By: Lindo Ndaba

Manchester United has most certainly been a point of discussion since the beginning of the 2014/2015 season.

The club’s woes looked to be over when new coach, Louis Van Gaal was introduced as the replacement for the troubled David Moyes. However, from day one the boss predicted a difficult first three months under his reign. The current spate of results proves LVG’s words to be true. Before the weekend United were only able to muster one win in five games, tallying a measly five points out of a possible fifteen.

For United’s 2-1 win against West Ham United, the defence comprised of only one first team player in Marcos Rojo.  Jonny Evans and Tyler Blackett were ruled out alongside Phil Jones, which gave way for Paddy McNair’s debut. The inexperienced back three were able to hold their own during the game, McNair giving a sterling performance and saving his team from further blushes by blocking a ball destined for the goal.

The Red Devils continued their attacking prowess  with goals by Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie, bolstered by their new acquisitions Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. However amidst large amounts of pressure by West Ham’s attack, combined with some bad refereeing decisions, captain Wayne Rooney lost his composure and unnecessarily brought down Stewart Downing with a waist-high lunging hack from behind, which resulted in a red card.

The rest of the match was a very tense affair as West Ham continued to look dangerous on attack, and an already frail United defence was outnumbered following the red card.

Fans have reacted angrily towards Rooney and are questioning his suitably as captain. On twitter @WorldManUtd said “Shocking from #CaptainRooney. Whether he’s scored or not, he’s really let the side down there. #MUFC