Manchester United discussion 2

29 Sep 2025 11:30:43
This yo yo support is the problem. No one recognising that he has half a team, but more. impirtsntky no matter what system you play, if you can still only pick Shaw, Dalot Ugarte, Macguire as the spine of ypur team, not to mention that Casemiro was suspended and would not have allowed the game to unfold like that, a terrible VAR and Ref, disgraceful time relapsing for a critical penalty a d then utterly bizarrely allowing a substitution which is another scandalous mistake from the co distantly rubbish and clearly anti United craig pisspoor paulson, what do you expect.

Doesn't matter what's the system is when you have rubbish players who can't get basic stuff right like tracking back, moving up in a line, not fet caught in possession or keep losing the ball through dreadful passing and a lethargy to actually run about and take up positions to receive the ball.

Expecting the same players to become consistently good when we have watched the same players be consistently bad for 3 or 4 years is delusional. The players are the problem. You keep changing managers and you're allowing those players to dictate the future of the club yet again.

That Amorim is being attacked like this is just plain wrong. I will hold my hands up if the guy gets a top cb, 2 x cm/ dm and a decent rwb and lwb. Until then, the focus is replacing thr other half of the team and ensuring the job of getting the poor players out of the club is completed, not doing yet another half arsed pivot.

29 Sep 2025 12:24:46
Well. he could pick Heaven and Yoro but chooses not to, it's also his choice to play Bruno and Cas in CM, amd its his choice to new er, absolutely never change from his sacred formation. I struggle to think of a newly appointed Manager who ever had a worst record.

29 Sep 2025 13:23:48
His formation is a lazy excuse and something to beat him with it's not why we are so poor.
It's Ruben amorim playing the same players who have failed stronger managers than him that's his problem.
Playing a high line with the slowest back 3 in the league against team in Brentford who based most of there okay on long balls over the top for fast players is crazy and armchair fan could see that.
Yoro heaven mainoo lammens should be put in and built around this year.

30 Sep 2025 04:42:59
Oh so we are now all agreeing that our defence is useless, our CBs far too slow and wing backs useless…and here we were told but the same bunch that our defence was brilliant you only had to look at last year! LOL.

I love the w at you all swing, give people abuse then end up saying the same yourself.

30 Sep 2025 06:35:14
Yoro and heaven are returning from injury, makes sense not to throw them in.
Nothing excuses him dying on the Bruno sword, that will be his downfall.

01 Oct 2025 11:57:00
German,

There’s only one person that gives anyone abuse and that’s why they keep getting banned, trolling people and saying ‘I was right, you were wrong’ makes you sound like a tosser, not abuse before you cry, just letting you know.

27 Sep 2025 21:11:38
The famous definition of madness is after failure to keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. I say it as I see it, always said that on here.

Pre game I found it hard to believe the team selection but also the negative attitude. By playing Maguire it was clear RA was concerned about defending their long balls, crosses, long throws. By doing that it showed what he was thinking about. It likely explains the start where we looked like we were making sure, or trying to make sure, we didn't get caught out, instead of being United, taking the game to them. Amorim was thinking how to block Brentford, it is a trait I felt Moyes had. The players were uncertain about what was happening behind them.

Why was Altir in goal, why? Make it make sense. We ship Onana out, yet instead of playing a new GK chomping at the bit, we play the one who was not good enough to be number two a few weeks ago. Stupid. He wasn't much at fault but did palm the ball out.

Maguire, negative thinking, or too much thinking. Then Shaw, why? We have mobile tall quick defenders on the bench, Yoro and Heaven. Cannot be saving them when we only have one game a week.

Then I come to the main issue, midfield. Continuing to play Bruno in CM is criminal and terrible thoughtless management. Not being able to see that he was awful, not pulling his weight, nowhere near captaincy material, by half time is very poor. However, then not taking him off, when playing badly, is desperate amateur management. I cannot defend that.

Team selection, in game management awful, favouritism over Bruno appalling. I do wonder if team morale is now affected by the managers inability to see reality on Bruno, Shaw etc, and over team selection.

Frankly, Amorims position is or has to be hanging by a thread after that today and it isn't formations, it's self inflicted poor management. He won't change, he told everyone, he flaunted it to the owners, but this cannot carry on. Something now has to give. Bruno in CM is a resignation letter for me.

27 Sep 2025 23:07:10
Bruno, name checked 4 times with negative connotations.

Play Bruno in his best position. It is not his fault that he is being played there. And yes, he is captain material, you just don't like him red man we get it.

