Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - Read Mod Warning in OP 7/1/15

Cookiemunster

Tyson Fury wrote: »

We won the league in 2013. We haven't lost my too many players since then. We spent more money on players than most clubs in the world in the meantime. We have the highest wage bill in the premier league and one of the highest in the world. We should be challenging for the league title and if not, why not!

The vast majority of that squad is gone. RVP, Rooney, Carrick, Rafael, De Gea, Evans, Jones and Smalling are the only ones left. And the ones that only left recently helped the club to 7th last season.

TheDoc

Your Airbag wrote: »

No place for Falcao?

Nope. I'd put in Van Persie starting to see if he can keep what has been a minor improvement going, and maybe some good early play and goals could boost his confidence some more, regardless of the opposition.

Would bring Falcao on for the second half if the game is in the bag, or last 30 minutes.

But sure it's all bollox anyway and it's why I try not to waste my fingers typing out "my hoped formations" since we will continue with Rooney in midfield being wasted for yet another season.

bangkok

Valdes, Smalling, McNair, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Fellaini, Mata, Herrera, Wilson, Falcao

team for tonight?

Rayne Wooney

If we don't get top 4 it's because we made a mess of it and let one of Spurs, Southampton and Liverpool finish ahead of us because I think Arsenal will definitely be there, that would be a failure just as big as Moyes imo

All 3 of those teams have lost their best or key players in the last few seasons, two have new managers, and none of them have as good a squad as we have. If one of them can play their way to a top 4 finish and outdo Van Gaal, serious questions would need to be asked of him


Stick with 433 and play players in their right positions and I'm confident we'll see big improvements and get top 4

Winston Payne

Third is par for Van Gaal this season. Automatic Champions League qualification is not an unreasonable goal to expect. Anything short of that is failure.

Cantona's Collars

Anderson officially signs for Internacional.

Trond

Winston Payne wrote: »

Third is par for Van Gaal this season. Automatic Champions League qualification is not an unreasonable goal to expect. Anything short of that is failure.

Don't agree with that at all.

Top 4 is acceptable given the size and scale of the rebuilding job required.

Other factors like our defensive inexperience after the loss of Rio, Vidic and Evra. The incredible amount of injuries we faced.

Things like that cant be just ignored and the overall "project" deemed as a failure.

Mitch Connor

Trond wrote: »

Don't agree with that at all.

Top 4 is acceptable given the size and scale of the rebuilding job required.

Other factors like our defensive inexperience after the loss of Rio, Vidic and Evra. The incredible amount of injuries we faced.

Things like that cant be just ignored and the overall "project" deemed as a failure.

I would take issue on the defensive side of things.

The inexperience of the backline in terms of leadership at the very least should have been apparent.

The fact Smalling, Jones, Evans and Rafael have missed significant numbers of games over the last number of seasons should have indicated that it was a likely scenario again.

We should have added more to the defence in the summer, and we certainly should have done something in this window just gone. To have only brought in Rojo to solve the number of defensive issues we had is pure negligence. IMO, if we fail to finish top 4 the blame will rest with not improving the defence when it was clear it needed to be. Injuries are not an excuse, they were an inevitability that was continuously ignored and LVG should take the blame if it cost us.

magnumbud

say one of the remaining pl teams win the europa league would it mean only top 3 get CL or would it be there spot plus the 4? i assume only top 3 cause thats what happened when chelsea won the CL and didnt make the top 4

Vic Vinegar

magnumbud wrote: »

say one of the remaining pl teams win the europa league would it mean only top 3 get CL or would it be there spot plus the 4? i assume only top 3 cause thats what happened when chelsea won the CL and didnt make the top 4

I don't think there can be more than four teams from England in the Champs League. Not sure what would happen if that was the case.

Cookiemunster

Bombleswizzum wrote: »

I don't think there can be more than four teams from England in the Champs League. Not sure what would happen if that was the case.

That's been changed for next season. The last line in this article.

The maximum number of clubs from one association that can qualify for the UEFA Champions League is increased to five.

magnumbud

Cookiemunster wrote: »

That's been changed for next season. The last line in this article.

The maximum number of clubs from one association that can qualify for the UEFA Champions League is increased to five.

so the only way the top 4 would be reduced to top 3 is if english teams won both european competitions and both finished 5th or lower seems plausable :pac:

sky88

Cookiemunster wrote: »

That's been changed for next season. The last line in this article.

The maximum number of clubs from one association that can qualify for the UEFA Champions League is increased to five.

tbh it would be preety foolish of Liverpool or spurs not to go all out to win it which could be better for united

bangkok

a few burger shops are mourning tonight in Manchester....

thelad95

bangkok wrote: »

a few burger shops are mourning tonight in Manchester....

