Manchester United Banter 3

26 Oct 2026 12:30:03
Got to say the most annoying thing over the last week or 2 is that despite the awful performances, despite the players calling out the Manager and the Board, after every game the players are still getting a day off.

26 Oct 2026 12:49:01

Wtf is that all about….thanks for being s*** lads, have a day off as a reward. No wonder we look miles off the pace.

{Ed001's Note - this is exactly what Slot was doing at Liverpool. Drove me mad. They need to be working on their fitness, not having time off. Stupid pseudo-science periodic training methods it is down to.}

26 Oct 2026 14:31:20
When a team is winning when a team is running when that effort is seen on the pitch the approach of time off after a game makes sense of they aren't drag them in get them working even if it's just a cool down session to keep them moving or even have them review footage.

These are the mistakes Carrick has made, the team aren't fit, they aren't working hard, and that is what is causing the injuries. Amorim was a stubborn manager who would not chance his plan or formation but he had them working.

25 Oct 2026 21:59:56
Ed001 - penny for your thoughts

If you were in charge at the club what would you do:
- executive level
- manager/coaches
- playing personnel

I suspect with new coach we will have enough of a bounce to get into the CL knock outs but I suspect league wise at this point the target from the ownerships perspective is Europa league to try and maintain some increased revenues next year (although another year with no Europe with a proper coach is really what's needed to reboot the squad (massive squad trim) and reestablish standards, fitness, etc).

We're a mess and having a peak at Liverpool, it's an unfortunate we didn't try for Iraola .looks like he is starting to build something tangible. I was pro-Amorim and thought we made a mistake moving him on after finally giving a manager enough time to try to reestablish standards and try to develop a modern playing philosophy. He maybe wasn't the long term answer but he was doing some of the work that was long overdue.

{Ed001's Note - the problem is that the main issue is the ownership and there is nothing you can do about them! But I would bring back Rangnick, let him deal with all the issues he sees, rather than kicking him out for noticing them.

The coach is easy - go one bended knee, if needed, and get Hurzeler from Brighton. They play scintillating football and he is not afraid to look to the youth system, which imo is a must for a head coach/manager at United.

Playing personnel is difficult, as you obviously need the coach in place to know what players to buy, but the main focus has to be overhauling that defence. Any team starting the season with Maguire playing is only ever going to be mediocre.}

26 Oct 2026 06:24:26
Thanks Ed - appreciate the response.

It was rumoured the club dumped Ragnick based on EtH not wanting him around .what a mistake that turned out to be! I'm guessing there is no chance he would come back nor the owners would accept the embarrassment of asking him back.

I couldn't agree more with you on Maguire. He is so slow on and off the ball that it severely impedes how a team can attack or defend. I feel similarly about Bruno - you get the best from him by playing chaotic counter attacking football which comes at a price (in addition the the whining and flailing) of zero positional discipline and neutering other attackers on the team. And I don't think that allows you to set up a sustainable/adaptable style of play. I really hope this public outburst leads to his deal not being renewed - we're well past the time of moving him on.

{Ed001's Note - I think Hurzeler could use Fernandes the way he uses Gross, but with the added basic ability that Bruno possesses he could be even better at running the game.}

26 Oct 2026 07:01:29
I think we're over complicating this. Why not sack Carrick, then appoint him back as interim? Seemed to work last time.

26 Oct 2026 08:46:25
ED001,

I still can't belive Maguire is still at the club. He is a hinderence. That said, he isn't the only one. Dalot is an awful defender too.

The club should have sold Martinez, Dalot, Maz in the summer. The rumours of the club turning down £30 million plus for Mount, if true is deeply concerning.

At least the fans acknowledged Carrick yesterday, whilst he walked down the tunnel. Whilst I was agaisnt him be appointed permanently, he was completely hindered over a lack of defensive signings this summer. However, he must shoulder some blame too. United haven't been good enough!

In many ways, it is a shame that the club were relegated during RA first season. Perhaps, now that is the only way to get rid of the Glazers and SJR.