You have been championing RA for a year now, and he is so unfit to be managing this club, it's beyond a joke. Desperate to get rid of ETH to be replaced by this. Embarrassing.

28 Sep 2025 05:24:45
Angel

People in glass houses…

Your achillies heel is that you cannot get past idolising Bruno no matter what, you can’t see all his mistakes, giving the ball away in key areas, his lack of everything about being a Captain on the pitch. Bruno in Central Midfield is a major problem, so is his phlegmatic personality, he disappeared in big games for us too often, no matter what position he was played in. You refuse to see it, just like RA. Poor Bruno it’s not his fault, the poor thing is out of position. Bless.

Yes, I have been onside with RA but there are points when you can’t defend the indefensible and yesterday was that point. One day you might reach it with Bruno. As to ETH, Leverkuesen saw him for what he was, yet last summer the idiots gave him a new contract and let him buy more players. The club has responsibility for some of this mess, they have not bought the CM they should have done. They don’t do team selection but that yesterday was appalling all ways round by RA and I won’t shy away from saying it, nor will I shy away from supporting someone when I feel he deserves it, he is head coach but I find it hard to see the club put up with that yesterday much longer. Note I haven’t called for him to be sacked like some of you vultures, but do think he is asking for it by his own actions.

28 Sep 2025 09:51:28
It's not that at all. It's your absolute fascination with a player that has been nothing short of incredible. Criticising and saying he's had a poor game is fine, but overall he is still and has shown he is way above anyone else in our squad, the numbers don't lie. And you have this obsession with him.

RA was the man according to you, he was the great white hope, a proper coach. But you can't see the wood from the trees when you're locked in like you were with ETH and Bruno.

And vultures? The man is out of his depth, nearly a year in now, I think we are well within our rights to call it out for what it is. Shambolic. Imagine this was ETH with 17 losses in 33 games, 9 of them wins. You'd want him walking the plank, hung from the gallows 😂

As for Leverkusen seeing Ten Hag for what he is. Complete nonsense, 2 games in a brand new rebuild. How anyone sees someone for what they are in that time period is beyond me, near impossible actually.

3rd and 8th with 2 trophies in 2 seasons, what a joke he was 😂.

28 Sep 2025 10:28:48
Angel

No fascination, just watch the game. Lies, damn lies and statistics, Bruno had very good periods in previous years but you clearly can’t see the decline, the being out of position, losing runners, giving the ball away because of your Bruno specs. Bruno specs that mean you can’t see how awful he is as a captain. No doubt you couldn’t see how he should have been subbed yesterday either.

I like RA and yes I think he is a very good coach but I think he has got it wrong right now. I think he may pay the price for yesterday and his inability to, like you to see the Bruno problem.

Don’t make me laugh with your defence of ETH, the main reason we are in a mess, hundreds of millions on poor players that we could hardly give away.

28 Sep 2025 11:29:43
Excellent posts Red Man.

28 Sep 2025 11:52:36
Red man, you've got the bone between your mouth, and you won't let go.

Of course Bruno declines, like every player but even in his decline, and being consistently played out of position, he still manages to be one of the better players.

It's absolutely an obsession.

And ETH is why we are in this mess? Don't make me laugh. The club has been in free fall for years and your laying all the blame of this mess on ETH. You're a funny man 😂

I didn't realise that ETH was still in charge and is at fault for 17 losses in 33 games 😂.

28 Sep 2025 12:51:38
I think he might be playing Bruno in midfield and regularly picking Maguire, Dalot and Shaw to show the club just how abject its ’senior Leadership’ team actually is and what he has to work with. Also Pretty sure that Bruno is the least effective ‘world class player’ in world football. Lot of show very little go. Not sure Amorims style will work in the prem, started watching old games of his time in Portugal and even though it’s working most of the games I saw looked pretty chaotic, but he’s no chance with what he’s up against. Starting to think the Bruno sitch is like Martial where the club likes him more than the manager.

28 Sep 2025 16:33:52
One third

It did cross my mind that like Martial, a Glazer likes Bruno, he must play and cannot be sold. I don’t think RA is doing it to show what he has to work with, far too risky, his job has to be in jeopardy right now.

Angel
Head in sand, ETH caused huge issues that the club is still trying to rectify. Useless.
Try watching games objectively, without Bruno specs, it’s what I do, you might get to see the real issue.

28 Sep 2025 19:23:49
Angel

The point being missed is that Bruno being selected as an 8 is just not the way - his natural game is a 10.

