Birmingham v Rent Boys

Originally Posted by Sparky***

It'll make our draw/defeat tomorrow a bit easier to take that's for sure.

Originally Posted by Wez

I'm not joking.

That's chelsea's best. That is their first choice 11, playing at full fitness.

I'm not impressed one iota.

It's sad really to watch us limp along with our injuries and self-imposed transfer embargo, because given the same circumstances as them we'd be comfortably top.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

I'm not joking.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

That's chelsea's best. That is their first choice 11, playing at full fitness.

I'm not impressed one iota.

It's sad really to watch us limp along with our injuries and self-imposed transfer embargo, because given the same circumstances as them we'd be comfortably top.

Agreed.

Can't believe the over-reaction to their win at the Emirates.
They're an ageing, imagination-free, skill-free Team.
Capable of grinding out big results because they have a few excellent players, but they're nothing special at all.

If we hadn't had these injuries we'd be running away with it...even with a piss-weak striker pool.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

I'm not joking.

We'll see

Not many managers could still mount a genuine title challenge in a season of 'transition', consolidation and re-grouping, especially when the team has been blighted by so many injuries at centreback.

Too many people have underestimated just how good United have been over the last 3 seasons. It takes a very special group of people to challenge repeatedly and be successful on so many fronts.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

Not many managers could still mount a genuine title challenge in a season of 'transition', consolidation and re-grouping, especially when the team has been blighted by so many injuries at centreback.

Too many people have underestimated just how good United have been over the last 3 seasons. It takes a very special group of people to challenge repeatedly and be successful on so many fronts.

agreed

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

Not many managers could still mount a genuine title challenge in a season of 'transition', consolidation and re-grouping, especially when the team has been blighted by so many injuries at centreback.

Too many people have underestimated just how good United have been over the last 3 seasons. It takes a very special group of people to challenge repeatedly and be successful on so many fronts.

You're right.

But why are we in 'Transition'?

Answer: Because we sold our best player, our top goalscorer, the best player in the world and didn't bother to replace him.

I'm not going to sit here and go "oh well, we're in transition" and shrug my shoulders as if it was something which crept up on us overnight which we knew nothing about. We decided (for one reason or another) that it was perfectly acceptable to go into this season with one arm tied behind our back up front.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

You're right.

But why are we in 'Transition'?

Answer: Because we sold our best player, our top goalscorer, the best player in the world and didn't bother to replace him.

I'm not going to sit here and go "oh well, we're in transition" and shrug my shoulders as if it was something which crept up on us overnight which we knew nothing about. We decided (for one reason or another) that it was perfectly acceptable to go into this season with one arm tied behind our back up front.

its more than just ronaldo leaving its some of our most important players coming to the end of their career. plus vidic wanting to leave and players we have invested heavily in not stepping up

Originally Posted by Sloane

its more than just ronaldo leaving its some of our most important players coming to the end of their career. plus vidic wanting to leave and players we have invested heavily in not stepping up

If only we'd had about £80m - £100m or something to replace some of these ageing players, eh?

Originally Posted by Sparky***

If only we'd had about £80m - £100m or something to replace some of these ageing players, eh?

exactly, so with what we have we are doing ok

[quote=Sparky***;1822091]That's chelsea's best. That is their first choice 11, playing at full fitness.
QUOTE]

I like you Sparkles but they're missing Anelka, and Zhirkov should normally be starting. Agreed though, despite this that they're not impressive. But then who is this year?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

Not many managers could still mount a genuine title challenge in a season of 'transition', consolidation and re-grouping, especially when the team has been blighted by so many injuries at centreback.

Too many people have underestimated just how good United have been over the last 3 seasons. It takes a very special group of people to challenge repeatedly and be successful on so many fronts.

Absolutely right.

06/07 = Premier League Title winners, FA Cup Finalists, European Cup SF (winning the first leg in thrilling style after putting 8 past Roma in the QF tie)

07/08 = Premier League Title winners, European Cup winners, FA Cup QF

08/09 = Premier League Title winners, European Cup Finalists, FA Cup SF, League Cup winners, World Club Title winners.

This season already = second in the League, League Cup SF, Champions League Group last 16 - all with the most crippling Defensive injury list I've EVER seen, long term injuries to Hargreaves & Ferdinand, the loss of Ronaldo, Goalkeeping uncertainty due to VDS's injury problems etc..

Astonishing consistency.

I heard somebody on the Radio the other day say he "reluctantly" would have to concede that Ferguson & United had been the team & manager of the Decade
It's no wonder United get no credit from any £#%&!er.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

You're right.

But why are we in 'Transition'?

Answer: Because we sold our best player, our top goalscorer, the best player in the world and didn't bother to replace him.

I'm not going to sit here and go "oh well, we're in transition" and shrug my shoulders as if it was something which crept up on us overnight which we knew nothing about. We decided (for one reason or another) that it was perfectly acceptable to go into this season with one arm tied behind our back up front.

No. We're re-grouping because the team has been evolving for the previous few years and pretty much peaked in Moscow. Except that Anderson and nani have proved themselves not to be ready, and Hargreaves has proved to be physically incapable. Added to which, Brown missed the whole of last season, Evans looks like being the new Brown and Rio is clearly suffering the onset of a condition that, although he will come back from in the short term, will almost certainly end his United career earlier than hoped for in much the same way that befell Pallister. There is a load of other stuff to take into account, but even if none of that stuff was happening any United fan worth his salt would be able to tell you that waving a chequebbok around in the summer was never ever going to guarantee an immediate solution to the absence of Ronaldo, the world's best player, at Old Trafford. And no amount of banging on about it will change that.