[Andy_Cole]

feck off LVG.

 

[ManUchosenbosslvg]

One ok performance with no result doesn't save LVG's job for me. He was gone before this match regardless of the outcome.

People getting WAY to comfortable over a single match in 18 months of shit. Let alone this single match was a 0-0 draw.

LVG still needs to be out. He lost his chance a couple of months ago with his unwillingness to adapt his tactics.

But but we had 2 shots on target and we're told Rooney is back to his best because he was gifted MOTM.

 

[predator]

Chelsea were so so poor. They haven't been that bad at Old Trafford for a while. United were unlucky hitting the woodwork a couple of times however a more clinical attack would've punished Chelsea tonight. Statistically we probably looked quite good in that game however the build ups were predictable as usual and the fact martial is our only threat shown massively once again. At the end of the day it's another goalless performance at home against a side which is no way near their best. It is simply not good enough given the circumstances.

 

[Spock]

I'm getting fed up that LVG keeps getting blamed for our appalling or unlucky finishing. Yes he was wrong to release Hernandez and Januzaj, but that aside, we have had enough clear chances to have won at least 3 of our recent games which would have put us close to top of the table.

I still maintain like I did months ago, we are just an excellent transfer window away from being a top side and it's tragic for us that the budgeted di Maria and Falcao plan failed so miserably.

Get in Vardy and Mehraz type players this January followed by Stones and Kane next summer and we will fly

A fecking men! (Amen, that is!)

The problem has been and is our horror finishing. We're a very good side apart from our finishing, but our but finishing is so bad we literally -- and I do mean to use the word "literally", literally -- can't beat anyone right now.

 

[Timdbro]

Chelsea were awful, and yet they still had the two clearest chances.
We're just so poor on the ball, even with a team sitting deep yet giving us space in front of their back four. Time and again we got players on the ball between their lines, but all they can do is pass it wide and wait for a shite cross.
If we can't win that, I'm not sure where our wins are gonna come from.

 

[HabeasC]

The atmosphere was great at times at OT. The fans gave the team and van Gaal more than they deserved.

Chelsea were shite but as soon as it passed 30-40mins you just knew we wouldn't score. We have no one on the bench and our players always look knackered for the second half, even if they have had a week's break.

 

[noodlehair]

I didn't think it was any different to most of our home performances this season? Bright for about 20 minutes then spent the rest of the game just sort of labouring through and not really looking like doing anything at all. The fact Chelsea are 14th, still playing like a team that's 14th, and turned up without a striker, seems to have been lost in the euphoria of a 0-0 draw.

I thought Schweinsteiger had a good first half, then in the second he looked exhausted and was awful, so predictably didn't get replaced.

Rooney apparently played well, but the BT Sport montage of him "Playing well" after the game included clips of him missing an open goal, running 30 yards the wrong way up the pitch then passing the ball off for a throw in, miss-controlling a pass, and then trying to get sent off. Seems to be some confusion between "playing well" and "ran around a bit" here.

Blind. I mean, I know a lot of people on here seem to like him, but what is it he does that is any good? I still can't figure it out. To me, he's someone who with or without the ball, you can count on to always either do the wrong thing, or take far too long to do anything. Like near the start of the game where the ball was played up the pitch by Chelsea, and Blind was running back with the Chelsea player, and I thought "oh no here we go", and then Blind proceeded to get the wrong side of the Chelsea player, not cut out the pass, and fall over...If it was Smalling he'd have just got to the ball and cleared it, with ease. With Blind you expect it to turn into a problem, because it invariably does. When he gets the ball he has a habit of walking really slowly up the pitch with it and then setting up a counter attack for the other team. He does some goood things too every so often, but I shouldn't be sitting there every game trying to figure out which team he's helping more.

Darmian. Again, I don't mean to be harsh here (well I do), but he has this unbelievable knack of defending so badly that it would literally have been more difficult for the opposition if he wasnt on the pitch. For example that counter attack in the second half...yeah, just stand there playing Matic onside but not actually marking him in any way, and as far out of the way as possible so that even a bad pass to Matic would still reach him with ease. He does this all the time. It's like he's never played football before. When he has the ball, he has yet to demonstrate he actually knows how to play. He isn't strong or a battering ram. He isn't a leader. He doesn't fould people or wind anyone up. He can''t pass or dribble. He can't cross. He's not tall. What does he do? What is the reason for him being a professional footballer playing for Manchester United?

