I think Rooney is off. I think we will wait until after the Chelsea game and it will depend on who we can bring in first.
If we sign who Moyes wants then Rooney will be sold IMO. Signings would appease the fans and he will want to get his first home league game out of the way first.
Rooney's body language was awful yesterday and his team mates didn't seem to want to bother with him either. If we can make a couple of signings then he can go for me
Season starts today boys and girls.
I reckon it's going to start with a bang. Probably a 1-1 draw. Hopeful of winning but far from confident.
Moyes does what he has to do with the players he has. At PNE and Everton he overachieved by getting average players to play above their own level. He had to do this by getting them all to fight and scrap. If he'd got them playing open football then they wouldn't have got the results.
He is now in charge of the English Champions, who are not only known for attacking football, but have a series of genuine quality strikers. He will play to their strengths. He isn't suddently going to change them into 'dogs of war'. I don't really think anyone would be stupid enough to believe that.
United fans also do a very good job of talking themselves down. The "if we get a couple of midfielders, we will be right up there again" is a classic example of this. It's almost as if an excuse has been ready-made in the event of a City/Chelsea title triumph, so credit can be taken away from the winners and United's failure to strenghten will be the sole reason for their success. It's one of the collective United traits that makes them so unpopular.
The reality of the situation is that United won the title by eleven points last year, they did so because they have the best side and nobody really knows whether City's or Chelsea's squads have improved that massively until we see them play. The bookies are confident that United "will be right up there" now, and unless they have the inside knowledge to know that "a couple of good midfielders" are coming in, then that's based upon the current squad.
May the best team win, and I reckon three teams have an equal chance, but, please, United fans, quit getting your excuses in early every year, just in case. It's getting tiresome now, because 67% of the time, the team you write off comes good in the end.
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Kyle Walker has been excellent for the first half hour (As Johnson was yesterday for the full 90), England are pretty strong there at the moment. Jedinak looks a good player too for Palace
Dave, its not rocket science. The bookies have us as third favourites. City had a mediocre season last year, but now have a better manager who was excellent at an unfashionable club in Malaga and have spent £90m on players. Towards the end of last season, Chelsea shown some real good form, have made further signings and have world class players such as Mata, Hazard, Oscar and the return of Lukaku who is a beast. On top of that, they have a brilliant manager known for winning trophies. We have a new manager after 27 years of the most successful manager in British football history. There is bound to be a transition period.
Utd fans "getting excuses in early" is nonsensical. All some are doing is agreeing with the bookies. No one is suggesting we will finish out of the top 3 and if we do sign two quality midfielders, then yes I fancy us to have a real chance of winning it again.
However the fact remains that we haven't signed a midfielder since 2007 and against the real big boys, our lack of strength there shows. We have had some brilliant teams since 93 so which Utd fans have derided those teams? This curerent team is one of the worst ones of this era irrespective of trophies won.
Anyway onto current matters. Early observations of Moyes have been pleasing. I cannot believe the analysis he is getting over everything he does. There were some Utd "fans" criticising him for appearing as a pundit on Wednesday night, for cancelling a press conference on Friday and for wearing a tracksuit yesterday. I really do despair at times. Pleasingly however he has been quoted as saying we need the midfield strengthening and has played Welbeck in his natural position all pre-season and yesterday. None of the being shoved out on the wing idea so loved by Fergie.
We have a real roller coaster of a season ahead and the real test will come when we play Chelsea next week but those fans who think we are suddenly going to fall apart post Fergie are in for a real shock. We still have some excellent players and in RVP, we have IMO the best striker in the league. If Welbeck plays up front all season with him, I can see RVP getting 40 goals. Seriously.
I don't think anybody expects u to fall apart. As I said 2 months ago I think my nan could manage Utd and finish no worse than third. I think the big tests will be in Europe and in the big games against the big sides. Fergie was a master at getting an extra 10% from decent players, making them good ones, if Moyes can do that u will be just fine, I am not so sure he will do.
