Manchester United banter 2

14 May 2024 09:25:51
36 games into the season and Ten Hag finally changed the tactics to be more compact and solid at the back. It nearly got us a point on Sunday, but I'd imagine arsenal had another couple of gears.

My major issues with ten hag has been his persistence with the rubbish we had seen in every other game this season. Basketball matches, no control and just allowing teams to walk through midfield and have shots on our goal. A high press with a deep defence. If he had changed up in say November/ December, I reckon we could easily have another 10-15 points on the board.

I don't know if it was arrogance or naivety that the previous system would work. Constantly talking about injuries being the reason we are having such poor results, yet with a fully fit team we saw the same issues. Against arsenal, I think if we had Martinez, shaw, rashford and Bruno in that system we would've had a better chance.

Sorry if this is a ramble, but I'm just baffled at why he's finally made a change in the bloody 36th game of the season.

14 May 2024 10:10:35
Hard to know the why.
Perhaps it's under instruction from wilcox who knows.
But the mistake from casimero aside we were competitive to a large degree.
As you say they probably had more gears to go through.

14 May 2024 10:54:46
Caolon,

We are so depressing i just stopped watching us play. I will watch us next year when eth is out.

14 May 2024 11:20:55
I read a really interesting article the other day suggesting that EtH believes this is a personnel problem rather than a system or tactical issue.

If you remember in the summer EtH stated he wanted us to be the best transitional team in the world.

His system is designed to maximise transitional opportunities, encouraging the opposition to commit players forward, thus leaving space for counter opportunities if/ when the move breaks down. This is why many games this season have been more akin to basketball than football.

The article suggested it was the Utd defenders inability to cope and win important defensive duals and bad decisions and wasted opportunities by the attackers rather than the system?

Obviously the ever changing back 4 has placed great pressure on the defence and the loss of form to key players such as Rashford and Bruno has severely impacted the team’s ability to create chances and score goals.

I’m not saying I necessarily agree with this position but it certainly made me think.

14 May 2024 11:54:22
DLIB- that’s all well and good. But football and all elite level sport is problem solving. Like I said above, when he’s had a full team available the same issues have persisted.

Last season I’d praised ten hag for his flexibility and how we adapted in game to opponents. This season he’s cut his nose off.

From what I can see to my untrained eye, we go man to man in midfield, and it kills us every game. This is why I’m so fed up of what I’ve seen this season. If I can spot these issues, I know for a fact he can. Adaptability is key. Every great manager adapts. We’ve flogged a dead horse tactically.

14 May 2024 12:39:15
That's a bit extreme backpass.
No appointment or individual being kept or sold would ever stop me supporting the team or club.
It's of course entirely your own perogative but supporting the team and club imo should not come down to one or 2 transient employees.
So your support and others like you is dependent on you getting what you want or the club sacking who you don't want.
If sjr and team decide eth is the man then I'm good with that I may not be happy but it won't stop me watching or wanting them to win and watching and supporting them in every single game.

14 May 2024 14:28:48
I challenge any manager to cope with the amount of injuries we’ve had to contend with this season.

If Arsenal turned up to Old Trafford on Sunday without Saliba, Gabriel, White, Odegard and Saka they’d struggle. For context we were without Martinez, Varane, Shaw, Bruno and Rashford!

EtH has used over 14 different combinations at CB and been without a recognised LB for most of the season. In addition he’s had only fit 1 recognised CF in the entire squad and that’s an inexperienced 20 year old with only 1 previous season of top flight football under his belt!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and for everyone insisting that he should have been more pragmatic forgets the lessons of the past!

Most supporters hated the football under LvG and it quickly unravelled for Jose once results suffered. Many posters at the time boldly proclaimed they’d rather see the team lose, trying to attack than playing negative, defensive football. The evidence is still there in the chat if you can want to look for it.

I don’t think we can argue the football this season has not been exciting. It’s been end to end, we’ve enjoyed thrilling comebacks, we’ve given up some commanding positions, we’ve scored and conceded late goals, we’ve had some great wins and took some heavy defeats.

What we’re now saying is we don’t like transitional football as well. It’s only exciting if we winning or there’s a structure that makes sense and we can understand. We now want a return to more pragmatic football. My advice, be careful what you wish for.

Liverpool suffered last season with injuries as Newcastle have done this season.

If people want EtH out, I respect their opinion but let’s not yearn for a return to pragmatic football we didn’t like that either!

