how complacent our club (and some of our fans) has been about survival. Hasenhuttl's got us organised and looking like a team, but he can't magic quality up from nowhere. Sent from my F3311 using Tapatalk