Manchester United banter 8

18 Feb 2026 18:14:04
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 26 - Quick Round Up

18 Feb 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, What United Should Look For in the Next Manager

18 Feb 2026 13:36:50
Who on here would have suggested Carrick as our permanent manager when Amorim was being questioned? I'd go as far as to say no one.

We have been short sighted so many times before. In my opinion a few good results (if you call a draw at West Ham and almost collapsing against Fulham good results) shouldn't put Carrick at the front of the list. But this is all about opinions.

I really enjoyed reading your article Shappy. For me I'd be leaning heavily towards Luis Enrique as you suggested. I think he would be unobtainable though and Marco Silva becomes my second option with McKenna third.

18 Feb 2026 15:25:44
I wouldn't have suggested him and I still don't its too early.
I wouldn't suggest mckenna under any circumstance
Nor would I consider Silva.

18 Feb 2026 19:39:36
A lot of people were very happy when we appointed Jose, and ETH, and Amorim. I'm kind of lost what to think now, there are no guarantees whoever we appoint. Enrique is the current flavour of the month but as we have seen on here, we all have different thoughts on who we might want, or more clearly who we don't want.

One thing that is true is that up until last year our recruitment had been bang average, and that's being generous. That hasn't helped any of the Managers we have had, even LVG and OGS were clear they didn't get the players they asked for.

18 Feb 2026 21:41:31
Agree ajh no standout. I wouldn't be too keen on Enrique.
De zerbe intrigues me.
Glad its not tuchel.

19 Feb 2026 07:08:22
Honestly think it’s the worst pool of managers to choose from that I can remember. Not 1 standout. A bit like the standard of players around also just pretty average all around.

19 Feb 2026 08:23:09
JD, it's all about opinions. No manager in the EPL has more points than Carrick since he took the job. He is currently the best manager in the league based on form.

Obviously the old saying is form is temporary, class is permanent, and we still have a lot to see from Carrick before we can safely give him the job.

But right now I see him as being in the driving seat. Managers are similar to players in that they need to find the right club to show the best of themselves. Great players have moved to the wrong club and looked awful, average players have found themselves at the right club and look top class.

Just because a manager has a good CV and has been great at another club that is no guarantee that they would be great at United. We've seen plenty of evidence of that over the past decade.

I've currently got Carrick as first choice because he is actually showing success in the role. If the performances and results drop off then that opens the door to other candidates. But if Carrick goes unbeaten for the rest of the season and finishes 4th or even 3rd then I think that makes it very difficult for the club to pick someone else who is not guaranteed to do better than him, especially as there is little to no evidence to prove they would do better.

There are a lack of standout candidates right now. Probably only Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann neither of which are guaranteed to be available or have even expressed an interest in our club of they were.

Everyone else is probably on a similar level to Carrick, shown promise but ultimately unproven. It wouldn't make sense to replace Carrick with someone at a similar level but would actually be less proven than him in the role.

For me it's Carrick's to lose.

19 Feb 2026 09:50:56
Blackpool, I think it's the result of a shift in how clubs are run.

The all powerful manager who runs the club is a thing of the past, we are seeing more of a shift to a "head coach" model, where the responsibilities of the head coach are far less impactful than that of a manager.

The money involved now means clubs simply cannot afford to give so much power and control to one person, especially a person who is unlikely to stay more than 3-5 years at most even if they are successful, often less than 3 years.

With this new model we are seeing younger managers/head coaches than ever before. Guys in their 30's and in some cases in their 20's in roles that 20 years ago wouldn't have been given to anyone before their were 40 at least. Possibly because innovation is valued higher in a manager now than experience.

Just look around at who is managing some of the top clubs in world football right now.

Alvaro Arbeloa is manager or Real Madrid having never managed at senior level. He took over from Xabi Alonso who was only a senior manager for 3 seasons at one club before taking over at Real Madrid.

Vincent Kompany managing Bayern Munich, not even 40 yet. He had two years at Anderlecht and two years at Burnley which culminated in relegation to the Championship before he got the Bayern job.