14 May 2024 16:22:10
My advice would be don't expect a new management team and dof to make the same mistakes as non football people like Woodward when it comes to making crucial decisions and appointments.

14 May 2024 16:50:59
DLIB.

The football has been crap. What’s exciting about watching your team concede 20+ shots a game, vacate midfield and fall apart like a wet cake late in games after being exhausted playing basketball.

To me that’s not entertaining football at all. I’m not asking for full Jose football at all, but ten hag should’ve gone much more pragmatic with the personnel available to him. We could end up with 16 defeats. Yet if we were more solid in I’d say at last 5/ 6 of them we would have 15 more points.

Too much excuse making for poor decisions.

15 May 2024 05:24:56
Yup. I’d prefer entertaining football that gets results, but would settle for crap football that gets results or entertaining football that doesn’t; at least for a while, if needed, while a manager attempts to imprint their style on the team. Sadly, we’ve been treated to garbage football that’s yielded garbage results for quite a while now, and I think most of us have had just about enough of it.

14 May 2024 07:39:09
{Ed's Note - gdog55 has posted a new article entitled, Current State of Glasgow Rangers

13 May 2024 21:48:13
Oh dear, Donny Van de Beek has finished his loan spell early and returned to the Netherlands following an Achilles injury.
That guy can not get a break, not sure we will be able to effect any sale this summer.
Think it may be best to grant a free transfer, no doubt some form of severance payment will be required.
This guy has had more luck than anybody I know, trouble is every bit has been bad.

13 May 2024 22:27:45
Why would he want a free transfer and give up his salary when injured?

13 May 2024 23:47:04
Danny, as I said a severance payment would be needed, it would then give him an opportunity to attempt making some sort of deal with another club.

14 May 2024 11:51:38
He won’t be let go whilst injured. He gets medical care from the club, why would he give that up and start finding his own from his own pocket?

14 May 2024 12:32:22
He was not getting game time at franfurt and they were not keeping him.
Is it a serious injury?

14 May 2024 16:11:43
Ken, don't know how serious injury is, all that was said was it is heel/ Achilles tendon, he has returned to Netherlands for treatment. Really hope for his sake it is not bad, he deserves some luck.

GNev, who is talking about him paying his own medical costs? for the third time, a financial settlement would need to be agreed, clearly that aspect would form part of the consideration.

13 May 2024 17:28:49
Well, the stadium is collapsing, the teams collapsed, the manager is floundering, might as well just get rid of everything and everyone.
And start over in the northern league. Use the youth players and get a bit of pride back!
Can't really see a major change over the summer, seems everything about the club is rotten, except the supporters, still turning up in their thousands and basically being mugged off!

Obviously this is a bit of an overreaction but we are genuinely falling unchecked into oblivion, and it's truly a sad sight.

I like many others will always support the badge .


But it seems the apathy and complacency is way and beyond a few players but endemic on every level of our once great institution.


Sad times, hopefully it will be rectified no matter how slowly, even a slight glimmer will help.

Let's see if we can end with a trophy, only City to beat lol.

Some of this is a bit tongue in cheek, some borne of frustration, but mostly out of anger that it's been allowed to happen.

13 May 2024 18:32:26
Without our Glazer owners, our club would really stink
We wouldn't have a Martial
Or an official Chinese drink

We wouldn't have our Ten Hag
Or an enormous debt trap

It's not the Glazer’s fault that the stadium collapsed!

13 May 2024 19:47:06
Bit of guttering will sort that out no problem 😉.

13 May 2024 20:47:14
If only Woodward were still here. He would be charging fans £30 to have their photo taken in front of the 'World famous waterfall'

13 May 2024 20:29:37
It needs renaming to the theatre of streams.

13 May 2024 21:38:33
Its not too late to support FC United of Manchester.

13 May 2024 22:56:48
I think anyone who left the stadium after the game yesterday will understood why the stadium was as wet as it was!

13 May 2024 14:41:27
Just my tuppenceworth and maybe a bit outside the box but Mark Robins has done so very well with Coventry that I think he cannot be ignored of EtH gets the chop. He took a team which was facing relegation and has had promotions without going berserk in the transfer market - His team nearly put Man U to the sword in the FA Cup. Teuchal seems to ruffle feathers where ever he goes - Potter would need at least two seasons to build a squad - Southgate has a style of play so non-Man U that I fall asleep just thinking about it. There are no really top name managers available at the moment and how many would want to come to Old Trafford just now?

