The Manchester United Thread

Where the **** was Pereira and Martial yesterday? This is so Mourinho to completely drop these players from the squad because of a bad game. Same with Lindelof and Bailly, even though they were not great last week against Brighton, you can't continue to just chop and change because of one bad game. They'll never improve and when you have alternatives like Jones/Smalling it's not like they are going to build a good partnership long-term either.

He has some of the dressing room still at this point, but there are definitely certain players who would love to see the back of him. A divide in the dressing room is always start of the end.
 
Personally think any sacking needed to happen in May gone by. Getting someone in now isn’t going to improve us, especially considering the slim list available. Just need to hold in there, it can only improve. The lads haven’t stopped playing for him like Chelsea, we played Spurs off the park last night until the Kane header, and they just picked us off in Mourinho fashion after that.
 
zzeezzy said:
Problem for us is if things continue the way they are... we have to sack Mourinho to avoid the 3rd season history he produces... but who on earth would we even turn to? Zidane is seemingly the only slight option and there is no one else seemingly who could come in. Even Zidane has supposedly taken some role at Juventus, but not sure if that is finalised yet. Director of football or something.

As much as I think Zidane is a great man manager, I'm not all that confident he is the one to turn this club around. It's a much bigger challenge than Madrid will ever be. Despite his incredible achievement in the CL.
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Yeah think that’s done and dusted with Juve. New dream team of McKenna and Carrick ;)
 
Ride The Walrus said:
I like how this thread has turned into a case of what managers people want, assuming he's either gone, or going soon.

Don't think he'll be fired, not this year at least. United are the type of club who pride themselves on not making rash decisions, giving their managers time etc. Something that grew out of Fergie's long time there, which just makes it even weirder Mourinho's here in the first place to be honest. Not the type to stick around.

Honestly what was the plan? They knew hiring him he wouldn't be there for 5+ years or whatever, they knew they might win a title or two when he's there, sure, but with the media outbursts and his general controversial personality, and how quickly he leaves etc, why did they even hire him? Curious to get opinions on this. Didn't make sense at the time, and still doesn't.
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Look back at your history and say that just because Ferguson stayed so long doesn't mean United are any less likely than others to act rash. It took 5 managers (6 if you include Busby's short return) to find the right choice after Sir Matt left of which all bar Tommy Docherty (who went for an affair with another member of staff's missus(and Sir Matt who re-retired)) were sacked for poor team performance a. United are as much a club that acts rashly as any other even Ferguson was lucky not to get sacked for which he can thank a young forward called Mark Robins for saving his bacon in a 3rd round FA Cup match. Since Ferguson left the story has been the same Moyes sacked for poor performances (of his own making maybe), Van Gaal likewise sacked (although he did manage to go out on a high with the FA Cup) for poor performance, Jose is living on borrowed time, the writing is now on the wall after the board failed to back his plans in the summer they are looking for an excuse now to sack him. The only thing saving him currently is the fact the board have no idea who to replace him with there is no decent domestic manager available, and any big foreign name is likely to turn down the job because there is too much risk involved to be honest.
 
I just watched that post match press conference in full and it was actually very good from Mourinho. Admittedly he lost the plot a bit at the end and the mention of his league titles wasn't really relevant. But everything else he raised shown he has passion still to succeed and he was very honest about a lot of things. Like how when we played Sevilla we was bad and deserved to be booed off. But yesterday despite the scoreline fans applauded because the first half performance was good and the players at least tried.

Plus I have to say the media were absolute disgrace with the comments, they wouldn't talk like that to anyone else like Klopp or Pep. They were trying to rile him with ******* comments in between questions. "Fans left early" "Team didn't play well you conceded 3 goals".
 
zzeezzy said:
I just watched that post match press conference in full and it was actually very good from Mourinho. Admittedly he lost the plot a bit at the end and the mention of his league titles wasn't really relevant. But everything else he raised shown he has passion still to succeed and he was very honest about a lot of things. Like how when we played Sevilla we was bad and deserved to be booed off. But yesterday despite the scoreline fans applauded because the first half performance was good and the players at least tried.

Plus I have to say the media were absolute disgrace with the comments, they wouldn't talk like that to anyone else like Klopp or Pep. They were trying to rile him with ******* comments in between questions. "Fans left early" "Team didn't play well you conceded 3 goals".
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You and I, especially you, have been critics if him as much as anything. But we can both agree ye wasn't anywhere near to losing the plot, and that it was a real media stitch up. Now that said, only he can get himself and the club out. That requires him showing a different side. And people like Carrick can have a real impact here. Adjust your way of thinking. And he can not only think get out of it, but still make a huge title challenge, but he's got to see the opportunity to change, not just defend himself (arguably rightly for once)
 
United is like alcoholic's wife. If you marry a man hoping he would change, you probably shouldn't have married him in a first place.
 