Schneiderlin...nothing about that performance explained why Fellaini has been playing ahead of him. He just, you know, midfielded. We had a midfield. Strange that. When you put midfielders in the midfield instead of a palm tree, midfielding happens.

Depay. I do like how he's so predictably annnoying that he's not actually annoying. Imagine the uproar from the crowd if Nani had just dribbled the ball off the pitch the way Depay did. With Depay it's just sort of "yeah, I expected him to do that"...even though his level of footballing ability makes it completely unacceptable for that to ever happen.

Martin Atkinson - At the start of the game "Martin Atkinson hasn't awarded a single penalty or red card this season", "yes he's a good ref"...game happens, Martin Atkinson fails to award a clear penalty then fails to send a player off for a red card challenge. Yeah, great. Because the best referees are always the ones that deliberately don't make any decisions because they're scared of making them.

I just can't believe Van Gaal is still going. Somehow it was completey pedictable that Chelsea and United woould find a result that doesn't do any good to either.

 

[Chorley1974]

The atmosphere was great at times at OT. The fans gave the team and van Gaal more than they deserved.

Chelsea were shite but as soon as it passed 30-40mins you just knew we wouldn't score. We have no one on the bench and our players always look knackered for the second half, even if they have had a week's break.

Agreed, the intensity dropped, as it has in previous games.

 

[Henk de Rode]

Wasn't that bad, still another draw tho. I don't blame LvG for everything but we've been setting one negative record after another. Needs to go yesterday. If only because it will create a situation in which players will want to prove themselves again.

 

[Dr. J]

I'm getting fed up that LVG keeps getting blamed for our appalling or unlucky finishing. Yes he was wrong to release Hernandez and Januzaj, but that aside, we have had enough clear chances to have won at least 3 of our recent games which would have put us close to top of the table.

I still maintain like I did months ago, we are just an excellent transfer window away from being a top side and it's tragic for us that the budgeted di Maria and Falcao plan failed so miserably.

Get in Vardy and Mehraz type players this January followed by Stones and Kane next summer and we will fly

I think his biggest shortcoming as manager was in the transfer window. The attack was depleted. The strike force was put entirely on the back of Rooney, who has turned up stale this season. DiMaria forced his way out without a proper replacement. Memphis was brought in on the notion he'd need at least a year to settle in the league.

The defense looked great at the beginning of the season, but unfortunately Shaw and Valencia went down to season ending injuries (which put us down a back up winger as well). There's been a bit of an injury crisis as of late.

I believe the core talent is there. Bring in a world class striker and 2 wingers, and the offense could very well turn itself around. I'm not sure that will be available in January, though, unfortunately. United will have to pay through the roof for guys like Lukaku, Mane, and/or Mahrez to fix the holes in January.

 

[Sylar]

The starting line up of today but with:

-Shaw back in as LB
-Darmian moved to RB.
-A CB
-A winger for the right side
-A striker instead of Rooney.

We should be looking for 2 of these this January with one of them being a striker.

 

[peridigm]

The starting line up of today but with:
Romero and Begovic
3-3

 

[m1tch]

A better performance (mainly first half) but just as a couple of our chances could of won the game, we could have easily lost it to a team 14th in the league.

 

[sdb4884]

Another 0-0 coming up against Swansea.

 

[Gerald G]

The first 30 minutes we were very good then in the next 15 it was just stop and start.

My main problem is with our finishing. We just cannot finish right now and I don't understand it. I want LVG out but I won't blame him for some of this stuff like the lack of finishing.

We need to improve our personnel and it's a must to make a signing in January, even though that is difficult to bring in the correct calibre.

 

[Asger]

By the time of Willian's handball, we needed De Gea to make a double save. By the time of Rooney's miss, we were lucky Matic missed.

It was a better performance, but the bottom line is we still didn't create more than a poor Chelsea side.

Before that Chelsea were lucky that Mata and Martial didn't score.

 

[RedDevil@84]

The only thing that was embarrassing about yesterday was those morons who came with the Special One scarfs and who put out posters demanding Jose to come in. Behaving like those mob from Madrid.

