Manchester United banter 9

 

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19 Feb 2024 13:04:00
Watching the past few games, the player that looks like a square peg is Bruno. We have players who aren't going to be part of the club's future due to age, Casamerio, or talent, Maguire. But Bruno's role seems like a massive luxury.

He has a free role in midfield, isn't required to stick to any singular position or job, both offensively or defensively. At our best yesterday, he was anonymous, and he just doesn't seem to have the concentration to do a consistent job in midfield. He wants to be able to drift in and out of games. It's a luxury a top class team just can't afford.

Going forward I would like to see strong holding player (Casamerio of 5 years ago) paired with Kobbie and another complete midfield player. It would be interesting to see Mount alongside Kobbie. I'm not sure if he's the answer, but I suspect he'd do better playing in a midfield without Bruno.

19 Feb 2024 13:36:33
Danny I agree entirely with that.

19 Feb 2024 13:52:52
Fernandes was terrible yesterday as he has been for a while now. He plays too much off the cuff without any thought. Most times he gives the ball away when ball retention and control is the better option.

An example was that ridiculous shot he had at the end of the game which just turned over possession and allowed Luton to go on the attack. Utd just needed to keep possession and see the game out

It's a shame Mount is injured because I'd like to see Fernandes on the bench and ultimately I'd like to see him sold in the summer.

19 Feb 2024 13:59:58
The trouble is (IMO) that we are woefully short of creative players who can play that killer pass or create something out of nothing. Bruno and Eriksen can do it and who knows if the latter will be here next season. These types of player are like rocking horse poo and cost a bomb. I worry we'll be short in this area if Bruno were to leave, great as they are the likes of Casemiro / Mainoo are not the same type of player.

19 Feb 2024 15:02:26
He's been dreadful most of the season.
His passing is awful, most of the time his passes go nowhere or to the opposition. He wastes so many good attacking opportunity's it's frightening.

19 Feb 2024 15:17:02
Bruno will always be one of those players that are either getting big numbers scoring and creating or appear to be not performing and being carried by the rest of the team.
Reality is, his levels are quite often the same and it is his output that offsets/ disguises the actual overall performance levels.
At 29 years I am not sure he will improve (he could get back to previous levels as the team improves) but has the capacity to decline further over the next 12/ 18 months.
If we were to receive a reasonable offer in the summer, or even better a great offer from Saudi then I think we should take it. Bring in younger option, we also have Mount who can play this role as well.

19 Feb 2024 15:28:50
Been saying this about Bruno for ages, and getting pelted for it.

19 Feb 2024 15:48:41
I’d say that was the logic behind Mount. He’s a far better footballer than Bruno so let’s see what he does.

19 Feb 2024 16:18:54
Said for a long time sell Bruno and Rashford.

19 Feb 2024 16:19:44
Bruno was a bit off yesterday, but last few games he was a lot better than people are crediting him for. He does try the miracle ball too much, and needs to play more simply, but he also gets the ball in midfield and plays it simply and quickly out to wide players. Time and time again he moves the ball out to rashford and garnacho in space where we should be expecting more from them. If we were better at creating from wide with overlaps and crosses we would be creating a lot more chances.

I do think we have a huge number from our squad that could leave, I suspect it will take a few more windows to untangle a pretty poor squad. If Bruno is a player who could get a big money move, then he could help to fund some of the rebuild. But don't ignore that he is a player who is always available (mount has just been injured a whole season, cassemiro half, mainoo missed some) and I think with better players around him performing at a higher level we will see his level increase as he can see the effect of playing more simply.

19 Feb 2024 18:07:04
He hasn’t been great recently but I’d say he’s about 20th on the list of players I’d like to see leave this summer, what short memories people have. Before we signed Bruno we passed it around with nobody to play that final pass, everyone was too safe, everyone was on here posting how nobody takes any risks and it’s all too flat. We get the player that creates and takes those risks and everyone wants rid of him because he takes too many risks.

I agree that if he’s going to stay in the team and be a big part his numbers need to improve but ‘let’s just sell Bruno and replace him with Mount’ a player who’s been injured all season and when he has played he’s been terrible, is a pretty ridiculous thing to suggest in my opinion. If we were to sell Bruno we would need to replace him with another top play maker.

19 Feb 2024 18:24:31
Hey folks, regular reader but rare poster so here goes.
Bruno getting grief is, in my own opinion, sad and unwarranted.
The lad has consistently been a top performer in what at times has been a very mediocre side.
There was huge noise for him to be made captain on here and in other places. The reasoning at times was his unquestionable attitude and demand on those around him.
Is perhaps his tail off in performance linked to the fact that we finally have others stepping up to the plate and improving their own standards?
Is he maybe being overshadowed by others who have found some form and are buying into our current purple patch?
The call for someone who has arguably been our best player in the past 10 years to move on strikes me as a touch shortsighted and misguided.
Phased out in a few years perhaps, but sold on considering his stats all round. not for me at all folks.

19 Feb 2024 18:43:10
Bruno is a good player who in the right circumstances is great. He is easily one of our best players and has the records over the past few seasons to prove it.

That said it's quite possible, even likely that he might ultimately have to be sacrificed for this team to fully move on.

He's a very creative player, but is too individualistic to play for a team that truly challenges. He reminds me a little of Coutinho's situation at Liverpool. He was Liverpool's best and most creative player, but was individualistic in nature. Ultimately Klopp had to cut him loose before his team could embrace a greater team focused approach.

That might be the case with Bruno, be that this summer or next summer depending on what offers we receive.

I don't get the hate for him though, he's been a clutch player for us and has helped us in key moments throughout his whole United career. Yes he gives the ball away more than we would like to see. But he is the only one actually trying to make something happen and create a goal.

Over the past few years he has kept pace or even surpassed the number of goalscoring chances created by KDB, while his ball retention rate isn't that far off of KDB's rate either. The difference is KDB has world class players around him to score the chances he creates and to make the runs to get on the end of the balls KDB makes.

I'm not saying he's as good a player, but his output has been similar.

So he should get the respect for that. It's probably just a case that we need someone different for the team we will try and create. If the right offer comes in it might be this summer we wave goodbye, if not then I'd expect him to play for us next season. Although that might be in a slightly different role.

19 Feb 2024 18:49:12
He hasn't consistently been a top performer for a long time. When he was scoring and creating I could overlook the tantrums, the poorly pjaced passes, giving the ball away in dangerous areas, but when he isn't scoring or assisting, he's just a liability. I would be very relaxed to see him go.

As for Rashford, this lack of effort is clear to see, his tracking back was appalling yesterday, I'd happily drive him to Paris myself.

It is clear there are bad eggs in the dressing room, hopefully we've moved the most toxic ones on, but I wonder if there is still work to do. Imagine Rashford behaving as he is in the days of Keane, Scholes, Ferdinand, they would have sorted him.

19 Feb 2024 19:36:17
We need to replace Bruno with Eze. Other players who would suit us would be Joao Gomes, Neto and Mchael Olise.

