Manchester United banter 9

18 Oct 2026 15:57:55
CATW!!

EPL win % 14.3!!

Overall win % 20%!!

Amazing.

I will say, it was refreshing to see some of the changes made, and I think he may even come good.

18 Oct 2026 10:36:22
A few posters have hit the nail on the head for me with this current United set up. They're not the United we used to love anymore. the badge remains the same yes, but the soul and culture of our club has been ripped apart and doesn't represent us as fans and the people of Manchester.

You cannot sack people who've been part of the culture for decades to save a few and expect it to be a great place to work for playing and non playing staff. Everybody left is there for a wage and nothing else. No fight, desire, pride, love.

Clearly this happened to all clubs as they moved towards being corporates, but our decline and lack of identity feels even more stark.

I don't have the solutions or the answers, but this lot I know for sure are not it. i'm at a loss to describe just how much of a mess they've all made of our once great club.

18 Oct 2026 16:20:32
About right Eric. the club is on life support. Totally destroyed by American scum who don't care, its hear breaking watching it all unfold as its us the supporters that have to pick up the pieces.

18 Oct 2026 09:49:32
A Middlesbrough fan on why they saw Michael Carrick's struggles at Manchester United coming:
"When Carrick was at Middlesbrough, he came in mid-season when we were struggling under Chris Wilder. He took over and immediately got the players doing the basics well. He inspired them, and we saw the same at Manchester United.
He made the simple things happen, put the right players in the right positions, and for a while it worked. But once teams figured out his approach, the problems became obvious.

People at Boro had already talked about his inability to adapt. I don't necessarily believe in needing a Plan B, but there are times you have to react to what's happening on the pitch. Carrick doesn't seem capable of that.


Look at his subs. It's like the 62nd minute comes, an alarm goes off on his wrist, and he knows it's time to make a change. But it's always like-for-like—no tactical tweaks, no change in shape, nothing different.

And now we're seeing the same pattern at Manchester United. Did we predict this drop-off? Absolutely. We joked about it when he was doing well and got the permanent deal. Even Boro fans were saying, 'just watch what happens when teams figure him out.'

He's stubborn. He sticks to what he believes in, no matter what others think. His press conferences would sometimes leave Boro fans wondering if he was watching the same game. To the fans, it was obvious something different was needed, but he struggled to adapt.

18 Oct 2026 10:29:52
It's exactly what we see.

18 Oct 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - thefutureisoldgold3 has posted a new article entitled, Wolves Player Ratings v Burnley

17 Oct 2026 12:26:30
Not even dug up the ground for the new stadium and the rats are looking to sell the naming rights, absolutely despite the rat who gave the American rats a lifeline. Worst owners ever, we'll be battling relegation in a new stadium, like tottenham

Maybe you'll know but is there any possibility at all the new stadium doesn't go ahead ed001? Hope to god they sell and the new circus tent plans get binned too.

{Ed001's Note - there are two possibilities for it not happening, from what I can see. The first is that they sell up and new owners don't like the plans, seems unlikely though. Secondly is that the govt funding they want is blocked, as neither the Glazers nor Ineos will want to pay for it fully, even via mortgages, which is how the club is paying its part. The size of the mortgage would just be too much on top of the club's already enormous debt and be at too high an interest cost to make it worth it. Right now it is a way of increasing the club's value ahead of a sale, but without govt funding the value is engulfed by the debt burden. Again it seems unlikely to happen as they can just grease palms until it is done.}

18 Oct 2026 09:04:28
How about if they produce a trashy product on the pitch with no hope of redemption because they continue to not have the funds to compete financially, with the result that the demand for seats drops? Or, in order for it to work they have to price the seats too high? Or, indeed, if the EPL product becomes less valuable for one reason or another? Manchester has been tainted by the City scandal. Who knows the knock on effect. We all know that between now and actually building the damn thing the cost will go up considerably. It always does.

I'll be in an urn by the time it happens.

18 Oct 2026 13:33:33
Thanks ed, hate is a strong word but I truly hate both sets of owners, I hate them from the bottom of my heart, they'veturned us into an absolute joke and as Eric mentions above, the way they'vesacked long serving staff is disgusting, by the British billionaire living in Monaco, he's a person. Their lack of empathy makes me sick, as does their arrogance.

{Ed001's Note - they do not belongat Man Utd. Itis a club for the people. The Rat is even worse than the Glazers.

18 Oct 2026 14:52:11
Agreed, his other sports ventures filled me with no confidence, truly a rat. Used to be angry, now numb and upset at what they've done.

18 Oct 2026 16:27:08
I always said when SJR was incoming with Ineos they would be worse than the glazers and I am not wrong there.
Not a chance in hell this current government helps with the ground, Man City will be the undoing of MrSlippery Manchester Burnham already. so can thank city for something at least.

It's all a total mess and if you just watched the awful quality of play against Leeds we look like a relegation battle team . Spurs will finish above us and they now bottom.

17 Oct 2026 23:47:46
According to sky, Rashford has been playing with an injury. Might explain his ineffectiveness. There were lots of positive comments pre season from the camp about him.

