Manchester United Banter 2

01 Jun 2026 16:31:35
I hope the club stand firm with Barcelona and I hope that Rashford also considers other options.
I don't think there would be a shortage of takers both at home and abroad at 26m if he is prepared to lower his wage demands.
With Di Silva Gordon and Alvarez going to Barcelona he is likely to get even less game time.
He has plenty to offer the right coach and team if they can get him motivated and happy in his surroundings.
I think he has made every pertains agent attempt in terms of salary sacrifice at Barcelona to make it happen but they just don't want him enough so he really needs to move on from them and decide what he wants to do.

Stand firm and risk his career or embrace a new challenge.
I saw a man this week in Gordon who had the same dream as a kid and young player to plausible for Barcelona. I saw him address the press in excellent Spanish. For me therein less the difference between the 2 in their workrate and approach to making their dream a reality.

01 Jun 2026 17:46:58
Ken, I'm just not convinced Rashford wants to make the effort to be the player he could be. Despite getting numerous chances, United and Barca fans say pretty much the same thing - he's excellent at a couple of things but well below average at most - and what he is below average at are things that are down to effort. His pressing is poor, his off the ball runs to create space for teammates is poor, the list goes on.

It's an incredible frustration because for one season (or half a season anyway) he did that, and he was genuinely brilliant.
It's not his talent that's the issue, it's his attitude. It'd be a big mistake if we take him back as the culture at the club is now so much better with proper team players. Right now, I think Villa might go back for him, but other than Serie A, I don't see another major CL club taking a chance on him.

01 Jun 2026 18:42:21
Half a season? Jesus, DonRed, that's wild considering how many goals and assists he has had in his career, particularly in the red of United.

Who knows what conversations he has or hasn't had with those at Barcelona.

All just wild guessing.

My wild guess is that they know he only really wants them and we have made it very clear that we really want rid, and have devalued an asset, well, RA really devalued the asset, so they'll come back in toward the end of a window for either a reduced fee or another loan.

01 Jun 2026 18:52:53
DonRed, what Barca fans are you talking to? Because I've talked to a few and they were extremely happy with his contributions last year. 25 G/A in his debut season, and he contributed to them winning LaLiga, starting only 18 games in the league too. Not bad to me.

01 Jun 2026 19:30:21
Barca have two weeks to make their decision. Why do it now when they can keep cash flow for a few weeks longer?

My guess is they'll buy him and sell him for 40-50m in the next 12 months.

01 Jun 2026 19:45:07
Angel, it's quite widely reported what Barca fans are saying. Just go on Reddit and you'll see that. He did fine, but his attacking contributions come at a major defensive impact. If he were such a roaring success, they'd have stumped up the money already. Your post suggests I'm in a tiny minority that has this opinion, and I'd contend you are in that minority.


The half season I mentioned is when he was truly world class. He was a game changer and got a massive contract on the assumption he would continue to have such an impact. Most obviously he hasn't done that.

01 Jun 2026 20:06:19
It's just mad to me how fans on here rate our own, half a season 😲. I think you didn't have the best view on Maguire either, another one of our own.

Sorry, mate, I don't look at Reddit, I've spoken to friends and people I know who support Barcelona, and I didn't hear any of them say what you said above, but maybe they're in the minority.

Like I said above, the club, and in particular RA at the time, really devalued assets that we had under contract, and I believe that's why we have found it difficult to shift players and get their actual worth.

And this Rashford debacle is case in point.

I just think they come in at the end with a loan, or look for money off. Good if the club dig in and try and get the money, the value they have put on Rashy. I'll be very surprised if they do, though, and they'll only have themselves to blame.

01 Jun 2026 20:31:54
Maguire is an admirable player, but very limited. Rashford has damaged himself through his own attitude. I said Rashford did fine. I also referred to half a season to a full season, where I thought he was world class.

I did not say he was crap the rest of the time. You continuously misrepresent what I've said. I like the back and forth, but I don't like that really distasteful part of our interactions - can you please stop doing it.

01 Jun 2026 20:48:06
What are you on about, DonRed?

01 Jun 2026 21:14:18
Jeez, where to start. Rashford has always been streaky, but he was an integral player for a long time, and at one point he was carrying the team. If you haven't seen that, then I wonder what you were watching.

He's lost his way, or his motivation, for whatever reason, but he was excellent for many years.

dondln

nisxwsy,.

01 Jun 2026 21:18:04
AJH, he's also been pretty good at Barcelona.

I just believe that Barca will do their utmost to get him at a much lower price. That's all I believe it is.

