Perhaps we should have bought David Luiz instead or Vermaelen or Hummels since they clearly wanted to play for us and their clubs couldn't wait to sell them to us.
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Perhaps we should have bought David Luiz instead or Vermaelen or Hummels since they clearly wanted to play for us and their clubs couldn't wait to sell them to us.
Nope. LVG loves defenders that have ability to dynamically operate the ball while in transition from defending to an attacking build up.
Smalling though have a proper physicality which is quite important thing for Louie in the Premier League. That may be the only reason he's tolerating him in this club so far.
I would say the time of his contract. This is a nut and bolt rebuild and those thinking anyone could waltz in and fix it instantly by throwing a shitload of cash at it are going to be disappointed.
What in the name of my bumhole are you doing debating on an internet forum then?
The amount of money we've spent so far means feck all. It's a percentage, a piece of the jigsaw. We know where our problems lie (as does everyone else) but the tricky bit is finding players of the right quality who want in. We're just 10 games into LVGs first season and I suspect he's now well aware of what needs correcting. You can't polish a turd and that's exactly what our defense is. Smalling, Evans, Jones are not good enough and that aint the fault of the new manager but it will be him who jettisons them. I suspect he'll be shifting Rafael too and not without some justification.
The short termism on here and this widespread inability to see how far we've come is depressing. We've held our own against the 2 best teams in the league, could have won both games in fact, and the gap between us and them is infinitesimal. Has everyone forgotten how embarassed we were by City and LIverpool on our own turf last season? We were pathetic. As LVG stated today post match "We are close"!
Ya, Vermaelen would have made a huge difference.
Hummles is as injury and error prone as the rest of our defenders.
City had to spend loads when the money came into the club as they knew the team wasn't good enough for the owners aspirations. SAF had to rebuild United when he came in, but the PL didn't exist then, the money from CL. He could do it from top to bottom in his own time. Times have changed and we are having to do it in a couple of seasons. It could have started last season but Moyes didn't have the balls to do it.
Some pretty harsh criticisms down here. It might be worth considering that we drew with a league leading Chelsea side and lost by a 1 goal margin to the reigning champions despite playing with 10 men for more than a half and losing another centerback to injury. Not too bad IMO. Looking forward, he will definitely sort out the issues surrounding our defensive frailties come January. And we'll build from there. It was always going to be difficult to address all the positions of need in just 1 window, especially with the World Cup in progress. Squad building and morale healing takes time and patience. Louis doesn't have a magic wand to fix everything in the space of 3-4 months.
What does that matter?
All the folk going on about Hummels, he has to want to come here and being injured all the time isn't helping either. He went off injured again yesterday.Ya, Vermaelen would have made a huge difference.
Hummles is as injury and error prone as the rest of our defenders.
Is it true he said "Rafael is injured.. Again.."
Hm maybe he is fed up too with his constant injuries and will look for a RB as well as a CB or 2 ( I hope ).
Hm maybe he is fed up too with his constant injuries and will look for a RB as well as a CB or 2 ( I hope ).
I have complete faith in his ability to return us to the top of the division, he does need another CB for that to be possible. As it is, the improvements in our general play are blindingly obvious.
I agree with you. When Moyes was sacked in april the players was on the floor and they had no confidence, now we're slowly recovering. We're rebuilding and it will take time but it's important to get top 4.
That it might not have been a good decision at the time. Too many cheapish buys and the buy British theory. Got to have a core of Englishmen running through the spine of your team. That might have worked years ago but not now. What you need is quality.
It's good to see the players still believe in him, Moyes was probably dead and buried at this stage last season.
Improvement in play is definitely there but for the next 10 games till the new year, he needs the results to back it up or we're in danger of falling behind the running for top 4 even more than we are right now.
He will probably be sacked by the new year if results don't improve, it really has been unacceptable and I'm not talking specifically about today's game which I expected us to lose anyway. We simply are not good enough to win the league right now anyway, but we should have had the 3rd/4th spot on lockdown by now. One thing I will say is, I can definitely see a team spirit developing and hopefully we can pick up maximum points from our next 5 games at least.
Also the defensive problems are LVG's fault imo, he had plenty of money to buy some defenders in the summer.
Also the defensive problems are LVG's fault imo, he had plenty of money to buy some defenders in the summer.
If Moyes had concentrated on signing players rather than creating divisions within the team, he might have done a bit better.
This is true, last season we would have gotten thumped 3-0 by City convincingly (actually we did..)
The right defender, who actually want to come to us has to be available and don't anyone utter the name Hummels again.
