27 Dec 2023 18:00:51


Shappy has written an article entitled, Manchester United Review v Aston Viilla

1.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 18:53:21
I hope United keep Hannibal and hope that Gore gets a loan to a Bundesliga club.

2.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 09:52:07
Nice one Shappy.

Talent only makes a difference when the team is aggressive which they were in the game - more so in the second half

Our set pieces have been abysmal for a good few years now- Eric Ramsay needs a new job. Maybe Sir Dave’s first coaching staff change? Unlikely to be mid-season though

Bruno works best at 10. Don’t give him anything else to do.

I fear Hannibal will end up like Guendouzi due to his reckless attitude

I think being out of most competitions and getting our players back for is a good opportunity to trim the squad in Jan. That would set us up for a good summer especially with a Sporting director likely to come in and plan this for once.
It will also give ETH the chance to coach the starting 11 better as having a consistent starting 11 and bench improves the play and “automatisms” enormously. Most top managers do not rotate their starting 11 too much when embedding their style of play. ETH tried doing that last year but did not have time to coach and our starting 11 ran out of legs towards the end of the campaign. So the next 6 months are a golden opportunity

When we can’t counter attack and the opposition are sitting deep, I would like to see us move to a 3-4-1-2. back 3 with Martinez, Evans and Varane, mainoo and Mount as the 8s, Bruno at 10, dalot and shaw as the wing backs with rashford and Hojlund up front. This gets the most out of most of our players.

I think we are still in with a shout for 5th and that should be enough for ETH to keep his job. It will be between us and Villa, with Newcastle making a late push. We need 40 points from our next 19 and we should be fine. With luck we will have champions league again next year.

3.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 10:36:02
I do think CL is within grasp IF we can maintain some kind of consistency. Always cracks me up with the likes of Merson saying if this or that team loses whatever game then they're out of it . the truth is that one win at the moment is enough to change the landscape quite a bit. Sure looks frantic at the top though.
I've tried to bring up the issue of Nice/ Utd and only one being able to be in each European competition in the same season, with league placing determining who gets it, due to no-one being allowed ownership (even joint) of two teams in the same competition. In that scenario Utd could be playing in the godawful europa conference at best, unless SJR sells Nice. Is this still the case Ed, or am I completely misunderstanding the situation?

4.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 11:19:37
Spenno that is not the case.
There is no issue with nice and united playing cl.

5.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 11:50:48
Fair enough Tumble, thought I'd read it a few times but glad it's not an issue.

6.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 13:00:37
Ork, I'd keep Hannibal around next season as he is more ready than Gore to play for the first team and see what he can do. Personally I'd rather send Gore to the Championship as its the most similar league to the EPL and is actually far more competitive than many of the top European leagues (including the EPL) . It's a competition where you don't tend to have one or two sides dominate it, there are about 6-8 teams every year that stand a really good chance of winning the league, and about 10-12 teams that will feel they are in with a decent shout of making the play-offs and gaining promotion. Personally I don't believe there is a better league to prepare a young player for playing in the EPL. To be completely honest I even think that a loan to a top side in the Championship is better for a young Manchester United academy player to develop than a loan to a bottom half EPL side. Where they will more than likely play a defend for your life and try and sneak a set piece goal style of play, which should be the opposite of what will be expected of them in the United first team. Also when the chips are down, managers threatened with relegation are unlikely to place much trust in youth players, especially ones on loan who won't be there to help them out next season if they are relegated.

Spenno, 100% if we can get a few key players back from injury and gain some consistency then top 4 is still easily within our grasp.
While I fully expect Liverpool, City and Arsenal to occupy the top three positions come May, I'm not convinced any or Villa, Spurs, Chelsea or Newcastle are shoe in's for the final UCL place.

Newcastle in the past few weeks have started to suffer with the kind of injuries we have had to deal with ALL season, which has seen them start to fall down the table.

Spurs likewise have dropped from 2nd and possible title challengers according to some pundits at the time to 5th while suffering less injuries than ourselves.

