08 Aug 2018 19:34:41
Kinda sick of all the negativity here. We've not even kicked a ball yet reading the site you'd think we just avoided relegation last year and are going into administration.

Its almost as if everyone has their mood dependent on who we sign. I remember a transfer window, on the back of a couple of disapointing league seasons where we were far off the top, where we signed only a CM, sold our best striker and had two players coming back after a huge bust up in the world cup and one of our bright young prospects was supposed to leave. We took on a dominant Chelsea side and beat them that season and reached the semi finals of the UCL.

I also remember a transfer window when we signed a big name from Real Madrid, one of the world's best strikers (albeit after a bad injury) and some hot prospects from the world cup. Ended up playing poor football and limping to 4th place.

Jose is right to talk about signings, but it needs to be put into context. We need signings to catch City, true, which is what he is hinting at. But people have Spurs and Arsenal finishing above us this season which is quite frankly laughable. We have better squads and have improved more than they have in the window with just one signing imo.

What do the fans expect the club to do? Pay 75mil for a 29 year old CB or a one season wonder? Do you want the club to pay way over the odds for wingers coming to their 30s? Or do you want to sack the manager who won 2 trophies and guided us to 2nd, our highest league finish since Sir Alex retired and also an FA cup final?

The managers everyone looks at with rose tinted specs are they really going to give you everything you want? Klopp, tactically naive at the business end of the season and won nothing. Poch, again, won nothing. Pep never gets the stick that our manager does for never playing youth yet Jose plays Lingard and Rashford and has given a real chance to McTominay.

Sanchez has looked great in pre season along with Bailly and Pereira. Lindelof looked much better in the second half last season and had a great world cup. We will have Lukaku and Matic with one more year settled in. With Courtois gone to Madrid we can now probably see De Gea staying long term. There is a lot to be positive and happy about!

Pogba, if he goes will be replaced, if he stays he will need to perform to prove to himself that he's up there with the best. Martial might leave but we've sold more important and better players before and we've survived. We'll find another Martial on the market if need be. He is nowehre near irreplacable.

I agree with Ed001. The transfer window needs to be scrapped. It only serves the media to spread negativity or create unnecessary hype. It serves agents to leech money. It doesn't serve the football clubs, fans or the players.


1.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 19:49:02
My negativity is based purely on us not doing what was needed to be done.

Last season we played poor most games and managed to get second (miles behind City), failed miserably in Europe as well. This year we have barely strengthened and at least 2 of our best players are unhappy going into the new season. Tactics in pre-season sound very similar to last season - that is a bad sign.

Pre-season we played shockingly by all accounts, so that hardly helps with expectations. Granted Pre-season isn't a great benchmark, but it's all we have to go on. Jose already moaning and laying foundations for fans to expect disappointment.

Hence negativity.

Believe me if the trajectory was positive all you would be reading is optimism - we are all excited about the new season, but I'm not expecting anything special again unfortunately, sad for Man Utd. I get you want to be positive, but you are being positive for positivity sake, the players, manager, club won't be bothered if 50 of us are moaning on here or praising them on here. So no need to fool ones-self.

Fans expect us to be competing at the very top, for the top honours and making top signings in areas we look weak. We go into the season with Valencia and Young as our full backs and no RW signed - absolutely shocking!


2.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 19:51:11
Great post that mate, completely agree. However, I thought I Jose’s public pronouncements have helped create a negative mood, he needs to lighten up a little.


3.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 19:59:03
Great post redfaith. Can’t wait for the window to shut so we can get on with business.


4.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:07:27
@Beast

I understand being negative and saying oh we will again finish second to City. But its gone too far with everyone suggesting a finish outside the top 4 and Spurs and Arsenal finishing above us. Its laughable.

Pre season, I look for players who are trying to prove themselves and fitness levels. I got that with Sanchez Bailly and Pereira. Like Jose said, he didn't learn anything from pre season. Most of the first team squad didn't play due to the world cup.

Its not possible for Jose to implement his tactics when his main players aren't there.

I find it funny that you don't see an upward trajectory. We were 5th and 6th the seasons before. We were 2nd last year and have added a couple good players and the best is yet to come from the likes of Sanchez, Bailly and Lindelof who look on the up and maybe even Lukaku.

@AJH

I understand what you are saying but Jose is putting pressure on the board because he feels he needs signings to compete with City. I don't fault that and he is right.

But Spurs, Arsenal and maybe even Chelsea are they really better than us? I don't think so. If we can get Bailly fit, Lindelof to play like he did at the world cup, Sanchez firing and if he stays, Pogba playing more disciplined, simple and focussed instead of trying to do something special all the time we will improve massively this season.


5.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:07:55
Jose’s public persona vs private are bound to be vastly different.

He’s brought in a young full back, young Brazilian international, and promoted Andreas P and Scott McT to the first team.

Now he gets slagged off for not buying expensive shiny new players. He’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t and it’s all rather tedious.


