Sunday, 17 August 2014

Republik Of Mancunia

08:05

By: TBMU Admin On: 08:05   In:   No comments

Republik Of Mancunia

Glazers and Woodward risk leading club in to decline

Posted: 16 Aug 2014 09:32 AM PDT

Manchester United finished last season as the 7th best team and have since lost several key players. Nemanja Vidic, the captain, Patrice Evra, the vice-captain, as well as two of the most experienced players in the squad, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand. When you consider that takes away three of our back four, as well as last season’s only cover for left-back, Alexander Buttner, United would need to buy five players just to break even.

United need to do more than break even though. Our squad was worse than Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool’s last season, yet all four of those clubs have spent more money than us in the transfer window, and none of them seen as many first team players leave.

Of course, in Louis van Gaal, United have a much better manager this season and that should ensure we see better performances from the players. But his quality isn’t enough to bridge the ever increasing gap between us and the teams above us last season.

It makes you wonder, what is Ed Woodward doing? The only players we’ve signed, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, are players who we had lined up a year ago, so why a week away from the transfer window closing have we not bought anyone else?

Van Gaal was appointed three months ago and whilst of course Holland was his priority you would imagine he gave the club a list of players he was keen on signing. Neither Herrera or Shaw even spoke to Van Gaal even spoke to the manager before signing, indicating that Van Gaal simply approved these pre-arranged signings.

With the season starting two games before the transfer window closes, it’s so important to get your business done early. It’s obviously more difficult to do this during a World Cup year, but not impossible. Look at Chelsea, for example, who have brought in five players costing close to £100m all before the season kicked off.

Having Herrera and Shaw available for the pre-season was great, but this year, probably more than any, it was so important getting all of our players to play together before facing any matches that mattered. Van Gaal has completely changed the way we play and we needed as much time as we could to practice this.

Everything worked brilliantly well on tour, with United winning every game, despite playing plenty of good sides.

However, United were brought back down to earth today with a humbling home defeat against the side we beat away from home on the first day of last season.

Whilst Van Gaal wouldn’t allow injuries to be used as an excuse, it would be unfair not to take them in to account. Tyler Blackett and Jesse Lingard made their debuts, with the average age of our back three standing at just 22 years old, thanks to injuries to Jonny Evans and Rafael da Silva.

Robin van Persie, Michael Carrick, Danny Welbeck, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia and Anderson were all unavailable to play too. When you consider how many players have left the club, it’s understandable that we were down to the bare bones today. But it is unforgivable that the Glazers and Woodward have allowed it to come to this.

After the monumental cock up in the transfer window last summer, which really was unfair on David Moyes, given he needed all the help he could get after replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, it’s incredible that we are seeing history repeat itself. Mistakes were made, with the club failing to bring in any world class or potentially world class players, and instead resorting to ‘strengthening’ our midfield by overpaying for Marouane Fellaini. Those mistakes seemingly haven’t been learnt from, even though the price we paid was failing to qualify for Europe.

Ahead of today’s game, Paul Scholes believed that Van Gaal will be disappointed that more players haven’t been signed.

"I'm sure he would have liked to have signed more players," said Scholes. "He's not managed to do that yet. Are the players out there available? Midfield is an area where I thought they might have bought a couple of players. Kroos goes for £20 million and Fabregas to Chelsea. I thought they would have been in for those type of players but it doesn't look like they were."

You could understand United not competing for these players if they had something bigger in store. If we actually sign Arturo Vidal, then maybe this transfer window will make some sense, with Juve reportedly proving difficult to negotiate with.

United may well bring in a player or two before the window shuts, with Van Gaal trying to reassure people with his claim it only takes 24 hours to buy someone.

But we’ve already fallen three points behind thanks to the inability of the Glazers to make our money available and Woodward’s incompetence to get a deal done.

How much further will we fall behind before the fans begin to make a stand again? Moyes faced the brunt of the frustration last year but it is unlikely that Van Gaal will face the same fate. There’s no questioning his credentials and his ability to make title winning squads. But there are huge question marks over the owners and CEO. If they want top four football this season they need to act now, before one dodgy season turns in to decline.

