08 Dec 2018 08:23:59
It’s all about opinions but let’s try and talk facts.

Paul Pogba is a World Cup winner and had a really good World Cup

Lukaku has a proven track record of goalscoring, both in the Premier League and internationally.

We had the second best defensive record in the EPL last year, the ‘best team ever’ City conceded 1 less goal.

Jose spent the Summer slagging off the CBs and telling the World they are not good enough.

The stats say our team runs less than pretty much every other one in the EPL.

We signed. £50M midfielder in the Summer who can’t get a game.

Alexis Sanchez has been utter pants since we bought him (yes that one is my opinion but I also think it’s a fact) .

Putting facts aside, it seems there is something rotten in the club right now and it’s hard to fathom where the issue lies. Jose appears very frustrated with the players, despite the statement yesterday it seems there is a difference of opinion between him and EW on purchases, and PP is a distraction.

I would sell PP at the first opportunity and I would tell Lukaku that his contribution isn’t good enough; he needs to pick it up or he’s out too. I’d use the cash for a midfield ‘leader’ and a top class striker and I would tell the team to play on the front foot, you score 3, we’ll score 4. I’d stop slagging off the players publicly, I’d lighten up and stop scowling and whinging, I’d realise how lucky I am to be managing one of the biggest clubs in the world and I’d stop, banging on about my past success. Unlikely isn’t it.

{Ed001's Note - what do you mean by Pogba 'had a really good World Cup'? Surely that is opinion too, because whenever I saw France play Kante was carrying Pogba and doing all the work for him and Pogba offered very little. Pogba has to be the most overrated player in the game right now. He gets carried by every team he is in and still people rave about him because he happens to be part of good teams.}


1.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 09:21:49
Tris, I'm not a Pogba fan and I agree he is masssiveky overrated, i'd sell him tomorrow. Ok it's not a fact, but it was generally accepted he had a good World Cup, both on and off the pitch.

{Ed001's Note - did you think he had a good World Cup? Only I just don't see what he did. I saw Kante having to do his job with Pogba strapped to his back each game, but failed to see what was so good about Pogba.

But I am not sure if I am missing something, as so many times Ed004 has said on our editor's widget that Pogba has had a good game today, just as I am thinking how poor he has been. Maybe it is just me, maybe I just expect too much from him and judge him on what he could do, rather than what he actually does do?}


2.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 09:26:47
Agreed with most of what you said AJH and definitely with 001. Pogba is the biggest problem at our club right now, not the manager. He can’t even trap a ball under his foot. He’s not fit for the job. Any other profession and he’d be managed out of the company, which is perhaps what Mourinho is doing, or needs to do. I struggle to see why any club would want him on current form.

AJH - let’s not forget that Olivier Giroud is also a World Cup winner, and that too is a fact.

{Ed001's Note - but Olivier Giroud's link up play contributed to the win. He was not there as a goalscorer (luckily or they would have been in trouble!), he was there to hold the ball up and bring others into play. He does do that well, he also makes decent runs which create space for others. All things Pogba doesn't do. How many times has he made a forward run unselfishly to create space for a team mate?}


3.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 09:44:47
Aside from opinion on whether Pogba had a good World Cup, there is, for me, also the bigger issue of comparing international football with the Premier League. It's like comparing apples and pears. Lots of very average EPL players look good at international level.

{Ed001's Note - good point.}


4.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:01:23
I do come up with one occasionally Ed :)
Unless you ask my missus who I am sure would disagree!

{Ed001's Note - oh no, she says she often tells you what to say.}


5.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:08:46
"Facts aside" is that code for ignore positives.


6.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:32:02
It's funny because when Jose wins it's down to him and when he loses the players aren't good enough.

I have no idea why the team aren't performing. I think we all agree that this team probably lacks the quality and consistency to win the league but they're certainly good enough to be in the mix for top 4 with the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea.

Our running stats are embarrassing and this is the principal reason why we aren't winning football matches. With the quality in our squad if we at least match the effort of the opposition we'd be much higher up the table. This comes from the manager and if the players aren't prepared to work hard then they shouldn't play. His "mad dog" comments were ill conceived and misleading. He prefers us to drop deep and he picks players without the necessary mobility to play on the front foot. This was yet another attempt to shift the blame to his players when his tactical approach and team selection is the real problem.

