12 May 2019 23:38:21
It's hard not to be despondent whilst watching Utd over the past few months. It's hard to look for positives when not many exist.
When you are reliant upon a 17 year old debutant (no matter how talented) to provide the spark and attacking intent for one of the Worlds most successful football Clubs it's hard not to despair. Poor Mason Greenwood carried the hopes and expectations of 75 000 excited Utd fans this afternoon, to his credit he nearly delivered but the level of hope and anticipation for his eagerly awaited debut was an unfair burden to heap upon his young shoulders. He was well supported by the crowd eager to see him succeed but I couldn't help thinking how long this would last if he was afforded regular game time next season if things hadn't improved.
I've read the rumours linking us with Daniel James and the same applies to him. This team is completely devoid of direction and leadership. What it needs is at least 4 players that can come into the first 11, hit the ground running and improve it not raw youngsters expected to carry the expectations of millions of fans around the world.
I hear the argument about recruiting talented youngsters, nurturing and developing them, turning them into stars but this takes time and patience and we still need to win football matches whilst these young players learn the game. This policy is fine when the team is littered with an array of world class talent and experienced internationals but we'll need these young lads to make an immediate impact.
The Club must dig deep this summer, now is not the time to seek the new Ronaldo. We must recruit at least four players (CB, RB, CM, RW) capable of improving the starting 11 because if we don't we'll be looking for our 4th manager in 7 seasons. Mediocrity presides for how long nobody knows but if the evidence of the last few weeks is any kind of barometer things could get a lot worse before they get better. Having said that things can change quickly in football and if the right players come in anything can happen.
Have a great summer guys and don't read the papers it will only drive you mad!
Thanks to the Ed's as always for their dedication and hard work and for providing us with a platform to vent our frustrations and discuss all things Utd. We'll never die!
13 May 2019 08:31:23
DLIB, Great post, but I am going to have to disagree with you.
We screwed up when we appointed Moyes, that was when our squad was littered with old heads and proven winners, leaders. Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, RvP, Rooney and Fletcher.
That was when we should have been signing the best young talent in the world, and even in the couple of seasons prior to that.
Then they could have had 2-4 seasons with the old guard, to learn from, and to be moulded by. Two seasons later and they are all bar one or two gone and the chance had been missed.
We have seen over our history and not just recently but over the last 30 years that parachuting experienced players in just doesn't work, or at least more often than not.
Buying players with experience of other clubs often in other countries isn't directly relevant to us and our situation.
How many world class, experienced players have experience of moving to a club that needs rebuilding from the ground up? With no one for guidance, no reference point. Few if any, how many of that few have experience of doing in the high pressured, high expectancy of a club such as ours?
We bring that type of player in and we peg the burden of expectation clearly on their shoulders. You don't have to just live up to your fee, or your reputation. You have to carry the entire future of the club on your shoulders, and do so while you adapt to a new team, a new league and a new culture, possibly with limited understanding of the language.
It won't work. We have tried time and again since Sir Alex retired to bring this sort of player in, and they have all folded under the pressure. Flourished elsewhere, but not in the powder keg that is the post Sir Alex Old Trafford.
What we need is a clearing of the deck, rip out the weeds and start again. We need to lower the expectations for any players to be able to succeed. Removing the rot, bringing in young hungry players who can grow together, make mistakes, learn from them and improve.
We are now a 2-5 year project, depending how quickly we clear out those that need to go and how quickly we can bring in the right players and coaching staff. McKenna and Carrick could well be two of the most important people at the club. One has experience and knowledge of our young lads coming through, while the other knows what it takes to be a United player, and to over come adversity.
We need to tear in down and start again, although to be fair there isn't much left of the crumbling empire to tear down. The longer we try and hold on to the idea that we have a divine right to challenge for the league, the idea that with one or two player this squad will "click" the sooner we can actually start to rebuild.
Foundations first: Homegrown players with a connection to the club and the right attitude.
Then the walls, a set playing style, an identity.