6.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:10:10
I don’t see him doing that Tony. He feels like the club haven’t pushed hard enough to sign the players he wants, he has never been happy with us, and I think he’s looking for a way out. Think this is a precursor to Jose’s inevitable exit, but with mud slinging until he’s fired.


7.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:38:48
Red faith that is a great post.
I think a lot of people within the club are frustrated and at odds.
Players with the manager, the manager with players, thw managers demeanour, the manager and ceo and board.
Your correct in saying that things need to be put in context. Do we have a squad that can realistically win the league? All pundits and 'experts', all neutrals, all bookmakers, and 99% of supporters would say we don't and most would agree we are at least 3 players short of that.
The context is that most of this squad came 2nd last season and we all know it was awful to watch for the most part.
Its not all doom and gloom i can see liverpool improving enough to finish ajead of us if the new players blend in quickly particularly the gk,
Other than that and i don't see that as a certainty. I also don't see city being 20 points less than last season.
Posh spent nothing yet and people hailing him for it. i'd say judge that in May. Big gamble on kane and erikson reproducing for a fourth season in a row.
Chelsea will probably take time to settle. I forsee plenty of dropped points
Arsenal same as chelsea. But i think both will improve over time.

Im quite sure we won't be competing to win with the current squad.
I think we can compete for 2nd place.
Im quite sure its going to be dour stuff in some games.
I know no other manager would have done better than 2nd last season with this squad anybody that says otherwise would be just foolish.
I believe there are plenty of managers that could have this squad playing more attractive football that's for sure but i'm not so sure that we would finish 2nd but by the same token we could also have come closer.
Is there enough improvement to come from young and valencia to win the league? Is there enough creativity and pace in the squad? Is there enough experience in the squad to win the league?
Most people say no i agree with that view.
No manager with this squad could find enough improvement to catch city and hold off pool .
Any new manager will want the funds to address the areas obvious to all but a few.

So the club has a choice do it with this manager jose or do it with a new one.
Either way the squad needs dramatic improvement in 3 or 4 positions.

So there are some that say do it with this manager
Others say do it with a new manager.

This is what it looks like to me.
People within the club are not convinced by jose or the direction he is taking the team. His 1st choices have been overlooked for cost, age, availability or other reasons. He has never had full support at board level and might be losing some of what he had. If there is not support for the manager firing him now will save this club a lot more than it will cost if they let it all go to pieces.
With 3 or 4 new players we could have competed with city imo.
We can't wait on city coming back to us or liverpool and spurs continuing to shoot themselves in the foot.
Lets hope we get 2 or 3 key targets in tomorrow. Doubtful sadly.


8.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:52:25
Beast smd Danny, excellent responses.
Redfaith, trust me, non of us want to be negative, but I'm sure the manager has tried to reshape the team, only to find the owners reluctant to back him and get rid of some of the unwanted players. Mourinho is not my cup of tea, but i do feel for him.
As Beast says, he wanted a midfielder right back, left back, centre back and right winger. He's got a right back for the future, he also got Fred, who i think will be excellent. But cb, rw and lb are still unresolved. And we still have Rojo, Shaw, smalling, jones, Darmian on our payroll.
I feel sorry for Mourinho and the fans. As Danny says, all is not positive as Mourinho himself has been demonstrating the last few weeks. So we could say whatever we want and be as positive as we want, but if the manager is telling us that he's disappointed and fears for the upcoming season, then we have a problem.


9.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 20:54:06
You say klopps naive tactics got the better of him but in reality they were all over Madrid until Salah went off injured which changed everything, and two howlers from Karius, otherwise they’re have won the CL. To say arsenal or spurs finishing above us is laughable, is laughable. Why not? Do you really see us so much stronger than them? I think arsenal will be a lot better now Wenger has gone. Spurs have as good a squad as us. We had glaring weaknesses last season in the two full back positions and the rw position. None of them have beeen addressed. We have players wanting to leave, a manager who doesn’t want to be here. It’s all a recipe for disaster. I’d be very surprised if we make top 4 this season.


10.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 21:11:16
Only a fool would think you can win the league with this squad no matter who the manager. Too many weaknesses and once you go past 16 or so players the quality in depth is not enough to win a league.


11.) 08 Aug 2018
08 Aug 2018 21:54:41
I don't think Jose can produce a football team capable of beating this city team .
Last season he produce a team, even tho people insist it's full of poor players that was capable of beating everyone else .

But he will not produce or build a team that has the attacking capabilities required at the moment .
We saw Jose doing what he does last season i'm not sure what people are expecting?

Never mind city how many millions is it going to have to be billions does Jose need to build a team capable of playing decent footy?
Even against the lesser teams .

It's not going to happen and there is nothing wrong with that Jose will do it Jose way and it's worked for him in the past.
But if your not going forward your going backwards and that's what we are seeing with Jose at the moment .