Manchester United Banter Archive December 16 2018

16 Dec 2018 20:28:36
Top flight teams continue to draw away leaving us quite literally standing still in the table and also on the pitch.
Mediocre teams fast catching up and soon to pass us by all recent evidence.
Still, we have progressed and finalised Smalling's new deal. Why am I pessimistic and not in the least reassured.
Theresa May would probably do no worse as our manager.

16 Dec 2018 20:59:58
It's Pogba's fault.

16 Dec 2018 21:19:28
Forget the Glazers, the board even Ed Woodward the biggest mystery to me is why a team with any kind of footballing aspirations would play Fellaini as a deep lying holding midfielder?
It's absolutely absurd boarding on the perverse.
Fellaini doesn't possess one single attribute required to be a holding midfielder. (I will clarify not in a team that wants to win the title anyway)!

His best position is surely playing off the front when he can take direct balls down on his chest or when you get the ball out wide and put crosses into the box. Unless you want to play that kind of football then simply don't play him. When you partner him with the equally immobile and ponderous Matic it should be absolutely no surprise when you don't finish higher than 6th and your team looks incapable of playing a forward pass. To compound matters we have an equally immobile CF that will only score goals once we inject some width into the team and provide him with some service from crosses. To try and play through midfield with the likes of Matic and Fellaini into a CF that can't control the ball is unfathomable. If that's not mad enough we have a World Cup winner warming the bench and a £55m midfielder not even in the match day squad. What is going on?!

Ok if we accept Pogba is a virus and Fred an expensive mistake we still have Mata on the bench who can at least play football. The Fulham performance last weekend was a welcome relief, our best performance for months and surely the blueprint moving forward in terms of selection, formation and style. What happens we lose all momentum in Valencia in order to rest players for that rubbish served up today and Darmian starts having seemingly been rescued from the reject bin! Bizarre! Did we really stand any chance despite an early Christmas gift delivered and unwrapped in front of the Kop. It was a nice gesture we couldn't have scored any other way.

So back to the drawing board but maybe somebody should write the word "PUNT" in capital letters all the way across it! Go on Jose you have our permission if your going to play Fellaini at least us him correctly and even long ball is better than the stuff your serving up at the moment. Even bad style is better than no style at all. Merry Christmas!

16 Dec 2018 21:18:25
But we came 2nd last season.

17 Dec 2018 06:44:50
Pogba and mourinho can go they put there own ego s before the club sick of both of them.

17 Dec 2018 07:57:42
Jose said coming second was a massive achievement, well now we come second every week.

16 Dec 2018 19:17:25
I wish there was a reset button or a way to freeze your position in the league, quit and come back next year.

That small club mentality at Anfield today was dreadful. We will be luck to finish anywhere near top 6.

Next season will be better.

16 Dec 2018 20:19:27
The tragic thing is we are now resorting to “Next year will be our season” oh how the mighty have fallen!

Today was woeful, we offered nothing. Without wishing to sound dramatic, if we do not change how we are operated so we seem a marked improvement in recruitment and a balanced team, if this decline continues I would not be surprised to see us being a bottom half club rather than fighting for top 4 and titles.

16 Dec 2018 20:40:24
Next year will be better, we just gave smalling a new contract, I suppose Jones will be next, we need to get rid of players, not giving them new contracts, then the manager needs to go with them, then Woodward needs to go, it's not a ******* business, it's a football club,
Username a lot of posts there lately about not supporting the club when we are going bad, that's not for me, I'll support united through thick and thin, but someone needs getting the door now.

16 Dec 2018 21:53:01
Don't think it's all that bad having a CEO whose focus is on the business side. Makes sense actually. David Gill was an accountant originally I believe. The problem is when their arrogance means they undermine the football side. The contracts given by Woodward I believe are the biggest issue right now. First it has created an unhealthy complacency in the squad that they know they'll get paid more here than elsewhere regardless of effort, and, worse, it means we cannot move players on and fix up our squad. Because of this, and his dodgy recruitment approach, any new manager will not be able to get the squad they want. It will take years to sort this message out. Woodward should be removed from the football side of things as a matter of urgency -- not because he's a bad football man, but because he's a bad people man. We should replace Mourinho because his attitude has impacted morale awfully and, as a club, there's a realisation that having a progressive and expansive approach is what we crave as much as success.

17 Dec 2018 05:16:41
Next season will be better, not our season but better. I don't know if we can play worse than that. Its not about the board its player management, poor tactics, lack of urgency, desaire and plan.
And of course, lack of more quality players.

We play defensively, poorly and clueless and they all manage to score. What's the point?

He HAS to go.

17 Dec 2018 06:47:01
New it would be bad when Fergus left but didn't see this crap coming absolute shocking.

16 Dec 2018 18:42:53
Listened to great interview yesterday of the South African rugby team and how they sorted out issued with different back grounds skin colour, religion etc with players. They set out their plan for the team and ethos, they met with players and agreed to respect all beliefs but the team had its ethos, expectation and actions, every player was then invited to join, from then all new arrivals to the squad was told the same this is what we do either buy in or go. Our culture must be restored our reputation must be restored, if it means bring in the kids from the 23s to show fight and passion so be it, but we must set that level again.

16 Dec 2018 13:11:52
Jose and Man u players present.

Have you heard keano speak? I sure hope ya all did.


I think Jose should hire Keano as a number 2.

Ye out in the man utd shirt do your job. Plenty of time for social apps when you retire.

Best speech this morning.

16 Dec 2018 13:21:12
Keano could upset a fair few of this squad I think if he got the gig. Not sure whilst Fergie is around he’d ever get the nod though.

16 Dec 2018 14:21:07
So footballers should not have a life outside football.

16 Dec 2018 15:05:04
Not when they spend too much time on Instagram and not doing what their paid to do on the pitch

Would your boss keep you if your lazy ass failed to do any work and your online profile was full of carry on antics?

I'm sure many other posters on here would go through brick walls for Man utd and the shirt let alone 250k for 2 training sessions and a games per week.

16 Dec 2018 15:13:32
Eric I agree that would happen! However as a Man utd Fan! When I spend my money to watch Man utd play I expect to see MU play to a standard.

Some days I wish SAF would come down burst through the door and let rip. I have come to the conclusion the more the managers fail the greater he looks.

I have for weeks listened to Rio, PS and GN talk about how they had leaders in the dressing room
Who put players in their place?

Would it hurt them or JM for them to drop by and tell this crop to pull up their socks?

Rant over.

16 Dec 2018 15:25:43
Reddevil i am sure you would but you are a fan they aren't they are employees and unless players did their social media stuff when they were supposed to be training, i don't see how this is an issue.

16 Dec 2018 17:18:31
Good point CSM

Could do with wd40 help lukaku move on the pitch.

16 Dec 2018 20:25:56
Lewis Hamilton is a social media animal, he launched a fashion range and recorded a single, an Instrgram groupie. but he wins the World Championship. I don’t care what hair style they have, what fashion range they launch, how much social media activity they have. as long as they do it on the pitch.

16 Dec 2018 21:41:25
Players like Cantona used to do extras and it showed on the field. Atm it looks like you have too many players who don't look interested in putting it in on or off the field. If they were performing then I reckon you have a point about it being fine. But atm, they need to buckle down and show that they wish to fight. Btw, Fergie wasnt a fan of players having off field distractions.

16 Dec 2018 07:29:02
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 16th December 2018