Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - See Mod Warning in OP, 09/11

Mars Bar · 02-12-2014 01:08AM

GSPfan wrote: »

Regarding the recipes:

Is there a thread you can discuss them on are is it totally banned?

I ask cause I actually hate watching matches these days in standard definition never mind on a blurry stream. I'm a HD fanatic.

Totally banned

GSPfan · 02-12-2014 02:11AM

Mars Bar wrote: »

Totally banned

For a second there i thought i was totally banned. Phew.

Thanks. I assumed it was. I wish for a day when there is a premier league streaming site such as wwe network or ufc's fight pass where you could subscribe and see whatever game you want. I have heard before that they think match day attendance would drop if every game was accesible but i am not sure thats entirely true when you can effectively get every game you want now for free.

K4t · 02-12-2014 02:15AM

GSPfan wrote: »

For a second there i thought i was totally banned. Phew.

Thanks. I assumed it was. I wish for a day when there is a premier league streaming site such as wwe network or ufc's fight pass where you could subscribe and see whatever game you want. I have heard before that they think match day attendance would drop if every game was accesible but i am not sure thats entirely true when you can effectively get every game you want now for free.

No, much worse than that, ticket prices would come down.

GSPfan · 02-12-2014 02:37AM

K4t wrote: »

No, much worse than that, ticket prices would come down.

Ha. Unbearable thought.

Here's a thought. Play all lower league football in England on Friday night and Saturday and play all Premier League games on a Sunday. No clash of interests. Show all games on tv or internet streaming site and everyone is happy. Premier league clubs attendance will not drop as you can get games on the internet anyway as it is and people will always go to the grounds. For the 2 Tuesday Champions League teams they can play their matches on a Saturday night if need be.

Its crap that this hasnt already happened but much like the movie industry they are terrified to change even in the face of piracy and a recession. There's just too much money in it to try something different.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 06:29AM

Liam O wrote: »

Am I the only one who's been very impressed by Rojo? I think he has shown some great defensive skill. Is hard but not rash, very comfortable with the ball and the only times he's looked uncomfortable can be put down to bad communication which is something that time fixes. I think he'll be a bargain and a mainstay of defense for a few years. His injury was an unlucky one so can't see much future problems there. Don't forget he provides much needed left back cover too.

He had few shaky moments like the one against Chelsea when he gifted the ball to Willian or against Leicester game where he was just awful but apart from those he was very good. He is not that good heading the ball but the number of ground duels he wins he just amazing. Maybe our best tackler and also very strong dealing one on one. Him and Smalling should make a good CB pairing.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 07:39AM

Ronald Koeman admits Southampton’s trip to Arsenal on Wednesday night has been made more difficult by the absence of "key player" Morgan Schneiderlin.

Saints’ midfield lynchpin limped out of Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City at half time.

He now needs a scan on his right adductor, with manager Koeman admitting he does not know the severity of the problem.

"Morgan's not ready for Wednesday because he needs a scan on his adductor, in his right leg, to find out exactly what happened," he said.

"It's too soon to know whether it's serious. It's not too soon to say he can't play on Wednesday, but how long he will be out I don't know."

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11700/9588627/premier-league-ronald-koeman-says-loss-of-morgan-schneiderlin-is-a-blow-for-southampton

Hopefully he will miss the game against us too.

blackwave · 02-12-2014 07:46AM

Just seen in the telegraph that we are being linked with Godin. At 28 I feel he is a little old for the price tag of €36 million as we would probably only get 4/5 seasons out of him.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/11265687/Manchester-United-news-Louis-van-Gaal-weighing-up-January-move-for-Atletico-Madrid-defender-Diego-Godin.html

Mr.Crinklewood · 02-12-2014 08:06AM

blackwave wrote: »

Just seen in the telegraph that we are being linked with Godin. At 28 I feel he is a little old for the price tag of €36 million as we would probably only get 4/5 seasons out of him.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/11265687/Manchester-United-news-Louis-van-Gaal-weighing-up-January-move-for-Atletico-Madrid-defender-Diego-Godin.html

I thought we got Godin on the 26th of November 1992...

