A small quibble

[jimmylibel]

Pressure, pressure, pressure. Anyone else think we haven't done enough to pile the pressure on the Mancs this season?

 

In previous seasons it's been noticeable how it's come down to 'squeaky bum time' when the pressure mounts in the title run in and teams start performing below their level as a result. That doesn't seem to have happened this year at all as the Mancs have fairly walked over the line over the last few weeks.

 

Despite our generally excellent results in the run in I would argue that we haven't done enough to put that extra bit of pressure on the Mancs this year.

 

Over the last few months all we've heard from our players is that "United are clear favourites" or "You'd have to fancy them" and while Rafa has refused to give up the title til the bitter end it doesn't seem like we've been heaping any added pressure on them by talking about the pressure they should be under.

 

If the boot was on the other foot I'm sure the Mancs would have been talking about how "Liverpool have to go to West Brom tomorrow who are fighting for their lives and won't give an inch... they'll have to be at their best to get anything there" etc and that type of utterance would have been coming from Ferguson and their players for the last few months before every single match, which would added to the mental pressure on our players.

 

I think we've let the Mancs off easy on that front. We've kept as much competitive pressure on them as we could since getting back into the race. However I'm disappointed that we didn't follow that up by putting extra psychological pressure on them.

 

Thoughts?

[JonShar]

I have a thought - you're mental.

 

First off, being involved with 2 games left piled the pressure on the mancs, as did beating them 4-1 at Old Toilet.

 

Second, I've seen countless press conferences with Rafa & the players saying things along the lines of - "The manc c*nts are the favourites, but Man City (enter opposition here) are in great form and will give them a game"

 

What else do you expect them to say?

 

Reporter: "Rafa, how do you think the manc c*nts will do against Spurs?"

Rafa: "Well, you know as well as I do how brilliant Spurs' defence is, so I think the manc c*nts will struggle to get anything"

 

Give over.

[stressederic]

I think we heaped a load of pressure on United. In numerous games it looked like they were about to collapse or get a bad result only to just about dig themselves out of it.

 

Considering that we couldn't do anything ourselves in these games I certainly think our presence put doubts and fears into their minds.

[Mike]

utd have done incredibly well considering the pressure we put them under. they got some breaks, but that's the way it goes.

[Rimbeux]

It was going fine until the Arsenal draw, they were struggling with the weight, that result gave them safety net of knowing they didn't have to win every game, just not lose twice.

[Chili Palmer]

I think we have put them under as much pressure as possible considering how far we were behind in Feb/Mar. They did well albeit with a few breaks along the way. ahem Webb's a c*** ahem

[MFletcher]

Struggling and yet still winning games.

 

We couldn't have done much more this season.

[Falconhoof]

We need to win more games.

[Chili Palmer]

We need to win more games.

 

 

'cha think?

[Maldini]

They've stumbled over the line having first tripped about 8 weeks ago. Unfortunately they were helped off the ground about a month back by Howard Webb. We've done what we had to do to put the pressure on, they've won the league despite being s**** for the last two months. In the 8 games since we beat them they conceded the first goal in 4 of them. I can't remember them coming so close to dropping points in so many games since their first league victory in 93

[jimmylibel]

See I'm not talking here about challenging them or our points total. I'm talking about our off the field activities.

 

I don't think we've put enough psychological pressure on them by hyping up each and every single game they have. That's what I was getting at.

 

Not complaining about what has gone on in terms of on the pitch activity at all. And again, bear in mind the thread title.

[Maldini]

I think Rafa had a go, and got slaughtered by many of our own fans for it.

[Dan]

utd have done incredibly well considering the pressure we put them under. they got some breaks, but that's the way it goes.

 

Is right I'm afraid.

 

Yes they've conceded some goals but they've come back and won time and again - as they have done for the majprity of the last 20 seasons. We've put them under pressure every weekend since we batterem em and they've responded.

 

I wish Ferguson would f*ck off and retire the c*nt. The only way is down from there imo.

 

I don't think a comment here and there in a post match interview would have made a jot of difference.

[JonShar]

See I'm not talking here about challenging them or our points total. I'm talking about our off the field activities.

 

I don't think we've put enough psychological pressure on them by hyping up each and every single game they have. That's what I was getting at.

 

Not complaining about what has gone on in terms of on the pitch activity at all. And again, bear in mind the thread title.

 

I think my post right after yours answers that thought.

 

You're mental. In a nice, happy kind of way of course.

[_00_deathscar]

They've stumbled over the line having first tripped about 8 weeks ago. Unfortunately they were helped off the ground about a month back by Howard Webb. We've done what we had to do to put the pressure on, they've won the league despite being s**** for the last two months. In the 8 games since we beat them they conceded the first goal in 4 of them. I can't remember them coming so close to dropping points in so many games since their first league victory in 93

 

Shouldn't be underestimated how much of an influence Macheda had in those two games he scored the winners in either. That really helped propel them, and then Webb's arseyness just made sure they weren't going to falter again.

[fyds]

I think we put loads of pressure on them, but that some of the teams they were playing (honourable mentions for Wigan and to a lesser extent, Boro aside) just didn't really turn up and try and exploit that pressure in the way they might have. I thought yesterday Arsenal were trying to bore them to death.

[R A Softlad]

They've stumbled over the line having first tripped about 8 weeks ago. Unfortunately they were helped off the ground about a month back by Howard Webb. We've done what we had to do to put the pressure on, they've won the league despite being s**** for the last two months. In the 8 games since we beat them they conceded the first goal in 4 of them. I can't remember them coming so close to dropping points in so many games since their first league victory in 93

 

Sums it up for me.

