The College Dropout

Really? If he felt he would miss, what would be the point in him taking it?

At 21 you need game time to develop. 25-28 is the peak for players in terms of earnings. Realistically, 28 is your last long-term contract. If you don't start earning the massive money at that age, it probably won't ever come.

He's going to the team who play in London, offer the biggest payday and the greatest potential for a medal. It would be hard for any young player to turn down. There should be restrictions in place to stop clubs acting like this, but I'm not about to blame the player. Liverpool are on the up, will definitely pay him well, and he is more likely to play regularly in the first team. This London s*** is peculiar to me it really is. These jokers train a coupe of hours a day. Go into London after, or on your days off for goodness sake. So over the top. If that was your son you would honestly advice him to go to Chelsea and end up like Sturridge did, or Demba Ba is now? I will never understand it. The guy is a moron. And the medal thing?! What point is that if you played the odd 15 mins here and there. I'd throw the thing away. Imagine being offered 2.3m a year or 5m a year. That might change your tune.

Aye, inexplicable how he hardly features anymore. Mourinho's thinking here is pretty much idiotic. Doesn't defend first, attack second and isn't big, strong or fast enough to play on the counter. Pretty much how Mourinho rolls. No surprise, the only anomoly being his thing at Madrid in that he kept picking Ozil (even if he never finished a game). No matter what he says, I do think it's personal. Mata is no slower, lazy or less athletic than Ozil. Mata's not even slow, he's just not that fast and his pressing is poor.

Craig Bellamy was a very good player in his own right.

Nobody thinks Long's a good player because of his strike rate though. He's often been used a substitute too.

Juan Mata is up there as one of my very favourite PL players. And i'll be happy to see him play regular football. But he needs a better side than this. They have some big problems. That defence in particular...

Agreed. Man Utd are now poor at the things David Moyes is meant to be good at.

Ah yes I agree. Moyes is better than he's being given credit for

How? A flat track bully is used for sportsman who perform against weeker opponents but struggle at the higher level. Greame Hick is generally considered a flat track bully for that reason, athleticism doesn't really have to play much of a part in it. Fair do's, I had the meaning mixed up. It doesn't apply to Fellaini in any case. He's bang average at CM and doesn't dominate anything at PL level. His physicality makes him a good focal point at AM however. Can really push teams back. Bundle goals in and generally cause problems. At CM his lack of footballing ability means he can get outplayed by a Tiote with ease. Let alone a Yohan Cabaye.

Flat track bully indicates some genuine athleticism.

Long's been poor this season. Over the last season and a half he's still scored more goals than finishing/poacher supreme Papiss Cisse.

Always been an average CM. Handful at AM as a bulldozer.

The league goes through stages where one side will dominant for a period of time, Man Utd will have their turn again in the future, no doubt. I'm not saying they'll not challenge and win titles again. I just think the days of them winning 3 titles in 4/5 years are gone. Too much competition now and the one factor which set them apart from the competition has now left. When Wenger goes I can only see one of the oil barrens winning it, year after year. If not for Fergie, that dreadful City team last season (levels of performance wise) would've won the league by default.

IMO the gloss of being Man Utd./Champions/Fergie's Boys has exposed the players. Some of them realising they are not as good as they thought and consequently playing even worse as a consequence. It's confidence. Confidence in scoring, defending, attacking. They've lost all of that Man Utd. swagger. Part of it is down to Moyes no doubt, he's not a bold manager. He doesn't give players that swagger and belief. But the shite defending, poor finishing etc. isn't his fault. I rate Hernandez as a poacher. And from what i've seen from him with Mexico, while not talented at holding up and bringing others into play he has a lot of effort and at least tries. In this team he looks hopeless. Nervous. I'm sure that's the same with most of them.

An absolute disgrace from both the senior players and the manager, essentially hanging the likes of Januzaj and Rafael out to dry. Not really. Normally players step forward and decide themselves. I remember vividly Cesc Fabregas TELLING Del Bosque he was taking the 5th penalty. Del Bosque had a look on his face of "well.... okay... if you say so". Making players take penalties when they don't want to, ensures they will miss regardless. Not that the other lads did any better for Man Utd.

Getting to a final gives you weeks of hope and joy. You get an exciting sleepless night too

But we continued to play 4-3-3 after Swansea because we where winning and the team played well. Ba played in all of those games. We started 3 matches with that formation after Swansea. If what you are saying is true we would've changed formation the next game. That didn't happen. And I don't believe Pardew was looking for an excuse to change just for Ba.

Beat Manchester United 4-4-2, Chelsea 4-4-2. Cisse's debut against Villa 4-4-2 when he came off the bench. We got tonked by Wigan and we stopped with the 4-3-3 after winning so many games with that formation. It had nothing to do with Ba. In the next game we went back to basics and beat Chelsea 4-4-2. From that point Pardew would change between those formations based on the scenario. You and your making up of stuff man. Cisse arrived 2 weeks after we beat Man Utd ffs. Yes I know that. Shola tore Evans to shreds. My point is we had several great results playing 4-4-2 that season. It's teh formation that put is in that fight for 4th place. It got some of our best results, some of which included Cisse in that formation, scoring goals.

Did he throw his toys out the pram when we got slapped by Wigan? Or was it just before that game he came off the bench and scored twice to get us a point? Around the same time Cisse had 0 goals in 3 games and Ba had 3 in 3. In the very next game selfish Demba let Papiss take a penalty at 1-0 that he absolutely ballooned. But Cisse's lack of confidence is down to Demba Ba and Alan Pardew. And as Unbelievable already mentoined. Cisse played wide for 4 games. 4!

Beat Manchester United 4-4-2, Chelsea 4-4-2. Cisse's debut against Villa 4-4-2 when he came off the bench. We got tonked by Wigan and we stopped with the 4-3-3 after winning so many games with that formation. It had nothing to do with Ba. In the next game we went back to basics and beat Chelsea 4-4-2. From that point Pardew would change between those formations based on the scenario.

And this switching systems to accomodate Ba shit is just not true. We chopped between formations plenty in the second half of the 5th season. We were 4-4-2 when we beat Chelsea in late March. We started the season 4-4-2 when we beat the team that ended up 4th. Chopped and changed some more. Went "4-3-3" at Everton, went 2-0 down. Brought Ba on, went 4-4-2.. the rest is history

When Demba Ba came off the bench to score twice at Everton, Cisse had 0 league goals. Ba had scored once. It was then Ba 3 goals to Cisse's 0. Only an idiot would back the latter horse. Who - has proven to be a shit horse anyway. 1 decentish bout of form in 18 months. He's scored 8 league goals since Ba left. Blame Cisse.

Confidence. What a powerful thing. Man Utd. have absoultely none.

Jesus H Christ... Sunderland will win this. I can't believe what is happening in life. I'm smiling but i'm deeply upset. Gus fucking Poyet you know. Sunderland. League Cup winners. the final is going to be even more ridiculous.