Team for Tonight

Originally Posted by MJ Ramone

Not sure...obviously we won at West Ham (which annoyed the Country so much Rooney was banned as a result) ....& we won at the Bridge in Europe.

I would LOVE it if we finally won an away game with relative ease.
An incident free 0-2 win...like the good old days.

No 'come backs'...no late winners...(although I'd take that obviously)
Please lads. For the sake of my nervous system, lets get the job done tonight ffs

0-4 at Wigan was fairly comfortable.

I think we'll be fine tonight. All angry and point-provey after the weekend.

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

Haven't we won our last three away matches, or something??

Anyway, this was always a huge game - and is even more so after Saturday. We simply cannot afford a repeat of the back-to-back defeats we suffered at the beginning of March

6 points plus goal difference ahead we probably can afford it. but we have our foot on their necks right now and there's no reason why we should let them back into it.

Just done my bets before I finish up 'working' for the day and head to the pub....

Rooney 1st goal, 3-0 and 3-1

United ht/ft.

Easy money.

Originally Posted by borsuk

6 points plus goal difference ahead we probably can afford it

It's all about momentum at this point of the season, though. The tabloids have already dusted off their "empire crumbling" pieces, just in case we *do* slip up tonight

Return of JC - Wigan doesn't count 'cos Rooney wasn't sent off for one of the most outrageous acts of thuggery in the entire history of football - TalkSport is STILL mentioning it regularly

From optajoe on Twitter - "75% - Man Utd's PL win percentage without Paul Scholes this season (12 games), compared to 55% when he has featured. Suspended."

10 yellows, 1 red in 28 games. Last season he picked up 12 yellows & a red in 38 games.

I know his discipline has always been a tightrope with his own brand of tackling but his suspensions are causing issues for his involvement. Missing some big games now, Arsenal away included. It's one thing being fresh, another to be unavailable through your own making. He can play as long as he wants for me, but I'd £#%&!ing hate to see the man go out a la Neville kicking & getting bypassed due to the physical decline.

What are Scholes's overall foul stats compared to other midfielders? I bet they're no £#%&!ing different to anybody else's really ffs.

Originally Posted by Baron_van_Marlon

10 yellows, 1 red in 28 games. Last season he picked up 12 yellows & a red in 38 games.

I know his discipline has always been a tightrope with his own brand of tackling but his suspensions are causing issues for his involvement. Missing some big games now, Arsenal away included. It's one thing being fresh, another to be unavailable through your own making. He can play as long as he wants for me, but I'd £#%&!ing hate to see the man go out a la Neville kicking & getting bypassed due to the physical decline.

Very true. Obviously Saturday is not the be all and end all of whether or not he'll retire, but it was a chance to establish himself and get the games he wants to convince him he has a major part to play. He got given the run around for the most part and ended it sourly with a clumsy, ugly challenge. It was a major indicator as to why retirement is in consideration in the first place. It's all very well saying 'well, he's always been like that' but it doesn't make it right. I love TGP as much as the next person, which is why I don't want to see him go out on a downer.
You look at Giggs and you see a player who still has a major influence, has adapted his game and is still vital if managed correctly, but you can see the cracks appearing with Scholesy. I'd hate for him to become a liability ala Neville, as you say, Marlon.

If we win the league, it'd be great way for him to end and he'd finish where a player of his magnitude should: At the top.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

What are Scholes's overall foul stats compared to other midfielders? I bet they're no £#%&!ing different to anybody else's really ffs.

Overall foul stats ? Like all fouls are the same ?

Carrick hasn't even been booked this season, let alone sent off. Anderson has 3 bookings in 4 less games than Scholes. Fletcher, who Wenger complained of being a persistent fouler, only has 3 bookings in 35 games.

Scholes' tackling has been brutal this term, a sign of his age, nothing more. Back in the day he'd nail someone but get the ball, now he's late & it's costing him at the business end of the season.

He'll never curb it, it's one of the reasons we all love him - the man is nails - but he'll have the %@#$&! ache he can't be involved at Arsenal in a week or so's time due to nothing but his own body letting him down. Likewise the fact that although he can run a game against Chelsea for 45mins, he can't do it for 90mins as he's completely £#%&!ed. Unless you have the runners around him to do the donkey work - and we don't.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

VDS
Rafael
Ferdinand
Vidic
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Anderson
Nani
Berbatov
Rooney

You'd pick Berbatov ahead of Hernandez in a 4-4-2?

I know you're a big fan of his Throb, but that's being a bit silly IMO, especially away from home when the opposition will have a fair bit of the ball.

Hernandez up front with Rooney in the hole dropping deep to support the midfield IMO. Berbatov warming the bench, as usual.

Originally Posted by Neo

You'd pick Berbatov ahead of Hernandez in a 4-4-2?

I know you're a big fan of his Throb, but that's being a bit silly IMO, especially away from home when the opposition will have a fair bit of the ball.

Hernandez up front with Rooney in the hole dropping deep to support the midfield IMO. Berbatov warming the bench, as usual.

yeah it worked like a charm didn't it

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

yeah it worked like a charm didn't it

Hernandez & Rooney weren't the problem last night as well you know.
They both missed a half decent chance apiece, but other than that they fed off scraps - over hit crosses, Nani's greediness, Anderson & Carrick's slopiness, Giggsy having an off night...etc

Berbatov wasn't even on the bench for whatever reason.

Away from Old Trafford, by & large Berbatov doesn't deliver. That's the reason Fergie doesn't pick him.
I'm not trying to be controversial or trying to wind you up, just calling it as I see it.

Originally Posted by Baron_van_Marlon

Overall foul stats ? Like all fouls are the same ?
.

well of course they aren't all the same. and all yellow cards aren't worth yellow cards, nor are all fouls worthy of yellows penalised by yellows. scholes has been late a fair few times this season but he always is, that's his style. wind the clock back to the fac q/f in 99 or the cl s/f the same year, that's scholes for you - in his mid-20s.

Originally Posted by MJ Ramone

Hernandez & Rooney weren't the problem last night as well you know.
They both missed a half decent chance apiece, but other than that they fed off scraps - over hit crosses, Nani's greediness, Anderson & Carrick's slopiness, Giggsy having an off night...etc

Berbatov wasn't even on the bench for whatever reason.

Away from Old Trafford, by & large Berbatov doesn't deliver. That's the reason Fergie doesn't pick him.
I'm not trying to be controversial or trying to wind you up, just calling it as I see it.

the problem last night was that we had very poor ball retention all round and no-one up front to do anything about it. i don't blame rooney and hernandez particularly, although they were both poor. btw the sloppiness can be demonstrated no better than in rooney's ball to hernandez for that chance early doors - a bit more care in that one pass and it's a stick-on goal and United are cruising.

not sure why you ended by rambling about not winding me up and that