 

[Esquire]

We haven't got a goalscorer pal! LVG got rid of them all...how will we do much better?

Granted we have to buy, but the season is running away from us

Looks like we are not going to get our wish as he is staying and appears defiant (again). I honestly do not understand how this club is being run anymore.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

He's building a great foundation for the manager to come. Januzaj is on loan and is gaining some valuable experience. I've never rated Wilson highly but he's on loan too. Plus we have Martial, Depay, Darmian, Shaw, McNair, Borthwick-Jacskon, Lingard, Pereira, Powell, Herrera, Blackett, Keane, Varela and Rojo who are all 26 and under. That's a great talent pool for any new manager to tap into. We are on the right track. It's slow but surely not a failure.

I like your positive spin but Januzaj is currently gaining minimal experience at Dortmund as he's barely playing, he has stalled and is no certainty to be anything like good enough, of the others mentioned I'd only say Shaw, Martial, Herrera are sure to make it long term and so they should as they cost £100 + combined, at a push Darmian, Depay, and Pereira are others who could still be playing for us in 18 months but that is by no means certain.

He's been given virtually a blank cheque book yet we are short in defence, on the wings, and up front, the fact he has been forced to play players like Jackson, Lingard, Powell, Varela, and McNair doesn't mean he's laying great foundations it means he's been caught out through lack of planning, Maybe one of those five could make it long term but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

It's all open to personal opinion of course but for me our current manager is having a shocker, and will in the main only leave a mess for someone else to sort out when he goes.

 

[MZX7]

I like your positive spin but Januzaj is currently gaining minimal experience at Dortmund as he's barely playing, he has stalled and is no certainty to be anything like good enough, of the others mentioned I'd only say Shaw, Martial, Herrera are sure to make it long term and so they should as they cost £100 + combined, at a push Darmian, Depay, and Pereira are others who could still be playing for us in 18 months but that is by no means certain.

He's been given virtually a blank cheque book yet we are short in defence, on the wings, and up front, the fact he has been forced to play players like Jackson, Lingard, Powell, Varela, and McNair doesn't mean he's laying great foundations it means he's been caught out through lack of planning, Maybe one of those five could make it long term but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

It's all open to personal opinion of course but for me our current manager is having a shocker, and will in the main only leave a mess for someone else to sort out when he goes.

Well if we go by past trends, Van Gaal has never left a mess. So, let's hope he doesn't here either.

 

[Pexbo]

I like your positive spin but Januzaj is currently gaining minimal experience at Dortmund as he's barely playing, he has stalled and is no certainty to be anything like good enough, of the others mentioned I'd only say Shaw, Martial, Herrera are sure to make it long term and so they should as they cost £100 + combined, at a push Darmian, Depay, and Pereira are others who could still be playing for us in 18 months but that is by no means certain.

He's been given virtually a blank cheque book yet we are short in defence, on the wings, and up front, the fact he has been forced to play players like Jackson, Lingard, Powell, Varela, and McNair doesn't mean he's laying great foundations it means he's been caught out through lack of planning, Maybe one of those five could make it long term but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

It's all open to personal opinion of course but for me our current manager is having a shocker, and will in the main only leave a mess for someone else to sort out when he goes.

A blank cheque book? Give over. His net spend per player is under £12m.


A blank cheque book is having a squad a strong as City's and spending £50m on De Bruyne, £50m on Sterling and £32m on Otamendi.


How many players over £30m have we bought? Two, and one is now at PSG.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

A blank cheque book? Give over. His net spend per player is under £12m.


A blank cheque book is having a squad a strong as City's and spending £50m on De Bruyne, £50m on Sterling and £32m on Otamendi.


How many players over £30m have we bought? Two, and one is now at PSG.

Depending who you believe Shaw, ADM, Herrera, Martial, and Depay were all over £30 million, or very close anyway. It's not anybody other than LvG's fault that he misused the star signing and had to sell him at a loss after 12 months, that he has maybe misjudged Depay's potential, and sold too many of the squad players.

Point is in the 18 months he has been here he has spent about £140-£150 million net, more than enough for us to be in a far better place than we are now.

 

[dogwithabone]

For the opening half hour I thought we were very good and typically 'United'. Every pass was forward, the ball was moved quickly, movement was good and we were first to every second ball. We did though need the goal that our play warranted and when that didn't happen I think a bit of confidence and belief was lost and the mentality turned to a 'ok, if we aren't going to win it then let's definitely not lose it'.

