Today's lost by the Empire rest squarely on SAF

[Lazie]

So him play Fletcher and Berbatov - that is what unu vex bout? Come on, give me a break. The point about Rooney being tired was just an example, my point which both you and Lazie missed is that UNU DON' KNOW WHY THE MANAGER NEVA PLAY DE YOUTH. Whatever the reason (tired, sick, hang over, frighten whatever), you don't KNOW, so you have to trust the manager.

I can't believe unu vex at de man who get unu into the position to win de league in de firs' place. How come unu neva run unu mout' when him did have a string of lucky 1-0 wins? Can't have it both ways brother. Not fair.

Not fair? So Empire fans aren't allowed to question the manager?

[Paul Marin]

Every fan has the right to question their manager's tactics, but do you think you (or any other fan) know as much as him when it comes to football? Do you know why he didn't play the players you thought he should play? Because him fool-fool, right?

[Karl]

What happen Karl is that dem love run dem mout too much bout Empire dis an Empire dat...dem get a likkle bit a worble in the race and dem frighten an want to blame Sir Arslick fi everyting. Could you see my bredrin X doing that with Rafa? No sah...eh eh...but that is true X is a "real" fan. Dem lucky, because it is now very unlikely that they won't regain form. They are still favourites to win the title, it is still theirs to lose.

I think we here put too much faith in each other's knowledge of the game being encased in a dispassionate discerning outlook. Lazie and the other BoyU fans...and most of us can be dispassionate when taking a look at organisations we do not support or when our team is doing well...but let there be something such as this wobble occur and the fan(atic) 'sits up' and commonsense goes out the window.

BoyU was due this hiccup. The team has gotten away with scraping through many matches...grew into a smooth playing team...and has slowly started to play with arrogance (take many risks in games...passing game)...it was bound to catch up with the team. The great task is to return to not taking so many risks which result in giving away the ball to opponents...and retuning to having the entire team work as hard for each other as they were doing when the season started. That return to working for each other as consistently throughout matches as it was in the earlier part of their season is easier said than done...and this is the business end of he season.

BoyU could well go on to win not one solitary other trophy!

[Paul Marin]

Well said. But highly unlikely that they will not win the Prem. Liverpool would have to go on a 9 game win streak (unlikely) and hope for manu to get at least 3 draws or 1 more loss and a draw (also unlikely) for Liverpool to win the title - ain't gonna happen. I can see manure dropping points against Arsenal and maybe Villa, Spurs or City, but still unlikely and even more unlikely for Liverpool to win 9 on the trot. Manu may have trouble retaining the CL, even though they have the easier road to the finals. But as they say - this is football.

[Lazie]

Every fan has the right to question their manager's tactics, but do you think you (or any other fan) know as much as him when it comes to football? Do you know why he didn't play the players you thought he should play? Because him fool-fool, right?

Carrick and Rooney was on the bench ... Manu started playing better when Rooney came on. It nuh matter how yuh put it Fergie got it wrong.

[Karl]

Carrick and Rooney was on the bench ... Manu started playing better when Rooney came on. It nuh matter how yuh put it Fergie got it wrong.

So the players on the field had no input?
Careful?

...because saying yes means there is no certainty that a changed team of players you would have liked would have done better. In fact, there is always the pssibility that that changed team could perform equally as poorly or even worse!

[Paul Marin]

Carrick and Rooney was on the bench ... Manu started playing better when Rooney came on. It nuh matter how yuh put it Fergie got it wrong.

So says the Great Manager Lazie...you should coach Manu; clearly you know more than Fergie

[Dunny]

His team selection today was poor. We beat Fulham twice in a month scoring 8 goals and he decided to change the team. Last week I made a comment that SAF doesn't do well when he tries to be the tactician. The Empire has a it's own patented style of play, and it's up to the opposing team to try and counter us. I alos lay the blame at his feet for Rooney's red card. Unless Rooney is injured or coming off an injury, he MUST start. Carrick is also a MUST starter. He is also playing around with Tevez. For the remaining games, Berbatov should start on the bench. He needs to give Tevez his due runs. Unfortunately, with Rooney out for a possible 3 - 4 games, he will not have any choice but to play Tevez and Berbatov.

Mr. President, I said it last summer during the chase for Berbatov, that he was not needed in the team. I think he is an unnecessary luxury. He does not play with the same fire in his belly like the others. Another week of reading X and Paul Marin's diatribes. S hit!!!!!!

