Manchester United Banter Archive April 03 2019

03 Apr 2019 21:16:42
Ok, so I held on before writing this, so it doesn't come out as "heat of the moment" after last night's game.

First things first, I wasn't on the Ole at the wheel brigade and didn't want him as our permanent manager and I remain unconvinced. Also, I mentioned last week that Woodward confirmed Ole because he was a Yes man and wouldn't hurt them and reading Ed002's input today that he would have no to very little inputs on the transfer, I stand vindicated. Ole is indeed a Yes man. Having said that, i love my club and I would love to be proven wrong and hope that Ole is the man to take us forward.

For me Ole is tactically naïve. He simply doesn't show any style or attacking intent that most here seem to see. Now before you give me stats about more goals scored, stats can be misleading and if you take out first 3 games of Ole's tenure, you will see that the goals scoring isn't as good. His decision making is questionable in pressure situations. We have seen that several times over the past month or so. He brought on Lingard when he was clearly not fit and could have cost the player aggravating his injury. He cannot find the best position to play Pogba to get the best out of him. Keeps playing Young at RB instead of Dalot. Young should be there to cover for Shaw or instead of Shaw (Luke Shaw would be playing Championship level if he weren't English. He has no positional sense at all and needs 20 touches before he can pass a ball, that too sideways mostly) .

Ole always said that we are Manchester United and we focus on our game and yet sits deep with 10 behind the ball against lower ranked teams. Wolves beat us twice in 3 weeks. Last night rather than focusing on how we should play, he tried to copy Wolves and played 3 at the back, with Ashley Young for gods sake. Where was his tactical knowledge? When Young was sent off, he brought on Jones, why? If you wanted 3 at the back, why not play Jones from the start? After Young was sent off, why couldn't he put Dalot (a defender already on the field) in Young's position and get on with it, why take off Fred? Why not Pogba? Or else he could have simply played 4 at the back and make Wolves think, but no, we are copying Wolves and we will continue with 3 at the back. Why bring on Martial for Lukaku. Even after Young was off, we were looking dangerous, lethargic but still a threat, but he had to bring on Martial. Why didn't he bring on Martial and kept Lukaku on, played 2 up top with a 3-4-2 or play Martial on the wing and play a 4-4-1? Something different for Wolves to work on. Just my thought on how I would have managed the game. He cannot change the players, I get that, but he can at least change the style or tactics during the game. And its not just about last night, he has shown this naivety several times in the past 4 months.

Now, given that most on here are backing Ole and blaming the players, let's look at things objectively. We are saying that the current defense isn't good enough to pose a title challenge and should be sold. Where have I heard that before, oh right, our previous manager said that and he wanted a new defender/ leader in but he wasn't allowed to get one. But now everyone can see that. Bailly has hardly featured under Ole and now no one is questioning the manager when he keeps picking Smalling and Bailly can't even make the bench most games. So, either Jose was right in identifying that Bailly wasn't good enough or Ole is simply as stupid as Jose was by not playing the best United defender. Which is it? Secondly, we do not have a right side in attack, so we all wanted a right forward but alas we didn't get one because Ed Woodward didn't back the previous incumbent. Now Ole plays the same players in the same positions but no questions are asked of him?

It was around a month back when the mumblings began to gain that Ole was about to be named permanent manager of Manchester United. Any theories as to why our results took a downturn ever since. There is a certain drop in the level of commitments of the players, more injuries suddenly cropping up and Pogba has simply disappeared. Any conspiracy? I think the players wield too much power here. Did they want someone else and now that Ole has been given charge, they have turned on him. Jose was right in saying that and called them out but lost out to the dressing room.

I noticed this yesterday when Dalot was free and in a very good position to deliver a cross, but the ball wasn't passed to him by Pogba, even when it was a very simple 5 yard pass. This happened multiple times yesterday. Is Pogba being mischievous and pulling the strings and doesn't want the team to perform?

I have no doubts that the way the club has been handled has been a disaster and we have backed player power and very soon history will be repeated with Ole unless we take a stand and cut out the toxics (the players not the fans) .

03 Apr 2019 22:17:14
Admit it, you’re delighted we lost so you could say I find you so.

04 Apr 2019 00:20:07
to be honest gds a fair bit of what he has said is right the same players that were playing for him look like they can not be a d. a lot of the games he has been lucky we should of seen were we were at the end of the season and then acted.

03 Apr 2019 23:53:55
We are in danger of losing all objectivity and rational thought after losing a couple of games.

What Ole has achieved so far has been nothing short of miraculous. We must understand that this is still a bang average Utd team. Ken wrote a interesting post last night where he correctly labeled most of our players as mediocre. Players such as Smalling, Jones and Young have been discarded by England. Lingard is far from a guaranteed starter and Rashford has only recently established himself as an international. Herrera and Mata don't make the Spanish squad and haven't done for years. Fred is no longer an international player, nor is Pereira. The list goes on and on!

