09 Nov 2021 09:05:37
woodward in talks to take up a consultancy role after he leaves his current post, the club still in contract talks with carrick and mckenna and according to a report this morning the coaches having been trying sancho at RWB in recent sessions. make it stop please ??.

1.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 09:55:36
It seems the owners and board are just toying with the fans and taking everyone for granted.

They probably need the players and fans to revolt now to get them being serious and sack Ole and his staff.

If it was not enough for us being desperate to see something change now they are making us helpless.

2.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:11:22
Ah yeah, identify the right wing as an area that needs strengthening, decide on Sancho and spend the best part of two years getting him at a cost of € 75m and then try to turn him into a RWB, that just about sums us up right now, as does the fact that Dan James has had more premier league time in a United shirt this season than Donny.

3.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:15:45
Sancho at RWB actually makes perfect sense to me, he doesn’t get in the 3-5-2 formation anywhere else and he can’t be any worse than AWB. Our best RWB is on loan at Swansea.

4.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:23:50
Yeah except he was'nt bought to be a RWB and there was no plan to play 3-5-2 until we got hammered by Liverpool and Ole and Co. turned to it in desperation, and now we're trying to shoehorn our 75m right winger into the team.

5.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:34:02
GDS2 - but haven't we been begging managers to get away from that square peg in round holes mentality for years now?

OGS said at the weekend he didn't want to be playing with 3-5-2- ideally . so now a kid he chased for 2 years as an exciting forward is now going to be a wing back . poor kid will have the confidence knocked out of him very quickly.

6.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:54:24
I don't think the Glazers care what we think, by that I mean the season ticket holders and fans in the UK. I think it has been said quite often, by Ed 002 that gatw receipts don't make the bulk of the income.

This is why, I believe, they were instrumental in the ESL, they want an NFL type league, where you can't get relegated and therefore constantly and consistently play the most attractive teams in Europe, no matter what. The overseas market is extremely lucrative.

I mean they made all these promises after the riot and yet we are in a worse position than last year.

Until they are hit in the profit margins, the Glazers won't change, they are like vulture capitalists and it was the father, Malcolm who was the best businessman, the children just inherited his wealth and businesses.

7.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 10:54:55
Pretty sure many people wanted Conte who played Moses (winger) at RWB at Chelsea, he played Perisic a winger by trade at LWB.

We played both Valencia and Young at fullback let alone wing back.

It kind of makes sense trying him there at least seeing as two of the biggest issues with the 352 formation is that we don't have a RWB and there is no natural position for Sancho. Could be two birds with one stone.

I think the club need to sack Ole, but it's madness to use speculation of tactical tweaks as a stick to beat him when it's something many would be happy to see happen if it was done by another manager.

{Ed001's Note - Perisic had played wing-back before Conte and full-back. That was why so many teams had interest in him as he was flexible and able to play anywhere on the left side.}

8.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 11:15:31
Yeah sure if that does'nt work we can always try him out at CB, he can't be any worse than Maguire.

9.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 11:16:17
Overlooking one glaring issue there Shappy- Who actually thought Valencia or Young were any good in those positions? Fans were constantly complaining that they were our weak links at the time.

10.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 12:26:10
I hate the wing back idea. Beckham, Giggs, Best, Ronaldo, Sharpe, Kanchelskis, Charlton. We always play with attacking wide men, The reason I love united was growing up I wanted to play like Jesper Olsen. I know the game changes but Ken is right, this club has lost its identity.

11.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 12:30:57
I’m not saying we bought him for that position, Ole wants to play 4-2-3-1, he just has no idea how to implement it and we are awful in that formation. I don’t think the formation is the issue at all, whatever formation we play we are useless, don’t run enough and players look totally lost. If we move to a back 3 then the only position Sancho fits is right wing back imo and he would do well there.

The ideal scenario is we get a manager who knows how to utilise him in his actual position but as that isn’t going to happen it makes sense to me to move him to a position we actually need.

12.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 13:23:15
GDS, for me the issue looks like we lost our identity. When Ole first came in as caretaker he played an attacking 433 with a midfield of Matic, Herrera and Pogba. It was good for a while but after 10-12 games people realised it was too exposed in midfield and the defence wasn't good enough to cope.

That summer Ole bought Maguire and AWB to improve that defence. However the club lost Herrera who did the work rate for Pogba, did the pressing Matic couldn't but still had the technical ability to link and play forward.

Then Ole changed to a more counter attacking side that he saw work well against PSG in the game many consider got him the job full time.

We did okay as a counter attacking side, but struggled against teams that would sit deep and deny us the space for our wide players to break into.

There was a push for us to become a side that dominated play more and could dictate the game. To press higher.

We made signings like Varane to build out from the back and allow us to play a higher line with his pace there to recover.

We signed Sancho as that technical dribbler, a player who can play in tight spaces and open up deep sitting teams.

While we made a vanity signing of Ronaldo either to show off or in fear of him going to City depending on your point of view. He wasn't needed and was clearly a reaction signing and was never a part of the plan.

We are now Frankenstein's monster, a side that is half set up to sit deep, half set up to play a high line, a midfield that is workman like in construction, but is expected to play a more expansive technical style that is beyond the players regularly picked. We have a forward line that is trying to fit in too many players and not set up to get the best out of team. We are a side trying to be all things to all people, attempting to keep everyone happy but in doing so not having a clear identity or in fact pleasing anyone.

Ole's failure is a lack of clear vision and fortitude in choosing a style of play and then sticking to it. Maybe he tries too hard to keep everyone happy.

13.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 17:59:08
Good post shappy.
So do you still think that ole has built a great squad or on reflection and based on your words above do you feel he has made a right pig's ear of building the squad? Or do you think he has built a frankensteins monster?
It's hard to know what your thinking as it changes so often.
WR fee for a right back that can't cross or run quickly
WR fee for a cb that is rubbish
73m for sancho who can't get a game
50m combined for amad and the lad on loan in Spain so 1 on loan the other stick in u23s and we might not play wingers anyway now
2 of epl's highest earners in cavani and ronaldo
James who was sold
40m for vdb who can't get a game.
I'm not sure he has done well at all In getting players needed to fulfill his vision or any vision for that matter.
Building a great squad and having a halo camp and good atmosphere are 2 of the long lasting sustainable attributes you said ole has excelled in.
Doesn't look like from your post above that you agree with yourself.

14.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 21:31:26
Ken, I think the squad is 2-3 players away from being good enough to win the league. Which wasn't the case when Ole took over so he can't have done an awful job.

Rather than the players being poor players they are being used terribly.

I think there is a player in AWB if coached properly.

Maguire has his flaws, but is still a decent player with some great qualities. If we bought him for 40M I don't think anyone would have a problem with him.

Amad cost 19m and will only cost more if he does well. Hopefully he does.

James was a gamble signing which we sold for 10m more than we paid, so not an awful signing. We rarely sell a player for more than we paid.

Sancho and Ronaldo are great players and most managers would want them and welcome them into their side.

I just don't think Ole knows what to do with the squad he has built.

Bring in a manager with a clear vision and the ability to coach that into the side then those group of players will look 10 times better.

Ole has managed to create a better squad than the one he inherited. He just simply lacks the ability to make use of it.

Frankenstein's monster was made of great parts, but put together terribly. That is what Ole has done, brought together all the right parts, but is putting them in all the wrong places.

15.) 09 Nov 2021
09 Nov 2021 21:32:45
BanJoe, I wanted to be like Jesper too, even had his haircut. Happy days.