Manchester United banter 5

24 Oct 2026 15:41:08
Team i'd like to play tomorrow with the team i expect to see:

Lam,
Yoro, Maguire, heaven, amass,
santos, baleba, tielmans,
Lacey, mbeumo, cunha.

I'm expecting:
Lam,
Dalot, maguire, martinez, shaw,
Balaba, mainoo,
Bruno,
Amad, mbeumo, rashford.

24 Oct 2026 16:41:24
TW,

That's a good shout. If Carrick had a pair, Bruno and Martinez wouldn't be anywhere near the first team squad.

24 Oct 2026 17:51:42
I agree he should shake thing up and drop the neg heads but I doubt he has the balls.

As a fan I can accept we won't win every game, I can accept we will lose some games. But I want to see effort and commitment and energy, things that have been sadly lacking this season.

Amass and Lacey are good shouts at least you would see 100% effort.

24 Oct 2026 18:20:07
It'll be same again Ken, can nearly guarantee it. There's a number who should be dropped but Dalot for me shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11. Total liability. Will carrick show and balls?? I highly doubt it. Will the players?! Same probably.

24 Oct 2026 19:51:27
I fully expect the players to put in a shift tomorrow after Carricks press conference. If they show a lack of effort they know they will be canned by the media. He has cleverly and rightly focused attention on them.

Problem is one game a season of hard graft is not enough.

Also if he drops Bruno and Martinez and United lose then they will be "vindicated" and the pressure is back on him.

24 Oct 2026 19:55:36
I think he will drop a few of them now but it's all too late. A confident coach in control does that 3 games ago, brings in the likes of zirkzee and other players and modifies setup/tactics to get a result. It's easy to do it now when he's a lame duck and the fans are also upset at the players.

25 Oct 2026 01:57:53
The next few matches will determine whether Carrick stays or goes before Christmas. If he's smart, he'll drop the two players who have publicly made it clear that they don't think he's the right man for the job and any who may have have done so behind the scenes.

I fully expect both to start, and for Carrick to be sacked after a convincing 3-0 loss.

25 Oct 2026 02:32:47
Would love to see that team tumble. Hard work and effort.

24 Oct 2026 10:00:07
I am totally fed up with people saying keep Carrick, no one else is better, he loves the club, he gave a wonderful speech, a PR written prepared speech. Is he looking forward? No, he harks back to what he knew as a player, that's basically his experience, what Giggs, Sir Alex told him. This is 2026 not the 1990's. We are talking about someone who could not cut it at Middlesbrough, who was sacked in the Championship. Someone who failed to prepare for this season by not ensuring the team were trained sufficiently so they could run. Someone who is so hopeless tactically that his own players are calling him out, something I have never seen the like of. Someone who cannot change a game, too rigid to make subs to make a difference, frozen like a rabbit in the headlights. Someone who is not giving our youth a chance. Someone who pushed Rashford in front of players who got him third. Not that we couldn't see it coming, Middlesbrough fans told us what to expect from him, then lo and behold it happened exactly how they said.

The dark suggestion is yes keep Carrick, get relegated and let's see the owners suffer like we have and in the hope they go. The irony is that if the PL doc City points that might prevent even that.

Right now I am frankly shocked by the club decisions. Perhaps they don't want to sack Carrick on the basis of the player revolt, yet they are asking him to go into what must be the worst dressing room I can imagine. We often speculate about whether a manager has lost the dressing room, don't ever remember being utterly sure of it.

My guess is the club are making a stand that they will decide on the fate of the manager not the players, the crowd may give the players a hard time and force them to try harder. It's short term, so suspect they want to get to the international break and give themselves chance to deal with it. I suspect they may have even told Carrick, he loves the club enough to carry on even in those circumstances.

Yes, Carrick isn't the only one, Wilcox needs to go, yes Berrada is on thin ice, yes I want the owners gone. Yes I warned when sunny Jim came in that he was enabling the Glazers to stay, called him the Rat which I got told off for, yet now look at us. All that is what we need but we must have manager change and Wilcox gone at the same time. This absolute love in on Carrick would never ever happen if he wasn't a nice guy who was a good player for us. It's emotional garbage, it's one of the reasons we are in such a mess. We have to be more clinical in our decisions.

Lastly, I am disillusioned with football, the City stuff makes me feel like it is so devalued. I am extremely disillusioned with my club, I am at the older end, seen it all as a few of us have, yet right now the club seem more incompetent than at any time since 1973.

It's just a sea of incompetence fed by fans who love Michael Carrick, a yes man. Shambles.