Mikel Arteta hadn't managed at senior level when he was given the Arsenal job.

Liam Rosenior had 2 years at Hull and 18 months at Strasbourg before taking over at Chelsea.

Fabian Hurtzler was 31 years old when he was given the Brighton job.

Cesc Fabregas at Como, Inigo Perez at Rayon Vallecano,

19 Feb 2026 10:46:15
Hit send by accident ?‍♂️

Managers like Julian Nagelsmann and Will Still managing top level clubs at the ages of 28 and 30 respectively. Along with many other managers who got top level jobs in their 30's such as Dominic Tedesco, Andoni Iraola, Thiago Motta, Edin Terzic, Sebastian Hoeness, Ruben Amorim, and Carlos Cuesta to add to all the others I've mentioned.

When managers are given reduced control, and they are being sacked sooner and sooner it makes it harder for any of them to cement themselves with the kind of reputation that some of the older managers who were given more freedom to forge.

They had more coaching and life experience by the time they typically started managing at the top level, they were given more time and freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. All of which enabled them to build a stronger reputation.

Younger managers are given less, thrown in younger, and judged more harshly. Which makes it much harder for them to build a strong reputation. Look at Nagelsmann for example, he was one of the best young managers, doing bits at 28 in the Bundesliga. Yet his time at Bayern is considered a relative failure, despite him having one of the highest ever win percentages of all Bayern managers. Despite him being younger than some of the Balon d'Or winners when he took over the biggest club in Germany.

We've got highly talented young managers who are being thrown on the scrap heap as "past it" or "not good enough" who are still younger than Cristiano Ronaldo. Guys who have achieved more in their short managerial careers than people like David Moyes.

Marco Silva is a perfect example, many fans are turning their nose up at him probably on the back of a short unsuccessful spell at Everton (who were in a total mess top to bottom at the time) . Yet he's gone to Fulham and has managed to get them playing some great football, and last season managed to get them to finish with their highest ever points tally.
How many managers can we say in the league are definitely better than him? Pep sure, Glasner and Emery probably (as they have achieved more with not to dissimilar resources), Slot and Howe possibly but hard to tell as both have had clubs with far more resources to achieve more. Think of it this way if Silva and Slot swapped places last season would Liverpool still have won the league? Probably, but would Fulham have managed their highest ever points total with Slot? That I'm less sure about. The rest he's better than, or at least has shown himself to have achieved better than given his resources.

So only the managers of City and Liverpool, along with Howe, Glasner and Emery (who all play far too defensive/pragmatic to be considered for the United job) have shown themselves to be better or possibly better than Silva. The rest potentially could be better, but haven't yet shown it. The one I feel I might be being a little harsh on here is Andoni Iraola who has managed a club on a similar scale to Fulham (and done better than Silva), yet I don't think I say say he's definitely proven himself a better manager yet as he has been fortunate to have some fantastic players at Bournemouth due to their excellent recruitment.

Last season they had Kepa on loan from Chelsea in goal, Huijsen who moved to Real Madrid, Zabarnyi who moved to PSG, and Kerkez who moved to Liverpool, they also have lost Ouattara to Brentford and Semenyo to City (in January) losing 6 of their starting 11 from last season, mostly to top UCL sides. Highlighting the quality of players Iraola has had to work with.

That also ignores that he still has the likes of Petrovic, Sensei, Truffert, Korupi, Evanilson, Scott, Kluivert and the new lad Rayan (who alongside Korupi looks like a future top class player, while Scott is someone I'd strongly consider as a third option in midfield if we can/need to sign a third midfielder this summer) . Can we just have some appreciation for Bournemouth's recruitment. Rayan signed from Brazil in January, 19 years old, and he has 2 goals and an assist in under 200 minutes of EPL football.

As Iraola has had far better players to work with it's tough to say yet whether he's a better manager than Silva (although I suspect he will prove to be in time) .

19 Feb 2026 10:59:03
I have to say, I cannot put my finger on a preference. Given that we have tried many different 'types' of managers, some of whom have been serial winners elsewhere, none have been a success at United.

