It doesn't matter if Valencia started RB because we corrected that at half-time and we still came up short due to bad defensive errors.
Post Match United v Blackburn
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
I agree. Often the shocking result of the season involves us. We've had 3 this season; losing to Palace, out of the Champions League and this. Rooney should have played unless he was really injured of course; we don't need to rest players right now imo.
but to put raffa in midf is madness and fergie saw this - too late.
In fairness, despite obvious annoyance from the fans, I think this thread has been full of good debates.
There's not really been much throwing of toys out the pram.
I quite like having one thread to concentrate all debates in.
Hoping to see any of our central defenders coming back from injury, as soon as possible. 
Obviously the shock result of the season happens to us. We're the best team and we'll lose at times.
Arsenal/Liverpool have both dropped points to Blackburn.
City have dropped points at WBA and Fulham (where we won)
Chelsea drew with Wigan and losing 3-1 at home to Villa (FT anytime around now)
What I don't understand is why didn't we play Fryers at centre back or one of the other reserve centre backs, Rafeal at right back then at least we'd have four defenders in defence and more importantly Carrick in midfield where he has been excelling. At the begining of the season Rooney was on fire we then moved him to midfield and his form dropped and now where doing the same with Carrick. Sure we are crippled with injuries at the back but with Carrick protecting that back four I can't help but think they wouldn't have got a sniff.
Starting 11 of De Gea, Rafeal, Jones, Fryers, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Park, Nani, Welbeck, Berbatov would have given us one player out of position and alot better chance even if we conceed that Rooney and Giggs where injured. We don't have the strength in midfield as it is without taking out our best midfielder to help other areas of the team.
Starting 11 of De Gea, Rafeal, Jones, Fryers, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Park, Nani, Welbeck, Berbatov would have given us one player out of position and alot better chance even if we conceed that Rooney and Giggs where injured. We don't have the strength in midfield as it is without taking out our best midfielder to help other areas of the team.
At the end of the day the table looks like this half way through the season for us.
Man City 18 45
Man United 19 45
Tottenham 18 39
Arsenal 19 36
Chelsea 19 34
Liverpool 19 34
We have a healthy (very healthy) lead over fourth and are joint level on top (Sunderland away will be tricky for city)
Not bad at all, and overall in the league we've had very few bad results (City and this game withstanding)
Man City 18 45
Man United 19 45
Tottenham 18 39
Arsenal 19 36
Chelsea 19 34
Liverpool 19 34
We have a healthy (very healthy) lead over fourth and are joint level on top (Sunderland away will be tricky for city)
Not bad at all, and overall in the league we've had very few bad results (City and this game withstanding)
Basically what that means is, apart from the team who can destroy us in transfer fee's/wages we're comfortably ahead of any other team. We're competing with a team in City who have every advantage over us (apart from our illustrious history and our manager) when it comes to building a team.
We have had an off day today in a season with remarkably few off days.
We have had an off day today in a season with remarkably few off days.
Let's be honest now, the Blackburn midifield offered very little threat and they had Yakubu up top on his lonesome. Jones should have marked him but he didn't, that would have allowed Carrick to bring the ball out more too. We gifted them goals, the penalty was soft and there was no need to foul him there, the 2nd goal was a bad throw in given away(Rafael let it run) and then 3 poor decisions followed, the 3rd goal was an individual error too. I feel the coaching team didn't organise the team as well as they could have. We lacked creativity centrally but we weren't dominated there at all.
Obviously Blackburn are limited but a few times they looked like Brazil in there passing with all the space they had. Where as we were un-organised having Carrick in midfield would have solved issues going forward and snuffing out attacks without giving away dangerous free kicks and corners. We have always had faith in young player why not use them now at the back and keep other areas strong instead of players out of position.
My thoughts exactly.
Agree totally, our renaissance at centre-mid in general and Carricks form in particular have formed the basis for our recent good form. Why Fergie didn't keep him in there today, or at the very least shift him when things were obviously not working is beyond me. Contrary. No need.
I was thinking along the same lines.
Also we were taking a gamble on our team but Blackburn had a lot of first teamers out as well. I would have been tempted to start Pogba, then replace him with Anderson later on. Surely we could afford to throw one youngster in the team, in his natural position, when the opposition are forced to do the same? Having him there instead of Rafael at least ensures we keep as much familiarity in their roles as possible.