24 Oct 2026 10:54:36
Have to agree here. I'm all for backing the manager, but only if the manager has shown themselves to be worth backing. For me, the only managers we've had who've come close to doing that since SAF left are Mourinho and Amorim.

Yes, we need to get rid of Wilcox (and in an ideal world, the owners along with him), but their incompetence doesn't mean that we should keep a manager who's clearly out of his depth.

24 Oct 2026 11:19:52
I'm normally someone calling for the manager to be backed. I also don't think Carrick is a bad manager. However, it's pretty clear that there is a lot of discontent within the dressing room, and that is spilling out into the public sphere which just feeds the toxic atmosphere that is seemingly always bubbling below the surface around our club.

It's a real shame as the club seemed to make massive steps forward under Amorim in terms of dressing room harmony, in uniting the players. Even during Amorim's darkest moments all the players were behind him. In fact its been reported that several players contacted him to apologise to him after his sacking.

Yet in 12 months under Carrick and it seems like it's back to its worst. Players coming out and taking shots at the board, at the manager, in fact everyone but them is to blame for our poor form. The lack of accountability is astonishing, especially when compared to their actions 12 months ago.

Unless we see a blood and thunder performance from them against Bournemouth (which I highly doubt) then we have to assume that the players just aren't backing and fighting for the manager. Which sadly is when you have to call time on a manager.

24 Oct 2026 12:08:06
If I start reading a post and within 10 words I know who the poster is I think the poster may have already got their point across enough on here.

I'm not sure I've seen anyone say that they love Carrick or that he should stay really. He's got a problem in that we aren't winning any football matches, nobody can be a fan of that or think that's acceptable. I think he is pretty much done now and the club will be looking to replace him, but under the current regime no manager will be successful, they will likely just be a bit better than this.

24 Oct 2026 12:57:10
I'm pretty sure everyone is fed up and I love the passion everyone has and the certainty that they are right.
It's been a shambles for so long and we keep following the same pattern but getting the same outcome.
If you sack the manager every time conceding to player power then we'll never get off this merry-go-round ?.

24 Oct 2026 12:58:26
Where's the Carrick love in and people wanting him to stay? I've seen the odd post, but most seem to acknowledge change is needed and is coming.

I agree with GDS that whoever is appointed will struggle, and I agree with Red Man in that I am also massively disillusioned with the game in general.

24 Oct 2026 16:10:23
AJH,

I can hardly read or listen to what Rio Ferdinand says, plus many football reporters, social media apparently has quite a number and yes Red Douglas right below this.

Whoever is appointed, if Wilcox and co can finally stop themselves weeping over Carrick, will need strength of conviction like Amorim. If they appoint the right calibre then improvement will come. Wilcox has already shown some terrible decisions and I would feel uncomfortable with him behind me. I think the club should sack Wilcox immediately and bring in a DoF and manager who can work together, where there is trust.

Disillusion with the game may be lifted if City are suitably punished, without that the league doesn't feel right, but also the owners we have need to be expunged.

24 Oct 2026 16:49:56
Let the head coach, coach. Let them be involved in transfers. Areas that they feel need to be prioritised and strengthened accordingly.

Ironically, SJR and Barrada were shocked that Ashworth only picked UK managers, with Wilcox's solely focus has been on players with EPL experience. Consequently, Ashworth was sacked.

Personally, I'd like Vivell to pick the next manager and be solely responsible for player recruitment.

24 Oct 2026 22:21:26
The love in came last season AJH and got him appointed. People have short memories.
It was the worst decision then and it has killed another season.
Those fans advocating for Carrick should give up their season tickets ?.

24 Oct 2026 10:12:39
I can't believe that more isn't being said about our lack of pace. For me, in every game this season, the lack of pace has been the single biggest reason we've struggled.

A spine with combinations of Maguire, Martinez, Mainoo, Tielemans, Mount and Fernandes in it must be comfortably the slowest in the Premier League. Yes, they may be neat and tidy on the ball, but what's the good in that if you can't get the bloody thing off of your opponents due to the low physical capability of your side?

Carrick's made a team in his image, rather than acknowledging the physical demands of elite football in 2026 and if he's left in charge, we'll be bottom 6 come May.

24 Oct 2026 11:11:54
Maguire neat and tidy on the ball! I damn near spat my beer out!

25 Oct 2026 09:20:34
Downsie

Generally agree there, it's not just pace, it's physical agility, strength and movement.

Elite football needs that physical strength and agility, this isn't the 90's. I said on here before they are a bunch of robots now, it's all about running, pressing, making space. Players can be coached so runners can have top careers without being skillful.