I can, however, say that I'm very pleased it won't be Tuchel and hope beyond all hope that it won't be Southgate.
Too early (if at all) for McKenna. Stumped really.

19 Feb 2026 22:16:44
I'm not saying Carrick won't be the right choice - he definitely could be, and you make a valid point about current form and finding the right club. I think I'm actually just a bit disillusioned after Amorim was sacked. It wasn't because I thought we were playing great football or that the results were close to good enough, but I did think we seemed to have broken the continuous cycle of changing managers after they lose the dressing room. I sense that wasn't quite the case with Amorim, but either way we are back to searching for a manager when this time there are no exciting options in the market.

Surely the fact there doesn't seem to be a standout must be a worry for us. I do sense the club thought Tuchel was there for the taking and that didn't materialise. It might end up being Carrick, rightly or wrongly, based on a law of attrition. The main worry is that it shows how far we have fallen and the poisoned chalice we seem to have become for managers. They would have been clambering over each other to become our manager 10 years ago.

19 Feb 2026 22:25:53
I don't think Poch can be discounted yet from the conversation.

19 Feb 2026 23:04:57
It's the late arrival that concerns me with all the wc managers. Such little time to prep, Eric. Mind you, Poch will probably be available at training before a lot of our players.

19 Feb 2026 23:08:13
Opinions are fine, Shappy, but to say Silva would probably have won the league with Liverpool last season is an opinion formed on what rationale? That can be nothing more than a gut feeling.

20 Feb 2026 11:08:14
Ken, It's based on the fact that Liverpool won the league last season with Klopp's team playing in a way very similar to how Klopp would play.

Liverpool have dropped off this year due to big changes in the squad and the manager trying to get the players to play in a different style of play to what they are used to.

Marco Silva has a preference for attacking front foot football, he likes to play with quick transitions from defense to attack, and has used both a high press and a mid-block.

Given his preferred style of play, and the squad he would have had at Liverpool last season (that really suited his preferred style) then I think there is no reason to believe he wouldn't have got the same kind of performance out of that squad.

I think Liverpool even with the big changes in their squad this season would also be doing better right now with Silva as their manager looking to play in a way that they all know, enjoy playing and that suits that majority of squad.

Slot seems to be a little too pragmatic for them, he tends to make the "safe" decision, the cautious one. I think that to the players it probably comes across like a lack of faith in them. Especially given how much faith Klopp used to give his players. If the players don't feel like the manager has faith in them then that tends to knock their confidence which lowers their level of performance.

We are seeing that right now at United under Carrick. I was a big supporter of Amorim, but he was too pragmatic, bringing on CB's to see out games, or adding Ugarte to midfield later on in games. That always seems to lead to a drop in performance and often us conceding goals later in games.

Yet Carrick does the opposite, he brings on more attacking players, he doesn't coach cautious play, but how United can hurt the opposition.

The players are the same, we haven't changed the squad. Yet they all seem happier, more confident and are all playing better football. In fact football that we didn't think they were capable of. Things like the quick, and slick one touch rondos we played against the likes of City and Arsenal, leaving their players chasing shadows.

That kind of football is only possible when the players are confident, and to feel confident they need to believe the manager has faith in them.

Which is why I firmly believe pragmatic managers just won't work at United, and probably at Liverpool also.

17 Feb 2026 17:18:37
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, What United Should Look For in the Next Manager

17 Feb 2026 08:09:16
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Sunderland v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

17 Feb 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Loveawaydays2 has posted a new article entitled, Leeds and the Run-In: Can We Reach 40 Points?

16 Feb 2026 23:35:49
I saw an interesting question earlier today.
There are only 10 seats.
Who do you ask to leave the table to give bruno a seat at the united legends table.
Best law Charlton Ronaldo scholes giggs Beckham Cantona Rooney or Keane?
There are others of course but these were the ones that I was presented with.

17 Feb 2026 04:19:36
Legends are additive, no need to take one out. Pull up another chair.

Can't believe Robson doesn't make this list myself, so grab two! Many others who deserve a seat, as you say.

