23 Feb 2018 16:39:45
Ed 001 what's your thoughts on pogba? Is he just not as good as what he was hyped to be? Or just being badly managed? Do you have him up there with one of the best midfielders?

{Ed001's Note - the problem is people are confusing potential with actual. Potentially he is one of the best midfielders in the world. Actually he is a decent midfielder with flashes of brilliance. The problem is that he would rather look good than be effective and Jose is trying to make him more effective. Long term, if he bothers to listen, it would benefit him, the problem is that he is extremely headstrong and wants to play his way rather than the way the manager wants him to play. I just feel Jose is being too confrontational with him, trying to force him to change, rather than educating the lad so he wants to change for himself. Jose used to spend hours going through his dossiers with players, working on their strengths and weaknesses to make them better players. Most of all he would make them want to work on things, because they understood how it would benefit their career. He is not doing that any more. Whether that is time constraints from a demanding job or whether he is jaded, particularly from his experiences at Real Madrid, or a bit of both, only Jose really knows, but it is clear he is not the same inspirational manager he was in his early days.}

1.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 18:00:11
Has everything to be top class cm and run things from the centre of the park, apart from, at the moment desire and work rate .
Does he really want it? Does he really want it, does he want it enough to really put the hard graft in.
Or does he just want to look good, play the position he Likes and do the things he Likes.
Could be a great player but we are still staying could be .
Needs to show a bit more heart and fight imo.

{Ed001's Note - that I think hits the nail on the head, does he really want it enough?}

2.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 18:11:17
Agree completley ED001

Some flashes of brilliance and quality which is why people see the potential to be a great midfielder however that also comes with poor decision making at times and lack of effort going back towards our goal. Not jumping with an opponent at a corner kick (Newcastle away) is just not on. It's a team game and he's a midfielder which means he attacks and defends in equal measures like all the other players.
People who keep saying he needs to be left to attack are being naive as his job is not just to attack but also defend when we don't have the ball. Besides the fact he is hardly absolutley amazing going forward scoring and assisting week in week out like other top players who are relieved of there defensive duties some what.
Too interested in how he looks and his silly haircuts and dances if he ever actually scores!
A spell on the sidelines should have sorted him out but somehow in this day and age, where his agent can just get him another move, i doubt it.
I remember we spoke a year or so ago ED01 about there being too much pressure on managers to achieve top 4 when there are some 6 or so good teams/ managers trying to get top 4 and 4 into 6 doesn't go. Nothing much has changed there and its still tight however having wanted Klopp before Moyes i think you are a better watch than us at the moment which pains me to say!

{Ed001's Note - what amazes me with Pogba are that some people think he should be an attacking midfielder, even though his performances in that position have been resoundingly awful. What he needs is to work harder, he has the ability but ability is nothing without effort.}

3.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 18:26:58
Correct he's not that great going forward just shows some nice touches and tricks at times along with poor shooting and decision making.
There was one game early on in the season (can't remember who) but he had around 10 shots and got one on target!

Like you say jsut needs to get his head down and work harder for himslef and the team.

{Ed001's Note - I just hope it clicks in his head in time for him to achieve his potential.}

4.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 19:26:30
I think jose sees what we all see. He is handling it like he usually does. He throws down the gauntlet. It's up to the player now. If he plays Better the team play better. He can be that influential. I think he will be fine. But its all about attitude.

5.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 19:32:43
Brilliant summary Ed, I’m fed up of waiting for him to deliver. Fancy haircuts, videos, dance moves, he seems more interested in his image, Ronaldo work ethic is legendary, Cantona instilled hard work and dedication in the class of ‘92. Talent is one thing, application is another.

I think Jose has become one dimensional in his management of players which is a shame as I think he has some raw talent to work with. Think of Jose in his first spell at Chelsea and imagine what he could achieve with Pogba, Rashford, Martial. Sadly he doesn’t seem to have the nous to do that any more.

{Ed001's Note - it is odd how much Jose seems to have unlearnt over the years. He seems to have completely forgotten the fundamentals that most of his success came from.}

6.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 19:55:13
Imagine Pogba had the desire of Roy Keane? That would be the best midfielder in history.

Great thread guys, thanks.

7.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 20:07:30
You lose hunger as you get older, the things that got you to where you are do not carry the same weight. It happens with almost everything in life, it's why so many people cheat on the people they love, why they are delighted with a pay rise only to be complaining about how little they are paid a year or so later. People take things for granted and forget the hard work/ effort/ promises that got them to where they are.

We need a manager with something to prove. We need to reward players when they have delivered, not the promise of delivery. We have too many players without their hearts in the game, but most worryingly we have a manager who has lost his passion for the game, or at the least his passion has waned. It shows in our performances, a team represents it's manager - we are cagey, negative, selfish and a bit bewildered on the pitch, people going through the motions throughout the club - but being compensated ridiculous amounts for under-performance.

The key is identifying the issue before it can take root and unfortunately having made the mistakes of Moyes and LVG, the decision makers will be more reluctant than ever to show they have been wrong 3 times on the spin. As evidenced by the new contract given to Jose despite nominal signs of advancement since he signed up for us.

This season is about to blow up for us - might be a blessing in disguise for our long term advancement. Jose and Pogba are not meant for Utd, PSG and Madrid will save us from ourselves I hope.

8.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 20:19:08
In his early years Keane was the attacking midfielder and was very good at for both Forest and United at scoring goals. His style somewhat changes over the years to being the commanding midfielder who ran the show but make no mistake Keane new where the goal was and could certainly play going forward.
He was needed more as a leader to run thing behind scholes as there was enough attacking talent in those teams for him to worry about it.

9.) 23 Feb 2018
23 Feb 2018 21:26:18
At juventus he was such a highlight reel and exciting it felt every week he was scoring long range worldies as well it feels like he's a totally different player.

10.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 02:43:53
But people would rather pick the player over the manager. As if it was joses fault.

Ultimately it's down to pogba how much he wants to give.

The more he gives, the more he will get out of it. But he better hurry up because years will pass him by and we will all talk about what could have been.

11.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 03:58:03
Fergy was successful because the fans and club backed him in these types of player disputes. Manager can't manage if the player is backed over him. It is also the manager's job to inspire and motivate his players.

I'm happy to back Jose ruffling Pogba's peacock feathers, he deserved to be dropped on form, but he then needs to show in the players that do play that he can get some performances. Big game this weekend, I imagine Pogba starts.

12.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 08:34:36
sell him and recoup the money, and replace him with better, the team is crying out for a playmaker in the Scholes or Moravcik mould.

13.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 09:21:14
I reckon we should be buy a couple of Celtic players as they are a much better team than united James 😂

They were just unlucky in Russia the other night.

14.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 06:56:51
Ed1 if you could expand on the part about Jose being jaded from his time at real Madrid. What happened there?

{Ed001's Note - he had a hard time from the press and a section of the players, from the moment he walked in the door they didn't give him a chance.}

15.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 12:56:59
what is Celtic got to do with it angel? when im on the united page im on it as a united fan of 40 odd years, i have probably been to more united games than you too.

16.) 24 Feb 2018
24 Feb 2018 19:00:27
Yeah. Pogba has a bit of Balotelli about him.