In fact, since writing the above posts, I believe Times Sport have come out with something saying that Barca want to buy at a much reduced price.

That's what happens when you tell the world you want a player out.

01 Jun 2026 21:23:46
He had two seasons where he had a goals to games ratio of around 1 in 2 (As I said, in one of those seasons, I thought he was superb). Other seasons were generally closer to 1 in 4. That is beyond streaky.

AJH, when did I say he wasn't integral? That was part of the problem. We built the team around him, and indulged him to a level that did not correspond to the effort he put in. What were you watching?

01 Jun 2026 21:32:16
We did the hard part in separating Rashford from the over emotional fan base. Now the club must make sure his attitude is never seen in our shirt ever again.

I suspect Barca have had a close eye on his attitude, and maybe it isn't what it should be.

It's not just about performances, it's also the mental approach.

They may take a chance. Let's hope they do, or someone else does, and we get as much as we can.

01 Jun 2026 21:58:33
Beyond streaky, DonRed? He played as a LW and has fantastic stats for us over a period where our club was not successful at all, changing managers, styles, players etc. He was one of the only constants. And, my, I don't remember our club ever building around him at any point either.



RedMan, can you point to any behaviours? Or any coaches, players, ITK people who have said anything about his attitude over in Spain? Or is it something you just think?

I believe Barcelona want him, but at a cheaper price.

01 Jun 2026 22:05:36
Angel

You mean being unable to attend training because he was partying in Ireland, and was too rough. Or perhaps watch him wander around the pitch, watching opposition players walk past him.

01 Jun 2026 22:16:34
Angel

It happened in Jan 24. He was in a nightclub on Thursday night in Belfast, hours before being due in training on Friday morning. He then reported himself as ill. I can look up the nightclub name if you want.

01 Jun 2026 23:00:49
"I suspect Barca have had a close eye on his attitude, and maybe it isn't what it should be."

What has he done since his time in Barcelona?

01 Jun 2026 23:02:43
He devalued himself as an asset for UTD when he refused to put in the necessary effort. All RA did was put him in the category of surplus to requirements.

Ridding the club of some of the toxic players is surely something you can praise RA for, Angel?

01 Jun 2026 23:27:30
There have been lots of "one of our own" players that have fallen foul of the fans, so why be surprised that some of us do not necessarily like the same players as much as others? That's just human nature.

Rashford is one such player, as is my favourite (not), Maguire.

They divide opinion, but just because they wear the shirt, it does not mean we have to universally like them, especially in the case of Rashford, when they seemingly down tools.



I like Rashford the player when he plays. I dislike the Rashford we let go. He had the opportunity to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats, but sought to believe his own press before he got there. A sad loss to the game from where we were heading to where he is now.

02 Jun 2026 06:44:49
Angel

Clearly not enough to make them snap our hands off.

You going to admit how poor his attitude was?

02 Jun 2026 07:51:04
I'll admit it, Red Man. I loved him for years, but he lost his way, had a few disciplinary issues, and did not put in the effort on the pitch. We should take what we can get for him from whoever is prepared to stump up a reasonable fee.

02 Jun 2026 08:35:45
Just tell Barcelona to pay the money, or we will sell him elsewhere. Rashford has a value of £38million on Transfermarkt. Given the rumoured EPL clubs interested in him, they could perhaps sell him for more.

02 Jun 2026 08:44:44
One of our own. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 He's a dirty little scroat who hardly tries a yard. A disgrace to the club, often. His effort was a disgrace. He might be one of yours, Angel, defo not one of mine. You believe what you believe, Angel, doesn't mean others have to believe or think the same. If Barcelona really valued him, they would pay like they do for all their other players.

I hope the club stand firm. They are targeting other players that play in his pairing, as they rate them more highly. I don't blame them. There is a lot more to playing football and being part of a team than goals and assists.

02 Jun 2026 09:20:57
Redman, I agree with you. They have had a look at him for a season, and don't think he is worth what they thought, both in fee and wages. I'm quite sure they think he would be a useful squad member, but he played less than half their games, and did well, but not well enough to buy him at fair value. As usual, a little streaky, but hard when you're not in the team a lot. They value other targets more, and prioritised them naturally. If he had been spot on, and what they wanted, they would have prioritised him.


I think someone else will offer what we're asking. If he won't go elsewhere, then we are in a pickle. 1.4m per month is a big hit on cash flow monthly.
Even if they sign him, he won't be there in 18 months' time imo. They don't value him enough.
Look at Gordon. He addressed the press in Spanish excellently. Tells you all you need to know about how he works for what they want. Rashford is a dope imo.