13 May 2024 14:51:58
He did a good job In previous posts too scotmoose.
The suspense is killing me on who they give the job to.

13 May 2024 16:46:53
Giving it to Erik ten hag is what I'm hearing.

14 May 2024 09:45:20
Credit to younger upcoming Championship managers like Robins / Carrick etc. They would definitely be a breath of fresh air and will come good, but I feel tactically there would be a massive gulf when coming up against the best sides and that needs to be learnt with experience rather than be thrown in at a much higher level.

13 May 2024 13:57:01
If ever an image epitomised our football club then it was that of water teeming through the leaking roof yesterday. years of neglect both on and off the pitch coming to a head. Workers were sent up today to patch the roof and I'd say it will be an easier fix than the team.

13 May 2024 16:31:07
It really summed up the Glazer ownership.

13 May 2024 10:52:12
Said on here a couple of weeks ago that I notice Hojlund slips a lot when he's about to strike the ball. Right in front of goal on Sunday on his left foot and I thought just hit the target and once again, slipped. Someone needs to sort his boots out or technique!

13 May 2024 11:23:15
We need an experienced striker or 3! No point in wasting money on CB's if we can't score goals, most important players in a team and generally the most skillful.

Hojlund is a prospect and after recent displays, he should be benched but we can't, as one of the biggest clubs in world football, we do not have a viable alternative to shake things up.

13 May 2024 12:36:48
Yep, he seems to slip at the vital time too often.

There was also a time where he had his centre back pinned, but rather than turn to and get his shot away, he moved away from goal and lost the ball.

I’m reluctant to criticise him as he’s a kid working u set very difficult circumstances. But I do think he lacks that mean streak the likes of Ruud had. He was the master of pinning defenders and scoring with a hard and low shot into the corner. This is where Hojlund needs to improve quickly.

13 May 2024 12:49:45
Don’t disagree but until we give him plenty of chances per game he will struggle to improve. He is feeding off very meagre scraps so it’s hard to refine those skills.

Hopefully we improve that as we provide very little with a full squad and is an area to be addressed, amongst others!

13 May 2024 13:16:47
Wazza

I think he lacks that bit of spite and edge that the very best strikers have.

I remember during the Palace game, Mateta was marking him at corners and was full on bullying him - shoving his elbows into him and just swatting him away, but Hojlund was giving next to nothing back.

He needs to get in the grills of his opponents more, hopefully that will come.

13 May 2024 13:49:05
Ork, I noticed that against Palace too. I still think there's still room for a bit of personary such as the likes of Costa had, and I think that's a god trait of elite level strikers.

13 May 2024 18:34:06
He is a young kid being asked to play like an experienced pro and without decent support and service. Honestly Kane would struggle in this side. Give Hoijlund a break.

He needs an experienced older front player alongside him and wingers prepared to cross with accuracy.

If and when we fix the defence and midfield will be the time byto judge him.

13 May 2024 19:52:22
He is a bit clumsy and his first touch is not great. Makes runs into areas that there is no passing lane and better coming short in the box. Work in progress and first season in the pl for a new young striker always difficult.

Can't be looking to bang in it from 3 or 4 yards in and that where he usually runs to. Too many defenders and goalie for a pass to finds its way.

14 May 2024 09:27:29
I personally think that Hojlund has done well when you consider what he has been surrounded with, his age and inexperience and probably was not ready to be the number 1 striker.

He has a lot to work on and I think we will see a far improved player next year, especially if the team around him is buit better and provide him with supply.

If you look back at most strikers at his age, they all had flaws and developmental bits to work on. He is one of the brighter bits this year, let's not be too hard on him just yet.

13 May 2024 09:37:28
Well another day, lots of huff and puff yesterday, because the crowd demanded it, but we never really created anything. Arsenal scored and were happy to sit in and defend, if he had scored thry would have upped their tempo again l fear. Lots of issues with few positives, only hope our new part owner can see it too. While l agree with the injuries having a big impact we are Manchester United one of the biggest clubs in the world this shouldn't happen. Only positive from yesterday our ladies team winning the FA cup, their drive and work rate is something our mens team need to look at. Congratulations ladies.

13 May 2024 12:39:25
That’s a bit pessimistic.

What I saw was a marked improvement from the game against Palace.

Baring in mind we our side is like a patchwork quilt, compared to Arsenal who were full strength. We didn’t create much but didn’t deserve to lose either.

What I saw was a mish mash of players who tried, but are not good enough.

