Devil-Dick Willie Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 10 minutes ago, Machado said: Strange man Paul Scholes. Strange breed those Mancs. And east Englanders. And Londoners. TBH its a bit of a genetic toxic waste pool old ingerland. Quote
Rick Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 4 hours ago, Devil-Dick Willie said: Strange breed those Mancs. And east Englanders. And Londoners. TBH its a bit of a genetic toxic waste pool old ingerland. Says the dingo who ingested human remains. 1 Quote
Devil-Dick Willie Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 51 minutes ago, Rick said: Says the dingo who ingested human remains. My mother was born in Sheffield. She has full responsibly for how fucked up I am. And if you had one chance to eat someone would you not do it? You'd be a shit nat geo presenter. 1 Quote
Honey Honey Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 That whole generation of Man Utd players are wrong'uns Quote
MUFC Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 United board to decide Ole's fate in the next couple of hours. Quote
The Liquidator Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 @Redcanuck They used to say when the Bomb explodes you need to be standing next to Tony Book (I'm sure you remember him) to ensure survival. If Ole survives the week, he will become the new Tony Book of Manchester. ------- Was sent a funny link of Souness & Carragher giving United Neville advice on what to do with the bigger club. Take advice from a mob that took 30 years to become more than a make the numbers up club? Haha, they cant help themselves. Quote
Tar-Mairon Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 Neville's lost his mind. He's attacking United fans for wanting OGS out because of the 1999 CL Final and is hysterically accusing players of undermining him to get him sacked because his tactical ineptitude and knowledge of it has come out, finally. When he's actually sacked, will we find him running around naked outside Old Trafford screaming "the game's gone"?! Quote
Honey Honey Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 6 hours ago, MUFC said: United board to decide Ole's fate in the next couple of hours. Guessing they got distracted by some bar charts of shirt sales 1 Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 1 hour ago, Tar-Mairon said: Neville's lost his mind. He's attacking United fans for wanting OGS out because of the 1999 CL Final and is hysterically accusing players of undermining him to get him sacked because his tactical ineptitude and knowledge of it has come out, finally. When he's actually sacked, will we find him running around naked outside Old Trafford screaming "the game's gone"?! Tbf, I can get where Neville is coming from because some of the abuse Solksjaer is getting on the internet is absolutely appalling because he's a literal United legend. There's some seriously bad shit said about him... and as a Liverpool fan, I've got no love for the man... but I think treating a club legend like that is pretty poor. I don't remember much about when Souness was our manager and ripped apart Kenny Dalglish's side because I was very fucking young but... I hope he didn't face similar kinds of abuse as he did his terrible job. Although credit to Souness, he eventually walked once he realised he was taking Liverpool backwards. And don't get me wrong, I think Solksjaer is the wrong man for the job & I think coming second last season papered over a lot of the cracks that have existed the entire time he's been manager at United. But I also think sacking him and bringing in someone like Conte won't just magically fix thing imo. I'm confident Conte could come in and have them competing for a title in 2 seasons or so - but I also don't think it's a long term fix for them, he can win them a title and then fuck off immediately afterwards. Granted, I'm sure a lot of United fans would take that because they were spoiled under Ferguson and now they're getting starved for some glory. But I think a lot of what's happened to United since Ferguson left is down to only having long term plans in terms of corporate dealings - and not really having a concrete plan with what is going on on the pitch. And honestly, I think some people at United really underrated how much of a genius their legendary former manager was - they took him for granted tbh. Because most managers in football would not have be winning a league title with Ferguson's last ever squad. And if we go through the timeline, we can see where United have been caught in two states of mind with how to go about life without their legendary manager: David Moyes, handpicked by Ferguson to be a long-term successor. Obviously, nowhere near as good as Ferguson... but tbf they should have expected that. He did a bad job with a squad that won the title the season before, but... realistically he was never going to be as good as Ferguson right from the off. I think they sacked him too