It's not difficult to understand why people wouldn't mind if we got knocked out. Say we play Rooney tonight but he gets injured and we struggle for the rest of the season and win nothing, the same people saying let's win everything will be saying we should have used the squad more wisely. This competition just isn't worth any risk at all, no matter how unlikely it is to happen.
Athletic Bilbao vs Manchester United
- Thread starter Erics_Collar
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
It's not difficult to understand why people wouldn't mind if we got knocked out. Say we play Rooney tonight but he gets injured and we struggle for the rest of the season and win nothing, the same people saying let's win everything will be saying we should have used the squad more wisely. This competition just isn't worth any risk at all, no matter how unlikely it is to happen.
It doesn't guarantee the league if we get knocked out of the Europa. It just gives more time to focus on the league.
People all well might blame Europa if we mess the league too.
This
Out of interest are the 'couldn't give a feck' brigade non-mancunians or a mix of mancs & out of towners?
Or is it oldies vs youngsters, i.e. pre-succes supporters vs only know success fans?
Straw poll only, don't get upset anyone...
I'm an oldie born & bred Manc btw...
Or is it oldies vs youngsters, i.e. pre-succes supporters vs only know success fans?
Straw poll only, don't get upset anyone...
I'm an oldie born & bred Manc btw...
Rooney is no more or less likely to get injured against Wolves as against Bilbao though...
Yes well if we hadn't have fecked about with the team so much in the first place, we would still be in the CL. If we had still been in the CL we would have to be either playing our best team twice in 3 days, or playing our best team in the CL and changing the squad for Wolves, so what's the difference?
The players are either capable of playing twice in 3 days or they are not, and if they are not we use our squad as we do every year. Any player can get injured at any time, that is not an excuse not to play them. If Rooney gets injured against Wolves and is out for the season we will have to cope, the same applies if he gets injured tonight. We have a bigger and better squad than the vast majority of teams in the PL or the Europa league, why should we not expect to try our hardest to win both? We certainly would expect exactly that if we were still in the CL.
This competition is not beneath us as many seem to think, we are in it because our performances in the CL were not good enough. Now we are in it we should at least try to do our best, putting out a CC side would be an insult to the loyal fans travelling over there. We are not fecking Stoke, with all due respect to Stoke.
I am the same
Top Reds unite and take over!
I'm a 25 year old OOT and I'd like nothing more than to see us win the competition.
The way I see it is that it doesn't matter what competition you are competing in, you are representing your club and you should always be looking to represent them in the best possible fashion.
Dropping out of the Champions League and then the Europa League would make us look like a joke. You really think people around Europe would analyse it and say "Oh, well they didn't really take it too seriously, Giggs and Jones in midfield?!".
On the other hand, we win this fecking thing, pick up another trophy which our youngsters need and let everyone think: "Well they slipped up in the Champions League but they are clearly far too good for the Europa League".
Mufc ok
The difference is fairly fecking obvious.
It's the difference between risking dropped points in the league to win a competition to find the best club in Europe (and usually, the world) and risking dropped points in the league to win a competition to find er... the best club that gets knocked out of the other competition in the group stages?
Exactly.
Oh and Colin lives in Berkshire.
Really? How do you explain Fergie's team selection in the Carling Cup?
So not playing a reserve team and taking this competition serious = risking dropping points in the league?
I'm sorry but if the players arent able to play 2 games in 4 days then there's something seriously wrong. Plus if we manage to qualifiy for the next round this will give our team a lot of confidence.
I surely don't want to see a reserve team out there tonight. But Fergie won't play one anyway and I'm sure he and the players want to win this competition and if they want shouldnt the fans probably do the same?
Good enough to beat whatever team is put in front of us?
Are you suggesting Ferguson has ever put a team out that he doesn't believe to be good enough to win a game?
Yes. Obviously.
That's how squad rotation works. Fergie judges each fixture on it's merits and picks his team accordingly. This takes into account the quality of the opposition and the importance of the result.
