English Football Thread 2013/14

[MasterBlaster76]

I didn't watch the whole match, but from whatever little I did, I think they deserved to win. They were all over the Fulham defence, which was lucky they held on for so long.
I guess it's karma that they lost 2 points due to extra-time, that too in the last minute.

True enough, but Fulham also could've won the game - Richardson in particular had a great chance. In fact if that pass had been played to the right instead of the left, then Fulham would've scored.

As the guys are saying now, Utd's play has become one dimensional. You can't say that's mostly down to the players - Moyes' influence must be taken into account. It's been said before and it'll be said again - why did Moyes come in and sweep the entire backroom staff away - a team that had been behind the most successful club in English history? It doesn't make any sense and it's coming back to bite Moyes now - Moyes and the rest of the club. And as I've said before, I doubt whether Moyes ever had the dressing room because for me he hasn't got it now. If a manager hasn't got the dressing room, how much more time do you give him?

Then again, when you start sacking the manager mid season, that's when a dangerous slide can start.

 

[P Squared]

I've tried supporting the manager for 6 months now, but there has to be a tipping point. We're 9 points off 4th ffs, this is just unacceptable.

Moyes out.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I've tried supporting the manager for 6 months now, but there has to be a tipping point. We're 9 points off 4th ffs, this is just unacceptable.

Moyes out.

I'm beginning to take on that way of thinking as well - I don't know.

Apart from anything else, who do we replace him with - a caretaker manager?

 

[El Loco]

Just a reminder that Utd used to play like this:

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Just a reminder that Utd used to play like this:

Yeah... seems like a thousand years ago.

 

[KBC]

81 crosses. Imagine if fellaini was amongst them.

retiring the hairdryer was a bad idea. Still up for moyes, seems like his karma is working overtime.

 

[Lee1981]

Cannot see the point in sacking him

Who you gonna bring in?

And whoever it is will have the same team to work with, and take out the main attacking 3 Rooney, Mata, Van Persie.

The rest of the team really is awful, in my 25 years of watching the game this is by far the worst squad I've ever seen.

Can Moyes be blamed for this? The answer to this is of course NO

There has been a drastic decline in quality coming through the academy, where are all the next big things?

Utd used to always produce someone, of course they will come back and be strong again they are utd after all, however look at Chelsea now, Mourinho is slowly building a young team in his mould and at the minute it looks very promising.

Plus with city able to buy who they want I cannot see Utd getting close to city or Chelsea for a long time now.

So for me stick with Moyes, Sir Alex is the one who allowed this squad to get to this point, where was the plan for after he left? It's like he dragged every bit he could out of a poor team and when he realised he couldn't do anymore with them he called time.

Now it's Moyes problem

 

[shravi]

To those who are wondering how the same team that won the title last season can look so disastrous this season...

This is a rapidly ageing squad. The decline in quality after a certain age becomes very noticeable very fast. More importantly, if nothing else, it speaks to how good a manager Sir Alex was to get so much out of such a limited team. For that reason, I don't think United's performance should be an indictment on Moyes, but an acknowledgement of Sir Alex's brilliance. It is just unfair to expect Moyes to emulate Sir Alex, especially within one season with a team that isn't even his. At the same time, it also highlights Lee's point about how much of this is Sir Alex's fault in that it is now clear that he just wanted to get off a sinking ship with his pride and reputation intact (it would have been anyways, but at the very least, he wanted to retire on top).

 

[P Squared]

Just a reminder that Utd used to play like this:

Oh how far Tom Cleverley has come, from exhilarating one touch football to not being able to pass the bloody ball properly.

Although that is probably a problem with the whole team atm.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Cannot see the point in sacking him

Who you gonna bring in?

And whoever it is will have the same team to work with, and take out the main attacking 3 Rooney, Mata, Van Persie.

The rest of the team really is awful, in my 25 years of watching the game this is by far the worst squad I've ever seen.

Can Moyes be blamed for this? The answer to this is of course NO

There has been a drastic decline in quality coming through the academy, where are all the next big things?

Utd used to always produce someone, of course they will come back and be strong again they are utd after all, however look at Chelsea now, Mourinho is slowly building a young team in his mould and at the minute it looks very promising.