A number of key injuries have resulted in Ole having to rotate the squad and experiment with new systems and formations. Players are slowly returning but many still don't look fully fit and have struggled for form. As such Ole has been unable to select his preferred 11 and build on his good run of form.

We have some very talented younger players but they lack experience and consistently. We need to be patient and wait for the likes of Rashford, Martial, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot and even Mctominay to mature and develop. The likes of Pogba, Lukaku and Lingard are all very good players approaching their peak years.

We desperately need a commanding CB and in my opinion a RW in the summer window to really improve our team. Our defensive fragilities are well documented but a RW is just as important. We must be able to attack down both flanks and this will mean we are less reliant on Martial. Lingard has done ok from the right on occasions but when he's injured we are unbalanced and devoid of any natural options. Lingard is not an orthodox wide player and we need somebody capable of traveling with the ball and beating defenders.

Ole is no fool he'll know recent performances haven't been good enough but if we can't show a modicum of patience to a Club legend who has United a mutinous team, eliminated one of the favourites from the Champions League and given us a fighting chance of finishing in the top 4 from what appeared to be an insurmountable position we really have lost our way!

Bring on Barcelona I can't wait!

04 Apr 2019 04:33:30
Not a couple of games DLIB, yes a couple if you are only talking about Wolves, we lost a couple of times to them in 3 weeks, let that sink in.

Now, you are saying that this is a terrible squad and needs fixing then why was the squad not allowed to fix when Jose was crying out for reinforcements and what makes you think that Ed will get in what the team requires and not what the sponsors want. We have set a very dangerous precedent for ourselves and Ole being the nice guy he is isn't someone who will be able to kick butt of these players to get them right. Understand that two of the most autocratic managers weren't allowed to so why on earth would Ole be. Its not about just 2 games, its about the last 4 months. The performances are third grade in 80% of the games and the results are covering up the cracks, sound similar? I also can't wait to see what Barcelona would do to us when Wolves put us in our place. Fighting for 4th, we might just end up 6th because we have lost steam when we should be gaining it.

04 Apr 2019 06:05:40
Seriously are you defending Bailly?
This season he has had a shocker. He was shown Red card in the 2nd match of Ole's reign.
He just can't keep himself fit just like Jones. In the PSG match, he was anonymous. (In fact PSG scored from his mistake) .
Currently, only Smalling and Lindelof seem to be fit, therefore Ole has no other choice than pairing them up.

I personally am a big fan of Bailly because of his no nonsense defending but he needs to regain his form and fitness.

We cannot criticize Ole until we give him time and the players he want in his system.
So as a true fan, please back the manager and stop judging him on a game to game basis.
Did anyone even think that we would be fighting for top 4 with the mess Jose created?

04 Apr 2019 08:40:37
Unbelievable. Give him a chance . It sickens me that a young manager - a club legend - isn’t given complete support across the fan base.

04 Apr 2019 09:16:27
How does being a club legend have to do anything with being a good manager? Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson, Scholes, Gary Neville, Mark Hughes, Roy Kean, Jaap Stam, all club legends but no where close to being world class managers. The list could go on. So stop going on about him being a legend of the club. Rooney is a legend, make him manager then. Was Moyes supported, was LvG, was Jose?

04 Apr 2019 09:21:46
He isn’t given the full support of the higher ups never mind the fan base BadRedDevil.
The inmates are running the asylum and the sooner people notice that the better.
The manager may not be 100% but the players aren’t even 30% of what we need or should want. They have no pride just a holding out of a hand for a pay cheque.
Yeh let’s all support that likes of pogba and Herrera and de gea that continually try to hold the club over a barrel.
They all need clearing and starting again with a British core that thinks Man Utd is the pinnacle not Barcelona or Real Madrid.

04 Apr 2019 10:07:38
Ole hasn't made one signing yet. The Dark One had any number of transfer windows, brought in the players he wanted, before proceeding to dump all over the majority of them.

04 Apr 2019 10:17:12
United Addict how many players mourniho bought and they've been success?

You're happy to bring ed2 to back your points but then purposely ignore he said from the start mourniho was a disaster.

Anyways I've got nothing to do with it but it's shocking to see how quickly fans turned on OGS despite doing a miracle job.

no manager is going to come and fix United from the go, it's going to take couple of years and fans will need to be patient.

04 Apr 2019 10:38:54
Well said Kopitef. Unfortunately the toxics do not understand the meaning of patience.

04 Apr 2019 11:14:46
lingard was PASSED fit to play by the medical staff and the player said he could play.

we were miles the better team until wolves scored then the players bottled it not the manager. he can't control young making 2 stupid tackles from again mistakes losing the ball.

if we were clinical we would have been 3 up b4 they scored by the way from the mistake of fred who was left on an hour to long. fred offers nothing a waste of money yet again and pogba stayed on prob because he is the only player we have who can pass a ball.

lukaku was took off because he had just played after injuring his ankle.

ole set us up to play high and quick. how many times were our centre backs on the half way line?

all wolves did was counter, we make 2 mistakes and we all know when we make mistakes we concede because we are poor at the back.

i love that your passionate addict but at least be realistic when slating, nothing the manager did made us lose that game.

the blame is on the players. poor finishing, poor passing, and not bottle cost us that game.