As an 8, the flaws to his game - discipline and the defensive side of things - are exacerbated badly and make our midfield weak af.

Everyone without their heads in the sand can see that the Bruno at 8 experiment has worked out so poorly that opposing teams can confidently set much of their game plan to charging through midfield, and RA has had long enough to accept that, but he can't fashion a legitimate position further forward for him now in this system that he rigidly sticks to.

Bruno does not work as an 8, it's as simple as that. He is a world-class 10, but he's being played out of position as a poor half of a poor midfield 2 and it's pathetic that he remains there.

If the 3-4-3 has any hope of working, we need an adequate 6 and a real 8. Therefore, it would have perhaps been wise to sell him when the silly money was being waved about.

RA's naivety will cost him, but only when the INEOS leash has frayed.

Here's a comparison for how stupid it is to shoehorn a natural No10 in as No8 when it so clearly does not work - Scholes being shifted out to LW for England as a way of accommodating himself, Gerrard and Lampard.

It's just daft mate, makes our midfield Fosters weak, renders us predictable, contributes to our collective defensive anxiety, badly reduces the dynamism of our attacking threat, and shows with full bells and whistles that RA should get the shoe if he isn't prepared to change or adapt.

Bruno played at 8 exposes the biggest flaw to his character because the pressure of this system rattles it out - he's a leader, but not a captain imo.

28 Sep 2025 20:01:54
Bruno is still the best player at the club by a country mile even including the 200 odd million just spent, Bruno’s stats back that up every year but of course if your stupid enough to move that player from his best position and put him in a position that really don’t suit his game, what do you expect, Bruno in a 2 man midfield will never ever work,

It’s stupid you take your best player out of his best position and put an inferior player in that position and then neutralise your best player too and weaken the midfield, that is sackable offence on its own.

I see today that out of 49 games he changed his CB 43 times!
He started that game with the 3 slowest CBs we got! And then he is surprised at the outcome!
He bought Dorgu who is never a wing back got good engine but no final ball and not getting any better.

He bought a GK who no one even seen then says you got to be a special person at United! RA is special all right!
It’s ok trying a new philosophy but you got to win in the interim at least 50% of your games, 25% don’t cut it.

I wanted him in, but I now seen the evidence that he not good enough, no shame in that, we tried it don’t work change simples…
Just hope our leaders are not just being bloody mindedness and embarrassed to make the change, I’m hoping the Glazers say to SJR share price will go through floor if this continues you need to make change and now.

I would also be packing off Wilcox too and getting Barrada for some explanations.
SJR was never going to work but that’s another story ATM he needs to act.

27 Sep 2025 17:23:46
We have a tendency to live in a bubble. The EPL is one of the toughest and most competitive leagues in the world.

Today alone so far Chelsea have lost at home to Brighton, Liverpool have lost to Palace and current 3rd place Bournemouth were held to a draw by newly promoted Leeds United. While at one point only a Burnley own goal was preventing Man City from being behind against Burnley.

Yeah it sucks losing, and in our heads we should be beating Brentford comfortably.

However, the reality is that over the past decade Brentford have been a far far better run club than we have been.

Our squad is a mess and we needed to move out maybe 15 or 16 players at least, and bring in 10 to 12 new players who are either top class or have top class potential.

Ripping down the old to build the new always results in a backward step first, while we have only brought in two top class players in Cunha and Mbeumo, and three young potential players in Dorgu, Sesko and Lammens. We are still at least 5 probably 7 new players away from actually rebuilding this team.

What kind of results/ performances do we really expect from half a team? In this league where its so competitive we shouldn't really be expecting to beat well run clubs easily that's for sure.

27 Sep 2025 18:40:48
More points than 32 in 35 games shappy.

You replied to my post with a load of excuses and waffle and you're doing it here again.

27 Sep 2025 18:58:49
You are allowed to make incremental progress as a football manager.

This idea that everything has to go awful and then suddenly we become amazing in two/ three windows time is nonsense.

We are not better than at any point under ETH and he was deservedly sacked.

27 Sep 2025 20:35:22
Dsg we are far worse than at any point when ETH was in charge.

27 Sep 2025 23:09:23
This squad isn’t as bad as they are playing.

It’s full of international players, easily top 8-6.

It’s the players don’t fit the “system”.

28 Sep 2025 06:07:15
Then build a system that does fit the players?!

This one is on Ineos. Ridiculous decision to appoint Amorim.

