24 May 2026 20:40:36
When Carrick took over we were flattering to deceive, threatening the top 4 without ever convincing anyone we could do it.
So here we are, finishing 3rd, well clear of other teams and 7 points behind City in 2nd.
12 wins in 17 games, 39 points, which extrapolates to 87 points over a full season, enough to win the league this year.
Carrick did some simple things. He picked Mainoo, who has got better and better, and he pushed Bruno forward into the 10 role, both those things have had a major impact. He also played Dorgu further forward, and whilst his time has been limited, that also looks like an astute call.
The big thing for me is the spirit the team seems to have, they genuinely seem to like each other and play as a team.
So an awesome second half of the season but work needed for next year. Our issues are depth, our first 11 can compete with the best, but we will have many more games next year.
Dorgu feels like a new player in his new role, and I would promote Lacey who has shown great promise. We also need to keep Mount and Martinez fit, great players when available.
We need a top player to replace Cas, and also more depth in CM, and whilst Sesko has huge potential, that also feels like a gap we need to fill.
I'm excited for next year. I expect Kobe to go to another level, Sesko to find a real groove, and some of our younger players to continue their development.
I don't believe we need 4 first team players, although that would be great, we need depth. In terms of starters, CM and CF are the real opportunities.
A great end to the season, have a great summer gents.
24 May 2026 21:48:29
Ah, come on, man. You complain about my arguments on xG and then you do that extrapolation!!
Carrick didn't turn the season around. We were 5th when Amorim left. Carrick had great results, and his demeanour is great. Good luck to the man. He's got to show a lot of improvements, but hopefully he can do it. But our first XI is certainly not good enough to challenge.
We remain 2 or 3 players short in that regard, and another 2 or 3 squad players. I like the optimism, but I hope the club takes a more realistic evaluation of our squad than this. A summer like last year and we could have a team that can mix it with the best regularly. But I think we're two summers off being definite challengers.
24 May 2026 22:04:02
What is wrong with my extrapolation? XG is theoretical. My extrapolation took actuals for
half a season and looked at a full season. I know you thought RA was a winner, but I'm just quoting actual points.
24 May 2026 22:29:34
Ok, one more time then: xG is a retrospective measure of what happened in a game. It describes how often an average (at that level) footballer would score given the same chance. There are far more involved models of this that involve passing networks and so on. It is based on what happened in the game. Using this sort of model, teams have another way to evaluate their performance, but it also is a really good predictor for future performance (with some adjustments that are pointless talking about here).
Brighton owner Tony Bloom, via his company Star Lizard, and Brentford owner Matthew Benham base a huge amount of what they do on this. So, do keep misrepresenting my points, but you are swimming uptide. Fwiw, United were predicted to finish 3rd or 4th based on those metrics.
Your extrapolation accounts for nothing but vibes. Points per game based on a sample like that is an even worse predictor than goals per game. Your posts just reveal that you pay very little attention to what actually happens in games.
24 May 2026 22:42:11
Don,
Are you expecting us all to say 'oh do you know what, Don is correct, Amorim was world class'? If not, then I have no idea why you're beating the same drum. We all have eyes. Amorim was struggling; his tactics weren't working, and the players couldn't play the system. He was better this year than last year, but that wouldn't have been difficult.
I think most people will have United as a good chance for top 4 next season, depending on signings, even maybe a title challenge. Amorim wasn't getting us there, no matter how many xG stats you throw at it.
By the way, I'm an analytical person, and I liked Amorim, but I don't need stats to see that what he was doing wasn't working. Sometimes, football is just simple.
24 May 2026 23:00:26
Very little of that is true, GDS2. I don't want to keep on about this, but we've been top 5 pretty much all season. This turnaround is just in your heads. The results upturned a bit, but that was predicted as the forwards settled. It's not worth talking about any more. I never said Amorim was world class, and I think his emotional outburst meant he had to go. I just severely dislike this wonton rewriting of history to suit some narrative. This talk of the players struggling in his system is an example. It just wasn't true. Some players do better in different systems. Sesko prefers Carrick's, Mbeumo was better in Amorim's. But every modern system transitions between formations in the phases.
It's a frustration, as I've worked both with sports teams and large corporations, and those who don't see the progress in front of their eyes because of short term results, and then revert to the previous approach - which wasn't working - always end up failing. Luckily I do believe the senior leadership seems to realise this. They let Amorim go because of the outburst, but did want him to stay before that. They explored the market because they also see the issues with the counter attacking style and what the metrics are telling them. They are targeting the players based on a profiling that aligns really well with the types of metrics based models I know are used at the top clubs.
25 May 2026 04:41:20
Dress it up however you like. If RA was good enough, even if Carrick is good enough, one thing that is certain is this team is not good enough, that is 100%. We got one striker who ain't the finished article, we got poor CBs, and no midfield, and most on here moan about our full backs.
So, how on hell can anybody say our starting 11 could challenge for the title is beyond me. Take Bruno out, this team is awful.
25 May 2026 06:40:19
Nice uplifting positive post once again. A proper ray of sunshine.
25 May 2026 08:03:51
Jfc one would think we are no better than relegated West Ham judging by this person.
25 May 2026 11:22:41
Keefy,
I have him blocked so I don't get to see the nonsense anymore, but I assume it's him saying we are useless, none of the players are good enough and that me suggesting we could challenge for a title next season with the right signings is a stupid suggestion.
25 May 2026 14:49:18
Of course you do...
You go on thinking this first 11 gets anywhere near a title if you want, but I live in a real world, not pie in the sky world.
25 May 2026 21:31:25
You live with your head jammed where the sun don't shine pal! Jog on.