J.S. Park's performance was probably the most energetic midfield performance i have ever seen.
It rivals Keane's performance in Turin in 1999.
That lad must surely have an extra lung in him.

Congratulations,
Just peeping in to say well done to our boys and fellow fans. . .
The thing is we were not supposed to be on the brink of our 19th title and the CL finals,according to naysayers. . . people like HNIC and his band of losers . . .
But we've done it . .and all goes to Father Fergie. . .it was heart-warming to see him bow to the crowd. . .

I thought Ashley Cole was supposedly the best left-back in the world. . .
But it was worrying to see us fluff those late chances. . .2-1 does not do justice to our performance. . .

By the way,
I think Michael Carrick should get a bit of commendation here.In the last few weeks aside from the Arsenal game,he's been great.

(Eastbay):

Congratulations,
Just peeping in to say well done to our boys and fellow fans. . .
The thing is we were not supposed to be on the brink of our 19th title and the CL finals,according to naysayers. . . people like HNIC and his band of losers . . .

That dude has been missing since God know when, He use to tell us to come back by May. It seems he know that he will not be around by May. Buncha pretenders.

coded guy:

Guy, . . . . you are wicked!!!

Bros somebody said something like that on Sky News this morning, maybe i was half asleep or something.

presido1:

That dude has been missing since God know when, He use to tell us to come back by May. It seems he know that he will not be around by May. Buncha pretenders.

And he is always sermonizing that United fans run away each time we lose. . .
Now he is missing after his side collapsed like a sack of spuds.
The he will come bak with that witchboy to start writing rubbish all over the place,but when we comment on his useless squad,he tells us that he will not argue about Arsenal with Mancs.
Such a pissant. . .

Congrats lads

Yeah, Congrats. Tho i kinda wanted you guys to win 3 trophies cos of how good Alex Ferguson is and how hard the manure guys work, winning the epl is great. But manure is still related with sh1t anyways.
Arsenal till I drop

What makes the victory even sweeter is that H.Webb didn't give us the 'big' decisions that would have potentially swayed the match irrevocably in UTD's favor and given blues fans some excuses to cling to till the new season starts

It was obvious H.Webb wasnt going to give us a single decision in the match. I wont complain as we didnt need it but he really bottled many decisions that should have gone for us.

Howard Webb?
Funny people rate that dolt.Apparently, he was reffing safe so he won't be accused of favouring United.
He didn't have the set to do the right thing and (a) send off Ivanovic ,and (b) award a penalty for the Lampard.
Like you all say,it's a good thing that we as a team made his lack of courage irrelevant.

dipo2much:

Yeah, Congrats. Tho i kinda wanted you guys to win 3 trophies cos of how good Alex Ferguson is and how hard the manure guys work, winning the epl is great. But manure is still related with sh1t anyways.
Arsenal till I drop

United are shyte yet we're in our 3rd CL final in 4 years, and are about to consign Liverpool to the dustbin of history by wining our 4th Title in 5 years.
Shyte really must be special especially when put close to a team who haven't won the league in 7 years andhave conspired to remain trophiless for 6 years.
I'd take shyte over whatever you deluded twits call yourselves.


By the Way,why isn't Hernandez the best young player?Are these players ok at all?

I thought second half we came out, we had nothing to lose and went for it and dominated. It just would've been interesting to get that second goal and get it back to level terms."
sometimes you just wonder what strong thing John Terry smokes?
His sense of entitlement and arrogance is bewildering.

.^^^^

The kind that makes you wonder what England really is unto.An England captain woke up this morning after being outplayed yesterday and says his team dominated in the second half.
Maybe these players use a different dictionary than the rest of us all (minus Gaynners)

Hi Mbulela
im here

its interesting that out thread is quiet despite the fact that we are winning everthing

some are losing and their thread is speeding like concorde

errrm, we've got LIFE outside this place

as per Terry. Hes a Arrow
Datisall

It was in the news lastnight that SAF was close to joining Arsenal in '86 as they came first with the job offer.

http://aggbot.com/link.php?id=13444691&r=tw&c=46

Thank God for Walter Smith!

Da True Champions. . . . . .
Utd 4ever

chamotex:

chamotex, are you trying to show off you now have the hd box?

@coogar,
If you got it,flaunt it. . .