early tbh and it sort of fucked over his career for a bit until he went to West Ham When he was sacked, I think this is when United's board thought "alright fuck long term planning, we don't have the patience for that we need to win now" 52.94% win rate at United Louis Van Gaal, experienced & managed at the top level with Netherlands, Barca, Bayern Munich - someone brought in to "steady the ship" Boring football & ultimately he lost the dressing room - tbh, I don't think you can keep a manager when they've pissed off too much of a dressing room (even if the manager is in the right tbh - it's too difficult to replace half a team compared to replacing a manager) He won an FA Cup though 52.43% win rate at United Mourinho, who is probably the exact wrong sort of manager to build a team with a long term project - I think he's like Conte, you bring him in once you've built something up and he takes you round the final corner towards winning a title/CL (which is also why he was a horrible fit at Spurs tbh) It's Mourinho we know how this goes: boring football, after 2-3 years he falls out with players, public relations nightmare because he goes in front of the media and says stupid things for like no reason whatsoever when he's pissed off... 58.33% win rate at United though Best manager United have had from a Liverpool fan's perspective because he went out in front of the media and said that United's football heritage is one of being mostly shit in Europe. Solskjaer - back to a "long term" approach, I think... probably because dealing with the fallout of a Mourinho meltdown is likely very very unpleasant. No tactics, just vibes - a Southgate style manager imo - this was probably helpful when trying to restore some positivity back to the club in the wake of the Mourinho shitshow The downside is... no tactics can make a side shit and easy to beat. Team of individual talents rather than a real team 54.88% win rate At the end of the day, if they want to take a long term approach with Ole and have him learn on the job... then I think I agree with Carragher, they've got to hire an experienced coach to help him out because his tactical ideas need evolution. But they've spent big money backing him (and they spent big money backing Mourinho too) and the football is just... poor. And I think, regardless, United need a director of football who'll come up with a long term plan on what direction United want to take as a football club over the next 5-10 years and how to get to that plan. Because the scattergun approach to figuring out what United want is a big failure. I dunno why I'm giving them ideas though because yesterday was absolutely brilliant & if they get Conte they might have to rebuild in 3-4 years... but they'll probably have won the title in 2-3 years and the last thing I want is them winning another league title before the 2042-2043 season (but preferably never again in my lifetime...) 1 Quote
TimoEast3 Posted October 25, 2021 Posted October 25, 2021 (edited) true it is defo vibes fc at man utd. Pogba and De Gea have to go. odds are really slipping on sportsbetting3.com and Solkjaer even said some dumb stuff about stats. he is not even bothered. Edited October 26, 2021 by TimoEast3 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted October 25, 2021 Subscriber Posted October 25, 2021 Quote Manchester United considering sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might have managed Man United for the last time as the club's hierarchy considers his position. Manchester United are considering sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager. The Manchester Evening News understands the club hierarchy is giving serious consideration to dismissing Solskjaer before United's next game at Tottenham on Saturday. United have failed to respond for comment on the manager's position. United players are understood to have been kept inside Old Trafford for two hours after the final whistle of the 5-0 humiliation by Liverpool on Sunday. United have suffered five defeats in their last nine games and are without a win in their last four Premier League matches. Sunday's 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool was United's worst ever home defeat to their biggest rivals. FULL REPORT Next Manchester United Manager odds with Grosvenor Sport Zinedine Zidane 3/1 Brendan Rodgers 7/2 Antonio Conte 5/1 Mauricio Pochettino 12/1 Erik Ten Hag 12/1 Laurent Blanc 20/1 Massimiliano Allegri 25/1 Rafael Benitez 25/1 Gareth Southgate 25/1 Julian Nagelsmann 25/1 33/1 bar Quote