04 Apr 2019 12:26:15
I agree with ppsters here. The blame should be aimed at players as most of the them shouldn't be anywhere near the first team.

04 Apr 2019 14:51:54
Spot on kopite.

04 Apr 2019 15:22:50
Kopitef, that disaster gave us 3 trophies in 2 years. What did you win? Oh yeah, NOTHING, so why don't you scurry off to your happy place. Just before you go, and this is just because you said the Ed2 said Jose was going to be a disaster, Ed2 also said that Man Utd would appoint Ole as permanent and that would be a mistake. What do you make of that?

04 Apr 2019 16:58:19
United Addict are you The Beast Re-incarnate?

04 Apr 2019 23:45:52
I think it was ED001 who said that Phelan was the reason why we play so defensively.

I'm hoping that this, summers we finally get rid of the deadwood.

We've had players at the club who are not up to the standard.

03 Apr 2019 19:14:30
Just calmed down from last night, so frustrating, it's like Jose is back in charge and the player have thrown the toys out of the pram. Can't see us getting champions league now to be honest. At this level both City and Barcelona will tear us apart.

03 Apr 2019 20:49:56
This season has been a farce and it shows no signs of getting any better any time soon, in my opinion the club is in the worse state it has been since Fergie left. We will be playing Thursday nights once again next season having bottled the top 4 run in. We have our better players wanting away and we give new contracts to the likes of Young, Smalling and Jones. God knows why Ole was given the job when he was, top 4 should have been a necessity for his consideration given the position we were in a few games back. The bubble has well and truly burst with that team performance last night no different to anything we saw under Moyes. Now we have a summer trying to flog Thursday nights in Latvia, playing with teammates like Smalling Jones and Young to players. Every player we are interested in will also be wanted to better clubs with more to offer.
How hard is it to appoint a DOF, 3 years so far and still nothing, who have they got looking into it Theresa May.

{Ed002's Note - RTFP about the DoF - the fundamental problem with the MU supports here is a complete lack of knowledge about the club.}

03 Apr 2019 22:18:57
And a complete overreaction every time we lose a game, pathetic.

03 Apr 2019 15:54:04
I think we have Ole because no other serious realistic candidate came forward who wanted the job. There was absolutely no other compelling reason to appoint him at this stage of the season having previously indicated he was strictly an interim manager and before we had seen how he and the team handled the most critical part of the season. Is it possible that SAF's hands are on this as they were over Moyes

Ed002 talks about toxic fans, but the real problem is a toxic management team. I expect because of our financial resources we will consistently be good enough to finish top 6 come what may, but my prediction is that unless both Woodward and Ferguson are removed from involvement in matters of football we will not see a truly competitive United team.

03 Apr 2019 16:25:26
shawthing, are you suggesting that the results didn't play any part for Ole's appointment?

I would agree with how the club has been managed over the past few years and would remove Woodward without any hesitation. But, to remove Sir Alex would be the most silly thing to do - his experience and know-how could still be vital for us going forward as we look to stabilize the club.

The most critical appointment needed is a DOF, irrespective of what happens with Woodie.

03 Apr 2019 16:50:31
Shawthing, Who are these amazing phenomenal managers who are readily available who will GUARANTEE a league challenge while playing fantastic attacking football, while promoting youngsters and developing them into world class players, who will respect the club, its history and traditions?

I have asked numerous times from all the people who are unhappy with the appointment of Ole who would be a better candidate and all I get back is a deafening silence. It's almost as if no one knows who would be better they just want to moan about who we have.

You want to know why it might have been a good idea to hire Ole now rather then wait two months?

1, It allows the club to start planning for the summer with the consent and alongside the full time manager.

2, It allows the players to know what is going on, who will be their manager next season and maybe even give confidence in some of them to sign new deals.

3, It allows the club to start the process of moving some players on, as the next full time manager can say which players he deems not necessary for next season.

4, It allows Ole to start the process of moving his family over and all the planning that goes with that. One of the often said big issues with Mourinho was him struggling to cope with living in a hotel without his family. So making sure that all that can be sorted as soon as possible should make things easier for the new manager.

5, It stops the media repeatedly asking the same question at the start of every interview. This is distracting from the club, the team and the players.

6, It makes the club look more stable, lifting the lid of ambiguity that has surrounded the club since Jose left.

Why Ole? Well he has earned it. He has given us a shot of finishing in the top four, which was a distant and unrealistic dream before he took over. He has on the whole improved both performances and results, in spite of having the same players with the same limitations. He has lifted the mood around the whole club, top to bottom. He has started the process of re-establishing the clubs identity.

So to not give him the job and offer it to someone else who will also have areas whey haven't yet proven themselves which are vital to the club.

