Manchester United Banter Archive April 18 2019

18 Apr 2019 23:41:06
Ken,

I've been seeing a lot of your posts recently and I must admit that despite the bad results and the negativty all around, it's delightful to read your views and opinions.

I think, and I might be wrong, Ole wants to completely change the way we've been playing over the last 4-5 seasons and that itself is a task, a massive one, mind you.

The way the game has evolved over the last half a decade or so, it's impossible for a team (title challengers at least) so sit back, absorb the pressure and attack on the break. And coz the breaks are far and few, you have to spot on to finish them. And that just doesn't happen in football. I think it doesn't.

United really need a makeover, not just interms of personnel, but in terms of what football means to the players and the coaching staff. Yes, we are a few windows away from challenging for the top honours, but it's not impossible. We need players who willing to express themselves on the pitch when they have the ball at their feet, not sulk and moan when they don't get contracts.

For all the hate that Sanchez gets, I hardly see it being his fault that he takes that mich money. I mean, that's the guys last big payday and he wanted the best he could get. Yes, we were stupid to fall for it and give in to his demands, but I still support him every time he dons the jersey and I still hope that will come good.

One of the eds mentioned that we might have 5 players coming in this window and I think that i fantastic, provided we get the right players. More than the ins, the one thing I'd really like to see is the back of players who don't want to be at the club. I really wish we can offload 5-8 players who are just not good enough or those who don't want to play for the club.

The worse case scenario is no champions league and no europa league, and I for one will be happy if we are completely out of Europe for next season.

We need to rebuild, we need to create our identity and then we need to stick to it and build on that foundation, not create floors on top a wobbly foundation and end up picking scraps again.

19 Apr 2019 08:16:10
Ken, I also find your posts delightful.

19 Apr 2019 09:02:40
I'll add to the Ken Easter love fest. He makes solid, well reasoned posts and seems a little less prone to the knee jerk reactions we see so often.

19 Apr 2019 09:09:10
Cheers raghav.
Not sure everybody agrees with us only close to 90% the rest obviously don't know what their talking about 😂😂😂
People draw a line in the sand and find it difficult to be objective but that's ok if its good enough for Theresa may its good enough for then.
Three penny had dropped for most just a few die hards that won't look at things objectively.
Happy Easter mate.

19 Apr 2019 10:08:35
Ken your a top poster and always write with sense.

19 Apr 2019 12:01:20
Hahah! Thanks a lot for letting me know I used the word 'delightful'. Should really think before I write, openly declaring love in times of war might not be the best thing.

Cheers everyone, Happy Easter!

19 Apr 2019 12:28:15
Always enjoy reading your posts Kenneth. Make sure your head can fit through the door when you leave the room ;) .

19 Apr 2019 13:40:34
Ditto park.
The site has been great recently. So many views but all or nearly all agreeing that the squad is a long way from competitive.
It will take time but steady progress is what mist of us want to see.
Its amazing that our current manager is calling it as he sees it. Just like our last one did.
Calling players out. Calling out the lack of quality calling iut three need for a rebuild calling out that lots of players are not performing. Questioning attitude.

18 Apr 2019 19:25:18
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Porto v Liverpool - A Liverpool Perspective

18 Apr 2019 14:10:41
Hearing a lot more people suggesting ole isn't good enough and prediction he'll get the sack by the end of next season. Which I think is 1. a ridiculous knee-jerk reaction and 2. A bit unfair on a club legend who has turned our season around.

Before Ole came in we were way off top 4 and looking to have another disappointing season. Now at the start of this week we were within touching distance of the UCL semis and if results go our way we'll be sitting in the top 4.

Ole has brought the team back together and we're now seeing a much more attacking and entertaining side (yes we still need to improve) .

I honestly believe with the right transfers made and the right players let go we will see the true solskjaer ideas on the field. From what we've seen so far Ole clearly wants the lads to play high up the pitch, to put pressure on when they don't have the ball and to be direct when attacking. This Sh**s all over the way mourinho was getting the team to play.

Ole may not win us the league or the UCL, but I do believe he'll reinstate the united identity into this squad again, we will see glimpsed of the old united we once loved.

I want him to succeed and I'm sure he'll give it a good go, but if it doesn't work out at least we know the next manager will inherit a strong sqaud with right ideas on how to play for our club.

18 Apr 2019 14:39:18
I agree with you weggy.
His hands are tied at the moment.
This squad is capable of five wins in a row or 3 losses it doesn't matter who is in charge.
It will take time no doubt all i want to see is some consistent progress.
For 6 years now its been win a few lose a few. Do ok in some cups and win others. 2 steps forward 1 back sometimes 1 step forward then 3 steps backwards.
Some identity to our play. And steady improvement.

18 Apr 2019 15:16:36
Well said Ken and Weggy.

18 Apr 2019 15:26:11
Common sense Weggy.

People (football fans in general) have very short memories. We are lucky we're not 10th. At one point this season I was actually hoping we'd keep losing in order to make sure we avoid the Europa League because it means we won't compete in the league next season - now we still have a chance of top 4. What a turnaround in results and attitude.

We all know that most of our players are not good enough. Yet we still get frustrated when we're not romping the league? We need to be realistic.