19 Feb 2024 21:10:42
AJH: I’d give you the petrol money.

19 Feb 2024 21:23:01
I would suggest the amount of good games Bruno has had at united could be counted on 1 hand.
I think he has often come up with good moments and often decisive moments but even when he has done that he has been very average for the rest of that game.
I'm very much of the opinion that ole ruined every player at the club along with the club performance itself. Any player that played under him is ruined. They will never be good at united. He ruined the clubs ambition spoke of and accepted mediocrity. All of those need to be removed as you would a cancer. Getting rid of him was not enough. You need to get rid of all those tainted players that have no idea what representing Manchester United player is all about.
You won't change them so get rid.

19 Feb 2024 22:56:41
In the three full seasons Bruno has played for United, he has created the most chances in the league in two seasons, and created the second most chances in the other season. He also leads the league in chances created this season. We lacked creativity before we signed Bruno, and we still lack creativity now, despite the chances he creates. Simply put we lack creativity from the wide areas and those around him in midfield. His tantrums are frustrating, his ball retention is an issue, and he is a luxury player to some extent, but we can't afford to lose his creativity right now.

If he could shut up and keep it simple a bit more often, then I think he can be a great asset for a few years to come. Given his age, it would potentially make sense to sell him in 2025, but as some have already pointed out, there are about 20 players that should leave before him.

20 Feb 2024 00:41:42
Tumbleweed, you and an old poster called Ken have very similar opinions on Ole, he used to blame him for everything as well and bring him up on posts that had nothing to do with him.

20 Feb 2024 06:19:35
Guggs, you know it's the same person right,

20 Feb 2024 06:44:04
Bruno might have been poor Sunday and frustrate us all but without him we’d of endured an even worse 3/ 4 years than we actually have
By far our most influential player, numbers phenomenal! I’d rather see about 16 others kea e before him, not saying he should be in the 11 at all times and possibly when Mount is fit we may see something different but criticism of Bruno is way over the top!

20 Feb 2024 07:01:57
Wow Ken, that’s a new level of nonsense achieved on this site and I’m shocked you’re the person to deliver it.

The number of good games Bruno has had for Manchester United can be counted on one hand. Wow.

Has your account been hacked by Strangeways, or are you the same person and you forgot to log out?

Shocker that one mate.

20 Feb 2024 07:42:17
It’s interesting that the criticism of Rashford is his work ethic and the same people who criticise him are also criticising Fernandes who’s 2nd in the league for distance covered. They criticise Fernandes’s theatrics and petulance but swoon over Klopp and Guardiola who are the same if not worse just at the side of the pitch. Just goes to show when your winning people give you a free pass and allow their standards to be dropped but when things are going well suddenly their standards and expectations become high. On the pitch I agree his quality has been poorer by his standards recently but I think Fernandes is the least of our concerns on the pitch at the moment.

20 Feb 2024 08:30:25
Bruno and Rashford could be similar to Coutuniho and Suarez in terms of impact.

If they left we’d get £150m and it would create the space for others to step up.

20 Feb 2024 08:32:59
Bruno is also 1st or 2nd for chances created iirc Ports. And tops that list since his PL debut, in the same league as De Bruyne and others.

Bruno is not the problem. He’s been class for us overall, and 1 of only 3 or 4 who would get near City or Liverpool’s side.

20 Feb 2024 08:49:48
It's my honest opinion wazza. I don't think he is a great player never have. He is a moments player. You think otherwise.
Gds2
Again that's my opinion. I think I'll be proven right. We won't win a league until they are all gone. The players are not up to it.

20 Feb 2024 09:40:17
I've said it before, I'll say it again . Bruno fernandes is our best player by a country mile imo.

Going through a bad period of form atm.

20 Feb 2024 09:55:01
He's been going through a bad period for 18 months and only seems to be getting worse.
He is so frustrating to watch. His passing is awful, he constantly gets caught on the ball thinking he has all the time on the world. Most of the good attacking positions we get in to break down when he gets the ball.
I agree, he's not first on the list to get rid of, their a loads of players that need to be kicked out of the door before Bruno.
The first one i would kick out would be Rashford. His attitude stinks the place out. Replace Rashford with Mitoma from Brighton.
Closely followed by that clown Sancho! .

20 Feb 2024 11:11:33
People are funny.
I've not said Bruno is the problem. I don't think anybody is saying that at all. Yes he is our most creative player or at least he used be.
But rust does not necessarily mean that the team would not perform better with somebody else playing there.
If you think otherwise just see how aguero was replaced and the results improved.
Gerrard was replaced the resu k to improved.
Rvn was replaced results improved.
The list goes on and on.
My opinion is we won't win the league with Bruno in the team or compete to do so.
I could be wrong it's just the way I see it.
1 player having great stats in a team and to be honest his stats this season can't be that good. Does not mean he is the best thing for the team as a whole.

20 Feb 2024 12:49:04
I agree with all of that Ken. Ultimately I don't see us competing for or winning the league before the 2026/ 27 season at the earliest.

Bruno will turn 32 in the September of that season. Ultimately I don't think he has the time left in his career at the top to be here and be a regular contributor by the time we are capable of seriously challenging for titles.

Meaning regardless of whether you think he's a great player or not, time just isn't on his side to be that key player for us to win a title again.

As for when he leaves, I think much depends on what offers we get for him and his desire to accept those offers.

He could go this summer and would be replaced. Or he could stay and be part of the team next season. However, I'd expect his role next season to be reduced or altered to what he's had this season. Maybe playing less, maybe playing is a different position, or both. I've said in a possession based side he's probably better starting in the RW position. Somewhere where his tendency to give the ball away is less detrimental, while still giving him that creative license. Also until recently when Garnacho has made the right his position we didn't have someone who had nailed down that spot.

The other role I thought he could play is at the top of a midfield diamond with Højlund playing RCF and Garnacho playing LCF. That would give us three midfielders behind him to give us more defensive solidity, while Højlund and Garnacho starting slightly wider and running in on to their stronger foot with Bruno playing those passes in behind could work well.

Yet both ultimately seem more like either crowbarring Bruno into the team or adjusting the set up to get the most out of him/ mitigate his deficiencies. Neither are really a good long term solution. Ultimately he probably needs to leave and we need to move on, adapt and grow into a better overall team.

I have nothing against Bruno, I've enjoyed watching him for the most part and I'm thankful for his contribution to the club over the past few years. But it does seem like the curtains are slowly drawing down on his United career.

It might be best for all concerned if a big offer comes in this summer and he leaves with his head held high out the front door. We thank him for his contribution and he leaves to continue his career with a new challenge. Rather than he stay another year or two, gets shifted about and eased out of the team only for him to slip away out the backdoor in a year or twos time.

It'd also give the manager (be that EtH or someone else) the opportunity to pick a fresh captain, their own man, someone to lead this new team that is being built (fingers crossed it's Martinez) .

20 Feb 2024 13:51:57
Wazza write me a list of all the 'great' players that have never won anything of note such as a league or cl.
You would have a pretty short list of top players that have won sweet fanny Adams.
Bruno is not a great player he is imo well short of top class. He has good stats in a poor team and those stats have been in decline really badly over the past 12 months.
Deano I don't think he is our best player. It's sort of like saying onana is our best goal keeper. He might be but that doesn't make him a great goal keeper.

20 Feb 2024 14:22:10
On Bruno, looks to me like he gives the ball away far too much, too easily, but importantly is also caught out of position a lot. Then he runs back and gives fouls away in dangerous places. He isn’t a captain. My feeling is the team will have better balance and tactical structure without Bruno.