While Villa have for the first time this season been forced to make a few changes to their starting 11 in the last couple of games. This has seen them almost lose to bottom of the table Sheffield United at home, with a 97th minute equaliser saving face. As well as losing to us at Old Trafford despite holding a 2-0 advantage at half-time.
They have had the least injuries of any side in the league and as such have been able to play their strongest 11 most games. Leading to them playing the fewest players in the league. That is unlikely to be sustainable over the second half of the season which will likely see them drop down the table if other teams can get their best players back on the pitch most weeks.

While Chelsea blow hot and cold like a busted shower. Beating a top side one week only to be played off the park and well beaten by a relegation threatened club the following week. They have a very young side who seem completely incapable of playing with any sort of consistency. Yesterday for example when the final whistle blew Thiago Silva was 13 years older than any of his team mates on the pitch. He started playing professionally before some of the current Chelsea squad were even in an academy. In fact he was playing professional football before some of the current Chelsea squad had even been born. Chelsea will have done well to finish inside the top 7 this season I think. So I really don't see them as a real challenger for a top 4 spot.

So if we can get players like Martinez and Casemiro back fully fit and in the same kind of for as last season then we have every chance of clawing back the 6 point gap to 4th place and getting UCL football for next season.

This January should all be about trimming the fat from the squad. Who can we ship out and maybe even recoup some money for. We need to seriously slash the wage bill ahead of next summer to create space in our accounts to bring in new signings. Personally while I've been very critical of the clubs use of loans over the past 18 months, any signings in January should be players on loan only. But only if they are good enough to play in the first team. With so much unknown about who will be our DoF, who will be our manager, and how the new regime want to reshape the squad and rebuild for the future it makes no sense in signing any players on permanent deals, eating both into potential transfer funds and impacting the wage budget.

Being out of both the league cup and with no European football, that should mean we can cope with a smaller squad in the second half of the season. The more players we can shift in January the less work that will need to be done in shifting them in the summer. Meaning the new people at the club will be able to focus more on in coming players than out going ones and with more flexibility in terms of wage structure and squad space. Unlike this summer where we couldn't move on Amrabat until we shifted a couple of players out of the squad to make space.

Also the Nice/ Manchester United being in the same competition won't be an issue. Nice are majoritively owned by INEOS, while it is SJR who owns a minority stake in Manchester United through his company Trawler LTD. So neither club are entirely owned by the same person. Which negates the concern that if they were to face each other in a competition that one side might intentionally throw the game under direction from the owner of both clubs.

As long as you can show each club functions independently of each other and that you don't have the same person in a position of power and influence at both clubs then multi-club ownership is within the rules.

Some people are suggesting that through SJR we might be able to get some of Nice's best players for a below market value rate or at least first refusal on them. When in reality it is as likely to be prohibitive of signing their players as it might be helpful. Firstly he wouldn't be able to openly do anything as it would then bring the question of the individuality of both clubs and their ability to compete in the same competition. So anything would need to be done in a slightly shady, backdoor under the cover of darkness sort of way. Which is a terrible way to run a business. Secondly, SJR and INEOS have had a slightly tense relationship with the Nice fanbase, they made big changes and didn't always get them right. They have learned from them and have Nice performing very well this season. Yet if he is then seen to be using Nice as some sort of feeder club to his new club then that will only antagonise the Nice fans and make life more difficult for his team running the French club.
Therefore, I think its less likely we'll see us make any signings from Nice, and I certainly doubt we'd get any sort of special deal or preferential treatment if we did try and sign any of their players. It's likely that they will lose several players in the summer to bigger clubs if they continue to do well this season. Players like Todibo, Thuram, Moffi, Diop and Boga could all be snatched up by bigger sides from around Europe. Which will likely upset the fanbase, if they lose any of them to Manchester United then they will have to be seen to be getting a good deal from the sale to even mitigate any potential backlash.

7.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 13:46:52
Shappy, I'd read that even part-ownership would be an issue, not just full. But as no-one is concerned I guess it was an ill-informed article.

