The Next 3 Games

[The Regulator]

Either way you look at it, we've got a rough road in the prem in the next few weeks. Man U and Arsenal will be looking to settle into a winning pattern to cement their place at the top of the league, while Newcastle look to break a bad spell under the temporary management of Joe Kinnear. We've yet to win at home, and based on our performance on saturday, our confidence is not at its highest peak at present.

 

Pienaar and Cahill, 2 vital midfielders for us last season are not going to feature, pienaar may be an option towards the 3rd game but i doubt moyes will be looking to rush him. So we're looking at at a tough few games with key players missing: How would you play it?

 

Surely a 4-4-2 formation would benefit us more and hopefully create more goal oppourtunities, but then anichebe may still be out leaving us with 3 strikers to fill 2 places for 90 minutes, and whether Saha is at a level to win us games is debateable. With Hibbert back, Moyes has the option of pushing Neville into midfield, and maybe play a 4-5-1 with 2 defense mids, but this is an untested formula and may or may not work.

 

What are your predictions for the next run of games? How much do you think the liege match will affect them? Will a win and further progression in the uefa cup boost our confidence? Or will a loss and abrupt exit from the competition narrow our focus to just the prem, making each game a vital contest and drive us towards a champions league spot.

 

I'm interested to see what happens next as the next few weeks will begin to shape the league as we get closer to christmas, and give a more solid indication of who is flying (eg Chelsea) and who is crawling (eg Tottenham)...either way, we need some decisive victories to earn us the points to stay in teh fight, as other clubs liek Aston Villa and Man City(especially after january) will be threatening the big 4.

 

If you were in the managers chair, how woudl you play this?

[Wall Writer]

Personally I think the next four games are all must win games. First of all, there will be immense dissappointment all round if we don't make it through on Thursday night. After that we need to start getting some points up on the board, otherwise we're seriously going to get left behind. We need at least seven points from Newcastle, Arsenal, Manu. Ambitious I know, but if we don't want to get left behind, that's what we need.

[dark]

Liege: A real must win game. I would be ecstatic with a 1-0 win here. Liege are a good team but we've beaten teams like Zenit and AZ so I can't see why we cant pull something off against the Belgians, we need to show the force we were last season. If we crash out of Europe I would be gutted.

 

Newcastle: Another must win game. With Arsenal and Manchester United coming up we need to get some firm points on the board. If we managed to over-turn a topsey turvy Newcastle then that could somehow kick start our season. I think this is the game where Saha earns his keep.

 

Arsenal: Not looking foreward to it. If we beat Newcastle I would be hopeful for a draw.

 

United: Same, but Manchester United will be a lot harder to beat. Arsenal we could manage a draw out of, Manchester is all about keeping the scoring down.

Bolton: Win.

[The Regulator]

Liege: A real must win game. I would be ecstatic with a 1-0 win here. Liege are a good team but we've beaten teams like Zenit and AZ so I can't see why we cant pull something off against the Belgians, we need to show the force we were last season. If we crash out of Europe I would be gutted.

 

Newcastle: Another must win game. With Arsenal and Manchester United coming up we need to get some firm points on the board. If we managed to over-turn a topsey turvy Newcastle then that could somehow kick start our season. I think this is the game where Saha earns his keep.

 

Arsenal: Not looking foreward to it. If we beat Newcastle I would be hopeful for a draw.

 

United: Same, but Manchester United will be a lot harder to beat. Arsenal we could manage a draw out of, Manchester is all about keeping the scoring down.

Bolton: Win.

 

Totally agree, liege would be a boost and crashing wouldn't help our confidence, i think newcastle will be the real must-win though. If we can't beat a team in the state their in, then we will be in serious trouble. Man U and Arsenal are going to be hard as nails, arsenal a draw is feasible and i will be happy with it, but man u will bring it to us looking to get back into the fray, and if we don't pull out at least 5 points, 8 with bolton, then we will be in dire straights....then again, optism abound we could grab 12 points and shoot up to the top of the table. Doubt it but hey who knows....

[dark]

If you were in the managers chair, how woudl you play this?

 

This will sound extremely risky, but it could work. Remember Blackburn. Jose Baxter came on sprinted round the whole field like a greyhound and won most of the balls, set up chances and within five minutes could have scored a hat-trick. Now against Manchester United, we know that were going to lose 3-0 + so why not try and get some young talent in there? I mean if our whole team were Baxter's based on his performance we would been 4-0 by the first half whistle. I mean I know that it's really risky, but could we not benefit from giving the likes of Kissock, Baxter and Agard thier debuts?