17 Feb 2026 06:14:49
Of those listed, Ronaldo, his best years were post united.

17 Feb 2026 06:58:57
None, Bruno can stand. Those are great players, Bruno is not their level.

17 Feb 2026 08:13:33
If there is no option to pull up another chair, I'm with Red Man.

17 Feb 2026 08:18:05
He can sit on Erics knee or nothing!

17 Feb 2026 12:41:22
Beckham.

17 Feb 2026 14:05:17
Becksss.

17 Feb 2026 14:05:44
Bruno done more then Becks.

17 Feb 2026 15:08:13
Singh he did in his hole????.

17 Feb 2026 15:10:38
I agree no room at the inn. Maybe he could be the waiter
Robson is my fav player if all time so yeah sorry not to see him in there.
I suppose its hard when they have all won multiple titles.
Maybe next year bruno will get his title but it could be a German saudi or spanish one.

17 Feb 2026 15:14:43
Individually Bruno has done more than several of those players mentioned, yet football is a team sport and the others deserve their seats due to what they contributed to us winning while they were here at the club.

If you had to choose it's be either Ronaldo or Becks as both left as they were hitting their prime, while Bruno could have left to join a club that was better placed to win things, but dedicated the peak years of his career to us rather than choosing to take the easier and more trophy-laden route.

In reality though you don't kick legends out, you pull up and extra chair for them.

17 Feb 2026 15:19:27
You are joking Singh? Maybe check becks trophy cabinet and if you think he wasn't integral to utd winning then you can't have been paying attention.

17 Feb 2026 15:50:35
Who tried to buy him shappy? no offers from any top European team in his prime years.

17 Feb 2026 16:57:15
These questions/posts have started to irk me whereas DodgyB's reply is a breath of fresh air!

17 Feb 2026 18:22:57
I watched Beckham and Ronaldo win Champions League titles, Ronaldo was the best player I have seen and I go back to Charlton and Best. The 2008 team was the best I have seen. Bruno has been a good player but is not in any of those players league. Yes Becks and Ron left but I would not swap Bruno for any of them, I wouldn’t have missed 1999 Beckham or 2008 Ronaldo for anything.

Bruno is recent but stats do not mean everything.
In honesty it prompts a conversation but elevating Bruno to the status of those other players is pure folly.

17 Feb 2026 19:39:39
I think the question is that someone has to leave.
At least that's how I took it. It didn't say, pick one to leave unless you think none should leave and then add in loads of nonsense.
As is often the way with this type of question, it goes off on a tangent.
I stand by my Ronaldo comment.


Singh wash your mouth out saying Becks goes before him.
I assume that the question is also on their UTD time only, again that is how I took it.
I also assumed it did not factor in their out of school activity.
If so you could scratch a few from that list.

17 Feb 2026 20:22:02
That is not the question jimbob as it was put to me. If you don't pick someone to get up you don't feel bruno deserves a seat. There is only 10 chairs. No sitting on knees or on the table? whoever made this list obviously they are that person's favourite legends.
Some want a bigger table to be all inclusive.

17 Feb 2026 21:01:51
I think some people forget how good Beckham was. He produced moments of brilliance at this club. Go back and watch his performance in the Nou Camp. He was excellent.

Bruno can make the teas for the rest of them.

18 Feb 2026 12:59:43
None Ken, I think multiple titles amongst for the others all puts them ahead.

Robson is another I'm sad to not see there but also, trophies too few for Robson.

Quite similar the two of them, both in poorer sides despite how great each of them are/were in their own right.

18 Feb 2026 15:21:43
Not similar at all in anyway at all imo.
Robson here longer won more including 2 league titles. Won our 1st European trophy for nearly 40 years.
Bruno will go down as one of our best not to win a title assuming he doesn't.
Just like Norman Whiteside or Ray wilkins.


Grat personal stats but its a team game . Team results will always trump any individual accolades.
As good as he has been for us he will never be named in United best starting 11 and wouldn't make my best 22 man squad.
I wonder will he move in the summer.