02 Jun 2026 09:34:33
Of course he's one of our own. He was born in Manchester. He grew up in Manchester. He came through our Academy; that is the very definition of one of our own.

The last few years, he has been a different player, whose attitude appears to have slipped.

He needs to leave, and I certainly don't want him back. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a valuable member of the team for the preceding 7 years.

02 Jun 2026 09:51:18
Being born in Manchester didn't make him one of our own, AJH.
He needs to live it, breathe it, and 'die' trying to be considered one of our own. Do all that consistently, and you can be born in Timbucktoo and be valued as one of our own.

Don't do it, or do it intermittently, or stop doing it, and then you are not United, imo, and not one of our own. Dalot is more one of our own than Rashford, because he always tries his best.

02 Jun 2026 10:22:24
"For Manchester United, "one of our own" is the ultimate badge of honor. It refers exclusively to players who graduated from the club's prestigious youth academy. It signifies intense local pride, deep loyalty to the club's values, and the belief that home-grown talent represents the true soul of the team."

Dalot will never be one of our own.

I'm not defending Rashford. His lack of effort has been awful, but whether you like it or not, he was one of our own.

02 Jun 2026 10:37:01
Maybe one of yours, not one of mine. I don't consider "one of our own" as academy graduates at all. I consider Keane, Cantona, Robson as one of our own, not a little scroat like Rashford, who does not put the team before himself consistently.
You can be one of our own without being through the academy, imo. I am aware there was a hard and fast rule. Who came up with that qualification, or is it in your head, or just your opinion? (Not being funny, I've never considered Robson, Keane, Cantona as not one of our own and never considered Rashford or Henderson, for example, to be one of our own.)
Being born and brought through somewhere doesn't automatically give you that title; it's how you conduct yourself, imo, that earns you that title.

02 Jun 2026 13:13:50
I now associate the phrase "being one of our own" with Ole, and now Carrick, to explain or justify over-promoting people.

Was Cantona one of our own? Absolutely. Robson, Keane, Rooney, totally.

Rashford disrespected the Shirt. Something that no real fan would do. The fact he did it as a player means he can't go out that door fast enough.

02 Jun 2026 13:29:19
Totally agree, Red Man.
I'm surprised, AJH, that got works consider the likes of Rashford, Garnacho and Luke Chadwick more one of our own than real stalwarts of their club and genuine players who really did their best more often than not, and players who've made more of an impact than failed graduates.

02 Jun 2026 15:03:26
One of our own is surely referring to an academy graduate. Not a hired ace from elsewhere. Maybe legends of the club can become one of our own by the end of their career when they have been through countless battles with us and are adopted by the fan base. But I always thought it was a phrase saved for players who came through the academy.

02 Jun 2026 15:23:26
Perhaps DB, I personally don't see it that way, and was not aware that was how his people felt.
I must say, id have Robson Rooney ethic as one of our own, before Rashford, Garnacho, or Luke Chadwick.
Im not sure there is a hard and fast rule on it, just personal opinion, I guess.
The academy thing even enters my head when I hear the phrase.


So, a bit like royalty, you get a title, you deserve it or not, based on where you're born or where you trained as a kid.
Wouldn't be my way of looking at it.
If that's the case, id say Rashford should have that 'one of our own' title taken from him, like ex Prince Harry or ex Prince Andrew. 🤣🤣

02 Jun 2026 19:15:08
Now that is something we can agree on, Ken. 🤣

01 Jun 2026 16:17:44
For cm it looks like Ederson +1 more.
Anderson is he set on City imo likelihood 5/10?
Tonali really good player imo likelihood 6/10.
Fernandes huge potential looks a player to ne likelihood imo 8/10.
Baleba is he too like Ederson? Imo likelihood 4/10.
Wharton bit of a dark horse down the list of options imo likelihood 2/10.


They appear in my order of preference in that list.
I still think 5 is a bit light for the 3 positions given the games Bruno, Mount, Mainoo, Ederson? Other? Unless there is somebody from the academy who can step up.

01 Jun 2026 16:46:02
Not sure there is anybody who can step up yet, Tumble. Collyer will surely be sold this summer too, as his loans have not been productive, and Kone needs a loan to develop after his injury.

Carrick may have seen enough in Tyler Fletcher to keep him in the squad for next season?

