This myth that United's football is not as good as last season!

The following is from a an Indy report of the CSKA game and is typical of just about every lazy journo & pundit I have heard this season:

"It was a searing, five-touch move between Valencia and Nani, who between them shepherded the ball right through the heart of the CSKA defence, freeing Valencia for a shot that thundered against the home side's crossbar with a velocity that seemed to shake the stadium's foundations. It was a wonderful moment; one that made the heart soar in a way that United's football simply has not not since Ronaldo packed up his make-up bag and flew off into the sunset.
It really is a myth that United were somehow so breathtakingly brilliant with Ronny in the side last season. It really is poor poor lazy journalism. Take out the Arsenal away CL semi and the odd other game (Stoke at home when we scored 5 - not even sure Ron played and WBA away) then we all know that for the majority of the season we were functional and no more. Elevan 1-0 wins ffs. 14 clean sheets on the bounce. Least amount of goals scored in any of our PL winning seasons. Don't let classic games like Villa & Spurs at home kid you it was like that all the time.

Fantastic, we were deserved Champions again and proved that there is more than one way of skinning a cat. I love that about us - we are more versatile than any other team in the PL by a mile. But don't pretend we played scintillating football.

I think this season has been far more exciting - stylewise - than last. I don't say for a minute we are a better side than last year. Losing the best player in the world will do that to us. But I'm really enjoying us this year. Love to see Berba play any time. Love Rooney scoring. Love the thought of Owen to come off the bench. Excited by Valencia, Fabio, Evra and even Nani in patches. Love the 442. Love seeing Scholes dominating games again. Love Giggs' sublime form. Love the thought of the likes of Obertan, King, Pogba, Eikram, Diouf hopefully coming through.

We may win f*** all this season, who knows, but it will be fun to watch!

our football was dire for most of last season

I agree wholeheartedly. Well done!

i think our football has become less enjoyable, but that's due to fergie's tactics, imo.

nft.

Originally Posted by El Chalten

i think our football has become less enjoyable, but that's due to fergie's tactics, imo.

nft.

This season from last?

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

This season from last?

no, just in general over the years.

watching utd used to be very gung ho

much preferred utd when playing 442 with 2 proper wingers.

nft.

Originally Posted by El Chalten

no, just in general over the years.

watching utd used to be very gung ho

much preferred utd when playing 442 with 2 proper wingers.

nft.

The Doc in the 70s and all that?

Or '94 and '99?

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

The Doc in the 70s and all that?

Or '94 and '99?

all 3 really.

utd are missing a really top class player, imo.

nft.

Originally Posted by El Chalten

all 3 really.

utd are missing a really top class player, imo.

nft.

Ronaldo? he was "the best player in the world" and we were pretty dull and functional with him last season in the main.

I think it's been good in the main this season, with lots more to come from players playing and some that have yet to make an appearance this season.

I'm pretty happy with the progress thus far.

My only reservations center around our No.7 and our lack of pace options in the final 1/3 through the middle, but I've a feeling Obertan may have an impact on this.

Originally Posted by dunk

I think it's been good in the main this season, with lots more to come from players playing and some that have yet to make an appearance this season.

I'm pretty happy with the progress thus far.

My only reservations center around our No.7 and our lack of pace options in the final 1/3 through the middle, but I've a feeling Obertan may have an impact on this.

thing is, considering we've lost a player like Ronaldo, you'd have to consider us a team in transition to some extent and it's been pretty seemless.

Originally Posted by El Chalten

all 3 really.

utd are missing a really top class player, imo.

nft.

Kind of know what you mean, but I think the player you speak of is actually here already. He is playing sublimely but if he's just scored a hat-trick for us and not Bulgaria, then I think his season would really fly! There is no better player in the PL im my view.

Get him & Wayne really firing in tandem, get Valencia to continue his progress, hope upon hope that Obertan lives up to his early career and early reserves promise and I think we will have a show on the road!

