Premier League Round Up (May 12 2019)

[tlw content]

So here we are again, another season over and the wait for the title goes on. The season has flown over again and our lads were incredible from first game to last. I could just about handle the stress of watching our games, it was the feeling of helplessness whenever City were playing that was tough.

 

Relying on other teams for favours isn't something I ever want to do again, so next year we'll just have to win every game. Or at the very least make sure we beat City twice. Easier said than done, but after what these boys did this season I'm not going to doubt them, and after the way City’s players conducted themselves this week I’d imagine our lads can’t wait to get another crack at them. Hopefully City win the FA Cup so we can smash them everywhere in the Charity Shield.

 

It’s hard to take knowing we aren’t Champions after a season like that, but I’m not too disappointed or disheartened. I’m resentful because I feel as though we’ve been cheated out of something we deserved (financial doping or a Manchester ref doing them favours, take your pick), but putting that sense of injustice aside I feel fucking great about where we are.

 

I mean think about it. We lost once all season. We haven’t lost at home for over two years. We’ve made back to back European Cup finals. We've got Andy Robbo. All in all we’re in fucking great shape and the bond between team and fans has never been stronger.

 

Meanwhile, over at Old Trafford…..

 

 

Paul Pogba receives abuse from a fan. We don’t deserve him. #mufc pic.twitter.com/tW5lkyN62b

— ManUnitedZone (@ManUnitedZone_) May 12, 2019

 

It's only when you see something like that it fully hits home just how good we've got it right now. We've got a squad of players who never once short changed us this season. Not once. They might not always play well but they always leave everything they have out on the pitch. 

 

All those clips you see of other teams being highlighted on MOTD (usually by Shearer, he loves a bit of shirker bashing) for their lack of work rate and half arsed closing down or not tracking back. You don't get that with our boys and I love them for it. Even more so when I look at how United's players are cheating their crowd.

 

While we were winning our 30th game of the season they were losing at home to already relegated Cardiff City. And while that was happening, their fans were cheering for City’s goals at Brighton. How the mighty have fallen.

 

Good way for Cardiff to sign off though. Warnock said he asked his players to make his last Premier League game a memorable one and to win it for him. They did him proud. As I said last week though, this was a game they should have been looking at as the one that kept them up, but because they blew it against Palace it was a dead rubber. Brighton hate Palace but they've got them to thank for still being in the league, because Brighton would be gone if Palace had rolled over last week.

 

Still, it says everything about the difference between Cardiff's players and United's that they were the ones who wanted it more.

 

Mendez-Laing won a penalty and picked himself up to score. He added a second with a tap in after the break and all United had to offer in resistance were a couple of decent efforts by 17 year old Mason Greenwood.

 

Pogba did fuck all as per, and was lucky to stay on when he flung Murphy to the floor and then shoved him in the face. Classic case of a player doing something aggressive just to try and fool the fans into thinking he cares. He doesn’t. He’s half arsed his way through 3/4 of the season but one little spell of decent performances got him a spot in the PFA team of the year. 

 

I don’t agree with fans hurling abuse at players and I’m not condoning the behaviour of that United fan in the clip above, but I completely understand how he could be driven to acting like that. If I had to watch that preening twat every week and then listen to people telling me how great he is and that it’s the manager’s fault for not getting the best out of him, I’d probably go all Michael Douglas in Falling Down too.

 

Pogba was even preening when the fella was hurtling insults at him! 

 

Fan: “You’re fucking shite!!!”

 

Pogba: *nods his head sarcastically*

 

Fan: “FUCK OFF!!!”

 

Pogba: *applauds*

 

Fan: “FUCKIN SHIIIIITE!!!!”

 

Pogba: *thumbs up, pats hand on his heart*

 

Fan “You’re not even average!! FUCK OFF!!”

 

That finished me off that did. The perfect put down for someone like Pogba and exactly what I’ve been saying about him for years. Every now and then he looks boss. Every now and then he looks like the worst player in the league, and sometimes he’s a bit of both even in the same game. If you add up the overall body of work, it comes out as less than the average for a top six club midfielder. So yeah, not even average.

 

He’s a product of the FIFA / Social Media generation. I know Roy Keane and Graeme Souness hate loads of modern day players, but you can see why their disdain for Pogba in particular is off the scale. He doesn’t even do the basics without the ball (Cardiff’s second was a direct result of him standing still and letting his man run off him into the box) but all he has to do is ping one 60 yard pass or hit a decent shot from distance and the FIFA virgins are tugging themselves off.

 

It’s going to be a long road back for them as United’s situation is truly dire.  Mourinho said this week “I said that finishing second with Man United was perhaps my greatest achievement. Now people understand.” 

 

The man has a point (although typically he’s completely exonerating himself of any blame for how shit they are). I couldn’t believe they finished second last season as they were obviously shite, but much like Solskjaer’s little honeymoon period it was unsustainable and it caught up with them.

 

They’re so, so bad right now. Look at their team and tell me who you’d even want. I’d have Rashford for the bench and that is quite literally it. At one time I’d have taken Martial too, but fuck that. His attitude stinks. Their squad is dogshit. Ashley Young is their captain and no-one can even argue about it because he's the best candidate, even though he's Ashley Young. Imagine being that shit that Ashley Young is your captain.

 

They’re just a shambles. They used to be such a well run club that it was difficult to see any way past them. Now they literally can’t get a thing right, even their kit. Next year they have a kit to commemorate 20 years since they won the treble. They won the treble in 1998/99, and next season is 2019/20, so even by my GCSE grade E maths (what can I say, I was a lazy bastard in school) that’s 21 years.

 

You couldn’t make this shit up. What a mess. Still, never mind, eh?

 

 

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[DaveT]

Brilliant read.

 

Just saw that the red card for Holebas has been overturned, fair play. That Valencia came across like a really good lad in an interview on MotD recently - but the way he went down for both the red card and the penalty was embarrassing, especially for a big lump like him. If that had been Mo, Shearer and Murphy would have been doing a massive hatchet job on him.

 

Season awards were great. Surely there was room for some refereeing awards? Anthony Taylor surely deserved some 'Twat' award, the little twat.

[Captain Howdy]

Great read, spot on about Etheridge, boss goalie him.

[johnsusername]

I'd love Vardy here. I know it won't happen (too old, too expensive, wouldn't be a starter) but i think he's great. 

[Captain Howdy]

Also with you on the haven’t seen City lift the title thing, ive not watched them play since the last time we played them, I don’t watch, read or acknowledge them in anyway whatsoever, I pretend they don’t exist , same with Everton, I watch both when we play them only, I detest them.

[dave u]

Toughest opponent -

 

1 Hazard

2 Zaha

=3 Anthony Taylor & Rondon

 

Worst opposition fans -

 

1 Wolves (small time bellends)

2 City (just shit)

3 Everton (letting off the flare when they though Virgil's shot had gone into the Kop!)

 

 

[The Guest]

I’m loving the United slagging off part being in the free to read section.

[rb14]

"Sol Bamba. Say it with me. Sol Bamba". Ace.