The Official Manchester United Thread (Vol 10)

[57Ford]

I think the only thing we can do is pack the midfield and attempt to go with the runners. They are the best in the world at movement and showing for a pass and unless you are prepared to run with them, you’re sunk.
Cavani alone up front with Rashford and Greenwood on the flanks but sitting deeper than normal to track the fullbacks (James can replace either once they’re knackered).
Fred and McT with Bruno in the middle but again sitting deeper than he prefers.
AWB, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw.
Henderson
It’s just about disciplined damage limitation I reckon. Don’t let them draw us out and overcommit and hopefully nick a goal on the odd break. I don’t like being negative but I fear a trouncing if we try to go toe to toe.

[unident]

mike74 said:

Aren't those 3 options actually all your 'normal game'... sitting back, packing the defense and hoping for a fluky goal/pen on the break?

What alternative tactics or game plan has Ollie ever used other than that? I'm no aware of any.

[200Plus Club]

unident said:

We agree on something lol.

[NRS]

unident said:

ORD said:

Six draws and a loss to Sheffield Utd since we went top. Appalling performances, too.

You’re not allowed to say stuff like that. It has to be positive or you’re not a fan. Performances don’t matter, it’s just about winning (even when we can’t buy a win). Of course someone will mention that occasionally we win a game, so therefore everything I’ve said is bks and we’re great.

Is it not the weird usual thing under Ole? You go on a great run for a while with league winning form, then end up on a terrible run of relegation form, then switch back to league winning form, and back again to bad. You don't seem to just normal form under him!

[200Plus Club]

NRS said:

unident said:

ORD said:

Six draws and a loss to Sheffield Utd since we went top. Appalling performances, too.

You’re not allowed to say stuff like that. It has to be positive or you’re not a fan. Performances don’t matter, it’s just about winning (even when we can’t buy a win). Of course someone will mention that occasionally we win a game, so therefore everything I’ve said is bks and we’re great.

Is it not the weird usual thing under Ole? You go on a great run for a while with league winning form, then end up on a terrible run of relegation form, then switch back to league winning form, and back again to bad. You don't seem to just normal form under him!

Pretty much.
The only slight difference is we seem to have started drawing rather than losing games, but pretty much the story of lack of consistency.
Saying that we are absolutely doing nothing different to any other team other than city. There is literally just the one club playing to a consistent high level nd they will be the ones winning the league unless some form of monumental collapse occurs.

Edited by 200Plus Club on Thursday 4th March 19:34

[unident]

NRS said:

Is it not the weird usual thing under Ole? You go on a great run for a while with league winning form, then end up on a terrible run of relegation form, then switch back to league winning form, and back again to bad. You don't seem to just normal form under him!

It’s the debate that’s raged on here for a while and the one where I get a lot of stick. It’s the difference between results and performance. We’ve had a lot of positive results from poor / average performances. We’ve rarely had a poor / average (draw) result from a positive performance. Within that there have been the occasional exceptional performance and result (Leeds / Southampton / PSG at home) and some good performances with good results.

For me, it’s felt like we’ve been riding our luck for a significant number of games (not all, but a significant number) through the first half of the season so far and the second half has been much tougher with teams working us out and not allowing us to play what appears to be our only game plan. Any fan if they’re honest will be able to watch the odd match and say “we dodged a bullet there / not sure how we’ve got 3 points today” or similar and there have been too many of them for me to think we’re hitting a solid team / squad and format.

I bang on about performance not result. I’d prefer to play well and lose and continue to try to play well, as wins will come with playing well, whereas relying on playing poorly / average and nicking it isn’t conducive to a sustainable run of form and trophies as I see it.

[anonymous-user]

NRS said:

Is it not the weird usual thing under Ole? You go on a great run for a while with league winning form, then end up on a terrible run of relegation form, then switch back to league winning form, and back again to bad. You don't seem to just normal form under him!

I think the struggling to make top 4 is about our level at the moment being perfectly frank, you and City were leagues ahead of us last year and not much has changed barring occasional form and injuries

We were an absolute disaster zone when Jose left, we'd stumbled from bad manager to bad manager and fked up our entire transfer strategy along the way leaving us with hugely unhappy players, staff and huge expensive salaries for average players

We have now finally undone most of that work, Ed still seems pretty disaster prone but barring James who I still see some promise in, we haven't made a terrible signing in a while and have made a few excellent ones

The style and swagger is back on occasion but we are hugely reliant on a 23 and 19 year old and an apparent superman midfielder in Bruno

Our next best midfielder is also our worst depending on his mood or haircut and below that we are down again to young players or players who aren't at the level we need to challenge

But we are getting there

We do however have 2 posters who are incredibly negative and argumentative, one is on his 3rd maybe 4th iteration on this forum and will no doubt get himself banned again at somepoint and the other, well god knows really

Overall though I'd take this season over any of the preceding ones post SAF so it's sunshine and lollipops for me (as long as we get CL)

[dickymint]

Tonights bonkers bet...........

[200Plus Club]

dickymint said:

Tonights bonkers bet...........

