03 Nov 2021 20:04:25
Quick question - has anyone seen Shappy's credibility? If so, please do return it to him.

I haven't read all the responses to my post, but the one that says Ronaldo is the issue baffles me. The post also goes on to say that Ronaldo has exposed the manager for, essentially, not being good enough. This I agree with whole heartedly, but how that's a bad thing I will never know.

Anyone, with half an ounce of footballing knowledge, can see that Ronaldo is carrying us and scoring goals from half chances. He's getting no service from the dynamic duo that is McFred, but I suppose that is Ronaldo's fault.

Maguire's inability to run, turn, move or even stand in the right spot is also Ronaldo's fault as, if he had pressed, then the ball would never get near Maguire. Ronaldo is also at fault for the weak wrists of De Gea last night as he hogged the dumbbells. Oh, and Ronaldo is also to blame for Ole being a clueless, out of his depth coach whose greatest success is relegating Cardiff.

1.) 03 Nov 2021
03 Nov 2021 20:43:30
Shappy had credibility?

2.) 03 Nov 2021
03 Nov 2021 20:55:24
The posters who were on the side of Ole are still very much on the side of Ole. Adding the obligatory thinly veiled "He's taking us as far as he can" and then blame everyone other than the manager for our problems isn't fooling anyone.

Blaming Ronaldo for our poor form is a ridiculous argument. The facts would be that last year we went to the well many times to rescue results. It was always going to be more difficult with fans back in the stadiums. Adding also to other teams getting better and we've gone backwards. This is self inflicted. The manager has been bought an entire first team and he hasn't a clue what to do with them.

By the time this ordeal is over, I would nearly be in the mindset to take his OLEGEND flag down. He doesn't have the club's best interests at heart.

3.) 03 Nov 2021
03 Nov 2021 23:29:44
I believe Ole’s greatest success is actually winning two championships with a club that had never won the league as well as a national cup, but let’s not let facts get in the way of a good bashing.

4.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 00:29:50
LLV, The Norweigian league is ranked 23rd in terms of quality of all domestic leagues. The Premier League is ranked number 1.

Winning those league titles was currency to get him the Cardiff job. He took over when they were 17th in the league and relegated them. He spent some money that summer and was sacked after a poor run of form.

If you think that's a good enough C. V to manage United, there will be a very long queue of candidates for the job very shortly.

5.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 05:14:06
LLV facts do show he won the 2 league titles with the city or Chelsea equivalent of Norway. But what happened after he left the 1st time? The next manager came in won the league playing better football, getting his team scoring more goals and concede fewer and achieving a much better points total than ole ever did that's a fact too.

Also a fact that in ole's 2nd spell at molde which you conveniently skipped over he won just as many trophies as he is winning at utd, but the moment he left the next manager won the league the very next season.

6.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 07:57:54
Theres a very good manager who won the Indian Soccer League. let's give him the United job next if that's the criteria to manage the biggest club.

7.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 08:16:34
Mumbles, where did I say it was a good enough?

What has the league’s status have to do with winning it, it’s still competitive, just on a différent level. Ole took over when the club had recently dropped down a division, and celebrated the club’s 100th anniversary with their first title. It’s not like he did this with Rosenberg.

Molde are not the City or Chelsea of Norway. That being said, under CSM’s logic Pep doesn’t deserve the praise so many give him because he won the league with City.

Also, I don’t get the shock at relegating Cardiff, that’s akin to Norwich, Fulham or West Brom being relegated and everyone being surprised, it’s not like Cardiff were highly competitive with expectations of a mid-table or Europa qualification finish.

I will stress though, so no assumptions are made, that this is not written in defense of Ole’s tenure at United, merely to point out how dismissive some are of his past achievements, and how a far from shocking relegation, with a team expected to be in the thick of the relegation battle, is used to dismiss those achievements even further.

8.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 09:33:46
Fresh, kind of you to wonder where my credibility is. But I think it's just fine. If I had no credibility then my post wouldn't elicit a response. As you simply don't need to respond to something with no credibility.

I do wonder where your common sense is, as only a fool would state they have come to a definitive conclusion while admitting they hadn't read all the facts. To do so at best shows a lack of common sense, at worse shows a deficit of intellectual thought.

Adding a new player changes the dynamic of a side, it can either improve that balance and make everything click as the signing of VvD did at Liverpool, or it can create imbalance and make the side struggle more.

In my opinion, and that of many pundits, the signing of Ronaldo has created an issue that Ole can't seem to find a solution to. He is unable to make the side play in a balanced way with Ronaldo.

Obviously Ronaldo's brilliance is getting him out of jail most the time. Yet as I pointed out yesterday Ronaldo wasn't here last season when other players were bailing us out. So there is a serious question as to whether the addition of Ronaldo has currently elevated the side or just middied the water.