VIEW FROM THE ENEMY: Swansea fan on admiring Phil Jones and United winning the league

Posted: 16 Aug 2014 04:30 AM PDT

In preparation for the 2014-15 season, The Republik of Mancunia has spoken to fans of all the clubs in the Premier League about last season, next season, their own clubs and their thoughts on United.

Chris Carra writes for Forza Swansea. Follow @ForzaSwansea on Twitter. He has also written a book, Swansea City Greatest Games.

Scott: How did you rate 2013-14 for Swansea?

Chris: A mixed bag as I’m sure most Swans fans would agree. It started great with the destruction of Valencia in the Mestalla before things turned sour in the Premier League towards Christmas, with Michael Laudrup leaving in February. Monk came in and looked to turn things around initially, but he struggled after that. A mid-table finish was great going in the end.

Scott: Who was your best performing player?

Chris: Wilfried Bony without a doubt. His vital goals kept the club afloat and for much of the season he was one of the only players in form. He started slow, but when he got going everyone took notice.

Scott: Which player are you expecting to be most important for you in 2014-15?

Chris: Risking sounding like a broken record, Wilfried Bony. If we keep him, he will hopefully once again provide the end product to all the nice passing in the centre of the pitch. Otherwise Jefferson Montero looks like he could be very handy on the wing.

Scott: Are you happy with your manager?

Chris: Probably… Personally I would rather have seen Garry Monk hang up his boots and spend a bit of time learning the trade under a more experienced tactician. He may be out of his depth in the Premier League, but fans will be more forgiving of him if that’s the case. But I tend to be wrong with these things. He will probably take us to our highest ever finish and win the FA Cup!

Scott: What do you think your Swansea will achieve this season?

Chris: I reckon we are heading for another mid-table finish, possibly in the top ten. An FA Cup run would be nice, but I think most fans will want full focus on the Premier League.

Scott: Are you happy with Swansea’s performance in the transfer window this summer?

Chris: Generally yes – some great players have been added to the club while some of the deadwood brought in by Laudrup has been removed. There is very little depth in defence though. I’d say at least two defenders need to arrive before the transfer window slams shut.

Scott: If you could have one United player, who would it be?

Chris: As we are after a defender I will say Phil Jones.

Scott: Can you believe United were as bad as they were last season?

Chris: No, I was pretty surprised. But I guess it was never going to be an easy ride after Fergie left. You think I would have stopped putting them into my accumulator by Christmas, but I never learnt…

Scott: How do you expect United to perform this season?

Chris: Much better. Van Gaal seems to be a brilliant manager, while your team looks a little fresher and more of a unit.

Scott: Who do you think will win the league?

Chris: It could well be United, with no European football to negotiate. Otherwise Chelsea are looking good. Or Swansea maybe. Or maybe not.

Herrera: I can be LvG’s De Jong or Sneijder

Posted: 16 Aug 2014 01:30 AM PDT

Ander Herrera has talked about how he paid close attention to Holland during the World Cup, knowing that Louis van Gaal was going to be his next manager at club level.

“I watched what he did with Tim Krul,” he said. “It was unusual but in our sessions, too, everyone takes penalties and all the keepers face them. Van Gaal watches and I imagine he notes it down. He's sharp on detail, he uses a lot of statistics. I'm sure he'd do [something like] that again if necessary. I watched Holland, focusing on the system. Naturally, you think where you might fit, what he might ask of you."

Herrera has likened his position at United to that of Nigel de Jong’s for Holland.

“De Jong, in front of the defence, where I played in midweek. I could also be the No10, the Sneijder. What do I offer? Enthusiasm, ilusión, character. I think I'm a winner. I like to have the ball, to be available. I try to play and to defend. I'm aggressive. If the manager wants me in front of the defence, fine. If it's at No10, No10. If right-back, fine but of course my qualities are: offer myself, distribute, construct and last year I worked on improving my llegada, the ability to arrive and join the attack."