03 Apr 2019 17:11:49
Shappy do you even read the site or more inportantly do you even respect Ed002's inputs on this page. He has stated that Ole will have no to very little inputs on transfer matters, so what good does it do to name him manager when he has no inputs. On the available options, i replied to your query on 18th March, go read buddy. Better, nuch better options out there. As of now, we don't think that the players know whether they will be here or not next season so don't think it matters. As many said to one of the posts at the beginning of Ole's reign that players think about the club and not the manager when they sign for the club so Ole or anyone else wouldn't matter. The results over the past month make us look stable? How?

You ask which managers guarantee all those things, Ole doesn't either. His score on all those points is 0.

03 Apr 2019 20:09:53
Let’s play united

The presence of Sir Matt Busby around the club was seen as a hindrance for many years so I would not dismiss keeping SAF away from football matters. Old muddled thinking may be a result of the icons influence rather than bright new ideas.

03 Apr 2019 20:41:58
United Addict, I have the utmost respect for Ed002 and his input on this site. I was saddened to hear him say Ole would have minimal input on transfers. I feel that highlights the broader problem at the club. If the manager isn't key in transfers then who is? We don't have a DoF or a TD so who with in depth football knowledge is making these key decisions?

However, you haven't answered my question, just tried to pick a hole in one of six points I made while glossing over the other 5 as they are all totally valid.

I won't be digging though on the search pages. If you honestly feel there are other better candidates then name them in this thread and let's see how credible they truly are. However, I doubt you will as you know they aren't and you don't want to look a fool.

03 Apr 2019 21:00:21
Shappy

Ed002 has said this before, he also said Mourinho was not supported. LvG has talked about it. I was pilloried for suggesting that Mourinho didn’t get the level of player he asked for. Add this to the decisions on managerial appointments.

03 Apr 2019 21:01:10
Good post Shappy it would appear we are in crisis again but not to worry because if we win against Barcelona he'll be a genius again!

03 Apr 2019 23:13:45
It looks like I got well beaten at home. 0-6! That's a record I'm proud of. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems clear to me that the interplay between the old United football guys, for whom I have the greatest respect and affection, on the one hand and the board/ CEO remains utterly out of whack. Just like players, managers and directors reach a time when it is wise to hang up ones boots. With the amount of money available to the club, after 5 years we should be much further along the road. The fact we're not speaks volumes. Can anyone see us challenging City or Liverpool in the next 3 years?

04 Apr 2019 04:47:24
There you go Shappy, the names from 18th March.

"Absolutely Shappy. I am not in favour of Ole at all. Ole has been doing all the same things that we accused Jose of i.e playing negative football with at times 11 men behind the ball. The first 3 and a half games of his reign were great to watch and then it has gone downhill. But I have already listed out my reasons in several posts.

There are no guarantees in football but you still go with the best available option. Ed2 has ruled out Allegri and I guess he might be off to PSG and that would make Tuchel available. Poch is likely to leave. Nagelsmann. Blanc. Just a few from the top of my head. But hey I don't make the decisions and I am sure there are several others that would make the list.

Everyone keeps saying that we have tried experience and CVs before that didn't work but let me point out to them that since SAF retired, we have won 2 Community Sheilds, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup and 1 Europa League. That's more than what Liverpool with their ultra modern managers have won in a decade or more. "

Now before you say that Poch stayed at Spurs, please do confirm that he wasnt told by United that Ole was being confirmed. Sounds a bit odd that all the negative comments coming from Poch around 2 months ago when he was looking for a way out stopped suddenly.

Shappy i am not a fool and if you read my reply properly you will find that i have covered atleast 3 of your points regarding players and the manager. On Ole's family, i don't give a damn to where they live. I am only concerned about the football and not the WAGs. And if you think that the media would stop asking questions than you are a bigger fool than what you are accusing me of being. If anything, the media will ask more questions of the great results that Ole has delivered past month.

04 Apr 2019 06:51:35
Shappy. Some posters cannot be convinced.
Such a shame that they do not understand or ignoring the fact that the true problem lies behind the scene.

Ed002 was right "the fundamental problem with the MU supports here is a complete lack of knowledge about the club. "

04 Apr 2019 07:00:07
Shaw thing

It is unlikely to say the least that we will truly challenge the Barcelona Real Madrid level at all because the owners and Woodward do not seem to have that ambition.

The next level down from Madrid Barcelona is City and Liverpool, will we join them? I have low confidence that the club will buy what it takes. The press don’t always know but already rumours are Sancho and Hudson Odoi are rumoured to be out of sight. Maybe their clubs won’t sell but as in previous windows we will likely look at cheaper alternatives. I just can’t see Mourinho signing off on some of those bought and LvG said he wasn’t supported either. Whoever is buying seems to have money in mind. We must not blame Ole this summer; the fault of where we are, the sentimentality of appointing him, the lack of spending on the ground or on the level of players is down to Woodward and the owners.

