Official Match Thread .. Southampton V Man Utd ..7:45PM Sky Sports

Originally Posted by Crumps

The 'negative' stuff only got an airing after the Derby tbf.
Don't remember too many posts October-March that claimed negativity at all. With the injuries in the latter part of the season being more conservative is a must due to the lack of depth. Selling 2 midfielders and not bringing anyone in was extremely short sited, no argument there and for me is the key area. We've got a class manager who's still sorting the mess out left for him by the previous 2 managers. As transitional seasons go it's not a half bad one, if we win next week there is only Chelsea who have had a better season than us and there's not a team placed 2nd - in 5th who wouldn't swap our season for theirs. Maybe City because they're liars and finishing above us is the only thing they care about.

even if we win next week, it will be more of a relief. it has been a frustrating watch. it's a better season than others in the sense that we have trophies, but not if the way they were won matters. although city and liverpool have play some embarrassingly shit football, too.

I just think that when people were concerned about jose's negative attitude towards football and when he reverts to type.... and his negative initiative-handing tactics and substitutions (especially when leading) cost us points..... it is somewhat arse-about-tit to suggest there is an agenda. it's mourinho being mourinho that is the issue. whether people expected it, waited for it, are thrilled to be proven correct (or disappointed) is irrelevant. it still happened.

also, I'd like to shoot anyone who says "he clearly doesn't trust the players". literally.

Originally Posted by Crumps

LVG's good spell was 3 games and there were shit loads of games where we barely made chances Bar the goals scored.

True, there also plenty of spells of good football that fell down at the last touch/pass preventing an actual shot of goal..

Originally Posted by dunk

We missed plenty of gilt edged chances under LvG, usually while on top, then lost momentum and drifted when we failed to score in our good spell. Same as this season. Albeit much less direct this season, so chance creation has been tougher.

Both issues look born out of reluctance to expose defence/midfield to counter attack to a large degree..

the lack of chances the longer this season went on in certain tempo-less games was very much a reminder of van gaal's tactics.

which isn't a surprise, seeing as the structure and the mindset isn't that much different.

it's all about turning the screw. there have been a lot of spells this season when we've looked as if we're about to blow the doors off, but mostly we didn't quite get there and those moments have decreased the longer it went on, back down to how it was under lvg.

as an aside, facing ajax in the uefa cup final is a very strange coincidence. if things had worked out for van gaal and he had managed to get his system working off the back of the fa cup then what a way to end his career this would have been

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

as an aside, facing ajax in the uefa cup final is a very strange coincidence. if things had worked out for van gaal and he had managed to get his system working off the back of the fa cup then what a way to end his career this would have been

so.... it's not a coincidence at all then?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

the lack of chances the longer this season went on in certain tempo-less games was very much a reminder of van gaal's tactics.

which isn't a surprise, seeing as the structure and the mindset isn't that much different.

it's all about turning the screw. there have been a lot of spells this season when we've looked as if we're about to blow the doors off, but mostly we didn't quite get there and those moments have decreased the longer it went on, back down to how it was under lvg.

as an aside, facing ajax in the uefa cup final is a very strange coincidence. if things had worked out for van gaal and he had managed to get his system working off the back of the fa cup then what a way to end his career this would have been

Would have been awesome for Zlat to be playing as well tbh..It was mentioned early doors that a first European Final in Gothenburg against Ajax, his first major club, would've been very fitting

Originally Posted by jem

even if we win next week, it will be more of a relief. it has been a frustrating watch. it's a better season than others in the sense that we have trophies, but not if the way they were won matters. although city and liverpool have play some embarrassingly shit football, too.

I just think that when people were concerned about jose's negative attitude towards football and when he reverts to type.... and his negative initiative-handing tactics and substitutions (especially when leading) cost us points..... it is somewhat arse-about-tit to suggest there is an agenda. it's mourinho being mourinho that is the issue. whether people expected it, waited for it, are thrilled to be proven correct (or disappointed) is irrelevant. it still happened.

also, I'd like to shoot anyone who says "he clearly doesn't trust the players". literally.

You'd see winning next week as 'relief' as opposed to Cup winning goonage?

State of Reds nowadays, its not even like you're a spoiled Millennial red. It's a cup double ffs, maybe the lowest of the cup doubles but it's still a Lannister:

Originally Posted by Crumps

You'd see winning next week as 'relief' as opposed to Cup winning goonage?

State of Reds nowadays, its not even like you're a spoiled Millennial red. It's a cup double ffs, maybe the lowest of the cup doubles but it's still a Lannister:

obvs, I will be happy with a trophy. but I like winning in style; winning is never enough. and stumbling to the final isn't great. I hope it is a fitting final, at least. the relief part is more to do with cl qualification and the effect on the transfer market, having blown the league off.

Originally Posted by dunk

We missed plenty of gilt edged chances under LvG, usually while on top, then lost momentum and drifted when we failed to score in our good spell. Same as this season. Albeit much less direct last season, so chance creation has been tougher.

Both issues look born out of reluctance to expose defence/midfield to counter attack to a large degree..

True, but they were in isolation.

Missing the only chance you make in a game isn't the same as literally peppering the oppo goal & managing to hit the 'keeper relentlessly. The missed chances under Mourinho are borne out of shit finishing, the LvG era was a player being absolutely £#%&!ing startled at the fact we manufactured anything. Anything at all. God it was shit.