20 Feb 2024 16:07:51
I agree with Redman and Tumbleweed. Unfortunately he plays every game and there hasn't been an alternative to him where we can see the difference in the team from a more measured player who looks after the ball better.

20 Feb 2024 18:32:22
I’ve just read criticism of Bruno, been poor for 18 months? Then I read replace rashford with Mitoma, so we’re happy to criticise Bruno but in same breath we should sign mitoma who has gone missing this last 6 months!
Come on guys.

21 Feb 2024 01:29:19
Chris.
I'm not sure who suggested that. I think rashford will be with us next season unless he decides he wants to move.
Bruno will have his moments and you have to hope they lead to winning games.
I want what's best for the team I'm of the opinion we could be a better team without Bruno its not that controversial at the moment we don't have a replacement fit so he like rashford have to play imo.
I am not a Bruno fan despite the stats and many special moments along with the obvious work rate he never won me over as a player I admire. I always ask myself would I want him on my team if I was a player and I wouldn't because I wouldn't trust him. I was the same with nani, Rafael all good players but not for me.

Brentford v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

19 Feb 2024 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Brentford v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

19 Feb 2024 00:37:50
So Dan Ashworth has told Newcastle he want's to leave and has been placed on gardening leave.

Always felt sorry for those put on gardening leave who live in a flat!

{Ed001's Note - be worse in a hotel as you wouldn't even have pot plants to water.}

19 Feb 2024 00:49:36
That's right Ed, no doubt they would have to manage with just the pot!

{Ed001's Note - why, is the hotel in Amsterdam?}

19 Feb 2024 09:54:26
That's why Jose lived in hotels. Saves money on the pot plants.

19 Feb 2024 11:05:16
Be cool if his name was Doug.

19 Feb 2024 12:15:04
How can he he placed on garden leave if no deal is agreed nor contract signed?

19 Feb 2024 12:39:44
I’ve had two lots of 6 month Garden Leave.

1st was mint as it lined up perfectly with Fallout 4 release.

2nd was last summer and boring so volunteered at Social Value business and picked the kids up every day.

19 Feb 2024 13:18:36
Eric, you don't have to of signed any new deal to be suspended from work.
There is probably a clause in his contract with Newcastle that would cover this kind of situation in any event.

19 Feb 2024 15:21:13
Utd Road lol. 6 months of Fallout 4 sounds a dream.

19 Feb 2024 18:54:44
If this one comes off it genuinely feels like it could be Utds biggest 'signing' of the last decade, even more than any of the managers we've had. The effect of Ashworth's involvement at Brighton and then Newcastle has been nothing short of revolutionary. Admittedly the Toon cash alongside his knowledge helped, but it's probably what he was able to do at Brighton without those millions that is even more impressive. Hope Utd stump up to get him in quickly so he can begin planning for summer.

19 Feb 2024 00:00:52
We are playing well at times, and at others holding on a bit.

But we are gaining momentum, and if we can keep getting over the line then we can catch those above us.

Mainoo, Garnacho and Højlund are the three who are really dragging us over the line and making the difference.

Two things seem to have made the biggest difference this season. Mainoo starting games has given us a player who can take the ball from the defence and progress it to the forwards. The other is Garnacho making the right hand side his own. He has taken the place and always adds something to the performances. Even when he doesn't directly score or assist, his hard work and potential threat does enough to create more space for others. Højlund seemingly being the biggest beneficiary of having more time ans space on the ball, along with a player who'll go on the outside and then look to create a chance rather than shoot.

It would be so typically Manchester United to have spent over 1.5bn on building a squad and yet have two academy lads be the spark to save our season.

19 Feb 2024 05:52:56
I thing Garnacho has been very poor the last two games. terrible decision making and poor finishing. we are getting attacked down the right side every game by opposing teams and Dalot doing a lot of work and looked shattered yesterday. if you watch garnacho defensively he is always too far off the ride side threat he never closes down a player and there are far too many crosses coming in front the right side.

19 Feb 2024 06:52:42
Garnacho isn’t always too far off. Most games he’s put a real shift in and has quite noticeably sprinted back and got himself into the correct position. A couple of weeks back he was almost crawling off the pitch due to the shift he’d put in.

In the last two fixtures he’s looked dead on his feet and it’s clear the boy needs a bit of a rest. He’s started every game for some time now. It’s a shame we don’t have another RW close enough to his level to allow him that rest. Personally I wouldn’t be too sad to see him rested against Fulham so he’s in better shape for the Derby.

19 Feb 2024 06:59:14
Ahmad, Garnacho is 19 years old playing in his second season of professional football. He has also only made 7 appearances for the club on the right. We have won 6 and drawn 1 (the 2-2 against Spurs) .

Does he make mistakes from time to time? Yeah sure of course he does. He's a kid learning his trade, they all do. He'll learn to improve his defensive covering, and his end product will also improve.

With Garnacho on the right we've scored 18 goals in 7 games. Averaging 2.5 goals a game. 1.1 goals higher than our season average of 1.4 goals per game. Highlighting how much more of an attacking threat we are with Garnacho on the right hand side.

Defensively we have conceded 9 goals in those 7 games, which equates to 1.2 goals a game, down slightly on the 1.4 goals conceded per game season average. So statistically we concede less with Garnacho on the right.

Of those 9 goals conceded 6 have come from set-pieces (one of which was that b******t penalty Vs Wolves) . While 2 have come from attacks down our right hand side where you could put some of the blame on Garnacho.

So he's been partially to blame for 2 of the 9 goals conceded in the 7 games he's played on the right hand side, while we are undefeated in those games (6 wins, 1 draw), and have scored 18 goals, an increase of 1.1 goal per game on average above our season per game average.

So while he makes a few mistakes individually, I'm inclined to forgive him those due to the massive improvement in the team with him playing on the right and the fact that he is a young kid who will make mistakes as he learns.

For me personally a massive part of what makes Manchester United special and different to other big clubs is our commitment to giving youth a chance, to developing young players and making stars not buying them.

You can't do that without those young players making mistakes.

Giggs made similar mistakes as a teenager, as did Ronaldo. Garnacho will continue to make them as he grows, learns and develops.

What is totally evident though is that the team is far better with Garnacho making occasional mistakes on the right than we are with any other player in our squad playing on the right.

Maybe Antony would track back more diligently, or be closer to his full back denying the opposition space. But he would be absolutely not threat in attack, and the team would be significantly worse by his presence.

Garnacho doesn't need to be the guy who scores or assists in every game to make an impact (although 4 goals and an assist in 7 games is pretty good) . His mere presence and attacking threat means the opposition have to mark him more closely creating space for others to score.

Garnacho has proven beyond a doubt that he is the best player we have to play on the right hand side. He will learn and develop, improve and become better with experience. He'll only get that by playing, and he's playing on merit right now, and the team are all the better for it.

19 Feb 2024 07:16:10
Definitely promising signs, front 3 look very lively but midfield is still a major issue, mainoo apart, we are too easy to play against and leave so many open spaces.

Also the reason academy players look so good is they are still taught the technical fundamentals of the game there, which is something we have not prioritised when it comes to external recruitment.

