10 May 2015 08:38:32
I believe that is fourth spot completely settled now after our win at Palace. Another horror showing in terms of performance and I couldn't even put my finger on what formation we were playing or who was supposed to be where on the pitch. One thing of concern is Luke Shaw not completing the game once again and I have read reports linking us with the Monaco left back this morning (decent journalist). In saying that we have now met our minimum objective for the year (maybe fortuitously so) and can now focus on what is to come in 2016.
I think we all can agree that next season we should be much closer to the title battle, a handy run in the CL and much better performances is the least we should expect. With new signings, an entire pre-season and LVG having had a year to instil his 'philosophy' we should be a level above this season entirely. I am hoping we continue the possession game but some bite is added to our bark up top.
On the whole I think we have a pretty good squad and with some additions we should go well. I hope we can all agree that this time next season (if things don't go to plan) we are not playing the 'this player and that player needs a year to settle in card' as an excuse. Top players slot into top teams like a glove on a hand and I am excited to see what the summer holds. This season has been far from spectacular so let's hope 2015/16 is a special year.
P.S Memphis Depay will be killer!
10 May 2015 08:52:23
Maybe a little harsh on shaw not completing another game as the reason for him going off was concussion
10 May 2015 09:09:51
I have to disagree on Shaw discountdave, he was hardly touched to be honest. I thought he made a meal of it.
10 May 2015 09:42:50
Herbie
So you're implying that shaw wanted to be subbed, after having just come back from injury.
10 May 2015 09:47:00
Its difficult with a whack to the face, if it catches right then you can be screwed. The thing is if you were told to guess which 3 players would go off injured Shaw & Smalling both would have been there, if Rooney hadn't gone off I have no doubt Jones would have catapulted himself into a hospital challenge and would have been the alternative 3rd player going off.
I think 4th is secured now, but the brief was 3rd not 4th. 4th is not CL football, I wish people would stop saying that it is, because a lot better teams than us have fallen foul of the playoff.
LVG has failed this season, we can gloss over it as much as we like. You could have put £150mil into any top 10 side and they would have been competing for 4th and played a lot better than we have.
DDG has been the difference this season which has been said a lot I appreciate.
{Ed025's Note - liverpool spent nearly as much beast, 7th last term and 4th this is improvement in my book mate..
10 May 2015 10:07:20
imightbesomeone
No I'm not implying Shaw wanted to be subbed, I'm implying he was a little wimpy.
10 May 2015 10:07:28
I said it yesterday 025, there's a few too many people who think football is simple, especially at the level we're playing at.
Just bunch a group of names together and we should be the best team in the world, easy as that.
{Ed025's Note - if only mate..
10 May 2015 10:07:52
Ed25 - Yes ultimately it is an improvement, I can't argue with that. Liverpool did lose the best player in the league last season and have had their Rooney equivalent missing virtually all season. I am not making excuses for Liverpool, but they struggled with Europe just like Everton and Spurs have.
Next season will be very interesting because I believe our rivals will all be better (maybe not City), and we will be juggling Europe, integrating new players and hopefully playing with a bit more ambition.
I am looking forward to next season but I expected a lot better this season.
{Ed025's Note - united will be better as well beast thats what its all about mate, Mpez hit the nail on the head when he said some people think its easy..well its not..
10 May 2015 10:07:54
Was the brief not top 4? or isifhe brief was champions league football, then he still has the qualifying games to go?
Would like to know where you got LVG's briefs from anyway Beast :-)
{Ed025's Note - i like that angel.. :)
10 May 2015 10:22:44
It's not hard to sniff them out Angel, because they were caked up until Fellaini scored!
At the start of the season it was all about 3rd place from the club. LVG acknowledged this himself and then stated he isn't interested in 3rd place his aim is to always be champions and he see's no reason why this current team shouldn't be.
So as he set his goal to win the league and failed, the board said 3rd and he failed. We are now in 4th which is a step in the right direction but hardly assured CL football next season it can hardly be deemed a successful season.
No Europe, massive spend etc etc etc it should have been a bit better this season. Anyway I'm not going to whine too much as it was looking worse a couple of months ago and we are very difficult to break down now, so at least he has stabilised us with a very ropey defence, better defenders and we can hopefully focus a bit more on breaking down opponents next season.
{Ed025's Note - "im not going to whine too much"..why break the habit of a lifetime mate?.. :)
10 May 2015 10:25:24
I think we should review what LVG has achieved when we know our final position even though it seems it will be fourth as things stand. LVG has not "failed" as you put it, that is very jaundiced thinking but when the season is over we can look at it as a whole.
I agree with the Ed, if we finish 4th it is an improvement, quite a big improvement given where we were when LVG arrived. I really don't think people like yourself realise the utter mess the previous incumbent left including the fact SAF had also failed to strengthen properly in his last years. LVG has had to deal with the lack of plan the club has had in recent years, I don't believe we had a true direction when Moyes was appointed, just more of the same. It was muddied planning and LVG is trying to turn that around.
I think the club will have to look at LVG's plans and be comfortable they are in line with the clubs, are they happy with the style? We saw with the Spurs, Liverpool, City and Chelsea games that there is some quality football in LVG teams and in a couple of weeks we will be better able to judge the season and so will the club
{Ed025's Note - its hard to argue with that red man..