18 Feb 2026 16:15:05
That's your opinion ken, I think they are similar in the fact they are both standouts in poor United teams. I think Robson obviously had the benefit of being in those last 2 seasons of SAF's reign when an incredible team was built, he was mainly a squad player used in those last 2 seasons, he was something like 35/36? Most came on a sub if I recall.

Not sure if Bruno will be kept until the age of 36, who knows what we might be able to win in the next few years?

Shame really, would've been brilliant to have won more trophies with him in the side, but it's a different era and this period for United has been very poor. You're right, it is a team game and I don't think that right team has ever been there for him.

His personal stats are out of this world in comparison to some of the 10.

18 Feb 2026 18:02:13
Agree angel his personal stats are fantastic his most impressive one is minutes played and availability imo.
Unfortunately they count for little in a team environment as its the collective that counts.
Robson for is my fav ever player but was not on the list funnily enough of my 5 favourite united players of all time only 2 are on that list.


Stam Robson and Hughes are not in it and scholes and Beckham complete my top 5.

18 Feb 2026 20:11:00
Yeah those are possibly his most impressive.

I just looking at the ever changing managers, formation, tactics etc. Robson didn't have stability till Fergie came and won most of his trophies. On his pomp the team rarely did anything. I wouldn't put that down to Robbo being a poor team player, I put that down to the environment and things not aligning much like Bruno.

Only when Fergie came and offered that stability did he really win anything. And when he won those things he was used very sparingly.

18 Feb 2026 20:55:07
Were you alive? I doubt it.
He won 2 fa cups before fergie which was a big thing back then a LG cup and another fa cup and European cup winners cup in 1st year back in Europe for years under fergie as a mainstay and regular and captain.

then won another fa cup and 2 titles as a more bit part player in his last couple of seasons.

18 Feb 2026 21:10:51
I nearly wrote Sparky as another one missed, but thought he might be a bit niche for the young guns on here. Loved how he played, proper striker. Kanchelski was another. We've been blessed with some cracking players over the years. Rio was a total game changer for is, hardly ever hear anyone mention him in these lists.

18 Feb 2026 21:54:25
That Cup Winners Cup team was all British, plus Denis Irwin, and included 7 English players, its a lifetime ago but still seem recent to me.

16 Feb 2026 12:59:48
The signing of McTominay would in no way improve the team. He was sold at the right time. He has done well in Italy and seems to suit playing for Napoli in Italian football.

16 Feb 2026 15:11:41
Player of the year in Italy, but he wouldn't improve our team? Only because he is excelling as an attacking midfielder and we are well stocked there.

We should never have sold him.

16 Feb 2026 15:52:44
We don't play in Italy.
We should have sold him for good money.
Where would he play now?
I don't think anybody here would have thought he would do that well in italy.
Brilliant for him i would not be buying him back not do i think they will consider it.

16 Feb 2026 15:53:50
Many players play well in Italy and struggle in epl. Let the boy be, he was a good player for us who suffered no end of abuse from some sections of the fan base. He was better further forward, but like many, we thought better and tried to turn him into a six. The Alan Smith of this generation. Or fellani even.

Why we can't just buy a world class 6 is beyond me. Carrick transformed our team when he came in. That foundation and structure allows the CBs to be left as a 2 and the two fullback to be attacking and push on. It is the utd way for me that can work in the modern era.

16 Feb 2026 16:09:23
How is this even a discussion? Has the topic been published elsewhere? I've seen no mention of it.

16 Feb 2026 16:30:29
Unless he is playing the 10 role, let him play his best football at a club that understands his best position. We don't.

16 Feb 2026 17:18:49
He was played out of position for us. The McFred partnership simply wasn't good enough. In his final season he played attacking midfield more where he did well and scored important goals with some consistency. At the time he was sold it didn't seem it was that bad an idea, and we needed the dosh. If we'd kept him we could probably have avoided buying Zikzee.

{Ed025's Note - and what a bonus that would of been mate..

17 Feb 2026 00:53:20
I don't think he is good enough for us, I think people have short memorie. He did play for us and he was average or below average, didn't ask for the ball because he knew he was limited, didn't drive with the ball either and his passing was inconsistent. He was only good going forward and he had very good timing with his runs in the box.


