30 Dec 2019 19:45:52
As we enter a new year perhaps most of us still have more questions than answers.
If Social Media is used as barometer our fan base appears more divided than ever; having said that as a season ticket holder it is my experience that the majority of match going supporters appear to be firmly behind the manager. The atmosphere at Old Trafford remains largely one of support and patience and the audible whispers of dissent witnessed during the turbulent Moyes, LVG and Mourinho era's are auspiciously absent; for the time being anyway.
Assessing OGS's tenure has been both difficult and emotive. Progress has often been almost impossible to discern and the lack of consistency and the managers credentials have only fuelled the voices of discontent and provided ammunition for the Ole Out brigade.
All managers are ultimately judged by their results and to that end it would be hard for even the most ardent Ole supporter to argue that results have been good enough. It has often felt like one step forward and three steps back for most of his tenure and 12 months on many still argue that Utd lack any discernible style of play.
As the January transfer window opens so does the opportunity to strengthen and reinvigorate squad. On closer examination January acquisitions rarely hit the ground running or have been able to make any significant contribution. It's a market where cool heads prevail. Whilst the squad undoubtedly needs strengthening what we can ill afford are any more expensive mistakes and Ole's legacy at Utd will be dependant on his ability to acquire the correct players in the right positions.
From a personal perspective I think Ole's future hangs in the balance. His faith in the likes of Martial and Rashford is beginning to come to fruition. The emergence of Williams and Greenwood has been pleasing whilst his summer additions have all been solid and undoubtedly improved the squad.
As we enter the second half of the season we must avoid injuries to key players. Rashford and Martial must continue to develop and perform more consistently and the emergence of Greenwood is something to genuinely feel excited about. Pogba continues to divide opinion but there is absolutely no chance he'll be sold in January. What happens in the summer remains to be seen but if he can replicate the form he demonstrated throughout Ole's initial first few months his creativity and drive from midfield may just propel this young team to another level.
We find ourselves back where we started, with more questions than answers. Will Ole's faith be rewarded or continue to be blighted by inconsistency? I'm not sure anyone could provide a reliable answer. Time as always will be the judge.
Happy New Year everyone.
30 Dec 2019 20:57:47
DLIB
My guess is that Ole has done enough for those decision makers that are sentimentally driven, to still be there in May and they will review the season. If they are consistent then missing out on top 4 has been a major driver and should result in a P45, however the sentimental factor cannot be ignored, so if they ignore previous decisions it just points to emotion decision making. If the team don’t meet expectations and still keep him then, another season could drift.
I am concerned that the path we are on will mean it is difficult to attract the level of player needed, there is no real identity on pattern of play. It is a time when managers like Poch, Allegri and even Simeone are available or potentially available. If, like, Everton, teams pick up these level of managers whilst we meander, it could be very difficult, the timing of decision making could have a major impact on our future.
Interesting your point on match goers, I was a season ticket holders for decades, the fans want to be seen as loyal, so it takes a lot to make it known publicly, still Moyes was sacked without much dissent in the ground. I was there when SAF made that speech about supporting the new manager whilst shaking my head in despair and there were others who said the same, yet didn’t want to rock the boat.
I do go on about experience in management, but if a player is looking at our club, City, Everton, Spurs, would they want to play for Ole or one of the others who have shown they can win. If it was me I would play for United yet that is me, who loved the club for over 50 years. If I had talent and didn’t love the club, I would want to play for the other managers before Ole. We are unattractive at the moment and I can’t see that changing with the present direction, which is worrying for us all.
30 Dec 2019 21:26:10
Good read dlib, for what it's worth I still feel we are a bit spursy, there's a cup in us and we can beat better teams on a good day and lose to worse teams .
I don't live local anymore so hard to know what match goers think of ole, on here the fans seem a little like the decision makers, top 4 and just about accept the manager, drop much further than that then option splits,
I think this is because a utd manager has the financial clout that really should make top 4 achievable.
For a while now when looking at utd I think 3 good players and there's a decent team but I was probably saying that before the last ten were bought and fans of other teams probably say the exact same thing .
Our signings on the whole have been bad for a while, some worse than others and it feels a while since we bought a player who has really ripped up trees . if we could get this improved the days of twenty or thirty points behind may disappear, anyway happy new year to Ed's, posters and readers.