Then the roof, the key world class players to elevate the team.
But none of this can be done until we clear the ground to start the rebuild.
{Ed025's Note - a good read that shappy..
13 May 2019 08:49:16
Good post DLIB. I like it if we are targeting young, hungry, fit players who will give their all but also we need quality which if recruitment is correct they should have to play for United however we will also need some experience around them, Rashford, Greenwood leading our line looks great but they need help. In midfield with Herrera and possibly Pogba leaving we may have the likes of Periera and McTominay but we will need Matic to step up and probably sign an experienced midfield player. In defence Lindelof I like but he needs an experienced, commander next to him especially if AWB rumours are true. It’s a delicate mix of the right personality, right age, right quality, right experience and also we have to offload a number, a real big summer ahead, a project which could take 2/ 3 years. A DoF I feel is a must to oversee this project and us as fans need to get behind Ole wether we think he’s the thing man for the job or not and behind our squad which will be getting revamped. I know it’s frustrating, it feels like constant transition but one we must see through.
13 May 2019 08:53:37
And Shappy, a new manager who can command respect from the players and the fans alike. Not a "cheerleader" as the knowledgable Eds put it.
13 May 2019 09:01:33
Shappy, really interesting post. I don’t disagree. I guess the only thing to think about is how do you balance this approach with shareholders and sponsors who expect Manchester United to deliver now and not in 5 years time.
13 May 2019 10:18:53
United Addict, I have said Ole might not be the right man long term. However, you can't accurately judge anyone until you give them a chance. If a manager with Mourinho's experience couldn't win with these players then no one will.
Also What the club needs to do and what it can do under current circumstances are very different things. Until the right people are in place higher up, until we have someone who has the vision and the ability to create a plan for the footballing side, we are very much scrambling in the dark.
So what do we do in the mean time? We muddle on as best we can. Hopefully Ole can prove everyone wrong. If not then hopefully he can help the club maintain something of its old self until the right man can be found.
Personally I think the club needs a new structure, with more of a head coach than a manager. Have a Technical director who works creates the vision of the club, how the club should operate in a footballing sense. Then the club should be looking to the best young managers who have a style that suits that vision. Then work together to build a competitive team. However, the role of the technical director is to make sure the club stays true to that vision, making sure there is a continuity over the youth set up and the transfer policy. Avoiding the current situation where we have a squad made up of 3 different managers signings making it almost impossible to create any sort of cohesive team.
SD1, Well to start with we don't have to balance an approach with the shareholders, the vast majority of the club is owned by the Glazers, the rest isn't relevant to the conversation. Sponsors also won't be an issue. They will have deals that are tied until a certain date. Deals that expire while the club is under a restructure will either be renegotiated or other deals will be sought with other sponsors. I would imagine if potential sponsors did ask about the footballing side having a clear plan and seeing obvious progress would put their minds at ease. Although the only thing potential sponsors will worry about is the clubs potential reach, how many people watch and support the club. As long as droves of fans don't move away from the club and start supporting another side we will be fine on the sponsorship front.
13 May 2019 11:30:41
Hi Shappy, Yes, you are right. Good point. Do you feel Solskjaer has what it takes to oversee the summer surgery?
13 May 2019 12:13:20
SD1, I genuinely have no idea. I would like to think so, but then the Ed's suggest Ole will only have a limited impact on transfers. But then if that is the case, and Mourinho certainly wasn't happy with the clubs signings last summer, then it makes no difference who is the manager.
Personally, I feel this summer will be defined by who leaves the much more than who joins. If the club insist on keeping Pogba and don't clear the decks of the problem players then we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes and have another poor season next year. That will be more important than who we bring in.
13 May 2019 14:54:14
Shappy - spot on there. I took some comfort in the public use of the word rebuild by Solskjaer (who must be realising just what a big job he took on) . His comments also suggest those above him realise this too. Let’s hope that is the case and the garden gets weeded fast. It may be difficult to shift a few but they need to take a loss on some rather than slow down the rebuild.