Manchester United Banter

08 May 2024 20:04:09
Is there any likelihood that with all the American owners now that they will ultimately get their wish and replace the EPL with a franchise system, thereby ruining the game for ever?

I dread Todd Boehly getting his wish and bringing in an "All Star" weekend where some meaningless game of boring hype is put on for the sole reason of making money, having more advertising, and glorifying a load of overpaid sports stars.

08 May 2024 09:25:31
I mentioned in the match chat that I couldn't take my eyes off Steve McClaren in the dugout. Head in hands staring at his monitor, frustrated hands up in the air, shaking his head constantly at what he was seeing.
This morning Michael Owen and Paul Scholes have both come out and said the same thing.
McClaren doesn't seem to have any input to current coaching.
Owen.
“We’ve played under Steve McClaren. There’s no way his fingerprints are anywhere near that team. He is a brilliant coach and that team is not being coached at all. No way. "
“Steve McClaren is a top operator and I can only think other people are coaching the first team and he’s a bystander. ”
Scholes.
“He’s not touching that team, the manager [Ten Hag] is not letting him touch that team.
“Everyone thinks we were a great team that attacked everybody and beat people, sometimes we played against better teams, and Steve McClaren put sessions on to make sure you stopped other teams, getting your distances right, getting your angles right, especially in midfield. He's the best coach I ever had”.
Owen suggests sacking ETH now and giving SM the last four games.
“They are going to get smashed out the ball park playing like that. City are going to embarrass them at Wembley in front of millions of people. ”
What happens happens, but I would hate to see SM be part of the SJR clearout when he could provide a lot of knowledge going forward.
Hopefully this has been picked up by SDB's background visits and one to ones with players and staff.
Come to think of it, wasn't ETH Steve McClarens assistant when he was manager of Twente?
Looking on the bright side, football is a game of ups and downs, but it's disheartening to see us getting all the downs out of the way first.

08 May 2024 10:29:35
I mean, ten Hag personally picked him to be on the coaching team so I doubt it's anything about him not letter McClaren get involved which seems pretty infantile.
You could see both of them gesticulating angrily throughout and afterwards ten Hag (several times) said the players knew what to do in all situations, but didn't carry the instructions out, and couldn't adapt to anything on the fly when Palace did improvise. What can you do?
They lack the ability, desire and mentality to do follow instructions. You can argue that it could be equal parts the communication from the management or the players not having the skills to carry them out, or, at this point, the desire. The fact that this has happened with every manager post-Fergie suggests the latter. They're different players in each era, whether Moyes/ van Gaal/ Ole or whoever, but something fundamental links the failures of each iteration of this team.
I concur we are probably going to lose all four remaining games. I think Ineos have had a huge sympathy and understanding of everything the manager has had to go through this season, but with each loss it's harder to keep him, particularly when the basics are lacking.
We are, currently, a mid-table team - at best.

08 May 2024 11:41:24
We are playing worse football than the teams in the bottom 3.

08 May 2024 11:53:08
It's been awful Jim.

08 May 2024 12:18:53
Ken

What gets me is you have a midfielder at CB that you know can't stay in position and CB that's just come back from injury, would you not make your midfield sit a lot deeper as cover and just try and hit them on the break, you know you have been shipping goals all season.

It isn't rocket science.

08 May 2024 12:31:38
I see all that Jim.
Look some fans boycott their support when it's not going their way, just throwing their toys out of the pram if they don't get what they want.
I will support the team but not the manager. He knows he is leaving the players know it. He is not up to the job and is delusional.
Very hard to get players to set up when they don't respect you.
Klopp learnt this lesson about playing midfielders at cb.
It cost them a terrible season 2 seasons ago.
Once klopp put midfielders back in midfield hendo and fabhino and introduced youth and reserve cbs the team picked up again and made the cl.
I'm sure ed001 would testify to that.
You can't play cm at cb it's a dumb move. They will get caught out only very rarely does it work.
No adjustment made to tactics either Jim eth is delusional and unusually arrogant for a coach that has very limited and unsuccessful experience in the epl.