My I'm Gay today!

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

thing is, considering we've lost a player like Ronaldo, you'd have to consider us a team in transition to some extent and it's been pretty seemless.

Definitely. You have to hand it to the players, they really have just carried on regardless and adapted well.

With Owen, my concern is his sharpness and the amount of game time he is getting, he needs minutes to be at his sharpest and he is struggling for them atm.

Fair play to SAF, he's added to the squad in minimal fashion, but it remainslarge and packed full of quality, all improving and fighting for the cause. Just superb!

It's true, of course, and it's a myth that's been quickly developed in order to fit an agenda. I don't remember us ever being praised for the quality of our football last season, by anyone. It's just something journalists are saying now so that they can keep going on about Ronaldo and/or convince themselves, as usual, that we're weaker this year. It was always going to be their theme for the season as far as were are concerned, no matter what happened. Otherwise, they might have to actually watch the matches in detail and provide something new and interesting to say, and we all know what a strain that is for the hacks in this country.

Originally Posted by dunk

Definitely. You have to hand it to the players, they really have just carried on regardless and adapted well.

With Owen, my concern is his sharpness and the amount of game time he is getting, he needs minutes to be at his sharpest and he is struggling for them atm.

Fair play to SAF, he's added to the squad in minimal fashion, but it remainslarge and packed full of quality, all improving and fighting for the cause. Just superb!

Giggs playing as well as he ever has, maybe better helps of course.

Originally Posted by dunk

I think it's been good in the main this season, with lots more to come from players playing and some that have yet to make an appearance this season.

I'm pretty happy with the progress thus far.

My only reservations center around our No.7 and our lack of pace options in the final 1/3 through the middle, but I've a feeling Obertan may have an impact on this.

Obertan looks like an excellent prospect. Looked good again last night.

Originally Posted by wiganste

Obertan looks like an excellent prospect. Looked good again last night.

He did, thought Tosic did too. That Matt James is gonna be some player as is Eikram.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Giggs playing as well as he ever has, maybe better helps of course.

Of course. Going of G.Nev's last 2 games (one sloppy clearance aside) and Scholesy's form (the odd daft yellow card/sending off aside) and we could be looking at the renaissance of the '92 youth team this year.

I bet Beckham and Butt are proper jealous

the first of the latest 3 titles produced some of our best football of recent times for me


particularly up to Jan when Saha played up front in a rich period of form. We played with pace, precision and deadly finishing. Eooney and Ronaldo flourished playng off Sahas hold up play

as much as i enjoyed seeing Larsson in our shirt his introduction halted this for a while

i think this season we are seeing far better team play. So many times Ronnie did fantastic individual stuff or we played to get the ball to him. our interplay seems stronger but we as someone else said, it would be great to have pace to get in behind...

given that we are always set up to come on strong in the later parts of the season i think this has been a great start, one of the best in recent years. spurs beat, l'arse beat, city beat, top of the cl group. if it was one of our rivals i'd be pretty worried tbh.

re quality of play, we're committing a lot more players forward this year which isn't surprising - ronaldo could generally be relied upon to produce something for us, leading to negative tactics and lots of 1-0s. we're conceding more this season but we have a lot more variety to our play and we're taking more chances in how we're set up. you can see it in the goals from m/f - no more of the narrow three largely sitting in front of the defence, now we're playing with width and getting midfielders ahead of the ball. very entertaining and remember (a) it's very early in the season, well before the period when we'll really kick on and (b) the players are still adapting to new roles.

agree on the media repeating already decided views. apparently we were unimpressive against bolton. different match to the one i saw where we ranged from blindingly good to effortlessly dominant, the last 5 mins aside. still, what's new? the media have their story of the year and that's it for now. there will no doubt be a slew of groundbreaking 'could this united side actually be better without ronaldo?' stories in the new year, and then 'if only ronaldo' stories if/when we slip up at any point. all crashingly dull and predictable.