LIVE! Match discussion 2014/15

[The Bear]

Utd will be ok when they get everybody fit and another defender in.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Make it ten pages

or 3 + 5 + 2 pages

 

[andyc225]

If truth be known, I'm pleased for Pete Winkelman. I know it's strange but I can't help it. He seems like such a nice bloke.

 

[NorwayFB]

WBA going through,after 18 penalties vs Oxford.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

If truth be known, I'm pleased for Pete Winkelman. I know it's strange but I can't help it. He seems like such a nice bloke.

Really good interview with him on talkshite this afternoon actually. He comes across as a very passionate man about MK Dons. There are many people (DW is a good example on here) who will never forgive and forget, and I certainly wouldn't deny them their right to that view. Saying that, I do think that the club is growing and my experience there last year was a great day. I wouldn't mind seeing MK get to the Championship and think they could sustain a position at that level in time. Equally, they are doing it in as financially prudent a way as they can.

The ground is one of the best around now. It could be the end of the first decade of what could be a fine club. However, they REALLY should be losing the Dons reference in their name. It causes a lot of schism and prevents them winning many new friends, IMHO.

 

[lemonjelly]

He HAS to change to a back four before there's any more carnage. You're dealing with players who have never, ever played in this system - top to bottom. You can't just come in and play a stupid formation as a vanity project when you don't have the personnel.

Seem to recall an interview with Martinez, & when he first went to Wigan he got them playing 3-5-2 in training for almost a full season to get them used to it, before trying it out in the PL.
Van Gaal has done it straight away, which is his big error.

 

[andyc225]

Really good interview with him on talkshite this afternoon actually. He comes across as a very passionate man about MK Dons. There are many people (DW is a good example on here) who will never forgive and forget, and I certainly wouldn't deny them their right to that view. Saying that, I do think that the club is growing and my experience there last year was a great day. I wouldn't mind seeing MK get to the Championship and think they could sustain a position at that level in time. Equally, they are doing it in as financially prudent a way as they can.

The ground is one of the best around now. It could be the end of the first decade of what could be a fine club. However, they REALLY should be losing the Dons reference in their name. It causes a lot of schism and prevents them winning many new friends, IMHO.

I don't understand why they don't drop the word "Dons" and call themselves Milton Keynes City or something like that?

They have one of the nicest grounds I've ever visited. Everything about the place works from the pre-match music selection to the open, pitch view concourses. If we were ever to build the flat pack City of Wolverhampton Stadium around Junction 2 of the M54, I'd want it to be a bigger version of the Stadium:MK.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The only problem with Stadium: MK is the pubs are bloody miles away.

With all that space around the ground there is ample room to build two massive pubs, one for home, and one for away. Both would still get plenty of walkthrough trade on non-match days as the ground is in the middle of a huge retail park.

Although that would rule out singing "Asda's a shithole, I wanna go home"....

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Seem to recall an interview with Martinez, & when he first went to Wigan he got them playing 3-5-2 in training for almost a full season to get them used to it, before trying it out in the PL.
Van Gaal has done it straight away, which is his big error.

It's strange how he got Holland organised in a 352 in such a short period of time though, they were still horrible to watch for the most part with almost their entire attacking threat coming through the pace of Robben but at least they were solid and sturdy at the back, he only introduced it in the pre-World Cup friendlies too so no more time that he's had to get a similar thing set up at United.

United are going to struggle to be as effective on the break as even that dour Holland side were due to the lack of pace but there's no reason why they shouldn't at least be as organised as they were at the back, are the Dutch players just more tactically aware than their United counterparts? Better understanding of how they fit into the system, their positioning and such else, it's not like he's working with complete mugs at club level.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

He chose the system to fit the players after Strootman got injured. This is choosing the system and shoehorning players into it.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

He chose the system to fit the players after Strootman got injured. This is choosing the system and shoehorning players into it.

I don't think that's really the case, more that his usual formation didn't work sans Strootman so he went looking for a solution, can't think of much, if any, experience of 352 in that Dutch squad he had and most players weren't any more cut out for it than United's on first glance.

None of Martins-Indi, Vlaar or De Vrij are particularly mobile, they're all pretty standard centre halves although the latter is pretty tidy on the ball, Blind was far more fullback than wingback and had spent most of the season in midfield, Kuyt ended up at wingback the other side most games! The midfield didn't really offer anything, Wijnaldum had no effect on games, Sneijder little better either then Robben's ability in a unusual central position covered up for Van Persie's no show in most games.

Being organised and solid was all they really had going for them and so far that's escaping United by a long way.

 

[Johnny75]

He chose the system to fit the players after Strootman got injured. This is choosing the system and shoehorning players into it.

Indeed, I wonder where we've seen that before........

 

[Lord Knows]

I don't think that's really the case, more that his usual formation didn't work sans Strootman so he went looking for a solution, can't think of much, if any, experience of 352 in that Dutch squad he had and most players weren't any more cut out for it than United's on first glance.

None of Martins-Indi, Vlaar or De Vrij are particularly mobile, they're all pretty standard centre halves although the latter is pretty tidy on the ball, Blind was far more fullback than wingback and had spent most of the season in midfield, Kuyt ended up at wingback the other side most games! The midfield didn't really offer anything, Wijnaldum had no effect on games, Sneijder little better either then Robben's ability in a unusual central position covered up for Van Persie's no show in most games.

Being organised and solid was all they really had going for them and so far that's escaping United by a long way.

I think in Holland they work on becoming footballers first, then add tactical qualities. In England kids get moved into 4-4-2 and many fail to learn tactical variations.

 

[Jolemai]

Is that it for Celtic now? No back door into the Europa League?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

They're in the Europa League. As Arsenal would be if they lose tonight.

 

[The Bear]

They can be drawn against Legia Warsaw too. Now that would be amusing.

 

[NorwayFB]

Bilic touchline ban?

 

[FrankMunro-371]

A tasty start to the Yorkshire derby.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Sometimes plaayers give the referee little choice. Murphy got away with a yellow card for one reckless tackle and then does another.

 

[NorwayFB]

Sanchez gives Arsenal 1-0 just before halftime.