Manchester United Banter

23 Aug 2026 21:30:09
Yesterday I saw a team that just need want it.

I don't understand how players can not run and fight hard. Their talent takes care of the rest. But at the very least, they should try.

It's not the loss, but the manner of it. Some of the performances out there was unforgivable.

23 Aug 2026 22:27:18
The performance wasn't good, but was the setup right by Carrick? Was he proactive in trying to change it in-game?
Tielemans is saying we just did ball work in preseason and no running.

Reports last season say training wasn't as intense as under Amorim.
Maybe Carrick took over a fitter and drilled the team, and it didn't show so much last season.
Maybe set up to fail.

23 Aug 2026 22:39:59
I saw the exact same with Anderson today, and he was hooked. Poor touches, and players running off him.
Some of these guys are not fit yet.
I think Bruno Cunha and Tielemans in particular were miles off it, and it showed. Haaland missed 2 sitters today. He'll score in a few weeks' time.
There is no getting away from the fact that Carrick got it wrong, and made it worse as the game went on.
He backed the wrong horses on the wrong day, and nothing went right, or looked right, really, from start to finish, and the whole performance was nothing short of extremely disappointing.
Dorgu was shocking, Shaw was awful, Maguire was worse. I will say that Maguire at least played with some urgency towards the end when others showed none.
It needs to be a lot better next Sunday.
They have a lot of work to do this week, both individually and collectively, they have a chance to show up next week at home and win.
Everybody needs to do better.

23 Aug 2026 17:33:08
Imagine playing a left-footed player on the left wing i.e. Lacey and then a right-footed player on the right wing i.e. Rashford. Get the ball wide and whip in some crosses. Can't be any worse than the current theme of our wide players stopping when they get the ball, passing it back, or cutting inside into more defenders and going nowhere.

23 Aug 2026 18:51:16
Putting in crosses wasn't the problem. We put in more crosses than we have in any game for 8 years; just 27 of the 34 were unsuccessful. We need more quality in the crossing, or just don't cross.

23 Aug 2026 19:16:09
Gds,
Two things. First, as you say, the quality of crossing has to be better, but, secondly, we need not just one, but several attempting to be in the box on time to score from them.

23 Aug 2026 19:31:37
Yeah, the one thing that will limit the success of your crosses is playing without a striker. How many times yesterday were balls being put into the box with a gang of our players hovering outside it instead of trying to get on the end of the ball?

23 Aug 2026 20:36:21
Exactly, that's what I mean by don't cross. Even at the level I play at myself, as a winger, if I look in the box and there is 1 small forward against 3 6-foot defenders, I don't loft a cross into the box. It's ridiculous, yet we do it time and time again and keep getting the same result.

23 Aug 2026 22:08:31
May be different with Sesko on the pitch, but Cunha was often closer to the centre circle than the penalty spot.

23 Aug 2026 10:44:26
Shambles yesterday, summed up on the first goal, why is Maguire grabbing Mazraoui directly in front of the goalscorer.

Not the first time he's done that either lol, remembering him marking Wan Bissaka for a goal conceded during COVID.

23 Aug 2026 12:22:01
During Covid, what, 4 to 6 years ago? And he's done it again? We should sell him immediately.

23 Aug 2026 13:58:54
Him and heaven were poor. dsg heaven lost McBurnie for the goal.
Shaw and Mazraoui not much better either. Shaw at fault for the second.

23 Aug 2026 14:16:53
The whole team were poor, but was a loss to Hull really a surprise? Sadly, no.

Utd have been defensively poor for quite some time. MdL is a big loss along with Martinez. Another CB is certainly required.

Hopefully next summer, Maguire, Shaw, Maz and Dalot either leave or be sold. They are nowhere near good enough.

Heaven needs to work on his strength. He is too weak.

23 Aug 2026 14:42:39
AJH, This wasn't a normal mistake like an OG or losing your man.

He's actively preventing his own team mate from defending a goal.

Most defenders wouldn't make this mistake in their whole career. I find it odd he's done it twice now.

No need to get sanctimonious about it.

23 Aug 2026 16:32:45
Let's forget Heaven, like Yoro, is not even 21.

23 Aug 2026 19:34:09
I wasn't being sanctimonious, I was being sarcastic. You said it wasn't the first time and then referenced another occasion years ago.

23 Aug 2026 08:06:38
Yesterday we watched a lack of ball control so often but in particular sluggishness in all the players.

Tielemans commented on Manchester United’s pre-season training under Michael Carrick in an interview during pre-season. 
He said sessions focused mostly on ball work rather than heavy running or fitness work:
• “That’s [ball work] what it’s been like mostly.”
• When asked “Not loads of running?”, he replied “No, no.”
• He added: “When you come back from the World Cup, you don’t do loads of running.

Just chill.”

So as well as being tactically inept yesterday, not motivated, the focussed “ball work” didn’t work, we were not prepared physically or professionally for the start of the season. Unacceptable management.

23 Aug 2026 09:39:34
Jesus, it was poor but it was 1 game. I love this site but the meltdowns when we lose are epic.

We looked undercooked, players returning late, new players, pretty much everyone was poor.