04 Apr 2019 08:19:51
TrueRedDevil, Ed002 said that about you. My point is that when Jose was sacked, ole was nowhere in contention for the job, in fact his name didn't even appear in the shortlist and now 3 months in he is named permanent. Why? Why not wait till the end of the season when we finish 6th. We all know that Woodward is the problem, so why was Jose sacked and not backed. What makes you think that Ole darling would be allowed to do what he wants. 4 months down the line and we haven't seen a change. No tactics no style no attractive play, so why give it to him now? Yes man got the job.

03 Apr 2019 14:30:41
I have a question for the Ed's and everyone on here:

Do you believe that Ole probably has a slight edge over Woodward with the fact that he has the support of everyone at the club including Sir Alex and ex players. With his legendary status and him being so popular among the fans and also with all the mess created over the last few years, do you think there could be a slight power shift for Ole in making footballing decisions this time round?

{Ed002's Note - It doesn't work like that, they aren't at school.}

03 Apr 2019 15:04:13
Haha.

Sorry Let's play, but that was a cracking response from the Ed there.

03 Apr 2019 15:09:47
Thanks for the quick response Ed002.

Do you think if appointing a DOF would help? What would be Woodward's role in case a DOF comes in?

{Ed002's Note - I have answered all of these questions before - nothing has changed my view.}

03 Apr 2019 15:26:54
Jonny, I think all of us would love to see the back of Woodward from the footballing side of things. The guy has messed up United and I hope he doesn't have to get involved anymore in the coming seasons on the footballing front.

03 Apr 2019 15:28:53
Thanks ED002.

03 Apr 2019 12:33:40
In all honesty I did not envisage us losing this game. Thinking wolves have the FA cup as priority, we may have had an easier evening. Started so brightly as well. I feel quite deflated at the moment.
But the reality is it will take time and a lot of effort to steer this club back onto the right direction and then more time for it to reach the top as we got accustomed to in the Fergie Era. Till then, what we can do as fans is to support the club and back the new manager to get the best out of his players.

03 Apr 2019 13:25:21
I agree mate we seem to have hit a tough patch at a critical time. The new manager bounce has truly worn off. I think ole has a huge task on his hand. This club has been steering rudderless for nearly 6 years now. We have wasted so much money on so many poor players that this will not be a quick fix. We as fans need to get behind ole and be patient. Whilst he may not have a glittering CV, he is one of us. I’m sure our current predicament hurts him as much as it hurts us.

We must invest properly and shrewdly in the market. A director of football is a must. There are several players who are just not good enough. We need to get Sánchez off the books because his wage is causing huge unrest. If pogba and De Gea are not committing then they need to go. We need players who actually want to be at this club. One bad apple can ruin the cart (not sure if that’s the right phrase) . For all his promise pogba flatters to deceive for me. Frustratingly inconsistent. He has a huge influence on this dressing room and that in itself shows how far we’ve fallen.

Where are the leaders who set the tone? Where are the winners who accept nothing but 110% on the pitch? Where are this players that embody the manager and his philosophy? There are far too many average players in this squad who do not have the mentality to return us to the top of the food chain. Until we rid ourselves of the sentimental crap mentality then we will not challenge for league titles and European cups. That means the likes of mata, Herrera (if he doesn’t want to sign), smalling, Jones, Rojo, Young all need to go. Where is the ruthlessness? Where have the standards gone? Because it seems they died the day sir Alex left. The one iota of hope I have is that ole is conditioned by these standards. He is a winner and I hope he translates this onto this side.

I think the criticism of ole has been really harsh from some supporters. I will admit Poch was always my choice but you cannot look past what ole has done. He deserves the chance. Now we back him. Until he has been given money to spend then it is unfair to judge him. We must be patient. Give him time to build this side. It’s taken Klopp nearly three years to build his side. Whether we like it or not they are a very good team. They invested smartly and believed in what the manager was trying to do. Pains me to say but we have to follow in similar vein.

I’m going to the game on Wednesday. I will admit I’m a little deflated but hopefully we will see a classic European night under the lights at old Trafford that will be remembered for years to come. Let’s get behind the team and hope that we can prove all the doubters wrong.

03 Apr 2019 14:24:45
Good post, Park. Those who believed in José always said he should have 3 seasons, 2 at the very least, to build his side. Yet, they're willing to write Ole off after a few games.

03 Apr 2019 21:27:09
Stevie the reason is that Jose wasnt backed and the players that he wanted weren't bought rather the advertised players were given to him. What makes you think Ole would be backed by Woodward and players like Bale won't be bought. Jose at least jad the pedigree, what does Ole have?

04 Apr 2019 05:25:15
I love it when people say Mourinho wasn’t backed 😂 he was backed. He spent hundreds or millions. Brought in player that even he did not trust in the team. Sure in the end they lost faith but only after he brought in players he was only prepared to put on the bench and use the likes of Smalling; Jones; young.

03 Apr 2019 10:00:42
Olly does'nt like Wolves does he. We are not PSG. We are not Spurs. No one comes here and takes liberties. Hope you beat Barca. See you in CL soon.

