Manchester United Banter 4

04 Mar 2026 22:31:21
Long time member, posting just to vent my frustration (4am here in Nepal). I reckon the honeymoon period has ended and it just feel like watching football from Ole's days. There is no cohesive plan or structure, players are running like headless chicken. Newcastle showed great spirit that was sorely lacking on our side. Absolute shambles!

04 Mar 2026 22:57:58
Or, alternatively, our squad isn't good enough to play 2 games in 3 days. Casemiro can't play twice, and our backup player wouldn't get in a League 2 side. No coincidence the 2 games we've not won under Carrick were away midweek games. Our subs tonight included Dalot, Ugarte, Zirkzee and Malacia; that's just a lack of quality, not a lack of spirit.

Newcastle deserved it. They played well, and we didn't. No need to panic or overreact. We have bigger breaks between every other game, and hopefully we can beat Villa next up.

04 Mar 2026 23:13:33
A top side playing against ten men would have run ragged. Utd aren't a top side. This has been coming. Utd are bang average.

04 Mar 2026 23:49:45
We've had more than enough rest to be able to play 2 games.
GDS, it's now 4 games where performances have been nowhere near what is needed.
Our play lacks any direction. I think work rate was a bit better today, but again there was no structure in our play and the tempo was slow. There is no pattern of play. We don't control games, and we rely on moments to counter-attack.


If we go on a poor run now, G Nev or any of the other ex-player idiots who are dying for attention on social media, it won't be Carrick, it will be the players who are blamed.
As I've said before, we were playing better with Amorim in intensity, work rate, and pattern of play.

04 Mar 2026 23:50:20
See previous posts/replies. The players.

05 Mar 2026 06:57:39
It's funny how Amorim was getting pelted for a lack of flexibility. The way we are playing now is even less flexible, with almost the same starting 11 picked every game. If Amorim wasn't playing 5 at the back, then would it have even been a thing? That was just an easy narrative.

Amorim was also pelted for his in-game management.

Why did we wait until after 70 minutes to see Amad against a 10 man Newcastle and Dan Burn at left back?

This loss has been coming after 4 or 5 poor performances with lucky wins. The honeymoon is over, and we are back into the mess of no plan, no change, and another 18 months until we are back to square one.

04 Mar 2026 22:25:51
Well that's been coming. Not being negative at all but we've been bang average since the Arsenal game. Every game since has been slow, slow paced passing, far too many sideways and backwards passes. What makes me rage is the lack of overlapping when the wide players have the ball.

Dont know why we he took Casemiro off when we aren't playing for another 11 days, our record without him is terrible.

Lost all of the intensity since the first two games and I wouldn't keep him, get top 4 and replace him. Very reminiscent of when Ole took interim charge, progressively got worse but kept on winning and then reality hit.

04 Mar 2026 22:58:52
Because Casemiro played on Sunday and can't play 2 90-minute games in a week, it's pretty obvious why he took him off. The replacement wouldn't get a game in League Two.

04 Mar 2026 23:53:56
These players are a disgrace. Do they not think we can see their lack of energy and effort? Pathetic performance. We just got outrun by 10 men of Newcastle, and I am not even surprised.

I thought the red card would be unlikely to benefit us, and I was right.

Lack of central midfielders was on full display today. Heaven help us if one or two get injured.

05 Mar 2026 04:55:31
I think that's a ridiculous statement that Casemiro can't play 2 games a week. Stupid of Ra, thinking he could only play 60 minutes.
The loss was always coming. We should be grateful the unbeaten run lasted so long. Strange how I got blasted when I said Ugarte, de Ligt, Yoro, Martinez, Mazzouri, to name a few, were not good enough, and there is a problem with our pedestrian-paced play. Now it seems we are agreeing! Funny that.
I remember saying de Ligt is injured far too much in his career. Oh bang, here come all the usual crowd saying, "oh no, he is not", well, actually how is that looking.