VIEW FROM THE ENEMY: Liverpool fan on Gerrard’s tears and selling Suarez

Posted: 16 Aug 2014 12:30 AM PDT

In preparation for the 2014-15 season, The Republik of Mancunia has spoken to fans of all the clubs in the Premier League about last season, next season, their own clubs and their thoughts on United.

Rob Marrs owns Left Back in the Changing Room. Follow @marrsiofootball on Twitter.

Scott: How did you rate 2013-14 for Liverpool?

Rob: Very good! I predicted we’d finish 5th so 2nd was a bonus. The end of the season was disappointing, of course, but the season itself was better than we could have hoped – in terms of results (big wins against most of the big boys!), the way we played and the final position.

Scott: Who was your best performing player?

Rob: Lots of players shone throughout the season but it has to be Suarez. For all his flaws he was untouchable last season.

Scott: How do you feel about the club sticking by Suarez through his racism and biting, only for him to keep asking to leave every summer, and then finally make a move?

Rob: As last year: expecting loyalty from a player is like expecting loyalty from a stripper. Ultimately we got £35m more than last summer and got a grand season from him. It was the right time for him to leave though.

Scott: With Suarez gone, which player are you expecting to be most important for you in 2014-15?

Rob: Coutinho. Henderson makes us tick, Sturridge will score goals, Sterling is improving but Coutinho could be huge. I was delighted he wasn’t in the Brazil squad for the World Cup.

Scott: Are you happy with your club's performance in the transfer window this summer? Had a lot of scouts at Southampton last season by any chance?

Rob: Moderately happy. We overpaid for Lallana but looking forward to seeing Can and Markovic. Would like a striker to ease the burden on Sturridge and can’t quite believe we haven’t reinforced the defence properly yet. We didn’t lose the title because we didn’t score enough but because our defence was shoddy.

Scott: Last season you had the advantage that we’ll enjoy this season with no European games. Can Liverpool repeat last season’s strong season in 2014-15?

Rob: I think we’ll dip down. Other clubs will improve so it’ll be tough but I think third. I’d prefer decent performances in Europe over a cup competition.

Scott: Are you happy with Rodgers?

Rob: Absolutely.

Scott: If you could have one United player, who would it be?

Rob: Herrera or Mata. Herrera, I think. He’ll be a cracking player for United. Actually, scrap that, de Gea.

Scott: Can you believe United were as bad as they were last season?

Rob: No. I thought they’d finish in the top 4. It wasn’t just their final position that astonished me but the performances and atmosphere around the club. The game between Liverpool and United at Old Trafford wasn’t a proper game between us. It was weird.

Scott: How do you expect United to perform this season?

Rob: Better. Top 4. Van Gaal – or someone like him – was who you needed last year.

Scott: Who do you think will win the league?

Rob: Chelsea, sadly.

Scott: Finally, can’t get through this without mentioning Gerrard! Did you find his tears and dramatic speech in front of the Sky Sports cameras when he thought you were going to win the league as cringe as everyone else?

Rob: No. Obviously not!

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Wayne Rooney – A captain for the head rather than the heart

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 01:56 PM PDT

For a club that leads the world in commercial partners, with exclusive deals with official potato snacks, special logistics partners, tie-in diesel engine companies and even affiliated official office equipment suppliers, it’s perhaps something of a surprise that Swansea City haven’t been approached to become Manchester United’s official opponents for competitive managerial debuts.

After all, the Swans were the first Premier League team that David Moyes faced in his league game in charge in 2013. A year on and the opening fixture of the new season at Old Trafford feels like a reboot rather than a sequel, with Louis van Gaal having expunged the presence of his predecessor on the training field and in the press conferences. The Dutchman carries an air of confidence, confrontation and unconventional positivity. A back three has suddenly appeared as the de facto defensive set up and the club’s traditional wing play has been shelved with surprisingly little protest from the fans.