8.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 14:24:48
An inform healthish United will finish 4th imo. Chasing villa and spurs down is not as big a task as everyone thinks. We win the spurs home game coming up is a must and the gaps will loo a lot smaller. Both teams have no bottle if we get close imo. We have chased teams down through out the years and its in our DNA and have senior players who have been there.

Before looking too far ahead, a win at forest would be a good start.

Shappy

I cannot see Todibo or any nice player moving in Jan. only thing that would trigger us making a move is if they are willing to sell to other clubs. I also don't think there will be any soft deals with nice and everything will be like dealing with nay club.

9.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 15:53:27
Spenno, it was at best misinformed, or more likely a little malicious looking to stir up emotion amoungst the United fanbase.

There are and have been many examples of multi-club ownership where both clubs have competed in the same competition. At no point has the INEOS ownership of Nice been a complication in the deal for SJR to buy into Manchester United.

Ahmad, I doubt we'll see any permanent signings in January. There is nothing to be gained from it for the new ownership of the club. They'll want to get their people in, and start to draw up their own plan for how to take the squad forward and rebuild the team. January will be all about shipping players out. Clearing the decks to make space for the new regime to start making serious moves in the summer when they are ready and when they can start to implement their plan/ vision.

To be honest, of we can get our best players back from injury then we should have no need to bring players in during January as we have more than enough in our squad to finish 4th place if we can get everyone fit and back to their best form.

A fully fit Shaw, Martinez, Eriksen, Casemiro and Mount gives us a very different looks. Add that to young players like Amad, Mainoo and Garnacho who could all make telling contributions in the second half of the season. Finally getting players like Rashford and Bruno back into top form and suddenly we will look every bit as good as Villa and Spurs have this season.

People are seriously underestimating just how devastating our injuries have been and how practically impossible it's made managing the sides form and performance this season.

We've seen sides who've been playing great football for most of the season see their performances and form drop with them tumbling down the table when they've had to deal with LESS injuries than we have had to deal with.

Our form last season was carried by the performances of Martinez, Shaw, Eriksen, Casemiro, Bruno and Rashford. Four of which have been out for most of the season. While the other two have seen their form drop drastically without the same quality behind them.

Get those players back and we should be able to return to last season's form at the very least, maybe even improve on it if players like Onana, Mount, Amrabat and Højlund can settle in and start performing to their best level. Or if youngsters like Mainoo, Garnacho and Amad can step up and prove themselves capable of consistently performing at this level.

The problem is that we have had to rely far too much on players like Maguire, Lindelof, McTominay, Antony and Martial. Mostly good honest players who'll work hard and try to follow the managers tactics as best they can. But they either aren't suited to playing that way or incapable of playing it to the level required.

If we can get out best players fit and back into form then I'm confident we will finish 4th. But we need to get them back sooner rather than later. Get them all back by February, and fit and in form by the end of February then we'll get top four. If we don't get them back until much later or they take a long time to fully recover match fitness and sharpness, getting back into form then it'll be much harder for us to secure top four.

I actually think being out of Europe all together can be of huge benefit when trying to get our best players back fit. Travelling is particularly disruptive to the routine needed to get players back up fully fit after a long term lay off as you don't lose three days in the middle of the week to travel and playing halfway around Europe. No potential timezone issues, or changing of sleep patterns, actual time for recovery between sessions meaning the intensity of those session can be higher without it being detrimental.

If we can cut the squad size down and rely a little more on some of the academy lads to fill spaces then the manager will have more time and better quality players to help get his ideas across better and for the team to focus more on improving and developing their ability to play the kind of football the manager wants us to play. Rather than just trying to get through sessions with enough players fit to play the matches and having to adjust the tactics to suit the mismatched players fit and available for the games.

That way we should hopefully see more of a specific style emerge more clearly, and develop towards being able to play that style more effectively.

Then with a little luck a few of the youngsters might be ready for a bigger role next season, how well we develop players like Mainoo, Kambwala, Gore, Hannibal, Amad, Garnacho and even Højlund who's only 20 years old (I think many people forget he's younger Hannibal) .