Look at Jonny Evans, Martinez apart probably our most comfortable centre back on the ball.

19 Feb 2024 08:20:24
Shappy

I am not going t0 get into stats or age mate. He has had poor games. He is looking to run forward all the time which is good but sometimes when you are under pressure you need to calm that desire and stay in position and not leave Dalot stranded on his own dealing with two guys.

People will forgive you if you are banging them in but offensively he is not and also not picking the right pass when we look like we should be creating a very good scoring opportunity.

There must have been 10 occasions yesterday where a second goal would spell trouble for us where I thought too easy for Luton on the right side and he is not close enough to the Luton players on the ball to put any pressure on them. Dalot was stuck having to defend the guy on the ball and the another luton player who was wide who could run behind him.

19 Feb 2024 08:38:07
Ahmad, you make me laugh. You criticise Garnacho, mostly for his alleged defensive inability, (which I dispute btw), whilst championing Rashford as a world class player. Funny old game.

19 Feb 2024 09:15:56
I actually thought Garnacho worked hard yesterday to support Dalot. As the game opened up I suspect he was asked to stay a bit higher as an outlet to hit on the counter which he did on a number of occasions. My only criticism of him yesterday was that I thought he was a little wasteful on the ball and made the wrong decision but this will improve with age and experience.

19 Feb 2024 09:56:40
One of the areas Garnacho has improved the most is his defensive side of the game.

19 Feb 2024 10:20:26
I seen absolutely nothing promising about Rashfords contribution yesterday.
I thought he was the laziest player on the pitch AGAIN!
Wondering about when we didn't have the ball in sulk mode.
If PSG come in with a big offer for him ii would sell him in a heart beat and use the money to but Mitoma and keep Garnacho on the right.
Hoijland, Garnacho and Mainoo were brilliant again, never stopped running for the team.
Casemiro was shocking. looked like he was running in treacle, looked overweight.

19 Feb 2024 10:31:14
Fizz

I don't have an agenda against any united player like you do with rash. I just say it as it is. if you think Garnacho was good yesterday we are watching a different game.

I watched rash second half and he was playing much deeper to help lindelof on the left side, If people are blind to see it then they just don't get it.

Garnacho and Bruno are culprits of giving the ball away far too many times, poor decision making, poor passing in bad areas of the pitch and causing issues for us. I would rate both of them a 3 on yesterdays performance. Cas was poor too imo and glad he got yanked.

You think its a coincidence they had 17 of 22 crosses from the right hand side or maybe something to it. Could not be because lindelof is a better fullback than Dalot.

Both need to get a lot better when we come up against the better teams or we will get punished.

Funny how Hoiland says Rashford and Bruno best players he has played with so cole, yorkie, rooney and a host of other players who all consistently have this opinion of him must be all blind.

United has a fanbase who live on looking for things to get on players backs.

19 Feb 2024 11:49:57
I said a few weeks ago that it would be interesting to see Garnachos running stats. Looks to me like he is giving everything to the cause, is one of our dangerous players who causes real problems to the opposition. You said we have a fan base who live to get on players backs yet give overly negative criticism to Garnacho, a young exciting talented player giving his all on the pitch.

I said a long time ago annd Shappy echoed it, Giggs was like this and Ronaldo. There is a big development step ahead for Garnacho, if he takes it we may have a world beater like Ronaldo or perhaps just less like Giggs. I can bet he will learn, that step is the one you look to great players to make.

I am right behind Garnacho, Mainoo and Hojland their flaws as they learn.

19 Feb 2024 12:42:22
Or Ahmad… is it because Doughty is Luton’s best crosser of the ball and that is the tactic they’ve deployed recently?

Honestly your agenda against Garnacho but constant defence of Rashford is making you seem a little clueless. I understand your mate Dwight Yorke gets in your ear but he also has an agenda which is clear when you listen to him speak.

Garnacho (and Hojlund and Mainoo) have arguably been our biggest positives this season.

In fact I’d say Garnacho is our most improved player this season. If you recall at the start of last season he had some disciplinary issues. He was reprimanded. He’s pulled his socks up and now has the full trust of the manager. That’s how it’s done. None of this sulking around like The Belfast Bebe, or woke little cabbage brain Sancho who I guess you’ll also defend as he’s Rashford’s mate.

19 Feb 2024 13:45:45
Good post wazza.
Garnacho will learn and his final ball will improve. The comparison above with giggs and ronaldo is far from accurate both are miles ahead of where garnacho is at the same age in terms of their development.
He is trying very hard has a great attitude and if he can improve his final ball he could turn into a very good player.
To say he has been worse than rashford is maybe your opinion. It's an opinion born out of bias and is an opinion of 1. Ellen Ebenezer else sees something different to you ahmad I think it's obvious that rashford is not playing or trying or contributing anywhere near as much as garnacho over the past few games and all season imo.
You have taken a position you are not for changing but imo you look ridiculous standing all alone on your soap box.

19 Feb 2024 13:58:14
Agreed sim01975. Have you seen that clip doing the rounds where he let's Barkley dribble past him in the last few minutes?

19 Feb 2024 14:03:32
Wazza

No agenda but you can't give a free pass to one and look for anything to criticize another one. There are no free lunches on the football pitch.

Is Hoiland is not my mate and never met him but him saying the same thing, he plays and trains with these guys everyday.

19 Feb 2024 15:35:32
Ahmad give it a rest please. Your reply to me above puts words in my mouth. RTFP!

19 Feb 2024 16:01:04
MancMan - i actually noticed that live during the game and got out of my chair screaming at the tv.
His attitude is just dreadful, it must drive Ten Hag mad watching that week in week out.
Such a bad attitude.

19 Feb 2024 17:11:51
Fizz

I get the love fest for one player and the dislike for another. I like being an outlier, most of you had all thrown in the towel 4/ 5 weeks ago and season is over. sack the manager and sell 3/ 4 of the team. Fickle bunch and one bad result i expect to be back to the same convo. yawn.

19 Feb 2024 19:08:47
Ahmad, sorry fella. Big Rashford supporter over the years, but if you seriously watch these games, and try to make out that Garnacho is more of a problem than Rashford just now, then I despair.

19 Feb 2024 19:36:39
Says it all really.

Sky article rashford gives barkley free rein

20 Feb 2024 09:06:50
When you see that 'press', and he behaves like that a lot, you wonder how he gets as many minutes as he does. That right there in a nutshell is Rashford showing utter disrespect to the badge, the club, the supporters and football in general. Disgusting. And still you defend him Ahmad?!

18 Feb 2024 22:12:05
I was young when this used to happen, but I remember we used to send young players on loan to a belgian club Royal Antwerp for development.

What ever happened to that?

18 Feb 2024 22:47:52
Yeah I remember that too backpass. I think we sent Ronnie Wallwork there. Had high hopes for him but didn’t he attack a ref or something? Might have something to do with it ?.

18 Feb 2024 23:05:05
Did Evans do a stint there?

{Ed002's Note - More than 25 players went there.}

19 Feb 2024 19:26:24
A lad I played with in a team from under 10’s up was sent to Antwerp by United. Not sure why it stopped happening though.

