Birmingham v Manchester United

Can i ask, not trying to upset you at all just asking why your first concern in always the bench? you seem more worried about 'cover' than whats actually playing at times.

Substitutes play, moreso at this time than ever.
 
Fair point

Birmingham haven't played in over 2 weeks either have they? They'll maybe be raring to go or perhaps off the pace a little bit...hard game to judge this but I feel it's got draw written all over it

Yeah they've had a two week rest, but so had Chelsea before yesterday's game.

I can understand discussions about fatigue when you're dealing with teams who go with the same 11 players all the time, but we rotate all the time. Freshness shouldn't be an issue.

It'll defo be a tight, tense game. I'd be happy with any sort of victory. One of those ugly ones when the players go over to the away end pumping their fists would be particularly poignant on the day that City have started to dream... one of those "victories of champions".
 
Lots of creativity in this side in Rooney, Berba, Giggs and Anderson. Good to see our best back four getting another game... I'm fairly confident we'll beat them. An early lead would do nicely...
 
Ithink some of these people being harsh on Gibson should maybe contemplate a little bit before celebrating one of those shots flying into the top corner, and remember how he's scored a few vital ones for us in the past
 
Lots of creativity in this side in Rooney, Berba, Giggs and Anderson. Good to see our best back four getting another game... I'm fairly confident we'll beat them. An early lead would do nicely...

I agree. An early goal will surely force them to come out. Though I get the impression that they'd settle for a respectable defeat. And they can be the toughest games.
 
Yeah they've had a two week rest, but so had Chelsea before yesterday's game.

I can understand discussions about fatigue when you're dealing with teams who go with the same 11 players all the time, but we rotate all the time. Freshness shouldn't be an issue.

It'll defo be a tight, tense game. I'd be happy with any sort of victory. One of those ugly ones when the players go over to the away end pumping their fists would be particularly poignant on the day that City have started to dream... one of those "victories of champions".

I'll take a 5-0,no less.

But yeah...any win will do. Preferably not nervy because I've got man flu and can't be bothered with the nerves
 
My concern isn't with him, it's with the shape of the team; I remember we played an away game earlier this season where we had nobody on the left at all, and I don't want to do the same with the right.

That said, if we're lining up more in the 4-3-3 formation as has been suggested then we should be OK.

Yes true that. A 4-3-3 with the players put out would seem fine but would it have Rooney on the right of the front 3? Or Rooney left and Giggs right? Reckon it'll be a 4-4-2 with Gibson on the right or absolutely no one on the right as you fear.
 
Either way - with that team we should win and if we don't, then really all the comments about Chelsea's age and lack of bench etc are irrelevant if we can't cope unlike them.

Not necessarily, even with a full strength side it was always going to be a tough game.

Beaten Chelsea, drawn against Spurs and Liverpool. They usually make for a tough away.
 
The Midlands side have not beaten United in 22 league games against them since November 1978 but are a tough proposition at home - they have lost just one of their last 23 top-flight matches at St Andrews. Birmingham beat Chelsea at home in November and, although they are third-from-bottom, an Old Trafford outfit with one win and six draws on the road need to beware."
 
Got a feeling that Gibson will be awesome tonight, so c'mon United lets get the 3 points tonight...
 
Yes true that. A 4-3-3 with the players put out would seem fine but would it have Rooney on the right of the front 3? Or Rooney left and Giggs right? Reckon it'll be a 4-4-2 with Gibson on the right or absolutely no one on the right as you fear.

I don't think it'd matter which side Rooney/Giggs played on, they'll probably swap around over the course of the evening anyway.
 
Gibson to score a 30 yard screamer and Rooney to finally score from open play. 2-0 United, Come on Reds!! i dont like the idea of City topping the league!
 
Why is Gibson playing when Obertan and Fetcher are both on the bench?

If Anderson's played out wide to accomodate him again then it's the equivalent to a boxer deliberately punching themselves in the face.
 
I assume you're referring to Fletch. But the fans initial reaction to him was great, he was considering a huge talent. It wasn't until later, when he had some dodgy moments on the right that people started to turn against him.

Gibson could probably turn out to be a good squad player, but I find hard to believe he'll ever be considering great in the United sense.

None the less, here's hoping he has a cracker tonight, not an easy fixture to feature in, considering Birmingham's rest.

Agree with the bit about Fletcher, disagree about judging Gibson. If Sir Alex trusts Gibson enough to give him a chance to shine in this tricky away, I'm more then glad to keep an open mind and not come to a conclusive conclusion, just yet.
 
Why is Gibson playing when Obertan and Fetcher are both on the bench?

If Anderson's played out wide to accomodate him again then it's the equivalent to a boxer deliberately punching themselves in the face.

It's 3-5-2, Gibson's at centreback. ;)
 
Henry Winter just said on Twitter the fog is lifting so I dont think it will be a problem

They've shown the pitch live on sky and it's absolutely fine, if fog hadn't been mentioned on here you wouldn't even know there was any.
 
Draw would be a bad result today no matter what, we need to start winning the away games in spite of pointing at every single one of them as 'very tough'. We're Manchester United, not Blackpool, well then again Blackpool have won five or six aways this season already.
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.

That would be ridiculous!
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.

I very much doubt Fergie would pick a tough away game, even if that was his thinking.
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.

You're suggesting SAF is playing him purely to raise his profile to sell him? Seriously?
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.

It's the worst thing I've ever heard, I think I'm going to eat my head.
 
Just to play devils advocate for a minute; Maybe its a case of window shopping with Gibson? If we're look to offload giving him a few games would increase his price.

Yeah & we can afford to be playing games like that at such an important time of the season.

Gibson wouldn't have been picked to start tonight if it was thought he wasn't up to it, simple as that.
 
Gibson will piss off Berbatov and Rooney. Hope he plays further back

Rooney should worry about fecking hitting the net himself before he worries about lambasting any of his team mates.

Not being funny, but it's time the fat feck started to pay back his handsome wages with proper performances.

None of this "he's still playing his way in" bollocks, he's had more than enough games now.
 
As long as Gibson makes more passes than he takes shots, it will be a progress.

What I don't like is that Obertan's never going to play. We didn't give him a run on Saturday, he's not included today - I have a suspicion that there might not be much of a future for him at United.
 
As long as Gibson makes more passes than he takes shots, it will be a progress.

What I don't like is that Obertan's never going to play. We didn't give him a run on Saturday, he's not included today - I have a suspicion that there might not be much of a future for him at United.

He's still young, and it's way too early to start saying things like that.