08 May 2024 12:46:17
totally agree - couple of ocassions where possibly necessary due to injuries but then to counter look at newcastle, main 2 out, rb out schar carrying injuries and dan burn: wtf
it is simple ;our coach is not getting his message through and/ or the players aren't listening, I think its a mix of both but even so the gaps in midfield are laughable- played through, round or over all season then jogging (at best) back.
Keep on hearing about garnacho but tbf his form hasn't been great, hojland a brief spell and as much as bruno has assisted/ scored he gives the ball away far too much in dangerous areas. a lot of the latter is lack of confidense and the players around as complacencey and apathy are contagious. Sooner the seasons over the better, flash sale and hopefully recruit some people who want to play for mufc would be like a lottery win.

08 May 2024 13:12:54
Funky,
No doubt about that.
We should and in my opinion will see significant improvement next season.
Not necessarily with results as it will take time to be cohesive with a new team (largely) and coach.
But I think we will be looking to achieve continuous improvement starting with the basics of ethics and culture and good habits.
It's not rocket science and all the best businesses in the world operate broadly speaking with those sound principles in place and then recruit accordingly.

08 May 2024 13:16:02
Am fed up of hearing how it’s all the players’ fault.

Nine of the starting eleven against Palace were either players that Ten Haag signed himself or players that he promoted from the youth setup. One of the others (Dalot) was probably our best player on the night and the other (AWB) was being played out of position. Both of them have had their contracts extended during Ten Haag’s time at the club. That was his team.

He can say that the players knew what they were supposed to be doing all he likes, but a blind man could see that they were lost and lacking instruction out there. Either he did a poor job of communicating what he wanted them to do or they did what he asked them to and he’s choosing to blame them rather than admit that he got things woefully wrong. I suspect it’s probably the latter. He has form for throwing players under the bus and blaming everyone and everything but himself.

08 May 2024 14:03:22
Just to confirm, you think ETH coached that performance from Casemiro?

08 May 2024 14:22:34
I guess no one saw him screaming at someone or a bunch of players before crystal palace first goal from the throw in telling them to get back, no kidding they throw the ball in and its a comedy of errors with Olise scoring. Its there go pull up the footage or watch the replay.

On Mclaren its a ridiculous story and if you buy into stuff get on reddit that's where the crazies hang out.

Micheal Owen is blabbing and typical for a few to latch on to everything that comes out of a pundits mouth to suit their argument.

BTW Scholes never said eth should be replaced by Mclaren and he is fuming with how they have taken it out of context and you might hear shortly him setting the record straight. All Scholes said was Mclaren is the best coach he has worked with and funny enough Mclaren is quoted saying eth was the best he has ever worked with tactically when they were together with the roles reversed. Mclaren stuff on eth is on You Tube go watch it. people here are doing character assassination because they don't like the manager.

08 May 2024 14:54:17
I don’t think Ten Haag has coached any of our players since his arrival at the club. Most seem to have gotten worse under his management.

Casemiro was one of the best players in the world when we signed him. Less than two years later, he looks like a Sunday league player. The Ten Haag effect is real.

08 May 2024 14:55:28
The good old ex-player mafia. God bless em. Let's go back to the days of a presenter and a guest rather than ten loud-mouthed idiots sat in a row paid to have overly-strong opinions. Hell knows how most of them are there but we're talking about them and that's all they need.

08 May 2024 16:17:27
I'd say some of them have their own agendas and axe to grind.
Keane on haaland is quite pathetic and personal.
But it would be folly to ignore everything they say after all they are coming from a much better place in terms of knowledge than any fan.

08 May 2024 17:23:42
tumbleweed - earlier reply -i hope so mate as i've no nails left to bite lol.
regarding progress : i really think the changes thus far by sjr are critical to improvement throughout the club and its time we became a more professional outfit.

08 May 2024 18:34:03
The team aren’t functional or playing to anyone’s strengths.

I heard Carl Anka say the players are square pegs in round holes but is EtH are square peg too?