Yet there is at least one thread of continuity between United’s new boss and Moyes: Wayne Rooney is front and centre as the team’s talismanic key player. Van Gaal has even made him captain, seemingly confirming his status as the club’s most pivotal individual following on from the new, extravagant contract signed by the striker last season.

Even after a summer of sweet talking and reassurance last year however, Rooney looked like a man apart from his squad mates as he trudged off alone at the end of United’s 4-1 victory over Swansea. It’s hard to imagine him behaving so disinterested and sulky this season as he steps out with the captain’s armband strapped around his left bicep.

“Welcome to Vanchester” reads the billboard on Lever Street. It seems as though Rooney has already been convinced to become a permanent resident, with his reaffirmed status and purpose built slot in the team’s new 5-3-2 or 3-4-1-2 system—whichever way you wish to notate it. With Van Gaal regarded by many back in his homeland as the arch-pragmatist of the Dutch school and total football, it’s quite possible that his show of faith in Rooney has been more political than sincere, but whatever the truth may be regarding his motives, it’s unlikely to matter.

A happy Rooney is more often than not a productive Rooney. Under Moyes he became the only player to record double figures for goals and assists in five separate Premier League seasons, a feat not to be sniffed at.

Sure, he may be an easy target to mock. His shoddy first touch, fluctuating waistline and charmless tactics at the negotiating table are all easy, close-at-hand criticisms that put plenty of noses out of joint but whether he’s hated or adored, Rooney is almost always able to create goals or score.

But just as he as a player has transformed over the years to become more blunt and almost cynically effective, his reputation with many fans has shifted from that of an emotionally relatable hero to merely becoming a human tool through which trophies can be accumulated. These days he’s a useful asset that some would even prefer sold rather than the favoured adopted son he could have become in years gone by, prior to the transfer requests and under-the-table flirtations with Manchester City. It’s a complicated relationship.

Still, his creativity and goals will be vital if United are to heave themselves back up into the top top four and beyond. Even if he is to be a player many love to hate, his talent is still immense regardless of the increasingly frayed edges of his fitness and finesse that can get in the way of his vision on the pitch.

It’s fitting that the title to Stereophonics’ 2001 album, “Just Enough Education To Perform”, is inked onto his forearm. His mental abilities have allowed him to coast through the game at times, with his superior timing and awareness on the pitch sometimes allowing him to compensate for his fading pace and technique. For those who watched him as a teenager, rampaging about the Premier League as a stocky but skilful combatant, taking on defenders and barrelling across the turf, he looked capable of becoming one of the true greats. Some even rated him higher than Cristiano Ronaldo. A sense of tragedy now follows him in the minds of his greatest past admirers: like teachers mourning their failure to instil some drive into a lazy genius unable to maximise their own promise unaided.

Rooney and his more realistic supporters may dispute that narrative. When Ronaldo departed for Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson sought to replace the Portuguese’s goal threat by turning his most versatile attacker into the team’s focal point. Prior to that, Rooney had become one of the most intelligent, selfless and hard-working forwards in Europe. He was a catalyst, full of movement on and off the ball, who tracked back down the left, pulled defenders out of position and threaded clever balls through from the byline and midfield.

To become United’s first-choice striker however, he needed to start thinking like a front-man, and gain the inflated ego of a No. 9. Once that genie was out of the bottle however, there was no way he was going to return to his former role as the co-star kingmaker rather than the leading man. He still dropped deep to recover the ball, but going forward had had become more selfish. He had to in order to create the supply to meet the team’s demands.

In the front two of van Gaal’s new system, he will be freed to become this pure goal scorer rather than the compromise player stuck between two era’s that he looked like in Sir Alex’s last year and during Moyes’ doomed tenure. He only needs 34 goals to overtake Sir Bobby Charlton as United’s all-time top scorer, but even that feat may ultimately be a distasteful outcome to those who will never see Rooney in the same light again.

As he steps out onto the Old Trafford turf against Swansea, wearing the armband that once belonged to Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson, it’ll be a sight many will rationalise in the mind rather than feel in the heart.

Written by TBMU Admin

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