28 Sep 2025 09:08:43
Ed002 suggested Amorin.

28 Sep 2025 15:14:29
But the evidence is there RA is not working
It’s not a matter of excuses the facts don’t lie under 30% win rate for a team with salaries that we pay and stature of United means you have to beat Brentford, Fulham, Burnley and you have to see improvement from individual players we are seeing nothing apart from decline.
You mention Players like Cunha and Mbuemo but they look worse now than last season.
Bruno looks really poor, Mainoo gone backwards, GK who was not even good enough to be number 2 when Onana here is now number 1 in front of our new signing
Building a team from the front a joke especially when it means the clubs best player is neutralised and a liability in the position RA puts him
Playing the 3 slowest CBs at the club as a Trio is diabolical

Perhaps Yoro now upset him, to go with Heaven and Mainoo on the naughty step
ETH was a terrible man manager but RA is another level of terrible but even worse naive to go with it….

I would honestly say that even his buys/ recommendations can’t even play his system.
Dorgu is never good enough for wing back, Cunha and Mbuemo are struggling, Sesko is he much better than Rasmus. GK who knows!

If it don’t change and very soon it’s another season down the pan

The players at his disposal if he was not so pig headed are capable of beating Brentford, Fulham Burnley’s of this world and to try make excuses why United ain’t, is just the same pig headed approach as RA got.

The evidence is there for all to see.

28 Sep 2025 23:03:04
It's the players who make basic mistakes week after week
Doesn't matter who he picks you can guarantee that at least one of them will do something stupid every week.

The players also should play with intensity and desire right from the start until the last minute. After every defeat you hear one of them saying "we know we weren't good enough" or "we just didn't match them" "we know what we have to do and we will work hard to put it right" but next week or the week after it's groundhog day. I am positive RA is not telling them to do this. This is on the players. They need to take full responsibility.

24 Sep 2025 19:30:50
Been away for a couple of days. Came back to discover our favourite troll is back.

26 Sep 2025 00:24:36
And making it really obvious it is him as well, pathetic.

14 Sep 2025 20:59:03
I thought Urgarte was good today, he worked hard and instigated a lot of turn overs, Mainoo was very good too when he came on. Everyone talks about 2 in midfield but the wing backs should be working in there when we don't have the ball. At present we are still looking like a back four with and extra man in the centre which is costing us in midfield. Another issue l see is when we get the ball wide to Dorgu or Amad, they stop and delay putting the ball in behind their defence, this is the ball our CF and front 3 need to attack. It's usually a stop and pass it back or inside, which slows down the play and allows opposition to set their defensive line. Again the spine of the team is key, we have a GK, need a CDM and jury still out on our new CF. Still have to question our purchases in the summer getting attacking players was needed but a strong CDM should have been prioritised after Cunha was bought, then go for another 10 or a CF. Probably go and beat Chelsea next week now with the same team 🫢.

14 Sep 2025 21:44:28
We ain’t beating Chelsea 😬.

15 Sep 2025 20:27:35
they will have so many scoring chances if we play 2 in the middle against their 3 and palmer and co will enjoy themselves.

15 Sep 2025 23:59:05
Play Mainoo with Ugarte .

Lammens
Yoro MdL (heaven if fit, otherwise maybe Mazraoui, or continue with Shaw)
Amad Dorgu
Mainoo Ugarte

Mbeumo Sesko Bruno

That team has to be the direction.

Quite simply, Mainoo has to play and Bruno needs to be moved from centre mid to a 10 role.

Mazraoui is NOT a RWB
Bruno is NOT a CM

Make those two changes to the formation that lined up against City and we might stand a chance against a well oiled Chelsea.

We have the cattle up top for those guys to run their socks off for the remainder of the season. We have no more than 40 games to play.

21 Sep 2025 15:32:17
Sorry eric, can you say that again for the people down the back.

22 Sep 2025 08:10:45
I love being wrong when it t comes to Utd winning. I hadn’t factored in the Maresca effect.

22 Sep 2025 17:53:26
Hahaha good man.
Chelsea struggle to get anything at OT so I was pretty confident. Even though we were lucky.

22 Sep 2025 21:24:28
I’ll take it! It was an enjoyable watch, albeit slightly mad!

23 Sep 2025 23:33:44
Were we lucky? We took the game to them from the start and created a chance that meant their keeper got sent off. We then capitalised with 2 goals. We were then really unlucky Cucurella didn’t get sent off for 3 yellow card fouls and unlucky Casemiro got sent off for getting the ball. Despite having 10 a side we saw them out quite well, they only had 1 shot on target all game and we deserved the win.