Carrick is clearly confused about running, just listen to his comments, he doesn't understand where modern football is now. We are in trouble right now. The thing is, win today and suddenly there will be some saying he is the messiah again. He is not, nor is he a naughty boy (refer Monty Python for those that don't know) but is a nice decent man unsuited to be manager.

23 Oct 2026 21:49:26
This won't be popular but I really think they should keep Carrick at least until the end of the season.

None of the available replacements are going to be any better.

We have a s***, threadbare squad.

Who's going to work a miracle and turn them all into world class players?

Let Carrick carry on. Let him learn a bit more and then keep improving the squad.

We currently have zero centre forwards.

Wingers who can't beat a player and get a decent cross in.

A totally new midfield.

A total embarrassment of a defense.

A half decent keeper, who's definitely lost a bit of mojo since the world cup.

No decent back up keepers.

I can't see how changing the manager is going to make the squad better.

Changing the manager tells the players it's not their fault.

It ficking well is their fault most of the time. It's got nothing to do with tactics, systems, or any of that. It's mostly down to them making amateur hour mistakes and giving up..

Keep Carrick. Invest in the coaching setup and structure. Let the players own this s*** show.

23 Oct 2026 22:52:34
I completely disagree RD.
They finished 3rd last year.
There are coaches that can have them better organised.
Timing is good for a new coach to come in in some respects.

24 Oct 2026 00:21:05
Either carrick lays down the law, or we bring jn a coach who will. I don't mean shouting and screaming. I mean tangible consequences for failing to do what is asked.

Problem with carrick is he was publicly saying that poor results we okay, and we were unlucky. He coukd have said it is not acceptable and we need to work harder etc. But he chose to look for all the positives in a loss against 10 men, or against supposed weaker teams. Any loss against anyone is unacceptable. Set a higher standard. show it. Take poor performing players out. Sub players off earlier when they are not performing. Basic stuff. It's not rocket surgery.

24 Oct 2026 04:16:25
They finished 3rd last year with Carrick and the same coaches.

This is the team that started against Como:

Lammens - no issues with him
Mazraoui - consistently not good enough
De Ligt - first game back after a year out, which just shows the lack of depth that we had to put him in
Maguire - Too slow
Dalot - Isn't a left back and is barely good enough at right back.
Tielemans - I think proving to be a weak signing
Santos - has some potential but shouldn't be starting CL matches.
Mbeumo - generally ok
Mount - occasional sub at best. why do we still have him?
Fernandes - not playing well generally
Cunha - totally out of form.

So for a CL match we field a patchwork team that has never played together before as a starting 11, players playing out of position, no recognised striker.

And that's all Carrick's fault?

He's going to make mistakes. He's a young, inexperienced manager. They knew that when they gave him the job.
They must have liked his vision for the team. They must have had good feedback about training.
They must have had good feedback about how he was dealing with players.
Sacking him let's the players off the hook.

If anyone has to go it's Wilcox. If this summer's recruitment was 'the plan' then they should be honest about it, but it looks like it was a botched job.

If Carrick goes, the only managers who we can get in that state 'we want to win trophies' are Conte and Emery. Anyone else is just accepting that at best we're hoping for a CL spot and will settle for a European spot. With them, you can't say the manager wasn't good enough. So go get one then and we'll soon find out it's the players and squa are good enough. The circus will rumble on.

Unfortunately we can't seem to get rid of the owners, which is probably the only real cure.

24 Oct 2026 11:50:47
RD.
I take some of your points i understand where your coming from but i disagree strongly.
He took over a fit squad that had one game a week. Imo the football regressed the more he had them but the results stood up.
They finished 3rd there was a good feeling within the camp.
Since the summer he has made poor team selections. Most of his major decisions (playing rashford playing deligt playing mainoo and teilemans shunting bruno around the pitch ) have all backfired his subs have no impact 7 games without a win players speaking out in frustration.
He has not had things go his way injury wise or recruitment wise but his football is rubbish the plan seems to change game by game.


He is not the man to turn to in a situation like we are in imo.
There is nothing to suggest that he can get is playing better. No positive trends at all.
We need a fresh start.
We need a fire sale in Jan
Bruno rash martinez need to be down the door for good imo.
Wilcox has made too many mistakes so he should also be shown the door. I don't see enough green shoots from any of his work to overlook the errors.
If i were sjr i'd be going down the vivvele naglesmann route.
It is a complete leap of faith and would require a shift in direction on the pitch but imo that is completely what is needed.

23 Oct 2026 20:47:56
Jadon Sancho
Casemiro
Tyrell Malacia
Paul Pogba
Anthony Martial
Wilfried Zaha
Christian Erickson
Juan Mata

A group of players currently without a club, any takers?