But if it is true then it's stupid to play him. Move Cunha back to that side Mbuemo as the number 9 and play Lacey or Amad on the right.

18 Oct 2026 01:09:08
He had an injury too when he didn't played well the previous time he was with us. Maybe two injuries, the one was about his shoulder and he made a surgery.
This not an excuse, if he carries a problem he should back off and let another player play.

He do us no favour because he is one of the worst players. Then running straight at opponents and in blind spots is never about injuries but what's in his head. Absolutely nothing.

17 Oct 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Manchester City - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

17 Oct 2026 07:01:17
I keep seeing posts saying it doesn't matter who the manager is or we can't keep sacking managers, should just leave Carrick in place, its not the Manager its above him, we must ignore everything and just giving someone years will work.

It always matters who the manager is. They represent the image of Manchester United, they need to be a leader not a follower. They should be getting a tune out if what they have. We have to get away from the idea we appoint someone and it doesn't matter what track record they have, that the only answer is more and more time.

The club made a brave decision with Amorim then bottled it. The problem is emotion, they let emotion form part of the decision to appoint Carrick permanently, they didn't believe in him because it was only a 2 year contract but now he is hard for them to shift because he is Michael Carrick, the ex player.

We need a real leader, someone who impresses with their strength of belief, vision and direction, who we see can make the team play again. The manager or coach matters, but the club keep getting decisions wrong. 26 years was a generational period not to win the league, now it will be at least 14. The club has to get a grip now, or as before success skips a generation. Where i once had to talk about Charlton, Best Law, in reverence as ex players now we make them manager. What a basket case and laughing stock it has made us.

The manager matters, keeping the wrong one in place on the false premise time will make him the right one is frankly misguided nonsense.

17 Oct 2026 10:30:25
Good post RM.

Reading your other posts in regards to the reintegration of Rashford being detrimental, looks true. I do remember both of us discussing Rashford back in August. I distinctly remember you talking about management 101 as well. The club needs a manager who understands that leadership requires task, team and the individual, failing to support an individual or build the team will eventually ruin task.

Carrick needs to gain more experience at another club, where he is under less pressure to perform. It would have been much easier if he had walked into a fine tuned machine.


I recently watched a video interview with Toto Wolf, where he said you can't blame an individual for poor performance, it is the process that has failed. I think that perfectly sums up Utd.

Come 16.00 tomorrow, it might spell the end of Carricks reign. United are stuck in a cycle of eat, sleep, sack, repeat.

17 Oct 2026 09:30:52
Manchester United under its current executives have done away with a "manager" and appointed a head coach instead. They've tried to move away from a system that's failed ever since SAF and Gill left at the same time, the club's first disastrous mistake.

The facts speak for themselves. We've had Moyes, LVG, Mourinho, Ole, Rangnick, ETH, Amorim and Carrick plus 3 other interims in 13 years. None of them have worked. Why? Because the club is rotten at its core. So, while you are of course right - the manager matters - it can also be true to say given the way our club is run, with its fiscal constraints, and vital cash flows being used for interest and land acquisitions, it's highly likely even the ideal manager will fail to give us what we think we should have, a title wining team.

I think there's a reason we didn't get Pep, Klopp, Ancelotti etc. The owners of this club are seen by the footballing world for what they are, people using the club primarily for money making by means of financial manipulation, rather than to win titles. If there was no relegation and no European riches this crowd wouldn't care if we were permanent bottom feeders if it was in their financial interests.

Best, Law and Charlton? Each of them would be £100m+ players today and we couldn't afford them and they wouldn't want to come to us. So, fire Carrick, pay the compensation (another £100m spent in the last dozen years) and try to find someone who will paper over the cracks. They may get us playing better. They may even get us challenging for a European place, but odds are they will not be able to get us where we think we ought to be. The club's owners are a cancer. Don't expect a sick man to run as hard or as long as his healthy opponents.

17 Oct 2026 10:59:14
One more thing related to the manager v head coach situation. Maybe the club wants to persevere with a head coach and that's a non-starter for many top managers. If we're going to go back to a dominant manager model then the club will then have to think about both Carrick and Wilcox going. What's really difficult to know is to what extent Wilcox's ambitions and wants were themselves constrained by the owners and the club's limited funds. He may be as frustrated as the rest of us.

All we can say is that what looked like the fairly straightforward task of replacing Casemiro, finding a secondary midfielder and then stiffening the defense and a back up CF, has been botched badly, although maybe Baleba will improve things.

17 Oct 2026 12:01:15
Mad Hatter

Thanks. In terms of walking into a finely tuned machine, that's what Moyes did.

Part of the problem is the structure has changed at the same time as a manager. They take the coaching staff with them. We lurch.

On here about 13 years ago, I think when SAF was about to retire I posted about the Barca model, having a head coach, a way of playing defined. In fact I recall writing a post on here during LVG reign about how LvG actually wrote down Cruyffs whole method for Barca, when before it was just an idea in Cruffs head. I am open to a Head Coach structure, but we have no definition of what United is, what football we play. We lurch around and have players from different coaches.

