23 Mar 2015 17:09:00
It surprises me how some guys on here are calling out the critical fans so soon and then ignore our praise. Everyone has praised the performances and results, we have said he may have finally got it right and this is what we have wanted to see since he took over.
But let's put it all into perspective. We have played very well against two teams below us in the league. The very fact that we are all over the moon about beating Spurs and the **** tells you how bad it has been this season.
It's always nice to beat them of course but yesterday was a lot more important for a reason (it has been ages since it felt that good to win a game), you are so quick to dismiss the shambles that has gone before these two games. Second half yesterday was a lot more nervy than it needed to be as well considering how well we played first half and Mr. Stampy. I've been banging on about our expectations being lower than they should be all season. It's like we have been starved for 7 months then the same person starving us has given us a meal, so you want to forgive everything! Do you remember getting beat by a poor Arsenal in the cup a couple of weeks ago, at home?
Great we seem to have found confidence and we beat two rivals for Top 4 (TOP 4 people, not Title), but I think those of you asking for blood and expecting us to say "yes we are dumb fools for ever doubting LVG" need to clam down and remember the season as a whole not just a couple of weeks.
Personally I have endured 7 months of crap under LVG, 2 weeks of joy doesn't make up for it and you certainly shouldn't be expecting me and other critics to eat their words!
We aren't criticising this, we are criticising what has gone before and it was totally justified!
Lets all enjoy this form, we all wanted it, but we shouldn't discount the past because we feel good today.
23 Mar 2015 17:47:05
bit blinking rich mate from a guy that was calling for change after 12 weeks. U can hardly call out people for over reacting to a few good performances.
Can't we all just get along for a bit?
lets enjoy this moment for a bit before tearing strips off each other.
It's obvious for some reason u will not change your opinion beast so there is little point trying but u can't keep a hold of previous if u want to move forward.
23 Mar 2015 18:23:13
I think that is a fair point Beast. I have voiced my opinion more than once that I think the doom mongers have been a little over the top, and I still think that. I also think that two much better performances don't eradicate the poor performanced that preceded them.
Like I have said before, opinions vary. But for United to return to being the well oiled machine that we all want, then ALL the components need to work properly together. I emphasis AlL, rather than just one (is the manager).
Two good wins does not make LvG a genius. But I still maintain the rest of the season was not solely down to the manager.
There have also been posts on here today saying that we are looking netter since the manager caved into the fans' demands, or words to that effect.
Perhaps we could look at it from a different point of view and say that the players are finally getting to grips with LvG's ideas and are now doing as he has asked. I have struggled to understand Herrera's regular omission from the team. But Mata, RvP, Do Maria, Falcao, Smalling, Jones etc etc have all had plenty of chances this season and performed below par.
I believe you yourself, Beast, has hailed Mata a waste of space this season?
How opinions change after a couple of good wins!
I feel that the truth is, it is a mixture of all our opinions. There is no quick, and easy fix when trying to rebuild a team, despite all the people on here who appear to have all the answers.
There is no doubting that a lot of performances have been sub standard. But perception is a very strange thing. You said above about the 7 months of crap, yet we sit 2 points behind second place. You perceive that as crap. I see that as fairly decent, but could have been better.
All the talk about this manager would have done better, and that manager would be challenging for the league is purely hypothetical. We will never know the answer.
What we do know is that LvG is the manager, and he should be allowed the time and resources to try and implement his plans and ideas. And that, in my view, should be the case for any manager.
23 Mar 2015 18:55:52
Personally I think the criticism has been OTT but can't help thinking LVG has stumbled on these performances due to a lack of left backs being fit against Spurs.
Blind has been the reason for our slow predictable play (sideways & backwards passing to the fore)and being used out of necessity at LB allowed Carrick to be played as the central playmaker and set the tempo.
It's obvious LVG has a "Blind" spot for the Dutch players and couldn't see the harm Blind was causing when being played central.
23 Mar 2015 19:20:15
I was sceptical when we signed Blind. I don't think he is a world class player by any means, but I have been pleasantly surprised by him to be honest.