Mike. said:
You and I, especially you, have been critics if him as much as anything. But we can both agree ye wasn't anywhere near to losing the plot, and that it was a real media stitch up. Now that said, only he can get himself and the club out. That requires him showing a different side. And people like Carrick can have a real impact here. Adjust your way of thinking. And he can not only think get out of it, but still make a huge title challenge, but he's got to see the opportunity to change, not just defend himself (arguably rightly for once)
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I agree, at the end of the day I've known us start the last two seasons like a house on fire winning the first 3 opening games and then falling off big time mid-season. Whilst there is no way in denying that we should have at least got something out of the last two games, nothing is lost yet. I'm not all that confident that Mourinho can turn it around due to history but if we go off what we see football and his persona.... there is still a chance.
 
zzeezzy said:
I agree, at the end of the day I've known us start the last two seasons like a house on fire winning the first 3 opening games and then falling off big time mid-season. Whilst there is no way in denying that we should have at least got something out of the last two games, nothing is lost yet. I'm not all that confident that Mourinho can turn it around due to history but if we go off what we see football and his persona.... there is still a chance.
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He's more than capable of it. He just needs to remember it
 
I am not sure why there is even a discussion about this. Best is just to sack him sharp-ish and get on with it. Even if there is a positive uptick in results in the next few weeks, the club is still heading nowhere under Mourinho. His relationships with key players like Martial and Pogba already seem strained beyond repair. Cant imagine any of the cente-backs love him after he spent the entire summer saying they are not good enough.

Zzeezy got it right. As long as there are players in the dressing room who cant stand him, the disease will spread like a rot and the situation is doomed anyways. Not everyone hated him at Chelsea, it just took a few.
 
The most disturbing thing to me, were it my club, would be how he’s actively taking the P out of the club and support (which made his B/S both on the pitch and in his meltdown, and it most certainly was however you try spin it, presser all the more insulting), by actively playing games to make a point to the board. Utd are still well in the game at 1-0 Monday night until Herrera F’s up the second goal. Herrera. A midfielder playing centre half. After he’s dropped the two lads he had Utd spend a combined what, £70 million on? One who he complete blitzed out of the 18. The other who looked a complete nervous weck when he came on having lost his place to said MIDFIELDER. There’s only one reason he played Herrera there. There’s only one reason he’s switching them around every game. There’s only one reason he’s getting so defensive and talking utter _____ when quizzed on if he knows his back best back 4? To send a message to Woodward and to excuse himself and frame his own defence the worst things get. All against one of the leagues best, most settled sides. All at Utd and the paying supports expense. (But it’s got NOTHING to do with his tactics let’s not forget. *Eye roll. It’s all down to individual errors ..... Which he’s brought about by putting the fear of God and utter confusion in most every player.).

I kind of admire the defiance in here but how anyone can honestly think there can be any sort of title challenge is baffling? Utd are headed one way and that’s away from even a top four challenge. Which he massively rode his luck on last year if people are honest behind the man who was your player of the year yet again. De Gea. This ____ has been going on WAY longer than the three games this season. Utd finished the last campaign in teal bad form. And then came back the summer where he was downing all his players from day one and making everyone utterly miserable. Which rolled through the pre-season, as much as folk tried to brush it off as friendlies not being important et all. And it’s rolled right on into the new season with absolutely zero sign of him stopping the game playing and picking fights with just about everyome and actually doing what he’s paid to do. Manage Utd.
 
There's no spin and we don't need patronising on admiration how we view the situation. It's literally 3 games in, it can go in any direction. Which is why it's still on him. The reaction from likes of De Gea show the players are still being him. The next 6 or 7 games will be extremely telling
 
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zzeezzy said:
I agree, at the end of the day I've known us start the last two seasons like a house on fire winning the first 3 opening games and then falling off big time mid-season. Whilst there is no way in denying that we should have at least got something out of the last two games, nothing is lost yet. I'm not all that confident that Mourinho can turn it around due to history but if we go off what we see football and his persona.... there is still a chance.
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Ultimately he'll either succeed or get sacked, there's not much middle ground in a situation like this.

Hes turned things round with Shaw, when you consider so many people thought that relationship was dead and buried. It's the same thing. People love hyperbole and sensation these days, but there's 35 games left. He can't waste too many more games, and I'm not saying he will turn it around. But the idea of people being so definitive is nonsense.
 
Burnley away next, usually a very tricky game, we won't win it unless we're at the races that's for sure. Got to say though, our defence really is going to be a mess again, Smalling and Bailly is about the best we can hope for. If Bailly will even be back in time for that, considering he completely disappeared from the squad for Spurs. Literally none of our CB's seem capable of playing a run of games.
 
Doesn't help that he always chaanging the lineup. I'm a big beliver in having a stable defensive partnership, you can't blame the players for lack of defensive organization if backline goes through revolution every single week.
 
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