[sumitrocks]

Originally Posted by PSL

im not exactly at my photogenic best:rockedov:

Well, Gunners caught between United and Liverpool...generally have a tough time.

But, yeah, good to have some regulars 'shot' together.

[fire_kris]

have changed my avtar... but not same as srk... would like the emblem of moi united on the avtar..

@ srk: U dont need to thank for this... it is not only for this community... it is for the thing we worship

Ciao..
Kris

[sir roy keane]

i was just seein the uefa cup thingy on sportcentre.

rangers vs fiorentina

its a home game dammit. what in th blue hell was walter smith doing by playing one striker upfront. has he lost his goddamn mind?

home matches are the ties that teams would make the most of , and here's this einstein going on the defensive. it was a end to end game with fiorentina enjoying the majority of the chances

if rangers fail to make the cut , walter smith is gonna have to take the majority of the blame. a nonsensical decision to say the least. i'm sorry for being harsh , but if you cant back your team to score in your goddamn background , then you have no right to manage such a club.

@ fire_kris
thanks for being in sync with others

[swagatsinha]

SRK, wasn't the Rangers line-up affected a lot through injury?
As far as I can recall, they didn't have their first choice keeper, and a few others were injured as well. Plus, a potentially SPL deciding match against Celtic at the weekend. These might have prompted Smith to take the decision.

[fire_kris]

Couldnt stop myself from posting this one (should have waited after chelsea match) ...but have collected a lot of data on the Uefa Champions League... regarding manchester united obviously. so guys do press the thanks button

As we know manchester united will be playing Barca in the return leg at home.. lets just look at their record at OT during last 5 seasons in Europe (24 home matches) :

- Record: won 19, drawn 4, lost 1 (60 goals for, 13 against)
- last home defeat (the only one in 5 seasons) was 1-0 against Milan, 3 years and 2 months ago
- are currently unbeaten in 15 home games
- have won their last 11 home games, scoring 29 and conceding 6
- of the 4 draws, 3 have been 0-0, with the only score draw a 1-1 against Porto in March 2004, over 4 years ago!

So why not get a 0-0 away result and go for it at home?

A point on the defense of manchester united in the league so far this season:

- total goal conceded 19 goals with three matches to go
- best record under fergie... 26 goals conceded twice in 1997/98 and 2004/05... definetly will better this one
- Hold on now in the 1999 treble winning season united conceded as many as 36 goals in the league alone

The Catalan club's defence is its weakest department. They may have kept out Schalke in the Champions League quarter-final in which they were lucky not to concede, but there has been no clean sheet on the road in La Liga since a win at Real Mallorca on January 5. that is around 12 games ago.

lets add a bit more..

season 2002-03:
QF: Real Madrid 3 - 1 MUFC ( match almost done and dusted) eliminated
season 2003-04:
PQF: Porto 2-1 MUFC (again lost) eliminated
season 2004-05:
PQF: Milan 1-0 MUFC (again.. though it was the return leg)
season 2006-07:
PQF: Lille 0-1 MUFC (weakest of all the teams we have played in last 5 years)
QF: Roma 2-1 MUFC (again another defeat)
SF: Milan 3-0 MUFC (the turning point)
season 2007-08:
PQF: Lyon 1-1 MUFC (brilliant goal by benzema)
QF: Roma 0-2 MUFC (voila we have a win away in UCL knockout )
SF: Barca 0-0 MUFC (doesnt look a bad result considering away record)

Ciao...
Kris

[Ronticus1002]

Originally Posted by sir roy keane

i was just seein the uefa cup thingy on sportcentre.

rangers vs fiorentina

its a home game dammit. what in th blue hell was walter smith doing by playing one striker upfront. has he lost his goddamn mind?

home matches are the ties that teams would make the most of , and here's this einstein going on the defensive. it was a end to end game with fiorentina enjoying the majority of the chances

if rangers fail to make the cut , walter smith is gonna have to take the majority of the blame. a nonsensical decision to say the least. i'm sorry for being harsh , but if you cant back your team to score in your goddamn background , then you have no right to manage such a club.

