05 Nov 2016 11:19:27
On Thursday evening we went one down very early and it also happened against Chelsea. Everyone looked at what Mourinho said about the players preparation, however I posted on live chat that we needed to show we could come back from going a goal or two behind, basically character.
The indications are the players haven't been mentally ready for the start of games or in the first half generally. I look back and wonder how many times we played well or scored in the first half in the last couple of seasons. It may be conjecture but perhaps some of the players heads are not in the right place and that is appalling for a professional.
Above, I mentioned the ability to recover from going a goal down and to me it appears we don't have that determination to make it happen. People have been quick to point fingers at Jose but this seems to me to have been a problem in recruitment over a number of years. Under SAF last years we failed to recruit anyone who could grab and change a game like Keane, or mentally could drive the team to recover. It carried on through Moyes and LVG recruitment, buying decent even quality players but not difference makers with character when it mattered, it seems we missed that on their CV. To an extent the club itself has missed the obvious problem. It should have noticed when we had to appoint Rooney as Captain that there was little to choose from as Captain material.
It flags why we have a problem, a real lack of character. We have seen that with Arsenal since Vieira and Petit left. We have no character or leader on the pitch. so become rudderless when the going gets tough. Prepare all week but when they cross the white line they look to each other and don't see that drive and character. It is leading to sloppy early goals, turgid performances and inability to recover from adversity.
The club as well as previous managers have accountability for this and I would be surprised if Jose hasn't now seen it. I would be guessing but perhaps he expected more character to show when he arrived and now has to look for it, not an easy task having seemingly been ignored in the last 5 years of transfer windows. I would be surprised not to see the recruitment change in coming windows.
05 Nov 2016 11:33:49
red man
jose can do no wrong .
05 Nov 2016 12:12:56
fen away is a hard game always has been .
we got beat move on, people over analyse every defeat .
we to stop looking back at fergy moyes lvg that's been an gone .
new season, new start like every other club .
teams get new managers all the time, this is just life after fergy, this is what it was like for all the fans of other team when we had fergy.
05 Nov 2016 13:51:34
Jred
Not sure you understood, it was not a review of one game but comment on the systemic error made by the club and previous managers in relation to ensuring we have sufficient character in the team.
05 Nov 2016 14:11:23
redman
its easy to have character, or look like you do in a winning team.
05 Nov 2016 14:41:47
jred are u really saying that likes of vidic, rio, rooney etc lacked character. Redman jose's biggest problem right now isn't lack of character in the team, it is the falling off a cliff that is happening to the character he bought, zlatan manages to score even some of the clear chances we have created for him in last 4-5 games we would be a lot closer to top 4 than we are now, and jose won't be in any of this pressure.
05 Nov 2016 15:06:53
common
i didn't mention vidic and co, I've checked twice but i'm sure i never .
once this team is playing well i think you will that some of these players DO have character.
05 Nov 2016 15:36:15
"its easy to have character, or look like you do in a winning team" i thought u said that in reference to ex utd teams in comparison with current ones, if u did not my apologies.
05 Nov 2016 15:42:56
talking about the current team pal.
06 Nov 2016 07:19:23
I think a lot of responsibility rests with SAF, assuming that funds were available. This no value in the market nonsense went on far too long (perhaps he was being constrained by the Glazers) . Looking at the purchases of other teams there were some quality players being signed whilst we were sat on our hands. It could also be argued SAF cost us £90M with the Pogba nonsense (yes yes I know everyone will blame the agent) .
06 Nov 2016 08:58:19
AJH
I looked up the players SAF bought in 2010, 11 and 12 and at a time when he should have been looking to replace the greats who were getting long in the tooth, he bought ordinary. Take a look at those three years transfers, it is quite enlightening and is one of the core reasons why we have had such a problem since he left. It was very Busby 1970 where the club failed to refresh. Given our history how did the upper echelon allow it to happen?