The only place to be

Next season we should have Terry, Cahill and Ivanovic as the first-choice options, and hopefully Luiz and Chalobah as back-ups who can also play in midfield. It's not the most immediate position we need to fill.

We've got Stoke, Southampton and Arsenal in the space of 8 days after this so I'd be inclined to rest the likes of Mata, Hazard and Ba. Turnbull Azpi Cahill Ivanovic Bertrand Ramires Lampard Marin Oscar Piazon Torres

I absolutely agree. To me it's a joke if the club aren't saying that his wages have to be reduced first and foremost. The contract he signed 5 years ago was for the player he was 5 years ago and he simply isn't that guy anymore. To me though, he's an absolute legend whether he gets that record or not. Hs reputation was solidified when he played for the team so soon after his mother passed and stepped up to take the penalty against Liverpool. Whether he stays or goes that won't change.

I agree. Can't see the point in re-signing Lampard if we're getting Isco which makes me doubt the whole story.

I'm doubting what the club is saying. I haven't made a comment on Lampard's position.

I'd love him to stay - I'd also love him to be playing like he was 2 or 3 years ago. Throwing big money at a player who isn't deserving of it is the opposite of what we're supposed to be doing and like any business, if you're spending it in one place you aren't spending it in another.

You pay people wages not because they've earned it, but because they will earn it. Other players might be on more and I expect you're talking about Torres because that's the example everyone uses, but we can't renegotiate his contract right now without him wanting to. We're fucked in that case. With Lamps we can and there's no way he's worth £150,000 p/w anymore. We're having this conversation after a 5-0 win in which he came on at 4-1 and scored a penalty - I didn't see people quite so vocal after the QPR game. Yes we would be lovely to get rid of Torres but let's look at it another way - with the £5 million we spend on Lamps in wages we could buy Luke Shaw from Southampton. That's the type of choice we have to make nowadays - you want to spend money on an old, bit-part player or try and invest in the future of the club? How do you justify giving torres more than 8 mil a year? I know who i would rather pay it too. And does he look like a 34 year old... He has supreme fitness levels as we have seen this season with him sprinting back faster than david luiz in the last minute of a game... Ideally we shouldn't pay either of them 150k for obvious reasons, but it wouldn't bother me at all if he was getting paid that, as to have him stay here would be worth it for me. Torres contract cannot be renegotiated without his consent. It's a moot point. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

We did enough to beat Corinthians, but just didn't have the luck with us which is amazing considering it's a tin pot cup that we had to travel thousands of miles for in a pretty packed schedule to face a well-rested team. Oh, and we had a new manager. So we lost? Big fucking deal. The QPR game matters far more and that win simply came down to us not having Mata. Yes we should be better but we're not right now. Acknowledging that doesn't mean I don't care, it means I'm being realistic. Rafa fucked up and selected the wrong team. That's a fair analysis of those results. I'd ask for your's but I don't care.

You realise today was a cup game don't you?

They declined to go into detail but confirmed that Lampard's £150,000-a-week salary would not be slashed as a primary condition of any new deal. I'm all for a one-year extension but he's got to be looking at a significant pay cut. This could just be an effort to appease some of the fans though.

The valid point was that he could've let Ba take the penalty. It was made a couple of times. In fact I made it, although I can see both sides.

Do you have a particular problem with either of those excuses? No-one's saying what you think they're saying, however 'hilarious' you want it to be.

The Corinthians game is utterly meaningless. It was a tin pot, mickey mouse game that we had to travel halfway round the world to play against a team who prepared like it was the biggest game of their season (and it probably was). And after all that we lost 1-0 and their keeper was MOTM. The QPR game simply came down to one thing - no Mata. He sets the tempo for the team and we can't afford to drop him for big games. Two bad days at the office. Maybe he was a bit harsh but he raised a valid point. No need to go overboard in response.

JT called Lamps the heartbeat of the team, he was wrong. It's this guy.

That has to change and I think it will change.

We've been linked with him in the press (along with Arsenal), but I've been impressed with Luke Shaw. Put in one brilliant tackle in the box and worked hard all match, getting forward quite a bit. If we're losing Cole then he'd be a good choice. Even if we aren't, he looks like he could be a good buy at only 17.

I'm starting to really think Mata will take over a lot of what Lampard brings to the team (goals, playmaking, set-pieces) and someone else will take over the deep-lying playmaker position that Lampard has moved into over the last season and a half. That's for Oscar, KDB and McEachran to fight over. I also think Mata can claim the talismanic role Lampard assumed in his time at the club.

He'll be at Watford for the rest of the season and then he'll come back in summer and fight for a spot. We shouldn't decide now that he should go on loan next season based on nothing but his birth certificate.

We could sign Luke Shaw with the money we'd save paying Frank Lampard.

The more games United have to play, the better. The other encouraging thing is that they continue to look weak at the back and Vidic's return doesn't seem to have had much impact on that. They will drop points and we seem to be back to playing with 11 men again.

Good result - United have to play another match.

Quite.

I don't think anyone is saying he deserved to take it or had a right to. It would've just been a nice thing to do.

On the plus side you've got this thread going again - it seemed very quiet after the QPR game.

I would've thought he'd start Swansea and Ba would start Stoke.