{Ed001's Note - I don't understand the support for Carrick. The players are unfit & that is on him.

26 Oct 2026 10:30:26
If your getting rid of Carrick you have to get rid of Wilcox it's literally his job to recruit the manager and players to suit the style decided.

He also seems to fall out with people and cause more issues, look at Amorim and it seems like he and Vivell don't get on.

I like the idea of rangnick ed and I like the idea of hurzeler. I would also say Paul Mitchell and Naglesmann would be a team that could work together well along with Vivell, if either of your suggestions are not available.

{Ed001's Note - I am not a fan of Nagelsmann.

26 Oct 2026 11:17:58
Changing the manager will not change a thing. Ultimately, the fault lies with those who recruit the players. Before anyone says, 'You get what you pay for', they are right up to a point. Clubs such as Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford can buy quality players at decent prices. Are their scouting systems superior to United's system?
The other point I'd like to make refers to our youth system.

Why don't more underage players make it to the first team? Is it because the club has overspent on average senior players who block the paths of youth players or is it because we do not recruit top quality players at a young age?

26 Oct 2026 12:45:57
ED001,

I think it is more to do with that th3 players have given up.

That is true about being unfit, that is down to the coaching staff as well. He appeared to want United to play a high press at the beginning of the season. The players were clearly not fit enought for it nor good enough either.

It goes back to appointing an ex player who has achieved nothing as a manager. Then you get people talking about how they know the club, they understand the DNA etc.

Simply, the club needs to stop living in the past. I don't think much will. change, other than a continuous cycle of manager turnover.

{Ed001's Note - if he wanted to play a high press, he needed to get the players fitter! The players look lacking in morale and confidence to me, a number of them look overweight, which should never happen but Shaw is a repeat offender so that does have to be put at their feet. Clearly there are some that need to consider their lifestyle. I can see why the players got it, there is an excuse that the training is not hard enough so they are unfit, but when that happened at Bayern, the players went and did extra training on their own in the local park under Ancelotti. They should be putting in more effort and be out on their feet, but very few look like they are doing so.

The question is though, why is Carrick getting support from the crowd when he is the one allowing that attitude to prevail? He is the one not getting the fit enough, letting them get away with not running themselves into the ground etc.}

26 Oct 2026 13:44:29
Hi Ed001. I'm a big fan of the way Brighton operate, but is there a possibility that managers there will always look better because of the way the club operates. Almost 'putting it on a plate for them'?

I've no doubt him and de Zerbi are good managers to begin with, but maybe they look better at that particular club?

De Zerbi's hardly pulled up trees since leaving, and Potter has seemingly fallen off a cliff, even though I always rated him in his Brighton days.

Cheers.

{Ed001's Note - yes, there is a possibility though De Zerbi was crap and no idea why he was so highly rated there as he took them downwards. He didn't pull up trees because he is not very good at his job.

Potter just has a fragile ego and picked the wrong job that destroyed him with Chelsea. His methods take a long time to bear fruit and he wasn't going to get that there. He is doing ok with Sweden though, who will give him as much time and support as possible.

Back to the original questions - it is impossible to tell. Certainly Brentford managers are that way and I do think to a large extent that is the same at Brighton but he still has to coach the players to play his way and you can see the results of that on the pitch. The issue is more that United would need to give him more support and backing in terms of backroom requirements. But you are not in a position where you are bringing a manager in to continue to build, you need to rip up what was there, so bringing in a man who has knowledge of the BHA set up could help build something long term and settled.}

26 Oct 2026 16:41:35
Cheers for the reply, Ed001.

Unfortunately, we both know time is the one thing managers at our club won't get in its present state.

{Ed001's Note - sadly it is the same at most clubs these days.}

26 Oct 2026 00:14:23
If it costs £25m to get Emery pay it because the cost to the club for being out of Europe or worse relegated will be so much more.

In economic terms it's a no brainer

Problem is the board lack brains.

