MANCHESTER United fans have seen the ugly side of their team this season and may have to get used to it.
The Reds have not been the free-flowing football force that they were in the Nineties, to the displeasure of some supporters.
But with the club in the throes of a transition and six new players arriving in the last eight months, coach Mike Phelan warns that the fans may have to accept that winning is not always a thing of great beauty.
The former Reds midfielder said: "We set high standards all the time so obviously we want to play our football, which is Manchester United football.
"What we are probably finding now is that teams are making it a little bit more difficult.
"Yes, we want to score goals, yes, we want to entertain but sometimes the opposition have other thoughts on that.
"Last week's game with Southampton was difficult but in the end the players had to pull on their resources a little bit and use something a bit more old-fashioned, which is determination, and they did that.
Fluid
"The players realise it's another year, another season and it's another challenge and maybe that is the challenge this year, that it won't be the fluid football we want to play," he added.
"Occasionally we have done that, but we have had to stick together and get the result.
"In patches we have played some good stuff, but in other patches we have had to become more of a unit, become a little bit stronger and accept that some teams have caused us problems.
"We have dealt with that, and not been overawed by it. We have had to look for different things.
"We expect teams to make it difficult. We don't expect them to wait for Manchester United to score goals.
"It's important that we now take it on a step further, because we are in the second part of the season and are looking to come strong again."
And he feels that some supporters may be wearing rose-tinted spectacles when they look back at swashbuckling United teams of years gone by.
He said: "If you go back over the years, probably even to when Sir Bobby Charlton was playing an they won league titles, they didn't play beautiful football every week.
"There is this thing about Manchester United and great football, but there are games along the way where it's not as beautiful as you want it to be."
Addition
The big positive from United's point of view is that, as last season, Fergie's decision to bite the bullet and sanction operations for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Paul Scholes in autumn means that United go into the last four months of the season with almost a full squad to choose from.
And the addition of Louis Saha further strengthens their hand. Phelan added: "Louis Saha is a great addition to this football club. He's a quality player who wanted to come to Manchester United to play his football, and he will give us different options.
"We now have a situation where there are strikers are competing against each other, and we have attacking options.
"I just hope we can see those attacking options.
"Ole was terrific for the reserves on Thursday night. He has trained very, very hard after five months out and is now looking forward to his next game.
"He has done really, really well. He has gone through the mire a little bit in that he has never had an injury to this extent before, so it was all brand new.
"He has handled it extremely well, and will be boosted by playing for the reserves. He didn't score, perhaps now he needs to concentrate on hitting the target a bit more!
"Ole will be relieved he has got that out of the way and he will possibly be available very shortly."
And Phelan hinted that, with a fistful of players now fighting it out for David Beckham's old right midfield slot, Solskjaer will revert to being a goal-getting front man again.
He said: "Ole is a striker and always has been. It gives us strength now in that department that we now have every striker fit at the club."
Comments
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It is certainly the case that we have lost any form of form,
balance and the manner of control we are used (used to have), and
ruthlessness we used to show.
Now it is true that we are still coming to terms with missing personnel, new
personnel and change in playing style.
What also is true is that we are showing cracks ad these are worrying b " was Rio so good?!
I think we need some class in mid-field (not forgetting what most know b " the extra defender).
The class to unlock the defending of the Newcastles, Wolves,Southhamptons etc; I feel that we should try to get Okocha at the end of the season b " sometone to create from nothing.
Up the Reds.
Well who is exactly fighting for Beckhams spot? Fergie should have signed someone with experience, perhaps Saha should go into the defence he seems the only person who can get high enougth on the crosses,Brown standing behind Ferguson like a school boy he should be infront of him .
Yes, Wes Brown is getting a lot of stick from the supporters for his rusty play. And rightly so. But I hope he is soon back to his old self and that he strikes a v. good partnership with Silvestre a lot sooner rather than later when Man U is out of the CL. If Keano plays in centre of midfield .........that would solve the problem but create a huge chasm in central midfield so it becomes a case of one step forward and one step back. Any ideas, folks?
I don't think the problem is our lack of free flowing football. We throw the ball arround well and should have gone in yesterday at half time four or five up. It;s our susceptibility to the high ball into the box that is killing us and right now Brown is not handling them. Everton were a bloody good team in the second half and full marks to them for hanging in. Perhaps Howard should be a bit more aggressive on these high balls like Schmeichel I don;t know but perhaps Fergie has to go with O'Shea and Sylvestre in the middle and Brown at right back. He also hoofed a bunch of balls down the park right back to Everton when our game is to work the ball out and retain pocession. I'm hoping it's just a matter of him getting a few games under his belt. I would have rested Giggs at half time as he is labouring and got Ronaldo into the game sooner. Fletcher started well but 90 minutes is too much for him right now. Perhaps Ronaldo for Giggs and Kleberson for Fletcher when we had the game by the teeth would have put it away.
Could somebody explain to me, since Rio is suspended why we did not get van Buyten at least on loan as City did? With Brown in the middle of defence, our season is doomed. He can only play suicidal football. It must be a strikers greatest wish to play against Brown.