I say 💯 yes. I just doesn’t have it but I’m sure Southgate and Potter aren’t it, De Zerbi or Tuchel maybe.

08 May 2024 18:56:14
Fingers crossed funky. I'm very positive.

08 May 2024 19:22:08
Ahmad on the throw in point. Caragher raised it multiple times on sky in previous weeks before the palace game. We employ a ludicrous man to man marking system in midfield and in every single game it’s killed us.

08 May 2024 19:37:00
Finally you get it Ken. You think we will see significant improvement, your words. This is a process, that has been running for 2 years with EtH.
Do you think teams plan for situations like our current one? Or more realistically, do you think they assess the squads at the start of the summer, set the season goals and then put the plan in place to execute said goals with said squad, which would have some improvements during the summer transfer window.
I'm hoping you agree it is the latter.

Those significant improvements you talk about are on the back of a bad season, but one that has some positives.

EtH stood firm against the petulant Sancho and others who have tried to show they are more important than him or others. Team game fellas.
EtH has promoted youth, fact.
The youth teams are performing, there is that improvement you talk of, that will bear fruit in years to come.
The hardest part to change, is the current squad, due to a variety of reasons, but that change, off the back of this season, where they rolled the dice with what they had and LOST in a big way, will be rectified this summer.
There will be wholesale departures from this season's squad.
There will be strategic recruitment in place, not reactionary recruitment.
There will be negotiations befitting of a club if our stature taking place so that we don't 1. Pay over the odds and 2. Offer dumb wages to over the hill players

All these things will change in and around the first team.

You have to remember, they likely rolled the dice at the start, knowing the financial restrictions they are operating within.

I have no doubt, that as we have dropped from 4th down to 8th, the plans have changed based upon potential revenue for next year. The club will have spreadsheets galore assessing the situation and how that affects transfer plans etc.

But you are right, significant improvement will occur next season, and as you know, I hope that it is with EtH at the helm. Worst case scenario is we get someone in who wants to 'give Sancho a chance' or extend Martials contract as a couple of examples.

If you look past the issues of EtH, he is doing what no one has done for over a decade, clearly the pretenders from the club.
I say let him have the summer to complete the purge, en masse, and by Xmas, hey even by October, if his team is continuing like they have this year, with the ageing injury riddled squad, even after purging this summer, then I will even be saying, ok it is time to change.

I get your frustrations, trust me.
I can just look past the current season and have a glimmer of hope that it will be better. And yes it can't get any worse.

Not here to fight 👌.

07 May 2024 22:28:10
I have a lot of time for Rene Meulensteen as a coach, very knowledgeable.

These are his comments
"It is really incomprehensible what is happening now. There is simply no progress whatsoever. You know as a new trainer you always have to deal with a selection that you have not put together yourself. I always say a trainer needs 18 months to get it right, to get on track. But now there is none of that optimism left. There is no playing style, club culture or philosophy. If you look at the statistics it doesn't make any sense. Manchester United had a goal difference of minus three. " Then when asked about ETH banning the press he said "That is really not smart. The media of course have the right to ask questions"

My opinion not Rene, managers spend ages telling everyone not to listen to the press so why ban them when their opinion doesn't matter, it tells the players it does matter and they will read and wonder if it's true. Doubt grows.

Scholes and now Rene.

07 May 2024 23:10:24
Apparently Jose wants the job if the press are to be believed …. I mean I can’t see it happening in a million years, but I quite liked him at Utd….

07 May 2024 23:33:19
There are a lot of highly qualified and respected people all saying the same thing.

Regardless of injuries we should be playing better and with more heart. We are not adapting to the situation well and using the injuries as an excuse.

It has been said 1000’s of times. There are managers out there that would get a better tune out of this team. There are teams out there with worse players (on paper) who have shown us a clean pair of heels.

Something is wrong. Do I know who or where? Hell no! But there are people who do and need to get this ridiculous situation under control quickly.