03 Apr 2019 11:52:32
Good win by you guys!

03 Apr 2019 13:07:44
Fair play jet ski, I hope ye win the fa cuo.

03 Apr 2019 09:31:21
This really is quite pathetic, sad even. I know not everyone had Ole as their first choice but to start berating him 5 days into him getting the job on a full time basis is pathetic. What did you expect?

The problems at our club are numerous and that is something we all agree on.

Everyone see's Ed Woodward as probably the biggest problem at the club, his poor handling and over inflated ego is damaging everything he touches, which unfortunately is almost everything. No manager can change this, and until we get a Director of Football or a Technical Director that will not change. In fact, even then it is unlikely to change as I fully expect Ed Woodward to still have the final say on nearly all matters.

The players still lack that heart and desire that all great United teams have had. Is that a modern footballer problem? Are they all over paid and under educated leading to inflated egos? If so then how do we and other clubs combat that moving forward? Personally I don't see that has a problem for every footballer, but we do have too many in our squad who clearly think a little too highly of themselves.
As has been pointed out, changing the manager is only a short term solution when the problem is the players. As yet the club and the manager haven't had a real opportunity to ship out "problem" players. Nor has there been a real chance to bring in the right sort of players. Ergo the problems we have had under previous managers will still be prevalent under our current manager.

As for yesterday's game, the over reaction is quite frankly ridiculous. Firstly, Wolves are a very good side with an excellent manager (definately the best manager outside the top six and arguably better than some managers at top six clubs, in fact currently I would say only Klopp and Pep are performing better than Nuno) . Then when we look at the game, we battered them for the first 20 minutes and could have been 3-0 up game finished. Unfortunately we didn't score enough goals during that spell. We then gave away a stupid goal from what is typical defensive errors from these players. Our confidence wobbled while Wolves gained a boost. Then the second half was ruined for us when Young got sent off for a stupid challenge. Then top that off with Smalling and surprisingly DDG combining to gift Wolves the winning goal and it was a comedy of errors for which no manager can prepare or plan for.

It's not Ole's fault that the defensive options available to him are poor and error prone. So let's not hang him for the mistakes of his predecessors.

Now is Ole the perfect manager? No, but as I have said previously who is? Which manager offers:
1, attacking and entertaining football
2, winning titles and cups
3, promoting and developing youth
4, understanding and appreciation for the clubs history and traditions

If you disagree then name a manager who offers all of this. If not then whoever we hire will potentially be lacking in at least one of these areas. My point is we can always find a suitable stick to beat a manager with, but to what end? What do we gain from slating a manager and ultimately pushing them towards the exit door. We did it with Moyes, we did it with LvG and we did it with Mourinho. What benefit has it brought the club?

Most of our problems stem from higher up than the manager, so now we have a manager who truly gets the club, a manger who cares about the club. Sure he has his short comings, but now we have a manager who we should all unite behind because he is one of us. If we are to try and force changes at the club we need to be criticising the people who are making the real errors which are costing us. The people making the poor signings, the people giving out huge contracts to substandard players and the people allowing our best players to leave on a free due to them being allowed to run their contracts down. None of these errors are the fault of our manager.

We NEED to back this manager, as if we can't back one of our own we will never be United again.

{Ed004's Note - Fantastic post. Completely agree. There is no point berating the manager until he has time to make a few signings. The amount of average players in the squad is staggering. Young, Jones, Bailly, Rojo, Smalling, Fred, Perreria, McTominay, Mata, Lingard etc. No manager in world football would have a side winning the league with that group of players playing regularly yet Ole has us playing at league winning form since he took over. Currently, only De Gea, Lindelof, Shaw, Pogba (before his dip), Rashford and maybe Martial/Lukaku are good enough for our first choice eleven. This summer is massive for our transition, but it feels like we are saying this every summer and Woodward hasnt lived up to it. We probably need 5 first team signings if we want to compete next season}

03 Apr 2019 10:03:36
Couldn’t agree more shappy. How come us we mortals the fans can see what is going on but billionaire owners haven’t got a scooby. Most of these players are not Utd standard never have been and never will. For me this coming season is absolutely massive for us, get it wrong again and it could be another 5 years in the wilderness.

03 Apr 2019 10:06:19
Agree Shappy/ ed004
Dont think DDG is on his game at the moment as well. Could be lack of confidence in those in front of him contract rumours or both but he ain't the super keeper of late that he has. Hope its a temp blip . Pogba was poor last nite but still take nothing away from wolves- he has a close talented group working their socks off and to be fair playing very attractive football at times.

{Ed004's Note - Except Liverpool have any top side went there and won this season. They beat Spurs 3-1 in Wembley too if my memory serves me correctly. They are a very strong side}

03 Apr 2019 10:07:59
Until the people at the top and the manager are all singing from the same hymn sheet with regards to signings and the direction of the club I fear this is going to be the case for quite a few more summers yet.