The balance looked right as well with an equal threat down both flanks. Would have rather Martial played down the middle but he at least committed the defenders by dribbling into dangerous areas. On reflection I don't think we needed both Schwienstieger and Schniederlin in there and perhaps a more attacking option centrally would have been too much for Chelsea.

There were pluses but still far too many negatives given that we are 18 months down the line and £250m later with LVG.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Really good performance, looked dull for about 40% of the match but good progress otherwise

Terrible finishing and a bit of bad luck cost us. Don't know when that killer instinct to take chances is going to come back

when we upgrade our current attack

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

A blank cheque book? Give over. His net spend per player is under £12m.


A blank cheque book is having a squad a strong as City's and spending £50m on De Bruyne, £50m on Sterling and £32m on Otamendi.


How many players over £30m have we bought? Two, and one is now at PSG.

spot on.

 

[dogwithabone]

spot on.

What's the net spend per player at the likes of Tottenham, Leicester, Arsenal, Palace and Watford - clubs currently either pissing all over us from a great height or nestling side by side with us ?

 

[Revan]

Well if we go by past trends, Van Gaal has never left a mess. So, let's hope he doesn't here either.

He left the biggest mess of them all in Barca's second spell. They basically needed to sell 2/3 of the team to become again competitive.

 

[Revan]

A blank cheque book? Give over. His net spend per player is under £12m.

If agenda-driven ever meant anything.

You are basically counting the loan of Falcao, and the utter pointless signings of Romero and Valdez to get that number. We laughed with RAWK for mentioning net spend where it suits this agenda, but this is even worse. Net spend per player. It means feck all. You can burn 300m in shit players and then go get a few players for free and then claim that you have a low net spend per player.

Van Gaal has spend 250m on transfer since he came here, recuperated 100m or so in the process. While also having the highest wage in the league.

Now go and count the players he promoted as signings and get a 6m for player net spend.

 

[Pexbo]

If agenda-driven ever meant anything.

You are basically counting the loan of Falcao, and the utter pointless signings of Romero and Valdez to get that number. We laughed with RAWK for mentioning net spend where it suits this agenda, but this is even worse. Net spend per player. It means feck all. You can burn 300m in shit players and then go get a few players for free and then claim that you have a low net spend per player.

Van Gaal has spend 250m on transfer since he came here, recuperated 100m or so in the process. While also having the highest wage in the league.

Now go and count the players he promoted as signings and get a 6m for player net spend.

Loaning Falcao while other clubs spend £30m+ on a striker and signing keepers on a free while clubs like Chelsea spend £8m on their backup? I didn't actually include Falcao in those figures anyway, that would take it down to £9.7m per player.

If you don't want to include the goalkeepers we've averaged £14m per player.


The point is that we've brought in a lot of players to replace a lot of players. City have matched our spending with nothing like the exits we have had.



Right now I'd be more than happy to see him replaced. The whole situation is shit and I think it's very difficult to come back from.

But, I really do think a goal scorer would change everything. it would give the team confidence and the opposition fear.

 

[Esquire]

Ridiculous we can't start every game with that kind of intensity and intent. Played well but, it was against the 16th place team

Told my son right at kickoff, we are probably going to get screwed by Atkinson - every game in memory between us and Chelsea ahs resulted in him doing anything he could to help Chelsea. Annoyed we didn't get at least one of the penalties that we should have got but, was not surprised in the least.

Hope LVG and especially the players build on top of that but, I don't have much faith in that happening sadly.

Hope you didn't use those exact words to your son...

 

[Revan]

Loaning Falcao while other clubs spend £30m+ on a striker and signing keepers on a free while clubs like Chelsea spend £8m on their backup? I didn't actually include Falcao in those figures anyway, that would take it down to £9.7m per player.

If you don't want to include the goalkeepers we've averaged £14m per player.


The point is that we've brought in a lot of players to replace a lot of players. City have matched our spending with nothing like the exits we have had.



Right now I'd be more than happy to see him replaced. The whole situation is shit and I think it's very difficult to come back from.

But, I really do think a goal scorer would change everything. it would give the team confidence and the opposition fear.