He might not even need to buy a world class CB for now. We just need a solid defender who wants to defend and puts himself about. Seems silly thing to say, but just one that will play every game and can lead the line.
It not like we are being tactically outdone or embarrassed or hes making mistakes. Its the individual mistakes at the back that is costing us (that and injuries)
It not like we are being tactically outdone or embarrassed or hes making mistakes. Its the individual mistakes at the back that is costing us (that and injuries)
If we're not in the top 4 by May LvG is gone. Bottom line. And it's not the Chelsea game or the City game. It's the games against West Brom, Leicester, Swansea, Sunderland, and Burnley. You can make all of the excuses that you want about injuries, new manager, new signings. But at the end of the day a lot of these guys are supposed to be top players playing for a world class manager. 10 points from 13 games is not good enough. End of story. Now he's well aware of what needs correcting!? Only now!? After 4 months in charge? We could all see what needed correcting before he even got here so how has it taken him so long? Jones, Smalling, Evans, and others should have been out of the door straightaway.
In terms of points, we're doing worse than under Moyes are we not ?
Interesting. The same Smalling that just last season was being praised as a good buy, incredibly high talent ceiling or whatever, defence settled for the next decade has now become a probable bad buy. The excuses with hindsight just get sadder tbh.
But then it does seem the new thing on here to pick holes at what Fergie left to justify LVG's underperformance, so carry on
He has to get us winning games and quick too, that's what it boils down to. We also need to add atleast 2 players in January, let's "panic buy" Godin or Garay and someone like Khedira, we need defensive stability and a bit of character/steel in the team. I think we'll finish top four, but LVG has to somehow get us winning games, I don't understand how we managed to lose games against Leicester and West Brom, we haven't taken advantage of our relatively easy start.
Okay, how about Garay or Benatia?
I've never seen anything in Smalling to suggest he'll ever be a top player - very average at best just like Jones and Evans. What we're desperate for are quality CB's who can lead as well.
Saying that, I'm not jumping on any bandwagons or anything as I didn't see the game today and my phone ran out of battery way before he got sent off heh
I believe so.
Edit. Yes. 6 points less, less goals scored more conceded.
From what I've heard Garay could be a definite possibility - FINALLY!
He can't do anything with this bunch of thick as pig shit defenders. Shaw showed his worth today, but when you have these morons behind you week in week out you are managing with your hands tied.
I said a while ago people were going to find it very hard to criticise van Gaal, for a number of reasons.
Even Sir Alex received criticism, but it'll take a lot for Van Gaal to receive that same level.
Not too worried to be honest. Feel like the team is beginning to settle in, and it's just a matter of time before we start picking up points.
Van Gaal may face his first problems this winter, when he will probably try to get rid of players like Smalling, Evans, Jones or Rafael.
He can't trust them to stay healthy, and i don't think that he will insist for a long time with them.
How the locker room will react ?
He can't trust them to stay healthy, and i don't think that he will insist for a long time with them.
How the locker room will react ?
Rojo isn't better than Smalling. He also refused to sign a defender because he thought Backstuber was good enough for Bayern. Smalling is a good defender, he just acted stupidly today.
Yes we are. That's the point I made earlier too. People may say that we're moving in the right direction and playing better - i don't think we are at all at the moment - but this is a results business at the end of the day. LvG's results with a significantly better squad and no European football have been worse than David Moyes' so far and the results against Chelsea and City have been the same. Again, not saying I wanted Moyes, or Moyes is the better man or anything like that. But it is something to consider.
What have you heard?
And replaced with who? Come on....
How hard is it for LvG to realise that Van Persie is useless as a lone striker when we're playing on a counter? Happened too many times this season already; infuriating to watch.
No response to my points I see. Thought not. And I don't know and I don't care. But we need a world class CB in here in January. Current youth / reserve players would do better like McNair. Anyone frankly.
I can't see Van Gaal getting as much time as Moyes, if we're mid table come February he'll be gone. Not that I'd condone that, in fact I feel with him we should give at least 2 seasons leeway - although I thought that with Moyes too but the majority of fans don't have the patience unfortunately.
With relief?
In all seriousness though I'd be surprised if DDG wouldn't personally drive a couple of those to the airport.
He has spent 140million and made changes to the club. We sack him and the next manager will have to undo his changes, put in place his own changes and spend another bucket load of cash bringing his own guys in. If LVG doesn't work out I seriously believe we're scuppered and it'll take a lot longer than we want to believe to bounce back. Ask yourself did anyone believe Lpool wouldn't win another league title for 24 years at the end of the 80s?
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