18 Feb 2024 20:50:36
I like Luke shaw but we really need to invest in a top quality lb. rb too if i'm honest. Its not that i think he lacks the quality but as someone once said the best ability is availability and we can't rely on shaw for a consistent period of time. Maybe he shouldn't have played today as he was a late fitness check but he's just too injury prone for me.

18 Feb 2024 23:16:59
LB is an bit of a quandary. Shaw is great when fit. He managed 47 games last season, but tends to average 34 games a season. Which is a concern.

Malacia seemed like a perfectly capable stand in, with potential to be a good player. This seasons been ruined by injuries for him and it'll be telling to see how he does when he comes back.

We have the young lad Amass in the academy who is very highly thought of, but it probably 2-3 seasons away from really breaking through.

We also have Williams and Alvaro Fernandez on the books still.

I'd be tempted to keep Fernandez if possible next season rather than spend money on what will ultimately be a back up or even back up to the back up if Malacia comes back fully fit and firing.

Rather than spend on a LB I'd see if we can make do until Amass is either ready to start challenging or proves not good enough and we sign a replacement.

18 Feb 2024 19:24:11
Some close calls today and we withstood a good amount of pressure. Varane had a great game as did mainoo and rasmus.
Onana not so pretty
Shaw was obviously not fit dalot was OK.
Maguire and lindelof equally poor.
Mainoo is amazing for his age.
Casimero a yard or 2 off the pace. Lucky not to get sent.

Bruno his usual ill huff and puff and give the ball away. Wasteful in the extreme.
Rashford did nothing of note, a couple of decent runs and poor finishes Jumped out of a few tackles. Imo he tracked back quite well. Not involved really.
Garnacho was all action always looking to be involved. Final ball was horrendous and sloppy. Always trying and nearly always failing today. But unlike rashford he was always looking to make something happen. Today he failed but he won't if he keeps leaving. 19 he is.

Rasmus. Really good. Could and should have hot a hat trick but in the main he was good with back to goal and with inter play around the box.
Mctom had 15 mins too long imo
Evans really good.
Amrabat no impact.
Missed too many good chances but unlike earlier in season we didn't fold.
Good 3 points imo.

18 Feb 2024 19:48:56
I dislike rashford more and more. He bottled a header on the edge of his own area today, turning his back into the Luton player.
We still have a very weak core group of players in this squad.
Bruno in injury time when we’re seeing out the clock took a shot from a silly angle. Sums him up.

Mainoo, Garnacho and Højlund are definitely the positives from this season.

18 Feb 2024 20:05:05
What did Lindelof do wrong Ken? I’m not saying he’s the answer to anything, but he was steadily unspectacular.

18 Feb 2024 21:31:06
Wazza he came on at lb and crosses reigned in. He did not make 1 overlap run that I can remember. Like maguire today he was offering nothing positive imo. If your not dominating defensively or offering offensively as a fb then that's below average. Just my own yardstick.
I read malacia will be OK in a week or so. He will give more balance than an out of position lindelof.
I thought Evans did well today it turned out us as a low block so it suits him defending high balls etc.
Dalot tried to get forward and should have scored.
Delighted with the 3 points we made hard work if a game we should have won by 3 or 4.

18 Feb 2024 21:46:40
So many players need upgrading in next few transfer windows - and I think that should include Onana.

Obviously he’s had to adapt to a weak and unsettled defence week upon week but his displays never seem assured or inspiring security between the posts.

Look at what Peo did with his keepers when he first arrived - several times…

And Liverpool only became serious contenders after signing Allison.

However, FFP will make United focus on the more pressing changes needed this Summer (2 x centre back, 2 x midfielder, forward and right wing) but wouldn’t surprise me if Onana only stayed another year.

18 Feb 2024 22:04:53
Bit harsh on Lindelof who's actually covering a position he is very unfamiliar of. hasn't got any pace to play fullback.

Varane was solid. I read a stat and he is a better header of the ball than Van Dijk who's considered the benchmark.
From all our defenders it obvious he's best overall. Martinez is second and Evans is third.

Jonny Evans was very solid. If there's a squad space, another year would be great as he can help the newer guys settle in and can come in any game and give a solid 7/ 10 performance.

Rashford is disrespectful. there's a video going round with Barkley just jogging around Rashford and him just sitting. On the other hand guys like Hojlund, Bruno and Garnacho are working their ___ off. I don't think we would miss him that much, Amad or Antony or Pellistri will not a massive drop, and will probably cross more than he does.

Bruno, is having his worst season. He has forgotten how to shoot.

Mainoo, the moment he moved to DM we suddenly looked better moving the ball forward. Casemiro can possibly be a more freer midfielder and Mainoo can play deeper.

Hojlund is a star, and I hope the wingers start crossing soon.

Onana. No keeper should be undroppable.

Dalot is not the best player in our squad. But the lad plays with heart, and is always available. Keeps improving slowly.

I 100% agree on what TW said, as long as the players managed by Ole stay, we won't be title contenders. You could have 2-3 exceptions but majority need to go.

18 Feb 2024 22:10:02
I thought Rashford was pretty good today, created two good chances for himself running past players, which he typically stops doing when he's low on confidence and created two very good chances for Garnacho. He was also tracking back pretty consistently for the full 90 despite the whole game being played at an incredible pace. It was far from a complete performance but he put a real shift in and he created chances. If that shot he took with left foot in the second half had nestled in the corner, there would be plenty on here saying he had a great game.

I thought Garnacho was pretty good too, just missing that end product. He is clearly not the finished product, but he's got years to reach that stage, and he is already looking much more threatening overall compared with a few months ago.

Mainoo and Hojlund were fantastic though. Hojlund looks faster and stronger with every passing week. Aside from Haaland, I don't think there are many, if any centre forwards in world football that can hold off centre backs as easily as he can, and also beat them for pace as easily as he can. Combine that with his stature, and how his finishing has improved, we might have a really centre forward on our books. Mainoo just makes the game look so easy, such a gifted player.

Varane also had a great game, still our best out and out defender, and I think Onana was solid today, there wasn't much more he could do about the goal other than close down the Luton player as the ball dropped.

We struggled hugely in midfield until the hour mark because they pressed Bruno and Casemiro so effectively and Casemiro really struggled to keep up with the pace. Casemiro was lucky not to get a red card, yet at the same time unlucky to get a yellow card in the first place. That's three challenges in about four games that he has pulled away from and still been penalised.

Luton were always going to be tough, especially at home, since it is a very small pitch, which makes it much easier for them to press so high and get so many players around the ball as soon as they lose it. They started to tire around the hour mark, they struggled to keep up that intensity, and we had more control and created far more chances. We were still pretty shaky at the back, but that can be expected with Evans at centre back and Lindelof at left back, though I think they just about managed alright, Evans especially was pretty solid.

Overall, we started fast, then we were second best until about the hour mark, after which we created far more chances and we should've put the game to bed. Credit to Luton, they were terrific, they had a plan, and they stuck to it, which was all the more impressive given how quickly they were 2-0 down.

18 Feb 2024 22:45:02
Evans was fantastic, and in with a shout for MOM for me, which is saying something given he came on at half time.

