20 Sep 2020 10:30:28
So yesterday was pretty much a horror show, but what did we actually learn?

1. The main reason we lost yesterday was simply we aren't up to speed yet. Fitness and match sharpness is normally built up over 4-5 weeks, playing 4-6 pre-season games. The lateness in our season ending, combined with the sheer amount of games we played last season meant our players needed a few weeks off. That meant our pre-season was 2 weeks long. So it's hardly surprising to see that our players don't look ready for the season. They aren't. On top of only having a couple of weeks to get ready for the season, even that two weeks have been disrupted by players having to isolate. people were very quick to jump on Pogba for yesterday's performance. Yet, he has only had one weeks training since he actually had the virus. I think its a little harsh to jump on him for that performance.

2. Signings while needed wouldn't have changed much if anything yesterday. We clearly still need a RW and a CB, while depth/ competition at LB is also required. However, we could have had Sancho, Upamecano and Alex Telles on the pitch yesterday and I don't think it would have altered the result. So, yes we still need signings, but yesterday shouldn't really be held up as an example of why.

3. Ole is still a tactically limited manager, that was never likely to change. Yet, his options were limited. It's easy in hindsight to say we should have started with DvdB instead of Pogba, or we should have played a back three, or Greenwood should have started. However, the reality is that none of those things would have given the players what they really need, minutes in their legs. Is Ole the long term manager? Probably not, yet there is little else any other manager could have done considering where we are in regards to fitness.

4. Someone pointed out that there had been 14 goals in the first two games of the day yesterday, scorelines of 5-2 and 4-3 highlight how most teams are not yet up to speed, how teams are making silly simple mistakes in defence. Look at Liverpool's game verses Leeds last weekend, the best defence in the league last season conceded 3 goals to a newly promoted side. No team is up to speed yet and we are a week or two behind most other teams due to our European commitments last season.

5. The bad atmosphere around the club does nothing to help. We had a disappointing end to last season in the Europa league, then over the summer break we have had our captain in the press for the wrong reasons, our great hope Greenwood in the press for the wrong reasons. We have been linked to every player in the world, or at least it seems, while in reality we have only signed one player. The transfer window fever is toxic, the idea that everything can be solved with a flashy new signing. For some people "winning" the transfer window is a thing. They look at Chelsea signing 250m worth of players with green eyes, ignoring the fact that they are signing two windows worth of players in one window due to their ban. They see Liverpool making some great signings, Thiago, Jota, even Tsimikas solves an area of weakness in depth they had. Arsenal have signed defenders that look like they can actually defend, while Spurs "stole" Reguilon and Bale from us. All of this has created a toxic atmosphere before a ball had even been kicked. Protests against the owners, the club, the board, Ed Woodward. It feels like a perfect storm where even a 3-0 win would have been met with a sneer and a subtle anger that can't be expressed due to the team having the audacity of winning. Bad atmospheres breed bad performances, we saw that with Mourinho, yet us fans can also create a cloud over the club that hangs heavy on the players.


Where will all of this lead? My guess would be that we will struggle at the start of this season due to the hangover from last season, if the club don't make the big name marquee signings the fans want then maybe playing without fans might be beneficial as the last thing the players need is unrest in the stands every game. A poor start, a lack of key signings, unrest amongst the fan base will likely lead to the sacking of the manager around Christmas time, I would expect the club would then place Carrick in charge until the end of the season. This will have the consequence of meaning no January signings. Then in the summer the club will look to hire the next patsy sorry manager. Who some fans will be happy with, while others won't. Those that won't will wait and sharpen their knives to stick in the managers back after every loss. Then in two years time we will do it all again. Oh and if we don't break this cycle then it won't just be Pogba who'll want out, players like Rashford and Greenwood will look to move to top sides to win trophies.

1.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 10:49:42
What I learned

That without great leaders and people actually great at their jobs that can execute, that we be nothing more than a top 4 club.

We will never win the league under this current ownership and management. That's the honest damming fact. We laugh at the 30 years it took Liverpool to win the title. I'm 32 now, I bet I will be retired before we win another title.

2.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 10:56:36
All well and good but the attitude, urgency, commitment etc was appalling and worrying in equal measure.

3.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:10:40
Another nice essay Shappy - full of bolloxology and excuses again.
It's there for all to see - we are not good enough on the pitch or off it.

I accept fitness and lack of preparation was a factor, but not the cause. And if we were prepared, who's fault is that? Were we only told last week that there was a new season looming?

4.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:15:30
To put it simply yesterday i learnt what we already knew:

1.) Harry Maguire really isn't that good at football.

2.) There still doesn't seem to be a defined way of playing out from the back, too much sideways and backwards passing. that's on the manager frankly.

3.) A right hand flank of fosu mensah and dan james wouldn't look out of place in the championship.

4.) Wilfried Zaha is actually pretty good at football, we should look at signing him if we can't get jadon sancho.

5.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:22:49
Full of excuses shappy 'if we had Telles, Sancho and upemecano on the pitch it wouldn't have changed the result' what?

I'm really disappointed that the premier league didn't notify United that the season started yesterday. Poor pogba wasn't ready. Why did he play then?

I'd understand somewhat if we were playing one of the top teams yesterday but it was Crystal Palace. We lost 3-1 and to be honest, should have lost by more.

6.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:37:57
Ever the optimist shappy. It was a sh*tshow. End of discussion.

7.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:44:52
We didn't learn nothing. We (or those without eyesight problems) have seen all this all along.

8.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:46:50
Get rid of Maguire, bring in a cb, rw and a lb then we should be okay.

We are not going anywhere with clowns in defence and will concede a lot of goals this year if we don't shore up our defence. i'd even put smalling ahead of Maguire and Lindelof.

9.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 11:56:32
We learnt that when he should have started with DVB he bottled it and played Pogba who has been out with CV for weeks and hardly trained, also no matter how bad Rashford is playing he will leave him on the pitch and also both our supposed first choice CB are pants and way off the required level and Daniel James is no good against teams that sit back.

10.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 12:35:09
I blame FA for not notifying United about the new season.
Everyone else is fit but us, they don't like us.

{Ed001's Note - that's not true, there are a lot of teams out there nowhere near fully fit. Liverpool only had Salah and Robertson that were fit against Leeds for their first game. It is something you just have to accept this season, no one has had a chance for a proper pre-season, so it is going to take a couple of weeks to get everyone up to speed.}

11.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 14:05:06
Can the 5 people who agreed with shappy post show themselves?

12.) 20 Sep 2020
20 Sep 2020 14:54:42
I know Ed001.
Just making fun of the countless excuses people use to blind themselves from the reality.
We are an average team with an average squad and an average manager asking to play like champions.

{Ed001's Note - ah ok no worries sorry.}