23 Oct 2026 21:16:58
Erikson's had 2 heart attacks and has more legs then tielemans.

24 Oct 2026 01:37:55
Without a club; Casemiro released from Inter Maiami ;

23 Oct 2026 17:47:30
Has the part 2 of the Ruben Amorim interview been released yet?

23 Oct 2026 20:17:44
Not sure part 1 was real, there is no record of any interviewnon the internet, it feels like a scam, similar to the one I fell for about Enriquez commenting on United.

23 Oct 2026 14:08:40
So the club have put it out there that they are wanting to liaise with the fans and gauge our opinion on the design of the new stadium??? .really? They're putting that out now, are they taking the P?! We all know they don't give a **** what we think, but surely there are more important issues going on currently.

On that point I've read the quotes from Carricks presser, seemed he gave an impassioned speech about the club etc. clearly he cares, clearly it matters to him and we appreciate him for that but it sounded to me like a guy who knows he's gone. tbh caring is all well and good but I'm certain he doesn't have the personality, the power or the tactical ability to take us where we need to go.

23 Oct 2026 15:14:35
That speech was written by the media department and delivered by Carrick.

23 Oct 2026 23:38:50
Another blow into utd. not sure how much more I can take. It’s literally heart breaking what's going on, a real mess created by owners who don't care.

23 Oct 2026 06:20:46
In the past I've always tried to back the manager for as long as possible but it's clear the players don't want to play for Carrick.

When your captain comes out and speaks publicly about his tactics, you would think it's the thoughts of many of the players, so I don't see the point in delaying the inevitable.

What I don't like is that the players, who have always failed to deliver a functional high press btw, have completely rejected a different type of tactic. Player power is clearly rife and not giving the manager a real chance.

Therefore, the next appointment needs to have a strong character with a CV that they can't question. It has to be Conte for me.

What a mess my club has turned into. There is a sham club across the city but there are sham owners inside our boardroom.

23 Oct 2026 09:24:19
Park
Unfortunatly i'd very much doubt conte would even be in the running. He would call someone out within a month.
This board and ownership won't be questioned if there was any sense wilcox would be gone.

Instead he will pick eddie howe who was lucky to last the season at newcastle.
Players that have had upteen chances under different managers will get another go! until we have a full clearout it will be rinse and repeat.

23 Oct 2026 09:27:40
I'm not sure it matters at this stage. This club is badly broken and if I was a player I'd be asking my agent to get me out and it's a big risk for a quality manager to take on right now. Give it to Phil Brown for all I care.

23 Oct 2026 09:57:00
Lets not kid ourselves, it will be someone who is another yes man or not good enough. Kieran Mckenna or Southgate come to mind.

The club will appoint to its level, which is a midtable team with no aspiration. No doubt SJR or Wilcox will make a statement trying to gaslight the fans into thinking it was a good decision.

Sick of this ownership, the players and the club as a whole at the minute.

23 Oct 2026 11:25:28
Howe is the only realistic and sensible option.

Not a sexy name so many here will deride the choice. But he's the only logical choice right now. Nobody else worth their salt would want it.

And I think the last thing we need is another "master tactician" like Nagelsman confusing the clearly very basic players we have.

23 Oct 2026 13:12:31
Eddie Howe really isn't good enough and if we go down that path we will be no better off in a years time.

23 Oct 2026 11:56:00
Eddie Howe is no better than Carrick. Conte is mental. He'd be off in 2 months with a strop. Nagelsmann would be a major risk. The only credible successor to steady the ship and to progress the cub would be Unai Emery.

23 Oct 2026 13:42:00
Howe isn't good enough for what exactly?

We don't have a squad capable enough to win trophies or implement complicated strategies. Someone like Conte or Naglesman would run into the exact same issues Amorim did. Players that don't have the ability to do what's asked of them.

Our squad is at a level where they should be battling for the last CL place. That's where we are. The only way we'll improve is by getting regular CL football and bringing in a director of football/scouting team capable of identifying quality players early in their career.

Howe has proven that he can get results with limited squads. His approach is simple, but far more competent than Carrick's. Howe and a proven director of football could help lay the foundations for bringing in an elite manager a few years down the line. People need to stop buying into the club's BS that were a big club. We're not. United are not equipped for an elite manager. Howe is the level we're at.

23 Oct 2026 13:50:35
To move on its need to remove Wilcox. Let Vivell pick the next manager. The choices Wilcox has made, have failed drastically.