Backstreet Moyes · 02-12-2014 08:36AM

I know everytime i think something positive about him he gets injured.

But Smalling despite the mistake against City has been very good this season.

Mitch Connor · 02-12-2014 09:03AM

Nuts102 wrote: »

I know everytime i think something positive about him he gets injured.

But Smalling despite the mistake against City has been very good this season.

That City game really fecked him over.

He was very good against Chelsea, Arsenal and at the weekend, heard he was good for England too - if he'd played vs City as he did vs Chelsea (or just not got himself sent off!) I reckon people would be wondering if he is developing into the CB some (well, me) thought he was becoming a few seasons back.

Hopefully he can continue to play to his best - cause he is, imo, a very good CB when on form.

FutureGuy · 02-12-2014 09:17AM

Mitch Connor wrote: »

That City game really fecked him over.

He was very good against Chelsea, Arsenal and at the weekend, heard he was good for England too - if he'd played vs City as he did vs Chelsea (or just not got himself sent off!) I reckon people would be wondering if he is developing into the CB some (well, me) thought he was becoming a few seasons back.

Hopefully he can continue to play to his best - cause he is, imo, a very good CB when on form.

I have to agree. I felt United knew they had the beating of City and the blood went to the head as little with that lunge. It was like they decided they were tired of being bullied for years and they finally had the players to bully back.

A consistently solid Smalling would be great for us over Christmas.

Crimson King · 02-12-2014 10:18AM

Loved Smalling a few seasons back, and I am happy that he is looking back to his best. He should have it all, is 6 '4, fast and decent in the air. However like Jones he is far too injury prone and undependable because of this.

I like Godin, and looking at his stats, over the previous 6 seasons he has played in 30+ league matches on 4 occasions. That's impressive and exactly what is needed at the club, some stability and knowing one of your back 3/4 has a chance of playing more than 2 games in a row without going missing for a few weeks. It's one of the reasons I think Hummels might be a no for the club, he would cost more than Godin and the last 2 seasons has missed a lot of football.

NoviGlitzko · 02-12-2014 10:34AM

I agree, and Smalling makes less mistakes than Jones to boot IMO. I really like him as a player and with more games under their belt together Rojo & him could become very solid.

02-12-2014 10:37AM

Smalling doesn't have the composure or ball skills to be a top CB. Fine as 3rd or 4th choice but against a team that presses high he is constantly laboured on the ball and just hoofs it forward. Jones isn't great in this regard either though he can drive forward very well with the ball. Evans and Rojo together for a few games is something I'd be very interested in. Though Evans would have to have time to get upto speed which is something that can't really be afforded right now I guess.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 10:45AM

Liam O wrote: »

Smalling doesn't have the composure or ball skills to be a top CB. Fine as 3rd or 4th choice but against a team that presses high he is constantly laboured on the ball and just hoofs it forward. Jones isn't great in this regard either though he can drive forward very well with the ball. Evans and Rojo together for a few games is something I'd be very interested in. Though Evans would have to have time to get upto speed which is something that can't really be afforded right now I guess.

Vidic was even worse on the ball than Smalling and that never stopped him from becoming the best CB in the world.

Also both Evans and Rojo are not very good at heading the ball but both very good with ball at their feet. So we would have hard time dealing long balls if both starts.

Ideally Smalling Rojo combination ticks all the boxes.

Mitch Connor · 02-12-2014 10:50AM

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Vidic was even worse on the ball than Smalling and that never stopped him from becoming the best CB in the world.

Also both Evans and Rojo are not very good at heading the ball but both very good with ball at their feet. So we would have hard time dealing long balls if both starts.

Ideally Smalling Rojo combination ticks all the boxes.

Problem is they are both attacking defenders - which can mean space is left behind. Jones is the same, as was VIdic. Rio was a great covering defender, and was the reason Vidic could feel confident about attacking the ball further up the pitch - if it went past him Rio would generally be there to take control.

