Man Utd Thread:

[magpie seanie]

Red cards are handed out too handy nowadays. Rooney's one didn't look great in slow mo but wasn't dangerous.

[AZOffaly]

Imagine Souness and Robson flying into tackles with these refs

[Billys Boots]

This long-ball stuff is nonsense - teams can play in a way that draws the defence out to allow long passes in behind (that's hardly hit-and-hope).  There are numerous ways in which teams can play skilfully and creatively, employing long-passes without becoming agricultural.

Yep.

I can appreciate that the percentages say that keeping the ball is the best way to avoid conceding, and that 10 5-yard passes are the best way of advancing 50 yards without losing the ball.  But, there's really nothing like seeing a team advancing up the field to close-down the opposition 'fannying about' only to see them rocked back on their heels by a long ball into space (especially if it's not your team).   

[Maroon Manc]

It was a free kick to United with the supposed bad challenge by Rooney. Look at where the ball went and look at what Milner was doing. Rooney tried to make contact with the ball and just missed whilst Milner stuck his leg out trying to take Rooney down whilst making no attempt to win the ball or even follow it. It was a poor decision by the ref and I'm amazed its very few have picked up on it.

As for the long balls, I've got no issues with it at all. I'm sure if Fergie had a player like Fellaini in his squad he'd have used him. Mourinho didn't buy him and he's hardly building a team around him. I've looked forward to matches the last 3 months as we've played some very good football,

The only issue I have with Mourinho yesterday is bringing Rooney on, he was appalling when he came on. He saw plenty of the ball in very good positions and did nothing with it apart from one decent cross.

[Gmac]

Couple of things from yesterday's game one is Rooney looked terrible way to slow on ball and losing it constantly looks like he's done to me, Valencia is a good player but his final ball is bad a lot of the time and his lack of a left foot is killing  Utd , he ends up delivering the ball into the box most of the time and gets blocked or can't cut back to his left foot

[nrico2006]

Couple of things from yesterday's game one is Rooney looked terrible way to slow on ball and losing it constantly looks like he's done to me, Valencia is a good player but his final ball is bad a lot of the time and his lack of a left foot is killing  Utd , he ends up delivering the ball into the box most of the time and gets blocked or can't cut back to his left foot

Thats one of the biggest things I took from the game - Rooneys constant losing of the ball and his snail like movement.  Towards the end, he had the ball a few times 30 yards out while facing a defender, and his now lack of ability to even try and go by that defender makes him so predictable as he tries to flick the ball 5 or 6 yards to his right to make room for a shot, but everybody in the world can see it coming and he is nearly always blocked.  That period was crying out for Rashford.  We had too many static players on the pitch together.  As for Valencia, he has been brilliant but again is predictable due to having only one foot which enables a defender to place themselves to his right side which more often than not results in him hitting a wee chip cross in that has zero power therefore puts far more pressure on the players in the box to try and get the power on the header.

[stew]

Couple of things from yesterday's game one is Rooney looked terrible way to slow on ball and losing it constantly looks like he's done to me, Valencia is a good player but his final ball is bad a lot of the time and his lack of a left foot is killing  Utd , he ends up delivering the ball into the box most of the time and gets blocked or can't cut back to his left foot

Valencia, along with De Gea and the Albanian lad are the three best players United have this season, well, besides the big Swede that is.

[Boycey]

Couple of things from yesterday's game one is Rooney looked terrible way to slow on ball and losing it constantly looks like he's done to me, Valencia is a good player but his final ball is bad a lot of the time and his lack of a left foot is killing  Utd , he ends up delivering the ball into the box most of the time and gets blocked or can't cut back to his left foot

Valencia, along with De Gea and the Albanian lad are the three best players United have this season, well, besides the big Swede that is.

Tell me more about this Albanian lad 

[magpie seanie]

At least Rooney is trying this last while. The legs are gone though. He tried to create spaces for shots but hadn't the power in his legs to shoot. I thought he was worth a punt at the time and certainly it was a game where Carrick was not really needed. In hindsight I guess it would have been better to play Rashford. I wouldn't slaughter Jose over it compared to some of the ridiculous sh1t he was at in Aug/Sep/Oct.

On the Rooney/Milner incident - amazed that there was only 4 minutes added with all the subs and the amount of time Milner was down for. There's no doubt Milner was trying to influence the referees choice of card (yes, Herrera did the same later with the drink driver). It's not even talked about any more....it's accepted as part of the game. Refs are having a bad season but carry on like this makes their job harder.

