Manchester United Banter Archive May 04 2019

04 May 2019 17:54:22
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, And Finally... Multi-Sport Athletes

04 May 2019 18:53:00
Another great one ed1. As soon as I saw this I was waiting to see if AB made it there or not. That guy seems to be one of, if not the, most athletic player to ever play cricket. Added to that he seems decent at music and even is said to have been good at studies too. Geez that makes me feel sad about myself😂.

{Ed001's Note - being athletic for cricket is a bit like being balletic for a bull in a china shop - it's not saying much!}

04 May 2019 19:13:53
But he seems like really athletic ed1 not just for a cricketer. I really like him myself. It seems cricket isn't a big sport for you ed1!

{Ed001's Note - no mate, bores me to tears to be honest. I doubt I would recognise AB if I tripped over him in the street wearing a big sign saying "I am AB".}

04 May 2019 19:27:13
He wouldn't bore you mate, when he gets going I don't think there's a more better sight on a cricket field. He can literally hit a bowler to every part of the ground, be it a fast bowler or a spinner. And he can do it all formats of the game. Maybe it's because I am from South Asia that I can tolerate cricket ed1.
Aside from football what other sports/ games do you watch/ follow?

{Ed001's Note - I like motor racing, used to like boxing and various martial arts but too much juicing and fixed results has put me off them. To be honest I don't really have the time any more to get into anything else.}

04 May 2019 19:40:59
I know you like formula 1, I find it long and boring in general but used to watch Moto GP. Tennis can be fun but it's too long in general. Boxing isn't that great now_a_days I think, UFC can at times throws a good card. But with time only Football has stuck with me as WWE (I know most find it ridiculous and lame although Bond watches it too) has become poorer by the week.

04 May 2019 19:42:25
Test cricket can be dull but T20 is good. I used to really enjoy the IPL when it was on itv before sky bought the rights.

04 May 2019 19:44:53
Never was a fan of watching cricket but playing gully cricket in mumbai was a godsend in the 90’s.
The pressure while you bat along with the constant sledging from our friends on the field and if that was not enough all the games used to go down to wire.
What an experience.

05 May 2019 08:24:55
Test cricket can be a 5 day game of chess, you love it or hate it. I am sad to see its demise.

05 May 2019 10:30:30
Two names to throw out

Tim Tebow. Probably one the greatest College American Football player ever. Struggled though in the NFL, combination of he lack of acurracy as a QB and his fandom drove him out of the sport. Now in baseball playing in the minors trying to get into the MLB.

Rafael Van Der Vaart. Footballer turned Darts player now. Be interesting to see how he does.

05 May 2019 10:54:31
Love test and the world cup this year is going to be massive in england with huge scores predicted. We could also see a few records broken in world cups.

04 May 2019 12:37:14
Seen rumblings that angel Gomes is in line to start the last couple of games this season. I really hope this is true, and I'd love to see him step up and take Mata's place in the squad next season.

Technically he has all the tools, however people will always talk about his physicality. He would be an ideal replacement in the squad for mata and would free up some wages too.

Caolán.

04 May 2019 12:44:40
I'd be very surprised to see him play tomorrow. If we lose and wecant finish higher than 6th, then yes u can see him and few more youngsters been played in the final game.

04 May 2019 13:19:18
I think greenwood was the one earmarked by ole to start the last two games for a couple of reasons as he is the most developed physically and ability wise.

I would be surprised to see anything other than a matic, herrera and pogba midfield for the last two games. They are the best midfield three available.

04 May 2019 13:24:51
Apparently we've offered Mata a new deal for some reason. Pointless. Who makes these decisions.

04 May 2019 14:20:32
We can't get rid of all the experienced players and Mata does offer the club something.

04 May 2019 15:57:22
I think it’s clear that Ole wants to keep Mata because he’s one of the few senior players who act like professionals, and might actually set a good example for the younger lads.