I understand he is a better player now and I can see he is even stronger and bullies opponents, that's an advantage he won't have in Premier League. He is not good for us. No team can afford a "midfield" who is so limited only because he scores 15 goals, he must do anything else and scores on top of that.

17 Feb 2026 13:45:25
He'd 100% improve us, if you don't think he's a better option in the double pivot than Ugarte or in the No.10 position than Zirkzee then I'd seriously question your football knowledge.

McTominay was a good solid player when he was here, and he's gone to Italy and done very well for himself. He is also a model professional and a leader on and off the pitch, something that we lack enough of in our current squad.

Would he come back and be first choice? Arguably depending on who else we signed this summer. With Casemiro leaving, if you're choices for the midfield pivot was two of Mainoo, Ugarte and McTominay then yeah, 100% he's first choice.

Should we resign him? Probably not, I think there are better options out there for us who suit what we want/need better.

17 Feb 2026 15:52:19
Onana was player of the year in Milan ?.

17 Feb 2026 16:11:11
But the question isn't if he would improve us Shappy. He is a very good option especially from the bench if you want a goal. Would you pay 80 millions for such option? Would he want to be a super sub?
The only question is if he is good enough for us to throw 70-80 millions for him, definetely not.

18 Feb 2026 13:10:20
He is definitely good enough for us and was good enough for us when he was here. Like a poster said above, keep him, you don't sign zirkzee, and he is most definitely a better option that Ugarte. I reckon I'd be a better option that Ugarte ??

We didn't get enough money for him but at the time that's the call that they made, money was required to buy Ugarte ?.

18 Feb 2026 17:38:11
Rooney. Because he's a Scouser ?.

15 Feb 2026 11:37:29
The managers job will continue to draw media attention until we appoint a new manager. Every time a manager is sacked or signs a new deal they will report it as a potential candidate or scratching another name off the list.

I actually think that under this new regime the managers position is less important than it has been. That doesn't mean it's unimportant, just that it's less vital to our progress than over the past decade.

The problem we have had since SAF is that we have constantly been looking for the next SAF. A manager to fix everything and get us moving in the right direction. This sort of manager is even rarer in the current football landscape than it has ever been before. In fact they probably don't exist at all.

We looked to hire the biggest name manager we could, regardless of their fit to the club and the squad. Every time we did so we forced the rebuild of the team in a totally new direction, effectively restarting it from the ground up.

If we do this properly then the recruitment and the overall style of play shouldn't change with each new manager. The game to game tactics will alter with a new manager, but the way the team intends to play shouldn't.

As such who that manager is becomes less important, we aren't looking for a big name, or even a great CV. We are looking for someone who shares the same core values as the club (youth development, risk-taking front foot football) and whose tactical preferences best suit the current squad and more importantly the squad we are aiming to build.

15 Feb 2026 12:08:37
Probably why they changed the title to head coach.

15 Feb 2026 12:24:49
This ?

I think fit is essential, I know some don't agree but for me is it very important. That's why some of the names being suggested worry me, and why someone like Mourinho, amd dare I say Amorim were never right for us. And as we have seen so often, being successful with one club doesn't guarantee success with another.

I'm not wedded to some romantic idea, but we play on the front foot, we promote youth where we can, these things are part of our identity.

Some will say they'd don' care how we pmay as long as we win, bit if winning means defensive turgid football, endless 1-0 wins, then you can keep it.

Simeone doesn't look a good fir for me but would likely be hugely entertaining.

Glasner and Iraola also worry me, the United job is huge and a massive step up in terms of what is expected.

I like Tuchel, albeit he didn't tick all the boxes, I like the way he talks but that ship has sailed.

Ancelotti was not for me, a great Manager clearly but I worry he peaked a while ago.

Enrique would be awesome, but reports suggest he is staying at PSG

Nagelsmann is another interesting one but he was sacked by Bayern, who fails at Bayen?

Carrick gets the club and would not be phased, but he's a novice and has no track record of success.