25 Sep 2025 16:02:44
Spot on gds2 except casimero did foul.

14 Sep 2025 18:14:54
Could we put Amorim up for sale maybe have to be in Europe because no team in premier would touch him talks a good game is nice guy but he'll he not got a clue and even worse not learnt a thing in a year that's a worry sorry if that upsets you all but no one of sound mind can say he is anywhere near the required level.

14 Sep 2025 19:20:31
Trust in the process! Anyone who thinks we are going from where we were last season to beating the likes of city Liverpool you need your head checked. Improvement has happened, it’s a process. You don’t go from 16th to 4th 3rd 2nd. We all need to be realistic. So much toxicity in our fan base.

14 Sep 2025 19:54:30
we finished 14th and the last guy got sacked for being 12th after 8 games. i am afraid your reasoning does not wash we are not some newly promoted team. there is minimum expectation and no one is talking 2nd/ 3rd but this is so so poor. i said last year he will get himself sacked and still maintain that view and why i can't be bothered posting anymore.

He has made so many players look worse in this so called miracle system and it has failed us too often on both ends of the pitch. I am actually surprised how stubborn he is as good managers will make changes and not be so predictable. by Christmas he is gone imo.

I honestly wish he would be the one and got us going but the pl is too much for him imo.

14 Sep 2025 20:00:15
If the process was to get infinitely worse each week and show absolutely no ideas on how to improve then yes, we are well on our way.

Come on guys face facts - I really like Amorim and how he talks and acts. But on the pitch it’s utter dross. We’re a total mess.

Jose is available. Just saying.

14 Sep 2025 20:26:39
Any club, with any other manager getting the returns that we are getting from Amorim, would sack him.

14 Sep 2025 22:06:06
4 games into a season! You are the same guys that have asked for every manager to be sacked! What did that do? Nothing! What will it do this time? nothing.
I genuinely see improvement in this group. The stats do back that up. Even today. I don’t think the board when they looked at the 4 games so far thought we will win all of those. They are looking at being competitive. Arsenal we were Fulham we were Burnley we were.
Did we create many chances per game last year definitely not which was one of our main issues.
You guys have zero patience.
If saf was in charge now coming from Aberdeen he would be gone because his record early on was abysmal.
We all speak over the years post saf at every manager that joins that they needs 3 windows 4 windows 5 window that this is a project/ open heart surgery. It’s not because no one will allow it to be a project.
You all want instant success. I ask for improvement, dedication, application from the players which I’m seeing more this season than for a few years.
If we are below 10th at Christmas I may think differently but after 4 games you guys need to chill out and back the manager.

14 Sep 2025 22:10:07
We are not some newly promoted team? We finished 16th take that in. We may as well be a newly promoted team. We are not currently the Manchester United we know. A reasonable expectation would be 7-10th from where we finished last season. And after 4 games I’m not sure after investing in a manager in a system that a change now is really a good idea. It’s 4 games.

15 Sep 2025 07:51:56
Mate he is the one who had us finish that low. He is rubbish. get rid.

14 Sep 2025 14:19:37
RIP Ricky Hatton.

Football rivalries aside, as someone who loves boxing, I'm shocked and gutted at his passing at such a young age. One of the greatest boxers of the modern era,

I hope he enjoyed the schooling of Canelo by Crawford as much as I did.

Fly high Ricky, thank you for the memories - absolute legend. 🤛.

14 Sep 2025 15:54:43
RIP Ricky, great fighter in his prime.
Met him once, too top bloke.

31 Aug 2025 16:41:59
Lammens or Emi Martinez?

For me we should be looking for the more experienced premier league option, who can at least command his box and is a big character.

The team is still hugely fragile at the moment in terms of confidence and don't think they can afford to bring along an inexperienced goalkeeper.

31 Aug 2025 19:05:19
Apparently its a swap with sancho going the other way. Sounds way too good to be true. But martinez all day long if we had to chose, we need the here and now, not the future. Especially with a gk. Gks form the defence imo, with our current gks it creates nerves in the defence as nobody is sure what he is going to do. If we gor a solid gk in watch how we change as a team.

31 Aug 2025 20:09:27
If we could get a DM with the attributes we need (I personally don't think Stiller is the answer) then I'd be tempted to say we could accommodate a little time for Lammens to find his feet.