Unu fi just take unu medicine and stop looking for someone to blame,just before the liverpool game everyone was saying the squad is so great and that the manager could field any 11.The talk was about winning 5 trophies now people a run up and down and panic.Like they say football is a funny old game.

[Jangle]

Between you and Paul, unuh seem to not realise that it's the fans right to cuss and blame the coach or the team when things don't go right. I am taking my medicine, and I still think we will win all the trophies. The Liverpool loss was a result of individual errors. This Fulham loss is a result of individual error combined with poor team selection. Who else are we to blame but the coach and the team? You don't see any Empire soldier blaming anybody else but ourselves. We accept our responsibilities. You don't see us crying like the Livafoolians about not having enough money or people out injured or whatever.

[Paul Marin]

Jangle - calm down my brother. First of all, I have never said that you can't speculate or even blame your manager; a fan has that right. But when unu was a win 1-0 every week, all I heard on this board is "Empire dis an' Empire dat". Now, a fan has a right to celebrate. But didn't you see the folly of many of the team selections in those wins also? My point is that the manager WILL MAKE MISTAKES, but you criticism has to be more even handed. It makes you look bad when you only criticise him when he loses. That's all.

[Lazie]

Jangle - calm down my brother. First of all, I have never said that you can't speculate or even blame your manager; a fan has that right. But when unu was a win 1-0 every week, all I heard on this board is "Empire dis an' Empire dat". Now, a fan has a right to celebrate. But didn't you see the folly of many of the team selections in those wins also? My point is that the manager WILL MAKE MISTAKES, but you criticism has to be more even handed. It makes you look bad when you only criticise him when he loses. That's all.

No Paul ... the difference is the team needed to bounce back after the Liverpool game, but for some reason you choose to miss that.

[Paul Marin]

Lazie - I agree that the team needed to bounce back. To me that was obvious. But I don't see how you can say that the team selection for the Fulham game was "wrong". You have to remember (as you pointed out in another post) that it is A LONG SEASON FOR MANURE. LONG!! So the manager has to make choices. Berbatov up front was not a crazy choice nor was playing the midfield he played. The team even outplayed Fulham and were "unlucky" not to level the score or even (one could argue) win. Football has no assurances. In that regard, it is a cruel game. You can be vex unu didn't win, but to blame the manager for team selection is disingenuous.

[Lazie]

Lazie - I agree that the team needed to bounce back. To me that was obvious. But I don't see how you can say that the team selection for the Fulham game was "wrong". You have to remember (as you pointed out in another post) that it is A LONG SEASON FOR MANURE. LONG!! So the manager has to make choices. Berbatov up front was not a crazy choice nor was playing the midfield he played. The team even outplayed Fulham and were "unlucky" not to level the score or even (one could argue) win. Football has no assurances. In that regard, it is a cruel game. You can be vex unu didn't win, but to blame the manager for team selection is disingenuous.

Playing Berbatov as the 1 in a 4-5-1 is ideal ... he needs a Rooney or a Tevez to be running into the spaces ... futhermore chasing a ball over the top isn't his thing. The team had an entire week to rest ...why bench Rooney and Carrick? Rooney's impact at the start of the 2nd half proves the point. Go back to the Liverpool loss, I didn't say anything about the selection of the team ... but after that loss a message should have been sent.

[Paul Marin]

Playing Berbatov as the 1 in a 4-5-1 is ideal ... he needs a Rooney or a Tevez to be running into the spaces ... futhermore chasing a ball over the top isn't his thing. The team had an entire week to rest ...why bench Rooney and Carrick? Rooney's impact at the start of the 2nd half proves the point. Go back to the Liverpool loss, I didn't say anything about the selection of the team ... but after that loss a message should have been sent.

Lazie, you didn't complain about the line up against Liverpool yet Anderson won't get a start in the line up for the rest of his career after that performance. So I don't know why you thought that starting him against Liverpool was any more debilitating than the Fulham selection. You say that the team had an entire week to rest, but there is an international week coming up where virtually all of the starting line up will be playing; secondly, you have 7 (SEVEN!!) games in April...SEVEN!! The manager has to make calculated guesses - you have to give him that. In this case, he gambled and lost. Nothing to be vex about, because that line up should have handled Fulham, a team that you romped all over 2x already in the season.