08 May 2024 01:18:54
Stop it, Eric 😁.

08 May 2024 03:43:31
I’d prefer Jose to Ten Haag.

As Ten Haag apologists love to point out, it’s difficult for a manager to succeed without a proper structure in place above them. Despite this, Jose won us a European trophy and finished second in the league (two things that by his own admission, Ten Haag will not be able to achieve next season) . Image what he could do if properly supported.

08 May 2024 05:34:53
might as well read Ashley Youngs take on Jose too. Too defensive minded and the players did not like his tactics and some did not put in all the effort. Mourinho is not a good choice imo.

08 May 2024 07:07:04
This isn’t the first time that Rene Meulensteen has come out with something to say at this stage of the cycle. He’s a hindsight genius trying to stay relevant.

08 May 2024 07:09:53
It was at the home game v Seville, with Jose in charge, that I decided not to come back to OT until he’s gone.

Jose played the worse football I’ve ever seen at Old Trafford. I rank it lower than anything we’ve seen recently, or even under Ole.

08 May 2024 07:12:26
Player power is the problem and has been for quite some time.

They can down tools and stop trying and just sit back, get paid and wait until the manager gets sacked.

08 May 2024 08:49:24
But my question is, why under different managers and different players for the last decade plus, has our club seem to impacted the most by players downing tools, being tactically inept, playing poor football? What is it about our whole culture that’s so wrong?

Would love to hear some opinion on that from posters and Eds alike.

08 May 2024 09:22:22
I’d take Jose back in a heartbeat, didn’t want him to leave last time.

08 May 2024 10:04:52
Moyes is free too.

08 May 2024 11:08:25
Rene, this brilliant coach, what's he at these days? Take no notice.

Worse thing that happened to ETH was how well he did last year.

This club is a cesspit.

08 May 2024 11:19:55
It will be a lot better when eth is gone thankfully angel.
You do know he is going and won't be manager next season so then the hope can return.

08 May 2024 12:21:43
Angel

Are you also going to say Scholes is wrong too?

08 May 2024 13:20:03
I was disappointed that Jose didn’t make more of an effort to adapt his style of play to better fit the attacking ethos of the club, but there will still plenty of entertaining games during his tenure. It’s a similar story with Ole, really. Not a great fit, but still a hell of a lot better than Ten Haag will ever be. And yeah, with a better structure, I dare say that either could get us competing again, even if there are better candidates out there.

08 May 2024 13:41:51
I agree on Jose.
I was disappointed he didn't embrace uniteds traditions more than he did redseven.
But he should also have resigned (I think he did mentally) the day the window shut and they kept pogba and martial and Shaw against his wishes. ( but I can totally understand him waiting for his big pay off)
I think he has been by far our best manager since fergie.
We probably got him just past his best, he has achieved very little since he left here either at spurs and roma.
Not sure he has 1 more top job in him at club level. If I was the FA I'd be looking to make him England Manager.

08 May 2024 14:12:37
Sadly, Ken, I think you may be right. The game has moved on quite a bit since his glory days, but his tactics remain stuck in the past.

Part of me would love to see him get another shot at the big time just to see if he has it in to adapt, and I wouldn’t be against him being given that shot with us (as per my last post, I’d take just about anybody over Ten Haag) . Realistically, though, I expect he’ll probably end up in the Saudi league rather than at another big club.

Would love to see him take the England job. His football may be negative at times, but unlike Southgate, he at least knows how to win trophies.

08 May 2024 14:30:36
Mourinho was a master of the dark arts. I always remember him gouging the eye of an opposition assistant manager whilst at Madrid more than anything. Not the kind of style I'd like at my team. But hey when it works why not lol. Just don't think he's got it in him any more.

08 May 2024 16:19:38
Agree spenno. I think an intl team would benefit greatly from his know how and experience.
But the rigours of everyday with this generation are too much now I think.

08 May 2024 18:14:51
Scholes is almost always correct isn't he redman? What a pundit haha.

08 May 2024 18:16:22
You got insight on that ken yeah? 😂

Lads have fully lost the plot on here. Every post ken 😂.

