14 Oct 2026 11:12:22
Funny how football is supposedly "all about the fans" whenever a pundit or ex-pro wants to give us a sentimental speech about the match going supporters.
Now Martinez has come out and said what a lot of United fans have been saying for YEARS, and suddenly he's out of order, disrespecting his teammates and should have kept it behind closed doors.
For those who haven't seen the interview, here are a few of his comments after the Atletico Madrid defeat.
"I expect more from our technical director." Calling out Jason Wilcox.
"We expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete."
"You can't keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? "
He also questioned whether the manager had been backed sufficiently and pointed out that the club's problems go beyond the coach and players.
Now, you can debate whether a player should say those things publicly, whether the timing was right, or whether Martinez has performed well enough himself. That's fair enough.
But what makes me laugh is these are EXACTLY the sorts of things a number of people on this page have been saying for months, if not years. We've questioned the hierarchy, recruitment, lack of planning and the constant tendency to make the manager the fall guy while the people above him carry on regardless.
And what happens? Criticism for not calling out managers, accusations of making excuses, and lectures about accountability.
Yet now certain individuals are praising Martinez for essentially saying the same things they've been criticising fans for saying.
Apparently, when a fan says the hierarchy is a problem, they're making excuses for the manager.
When a player says the hierarchy is a problem, he's showing passion, ambition and a desire to see the club succeed.
Same argument. Same problems. Different messenger.
And let's not forget the pundits who spent years telling us that fans should be listened to because football is for the fans. Funny how quickly that principle disappears when someone actually challenges the people running their beloved club.
Wayne Rooney reckons Martinez has gone too far, while Jamie Carragher has called the comments awful. Both are entitled to their opinions, of course. But it's interesting how quickly the focus shifts to how the message was delivered rather than whether there's some truth in what he's saying.
Welcome to the conversation, lads. Some of us have been having it for years while being told we're talking rubbish.
14 Oct 2026 11:39:28
Martinez has been reading my posts over summer.
14 Oct 2026 12:36:22
At least Martinez has shown that he has a pair. I loved his interview. It was a brutally, honest interview.
14 Oct 2026 12:49:12
I thought it was awesome.
14 Oct 2026 13:06:35
Where are the fans who wanted him out of the club after the Falklands banner incident? Where are they all now?
14 Oct 2026 13:33:48
People seem to forget Roy Keane used to do exactly this, calling out teammates and questioning the club's ambition whenever we lost a big game.
Think about it from the players' side. They worked themselves into the ground last season to finish 3rd. They were told to expect backing this summer to actually push for the title. Instead, they're watching mates at other clubs compete for the league and the Champions League year after year while we're stuck treading water.
Players who gave everything for this club last season have every right to be asking serious questions of SJR and the Glazers. Martinez saying it out loud doesn't make him wrong; it just makes him one of the few actually willing to say it how it is.
14 Oct 2026 14:11:40
I thought the criticism was rich coming from Rooney when he did the exact same thing. Calling out the club for not bringing in enough quality.
My take is that Martinez spent the summer playing in a very good Argentina side. He came back to a United side that is obviously not up to this level. This is compounded by the club talking about being on the brink of challenging for titles.
The people running things are piling pressure on the manager and players to deliver. But they're not providing the funds required to do this. I completely understand the frustration. The squad massively over performed last season in finishing third. Instead of rewarding this, the club hierarchy has hung them out to dry. Leaving Carrick with a squad incapable of doing what the club has promised to do.
The club needs to be honest. If the ambition is to win trophies, there needs to be investment to back it up. If the goal is to keep costs low and hope for champions league, say this. Don't send a mid table squad and manager out with the pretence that were a big club.
14 Oct 2026 14:12:54
There is a difference between fans saying it online or down the pub and a player saying it publicly.
What he said is a personal opinion, some people will agree others won't.
The issue is that he has publicly spoken which will cause the club problems. In any walk of life if you make a negative public comment about your employer, especially one that damages the employers reputation, then you'll be reprimanded accordingly.
It's not professional, even if you agree with him, and I certainly agree with aspects of what he is saying, it was not a smart or the right choice to say it.
14 Oct 2026 14:15:20
I wanted to sell Martinez in the summer. He has 1 year left on his contract. He was linked with a £35 million move to other clubs. Given his injury record and consequently, a lack of availability it was a no-brainer for me.
That aside, I do like Martinez, he is a fighter. His interview was fantastic. As a fan I both applaud and thank him. He could have continued to get paid and say nothing.
14 Oct 2026 14:40:56
He also said, we done well last season but have not changed and other teams get to know what your going to do that's calling out Carrick in my book
I think Martinez is useless as CB in EPL and said it for ages plus he been awful this season and I have no problem if that was his last ever game for United, he won't be a miss.
But glad he said it, it needed to come out, I expect he will trot out an apology in couple of days. emotion, lost in translation BS but hopefully made SJR ears person up a little and realise he is grinding this club into the ground with this level of penny pinching, buying inferior players and appointing inferior staff all over the club.
14 Oct 2026 14:48:09
Is it professional for the person running the club to publicly announce that the club aims to win the EPL by 2028, while knowing that the funds required to achieve are not available?
To me, there seems to be a fundamental friction between the expectations the club hierarchy is creating, and the reality the manager and players are faced with. As I've said, the players feel like they've been hung out to dry by a club that promises the moon, but delivers scraps. They've every right to be angry about this, and voicing this publicly is no less professional than the blatant lies trotted out by the higher ups every year.
14 Oct 2026 15:22:18
The biggest concern is a significant amount of posters here could foresee this season would be a disaster, but the "elite, footballing" people at the top could not. And if they were to sack him, would probably look to someone equally as useless as Howe.
Bad times ahead.
14 Oct 2026 16:06:45
If only he did complain about all these things last season when we were winning. When all metrics and running statistics went down. It could make a lot of good to the club to not think we are not on right path because of some wins, even if we played badly, terrible. But in his mind (as he said in the press) we had a fantastic season.
But everyone who follows metrics knew what we all see, was coming if we didn't improve massively. You can't expect every metric and running stat to go down and keep winning. But football fans doesn't care about that.
14 Oct 2026 16:40:16
The club is trash and its the main guys that have ruined the club by takin under the table payments from citys sheikhs and ruined the club and that's why fergie and Gill left they knew something fiajy was happening!
14 Oct 2026 17:07:20
I hope not redman or need be over your house spoiling for a fight after you called for his work visa to be revoked for using his freedom of expression.
14 Oct 2026 22:21:15
Oh so it's ok to deny my freedom of expression
Many rumours say he wanted out in summer so he might have welcomed it and actually may want to thank the millions of England fans who said the same!