Manchester United Banter

06 Dec 2025 23:42:51
I know it's only one game but Forests Anderson was pretty anonymous today.

06 Dec 2025 13:38:28
When you asses the recent pressing style which most teams have attempted in the past few seasons, Sloppy was very efficient and effective with his players but it was consistently working, chasing, closing especially in the final third of the pitch. It was no coincidence that he was pushing for the 5 subs which allowed ample opportunity to take out tired players and maintain the high tempo. Without euro football our players have no excuses if you cannot only give 60mins working your arse off that's fine then come off. RA seems to consistently make changes to the back three, when it midfield where we are weak.

His stubborn refusal to stick to his methods just isn't working consistently. I have been very positive each week looking at 3 points getting us up near top four, now, a few losses could put us back down to bottom 4. I really think with the players we have and the formation of other teams we should be in the top four already. So frustrated as we have be given opportunities to be up there in the last few games, but failed miserable, where is the passion and drive in this team.

06 Dec 2025 16:46:30
For me it’s the inflexibility that’s costing us.

The system works in some games, particularly games in which the opposition is pushing high up the pitch. Amorim’s approach stretches the pitch, and this opens up space to hit on the counter. Problems arise, however, when the opponent sits deeper. Stretching the pitch doesn’t work then because the opposition is tight and compact, and our players are spread too far apart to put together moves that cut through a low block. That’s when we end up with plodding sideways passing and crosses into the box without no one there. Worse, when we lose possession, the players are so spread out that teams can go right through us.

What I would like to see is more common sense flexibility. Everton is the perfect example. We had an extra man, but weren’t creating chances. The common sense solution would have been to bring on an extra midfielder to help us play through their low block. Amorim didn’t do this because it would change the system. The result was losing a game we should have won. If your system becomes more important than the result, you’re never going to make it at top level management.

06 Dec 2025 16:57:12
Who are you calling asses?

It's quite clear that we simply do not have the depth in midfield to control the end of a game. Once Casemiro tires there's no one left who can do his job. So when inevitably the other team pick up the pace in order to get back into the game, we're left with Bruno and either Mainoo or Ugarte, neither of whom has shown any ability to step up and stem the flow through midfield. Amorim's playing with a limited deck and until that's fixed I don't see us maintaining any consistency. Unfortunately it's hard to see us forking out £100k in January, even assuming that the team's the desired midfielders are playing for are willing to sell at all. It's incredibly frustrating.

06 Dec 2025 19:44:50
Like, I get that Ratcliffe’s a bit of a Scrooge, but I’d be surprised if he wouldn’t spend £100,000 if the right player was available in January.

06 Dec 2025 08:12:49
I have been mulling this over, so it isn’t knee jerk. To be clear I am not one who wants Amorim sacked.

I watched the Leeds v Chelsea game out of interest. From the first seconds Leeds were at it, energetic, pressing, buzzing around. Do they have quality players, no, but the speed, the energy, the utter desire was there for all to see.

Move forward to our home game against West Ham. Slow, ponderous, the passes not hit crisply, no zip, no press, no passion, just put you to sleep semi football. Leeds went at it from the start, we just don’t look at it at all. It isn’t a one off, we see it a lot.

The time has come, I cannot excuse the lack of energy or urgency in our game any longer. Maybe we don’t have the players, maybe we don’t have a second centre forward, no centre mid, maybe there is the error in playing Bruno where he does, but Leeds showed what can be achieved with a bit of passion.

There are rumours the Glazers are not happy, likely because they see the prospect of another season without Champions League or Europe and the cash cow isn’t luxuriating them with dividends as much, so Amorim needs to look over his shoulder.

Maybe I am old school, followed through worse times, yet now we are a global brand, renowned for football played to win. West Ham and Everton showed we are not playing that football, fans will turn off or not watch, or as someone else said, hate watching us. It’s frankly dull, lacks any vigour and the glamour of United is being dulled. There are no superstars, no greats, no exciting wingers or strikers, MBueno is the only one anywhere near.