9.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 11:28:08
Shappy for me a CF can't unbalance a team they are required to do the least amount of work of any out field player usually. All we have done is replace Martial with Ronaldo and ronaldo is better in almost every single way does ronaldo work les than martial I don't think so I think ronaldo runs more than martial makeing us slightly better work rate up top?, also you state liverpool signed VvD and everything click which for me your wrong they signed 3 players that made a difference and a decent squad player

Mohamed Salah – Roma – £36.9m
Andrew Robertson – Hull City – £8m
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Arsenal – £35m
Virgil van Dijk – Southampton – £75m

I also think it wasn't until Allison was purchased the season after that liverpool really pushed ahead. So cut a long story short the team is playing worse this season because of the manager not the signing of Ronaldo.

10.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 12:05:12
Dio, of course a CF can unbalance a team. He is a personality that engulfs the club.

I'd imagine he has put Pogba's nose out as the new highest earner.

Plus players might look to him rather than do things themselves.

11.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 12:33:45
Shappy if, Ronnaldo has unbalanced the team, then imo he is not the problem-: the problems lies with the others.
Cr7 epitomises what you can gain and achieve with hard work and bloody mindedness and if senior players don't want to be the best they can, they are stealing a living and depriving those that do/ would ie probably the younger members.
Its been mooted theat pp, Aka billy big balls has had his nose put out - well so he should, he has underperformed as much as anyone but the players who put in a shift get blasted because they are maybe less naturally talented. Give me 10 players who try rather than a few superstars that don't bother, but cr7 is both.

12.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 14:05:28
Funky, the issue is that it's a team game. While I agree that if a player like Ronaldo unbalances the squad then the problem is the other players. The reality is that you can't move on 24 players to suit 1.

Ronaldo is a huge player, a genuine superstar. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but our players don't seem quite sure how to react with him. When Bruno scores they all dive on him without question, when Ronaldo scores they run over to him but there is a hesitation about whether they can or should jump on a player many consider the GOAT.

Are our players intimidated or in awe of him? Do they expect him to be able to dig them out. When they have a good chance to shoot or to pass to someone else do they hesitate and look for Ronaldo? If every attacking move is looking for Ronaldo do we become predictable and easy to defend against?

Of course a forward player, especially one with the reputation of Ronaldo can unbalance and alter the natural balance of the squad.

The trick is a great manager would harness that and keep the balance. Ole clearly isn't that man. However, had Ronaldo not joined the club then maybe Ole would still have more balance in his squad. Maybe we would be better off overall.

Ultimately Ole fails because he isn't good enough. However, it's the addition of Ronaldo that has tipped the balance and made it clear. Forcing the issue.

13.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 14:29:22
More waffle, look at before Ronaldo, we were crap too for past seasons, and what’s Ronaldo got now 9 goals, that’s more then some of our strikers in the whole of last season, your deluded if you think Ronaldo caused the problem this season the problem always been there, not helped by stupid purchases, perhaps it’s the Sancho purchase that caused the problem, no wait he not scored or even made 1 assist yet was purchased at same time as Ronaldo, stupid statement, Shappy, the problem I’d Ole been found out, other teams know how to stop united as they only have one way of playing, it’s simple as that, nothing more nothing less.

14.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 15:34:19
Jens, at this point last season we scored 26 goals in all competitions, this season we have 28.

Ronaldo hasn't added a huge number of extra goals to our side.

He is scoring some goals that last season other players were scoring.

People make this mistake all the time, they think adding a 30 goal a season striker will increase the number of goals the team score by a similar number.

The reality is they take someone else's place in the side and take minutes away from other players.

That's why it's rare for a side to have two or three players all score over 30 goals a season.

If you want us to score more goals it's not the guy putting them in the net that needs to change but the guys who are creating the chances.

If our side has an average of 12 shots a game, with an XG (expected goals) of say 2, then we should be scoring around 2 goals a game. If we have an amazing player who scores low chance of conversion shots then maybe we might push that up to an average of 2.5 goals a game.

However, if we improve chance creation to creating 16 shots a game on average with an XG of 4, then we will likely be scoring around 4 goals game. Even if we under perform our XG then we'll still likely average around 3. Which is still better than simply signing a more clinical player.

If we create more chances and more importantly more high quality chances then we will score more on average than by simply signing a more clinical player.

15.) 04 Nov 2021
04 Nov 2021 15:49:10
Shappy -I hear your points. We don't have to move on the no's you say but I get it. I think like Jens, the players had a diligaf mentallity prior to his arrival and seriously think we have a fair number who should/ could benefit from his mentality.
If we didn't sign him the possible situation we could be in as a team is even more frightening because aside from a few of OGS must have picks the grit and determination isn't enough. We have players but ogs doesn't pick them so yet again he carries the the can.
We are facing a tough run of games and god forbid an injury or suspension because I can't see the positivity if Ogs keeps on picking/ playing as he does.