Another update!

Farewell Michael! A club legend. 

Last time I posted here I said that I'll be back posting after every game but I've kept away from this blog for a whole month now. It's crazy how busy I've gotten lately and since my job is mostly pc-based, I try to spend my free time away from my PC...hence the lack of posting. I'm back here sitting in front of my monitor after another United game. 

Since my post on the 15th of April, United have beaten Arsenal (2-1 - Pogba, Fellaini), Bournemouth, (2-0 - Smalling, Lukaku), and Watford (1-0 - Rashford) in the Premier League, lost to Brighton (0-1), drawn vs West Ham(0-0) and progressed to the final of the FA Cup after defeating Tottenham (2-1 - Sanchez, Herrera). With, maybe, the exception of the game vs. Tottenham, the football played was never really exciting but we're used to that now. 

It's no secret that I really hate the football that we play under Mourinho. Now, please don't start comparing it with the football we played under Moyes and LVG - that was even more shit. When I discuss our football with other United fans, I always get the same question thrown at me: "but what do you prefer; boring football and trophies or exciting football with nothing to show for it?" Of course I love the success but that should not come at the expense of some decent football to keep us entertained every week.  Have we improved? Of course we have! We finished sixth last season and managed to get to second place this season, the best league position since Fergie's retirement. The season could yet end on an even better note if we defeat Chelsea at Wembley next week and win the FA cup. But the football we played was awful. It makes you lose interest in the game and I would be lying if I said that I never struggled to stay awake during a few games this season.

The media makes it look like it's all gloom and doom at United yet they have a wank-fest every time Liverpool and Tottenham (who finished 4th and 3rd respectively) win a game. I don't believe it's all gloom and doom but I do understand why a lot of criticism is directed at us and very little is at teams who finished below us.

I think it's easy to criticise this current United side for two reasons. 

1. Manchester United sells. 

2. The football played is so boring that it leaves little room for praise and you just have to go on the attack on a team that has so many talented players. 

With the players we've got and money we've spent (by 'we' I mean United, I only spent money on a satellite subscription), United should be averaging two goals a game. Sometimes we barely manage two shots on target never mind two goals. We've scored 68 times in the Premier League, 21 of those goals were scored during the first 7 games of the season. Since the start of October, United scored 47 goals in 31 games. That's piss poor. We started so brightly and then something must've gone mightily wrong - our form during the Christmas period was rotten. Probably our players aren't capable of keeping some sort of consistency but I highly believe that our manager's tactics do not really help. I really dislike Klopp because I think he clowns way too much on the touchline but what he did at Liverpool is amazing. Yes, they ended in fourth but do you really believe their squad is better than ours? Yes, they do have the most in-form player in the world at the moment but the way they attack as a unit and rip teams apart is a joy to watch. Well, I don't really enjoy it but you get what I mean. Bar 3 or 4 players, I think Liverpool's squad is mediocre but they still manage to produce some excellent football almost every week and are in a European Cup final. That's what I don't get with Mourinho, our team should be demolishing sides and not fearing them. Last Thursday against West Ham, Mourinho was actually wasting time so that we get a point. This is against David Moyes' West Ham. I find little wrong with how we play against the big sides but how our team approaches the very winnable fixtures is a bit puzzling. 

This Premier League season United lost points to Stoke (relegated), Huddersfield (16th), Leicester(9th), Burnley(7th), Southampton (17th), Newcastle (10th), West Brom(relegated), West Ham (13th), and Brighton (15th). I absolutely don't mind losing points to the big guns, but I expect United to get the full points at stake against such sides. Obviously, we cannot beat every 'small' side in the league but I don't think our team should be dropping so many points against such sides.  Mourinho's insistence on approaching such games in an almost timid way is most definitely a major factor behind this. We've dropped 20 points against these sides and if it wasn't for the brilliant De Gea, we would've probably dropped more points. There's a reason why DDG has won (again) the Player of the Year award and it's definitely not because we attack our opponents and put them to the sword. 

Anyway, to bring this rant to an end, I do believe we've improved but I also believe that we should have played better football - give us something to shout about! Give us more performances like the second half away to City! Our team stopped entertaining us in September - with the exception of a game here and there when our players rose to the occasion. I am not of the opinion that Mourinho should go but my God I definitely don't want to experience this same boring football, week in week out, again next season. It almost hurts my eyes. Hah!

Cup final next week. A win will cap a decent season with a good table finish and a cup. Again, I reiterate that we could have gotten this final standing by playing better football. However,  no matter how good we could've played, we would've still ended in second place and perhaps gotten a round further in the Champions League....but that's it. There's no way we would've won the league against this City side.

Let's we beat Chelsea on Saturday. 

Farewell Michael Carrick

Today was the last time we've seen Michael Carrick as a Manchester United player. What a player he's been for us! I still remember days when people criticised him until really starting to appreciate him after his third or fourth season at the club. Sideways and back passes they used to say. Bollocks. His passing was simple yet effective. There's a reason why we now sing that it's hard to believe he's not Scholes. Scholesy was a master passer and Carrick wasn't very far behind. I am glad he's staying at Manchester United as a coach. Anybody else sees a future manager in Michael? He wasn't blessed with pace but the way he read the game was exceptional and that will surely make him a very good manager in the future. 464 games for United - a club legend.