I maintain that Mourinho has the players in his squad to play a high intensity, pressing game but he chooses not to. He prefers to play Matic, Fellaini, Lukaku and continues to indulge Pogba despite them being at war.

He needs to select the players that will run, press and work hard and if they perhaps lack the quality, maturity or experience of the others then so be it because what we're seeing week in week out simply isn't good enough.

My team today would be Dea Gea, Dalot, Bailly, Rojo, Shaw, Herrera, Fred, Lingard, Martial, Chong and Rashford.

I'd tell them to run, press, chase, contest every ball. Never let them off the hook, Never let them make an easy pass, run all over them, let them feel the pressure, this is Old Trafford for F. sake.

At the moment they remind me of England pre Southgate. Too scared to take chances, stuck in the past playing slow, predictable, safe, percentage football. Does anyone really believe that if Allardyce was still in change then the likes of Rooney and Cahill wouldn't be in the team. Well that's where we are with Jose. He's placing his trust in the likes of Smalling, Matic, Fellaini, Lukaku, Pogba. when in reality these players are the problem. We need someone to breath new life into our team, bring fresh ideas, be braver, bolder, play faster and harder because percentage football will no longer suffice.


7.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:32:11
FZZ, walk me through the positives.


8.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:47:52
Chong won't play as he played last night.


9.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:57:06
I know it's only hypothetical I'm
just playing fantasy football pal indulge me please 😂.


10.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 10:59:41
FWIW - I think Pogba was nothing special in the World Cup, media over-hyped everything he did as usual - if France had lost the final nobody would be talking about Pogba having a great world cup. Most of this 'leader' lark comes from some speech he gave to the players so it portrayed him as a leader - the fact we all know about this speech tells me all I need to know about the purpose of it!

I often meet people that are incompetent in their work, they often tend to try and steer the dialogue when it starts getting dicey for them with distraction or by talking the loudest. It's the same as a player making a mistake and then lambasting his colleagues for not being in position or then flying into a stupid tackle to get the crowd back onside.

I'm bothered about what Pogba does on the pitch and that is turn up 1/ 5 games, even when he turns up it is typically in moments and selfish. Playing raking 60 yard balls to the wide forward who then has to beat 3 men because we have dropped so deep and he admires his pass. Or his favourite - doing a pointless trick in midfield which actually slows down the attack because he should have released the ball earlier and now the attackers are all picked up by their markers. Watch how many times he needless gives the ball away each game, bad enough for an attacker but for a CM with stuck in the mud Matic next to him, jeez!

Pogba suits a continental game and is the cherry on top if a team needs that luxury and can carry the liability. He needs more carrying than anybody in our team and most of them can't carry their own weight at the minute!

Get rid of him along with our toxic manager, they are both as bad as each other - no respect for the club, fans or their colleagues.


11.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 11:09:08
Beast great post my thoughts to T.


12.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 11:29:32
Agree everything abt yr post but not the Mourinho but.

Good post that DLIB.


13.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 11:48:20
I recall many saying kleberson had a great world cup .
Big deal.
Comparing intl football to epl is ridiculous its like 2 different sports.


14.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 12:07:38
I remember in 1934 a young German player had a great tournament, and he turned out to be Hitler. Can’t judge players on how they do in the WC because they could end up committing mass genocide.


15.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 12:08:00
Pogba was surrounded by top quality players with France, I’ve said all along he had maybe a decent half in the World Cup, can’t wait to see the back of him. I said at the time I didn’t want him and he’s done zilch to change my mind. Harsh words but unfortunately it’s time to cut our losses.


16.) 08 Dec 2018
08 Dec 2018 12:39:35
The amount of good games PP has had can be counted on captain hooks non sword arm. He needs selling but were reluctant because we can't get the asking price. We need to bite the bullet and consider a part-ex.

The midfield is woefully unbalanced. We all moan about matic but who else do we have for that role.