Blue glasses off - are we better than the rags?

[Fesan]

Overall? No, they are better as a team even though I think we got better individuals. Would we do better vs barca? Yes, but we would still lose 2 out of 3 vs them.

We have beat them the last three times we have played them.

Yeah, sorry ment Barca... still think we would lose 2 of 3 vs barca:-) Got the threads mixed up, thought we were in the "how do we beat barca" thread:-P

[Ted Hughes]

Are we fuck better than the rags. They won the league.

Can we BECOME better than the rags ? Yes. We could have finished closer to them this season but most of their players and their manager are experts at winning Premier League football games & scavenging points, wheras most of our players & manager are novices. They are much weaker than they've ever been but still significantly better than us.

The task isn't to be better than this Utd team though, but to be better than the best Utd teams of the past. Barca have just shown how average this current team is. However good Barca are, most of the current rags team wouldn't even get in the one from 3 years ago. It's only down to the weakness of us, Chelsea, Arsenal , Spurs& Liverpool that they've won the league.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Id have evra and Vidic over lescott and kolorov but that's about it. If we can instil the team ethic they have we'd be the best club in the country. It will come with your vincents, nigels, micahs and joes in the squad

Hernandez? Rooney? Nani/ Valencia? Would all get in our team.


We are nowhere near the Rags yet. Individually maybe but as a team years behind.

[david yearsley]

Don´t buy this "miles behind them as a team" lark at all . We showed in the last half dozen league games and the semi and final that we are beginning to pull in the right direction collectively. 9 points - that´s all it was and most of that was down to ourselves. Will the rags drop only 2 points at home next season? I seriously doubt it

[Ted Hughes]

Id have evra and Vidic over lescott and kolorov but that's about it. If we can instil the team ethic they have we'd be the best club in the country. It will come with your vincents, nigels, micahs and joes in the squad

Hernandez? Rooney? Nani/ Valencia? Would all get in our team.


We are nowhere near the Rags yet. Individually maybe but as a team years behind.

Months behind I'd say, not years. This transfer window will decide whether we catch them now, or have to wait a while longer imo. Both teams will make key signings.

[saulman]

I think we turned a corner at the back half of last season. Games that the City of old would have lost with gusto were comfortably won (Everton aside) . Old enemies (Rags and Spuds) were dealt with consistently in a professional manner, the like of which we've only had glimpses of previously. The sum of the individual parts seemed to grow larger with each game, culminating in the FA Cup final which, IMO layed all the old nagging doubts to rest. Typical City died that day and a new City was born. The two following fixtures were never in doubt after that. If the league had been a few weeks longer, we'd have gone on to win it.

Are we better than the rags? If we can maintain that mindset and form and carry it into the next season, I reckon we'll be better than anyone. Only time will tell.

[Rag_hater]

Yes we are.
They have come to the end of their cycle also.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Yes we are.
They have come to the end of their cycle also.

Yeah even though they won the league and got to the Champions League final.

Every season people say how the Rags are coming to the end, and every season they come back strong.

[walmai]

I honestly believe we are, in all areas of the pitch.

And that is all.

Despite what happened last evening (and I continue to scratch my head re Berbatov's absence), Man United are still one of the best club teams in Europe. So, in basic terms, I can't agree. You're closing the gap, of that there can be no doubt, but you're not even their equals at the moment, still less better than them.

However, that said, I think that they clearly need quite major renovation of their starting eleven to maintain their presently high standards. They need a new keeper, are overly reliant on Giggs and will struggle to beat their peers in the CL if they continue to play without any proper tackling presence in the centre of the park. I say all that though because Barca made them look ordinary last night.

The truth though is that, even if Barca made them look ordinary, they in turn did the same to the rest of the Premiership over the last 9 months.

You're catching them. I'm interested about where you go if, for instance, Carlito's wandering feet take him - yet again - elsewhere, but you're definitely coming up onto their shoulders. With all his heart and soul, Taggart will fight his noisy neighbours for prominence

Could be an interesting spectacle

[Fesan]

Would you agree that we have are better measured in players (but probably not as good as a team)? Interested in an outsiders view on that as I believe we have the better players.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Would you agree that we have are better measured in players (but probably not as good as a team)? Interested in an outsiders view on that as I believe we have the better players.

