Premier League 2015/16

[King 277]

New thread for the new season guys, we will also be posting single threads for the big games like last season.

[Guest Laffy]

Anyone else going to be tuning in on August 10 Monday night football just to see Carragher wear Gary Neville's Man U shirt or am I the only one?

[The Fury 65]

Wilshire is out with a hairline ankle fracture. Will miss 6-8 weeks

[Guest Laffy]

God he is going to be another Walcott and Van Persie always out injured. Now the count down begins on how many games Walcott will last before having a season ending injury. Some things don't change.

[Evil Gringo 279]

If someone could tell me, aside for his goals for England the last time out, what Wilshere actually does or adds to a team, I'd be a very happy man.

 

When he plays he bombs on and forces people like Ramsey and Santi who are more effective up the park to drop back, he doesn't usually produce the goals and assists a player as lauded as him should, when he plays further back he gets caught out position wise and gives away fouls and to top it all off he seems to have an attitude problem, demanding first team football, smoking, gobbing off and being petulant on the pitch when things don't go his way...

 

Really what is the point in him?

[Guest Laffy]

When he is fully fit he is outstanding and can lead a side and get them flowing but it has been so long since he has been at that standard that we have forgotten how good he could be. Personally I think he has gone his ankle now is not able to meet the demands of professional football and is now just being picked on what he could do rather than what he is doing now. No other team would play him now they would wait toget fully fit and sell him. But then again who would want him.

[Evil Gringo 279]

City like over rated English, injury prone middfielders, see Jack Rodwell,

 

Happy to start with a win although the performance wasn't quite there. For me Mata needs to be behind Rooney and Memphis on the right, but we'll see.

[Guest Jayfunk]

I think the result shows improvement from last year. We beat a top 5 team when last year we lost to a team tipped for relegation and we didn't conceded

[Guest Steely]

Out of all of Uniteds new signings I think both Darmian and depay look great buys, Darmian is a classic full back who will defend brilliantly and depay could develop into a proper world class talent, wish I picked him for my fantasy epl team now

[King 277]

I thought Chelsea were extremely sluggish yesterday and here's hoping it continues.

 

Tough game today away to Stoke for us but I feel a revenge is in order :)

[Evil Gringo 279]

In response to United progressing, yes it was a better starting result then last year but it still feels like a cake that is half risen.

 

LVG still doesn't know who or what his best team is though and by his own admission we lack pace and for me someone to play alongside Smalling. Get Pedro, stick Mata behind Rooney, Memphis on the right, Pedro on the left, get another striker to back up Rooney and provide flexibilty tactically and for gods sake throw some money at Subotic, Otamendi or make Real and Ramos put up and shut up.

 

In happier news for United fans, Cech has dropped a little bit of a clanger on his Gunners debut and West Ham are 1-0 up at half time. Arsenal and Chelsea dropping points early doors? Music to my ears.

[Evil Gringo 279]

Oh dear, oh dear Petr Cech - came out when he shouldn't have for the first goal and caught completely wrong footed for the second from Zarate as West Ham win 2-0 at the Emirates.

 

Arsenal had 20 attempts and couldn't score, even with Ramsey, Cazorla, Ox, Giroud, Walcott, Ozil and Sanchez on the pitch at the end. Simply great defence and organisation from West Ham and some early season hesitancy from the Gunners.

[The Fury 65]

Lol-a-tron

[King 277]

Oh, Petr Cech is magic

He wears a magic hat

He was meant to win Arsenal points

But he said no, fuck that.

[Evil Gringo 279]

Arsene Wenger looked like a combination of Miz-wins girl and that guy that used to explode in the first season of Heroes at the end of the match as he sat there, on the bench, looking out at his players.

 

Stoke v Liverpool now and I'm interested to see how Benteke and Ibe add to Liverpool this season and if Hughes can weave some magic out of Stokealona.

[King 277]

What a goal by Couthino.

[Guest Magic]

Classic Arsenal, all hype and then a performance like that. Some extremely good attacking players, but guys like Monreal, Mertesacker and Cocquelin are simply not good enough to be a Premier League winning defense.

 

They're STILL a holding midfielder short, no matter how much their fans are desperate to believe Cocquelin is the second coming of Patrick Viera. They've been in need of a left back since Gael Clichy left about 5 years ago and as much as I have liked Mertesacker for a lot of his career given that he's a German International, he's been on the decline for at least a year and had to be dropped during the World Cup. Holding midfield, left back, centre back. Until they address these areas, no title or Champions League for Arsenal. Petr Cech was a step in the right direction, despite his bad day at the office today, but he's only one piece of a 6 piece puzzle defensively.

[King 277]

Rooney looks a complete shell of the player he used to be.

[Evil Gringo 279]

Something isn't right, but we need him to either fix it or replace it because a goal shy United might be able to get past the likes of Spurs, Villa and such but we need goals if we want to compete with the likes of Chelsea and City, not to mention possibly Arsenal and Liverpool.

 

Saying that though, United looked good, compact and solid at the back. I'd be tempted if I was LVG though to go with Herrera, Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin in the next game in a midfield three with Rooney, Memphis and Mata up top and actually allowed to roam and rotate. Part of the problem so far I think is that those three have been two rigid and the moments where they actually moved about was when United looked more dangerous last night, especially when Mata came inside and started playing the kind of passes he is famous for - he put Memphis through with a peach and the young lad should really have scored.

 

At last I can say something for 24 hours I couldn't last season at any point.... TOP OF THE LEAGUE!

[Evil Gringo 279]

United huffed and puffed today but could not knock Newcastle down. Rooney was ok up front the first 20 minutes or so but didn't actually look decent until he played in the 10 role behind Hernandez who came off the bench. That was when United, with Memphis, Mata and Rooney moving about behind Hernandez actually looked okay but still a bit toothless.

 

This season we are seemingly solid in the middle and better at the back and at controlling the football BUT toothless upfront. No matter what LVG says, we need a proper central striker capable of 20 a season before the window is over and a centre back as well.

[Guest Jayfunk]

I think blind has done extremely well as a centre back I think he will do well he is just not strong or fast but is very good on the ball also it wouldn't be the first time a dm moved back into a Cb and did well. Sure a pure Cb would be better but if he has to I tip him to do well also 3 games 0 goals not bad so far

[King 277]

With all the money Utd spent and ye can't even beat Newcastle at home??

 

Rooney looks finished

Mata is wasted as is Herrira

The midfield is to compact

Memphis looks good but greedy

The goal keeping situation is a major problem

And ye have no forwards.

[Guest Jayfunk]

He has conceded 1 in 4 games not bad really. It's a different system in the first 20 minutes we looked amazing like the old days. Also what's are net spend this season like 10 m forget last season to me only blind was a lvg signing only really de Maria was a waste. This year's signings have been good ones. 3 games in and 7 points, 0 goals loss. I am happy with that it will more than Chelsea arsenal maybe Liverpool if the loss which could happen or br equal if they get a draw. The only team out of the top 5 last season which looks a cert to be above Utd after 3 games is city

[Guest Laffy]

Well that was rubbish do you think we could buy a striker now. Congrats King.

[Guest Jayfunk]

I think Liverpool needs a striker 2 goals in three games