[The Regulator]

This will sound extremely risky, but it could work. Remember Blackburn. Jose Baxter came on sprinted round the whole field like a greyhound and won most of the balls, set up chances and within five minutes could have scored a hat-trick. Now against Manchester United, we know that were going to lose 3-0 + so why not try and get some young talent in there? I mean if our whole team were Baxter's based on his performance we would been 4-0 by the first half whistle. I mean I know that it's really risky, but could we not benefit from giving the likes of Kissock, Baxter and Agard thier debuts?

 

Baxter's performance was class to be fair and i'm surprised he's constantly being passed over by rodwell who i don't rate as much, i think Moyes would only play him though as a last resort because to be fair it could go one way or the other, Moyes would rather a team who's played man u before and knows what needs to be done, than a young and restless player who may be on fire, or may just fall short against and experienced and powerful team like man u.

 

I would love to see it, but Moyes isn't the kind of manager to take risks, not with formations or strategies, which is frustrating because i'd love to see a mix-up of our style of play, and try and get goals out of different situations. Imagine a 3-6-1 with jags yobo and lescott at teh back, castillo osman pienaar cahill arteta and fellaini in midfield, and yakubu up front.....again, moyes won't take risks but it's worth it if as you say the scoreline will be crap in any case....

[Bill]

This will sound extremely risky, but it could work. Remember Blackburn. Jose Baxter came on sprinted round the whole field like a greyhound and won most of the balls, set up chances and within five minutes could have scored a hat-trick. Now against Manchester United, we know that were going to lose 3-0 + so why not try and get some young talent in there? I mean if our whole team were Baxter's based on his performance we would been 4-0 by the first half whistle. I mean I know that it's really risky, but could we not benefit from giving the likes of Kissock, Baxter and Agard thier debuts?

 

 

NO.

[MikeO]

We need at least seven points from Newcastle, Arsenal, Manu. Ambitious I know, but if we don't want to get left behind, that's what we need.

 

That's not ambitious, that's plain insane.

 

Any more than three points would be a triumph the way things are currently.

 

Also, as a matter of interest, if we take just the three points but then beat Notlob in our next game we'll be on exactly the same points total as we were at the same stage last year, 13 from ten games.

[dark]

Baxter's performance was class to be fair and i'm surprised he's constantly being passed over by rodwell who i don't rate as much, i think Moyes would only play him though as a last resort because to be fair it could go one way or the other, Moyes would rather a team who's played man u before and knows what needs to be done, than a young and restless player who may be on fire, or may just fall short against and experienced and powerful team like man u.

 

I would love to see it, but Moyes isn't the kind of manager to take risks, not with formations or strategies, which is frustrating because i'd love to see a mix-up of our style of play, and try and get goals out of different situations. Imagine a 3-6-1 with jags yobo and lescott at teh back, castillo osman pienaar cahill arteta and fellaini in midfield, and yakubu up front.....again, moyes won't take risks but it's worth it if as you say the scoreline will be crap in any case....

 

Yeah that would be good. But 3 at the back dosen't sound good when we can't keep a clean sheet with 4. And where did Phil Neville go?

 

 

NO.

O.

[Guest Amb3r-3fc]

I Think Mosey Will Be Playin A Couple Of Kids With Tiny out and Pienaar.

[dark]

I Think Mosey Will Be Playin A Couple Of Kids With Tiny out and Pienaar.

 

Return of Van der Meyde?

 

''Andy van der Meyde, originally spelled "van der Meijde", (born 30 September 1979 in Arnhem, Gelderland) is a Dutch footballer, who currently plays for Everton of the English Premier League, as an attacking midfielder or winger (he is right-footed), and can play on either wing, although for the Netherlands national football team and during his time at Ajax, he usually played on the right wing. He is well known for his pace dribbling.''

 

Is that not what we need, someone to cause havoc and command those wings?

Edited September 30, 2008 by dark

[EFC-Paul]

I think we will come away with 4 points from the next three, should get a win agains the skunks and i have a feeling we will get a draw against United as for Arsenal if they play like they are tonight we'll sadly be in for a drubbing.

[GMONEYone]

4-4-2 for me!!!!

 

Get saha and yakubu up front. The yak is really struggling on his own up front and the ball isnt sticking to him to let the likes of cahill, arteta, osman to push on and support.

We keep playing long balls at the moment as confidence is low so no need to play 5 across the middle, and its not working so far.

Defo dont want Neville in the centre of the park and would like fellaini/castillo playing the holding role alongside osman if cahill gets the ban for the 3 games we all know he will.

Lets go out and try to WIN games like we did with success last season, fed up with trying to keep it tight and snatch a goal like we have been so far, especially last saturday. At home and great chance to boost morale for everyone and we went to get a 0-0, that just doesnt suit us!!!!

Come on moyesy!!!!!

 

Rant over.