Smirking_Saint

Basically this, Utd were lucky that the rest were stuttering last season and their older players had not quite declined to the level that they find them in now. I thought it was a popular opinion that Utds team is arguably the weakest in the last 10 years or so. Ok they have some youth coming through but nothing that would overly excite me if I was a Utd fan except perhaps Januzasj. SAF obviously realised this and moved out sharpish. It also shows the level of the man as there is a vast difference between this and last season. A team of Utds calibre SHOULDNT be relying on an ageing pair of midfielders of a combined age of almost 80 no matter how good they are but SAF managed it. Moyes is a good manager who has transformed Everton from where they were. He is going to have to respond quickly but of course he deserves time. He will be judged on transfers and seriously needs to get them right in Jan and the summer, Fellaini was a poor signing for me who IMO doesnt really fit the system but he has form in that department (beattie). Its not really a surprise they arent at top form though, average team that needs replacements at midfield and Centre Back as a priority. New manager with an entirely new back room team and all the pressures of managing a massive club in the shadow of a legend.

Osvaldo to start up top, then a decision needs to be made regarding who we are playing. For me Rickie doesnt fit our system as the loan front man but there are certainly options there to play him as part of our attacking three midfielders or even as a partner to Ossie who I see creating a decemt partnership. Ossie is starting to get a little better, Im sure its partly confidence as shown by his greediness, Im hoping he will kick on over the next month but also as a team WHOEVER is upfront will need the team to be more creative.

Or his second

Well, fair play on both yourself and halo, I had a good look early in the year as I thought we would have a decent season, though not as successful as we have been so far. I looked at the handicap odds of us winning the prem but I didnt feel them to be of good enough value. Fair play though gents, good luck.

Few tetchy heads on here, surely you need to take this as a compliment, we have only been back in the prem for a year and a half and our players have been linked all over the place. No we are not the selling club we used to be, we have money, a good infrastructure and clearly a vision, but lets not kid ourselves that we will keep the squad together infinately. Eventually we will sell, but take heart that this time it will be on our terms.

Excellent thread, genuinely really enjoyed reading that, thanks guys.

Lallana's or Navas' for me as personally Id say they were the most technically difficult of the rest. The public love a ping though

You have to be realistic enough to realise where that added quality is required, personally Id like us to spend on a GK and a CB as there are no obvious choices of quality ready to step up and will improve the competition.

I know plenty, if you heard stories of his tenure at the time it was damn right scary, things such as Souness and WGS leaving, signing Delgado etc amoungst a batch of other things. That said a lot goes on in the back doors of football and a lot of the time it will never see the light of day. That said, there are always positives and obviously some of those are the academy of which he did invest, the training ground, introduction of the sports science department, St Marys etc concieviably where we are today may never have happened unless that infrastructure had been created. But yes, he was a stubborn ***** aswell

This is obviously a lie isnt it ?

I get that he is on his way out, for some rediculous reason the Madrid chairman is looking to offload the two spanish mouthpieces by the name of Ramos and Casillas personally I think its a rediculous idea, but there you go. Realistically it wont be us.

Lets not MLG, lets not

This really wont happen

Well I suppose Im talking the next big signings whenever they are be it now or in the summer, those two positions for me are vital. Back up to Shaw as always but its just mot going to be that simple. Biggest priority will be to keep the squad intact

Id have a cheeky punt on Ruddy, not too old and English. Norwich wont want to sell at all but they arent exactly setting the world alight and hopefully perhaps we can convince him the same as we have Lovren etc. V v long shot I know, but we definately need a keeper and probably another CB IMO

No he's not. He can go into wind up mode when he gets annoyed at a lot of the dross on this site but I think others would if they could be bothered. Some of the extreme positive/negative opinions on here can be staggering. Turks, Bear, Tokes can all contribute a lot when they post seriously so you can tell they know what they are on about they just dont take the thread that serious and fair enough. Jesus Ive even read some valid things from Glasgow from time to time but he cant help but fish. The other trolls are just trolls TBH but considering all of us get sucked in by it then they wont get bored.

Was playing today and not seen game yet. Just think he has that little bit more, not saying drop Rickie completely just dont think he can lead the line for us in the tactics we play, for a start he has only scored 1 in open play. He still has his place, either with Ossie with 2 uptop or in the attacking midfield 3.

Oh thank god

Heard nothing but very good reports that Poch has done the right thing sticking with Ossie up top instead of Lambert so no not really. Ill say it again, Rickies inclusion behind Ossie is a different matter but he isnt the man for us up top on his own in this tactic

Vindicated

Yup, deserves it, was gutted Brentford werent promoted last year

Reed is there or there abouts I reckon

VW was bone ? My mistake, I thought it was muscular. I just think we look a tad tired personally, maybe wrong, just not playing with the intensity that we can. Villa yeah, should have won that one, very strange game as yes we stuffed them, but again we struggled to create anything really clear cut so perhaps Gaston is the man to do it ?

They did, both mentally and physically. The levels of injury (mainly muscular) says to me that we are working very very hard both at training and in games. Added to this some poor decision making that frankly is uncharacteristic and Id suggest the players are tired. Shattered ? Probably not that extreme but Id say they are getting heavy legs yes

Id say its pretty obvious that we are running on low gas and picking up knocks, I expect a few may even be playing with knocks who knows ? Id stick Ramirez in there if fit, change the system slightly, I cant see us managing our pressing game without both VW and MS. Ramirez has quality, he was better last year then his detractors say, give him a go Id say.