15 Oct 2017 10:05:40
Morning guys,

I've read all the posts and it got me thinking about what football or sport for that matter is all about?

Some have complained that they weren't entertained yesterday, but is competitive sport really about entertainment?

Is it Jose job to entertain the fans or win football matches?

I think it's Jose job to win football matches. If he doesn't he'll lose his job. I've seen Arsenal labelled the great entertainers, bigged up by the media lovies but they haven't won the league in over 10 years. They time and time again believe all their own hype and some how try to take some satisfaction from the fact they that play attractive football. Like that in some way compensates for their inability to win the big trophies. In reality they lack what is takes to win. The mental toughness, fortitude, desire, sacrifice, organisation, leadership the ugly side of the game that nobody wants to talk about. They jacked up at Anfield, went gung ho, committed men forward with no regard for their defensive duties and rightly got spanked 4-0. Is that what we all want to see? Could we take solace in the fact that at least we had a go, committed men forward and tried to score! I don't think so!

As in life the key to everything is balance. We've played some fantastic attacking football this session and I've really enjoyed watching us. The game yesterday needs to be taken in isolation. It didn't represent our usual style of play this season. We had some key injuries to contend with as well. Jose is a master of the bespoke one off performance. When he plays our perceived title rivals he will have a plan and adopt our style and formation accordingly in order to give us the best chance of winning that game. It might not always be pretty but it might just win us the title!

I love Jose I think he's the best manager in the world and most importantly he's a winner. He knows style and finesse count for nothing if you don't win football matches and I admire that.

Competitive sport is about winning nothing else matters. If you can't win it doesn't make one bit of difference if you've entertained the crowd or not. If you can win whilst playing with flair and creativity well that's how legends are made!


1.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 11:02:06
Didnt really mind the setup yesterday, the back 6 picked itself because of injuries and I don't see the point of playing the way liverpool want us to play, i. e. open and expansive, we are not a charity. Some of the stuff coming out about jose killing football is so over the top.

That being said our play on the counter attack was abysmal yesterday, herrera, micky and martial couldn't string two passes together and the only time they did we created lukakus chance.

Mkhitaryan especially can get a bit frustrating as he just let's games drift and flatters to deceive on occasions.


2.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 11:52:22
I agree DSG the tactics were pragmatic but why play into Liverpools hands and play the game they want. Some of the players have to take responsibility and admit that they just weren't good enough in possession yesterday!

A well earned point and if we can continue to win the games we should and carrying on scoring goals that will be quickly forgotten. We might not be the great entertainers just yet but you've got to admire the organisation and mental toughness he's instilled back into the squad. Well over 20 games unbeaten last season and I don't think we've lost at home since City beat us last year. Jose is building the foundations of a title winning team the next piece of the jigsaw is to instill a bit of flair and creativity into our game especially in the big games. We're heading in the right direction in my opinion roll on the next game.


3.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 11:55:31
It's about winning to the players and manager - it's about entertainment to the fans. If it's just about winning for everyone then why isn't other boring sports like chess popular? It's because football is meant to be entertaining, the reason so much money is in the game and people like Jose benefit from that is because of the supposed entertainment factor. Utd built up so much love around the world because of the way we played, it's being dismantled by people like Moyes, LVG and Jose.

Jose continues to bite the hand that feeds him imo. He has benefited all his career from anti-football, people don't tune in for the rubbish he serves up, but he has benefited greatly from it. If every manager took the Jose approach to football then Chess would probably become more popular! We have played like that all season, it's just we were up against a decent team yesterday, it will be the same against any top 6 team. BORING, cagey anti-football. You only have so much rope and ours is fast diminishing.


4.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 12:24:13
It's about who we are and what we stand for. Winning is not everything, if we grind out result after result boring the plants off us all then I am not interested and would be howling for change. If you are happy with that then I don't understand how y u support United, we are better than that. We know Jose is pragmatic and knows how to park a bus but after our rip roaring start I think we expected more then the tripe served up in the second half yesterday. If Jose was concerned about midfield why didn't he switch to 3 to match up?

We thought he had changed but yesterday was embarrassing, not the result but the way we played. I sincerely hope if was a hangover from the international break and we see the horses run fee once again.


5.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 12:56:22
I don't have a problem to be honest. We secured a point, a better result for us than them. The only thing that let us down was the performance of the front 5/ 6 who were al or. We gave the ball away time and time again, and our crossing and set piece delivery was shambolic. Can't blame Jose for that. Decent point away at anfield and a very good start to the season as a whole.


6.) 15 Oct 2017
15 Oct 2017 13:15:23
Come on Beast you don't truly mean that.

You want to have your cake and eat it!