Inverted Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 It really baffles me that Gary Neville is (and was) also absolutely insistent that Mourinho was one of the top few managers in the world when he was at United. Which is just nonsense. Even if some people genuinely thought he was at a time, because you could maybe turn a blind eye to his Chelsea implosion, then at the very least you can say in hindsight that Mourinho was distinctly not world class anymore. I mean, for a lot of people it isn't hindsight - because they could see that Mourinho's way of playing was already becoming outdated even when he was still getting away with it at Chelsea. Neville looks back at that, and how United played in those seasons after he was signed, and still somehow thinks Mourinho was world class in 2016. He has completely bought-into the hype of that era. The real lesson should be "We thought we got a world class manager, but he actually wasn't anymore. Ergo, we should go look harder for a world class manager, or a potentially world class manager on the way up". Neville ends up with "He really was a world class manager, and he didn't work for some mystical reason. Ergo, we should purposefully stick with bad managers, because Manchester United is cursed for good managers, or something". Quote
Cicero Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 The greater good! Hopefully Spurs take one for the team and allow United to beat them. Quote
Waylander Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 17 hours ago, CaaC (John) said: Next Manchester United Manager odds with Grosvenor Sport Zinedine Zidane 3/1 Brendan Rodgers 7/2 Antonio Conte 5/1 Mauricio Pochettino 12/1 Erik Ten Hag 12/1 Laurent Blanc 20/1 Massimiliano Allegri 25/1 Rafael Benitez 25/1 Gareth Southgate 25/1 Julian Nagelsmann 25/1 33/1 bar You have to laugh at some of those names............ I have wondered a couple of times whether someone at Utd close to the team are leaking to the press when they get a manager that does not fit with their expectations. I recall Mourinho finding his plans for the City match on-line and the poor treatment of Van Gaal after winning the FA Cup. I think a lot of those names would not touch Utd, though Zidane might he needs another crack at the top. Whether he can bring back the glory days is another question. Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 22 hours ago, CaaC (John) said: Next Manchester United Manager odds with Grosvenor Sport Zinedine Zidane 3/1 Brendan Rodgers 7/2 Antonio Conte 5/1 Mauricio Pochettino 12/1 Erik Ten Hag 12/1 Laurent Blanc 20/1 Massimiliano Allegri 25/1 Rafael Benitez 25/1 Gareth Southgate 25/1 Julian Nagelsmann 25/1 33/1 bar Some of these are silly names tbh. But some I could see coming. Zidane - maybe he wants to give a crack at making United good again a go, but I've heard he's waiting for the PSG job or the France job and tbh I could see both of those being more appealing to him. Getting to work with that insane PSG squad or with France, because he's a France legend... it seems more in line with what I'd expect him to do in his managerial career. Rodgers - I think he's learned a lot since he left Liverpool, both at Celtic and at Leicester. I think he's a better fit for getting United to be more competitive and playing better football. I don't know if he's the man to get a club to turn a corner and go from being "very good" to a genuine title winner & he doesn't really take European football all that seriously imo. But I think he's one of the better fits. Conte - this seems like the man to go for if you just want to throw money at the problem. Get him in, back him in who he wants to sell and buy - even if it means there will be a problem with squad balance for the next manager - and I think in 2-3 years he can win you a title. I don't think he'll stay much longer than those 2-3 years it takes him to win and it does mean there will be the issue of needing to "rebuild" again once he's left. It's basically going back to the Mourinho strategy of big name manager given big bucks to change things - if it works, it works and you've won a big title. If it doesn't work out though it's an expensive mistake. Mauricio Pochettino - I could actually see this happening. I don't think PSG and Poch are a good fit and I think he's not really enjoying the pressure he's finding himself under with them & trying to get Messi to fit in at PSG even though it unbalances the side. Having said that, I think most managers dream of getting to work with Messi so I'm not sure he'd willingly step down. I think he's one of the better fits too tbh, sort of like a "rich man's" Brendan Rodgers Erik Ten Hag - I can't see this happening mid-season while Ajax are still in the CL, but I could see him coming in the summer if United stick with Solksjaer for the rest of the season with an eye to a new manager at the end of the season. And honestly, I think this would be the ideal man for United to bring in - so I hope they don't. He plays good football, he understands what fans of a big club want and all the pressure that comes with a big club, he's got a good track record of promoting youth and a good track record of getting players that once weren't performing and getting them to perform at very high standards. This is who I would want if I were you - this is who I would want if Klopp were to leave tomorrow (which I hope the man never does leave us, tbh - but sadly