Got the result we needed against the bitters now we need to get what could be a big result against this lot. Would like to see Carroll twat De Gea in the first couple of mins. Reina Kelly Carra Skrtel Enrique Lucas Adam Gerrard Suarez Downing Carroll
id like to see agger back if hes fit for skrtel......anyone else worried about adam lack of urgency off the ball,he leaves gaps(that lucas covers extremely well),glens team with agger in if fit
After this game we have Norwich at home west brom away Swansea home I'd love to see 12 points starting with a win against these shower
Can ye get rid of that crest at the top of the op please, hurt my eyes there? I like that team you have there Phil. Maybe Agger in for Skrtel and Dirk or Bellamy in for Downing. Sickner we have to wait two weeks for this game but I always fancy us to do the scum at home. The midfield battle will be the key, in the centre is where they are weakest.
4 home wins in a row against this lot might be a bit much to ask for.Well capable of beating these if we get at them from the off.
if vidic starts then the more pace in teh side the better - i'd keep andy on teh bench if vidic starts coz vidic usually wins nearly every physical tussel...but i remember the game citeh lsot 4-3 or 3-3 there a few seasons back and bellamy tore rio and vidic a new one...his equaliser was down to just raw pace and desire. my team would be (and i know nobody wasnts to drop andy) would be ---------------------------------------Reina----------------------------------- Kelly-----------------Carra-------------------Agger----------------------Enrique -------------Gerrard----------------Lucas--------------------Adam-------------- --------Kuyt------------------------Suarez-------------------------Bellamy------ We should dominate midfield with that line-up and the movement of the top 3 will more thatn occupy their back 4...and kuyt's presence usually negates their left side, esp evra. if skertl plays its a worry, i'd love if shrek was outta this one. but there comes a time when the mancs come to town and we should say 'fu*k 'em, lets have a go at them' and plasy 3 up top...kelly and enrique will provide adequate width..no point having downing on coz he provides zero width for some bizarre reason. 4-3-3, keep it on the ground and have a fu**in lash at it. if it aint working, tehn you have the option of changing tack to and bringing on downing and carroll if needed. Adam has to start coz, seriously, you do need someone to take a set piece
Id like to see reina Kelly carra agger enrique Kuyt Lucas gerrard Bellamy Suarez Carroll get the ball down as quick as we can and drop one on top of their keeper to let big Andy on top of him. Subs to come on will be downing Adam and maxi.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011 ... n-ferguson Sir Alex Ferguson has written to Manchester United's supporters to urge them to improve their behaviour at away matches or risk their ticket allocations being slashed. Ferguson has become personally involved after United learned that their usual 3,000 allocation for the game at Liverpool on 15 October has been reduced to 1,960 because of problems involving their supporters at recent matches. Twelve Premier League clubs refused to give United their full allocation last season and the champions are concerned it is becoming a trend that is costing innocent supporters the chance to follow the club while also putting the team at a disadvantage. A letter from Ferguson has been sent to all the United fans who have tickets for Anfield to express his concerns. Ferguson urges supporters to "respect the stewards and follow ground regulations" and says the alternative is that the club will continue to miss out on tickets for away fixtures. "Despite intense lobbying by the club on your behalf, there will only be just over 1,900 United fans at Anfield," he says. "We can't allow this situation to continue. I've said many times that your support is a vital part of our success and, trust me, the players do notice when your numbers are cut." One of the key issues is the persistent blocking of aisles and gangways by supporters standing during matches, making a potential obstruction for emergency services, but the club admit they have received other complaints. United officials raised the issue at the last meeting of the club's official fans' forum, explaining that "one of the reasons provided by clubs for giving a reduced allocation was safety, but the main reason was supporters' behaviour". Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland are among the Premier League clubs who have punished United, whereas Leeds United did the same as a precautionary measure ahead of their Carling Cup tie at Elland Road last month. The clubs are acting on the advice of safety advisory groups, independent bodies whose representatives mainly originate from the local council and police. However, United have noted that Everton, using the same authority as Liverpool, have not penalised them and the Old Trafford club have been disappointed to learn that Liverpool have subsequently sold the tickets that have been withdrawn to home fans. A delegation led by United's chief operating officer, Michael Bolingbroke, and the club secretary, John Alexander, has been to Anfield to discuss the issue and determine how in future seasons they can get a full allocation once again. There is an already a problem at United of too many fans for not enough tickets, with 164,000 applications for the 55,000 away tickets they were allocated in the league last season. The club are also discussing the matter with the Premier League to get some clarity on the rules and establish whether clubs who remove tickets should be allowed to sell them to their own fans. Wigan Athletic routinely allow United unusually large ticket allocations but withdrew some before last season's game at the DW Stadium, and United's information is that they were then sold as part of corporate packages. United's argument isthat it is unfair on them to be responsible for fans who have not bought tickets via the club and that the home club should not be allowed to make a profit out of it.
