The Manchester United Thread

Mike. said:
If United couldn't work around that I'd agree. But United can still get their transfer work done without selling Pogba.

It's the reason you've not heard Raiola kicking off, he knows that financially United can resist. We might not like him, but he's not stupid either. He only plays up when he thinks he can win.

Pogba is due to meet Solskjaer on Monday as well anyway. But given that neither club has attempted to negotiate, Uniteds stance should let change

As it stands Pogba hasn't even got close to those levels which were disgraceful front coutinho.

As such I have short shrift for anyone saying we should be backing down this early, or even at all
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Think that's what annoys me most. I hate when people use the "look how Liverpool built a team with Coutinho's fee" - we don't ******* need Pogba's fee to build a team. We're Manchester United, our revenue/turnover is second to none, literally. Yes, we have a set-budget this summer (one that 99% of clubs in world football are envious of), but we have 2 summer windows ahead of us before we talk about seeing this project (hopefully) fall into place. This idea that we can sell our best player and because he's valuable, his fee could be used to improve us overall is so stupid. We can build around & improve with our best player, as bonkers as that may sound to some.

I know he may want a new challenge (and who can begrudge him it? One of the best players in the world, entering his peak, and is 3-4 years into a project that has barely progressed...even Gerrard was half way down the M1 to Stamford Bridge once upon a time), but if we can somehow convince him to stay, his love for the club would translate in performances if the players are there around him.

I recommend everyone to give this short clip a listen. Danny hit the nail on the ****** head.

https://twitter.com/HarunAli30/status/1141255418993418245
 
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RhQQ said:
Problem with Pogba is he's a mercurial, high risk, creative player before he's an efficient, simplistic primary passer/controller - but he's tasked with and judged on doing everything. A paradox.

Mercurial players have off days, but can turn a cold performance around in one moment with a jawdropping pass, skill or goal. It's up to the true primary passers a little deeper to keep the game ticking & flowing in earlier phases, to keep United as the dominant possession team, to keep getting Pogba on the ball between the lines/on that left half space, letting him drive in transition, link it, try things, etc. - You basically carry Pogba on his off-day and in return, you get X-factor & a gamebreaker. And when he's on it, you have a player who contributes to every phase of play and is simply untouchable. Issue is, we only have the environment for him to flourish in the latter scenario, not the former. Pirlo & Vidal compensated for him at Juve. If he was off it, they still controlled games & gave him the platform to be the difference maker. We don't have that. He's expected to be the 6, 8 & 8.5/10.
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^ Felt like he just read and reworded this. Danny Higginbotham plays FM, pass it on.
 

✔

Boothroyd believes Wan-Bissaka’s imminent move to #mufc affected him in #eng loss to France. “When that speculation is flying around it's bound to turn your head. For a young player, who all he knows is #cpfc, it would be daft not to say that in some way he must think about the move.”



Well Boothroyd says it’s all but done also :) nearly everyone saying it now.
 
Theatre of Dreams83 said:

✔

Boothroyd believes Wan-Bissaka’s imminent move to #mufc affected him in #eng loss to France. “When that speculation is flying around it's bound to turn your head. For a young player, who all he knows is #cpfc, it would be daft not to say that in some way he must think about the move.”



Well Boothroyd says it’s all but done also :) nearly everyone saying it now.
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Does it also make you try to clear a ball with the wrong foot and kick it into your own net? Cant believe they are trying to make excuses for that performance lol
 
steveorobbo said:
Does it also make you try to clear a ball with the wrong foot and kick it into your own net? Cant believe they are trying to make excuses for that performance lol
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Well, not completely affect performance. But your mind does become distracted, and you do have bad spells. Happens to the best. Look at DDG last season and during fax-gate (until he signed his new contract).

Not saying it as the sole reason, he did have a bad performance, but transfer/contract uncertainty can also cause performance issues.
 
Sherkey said:
Well, not completely affect performance. But your mind does become distracted, and you do have bad spells. Happens to the best. Look at DDG last season and during fax-gate (until he signed his new contract).

Not saying it as the sole reason, he did have a bad performance, but transfer/contract uncertainty can also cause performance issues.
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I think its one of them things i'll never completely understand. Probably none of us will. I get him having things on his mind regarding the transfer and moving away at a young age, but you deal with that at home and spare time. Once you cross that line and start that game, I dont get how your mind can be anywhere else for that that 90 minutes when you have that much to concentrate on playing in that position.

He surely couldn't have been thinking about moving or buying his first Lamborghini with his massive new pay packet when he decided to go against every basic footballing rule and kick the ball with the wrong foot towards his own net?
 
Just to put my above message into a tiny bit of perspective if possible for us normal folk. If any of use here played semi-pro, sunday league or even in highschool, we didnt go into a game thinking about our GCSE maths test the next day, or playing semi-pro and having an interview for a new £25k a year job the day after. Once that game starts you play the game. Nothing else matters but winning. At least for me anyway.

The only thing I can think of is last game of the season if a player doesnt want to get injured or booked and miss a final. But that is them thinking about the game and their personal situation of playing in a final. Nothing to do with personal life. Maybe if he's thinking about having a leg broke and his dream move going them fair enough but I dont see how that is on your mind in a split second decision at the end of a game.