I think he'll leave when his contract is up) Laurent Blanc - this one's interesting, I really don't know how good of a manager he is but his track record is already much better than Ole's. As manager of France, I think he had to deal with some weird political stuff that sort of impeded him from doing as well as he maybe should have. His time at PSG was quite successful though. He's now collecting a shitload of money managing in Qatar and that's not the best place to be getting a top level manager in though. I know absolutely nothing about the Qatar club he's at... so if I'm United I'd probably consider him but he wouldn't be my top choice. Massimliano Allegri - yeah, I'd consider him and probably take him if he were interested. I think he's someone you could count on doing pretty well as a manager and staying for a few seasons working towards a long term goal. Rafael Benitez - United could do a lot worse than appoint Rafa, but I doubt this ever happens and I really hope it doesn't. It's weird enough he's at Everton. Also I don't think United fans could ever take to him. And it's been a while since he's been at a big club that still has big expectations (I think he's at a big club in Everton tbh, but Everton don't have the same expectation/ambition because their history in the past few decades) - so who knows how he'd do nowadays? He's a better fit at Everton too and I think he knows it. Gareth Southgate - I absolutely hope he's the next United manager. Don't get me wrong, I think he's been a good England manager. He might even be an improvement on Ole. But I think managing at the top level of club football requires so much more from a manager. Southgate's tactics, imo, are pretty simplistic and work better at the international level - I think he's got a lot in common with Solksjaer in terms of "no tactics, just vibes" with how he sets England up to play. Julian Nagelsmann - no way he leaves Bayern so soon after joining them. So let's hope for Southgate Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted October 26, 2021 Subscriber Posted October 26, 2021 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: So let's hope for Southgate No thanks Allegri or Blanc would do me but see how we go. Edited October 26, 2021 by CaaC (John) Spelling Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 7 hours ago, Inverted said: It really baffles me that Gary Neville is (and was) also absolutely insistent that Mourinho was one of the top few managers in the world when he was at United. Which is just nonsense. Even if some people genuinely thought he was at a time, because you could maybe turn a blind eye to his Chelsea implosion, then at the very least you can say in hindsight that Mourinho was distinctly not world class anymore. I mean, for a lot of people it isn't hindsight - because they could see that Mourinho's way of playing was already becoming outdated even when he was still getting away with it at Chelsea. Neville looks back at that, and how United played in those seasons after he was signed, and still somehow thinks Mourinho was world class in 2016. He has completely bought-into the hype of that era. The real lesson should be "We thought we got a world class manager, but he actually wasn't anymore. Ergo, we should go look harder for a world class manager, or a potentially world class manager on the way up". Neville ends up with "He really was a world class manager, and he didn't work for some mystical reason. Ergo, we should purposefully stick with bad managers, because Manchester United is cursed for good managers, or something". Tbf though, Mourinho's Chelsea implosion was not the first implosion of his career. And in terms of getting results, which at the end of the day that's what you judge a manager on, Mourinho is pretty comfortably their best manager in a post-Ferguson era. To get the most out of Mourinho, you have to back him over the players - and for board rooms, I think that's uncomfortable because it's cheaper to replace one manager than it is to replace 5 or more players. And it can lead to letting good players go and shine elsewhere - like United would have binned off Shaw and while he was absolutely dogshit against us over the weekend, I think he's actually quite a good player. I'm not surprised at how Mourinho's term at Spurs went - he's managed just one club in his career where I think he wasn't at a place where he was expected to do well & it's the job he had before Porto picked him up. He's never had to take a pretty well off premier league side and build them into a contender before and I don't think his history as a manager in the last 20 years. I don't think Mourinho is suddenly a bad manager - I think football's changed a bit and he's probably not going to get top jobs unless he evolves, so he's got to learn how to do it at clubs like Spurs and Roma and build them into a top club so he can show he's still got it. But if United get in someone like Conte, who I think can turn them into