To the world, Manchester United fans can appear spoilt. Glory hunters they say. No fans in Manchester they state. As of this very moment, our biggest heartache is no longer trophies (or the lack of them). And that’s not to say that a club of this stature shouldn’t be fighting for titles or holding silverware. […]
What hurts the most. — unitedshestands
A sign in Marrakech that I saw while walking from La Mamounia to the center of the city.
Marrakech, the last city on our journey through Morocco, where you come to experience world class hotels and riads, delicious food, and a lot of shopping in the markets. Marrakech’s Medina, just like the Medina’s in the country’s other cities, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Marrakesh has the largest souk – traditional market – in Morocco, with some 18 souks selling everything from traditional Berber carpets, lamps and clothes to modern consumer electronics and jewelry.
Getting There:
We travelled to Marrakech directly from Merzouga the morning after our night in the Sahara Desert. We took a SupraTours bus that got us through the Atlas Mountains and into Marrakech in 8 hours. From the bus/train station, we grabbed a taxi which took us into the Old Medina which is where our Riad is…
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Weeping & moaning coupled with the equivalent of a crescendo of violins! That about sums it up. That is, if you buy all that BS on the internet. Crimey! There’s a lot of unnecessary whining on the internets coupled with alleged biased opinions from various media outlets. Again, that’s if you buy into the banter on said internets & media outlets. If you do, then we’re heading for relegation, Pogba & Sanchez are absolute busts and we are destined for the most incredible slump in club history (like we’re totally about to upstage Liverpool in that regard).
If that’s the type of “fan” that you are, this is not the page or story for you. As you were. Have a nice life.
For everyone else who actually cares about the club, we’re currently poised to finish the season in the highest position (2nd place) & with the highest point total (75+) since the great gaffer’s resignation. Yes, I’m a man of a certain age. Therefore Sir Alex Ferguson was the only coach that I knew until…….
Personally, I never envied who ever took over the job. I knew it would be a task. That’s something that I tried to prepare myself for. To witness what has transpired is absolutely shocking to say the least. The rate of deterioration of the club and the level of play on the pitch have been abysmal and lack luster. Resembles nothing remotely similar to anything that Sir Alex built and it’s often sickening to watch. I shit you not. I’ve gotten numerous calls from mi mates asking how i can stomach watching the games. Boring boring United.
But back to reality, unless you are actually a City fan, that boring borning football seems good enough for second place above the rest of you lot. It’s actually scary to think about what United could do. And there in lies the current reality of the club. Securing the right manager & players for consistent championship runs plus major silverware is the only goal of the club from a footballing perspective. Or it should be.
There in lies our reality as fans. We’re a bit off the pace in that arena. Case & point. Our current transfers in so far. No major signings yet. No real signings that actually improve or booster our squad in the problem areas that have gone neglected since SAF departed.
Add to the mix, that it’s Mourinho’s melt down third season and you have completed a recipe for disaster. Pre-season is yet to reveal any sort of hope for anything different for the upcoming season. Another 2nd place finish via anti-football would be appreciated.
#GGMU
p.s. I started this on 4/21/2018. : (
A very soothing read indeed
If you’re into interior design or psychology, you know the color blue is soothing and calming to the mind. Now imagine a whole city nestled in the hills of a countryside where all the exterior walls of its buildings are painted in white and shades of blue. This imagine exists in the magical city of Chefchaouen, Morocco. It’s a city full of history dating back to when it was founded in 1471 as a kasbah or fortress during Morocco’s fight against Portuguese and Spanish conquerors. Now it’s a sought after tourist location for a number of reasons which I’ll tell you about! My main reason for going? I wanted to play French Montana’s song “Famous” for my Instagram story while at the location of his music video! What can I say, I did it for the ‘gram.
Chefchaouen, Morocco nestled in the valley.
Getting There:
Chefchaouen is located in…
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via The Blue City of Chefchauoen
PREE THIS. Fabulous read.
In the first Friday night kick off of the season, Manchester United host Southampton. The Saints have found some success against their hosts in recent seasons but the new look United will be looking to restore the ominous fortress status to the Theatre of Dreams in their first home game of the season & second game in league play.
With another week of training under their belts, the fans are brooding with excitement to see the team build on last weekend’s opening day victory. Hopefully a clean sheet is in the cards for today’s game. The battle must be won in midfield as most on the pitch battles tend to be and I’m still waiting to see who emerges as the leader in United’s midfield. It’s an area that definitely demands a leadership role, something that we witnessed with Schweinsteiger when he was fit, but unfortunately does not seem to be included in the new gaffer’s plans. Paul Pogba is expected to see some playing time today & should be warmly welcomed back by the fans. I don’t expect any changes to the starting eleven that took all the points vs Bournemouth but it’s not outside the realm of possibility to see some changes. Especially if that means adding more speed to United’s attack, with options such as Lingard, Mkhtaryan & Rashford.