If 3 or 4 of them kick on and prove themselves ready for a bigger role next season, be that as a regular starter or as a solid squad option then that helps to form a plan on how to develop this squad over the summer and where to focus our recruitment.

Mainoo, Garnacho and Højlund are kind of expected to lay down a marker, but if a couple from Kambwala, Gore, Hannibal and Amad can push for a regular rotation option for next season even as a 2nd or 3rd choice option in their position then it really helps.

Personally I'd much rather be seeing Kambwala or Gore for example be getting a few games between now and the summer than Maguire or McTominay as we know the latter ultimately aren't good enough, but there is at least a chance than Kambwala and Gore could develop into players who are good enough.

Therefore, if we get good offers for the likes of Maguire or McTominay this January then we should be looking to accept them and let them leave. Even if it means we are forced to play Kambwala and Gore in half a dozen games between January and May.

We need to clear the squad of players who aren't good enough, or who don't have a long term future with us. Get rid the wages off the books and create space for new signings or for youngsters to step up and look to prove themselves.

To be completely honest I'd rather scrape through this season and have an inconsistent season next season if it's because we are blooding a group of youngsters who will go on to become top players for us. Players like Kambwala, Mainoo, Gore, Garnacho, Amad and Højlund. Maybe even Alvaro Fernandez at LB. Or maybe we sign a couple of super talented young players in the summer with Diomande at CB or someone like Vermeeren or João Neves in midfield.

I'd be happy to be patient if there was a plan like rebuild with young players and give them the time and space needed to develop. If that is the plan from the new set up. Whatever it is we need to get behind it and back it. We probably are at the point where we need to take a small step backwards in order to start moving forward again in the right direction knowing where we are heading.





We need to clean up shop and clear out those who haven't been and will never be good enough for where we want to be.

10.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 16:19:09
Ryans left foot!

This trash about Hannibal being some kind of liability is as irritating as it is lazy - people should check his stats.

For example, his only full season of football in the more physical Championship and the FA Cup for Birmingham in 22/ 23, a season in which he started more often than not and was able to grow into those games he started, throws up stats you might find surprising.
In 41 apps, he received 11 yellow cards and didn't see red once.
He played a total of 2,131 minutes which means he was booked once every 193.7 minutes.
A big part of his game is tackling and getting stuck in. He appears more often as a sub for United and therefore has to find his feet quickly which can lead to mistimed tackles - something that relates to every single combative young midfielder on the planet, but because Hannibal has acquired this BS reputation it must mean he's too much.

By comparison, Casemiro, in the same season, across 53 apps, got 13 yellows and 2 reds. That's 15 cards from a total of exactly 4,000 minutes - a card every 266 minutes for a player of such comparative experience, 2 of which were straight reds.

McTominay, in the same season, across 39 games, picked up 10 yellows from 1,686 minutes, a yellow every 168 minutes.
McTominay puts himself about less, but is statistically worse in terms of discipline.

But yeah, Hannibal is reckless.

He's a combative player. Like Nicky Butt, he puts it about and will pick up yellows.
He's not a liability and not remotely like Guendouzi who, frankly, is an imbecile.

He could turn out to be an overly impetuous or aggressive player, but his stats so far don't actually suggest that and if he's coached properly then, like Butt, he will be refined into a far better player.

11.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 19:38:31
Ork, I don't think it's that he's particularly more combative than other midfielders, I think it's the attitude that comes across when he plays.

He seems either petulant or brain dead at times. He seems to get frustrated over an incident (either he loses the ball, or an opposing player gets under his skin), he'll then clatter into a challenge a little too enthusiastically shall we say, get a warning from the Ref then go into an equally as reckless challenge 30 seconds later, often right in front of the Ref. Which he obviously gets a booking for.

It comes across as petulant, like he's letting his heart rule his head. He's been wound up and wants to set the world right. He has been warned by the Ref, but seems to not have taken heed of the warning. That sort of thing will get you the wrong kind of reputation amoungst referees. Once you get that reputation it is almost impossible to shake it off.

If you've clattered into someone and the Ref gives you a warning that next time it'll be a booking. Then that is a moment to step back, clear your head and remember that it's a team game. Not a chance to think you've been given a free hit to clatter someone else as you've escaped a booking the first time.