We're starting games with Young, Jones and Smalling in our back 4, our 'star player' going missing in midfield, our highest paid player unable to get fit let alone perform, our marquee striker signing unable to dislodge an academy graduate.

We've blamed Mourinho, now people are blaming Ole.

When do we blame the decision makers and certain players who do not have the attitude or respect to wear our shirt?

Sir Alex put his blood into Manchester United. We've now got Paul Pogba walking round like he owns the place after SAF showed him the door. It's disrespectful. And it's not just Pogba, it's others as well.

18 Apr 2019 16:51:11
Good post Weggy.
No manager can compete with the current United squad.
Can you imagine poch or Klopp playing high intensity football with young, Mata, matic, martial?
Or Pep playing passing football with Smalling, Bailly, Lukaku?

It's time to recruit players who suit the United style.

18 Apr 2019 06:27:55
Thanks for the Replies to my post re the knee jerk of appointing Ole, but I think some have missed my main point. It wasn’t to suggest Ole won’t be successful, or to suggest that Allegri, or Poch, or anyone else would have been.

The issue is the complete lack of the thorough process that was promised. “A caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the season while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager.

It doesn’t seem that happened and it’s stunning that Woody can make that statement and then rip it up after a good run. It may have been Ole, it may have been someone else but a thorough process was promised and that didn’t happen.

I fully expect Garth Bale to arrive or some other big name as that feels like something Woody would jump at. Let’s remember he made a pitch to Klopp describing United as an adult version of Disneyland. There are a lot of things need fixing at our club but Woody making footballer is by far the biggest for me.

18 Apr 2019 06:54:28
*football decisions*.

{Ed001's Note - he would probably make a better footballer.....}

18 Apr 2019 07:10:38
Im always sceltical how many decisions woody actually makes, there people like richard arnold, matt judge who also have key parts to play.

Most likely collective incompetence as opposed to woody just messing everything up.

18 Apr 2019 07:40:09
I can't help thinking we have missed out on poch, gets a bit of stick on here but I see him as the next top manager .
Brave decision in a lot of ways to go with ole, he made a very good claim for the job but it was the timing that I found strange .

But ole has picked up 38 points from 16 league games compared to 26 from our previous 17 he does maybe deserve his chance.

18 Apr 2019 07:49:45
Absolutely agree with you AJH, Ole might be a success in future but to appoint someone manager because they beat a bunch of relegation candidates and lucked out against PSG is just plain stupid, but then again the guy who made this decision was Ed Woodward so stupid is par for the course.

I doubt it DSG, I wanted mourinho sacked after the sevilla game and did not agree with many of his decisions but a corporate hack who has never kicked a ball or has had anything to do with football most of his life telling a manager who has won everything there is to win who to sell and who to buy is the height of ego and incompetence and none of those people you mentioned did it, those were woodward's decisions.

18 Apr 2019 08:30:37
Give ole a pre season and give him the players he wants that fit the way he wants to play.

We have seen it a few times how he wants a high quick press.

But the players we have don't fit that style it's going to take at least 2 seasons of getting the right players in.

If we are all complaining about a plan and that we don't have any sense of direction we can't moan and demand a new manager when it gets tough.

3 other managers couldn't get these players to perform consistently we have to give ole and the staff time


As much as it hurts to see city and liverpool doing what they are doing they didn't do it in 1 season


Its practically took city 10 years go get here. Liverpool 3 years ago were poor.

Now is the time for patience. you never know the players we hopefully sign in the summer could take us where we want.

18 Apr 2019 09:40:07
The manager picks the team deals with all sorts of periphery but ultimatly its the players who do or do not perform. Would spurs have won last nite if OGS was manager or would we have beaten Barce with poch in charge is unknown and vastly irrelevant when talking about the success of a club or analysing a season. We have a manager for the next 3 year, a massive first window and a close season to work harder. We'll then see if the squad an compete next season.

18 Apr 2019 09:45:39
Problem is all Ole talks about is life under the Fergie days. Utd won't move on until that chapter is laid to rest and a new chapter is started. Ole won't see out his 3 years as he keeps harking on about the past.

18 Apr 2019 10:12:52
sukhyria i think he's just trying to go back to traditions

you can have a club ran the same way for 26 plus years and then it all go to pot.

hes trying to go back to what worked.

this all started as soon as moyes got rid of all the backroom staff.

18 Apr 2019 11:14:48
Good post Tony. I’ve always been firmly in the Poch camp. Even when he went through a poor spell I still wanted him. However, ole did do fantastically well. The wheels have fallen off a bit but it’s very clear this squad needs investment. He deserves the chance to try and get us to where we need to be. If, as ed said, we do bring in 5 players, then ole will have no excuses. If we can bring in some shrewd signings and play the sort of football we were playing earlier, I think there is cause for optimism. This is not a quick fix. And there are some fans who have absolutely zero patience. We are very far off and it won’t be fixed over night. Let’s get behind the team and see where we end up.

18 Apr 2019 11:20:59
and i hope we don't go for bale.

we have enough sick notes earning over the odds.

19 Apr 2019 12:40:48
I find it funny that people say a process was not followed. You or I have no idea how much analysis went into how ever many prospective candidates there were. Just because it might not have been made public doesn’t mean that it did not happen.