03 Apr 2019 10:14:26
We shpuldve backed Mourinho but we didn't who is to say Ole will be backed.

We are not winning anything until we get rid of half the team who are just not good enough to be in a title winning team.

We have been soft for a number of years and we need to harden up and make some tough decisions.

03 Apr 2019 10:14:28
Shappy while I agree with you, you are letting ole off the hook too easily. Yesterday's loss wasn't totally his fault but he is responsible for recent results.
Dropping mctominay especially when was doing well while giving matic a long run before dumping him, prematurely playing lingard which extended his injury period, these are his decisions that have hurt us. Young has been nothing but rubbish this season, yet he continues to keep his place. Fred's first touch rivals lukaku's and still ole in his wisdom decided to play him as the deepest of the midfield 3. Sure we were great for 20 mins yesterday but couldn't score, against Watford it was exact opposite where we were poor but somehow took the only chance that came our way first half, we can't have it both ways. It's now 3 losses in 4 with Barcelona next, city and Chelsea still to come. Honeymoon period is well and truly over for him and he now needs to show that he can manage the team without having the thank god we got rid of the other guy environment helping him.

03 Apr 2019 10:18:21
We have arguably only one world class player in ddg who this season has not been the player we all know.

We don't have a consistent team playing every week because the players can't perform to a standard every week.

We have 0 leaders. No one organises and I don't ever see anyone having a go. It's all nice.

Gone are the days of a keano when needed would give you a kick up the arse.

Ole has done a miracle even getting us back in contention of a top 4 place. and regardless of what kind of manager people think he is he 100000000p percent deserved to get the job.

We are bang average in defence. Bang average in the centre. attack is the only area we don't need to work on getting players in although we are not as clinical I think with time they can be


You can not expect to win games with the likes of young smalling and Jones playing in defence . lindoff has improved and still has a long way to go

We paid 90 million for a player who I haven't seen perform for weeks

When he turns up we are a different team but we can't just rely on pogba other players have to step up

Although now it looks like 4th is realistically not going to be for us this season. other teams might slip up.


We make to many . mistakes and against decent sides its pubished and you lose.


The players need to step up we've Barcelona next and perform like the past 5 weeks and we are in deep trouble it could be an embarrassment of a result.


Ole at the wheel.

03 Apr 2019 10:54:30
One of the best post Shappy.
Some of the posts from our fans are just disgraceful.

csm, we do not have adequate quality players to rotate right now. Mctominay played a flurry of games when Matic was injured. So may be he was rested and Matic was being slowly integrated.

If we play the pressing game throughout, then almost the entire squad will be out injured. They are not yet ready to cope up with this style.
So the real work starts this summer, then next to the pre-season.
We have to take it step by step.
Expecting everything to happen too soon is just not practical.

{Ed004's Note - When we pressed the first 20 minutes we looked a completely different team. However, I dont think currerntly this squad can maintain that for 90 mins}

03 Apr 2019 12:33:19
agree ed. we started great. high intensity, playing fast but its not just the fact we look tired in games its the silly mistakes.

why can't we pass a ball 5 yards, mistakes are costing us goals.

every time we make a mistake the other team scores.

{Ed004's Note - Thats why Im willing to write off the rest of the season for Ole. He has done a remarkable job so far and hopefully in the summer we sign players who are capable of playing the pressing game. A lot of our players arent bad squad players such as Lingard, Smalling, McTominay etc but they should not be regulars}

03 Apr 2019 13:09:26
Good post Shappy I agree a lot of people have overreacted but I think it's just disappointment talking more than anything.

My only slight criticism of Ole is that he's started tinkering with the team and formation too much and he's now stating to set up our team according to the opposition rather than imposing our own style on them. Yes injuries have played a part but it just seems to me that he no longer knows his best team or formation.

I think he needs to insert his own authority and style on the team so we can see those capable of adapting and those that can't. We always look better when we play with energy and intensity and Ole must demand this from everyone.

This worries me slightly as without a clear idea or understanding of how he's wants us to play it becomes difficult to identify areas of the team that need improving and to ensure that we strengthen in the correct areas during the summer.

Having said that bad individual mistakes have cost us against Arsenal and Wolves and there is not much the manager can do about that.

Ole's overall record is good, bumps in the road were inevitable it just hurts more when we think we're making progress and we come crashing back down to earth. Deep down we all know there is work to be done. Can Ole deliver who knows but he deserves his chance and more patience from all of us.

Yesterday was a big setback but we've got Barcelona next week. There's no point in feeling sorry for ourselves and what an opportunity to bounce straight back.

03 Apr 2019 13:17:40
Exactly Ed, our players need time to adapt to this style.
The future recruits also must also be targeted to suit the high intensity pressing game.