Maybe pre-season wasn't focused enough, apart from the Milan game, we looked pretty sharp but here we are.

City were thrashed in the Community Shield, Spurs were soundly beaten yesterday.

Someone on here wrote off the ses
ason yesterday as if they were an 8 year old. I thought we were dreadful yesterday, but I'm not losing my s*** just yet.

23 Aug 2026 09:50:27
AJH,

We lost our first game in 95, I recall, at Villa and went on to win the league. Thing is, the situation is different now. It's 13 years and there is no excuse not to be ready for the season, none. Right now we are the laughing stock.

The owners have not delivered the players needed in time to integrate them. The coach clearly got yesterday wrong and rightly deserves a hammering for it.

Putting our hands up and saying ah well is one reason why we are at 13 years.

Agree. Wouldn't write off the season, at least whilst we are still in the cup competitions, just like the 70s and 80s.

Not losing anything because it will improve, but it's unacceptable to be so unprepared.

23 Aug 2026 12:02:49
Typical massive overreaction. It's pretty standard that you try to build up fitness more slowly when players haven't had as much downtime over the summer.

It's done to avoid burn out and potential injuries.

It's funny how we suddenly have so many football management and sports science experts.

The club have had a massive overhaul of staff, we have top football/sports analysts, medical staff, fitness staff, and coaching staff. All employed for their expertise to get the best out of our players across a whole season.

Yet we lose a game and suddenly Dave the welder from down the pub knows better.

We probably need to step back and stop trying to overanalyse every defeat or poor performance. After all can we honestly say we always perform at 100% every single day at work? Of course not, sometimes we have an off day. Do you think your manager sits there in the pub trying to work out why you didn't perform at your best. Maybe it was the training videos, maybe it was what you ate for dinner last night, maybe it was the new supervisor.

Some teams start the season better, some finish the season stronger. Injuries, disrupted pre-seasons, transfers, fitness, team cohesion, understanding of new tactics, and some times just a bad match up will all impact performances and results.

I said earlier in the week that a pattern over pre-season was our inability to deal with set-pieces/crosses into the box.

Maybe that is a consequence of losing Casemiro, who was excellent at attacking the ball in the air and cutting out crosses.

While Hull are a team that heavily relied on set-pieces/crosses last season to score a lot of their goals (45% while the league average was 27% in the Championship).

Maybe it was just the perfect storm of us not quite being fully up to speed, playing against a team whose biggest strength is also our biggest weakness.

These things happen. I said earlier in the week that we need to solve the issues with set-pieces/crosses as it might become our oppositions go to tactics if we can't deal with it.

There are lots of ways we could deal with it, the simplest way is bringing players into the team that can deal with aerial threats, MdL for example or Baleba to add to what we lost with Casemiro leaving. Or we adjust our tactics to deal with it, making sure we cut out crosses at the source, not diving in and giving away free-kicks, or changing our shape and how we play entirely. Our current set up forces teams wide by flooding central areas, but in doing so we create more space out wide for teams to attack and potentially cross from.

Ultimately however we choose to set up will have strengths and weaknesses, areas/ways for the opposition to hurt us. You then limit that by getting the best players possible to play your way and mitigate those weaknesses.

Two years ago we scored a record low amount of goals, and that summer the club spent big on Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo, which went a long way to solving that issue, then last season the weakness was a lack of control and energy in midfield, this summer the club have gone a long way to fixing that. However, this season will probably highlight our defensive frailties, and it will probably have to weight until next summer for the club to fix those.

We have to remember this is a multi year project, and we need to appreciate the steps forward we are making, while understanding that we will have weaknesses and areas that still need improvement. We are a work in progress, not the finished article.

This season is about continuing to refine our attack, develop our midfield identity, and to help our young players grow into their potential. Particularly players like Heaven and Yoro who could go a long way to helping solve our defensive frailties in a season or twos time if they develop as we hope.

Before kickoff yesterday we knew that we need new and improved fullbacks, we knew that beyond Sesko we lack a natural centre forward, we knew that we lacked aerial dominance in the heart of defence.

We didn't learn anything new, just further confirmation of what we already knew, and in truth issues that we know aren't likely to be able to be fixed this summer, so will continue to be issues all season. The main thing that was disappointing yesterday is that while our known weaknesses were on display, we failed to implement our strengths effectively. We had plenty of shots, but failed to really test their keeper, if we managed to match our shooting accuracy from last season yesterday then we would probably have scored 2 or 3 goals at least, and depending on when/how those goals went in, it would have changed the game.

23 Aug 2026 13:40:45
Overreaction?

The Berarda and Wilcox have been slow and ponderous. They failed to move on any deadwood, because contract expiry is the only way we ever get rid of players.

Baleba was finally signed, but is injured and won't be match fit till late September. We could have signed Kone weeks ago to slot in at 6 for the start of the season, but no, the board want prem proven players like Tielemans and Santos, who both got hooked after the hour mark for being dreadful.

The days of panic buying late in the window were supposed to be over, but it looks like we will be doing that again.

