Man Utd (H) - Sun 5th Mar 2023 (4:30pm)

[Trumo]

And so to that lot. A side who we probably want to beat more than any other due to the historical rivalry and bragging rights. We smashed the shit out of Ole’s lot at Old Trafford last season, coming away with a 5-0 win. Since then they have had a change of manager, protested yet again against the Glazers, and now there’s the possibility that their owners might actually sell provided their valuation is met. As ever, they spent a shitload of money again last summer and, though their fans are still of the mindset that they are not spending enough, performances and especially results have improved significantly enough for the Norwich scarves to be kept locked away. Since they relegated Slabhead to the bench and binned off the preening Portuguese ego, they and especially Rashford have found another gear. United legend Howard Webb is now in charge of refs and VAR, and they ended their six-year trophy drought by beating Geordie Arabia in the Milk Cup final. All seems well on Snake Mountain. Anyway:

 

Nous. Accuracy. Skill. Audacity. Luck. Drive. Ruthlessness. Organisation. Nerve. Energy.

 

I don’t ask for much.

 

Last season’s corresponding fixture showcased, for the second time, an absolute gulf between the teams. By this time, Ralf Rangnick was in the away dugout and they were getting battered by everybody. The talk before the game was all about how many we’d put past them, and it wasn’t just ill-advised bravado. They were without Ronaldo after some personal tragedy that you wouldn’t wish upon anyone, and the entire stadium burst into a round of applause in the seventh minute in tribute. We were already a goal to the good after the sort of win-the-ball-back-quickly-and-break that is a hallmark of Klopp’s great teams resulted in a tap-in for Lucho. The second was the goal of the night, with crisp passing and movement ending with a brilliant reverse ball from Sadio freeing Mo, who rolled in past a flailing De Gea. Pogba cried off with an injury (he was getting overrun anyway). We eased up for the next half an hour or so, and early in the second half it was the Mancs trying to get back into the match, but we saw it off reasonably comfortably before stepping on the gas once more. Robbo put on the afterburners to race clear down the left and square for Sadio to get a deserved goal with a clean controlled low finish into the far corner from the edge of the area. Mo put the gloss on the night, being played in and dinking the ball over defender and keeper as they closed in. We eased up again after that, though of course the Kop were begging for 5 once more. 4-0 in the end. This was our most ruthless and dominated performance and result against them at Anfield in the PL era. It wasn’t even a common occurrence in our 70s and 80s heyday.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDJkq16yX5Q

 

In May 1977, we were looking to retain the title we’d won the previous year, and Man City had emerged as the nearest challengers. QPR had gone close the previous year, and Nottingham Forest would go all the way the following year. The First Division was a very open contest in those days by the looks of things, even when Liverpool generally came out on top. Liverpool and United would meet again in the FA Cup final a few weeks later, but there was a league game at Anfield first. It finished 1-0 thanks to an early goal from King Kev, with the diminutive forward leaping like a salmon to bury a header from Doc’s cross. Even then, the media talked up the game as a dress rehearsal for the cup final. The FA Cup was by far the biggest deal domestically back then. This was also Kev’s last goal for Liverpool. He didn’t score in our last few games though his contribution is undeniable. He would transfer to Hamburg for half a million that summer. The fella from Celtic we spent the bulk of that fee on didn’t do too badly though, did he?! I can’t find highlights of the league game so here's the match report.

 

The big box office draw in early May 1977 was the film many consider to be Woody Allen’s finest, and it’s certainly the most decorated. Annie Hall was co-written and directed by Allen and starred Diane Keaton in the title role. At the time, perhaps her biggest role had been Michael Corleone’s girlfriend and then wife Kay Adams in the first two Godfather films. Allen also starred as the (neurotic, what else?) New York comedian looking over his relationship with Annie Hall, showcased over a backdrop of how they got together and how things slowly unravelled. Can a committed neurotic ever truly settle with such a free spirit? It is definitely funny in places and very inventive but at the same time, it’s all a bit hipster in being a film that you’re told you have to like if you have any pretensions of being a cinephile.

Our last few league games, while performance-wise still a mile off where we want to be, are hopefully a stabilising footing to allow us to creep back up the table and start offering a credible threat to gaining a place in the top 4. That is the most realistic aim in a season that started with us off the boil and has plummeted to some real depths at times. We were very poor against this lot back in September, and need to display a level of resilience, concentration and control largely lacking in a forgettable season. Being too open is not an option, and get beat is definitely not an option. Some fireworks in attack are always welcome, whatever the opposition. Go out there, be what we are supposed to be, do it for 90 minutes plus whatever is added on, and get the job done. Win.

[an tha]

This as always is massive as it is those rats...but also it is just huge in terms of our aims.

 

We only have 2 league games now between now and April - Fulham is off as they are in Cup and then it is international shite.

 

These Manc bastards on Sunday, Bournemouth on 11th and that is it until April 1st - a 3 week gap.

 

We do have what is left of the Real Madrid game on 15th, but league wise that is it.

 

We then have 3 really tough games after that break in little over a week

 

Man City a 1st April

Chelsea a 4th April

Arsenal h 9th April

 

Arsenal will be first home game in over a month!

 

A really tough run of games.

 

We need to pick up a good pts haul in these 2 games before that lot and a break and of course in those 3.

 

When you look at Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal in 4 of our next 5 games that is a bastard of a run, one that will likely make or break our Top 4 hopes.

 

It starts with these manc rats on Sunday - we need to turn up and be dead on.