This is not a great team, some poor players and an inexperienced manager. We just need to be grateful the winning run lasted. We now need to see how we respond; it's not the end of the world. Oh, maybe for the ones who thought we would win every game and win the league!
But one thing: Carrick ain't no world beater, but he is a damn sight better than Ra. That's for sure.
Don't be surprised if Martinez appears come summer, Carrick as number 2.

05 Mar 2026 04:37:31
No chance GDS, we've been playing 1 game a week and Casemiro did not look knackered at all! Baffling to take him off and put the poor Uruguayan on!

05 Mar 2026 18:28:19
I'm just explaining why he took Casemiro off, it's pretty obvious. Whether it was the right decision or not is a different matter. His replacement isn't good enough, but that is the reason why.

04 Mar 2026 19:38:50
Whilst it would be great to put in a fabulous performance tonight and win the match, ultimately I don't really care if it is a naff performance as long as we win. An own goal from a shot hitting the bar and going in off the back of their goalkeeper will do me nicely.

For the rest of the season it is not about style but substance. Nothing else matters but winning. This notion that a new manager should instantly create a side, 2/3rds of the way down the league table, into a attacking, winning side overnight is just a fantasy.

Creating a winning mentality is the absolute priority, once that has been achieved the quality of play can be worked upon, indeed the more you win the more the style will automatically improve through natural evolution.

For now it's WIN, WIN, WIN.

Let's keep it going tonight!

04 Mar 2026 21:11:43
Except we were 5th when Carrick took over.

04 Mar 2026 22:24:39
Well, that was an absolute farce. What a woeful performance by all. What got me most is how unfit they looked. They deserve to lose without doubt. A last season pathetic performance.

04 Mar 2026 22:33:02
Notice a lot of our poor performances have come when we've had to play a midweek game. It's just not the squad depth or quality, and nights like tonight show some players' age.

04 Mar 2026 22:41:44
Just like Villa, we have massively overachieved. I was dreaming of finishing in the top two, and a proper performance today would've put pressure on City. Not sure what's going on if these players, in their prime, can't play twice a week, yet they talk about CL football.

Newcastle should've been there for the taking in the second half - they should've been pinned back and their box should've been assaulted with balls to Sesko. Cunha, imo, needs to be rested - he's a great player, but the boy needs to pass the ball a lot sooner.

05 Mar 2026 05:04:01
Top 2 is a pipe dream, 3rd place is a push, I'd be happy with 4th.
Reality, this is not a great team. We have zero CBs who are anything above average, 2 full backs who are not that great, Sesko still has loads to learn, Cunha still needs to learn he is not playing for Wolves anymore and that his build-up play is still too slow.

Don't be surprised if Martinez comes in after the World Cup and Carrick goes to number 2. That way we can still plan and buy players Martinez wants.



We need an experienced CB along with 2 midfielders and still need an experienced striker and hopefully a full back or 2.

I don't buy this; we can't play 2 games a week. That's ridiculous, plus you need a few experienced players in a team. With our lack of defenders, you're always likely to have problems and get found out. I would not keep any of our CBs, maybe McGuire at a push, but that's about it.

05 Mar 2026 18:28:51
We lost, Maze is back. Trololol.

04 Mar 2026 09:46:42
St. James Park. Always a tough place to go, despite Newcastle not playing well recently, I'm sure that they will try and fly out in our faces and be as aggressive as usual.

But, there are some big players out for Newcastle at the minute and I do believe we will score 2/3 tonight. Big Ben to continue his good form. 2-1 win.

Really looking forward to it tonight.

How's everyone feeling? Any score predictions?

04 Mar 2026 10:05:53
I'm a bit nervous about tonight. Gordon, up against Dalot, worries me. I'm hoping we start fast and take the game away from Newcastle early on with a goal.

This will be controversial, I expect, but I think I'd take Mbuemo out and go Cunha - Fernandes - Diallo and Sesko up top.

