Still Following the Trawler

The Cockney Red: What did you make of van Gaal's first season in charge? Republik of Mancunia :  It was a bit disappointing, particularly after the pre-season. The football was dreadful for large chunks of the season and after a period of great football, we just seemed to fizzle out at the end. We should have been going for second or third, but as soon as fourth looked safe, it’s as if they gave up. Still, we got a few good wins against our rivals, which was brilliant, and ultimately, achieved the key objective of finishing fourth. TCR: What do you make of the summer signings – Depay, Darmian, Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin? RoM:  I like all of them. I had only seen Darmian at the World Cup but he seems to have settled in straight away, although looking better at right back than Valencia probably isn't too tricky! Schweinsteiger should have been bought five years ago, but you can't complain about having someone like him in the squad. Schneiderlin is just what we need in mi...

Check out this exclusive interview with United new boy Memphis Depay , who discusses his first couple of months at United. The interview was at the official launch of the partnership between Marathonbet and United.

The Cockney Red: What did you make of van Gaal’s first season in charge? United Rant: There is certainly an aura about Louis van Gaal that offers him much greater leeway than many coaches could expect. David Moyes might well look at the inconsistencies last season and the huge amount of money spent last summer, and wonder what might have been. The team only occasionally excelled last season – games against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City come to mind when it really counted during the spring. But there is also much to be frustrated with as well. Van Gaal’s constant tinkering with personnel and systems has probably hindered, not helped, his side. There will be a time when tactical flexibility is a huge boon for United; during a period of rebuilding it looked very much like van Gaal simply couldn’t make his mind up. Then there was the unexplained tactical choices: retaining Rooney no matter how poor the captain’s performances, and benching Ander Herrera, Adnan Januzaj an...

My final interview in my five part series is with top United blog United Rant . Enjoy! 1. So, assuming you thought United would win the title comfortably before the Wolves defeat, had your feelings changed at all following that game? Not really - it's still squeaky bum time and despite all United's failings this season (there are many) we are fortunate that others have greater shortcomings. Points will be dropped by all. The success or failure of United this season will be in crucial away matches against other teams near the top - Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Plus of course, the games against City... 2. In general what have you made of United this season - a season where they have played consistently average football yet have stayed at the top of the league for months? I think this is United's worst side in five years, possibly longer but we have not been found out because the general standard of the Premier League is lower than in previous years. I'm pretty sure tha...

My fourth interview in my five part series is with the awesome United blog Stretford-End.com ... 1. So, assuming you thought United would win the title comfortably before the Wolves defeat, have your feelings changed at all following that defeat? It's important to point out that it's dangerous to assume anything until the whistle goes and mathematically a team is crowned champions. What's true is that United are in the best position - better to lead the pack than chase! As Fergie's said for some time, every team including United will drop points. The Wolves defeat was disappointing but other results could have been worse that weekend. It was Fletcher who said before the Wolves game that he wouldn't care if we lost to Wolves and beat City rather than drawing both - it's the points that matter...less so the number in the 'L' column. Very simply, we're still top and still in the best position - but it could only take two games for that to change. It...

Interview no.3, ahead of today's away game against Wigan, is with ManUtd24 ... 1. So, assuming you thought United would win the title comfortably before the Wolves defeat, have your feelings changed at all following that result? No, not really. A title winning team are expected to lose a couple; and I, personally, didn't understand the knee-jerk reaction that accompanied our faltering after the Wolves game. But I won't take anything for granted. Arsenal are still a threat - although Newcastle and Joey Barton almost certainly wouldn't concur! Chelsea are out of it, even Ancelotti accepts it while Manchester City need things to happen elsewhere if they are to really push United and Arsenal until May. 2. In general what have you made of United this season - a season where they have played consistently average football yet have stayed at the top of the league for months? I think we've done okay. There are many similarities to have...

Interview number 2 is with hilarious United blog Rosso Bianchi ... 1. So, assuming you thought United would win the title comfortably before the Wolves defeat, have your feelings changed at all following that weekend? Not at all. No one really expected us to finish the entire season unbeaten, and a loss - a loss away from especially - was always on the cards sometime soon. It probably should have been against West Brom but we managed to delay it until the Wolves game, which is in itself an achievement. Assuming, of course we can get more wins we should go onto win it. Losing to Wolves, who are one of the favourites for relegation, they're maybe not the best of caliber, but out of all the teams to lose to it does do the least amount of harm to ourselves. 2. In general what have you made of United this season - a season where they have played consistently average football yet have stayed at the top of the league for months? Slightly above average, in so much as we can see we have pot...

With the title race reaching squeaky bum time, I thought now would be the perfect opportunity to get the reflections and thoughts of my fellow United blogger's on all things United: the campaign so far, ending our unbeaten run at Molineux...and the enigma that is Wayne Rooney. My first interview is with top United site United-Latest ... 1. So, assuming you thought United would win the title comfortably before the Wolves defeat, have your feelings changed at all following last weekend? No, not at all. To be blunt – we aren’t as good as Arsenal’s Invincibles’ of the 2003/2004 season. We were going to run out of luck at some stage during the title run-in, and to be honest I would rather lose against Wolves than get beaten by Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool or Arsenal. We are still firmly in control of the title race, and taking into account that The Gunners drew with Newcastle United and Carlo’s Blues lost against Liverpool, our result can be put into context. City are the only ones...

WtSFtF: You've been quite vocal in your blog about the Glazer's - which is good to see; opposition fans caring about it seeing as it doesn't negatively affect any other club other than United. So what are your thoughts about the mess, then? And what do you make of Kroenke and his plans? Dave: I was against the Glazers buying the club in the first place. United are a British institution and I didn't want to see a family of businessmen using it for profit, or starting a trend by turning it into a franchise like their NFL team - even for the most disinterested supporter of another British club, that could have eventually had repercussions. But more importantly, they clearly couldn't afford to buy it without creating enormous amounts of debt, and they simply shouldn't have been allowed to. I'm not sure how United can get out of it without being bought by the proposed consortium which includes Keith Harris. To buy the club and pay off the debt, a figure approachi...