contenders pretty quickly... they've also got to trust him and back him in the short term. Because managers like that, I don't think you keep around for years and years and years like they did with Ferguson - I think they're short term appointees because they have a history of fractious relations with boards (and sometimes players), you just bring them in so they can bring you success in that short time they're with you. So I think Neville's point re: Conte and Mourinho is - United tried the short term solution with Mourinho but weren't willing to back him in the way he wanted & as a result it ended with the Mourinho meltdown but without a league title or CL to show for. If they're not willing to invest in these short term managers, he doesn't think Conte will end up a success at United either. And I think it's part of the problem at United. The people making the decisions at United are caught in two mindsets: they want success now, but they also want the United manager to be the next Ferguson. It's not realistic, tbh - Ferguson is a legend for a reason and there aren't too many managers out there that have the history of longevity and success he had. And I think having lots of money but not having a concrete goal they're working towards other than "we want to be good again" just leads them to think they can throw money at a situation and see their goals achieved. I also think it's incredibly early in the season and being 8 points off first place is maybe a bit too early to start fucking panicking. It's not like Pep and Klopp haven't suffered embarrassing losses before... I don't think Solksjaer is the long term future for United, but if they went into the season expecting him to be that... then they should judge him once they can prove he's failed at his job. It's not an insurmountable lead they have to overcome to look like contenders again & historically his Man Utd sides have done better in the second half of a season. I agree with Carragher and Souness, where if United feels they should give him the full season, then nobody needs to be sacked at United - but the coaching staff needs some more experienced help because it's mostly novices and Phelan, who has a good reputation, but doesn't seem to be offering Ole any kind of advice on how to adapt when things are going poorly. Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 18 minutes ago, CaaC (John) said: No thanks Allegti or Blanc would do me but see how we go. For me, if you want someone long term who'll stay for a while I think Erik Ten Hag ticks all the right boxes. Yes, it's a step up from Ajax to United and there may be a bit of a learning curve (I think every manager should be given at least a season unless they look furiously out of their depth) - but with him you know you'll play attractive football, he understands what it's like managing a club with lots of pressure and expectation, he's not afraid to promote youth, and he might get some of the expensive misfiring talent at United to remember that they're pretty good at football. And honestly, I think it's time for United to cut their losses on Pogba. He's obviously got a lot of talent, but his attitude is all wrong for United in their current state and while I think a lot of United players have the wrong attitude a lot of the time (I think there's a strong case to be made that Pogba's red was the 4th instance where a red card should have been shown on Sunday & United players were undisciplined because their pride was hurt and it was unprofessional and hurt United's football performance when you've got players more interested in lashing out than trying to do better on the pitch). A player sent on to change things that comes on and does fuck all other than get sent off, smiling as he walks off the pitch, while your team is in shambles losing 5-0 is an appalling attitude for a player at a club like United imo. The manager may be one of the problems at United, but I think there's problems above the manager at United (I don't think United have concrete goals for the long & short term at the club, signing Ronaldo even though he doesn't fit in just because City were close to signing him indicates that pretty strongly imo) and problems below the manager (I don't think the players can hide behind a bad manager for their own bad attitudes). Good attitudes and bad attitudes are infectious - anyone who's had to work around other people can confirm this. I think that's what Mourinho meant when he called a player (that the press seemed to indicate was Pogba) a "cancer" - he felt someone in the dressing room's bad attitude was rubbing off on his players. Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted October 26, 2021 Subscriber Posted October 26, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: And honestly, I think it's time for United to cut their losses on Pogba I have said that all along about Pogba & Lingard, Lingard is a useless prick who gets loaned out to the hammers, comes back and then is offered a new contract and turns it down, he & Pogba are a pair of twats and the sooner they are gone the better. Not too sure about Conte but one thing about him is if he did take over he would not let the likes of the Glazers and SAF sticking their noses in and tell them to fuck off, so the next manager should do the same. I have full respect for SAF for what he achieved at United but the only thing I would criticise him for over the years is not telling the Glazers to fuck off and give United back to the fans and not their greedy bank balances, this is my opinion only and others may differ. Edited October 26, 2021 by CaaC (John) Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 1 minute ago, CaaC (John) said: I have said that all along about Pogba & Lingard, Lingard is a useless prick who gets loaned out to the hammers, comes back and then is offered a new contract and turns it down, he & Pogba are a pair of twats and the sooner they are gone the better. Not too sure about Conte but one thing about him is if he did take over he would not like the likes of the Glazers and SAF sticking their noses in and tell them to fuck off, so the next manager should do the same. I have full respect for SAF for what he achieved at United but the only thing I would criticise him for over the years is not telling the Glazers to fuck off and give United back to the fans and not their greedy bank balances, this is my opinion only and others may differ. They'd probably have sacked him if he'd done that - at pretty much any club the owners are going to have some say. I think it's fucked up and parasitic the way the Glazers bought United and how they use money that could likely be spent on making United better on servicing debt for the club. But at the same time, the Glazers have given United lots of funding and honestly the managers have been well backed since Ferguson left. But Ferguson was the one doing long term & short term planning at United for decades, and by the end of his term he wasn't doing any long term planning he was overachieving with probably one of his worst squads after he'd turned United into a juggernaut. I think that's the real area to criticise Ferguson from a United fan's perspective: he didn't leave a good blueprint for anyone coming after him. And the Glazers are scummy owners, but they're honestly better at backing a manager than most other clubs in the world - their issue has been a lack of focus imo. United, with the amount they've spent in the last few years (second only to Man City) should be in a better state. But they have Woodward, a corporate accountant, making most of the decisions above the manager and tbh... he's not qualified to be making the footballing decisions. Business, sure. But there needs to be more structure above the manager at United nowadays - you don't have Ferguson anymore & I don't think United have really learned from that. When/if United get their new manager, I think they should have hired a Director of Football to work on implementing long term goals and setting short term goals for the manager to achieve. It's a part of modern football, imo, if you want to be successful you need to have long term plans - but a manager always needs to be focused on the short term because they live and die on their results as manager. Telling Ferguson to stay away from training and from making input at the club should be pretty easy for United to do, tbh. He'll always be a legend, but he's retired and hasn't been a football manager for a while. He can't be acting like a manager or director of football while he's no longer employed by the club, it's undermining what any manager would be wanting to do. Quote
Cicero Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 Erik Ten Hag is quite arguably the best manager out there that is tailor made for United and what they represent. 1 Quote
Dr. Gonzo Posted October 26, 2021 Posted October 26, 2021 Sky Germany taking the piss out of Jadon Sancho 2 Quote
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted October 26, 2021 Subscriber Posted October 26, 2021 22 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Telling Ferguson to stay away from training and from making input at the club should be pretty easy for United to do, tbh. He'll always be a legend, but he's retired and hasn't been a football manager for a while. He can't be acting like a manager or director of football while he's no longer employed by the club, it's undermining what any manager would be wanting to do. Makes you laugh, really, these football owners and directors whatever create a legend then can knock them down just like that, Dalgleish was a legend at Liverpool, left, came back as manager then got sacked, the funny bit is they named a stand after him at Anfield. As for Woodward, that guy is a useless prick and a money-grabber and the bastard is still there as he does not leave until the end of the year. Quote
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