I'm the staunchest defender of him, but Fergie got that team very wrong in the first half. The fact that various playes were put back into their rightful positions for the second half is kind of proof of that. Yes we have injuries, but that is no excuse for today. It was totally devoid of leadership..a Keano, Robson to get the team going, motivated and someone to tell everyone to step the feck up. Fergie took a gamble today, playing at home to the bottom team and it totally and absolutely backfired. Rest assured, if we don't win the title, this will be one of the games even he will hold his hand up to...in restropect of course!
Still...we are in a good position. City can only go three points ahead tomorrow, so really it ain't that bad really. Next match is vital because city away in the FA cup with all our injuries is..well....twitchy bum time bordering on the squits!
Still...we are in a good position. City can only go three points ahead tomorrow, so really it ain't that bad really. Next match is vital because city away in the FA cup with all our injuries is..well....twitchy bum time bordering on the squits!
half the outfield players were played out of position. so if both keepers are hurt play berba in goal not your 3rd. that was the logic in the positions players started in today. so i agree start kids in the positions they may well play some day at the club.
That was exactly the same thing I was arguing with GCHQ. Why not defenders on the defence line and our best midfielder in his natural position? It didn't work out today.
We created next to nothing from center. And was woeful at the back. Even a line up of Valencia - Jones - Evra/Fryers - Rafael wouldn't have been that bad.
Better be careful what you say here, critising the team on here after a loss results in people calling you an idiot for stating that United were below par. Best to wear the red tinted spectacles. Dont worry lads everything is fine. :-)
not doing that - team selection and the positions they played in.
terrible team selection + no energy + shit performance + bad support = disappointment
well, feck off to RI then
crippling injury list for sure and against any team above place 18 sure we might fall...but the bottom team with injuries themselves? How many internationals did we have playing for us today? how many did Blackburn. I'm not totally against what you are saying, but come on...even you must be sitting there a bit disappointed no? Bloody Fergie is that is for sure "I didn't see that coming" or words to the effect...
Because they are young and if we had lost with them in defence then they probably would have got torn to shreds by supporters and media. Would they recover from that? Should they have to be subjected to that at such an early stage? Fergie clearly thought not.
Yakubu got the better of Carrick and Jones a few times today and I think he would have had a field day with Fryers at this stage.
I can understand why Fergie put out the team he did provided Giggs, gibson and Rooney were all legitimately injured, though I would have started Ando. But I thought we could have risked bringing in one of the youth centre backs, once it became apparent that Blackburn didn't offer much threat outside of set pieces. We needed a proper midfielder in the middle and being able to push Carrick further up the pitch could have been a big bonus.
However having said that the team showed first half and second that they could have won. They dominated the game, got in to good positions but we didn't use the ball well in the final third and we made some sloppy mistakes at the back. So tbh although there may have been some gambles in the starting line up that didn't pay off, you still have to look at the players out there, particularly in the first half and for the last two blackburn goals.
However having said that the team showed first half and second that they could have won. They dominated the game, got in to good positions but we didn't use the ball well in the final third and we made some sloppy mistakes at the back. So tbh although there may have been some gambles in the starting line up that didn't pay off, you still have to look at the players out there, particularly in the first half and for the last two blackburn goals.
So...Fergie's team selection in the first place was shit and that was ultimately to blame because had we started with the team that started second half we'd have wiped the floor with them, and the game wouldn't have gone as it did.....we pretty much all agree with that..
The other point issue i felt was, once we got back to 2-2, why didn't we keep attacking? There's something really wrong with us sometimes - its like the time likes to ease off the pedal when its on the front foot sometimes, and it cost us...
I was almost sure we were going to win - the momentum was so much in our favour and blackburn were reeling after our second goal...we should have really gone for it and would have won....but we took it easy at that stage and paid the price - we only came alive again after the third goal went in.
The other point issue i felt was, once we got back to 2-2, why didn't we keep attacking? There's something really wrong with us sometimes - its like the time likes to ease off the pedal when its on the front foot sometimes, and it cost us...