So what’s my point. Amorim has to now step this up fast or may not see Christmas. If we step out at Wolves with the same dour pattern and lack of urgency, we could lose, that could be the end of him. He has to see the bigger picture now, and quickly, dour uninspiring dross will not cut it. As Leeds showed it’s a team game and with urgency they beat the world champions as we did, but it sticks in the craw to say Leeds were a far more exciting watch than the Manchester United of Busby, Ferguson.

06 Dec 2025 09:53:46
I couldn't agree more with that post Redman. A fair and balanced assessment of how most of us feel, I think.

06 Dec 2025 12:48:37
But he isn't going to see the bigger picture is he Red Man? He has one way of playing and he has shown he won't entertain any other way. Against Grimbsby, same formation, against 10 man Everton, same formation.

He's perhaps not been helped, I still maintain Watkins would have been a far better buy than Sesko right now, but he doesn't help himself.

Formation awful, tactics, awful, energy awful, in game management awful, team selection questionable, substitutions questionable, his public pronouncements often odd.

This is not Manchester United.

06 Dec 2025 14:13:51
The formation discussion is besides the point. That's his formation and he feels it has the flexibility he needs. In fairness he has shown with the right personnel then it does work. That isn't the problem. What RedMan said is spot on. I don't see why it's useful to mix in talk of formation.

06 Dec 2025 15:38:49
AJH. We have been on the same page for quite some time now and others are slowly starting to see it.

I have been in the camp of, whatever he is selling in the dressing room, the majority of players are not buying. No urgency, want from the team as a whole.

When we look to changes when things aren't going our way, it is un-inspiring to say the least.

He has to change but I don't think he will. His record speaks for itself unfortunately.

05 Dec 2025 19:41:16
Anyone else getting a bit tired of the repetitive excuses, the players don't get it yet, I. e. the System 12 months in We didn't control the game for the full game, no team does.

The simple issue for me is the work rate, tempo and constant passing backwards and sideways. More work rate, quicker tempo, and be more direct passing would great improve things for a start!

06 Dec 2025 08:15:29
Tell me which players we have, particularly in midfield, that are capable of controlling a game. We’ve not had any since Scholes hung up his boots. We don’t have a Modric or Vitinha. It’s certainly not Mainoo. His best position is a 10.

Midfield and wing backs are shockingly bad. Bruno, our best yet predictably most inconsistent player, should also be a 10. Casemiro wouldn’t get in any other top-10 side. The guy runs through treacle and can’t finish 90mins now. Ugarte is younger yet worse.

Up front isn’t great either. Zirkzee is awful. Sesko injured and needs a season to adjust. Cunha has hardly set the world on fire and Mbeumo is regressing amongst it all.

Beggars belief that this site blames this abject group of players for throwing managers under the bus yet still turns on every manager when results turn.

We don’t need to sack a manager (who has the guts to not give in to absurd media pressure to play Mainoo who is not the solution) we need to fix the squad problems. Mainoo isn’t great. He’s simply a tool to bash the manager with. If we’d bought him from another team 5-years ago rather than raise him in the academy there wouldn’t be any of this fuss. It’s all foolish romanticising void of any logic or reason.

Jeez.

06 Dec 2025 11:51:13
mainoo isn't great its just a tool to bash the manager with
Go ask other pages how many clubs would take him he's a young lad being mishandled by the manager.
I mean he's that poor he played in the england team to a final last tournament.


Lets bash a player because the manager doesn't fancy him its that simple
Rewind 18months we would all want him built round now he's a 10 and simply not good enough jesus!

06 Dec 2025 13:39:40
Utter garbage Treble

Mainoo simply isn’t good enough. And that’s opinion not a ‘bash’. He’s slow. Lacks physicality. Yet you want him playing in an area that demands that. He may have 2, 3 maybe even 5 good moments in a game. But that’s not good enough.

It staggers me how clueless some supporters are.

06 Dec 2025 13:46:03
Who decided Mainoo's besy position is as a 10? Amorim, that's who. That's not where he played in his breakout season for Unted or England, yet here you sre buying into a false narrative. His treatment has been shocking.

06 Dec 2025 14:43:12
AJH he's played in all but 4 games. Ok it's limited minutes but he hasn't taken his chances.

06 Dec 2025 15:39:43
BRD - Mainoo isn't that great? Okay mate 😂.

05 Dec 2025 08:39:03
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Sunderland - A Quick Liverpool Perspective