[ballinaman]

At least Rooney is trying this last while. The legs are gone though. He tried to create spaces for shots but hadn't the power in his legs to shoot. I thought he was worth a punt at the time and certainly it was a game where Carrick was not really needed. In hindsight I guess it would have been better to play Rashford. I wouldn't slaughter Jose over it compared to some of the ridiculous sh1t he was at in Aug/Sep/Oct.

On the Rooney/Milner incident - amazed that there was only 4 minutes added with all the subs and the amount of time Milner was down for. There's no doubt Milner was trying to influence the referees choice of card (yes, Herrera did the same later with the drink driver). It's not even talked about any more....it's accepted as part of the game. Refs are having a bad season but carry on like this makes their job harder.

Wouldn't be too hard on Milner for staying down TBH, was caught high by Rooney..wouldn't class him as a lad to go down too easily too.

[magpie seanie]

At least Rooney is trying this last while. The legs are gone though. He tried to create spaces for shots but hadn't the power in his legs to shoot. I thought he was worth a punt at the time and certainly it was a game where Carrick was not really needed. In hindsight I guess it would have been better to play Rashford. I wouldn't slaughter Jose over it compared to some of the ridiculous sh1t he was at in Aug/Sep/Oct.

On the Rooney/Milner incident - amazed that there was only 4 minutes added with all the subs and the amount of time Milner was down for. There's no doubt Milner was trying to influence the referees choice of card (yes, Herrera did the same later with the drink driver). It's not even talked about any more....it's accepted as part of the game. Refs are having a bad season but carry on like this makes their job harder.

Wouldn't be too hard on Milner for staying down TBH, was caught high by Rooney..wouldn't class him as a lad to go down too easily too.

I'll have to look at it again but it looked like Rooney stood on his foot to me.

[Two Hands FFS]

At least Rooney is trying this last while. The legs are gone though. He tried to create spaces for shots but hadn't the power in his legs to shoot. I thought he was worth a punt at the time and certainly it was a game where Carrick was not really needed. In hindsight I guess it would have been better to play Rashford. I wouldn't slaughter Jose over it compared to some of the ridiculous sh1t he was at in Aug/Sep/Oct.

On the Rooney/Milner incident - amazed that there was only 4 minutes added with all the subs and the amount of time Milner was down for. There's no doubt Milner was trying to influence the referees choice of card (yes, Herrera did the same later with the drink driver). It's not even talked about any more....it's accepted as part of the game. Refs are having a bad season but carry on like this makes their job harder.

Wouldn't be too hard on Milner for staying down TBH, was caught high by Rooney..wouldn't class him as a lad to go down too easily too.

I'll have to look at it again but it looked like Rooney stood on his foot to me.

On the ankle I thought. James Milner is one of the few very honest footballers about and I would say he was hurt. If I was tackled like that I would be looking a yellow card for Rooney. Don't think it was that big of an issue.
Pogba luckier not to see Red

[Maroon Manc]

At least Rooney is trying this last while. The legs are gone though. He tried to create spaces for shots but hadn't the power in his legs to shoot. I thought he was worth a punt at the time and certainly it was a game where Carrick was not really needed. In hindsight I guess it would have been better to play Rashford. I wouldn't slaughter Jose over it compared to some of the ridiculous sh1t he was at in Aug/Sep/Oct.

On the Rooney/Milner incident - amazed that there was only 4 minutes added with all the subs and the amount of time Milner was down for. There's no doubt Milner was trying to influence the referees choice of card (yes, Herrera did the same later with the drink driver). It's not even talked about any more....it's accepted as part of the game. Refs are having a bad season but carry on like this makes their job harder.

Should of been a free kick to United anyway, there's only one of them following the ball. Rooney has only caught Milner because Milner has committed a foul.

[AZOffaly]

How do you make that out MM? I can't see a foul from Milner here. At worst I see him trying to protect the ball, possibly even missing it completely. But he's in position before Rooney who is in mid lunge at that stage, and the studs are up. I thought a yellow was fair enough. It was no more than that. It wasn't a stamp or anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEmTqVgkSyM

[magpie seanie]

I was surprised at Milner. I can't see how you'd be that badly hurt from that incident that you'd need to be down so long.