You should step back, cool your head, and avoid diving in to tackles for a the next 5 minutes or so. Show the Ref you listened to him and you are a reasonable person, not someone who needs to be booked everytime you put a toe out of line otherwise you'll just carry on.

Ultimately the Refs are supposed to keep all the players safe, if the only way to reduce the risk of you injuring another player is to book you immediately then that is what they will do.

The fact that Hannibal hasn't been given a red card in his professional career goes to show that when he's given a yellow he can has enough about him to know to calm it down and not risk the second. If he can can walk the tightrope when on a yellow then it's a choice not to do so before he's given a yellow.

That's where the attitude issue seems to be and what he needs to address.

Sometimes in a game you have to make a foul and take the yellow card for your side. Maybe it's bringing down a player whose about to burst clean through on goal in a big game. You're options are bring him down and take the yellow or let him through for a 1v1 with the keeper and near certain goal.

If you've already got a yellow for petulantly clattering a player 20 minutes ago then the situation changes to let them score or reduce your side to 10 men.

That's where that petulant attitude comes back to bite your team. He thought the Ref giving him a warning meant he had a second chance to clatter that player who wound him up before getting a booking. But now it'll cost his team either a goal or a man.

So it's not that he's particularly aggressive, but that he needs to learn when to be aggressive and when to merely slow the player down, jockey them, reduce their options and force them to make a mistake or retreat. Rather than dive in for a challenge with a high chance of getting booked. That's a presence of mind sort of thing, and that's what Hannibal needs to learn.

If he doesn't then he will be the creator of his own bad reputation, and he and his team will have to deal with that in all his games.

You don't want to be starting a game knowing that one certain player will almost certainly get booked because they've built up a bad reputation. Because you know full well the opposition will take full advantage of that, every tackle he makes or foul they will gladly remind the Ref of that players reputation, maybe say loudly for the Ref to hear how you feel like he was "trying to break my leg". Put pressure on influence the Ref to book him. Which only further strengthens the reputation that player has for being overly aggressive in the tackle, "a danger". Eventually Ref's are looking out for it, when will that player cross the line, and the moment they feel he has out comes the card.

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression is the saying. Hannibal has to make sure that he remembers that everytime he steps on the field with a new Ref, because once he creates a bad reputation for himself it'll hang around his neck for the rest of his career.

12.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 20:26:29
We need petulant, aggressive players in the squad. Keane, Cantona and Beckham were this way inclined.

13.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 21:14:44
2toms, aggressive and competitive players I'd agree with. You want a few players who'll run through brick walls for the side and aren't afraid of getting hurt for the team. A player or two who the opposition don't want to come up against because they know they'll be in for a real battle, a fight for every ball and someone who'll make sure they leave the pitch aching.

However, that player doesn't need to be petulant. Petulant is to be childish, bad-tempered, sulky or moody. None of those traits are beneficial for a football team. Bad tempered or moody players just bring down the attitude of the rest. You equally don't want a player sulking because they didn't get what they want or acting childishly.

We don't need petulant players, in fact we probably have too many players who petulantly sulk or act childishly because they didn't get their way. Less Jadon Sancho's making public statements and refusing to apologise for calling his manager a liar not more of them.

We need more players with the opposite attitude, players who act professionally and carry themselves with a certain level of pride, players who aim for the highest possible standards in themselves. Players who have a fierce desire to win, but now how to toe the line. Players who know when to slightly over step the mark to make a point or to gee up their side, and when to step back to avoid a booking. I always used to say to my players before a game to imagine that they enter the pitch with a get out of jail free card in their back pocket.

It gave them one free use to make a mistake or to make a tactical foul when the team needed it. You lose it the moment you get a yellow card, from that moment onwards you are walking the tightrope of being sent off. One mistimed tackle, or one situation where you either take a booking or the team concedes a goal, and you are then responsible for your side conceding or having to play with 10 men. That's on you, you've let all your team mates down, pissed on their hard work in training preparing for the game and everything they've done in the game.