(Eastbay):

@coogar,
If you got it,flaunt it. . .

i agree. . . . .

long time, no prints. this roller-coaster season has kept me off the web-space for ages. i have pondered and wondered how are we going to set-up against barcelona.

coogar:

i agree. . . . .

long time, no prints. this roller-coaster season has kept me off the web-space for ages. i have pondered and wondered how are we going to set-up against barcelona.

Wouldn't call it a roller-coaster. . .just largely uncertain. . .can see you're just returning. . .not before peppering them losers on the Gaynner thread.
As for Barca,we just need people who are prepared to mark for 90 minutes. . .do we have a ball-winner able to stand their assault?
I know Valencia has to start,at the very least. . .the defensive part of his game should help. . .same as Park,although I remember the 09 finals where Park really had a stinker. . .
In all,I think/presume the formation for the Chelsea game on Sunday may just suit us. . .hopefully Carrick and Giggs will do the job in the middle.I hope Rafael makes it in time to play at RB. . .
I think the strategy is  to use the ball judiciously,just like Real threatened do do in spurts over the Classico series.

Emperoh:

^^^^^

Its always gonna be a packed midfield and then try to fashion an attack that is just as swift.
Fletcher, Carrick and Giggs Combo in the middle and then,
A Park, Valencia and Rooney attack will suffice because of their defensive and tracking back qualities.
The central defense will have to be the same. But i guess Fabio rather than O'shea though i can quess who Fergie will go for

(Eastbay):

Wouldn't call it a roller-coaster. . .just largely uncertain. . .can see you're just returning. . .not before peppering them losers on the Gaynner thread.
As for Barca,we just need people who are prepared to mark for 90 minutes. . .do we have a ball-winner able to stand their assault?
I know Valencia has to start,at the very least. . .the defensive part of his game should help. . .same as Park,although I remember the 09 finals where Park really had a stinker. . .
In all,I think/presume the formation for the Chelsea game on Sunday may just suit us. . .hopefully Carrick and Giggs will do the job in the middle.I hope Rafael makes it in time to play at RB. . .
I think the strategy is  to use the ball judiciously,just like Real threatened do do in spurts over the Classico series.

the problem with barcelona is they are different to any other team out there. they are wonderful with the ball, they are awesome without the ball. the key to beating barcelona is to start with hardworking players. barcelona's pressing will swallow giggsy and scholes in that regard.

in my opinion, i will start. . . . .

--------------------vds-----------------

fabio/rafael-----rio-----vidic-----evra------

-----------------carrick-------------------

fletcher-------------------------anderson

valencia---------rooney-------js park----


if we start this way, you can be sure there's no lazy player in this set-up. . . .when we lose the ball, we have enough terriers to snap at barca's playmakers and retrieve the ball asap. it's not the most creative line-up but there's no point matching barcelona's passing stats. even if we play 11 paul scholes, barcelona will still boss possession. the key is not to concede early goals and make the most of the 11% possession we get. if it's stalemate after 80 mins, bring on chicharito to stretch their tiring defence and nick a goal.

Very hard to say, but I think with the way SAF has been lining up the team, he will start with the same team that played against Chelsea but with Rooney marking Busquets.

Im not sure Fletcher will be ready to start but he will definitely be involved at some stage. Unlikely Anderson starts, definitely see Park starting this match and hopefully he makes up for his poor performance in the last final.

coogar:

the problem with barcelona is they are different to any other team out there. they are wonderful with the ball, they are awesome without the ball. the key to beating barcelona is to start with hardworking players. barcelona's pressing will swallow giggsy and scholes in that regard.

in my opinion, i will start. . . . .

--------------------vds-----------------

fabio/rafael-----rio-----vidic-----evra------

-----------------carrick-------------------

fletcher-------------------------anderson

valencia---------rooney-------js park----


if we start this way, you can be sure there's no lazy player in this set-up. . . .when we lose the ball, we have enough terriers to snap at barca's playmakers and retrieve the ball asap. it's not the most creative line-up but there's no point matching barcelona's passing stats. even if we play 11 paul scholes, barcelona will still boss possession. the key is not to concede early goals and make the most of the 11% possession we get. if it's stalemate after 80 mins, bring on chicharito to stretch their tiring defence and nick a goal.