 

The worry is what they are good at is what we struggle with most.

 

But they aren't all that IMHO despite their improved results.

 

Just under a year ago we were taking them apart with ease at Anfield - our fortunes have flip flopped quite a bit - time to put them back in their box....

 

[John102]

Another 3 points.

 

Unsure whether the clean sheets will continue. More than likely to keep it going but not a certainty.

[Reckoner]

Beat these fucking cunts. Bye.

[LFC 6 Times]

I’m bizarrely confident we’ll win this. Just seems written in the stars. Nunez will dominate that ugly dwarf playing at the back for them.

 

2-0 redmen.

[an tha]

If we can keep their main man VAR quiet we will be in with a shout.

[suzy]

Very nervous for this but we really need the win.

[Mook]

I'm not looking forward to this.

 

Please, please beat this shower of wanks Liverpool.

[mike23]

Genuinely sick of hearing about how great they are again. They'll still only come 3rd in what has been a really shit league and yet you'd think their treble team had been resurrected the way the media and their fuckwit fans keep crowing on about how great they are again. Even that modest achievement will have been massively aided by a ridiculous amount of favourable refereeing decisions. Three times this year they've basically rewritten the offside law to allow goals to stand for them. Yet it's undoubtedly been a big improvement from last year for them, and the most frustrating thing is we were complicit in beginning that revival by losing at Old Trafford. They'd have been under all sorts of pressure after losing the first 2 games if we'd gone to Old Trafford and won or even drawn. Instead we took all the focus and pressure off them by losing that game.

 

Our best football this year has come against the best teams: the full game against City and the first half at Arsenal. Reproduce those 2 performances (minus the self-sabotaging opening and final minute of that first half at Arsenal) and we can kill the revival we helped start stone dead on Sunday.  

[3 Stacks]

The difference with them this season is that they aren't winning games on accident. They aren't great or anything but they're doing things with a purpose. 

 

We're basically the opposite, even still after a couple good results. Anfield might be a difference here. but it's still hard to believe we'll just flip a switch, especially against a team that's shown a real plan against good teams. And they aren't going to try to dominate us so they will be very difficult to counter punch. We'll simply need to outclass them and I doubt we can do that. 

[Lario]

I hate these fucking games.

[Jairzinho]

3 hours ago, 3 Stacks said:

The difference with them this season is that they aren't winning games on accident. They aren't great or anything but they're doing things with a purpose. 

 

 

 

 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Dreading this one, I hate them more than ever with my missus and her family being mancs. I dont think they are anywhere near as good as the media and mancs are making out but they are a decent side again and stylistically I think they could be an absolute nightmare for us. I think they will punish us for the mistakes we make week in week out because we will play how they expect us too. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Two things concern me: getting overrun in midfield, and Rashford getting in behind Trent. Don't show him inside, keep him out on his left.

[Pete]

Just win. Ta

[VladimirIlyich]

If we weren't so disappointing and without pace,except up front,I'd fancy at least a draw. But the key to the top three this season is pace and energy all over the pitch in their teams. We lack what they have and it's cost us. 

This season feels like a carbon copy of the post title winning season so let's hope a good finish awaits. Starting here.

[Torvald Utne]

2 hours ago, Jairzinho said:

 

 

 

I was going to pull him up on that but I'm working on being a more reasonable person these days.

[Freddo]

Should we win we'll only be 7 points behind this all conquering famous Manchester United side. Let's hope Nunez tears that back line a new arsehole. They are much improved but I'm desperately hoping that glum fuck Ten Haag is miserable as fuck at the end. Crowd needs to be on top of United on every touch. 

[diamondjoe]

4-0

[Barnesey]

Utd may get more points than they did in 99 (79). May get the opportunity to score a fluke goal in an FA Cup semi after the opposition miss a pen to take the game to extra time. But they won’t get battered in the CL final before scoring two scrappy goals in added time to win it. 
 

Im not bitter

[Creator Supreme]

18 minutes ago, diamondjoe said:

4-0

You think United will score 4?

[Creator Supreme]

Just now, Barnesey said:

Utd may get more points than they did in 99 (79). May get the opportunity to score a fluke goal in an FA Cup semi after the opposition miss a pen to take the game to extra time. But they won’t get battered in the CL final before scoring two scrappy goals in added time to win it. 
 

Im not bitter

Lest we forget their late 2 goals against us in the 4th round of the FA Cup! I've never been so angry after losing a match!

[El Rojo]

 

9 hours ago, mike23 said:

Our best football this year has come against the best teams: the full game against City and the first half at Arsenal. Reproduce those 2 performances (minus the self-sabotaging opening and final minute of that first half at Arsenal) and we can kill the revival we helped start stone dead on Sunday.  

 

True enough. Could also be an occasion thing. We were also good at home against Everton and started well against Real. Salah, in particular, seems to be able to find a new level for bigger games. 

 

We could edge it, but I wouldn't have any faith in us blowing them away. 

 

0-0 or 1-1 isn't the most unlikely outcome. 

[manwiththestick]

I mentioned in another thread that I turned down a couple of corporate tickets for this as I couldn't bear being around business clients if we were to lose and I'm not sure I'd act in a professional manner if we won.

 

I'd gotten quite used to not being worried about these games, now I'm dreading it, hate these horrible twats.

[VladimirIlyich]

2 hours ago, Torvald Utne said:

I was going to pull him off on that but I'm working on being a more reasonable person these days.

That sounds more than reasonable!