02-12-2014 10:55AM

Giggsy11 wrote: »

Vidic was even worse on the ball than Smalling and that never stopped him from becoming the best CB in the world.

Also both Evans and Rojo are not very good at heading the ball but both very good with ball at their feet. So we would have hard time dealing long balls if both starts.

Ideally Smalling Rojo combination ticks all the boxes.

Vidic was never bad with the ball at his feet. He could control and play a pass very easily in a short amount of time. With Smalling and Jones their first touch cripples them a lot and they don't have either the skill or the stones to play their way out of trouble so it either gets hoofed up or a bad ball back to De Gea. Vidic and Rio would rarely have to go back to the keeper. They did a lot of hoofing but that was bad tactics and midfielders.

I've not noticed a problem with Rojo in the air though he is a bit shorter than you'd want. With Fellaini and Carrick in the team you have the the people to deal with set pieces, that's not counting RVP and Falcao who are both good aerial players so the need for someone who is dominant there, which I wouldn't say Smalling is anyway, is reduced and for a top team having 2 CBs capable of bringing the ball out is much needed.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 10:55AM

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Problem is they are both attacking defenders - which can mean space is left behind. Jones is the same, as was VIdic. Rio was a great covering defender, and was the reason Vidic could feel confident about attacking the ball further up the pitch - if it went past him Rio would generally be there to take control.

I don't see Smalling as attacking defender. He in many ways remind me of Rio except his ability on the ball.

I would say Smalling and Evans are similar, they are covering defenders. Just that Smalling is dominant aerially and has good physical strenght whereas Evans has got ability on the ball.

Rojo and Jones are attacking defenders, they puch higher up to win the ball back.

In FM terms, Smalling and Evans are with role Cover whereas Rojo and Jones are stoppers.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 10:59AM

Liam O wrote: »

Vidic was never bad with the ball at his feet. He could control and play a pass very easily in a short amount of time. With Smalling and Jones their first touch cripples them a lot and they don't have either the skill or the stones to play their way out of trouble so it either gets hoofed up or a bad ball back to De Gea. Vidic and Rio would rarely have to go back to the keeper. They did a lot of hoofing but that was bad tactics and midfielders.

I've not noticed a problem with Rojo in the air though he is a bit shorter than you'd want. With Fellaini and Carrick in the team you have the the people to deal with set pieces, that's not counting RVP and Falcao who are both good aerial players so the need for someone who is dominant there, which I wouldn't say Smalling is anyway, is reduced and for a top team having 2 CBs capable of bringing the ball out is much needed.

I disagree with the first paragrpah. Vidic played lot of back passes to keeper and when under pressure he didn't even play back pass, he just kicked the ball out many times. He had good first touch and when given time he played few nice passes but anyone close to him he just kicked the ball aimlessly or just played the ball out.

Having 2 CBs who are good defenders and good with the ball is awesome but defending is key IMO. So we can compensate with 1 very good ball playing defender and 1 very good CB. Also Smalling deals with physical players lot better whereas Evans just can't get near them.

beno619 · 02-12-2014 10:59AM

Its all about confidence on form Vidic was very comfortable on the ball and his long passing was fantastic, better than Rio's at times, then his last season in out of the side/injured and probably low on confidence it all fell apart.

With a run of games Smalling and Jones have looked excellent on the ball at times. Its about getting them in the side for a prolonged period of time.

02-12-2014 11:09AM

No match thread yet? Somebody get on it! Preferably if you have a 100% record

02-12-2014 11:27AM

Sacramento wrote: »

No match thread yet? Somebody get on it! Preferably if you have a 100% record

I will kick one off so :pac:

Pro. F · 02-12-2014 12:53PM

GSPfan wrote: »

Regarding the recipes:

Is there a thread you can discuss them on are is it totally banned?

I ask cause I actually hate watching matches these days in standard definition never mind on a blurry stream. I'm a HD fanatic.

All that talk is banned on boards. Reddit is a good place to search for content and discussion that isn't allowed on boards, as is the case with streams. But you won't get free reliable HD streams anywhere imo, even if they are advertised as such. Even the paid stuff has reliability issues when in HD in my experience. The paid SD experience is the best imo.