I also like Poch but he hasn't set the world on fire lately either.

Its a doozy.

15 Feb 2026 13:11:38
Let's see where we are at the end of the season, I'm not pro or anti Carrick, at the moment he has done well, actually very well but will he improve on his in-game management, such as against West Ham, will he come up with a way to play against teams who are going to pack the defence and look for breaks when we make mistakes? I suppose we will see, he will certainly get plenty of chances to do so.

One thing I am against is not waiting until the end of the season, it would be crazy not to, as we all know what happened when we gave the gig to Ole.

There are quite a few managers I would not like to see, obvs Southgate is one, I'd love to see him at Liverpool, although I'd probably die laughing. Others include Poch, I feel that ship has sailed and Simeone.

15 Feb 2026 13:30:55
I think we need to show the ambition that city have showed the last 10 years and buy quality no manger will succeed without it city bought guehi and semenyo in January but it's been going longer than that.
Stones walker nunes ait nouri just some of the other names.


We done it under sir Alex with Ferdinand Keane berbatov Carrick we are slowly getting back there with cunha and mbeumo no manger will succeed if we don't back them.

15 Feb 2026 14:28:14
Key, to be honest that is what it should be in the modern game. Managers have an average shelf life of 22 months in the EPL. Very few last longer, only the successful ones.

If a manager is highly likely to be gone in less than two years then you can't be building around that manager, you need to build your club around an identity then hire a manager who fits that.

AJH, I can go through the list of potential managers with my preferences but it's probably not worth a lot. I'm basing it off of personal opinions of what limited information I know about them, often with a dollop of bias thrown in. I can't honestly say whether they did a good or bad job at previous clubs as I don't know the context of that job. Also we tend to make these judgements in a vacuum, forgetting that failure is the best way to learn. Only an idiot fails the same way twice, I'd like to think that most managers have a level of intelligence that allows them to learn from their mistakes.

For me I have a few basic criteria that I'd like to see from our manager:

1. Playing aggressive, front foot football that will play with a level of risk, rather than pragmatic percentage football. Team shape, or the exact tactics we deploy to do so I'm less concerned about. But what I want to see is us trying to win every game, and being willing to risk losing the game to try and win it rather than settle for a draw.

2. Give youth a chance, and this sort of ties in with the first one. If you aren't willing to take risks then you will be more reluctant to give young players a chance as they are more likely to make a mistake.

3. Be media savvy, this one is necessary due to the media attention that our club garners. We need someone whose good at saying the right things, in the right way, at the right time. They should be calming things down when we are struggling and taking the heat off of us. While ideally they will know what to say and when to put our opponents under pressure.

That's it, a good CV or a proven track record elsewhere are nice bonuses, but are not essential for me.

Jrred, I agree to an extent, there is no need to make snap decisions right now. Ideally we will wait until the end of the season. But you never know, what will happen down the road. What if Alonso turns out the be the right guy and he wants to start before the end of the season to start to get to grips with the squad? Or if it becomes obvious that Carrick is the right guy?

Getting it sorted sooner can have huge benefits for the summer planning and next season.

John, we need to improve the squad with quality over quantity, but we still need 10-12 new players to have a quality squad that is deep enough to challenge on all fronts, but I'd rather wait an extra year to get there with quality players, than to gamble of riskier options sooner to try and speed up the process.

15 Feb 2026 19:01:52
McKenna.?

15 Feb 2026 19:58:36
He's done wonders with Ipswich Jimbob. Two promotions and whilst they got relegated, he has them right up there again despite selling their best players. However, its a massive step up.

15 Feb 2026 22:48:58
100% Shappy, I was agreeing. Need to build a squad around a long term plan and not jump at signings for each manager/system. Which is why the Amorim appointment was odd, and telling they they didn't roll his system down through the youth teams.
Question is, would any external potential head coach want that rather than bringing their own way/methods.

16 Feb 2026 08:21:52
Jimbob, I certainly wouldn't rule out McKenna.

16 Feb 2026 08:28:40
AJH absolutely agree with your assessment of the likely candidates, for every positive there is a negative so it will likely come down to a case of pick the poison that you feel is less of a problem.

