Lush Vlad

Not sure I buy it. There are plenty of times where it looks like he is putting effort in. He just looks slow, heavy legged and weak compared to his usual self. So can’t perform to a level that helps the team. I don’t look at him and think he is loafing about or not trying. He just looks physically nowhere near where he needs to be. Then again. I guess the mental could be affecting the physical. Whether that is because he is protecting himself to get through 90 minutes and week to week, worried about yet another injury so not fully opening up or a world cup hangover, like you mention. Whatever it is. Bar a few spells in games where he has looked class. He has looked miles off it, in general.

The NFL did All or Nothing, as well. Better than Hard Knocks.

I’m hoping the Bruno in the middle one fizzles out a bit. It seemed like the “Who’s that team we call United” made a massive comeback under Rafa. Then was overused to the point of it becoming annoying. That’s not quite as regular now. But still sung a lot. Hopefully some other chants from old start getting rolled out, like this one.

I know there is the survey going around regarding safe standing. But is it not worth canvassing supporters about a possible singing section or certain areas being used? Guess it would be a minefield logistically. But then under Ashley, I did just get told I couldn’t have my ST in Level 7. Everyone tried to move to L4 and that wasn’t allowed, either! I’m not saying forcibly move ST holders like they did, mind But if enough people showed interest and regular match going ST holders and members put their name to something like this. Would Wor Flags, NUST and the club not have to take a bit of notice?

When did that “you’ve seen United, now fuck off home” chant start Have they always sung it? But they’ve been shite for a while. So they’ve not rolled it out.

I know they have hit a bit more form, of late. But Everton drew there, Brentford won and Spurs went in 2-0 up at half time. Before going all Spursy. We are ‘annoying’ to play against, as the other manager in Manchester pointed out. So why can’t we nick a result? 4-0 incoming

That’s the spirit

Absolute ripsnorter on his ‘weaker’ peg and all!

Was he not suffering from the heel injury for a long time? They were managing his minutes and game time. But it got too painful? Was he also not ill and barely trained for a week or two (guessing Covid?). I’m sure Howe mentioned it after one game, Fulham away, I think it was?

Howe has almost always played with inverted wingers this season, hasn’t he? I just don’t think he’ll go with that. No way he plays ASM with Trippier on the right, either.

Agree about Arsenal. Although they have now got a drum. Which I always find incredibly small time. I think they have had social media marketing type companies filming the crowd at times and all. There is a lot of ‘look how much we care and how mad we are’ when seeing a lot of it online. All feels a bit forced and manufactured. But at least they are doing something about their crap atmosphere. Being top of the league basically all season when it wasn’t expected, must be helping, too. Although we should be the same with the top 5! L7 used to be great. Mentioned on here before I went in there a few times with neutrals and they couldn’t believe how loud it was. It never really carried well over the TV. But had some mad times up there. Sunderland 5-1, Arsenal 4-4, Cardiff 5-1. It was deafening at times and the proximity of the away fans encouraged you to sing. Just a shame you were half a mile from the pitch

Yet we did earlier in the season when he started and to a lesser degree, a bit last season.

He was also involved in what was possibly our best performance of the season against City and then scored that blockbuster at Wolves. He was good against Forest on the first day, wasn't he? He only played 4 games and was then crocked for months. I do feel like a lot of fans I have spoken to and perhaps some in here (not read back far) are making him a bit of a scapegoat. I feel like it's a bit too simplistic to put our good run of form down to him being out of the team. Then the mini wobble because he is back in the team now. There are a number of factors at play here. His match fitness/sharpness, Bruno being out the team when he came back for 3 starts, Targett being out the team, having to adjust slightly to a different role. It wasn't like we were performing really well every week since the turn of the year, with him not playing. Considering how bad we have been in the final third of late. I think he needs to be starting a lot of games between now and the end of the season. Still get that feeling he might not be around next season or fit into the long term plans. But he's still arguably our best attacking player and we currently don't really create many chances or score goals. So it would be good to see what he can do over the next few months, at least.

Liverpool we were perhaps a bit gung ho and loose at the back. Which resulted in them scoring and also contributed to the red card for Pope. But I don't think we played like we played this game anything like we did against Man U in the league, or say City earlier in the season. They were much more games where it felt like we tried to go 'toe to toe' with big teams. The high press and really ballsy call of leaving 4-5 players pushed up in the opposition half doesn't seem to be as consistent now. It feels if anything, like we are having a mini identity crisis and are stuck between two different styles. We're certainly not pressing or at least doing it effectively as we were earlier in the season.

When I look at the way he bullied two top centre backs, in Gabriel and White at the end of last season against Arsenal. It is like watching a different player. The physicality isn't there, the runs in behind, the deceptively quick pace he often shows. He just looks flat in his all round game and also flat footed when the ball comes into the box, as well. It must be that he has been playing within himself because of an injury or long Covid is actually a thing for him and not just an assumption. I've read a few places saying that he has barely been able to fully train since returning from the world cup? Is there any truth in that?