We just need wins right now. And it is a good win. People will look at the table and say we should be stuffing them. Tell that to Liverpool, newcastle, arsenal, brighton, chelsea who all struggled against them. This epl is a tough league now, and luton are much better than shef utd and burnley. I would go as far to say mid table goes down to 18th these days.

Truth is we should have scored 5 or 6, but final ball and finishing meant the game was tight. We are still not looking to create for others in the final 3rd. Without martinez, shaw and cassemiro we struggle in possession.

4 wins in a row and we are catching those above us. At times it is scrappy, but we are doing it and the club is moving forwards after a very poor injury ravaged first half of the season. Long may it continue.

19 Feb 2024 00:02:47
Onana isn’t my type either but I thought he was fine today, the goal was unlucky as it bounced straight to the striker, other than that he was good with his feet which he has actually been really good at all season. His shot stopping seems to be his negative at times but much better the last couple of games.

19 Feb 2024 06:49:32
Onana fine today and the pass to Dalot where he should have scored is an example of what he can offer when someone makes the run and he sees it!

19 Feb 2024 07:26:43
Ken Lindelof wasn’t making overlapping runs because we barely had possession. Yesterday was very much an Ole performance, sitting in and trying to catch them on the break.

We won so I won’t be too upset about the performance but we are crying out for a midfielder who can put his foot on the ball and retain possession. We can’t seem to string three passes together to allow the team to settle higher up the pitch, and that is why you didn’t see Lindelof - a natural CB - making any overlapping runs.

A special mention to Ross Barkley who was fantastic yesterday. We did let him play which was frustrating, but he was doing exactly what we needed someone to do: orchestrate.

19 Feb 2024 08:12:04
You only have to look at 2 white Utd jerseys towards the end of the match, Hojland's was covered in muck and sweat while Rashford's was like an advert for washing powder.

19 Feb 2024 09:53:20
No idea why Onana's getting stick. I thought he was very good yesterday: distributed well and claimed a few crosses to stem the tide.

19 Feb 2024 10:02:27
Wazza dalot was making runs. I know he is out of position.
You think he played lb well iv don't I think he played it very poorly.
The caveat is he is not a lb so that is the reason but he came on and did very little of what a lb should do imo. He defended crosses badly. He defended them well from the other side as that's playing to his strengths. As a lb yesterday imo he did poorly on the defensive side and worse on the attacking. While he was on we missed a hateful of chances so to say we didn't have the ball is not right we actually enjoyed more possession in the 2nd half than the 1st. Luton enjoyed 58% possession Ystradgynlais over 90 mins but had 60% in the 1st half so obviously less in the 2nd.

18 Feb 2024 19:17:36
At the risk of my young lad calling me a fanboy again, Kobe Mainoo. ❤️.

18 Feb 2024 19:47:23
Noucamp, the lad is outrageous and I can’t think of a player he reminds me of. He genuinely has everything.

18 Feb 2024 20:17:00
I think we all are Stevie, the boy might well have a future in the game!

18 Feb 2024 20:20:54
Looked so good today. So composed, enough trickery and cleverness to get out of situation.
Yellow card was very harsh too.

18 Feb 2024 21:21:40
So much love for the lad. And just recently I found out we played for the same team. That’s no brag because it was over 25 years ago for me, and it wasn’t a team of any stature either. In fact I was quite surprised when I read it because Cheadle and Gatley wasn’t exactly a breeding ground for top flight talent.

Imagine how good he would be with a better team around him. I watched him this afternoon thinking he could play for Pep. The number of touches he’s capable of taking in tight areas, the quick feet, the composure. He’s class. Having 1 game per week for the rest of the season will do him good too, because we don’t have the quandary of having to manage his minutes.

Lots to be excited about with young Kobbie Mainoo.

18 Feb 2024 21:35:12
I've said clarance seedorf ports. From day one. If he turns out half as good i'd be delighted. Seedorf is one of my all time favourite players.

18 Feb 2024 21:46:47
Not a bad shout Ken. A couple of times he dribbled in tight areas and it reminded me of Zidane the way he got out of it. But obvs different player to him. Really unlucky to not just get a booking but to concede the free kick for his tackle.

18 Feb 2024 23:54:51
Ken, I've been thinking the same thing. Especially when Seedorf made his breakthrough at Ajax. Very similar player, all round skill set, comfortable on the ball and just makes good decisions.

19 Feb 2024 09:01:11
Mainoo, Garnacho and Hoilland are the future of the club. The new regime will need to get its act together quickly and get a proper team around these guys or we will lose them. That would be tragic!

18 Feb 2024 15:55:35
Watched Sevilla vs Valencia today. Hanibal was brought on as a sub in the 90 minute.

Clear they want nothing to do with him. Its disaster of a loan imo and who was involved in this idea and granted he is a bit of a headless chicken.

18 Feb 2024 16:07:03
There were reports saying Hannibal wanted to go to Sevilla while MU tried to place him at Everton. In the end the player’s wish prevailed (assuming these reports are true)

18 Feb 2024 16:16:03
Well if it's true speaks volumes.

18 Feb 2024 19:14:58
Is it a surprise that Sevilla aren’t playing him? He isn’t good enough. Just because he’s employed by Manchester United, doesn’t mean he should walk straight into another team.

18 Feb 2024 19:53:39
Another one who believes he’s far better than he actually is.

18 Feb 2024 21:50:42
Spot on Blackpool Red: smoke blown up his breeches from an early age and continually billed as the next big thing.

If he had been good enough - and possessing the right mentality - he would have started for us before going out on loan.

Let’s just hope we can get a decent fee for him in the Summer.

18 Feb 2024 22:07:30
Hannibal took the wrong move.
Everton would have been a better move.

Dyche teams are very hard working and tough to beat.
He would have james garner who he might have played with before.
And he plays in the premier league.

Sevilla was a poor choice and maybe instead of rotting on their bench, he'd be better off canceling that loan and playing wherever loan market is still open.

16 Feb 2024 23:13:13
I was asked today by a friend of mine what do I think of eth and would I like him to be given another year under new management?
As I was giving my answer I only realised how conflicted I am.
Imo there has been a lot to like but nearly as much to dislike.
To be honest from the outside he is not to most endearing character and by all accounts that's also the way he is at closer quarters.
Again imo there have been a lot of mitigating reasons for our form and play this season.
But there are some things that look so obvious that it irks me that he appear to be so rigid.
All in all I think he has to deliver cl football next season in order to be even considered to remain.
It's the bare minimum for this season and although falls well below expectation and it certainly would not be a yardstick for next season it would represent a very good 2nd half to this season.
Even if he does secure it I see no guarantees for him as I do see the new management having a different approach and vision and I'm not sure that will align with eth.
If he does get the opportunity and shows he can be more flexible on certain things and less rigid then I think it could be the start of him becoming a much better man manager and manipulator of the media.

16 Feb 2024 23:32:17
Tumbleweed, when you look at what SJR is doing with Berrada, potentially Ashworth, maybe Wilcox plus or alternatively others, it just shows how useless the club have been without these positions in place since SAF and Gill left. So it’s no surprise why every manager has failed since and actually maybe how well some did. I think ETH deserves a shot under a proper regime, needs to be backed and I think he’ll be successful. No manager in world football has had to deal with what ETH has had to because of the state of the club. I’m getting a buzz back and I want ETH to head it up.