My problem with the line-up would be that Fletcher probably isn't mach-fit to start.Maybe Fergie plays him against Blackburn and Blackpool to see how he reacts.IF we had Hargreaves fit,I wouldn't lose a minute's sleep over Barca.Also,we don't know which Anderson is going to show up,as I don't trust that fella wit ha big assignment just yet.You are right about one thing:Barca will dominate play from the word go,so it would eb stupid to try to parade a side as attractive.
True Barca do a lot of things but I believe they are suspect on the counter defensively.That would give us a bit of hope,given that they seem intent on passing the ball.
@TA,
I don't think Busquets does anything usefull with the ball to warrant Rooney marking him.All he does is press the opposing team's ball handlers/regain possession the ball and give it to Xavi/Iniesta/Messi.

Mr_TA:

Very hard to say, but I think with the way SAF has been lining up the team, he will start with the same team that played against Chelsea but with Rooney marking Busquets.

it's one thing stating giggs and carrick against an ageing chelsea midfield, it's another thing starting them against highly mobile midfielders who can find a through-pass. a midfield of ramsey-wilshere-song stopped us from functioning the other day at the emirates, imagine what busquets-xavi-iniesta will do to us if we play the same midfield. saf is wise enough to know giggs won't work against barcelona. against every other team in europe, the formation is perfect but barcelona are just different.

Im not sure Fletcher will be ready to start but he will definitely be involved at some stage. Unlikely Anderson starts, definitely see Park starting this match and hopefully he makes up for his poor performance in the last final.

fletcher played against schalke. the coming games against blackpool/blackburn should be enough to bring him back to speed. anderson has played himself back into the first team after his show against schalke last week. it doesn't get better than that. to stop barcelona, we have to match their brilliant interplay with hardworking players who will run all night without tiring.

(Eastbay):

@TA,
I don't think Busquets does anything usefull with the ball to warrant Rooney marking him.All he does is press the opposing team's ball handlers/regain possession the ball and give it to Xavi/Iniesta/Messi.

dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng!

sergio busquets? he is barca's best player. the starter of all moves. the presser, the sniffer. without him, barcelona are nothing. minus busquets theatrics, he is the most intelligent youngster in europe. steve mclaren said. . . . "For me, the key player United have to stop is Busquets. I've looked at the passing statistics and Busquets has the ball more than any other Barcelona player, even more than Xavi and Iniesta".

busquets is not the most likeable player but he does what he does very well. more than any defensive midfielder in europe. watch barcelona/spain and you will notice busquets is always available to either make himself a passing outlet or to make tackle to break the opposition's play. we have to do a special job on him to nullify his influence.

Fashioning a way past Barca with our current squad is an unenviable task. Personally I am not sure of trying to soak up and hit them on d counter. This what we tried in d 09 final, despite having resources like CR, Tevez, Rooney and Berba. It worked in d first 5-10 mins, but once we conceded it was like our brainbox scrambled. We spent 90 mins chasing possession and when we eventually got d ball back, we had no idea how to break them down cos players like Park, Ando for all their industry aren't d most creative players, Giggs was out of gas, Carrick was nonexistent & Rooney was thoroughly frustrated.

Our main concern can't be simply containing them, but how do we get goals against them.

montelik:

Fashioning a way past Barca with our current squad is an unenviable task. Personally I am not sure of trying to soak up and hit them on d counter. This what we tried in d 09 final, despite having resources like CR, Tevez, Rooney and Berba. It worked in d first 5-10 mins, but once we conceded it was like our brainbox scrambled. We spent 90 mins chasing possession and when we eventually got d ball back, we had no idea how to break them down cos players like Park, Ando for all their industry aren't d most creative players, Giggs was out of gas, Carrick was nonexistent & Rooney was thoroughly frustrated.

Our main concern can't be simply containing them, but how do we get goals against them.

we had a weak midfield that night. ryan giggs shouldn't have started. the game passed him by. he did nothing offensively and defensively. carrick was criticized because his role in the team makes him a scape-goat but giggs was the culprit. the exact reason why he is not needed on the 28th. let him come from the bench if possible.