You should only ever get a yellow card in service for you team, a professional foul that was needed, or a genuinely mistimed attempt to win the ball for your team. Getting a booking for personal vendettas or because you can't control your temper, is just letting your team mates down. In my teams if you got a yellow card because you couldn't control your temper or because you wanted to "get even" with an opposition player then you were automatically dropped for the next game. I wouldn't have someone in the team who was a liability for the other 10 players due to their attitude. Either you fix that attitude or you find another team.

If you allow petulance and poor attitudes to fester in you team it infects the rest of the players. It's like a cancer that spreads throughout the side. The same thing in any work environment. You only need one bad attitude to bring down the attitudes of the rest. Some take longer to have their attitude brought down than others but it gets to everyone eventually.

If you work in a team of 7 people and one has a poor attitude, they are petulant, they sulk when they don't get their way, they are moody and bad tempered, lazy, work shy, tries to shift the blame and never take responsibility. Then eventually the others in the team start to reciprocate back what they are getting. You might be the last individual to be affected, or maybe you just decide its time to change jobs when you no longer want to work in a team with 6 petulant people who aren't working as a team and only bringing negativity into the work place. Or maybe you can't change jobs, so the only way to deal with it is to reciprocate that same behaviour back.

I don't believe there are specific players who have intentionally tried to get manager sacked by "downing tools", there may have been one or two really bad apples who have done. But not the majority. Yet I do believe there is a mental fragility within our squad, a lack of resilience. Add to that a few petulant players who sulk and become moody when they don't get their way, and I can easily see how that attitude spreads to the others, particularly those players with less resilience or mental fortitude. That brings down the attitude and feeling around the camp and suddenly even good players are finding it hard to give 100%. You can't be at your best in an environment that is not conducive to enabling you to be happy and at peace. There are many studies to show how a stressed environment or an environment that triggers a stress response in those working in that environment reduces productivity by anywhere between 20 and 70% depending on the study.

We absolutely do not need more petulant players who'll sulk, be moody or become bad tempered when things don't go as they would like. Those ultimately are the players who are responsible for the drastic down turn in performances and results that then eventually lead to the sacking of managers, and the endless rebuilding process that stops our club from being able to build a side capable of getting bac to the top and at least genuinely challenge for titles.

14.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 22:56:00
Well Hannibal has withdrawn himself from the AFCON, which makes me think he’s heading on loan again elsewhere to get some game time and sort his future out. Or ETH has shown him a pathway to being a starter at Utd. Less likely I’d say.

15.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 23:02:42
I must be an outlier and don't rate Hanibal. He is a busy body with energy but not even sure what is he is good at. definitely not a 6 and red card waiting to happen. not an 8 either as his passing and dribbling is very basic or i have not seen it yet.

Sure he bring energy/ enthusiasm on to the pitch but that is not going to cut it at united. A squad/ sub player at best unless he develops certain parts of his game and is a late bloomer, which can happen.

He makes very nervous the way he tackles and goes in, which is also due to being out of position or late. Good players don't generally need to go in that way.

Someone mentioned cas, he had 1 red card in his entire career at Real Madrid until last year with us he got 2. One was for Antony's petulance that got the whole team Involved and he got red carded for grapping someone around the neck, the other a very questionable red, which we have seen not given when it comes to other players. The yellow cards come with playing a number 6 and almost every player who plays in that role for most teams is on receiving end of yellows.

Forgot, Onana's suicide pass also got him sent off in cl this year.

16.) 29 Dec 2023
29 Dec 2023 10:53:43
I agree we haven't seen much from Hannibal yet. Definitely not a starter, more the type to come on with energy and harrass the opposition which I respect is needed.
I don't think a few youngsters are anywhere near ready yet. Gore looks like he should be trading Moshi Monsters cards in the playground!
Casemiro's disciplinary record until he joined us was exemplary. No red cards at Sao Paolo or for Brazil, 2 in 336 games for Real but 3 in just 61 for Utd. Probably due to a player not known for his speed flying in on the ground in a much faster league.