Europe will be interesting as it took Fergie a few years to get his tactics right in the beginning, with no Champs League experience if u get a reasonably tough group I wouldn't be surprised if u got knocked out this year
Before yesterday, City and Chelsea were 9-4. United were 5-2. That is the minutest of differences, and you will be favourites if we fail to win tomorrow, or at least at shorter odds than us.
There is not bound to be a transitional period at all. There may be, but it could run very smoothly indeed. You don't "need" two new midfielders to be "up there" at all.
You are good enough to win it as things stand. There's nothing between the three of us. But United fans, seeing that they won't have it all their own way, are getting nervous and talking themselves down, as they do in such situations, to heap the pressure on the others and give themselves a ready-made excuse should they fail.
And after all this business about United in a transtional period, it seems to have escaped the masses, that whilst United have the same team as last year, City and Chelsea have new players that have to bed in. The same two teams that also have new managers on board. Quite why United seem to think then that they have the monopoly on transitions at the top, I'm not so sure, because the other two challengers are having even bigger transitions.
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Are you serious? Are you honestly trying to say that City and Chelsea have it tougher? Both have better managers than last season and stronger squads. We have lost the best manager in British football history and replaced him with someone who has no CL experience and had never won a trophy. You keeping a straight face typing that??
Its nothing to do with not having it our own way. Bar the odd season where we won it at a canter, we have had a close fight all the way, very often going to the last game of the season. We have seen off very very good Chelsea and Arsenal teams, better than the current City and Chelsea teams. I like reading your football posts as you invariably talk sense however I think you have lost the plot on this occasion chief
Quite how you can compare the loss of a brilliant manager to the acquisition of two better managers at City and Chelsea, I have no idea!
Happy with Tottenham. Largely as I expected, not particularly impressive but managed to nick a win. If we do that for the first few weeks, I'll be happy. Love to put Bale and Sandro in that side as we'd be a scary prospect with how powerful we look.
New signings were impressive though. Paulinho looked outstanding and was rightly MOM. Chadli looked good second half when he'd settled down. Capoue excellent for half hour and Soldado just looks a player.
On another note, it can't be avoided that the Spurs players that give the ball away time and again are always the English lads. Walker, Lennon, Rose and Dawson absolutely shocking with the ball at times. Our inability to just hold it for periods could have cost us the 3 points.
I think you're both right to an extent.
United supporters love to play themselves down. I think much of it is in that 'siege mentality' that Fergie built up with everyone associated with the club.
However, the other side is that United haven't strengthened and right now City and Chelsea are correctly more fancied IMO so I can understand United folk pointing that out.
Also, being reported in Croatia that we've all but signed this Halilovic after his father finally agreed to him leaving Croatia. I truly hope so. This boy looks seriously special.
I think Crystal Palace can book hotels for Championship away games next season now!
Learned comment from The Don
Lot of people on here crying it in already and clutching at straws.
United will walk it if RVP stays fit and the rest will be fighting for runner up.
Believe me or not give me a shout in may.
Liverpool look better after one game ill judge them in February, Coutinho is a class act.
Tottenham have the capability and the manager and I wish them well as they are exciting to watch.
City are top 3 at best with a good manager that will need to be up for more than six games a year and i believe arsenal are finished.
Chelsea is the one and only threat in my opinion with the special one at the helm
United have not panic bought and scholes and saf apart we have the same squad that walked it last year.
Good luck
Last edited by peter soutos tash; 18th August 2013 at 19:34. Reason: Swore sorry
"you dont need to win trophies to be successful..........."
Sir Rafael Benitez
What I'm saying is that you are crying about the transition period, yet your squad is the same (plus Zaha) and you are going to carry on playing in the same manner. City and Chelsea also have new managers. We will also be adopting a new system and have a number of new players. To say yours is a bigger transition than ours is a nonsense.
THIS YEAR LENDING SUPPORT TO:- St. Helens RLFC, Manchester City, Celtic, Alemannia Aachen, Steps 1 to 6 Non-League Football
THIS YEAR LENDING SUPPORT TO:- St. Helens RLFC, Manchester City, Celtic, Alemannia Aachen, Steps 1 to 6 Non-League Football
Fellaini £16m. Discuss.
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