Pro. F · 02-12-2014 01:07PM

I'm impressed with Rojo as well. He seems to have all the physical and mental attributes needed to be top class.

I think all of Rojo, Jones, Smalling and Evans have good skill on the ball - certainly more than Vidic ever had imo. Evans is the only one who I have seen being consistently weak in the air. I haven't noticed Rojo having that problem, like others have said, so I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

I've never understood how people don't rate Smalling and Jones highly. Imo it's only the injuries holding them back, but the injuries are definitely a mark against them. If they can't stay fit then they will have to be let go eventually.

I think Blackett and McNair have looked very impressive as well.

Overall I think we have oodles of quality in our defence and it's just the injuries and, to a lesser extent, the management that have caused the problems at the back. Hopefully some suitable pair of centre-backs can get a run of fitness together and we see what they and the coach can produce when tested.

02-12-2014 01:16PM

Pro. F wrote: »

I'm impressed with Rojo as well. He seems to have all the physical and mental attributes needed to be top class.

I think all of Rojo, Jones, Smalling and Evans have good skill on the ball - certainly more than Vidic ever had imo. Evans is the only one who I have seen being consistently weak in the air. I haven't noticed Rojo having that problem, like others have said, so I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

I've never understood how people don't rate Smalling and Jones highly. Imo it's only the injuries holding them back, but the injuries are definitely a mark against them. If they can't stay fit then they will have to be let go eventually.

I think Blackett and McNair have looked very impressive as well.

Overall I think we have oodles of quality in our defence and it's just the injuries and, to a lesser extent, the management that have caused the problems at the back. Hopefully some suitable pair of centre-backs can get a run of fitness together and we see what they and the coach can produce when tested.

I really like Rojo's attitude. Looks proud to put on the Man Utd jersey.

As for Smalling & Jones I personally have always rated them.
However for some it's an issue with consistency due to multiple cases of injury.
I feel both players never get a fair look because of this.
Basing there performances on one or two games then they get injured again.
Easier to highlight the negative aspect of a player if you only get to see them play in short bursts.

From a technical aspect and in particular Smalling (Reminds me of Rio in his prime) there excellent.

Only negative I can say about Jones is that he needs to learn when he should and should not overcommit in a tackle.

adox · 02-12-2014 01:34PM

The issue I have with Rojo at the moment is, from what I`ve seen of him in a Utd jersey he has some great attributes, hes quick and he is fantastic on the ball and very composed with the ball at his feet under pressure, but the wealest part of his game for me is defending. Hes not comfortable under the high ball at all and also for a strong looking guy can get brushed aside easily. Id also question his positional sense.

He is a very likable player though and does seem to give everything in every game. too early to be making a call on him but the defending would worry me.

Giggsy11 · 02-12-2014 01:43PM

Pro. F wrote: »

I'm impressed with Rojo as well. He seems to have all the physical and mental attributes needed to be top class.

I think all of Rojo, Jones, Smalling and Evans have good skill on the ball - certainly more than Vidic ever had imo. Evans is the only one who I have seen being consistently weak in the air. I haven't noticed Rojo having that problem, like others have said, so I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

He is not as weak, just I don't think he is as strong as Smalling or Vidic (I know no one is). Aerial duel win% stat also won't tell completely story as it won't tell against which player the duel was won.

For me it's Smalling>Jones>Rojo>Evans when it comes to heading the ball.

SpuddMurphy · 02-12-2014 01:56PM

Is the match on tele tonight?

Vic Vinegar · 02-12-2014 01:59PM

SpuddMurphy wrote: »

Is the match on tele tonight?

Not on any Sky channels, alternate means must be sourced, or watch extended highlights at 10pm on Sky Sports red button.

Cantona's Collars · 02-12-2014 02:06PM

3 United games on Setanta/BT this month,get if for €1 for the month here:

http://www.setanta.com/ie/subscribe-flat/index.html

Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - See Mod Warning in OP, 09/11

Comments