01 Jun 2026 17:20:39
Yeah, I think we need 3 mid signings. We're losing two, with Ugarte on his way out, and we have far more games next season. Would be silly to go into next season without 4 quality central mids.

01 Jun 2026 21:48:49
Hayden from Boro, quite a likely purchase. Known and rated by Carrick. Prob happy to be a squad player, and won't cost a fortune, so limited downside.

01 Jun 2026 22:00:14
I'd love Fernandes. I think he's a really good player and a good alternative to Anderson. I'd be very happy with Ederson, Fernandes and another techy CM to complement Mainoo. imo, that would be a very energetic and strong CM, and will change the game for us.

If we can add a CB and another forward, it would be fantastic.

01 Jun 2026 22:48:59
Agreed, Angel. Ederson + M Fernandes, and then maybe Hackney, or, probably too ambitiously, Alex Scott, would be great. For forward, I hope the Mateta links are true, he'd be ideal. I'd be looking at RB, and then LB before CB, but that assumes De Ligt is anticipated to make a full recovery.

02 Jun 2026 07:17:05
Mateta is not clinical enough.

02 Jun 2026 07:52:04
Hackney would be an astute signing, I'm really not convinced by Mateta.

02 Jun 2026 08:57:36
Don't like Mateta. Never seen Hackney. We need at least 1 cb badly and full backs.

02 Jun 2026 09:24:45
Utd need to spend their money well and wisely this summer. Hackney would be a very good squad signing, as he wouldn't cost a lot, as he only has a year left on his contract. I'd imagine he would cost circa £15 million.

01 Jun 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Rangers and the Dutch-Belgian Squad Blueprint

31 May 2026 21:22:29
We are going through a period of seismic change in terms of personnel leaving the EPL Alison, Ederson, Walker, Salah, KDB, Son, Silva, VVD, Tripper, Robertson, etc. Real household EPL names.

Also a massive reshuffle managerially is occurring this summer.

It's a real opportunity for a team, a manager, players to become the next face of the EPL, to brand themselves into the mould of the aforementioned players.

Notably, of this recent group of players leaving, you'd be hard placed to throw in a UTD player, definitely no manager.

Managerial contenders have to be Iraola, Carrick, Enzo, Arteta, you could throw a few more in there, Alonso, Hurzelar, even Lampard and McKenna just coming up.



Much larger pool of players and difficult to say from all teams who is likely to be stood side by side with the EPL greats in 10+ years time.

I will say for me Lammens has started well. If he continues, he will comfortably be there.

You have heaps of others who could be there. O'Reilly, Dowman, JJ, Anderson, Wharton, etc etc.

What does everyone's starting 11 look like for the future all EPL greats for say 10-13 yrs time. Probably looking at players 22 and under.

Just a bit of fun!

31 May 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - PatrikBurgher has posted a new article entitled, Where Liverpool's Season Went Wrong Under Slot

30 May 2026 22:14:20
With literally thousands of players on professional football across the world, why is that Utd no longer seem able to sign diamonds like Schmeichel and Ole for relatively low amounts?

30 May 2026 23:56:38
Lammens. Heavens. Mazraoui.

31 May 2026 00:01:28
Lammens, I give you that, but Heaven was found by Arsenal, and I don't think he is yet, and Mazraoui is a decent player, not a diamond.

31 May 2026 00:19:57
A few reasons.

1. Every club in a top division has invested huge sums of money in their scouting network to identify a promising youth players from every corner of Europe (and in some cases further afield).
2. Every club has invested huge sums of money in developing their academies, and getting youth players into the system as early as possible.
3. Players are expected to be more technically proficient at a younger age today, and those outside the academy system are at a massive disadvantage.



In other words, if Schmeichel and Ole were around today, they would likely have been identified in their local youth leagues and brought to an academy in their teens. So much has been invested in youth scouting that there are far fewer diamonds in the rough to find.

31 May 2026 00:29:11
Schmeichel had a big name when he joined United from his time at Brondby. And saying Heaven was found by Arsenal is just silly. Unless you're saying that nobody at all knew of Ole or Schmeichel. I get what you're trying to say, but it's overblown.

It's 20/20 hindsight. Lammens could well turn out to be every bit the superstar. If Heaven becomes a 50M calibre CB, we'll hear those saying how great our scouts are to make sure we got him at that time.

31 May 2026 01:50:28
Devil's advocate...

Then why do we have hardly anybody coming through into the first team if the scouting and academy is so good?

In theory, we should never have to buy a first team player ever again, but here we are spending 100's millions on risks.