[_00_deathscar]

I thought yesterday Arsenal were trying to bore them to death.

 

Haven't been as frustrated since Barcelona did the same in last year's semi final in the 2nd leg. And I'm going to expect more of the same on the 27th.

 

Just f***ing shoot for crying out loud...

[Rory Fitzgerald]

I cant agree Jimmy, the wins by ourselves and Fulham really put a dent in their confidence and gave other teams a bit of confidence to play them.

 

Villa came back from 1 down at OT to be in a winning position of 1-2

Spurs went 2 up against them at OT

Sunderland equalised vs them at home

Wigan went 1 up against them during the week

 

I think there was enough poor performances from them to think they could fall short, unfortunately, those teams wilted

[John am Rhein]

Over the last few months all we've heard from our players is that "United are clear favourites" or "You'd have to fancy them" and while Rafa has refused to give up the title til the bitter end it doesn't seem like we've been heaping any added pressure on them by talking about the pressure they should be under.

 

I can never understand this attitude. All too often, not only fans, but players and even managers too, seem to be more concerned about not being proved wrong than actually maximizing our chances of winning.

 

The attitude needs to be "we are the favourites because they are the best team". End of.

[Pam]

I can never understand this attitude. All too often, not only fans, but players and even managers too, seem to be more concerned about not being proved wrong than actually maximizing our chances of winning.

 

The attitude needs to be "we are the favourites because they are the best team". End of.

 

 

we are damned if we do and damned if we dont - if Rafa or a player say we believe we can win the league despite being points behind the media make out they are delusional or undignified etc. if they say it will be tough whatever opponent is a good team etc they are labelled defeatist. can't win - Rafa's "rant" while most journalists admitted he had a point was used to make out he was cracking up and he was slated by some of our fans.

 

the pre Arsenal-Man Utd CL game build up was ultra defeatist by Arsenal fans, club and commentators you'd have thought they were 5-0 down from the first leg the way they were talking about it. The lacked belief and spirit and it showed. Contrast that with our approach over latter part of season and our belief and determination has made me proud.

 

The fact that we are gutted to have lost out on the league at the 2nd to last gae shows how far we ahve come and builds solid platform for next year. If we approach next season like we have for last few months (Boro & Arsenal defensive perfomance aside) we will be serious contenders.

[jimmylibel]

I think my post right after yours answers that thought.

 

You're mental. In a nice, happy kind of way of course.

 

Yeah cos the personal abuse was really needed there or your previous post. Unable to venture an opinion without resorting to insults then?

 

It was an opinion, put up on a message board to generate a discussion. I'm sure you'd prefer if you only had opinions you personally approved up here. Maybe you could have a word with the mods and see if they can make that happen for you?

 

The rest of this post isn't really for you as you don't seem to be able to have a reasonable discussion without resorting to juvenile name calling but anyway...

 

I would say in our public utterances this season, especially in the last couple of months, we've only paid lip service to heaping the extra pressure on them. Rafa has done some commenting on the United opposition but not too much. Our players have only half heartedly gone on about it. It's not exactly been "We're breathing down your necks Mancs say defiant Liverpool".

 

I think in a similar situation to us the Mancs or Mourinho for that matter would have been hyping up every game played by their opposition to unbearable levels. "It's make or break for them" etc, knowing that slight extra pressure could be telling. I'm not saying everything they do is right but they'd know that the psychological impact of that would start to tell sooner or later.

 

The purpose of this thread was to discuss that, not the results.

 

Some others have said in this thread, and it's true, that our results put pressure on them and they began to wobble but did enough to get over the line. My point in starting this thread was wondering if we had hyped things up more, if the media and off field pressure had been more intense, would that perhaps have made that wobble a bit more pronounced... would it have made the difference in any of their scrapped results.

[JonShar]

Yeah cos the personal abuse was really needed there or your previous post. Unable to venture an opinion without resorting to insults then?

 

It was an opinion, put up on a message board to generate a discussion. I'm sure you'd prefer if you only had opinions you personally approved up here. Maybe you could have a word with the mods and see if they can make that happen for you?

 

The rest of this post isn't really for you as you don't seem to be able to have a reasonable discussion without resorting to juvenile name calling but anyway...

 

I would say in our public utterances this season, especially in the last couple of months, we've only paid lip service to heaping the extra pressure on them. Rafa has done some commenting on the United opposition but not too much. Our players have only half heartedly gone on about it. It's not exactly been "We're breathing down your necks Mancs say defiant Liverpool".

 

I think in a similar situation to us the Mancs or Mourinho for that matter would have been hyping up every game played by their opposition to unbearable levels. "It's make or break for them" etc, knowing that slight extra pressure could be telling. I'm not saying everything they do is right but they'd know that the psychological impact of that would start to tell sooner or later.

 

The purpose of this thread was to discuss that, not the results.

 

Some others have said in this thread, and it's true, that our results put pressure on them and they began to wobble but did enough to get over the line. My point in starting this thread was wondering if we had hyped things up more, if the media and off field pressure had been more intense, would that perhaps have made that wobble a bit more pronounced... would it have made the difference in any of their scrapped results.

 

It was a bloody joke, good god man! Like I would have any idea whether you're mental or not? (Other than the content of your posts of course)

[jimmylibel]

It was a bloody joke, good god man! Like I would have any idea whether you're mental or not? (Other than the content of your posts of course)

 

I could tell by the fact my sides were splitting.

 

It was like seeing a young Bernard Manning in his pomp.

[JonShar]

I could tell by the fact my sides were splitting.

 

It was like seeing a young Bernard Manning in his pomp.

 

You're that old?