23 Oct 2026 15:57:07
Vivell and nagelsman?
I think the whole coaching staff will need to go, so it would be a very big change.

They will desperately want a turn around in fortunes.

23 Oct 2026 17:01:09
DB,

The current coaching setup isn't good enough. If Carrick goes, then whoever the new manager is, will bring in their trusted coaching staff.

23 Oct 2026 17:30:48
Did I just read Howe is no better than Carrick?

23 Oct 2026 18:00:22
What under strength squad did howe have success with? .
Eng rb eng lb now a barca lw aresenal cm Liverpool striker. He had plenty of good players. Yes he got them playing well for a coule of seadons but imo he should have done better with that team than he did not withstanding the fact that he did pretty well. But never as high as 3rd.
He would be a seady eddie.
Might be a decent shout short term to take over mid season he seems like a good calm charachter he is used to working in a nuthouse restricted environment.
He would not be my choice but neither was carrick ole or eth so that in itself suggests Howe has a good chance of getting it?

Id rather go with naglesmann or conte and let a looney run the asylum for a bit it might be just what the doctor ordered.

24 Oct 2026 12:11:54
Howe is no better than Carrick is one of the best posts on here. This club has no bloody chance because if we get Howe it's a great move but there are fans who would only want someone with a foreign name and actually think he's not a better coach than Carrick!

23 Oct 2026 00:43:05
Apparently, the club has no intention of punishing Bruno for his comments.

Results and performances on the pitch have been embarrassing for a while now, but for players to come out and criticize the club's management in consecutive weeks only to be back in the starting lineup a few days later is beyond a joke and indicative of just how far standards have slipped over the past decade or so.

SAF would have dropped these players for their poor performances long before we ever got to this point, but if anyone ever pulled anything like this, they'd never play for the club again.

23 Oct 2026 02:41:00
Terrible but also really does show the mess we are in that players are now coming out and publicly expressing opinions. Something is deeply wrong with the culture.

23 Oct 2026 03:39:18
Carrick is a problem, but Bruno is also a huge problem.

I am personally tired of seeing Bruno, maguire and shaw season after season after season.

I feel we play better as a team without Bruno. And was personally happy carrick subbed him.

If I was carrick I'd sub Bruno at half time or 30 mins the next game. The guy always cries let him cry more.

I'd give carrick more time and stop playing Bruno if he knows better than the manager. I do not think lacey would be worse than our current forwards.

What is up with Cunha and Carrick?

Zirkzee as a striker looks miles better than our false 9s. I agree that he's not the best player out there, but I'd personally give the guy a run of 4-5 games to get into some rhythm or momentum.

23 Oct 2026 05:07:18
I think Bruno has become a problem rather than always being one. The state of the club has broken him I feel and the perpetual promises of an improved team around him have finally taken their toll.

The problem is that the clear out has never really happened and now we are faced with shifting pretty much a whole team.

2028 is a pipe dream as were the many mentioned 2-3 year plans that people clung onto.

It's a cluster of the biggest variety.

23 Oct 2026 05:57:39
People talk about the state of the club, but for me, the biggest problem is the dressing room culture.

Players are not prepared to fight for the badge. They don't run, and the second things start going against them they throw in the towel. Now, they're publicly blaming the management and owners rather than taking some accountability for their god awful performances.

Don't get me wrong, I know that the owners are leeches, and I don't think that Carrick has what it takes to be a top Premier League manager. But these players have no pride, no passion, and no hope in hell of winning anything unless there's a drastic attitude adjustment.

Carrick and the club need to be stronger. Allowing players to make comments like the ones we've heard over the past week or so is about as spineless as it gets. They may as well be agreeing with them.

If it were me, I'd get rid of the lot of them and play the under 21s instead. They might get us relegated, but at least they'd play for the badge.

23 Oct 2026 08:03:16
Surely they have to punish him in some form?? They fined Martinez the week before for the same thing? Or does it only count when u call out Wilcox?!

23 Oct 2026 17:04:37
I remember RvN last season at the club. Louis Saha was chosen to play over him, as the team played better with Saha up top, rather than RvN.

The team played better football, as opposed to directly playing to RvN, becoming predictable. The summer transfer window opened up, United sold RvN. I great player, but his time was up.

Every club need to make those difficult choices. Imagine if Bruno sold last summer. The club could have bought 2-3 new players.

22 Oct 2026 23:31:56
Do I need to keep updating people with CATW %'s?

Looks like most have seen what was been advised.

Ah what the heck.

18.2%!!

Bye bye Michael.

Oh hang on, I have a few Bournemouth lads in my fantasy team, hang on for one more game ?.