Not arguing either wat poking the usual bears for a giggle!. 😂

31 May 2026 07:11:05
It's a problem, Keefy. We have prospects who go on to have solid careers elsewhere, but there are a few key points for me.

Every club has Academies, so everyone is looking, meaning the competition for young talent is fierce.

Secondly, it depends how you measure success. Most recently, Garner and McTominay have done very well elsewhere, whilst we brought through Rashford and Kobe.

How many is enough? It would be great if we could add 2 Academy players every year, a top one and a squad player.

Finally, at United, our expectations are very high. Many have already decided that the Fletcher twins are not good enough, but they're only 19, and Tyler in particular is a great prospect. We need to have patience and allow players to develop in a supportive environment.

31 May 2026 11:32:05
There are a number of examples where we were aware, or even handed them on a plate.
Haaland. Ole recommended we buy him for £4m.
Caicedo. We negotiated a £4m deal, but backed out.
Sterling. United showed interest, but Liverpool signed him for a low fee (~£450k rising to £2m).
Alvaro Fernandez. This one really frustrated me, as you all know. Got him for almost nothing. Showed potential at Preston. Sold by the idiot ETH for £6m to Benfica, then replaced by Malacia. Madrid paid over £50m for him.
You can go on. Frankie de Jong, Jamal Musiala, even Virgil van Dyke. We were apparently interested in them all, and many more.

It looks like, for the Woodward years, we weren't really interested in buying young upcoming players; it was more about sexy names. If you don't believe me, look up Woodward reaction to Bastion Schweinsteiger.

We have fallen so far behind others, particularly City, that it is hard to see us climbing back any time soon. I often look at when we buy someone from, say, Brighton, if we should be looking at who they are getting to replace them.

Go and get their scouts.

The Heaven deal has real potential, a potential bright light, the main one we can see.

I watch the youth, and JJ apart, they seem to flatter, lightweight, nice players, but lack that physical and mental edge. I would love to know what is briefed out to the scouts, what are the club looking for? Skillful players, but what else? Do we even look at positions needed that are expensive to fill. As an example, when was the last centre forward to burst through the youth? Was it Mark Hughes?

I suspect the years of Woodward didn't see any commercial benefit buying a prospect; shelling out £4m for Caicedo was £4m that was destined for dividends. However, old Bastion was good commercially. Like Bastion, so not a dig at him, but how the club has failed for years at scouting.

You can put some of it down to the aims of the club, top down, who wanted Disney, commercial success, after all that's what Woodward tried to sell Klopp, Disney.

31 May 2026 13:03:39
Red Man. 👏👏👏

31 May 2026 14:20:56
It's become an inversion of what happened in the 80s and 90s, Red Man.

Back then, clubs often looked to bring physically dominant players to their academies. However, the Barca team of the 00s changed that. They looked for technical aptitude, and it was successful, so the rest of Europe tried to replicate.

The thinking, these days, seems to be to have the academies focus on technical skills, and if the player makes it to the first team, they can build muscle then.

You can see it with Manioo, who is looking far stronger this year. I suspect that it's also on the advice of medical departments, as trying to build muscle before a person is fully grown can lead to injuries.

31 May 2026 15:29:22
The difference in expectations at a club like United is in a different stratosphere than Brighton etc.

Caicedo was given a platform to grow at Brighton that he simply wouldn't be afforded at United. He could have 2 good games, 2 average games and 2 bad games and the general consensus would be "he's a smashing little player".

Not having that microscope over every performance is what helps players develop. McTominay is an interesting one to revisit, and you often see people talk about why we let him go. Well, we let him go because he wasn't at the standard required to play at United. He's done really well in Serie A, and you scroll the news and see he's scored again, you think maybe he could have had a longer spell with us. But that's not and was never the case.

Elanga did well at Forest and got a big-money move to Newcastle, but again he needed a couple of years plying his trade week in, week out, and he's still one of these players that only has 1 good game in 3.



As for getting bargains. Anyone who has played Championship Manager/Football Manager games has a finger on the pulse of the world of wonderkids/bargains around the world. Buying these players with the intention of playing them in the first team is simply not feasible. The football world is simply too small now.

Take Chelsea as an example of going out and buying every young player they could. It's been quite an unmitigated disaster. Spending tonnes of money on the next Brazilian embryo hoping you strike gold.

The margin for success is so small, that a club with aspirations of success can't spend 2 seasons blooding in a £1 million prodigy.