However, without the DM we need, I think Martinez would be a better choice because we aren't in the ideal world scenario right now and might be better off taking the cautious and sensible step of an experienced EPL GK with the character to deal with the United heat.

31 Aug 2025 20:11:13
Martinez all day.

Although I’ve never seen Lammens play, we need experience and a calm head in goal to give the snowflakes in front some confidence.

31 Aug 2025 22:44:48
Hahaha Eric did you just say Martinez and calm head together! Jesus Christ the guys a clown, we've spent all summer trying to get rid of them signing one on deadline day seems stupid.

01 Sep 2025 01:06:42
Ha. I realised when I typed that didn’t sound correct. I should rephrase and say experienced head!

01 Sep 2025 09:22:06
The narrative around Martinez seems an odd one, I guess it always is once a player is linked with United. I heard someone say yesterday that he’s a total liability and will let us down by getting red cards. He has had 1 (yes one) red card in his entire career and that was the one against us at the end of last season.

06 Sep 2025 10:05:12
For me there really isn't that much of a difference between Martinez and Onana.

Martinez is better at dealing with crosses, Onana is better with the ball at his feet. Both are prone to make silly errors that cost their team goals.

While Martinez might be a slight upgrade in that he seems a better fit for what Amorim wants from his keeper, it's a minor upgrade and only a short term fix.

Lammens has huge potential, and while he probably isn't any better than what we have right now, he had the potential to be one of the best keepers in the league in a couple of years time. If our aim is to win the league in the 2027/ 28 season then Lammens makes much more sense, in the same way that Sesko made more sense than Watkins in that regard.

30 Aug 2025 18:40:35
Big 3 points against a relegation rival today, Get In!

05 Sep 2025 16:58:00
About sums it up!

28 Aug 2025 11:39:33
Saw a great comment yesterday.

Amorim would play 5 at the back in 5-a-side 😂😂.

28 Aug 2025 17:00:23
His reluctance to change formation or even tweak the 3421 formation to even a 3412 as an example, is simply obstinate.

Life is about being adaptive, this applies to football as well. I wonder even if th club had signed a GK, and say Baleba, would they still be f£%& ups?

29 Aug 2025 09:43:40
Hatter, the formation does shift and change throughout the game, he does make tweaks and adjustments, but not huge ones.

He used to make bigger changes at Sporting, so that suggests that it's the options he has here at United that are limiting his tactical tweaks.

He did say last season that until his players have mastered how he wants them to play its difficult to make too many changes to it as it simply complicates things and confuses the players. While what seems like a slight change has knock on effects for lots of other players and their role in the team.

For example if you change it from a 3421 to a 3412 that to most people doesn't seem like a big change. Yet it changes the roles of the front three, and it likely changes what you want from the wingbacks and the midfielders. So that's 7 outfield players who have to understand that their role now has different demands and they need to be able to meet them at least adequately.

For example changing to a 3412 now means that the 1 behind the strikers is the sole creator in the final third compared to when it was a 3421, than means that you need more end product from you wingbacks rather than being supportive creators, you will also need more incisive passing from your midfielders to compensate. Players like Ugarte and Casemiro will now have a more important role in passing the ball forward. It also changes how the team defend and press.

While these tactical tweaks can be coached and trained into the players it takes both time and having players who are capable of both playing the original plan AND them having the quality and skillset to play the back up or tweaked version.

Furthermore, it's not a good idea to start adding lots of different variations of the tactics to the players while they are still getting to grips and building confidence with the main way the manager wants them to play. It makes them start to question the main way and it undermines their confidence in it.

29 Aug 2025 10:14:26
Shappy, you're an excuse merchant.

Grimbsy had no issues with their tactical set up the other night.

Tactics/ formations, he needs players etc. bla bla bla. You either want it or you don't. You either react to a manager or you don't. With a 24% win ratio in this league, it's quite clear that these players don't.

Tactics and formations are never an issue as long as you have the players onside and playing to your tune.