Not just the fact that they had 6-7 first team players injured + an eye on the potential title deciding clash at the weekend, but also Rangers have come through the last 2 rounds with..you guessed it!..0-0 at home in the first leg!...seems like Walter Smith's strategy has been not to concede a home goal and then sneak one in away...worked so far!

Originally Posted by fire_kris

Couldnt stop myself from posting this one (should have waited after chelsea match) ...but have collected a lot of data on the Uefa Champions League... regarding manchester united obviously. so guys do press the thanks button

As we know manchester united will be playing Barca in the return leg at home.. lets just look at their record at OT during last 5 seasons in Europe (24 home matches) :

- Record: won 19, drawn 4, lost 1 (60 goals for, 13 against)
- last home defeat (the only one in 5 seasons) was 1-0 against Milan, 3 years and 2 months ago
- are currently unbeaten in 15 home games
- have won their last 11 home games, scoring 29 and conceding 6
- of the 4 draws, 3 have been 0-0, with the only score draw a 1-1 against Porto in March 2004, over 4 years ago!

So why not get a 0-0 away result and go for it at home?

For the same reason that Utd players and fans expect to win at the Bridge tommorrow...because come match-day, past records don't mean squat and are meant to be broken!

I reckon Utd could've easily got their away goal had they been more adventurous against a brittle Puyol-less defense...considering a hard game away for Utd at the weekend, even one for Barca next week, which looks likely if Utd open up, would mean them needing two...a very iffy proposition...oh well, time will tell!

[ankit_insane]

Originally Posted by fire_kris

Couldnt stop myself from posting this one (should have waited after chelsea match) ...but have collected a lot of data on the Uefa Champions League... regarding manchester united obviously. so guys do press the thanks button

As we know manchester united will be playing Barca in the return leg at home.. lets just look at their record at OT during last 5 seasons in Europe (24 home matches) :

- Record: won 19, drawn 4, lost 1 (60 goals for, 13 against)
- last home defeat (the only one in 5 seasons) was 1-0 against Milan, 3 years and 2 months ago
- are currently unbeaten in 15 home games
- have won their last 11 home games, scoring 29 and conceding 6
- of the 4 draws, 3 have been 0-0, with the only score draw a 1-1 against Porto in March 2004, over 4 years ago!

So why not get a 0-0 away result and go for it at home?

A point on the defense of manchester united in the league so far this season:

- total goal conceded 19 goals with three matches to go
- best record under fergie... 26 goals conceded twice in 1997/98 and 2004/05... definetly will better this one
- Hold on now in the 1999 treble winning season united conceded as many as 36 goals in the league alone

The Catalan club's defence is its weakest department. They may have kept out Schalke in the Champions League quarter-final in which they were lucky not to concede, but there has been no clean sheet on the road in La Liga since a win at Real Mallorca on January 5. that is around 12 games ago.

lets add a bit more..

season 2002-03:
QF: Real Madrid 3 - 1 MUFC ( match almost done and dusted) eliminated
season 2003-04:
PQF: Porto 2-1 MUFC (again lost) eliminated
season 2004-05:
PQF: Milan 1-0 MUFC (again.. though it was the return leg)
season 2006-07:
PQF: Lille 0-1 MUFC (weakest of all the teams we have played in last 5 years)
QF: Roma 2-1 MUFC (again another defeat)
SF: Milan 3-0 MUFC (the turning point)
season 2007-08:
PQF: Lyon 1-1 MUFC (brilliant goal by benzema)
QF: Roma 0-2 MUFC (voila we have a win away in UCL knockout )
SF: Barca 0-0 MUFC (doesnt look a bad result considering away record)

Ciao...
Kris

I dont think that post deserves a mere thanks kris,deserves much more, fantastic research i must say. I would have been impressed if John Dykes would have come up with all that!

I think we can clearly see Sir alex went for a 0-0, with the tactics, and the late substitutions taking of Rooney and Tevez. Now we have proof that he had enough reason to do so

I think United not going through is definately a possibility, but i would still fancy us getting a win. The chances of us going through for me are abt 70-30. Just hope we win it, would be great if we do it comprehensively.