Killer instinct in front of goal is the order of the day. That means a quicker game in terms of play & decision making from an overall team point of view but I’m also speaking directly about Wayne Rooney & Marouane Fellaini. Take a page out of Daley Blind’s book if necessary. Just be smarter with the ball and play with purpose. This will hopefully put United on the path to a more fluent offensive style with loads of combination & link up play among the front six. Add to that the likes of Luke Shaw & Antonio Valencia flying up the flanks & we should be in for an entertaining night at Old Trafford. Credit to Southampton if they find an effective strategy to thwart United but I sincerely, hope not.
Starting XI: De Gea, Valencia, Bailley, Blind, Shaw, Herrera, Mata, Rooney, Martial, Fellaini, Zlatan.
One match. Three points, three goals and no new injury concerns meant the new era at Manchester United was off to a successful start. Credit to the new coach & squad response. My predicted squad selection was off by three players with Herrera, Mata & Fellaini getting the nod over an injured Lingard, Carrick & Mkhitaryan.
It was far from pretty in the first forty five but a fortunate break saw United take a 1-0 lead into the half thanks to special Juan Mata, sticking with the play and capitalizing on a gift of a back pass from Simon Francis. Defensively, the team looked relatively solid and Eric Bailey continues to be a revelation in the back four. He helps me sleep better at night & I’m sure de Gea shares my sentiment. Daley Blind also had himself a game and rarely got exposed for his lack of speed. His high football IQ bails him out of a lot a problems and partnering with Bailey doesn’t hurt either. Our wing backs were able to fly down the flanks and hopefully that will continue as the season progresses.
The midfield is still a bit too slow in attack for my liking but I also expect that to get remedied over time. There are more than enough speed options for the new gaffer and he should be able to figure out the best system for the squad. Everything from Captain Wayne & the bruiser Fellaini needs to be quicker & more fluent. My fantasy team is riding on it. While Martial did appear frustrated at times, he still had a lot of influence on the game & I hope he improves on his form from last season. Zlatan is Zlatan and he commands such a presence on the pitch. A quicker playing midfield should more than capable of supplying the big swede with the right service for a goal rush over the course of the season. Both Rooney & Zlatan opened the scoring accounts their season debuts which should yield positive returns if you believe in stats like momentum and attackers scoring goals to build form & confidence.
Except for the one lapse on defense that Bournemouth made us pay for, the overall team performance left a smile on my face. A truly nice feeling after the Moyes nightmare & brief tour with the LVG army. We seem a better defensive unit & this should hopefully kick start our offense. Everything should get better as the season runs its course & we should be back in the top 3 come season end. i.e. if the new manager has benefited from any soul searching that he endured during his coaching hiatus.
I’m part of a handful of genuine Manchester United fans whom are not thrilled by the appointment of Jose Mourinho. In fact, I shall not be referring to him by name until he wins us the prem. He will be fondly referred to as the gaffer or by his initials, JM, until the title returns to the Red side of Manchester.
He is still a great rival coach in my eyes. I haven’t moved on from that yet. My paranoid self believes that he is on Abramovich’s payroll and is only out to sabotage my beloved football club. The slight glimmer of optimism within hopes, no, prays that the gaffer will revive his own coaching career as well as the image and legacy of Manchester United. His ego will either be a great asset or venomous poison to the club. Time will tell as it often, inevitably does. According to all accounts, things are clearly on the up and up.
New coach, new quality signings and a new air of belief has seemingly been restored to Manchester United. Oh, he has also won us the first silverware of the season as well. Although, I do recall Mr. Moyes winning the Community Shield as well. Those are the type of trophies that compliment a premier league title or Champions league. Otherwise, they’re nothing more than a salad at an expensive dinner.
So despite my position on the new gaffer, I will always support my club. Always. Here are my simple expectations while the gaffer is under contract during his maiden season.
Match Predictions and potential starting eleven.
A 4-5-1 essentially to kick the season off away to Bournemouth. Stay compact and disciplined. Grab one goal and the rest will follow. There shouldn’t be too many gaps within the team, defense, to midfield to Zlatan. There should be loads of speed in support to the big Swede. Hopefully, we’ll see some decisive killer instinct in front of goal. 3 points on the road via a business like performance.
Starting XI
De Gea, Shaw, Blind, Bailey, Valencia, Carrick, Rooney, Martial, Mkhitarayan, Lingard, Zlatan.
M.C.
#GGMU #MUFC #IAMUNITED
You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. How appropriate if you’re a United fan. Sir Alex Ferguson came, he saw and he truly conquered. And be honest. We took it for granted. Being the best. Dominating the league. Demanding respect. The fear factor of Old Trafford that once was. The drama. And the […]
https://unitedshestands.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/for-life-not-just-for-the-glory/
International break is here again. When players go from club to country and fans are left to support their nation or simply count down the days till it’s over. Regardless of your viewpoint on that, one thing speculated about in the press recently has been the sexual orientation of several England players. My first thought […]
https://unitedshestands.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/football-is-love-love-is-love/
Cheezy News - Dulcius ex asperis 
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