17 Feb 2024 00:03:06
Totally agree Ports.

17 Feb 2024 05:38:10
Injuries alone this year mean he deserves supporting longer. When you consider that the club has been up for sale - a d everyonenin the whole club, top to bottom, is considering whether they have a future.

Sancho the spoiled brat did his best to ruin the season.

Seems he was expecting Greenwood back, before a U turn with no replacement striker.

Anthony had his offield issues.

Club financial issues have left us in a position where half the players he has recruited have been free or loans. Crazy situation to be in.

Assuming he wants it, let's build out the structure above him and see how far he can take this team. Meanwhile, continue to clean out and refresh. I honestly believe he is a manager who will thrive bringing though our younger talent. I don't see another manager out there that I want to bring in. Let's get him some players to fill out the squad in his style and see what he can do - I suspect he will do very well. A d if not, at least we will have cleared out the players and reset.

17 Feb 2024 07:46:40
Said many times on here that ETH needs to use the resources he has, far better. The Antony situation goes against him. There is no discernible pattern and recent wins against decent opposition but not City, Liverpool or Arsenal have somewhat hidden the issues. Rigid is a word I would agree with, disciplinarian is another but as a senior leader you have to know how to use multiple facets to get players on board.

Must do better and no Champions League football would almost certainly see him gone, he may be gone anyway. Let’s see where we end up and if there are signs of that elusive pattern without buying all of Ajax former team mates.

17 Feb 2024 08:13:31
Ken you love conflict. ? I thought you were describing yourself rather than ETH ???.

17 Feb 2024 09:00:48
I was originally firmly in the give him a go bracket. I admit to now being a little towards the get rid side of the see saw.

The victories have helped but there is still very little pattern to the play and we have ridden our luck a fair bit. But that's football.

A few games coming up in run in will show how much he has improved the approach and possibly then we can make a fairer call from our misguided perspective.

17 Feb 2024 10:22:18
I don't enjoy conflict fizz I just tolerance for empty vessels that make noise and snowflakes.

17 Feb 2024 10:29:32
Keefy, I actually disagree when I keep seeing we have no pattern and ETH hasn’t got a style of play. I think he does and we see glimpses of this but unfortunately he is having to play due to injuries players in important positions for the system who quite frankly, aren’t good enough to play it. Maguire for example, done tremendously well to come back and with the game in front of him and with time on the ball is a half decent CB. But playing out from the back receiving it in tight spaces or under pressure of playing balls through lines to the midfielders/ strikers feet, he’s just not good enough and that’s the difference Martinez makes. This is just one example and not just digging Maguire out.

The only real criticism of ETH is Antony but the club are responsible for the fee not ETH. He stuck with him for long periods but he's sticking with Garnacho now and not just blindly sticking with Antony so he’s not afraid to drop “favourites” as some fans would want you to think.

17 Feb 2024 12:05:11
Ports I agree with a lot of that.
The issue I have is looking from the outside (which is not always accurate) he did not assist to have that unified close relationship with the squad.
Look how fergie klopp pep Jose had their squads after short periods and held it for long periods.
After 2 years I don't see entering on same page pulling together and imo there should be a lot more evidence of that at this point.
Do players trust him? Do they believe in him?
I'm not sure and if that doesn't come then he won't survive.

17 Feb 2024 13:25:22
For me there are two sides to managing the club. The first side is can you instil discipline, keep a level head and steer the club through various challenges often the field.

In this respect I think EtH has done a wonderful job and been far better at this than any other manager since SAF.

I honestly cannot fault him. The issues he has had to deal with during his 18 months at the club are frankly ridiculous. From the continued speculation and uncertainty over the club sale, to the Ronaldo fallout, Sancho being a child, Greenwood and Antony situations, a concerted effort from the media to get him sacked, player ill-discipline, and the worst injury crisis our club has faced since the conception of the EPL.

Every single one of these things on their own would have been enough to derail all of our previous managers since SAF.

However, I accept that this is only one side of managing our club. The other is everything on the pitch. Can you get the team playing well, can you get results, and can you continue our legacy of promoting and developing top class youth players from our academy.

On this side EtH has been a bit more of a mixed bag. He has done a wonderful job with Garnacho and Mainoo, helping one steer through ill-discipline when he started to breakthrough, and managing the other well through injury. In less than two full seasons he seems to have brought through two young players who look like they can and will develop into long term top class fixtures in our first team. In that respect he has already done more than all other post SAF managers.

He also won our first trophy in 6 years last season, so has shown he can be successful.

The one what seems inconsistent is style of play and level of performances. There have been concerns over the inconsistency of the style of play, as well as some of his decisions both in terms of player selection and choice and timing of substitutions.

I say inconsistency because he has both excelled and underperformed in both aspects during his time at the club. We have seen fantastic substitutions that have won us games, and other times where he seems reluctant to make a change and we have gone on to lose. We have seen both great performances and dire ones.

The question we should be asking is what is behind those inconsistencies. Is it a fault in his management style or ability, or are they caused by other mitigating factors and if so to what extent?

For me personally I feel he is deserving of the benefit of the doubt over the inconsistencies due to the frankly horrible squad he has had to work with.

It isn't possible to play a consistent style of play when you have at best 8 or 9 players capable of playing in a specific way. Then when you are missing half of those 8 or 9 players due to injuries or suspensions then suddenly playing that way becomes practically impossible. Or at least playing that way to the standard required to perform well and win in the EPL becomes impossible.

Maguire cannot play a possession based high defensive line in the EPL, he might be able to play that way in League One, because that is the standard to which he can play that way.

How often have we seen a team like Burnley for example. Last year they were dubbed a mini-Man City in the championship for the way they played. Keeping the ball, moving it and outplaying everyone in the league. Yet this year they haven't been able to play anywhere near like that despite having mostly the same players who did so last year. This is simply because the quality of the opposition are so much better than last year.

Yes, of course you can coach any half decent player to play a specific style, yet their individual talent will still determine to what level they can play that style effectively.

Managers cannot turn poor players into great players with coaching. In the same way that a great teacher cannot turn someone with a low IQ into a genius.

A great manager can get a group of players playing greater than the sum of their parts, but to do so requires having the right blend of players with the right skill sets to cover for eachothers weaknesses within a well designed team plan.

Ever since LvG was allowed to tear up the last successful team we had and replace them with substandard players we have never had close to a good enough group of players for any manager to be successful beyond a good cup run with a little luck.

We have since flip flopped between different managers skimming off a layer of failed players and replacing them with several players designed to suit the new manager only to sack said manager within 2 years and start the cycle again.

We now have a Frankenstein squad made up of parts from different managers designed to play football in vastly different ways.

No manager has been able to get consistent performances from this squad.

From EtH we have seen when he has the players he trusts fit and on form we play better football and get better performances. While the less of those players we have available the more our performances drop, and the more the manager has to adapt his preferred way of playing to suit the players at his disposal.

For this reason I am still very much behind the manager and feel he should be given at least another season. He has done a great job in some aspects and has done about as well as can be expected given the circumstances in others. Let's see if we can change those circumstances what he can do.

