19 Mar 2017 14:30:55
Much much needed win today! Well done boys! Keep it up.
19 Mar 2017 15:35:45
3 goals, 3 points happy days.
19 Mar 2017 15:59:02
Phew,
I'm over the moon with the result but the performance in the last 20 minutes was unbelievable. My eyes could scarcely believe what I was seeing. Six at the back with two holding midfielders, I don't know where Martial was playing when he came on and poor Rashford up front on his own. He became so detached from the rest of the team he might as well have been playing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean! Four centre halfs playing within the width of the 18 yard box with two full backs either side it was just bizarre. Up until that point it had been a relative stroll in the park and we'd looked decent on the break playing with pace and purpose. By no means vintage Utd but efficient and professional.
Now I understand that Jose attempted to react to their substitutions but this is a side that hasn't scored a goal in over 8 hours of football before today. In my opinion the substitutions had the opposite effect and just invited them to pump long balls and crosses into our box unopposed. It effectively became defence v's attack for the remaining 20 mins. In my opinion you push forward and try to stop the balls into the box thus eliminating the ammunition, letting them do it and trying to defend just caused confusion, panic and we lost all our goal threat as well.
I think most Utd fans are a relatively loyal and knowledgable bunch and would gladly sacrifice style over substance if it meant getting results and had us challenging for trophies. Unfortunately we're a million miles off challenging for the title and goal difference may play a significant factor on our chances of securing a top 4 finish. We invited pressure today and I didn't enjoy anything about the last 20 minutes.
I've been with Jose from day 1 and I'm hoping that was just a result of a congested fixture list, a needs must so to speak to drag us through a difficult period.
From what I can gather most Utd fans remain supportive of Jose, the brand of football has been better and more enjoyable even if results have remained modest and inconsistent. If Boro had managed an equaliser which in my opinion would have been all of our own making then I'm sure the knives would have be out in some quarters.
I remain positive and we've still got loads to look forward to but I want to see us finishing the season bravely and not defending for our lives and handing the initiative to the opposition every time we go a goal up.
Come on boys, final push now and we can sit back and relax for a change having already done the business. At the end of the day nobody will remember the performance and getting the three points was the most important thing. Rant over! Sorry!
19 Mar 2017 16:25:46
3 points all that mattered today. Job done. Move on.
19 Mar 2017 16:29:53
Holding on to a lead that's what jose does unfortunately and we might see a lot of that in the future. Problem is he doesn't have a solid defence now to park the bus and it could have backfired easily today. Hopefully next season we have a good defensive unit if jose intends to park the bus, better if he never uses it and play the united way.
In the end a solid win and much needed 3 points.
19 Mar 2017 16:37:14
Today was win at all costs not the prettiest you will see but who cares in 3 weeks we could quite easily be 3rd.
{Ed025's Note - or in fact 7th...who knows?..
19 Mar 2017 16:46:34
Missed the game but delighted with the result. We are in the mix truly now and i get the drift reading the posts. last 20 minutes not great but we move on. well done boys.
19 Mar 2017 17:29:35
X,
Jose has admitted he got the last 20 minutes wrong but apart from that the game plan worked well and a great 3 points.
19 Mar 2017 19:34:20
It looks apart from Chelsea and Spurs that no one out of Arsenal, City, Liverpool and ourselves can put a run of results together. After today and their draw against Stoke, City are getting sucked back in to the fight for 3rd and 4th particularly as they play Arsenal and Chelsea away next 2.
I'm not sure Everton have enough to be considered in it all but you never know. As for today apart from the last 20 minutes it was a stroll in the park, I don't know what he was playing at, fatigue was probably in the back of his mind, with our recent run of fixtures and the Valdes blunder was a bonus, because at the time the only team who looked like scoring again was them.
In a lot of ways and as stats tend to suggest, Mourinho's tactics seem more effective away from Old Trafford. Its a little embarrassing that we have scored more on the road. The scoring (all season) and blasting teams away like the old days has been the major problem, which has always left us susceptible to the draw. I remember the derby back in September and everyone saying we are in for a stormer of a premier league this year, has probably failed to come to fruition. I look back at that game and it told us more than we actually probably new or foreseen at the time. I can think of about 5 chances that Ibrahimovic fluffed in that game, he scored the hardest chance he had, but that set the tone really for the year.
We are badly missing the fox in the box. I'd even go as far as to say we would be challenging with Hernandez. Mourinho has admitted himself this week that he wouldn't have sold him or Welbeck. I think in the final reckoning up that will be our undoing the fact we have lost our clinical finishing edge, well let's face it that's why we are 5th.