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The 'Where do they play' thread.

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Ryan

Ryan

The Prophet
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So Ince and Sturridge are "done deals" for 18M apparently.

I'm getting in here first before any cunts starts a "how do we fit all these dudes onto a teamsheet?" thread. Because they drive me up the wall and I'm thus taking preventative measures.

In the same way that these guys...

Carrick
Scholes
Anderson
Fletcher
Kagawa
Young
Nani
Cleverley
Powell
Giggs
Valencia
Rooney
Hernandez
Van Persie
Wellbeck

... Don't fit into 4 midfield & 2 striking positions, we shouldn't be trying to razor-fit our newly-increased options into a 4-3-3 either.

United are top of the league, and (I may be wrong here so please correct me) I don't think Ferguson's picked the same starting 11 in the league for 3 years.

Options, options, options.

Opposing teams began to work out the Sterling threat 2 months ago, if you stop Suarez scoring you stop us winning effectively, and defending against Suso by pushing him inside regularly has left him so ineffective that he now sits on the bench. We're as predictable as night follows day. Paul fucking Lambert worked us out.

Imagine how much better we might be with increased options, varying approaches to games, and differing styles of player?

And for the love of God don't fucking do a 'How we might line-up thread'.
 
Isn't it mainly the point of asking where they play to discover what people think our various options will be in terms of how we line up... I'm not sure why this has become such a bone of contention.
 
We cannot expect to copy United and achieve similar level of success.

They seem to have a mental edge over other teams, such that they win half the battle before the game has started. Further a lot of 50-50 goes their way.. Which simply won't happen for us.


We need to make our own blueprint for success.
 
So long as we sign an out and out striker to take the burden off Suarez I don't mind Sturridge and Ince, even if they do leave me feeling rather underwhelmed!

I
 
I'm not as interested in signing this "out and out striker" that everyone talks about.

Goals need to come from all over the front 6, not one goal-machine. Look at Arsenal last season; 40 goals out of RVP and they didn't come within a fuck of wining one single thing.

I'd far rather 2 or 3 players that can add to the forward group, as opposed to this old-fashioned notion of 1 fucking targetman.
 
Once upon a time our blueprint for success was world class players. We barely have those nowadays. So, I guess we have to beat them tactically. Is that gonna happen? We'll see.
 
Ryan said:
So Ince and Sturridge are "done deals" for 18M apparently.

I'm getting in here first before any cunts starts a "how do we fit all these dudes onto a teamsheet?" thread. Because they drive me up the wall and I'm thus taking preventative measures.

In the same way that these guys...

Carrick
Scholes
Anderson
Fletcher
Kagawa
Young
Nani
Cleverley
Powell
Giggs
Valencia
Rooney
Hernandez
Van Persie
Wellbeck

... Don't fit into 4 midfield & 2 striking positions, we shouldn't be trying to razor-fit our newly-increased options into a 4-3-3 either.

United are top of the league, and (I may be wrong here so please correct me) I don't think Ferguson's picked the same starting 11 in the league for 3 years.

Options, options, options.

Opposing teams began to work out the Sterling threat 2 months ago, if you stop Suarez scoring you stop us winning effectively, and defending against Suso by pushing him inside regularly has left him so ineffective that he now sits on the bench. We're as predictable as night follows day. Paul fucking Lambert worked us out.

Imagine how much better we might be with increased options, varying approaches to games, and differing styles of player?

And for the love of God don't fucking do a 'How we might line-up thread'.
Click to expand...

Agree that options are much, much better and Rodgers is building a quality squad piece-by-piece despite the shoddy season so far. I've tried matching up the roles of United's squad listed above to that of our own and we seem to be getting there, slowly but surely.

Carrick - Lucas
Scholes - Gerrard
Anderson - Shelvey
Fletcher - Henderson
Kagawa - Şahin
Young - Ince
Nani - Sterling
Cleverley - Allen
Powell - Suso
Giggs - Joe Cole
Valencia - Assaidi
Rooney - Suarez
Hernandez - Borini
Van Persie - ?
Wellbeck - Sturridge
 
Ryan said:
I'm not as interested in signing this "out and out striker" that everyone talks about.

Goals need to come from all over the front 6, not one goal-machine. Look at Arsenal last season; 40 goals out of RVP and they didn't come within a fuck of wining one single thing.

I'd far rather 2 or 3 players that can add to the forward group, as opposed to this old-fashioned notion of 1 fucking targetman.
Click to expand...
But a goal machine wouldn't hurt.
 
Ryan said:
I'm not as interested in signing this "out and out striker" that everyone talks about.

Goals need to come from all over the front 6, not one goal-machine. Look at Arsenal last season; 40 goals out of RVP and they didn't come within a fuck of wining one single thing.

I'd far rather 2 or 3 players that can add to the forward group, as opposed to this old-fashioned notion of 1 fucking targetman.
Click to expand...

This, this and this. How so many people can't see this is beyond me. We have one of the top scorers in the league in our team, that isn't the issue, spreading the goals is.
 
The problem we have is that none of our other forward thinking players look like scoring...

Sturridge for all his faults attitude wise does look like he wants to score and create opportunities to score....
 
Dahuge said:
The problem we have is that none of our other forward thinking players look like scoring...

Sturridge for all his faults attitude wise does look like he wants to score and create opportunities to score....
Click to expand...

Yeah, oddly enough, we have loads of players who look too scared to score.
 
