United Thread 2014/15

[Platini Pollock]

what about Jovetic, Kolorov, Dzeko, Silva, Zabaleta and Demichelis? None of them started off particularly well.

you're so wrong about Silva
and zabaleta

Zabaleta had a shocking debut, at home to Chelsea IIRC

That he did.....

To be honest most of the best regarded players we have now had really slow starts ( Aguero apart ! ). I have learnt not to judge a player until a minimum of 15 games in. Some hit the ground running ( like Ali B ), some come good ( like Vinny ), some stay garbage ( like Jo ! )

 

[malg]

On the Talkshite website. Meulensteen going on about why he left after Moyes was appointed- I'm guessing he wouldn't have said this without speaking to the piss can. It's all falling to pieces, slowly, but it's still falling apart.

Meulensteen blasted: “He says he asked me to stay but he didn’t say what he then said after that. He said, ‘well, I would like you to stay, I know how important you have been for the club and what you have done for the club, but I am going to do it all myself’. So, it was then, 'OK, what is the reason for me to stay'?

“That has not been documented and that is why you get all these wrong, mixed messages about why I didn’t stay.

“We had two massive meetings. Yes, there was an element he would like me to stay but, on the other hand, he said, ‘everything you did, I am going to do myself’. So, after being there for five years with Alex Ferguson, being an integral part in training, planning, executing and the whole lot, suddenly you have been sidelined.”

 

[BobKowalski]

what about Jovetic, Kolorov, Dzeko, Silva, Zabaleta and Demichelis? None of them started off particularly well.

you're so wrong about Silva
and zabaleta

silva didn't hit the ground running at all. It wasn't until the blackpool away game i think it was that he really started to show what he can do

Silva did take a while to show his class in fact Mancini eased him in gradually if I recall leading to the quite excellent thread arguing that we had bought the wrong player and we should have bought Van Der Vaart instead.

 

[StrangewaysHereWeCome]

On the Talkshite website. Meulensteen going on about why he left after Moyes was appointed- I'm guessing he wouldn't have said this without speaking to the piss can. It's all falling to pieces, slowly, but it's still falling apart.

Meulensteen blasted: “He says he asked me to stay but he didn’t say what he then said after that. He said, ‘well, I would like you to stay, I know how important you have been for the club and what you have done for the club, but I am going to do it all myself’. So, it was then, 'OK, what is the reason for me to stay'?

“That has not been documented and that is why you get all these wrong, mixed messages about why I didn’t stay.

“We had two massive meetings. Yes, there was an element he would like me to stay but, on the other hand, he said, ‘everything you did, I am going to do myself’. So, after being there for five years with Alex Ferguson, being an integral part in training, planning, executing and the whole lot, suddenly you have been sidelined.”

You have to feel for David Moyes. He was given his big break, at the biggest club in Europe, some say the world and he strode in backed to the hilt by none other than Sir Alex Ferguson himself!

He knew he had to act big, think big be big.

Sadly, he was never up to the task and I am of course being disingenuous when I say you have to feel for him

I feel nothing but contempt for the wrinkly chopped tosser. Meulensteen is a **** as well, like most things out of Old Trafford

 

[Stoned Rose]

Doesn't really matter if Hummels and Vidal turned up tomorrow. Nobody joins the PL and hits the ground running. You need at least a season to get used to the pace and aggression of the PL.

Negredo, Aguero and Fernando would strongly disagree with you.

what about Jovetic, Kolorov, Dzeko, Silva, Zabaleta and Demichelis? None of them started off particularly well.

'Nobody'.

 

[StrangewaysHereWeCome]

Silva did take a while to show his class in fact Mancini eased him in gradually if I recall leading to the quite excellent thread arguing that we had bought the wrong player and we should have bought Van Der Vaart instead.

Please, find me that thread so I can I can have a chuckle at the flapping and sharpen the tines for the blasphemers

[bigimg]http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/mans-hand-holding-up-pitchfork-against-blue-sky-sami-sarkis.jpg[/bigimg]
BURN HIM!

 

[Jakob]

Rojo is a very interesting case.

He arrived at Sporting with no credit. Out of favour at Spartak Moscow. Sporting was a sinking ship in 12/13 and he looked awful. Got sent off in the big games. Completely out of sorts. Amazingly enough... he was still getting called up for the Argentina NT and playing out of position. He was a centre back at Sporting and a left back for the NT. 13/14 was a much better year for Sporting and for Rojo as well. Much more solid and composed, but still... he was sent off 3 times. He wasn't tested in Europe since Sporting had failed to qualify for Europe the previous season. Even among Sporting fans the opinion about him only changed over the last few months, especially with the World Cup where he did well.

I don't know what to believe, the Rojo centre back who was always getting sent off against Porto and Benfica or the Argentina left back. One things is for sure, buying a playing for big money based on a few games is not a very good idea. He is not United material(haha, as in, for a team that wants to be among the top of Europe), it's a big jump in the dark. I suppose he is a good option for the wingback position in that 3-5-2 formation, because as a centre back... he is very very dodgy.

I think United are being betrayed by that early success in pre-season and with Van Gaal wanting to show his 'authority' or 'identity' by giving every player a chance. Things went well and there wasn't much urgency in signing people. Just look at Herrera and Shaw - not Van Gaal's targets, he gave the ok and United splashed out ridiculous amounts of money for them. So now, the house is on fire, the romance is over and they must sign players and must ditch other ones as soon as possible.

Di Maria was very very inconsistent throughout his career(only had a top season at Benfica, before being sold). At Madrid he was always a bit erratic - his decision making was typically very very poor. Last season he reivented himself. From his traditional winger position, he moved back on the pitch and he was really great in many games. So fast and running all game, he was capable of pressuring people, recovering balls and carrying the ball down the picth at great speed. He was vital for Madrid last season, giving them a great injection of physicality in the middle of the pitch(with Alonso and Modrid they were soft). Thing is, what position will he play at United? And how will he handle being the 'main star'? It is one thing playing second fiddle to Ronaldo, it is a different one having to be the main man.

I would imagine that if Van Gaal sticks to his silly system, Di Maria would be like a Robben, but unlike Holland, who seemingly were happy being boring and playing counter attack, United will have to create much more and boss games and there won't be much space for a runner like him. Then there is the issue of Mata, Rooney and Van Persie. I think ideally, Van Gaal, ditches his system and adopts a more conventional lineup and almost inevitably with Mata starting from a wide position and cutting inside, he will have freedom, but on paper he will be a winger. This is the only option because Di Maria should start on the wing and then Rooney probably roaming behind Van Persie as a sort of number 10.

 

[marco]

so its all guns out and blazing trying to sign Di Maria when its been made common knowledge that Real will not sell, this should take up a few days as the window slowly winds down then when the door is slammed in their faces it will be a case of 'we tried' in the short amount of time we had

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

One recent (non) event seems to have seamlessly slipped under the media's normally finely tuned radar, namely the complete absence of a minutes silence/applause on Saturday for the passing of their owner of over a decade, arguably the most successful period in their history: commercially and on the pitch. One would have imagined the first competitive game since his death would have provided the perfect opportunity to mark his passing.

Not. A. Fucking. Word.

Funny that.

 

[malg]

One recent (non) event seems to have seamlessly slipped under the media's normally finely tuned radar, namely the complete absence of a minutes silence/applause on Saturday for the passing of their owner of over a decade, arguably the most successful period in their history: commercially and on the pitch. One would have imagined the first competitive game since his death would have provided the perfect opportunity to mark his passing.

Not. A. Fucking. Word.

Funny that.

Good spot. I wonder if Ferguson's passing will be met with the same silence.