However, I also fully appreciate that the club management structure is undergoing a massive change and that the future vision of the club might be very different to that of EtH. In which case then a parting is best for all concerned. If that happens I'll wish EtH the best of luck for the future and thank him for his efforts in steering us through probably the most tumultuous period in the last 30 years at our club. I would also fully expect him to be successful at his next club.

17 Feb 2024 13:33:44
To quote Gunny Sergeant Highway……. You improve, you adapt, you overcome. For me he has shown no real ability to consistently do that.

And in fairness I do not really think the only criticism of ETH is Antony, far from it.

But as I have said many times. I want him to succeed, I am just wavering towards move him on. Doesn’t mean I have jumped yet! I would be happy for him to stay under the new regime and prove his credentials.

17 Feb 2024 14:44:56
It’s ok to say how many issues he had to deal with, but how many of them are of his own making? I would say the majority of them are down to him, from the poor buys, to the headmaster one size fits all attitude, let’s not use the excuse he don’t set the price for buys either, he insisted on some of these clowns!

He not the greatest man manager
His in game management is not the greatest
His tactics are not the greatest with what’s available to him
His inability’s to adapt is not the greatest
Too stubborn
Aloof
Upsets majority
EPL shocked him yet he never appears to learn
Etc
You all keep going on about we want SJR to appoint the best available to run the club, surely that includes the best available manager, and there is not a car in hells chance that ETH is in the Great let alone the best class….

17 Feb 2024 15:01:34
If ETH is the best man for the job, then keep him as manager.

If not, bring a better coach in. Success over sentiment.

Can’t see INEOS settling for anyone not best in class.

17 Feb 2024 15:25:47
There will be enough upheaval in the club over the next 12 months anyway, why add the manager to that.

Let the backroom staff get in position and figure out a way forward, then in 2025 if EtH doesn't is developing the team, then fine, let's move on.

Personally I think it is fine to give him another year, besides, nobody else stands out at the moment.

17 Feb 2024 15:32:14
I agree wallace.

17 Feb 2024 16:01:55
A caveat to that Wallace is that it's also about the right person even best in class don't work out because there are so many factors outside of their control but by and large the cream rises to the top.
Personally if they decide to part ways with eth I would like the club to move for one of the new emerging coaches.
In my opinion the next club that get alonso and keep him for 4 or 5 years will be seeing themselves up for success.
Arteta has done a great job with arsenal. I would like to see that sort of young coach in who can develop an exciting talented free flowing team after inheriting a miss mash of over paid over hyped over indulged pre-madonnas.
Klopp has done a great job with Liverpool and was at the time he came 'the next big thing' and delivered.
Neither won as much as they could have but they have revitalised and reinvigorated sleeping giants and have united the club the fans and the players.
We need a manager who will bring everyone with him a man you want to follow, a many you have 100% faith in and a man you can see everyone else believing in. From the management to the player to the fans.
If sjr and his team can get the right man and the club builds momentum there will be no stopping it.
Timing is everything when it comes to building momentum.
For style of play and for the next big thing Alonso is exactly the type of manager I'd like to see.
De zerbi is a coach I like also.
Potter has also had a great job at Brighton but the whole Chelsea debacle is very off putting.
Emery is a coach doing a good job at Villa.
I don't know enough about the Nice, sporting or girona coaches to comment. But having epl experience must be a huge advantage.
Maybe eth is the man maybe he is not.

17 Feb 2024 16:03:05
Well I guess most know my feeling on this subject. Excellent manager getting a tune out of a decent team and average when you look past who has been available. Back him with structure and players and he will annoyingly win a lot.

17 Feb 2024 16:39:50
Well Ahmed that’s your personal opinion but nothing factual backs it up.
Too much talk of him being stubborn and poor man management for it not too have some substance
We all seen how poor the in game management been
We all seen how poor his acquisitions have been buy or loan
We all seen how he comes across he don’t exactly light a fire under your A***
Are players that have come in any better then what went out

There is a bigger case for him not being up to the job then there is that he will be great eventually.

All we will hear now is he won loads, yeah in a farmers league! Small club mentality imo.

17 Feb 2024 19:33:06
If we finish top 4 then he deserves a crack at it next season. If we tail off and don’t improve our current league position then get rid and get someone better in.
I’m not invested in Ten Hag purely because the football has been poor under him. He seems stubborn in team selection and poor in game management.
I’m happy to be proved wrong though.

17 Feb 2024 20:36:07
Eth was the next big thing.

Cant believe you want to Alonso. Zero chance he would even consider coming to man utd, so why would a utd fan want to state that he wants him? Odd.

De Serbi has had a worse season than EtH.

Potter doesn't have the personality to manage man utd.

Give eth the players and he will succeed. He just needs to clear out that junk first. He is ahead of Arteta's timeframe. Klopp's. It takes time to clear out and rebuild.

17 Feb 2024 22:44:39
Agree with you Ports. ETH is the manager I’ve liked most post-SAF. By far.

Seems people have already forgotten the absolute state we were in after Ole.

Since then, off-field issues have got even worse, and on the field we’ve started our strongest lineup just once this season.

I for one would be sad to see him go at the end of the season and I have a feeling we may be making a bit of a mistake if we do, as the club is desperate for some stability.

Just on a side note I’m sure ETH has managed more wins than Klopp since he took over ?‍♂️ there’s no trophy for that but it’s something to think about.

17 Feb 2024 22:45:05
I don't disagree on eth to a degree DB. There is lots to like but I'm not convinced in some key things and they are nagging away at me. I'm 100% behind him but my own personal opinion is that I don't see him aligning with the new owners going forward.
If he does he will need to concede a lot from his current 'philosophy ' if he can do that he might get the opportunity and if he can do that he will become a better coach and manager Imo.
Why would I want not alonso. He has BL playing some fantastic stuff and has developed all of their players he is a top coach.
Yes it's very unlikely we could get him but much in the same way I would take pep in a heartbeat if he fancied the challenge.
Would you have thought we couldn't poach the city ceo 6 months ago or have a high calibre DOF incoming from a key Rivera a rival.
Do you not want them?
It would be a tough call for alonso to make but any top young coach would be interested not everybody thinks the way some fans do.
De zerbi is imo a good coach yes he's not had the best season but having sold his midfield and Danny welbeck and milner not hitting the heights I think he has done well but he can be a bit emotional and I'd forsee him having a difficult time with the media at a bigger club.
Potter I with you there.

18 Feb 2024 04:14:19
I could see a curve ball where the new team wrestle control on recruitment from ten hag a d he decides he can't live with that. So agree that there could be a scenario where they just want to bring their own in, so everyone starts on a positive first step.

BUT - I hope that doesn't happen. I would like to see the squad refreshed in a cohesive style. We are half way into EtH players and style. It will be easier for the next manager if he has a squad that can mesh together. If we have 4 or 5 ball playing center backs that can switch in and out that will be an easier squad to start with. More ball playing midfielders, same thing. It also buys time for our new management teM to assess and make plans that will last. Pep will move on soon, he will be annoyed that Klopp beat him to it! I can see Pep taking another year out soon and then there will be. Changing of the dominant teams. We need to be poised to take over, and arsenal are already ahead of us.

18 Feb 2024 11:53:15
A curve ball is meant to be less likely. That scenario is most likely DB. Just wait and see.

 


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