29 Aug 2025 17:08:28
Everyone is so fixated on formation. The players are not performing this has been the case for years. They turn up some games and not others. Again most people in here want to manager gone because a new one will get a tune out of them which has never happened long term.
Also we are 3 games into the season chill out people, stop reading sky sports and watching bloggers! We played very well against arsenal imo we deserved to get something out of that game and against Fulham probably played well for 45 mins. Against Grimsby it was horrible performance but a number of the players had played zero football so far this season but the players failed to do the basics nothing to do with formation. They didn’t press as a unit they failed to win second balls and they showed zero desire, these players are some of the players who should be trying to push to get into the first team but still didn’t turn up. People on here shouting that mainoo should be starting like he’s zidane he showed absolutely nothing against Grimsby. He is young he is learning his game but he clearly has the same attitude as garnacho he feels he deserved to be a starter even with some very average performances. When a player isn’t played people on here believe that player would have been the difference.
Honestly the club has failed in another window. 2 10’s bought when we have Bruno mount amad. And zero cm/ dm bought when we have an old Casemiro and an average ugarte. No GK signed even though stevie wonder can see we need one. That is a failure of the people ‘running’ the club. The spine of the team needed to be improved and would have been more sensible with the amount spent to do that rather than 2 10’s and a striker who could prob be starved like hojlund was of service.

30 Aug 2025 20:21:48
The “players”. We’ve seen so much squad churn and new signings in the mast 15 years, yet they’re all crap.

This is on Amorim this time. It’s not working. It’s clear to everybody except his fanboys. Yes sacking another coach etc is not a good look, but we’ve absolutely appointed the wrong coach this time. I really like Amorim and his style, but it’s not working here and time to rip off the band aid and move on.

31 Aug 2025 13:34:34
To be fair twenty we aren’t flush with real 10s (only Bruno) and the two players he’s brought in are head and shoulders above what we have. They are great signings for us.
Not scoring was our biggest problem last season. Of course now we’ve addressed that it’s something else. Would have loved a gk/ cm though, still slightly hopeful.

31 Aug 2025 14:49:43
Eric, what about Amorim's system isn't working?

The part where we have the created the second highest xG in the league so far?

The part where we have the 3rd highest expected points per game?

The part where we have had the most shots in the league?

The part where when have had the 5th highest possession?

Or the part where we have conceded the 5th least number of chances?

Every single statistic suggests that we are doing well holding the ball and restricting the oppositions chances of scoring, while offensively we are one of the best teams at creating chances.

The managers system is helping us have more control, restrict opposition teams, and give our players good chances to score.

Beyond that it's down to the players to take those chances and to not make silly errors that cost us goals.

We have conceded 6 goals this season, 4 of which are directly from a goalkeeper error. Literally if our keepers just did an average job and didn't gift the opposition chances we would have only conceded 2 goals in 4 games. How is that the managers system failing? It's not it's down to player error, a lack of individual quality.

While we have created an xG of 9.86 across our four games this season, suggesting we should have scored around 10 goals from the quality of chances we have had. Yet we have scored 6, the biggest underperformance of xG across Europe's top 5 leagues so far this season.

xG works on the average number of times a goal is scored from a particular position and type of shot. So if we'd just been bang average in front of goal we should have around 10 goals.

Amorim's system is loading the gun for the players, they are just missing the target. Again that is on the players and not the manager or his tactics.

This idea that his system doesn't work is just nonsense stemming from a regressive UK media and pundits who are wedded to 442 or at least 4 at the back systems, who don't really understand Amorim's tactics and they just want it to fail. A typical human response to fear what we don't understand.

It's made obvious when they try and talk about it, they don't have a clue how it works or what is going on. Their comments highlight their ignorance.

The number of times I've heard them say Amorim's 3421 system won't work because it leaves just two midfielders in the middle who will be outnumbered. Yet their answer is to play 442 or 4231 both of which play with a two man midfield double pivot 🤔🤦‍♂️

So why will a double pivot with a back three behind it get overran but a double pivot with a back four not get overrun?

Their answer, "well a player from defence or the forward line either steps up or drops in to midfield to make it a 3 or a 4".

Cool, you mean like in Amorim's system where either the central CB step up into midfield to make it a three or the two wide No.10's drop deep to create a box midfield four?

Amorim's system is doing exactly the same things that we see done in 442/ 4231/ 433 shaped systems.

Yet it won't work in Amorim's for some reason, despite him using it with Sporting to outplay far superior opposition in the UCL, including the media's favourite child Pep with his Man City team.

It can and is working with us and in the EPL, the problem is the quality of players we have using it and a lack of confidence.

Anyone who actually understands football tactics and can watch a game and dissect what is happening can clearly see that it is working.

Only those who form their opinions based on what the pundits tell them to think believe it isn't working.

31 Aug 2025 18:29:15
To add to Shap’s stats we have hit the woodwork four times, if we had converted those chances we would be top of the league right now.

Football is fine margins, the tide is turning under Amorims watch.