26 Oct 2026 05:58:57
If Emery were to leave Villa to come to us in the state we are in I would question his sanity.

26 Oct 2026 06:22:20
Why would Emery leave Villa to take up a poison chalice?

26 Oct 2026 09:19:12
I can see why any club would want Emery - he literally lost his team's entire spine barely months ago, and already they've gelled and are second in the Champions League standings.
There is no single reason why he would leave what he has to join the carnival that is Manchester United.

26 Oct 2026 09:48:12
How far can he take Villa though with FFP in place. what's the ceiling, champs league qualification and maybe a cup?

If he got it right at United then the sky is the limit.
Impossible job though until Wilcox is gone.

26 Oct 2026 10:03:31
It is indeed impossible. We've had massively experienced managers in recent years, the hip up and coming ones, the beloved former players, and each time we kid ourselves that the next one is going to resolve everything.

26 Oct 2026 16:51:58
ED001,

Carrick is simply too nice!

Those interviews that Martinez and Bruno gave go to show how soft he is. Martinez in particular, should have been dropped and banned from training.

He never had the balls to drop underperforming players. I can't think of any reason, other than a lack of experience, as to why more of the Youth players weren't given game time.

The United Managers job is a poisoned chalice!

{Ed001's Note - it is right now, whoever gets the job has an uphill battle with the ownership.}

26 Oct 2026 19:01:02
Oliver Holt made what I thought was a good point the other day.

I'm summarising, but basically, whilst we have those up above still in place, and the same squad, the job is a no-brainer.

Fail, and the fans will direct their ire towards the board and the players. Because we're a fan base that always hopes a new manager does well. Leave with your reputation basically unscathed if it all goes to pot.

But succeed? Against all odds? You're a magician, and your reputation rises rapidly.

25 Oct 2026 22:39:56
Right,

Ive had enough, Massive Enough!

I'm away in Turkey and there are no United shirts NONE. Maybe old 7 Ronaldo

Where do we go from here?

I was out tonight at a steak house and its the first time II felt its more than a dip The guy serving said something that sticks, Manchester United (and he wanted a tip) will alway be a big club.

BUT.. He also said. As a casual conversation, its over now and the Premier League is the future. Manchester United are like poor Man City
WTF

Someone asked me are you from Manchester and I said yes - he said- Man Cit? !

Never in my life, never!

Sorry fo the rant, I have had enough.

25 Oct 2026 22:21:36
Whoever comes in is doomed with Wilcox still there. He's proved he isn't good enough and doesn't know what he's doing.
Replace him.
Then all out for Emery, even if it means a caretaker for the rest of the season.
Carrick will be gone tomorrow, shame but sadly not good enough.
And every player should be embarrassed and ashamed.

26 Oct 2026 00:11:53
They will choose Howe and we will be in trouble again within 12 months even if he does avoid relegation.

26 Oct 2026 10:21:21
Whoever comes in is doomed with Big Sir Jim there, another billionaire egomaniac who thinks he's an expert on everything. He's never going to let the people below him do their jobs without interfering. That's when he takes a break from running the country.

25 Oct 2026 20:02:12
It's a strange feeling at the moment as I flip from blaming one group to the other but today I don't feel like this is the players fault.

Carrick is a legend but pre-season Tielemans was interviewed saying about the lack of fitness training so there is no surprise that he and others looks way off it.

Surely the fundamentals of 'earn the right to play' starts with fitness. You can have the worlds best 11 on paper (which obviously we don't have) but if they are unfit - then you are going to get beat by teams that are - it's not rocket science, it's not even grade 1 literacy, it's basic common sense.

Carrick saying there's more than one way to beat an opponent is fine but it's clear we are letting the opposition do what they want. Being so worried about covering for our defensive frailty's and not putting pressure on the opponent is making us worse not better.

We are in a relegation scrap, Manchester United - the biggest team in England, is in a relegation scrap. That genuinely hurts to say. Even Carrick will admit that enough is enough.

