Stoke City vs. Manchester United

we need an early goal..the longer it goes on like this the more nervous we will get....I'm presuming they don't look like scoring..but it only needs a sodding deflection or something...
 
Same style of play to most of the season, winning as usual but pretty poor performance so far. We have technical players who are able to keep the ball (Rooney, Kagawa, Carrick, RvP) and yet we still find ourselves more often than not smashing 50 yards balls upfront from defence.

That's Rio. And he fails at it. He really should stop trying those long balls. He sucks at them.
 
We just don't look threatening at all and our counters are pretty useless. I know I'd take a boring performance and a win but really wish we could manage to look like scoring a couple of times a game. Going 1-0 into the final ten minutes will be nervy stuff.
 
Just realized we haven't really created a chance either. Two crosses, one from Valencia and the other from Kagawa, occurred to nothing.
 
I expected a fairly scrappy contest, but didn't expect a Carrick goal. Other than that, what is there to say until the game is over? It's very dull as it always is at the Brittania.
 
I thought the players would come to life this week. I thought wrong if that half was anything to go by.

There's the lead to cover up the performance, as has been the case so many times this season, but I'd prefer a decent performance that gives me hope for the games against Chelsea and the Arse.
 
Rooney and Carrick doing well in CM.

It's the 2 wide players who are struggling to create anything. And the 2 strikers that don't want to be involved in a physical battle with their CB's.
 
I just hope we can hold on to the win. This has late Stoke smash and grab written all over it. We're so toothless in attack. Luckily, we've looked the part at the back.
 
I am sick of the boring performances. I hope we step up in the 2nd half. At least create a few chances, cross the ball into the box.
 
That's Rio. And he fails at it. He really should stop trying those long balls. He sucks at them.

For someone who's so good with the ball at his feet, it's really frustrating to watch him pointlessly lump the ball down the pitch 10 times every match.
 
Van Persie been a bit shit so far, lost the ball a few times. Rooney has been decent in midfield, Hernandez not involved really. Valencia good enough, kagawa looked good on the ball as well. Everyone else same as always. Nothing really to get excited about though.
 
Rooney and Carrick doing well in CM.

It's the 2 wide players who are struggling to create anything. And the 2 strikers that don't want to be involved in a physical battle with their CB's.

Carrick's a bit underwhelming as well though apart from his goal. Kagawa's been good.
 
Need a goal but very little threat from Van Persie/Hernandez

Good start but we are typically giving them opportunity to get back into it

If we don't score in the next 10/15 mins I'd stick on Cleverley for Hernandez and move Rooney up a bit
 
God, this is awful. Shit on a stick doesn't even begin to cover this half.

I don't expect more from Stoke but hopefully we'll play something resembling football in the second half.
 
:lol: 14 goals from corners. That is brilliant. Two years ago, we could not even score 5 the entire season.
 
One of the worst halves of football all season involving us. Stoke spent a good amount of it just sticking every player behind the ball and it's made for a dire game. Hopefully we can nick a second and force them to try to open up a bit more.
 
Kagawa is too artistic to be wasted on this game, take him off. Something about our attacking play just feels off.. and it's not even a midfield issue, the forward players and Valencia are just not lively at the moment.

First Kagawa was too good to not be playing. Now he's too good to be playing. He's an enigma.
 
For someone who's so good with the ball at his feet, it's really frustrating to watch him pointlessly lump the ball down the pitch 10 times every match.

Agreed. Especially against Stoke it's a bit frustrating to watch as they easily defend those balls with their physicality.
 
The ever unbiased combination of Peter Reid and Craig Burley claiming Shawcross' foul on Hernandez was a bit of contact and nothing too much in it.
 
Valencia is poor again, our wingers have been rubbish all season long we need to address this in the summer.
 
Kagawa on the left just seems such a waste. Especially when he hasn't really had the opportunity to pick up the ball in field too many times in the final third.
 
Welbeck should come on for Hernandez(or RVP) and play out left. Push Kagawa in behind the RVP(or Hernandez). Rooney and Carrick are already doing a good job in CM, but they're not creating enough chances. We need more goals to be safe.
 
Win today, Wednesday and against Villa and we can win the title against Arsenal at the Emirates. Van Persie likes that idea.
 
He has ? Needs to do more for mine beyond some neat touches here and there.

Those neat touches here and there would be needed all over the pitch to keep posession better. He's the reason we still play our way through their pressing in midfield at times with his intelligent passing.
 
Not sure this is the fixture to look for class football, but I can't remember the last time we played such dire football for at least a month.
 
Jason, a scared Arsenal fan, via 81111: "If Manchester Utd win today, then West Ham and Villa, they would only need a point against Arsenal and Van Persie would win his first title... In his first season... At the Emirates."


This would be quite cool now.