Often people talk of Ralf Rangnick yet LvG was a missed opportunity not as Manager but perhaps as DoF. Rangnick was another who could have given us an identity, yet the club didn't like what he said, it didn't suit an ownership having to spend in a different way.

Now we put Wilcox in that role, said to be firmly behind Carrick. Yet what experience does Wilcox have, what is his experience judging a coach or manager at this level? He is rooted in what he knows. We should have an experienced visionary DoF yet have Wilcox. That visionary should lead to a structure behind the Coach. We can see it is an issue because there is no path from youth to first team. At Barca there is a route.

Maybe they think Carrick might do that, however, even that has failed. He is clearly averse to playing youth, Lacey has been ignored, Heaven and Yoro sidelined, to prioritise experience like Maguire, and Rashford. At least Maguire is committed.

That is why Wilcox has to go, and why we need to have that defined structure, a coach who is replaceable. Yet we are stuck in the past, not buying for a structure but for a 20 year out of date championship sacked coach, lacking vision, lacking inspiration, who is too nervous of playing his youth. Too scared seemingly to deal with playing issues like Rashford.

We have no vision from either Wilcox or Carrick, just silence. Yet we knew Ralf and LvGs vision almost instantly. That's why both Wilcox and Carrick need replacing and take the bad influence of Rashford with them.

17 Oct 2026 14:51:34
Redman,

Hopefully that will happen. If only they had listened to RR. Sadly, the truth hurts.

I do believe that the club should allow Vivell to do all the recruitment, including selecting a new manager. There is clearly conflict between Vivell and Wilxox.

The manager/head coach has to suit the structure or the structure is amended accordingly.

17 Oct 2026 17:52:26
Red Man; " In terms of walking into a finely tuned machine, that's what Moyes did." Really? My view is that SAF left us shoddy with an ageing squad and a shed load of issues.

17 Oct 2026 19:00:30
Not defending carrick, it is inevitable he goes unless there is a huge change in hiw he carried himself and how he managers the team.

But sack the DOF, bring in a new one and then let them choose how to fix this mess.

17 Oct 2026 21:16:52
Red Man, Moyes should never have been the one to replace Fergie but what he walked into was far from a well oiled machine.

17 Oct 2026 22:35:43
Bilko Fizz

In terms of the operation, Moyes walked into a coaching team that had won multiple honours, but Moyes wanted his own Everton team so got rid of the coaching team. That's what I refer to. The team, the first team was shockingly poor because of the Glazers. Made no secret of that opinion and said so on here at the time.

I thought Moyes was a terrible horrendous choice. Said on here st the time in 2013 I was at OT when SAF made that speech about supporting the new manager. I felt sick to my stomach because I knew it was an utterly disastrous appointment.

17 Oct 2026 06:05:39
Reading throuth various posts, it seems we have a good chunk of us that put mote blame on the hierarchy than Carrick and the players. I get that the point that the club is ran horrendously, and I completely agree. But I don't understand how that excuses these players and this manager. Looking at our results this season, can we honestly say we have a worse squad than Hull, Everton or Fulham? We dropped points to all of those teams.

Everton have owners who have put the club up for sale and criminally under invested in the squad this summer. They have Barry as their only recognised striker. Thierno Barry!

Everton are 5th in the table. Why do their players and manager seem to be able to over perform?

Blaming the ownership for all of our problems and performances - even if they are toxic leaches - is just lazy. There's no way this squad shouldn't comfortably be a top 6 team with the right manager.

17 Oct 2026 06:30:29
Jd123

There will still be some posters who think cosy thoughts about an ex player, same thing happened with Ole. Driven by emotions, Carrick is eulogised for being a beloved ex player.

Once appointed there is nothing anyone could do, but the decisions, poor game management and terrible tactics are there for all to see.

Personally I said Carrick permanently was a huge mistake and he is. I still cannot believe we have a manager who couldn't hack it for a short period at Middlesbrough, it's beyond me.

It's not the only concern, Wilcox in particular needs to go and Berrada has huge question marks. As to the owners no comment needed.

17 Oct 2026 07:41:03
We do not truely know the circumstances of Carrick getting the gig. We do not know what other managers were realistically and I mean REALISTICALLY available and/or wanted to come to the mess that is United.

I am not banging the drum for Carrick, but unless we can genuinely bring someone in who can change things then we are between a rock and a hard place. As you say RM we need a real leader.

I wish I knew the answer because clearly the management don't!

17 Oct 2026 07:41:30
We should get that Moyes fella in.

18 Oct 2026 10:51:27
Yap, the concourse needs sweeping AJH.

16 Oct 2026 15:17:29
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Manchester City - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

16 Oct 2026 18:44:17
Kavanah does seem to have no love you lot.

16 Oct 2026 19:05:03
While the EPL may be after the cheaters, it seems the refs are still in their back pocket. Along wth the non offside against us they seem consistently to get vital decisions go their way.