I was almost sure we were going to win - the momentum was so much in our favour and blackburn were reeling after our second goal...we should have really gone for it and would have won....but we took it easy at that stage and paid the price - we only came alive again after the third goal went in.
wasn't too concerned at 0-1. was really concerned at 0-2 and then after we levelled I thought it was ours to take. deffo thought the next goal would be ours.
shit! feck! damn!
oh well, time to regroup and get ready for a new years eve party.
shit! feck! damn!
oh well, time to regroup and get ready for a new years eve party.
Which we weren't able to do because Anderson wasn't ready to start a game having been out injured for six weeks.
Oh course I'm disappointed! FFS.
That doesn't mean I have to resort to blaming Fergie for a shit team selection because he didn't start with Zeki fecking Fryers in defence or Anderson in central midfield on his first appearance back after six weeks out injured. That's just beyond ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.
Was away from the caf during the match but I mentioned before the game that I didn't think we'd play Rooney because of bigger games ahead and I think that's where our complacency kicked in. The subs bench was lacking a game changer. Apart from that it was n't our day but a minor blip in the title race.
Meh, you're not a physio who had access. Too many permutations in terms of the team to say that conclusively not starting him was the best option.
But if Rooney was fit, he'd have been on the bench wouldn't he (unless the DM story is true)? Just like he was against Wigan when we had more options available to us than we had against Blackburn.
And what would you say to the other people, who also aren't physio's who had access, who are stating conclusively that Fergie made a shit team selection because he didn't start with Anderson?
I know which is the most reasonable conclusion based on what we do know. And it's not the one stating that a player, who can barely last 70 minutes when he's been in training and playing games regularly for months, should have started a game on his first appearance back after six weeks out injured.
The bottom line is does anyone seriously think Fergie wouldn't have selected Anderson to start ahead of Rafael if he could?
I do to be honest, I'm not blaming him though as I would have thought the team that started should have beaten Blackburn, but a team with Anderson in it, even at 70% might have been better. He often starts with what is not the best available 11. And it usually works out. I think now though that the team was a bit too weak in terms of who played where. Those 2 in the centre was in hindsight not a good call.
I'd rather lose a game than risk Rooney/Giggs/Anderson breaking down if Fergie feels they're not ready.
I would say that they too are speculating and talking like they have definitive knowledge; but in my opinion having seen what level of fitness he was at, with hindsight he could have started. Like I have said many times, at 12.45 I had no qualms. And few did.
That bit I agree with. Granted they might have been tiring, but the one thing I liked when we were behind was the fact that when it went out for a goalkick, we went and put it on the line for the keeper to take (even if he moved it). Im not sure why we stopped doing that and gave them a chance to settle down / waste time and get in position. When we had urgency, pushed it out to Valencia we looked threatening. For some reason at 2-2 and at 2-3 we started going down the centre again and when Valencia was getting double marked we didnt have the one guy creating overlaps which was a bit strange.
Injuries defo affected us but strange formations and playing players out of position cost us more. We looked balanced in the second half even if we did draw 2-2 in the second half. The first half was just horrible except the first five and last five minutes. I understand people need minutes and such but we shouldnt comprise our game and our form players for this.
I would have been more confident had we had Jones/Carrick as CM and Park/Rafael as CBs
Valencia has played many a time in central midfield over his career. Rafael has not. Why play an unfit right back in central midfield? It's mind-boggling.
We let Blackburn take the initiative. Silly.
Yup. 13 of our 24 outfield first team squad players unavailable to start the game and people are moaning about Fergie's team selection. For goodness sake.
Given what we've achieved over the past few weeks with that team. I'm fecking ecstatic. You take out the equivalent of our players that have not played from every other squad in the country, and they're absolutely fecked. They're putting out a rag tag bunch of cnuts. Liverpool would put our the equivalent of a championship side, Chelsea would be even worse then they already are, and Arsenal would be back to getting hammered by 4-6 goals per match.
Our squad may not be as talented as alot of first team player, but they sure as shit have strength beyond anybody else in the premier league. The fact that we could assemble a team beyond our first team that would fight for top 6 is pretty bloody good.
Our squad may not be as talented as alot of first team player, but they sure as shit have strength beyond anybody else in the premier league. The fact that we could assemble a team beyond our first team that would fight for top 6 is pretty bloody good.