Mourinho has had a bit of a rollercoaster of a season, I have zero doubts that he's been genuinely shocked at just how big a job it is. The club seems to have a facade of being well run, somehow it just generates £#%&!ing money like no tomorrow, but as Siders is fond of relaying, the football structure is a shambles.

There's only so many hours in a day, if you have to deal with shit@#%&!s everywhere & a 64 game season (only played as many once in our history I believe) then you'll run out of time.

The summer is massive, the Europa final is massive, we're going full City with the amount of massive we have here.

Sometimes a process can take a while longer, but there were certainly far, far more positives over the course of the season than negatives. Calling out both doesn't make you a bed wetter or a Gay for Jose, it makes you rational.

I can see carnage over the summer with the Ins & Outs tbf, but the quality of player will undeniably improve drastically & next season is the one where there will be no excuses. Aside from maybe needing the players to gel.. which is why you want United to move double quick & get their deals done before pre-season.

Originally Posted by jem

obvs, I will be happy with a trophy. but I like winning in style; winning is never enough. and stumbling to the final isn't great. I hope it is a fitting final, at least. the relief part is more to do with cl qualification and the effect on the transfer market, having blown the league off.

Moscow was hardly won in style but probably the greatest goonage of all time....

Even '99 final was mostly dogshit until we pulled it out of the bag in the last 3 minutes.

It's great to win in style of course, but given the way the transition from fergoz has been handled, I can't believe we're anywhere near a european final tbh regardless of who the manager is. We're an absolute £#%&!ing state but we've still won more in the last 12 months than Liverpool in the last 10 years

scenes.

Originally Posted by jem

obvs, I will be happy with a trophy. but I like winning in style; winning is never enough. and stumbling to the final isn't great. I hope it is a fitting final, at least. the relief part is more to do with cl qualification and the effect on the transfer market, having blown the league off.

Honestly get the impression Jose would like to score 2 set piece goals in the first 20 minutes then never cross the halfway line again, that would represent his perfect performance in a home game. Away, he'd take a 1-0 scored with our only attack of the game every time, or a 0-0. Awful to watch.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

Moscow was hardly won in style but probably the greatest goonage of all time....

Even '99 final was mostly dogshit until we pulled it out of the bag in the last 3 minutes.

It's great to win in style of course, but given the way the transition from fergoz has been handled, I can't believe we're anywhere near a european final tbh regardless of who the manager is. We're an absolute £#%&!ing state but we've still won more in the last 12 months than Liverpool in the last 10 years

scenes.

you're talking about the finals. I am talking about the season, including the route to the finals. if you can't see the difference in style between 99 and this year.... well, you clearly can. in 99, we played all the best teams in europe and were unbeaten. we played the final without keane and scholes. we won a treble of proper trophies, not a couple (if that) that no one else took seriously. it's not even comparable to the shit we've been served this season.

Originally Posted by jem

you're talking about the finals. I am talking about the season, including the route to the finals. if you can't see the difference in style between 99 and this year.... well, you clearly can. in 99, we played all the best teams in europe and were unbeaten. we played the final without keane and scholes. we won a treble of proper trophies, not a couple (if that) that no one else took seriously. it's not even comparable to the shit we've been served this season.

spoken like a man who wasn't at the semi-final last week.

Originally Posted by dunk

Honestly get the impression Jose would like to score 2 set piece goals in the first 20 minutes then never cross the halfway line again, that would represent his perfect performance in a home game. Away, he'd take a 1-0 scored with our only attack of the game every time, or a 0-0. Awful to watch.

A José made of straw.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

spoken like a man who wasn't at the semi-final last week.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

Moscow was hardly won in style but probably the greatest goonage of all time....

Even '99 final was mostly dogshit until we pulled it out of the bag in the last 3 minutes.

It's great to win in style of course, but given the way the transition from fergoz has been handled, I can't believe we're anywhere near a european final tbh regardless of who the manager is. We're an absolute £#%&!ing state but we've still won more in the last 12 months than Liverpool in the last 10 years

scenes.

We played some good football in those seasons. Those finals were the culminations of glorious seasons, not desperate sweaty attemps to prove that a load shit compromises have somehow been worth it.

Originally Posted by andyroo

We played some good football in those seasons. Those finals were the culminations of glorious seasons, not desperate sweaty attemps to prove that a load shit compromises have somehow been worth it.

If we win the 5th European trophy in our whole history, then of course resting a few players in meaningless games have been worth it, you absolute £#%&!ing duvet.

Originally Posted by dragflick

If we win the 5th European trophy in our whole history, then of course resting a few players in meaningless games have been worth it, you absolute £#%&!ing duvet.

the league has been rendered meaningless. that's not the same thing at all.

Originally Posted by Crumps

A José made of straw.

What can I say, watched his Chelsea team too many times

Originally Posted by dragflick

If we win the 5th European trophy in our whole history, then of course resting a few players in meaningless games have been worth it, you absolute £#%&!ing duvet.

Duvet or not, the contention was that we may hardly be said to be winning this "in style", whatever happens in the final. I do not consider this a controversial opinion.

Originally Posted by andyroo

Duvet or not, the contention was that we may hardly be said to be winning this "in style", whatever happens in the final. I do not consider this a controversial opinion.

Not what you said though is it silentnight?