[Marcus]

McFred should never start again. Just stick Eriksen in a permanent deep role, the change after we did that was so obvious to see.

Or just let Iqbal into the line of fire. Can't be worse than Fred there.

I think Eriksen is the possible FDJ replacement.

 

[siw2007]

Same rubbish, new season. There was a bright start but our tempo was too slow and too many players had a bad game. Scott couldn’t play the game we wanted to play, Bruno was poor, Rashford stopped trying after Brighton went in front. Eriksen and Sancho were okay.

It is a process, and we are developing a new team but very little will change with the same players and today it felt like the same team as last year, Erik Ten Hag needs to be backed now with the right players otherwise it’s going to be another long year.

 

[Beans]

Currently its like 1 season out if 8 so I will let you do the math.

He was our player of the season in the one where his leg was broken by a horror tackle.

Never been the same since, though he did look okay 2 seasons ago, though he would only shadow his man and never actually press or challenge him. Though he did press a bit preseason against Liverpool, but unsurprised to see he reverted.

I'm so tired of watching him jog, even when beaten by his man, he just jogs along. Unbelievable.

 

[mitchmouse]

Weirdly the player ratings wouldn't allow me to award more than a "2". but it didn't matter as no one got that high

 

[leontas]

McFred should never start another game for us. Horrendous. Troubling that we’re only looking at FdJ. Our midfield needs at least 2 new players.

 

[MonkeysMagic]

I keep reading about our dross players that need to be sold...when was the last time we actually managed to sell anyone? Every PL club can witness on a weakly basis the awfulness of these players, why woukd they want to inherit that? We can only hope that their contracts run out and the leave for nothing, no way should they be given renewals but that means having to wait several yrs for them to stink the place out.

 

[VidaRed]

So ten hag could not polish turd ?

 

[Wing Attack Plan R]

Happy Ralf Rangnick Vindication Day!

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

You see, I don’t agree with that about Shaw. He’s one of our best players when in form.

Over the course of 8 years, how many times is that?

See the problem is, at their best each player is ‘good enough’ to be in & around the squad but if they’re only good enough 2/3 times out of 10 then what’s the point. The bar that’s he’s one of the best in this squad on form is a low bar to set btw.

 

[Kinky Melinky]

I and posters like me get mercilessly mocked on here for being pessimistic about the fecking state our club is in but fortunately reality tends to be on our side. You call us doomers but we're really just pointing out the reality of the situation, that our club is being run into the ground by parasites who don't give a fook.

It's been like that on the Caf since I joined. You can check my start date. It's not going to change.

 

[Fanta Stick]

Do we have any economic levers?

 

[Amarsdd]

Dalot is not average, he’s an atrocious defender. The first goal was entirely his fault because he didn’t close down Troussard, easy through ball and it’s a dangerous ball through the box, goal. I’

The fact remains that up until now, Ole has gotten the best out of this squad. Of course, Ole needed to go, but all the complaining about his tactics and counter attacking football, I’m starting to think that with this midfield and RB, you can’t play anything but counter attacking.

Fred cannot be a distributor in a midfield 2.

Its quite interesting to think looking at the players now. Ole managed to get two 20+ goals season from Rashford, one 20+ gola season from Martial, one and a half world class season from Bruno, one world class season from Shaw, one decent and one very good season from Maguire. All that with Fred and Scott in the midfield.

 

[mitchmouse]

shall we play "spot the difference" by watching the City game?

 

[bosnian_red]

That was horrific tbh. Though more of the same from the usual suspects. McTominay doesn't know how to play football. Shaw is lazy, slow, uninterested. Maguire has horrible awareness. Dalot was awful. Fred giving the ball away every 2 seconds.

Fred you know can at least bounce back with good games. McTominay won't do anything. Shaw is always like this. Maguire always makes those mistakes. Take them out and put in Malacia and Varane and sign a fecking midfielder (and attackers).

 

[TheReligion]

Agreed. I don't think Maguire was a major issue today at all. Our problem from what I could see is our midfield and forwards, their interplay, the poor passing, the lack of many clear cut chances. It's just shocking.

I think they started as any new CB partnership would do. The first half pressure was put on them by the inept Fred and Mctominay.

By the second half they were both quite slick together bar the Martinez rush of blood.

 

[TheReligion]

I think you mean "Maguire didn't do anything". horribly at fault for the first goal. never moved

 

[witchtrials]

Certainly hasn't improved as a footballer though.

You wonder why?

Because he cares about people who can't afford to eat?

 

[Moriarty]

Still need CB, RB, 1 box to box, 1 DM, 1 RW and 1 striker. In short we still need half a team.

And to get them. we'll have to sell, and we all know how good we are at doing that.

 

[Ole'sattheWheel]

The way Brighton saw out the stoppage time was so worrying. Absolutely pathetic, couldn't even get close to them

 

[Sandikan]

Shocking, shite…everyone knows that and no one denies it.