If you ask me we are missing a bone crunching Midfield enforcer for our squad, that kind of player would definately be useful in those games where we need a bit of steel. Fair enough doesnt always fit into the tippy tappy side of stuff, but like you say we need options and different ways to win games....
 
So we're missing a "bone-crunching midfield enforcer" and an "old fashioned number 9"?

Have any of you been to or watched a game of football in the last 20 years?
 
We need players to be able to work as a unit, I think.

It doesn't really matter who they are or where they play; no point having good players if they can't think on the same wavelength. You'd hope with time on the training pitch we'll be able to address tis.
 
Ryan said:
So we're missing a "bone-crunching midfield enforcer" and an "old fashioned number 9"?

Have any of you been to or watched a game of football in the last 20 years?
Click to expand...
I was wondering where the bone-crunching midfielders are these days. Probably wouldn't last very far into a game. But would love a player of the class of Steve McMahon now. He was a key part of that '88 team which played such wonderful football.
 
Mersey86 said:
I was wondering where the bone-crunching midfielders are these days. Probably wouldn't last very far into a game. But would love a player of the class of Steve McMahon now. He was a key part of that '88 team which played such wonderful football.
Click to expand...

They're still around mate. They just play in League 2 is all.
 
Agree with SummerOnions and Ryan, we need to give ourselves the greater chance of goals by spreading ourselves evenly in terms of maximising the threat, and complementing players within any given system. However this will have a big impact on the Lucas/Allen conundrum, assuming a front six is determined to be more directly threatening.

It might be a bit fixed to talk about a set system, but it's clear for the most part we at least have a preferred one. So, assuming those two sign, the options as it stands would/should be something along the lines of:

--------------------Reina--------------------
----------Skrtel------------Agger----------
Johnson-------Lucas/JH---------Enrique
------------JA/SG------NS/JS-------------
---Sturridge----Suarez-----Sterling/Ince

Then obviously outside that you have Carragher, Coates, Robinson, Downing (who may go), Assaidi, Suso.

What it does give us is power in the front three, in terms of raw pace and directness. What it may lack is subtlety, which might, in the long term, draw louder calls for Suso to be thrown into the mix behind the front three, particularly with doubts over the long term ability of Gerrard, the debatable future of Sahin and the rest not really pulling up trees or being anywhere close enough to being good enough at either end of the spectrum - none are imposing enough nor are they clinical and/or creative enough.

I still think the crux of our issue surrounds Suso, Gerrard and Sahin. One of them must step up to the plate - or be given an extended run to prove so, to become that creative catalyst who will dictate the play or drive the team forward from the middle of the park. Gerrard is flailing, Sahin has had injuries and has been hit and miss, while Suso is still learning his trade. If one of those three can make the second half of the season their own, it might prove the fulcrum for the rest of the attack to operate around. Not necessarily in terms of the play being focused around that one player - we've been there, but something to give us direction. Something we clearly lack when it gets to the final third, a calming influence who will put their foot on the ball and decide the play, rather than the hurried passes and hopeful punts we've been seeing for the last 18 months or so. That will be the key, I don't think it's necessarily about adding class to the attack, it's about options (as Ryan said) and giving us goals and variation from different points of the front six. For us to capitalise on this to it's maximum, it's reliant on Sturridge doing what he does, being greedy in and around the box, Suarez dragging players all over the place, Sterling or Ince providing the stereotypical threat that an orphodox wide player would (and becoming increasingly more threatening as goal threats over the next few years) and as I said, someone taking hold of the centre.

What is abundantly clear is that we need players and manager to take hold of our play and become more ruthless, rugged and difficult to play against. At the moment we're too nice for own good, we need to get tough again.
 
mark1975 said:
I realise that was probably everythin you were trying to avoid, Ryan. lol.
Click to expand...

Heh, s'fine mate.

You've got it though; we need varying styles and options.

Teams have figured us out now, because all we've got is 11 players really. Same for West Brom who started the season well - they haven't got differing players to come in and break the monotony so teams don't have to worry.

That's where United are brilliant. You can send your manager to sit in the stands for a midweek game 4 days before you play them, then you turn up at the weekend and they've named an entirely different team playing an entirely different way.

Send somebody to scout on us, and it'll be spot on week after week.
 
It's funny, when Ged/Rafa used to tinker, the consensus was that we should let teams worry about us, not the other way, but then we were too guilty of trying to stop the opposition, rather than exploit their weaknesses. I guess that's where Fergie has shown his brilliance, evolving from managing a great 'team', to managing a great squad.
 
Ryan said:
Heh, s'fine mate.

You've got it though; we need varying styles and options.

Teams have figured us out now, because all we've got is 11 players really. Same for West Brom who started the season well - they haven't got differing players to come in and break the monotony so teams don't have to worry.

That's where United are brilliant. You can send your manager to sit in the stands for a midweek game 4 days before you play them, then you turn up at the weekend and they've named an entirely different team playing an entirely different way.

Send somebody to scout on us, and it'll be spot on week after week.
Click to expand...

I didn't watch much, if any of Swansea last season, did he vary things with them? If not then why weren't the opposition as effective at beating them>
 
FoxForceFive said:
I didn't watch much, if any of Swansea last season, did he vary things with them? If not then why weren't the opposition as effective at beating them>
Click to expand...

Cos he'd been working with them for 3 years mate on possession football mate, on top of the similar brand of football Martinez had them playing for years before he arrived.

Time mate.
 
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