Rafa and the boys need to take a long hard look

[Guest rickyjohn]

at their approach and attitide towards this game.

 

We've had an amazing, championship winning form run ver the last 12, full of confidence, smothering teams and pushing forward at all opportunity's. We were like a different side today, everyone just seemed to freeze. Against that 11, we should have taken the game to them. Yes we had more possession, but were so scared with the ball, 75% of passes went astray, truly woeful, while first touches were as bad and movement off the ball non existent.

 

It's not as easy to say we were the better team and be happy with that. We dropped 3 points today, which would have gained us ground on the leaders and leapfrogged our main contenders for second. We were a team going into the game full of confidence against a team on the ropes. There's only one this cost us and that was our attitude. I'm afraid to day its how we seem to approach most games against the big teams in the prem. It was the same against Utd at home and Chelsea too. Sooner or later, a sucker goal will hit you if you try and play out nil-nils. As the game wore on I was waiting for it to happen as our decision making was so indecisive and nervous, I think it's the worst we've played all season.

 

Yes we probably were the better team, but go back and watch the game again without the interference of passion and while Utd we undoubtly schite, we were not much better. Simple passes were poor, alonso, Momo and Gerrard particularly poor with no conviction, or when we had the ball we were afraid to make any runs off it, Crouch and Cisse in particular and we were way too deep.

 

We've done brilliantly for the last few months, which is why this was particularly galling. Play that game 10 times and we'd win it 9 times if we showed no fear as per recently. As per the title, I think we'd do well to take a look at our attitude for that game, the fear and nerves in our game were the blatant result of that. I just hope it doesn't knock us too much over coming months.

[Flip Martian]

They were there for the taking today. We lost to a Utd team who were pretty mediocre until the last 20 minutes. Unfortunately, in vital parts of the pitch so were we.

 

I knew a great period would end at some point. Bloody typical it would be there, and that git would score.

 

Treat it as a kick in the pants - next game more effort please..

[Maldini]

Let's not overstate the case here lads, we were the better team, we should have won, we defended well (one blip aside) and retained possession well most of the time, we had no real creative edge in the final third though and that's what cost us.

[Guest rickyjohn]

it wasn't really the lack of effort, it was the attitidue - not positive enough, not enough conviction about what we were doing or whether we were good enough to win. Showed the far, far too much respect, as at Anfield, which is why I think and hope they'll realise what a chance lost it was. Of all the talk of catching Utd and being as good as them (which we undoubtly are IMO), I don't think the gaffa or players actually realised or believed it!!

[Tosh]

The pitch was dire which hardly contributed to either side playing good footie

[Cobs]

pitch was schite at Luton, Bolton.......

 

 

we were poor today, feck all to do with the pitch.

[Guest Cisse's mate]

My fear is that we have not shuck off last years inability of passing a certain level in the league.

 

In short we freeze. In another post someone rightly says we played the fixture and not the opposition. I would go a step further and say we looked past this fixture and froze at the possibility of the outcome.

 

Last year we must have had 7 - 8 golden chances of passing Everton on the way up to 4th yet every step we failed. I hope I am wrong but do SG and the main players have a mental block towards this kind of game. United where no better than Spurs last week yet we didn't grind them down as we did with Spurs.

 

Will we squander out games in hand and finish a poor 4th, it is a possibility you know

[Murphman]

WHAT a crock of shiit this thread is.

[Guest Cisse's mate]

Let's not overstate the case here lads, we were the better team, we should have won, we defended well (one blip aside) and retained possession well most of the time, we had no real creative edge in the final third though and that's what cost us.

 

 

Roy Evans sent out many teams that where better than United but never beat them, that is the proof of the pudding. In League terms they where the better side, they scored we didn't, in fact you could stand that argument on its head and say they where the better side because we where the better side but failed to do what the better side should do.....go and win the game....if you know what I mean

 

If you take the game as just another in the season we where unlucky, but these games are a test of our chances of passing United and Arsenal and becoming the main challenges to Chelsea. We did not play like that was the agenda.

Edited January 22, 2006 by Cisse's mate

[Guest rickyjohn]

Maldini, fair point, but it's what I'm getting at. we weren't shocking in that we defended poorly (goal aside) or not being organised enough or anything like that. But the whole reason we lacked so much in the final 3rd was our lack of conviction and positive attitude. I can remember only once or twice an overlapping run or running off the ball. we were simply too restrictive in our movement and play and IMO it was down too our nerves/approach etc.

[allez les rouges]

WHAT a crock of shiit this thread is.

 

you took the words out of my mouth.

 

here we are going away to old toilet, dominating the game, and losing by the finest of margins.

 

when was the last time we dominated or in fact, any team dominated at old toilet?

[Guest Kev]

you took the words out of my mouth.

 

here we are going away to old toilet, dominating the game, and losing by the finest of margins.

 

when was the last time we dominated or in fact, any team dominated at old toilet?