I still think the crowd is better when it is backs to the wall against a decent team, a bit of fear from possibly being relegated, a massive injustice like a disallowed goal or dodgy pen decision. It feels like we rode the takeover wave, the results picked up massively and we got out of trouble and the fans were all still dead loud and up for it. Then this season, the expectation levels have understandably gone up a bit. Then after 10 games or so, gone up even further. Due to us being so far ahead of schedule. It feels like it has made the fanbase a bit complacent and too expectant, just assuming we will win/won't get beat. I still think SJP gets stupidly loud when we score and the celebrations often look and feel more jubilant and extreme than a lot of clubs. Sounds a bit weird saying 'we celebrate goals better than you do' But it's based on when I'm there, from watching on TV and going to plenty of aways over the years. There is aways a good bit of singing afterwards, as well, like most clubs. So the passion is obviously still there. Just the sitting in silence for the rest of the time is a bit of a concern.

Yeah, that's fair. They have spent fortunes of late, they now have a proper manager and after their shaky start early on. It has really clicked for them this season. It's also not spoken about enough how fine the margins are in elite sport. Casemiro was onside/offside by a gnat's cock. Rashford's scuffed shot is going wide, hits Botman and then loops over Karius. Could have easily deflected straight into his face or something and it'd still be saved. I know that argument can be used both ways, as they had plenty of chances second half on the counter. But it felt like a really tight game for 30 odd minutes or so. Then 2 goals in 5 minutes absolutely ended us.

Agree with this. Stale and predictable is certainly how I have viewed our attack for a while now. It does also seem like the high press has started to drop off a lot. I think some teams were playing round it quite effectively (West Ham?) and perhaps it has also been due to fatigue or certain players playing through injuries and not being able to work to that level. Either way, it feels a bit like we are caught between sticking or twisting. It's like the identity has gone a little bit. It sounds ridiculously harsh typing this out and reading it back! It could just be that basically all of our players have been over-achieving or consistently playing right up to their highest possible level. So it may just be that some have dropped slightly, or are not on such a mad run of form. So the team has taken a hit as a collective. But I do feel like we have a few genuine options for positions now and I feel like some rotation or fresh ideas are needed.

He was fucking class. Everything is just so much better with him in the team. Always happy to receive the ball and his movement to constantly get open is top drawer. Just always looking for a give and go. He also has a canny knack of beating people, by just shifting the ball a bit and moving in a straight line A lot of openings and attacks get launched from him doing this. We have missed him and we missed him again when he went off. Hope the injury isn't too serious. No protective boot after the game I read and he was back out there with the fans at the end walking about. So hopefully he doesn't miss many or any games.

When he talks. He reminds me of the wibbly wobbly Jonathan Ross off Bo Selecta. Just pure, speed talking waffle.

It always feels like he just shoehorns big words into sentences. To come across as some kind of intellectual heavyweight to the Talkshite masses. He waffles on and on. Not a fan of him at all. Despite him making good points at times.

Aye. I think it was @Kid Icarus who mentioned it in the cup final thread. But it feels like with some of this squad, it is getting close to the end for them here or towards the end of their careers in general. Not saying Trippier is there yet, of course. But when I looked down at full time yesterday. There were plenty on the pitch who would probably be playing in their last or only final for us, possibly anyone else. I've disliked so many players of ours over the years and got so apathetic under MA. I probably wouldn't have given a shit or been such a soppy twat. But genuinely felt sad for these multi millionaire footballers as they are a likeable bunch and they all seem to care and fight for the shirt and the badge.

Can relate to that. So many bars in the Club Wembley area. Yet they have agency staff on who probably don't get much in the way of training and there wasn't even enough of them working. Some of the pop up type bars had one person serving FFS

Aye! Block 242 I was in and was also in that bar before the game. Certainly did seem like there was a lot more black and white in Wembley and everywhere else, really. Even around Baker Street later on. It was all Toon fans.

Howe was spot on in his assessment. Good between both boxes. We were not ruthless enough and didn't really create much. Then two bits of slack defending has cost us. Not really sure how I feel today. To get there was amazing. The build up to it all, the day out, being lucky enough to be there. I feel positive for the future and I don't think we played badly or anything. It is just difficult to get to a cup final. Finally getting to one and being so close to success, but still so far. It's just a bit shit. It makes you think when the next one might come. I certainly hope we're not waiting another 23 years Just to weigh in on the 'our fans were shit/great' debate. I was in Club Wembley in our end behind the goal. Supposedly 'neutral' and there were 4-5 mancs the row behind (who were actually sound TBF and I spoke to them at the end). But even in there, the chants got going a bit. It was only really flat after their second goal. Felt like it was pretty decent other than that. It actually got silly loud at times and was a struggle to even hear what the chant was, or we had different areas, singing different songs. Might just be because they were the other end, so you could hear it clearer. But it seemed like their songs were a bit more coordinated and so carried quite well.