We don't though do we.

[Wooders]

Elaborate brf - I would say kompany is at least as good as ferdinand. Vidic and evra have it over kolorov and lescott as I eluded to earlier. Carlos is better than Rooney. Mushy pea or whatever at the moment seems better than balo but time will tell on that one.
We're stronger in midfield IMO

[Ted Hughes]

Elaborate brf - I would say kompany is at least as good as ferdinand. Vidic and evra have it over kolorov and lescott as I eluded to earlier. Carlos is better than Rooney. Mushy pea or whatever at the moment seems better than balo but time will tell on that one.
We're stronger in midfield IMO

I don't think little Pee is better than Balo. Just playing in a better team & not a troubled nutcase. I think Balo is a whole world better than him if he gets his shit together. Balo & Tevez would have given Mascherano nightmares. Pee & Rooney were fucking shite.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Elaborate brf - I would say kompany is at least as good as ferdinand. Vidic and evra have it over kolorov and lescott as I eluded to earlier. Carlos is better than Rooney. Mushy pea or whatever at the moment seems better than balo but time will tell on that one.
We're stronger in midfield IMO

If we had a better team we would have finished ahead of them.

We lack any pace on the wings and both Nani and Valencia are far superior to the likes of Johnson etc, both would get in our team. Hernandez has proven to be a natural goalscorer. We have a better midfield I suppose, although Barry is nothing special.

Carlos and Rooney are more or less equal, really not much to choose between them. Rooney on form is a different level.

[walmai]

Would you agree that we have are better measured in players (but probably not as good as a team)? Interested in an outsiders view on that as I believe we have the better players.

At present, although I can't say for how long it will last, I think Man U's CB pairing is stronger than yours - but I appreciate that VK was your player of the season and that Lescott's apparently got to the standard he showed at Everton in your shirt recently. Vidic and Plug are still better at this moment in time.

I'm not at all fond of Rooney and think that the huff he had until he got a pay-rise conveniently overshadowed his terrible form at that time. However, when on song and focused, he and Tevez are broadly similar in terms of effectiveness. Rooney isn't now of course leaving United, so, again, it will be necessary to re-assess the situation if/when Tevez leaves. I personally rate Hernandez over Balotelli.

Your team's strengths over United's are most obvious in midfield, however they are tactically set up. I can see you slowly but surely reaping dividends of the patient play instilled in you by Mancini and shake my head in a mixture of embarrassment and envy in recalling how you passed us off the park at The Boleyn last Autumn. I think United have some obvious stars in midfield - and the neutral will always applaud Park - but they are no longer streets ahead of you. Not at all. It was weird yesterday that Fletcher spent as long on the bench as the rest of the team did chasing the ball around the Wembley pitch.

[brite blu sky]

I think City slightly edge the rags in terms of players. But this comparison is still too early to make to be fair to City. rags are a better team by some way and i think that shows by making their players appear better than they are. In other words when City are as good as a collective team only then will we see the distinct difference in the players in its true light. The most telling area imo where this makes a difference at the moment is in the attack... with City basically still trying to get their act together during a messy season in terms of the attacking players continuity.

Judge this after the coming season and we will all see that we are starting to be clearly better than the rags from the back of midfield right through to the front. The only part i would at the moment exclude from that is wingers and wide play and all that comes from that.. ie. crosses and cut backs.. set pieces etc. If Mancini addresses that then we may well catch up in that area too.

[branny]

Not far off but we need to take more points off them, Chelsea and Arse especially at home.

[Rae4685]

I think this ones pretty simple to be honest and maybe walmai can have a go and well see what he comes up with. Simply choosing from both our current squads what would your starting 11 be? I know I'd have more blues than reds but hey were all biased whether we admit it or not.

So name it as honestly as you can

[walmai]

Hart - but that's because Der Sar retired yesterday...

Zabaleta
Rio
Vidic
Evra

Silva
De Jong
Toure
Nani

Rooney
Tevez

[Slim]

They have the knowhow and fear factor to win the Prem League. We dont, but winning the FA Cup will deffo make other teams situp and take note of us.Couple of tweeks to our team and we will be thereabouts i reckon.
Next season will be a corker im sure.

Just like it did for Portsmouth.