*Official* English Football Season 2011-12

[The Sean]

i was thinking about Vidic..did he had huge impact for manu..have not followed manu so not aware

Vidic has been fantastic for United, and he has the double advantage of having just spent a season out injured while United won nothing, so we can see (or at the very least infer) just how much he's been missed.

 

[Uppercut]

Vidic's absence is barely a mitigating factor at all, he was seriously dodgy last year. And in any case, Jonny Evans has been (against all expectations) actually quite a lot better this season than we could reasonably have expected Vidic to be. Besides, we've had a really good season in the league, the team's been SO much better than it was last season. United haven't won nothing because we're getting worse, Citeh have just raised the bar. Or, to put it less kindly, everyone else was comically bad last season.

Missed him like hell in Europe, though.

 

[grecian]

Vidic's absence is barely a mitigating factor at all, he was seriously dodgy last year. And in any case, Jonny Evans has been (against all expectations) actually quite a lot better this season than we could reasonably have expected Vidic to be. Besides, we've had a really good season in the league, the team's been SO much better than it was last season. United haven't won nothing because we're getting worse, Citeh have just raised the bar. Or, to put it less kindly, everyone else was comically bad last season.

Missed him like hell in Europe, though.

The only reason you may have picked up more points in the League is you've been knocked out of Europe early. You can't divorce one from the other, it's disengenous. Your side has been poorer over-all, IMHO. Unless it's a tactic for you to get knocked out of piss easy Champion League groups.

If so, I applaud the side for executing it SO perfectly.

 

[Uppercut]

It's a sensible theory but it doesn't fit the facts even slightly. The side's best run of form came from January through March when they first would have had no Champions League games anyway, and then had four Europa League matches in which the vast majority of the first team played (and Valencia, our best player, picked up an injury).

Of our poorest results, almost all of them came in the first half of the season, when we had just as many European games as usual and couldn't take any liberties with resting players.

 

[Furball]

The Premier League 20 years team as voted by, well, everyone who voted:

Schmeichel; Neville, Vidic, Adams, Cashley; Ronaldo, Gerrard, Scholes, Giggs; Henry, Shearer

Not much to argue with there - Keane, Vieira, Cantona and Bergkamp probably the most notable omissions but it's hard to begrudge any of that lot their places in the team. Gerrard's inclusion at the expense of Keane and Vieira a small fan-voted consolation for his omission from the Top 10 players shortlist.

Gerrard ahead of Keane and Vieira is laughable.

 

[The Sean]

Didn't realise so many of the 20-year awards were being revealed today, but they've also announced the three big ones:

Best Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
Best Player: Ryan Giggs
Best Team: Arsenal 03/04

Incidentally, the panel who voted for these awards also named a best XI to go alongside the public vote revealed earlier:

Schmeichel; Neville, Ferdinand, Adams, Cole; Ronaldo, Keane, Scholes, Giggs; Henry, Shearer

Nine out of eleven the same, the only changes in the experts' vote being Rio for Vidic and Keane for Stevie G.

 

[grecian]

It's a sensible theory but it doesn't fit the facts even slightly. The side's best run of form came from January through March when they first would have had no Champions League games anyway, and then had four Europe League matches in which the vast majority of the first team played (and Valencia, our best player, picked up an injury).

Of our poorest results, almost all of them came in the first half of the season, when we had just as many European games as usual and couldn't take any liberties with resting players.

You've made up for your lack of quality throughout the season, by being able to out-run and out-harry teams. It's not about resting players, it's about being fresh.

The round of 16 starts in Feb.

Your second paragraph backs me up, when in Europe you faltered, you may well have done later on, in Feb and March when you were winning most of your games.

Conjecture of course, but so is saying your better, when you've not had the matches. Evans did do better than many have said, but, if for goals alone, he's no Vidic.

 

[Uppercut]

Don't agree at all, tbh. Vidic does all of his best work in his own penalty area and, having lost what little pace he had in his old age, has a tendency to drag the entire team towards their own goal. We concede less goals, and Vidic gets to make hero-blocks and awesome tackles that get him featured on match of the day, but we also hand control of the game to the opposition. He could've made a crucial difference against Citeh or away from home in Europe but in most games (albeit not the most important ones) Evans is probably better, as long as he cuts out the frequent huge mistakes that he always made before this season.

It's not just my opinion, Fergie tended to pick Evans over Vidic at the start of the season even when both were fit. The high-line defence left huge gaps in behind but we controlled games from start to finish and scored loads of goals. When he went back to Vidic after the Citeh drubbing we had a series of 1-0 wins. It's not just a case of picking the "better" player, the entire style of the team revolves around whether you pick the faster ball-playing defender or the traditional brick ****house.

 

[Jarquis]

Vidic's absence is barely a mitigating factor at all, he was seriously dodgy last year. And in any case, Jonny Evans has been (against all expectations) actually quite a lot better this season than we could reasonably have expected Vidic to be. Besides, we've had a really good season in the league, the team's been SO much better than it was last season. United haven't won nothing because we're getting worse, Citeh have just raised the bar. Or, to put it less kindly, everyone else was comically bad last season.

Missed him like hell in Europe, though.

Rooney voted for Evans as United POTY apparently

 

[The Sean]

Evans was excellent this season, as was Carrick - it was good to see two blokes who've copped their share of flack rank among the club's best performers this year.

 

[Spikey]

RT @Liverfool_FC: If Dalglish is sacked, does that count as an assist for Stewart Downing?


ark ark ark

 

[Eds]

Liverpool confirm interest in Guardiola - Telegraph

 

[grecian]

Liverpool confirm interest in Guardiola - Telegraph

At this point can I confirm my interest for Eliza Dushku, thanks

 

[cpr]

What's he been saying?

Sounded almost graceful on Sunday

Dont worry, he soon sobered up

And now this

Alex Ferguson says Manchester City’s game should not have been allowed to finish after Manchester United | The Sun |Sport|Football

The *** should not be allowed to be linked in any serious discussion, or at all, IMO

Gerrard ahead of Keane and Vieira is laughable.

On the field yeah, you'd want an attacker and a spoiler, so I'd switch Stevie for Vieira. Can't overally argue with Gerrard being there or there abouts in a fantasy team (though not my pick)

 

[Furball]

Dont worry, he soon sobered up



The *** should not be allowed to be linked in any serious discussion, or at all, IMO





On the field yeah, you'd want an attacker and a spoiler, so I'd switch Stevie for Vieira. Can't overally argue with Gerrard being there or there abouts in a fantasy team (though not my pick)

Yeah you can. Gerrard is at best the 5th best central midfielder to have played in the Premier League.

 

[Ikki]

Gerrard is at worst the 5th best central midfielder to have played in the Premier League.

Fixed.

 

[Uppercut]

I can't see any justification at all for picking him instead of Keane/Vieira tbh. Gerrard's done basically nothing in the league.

English vote tho.

 

[Furball]

Fixed.

Scholes, Keane, Vieira and Lampard all clearly better than Gerrard.

 

[sledger]

Vinny Samways' better than Gerrard iirc.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

One thing we can say about Vidic is that Komapny wouldn't have been allowed that free header in the derby at Eastlands.