08 May 2024 19:30:31
Was Jose good? 6th and 2nd in his two full seasons, Ole managed 3rd and 2nd in his two full seasons.

Did Jose embrace the club and our traditions? Did he play offensive/ entertaining football? No.

Did he work to develop our youth players? No.

07 May 2024 20:24:21
Watching Dortmund tonight, Sancho looks so comfortable and confident in that side.
What would be peoples preferance, bring him back or stick with Antony on the right?
I can't see us selling Sancho, Antony and Greenwood in one window so we're going to be using at least one of them next season.

07 May 2024 21:36:51
Greenwood is by far the best, for me.
We’ll drag all three out until the penultimate day of the window and keep just Antony.

07 May 2024 21:38:31
Greenwood to lead the RW.
Sell the rest, prote from within thereafter.

07 May 2024 22:14:44
Have niether at the club

The guy doesn’t deserve to be here he’s had chances

Was sent away to go find himself then thrown a tantrum when all the manager said was “he’s not been picked based on training”

Then decides to post all over socials

Get him gone.

07 May 2024 22:22:13
Dortmund play to his strengths, he’s not a traditional direct pacey one vs one winger. He plays best with runners from midfield offering passing options, with him tucking in slightly.

08 May 2024 07:14:32
18 games, 3 goals, 1 assist, poor trainer, big time Charlie, stinking attitude.

Time to move on.

08 May 2024 08:47:47
Greenwood - we have done this to death with very differing opinions. Just sell him to the highest bidder and move on
Sancho - multiple managers have had issues with him (even at Dortmund previously) . I do not believe he is right for the premier league even though he is obviously a very good player. Sell to the highest bidder or do a deal with Dortmund but let's not get our pants pulled down.
Anthony - 2 seasons in and we have not seen the player that was very good at Ajax. Another that is obviously a good player but not cut out for the premier league. Sell for whatever we can get and have to take a loss.

Biggest fear on all the above is we end up having to loan them out and have an asset that is diminishing in value. I hope the new leadership group make quick decisions and get some deals done.

08 May 2024 08:52:32
Samcho’s days are numbered, and great to see that he is perceived to be having a good loan spell at Dortmund, which will help us maximise his value when we sell him.

Greenwood is a totally different conversation we’ve had multiple times. I’m not qualified to say what he’s like in the dressing room though or what his personality is likely to have an impact on the squad there.

08 May 2024 12:39:36
By all accounts Getafe have been told by Utd (according to club president) that Utd will be trying to sell Greenwood. His loan may well end and he'll still be a Utd player at that point but he won't be stepping foot back at the club again. They may push for another loan, which I hope isn't the case as we need to raise some spending money. Shame, a player wno can play in any forward position and has done so for them. Just what we could do with.

08 May 2024 14:13:58
It's a source of terrible frustration spenno.
He is a better player imo than any of our forwards but it just seems likely that he will be sold.
It's such a shame that things turned out the way they did.
I hope he finds a great move and that he fulfills his potential.
I'd like to see him swith intl allegiance too so he can experience intl football too.
I really do wish him and his young family a great future and hope they gain the strength to get over all their personal history.

07 May 2024 13:53:57
I'm not sure why, but I really want the rumor about Antony facing suspension for calling Ten Haag "Bald Egg Head" in a players only WhatsApp group to be true.

07 May 2024 17:31:52
Ha ha.
It's one of the mad rumours. Funny but can't be true surely.
It's mad stuff to make up though. Very funny.

07 May 2024 18:37:50
Shame. Would have been the most entertaining thing Antony had done since we signed him.

07 May 2024 18:55:23
If true he’s slotted in with his team mates very well.

07 May 2024 21:13:37
Yes let's hope it's true so we can celebrate the toxicity of our players. Just what we're looking for.

07 May 2024 21:15:49
I read that Scholes highlighted Antony holding up three fingers to Mount and felt he was criticising ETH tactics. That’s Scholes not me saying it. It looks to be unraveling badly.