I personally feel he gets a lot of unfair criticism on here. He may not be the quickest, but he is a good passer and an intelligent player. Is some ways similar qualities to Carrick, who also has historically got a lot of stick. Suddenly, after 2 good wins and Carrick is the heartbeat of the team and the player we have !missed the most.
Football fans have very short memories, and are very good at contradicting themselves. ( I don't discount myself from that either!)
Pace is an important part of modern football, but it is not the only quality required. What players like Carrick lack in speed of feet they make up for in speed of mind.
Blind may not quite be at the level of Carrick, but in my view, he has been an very good addition to the squad. Sure he's had bad games, but he is one of the "steady" players that does the simple things well and does not get the credit he deserves.
23 Mar 2015 19:24:34
Chris - I want us all to be happy and united at the minute, there is no reason for negativity. It is far too soon to say I told you so for anybody on any side of the LVG fence on account of the past 2 games. I was quick to call for LVG's head and up until Spurs my side of the fence was filling up rapidly. I am fully prepared to change my opinion of LVG, I want to do so and have said so numerous times - most people that were leaning to my view will want to leave it quicker than they arrived, as we all want Utd to play well.
The past 2 games have given me optimism and whether its luck, confidence, pressure, astute management or whatever if we keep playing with urgency and an attacking mind frame I will happily say I was wrong. That is all I want and expect, not to win every game, but to play like we want to win.
Betty - Yes I have slated Mata as well, he has been brilliant the past 2 games. Again if he continues in this manner then I will be happy to be wrong about him, I really like him as a guy and a technical player but felt and feel he is too slow for a fast paced team which is what I want (he has looked dynamite recently though).
I won't bother listing all the things I have gotten right over the course of the season and I haven't even gotten the LVG thing wrong yet!
There isn't really a debate at the minute because we have done well, but when we do so consistently and start winning things I will take the "I told you so" happily, it's too soon to crow though guys.
23 Mar 2015 19:42:31
But that's the problem I have mate, u are telling people to calm down because its too soon for 'crowing' but at the same time don't u think it was to soon to be calling for a managers head after 12 or so weeks?
23 Mar 2015 21:47:42
3 months is time to gage for me. 6 months there was zero change. He was saying one thing and doing another, he was not learning from mistakes and we were continuously bamboozled by his decision making. Looking at his history and what we were doing led me to believe he was somebody we needed to replace if we didn't want to waste more time and money.
Maybe that was short-sighted, maybe not. But two good results is hardly the same as virtually a whole season of craziness and underachievement.
The league was for the taking this season, we missed a golden opportunity.
23 Mar 2015 22:03:47
I think a lot of people failed to realise the bosses approach and what needed to be done. After the Leicester farce we needed to learn to defend as a team. How many times since have we conceded two or me?
Since the start of the year we've been working on passing, pressing and the attacking side. The philosophy is sinking in, the players are buying it. 433 is coming in. Progress is being made.
And I agree with Chris, its a joke to say sack him after 12 weeks when you never gave him a chance but once it looks like clicking your telling people to calm down. Sure two games may be a bit premature, but the positive party has had to sit through months of rubbish.
24 Mar 2015 10:16:48
LVG does have some bad attributes but the work he has done on the whole has been fantastic for the club, he is the one that came in and instantly started to clear out the deadwood and will continue to do so. At the end of the 3 year contract the team will be so much stronger than the team he inherited. You obviously seem to think that he should have got everything 100% right straight away at a new club in a new league?! Anybody that has called for him to lose his job based on the teams performance after less than a season really doesn't know anything about football.
24 Mar 2015 11:00:24
Tot66 - No really worth responding to blind faith fans like yourself, but you do realise Moyes was sacked less than a season in charge by the same board that have appointed LVG? The board that don't know anything about football by your definition?!
Most clubs have sacked a manager in less than a season, what I was asking for was not revolutionary! It was totally logical based on performance, who's to say Moyes wouldn't be winning the league this season with patience!
24 Mar 2015 11:54:32
Would u agree though beast with his main point about the team being much better talent wise than when he came?
24 Mar 2015 14:01:01
When he leaves that is. Sorry at work.