Manchester United FC Official Thread

Are the Europa League group stages concluding tonight on Channel 5?

Not tonight. Next Wednesday.

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:Are the Europa League group stages concluding tonight on Channel 5?

Don't know and don't give a shite either.

You aren't keen to observe potential opponents in order to consider tactics Ferguson will employ should you face them?

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:You aren't keen to observe potential opponents in order to consider tactics Ferguson will employ should you face them?

Not at all, might avoid watching our Europa League games as well.

No.

kyro7 wrote:

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:You aren't keen to observe potential opponents in order to consider tactics Ferguson will employ should you face them?

Not at all, might avoid watching our Europa League games as well.

Interesting.

I hope we play a good team and get knocked out of that too, then he might notice the team isn't doing good.

I Andy I wrote:I hope we play a good team and get knocked out of that too, then he might notice the team isn't doing good.

I doubt we'll go full strength.

Hopefully practically none of whatever 18 man squad we put together after a Europa League game play in it.

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:

kyro7 wrote:Not at all, might avoid watching our Europa League games as well.

Interesting.

We've already lost in Europe as far as I'm concerned.

Yes. In the Round of 32 draw the 12 Europa League group winners and the four best-placed teams from the Champions League – Manchester City, Manchester United, Olympiacos, Valencia – are seeded. That leaves the 12 group runners-up unseeded, along with the four other third-placed teams from the Champions League. For the Round of 32 a seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team playing at home in the second leg. As things currently stand, that means United definitely won’t face Manchester City, Olympiacos, Valencia (all fellow seeded CL teams), Standard Liege, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao, Metalist Kharkiv, Schalke or Twente (all confirmed already as group winners).

Yay...

We play Thursdays then Sundays so we're gonna gave to play the kids, otherwise we will lose points in the PL.

Metalist Kharkiv won a group?

I Andy I wrote:We play Thursdays then Sundays so we're gonna gave to play the kids, otherwise we will lose points in the PL.

Do teams in the Europa League automatically get their following week fixtures moved to a Sunday?

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:

I Andy I wrote:We play Thursdays then Sundays so we're gonna gave to play the kids, otherwise we will lose points in the PL.

Do teams in the Europa League automatically get their following week fixtures moved to a Sunday?

Well they aren't played on a Saturday are they?

Danny wrote:Yes. In the Round of 32 draw the 12 Europa League group winners and the four best-placed teams from the Champions League – Manchester City, Manchester United, Olympiacos, Valencia – are seeded. That leaves the 12 group runners-up unseeded, along with the four other third-placed teams from the Champions League. For the Round of 32 a seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team playing at home in the second leg. As things currently stand, that means United definitely won’t face Manchester City, Olympiacos, Valencia (all fellow seeded CL teams), Standard Liege, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao, Metalist Kharkiv, Schalke or Twente (all confirmed already as group winners).

Yay...

So embarrassing

I honestly can't think of words to describe how much of a shit competition it is, and we've gotta fucking play in it.

Danny wrote:

Uncle John from Jamaica wrote:

Do teams in the Europa League automatically get their following week fixtures moved to a Sunday?

Well they aren't played on a Saturday are they?

I don't know that's why I asked you lanky streak of piss. So what fixtures is it gonna affect you in then? I.e which games are moved from a Saturday to a Sunday?



Or have the dates for the EL rounds not been finalised?

No idea, don't give a fuck either.

And you've never noticed there's always a few more Sunday Premier League fixtures after a Europa League week?

Not really, don't pay much attention to the Europa League or the days which Prem games are played on. Although I did notice Stoke seemed to do horrendous after each time they played in Europe.

Danny wrote:Yes. In the Round of 32 draw the 12 Europa League group winners and the four best-placed teams from the Champions League – Manchester City, Manchester United, Olympiacos, Valencia – are seeded. That leaves the 12 group runners-up unseeded, along with the four other third-placed teams from the Champions League. For the Round of 32 a seeded team will be drawn against an unseeded team, with the seeded team playing at home in the second leg. As things currently stand, that means United definitely won’t face Manchester City, Olympiacos, Valencia (all fellow seeded CL teams), Standard Liege, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Athletic Bilbao, Metalist Kharkiv, Schalke or Twente (all confirmed already as group winners).

Yay...

Wait, who the fuck are we playing then?

Seen as the group stages haven't ended, we don't know.

Danny wrote:Seen as the group stages haven't ended, we don't know.

Well we must have some idea? Any examples? I think Porti and Ajax (unless they sort out the match rigging) are potential opposition? In which case I want Ajax so Fergie can see how good Eriksen is.

Probably, who's arsed though?

I'm weird, like now I really feel my love stronger for United than ever, when we lose, just like after the CL Final, I think it's because I realise everyone who cares about United is so lucky at how long they've been at the top, and things like this happen sometimes and it makes you appreciate the better things more, here's hoping we come back strong, we've had worse.

Danny wrote:Probably, who's arsed though?

i
Imagine if we draw Porto or Ajax. Maybe Fergie sees that there are plenty of talented players that could reinforce the squad? Five decent teams didn't qualify that we would have to face, with quite interesting players on display. Obviously it isn't Champions League, but there are stll a handful of good sides.

I know the the feeling. The recent trophy drought for Arsenal has made me more attached to the club and makes me appreciate a win more than I used too.

I'd like to see Roy Keane brought back to the club in some capacity. He is a man who doesn't take any shit, speaks his mind, and isn't afraid of anything. Ferguson surrounds himself with yes men like Michael Phelan, who's going to tell him everything that he wants to hear

'Oh yes Alex, two in midfield against Xavi Busquets and Iniesta is a brilliant idea'
'No Alex, signing Bebe isn't a bad idea at all. Well I've never seen him play either, but if your gut tell you to buy him then I trust that'
'Well Sir, like you say, we reached the Champions League Final and won the League with this midfield, so I'm sure it's good enough'

Can you ever imagine someone like Michael Phelan, a poor man's Phillip Neville at best, a man who has risen to his position solely through waiting for other people to lose their jobs and being in the right place at the right time, questioning Ferguson's decisions? Could you ever imagine him saying to Ferguson, a man with a massive ego who refuses to admit any of his own teams flaws, 'You're wrong to be picking him, he's not got it any more'?

When we had Queiroz, a former international manager, we never saw the kind of ridiculous team selections that we've seen in the last couple of years, and the last few months especially. We would never go up against a team like Barcelona with a 4-4-2 containing Giggs in central midfield, let alone do it twice. We would never use tactics so predictable as what we did in those finals, take 2008, for example. Who was expecting to see Hargreaves out on the right wing and Ronaldo on the left? Certainly not me, that was a surprise to Chelsea, and they couldn't live with it, not for the first half at least. Our line-up for the Finals against Barcelona though, apart from the ridiculous attempts to get Ferguson's son Darren Fletcher into the side by hook or by crook, anyone could have predicted those a few weeks beforehand, Guardiola knew exactly what Ferguson was going to try and do, and he knew exactly how to stop it.

Maybe Roy Keane isn't the right man, his managerial career has been far from stellar, but if Ferguson is here to stay then he sure as fuck needs an assistant who has the balls to question him.

I'd love to have Quieroz back.

Mike Phelan just sound like a yes man tbh.