I suppose the way we have started the season, we should be expecting the unexpected, but I'll be honest i didn't see this result coming. West Brom have been a decent team over the last couple of seasons, bracket them amongst the hard to beat team catgory. And the last season the loan signing of Lukaku gave them a bit more of a cutting edge going forward. They had made a solid start this season, but nothing to make you think Saturday was on the cards.
Of course United's woeful defending helped their cause, but they came to Old trafford and after a cautious opening half an hour, really took it to us. I'm not sure you could say they got their just desserts, United probably created enough to have deserved a point, but fortune favours the brave I suppose.
As for United, for all the talk of, a hole in the middle, no goals from open play since the opening day of the season, wide men that never get crosses in, all that counts for nothing if you defend as shabbily as yesterday and against City. The shakiness at the back ripples through the team, it wasn't really until the last ten minutes when United had to go for it, that United really got going as an attacking force. I've said that I have been unconvinced by United's central defensive displays this season. The lack of mobility, pace and authority shown so far this season by Ferdinand leads me to believe, maybe he should have gone with Fergie. He hasn't really had a half decent game yet this season. It also didn't help that Jonny Evans reverted to the Evans of a couple of seasons ago that was too easily intimidated by strong centre forwards. I'll go easy on Evans, it was only his second game of the season and he played well against the scouse on Wednesday.
Buttner has come in for some stick for his performance, but i didn't think he was that bad myself. That's not to say he's the answer, he's never a United player in a million years. More disturbing for me was the performance from Jones at right back. We all know his best position is centre half, but when he first arrived he could do at job at right back. Every time he's played their this season, he's been poor, his defending has been shaky and his crossing has been non existant. I would love Jones to be given a run at centre half alongside Evans or Smalling, but given his poor form at right back, it would be a risk.
Our forward play was actually as good as we've seen at times this season, not consistently enough though. I thought Rooney had a quiet game, he had a couple of great chances from Nani crosses in the first half and should have found the net with at least one of them. For me, he didn't influence things enough in the second half, what Nani was doing at the end, was what he should have been doing, if he was the player the press and Moyes and board try and tell us he is. When was the last time he went past a couple of men and either got a shot in or fed somebody else on goal. Hernandez had the kind of game I always expect him to have. If it doesn't happen for him in the box, and it didn't, he becomes annonymous.
The stick Nani got, was unbelievable, off the scale and fucking ridiculous. He put three or four superb crosses in for Rooney and Herandez in the first half, the type we have been crying out for, and we should have converted at least one of them. He went off the boil, and made a couple of mistakes, early in the second half, but when they took the lead, he was the one man that went looking for the ball, demanding it, and what's more doing something with it. He was easily our best player as far as I'm concerned, and it's not as if I've always been his biggest fan.
Kagawa, what to say there, he wasn't great, but you still got a couple of moments of magic that lead me to believe, that there is a very good player in there, but United just don't know how to get the best out of him. The reason I wanted Rooney out in the summer, apart from his decline in form and attitude was that I wanted to see more of Kagawa in the middle, but politics meant Rooney stayed and we have this big effort on behalf of Moyes and the Glazer's to make Rooney believe he's the main man at United. Unless Rooney goes next summer, that's still on the cards of course, it's hard to see Kagawa being still at the club for a third season.
I'd loved to have seen Kagawa and Januzaj on the pich together in the second half, not Januzaj replacing Kagawa. I assumed there must have been something wrong with Kagawa, but apparently not. Whilst januzaj's first touch of the game was a howler, i thought he did reasonably well after that, and just don't believe those match reports that described him as ineffectual. He wasn't given the ball enough, but I suppose, hope, that will come as his team mates get to know his game. He came nearest to equalising right at the death with a great run and in curling shot.
Lastly central midfield, Anderson, was well, Anderson. Carrick has started the season strangely, he's not been poor, but he hasn't shown the same form as he has for the last couple of season. I suppose it doesn't help playing alongside somebody different every game or playing in fornt of a shaky central defence. I've started to wonder whether I was too hasty in thinking Fellaini might be a better player than I thought he was. Against City and during the time he was on the picth on Sunday, he looked pretty pedestrian. Early days though, what is obvious, is that he'll only good enough as United player as defensive midfield type.
The response of the crowd at the end, didn't really surprise me, we're kidding ourselves if we think our support is a cut above any more. I've absolutely no doubt that if the worst happened this season and we missed out on a top four spot, the reaction of our numptier fan base would lead to the gimps sacking Moyes, six year contract or not.
I've actually been impressed by Moyes off the pitch so far, honest about our performance's and about lack of world class talent in the squad. Obviously that counts for nothing if he can't turn it around, on the pitch. I would probably be easier to please than others on that front. If he was bringing youngsters through, we came top four and had a good cup run, I wouldn't be too disappointed with that for a first season. The way the results have gone in the league overall, so far this season, I'm loathe to predict anything though.