I feel like Mbuemo needs a break, and Diallo, up against Burn, would have an uncomfortable night, imo.

I'm going for a hopeful 2-0.

04 Mar 2026 10:11:55
Not a bad shout, Ports. Amad could do well there. But I think he's going to drop out imo and be brought on with 20/25 mins to go. Fresh legs v Burn, even better.

04 Mar 2026 10:21:27
Torn between the players not being able to handle the atmosphere and Newcastle being so open that inevitably the likes of Bruno, Mbuemo and Cunha should be able to exploit the spaces on the counter.

Going to go for an entertaining 2-2 draw.

04 Mar 2026 19:01:41
4-2 to UTD. The Manchester one.

I think Newcastle have a virus running through the squad and a few are out.

04 Mar 2026 07:55:10
The players really need to get to the levels of the City and Arsenal games tonight, it needs big passion and work rate to win up there. They have to be at it right from the kick off.

04 Mar 2026 09:35:13
Redcon, I think that's it. I'd like to see us come out of the gates a bit quicker tonight. But I won't be panicking if we don't, because we have been able to get the results needed in the second halves of games.

But yes, straight out of the blocks would be lovely.

04 Mar 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Rangers and the Youth Pathway Bottleneck

03 Mar 2026 23:06:13
oh boy that's a great win for wolves. Andre I would take in a heartbeat to replace cas

They are playing with all heart and passion now and fair play to them too.

04 Mar 2026 06:50:28
Look at their run-in. The great escape is upon us!

04 Mar 2026 07:58:48
Might not be the great escape, but they won't finish bottom. I think that's Burnley's spot.

04 Mar 2026 09:11:47
Fair play to Wolves, back-to-back Premier League wins are a fantastic achievement, and something that is not easy to do at this level, as we have found out.

04 Mar 2026 19:03:01
I have wagered they beat the drop, Everton make top 6, and Spurs go down. Unable to get in a multi though. 😭

03 Mar 2026 11:02:12
So 6 weeks ago (16th Jan), pretty much all of the supporters were happy for Carrick to take over as interim and under no circumstances take over full time, we needed a big name, a proven winner with hopefully prem league experience.6 weeks pass and people are clambering over themselves to give Carrick the job.

I'm pretty sure this has happened before at this club hasn't it?!?!?

Football supporters are a baffling breed, no wonder owners can take so many liberties with clubs. Distract people with a couple of wins or a big signing and the owners can continue to put their hands in your pockets.

03 Mar 2026 11:41:25
Who is clamberimg? No, not many on here, and I've not seen a groundswell anywhere else either. Most seem to want to see how the season pans out.

03 Mar 2026 13:32:37
No idea where you get that info from, Rewz.
I don't see many saying Carrick should get the job yet.

03 Mar 2026 13:34:52
Agreed, AJH. Carrick had a blazing start but, while results have been great, performances have clearly dipped. We need to see him over an extended period to see if his methods work.

It's clear he can set the team up, it's not clear if his coaching methods are. He's in many ways showing himself to be the inverse of Amorim, and what we need is a mix of the better parts of both.

03 Mar 2026 15:36:05
The clambering point has been addressed above; it's clearly ridiculous, and I assume OP has been spending too much time on X/Twitter.

I will say, though, don't underestimate "winning games" in the PL; it's not easy, as many managers, including Amorim, made it look, and winning 6/7, including City and Arsenal, is impressive.



If Carrick is to get the job, it will most likely be due to the elite managers we were hoping to target (Tuchel, Carlo and Enrique) being unavailable, and Carrick showing himself to be as likely to get a tune out of these players as the good tier of managers (Glasner, Silva, Howe, Di Zerbi).

03 Mar 2026 15:51:06
If we get Champions League and finish strong, I'm saying I'd give Carrick the job. Why not? We've been through everyone else, and they've been utter crap. None of the previously mentioned managers, like Tuchel, want the job, and Carrick has got these guys firing. Why shouldn't he get the job? Would you, plums, give it to Southgate or the Palace manager?