13 May 2024 18:36:11
Agree wazza that there was a marked improvement from the Palace shambles but that's a very very low bar to start from. I do think a lot of the players have the capability to play a lot better than they are currently doing and with good coaching mistakes can and will be erased.

13 May 2024 20:33:17
Salford. These are fully grown men. Adults who have, in Evans and Casemiro’s case, almost two decades playing top level football.

I can’t get on board with all these coaching arguments.

Fullbacks are taught not to let wingers run across them from a very early age. Defenders are taught to get back into position and hold their line, from an early age.

These are adults, professionals, earning six figures per week, hiding behind fans who let them get away with diabolical performances “due to poor coaching”.

13 May 2024 07:39:07
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Hidden Gem Players Manchester United Could Sign

13 May 2024 05:24:59
Remember when breaking records that had stood for 50 years was a good thing?

13 May 2024 06:40:42
14 Premier League defeats this season and 19 overall, eighth in the table, with a -4 goal difference, worst defensive record since 1978-79. The midweek fixtures could confirm the lowest finish since 1990.

Still some want to keep ETH, make excuses, try to make out there are no other suitable managers, whilst watching turgid, sideways passing rubbish.

13 May 2024 07:54:22
I suspect a record FA Cup final defeat could be added to the list too sadly.

13 May 2024 09:05:13
On that topic red man. I see Neville wants the club to keep eth to show some stability. Granted that’s a lovely idea and constantly sacking managers isn't a great idea, but neither is keeping the wrong guy in there for another 12 months. If there was evidence to suggest we are on an upturn then fine but it’s more heading the other direction. If we have another season anywhere near as bad as this one then we are in big trouble, with the majority of those players probably still here, then keeping the coaching staff is a recipe for further disaster.

13 May 2024 09:32:41
Hang in there BRD, most here predicted a record defeat yesterday and in all honesty if you'd have told me afterwards that Arsenal could lift the title in a week's time I'd have spat my drink out after watching them.

13 May 2024 10:02:53
RedMan I think you're mischaracterising the position of most of those here suggesting ETH not be sacked. I think I'm in the majority that believe that doing so is a distraction from the main issue that we have an awfully constructed squad, with a bunch of mid- to lower- table players, and a scattering of genuine quality players. With only really the former category available this year, we are going to end up in mid-table. The play has been awful but it was really good last year when he had a consistent and fit squad. So I do not know how to judge him. The players, on the other hand, it is abundantly clear. ETH has brought through Garnacho and Mainoo, has won the Carabao Cup and brought us to the FA Cup final.

13 May 2024 09:36:48
Who are the other suitable managers Red Man? That are realistically available? Don't make the point that Pro EtH fans say there are no suitable managers, and then not name any yourself.

Its the same old boring anti-ETH propaganda and choosing not to point out any of the other variables affecting the club.

13 May 2024 12:48:02
Good post DonRed. The world is not as black and white as people would like it to be.

Make that two FA Cup finals and a European semi final, as well as CL qualification after being exactly where we are now two years ago.

Someone posted last week that it would be 4 years until we got into the top 4 again. Well ETH took us from the exact position we are in now, to top 4, in his first season.

Right now we are exactly where I’d expect us to be in the league given that our back 4 currently consists of a past-it DM, a 36 year old CB, and a left back who can’t even play his preferred position of right back effectively.

I’m not saying ETH has been perfect. But it doesn’t require more than half a brain to see that the circumstances he’s worked under have been extremely difficult.

13 May 2024 13:02:35
Agreed wazza. Quite a few brains missing on here though 😄.

13 May 2024 18:52:12
Ah the brain is missing because you don’t agree on ETH.

Tim99 Gary Neville saying don’t sack managers whilst having a conveyer belt out of Salford is rather funny.

13 May 2024 20:35:05
No Red Man that’s not the case at all.

Failure to see the circumstances the manager works under, saying that 90% of the squad needs selling, and then blaming it on the manager. That’s where the brain is missing.

Nobody cares if you have a different opinion 👍.

13 May 2024 21:16:37
Wazza
Said many times that I understand the circumstances, I have been saying since before SAF retired that changes were needed, so don’t need telling that. However, the manager should not be doing as anywhere near as badly as this, there should be far more signs of a structure, pattern.

13 May 2024 22:13:57
I agree Red Man there has been no style of play but I blame that on a considerable number of injuries including to players who are key to how ETH wants to play, countless off field issues, and a toxic football club. The feeling right now is the same as it was two years ago. This manager wasn’t at the club the.