The worse thing is - replace Carrick, Wilcox will still be above, replace Wilcox you have Jim Ratcliffe - the chem dealer, remove him and you still have the Glazer leaches who never put a penny into this club and took everything out. The rot is so deep that even with the miracle that each and every one of those dream killing scum bags taken out of the club it's hard to see the damage being fixed.

My favourite song is Glory Glory Man United the f*** do we sing now.

25 Oct 2026 21:34:03
I had a terrible thought after today's game.

What if they bring OGS back until the end of the season?

25 Oct 2026 22:24:11
I don't see how Carrick can be blamed. He got the feel good feeling back and got you CL football. Then it's got a little bit rough and the players have downed tools again as they know the manger cops it. In my opinion they are the common thread through all this manager merry go round.

The cycle will repeat until the dressing room is sorted.

Carrick isn't without fault, but the powers that be didn't learn the last time a former player did well and got the job. He should have been thanked and you should have moved on. Most football fans saw it, yet the hierarchy took the easy choice. Now your back to square one. Those guys are paid big bucks to make tough decisions and should have been able to see where this would go.

However, I don't think you'll be in a scrap. A new manager will come in where the players will respond. Then Itll get tough and he will be sacked in a year or two.

Just one last point on the players, yes they are given tactics but they still are the ones on the pitch. They can still deliver and put 100% in, right now are any of them doing that for the fans? It's the bare minimum and they should be able to motivate themselves and have some pride in what they are showing.

26 Oct 2026 14:25:28
WYred, I'm assuming you haven't seen the football, the lack of effort, the keep compact and don't press tactics that have come from the coaching staff as per the player's words and the coach.

Is it on the players as well? Sure, but something seems extremely off when players join the club and say we're not running.

25 Oct 2026 18:08:17
Can't see any decent manager wanting to join with these clowns in charge! They have no interest whatsoever in anything apart from lining their pockets, directors and downwards, DOF and other so called professionals.

And as for the players! Not one seems to actually care at all!

Going to be a very long season I think!

25 Oct 2026 21:50:52
Of the two bookies faves, I'd get a bit giddy if they sacked Wilcox and backed a Vivell/Nagelsman combo.

If it's Howe, which feels more likely, he'd need to win the fans round very quickly.

25 Oct 2026 17:48:19
Let's be clear here, these are the same players and Manager that won all round them last season. I don't get this mid week games, we have only started this recently. It's down to attitude and application from players and Management. I get we didn't buy sufficiently in the summer but this squad should be doing much better, they proved it last year.

25 Oct 2026 19:11:24
The results last season set unrealistic expectations. Watching the games last year, the results were better than the performances. At the time I said that I couldn't see much of a strategy when it came to attacking. It seemed to be a case of giving the ball to Bruno and hope he creates something. This was all well and good when Bruno was in the best form of his life, but it's not sustainable.

This season, the limitations of Carrick's approach have come home to roost. Opponents know that we're going to try to hit them on the counter, and the team look at a loss with what to do in possession. Bruno's form has fallen off a cliff, and as today highlighted, without him creating, we have nothing.

On top of all that, there's zero confidence. The manager is setting up with everyone behind the ball. The players are scared to take risks in possession. And we start every game hoping not to lose, rather than trying to win. Our squad is good enough to be competing for a champions league spot. Carrick has failed to develop a coherent way to win as a team, despite having 10 months to work on it. It's not all his fault. But keeping him any longer will make it harder for his replacement to salvage anything.

25 Oct 2026 19:51:06
The writing was on the wall and some of us tried to tell others this.

C'est la vie.

25 Oct 2026 19:58:29
Carrick took over a well coached very fit team, that got us through to the end of season. It's been widely reported that this team isn't doing the fitness work, carrick when he took over shortened training times and gave extra days off for players.

25 Oct 2026 16:34:48
Another good club servant, a decent man, found to be ultimately out of his depth.

Although the crowd reaction at the end also sums up how he's certainly hasn't been helped by those above, and those on the pitch.

Hard to see him still being in charge for the next game, though I don't doubt he'd stay on with the understanding that he steps down once a new manager is ready to go.