Like I said, its something I'll never understand or probably accept as an excuse, especially given my own experiences. But if anyone has another view i'd like to hear it.
 
Got to say Lingard is a bit of an embarrassment to the badge at the moment, he really needs to grow up a bit with the stuff he keeps posting online. I do hope he realises that he has a massive following who aren't exactly happy with him due to last season anyway.

God I miss the Fergie days, have an earring in your ear or a **** haircut then you'd be booted in the face and sent to the shower. *exaggerates*
 
steveorobbo said:
Just to put my above message into a tiny bit of perspective if possible for us normal folk. If any of use here played semi-pro, sunday league or even in highschool, we didnt go into a game thinking about our GCSE maths test the next day, or playing semi-pro and having an interview for a new £25k a year job the day after. Once that game starts you play the game. Nothing else matters but winning. At least for me anyway.

The only thing I can think of is last game of the season if a player doesnt want to get injured or booked and miss a final. But that is them thinking about the game and their personal situation of playing in a final. Nothing to do with personal life. Maybe if he's thinking about having a leg broke and his dream move going them fair enough but I dont see how that is on your mind in a split second decision at the end of a game.

Like I said, its something I'll never understand or probably accept as an excuse, especially given my own experiences. But if anyone has another view i'd like to hear it.
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When playing sports is what you live of it is hard to put it in perspective. It isn't weird if you feel extra pressure, because you know you might get promoted if you do your thing well. Having stage fright when you have to perform and show what you're good at, knowing you're gonna get graded.

The extra pressure you get just makes it more likely to choke or make stupid mistakes. Why do you think people say you can't train for penalties in a world cup final? Because you are thinking about the what if's. Doesn't even have to be for the penalties, it's a reason why most finales being played aren't entertaining or top level.

That's why recently most proffesional athletes are having mental coaches. Not necesarrily because they have issues, but because they want to become stronger for all these possible things which might have impact on your performance on the field.

It's another reason why people suggest that you don't go full time in a coaching role, because it is opportunistic and you can lose your job relatively fast. If you're being put into that kind of pressure, you need to be very strong to perform at your usual level or better knowing you might lose your whole income (this is more related to non-football coaches as in football there's so much money)

Only the very best don't have the nerves, or let me say it differently, know how to cope with nerves. Even Messi seems to not properly perform for Argentina, because there's so much extra pressure for him.
 
steveorobbo said:
.... in a split second decision at the end of a game.
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Not quoting the entire post, but this one sentence stood out. It was a split second decision and he made a mistake. That's all.

Are we making too big a deal of it?

If he did the same thing in the opposition half would it be an issue?
 
lxl Ra lxl said:
When playing sports is what you live of it is hard to put it in perspective. It isn't weird if you feel extra pressure, because you know you might get promoted if you do your thing well. Having stage fright when you have to perform and show what you're good at, knowing you're gonna get graded.

The extra pressure you get just makes it more likely to choke or make stupid mistakes. Why do you think people say you can't train for penalties in a world cup final? Because you are thinking about the what if's. Doesn't even have to be for the penalties, it's a reason why most finales being played aren't entertaining or top level.

That's why recently most proffesional athletes are having mental coaches. Not necesarrily because they have issues, but because they want to become stronger for all these possible things which might have impact on your performance on the field.

It's another reason why people suggest that you don't go full time in a coaching role, because it is opportunistic and you can lose your job relatively fast. If you're being put into that kind of pressure, you need to be very strong to perform at your usual level or better knowing you might lose your whole income (this is more related to non-football coaches as in football there's so much money)

Only the very best don't have the nerves, or let me say it differently, know how to cope with nerves. Even Messi seems to not properly perform for Argentina, because there's so much extra pressure for him.
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Very good post. And i can see what your saying. This is why i made the post to see it from this point coz personally i really cant understand it. Ive played football, albeit nowhere near that level or with any of that pressure. But once I started playing a match I had nothing in my head but that game and winning. wether that be **** on my mind, ****** from the night before or pressure of knowing ive got scouts watching me (which is the closest thing i could relate to).
 
Snorks said:
Not quoting the entire post, but this one sentence stood out. It was a split second decision and he made a mistake. That's all.

Are we making too big a deal of it?

If he did the same thing in the opposition half would it be an issue?
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Again I dont see how a professional footballer, that has been coached in a professional set-up from at least 10 years old, doesnt know even in a split second under pressure to clear a ball with the foot swinging away from goal. Natural foot or not. Im sorry but no amount of reasoning can make me think of an excuse for that. And as somebody who played football for 15 years and could use both feet comfortably, it still ****** me off how professionals on tens and hundreds of thousands a week cant do something basic with their "weaker" foot. Personally by basic i mean playing a 20 yard pass with a weaker foot or hitting it past a keeper on a one on one , because I could do it. So I expect professionals to do at least the same. But this was literally swinging a leg and connecting with the ball to clear it. No skill involved.
 
Still no improved Wan-Bissaka offer has been made apparently, this transfer window is getting depressing already. I'm just waiting for Solskjaer to turn up on 1st July with just James being signed saying "I'm happy with the players I've got".... same old, same old.
 
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