Time to get this one up and running.
Lot of optimism after the unveiling of Louis. A good transfer window looks set to kick off this week.
Given that there is no European distraction. I’m going to predict a top 3 finish and a shot at winning the title on the last day.
After the Moyes misery I’m looking forward to seeing a manager with the mentality to manage United, who promotes good attacking football and will give talented youngsters a chance. His press briefings won’t inflict insomnia on those watching either.
I don’t expect him to come in and win the title straight off. There is still a huge amount of deadwood that needs to be dumped from the squad. Hopefully he’ll be far more ruthless than Dithering Dave and the likes of Fellaini will be unceremoniously shown the door.
Wouldn’t have much confidence that Woodward will get the deals done. Would be delighted to get Shaw, a quality central midfielder or two like Fabregas/Kroos and maybe an imposing centre half. It’s equally as important that some of the dross clogging up the squad is removed.
Not being in the Europa league is a blessing. Plenty of rest between games and time on the training ground to mould the team. Get back into the European Cup, maybe challenge for the title going into March/April, a domestic cup and the initial overhaul of the squad would constitute a decent season imo.
Fixtures released on June 18th. 
if he doesn’t win a title first year he can fuck off. last think we need is another loser
Clear the deadwood?? This is the team that won the league last year by 11 points? and Mata has been added-
That settles it, Yaya to United.
Van Gaal wanted every bond to be tight at Barcelona, and not just on the training field. He demanded to know everything about his players – their wives’ names, children’s birthdays, the dates of their wedding anniversaries, all in the belief that from these strong, intimate relationships is derived true strength.
Van Gaal isn’t a coach for instant success and I think it will take a few months for his methods to bed in and for the younger lads he will blood to find their feet. Top Four and back in the Champions League for 2015 will be a good first season.
[QUOTE=“croppy_boy, post: 947293, member: 306”]That settles it, Yaya to United.
Belated happy birthday wishes to Yaya.
Won a UEFA Cup with Ajax in his first season and league titles with Barcelona and Bayern in his first seasons with them as well. A lot will depend on how much of the shit Van Gaal can clear out at United and how quickly he can do it. Given the turnaround he has to do it will probably take some time to gel so I think CL qualification would be a decent finish for next season.
And the fact that United will face a more competitive league than any of the above teams faced.
The EPL is shit.
Regardless of your beliefs about the standard of the play in the EPL, it cannot be denied that it is a far more competitive league than the top tiers in Spain, Germany and The Netherlands.
[QUOTE=“dodgy-keeper, post: 947235, member: 1552”]After the Moyes misery I’m looking forward to seeing a manager with the mentality to manage United, who promotes good attacking football and will give talented youngsters a chance. His press briefings won’t inflict insomnia on those watching either.
I don’t expect him to come in and win the title straight off. There is still a huge amount of deadwood that needs to be dumped from the squad. Hopefully he’ll be far more ruthless than Dithering Dave and the likes of Fellaini will be unceremoniously shown the door.
Wouldn’t have much confidence that Woodward will get the deals done. Would be delighted to get Shaw, a quality central midfielder or two like Fabregas/Kroos and maybe an imposing centre half. It’s equally as important that some of the dross clogging up the squad is removed.
Not being in the Europa league is a blessing. Plenty of rest between games and time on the training ground to mould the team. Get back into the European Cup, maybe challenge for the title going into March/April, a domestic cup and the initial overhaul of the squad would constitute a decent season imo.
Fixtures released on June 18th. [/QUOTE]
Fabregas isn’t a central midfielder - at least in the classical sense of the term. He doesn’t hold a position in the centre of the field and plays further forward. He might be to play as one of the three in a 4-3-3 but he certainly wouldn’t play as one of the two in a 4-2-3-1.
This is a key area for Van Gaal for me. United are hopelessly short there and have been for numerous years. I wonder if he would have a look at Tiote or Schneiderlin initially given United’s situation with the lack of Champions League football?