Ah here now that's just unfair. The pizza and kebab shops will be equally as sad.

Trond

Mitch Connor wrote: »

I would take issue on the defensive side of things.

The inexperience of the backline in terms of leadership at the very least should have been apparent.

The fact Smalling, Jones, Evans and Rafael have missed significant numbers of games over the last number of seasons should have indicated that it was a likely scenario again.

We should have added more to the defence in the summer, and we certainly should have done something in this window just gone. To have only brought in Rojo to solve the number of defensive issues we had is pure negligence. IMO, if we fail to finish top 4 the blame will rest with not improving the defence when it was clear it needed to be. Injuries are not an excuse, they were an inevitability that was continuously ignored and LVG should take the blame if it cost us.

Not having that.

Every single team in the EPL would have struggled with McNair and Blackett starting in their defence. Not a single fan or manager would have foreseen that pair playing for us.

Our injuries this season were far from an inevitable, if anything they were exceptional. The sheer number we had out at the same time was worse than to anything we've seen before at the club.

In terms of not signing someone experienced I agree totally but equally I think there are probable reasons as to why it didn't happen. Im sure LVG has his targets earmarked for the summer and we'll move for them then.

Firing him within the next 12-18 months even without Champions League qualification would be a farcical decision in my opinion.

bucketybuck

Trond wrote: »

Our injuries this season were far from an inevitable, if anything they were exceptional. The sheer number we had out at the same time was worse than to anything we've seen before at the club.

Jones, Smalling, Rafael and Evans have shown repeatedly in their time at the club that they are injury prone, they have been a disaster in terms of availability for quite a while.

This point was made frequently throughout the summer, the calls for adequate defensive reinforcements were made time and again. If you don't like the word inevitable then try very probable, it amounts to the same thing.

Your Airbag

If we are going to spend big on one CB in the summer who would you like it to be, Hummels or Varane?

For me Varane > Hummels.

paulbok

zerks wrote: »

Anderson officially signs for Internacional.

Filling out their lunch order in that photo.

bantee

Your Airbag wrote: »

If we are going to spend big on one CB in the summer who would you like it to be, Hummels or Varane?

For me Varane > Hummels.

Varane all day, he's younger, quicker, bigger, more potential, etc, etc...

keane2097

I won't miss the "Anderson is fat" jokes anyway.

jayo26

Your Airbag wrote: »

If we are going to spend big on one CB in the summer who would you like it to be, Hummels or Varane?

For me Varane > Hummels.

I tend to agree. No doubt that hummels is the better defender but in another year or two I think varane will be best in the world which leaves me asking why would Madrid sell him??? I cant see for the life of me why they will sell or why he would move, he is getting decent game time considering who he has in from of him and at most pepe only has a year left in him.

I would of liked them to get laporte from bilbao but indont think that's gonna happen either I don't think we will get him in summer any cheaper then we would get him in January because it is bilbao and we would have to pay his buy out.

So out of the 3 of them the most realistic scenario is Dortmund get relegated and hummels joins united.

Is there any other top defenders out there that's are young or mid twenties that are worth the 30 or 40 mil investment i don't think so.. Miranda or godin will be too old for long term signings, pique is good but i wouldn't be making him the mainstay of my defence.

ScummyMan

Garay? Mid 20s iirc

titan18

I wish I was as fat as Anderson.

jayo26

ScummyMan wrote: »

Garay? Mid 20s iirc

Good player but I wouldn't put him on par with varane or hummels

Maximus Alexander

keane2097 wrote: »

I won't miss the "Anderson is fat" 'jokes' anyway.

FYP.

jayo26

titan18 wrote: »

I wish I was as fat as Anderson.

That's a real football mans comment fair play.

keane2097

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

FYP.

I didn't like the aesthetics of two sets of inverted commas back to back.

Rayne Wooney

Hummels and Varane are different and would be a pairing not one over the other, you need attributes from both to have a solid partnership

The position United are in now calls for a levelheaded leader back there, who's fantastic at reading the game and beginning attacks, experience of winning Bundersliga titles and a World Cup and just coming into his prime

Hummels will probably cost less than Varane too

Giggsy11

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

Hummels and Varane are different and would be a pairing not one over the other, you need attributes from both to have a solid partnership

The position United are in now calls for a levelheaded leader back there, who's fantastic at reading the game and beginning attacks, experience of winning Bundersliga titles and a World Cup and just coming into his prime

Hummels will probably cost less than Varane too

Hummes - Rojo would be fantastic combination IMO. Both good on the ball, Hummels is the leader we need and Rojo has pace which is Hummels only weakness.