* they also lack height when defending corners.

We do play better football when Anderson is playing, I only wish he would be regular starter. Fergie doesn't have any faith in him at all.

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agreed, the only time we have any urgency in midfield.

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Not sure if anyone agrees with this statement but Anderson is our only midfielder who's first thought is to drive forward when he gets the ball.

All the others like to ponder on the ball and look for a killer pass or simply pass it simple out wide or backwards.

(Actually Cleverley does pass quickly)

--------Carrick/Fletch-----Ando------------
---------------------Rooney--------------
---Nani---------------RVP--------------Kag

for me anyway

You're being a moron again. You're being pedantic to push your agenda, as per. It's getting really boring now. Cleverson played not because of injuries, but because they dominated City in the second half of the CS. Carrick was sat on the bench and Scholes had retired. Rio and Vidic were out and guess what, Smalling and Evans came in and played well. Stop lying.
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I don't think you give nearly enough credit to the other players, ashley young was on top form and I recall Rooney scoring 8 in 4 games or something along those lines, it wasn't all down to Cleverson.

Tremendous attacking football is pointless if we lose the game. There is one stat that matters at the end of any game and that is the final score.
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We have yet to lose a game when Cleverley and Anderson have started in midfield. We have played Arsenal, Spurs, and Barcelona - friendly albeit - and won. We also played tremendously. The answers are sat on our bench. And if they're not, it's certainly not Carrick and Scholes. If Scholes and Carrick are our midfield two for the rest of the season we finish outside the top two and finish the year potless. Bookmark it.

If Scholes and Carrick are our midfield two for the rest of the season we finish outside the top two and finish the year potless. Bookmark it.
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agreed

----------------Carrick/Fletch-----------------
-------------Ando----------Clevz--------------
---Nani---------------RVP--------------Rooney/Kag

=================================

That's the match engine exploit tactic on Football Manager

As Funrob keeps saying, we do have Rooney back now so hopefully this is relegate Giggs to bench and keep him there.

Rooney is our most important player and best player, as I've said many many times. He is vital to us and it'll be great to see him with RVP and hopefully we can start to involve RVP in our game with Rooney back.

We have yet to lose a game when Cleverley and Anderson have started in midfield. We have played Arsenal, Spurs, and Barcelona - friendly albeit - and won. We also played tremendously. The answers are sat on our bench. And if they're not, it's certainly not Carrick and Scholes. If Scholes and Carrick are our midfield two for the rest of the season we finish outside the top two and finish the year potless. Bookmark it.

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I agree it should not be Carrick and Scholes but I don't think it should be Cleverley and Anderson either.

I would rather see Carrick and Anderson or Carrick and Cleverley.

Kagawa

You keep saying i'm lying . I'm being honest. Surely the attacking football we played last season wasn't just down to Cleverson. It was Young and Welbeck who were both key parts of that. Surely they should play ahead of Kagawa and RVP if we're to recreate that magic again?

Carrick was carrying an injury and never really recovered till November last year so wasn't ready to play.

Like I said, I have zero problem is Cleverson play on Sunday and will get behind them 100% if selected but i'm sure if you asked everyone on here who the best central midfield 2 are the majority would want to go with Carrick and Anderson because at their best they offer a great balance of defensive protection and offensive threat as seen in the Blackburn 7-1

I don't think you give nearly enough credit to the other players, ashley young was on top form and I recall Rooney scoring 8 in 4 games or something along those lines, it wasn't all down to Cleverson.
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Yes, but their high pressure, all-action mantra allows the team to push up and allow the attackers to do brilliant things. Football is a team game and the best teams play as a unit. We don't do this. We just walk about with two massive gaps between defence and midfield and midfield and attack. And until the slow, old players are no longer in our midfield and backline this will get more and more brutally exposed the more games we play and the more seasons we persist with these players. This will happen. Many predicted this would happen with the midfield years ago and lone behold, it's gone and happened whilst younger alternatives either leave the club or are left to fritter on the bench. Of course, injuries have contributed to this. But these players are fit now. So why not play them?

Carrick and Anderson would also be fine. I just don't understand the reason people write Cleverson off when the evidence points to the contrary.

