26 Oct 2024 07:01:32
I am loathe to change the Manager again, given it hasn't worked so far, but the current malaise doesn't look like ending any tine soon.

Both Jose and Ole looked like they were making progress and then the wheels fell off, and here we are again.

Benni tells us ETH is a tactical genius, but some team selections leave me scratching my head. Benni also said that in his view, only Bruno and Dalot train properly.

And then we have our transfer business, much of which looks very poor

So, ETH seems like a lost soul, but there remain what appear to be attitude and commitment issues to address.

We now have proper football people in place and whilst it may take time, I think they will get there.

First step, make a decision on ETH, stop faffing.
Second step, lay the law down. These are highly paid professionals playing for a huge club. 100% commitment and effort is a minimum requirement.

Third step, ship out those that are not needed or wanted, or are simply not good enough.

Fourth step, figure out why we have so many injuries.

I find some of the emotion on here a little over the top, but watching us is like going to the dentist, and after so much investment, that's just not good enough.

I like ETH, but he seems unable to fire up the players other than for the odd 20 minute spell, or a rare full game. The Cup Final was great but a one off.

This year will be 14 years since we won the League, let that sink in. The last big gap was 26 years, and the all conquering Liverpool team waited 30 years between titles.

I'm not holding my breath.

1.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 08:07:06
Good shout AJH.

2.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 09:32:05
AJH

First step, is compare the definition of what style of play has been set as required by the new structure, does ETH match it? He clearly doesn’t. Make the decision.
Second step. Communicate what Manchester United is all about, what is our style, what our aim is. What our expectations are.
Third step. Review if there is someone available or could be made available to meet that on a permanent basis. If not interim until the one they want is available.
Fourth step. Look at the coaching staff. Are any suitable to stay, who fit the style set out, can they work under a new coach or will they all have to go. We seem to have gone Dutch to suit ETH. Review coaching in view of fitness and injuries.
Fifth. Review players. Make tough decisions in January, even if there are losses.
Sixth. Ensure the youth players have a path. The bonkers decision to sell Fernandez in summer when we had no left back was crazy. Most of us would rather watch some youth get chances.

3.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 10:42:02
Ajh, red man, they read like posts that were written years ago.

Same story, over and over and over again.

4.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 11:08:39
I would be very interested to find out what is causing so many injuries.

There are plenty of potential reasons.

Are the players not training properly so are under prepared come match day?

Or are they being over trained?

Is a reluctance to rotate players meaning they are playing too much?

Is it the sheer number of games players are now being asked to play?

Are players hiding behind minor injuries and unprepared to play through the pain barrier?

Is it a lack of expertise in either or both of our medical and fitness departments?

Is it to do with the surface at the training ground? We have seemed to suffer with more injuries since the move to Carrington compared to the Cliff. It'd be interesting to know if that is statistically accurate or just a figment of my imagination.

Is it a combination of some or all of the above?

Ultimately until we get to the bottom of what is the cause then we can't do anything to address it.

The club seems to have addressed the medical department with an overhaul, which suggests the new owners weren't overly convinced by them. So we should have top experts in that department now. I've not heard or seen anything about bringing in new fitness and conditioning coaches. I don't know it that is because the manager doesn't want it, or the owners are happy with who we have, or whether it's not something they have got around to addressing just yet.

I remember reading something a few years back now about the ground at Carrington possibly being too soft/ firm which may have lead to a spate of back injuries to our CB's. I don't know if that was ever addressed but it at least suggests that the training ground might need some work to support the players fitness. INEOS did start a load of work on the training ground over the summer, although I'm not sure to what extent that went.

Lots of clubs are seemingly suffering more with injuries right now, so it's not just ourselves. That suggests that players are maybe being over played. Or it might be that more is being made of injuries right now as it's a hot topic.

Personally I think the demands on players is probably getting to a point where it'll soon reach a head and need addressing somehow.
It's not just the number of games, but the distance travelled to play games all around the world, along with the level of intensity of those games being far higher than it's ever been before. The number of high intensity sprints, the distance covered, the speed at which the game is played, the relentless nature of playing twice a week with less time off to recover, higher intensity training to prepare players for the games.

All these combine to put a players body under far greater strain than ever before. It appears that we are reaching the peak and pushing players beyond to breaking point.