03 Mar 2026 16:20:28
AJH is a plum. I'm an apple.
Pspence, considering you have no idea what you're talking about, your recommendation is worthless.
If they see Carrick as the Manc man, I've no arguments. If you think Carrick is a better or more proven manager than Southgate, then you are an orange.


I would not like Southgate, but he is a far better coach career-wise than Carrick at this point today, otherwise it makes you look like a pineapple.

03 Mar 2026 16:40:18
Of course, he's going to get the job because he's going to be cheap.
No get-out clause to pay, and Carrick is Man United through and through, so he will do it for peanuts.
Keeps Radcliffe and the Glazers happy. Everyone's a winner!

03 Mar 2026 16:45:04
When the seagulls follow the trawler.

03 Mar 2026 16:52:24
Based on current performances and pattern of play, Carrick should not be considered. Our performances in the last 3 have been terrible. Mainoo is showing why he was benched.
We were playing better in intensity and pattern of play under Amorim. At least with him, you could see where we were trying to get to.
We are back to the Ole era, relying on counter-attacking football.

03 Mar 2026 17:37:59
Agree, Twenty.

03 Mar 2026 18:16:33
I really don't care about our performances for the rest of the season.
Just grind out results if need be, and see we are at the end of the season.
Why are we concerned about performances all of a sudden, when at the start of the season, none of us really thought we'd be anywhere near the ECL spots?
It's that time of the season.

No-one is really playing pretty football.

03 Mar 2026 18:34:06
Eth 2.0
New manager bounce has dissipated, I don't blame Carrick.
We are back to where we always get to, it is the players!
We were, and still are, in the midst of our biggest ever squad churn. Failure to complete this results in the same old crap, week in, week out.


Results great, the football is not.
The excitement has again been removed, to the point I didn't even switch on the Palace game (for context, I am in Australia, so it was 1am; however, I've been getting up to watch the other games until now).

03 Mar 2026 20:04:37
I am in Oz and stayed up for the game. Result-wise, I am happy I did. As a spectacle, it wasn't worth the rollicking off the wife for waking her up at 3am when I eventually crawled into my pit.

03 Mar 2026 21:43:48
You keep your wife in a pit?

03 Mar 2026 22:46:50
I'm so lost, Jimbo. Have we not won 6 out of 7 games and sit 3rd?

Have any of you actually watched the league this year? Performances overall have been pretty poor for nearly all teams. I mean, Arsenal are top but are playing some turgid football.

I think we have been compact, have not given away many chances, and taken our own chances, be it counter attacking or not. It's been a breath of fresh air. The excitement has been removed? I mean, what? We are winning games and scoring some good goals.

I am so excited for each game at the moment, it's a fantastic time, imo.

Twenty "We were playing better in intensity and pattern of play under Amorim. At least with him, you could see where we were trying to get to." Where was that? Last year it was near relegation. 😂

On Carrick being the next permanent manager, well we have to see how the season pans out and what other options are really available come the end of the season. But he has definitely put himself into contention.

04 Mar 2026 00:10:13
There are enough opposition fans waiting to have a go at Utd. But a lot of them would trade their team's position for ours.

Be grateful we are third. Far better than 16th. Yes, I agree a lot of our football is poor, but until we get the right midfielders it will be.

04 Mar 2026 00:22:40
As I said, Angel. The results are great. The football is awful to watch. Barring the City and Arsenal games, which were amazing to watch. The rest have been dreadfully hard. Everton was one of the worst games I've seen.

We will never agree on this, but at least with Amorim's football, I could see what they were trying to achieve. Yes, players out of position and all that, I understand, but I could still see through to the end game.

I currently don't have that clear vision with what is being churned out.

The point is this, Carrick is not the first, and won't be the last, to find it difficult with some of the players at his disposal to find a particular way of playing.

Again, happy with results. But it makes for a difficult watch.