10 May 2015 10:27:31
ed 025
iverpool also lost a player worth his weight in cash
{Ed025's Note - players will always come and go jred, did utd fall to pieces when cantona left?..no..suarez is a great player but liverpool got a lot of dosh for him and failed to invest it wisely, instead of buying a world class replacement they bought players like lambert, lallana, markovic, and balotelli, so for me they got what they deserve mate..nothing. :)
10 May 2015 10:32:34
Ha ha beast Daniel strurridge as a Rooney equivalent comment, your opinions are usually based on more realistic logic than that. Not sure sturridge is fit for that comparison
{Ed025's Note - fit and sturridge should not be used in the same sentence..
10 May 2015 10:37:22
herbie medical staff have been grilled by the medical world this season for not taking concussions seriously after loris played on so now they're taking extra precautions. I doubt shaw wanted to come off, no footballer ever wants to come off, especially a 19 year old lad.
10 May 2015 10:38:25
Its only been this season Ed.
The hysteria over LVG has been ridiculous. The failure for people to identify obvious deficiencies until they become common knowledge is farcical.
It sickens me how low our expectations have become and what we class as success and failure and how the line dividing that is ridiculously small. I just want our supporters to call a spade a spade.
I appreciate there are a lot more unfortunate teams out there and we have no divine right to expect to keep on winning. But with the resources and pedigree we have this season has been embarrassing, our global fan base (most of which is very fickle) will be diminishing by the day as our entertainment value has all but deteriorated, we need to stop the rot before buying ourselves out of problems is no longer a viable option. Without the global interest in what we do the money will dry up.
This website is full of optimists and people who are prepared to justify what we have seen in one way or another, I understand this is a supporters website and therefore people being critical is not what most people come on here to read. I just like to throw a different and dare I say more realistic assessment on matters. I may be negative, but it is justified when you weigh up what we have compared to other teams.
Next season I hope to be positive but that will only be if we change our outlook as a team and we perform how we should.
{Ed025's Note - im glad to hear it beast, as a supporter of a major team of under achievers myself all i can say is..you have been spoilt mate..
10 May 2015 10:48:05
Red Man - Just because there has been a change in plan, it doesn't mean its a good change.
I appreciate there needed to be a change because time has moved on. The problem on a simple level is we hired an old manager who had his ideas studied by most current managers who are younger, more flexible and fundamentality more engaged in my view. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
He has many attributes we needed in a manager, but the wriggle room he has been given due to our desperation has been saddening. Without CL football or decent cup runs last season I am sure Moyes would have done equally as well league wise, and he was widely acknowledged to be out of his depth (which I agree with).
Again we will never know, but at the start of the season 99% of fans would have expected better performances, a slightly better league position and to be a lot further along with the "Philosophy", do we look much better than game 1 of the season?
Watch the first few games of the season and the last few games and it would be hard to know which is which.
10 May 2015 10:58:35
Beast
My thoughts were put on here previously. I wanted Klopp not LVG but the real question is why did Woodward go for LVG? LVG does what it says on the tin, plays possession football in the style he is trying to introduce. It isn't or hasn't been the United way but Woodward MUST have known that when appointing him and one hopes Woodward has a plan as to who will replace LVG as it will be no good to carry on another year to then bring a Klopp in to change things all over again.
We needed stability after a mess of our own creating, LVG has done that but we should be looking and asking how the club will go forward after him. Remember Barcelona have a style that is constant but is that what Woodward and the owners vision is?
10 May 2015 11:29:36
Beast may be u should watch the games in the middle as well, then i suppose u will know the progress made.
Red Man I hope u r right that Woody hopefully has a plan, i hope we go for klopp or pep when LVG's tenure ends.
10 May 2015 11:47:19
Red Man - I think we give a bit too much credit to Woodward and Co. They acted out of desperation briuning in LVG, they needed a manager with experience and presence to stop the rot, I genuinely don't think Woodward knows half as much about football as us lot. He will have seen his CV, been impressed with his stature and seen a distinct lack of other alternatives and taken the plunge.
Coomon_Sense Moyes - Games in the middle? Do you mean the 3-4 games a month ago? We have played the exact same way all season aside from an up-tempo run of games from Spurs to City, despite the media harping on about a better 2nd half to the season it is a myth, they say something and it sticks, we were awful Jan, Feb, March. Our backs were against the wall and I got the impression that the shackles came off in April, since 4th was all but assured the safety harness has been put back on and we are back to trying not to lose rather than trying to win.
10 May 2015 12:06:24
klopp looks munich bound and pep city.
i wouldn't bank on either of them.
i wouldn't bank on woodward having the right plan either .
since he took over from gill his record with managers isn't great imo
10 May 2015 12:55:34
Jred
You also have Ancelloti potentially available. Musical chairs as they say. I think if Pellegrini goes he might end up at AC Milan.
I don't think Klop is going to Bayern, he will upset the entire hierarchy there LOL. Liverpool is my guess.
I can see Ancelloti at Bayern, Klop at Liverpool and Pep at City. That leaves Real madrid without a major name managing them. Maybe they will talk Fergie into coming out of retirement lol or Benitez :)
10 May 2015 14:26:39
gcu
Beckenbauer is talking about klopp as the next manager.
could ancelloti end up back at AC
10 May 2015 15:16:40
Jred
Did not know that and very interesting. So first they took every player they wanted and now the Manager and who knows maybe Gundogan too. Only in Germany i guess
11 May 2015 10:40:29
They should rename the club from "Bayern Munich FC" to "German National Team FC" ;)