Many have tried to copy Brighton's transfer strategy, but Brighton are a club that will struggle to win anything of note because of how they operate. That is not the model Manchester United should look to adopt.

31 May 2026 16:10:26
Salford, Heaven was not 'found' by Arsenal, he was at the West Ham academy for 4 years prior to joining them.

Redman, every club could provide a list of players they could have signed, but did not, and who subsequently proved a success.

I have said previously that Alvaro Fernandez made it very clear he wanted to leave prior to his permanent transfer to Benfica. The club said, at that time, they would not stand in the way of a young overseas player, who expressly stated they wished to leave.

Furthermore, at that time it was felt Harry Amass, who was younger, was further along with his development and indeed had a higher potential ceiling. The issue with Amass has not really been about ability, but physicality. He could well be the type of player who does not reach the required physical level until he is a bit older, or indeed he may not make it at all.

Time will tell.

You also reference Haaland and indeed, OGS strongly urged us to buy him whilst at Molde, at that time the club said they did not wish to do so. They did, however, make strenuous attempts to buy him when he was leaving Salzburg.

You may remember his agent back then was the since departed Raiola. He insisted on a clause in the contract stating a fixed transfer fee, which if received by us, HAD to be accepted with part of the fee going to Raiola. In effect this would mean us losing control over the player, a totally unacceptable situation to be in. Thankfully we refused to comply.

You seem to be suggesting we should just go and buy every player in case some come good! Choices have to be made at the time, and just criticising with a degree in hindsight and using chosen examples does not seem helpful.

Thank God we did not sign Sterling.

31 May 2026 17:29:23
Why are you happy we didn't sign Sterling?

He was an excellent player at Liverpool and City. Even if he pushed for a transfer at us, like he did at Liverpool, we would have made a tidy profit.

31 May 2026 20:06:17
Never been a fan of Sterling. Had a few reasonable seasons, but he never seemed committed to his club.

When he was in dispute with Liverpool over wages, he supposedly contacted the BBC, telling them he wanted to do an interview about his contract situation.

I don't think you should be doing that. Also, he asked to be left out of preseason tour, again I don't think that's the right way of doing things.

01 Jun 2026 13:13:49
It is not about individualising the comment, but Sterling, I recall, was a United fan. We didn’t bother, despite that; I recall watching him as a youth, and he was excellent, outstanding. He was excellent for Liverpool, although his finishing wasn’t quite top notch, and from Liverpool's initial very small outlay we then received £50m plus when selling.

How many times have we done that? Garnacho, to a point, but not often.

30 May 2026 20:06:33
Obviously wasn’t rooting for Arsenal tonight, but I do kinda feel for Gabriel. Penalties are absolute cinema but completely heartbreaking if you lose. Top class by Marquinhos to go straight to him afterwards. That all said, I’m happy PSG won, and deservedly so I think.

30 May 2026 20:18:32.
Yeah, it's hard on anyone who misses. Arsenal executed their game plan excellently, but they were hanging on by the end, so it was a fair enough result. We've a lot to do to get to that level when you see the squads used by both sides.

30 May 2026 20:24:44
Long way Don, but they're an example of what needs to be done. Find it amusing that they've cleaned up in every competition since Mbappe left and Madrid haven't won a thing.... 🤣🤣

30 May 2026 20:27:43
Delighted PSG won. Arsenal are mind numbingly boring to me. How many passes did they complete today?

30 May 2026 21:12:33
I wouldn't say Arsenal executed their game plan because they conceded.

Their plan was a carbon copy of what Jose did at Inter. They had 11 men behind the ball for most of the game. No attempt to control things, or go for a second.

Just park the bus, anti-football. The frustrating thing is they have a squad capable of playing good football.

Look, it worked this year because they won the league, but I don't think that anyone can honestly say they enjoy watching that.

30 May 2026 21:14:36
Couldn't have happened to a better player. Football won tonight.

30 May 2026 21:59:59
No matter your allegiance, you surely must feel for players missing penalties in such high profile matches, unless they are really not good people or are arrogant.

That said, I am glad PSG won because they were definitely the better team and tried to win it.

Saka and Rice had OK games, but neither gave me reassurance that they have what it takes for the World Cup ahead to help England win it.

Although Arsenal deserved the Premier League title yet again, the biggest club cup doesn't come to England. How many of Arsenal's players would get into the PSG, Barca, Bayern, or Madrid teams? I don't think many.

For me, that is quite telling.