Carrick was an interim manager, meaning temporary, but no, he brings feel good ole vibes so give him the job.



The fact we lost isn't the issue, it's the fact we showed no urgency. At 2-0 we're just casually passing sideways with no intent or desire to attack.

We will get wins, we will rebuild the defence next year, but that display was nothing short of shambolic from all players, and that needs to change. Other teams strengthened and will kick on, but we got outfought and outplayed by a 6th place Championship team. These should be easy wins, and we need those because tougher tests will come, and if we play like that we will be battered.

23 Aug 2026 14:00:43
Oh, and don't forget extending Bruno's contract. He's demanding same wages as Rashford apparently (because we failed to get rid of him).
He's 31, yes, he had most assists, but mostly from set pieces to Casemiro. Fergie knew when to sell, and would have cashed in on Bruno to fund a younger option.

Instead, we are struggling with psr, and instead of making money on seemingly the only half decent asset we have, we are going to extend his contract and have a declining player on astronomical wages for 4 years.

23 Aug 2026 14:38:16
Cantona, would you rather we sign the wrong players to have them here for the start of the season or the right players and have to wait a few weeks before they are ready?

You don't buy a player for the first few games of the season, but on a 5 year deal for the next 190 league games and countless how many cup games.

As for getting rid of players, you can only sell if there is someone willing to buy. The other option is to pay up the players contract and let them leave on a free while massively hindering what you can spend due to the large payouts.

We could have done that with Rashford for example, but then we probably wouldn't have the funds available to buy Baleba. Meaning we have less cover on the left and upfront AND less cover in midfield.

Let's not get it twisted either, the issue with the club being unable to move players on is linked to the big contracts handed out by Ed Woodward and co not the current administration.

It seems very unfair to criticise the current men in charge for not being able to clean up the mess left by the previous guys.

We will have to just take that one on the chin, and accept that it will be a limiting factor and there isn't much that can be done about it now.

As for Carrick, the club did extensively search the managers market before hiring Carrick permanently. Which suggests they felt he was the most suitable option available. Like those before him and those that come after him, if he fails to meet the clubs expectations then he'll be replaced.

We might disagree with the management team on who is the best manager, or best players to sign, and that is our right. Yet we also have to accept that we don't know 90% of what is going on behind the scenes, why they make the decisions they do, and we don't have the experience and expertise they have either. If we did then maybe we would come to very similar conclusions.

We lost 1 game, SAF lost hundreds of games with us (113 in the league alone). Even the best lose games, it happens.

But this massive overreaction to a bad result is just that, and overreaction.

23 Aug 2026 15:19:00
It's not just a bad result, it's a terrible performance. I accept we will lose games, but the manner of the defeat and the performance are what anger me.

23 Aug 2026 15:44:37
Shappy,

The fact you are pushing "overreaction" so strongly is one of the problems at United. Continual excuses, continual excusing of the ordinary, continual playing the emotion card of not blaming the United-connected manager.

SAF went famously ballistic when he won a Scottish Cup because the team didn't do what he told them. It's called standards.

If Real lose a game poorly, it's a crisis, and if we lose like that there are so many out giving excuses.

It is not an overreaction at all, but the under-reaction for years that has allowed the clowns to operate in the way they have.



I really don't think we should have a Carrick debate after one game, but stop trotting out "the club did extensively search the managers market." We all really know why we got him, and just accept and see how he does now.

Simple fact that we were horribly unprepared, unfit, and tactically clueless, and that sits at the manager's door, the lack of players to integrate at Berrada/Wilcox's door, no matter how long a diatribe you write.

Cantona Seagulls, Bruno is 32 in two weeks or so, it is madness to give him another major contract. Sell, take the money.

23 Aug 2026 20:51:01
"Step back and stop overanalysing."

Oh, the irony!

22 Aug 2026 21:23:51
Shall we do everyone's league finish predictions again? I stand by mid-table at best. Once the thick of the games come, we don't stand a chance. Call it knee jerk, but my money is on Carrick out before xmas.

22 Aug 2026 21:33:28
Yep, knee jerk... but I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen, but let's see next week first before panic.

22 Aug 2026 21:53:35
The biggest worry is Carrick's 'it was never going to be perfect' comment. That statement doesn't exactly send the right message to an already half arsed squad. Is it ok to turn up and expect anything less than perfect?

22 Aug 2026 23:16:22
Jd,

You know exactly what he meant, though. Players coming back at different times from the World Cup, our 'best' team not currently available, Sesko with no minutes and still 2/3 players short. Hardly controversial to say he didn't expect it to be perfect today.

23 Aug 2026 03:44:01
All valid points, but we are talking about Hull City - a team whose whole starting 11 cost the same amount of money as Andrey Santos. Arsenal didn't seem to have the same problem...

23 Aug 2026 08:15:13
For 'never going to be perfect', read unprepared. Carrick is head coach or manager, I said what I thought of that previously. The club are all in with him, so now they have to live with it. It's one game, so can't overreact, but can't deny it's a terrible, disgraceful result to start with.

23 Aug 2026 08:23:10
Appalling mess. No guts, again!