25 Oct 2026 16:53:15
On this occasion I don't believe the players have anything to do with his probable sacking. He is clueless as a manager
Would he have got a top 10 managers job prior to us no, would he now get a top 10 job after us no. So why the f**k was he hired.
Players blamed for not running and he himself saying running stats are not everything.

He has instructed to players to not press to stay compact. When you are that compact you can't run. Completely out of his depth. Players get blasted in the press and by pundits over this yet they are following instructions, I think I would have to speak out.

25 Oct 2026 17:12:40
Was never good enough as I have said for months
I also was barracked when o said Santos and Tielemans are nowhere near level required nor is Cunha I even doubt Lammens is anywhere near what's required or Yoro DeLigt or Martinez and everyone disagreed how is that looking now
Heaven gone backwards and not kicked on
Baleba don't even look that great to me yes he runs around a lot but his passing not great. But give him benefit as early days
But it's a shocking squad
Terrible head coach and coaching team

How on earth anyone thinks any of them including SJR and Wilcox and Barrera Rae good enough is beyond me

Woodgate and evens and Carrick are diabolical and nowhere near level required this squad in a worse place then when SJR come in
Ineos have been final nail in the coffin.

25 Oct 2026 17:13:19
The fresh start did not last long.

25 Oct 2026 17:20:07
If you don't think the players' performances have been a contributing factor, then I don't know what to say.

25 Oct 2026 17:30:20
The players have been guff but carrick is totally out of his depth, it's not one or the other it's both. If the board continue with carrick though it's only going to get even worse.

25 Oct 2026 17:34:38
Yes that's exactly what I think. They aren't being trained correctly, they aren't fit enough, tactically they are being sent unprepared. As a manager it's your job to set out a pattern of play a shape to get them fit enough for the rigours of the Premier League and champions league. He's failed on all of these. Clearly the players aren't happy with the setup.

We are playing like a championship club by a championship manager. Since the start of the season there has been huge focus on running stats and a manager who doesn't believe they are important, they players have been blamed when that just isn't the truth. They have followed orders.

25 Oct 2026 17:41:03
Omg the players were shocking, lemmens! should have made that, not too sure why he did not!! Plus why did martitraz stop trying to cover!!

Maguire, simply too many games and getting even slower and can't or should not be being relied upon!!

But Carrick, certainly not good enough, huge lack of what to do, when you're up against it.

25 Oct 2026 17:57:58
Tim, I didn't say one or the other. I said he was out of his depth, and not helped by other factors.

25 Oct 2026 18:12:06
I know u didn't mate. Just seems to be the consensus on social media etc to exclusively blame one or the other when in reality they are all at fault.

25 Oct 2026 20:39:16
Tim, I read my reply back, and it sounded a bit curt. Wasn't meant to be, mate. I'm just sore because I acted all billy bigballs today and bet on United to win. 😁.

26 Oct 2026 06:07:27
The match going supporters definitely made it clear who they think is at fault and it ain't Carrick as far as they are concerned. I am sure they agree, as I do, that he is out of his depth and cannot get a tune out of a poor squad but that is the boards doing by appointing him and not supporting him sufficiently.

I am not sure replacing him will help as much as people hope. They are not going to suddenly open their wallets to fix everything. What they have done so far is put a band aid on a gaping wound. Replacing the band aid is just folly.

The final chants and abuse were telling. The problem is that the clowns in charge just just ignore it and carry on blindly.

Oh well. We all knew it was going to be a very interesting season. Edgeley Park here we come!

25 Oct 2026 16:17:15
Mr 12.5% keeps on bringing the highlights to this season in the EPL

Give him his dues he does have an overall 16.7% for the season.

I'm seeing signs here.

CATW!

25 Oct 2026 17:17:16
Guess what, despite this year, his win percentage is higher than any other manager post SAF. Nou camp has a lovely post above whereas you post like a 6 year old.

26 Oct 2026 10:37:59
It isn't.