Following Shappy's logic, and I agree with this. I think we can build as a club whilst having multiple managers so long as the philosophy of recruitment and managers they choose is similar. For this to be true going forward we likely have to see the Amorim period as a trial as I don't see them looking at another predominantly 3 at the back manager.

For me if you can get Enrique then you do it, after that I think you take a punt and for me currently I would be happy if that is Carrick and give him next year. Assuming we see further progress this year.

18 Feb 2026 17:43:18
If Enrique's not available, then why take a punt on a risk we don't need to take, assuming Carrick carries on this good form until the end of the season.

I do like Iraola, for the same reason I like Howe. Notwithstanding the job they've done in keeping a seaside town of 200,000 in the EPL.

Both of them seem to be quiet, calm, reflective coaches, that drain every ounce of ability out of their teams.

Other than that, I haven't a clue.

14 Feb 2026 15:24:41
As we hear more and more of our options being ruled out of the running for the job I'm finding it really hard to see anyone bit Carrick being appointed in the summer.
My question to everyone is would you rather Carrick than
De zebri a fiery character and poor tactically
Glasner same as de zebri
Iraola plays good football.


Southgate less said the better
Marco Silva plays good football but was found out at Everton.

14 Feb 2026 16:14:49
Dont need to have an opinion right now. Carrick, Steve et al are stabilizing the club. Just wait a little longer and see how it goes.

14 Feb 2026 19:40:34
Panic panic must appoint Carrick. Have we learnt nothing?
What I saw from West Ham game was no real innovation to change the game.
Without harking back too much, what does the club want? They appointed a change manager in RA, so what is the overall strategy going forward on the next manager? We don’t know but Carrick isn’t that change guy, doesn’t seem dynamic like say Pep was or Conte. We can’t just go with the comfy slippers of Carrick because it is easy.

I don’t trust either lot in power that Carrick would be the easy option, wouldn’t scream about a lack of signings and the gravy train would carry on.

Said a number of years ago Diego Simeone and he would shake things up. I see his boring team stuffed Barcelona the other day. We have to see what they want to do but please let's not sit and say the only option is Carrick.

14 Feb 2026 21:30:08
I couldn't agree more.
13 games left that's the only thing I'm interested in at the moment.

13 Feb 2026 19:21:48
Looks like Ancelotti will be unavailable too.

14 Feb 2026 08:48:49
I genuinely thought it would be Tuchel. So I’m stumped now about who they’re thinking of beyond Carrick if he continues this strong start.

14 Feb 2026 11:43:04
I read somewhere that Diego Simeone representatives would be considering options in summer. I mentioned him years ago on here but was told he was too defensive minded. I am not sure on his English.

14 Feb 2026 12:05:15
Glad its not Tuchel, his football is horrific. Would hope we go all out for Enrique but can't see him wanting to come here. Maybe Iraola seems the best, realistic option?

14 Feb 2026 12:39:25
Don't think simeone speaks English red man as far as I'm aware.

14 Feb 2026 17:51:16
Don't think Jim will go for someone who can't even speak the language.

14 Feb 2026 19:42:17
You can learn a language and we don’t know if he has started. If his representatives are saying there could be movement in summer then we shall see. Who knows but would t dismiss anything right now.

14 Feb 2026 21:41:05
He was the best paid manager in the world and had been for some time i believe. Maybe stadium changed that.
Always the underdog in spain and has been top dog. Beating the other 2 to a title is very rare.
Id love to see some of the madness the likes of him or de zerbi can bring and passion they show and generate.


Simione can be accused of being very pragmatic but I think he is very tactically astute .
Of all the club managers in Europe he would be my 1st choice.
I don't think he will leave Madrid but stranger thinks have happened.

15 Feb 2026 07:31:18
Same Eric. Not sure who gets the gig now.

15 Feb 2026 12:47:39
Even if carrick gets it I’m not against it. Best football we have played in seasons and scoring goals. I’m just enjoying it.