04 Mar 2026 08:39:18
You speak much sense, Jimbo, and I admire your commitment, albeit a waste of your time, but Mr % isn't going to change his blinkered view. He will not see something he prefers not to.

04 Mar 2026 09:29:11
Fizz, the results spoke for themselves, mate, the percentages and the stats back up my view on Amorim. But you have to give up the ghost. It just did not work out, and that is okay.

It seems to be working out at the moment, and that is all that matters. Long may it continue, and it will hopefully see us in the top 4, competing in the Champions League and hopefully attracting the right calibre of player and manager to move forward.

Jimbo, I hear you, we both hold opposing views on what Amorim brought to the table. Unfortunately, the results are what mattered the most, and his were extremely poor, aside from some incredibly poor football played during the duration. That Europa League final has to be the worst match I have ever watched.

Football, as a whole, has been poor. The quality of the Premier League this year, in recent memory, has been one of the worst.

Matches have been incredibly tight, and results have not been very wide in many games. I mean, the most recent weekend, on Sunday, we had 4 x 2-1 wins.

I have not really been blown away by our football in the last few games, but they have also been different kinds of games, where teams have sat in, saturated the midfield, and tried to stop our creators playing. But we are still getting the results, and we have mixed in some great goals too. Fourteen have come since Carrick took over. I do not believe any other Premier League team has scored as many in the same period. We also are only behind Inter Milan in unbeaten streaks. I would say it trumps some poor displays against some tricky teams in recent matches.

Anyway, let us try and get another 3 points tonight!!

04 Mar 2026 11:42:51
Pit = bed.

02 Mar 2026 19:05:34
Tough fixture on Thursday imo a ground we have done really poorly at in recent years. if we can get a result i think we can pretty much wrap it up with beating villa at home. villa playing chelsea and one will drop more points. ^ points would be awesome but will take 4 and be very happy with that.

02 Mar 2026 19:57:16
Well, I hope we win on Wednesday 😃, but just as importantly, I hope we play well. We've been a bit off colour lately.

02 Mar 2026 23:15:50
Tony, I'll be honest. At this stage of the season, I couldn't care less if we play rubbish, and win with a 90 minute deflection off Bryan's big bum.
The aesthetics can wait. For now, anyway.

03 Mar 2026 08:31:32
3 points are all that matter for now. Whilst I would love to be entertained with a 5-goal battering as we play attractive, fast-flowing footy, just give us 3 points and move on.

03 Mar 2026 10:41:09
Think it's fair to say our performances have dipped since the euphoric Arsenal/City wins, but to be honest I'm getting more Fergie vibes from these later games - where we can win without playing great.

That's a good indicator of where we're at. I think we'd have lost a couple of this run had the change not been made.
Fingers crossed for a win and that Livramento passes his audition. :p

03 Mar 2026 14:00:05
Winning all that matters for the next few games.

02 Mar 2026 08:26:14
Think since the big wins against Arsenal and City, we have been slowly getting more casual in our general play. The intensity shown in those games is required in every game, players have no excuses now getting lots of rest, fewer games than ever.

Carrick needs to get the work rate and tempo back up again for all remaining games, few bad results and we could drop 3 /4 places very quickly. Players need to drive in now, 3rd should be the goal.

02 Mar 2026 09:34:54
Sherlock, is it yerself?

02 Mar 2026 20:33:16
Whilst we are getting results, we aren't playing well at all. There is no clear pattern of play.

03 Mar 2026 01:19:31
Can say that for nearly all the teams in the league this season, Twenty.

03 Mar 2026 13:30:26
Our work rate and application is back to how it used to be prior to Amorim.

03 Mar 2026 14:01:01
Reports the players are doing shorter sessions with less running, so that will keep a few of them happy.

03 Mar 2026 16:47:56
When we are playing just once a week, training longer and intensely makes more sense than cutting back. Maybe that is showing in our performances.
It does feel very Ole era at the moment. The results are papering over the performances.