Why are Manchester United allowing so many shots on their goal this season? SOURCE Top of the league, unbeaten and best goal difference – not much to worry about for Manchester United so far this season. Their defence can take a fair share of the credit for that – just five goals conceded from seven games is an impressive record, especially considering the injury problems in that department, and the fact that ever-reliable stand-ins John O’Shea and Wes Brown have left the club for Sunderland. A peculiarity in United’s season so far, however, is that they have conceded the joint-most shots of any club in the league, 97. Raw data This may seem a statistical irrelevance, but the more you consider the type of clubs who concede a lot of shots, the more it seems bizarre. The other side to have conceded 97 shots is Bolton Wanderers, currently bottom of the league having lost their last six games. The three sides who conceded the most shots last season – Blackpool, West Ham and Birmingham – were the same three clubs that were relegated. For a midtable club to be conceding the most shots would be interesting, for the best club in the league to be doing so is extremely odd, even given the relatively small sample size of seven games played. United conceded the third-least shots in the Premier League last year. From 3rd-best to 20th-best is quite a drop. As the above graph shows, United have conceded 13 or more shots in every game. The dotted line indicates the average number of shots per side per game in the Premier League this season, 14.9 – which logically, is also the number of shots conceded per side per game. The game against Stoke is the only game where United haven’t allowed more shots than the average. Below, we can also see that in three of their seven games, United have conceded more shots than they’ve attempted. Position of shots First, it’s worth considering precisely where the shots are coming from. Data from the first graph shows that 51.1% of shots are coming from inside the area, and 48.9% from outside the box. The second figure seems high – the average Premier League side is taking 43.5% of shots from outside the area so far this season. Looking at the ’shots on target‘ conceded from outside the box is also interesting. United’s keeper has been tested 24 times from inside the area, not dissimilar to the average of 21.3. From outside the area, however, the figure is 18 times, much higher than the average of 11.5. Opponents are particularly keen on testing United from long-range (compared to other sides) – the position of the shots displayed below illustrates a further breakdown. Why? To return to the question – why? Or, to rephrase the question with the evidence from above, why are United conceding so many shots from long range? There are a few possible answers. 1. David De Gea’s perceived weakness from long-range shots? After letting in Edin Dzeko’s long-range strike in the Community Shield, there was a lot of attention paid to De Gea’s ability to deal with long shots – in particular, his footwork was questioned. Meanwhile, Opta put out a stat that suggested he had a poor record from long-range last year in La Liga. Is De Gea weak from distance? In this case, the true answer isn’t really relevant – the key is that opponents think he is, hence why they’ve been peppering him from 20+ yards. He’s yet to concede a goal from outside the box in the Premier League. 2. Defensive injuries? Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have both been injured, whilst Chris Smalling and then Antonio Valencia have been played out of position at right-back. United’s defence has coped well in the circumstances, but there is still a question mark about how much of a solid partnership there is at the back, particularly when one centre-back needs step forward and the other needs to cover, as Fernando Torres’ goal at Old Trafford showed. Ferdinand and Vidic had that art perfected, although United have learnt to cope without the former. 