Close but no cigar. At least they are keeping us chirpy with their own mini titanic disaster :-)
No one saw that coming last season.

[NRS]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes, you've certainly improved on where you were before. Bruno really does seem to have helped you a lot, by doing well and pulling the others along with him. I wonder if in a very simplistic way you have the issue that it's very difficult to win the league with a counter attacking team. It can work great on some days, as you have some quality players, but over a season there is too many teams that are happy to sit back against the top clubs and it makes it impossible to counter attack. It can get top 4, but very rarely beyond that. Same as we had with Rafa for example. It's frustrating as a fan as you see teams and games being there for the taking, but it doesn't happen.

But it will help with our form (both for actually getting CL football, as well as taking the piss out of other fans. Same with Spurs, they have basically stopped posting during their games and seem more interested in making fun of us fans/Klopp. And City have just a few posters so less taking the mick there too. Not sure if there is even an Arsenal or Chelsea fan on here now?

[200Plus Club]

Until fans return and get behind teams I think a lot of fans think it's lost it's way in many ways. No one seems to have passion and fight on the pitch or off.
City probably have a fair chance to break their CL duck if they continue to play. Utd fans probably hoping for a cup miracle to brighten the mood. Other teams have less/zero to play for and the season is over in some ways for many already.

[unident]

200Plus Club said:

Until fans return and get behind teams I think a lot of fans think it's lost it's way in many ways. No one seems to have passion and fight on the pitch or off.
City probably have a fair chance to break their CL duck if they continue to play. Utd fans probably hoping for a cup miracle to brighten the mood. Other teams have less/zero to play for and the season is over in some ways for many already.

I agree with that. This season is nearly over and doesn’t really feel like it’s ever started. I’m really worried about City doing a quadruple this season, with the nightmare scenario of a Scouse City final. PSG had better deliver. We’d better get past the semis in the FA Cup too.

[NRS]

200Plus Club said:

Until fans return and get behind teams I think a lot of fans think it's lost it's way in many ways. No one seems to have passion and fight on the pitch or off.
City probably have a fair chance to break their CL duck if they continue to play. Utd fans probably hoping for a cup miracle to brighten the mood. Other teams have less/zero to play for and the season is over in some ways for many already.

Yes, certainly feels like that for me. We have the same slender hope for a miracle in the CL, but it's not going to happen. Likely even the CL spot is already gone for us too. Players are either not motivated due to the lack of crowds and/or have burnout. It'll be interesting to see how home advantage works out when lockdown ends. Going from a silent kick around by yourselves to a huge crowd cheering you on might give a extra boost beyond normal to home teams early on.

[Mariosbt]

200Plus Club said:

Other teams have less/zero to play for and the season is over in some ways for many already.

But the majority are still playing their socks off to get a result. There is something else wrong, not just Utd. .. LFC are even worse. At least MU are 2nd in the league.

[NRS]

Mariosbt said:

200Plus Club said:

Other teams have less/zero to play for and the season is over in some ways for many already.

But the majority are still playing their socks off to get a result. There is something else wrong, not just Utd. .. LFC are even worse. At least MU are 2nd in the league.

Really? Which teams are playing their socks off?

It either means United is full of quality players, as despite not being motivated they are better than the teams playing their socks off... or other teams are not doing that. I'd tend to say other teams are not playing well when you look at the more unusual names who are towards the top of the table. Spurs are pretty shocking under Jose despite a win tonight. We've just set a club record of losses in a row, no idea where Arsenal even are as they doing so poorly etc.

[mike74]

unident said:

mike74 said:

Aren't those 3 options actually all your 'normal game'... sitting back, packing the defense and hoping for a fluky goal/pen on the break?

What alternative tactics or game plan has Ollie ever used other than that? I'm no aware of any.

Feel free to put me right and educate me on what other tactics and game plans the master technician Olly has deployed this season then...

Edit - Never mind, I've just noticed you've actually entirely agreed with me in your reply to NRS

As you were

Edited by mike74 on Friday 5th March 06:30

[vonuber]

Speaking from the position of someone who's hometown club was shut down last year after 140 odd years, you guys don't really have it that bad being second in the league and all.

[200Plus Club]

mike74 said:

Getting up at 4.55am stuff while avoiding the warders.

Edited by mike74 on Friday 5th March 06:30

[200Plus Club]

vonuber said:

Speaking from the position of someone who's hometown club was shut down last year after 140 odd years, you guys don't really have it that bad being second in the league and all.

Well said Sir. A dose of reality taken twice a day might help on here.

Something stronger for the Scouse fans needed though!

[Frimley111R]

200Plus Club said:

Well said Sir. A dose of reality taken twice a day might help on here.

Something stronger for the Scouse fans needed though!

Yes, Liverpool and Leicester are as poor/patchy as us. Chelsea look like beating all of us and no-one is anywhere City right now.

Our position is good but it's just that we look so poor at the moment. Liverpool lost yesterday but at least looked like they were trying to score a goal, there was some hope. We just don't seem to have anything in front of goal at the moment despite some amazing players.