[ajeet_kumar]

Originally Posted by Ronticus1002

For the same reason that Utd players and fans expect to win at the Bridge tommorrow...because come match-day, past records don't mean squat and are meant to be broken!

I reckon Utd could've easily got their away goal had they been more adventurous against a brittle Puyol-less defense...considering a hard game away for Utd at the weekend, even one for Barca next week, which looks likely if Utd open up, would mean them needing two...a very iffy proposition...oh well, time will tell!

Because of Above reasons only, Every Man Utd defeat is so sweet. I don't like chelsea also but Would be cheering them tomorrow so that Manu's Players and Manager could talk reality about their skill and class.

Yes, manchester united play better football but it doesn't give them a birthright to win all matches. Hoping for a big game from Drogba

[sumitrocks]

Originally Posted by ajeet_kumar

Because of Above reasons only, Every Man* defeat is so sweet. I don't like chelsea also but Would be cheering them tomorrow so that Man*'s Players and Manager could talk reality about their skill and class.

Yes, manchester united play better football but it doesn't give them a birthright to win all matches. Hoping for a big game from Drogba

Ajeet, welcome to this forum. For reasons that have been listed on previous pages, we refer to the team as United, Man Utd, or Manchester United. Man* is not allowed. Hence, please edit your post.

[fire_kris]

Originally Posted by Ronticus1002

For the same reason that Utd players and fans expect to win at the Bridge tommorrow...because come match-day, past records don't mean squat and are meant to be broken!

I reckon Utd could've easily got their away goal had they been more adventurous against a brittle Puyol-less defense...considering a hard game away for Utd at the weekend, even one for Barca next week, which looks likely if Utd open up, would mean them needing two...a very iffy proposition...oh well, time will tell!

Well I was giving an info regarding the tactics that might have been employed and why 0-0 at barca was a good result and just reflecting on why we would have played that way... everyone still gushes about aggregate 6-5 defeat to RM 5 years back in UCL...

that match 4-3 at old trafford was a spectacle of football... Ronaldo (former one) scoring a hat-trick and getting a standing ovation from all the crowd ( ya that's a fact, he told in his interview as well we were one of the best fans encountered by him, and he would love to play football at united, which sadly never happened), we coming back from behind thrice to win the match... but what was the point... we were done and dusted at the bernabeu...

You would no doubt agree that RM at that time were at the top of the game (Ronaldo, Figo, Raul, Morientes, Portillo, Zidane, Makalele, Cambiasso, Guti) Carlos, Salgado (the best wing backs at that time for me), Hierro, Helguera in defense and Iker Casillas in goal (Del Bosque at helm)... we still won the ultimate boxing match..

Right now the same cannot be said about barca... (and united game is much more compact than before, much improved than last season)... We have a great chance of going to moscow.. Even if we would have won 1-0 at nou camp barca are not street dogs that can be rolled over at old trafford easily ( we have to play a good game to be in the reckoning)... We have respect for the opponents.. but there was a effort from us to keep barca from not scoring as my stats will tell you.. and the tide is in favor of united ( as the record suugest, whether it gets broken is entirely different thing)... even if puyol is back I am not worried... Barca have been bleeding goals with him at the heart... Even you as a Real Fan cant wait for the derby to arrive because you know barca are looking the weakest they have been for a long time..

I am not going for United win today ( you can scan through the pages to check), I wont mind if we win , but we both know its going to be a slugfest and draw will be the result (70% probability) which suits united perfectly fine.

@ajeet: bhai, first you doubt man utd players and their skills... then you say manchester united play the better football... ah only if we could have had that birthright ( then would have taunted everyone with 50 premiership titles and 20 champions league trophy in our cabinet).. Can you tell me where can I get my hands on it... Kindly be more logical in your post

P.S. another cool info, apart from real madrid match that we won, we havent conceded 3 goals at home and lost since 1998/99 treble winning season. In that game as well we drew

Ciao..
Kris