Hence he plays weakened teams in the Carling Cup and the group stages of the CL, to minimise the risk of dropping points in the league the following weekend. Obviously, the latter decision bit us on the arse this season but it's worked well throughout our ridiculously succesful run of the last 5 years or so.
The importance of tonight's result is nowhere near the importance of each of our remaining league fixtures, although it is against quality opposition. I'm hoping Fergie will pick his team accordingly. Of course, he may well pick the strongest possible team - if he rates the Europa league more than I do.
The only thing that me - and several others in this thread - are saying is that we don't rate the competition and hope Fergie is similarly inclined. Judging by the fact he rested Carrick et al for the first leg, I'm optimistic he is. Worth bearing in mind he usually picks his weakest mid-week team if we're away at the weekend. I really hope this trend continues.
It's people that feel the two competitions will overstretch our squad and we might fall short in both competitions, instead of pipping city to the league. I'm not sure that logic is age or upbringing specific?
The quality of tonight's opposition far surpasses the quality of the weekend's... and there we have squad rotation.
I expect Ferdinand to play tonight and not on Sunday, Carrick to play in both, Cleverley to play in both, Rooney to play in both, Valencia to play some tonight and on Sunday, Evans to play in both, Park to play on Sunday, Welbeck to play tonight and Hernandez on Sunday, Evra to play both and Giggs and Scholes to play one each.
If we were playing a top Six side on Sunday though, I agree that he would have on eye on that but that is certainly not to say that he would "concede" this one because he doesn't think it's important. He'd rest as many players as he could while still thinking we could win it.
To participate in the straw poll: I'm 22, from Shrewsbury, and started supporting the team at the start of the 1998/1999 season (based entirely on them wearing red).
I'd like us to win tonight (oddly enough), but I don't see us going through. They'll score at least one, which would make it 4-2 on agg. That would mean we'd need to score 3 to avoid going out on away goals, and I can't see us getting more than 2.
I know I'll probably get people telling me not to be pessimistic, but I think I'm being realistic. I'd love for us to smash two, three or even four past them without reply, but I'd be surprised.
I'd like us to win tonight (oddly enough), but I don't see us going through. They'll score at least one, which would make it 4-2 on agg. That would mean we'd need to score 3 to avoid going out on away goals, and I can't see us getting more than 2.
I know I'll probably get people telling me not to be pessimistic, but I think I'm being realistic. I'd love for us to smash two, three or even four past them without reply, but I'd be surprised.
And the importance of the weekend's result far surpasses the importance of tonight's game. Swings and roundabouts.
I actually have no idea which team he will pick for which game. I'm just pointing out that I hope he picks his strongest possible team at the weekend and if that means key players sitting out tonight's game, then so be it. Ideally, I wouldn't want him to play Rio, Carrick, Evra, Scholes or Giggs. I kind of wish he would give Rooney the night off too but Rooney won't let that happen. Pain in the arse that Jones and Smalling can't make it, which limits our options.
Nothing to lose really. Attack the shit out of them.
See the difference is Pogue, Fergie has no choice but to be in the CC, so whatever team he chooses to put out is upto him and he chooses to show his disdain for the competition by playing the kids.
It is his own fault we are in the Europa league, if he hadn't fecked about with the team so much in the CL, our supposed top priority, then we wouldn't be in this Europa League in the first place.
Now we are expected to simply accept being embarrassed in a 'second rate' competition as well as in the the CL? Great! He had his chance to play his best available team in the CL and chose not too. If he wanted to win the CL so much he should have shown the competition and the teams in our group the proper respect and we would still be in it.
The fans going over there deserve more than watching a CC side getting embarrassed in Bilbao, and tbh so do those of us watching on TV over here. The Wolves game is a bullshit excuse for not playing a decent team tonight imo. Had we been in the CL it would have been a good team tonight and a lesser one against Wolves, now Wolves are apparently such a threat we need a full strength team to beat them.
Bollocks! The only plausible excuse we can have for not beating Wolves on Sunday is not playing well enough to deserve too. Playing 2 games in a week is a given at this stage of the season, so to suggest the players are not capable of it is just complete bollocks!