04 May 2019 16:07:08
He offers nothing on the pitch though. Setting an example doesn't justify the wages.

04 May 2019 16:42:41
Mata played and scored in the last game. To say he offers nothing is harsh.

04 May 2019 18:33:33
I never understand physicality argument. The best example is Messi. Footballing brain is important, this is not wrestling.

04 May 2019 19:27:12
I'm sure I saw that our win ratio with Mata in the side is vastly greater than when he is out.

However I do think he slows the game down and doesn't suit the team, however he is terrific player, top pro and lovely fella.


Like kicking a puppy saying mean things about Mata.

04 May 2019 19:45:45
He's a lovely guy but we're back to being sentimental again. He's too slow. Maybe one more year at most as he is experienced and a model pro. We need to be more ruthless though in moving players on.

04 May 2019 00:45:41
@Ed001

I could see the high intensity, press higher up style Solskjaer was trying to play in the first 5 games. But as it has been reported by many, later the players started to drop off and we suffered injuries. Solskjaer doesn't believe that this squad is fit enough to play that style.

That brought us to the Liverpool game with injuries and we suffered some mid game and I think its during and after that game that he went back to the sit back and counter style of play. I don't think that's how he wants the team to play.

Having players who just jog around the pitch like Martial and Pogba doesn't help either. Its embarrassing. What United need more than a new coach / manager is a proper structure above him to create the conditions to succeed. Is it any wonder that neither Pep nor Klopp wanted to work in this setup? Any coach would fail at United with the current structure. Refusing to sign a center back and undermining the manager on Pogba, Martial and finally the new contracts given to Smalling and Jones highlights where the problem is.

{Ed001's Note - Solskjaer was already playing a defensive system before the Liverpool game, he did not revert to it during.}

04 May 2019 08:16:18
i think it was the pressing on the ball, regardless of what part of the field the ball was in, was the main difference. Now the players look too knackered to do this, or in the case of pogba l, not arsed.

04 May 2019 06:35:01
Ed, maybe, maybe not. He has been clear that he wants the players to work harder than the opposition and play on the front foot. For whatever reason that hasn’t been happening. Maybe they are not fit enough, maybe it was injuries, maybe Ole is all talk and no substance. We shall see, hopefully some significant personnel changes are imminent.

{Ed001's Note - he is only a cheerleader, what does it matter what he says?}

04 May 2019 10:53:09
Who's coaching and selecting the team then ed001?

{Ed001's Note - Phelan is the coach. The cheerleader is taking 'advice' from others such as Fergie and Phelan on selection. That is a big part of the problem imo. The players don't know who they are playing for.}

04 May 2019 11:36:24
This is appalling. And that is why he would never succeed.

We need to forget the past and move on and Fergie shouldn't be anywhere giving advice to Ole.

{Ed001's Note - it is the same issue that held the club back for all those years until Fergie came in with a new broom. Each generation was so busy deferring to the Busby generation, they were not taking the club onwards. Ron Atkinson did have a go, with his efforts in youth development later benefitting Fergie, but it was Fergie's decision to do things his way or the highway that made the difference.

When the old boss is still hanging round and the manager is deferring to him, the players do not know who to listen to. The problem is that the chosen fresh brooms, van Gaal and Mourinho, did not get backed as Fergie had been. Instant success tends to be short term success, if you want to dominate once more, you have to build properly and it takes time to do that. Though it is arguable either of those two were the right choice (I don't think they were) the board has to have the balls to stand by the choice they make.}

04 May 2019 12:09:23
Thats the problem Ed as i don't think Ole is strong enough to say look i want to do it my way otherwise he wouldn't have gone to Fergie for advice.

The club is clueless, people making decisions are in la la land and hanging on to the past. This club isn't going anywhere until we change the whole structure and the club isn't bothered because they make so much money.

I think we might be the next AC Milan who were so dominating but look where they are now.