 

We far from dominated, better team yes, but miles away from dominating.

[allez les rouges]

We far from dominated, better team yes, but miles away from dominating.

 

fair enough, but being the better side is still a darn sight better than usual.

 

even when we have won in the past it has been by putting 11 men behind the ball and scoring a breakawaygoal or free kick

[Guest Kev]

fair enough, but being the better side is still a darn sight better than usual.

 

even when we have won in the past it has been by putting 11 men behind the ball and scoring a breakawaygoal or free kick

 

We played with 9 and a half players, Cisse was a waste of space and Crouch was only slightly better.

[RedMarauder]

Let's not overstate the case here lads, we were the better team, we should have won, we defended well (one blip aside) and retained possession well most of the time, we had no real creative edge in the final third though and that's what cost us.

 

Spot on.

 

Sometimes you lose these games and it hurts more because of the opposition and the late goal

[Romario]

We were not the better team. We had more of the ball and did f*** all

with it against a really weakened side. We froze when it mattered like

we've done year in year out in the league. I'm gutted.

[growler]

also, no matter how bad they are, they still manage to break the top teams. stopped both Chelsea and arsenal's unbeaten runs, so fully expected this.

[Guest Kev]

A lot of it is also because for the first time in years that we went there and expected something rather than hoped for something adds to the disappointment all round.

[Dule]

I think people are being to f***en silly in this thread. We played well for the majority of the game, except for the last 15 minutes. If Cisse had of put that chance away, the team would not have copped that goal because the attention level would have been higher. I am not going to blame Cisse, i was just pointing out the vital moment in the game when we should have taken the lead that we deserved in the game.

[Guest Kev]

I think people are being to f***en silly in this thread. We played well for the majority of the game, except for the last 15 minutes. If Cisse had of put that chance away, the team would not have copped that goal because the attention level would have been higher. I am not going to blame Cisse, i was just pointing out the vital moment in the game when we should have taken the lead that we deserved in the game.

 

You are in a very small minority if you are not blaming Cisse. I bemoan the fact he missed, but what did it for me was that he was on the ground pretending to be injured instead of getting up and getting on with it. If he'd of done that then he would have been on his feet and better prepared for what was a tap in.

[Nebraska Red]

A lot of it is also because for the first time in years that we went there and expected something rather than hoped for something adds to the disappointment all round.

 

exactly, what were people posting here on Friday and Saturday?

 

2-0 to us, someone said 4-0 to us. almost everyone expecting a win because Man U appear to be on the slide.

 

take a look at the table. regardless of how "declined" they are, they are still 2nd in the league, in the semis of one cup and the next round of the other. the only thing they are out of is the CL. not bad for a "declining" team.

 

we rarely do well at Old Trafford, no matter how good or bad either team appears to be at the time. the game is a local derby and form goes out of the window. we played as we usually do at Old Trafford, cautiously and tentatively, and we got what we so often get, nothing.

 

still, it's only 1 game, only our 3rd loss and we have 2 games in hand over them. i am confident we will get 2nd place ahead of them and that we will not take that kind of approach at too many more away games this season.

[fyds]

Why don't you lot take a deep breath FFS. I remember the thread after the Fulham defeat when the knives were out and all the stick was flying around, less than 6 months after the miracle of Istanbul .

 

Eleven games later on we were the best side in the history of the feckin world again yet now after one, albeit painful defeat, it all starts again. Having been robbed by a late sucker goal from the side who are patently second best to us all day long it's all started again, I struggle with how fickle some of you all are, it's incredible

 

I despair of you lot some times I really do.

 

I want it all and I want it now.

Indeed. I get where you're coming from and agree.

[owenthomas]

..we were the better team, we should have won, we defended well (one blip aside) and retained possession well most of the time, we had no real creative edge in the final third though and that's what cost us.

agreed.. and all this while the team were playing under-par.. i was pissed off in the extreme yesterday - another s*** match like the one against them at Anfield where it seemed neither team wanted to lose but didn't exactly bust a gut to win either..

[mercury]

sort of expected this and the other thread on Parry after the ref blew the whistle yesterday. and unlike another set-piece goal at stoppage time it doesn't disappoint....

 

for record, never expecetd an easy game at OT. us and the Mancs, unless either one or both of us drop the level substantially, it'll never be a flowing / dominating sort of game and a slim margin will always decide the match result.

[Stew F]

we did do that a lot didn't we. Carra especially.

 

I think the lack of someone clinical was the main difference. cisse was woeful. Maybe we lacked some spark in the final third too.

 

In Ferdinand, Giggs and Rooney they had the outstanding performers down their spine even for all our possession

 

Add to that the fact that they packed the midfield and did a good job of closing down, there was only one option for Carra and Sami. The most successful route out of defence was through our full backs and even they were getting closed down quickly.

For all the "lack of quality" in their midfield I reckon the way Ferguson had them set up when we had the ball was a tactical victory for him.