But these players are fit now. So why not play them?
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Because Ferguson does not consider them to be our strongest midfield pairing, I think results from the games that both Carrick and Scholes have played in are testament to that. And in regards to the Cleverson pairing we have only seen them in games in which we have been under little pressure/ not games of top priority, e.g. Newcastle second string side midweek. And our perception of the two may be exaggerated due to this.

TBH...
When i wrote this article i certainly expected to be shouted/sweared at and abused by my fellow Utd supporters......
But the fact that even some of the fans are agreeing with me shows that its not just a fabric of my imagination....there is something rotten at the core of it all...
Well it is good that we fans are recognising that instead of just beating the drum, putting our heads in sand thinking everything is rosey and it's just a matter of time.
Things have become quite stale at OT, and the problem is not going to go away by itself....SAF needs to take some major decisions which will shape our short as well as long term future and i hope he is the right man to take those decisions.

Because Ferguson does not consider them to be our strongest midfield pairing, I think results from the games that both Carrick and Scholes have played in are testament to that.
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And this is where he is wrong. They're not our best pairing because one of them only does half the job he's supposed to be doing. This is the reason we get dominated by teams with inferior footballers. They have legs and energy and all the talent in the world cannot combat this if the legs just aren't there.

Ryan Tunnicliffe is the answer

And this is where he is wrong. They're not our best pairing because one of them only does half the job he's supposed to be doing. This is the reason we get dominated by teams with inferior footballers. They have legs and energy and all the talent in the world cannot combat this if the legs just aren't there.
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Why have you completely dismissed the second half of last season where Scholes came back and along with Carrick won what was it? 18 games in a row? I think you need to rethink what you are saying, Fergie sees these players in training every day, he knows them a lot more than you or I certainly do and to second guess him with little more than guesswork and speculation makes me scratch my head.

From the start, he'd be a better option than Scholes. I actually hate doing this, because I love Scholes more than any other player. He's one of the most intelligent players in the game's history. Not that I'm old enough to know this, but I'd love to have seen some more intelligent ones. But his legs have gone and he just cannot compete in a two man midfield in matches we will get pressed.

Obviously when you play a 2 man midfield against a 3 man then you are likely to be dominated regardless of who is playing in there, do you think that a 2 man of Cleverley and Anderson would be able to compete with a 3 man ?

Ryan Tunnicliffe is the answer

-----------------------------------------------

Give me 10 Ryan Tunnicliffes!

The opposition would be too terrified to step foot on the pitch.

Give me 10 Ryan Tunnicliffes!
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That's almost one Roy Keane

Why have you completely dismissed the second half of last season where Scholes came back and along with Carrick won what was it? 18 games in a row? I think you need to rethink what you are saying, Fergie sees these players in training every day, he knows them a lot more than you or I certainly do and to second guess him with little more than guesswork and speculation makes me scratch my head.
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what you have to remember, is that for scholes and carrick to have this run, scholes required an extra 5 months off.

he hasnt had that luxury this time, and his stamina over the cause of the season is only going to get worse than it already is.

look, everyone has players who over the years they rate and idolise, and scholes is obviously one of your's, which is great.

but you have to leave sentiment out of the equation now and admit he isnt capable of doing the job he used too.

people also seem to forget he suffers with asthma too, which isnt going to help his cause as he gets on in age.

Why have you completely dismissed the second half of last season where Scholes came back and along with Carrick won what was it? 18 games in a row? I think you need to rethink what you are saying, Fergie sees these players in training every day, he knows them a lot more than you or I certainly do and to second guess him with little more than guesswork and speculation makes me scratch my head.
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He had a 6 month rest and was a year younger. Things change and teams wise up as to how to combat him. Too often was Scholes given too much space to control the tempo of games. This season he's not getting this and it's evident. We weren't brilliant last season, and we won games due to a mixture of many things. It's not enough to blindly ignore what we're seeing now, though. Scholes also got worse as last season went on. By the time we went to the Etihad he was spent, and it showed. He was also flagging after 60 minutes against Everton and never got took off. It was one of the reasons we drew that game. Sir Alex needs to rethink what he's watching, because midfields of Carrick, Scholes and Giggs just aren't going to cut it, no matter how much you try and convince yourself otherwise.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

why cant people understand that for last seasons second half of the season, scholes required an extra 5 months off!

as soon as the tail end of the season came in sight, he struggled with his stamina, which is no shock given his age, it should be expected.

scholes hasnt had that luxury this season, and its showing in his stamina over the course of a game.