{Ed001's Note - you have the problem of Ed Woodward as well. He is the Prick Parry of Man Utd. The anchor holding the club back every time it is on the verge of something good. The sad thing is that Woodward will eventually leave, having failed miserably, and walk into a huge number of highly paid consultancy roles, just as Parry did.}

04 May 2019 12:11:25
I also don't think the board has any strong personalities and they probably have ex United players thinking with their 1980's and 1990's mind otherwise they wouldn't have listened to the toxics and cancelled the whole project in terms of hiring Allegri.

{Ed001's Note - you need a strong board, like the one that stood by Fergie when the fans were calling for his head, right now. Unfortunately you have far too many Glazers and Woodward involved who do not know the sport at all.}

04 May 2019 12:20:58
Ron Atkinson did not do anything for the youth development, he never went to see the kids play and did not even know their names. When Fergie arrived in no time he knew all the kids and their parents. fergie did not benefit from anything Ron Atkinson did and inherited a squad who had some serious drinkers that Ron Atkinson had done nothing about.

{Ed001's Note - sorry but that is not quite true. Atkinson did not go and see the kids play and Fergie did get to know them all, that I fully agree with. But it was Atkinson who put in place the changes to the academy that bore fruit in Fergie's time. While it is arguable how much involvement he had in the plans, probably almost none, he still had to agree to it as the manager at the time. It is probably best that he had no involvement and left it to people who understood youth development if anything. However he does deserve the credit for the decisions made as he could have easily blocked them.}

04 May 2019 12:37:47
Thanks for the insightful information ed. Have an awesome day!

{Ed001's Note - you too mate take care.}

04 May 2019 13:09:08
United seems rotten right to the core ed001. From top to bottom. From the 'anchor' Ed Woodward, the people who sit beside him in judge and murtough. The club has not only stagnated but declined.

That would be forgiven if there was a future structure put in place and a vision. But it seems to me that we are in complete disarray and it will only get worse before it gets better.

Although the Glazer's put people in place to run the club, will there ever come a time where they step back and say 'hey, somethings not right here and we need to put the correct people in place' or is it the case where they care about one thing and one thing only, $$$$?

{Ed001's Note - the very fact they put Woodward in charge, who is after all merely the banker who brokered the deal for them to buy the club, suggests their main interest is in the money. However, even a club as huge as United can not sustain financial success without seeing some success on the pitch too. While the fans will be there, the top end sponsors paying the most money want to be associated with the most successful clubs.}

04 May 2019 13:44:02
So in essence, reading between the lines, should the decline off the field continue, they should be forced to act.

As you said success off the pitch is only sustainable as long as there is success on it.

04 May 2019 15:03:08
Ed 01 is there any hope for utd under ole? Or ole in general? It seems without him distancing himself from everything he believes in then he is certain to fail. Really looking forward to the upcoming season.

{Ed001's Note - if the right men are in place around him, then yes there is plenty of hope.}

04 May 2019 15:16:08
So hopefully in time the club can put the right people in place. From reading the comments from yourself and ed 02, the problem with that is ed woodward and how he wants to do things (not bringing anyone in from outside the club as dof or sof)
the talk of phelan as sporting director is worrying.

{Ed001's Note - that would be a bizarre choice. If it was me I would be looking at Overmars.}

04 May 2019 15:35:27
I wouldn't know anyone to even comment on. I'm just hoping it is someone from outside the club so they can have a fresh approach and a different perspective on the way to go forward.
I hope the club start making the right decisions but I won't hold my breath. Thanks Ed 01 have a great weekend.

{Ed001's Note - thank you Tom, you too. As for Overmars, he is the man that is being given the credit for Ajax's revival.}

04 May 2019 15:52:26
Fair play to him, good player and seems to be doing a good job now. Hopefully the summer recruitment will be better than the last few and utd as a club can take a step forward and not 2 back. Thanks for all your insight much appreciated.

04 May 2019 16:09:02
I can't see Overmars lasting long with that clown though. Whereas Phelan has always been a bit of a yes man.