Man Utd Thread:

[AZOffaly]

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

Those headers against Wednesday when Ferguson went mad were from Corners I thought? Or crosses at least. The balls yesterday weren't crosses. They were long balls up, to try unsettle Liverpool and get on the second balls breaking off them. I didn't see much wrong with it, it was an obvious thing to do. 

[seafoid]

The death of "The United Way"

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/ken-early-mourinho-reverts-to-type-with-fellaini-substitution-1.2938121

What a load of tripe, JM is a winning coach as was AF. In AF's time when a late equaliser/winner was needed it was all hands to the pump and throw the kitchen sink at it and see what happens. To say that this is the death of the United way is lazy journalism as it finest.

You beat me to it. Pathetic article really. Liverpool deserve some credit to be fair for their boundless energy. I'd be one of Mourinho's biggest critics but the article is bull. The team is playing better stuff than for a while but had to change things or would have lost that game.

Mourinho is a narcissist and a provocateur. Not very Man Utd.

[AZOffaly]

Sure Fergie made provoking people, from refs to media to opposing players and managers, an art form. The days of Busby, who was a gentleman, are long gone. Shanks started the mind games thing at Liverpool, although most of his spiels were about pumping up his own players. Paisley was much more understated, but Ferguson took the Shankly approach and applied it to the opposition as well. Mourinho seems to be a similar character to me in that sense.

[Bord na Mona man]

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

Those headers against Wednesday when Ferguson went mad were from Corners I thought? Or crosses at least. The balls yesterday weren't crosses. They were long balls up, to try unsettle Liverpool and get on the second balls breaking off them. I didn't see much wrong with it, it was an obvious thing to do.

The first one was from a corner and the second one was from a Gary Pallister cross. The clue being the assister. Often Ferguson would push up a centre half when it was kitchen sink time. What did Ken Earley expect, neat triangles in the centre circle as the clocked turned red?

[AZOffaly]

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

Those headers against Wednesday when Ferguson went mad were from Corners I thought? Or crosses at least. The balls yesterday weren't crosses. They were long balls up, to try unsettle Liverpool and get on the second balls breaking off them. I didn't see much wrong with it, it was an obvious thing to do.

The first one was from a corner and the second one was from a Gary Pallister cross. The clue being the assister. Often Ferguson would push up a centre half when it was kitchen sink time. What did Ken Earley expect, neat triangles in the centre circle as the clocked turned red?

Hmm. The Pallister cross was as a result of a Giggs corner being half cleared, and the subsequent cross being over hit. Pallister retrieved it and crossed again. It deflected up in the air and Bruce headed it in.

I'm not arguing the point, because you are right. All managers do it. But in those instances, the crosses themselves came directly or indirectly from corners, not from long balls from back to front.

[Boycey]

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

Those headers against Wednesday when Ferguson went mad were from Corners I thought? Or crosses at least. The balls yesterday weren't crosses. They were long balls up, to try unsettle Liverpool and get on the second balls breaking off them. I didn't see much wrong with it, it was an obvious thing to do.

The first one was from a corner and the second one was from a Gary Pallister cross. The clue being the assister. Often Ferguson would push up a centre half when it was kitchen sink time. What did Ken Earley expect, neat triangles in the centre circle as the clocked turned red?

Hmm. The Pallister cross was as a result of a Giggs corner being half cleared, and the subsequent cross being over hit. Pallister retrieved it and crossed again. It deflected up in the air and Bruce headed it in.

I'm not arguing the point, because you are right. All managers do it. But in those instances, the crosses themselves came directly or indirectly from corners, not from long balls from back to front.

I can't grasp the point you're trying to make AZ, forgive me if I'm being dense it is a Monday morning....

[AZOffaly]

Sorry Boycey. I'm just being pedantic. MR2 made this comment

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

And I was just pointing out that those goals actually weren't from pumped up balls in the last minutes. They were from crosses and/or corners. I'm not disagreeing that putting the ball in there in the last few minutes was the right thing to do, I'm just saying that wasn't the best example of it.

[magpie seanie]

I think the stats after the game said Liverpool played 19 long balls and United played 20.

[nrico2006]

Sure Fergie made provoking people, from refs to media to opposing players and managers, an art form. The days of Busby, who was a gentleman, are long gone. Shanks started the mind games thing at Liverpool, although most of his spiels were about pumping up his own players. Paisley was much more understated, but Ferguson took the Shankly approach and applied it to the opposition as well. Mourinho seems to be a similar character to me in that sense.

I have never understood the whole crap about Mourinho and his behaviour since he joined United, as if Fergie was a saint when in fact they are both cut from the same cloth.

[AZOffaly]

Liverpool certainly cleared their lines with long balls a few times. I don't think Liverpool tried to launch attacks off long balls though, other than Mignolet or Lovren or Klavan clearing the ball under pressure. United, in the last 20 minutes or so, were certainly using it as an attacking strategy. I suppose simply put, Liverpool couldn't afford to. Not much point kicking long balls on top of Jones or Rojo with Firmino, Lallana and Coutinho there to battle in the air. They'd have to stand on each others shoulders!

[Boycey]

Sorry Boycey. I'm just being pedantic. MR2 made this comment

Who remembers the headerss from Big Steve Bruce against Wednesday? Pumped up balls in the last minutes?? All teams do it, be very foolish not to

And I was just pointing out that those goals actually weren't from pumped up balls in the last minutes. They were from crosses and/or corners. I'm not disagreeing that putting the ball in there in the last few minutes was the right thing to do, I'm just saying that wasn't the best example of it.

No problem I'm a bit of a pedant myself

So i'll point out that for all the talk United didn't score yesterday from a long pumped up ball either but I know ur a reasonable guy and will know this already..

[AZOffaly]

I think I mentioned that earlier on actually. Maybe I didn't. Lovren and Klavan were grand attacking the ball full on, and the rest of the team generally swept up the breaking ball. It was when United got wide and around the back of Liverpool that they looked uneasy, and that's what I was saying they didn't do enough of.

The tactic did make an impact though, especially with Fellani on, because it became more hectic even than it was before that. Which is the whole point I suppose.

[magpie seanie]

Long balls don't necessarily have to be high or down the middle.

[AZOffaly]

Long balls don't necessarily have to be high or down the middle.

Exactly. And there's different types of long balls. There's the panic clearance, or the goalie firing it after a back pass, and there's the centre half hoofing it, under no pressure to a big man on the edge of the box.

Long balls is one of the most misleading stats around.

[J70]

Long balls don't necessarily have to be high or down the middle.

True, but in terms of an attacking strategy, there's a difference between launching balls into a crowded box towards no one in particular and threading a long pass to the wing or behind or over the head of the centre back for a specific attacker to run on to.

Jack Charlton/Big Sam football is not the same as putting someone like Jan Molby or Paul Scholes on the ball to spray around passes and through balls from the centre of midfield.

Which is probably your actual point!