3. No true holding player? It’s arguable whether Michael Carrick is a holding player or not, but he’s certainly more of one than both Anderson and Tom Cleverley, Ferguson’s favoured midfield partnership so far this season. An interesting feature of United’s 4-4-2 last season was the use of one calm, intelligent passing player who would remain in front of the back four (Carrick or Paul Scholes) and a runner who would break forward (Darren Fletcher or Anderson). Ferguson was reluctant to use two passers or two runners together. Cleverley is an altogether different player – more attack-minded than any of the players mentioned above, and the use of him and Anderson leaves too much of a gap between midfield and defence, with no-one screening. Carrick, whilst far from the tough tackler some still favour in that position, is very good at tracking and intercepting. United might well be a better side overall without him, but defensively they’re not as solid. 4. Rooney working less? As Stewart Robson recently mentioned, Rooney’s run of form as a true number ten has coincided with him running less without the ball. He worked extremely hard when fielded wide as United were dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo, and did the same when used as a lone forward. Now, epitomised by his lax tracking of Sergio Busquets in the Champions League final, the start of United’s problems in midfield in that game, he doesn’t work as hard to close down. As a result, the midfielders have to do more work higher up the pitch, and leave gaps in behind. 5. More fluidity = less structure? The Community Shield performance was a marked difference from United last season. In 2010/11 they were linear, well-defined and organised. Now, they’re much more free-flowing and flexible. As a result, they’re more likely to put together great attacking combinations, but also more likely to be opened up by opponents in midfield. The identity of players as a result of this change has also contributed – with a fluid system you’d favour Ashley Young and Nani over Park Ji-Sung and Antonio Valencia, but the latter two are clearly much more disciplined players. Conclusion Five possible answers that all have their merits. De Gea’s reputation as being dodgy from long-range is clearly a contributing factor, but the combination of the final three points, which are all interlinked, is also worth consideration. If Rooney doesn’t close down, then Cleverley and Anderson will surely be exposed by top-level opponents at some stage. Perhaps the most obvious reason initially, the defensive injuries, seems less of a factor. Evans, Jones and Smalling have all impressed – the issue is higher up the pitch. Still, United’s defensive record is nothing to worry about so far, and the improvement in attacking potential compensates for the question marks when United don’t have the ball. Still, we can’t rule out the odd game where United’s defence looks vulnerable, and they end up conceding a few goals.
Going to this game Saturday my first manc game I hope we attack them from the start they are not great in defence but if the have the ball they can do damage
I think he's already been tested out. He STILL hasn't conceded a goal from outside the box in the Premier League. So to me that would suggest they want teams to shoot from distance. All the goals they have conceded this year are from inside the box. So I'm hoping we won't be trying to pepper De Gea from distance all day. The stats would back it up also.
Have to disagree Elvis, in his last season in Spain he conceded more goals from distance than any other keeper in La Liga. He’s shown he’s vulnerable to long range efforts. I’m sure the way the ball moves doesn’t help either. He was poor in the Community Shield from distance and if I’m not mistaken he’s parried a few long rangers (poorly) already this season. Suarez has a rocket of a shot on him, so does Charlie Adam and Stevie G, Andy Carroll etc. I don’t know how many times this season I’ve screamed “shoot†at the tele, we’re becoming a little like Arsenal whereby rather than having a go from long range we’re sometimes too intricate around the box. If we get within 20-25 yards on Sunday or in any game we should be letting fly.
That's last season though. Community shield he was new and nerves would have played a huge factor. I think he is dodgey from range also. But I don't want us to just shoot from distance instead of working opportunities closer to the box. I mean Utd have NOT conceded from outside the box in the league this season. If they were so worried, or if De Gea was as bad as we think he is, surely Utd would close down a lot more outside teh box as to not allow the shots from distance. Instead they step off and encourage it. I've screamed it plenty of times myself. And I agree we should take more long range efforts, but only as part of a varied diet