If Utd had turned in some of the defensive displays we've seen from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool or even City you'd be going mad! You want attacking attractive football but only if that brings winning football. I don't believe for one minute you'd be happy with us playing 'attractive' football (whatever that means) if we didn't also win games. Like I said it's all about balance.

City are playing some fantastic stuff at the moment but so have we this year. They always start well but let's just see how the season pans out. If they continue playing the way they are and keep winning games then they'll have the best of both worlds and have won the league in style which must be the ultimate goal of any team.

There is more than one way to play football and I don't fall into the trap of thinking one style is superior to another. I'll leave that for the football purists to debate. The best way to play football is to win, winning brings in the fans and the money, winning is recorded in the history books and if you can do it with style and flair well that's the ultimate goal.

I can't speak for others but I go to watch Utd to win. That's what makes me happy. If we'd have gone out and played great attacking football but lost 4-3 I'd wouldn't take much comfort in that. Big games are hard, often become wars of attrition and victory is sweet no matter how it comes. Big games often disappoint you simply can't play free flowing attacking football every game there is more to football and sometimes you just have to admire a well drilled, disciplined, defensive performance as much as a free flowing attacking one.

If you want entertainment go to a concert, a festival or the cinema cause winning is enough to keep me entertained and enthralled any day of the week.

Sorry AJH that's arrogant, romantic bulls**** and you know it! You've got to take that game in isolation. We've played some great stuff this year. Don't kid yourself I've seen Fergi sides play some pragmatic stuff and stink the place out and whilst I'm not old enough to have seen the Busby Babes I'm sure they were pragmatic at times as well.

We'll have to agree to disagree but I simply can't accept that we as a Club are bigger or better than winning ugly or being defensive, give me substance over style anyway if it means us winning trophies.


7.) 16 Oct 2017
16 Oct 2017 05:18:12
Danny. I agree with most of what you said except mourinho being the best mansger. I think Pep is by far the best manager. His record and style of play are both better than Mourinho. Their head to head in Spain also has Pep well ahead.
Problem with our team and tactics against the big teams, is that we are not allowed to counter quickly and we don't have the midfield to do so. Our normal midfield contains Pogba matic and Fellaini, are any of these going to help you counter attack with pace? I love to watch teams counter attack but we simply don't have the personnel or the tactical permission to do it.


8.) 16 Oct 2017
16 Oct 2017 07:51:09
Danny you best be careful mate, what you saying is making a lot of sense and pretty much the whole post was quiet reasonable and logical, so please address that yeah, coz ain't nobody got time for sensibilities. :)

If i watched a game and lost, I'd want us to win the next one. if we won the next and didn't play really well, i'd still be happy but would want us to play better. Now where the "out with Jose" and "we are dying" stuff comes into the equation, i have no clue.

But yeah we didn't play well on saturday, Liverpool played well, we got a point away from home. its fine, onwards and upwards.


9.) 16 Oct 2017
16 Oct 2017 13:49:18
Schmid - I can't argue that Jose is a better manger than Pep, both are at the top of their game. Maybe it comes down to personal preference. I admire Jose as I believe he is more adaptable and he is prepared to use different styles, tactics etc in order to win games. Pep steadfastly believes in his style/ philosophy and refuses to change even if this isn't working or having an impact on the game. I admire his faith and there is no doubt he's a fantastic manger but I think he needs the best players to make his system work. I think Jose could manage any team and turn them into winners I'm not sure the same could be said for Pep. Maybe I'm wrong about Pep, I love them both I just think Jose is a bit more adaptable and is prepared to sacrifice style for substance on occasions which I admire. He doesn't fall into the trap of believing there is only one way to play football and points aren't dished out for style, possession or pass completion percentages!

I actually think Jose would make a fantastic England manager. The problem with our National Team at the moment is we've lost our identity (if we ever had one) . We always enviously look at other countries and try to copy them whichever is flavour of the day. When the Italians are successful we envy their defensive, tactical approach, when is was the Spanish we craved tiki taka possession based football, we crave the Germans organisation and efficiency, the Brazilians flair and creativity the list is endless. When I think of what a good England team should represent I think of a well organised, powerful, hard working, fast, direct (this doesn't mean long ball) team playing at a high intensity. I think these are the attributes Jose wants in his team and we shouldn't apologise or be afraid of what we are and what we enjoy. This type of football has what's made the Premier League so successful.
Anyway I apologise for digressing!

Thanks Raconteur just saying it as I see it not everybody will agree but that's why I love this site so I can read other people's views and perspectives.


10.) 16 Oct 2017
16 Oct 2017 16:38:32
He seems to talk a lot of sense this Danny from Lancs.