19 Mar 2018 18:54:54
@jred
Jose likes Fellaini because he does a specific tactical job for him and follows instructions. Its not difficult to understand. Its the same with Rojo who is a good backup defender to have and can play multiple positions. This is why he has been given a new contract.
You cannot change the whole team at once. Which is why the manager may choose to keep certain players that he isn't totally convinced of as first 11 players but wants to keep them as squad players to maintain stability.
Jose trusts Valencia because he does his defensive job and he is the only one he's got at RB! If Jose could buy a fullback he would but other positions (in the spine) have taken priority. He could have bought a RB instead of Matic for eg. but we would have less points as a weak midfield would make the team suffer more than a fullback being good defensively but not offering much in attack.
Jose's biggest fault has been buying Pogba. He lacks the brain to be a good midfielder and as long as he keeps picking him we will continue to fail. When the midfield isn't performing everyone else suffers because that is the heart of the team. I hope Jose addresses the midfield issue this summer and gets a couple of midfielders in.
Jose's signings along the spine of the team have largely worked.
1. Lukau - Done well
2. Matic - Done well
3. Ibra - Short term fix, done well for last season.
4. Bailly - Always a rock when fit. The manager can't be blamed for his luck with injuries.
5. Lindelof - Center backs always struggle in their first season in the EPL and need to be eased in. Jose picks Smalling ahead of him because Smalling is currently bulkier and more experienced in the EPL in terms of defending. It is obvious Jose wants another center back.
6. Sanchez - Opportune signing. He's barely had couple of months.
We know Jose wants a new left back. We know he wants to sign a couple of midfielders (interest in Jorginho and SMS) . We know he wants a new winger who is good at crossing and works hard (Perisic interest last summer) .
I am far from saying Jose hasn't made mistakes. But the abuse and criticism he is getting while the likes of Klopp and Pochetino escape any scrutiny is ridiculous considering he is above them in the table. I maintain that only City have been better than us this season.
He got the Sevilla tie horribly wrong and maybe our approach could have been a bit different in a couple of games and we could be a few points higher but apart from that we've done well and have made good progress. It certainly doesn't warrant sacking.
{Ed025's Note - i respect that you are sticking up for your club and its manager redfaith but sometimes you have to look past the red tinted goggles mate, points wise you have a case but in respect of the entertainment and the history of the club im afraid jose falls well short, im sure finishing a distant second (if that even comes to pass) may appease some fans but that is not what i consider a man utd team to be happy with..
19 Mar 2018 19:21:46
Redfaith
So in short Jose rates rojo fellaini and Valencia.
Pogba is the main issue
And out of all of Jose signings only matic and lukaku have done well.
19 Mar 2018 19:40:04
cannot argue with that Ed025. I think jose is a very good manager but that does not immediately translate to him being the right man for the united job. there is a certain way that you must play, and a certain way you must hold yourself. let's just see what happens but I think there are many other managers out there who are a better fit. having said that, it seems that he will not be sacked so I will back him because I support the team. And I will continue to do so until the day he leaves, even if I want him gone or if the results are poor.
{Ed025's Note - and fair play to you park mate..
19 Mar 2018 20:43:48
Park - 100% the correct assessment of how a United fan should feel at this point. I bet the ones supporting Mourinho regardless of his classlessness, were the first to jump on LvG when he didn't compete for 2nd place.
19 Mar 2018 21:09:11
Ed 25 - maybe I should already know this but just out of interest what team do you support?
Success is never guaranteed, but surely it makes sense to put your trust and faith in manger that has brought success to every Club he has ever managed.
We will finish higher in the league with more points, more goals and more wins than any other season since Fergi retired. Whilst the football has been generally slow and turgid we have witnessed moments of brilliance and seen spells of dominance. The team is inconsistent. Our attackers blow hot and cold and this has nothing to do with Jose tactics. It's not his fault when a chance is missed, a simple ball is misplaced or a player makes the wrong decision. Our quality in the final third can be erratic. What hasn't escaped my attention is that when we score first we win.
The style of play is open to debate but I think this has as much to do with the inconsistency of the players than any tactics employed by the manger. Yes he has been unduly negative in some big games, the Sevilla performance was disappointing to say the least but the progress is there for anyone that cares to look.
I can't say if Jose will win us the league but at the moment the Club needs stability. For now Champions League qualification is progress. The team is evolving and improving rather than regressing. We need to look at the bigger picture. Hand on heart and if everybody is truly honest the performances against Chelsea and L'pool were poor. They both followed a similar trend yet we got the job done and won those games. Not many came on here and called it as it was. On another day we could easily have lost both games. I was worried about the Sevilla game as I didn't think we were playing well. I expected a nervous and cagy evening. I half expected a score draw and an away goals elimination but if we had got the first goal we'd have won.
At the moment it just makes sense to me to trust a manger than has won everything, seen everything, managed the biggest Clubs, the biggest players, handled the biggest ego's. Jose knows exactly what he's doing and I hope the board trust his experience and pedigree and give him the backing so he can do his job.
{Ed025's Note - i support everton for my sins danny, on jose i cant argue with his record in the past...but its exactly that...IN THE PAST, the game has moved on all the successful teams are playing a high press attacking brand of football that is not only successful but easy on the eye, the guy is a dinosaur for me mate and is more interested in his own ego than any club..harsh i suppose but true nevertheless..