The entire net spend per player is full of shit, unless you're an account, in which case is full of shit again.

He didn't need to sell in order to buy players. The money was there.

He has spend 250m pounds on 12 players (10 if you don't count the keepers which IMO were completely pointless signings). So depending in how you count it, it is somewhere between 21m and 25m per player. Which is exactly right. After all Schweiny cost 6-8m or so, Blind 14m, Rojo 16m (+5m on Nani wages), Schneiderlin 25m, Depay 17+4m (on some reports it reaches 31m), Shaw 27m (+3m), Herrera circa 31m, Darmian 12-14m and Martial 36m (+20m in bonuses).

Regardless of that, the only absolute cipher is 250m spend on transfers. And around 100m or so generated from the sell of players. And well, the squad is as shit as before, and after essentially half of the matches played we have less points than we had last season, or in the abomination of a season under Moyes, while having being eliminated from UCL despite being in the easiest group.

These are facts.

I also think that a striker (especially a top striker) would change things. Especially if you add a winger and a CB. But then, I think that if Spurs of Liverpool make 3 top signings they can walk the league too. So, it doesn't mean much.

I also think that LVG has a chance of winning the league next season if he makes some good signings. But so would any other decent manager, in fact, pretty sure that Mourinho would have a significantly higher chance of doing so. But there should be some performance evaluation, and simply, Van Gaal has fallen short in every objective way you can judge him.

If there was ever a manager who completely deserved to be sacked, then it is Van Gaal here.

 

[montpelier]

A great forward player or two in great form will always give a team a chance - (Leics now even, & Liverpool the other year)

Our net spend or total spend is irrelevant to me, as long as we don't do a Leeds - it's the buying of crap players is the problem - Utd will always overspend cos it's Utd and we are usually persuaded to overpay cos it's Utd

The only places we don't look short is in goal, wherever Martial plays & maybe Smalling who with a calm quality partner has improved quite a lot (Blind's role I think, where his outstanding positional sense, decent passing if given time on the ball & whatever else he does comes to the fore, as long as it isn't running quick). And Shaw pre-injury, if he gets back etc, he was quite good.

I can't believe LVG is staying, I don't see things getting much better this season unless there is stellar recruitment in January. Think LVG is gone at the end of the season at the latest, Giggs in again maybe in a few weeks time when he can get a blameless run to the end of the season.

Who knows what they are thinking, cannot believe it is that LVG has a long term future.

 

[ZupZup]

We need a new striker and a winger (preferably right side). Both must be quick.

The amount of times yesterday we'd have a great chance to launch a quick counter but the attacker on the ball had to pass back as we had nobody quick enough to support. In all of our front 5 players yesterday, Martial was the only one with pace and that's simply not good enough in this league.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

when we upgrade our current attack

This summer really need to be the one where we replace rooney with a suitable new 9 imo, if it's Kane I'd be happy, but not sure he's a title winning striker yet either...

 

[Stretford End Phil]

At this stage we should be thinking about a goal scorer and a central defender to add to the squad. Longer term we need replacements for Basti, Carrick and Tony V. We need to replace Rooney, and fill the space for Depay as he is loaned out. We need a back up full back if Shaw doesn't recover his form. We also need to address the goal keeper situation. In effect we have spent mega bucks and it's still not enough.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

This summer really need to be the one where we replace rooney with a suitable new 9 imo, if it's Kane I'd be happy, but not sure he's a title winning striker yet either...

The reason it wasnt done then is the coaching staff expected Mata and Rooney to lead the attack as aptly as they did at the back end of past season.

 

[Sandikan]

surely no one is trying to argue he hasn't spent an utter sh!tload on players?

 

[ManUchosenbosslvg]

Are we supposed to be encouraged or embarrassed after last night? The press seem a bit confused.

Personally I witnessed some of our match going fans wearing Mourinho scarfs and singing his name. That Leave, Vanish, Go banner was one of the most embarrassing things I've seen as a United fan since the plane flying over OT, might just be the lowest point in my 35 odd years supporting our great club.

 

[Attila]

This net spend per player is like something from rawk

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Even though we didn't quite get the win, we were unfortunate not to, and I thought we played well last night. In fact, to me, it looked like Van Gaal had said to the players "look, forget my philosophy and all those tactics, just go out there and do what you want"