Of course United's woeful defending helped their cause, but they came to Old trafford and after a cautious opening half an hour, really took it to us. I'm not sure you could say they got their just desserts, United probably created enough to have deserved a point, but fortune favours the brave I suppose.
As for United, for all the talk of, a hole in the middle, no goals from open play since the opening day of the season, wide men that never get crosses in, all that counts for nothing if you defend as shabbily as yesterday and against City. The shakiness at the back ripples through the team, it wasn't really until the last ten minutes when United had to go for it, that United really got going as an attacking force. I've said that I have been unconvinced by United's central defensive displays this season. The lack of mobility, pace and authority shown so far this season by Ferdinand leads me to believe, maybe he should have gone with Fergie. He hasn't really had a half decent game yet this season. It also didn't help that Jonny Evans reverted to the Evans of a couple of seasons ago that was too easily intimidated by strong centre forwards. I'll go easy on Evans, it was only his second game of the season and he played well against the scouse on Wednesday.
Buttner has come in for some stick for his performance, but i didn't think he was that bad myself. That's not to say he's the answer, he's never a United player in a million years. More disturbing for me was the performance from Jones at right back. We all know his best position is centre half, but when he first arrived he could do at job at right back. Every time he's played their this season, he's been poor, his defending has been shaky and his crossing has been non existant. I would love Jones to be given a run at centre half alongside Evans or Smalling, but given his poor form at right back, it would be a risk.
Our forward play was actually as good as we've seen at times this season, not consistently enough though. I thought Rooney had a quiet game, he had a couple of great chances from Nani crosses in the first half and should have found the net with at least one of them. For me, he didn't influence things enough in the second half, what Nani was doing at the end, was what he should have been doing, if he was the player the press and Moyes and board try and tell us he is. When was the last time he went past a couple of men and either got a shot in or fed somebody else on goal. Hernandez had the kind of game I always expect him to have. If it doesn't happen for him in the box, and it didn't, he becomes annonymous.
The stick Nani got, was unbelievable, off the scale and fucking ridiculous. He put three or four superb crosses in for Rooney and Herandez in the first half, the type we have been crying out for, and we should have converted at least one of them. He went off the boil, and made a couple of mistakes, early in the second half, but when they took the lead, he was the one man that went looking for the ball, demanding it, and what's more doing something with it. He was easily our best player as far as I'm concerned, and it's not as if I've always been his biggest fan.
Kagawa, what to say there, he wasn't great, but you still got a couple of moments of magic that lead me to believe, that there is a very good player in there, but United just don't know how to get the best out of him. The reason I wanted Rooney out in the summer, apart from his decline in form and attitude was that I wanted to see more of Kagawa in the middle, but politics meant Rooney stayed and we have this big effort on behalf of Moyes and the Glazer's to make Rooney believe he's the main man at United. Unless Rooney goes next summer, that's still on the cards of course, it's hard to see Kagawa being still at the club for a third season.
I'd loved to have seen Kagawa and Januzaj on the pich together in the second half, not Januzaj replacing Kagawa. I assumed there must have been something wrong with Kagawa, but apparently not. Whilst januzaj's first touch of the game was a howler, i thought he did reasonably well after that, and just don't believe those match reports that described him as ineffectual. He wasn't given the ball enough, but I suppose, hope, that will come as his team mates get to know his game. He came nearest to equalising right at the death with a great run and in curling shot.
Lastly central midfield, Anderson, was well, Anderson. Carrick has started the season strangely, he's not been poor, but he hasn't shown the same form as he has for the last couple of season. I suppose it doesn't help playing alongside somebody different every game or playing in fornt of a shaky central defence. I've started to wonder whether I was too hasty in thinking Fellaini might be a better player than I thought he was. Against City and during the time he was on the picth on Sunday, he looked pretty pedestrian. Early days though, what is obvious, is that he'll only good enough as United player as defensive midfield type.
The response of the crowd at the end, didn't really surprise me, we're kidding ourselves if we think our support is a cut above any more. I've absolutely no doubt that if the worst happened this season and we missed out on a top four spot, the reaction of our numptier fan base would lead to the gimps sacking Moyes, six year contract or not.
I've actually been impressed by Moyes off the pitch so far, honest about our performance's and about lack of world class talent in the squad. Obviously that counts for nothing if he can't turn it around, on the pitch. I would probably be easier to please than others on that front. If he was bringing youngsters through, we came top four and had a good cup run, I wouldn't be too disappointed with that for a first season. The way the results have gone in the league overall, so far this season, I'm loathe to predict anything though.
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