Lastly, (and best wishes to Mal Gooner, who appears regularly on this site and seems to be a decent, level-headed bloke), I have several friends who are Arsenal friends, and throughout this season they have been really, really quick to moan about Arteta and sideways football, and then praise him as the messiah when things were going well. They would have been insufferable if they had won tonight.

31 May 2026 02:46:23
Wow Gabriel, the guy who should have had 3 reds.
Watching Rice run the pitch, arms up, and finally get a yellow was joyous.

Haha Gabriel, karma hit you.

31 May 2026 14:22:49
Couldn't give a toss about how hard it is on Gabriel. He's a piece of s*** on the pitch - his demeanor is of a multiple CL winner, but the trophy cabinet of Luke Chadwick. Arteta is Simeone in disguise. Won a PL and will never win the CL because of the mind numbing anti-football they play. Would not be surprised if Arsenal don't win the PL for a while again. They've got a good squad, much better than ours at the moment, but although they won the PL this year, it was a terrible PL in so much that even we finished in third place.

Arteta's only saving grace for the next season is City, Liverpool and Chelsea will all have new managers, and with a WC this year, pre-season will be different. United have continuity, but our squad is well below par and suspect we will do well to finish top 4 again next season.

31 May 2026 18:24:36
Reminded me of England losing to Italy after Luke Shaw gave us an early lead.
At the time, I wanted Southgate to then change things, at least by second half, and actually go for it, but he continued to sit back and paid the price.

31 May 2026 20:53:23
I have. United to win it at a canter this season, Singh.

30 May 2026 14:23:00
So on 21 May I said “One place Iraola may go is Liverpool. That would be interesting.”

Now it looks like it may indeed be Liverpool. It would answer AJH’s question a week ago on who was in the queue for him.

I would rather they had kept Slot.

30 May 2026 14:38:00
Gutting to think they'll get an exciting, up and coming manager who plays great football with an average Bournemouth team. While we're stuck with an average manager, who in all likelihood won't be here in the next couple years, and we have to start the process all over again.

30 May 2026 15:12:18
We're all doomed!

Let's see if he can step up. Time will tell.

30 May 2026 15:33:24
I rate Iraola. However, the pressure at Liverpool will be a lot more intense than at Bournemouth.

30 May 2026 15:46:49
I think he has a big job on his hands.

They need centre backs (plural), wingers (plural), and a fullback for each side.

Plus, he has to come up with a way to fit Wirtz and Szoboszlai into the starting lineup. Szoboszlai was one of their best players this year, and you can't spend over £100m on a player only to bench him.



I feel like they wasted a lot of money last summer bringing in square pegs, rather than building on what was already working. I suspect that we won't see the best Iraola can do at Liverpool for a few years.

30 May 2026 15:57:44
I think Iraola is a very good manager, and the worst case scenario is that he has a similar effect as Klopp with his style of play. However, it could as easily fall apart, and the difference between the smaller and larger teams is huge, and getting the players to buy in is not easy, so it could easily fail.

On Carrick, the negativity is crazy, and it almost feels like we just wanted the new shiny thing (I may look back with egg on my face).

I think we will see a different style and adaptability with the new players, and a pre-season to embed his style, which for large parts at Middlesborough was successful.

We need to get behind the manager and team until things change. We will know by Christmas whether it was a good or bad choice for us, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City. Until then it is all guess work.

30 May 2026 17:01:30
Isak was excellent at Newcastle. He got injured early and never got going, that was on top of losing Jota, Diaz, and Nunes, and a downturn in Salah's form. I can see things improving radically under Iraola if he has a healthy Isak and Ekitike, maybe with Diomande or Rayan as Salah's replacement.



It would not surprise me if Ratcliffe really wanted Iraola but it had simply become impossible not to give Carrick the opportunity.

30 May 2026 17:07:33
Ajh,
If Iraola does go to Liverpool, who do you think will finish higher in the league, Iraola's Liverpool or Carrick's United?
Who do you think will be sacked first?
Not trying to be clever, but wondering what you think.

30 May 2026 18:00:23
None of us know, Red Man. Most of us thought Liverpool would walk the league at the start of the season.

It's a big step up for him. He may rise to it, or it may overwhelm him. I have no idea which.

Same goes for Carrick. Sorry to sit on the fence, but. 🤷

30 May 2026 18:41:32
AJH

Yes, a bit of an unknown. I guess we don't know how Iraola deals with big-name players yet. Tactically excellent, mind you.

30 May 2026 18:49:28
Iraola could be great, could also be like Frank at Spurs. Time will tell.

As for Carrick, I have become more hopeful over time. My one qualm has been our style of play, but he has dealt well with what he had at his disposal, and if there was a manager who would understand controlling the midfield, it would be him.