It maybe be decisions from the manager that are contributing to it as well. A reluctance to rotate and seemingly a lack of confidence in many of the squad means that some players are being over relied on. While the manager is also in charge of training. So is responsible for whether players are training probably or are being over worked or under prepared for games. That has to be looked at and considered.

Yet our injury issues actually go back to before EtH, with Jose, Ole and Rangnick all having issues with injuries on a regular basis. Which suggests that the manager might be a contributing factor maybe an exasperating factor, but doesn't appear to be the root cause.

Fans have questioned the players mentality on the pitch in games, if that is an issue then it wouldn't be surprising if that lack of effort in games is matched in training. If players aren't training properly then they will be under prepared and more likely to pick up injuries. Some players have also been accused of hiding in games when things get tough, so I wouldn't be surprised if they did the same by declaring themselves unfit to play when in reality they could patch themselves up and get on the pitch.

There are some players who seem to be totally unaffected by the training ground, the number of games, the pressure, the training regime etc and get by without picking up constant injuries.

Bruno for example has missed something like 4 games in nearly 5 years due to injuries despite playing 90 minutes twice a week and travelling with his national team at every international break.

McTominay is another whose attitude was never questioned and was also rarely injured.

Maybe they are the exception to the rule and have been lucky to avoid injury.

The fact Mazraoui has had a heart procedure a couple of weeks ago and still played in the Europa league this week suggests that he has the right attitude. Yet he has a pretty awful injury record overall. So attitude and work rate might be a factor, but is clearly not the only one.

Whatever it is, the club needs to do something to address it, as regardless of who the manager is, they won't be able to get consistently good performances and results out of the squad if they have to keep chopping and changing the team every week due to injuries.

5.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 11:12:19
The "it's the same cycle nothing will change" crap is getting annoying literally everything non playing, and a chunk of the playing, has been changed.

The entire structure above the manager, the structure around the manager, the medical team, the only thing that hasn't changed is the manager.

so we are literally at a point where changing the manager is the only thing left.

6.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 11:20:15
Fergie is unemployed now.

Coincidence?

The come back starts here!

7.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 15:04:50
My theory is that mental stress caused by underachievement is the root cause of the injuries. Stress leads to tension, and less efficient use of the body, which then leads to greater fatigue, and over exertion to compensate. This is why our players seem to tire more easily. It's why good players come to us only to watch their careers go up in flames. Watch a great musician play effortlessly for hours. Everything flows and is in balance. It's the same with great teams. So first job is to replace the stress with joy of the game (win or lose) . and I think that goes for us fans too.

8.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 16:09:43
Benni Mccarthy the same guy that says we train unbelievable and come match day they can't understand why they don’t play like they trained.

THEN says only Bruno and Dalot train properly.

What a load of ⚽️oks. Citing him as a source is laughable.

9.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 16:17:26
Ajh good post.
I am not in favour of sacking eth for a knee jerk appointment.
There are lots of good options when the timing is right.
If the club management don't or can't align with someone high or at the top of their list now, then wait until the timing is right which could be back end or end of the season.
I'm not a fan of prolonged interim managers personally, maybe closer to the end of a season it could work.
My hope is that eth abandons must not lose mindset and transfers his thoughts to must win, must attack football. Less boredom more energy.
If he doesn't we may end up with an interim for over half a season.

10.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 16:53:01
Dbrooks, the 'new structure' has been in place for how long? If we expect immediate success, we are going to be in for more shocks.

11.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 17:12:39
Beat me to it, Angel ?.

12.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 17:48:36
Eleven years since we won he league, surely. 2013 last time, no?

13.) 26 Oct 2024
26 Oct 2024 18:15:05
I'm not expecting immediate success that's part of the problem with keeping ETH.

Although everything around him has changed he's still in his 3rd season, it's a lot easier to ask for patience with everything when the whole system is new.

At the moment we have a figurehead, no matter the structure the manager/ coach will always be seen like that, who's not producing, not only that some of his comments and decisions border on ridiculous.

With he's 1 asking for time because it's a "process", you've already had 2 and a bit years, and 2 saying things are going the right way because we've won't 2 trophies (which totals 12 games) in the last 2 seasons, despite finishing 8th one of those seasons and the football continuing to be dire.

14.) 27 Oct 2024
27 Oct 2024 03:33:09
What we haven't tried yet is sticking with a manager. Let's give that a try. Keep building the team. Stop renewing players unless they are part of the long term project. See where we get to. There is progress. It is difficult to see at times. But it is there. A left back would be nice.