31 Aug 2025 20:18:22
I look at the actual results over xG etc to show me it’s not working.

He’s won under a quarter of his matches in charge. We finished 15th last season and were lucky to do that.

What witchcraft are you seeing?

06 Sep 2025 10:44:21
Eric, ultimately results are what matters, but how do you get the results?

With performances. Which means we need to improve all of the little things the players do in matches. Then over time all those little improvements will result in better performances, which will improve our results.

Including all of our results since Amorim took over is not a good way to judge whether he has made improvements. You end up distorting the data by including older data from when he first took over.

If you want to see if he has improved things you should maybe break the data down into two or three groups based on time, then compare those data sets.

Look at the data from the first 20 games he was in charge then compared that to the next 20 games to see if there has been improvement.

You need to look at both the results and other performance measuring data (stats) due to the nature of football. It's a low scoring game, which means individual errors have a huge impact to distort the outcomes.

We've all watched games where one team have absolutely dominated the game, had all the ball, created all the good chances and yet lost the game due to one error to concede a goal, while coming up against an inspired performance from the opposition keeper.

We have to understand what a manager/ coach can actually impact on a game. They can use tactics and training to improve aspects of performance, such as possession, chances creation, and opportunities given up to the opposition. They can make their team difficult to score against, they can help them to use patterns of play to create more chances for the team.

However, they cannot control players individual performances. If a player has a bad game, or if they make errors that is on the player not the manager or coaches.

If a goalkeeper flaps at a cross, or a striker misses a chance, a defender mistimes a tackle or a midfielder misplaces a pass these are on the player not the manager.

If you look at this season's performance data you can see that United are doing really well at creating chances, at keeping hold of the ball and at restricting the number and quality of the chances the opposition have per game. All things the manager can have an effect on.

Our results though haven't been decided by the performance data but by the players individual performances. We've missed too many good chances where we should have scored. The manager has created a system that loads the gun for the players, but they are the ones who pull the trigger, and we've missed the target too often. While at the other end our keepers have had less to do, this isn't like when we had peak DDG where we were only limiting the oppositions goals due to superhuman performances with DDG making 10 world class saves per game. As a team we are defending better and restricting the chances the opposition gets per game. However, we have already conceded more goals due to goalkeeper error THIS season than Liverpool did in the entirety of last season. No manager can come up with a system or tactics that can mitigate their keeper practically throwing the ball into his own net twice a game.

Is it perfect? Obviously not, there are still areas where I think the manager can improve us further. While our keepers have been poor dealing with crosses from set-pieces, I also think our defending as a team needs to be better in these situations. Defending set-pieces is always a tricky balance to get right. If you bring too many players back to defend it then you invite more pressure and make it harder for you to get out of your own half even if you win the ball. Bring too many players back to defend them and you risk getting yourself pegged back and giving the momentum to the opposition. However, on the flip side if you don't bring enough players back to defend then you risk leaving yourself open to conceding.

Ultimately the teams that defend set-pieces best are the ones who have players who consistently win their individual battles enabling them to defend in a one on one basis. This is definitely something we need to improve on, although we have a lot of young defenders who should improve in this area over time.

The manager has a tricky situation where he has to pick players who are not as well rounded as players as we need them to be. For example he has to choose between Dalot and Amad at RWB. Now Amad offer so much more going forward and creating chances, which should help our side control the game and peg the opposition back reducing the number of chances we concede. However, he is going to offer nothing when defending set-pieces. We could then play Dalot who for a fullback is actually pretty good in the air. He offers much more when defending set-pieces, but when we have possession of the ball he offer a lot less meaning we probably end up having to defend more set-pieces as the opposition will be able to get on the ball more.

We also have players like Yoro who has been excellent this season, but lacks experience and isn't yet consistently strong in the air.

We need to have a midfielder like Casemiro on the pitch for his aerial ability in both boxes to help out with the lack of aerial ability amongst our defenders, but he lacks the stamina to play in midfield in the EPL for a full 90 minutes. Which means when he starts to tire the opposition will get more chances.

We actually have all the skills we need but in 18 or 19 different players, meaning we will always have to field an 11 that are lacking a few of the skills the team needs to perform consistently at the level needed. That will be the same no matter what formation or tactics we play.

Ultimately we are one summer into a 2-3 summer squad rebuild, so we were always going to have gaps and areas of weakness this season, and probably next season as well if we are honest.

Yet despite all that our performances have improved, that is proven in the statistics and backed up by the eye test. Give it time and if we can keep these performances up, and maybe even improve them further, then the results will come.