26 Sep 2021 23:47:27
"I said it even when they [#mufc] were winning, even when Ronaldo scored, they don’t play well enough as a team to win this league in my view. They don’t play well enough as a team. "

"I still look at them [#mufc] and think of them as a team who win games in moments. I look at Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, they are teams. They put team performances in. That’s not to say United never do, but Ole now has to get United into a team. "

Quotes from Gary Neville, forget the fact its taken him 3 years to realise what most fans realised after 1, he makes a valid point on us being too reliant on individuals as opposed to having a style of play to fall back on.

Do find it odd however that Neville expects Ole to somehow develop a style mid season after being unable to do so for 3 seasons now.

1.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 07:18:07
The time for change of style was set up perfectly this summer, with the calibre of 2 out of 3 of the incomings, all the people thinking if we signed a DM Ole would change his style…. NO he would not this is all he knows and all he is prepared to try, he keeps banging on and on with same ol system which will eventually be his downfall but in meantime we just have to get on with it.

You can play this style of play and be much quicker and attacking but to do that, you need a better right back 2 better then McFred possibly even a better CB and a decent crosser of the ball would be nice, but we don’t have them and we have Ole leading the pack so be more of the same for the short term at least, but it won’t be too long!

2.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 07:47:10
Neville stating the obvious as we all know and agree with.

Not sacking OLe anytime soon by the looks of it but nothing to stop him changing his backroom staff for a more experienced and progressive one . which he won't do of course.

3.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 08:24:07
Again Jackamus, making assumptions and imposing them as fact. His preferred formation at Molde, then when he first arrived at United was a 4-3-3 with two CMs ahead of a DM. I've seen many reports and accounts, as recently as the commentators on the Villa game, stating he would prefer a 4-3-3 but personal does not allow it (logical as Matic is the only real DM at the club and can't play two games in a row, and struggles with 90 minutes) . So the two holding midfielders is far from being the only system Solskjaer knows.

4.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 08:32:02
Wish someone would ask Gary Neville why he hasn’t given as much time to the multiple managers at Salford as he advocated for his mate Ole. After 3 years in the role, a TV pundit is having to tell the United manager to organise the 11 individuals into a team and the board are not able to see it.

5.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 09:31:15
So Ole really wants to play 4-3-3 but he hasn’t got the players to utilise his preferred system I give up!

I have no problem with people defending Ole but let’s at least have a sensible debate. I don’t think Ole has ever played 4-3-3 at Utd? Herrera and Matic were holding midfielders whilst Pogba was allowed to get forward and if this was indeed his preferred formation why have we not seen it for another 3 years?!

Sensible Utd fans know exactly what Ole is. There is no need for excuses. The truth is his style of play is limited and does not extend beyond individuals producing moments of quality to win games of football.

We’ve been waiting nearly 4 years for Ole to evidence his style of play and we’ll still waiting. We’ve heard talk of attacking football, working hard, pressing from the front but in reality we’ve seen absolutely no evidence of this. What we have seen is an excellent counter attacking team with some good individuals capable of winning football matches.

I’m not an Ole hater, I really want him to succeed. I give him credit for building a good squad and stabilising the Club which has allowed us to sign better players but he’s light years behind the likes of Pep, Klopp and Tuchel.

Ole is a million miles away from introducing the modern, progressive football we all crave. Where’s the pressing? Where’s the plan to win the ball back quickly and high up the pitch? In possession where’s the patterns of play? Where’s the rotation? But don’t worry it will be ok when Ole finally gets a DM and we can play 4-3-3. Can you not see how absolutely ludicrous that sounds?!

6.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 09:46:29
I'm not saying he's not a long way off implemented great eye-catching football. I was merely pointing out another assumption being branded as fact. Ole has used other systems, the 4-3-3 and even the 4-4-2 diamond. When he first arrived he had Herrera playing box to box ahead of Matic, not playing as a DM alongside him. And his championship winning sides had a DM with two creative CMs in front of them. There's no denying that injuries led Ole to implementing a two holding midfielder system towards the end of his first half season, and that he hasn't gone back since, but then how could he without the personal to do so. Most reports have stated he wants a DM, he wanted Rice but was priced out of a move. Fabrizio Romano has said it is now the priority, before the current season began. It's one thing to be disappointed or upset with the football, I too would like to see better. It's another to make unfounded assumptions and attempt to pass them off as fact.

7.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 09:53:47
Sorry but Neville talks a lot of rubbish. before the season started he said if Man United brought Kane they would win the league or at least challenge. You have since brought Ronaldo who is better than Kane yet he now thinks you aren't a team and can't win the league.

Need neville to just admit his friend is not good enough but ofcourse he won't go as far as to do that.

Ps. i don't think many reasonable people thought United would win the league.

8.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 09:56:03
I think that's the point that grates with me the most, its the contradictions around how we want to play.

For example, Lukaku was overlooked and transferred out of the club so we could play this high pressing attacking football that he wasnt apparently suited for.

Then we bring in Ronaldo who at 37 is hardly going to be pressing from the front like Carlos Tevez.

Then Lindelof is apparently the problem, leading to us playing a deep line with 2 holding midfielders. To rectify this we sign Raphael Varane but still play deep with 2 holding midfielders.

9.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 10:10:52
Whatever Ole’s limitations are why are we listening to Neville? He has far too much to say about every subject and his one spell as a Manager was laughable.

Pundits sit there pontificating about everything and none of them are prepared to show us how it’s done. Shearer had a go and was poor, Neville had a go and was poor, Souness had some success, a lot of the younger ones just see punditry as an easy life. Everyone has an opinion, even when the evidence shows they have no clue.

10.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 10:39:54
DSG - absolutely spot on mate.

LLV - Let’s stop pretending Ole isn’t playing the brand of football he wants because he hasn’t got the players. Read DSG’s post it’s all contradictory which is yet more evidence that Ole doesn’t really know what he’s doing or what his vision actually is. Nobody is passing anything off as fact merely analysing the evidence. When Ole hasn’t played 4-3-3 in nearly 3 years I’m not sure we can call it his preferred system or even something he’s moving towards. He could have signed a DM this summer he chose not to. We’ll have to agree to disagree pal, I fully accept everyone sees it differently.

In relation to another of DSG’s observations in my opinion Ronaldo has severely effected our ability to press from the front and probably means we won’t be as effective on the counter attack either. We probably need to move more towards a possession based game but we’ll never achieve that with McFred. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

11.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 12:23:33
Nailed it DSG.

12.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 13:11:24
We never press from the front anyway, so not sure how anyone can say Ronaldo don’t press no one does! He they do it’s half heartedly, Liverpool press from the front, that’s how it should be done if you want to press, but we don’t.

Ronaldo is filter then anyone in this squad, he blast all the others out of the water with his fitness test and results this season alone, but that’s really not how we play or him either, so that’s not really an argument.

13.) 27 Sep 2021
27 Sep 2021 14:00:13
LLV, I’m making assumptions! And trying to pass off as fact, ok he played 433 in Molde! For gods sake…. and you say he tried different formations at united, how often it’s clear even to Stevie wonder what his preferred formation is.

Whilst we are on assumption’s are you not making one saying a professional footballer Matic can’t play back to back games because his legs are gone! Maybe they have maybe the have not, but it’s only an assumption from you that they have, I think if you actually ask Mr Matic he would deny such, so why are your preaching others not to make assumptions and your making them yourself…….