But a few excuses are in order. We started the game without a striker. And the club has made a strategic decision to go all for de Jong no matter how long it takes to bring him over the line, so we went with McDire. Without a proper finisher and without a midfield the odds of putting in a scintillating performance were not great.

In a situation like the one we have with Ronaldo, who probably had only 60 minutes in, why not start him and sub him off at 60 minutes? Presumably his quality is such that we finishing those chances and take the lead.

But at least we know now that McShit will never been seen again.

Yep, McFred won't start another game together until...


the next game.

 

[Jazz]

Do we have any economic levers?

WE can borrow some from Barca

 

[ayushreddevil9]

He was our player of the season in the one where his leg was broken by a horror tackle.

Never been the same since, though he did look okay 2 seasons ago, though he would only shadow his man and never actually press or challenge him. Though he did press a bit preseason against Liverpool, but unsurprised to see he reverted.

I'm so tired of watching him jog, even when beaten by his man, he just jogs along. Unbelievable.

He broke his leg in September. How can that make him player of the season?

 

[The Purley King]

For Brentford I’d start Iqbal.
Comfortable receiving and looking after the ball in tight situations and can pick a pass.
If I have to watch mctominay again I think I’ll puke.
Lots of things wrong with the first goal but he stumbles over the ball in central midfield and loses it.

 

[Rolaholic]

Would kill to sign him...

Already a monster at 20 years old

 

[McTerminator]

Time to realise we are a mid table club.

This used to be a wum

 

[Scriblerus]

shall we play "spot the difference" by watching the City game?

Saw it yesterday watching Spurs, never mind City.

 

[Lentwood]

There's no point in talking too much about anything until we sort out the centre of midfield. Everything else is re-arranging deckchairs on the Titanic

 

[Elcabron]

The only player we managed to sell this season is Pereira believe it or not. If we wanted to sell them both, you bet they would be going on loan again. We are incompetent at selling players.

Indeed, you need to complete several loans before you quality for a sale at united. Telles, martial and DVB getting there.

 

[Murder on Zidanes Floor]

This used to be a wum

It's not now. We are the sixth to eight best team in England.

 

[Robertd0803]

Its days like this that the no swearing filter on the Caf should be removed to allow us to vent with as much disgust as the language allows.

Absolute joke.

 

[dogrob]

It gladdens my heart seeing all this negativity after the result why? because this is the first game of the season and things will change for the better and EtH will see who he can keep and who he can get rid of, re-building a team doesn't happen quickly time is needed and the main thing now is to start sorting problems, if possible get players and simply have faith that Ten Hag knows what he is doing and that the board give him full support. You an expect the next game that there will be a large difference to the game today.

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

So, still shite then.

At least the second half was okay.

 

[BaneIsPain]

Rangnick was correct that we need to replace almost all the first-team players.

 

[Heinzesight]

Do we have any economic levers?

Nah. Just us in the De Jong thread pulling our own levers.

 

[NZT-One]

There was a massive fecking hole in the centre of our midfield ALL GAME.
The number of times Martinez and Maguire looked for a central pass and there were only blue shirts there.
Fdj or no fdj you can’t play without a central midfield.
Hugely disappointing not sure what eth was thinking in the first half but that was utter dogshit.

I agree. Early days for ETH but I thought he should have changed that. Seeing so many calling for Eriksen in a deeper role... That would be madness, he is way too light weight for that. Him being capable on the ball doesn't mean he should play there all the time.

 

[jasT1981]

Maguire - "We started the game pretty well, on the front foot" - What game is this? We were nearly 1-0 down after 10 seconds.

 

[MyBloodIsRed]

Should we have expected anything different???

We have added zero midfielders of quality in our stock putting Fred and McTominay in the side. Eriksen on a free is nice but adds no steel to the engine room. Completely overrun in midfield yet again it’s been years of this we will never learn.

 

[Buster15]

I keep reading about our dross players that need to be sold...when was the last time we actually managed to sell anyone? Every PL club can witness on a weakly basis the awfulness of these players, why woukd they want to inherit that? We can only hope that their contracts run out and the leave for nothing, no way should they be given renewals but that means having to wait several yrs for them to stink the place out.

Yes.
And don't forget the sky high wages most are being paid. Notice I did not say earning.
I mean. Who would really want to buy most of the squad apart from a raving halfwit.

 

[Castia]

Shit summer, still shit on the pitch.

I thought it couldn't get worse than last season but it’s looking to be even worse this year, somehow the squad is even worse

 

[ObscureBaguette]

Why is Jadon Sancho anonymous so often? I was really disappointed with him today. Hoped he'd come flying out of the blocks but I'm not even 100% sure he was on the pitch. is he being poorly utilised? Is he just not good enough? How long before the spotlight really falls on him and we start to question him? He's not new anymore and he needs to buck his ideas up.