{Ed004's Note - Priority is probably a right winger so we dont expect Martial to do all the work}

03 Apr 2019 10:14:24
Completely agree on Ole Shappy. Loads of people have been asking for a good young hungry manager (e. g. howe or nagelsmann) who can play the united way and develop with the club rather than going out for establish mangers who don't fit our style. Ole fits the need completely and what's more, he adores the club and that can't be bought. The problem is we are not poised to give him the support or structure he needs to develop this team and as a coach. Our squad reminds me of Newcastle before the got relegated a few years ago ( not saying we are that bad), but Newcastle had the 5th highest wage bill in the EPL that season and none of the players could be bothered. People baulked at Lingard's contract but Martial is on £250k and he does not get a regular look in the French squad! i fear we have become a club where players come for the money and agents flog their players for the commission we are stupid enough to pay. It also makes it harder to sell players on.
The problem will only be resolved with a DoF who is allowed to work independently to sort out the player power, wages and build a sqaud capable of playing the football we want to see. If Ed Woodward thinks he can do it all, he is deluded.
I would rather revise our wage structure, get a strong DoF, establish a style of play and build from there. Even if it means fighting for top 4 for a couple of seasons.

A question for Ed 02 if he is around. I have read you mention often that clubs have advisors who help them - are United using any? I find it hard to imagine Ed W adn the board thinking they know it all.

{Ed002's Note - Louis van Gaal added Marcel Bout to the staff for that purpose, experienced, knowledgable and trusted by LvG. Mr Mourinho took third-party advice over players last summer but given the lack of support from the club it was pointless in the end. Given that a number of the targets the club now has were those same players identified by Mr Mourinho and some as a result of advice, it does make the club look rather stupid.}

03 Apr 2019 13:27:47
Grest post Shappy.

It has been disappointing that we lost the last 3 games, but except for the game against Wolves in the FA cup, I think our performances in the league against both Arsenal and Wolves was pretty good - if not for some bad defending and individual mistakes. In fact if we had taken our chances that we created, it would had been a different situation.

And Shappy I totally agree with your centiments and loved what you said at the end "We NEED to back this manager, as if we can't back one of our own we will never be United again. "

03 Apr 2019 13:44:08
ed004 totally agree wolves are a good side as my post said and our last 2 losses have been against good teams: the performances from certain players wasnt what we have come to expect. Further on your comment re ole the rest of the season; agree in part but the players available should be continuing the previous hard graft to get top 4. Note hard graft not skill, as doing the "dirty" work chasing down etc is what sets you up for results.

03 Apr 2019 13:52:46
Thanks Ed 02. Agree that it makes the club look silly. its the equivalent of telling the manager "i will hire you and extend your contract but won't buy you the players that i agree are the right ones to buy! " No wonder mourinho was fed up. Bigger issue it without a DoF, it won't change anytime soon.

{Ed002's Note - There will be someone in that role soon.}

03 Apr 2019 14:21:26
Ed002 since you mentioned there’ll be a DOF soon do you foresee the person (if you have an idea who he is) will be good in decision making and improve Man Utd? I know it’s a question you may not want to answer but if you could I’d appreciate. Thanks.

{Ed002's Note - I have dealt with all of this over recent months and particularly in the past week or so when the name came up. It is a person who most of the fans have never heard of - so he will get trashed like everyone else at the club.}

03 Apr 2019 14:25:35
Thanks for the super fast response.
Gosh what are we becoming to? Hope not toxic! 😭
Sorry for the already asked be question.

03 Apr 2019 14:28:20
One of your best, Shaps. So good, I even read this one right through to the end :)

03 Apr 2019 14:31:46
To all the know it alls, just one question to all of you since you are placing all the fault at the players' doors.

Why on earth did we sack Jose when it was the players who were guilty all this time?

03 Apr 2019 15:19:40
UA, there is a lot more to why Jose was sacked. Yes, the players are not upto the mark and everyone knows that for sometime now, but when Ole can bring in positive results with the same set of players and an experienced manager like Jose couldn't, given the time he had - says a lot about how Jose has regressed as a manager.

03 Apr 2019 15:19:47
José had two and a half seasons to build his team and get the best out of the players at his disposal, and we were no further forward at the end of his tenure than at the start. He also helped create a toxic atmosphere around the club. That's why he was sacked. Ole's had a few months to get the best out of the same players, and until recently was doing so. A few bad results later, and it's knives out. If we're still struggling after 2 and a half years of Ole, then it would be fair to think about a change, but a few results into his reign? No-one calls for a managers head after a few games, not even Utd fans. Or so I thought.

03 Apr 2019 20:20:56
Nou

Not sure anyone has called for Oles head? Not me anyway.

The questions are against Woodward and the strategy of the club including the decision process around Oles appointment plus how player purchasing decisions are made. I actually agreed with Craig Burley, it seems a rushed emotional decision rather than a clear strategic club plan when appointing Ole.

03 Apr 2019 20:45:13
Or you could say his record since he stood in, warranted him being picked. I think it could have waited til the summer personally, but I understand the need to plan for pre-season and summer transfers. Read some of the posts or the live chat from last night. Embarrassing reactions to a loss with ten men, against a Wolves side who have got results against all the big clubs. A few poor results and the knives are out already.