@Cougar,
I think we should look at his assist stat before we deem him to be that important.
He's good at breaking up the opposition's play,but I'm not sure we can say the burden of offense can rest on him if Xavi/Iniesta and say Messi are somehow nullified,never mind what Steve McLaren says.Heck I have trouble believing what he says.His track record isn't that impressive for me to take him seriously.
I think the Ryan Giggs factor is something we can debate about.You never really can tell which Giggs will show up on the day.He was the difference between us and Chelsea in the CL and the last PL game.Aside from those,his performances fluctuate.But you cannot ignore the fact that he was massive against Chelsea:with that,it would be hard to see him coming off the bench.

I've thought long and hard about how we can stop Barca but I'm yet to come out with a way.

What keeps coming to my mind however is do we have the players and ability to trouble them
at the back?

While I'm not suggesting we shouldnt do anything to contain them, I suggest we should look at how we can trouble them at the other end. We can have a high score game and who knows who will come out tops? It shouldnt be all about how to stop them. They must worry about how to stop us as well.

I know to a lot of people, this sounds naive but we have seen over and over again teams who all they do is try to contain Barca. They got beat at the end of the day.

I hail all man o.

IMO There are 2 major things w need to do to neutalise Barca, which are choke them in the middle with fighters and then use the wings effectively.

To hurt Barca, you have to have the ball and this is one of the hardest things to do when playing this team, but they have been beaten and i think if we have the right mentality and employed a formidable strategy we have the personnel to do the job.

There are arguements for and against Giggs starting this game and it now depends on which Giggs shows up. Personaly i would not start Giggs, let those seemingly young guys slug it out with barca, then we can bring in expeience depending on how the games go.

I would not start, Giggs, berba, and scholes.

StarBoard:

@Cougar,
I  think we should look at his assist stat before we deem him to be that important.

he is a defensive midfielder. his assist stats is not important just like you cannot judge carrick on his assist stat. busquets is the most important player for barca/spain. he completed every game during the world cup and he's what? 21? he's the most underrated player in europe.

He's good at breaking up the opposition's play,but I'm not sure we can say the burden of offense can rest on him if Xavi/Iniesta and say Messi are somehow nullified,never mind what Steve McLaren says.Heck I have trouble believing what he says.His track record isn't that impressive for me to take him seriously.

without busquets, xavi, iniesta, alves and abidal won't be bombing forward with so much confidence. the moment barcelona are under attack, watch busquet's smart positioning. he also uses the ball well with his passes not covering more than 5 yards so even when they lose the ball, they can always press for the ball and recover immediately.

I think the Ryan Giggs factor is something we can debate about.You never really can tell which Giggs will show up on the day.He was the difference between us and Chelsea in the CL and the last PL game.Aside from those,his performances fluctuate.But you cannot ignore the fact that he was massive against Chelsea:with that,it would be hard to see him coming off the bench.

firstly, you have to accept barcelona's midfield is far superior to chelsea. what will beat chelsea will not even scratch barcelona. we cannot outpass barcelona, we cannot control possession when playing barcelona. these two points nullify giggsy's appearance. i have not even mentioned tracking back and hustling to disposess opponents. giggs will be anonymous. our best bet is how to make the most of the 2% possession we will get via counter-attack(which giggsy is not suited to).

coded guy:

IMO There are 2 major things w need to do to neutalise Barca, which are choke them in the middle with fighters and then use the wings effectively.

To hurt Barca, you have to have the ball and this is one of the hardest things to do when playing this team, but they have been beaten and i think if we have the right mentality and employed a formidable strategy we have the personnel to do the job.

There are arguements for and against Giggs starting this game and it now depends on which Giggs shows up. Personaly i would not start Giggs, let those seemingly young guys slug it out with barca, then we can bring in expeience depending on how the games go.

I would not start, Giggs, berba, and scholes.

wise man!

my 5-man midfield will be valencia + fletcher + carrick + anderson + js park with rooney as the lone striker.
these lads will tire barcelona out and work in sync to press. the art of pressing involves every player in the midfield. the moment one player slacks off, the pressing becomes futile. can giggs press for the ball in tandem with energy bunnies like park, ando, fletcher, valencia, rooney? hmmmm

^^^^
Anderson??
are you kidding me?

Our best bet is to play our game while keeping it tight.
any strange tactic will backfire because it will breed inferiority complex.