Man Utd Thread:

[GJL]

Jose fucked up tonight. He put out a weakened team thinking 1st in the group was out of reach when in fact if Utd had won they would of topped the group.

[From the Bunker]

Jose fucked up tonight. He put out a weakened team thinking 1st in the group was out of reach when in fact if Utd had won they would of topped the group.

Jose did the correct thing tonight. He left the guts of his team at home in Manchester. They have a big bragging rights game on the weekend and a very busy Christmas schedule ahead.

[Milltown Row2]

The league is over, Liverpool will use the bus Utd try and park at Anfield, for their celebrations come Easter

[yellowcard]

Big mistake playing a weakened team tonight when you look at the calibre of opponent facing them in the last 16 now compared to if they had topped the group. Unless they get lucky and get Porto any other tie would probably see United as underdogs on current form.

[Cunny Funt]

Lads on paper that was far from a weakened United team selected tonight. What i see for most of this season is disorganized sides with a lot of disinterested players and manager that is lost without his right hand man.

Jose biggest mistake was placing his trust in Jones. A young lad playing for reserves would have done better. United are going no further in this competition but then again i didn't expect them to get out of that group.

[AZOffaly]

Except they'll be fecking interested at the weekend!! Hoors.

[Geoff Tipps]

Except they'll be fecking interested at the weekend!! Hoors.

And won't do us a favour by picking Jones and Fred

[Insane Bolt]

Jones gets a hard time for a guy who gives his all every time he plays. Many of the other leading lights need a good boot up the hole.

[Over the Bar]

Jones is grand when he has a proper centre half playing alongside him. Doing it all on his own most of the time tho.

[Cunny Funt]

Jones is grand when he has a proper centre half playing alongside him. Doing it all on his own most of the time tho.

Jones wouldn't look grand alongside Bruce,Stam,Vidic,Pallister or Rio Ferdinand in their prime. Giving his all yes but his all is not enough when he's such average and error ridden defender and he's injury prone also. Such mediocrity will likely be rewarded with new contract while some of the clubs more talented players will be sold.

[Boycey]

Decent pro is Jones, never really fulfilled his early promise (Duncan Edwards was mentioned at one stage ), not worthy of a starting place but good enough squad player. All those great United defenders you mention would have played with centre halves of similiar ability at various stages as very few teams would have the luxury of 4 world class centre backs

I'd imagine when Bailly- and Lindelof- were bought they were hardly Mourinhos 1st choice defenders but were bought with a view to competing with Rojo and a senior centre half who was to be bought later but never materialized for the two available slots. Smalling and Jones would be shipped on as they became senior pros and expensive to keep in contract. United have had deals to sell both but the wages were the stumbling block

[Bord na Mona man]

Smalling and Jones were back ups who became first choices by succession rather than by unseating anyone.
Jones being so injury prone probably masks how error prone he is, because people give him the benefit of the doubt as he is usually on the comeback from injury.

In the summer of 2014 United off-loaded Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra who were 3 of the top defenders in the world. Ok, they were pushing on, but the years of penny pinching before that meant that equivalent replacements hadn't been sourced.
Even getting rid of Johnny Evans and Michael Keane around that time doesn't look so wise now.

[BennyCake]

Jonny Evans going was a huge mistake. As was John O'Shea at the time. A solid reliable player.

[Boycey]

Evans, O Shea and Keane are pretty much in the same category as Smalling and Jones, good decent pros but a level below the best.

I'm pretty sure if you go back in this thread Evans and OShea would have got plenty of stick for not being good enough either

[Milltown Row2]

Evans, O Shea and Keane are pretty much in the same category as Smalling and Jones, good decent pros but a level below the best.

I'm pretty sure if you go back in this thread Evans and OShea would have got plenty of stick for not being good enough either

But better than current squad defenders though, that's how bad it is