19 Mar 2018 22:07:24
@jred
Don't twist my words. Jose would not buy a Fellaini, Rojo, Valencia. But he would keep them as squad players if he has to choose which players to keep based on their attitude and work ethic because he can't ship 10 out and buy 10 players as it would completely destabilize the squad.
Would you sack a manager who is 2nd in the league, in an FA cup semi and got us into the knockout stages of UCL after 2/ 3 years not even being in the competition? This is our best league position since Sir Alex left.
Only Pep has done better and we ain't getting him.
19 Mar 2018 22:20:24
"I tried to sign Antonio, when I was at Madrid, even though he was not playing right-back at the time, I thought he could be phenomenal in that position. As it was, United told me ‘no chance! " Jose
 “He is simply the best right-back you can have, there is no better right-back in football" Jose.
19 Mar 2018 22:01:03
@Ed0025
I have far from red tinted specs. I don't think Jose has been flawless and I clearly point out some of his mistakes like buying Pogba, sticking to a 2 man midfield etc. But I fail to see if any other manager in the EPL bar Guardiola would have done better. He has made mistakes but others have made far more.
If you are saying we can replace Jose with Pep right now I would bite your hands off but that ain't happening. When I look to other options they don't seem very appealing to me and I am not sure anyone could come in, suddenly change the style of play AND win.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Allegri's style is far from attacking. Carlo's league record is sketchy. Poch is yet to win anything. I am skeptical Jardim can translate his results from the French league to the EPL.
Many are clamoring for Pochetino yet he's won nothing and his team rely heavily on Kane. One must remember that Klopp has made some terrible transfer decisions before getting a couple right with Salah and Firmino. He too has won nothing yet and is even further behind and the defense at Liverpool is still poor.
I look at what Jose has inherited and where he has got us. I don't see why United should sack a manager who is 2nd in the league and in an FA cup semi final. If we are to do that we would be changing managers every 2 years.
I never expected Jose to come in and play "The United way" whatever that means. I expected him to get results and bring back some confidence and winning mentality and making some tough decisions (like getting rid of Rooney instead of "how to get the best out of Rooney") .
For all the talk of style it was one bad result that's gotten everyone against him. The shutout of Liverpool where they created nothing at OT was completely forgotten. The comeback against Chelsea was forgotten. When the season ends, Pochetino and Klopp will have won nothing and finished lower than us in the league.
{Ed025's Note - you make a very good case for the defence there redfaith, in the end its all down to opinions mate and even though i respect your views i just dont think he fits at a club of united,s stature..
19 Mar 2018 22:14:55
Red faith
How do you know that Jose wouldn't sign fellaini or rojo . He signed lindelof and Miki.
You are aware that Jose has gone on record as saying he tried to sign Valencia for Madrid.
19 Mar 2018 22:24:41
Ed 25 - I get your argument and if I'm honest part of me even agrees with you but I'm not sure he's finished just yet.
I think if he can just hold it all together and not lose the dressing room I don't think we're that far away.
Maybe I'm a dinosaur myself but I don't think this high press, high intensity football is anything new and whilst I'd love an injection of it into our game I'm all for balance and maybe there's a time to press and a time to sit deep and consolidate.
I can genuinely see progress and whilst I share some reservations I'm prepared to be patient and trust his pedigree.
{Ed025's Note - i hope your right danny...i just cant see it mate..
19 Mar 2018 22:37:53
Danny lancs again with the sensible and balance posts. Stop it Danny lol.
19 Mar 2018 22:44:23
Jose is talking about his time at Madrid. Yes and Antonio Valencia was different player when Jose was at Real Madrid. More direct and an excellent crosser. His game has changed since his injury against Bayern and his crossig is poor now. He didn't try to sign him when he was at Chelsea recently did he? He didn't try to sign Fellaini or Rojo there either when he could have but chose other players instead.
If you want quotes just look at the most recent one where Jose says he is not happy with Valencia's attacking but admits he is solid defensively. i. e. he sees we can do better but he is playing him as he is his best option.
How do you know he would try to sign them NOW if they were at other teams?
19 Mar 2018 22:54:04
Red faith
I don't know .
I don't think Jose tried to sign Messi at Chelsea but I would be surprised if he doesn't rate him
In Tony he made him captain and if fit he plays . Which isn't a surprise as only last season he said he was the best rb in the world football .
Why don't you think he rates him.
19 Mar 2018 23:39:14
Ed002 says he did.
19 Mar 2018 23:59:13
Lol
Did he not say the Russian tried to sign him.
20 Mar 2018 06:44:13
REDFAITH, good post, the one where you mention that the grass isn’t always greener. I posted yesterday that peel wanted SAF sacked after we won nothing in’95 and he sold Ince and Kanchelskis and look how that turned out. You make a compelling argument but one of the issues for me is that I don’t see a clear plan. I don’t see a style or an approach, other than stifle the opposition. Spurs and Liverpool may have won nothing yet but they have a defined style and once you have that you can then buy better players to enhance it.
It’s all about opinions, I think Liverpool are getting better and better and if he buys wisely they will be a real threat next year. Spurs will struggle due to their wage structure and as you said, they appear very reliant on Kane. I think Ed and Danny summed it up, Ed thinks he is yesterday’s man, Danny thinks he isn’t quite finished yet. I guess that the million dollar question.