{Ed007's Note - Happy New Year to you too buddy.}
30 Dec 2019 22:00:07
I must say but never would I want Simeone in charge. No chance in hell would he fit our club. When you see us attacking teams with fast play we are very good to watch. I'm feeling quite optimistic for the future. We are still short but with the correct additions we would have a very good team. It's stupid to think about sacking the manager now. Number 10 we need desperately and also another centre midfielder to play deeper. Brandon Williams looks some player and offers more defensively and offensively than Luke Shaw. I wonder if we will do a deal for Sancho 🤔. Another CB also needed as I'm not totally confident in Lindelof. Bailly looked a very good CB when he came I wonder if he can get fit and be a good player for us as he is a good age.
30 Dec 2019 22:09:16
I'm on the fence and I can see merit in both arguments.
I really like Rashford and Martial although both can frustrate me immensely. I think both have shown promise and should probably be given more time to ascertain if they can perform more consistently. They need help and a really good No10 and RW would make a huge difference to this team in my opinion. I'm excited by the likes of Williams and especially Greenwood so I believe there is cause for optimism.
Having said that I always feel we are just a few of injuries or bad results short of disaster and we still just don't know which Utd will turn up from week to week.
My gut says stick with Ole until the end of the season and see where we finish although I'm not sure Ole can survive many more performances like Watford, Bournemouth or Newcastle etc!
Like I said more questions than answers and it will be intriguing to see what the Club do if we fail to make the Champions League.
31 Dec 2019 04:31:55
DLIB. I personally thought that the decision makers left Ole with a squad short of depth and quality.
It was astonishing that we didn't replace our top scorer in Lukaku. The team already needed a quality midfielder and Herrera left without being replaced.
These were some shocking decisions and Ed002 rightly labelled them as "amateurs".
Due to this, we had to remain patient with the likes of Fred, Martial and Rash hoping they would come good and consistent.
If we had recruited some of the signings which Ed mentioned such as Bruno Fernandes, SMS, Moussa Dembele or Jadon Sancho, I'm pretty certain we would have comfortably been in top 2.
The constant injuries to few players have not helped either.
However, I like the direction the club has taken this year. Shifting out average players like Smalling, Darmian, Sanchez. Phasing out Matic, Rojo, Young, Mata etc, .
We have the youngest squad in the league and personally think we are in much better hands than we were under LVG or Moyes.
There is so much potential in the likes of Rashford, Martial, AWB, DJ, Greenwood, Tuanzebe, Williams, McT etc, .
The foundation seems to be stronger than ever compared to the last 7 years.
In 2020, we must make sure to get 3-4 quality signings to get back where we belong.
Consistency will improve as these players get more games under their belt.
{Ed025's Note - comfortably in the top 2 TRD???, top 4 i would agree with mate but city and liverpool are light years ahead..
31 Dec 2019 08:06:58
Red Man, I think if we miss out on top 4 then he will likely be gone, it would take something remarkable for him to remain. What we don’t know is what ‘vision’ he has sold to Ed, Ole said himself this week that he expected to be further along by now. If we have a stronger second half and win a cup then that’s progress but given where we currently sit, top 4 is eminently achievable so I think it would be seen as failure if we miss out.
31 Dec 2019 09:11:11
Is this an essay writing competition? You know Shappy is about drop a dissertation now.
Happy New Years all!
4th is there to be competing for and with the right investment we should reach it.
31 Dec 2019 09:29:02
Hope you had a good Xmas DLIB! I went recently to OT and I did find people were mostly in support of Ole, but Red Man is right, I have found that in general match going United fans are not as vociferous if they do not like manager as say Arsenal supporters (for example) . I think top 4 is in reach, and we must strengthen to get it especially in midfield. With Mctominay out, I can't trust Pogba to stay fit, or to even stay as we all know he wants out. I too have similar worries to Red Man about attracting the right quality of player. I think the likes of Ancelotti and Jose have a far larger pull than say Ole, but that is something that remains to be seen. Beat Arsenal and that's 3 league wins in a row, cannot remember the last time we did that. Here is to a better 2020! Happy New Year to all the Eds and posters.
{Ed047's Note - Happy new year Park, have a great one!
31 Dec 2019 08:44:23
Hi Ed025, City don't seem to be at their best this season :)
It's unlike them to drop so much points at this stage of the season.
{Ed025's Note - they are still way above united,s level though TRD, but i must say the likes of chelsea, spurs and arsenal are well within reach as well as leicester, top 4 is a realistic shout i believe mate..
{Ed001's Note - thanks mate. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.}