Plus with city able to buy who they want I cannot see Utd getting close to city or Chelsea for a long time now.

So for me stick with Moyes, Sir Alex is the one who allowed this squad to get to this point, where was the plan for after he left? It's like he dragged every bit he could out of a poor team and when he realised he couldn't do anymore with them he called time.

Now it's Moyes problem

The more I think about it, the more I reckon you might have a point regarding Sir Alex. Funny - the way he was telling everyone to back the new manager, it was as though he knew it would implode so spectacularly.

Moyes cannot be blamed for that, but Moyes can most certainly be blamed for gutting the entire backroom staff at the club. I don't understand how he thought bringing in Everton's backroom people would be a better move than sticking with a backroom team that has been successful for God knows how long.

Do you reckon Moyes 'has the dressing room', Lee?

Oh how far Tom Cleverley has come, from exhilarating one touch football to not being able to pass the bloody ball properly.

Although that is probably a problem with the whole team atm.

To be fair, I think Tom Cleverley is another victim of picking up a bad injury and then never getting anywhere close to how they could play before.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

as I've moaned a few times before Man city winning the 2012/13 league was the start of this. I dunno if man city fans have thought about it so much but that last minute goal has long term caused immeasurable damage to Man U.

man u were due a rebuild in the summer of 2012/13, when instead they got a quick fix.

I think you have to blame both parties moderately. Fergie was selfish in going for a last hurrah for himself rather than securing the longterm future of the club, but then, it's not his job to secure the longterm future of the club perhaps when the RvP move was made someone should have evaluated it's long term worth (then again Woodward went at the same time). it's also kinda how out of character how little Ferguson cared about holding on to Pogba, has he ever ignored a difficult young maverick player before?

so yeah, fergie gets some blame. Moyes though has come in and failed to recognise the work needed, hoping that these guys will pretty much manage themselves. He got 37m for Mata and he's stuck him on the left wing and resorts to getting players to hoof it into the box all game. it shows lack of imagination, ambition and belief. I think he needs to be given until summer, but it's going to be hard now, because when he orders the fire sale of 6-7 players, which is what he needs to do, he's going to be relying on the faith of fans which he's done nothing so far to earm

 

[KBC]

To be fair, I think Tom Cleverley is another victim of picking up a bad injury and then never getting anywhere close to how they could play before.

Blaming his bad form on his injury is a bit far-fetched imo. Look at Darren Fletcher. He's possibly come off one of the worst things that can happen to a footballer.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

as I've moaned a few times before Man city winning the 2012/13 league was the start of this. I dunno if man city fans have thought about it so much but that last minute goal has long term caused immeasurable damage to Man U.

Nah mate, we did that all by ourselves? We were eight points clear at one point close to the end of the season remember; we were 4-2 ahead of Everton - all we needed to do was sit on that lead.

Still no point reopening those wounds again eh?

About Moyes, the worrying thing for me is how the team are playing now - we're one dimensional! Only one guy can answer for that, and it's Moyes. We're a midtable team playing midtable football.

Perhaps Moyes has to be given until the end of the season, but if we don't make the top four, and I believe now that we won't, he has to go. It'll be hard for the club to admit that they made a mistake but that will be the way forwards.

 

[Champagnepapi]

League Table | Barclays Premier League current & previous standings
League Table | Barclays Premier League current & previous standings

Welcome to the cruel world United.

 

[Lee1981]

Do you reckon Moyes 'has the dressing room', Lee?

In a nutshell.

No

But I don't think he has a squad who will knuckle down with him and pull together.

There is to many players who are no doubt going to be leaving or retiring the end of this season who are just going through the motions

Evra
Ferdinand
Vidic
Giggs


Your best 2 players have a disruptive and volatile past

Rooney
Van Persie

Then you have these who I don't see as players who will battle to the end for the shirt

Rafael
Young
Nani
Cleverly
Mata
Welbeck
Januzaj

This leaves this handful who I think are the type of players who will give it there all and back the manager

Hernandez
Jones
Smalling
Fletcher
Valencia
De Gea

Doesn't leave you with much of a squad to work together, and take away the big 3, Mata, Rooney, Van Persie, what's more worrying is the lack of quality beyond them