That’s an interesting point but it’s without much justification.
For the last 12 years the top 4 clubs in England have been more dominant over the rest of the teams in that league than the equivalent gaps in the top flight leagues in Spain, France and Germany. In the season just gone, the top 4 clubs in England were the most dominant over bottom-half clubs in 30 years.
[QUOTE=“farmerinthecity, post: 947352, member: 24”]Fabregas isn’t a central midfielder - at least in the classical sense of the term. He doesn’t hold a position in the centre of the field and plays further forward. He might be to play as one of the three in a 4-3-3 but he certainly wouldn’t play as one of the two in a 4-2-3-1.
This is a key area for Van Gaal for me. United are hopelessly short there and have been for numerous years. I wonder if he would have a look at Tiote or Schneiderlin initially given United’s situation with the lack of Champions League football?[/QUOTE]
I think United should be able to get away with a reasonably attacking player even in a 2 in a 4-2-3-1 as long as there’s a decent player beside him. If those deep lying playmakers are good enough you don’t need to have two old fashioned defensive midfielders.
[QUOTE=“Rocko, post: 947375, member: 1”]That’s an interesting point but it’s without much justification.
For the last 12 years the top 4 clubs in England have been more dominant over the rest of the teams in that league than the equivalent gaps in the top flight leagues in Spain, France and Germany. In the season just gone, the top 4 clubs in England were the most dominant over bottom-half clubs in 30 years.[/QUOTE]
Not really. The point I was making was that Van Gaal only had one main rival to see off with the other clubs mentioned - maybe two when he was at Ajax.
Next year in the EPL there will be five teams with a realistic chance of winning the title.
[QUOTE=“croppy_boy, post: 947387, member: 306”]Not really. The point I was making was that Van Gaal only had one main rival to see off with the other clubs mentioned - maybe two when he was at Ajax.
Next year in the EPL there will be five teams with a realistic chance of winning the title.[/QUOTE]
Six if Liverpool spend well.
[QUOTE=“Rocko, post: 947375, member: 1”]That’s an interesting point but it’s without much justification.
For the last 12 years the top 4 clubs in England have been more dominant over the rest of the teams in that league than the equivalent gaps in the top flight leagues in Spain, France and Germany. In the season just gone, the top 4 clubs in England were the most dominant over bottom-half clubs in 30 years.[/QUOTE]
Do your stats stand if you take into account only the top 3 or 2 clubs? Is it a case that the top 2 in Spain in previous years have been miles ahead while 3rd and 4th were there for the taking thereby skewing the results when in fact the leagues have been less competitive?
[QUOTE=“croppy_boy, post: 947387, member: 306”]Not really. The point I was making was that Van Gaal only had one main rival to see off with the other clubs mentioned - maybe two when he was at Ajax.
Next year in the EPL there will be five teams with a realistic chance of winning the title.[/QUOTE]
Wolfsburg wouldn’t have been considered to have had a realistic chance of winning the Bundesliga a few seasons ago. Nor would Atletico Madrid have been given much chance this year. Or Montpellier in France 2 years ago.
The fact that there are teams with a purported chance of winning the league in England doesn’t actually translate into a wider distribution of title winners.
The recent dominances of Bayern, Real and Barcelona owes more to their superiority over every other team in Europe rather than weaker domestic leagues.
They’re not my stats, they’re from a recent article in the Guardian based on a university study. I’ve no idea what they would be if you excluded two of the four.
It’s a bit flawed and you can’t draw too many conclusions from it but at the same time the idea of a “big four” is an English league creation so that’s the most logical comparison to make.
[QUOTE=“Rocko, post: 947416, member: 1”]Wolfsburg wouldn’t have been considered to have had a realistic chance of winning the Bundesliga a few seasons ago. Nor would Atletico Madrid have been given much chance this year. Or Montpellier in France 2 years ago.
[/QUOTE]
I agree. I’m making the point that when Van Gaal took over those sides they only had one competitor to see off, unlike United this season coming.