So much drivel in that post. We're in the competitions we're in right now. That's the reality. As such, Fergie needs to pick his team accordingly.
Fergie confirmed Rio and Rafael will both play. Coupled with the fact everyone has traveled, I'd expect a strong team today and a weaker one on Sunday. Its gambling time!
Or not work, like the home game. I want us to win this game and not go out this early in the competition.
Nothing against resting a player like Evra that plays that much games during a season, but Rooney won't want to get dropped and I really think carrick should be able to play today and on Sunday.
Clev needs games anyway and Valencia also, Young hasnt played that much neither this season so should start as well. With Scholes and Giggs we should rotate. The one starting today won't start on Sunday.
We should be able to field a damn strong team without risking losing to fecking Wolves tbh.
I really hope that isn't the case. Could well happen though. Mind you, the latest twist in our ridiculous injury saga means the difference between our strongest and weakest teams isn't all that big.
Ferguson's not going to risk the league for a EL that's probably gone anyway.
No we are in the competitions we are in right now because we underestimated the quality of our opponents and paid the heaviest price. That's the reality.
Jesus wept. You expect a football manager to pick his team based on how the team got to where they are now, as opposed to what they hope to achieve in the future? fecking madness.
I hope that we play our strongest line up tonight. I don't understand this attitude, we have only 2 competition to concentrate on but people want us to just throw the match away. Why don't we pull out of fa cup every season as well, since that will give us a better chance of winning the league. We have already been knocked out of fa cup , carling cup and champions league but thats not enough we are so weak that we won't be able to compete in 2 competitions. I understand europa league isn't the top priority but we should always put a team capable of winning every match. In carling cup we fielded some reserve players but thats because we thought the team will still be good enough to win those matches. Why can't we field a strong team today and on saturday with few minor changes? Surely our squad isn't that weak.
Getting through tonight would be a real statement of our ability to win. It can definitely help rattling City in the League as well. And I want two trophies!
apparently ronaldo will be in attendance tonight. Lets show him some goals.
I must admit I'd really hate to see us getting knocked out.
That was a miserable performance at OT.
That was a miserable performance at OT.
We can easily field a very strong line up today and Sunday.
Today:
DDG, Rafael, Rio, Evans, Evra, Carrick, Cleverely, Valencia, Young, Rooney, Berbatov
Sunday:
DDG Jones, Smalling, Evans, Carrick, Scholes, Young, Giggs, Rooney, Welbeck
Rio, Evans and Carrick today to give us a solid defensive platform today to go out and attack and Cleverley giving us a bit more bit and speed in CM. While Smalling coming in for Rio on Sunday should be almost like for like replacement and Scholes will be available for helping control the game away at the Mollineux.
Today:
DDG, Rafael, Rio, Evans, Evra, Carrick, Cleverely, Valencia, Young, Rooney, Berbatov
Sunday:
DDG Jones, Smalling, Evans, Carrick, Scholes, Young, Giggs, Rooney, Welbeck
Rio, Evans and Carrick today to give us a solid defensive platform today to go out and attack and Cleverley giving us a bit more bit and speed in CM. While Smalling coming in for Rio on Sunday should be almost like for like replacement and Scholes will be available for helping control the game away at the Mollineux.
This.
I don't care if we win or not, I just want to see the lads go out there and attack them like they did us. feck it if they do have the home support. Lets show them who we are.
No reason to be conservative. We need the goals, and they will come at us all guns blazing. Whatever team takes the field we have to match their intensity and silence the crowd by showing our quality.
All I want is a good performance, if that means we lose then so be it. Rather we went out with a bang then a whimper to be honest.
Oops meant for Evra to start on Sunday
After Wolves on Sunday we've got eight days before we play our next game.
I hope we don't rest anyone today or on Sunday... you expect world-class footballers to play every three or four days for two weeks.
I agree. Plus, most of our injuries came after trainings, not after games. We only have problem with Rio(scholes and giggs too, but no need to play them), but Fergie said he'll play, so iit would be really mental if our players cannot play two games in 4 days.