02 Apr 2025 14:02:40
I haven't seen a team so bad for time wasting as Forest last night, from the minute they scored it was all time wasting, to their keeper falling on the ground after simple catches to all the faining injuries. How they are 3rd is strange. We again had lots of possession but we're very poor in the final third, we had 3 good chances in the first half and were not clinical. They went 5 at the back after 25mins and we still weren't dominating midfield. They wanted it more than us last night, even after their extra time on Saturday. Big changes coming in the summer, please God.
02 Apr 2025 16:16:57
Maybe. We're fighting for 9th they are fighting for ECL. I hope players have one eye on Europa. That's the dream this season.
02 Apr 2025 18:01:10
Redcon,
There were people around me last night saying we should get our money back because we only actually got to watch 30 minutes of football. The time wasting was an absolute joke, they had it down to a fine art, every time we had an attacking phase someone went down ‘injured’ and meant we had to stop, the goalkeeper had the ball for about 20 minutes of the 2nd half, either in his hands for 20 seconds at a time or waiting to take goal kicks. They kept kicking a 2nd ball on to the pitch deliberately so that the keeper had to go and get it and kick it off before he took his goal kick, the best / worst one was when the ball was kicked back to him and he was looking around pretending he hadn’t seen it. There was also an occasion where they ‘accidentally’ kicked 3 balls on to the pitch, that was a personal favourite as well.
It was pathetic and the ref fell for everything, how Sels didn’t get booked I’ll never know, not sure how it came across on tv but I’ve never seen anything like it to be honest. Their fans won’t care though, they know their level and they are having an amazing season and overachieving, win at all costs attitude is fine but I’m not sure how sustainable it will be going forward when they have 2 games a week next season.
02 Apr 2025 21:26:46
GDS
I didn’t see the three balls but I did see the appalling time wasting and the very sly and dirty play from their no22 I think it was. Elbow Bruno throw yourself on floor. I said on live chat the ref was very poor.
You should try watching the FA Youth semi for time wasting. The Villa keeper went down three times for at least 15 mins, then lay on the floor after every catch. Played for penalties from the off.
03 Apr 2025 00:58:07
Red Man,
I watched that full game mate, kids being told to use them tactics is really worrying, we pay money to go and watch football not a goalkeeper standing with the ball not taking a goal kick. It’s just a load of rubbish.
03 Apr 2025 06:29:06
You can’t blame the teams, we have even done it ourselves over the years, it’s the rules that need to change and rules need to be implemented better, new GK rule coming in July, I fear will make things worse, but hey ho the FA know best
Managers will always look for loopholes and always look for an advantage, all clubs do it to different degrees, Pep is the past master at it and not done him too bad, is it right probably not. l.
03 Apr 2025 10:46:18
I think there is a difference between legally keeping the ball in the corner of the pitch or making a substitution at an opportune time to just blatant time wasting when the ball is out of play or in the keepers hands. The worst thing about the new law coming in on the keepers is that there is already a law there now for 6 seconds and they don’t bother enforcing that anyway. At least it will be focussed on for a couple of games before it’s forgotten again.
I’m sure we have done it on occasion and as I said I can’t blame Forest fans for being ok with it this season as they know their limitations and are being allowed to get away with it, but I would hate it if United played like that.
03 Apr 2025 13:59:57
Yeah I would so hate it to, if we played like that and were 3rd in the league! Had goalscorers who score and defenders who defend, it would be so terrible.
03 Apr 2025 18:51:26
Each to their own, the way they play certainly isn’t sustainable whether they are 3rd or not, it’s cheating and they will get found out next season with 2 games a week.
Watching united for me has always been about more than winning, I’d like us to play entertaining football, I’d happily not be 3rd every season playing like that.