So let's see what he can do with a good summer. Am quietly optimistic.

30 May 2026 22:09:14
Realistically, Liverpool player-wise are at the moment in a better position than us. Their defence is stronger, with a real leader in VVD.
Midfield, as things stand, they are stronger, and in attack we are probably level, although if Isak fires, he is definitely better than Sesko.

They probably need a central defender alongside VVD, possibly another defender who can cover left and right-back positions, and a replacement for Salah. Iraola has proven he can build a team at Bournemouth who play on the front foot, and so the Liverpool players will relish getting back to that Kloppesque style of playing.



Integrating Wirtz and Isak, with no distractions like they had last season, will help the manager to get them back on track quickly enough.

It's much, much harder for Carrick. He needs players right through the spine of the team, plus full-backs, and has to have a bigger squad to contend with more matches.

30 May 2026 22:14:10
I wouldn't say VVD was a leader, to be honest. He doesn't organise very well. Szobozslai seems their best leader going into the new season.

31 May 2026 00:04:31
When I saw highlights of Liverpool recently, VVD was the player shouting at players to be in their right positions, and, like Casemiro for us, it was VVD who scored some good goals when needed most.

31 May 2026 07:50:47
Salford, I'm not sure that Liverpool's defence is better than ours, as you claim.

Frimpong or Dalot? Dalot.
Konate or de Ligt? de Ligt.
van Dijk or Martinez? van Dijk.
Kerkez or Shaw? Shaw every time.
Bradley or Mazraoui? Maz.
Gomes or Maguire? Harry.
Robertson or Yoro? Robertson.

31 May 2026 11:40:07
Salford, Liverpool are defensively in at least as bad a shape as we are. They have some good players but little balance, and they lost identity last summer. Previously, they had a clear identity of hard-working players who facilitated their genuine superstar, Salah. But they've populated the squad with players who themselves are used to being the focal points. They may regain balance with Salah going, but I think our balance in attack is much better than theirs.

The problem there is that they'll need to offload some very expensive players in order to get back to the style they want. Fwiw, I said exactly this last summer. It's not hindsight. This should have been obvious to Hughes and Edwards, and I feel a bit for Slot. I don't think any manager could've made it work.

31 May 2026 11:50:12
I would take their two full backs Kerkez and Bradleyb, because both are equal or better than ours offensively, and are younger with more potential. de Ligt misses too many games.

Gomes is younger and faster than Harry.

Both Frimpong and Mazraoui are not proper full backs, but Frimpong offers more going forward.



Robertson is better defending and attacking than Yoro, but he has lost a yard of pace which will never come back. Yoro is still raw, young, and I hope will improve.

31 May 2026 15:25:28
Yoro and Robertson play completely different positions. It's an unfair comparison.

31 May 2026 21:01:02
You could definitely forge a half decent defense from the two back lines.

Frimpong and Kerkez will kick on this year and be streets ahead of Dalot and Shaw.

Van Dijk is in decline, whereas we have players like Heaven in an upwards trajectory. They also have a couple of young CBs on the rise.

31 May 2026 21:12:02
Both Robertson & Konate are also both leaving in a couple of weeks, so not really a fair comparison of the clubs' positions going forward. Could easily have included Leoni & Jacquet, although judging either would be hardly fair, as one only played a single game in the PL and the other has yet to join, but would at least make a better comparison of the strength of depth going forward.

30 May 2026 14:00:23
Anyone else not going to read Gianni Sychophantino's biography, Forward?

30 May 2026 15:50:11
I'd rather read Gary Neville's autobiography. I'm Bezzie Mates With David Beckham.

30 May 2026 20:09:45
I've read Neville's, and Scholes's, and Giggs's, and they are incredibly dull. Keane's are worth a read. He's very honest.

30 May 2026 21:14:24
Except when he was in court, AJH. Then he argued that it was Dunphy taking creative licence. 🤣

31 May 2026 00:05:12
Slots should make interesting reading.

31 May 2026 07:13:55
True, Danny, I preferred his second book, you could feel his pain and frustration in his words.

31 May 2026 11:42:42
In fairness AJH Roddy Doyle is a Booker prize winner. It's not a fair comparison. That being said, I enjoyed both books

30 May 2026 13:47:24
Well, damn. We were all coming round to thinking that Slot was as perfect a fit for Liverpool as Liverpool fans considered ETH was for us.