Just some brief highlights of the 2-1 League Cup loss to Manchester United last night for you all to consider now.
I know people will say we should have named a stronger team, and perhaps they are right. But we didn’t and now we are out of the competition at the third round stage.
Coincidentally, we’d have got Chelsea in the next round assuming our name was attached to the same ball as Manchester United in the draw which took place after the match.
Full match report to follow…
Well here’s my player ratings:
Elliot: 6 – solid, could have done better for 2nd goal
Tav: 6.5 – looks ok, much better on the right
Willo: 4 – got turned four times and should have blocked the first goal
Colo: 5.5 – still rusty after injury I guess
Perch: 6 – ok but far better in the centre
Obertan: 5 – good movement, terrible decision making
Tiote 6.5: – looked better, glad he is back
Gosling: 6.5 – would have scored higher if not for a week challenge for the first goal, I wish Cabaye had the same enthusiasm to get forward
Vuckic 6: flashes of skill but he needs to play behind a pacey mobile striker who can run in behind defenses not Shola
Shola 6.5: did what he can do well. He is a target man. Unfortunately only effective if we lump it long.
Cisse 7.5: looks back to his best. Can create out of nothing.
Fergie 6.5: our only natural wide winger. For me should play in front of Santon if we are playing 4-4-2.
Bigi 6: great talent. Didn’t have long on the pitch.
JJ(Quote)
*weak challenge re Gosling..
JJ(Quote)
I am dissapointed to go out of this cup but not gutted at the same time, thought we done ok , esp second half where we took the game to them. I think we let their young backline off the hook and should of put them under more pressure esp in the first half.
Johno Toon(Quote)
I see Pardz came in for some criticism last night for not playing a stronger team and going for the win 😯 If Pardz did play all our first team players you would hear the same fans on the weekend criticize him for playing too many of our first team players during the week, should we lose at Reading. 😯 😕
The PL is way more important than some poxy cup.. We have enough cup comps to compete in as it is… Glad he gave all the fringe players a good run out… 😉
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
dont no who was worse marv gosling or oberton for me marv doesont look the part his corners beet the first man that was about it oberton when he had the ball in there half didont no what to do with it gosling villa are after him try and get as much as we can for him and let him go need a centre back to replace willo and a goal scoring midfielder
chris(Quote)
I think we should have played a stronger team, only really because Pards said that he was aiming to win the LC, so to me if your going to aim to win the game, you would makesure that you would try to play your best team, with maybe 2 younguns to give them the experience.
I only seen the 2nd half but it looked like their back 4 were struggling so we should have took advantage of that, but we didn’t and now thats one less cup.
Maybe now well start to play a stronger squad in the Europa and try to make the most of it by playing a strong team.
Big Dave(Quote)
Well I thought we gave a pretty good account of ourselves. The only real difference between the teams going in at half time was an absolute peach of strike from Anderson. BTW – anyone who thinks that was Williamson’s fault knows as much about football as the South African’s know about good sportsmanship.
In the second half we matched them again – the second goal came against the run of play and it was always going to be tough playing against any side at Old Trafford after that. However, we never gave up – and had it been for a smidge of good fortune and some better finishing from Gosling, we’d have taken them into extra time.
Think the lads can take a lot of confidence despite the defeat.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
Dave we didnt put their back 4 under enough pressure in the first half which was for me the biggest dissapointment , their defence was there for the taken last night imo , if Sholla had been given the service he would of destroyed them. We didnt get it into him til young fergie came on.
Johno Toon(Quote)
Agree with TC, no way Willo could have got a foot on that drive from Anderson. The ball was past him before his foot got half way there, his weight was going back toward goal as well…
That commentator is a biased one eyed ******* as well, there are two teams out there 😯
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aussie you should tell Pards that we have enough cups to compete in as it was him that said he was aiming to win it.
Johno im glad some seen young Fergie as a potential winger last night, I have been saying for a while that he has a good cross in him, he also likes to hug the byline sometimes he looks like he’s on a set of rails running along the line.
Big Dave(Quote)
BD, He is not going to come out and say “we are aiming to lose this one” is he 😆 😆
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Also – lots of people talking about their weak and inexperienced back four, but failing to mention the 6 full internationals sat in front of them who are all very comfortable on the ball and good at keeping hold of possession > Anderson, Cleverley, Fletcher, Rooney, Hernandez, Welbeck.
Toon Chicken(Quote)
I’d take a win over Reading in the PL than a win over Man U in this cup any day… Saying that I would really love for us to win something but not to detriment of the rest of the competitions we are in atm… 😕
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
Aye ok Aussie he couldn’t have said that we want a good run in the cup like sure he couldn’t 😕 he had to either say we want to win it or lose it 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
TC @ 12 I think the strengh of the midfield and forward line they sent out won them the game , I just feel we should of put more pressure on their back line from the off set.
Johno Toon(Quote)
BD, I think Pardz has his eye on other prizes to be honest… My earlier point was simplistic but I really believe he won’t be too stressed about this one… No team goes out to lose a game of football but the pain of a loss can vary greatly dependent on the stakes on the line… I think he will be a little relieved because he can focus his energies and players toward more important cups and the PL…
Aussie Magpie Fan(Quote)
TC – glad i read your post mate I was starting to get annoyed by Nufc fans reaction here and on Twitter.
Why are people slating Obertan and Marveaux?
Vuckic was by far our worst player he is far too lazy to play for the 1st team and looked seriously slow, and people are creaming his performance!
I think people are judging Marv too soon, he has yet to play with the 1st team really. With Shola and people like Gosling we hoof it far too much as a result he doesnt get involved or is too deep when we hit Shola. I thought he and Fergie did well interchanging positions and Marv took some dangerous free kicks.
Cant believe people cant see it.
I thought everyone bar Vuckic had a decent game, he was awful. Williamson did get done by Welbeck – I agree – but Welbecks 6″2 and runs like a 100 metre sprinter!
Glad Papiss looked good. And Elliot. Thought Colo was borderline
BigPapa(Quote)
Everywhere I look Obertan and Marveaux are taking the flack from last night! 😕
Twitter, Fb, Journal and a bit here.
Its embarrassing I think.
BigPapa(Quote)
BigPapa I only seen the 2nd half but from what I seen they weren’t good.
Having watched enough of Oba I don’t really expect much else from him, I just think he’s fast and thats it, I did think with playing his old team he would have a point to prove, but he failed imo and the paundits said the same.
But I do expect more from Marv because in glimpses he has shown he has more to offer, but so far this season he just looks lost.
Big Dave(Quote)
@BigPapa
Marv has been woeful so far. But I agree with your defence on him. New to the Premier League, been injured for a year, and hasn’t had any run of games.
He deserves a bit of time before we right him off as a squad player imo.
You’d think people would learn after Perch/Raylor/Best etc. Before he got his goals against Blackburn even Ba was getting stick.
SolanosTrumpet(Quote)