The Footie Thread

[Arthur Wedge]

The Irony.
Who do you support by the way?

I think he used to support Chelsea back when they were winning , but not seen much talk about them these days.


Not sure the international break timing is a good thing

But hopefully we can get through it without too many issues

 

[clubchamp98]

I think he used to support Chelsea back when they were winning , but not seen much talk about them these days.


Not sure the international break timing is a good thing

But hopefully we can get through it without too many issues

International break after three games is a joke.
I am still trying to forget the crap England served up in the last few games.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

International break after three games is a joke.
I am still trying to forget the crap England served up in the last few games.

Yep
It’s that Nation league rubbish

 

[Arthur Wedge]

That’s a red imo.
Nowhere near the ball.
Putting him in danger.

Just seen it again on MOTD and it’s poor - jumping into it nowhere near the ball - could easily have been a red

 

[Slime]

All I want to know is where have the squrrels gone on holiday?

A long, long way away.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

A long, long way away.

Hope he has a nice supply of nuts and sun cream then.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Casimeiro now a bigger liability than Rashford. Shocking display

 

[Arthur Wedge]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1830348674536231332

 

[Norrin Radd]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1830348674536231332

Hopefully a long time

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Hopefully a long time

I think he will be given until the next window at least. It would be a big loss of face for the new owners to keep him in post after all the speculation and then sack him a few games in. He's hampered by having players not doing the basics right or playing with any pride and passion

 

[Billysboots]

I think he will be given until the next window at least. It would be a big loss of face for the new owners to keep him in post after all the speculation and then sack him a few games in. He's hampered by having players not doing the basics right or playing with any pride and passion

The concern for me is still how easy United are to play through, and how quickly things go wrong if we turn the ball over.

There were times yesterday afternoon where the gaps between the back four and midfield were huge. Really noticeable. They just aren’t compact enough at times. There had been an improvement in this aspect during the first couple of games but yesterday was really poor.

The other big issue is how easily we concede possession. I believe that, before he was hooked at half time, Casemiro gave the ball away an astonishing 13 times. For a player of his quality and with his experience that is unfathomable. And in that respect I have huge sympathy with the manager - he cannot legislate for individual mistakes as poor as the ones we saw yesterday. All he can do is make changes and, in the case of Casemiro, that is coming.

I remember many years ago watching Bayern Munich play at Old Trafford in a Champion’s League group game. It was during David Moyes’ tenure. Me and my lad were sitting up in the North Stand and I told him to watch the way Bayern were set up. It was typical German efficiency - two banks of four which worked together in perfect harmony, getting back into shape on the rare occasions they turned the ball over, and nigh on impossible to play against as a result. This United side are miles away from that. The indiscipline out of possession is staggering.

But, as I have said, new players have come through the door, along with new coaching staff. It would be utterly pointless to sack the manager now. INEOS opted to keep him, for a combination of reasons. United had just won a trophy, ten Hag enjoyed strong support from the fans, who understood what a difficult season he had just had with injuries. The choice of replacements once they started a search was limited and, as I said a number of times, I think INEOS had the good sense to understand that, if they sacked ten Hag amidst that backdrop, they ran the risk of losing the dressing room (the fans) in the same way the Glazer family have done. They are wise enough to know that they need the backing of the fans as much as the players and managers do, and winning the FA Cup made their lives a whole lot more difficult.

So, regardless of yesterday, they will stick with ten Hag, at least for the first half of this season, to at least give him time to settle on his first choice lineup, drill them in the way top sides should be drilled, and see what that brings. If he has the opportunity to do that, and the performances remain totally disjointed and dire, then any decision to change manager will be a whole lot easier.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I actually thought a mediocre team like Fulham showed how easy it was to create chances and that should have set alarm bells ringing. I simply don't think that starting side was good enough to compete for a top 4 place and I'd be worried about top 6

 

[Billysboots]

I actually thought a mediocre team like Fulham showed how easy it was to create chances and that should have set alarm bells ringing. I simply don't think that starting side was good enough to compete for a top 4 place and I'd be worried about top 6

Fulham had 8 shots that game. United were conceding double that, and then some, every week last season. I’m not saying we’d immediately turned into world beaters during the first two games of the season, merely that we had tightened up considerably compared to where we were last season.

And I agree that starting lineup won’t challenge for top 4. I never in my wildest dreams expect that side to. But that wasn’t the side I’d expect to see this time next month.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Fulham had 8 shots that game. United were conceding double that, and then some, every week last season. I’m not saying we’d immediately turned into world beaters during the first two games of the season, merely that we had tightened up considerably compared to where we were last season.

And I agree that starting lineup won’t challenge for top 4. I never in my wildest dreams expect that side to. But that wasn’t the side I’d expect to see this time next month.

Think it will be a season where you win games against good sides and chuck some poor losses in. It will take time for everyone to bed in but Rashford and Casimeiro need to be dropped

 

[Lord Tyrion]

@Billysboots you mention the gaps in the team, the way Bayern were organised, and yet you don't think ETH is party to this? He has been at Utd for two years and he still hasn't got the team organised? I can take individual mistakes but after 2 years he should have the team set up in a disciplined way, particularly when you don't have the ball. Even poor teams can be set up well, it's about repetition in training. It's an indictment of the manager / coach if you are still seeing those massive gaps.

I agree that you are committed to him until December or so but I am definitely in the group of opposing fans who are happy he is still there.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

@Billysboots you mention the gaps in the team, the way Bayern were organised, and yet you don't think ETH is party to this? He has been at Utd for two years and he still hasn't got the team organised? I can take individual mistakes but after 2 years he should have the team set up in a disciplined way, particularly when you don't have the ball. Even poor teams can be set up well, it's about repetition in training. It's an indictment of the manager / coach if you are still seeing those massive gaps.

I agree that you are committed to him until December or so but I am definitely in the group of opposing fans who are happy he is still there.

It’s his 3rd season now , spent a fortune , brought in a lot of his own players , brought in his own staff ,


Not his biggest fan as a pundit but Peter Schmicheal had it spot on - there should be at the very least a style of play to point too -if Slot can sort one in 3 games why can’t ETH in 2 years

 

[Billysboots]

@Billysboots you mention the gaps in the team, the way Bayern were organised, and yet you don't think ETH is party to this? He has been at Utd for two years and he still hasn't got the team organised? I can take individual mistakes but after 2 years he should have the team set up in a disciplined way, particularly when you don't have the ball. Even poor teams can be set up well, it's about repetition in training. It's an indictment of the manager / coach if you are still seeing those massive gaps.

I agree that you are committed to him until December or so but I am definitely in the group of opposing fans who are happy he is still there.

He’s certainly got to take a large part of the blame. But the individual mistakes are a huge part of the problem.

Ten Hag clearly likes his full backs high up the pitch, which is fine when you are in possession, but when you see mistakes like Casemiro’s first yesterday, the speed with which the ball is turned over is so fast in the Premier League now that United simply can’t get back into shape. So those individual mistakes when in possession need to be ironed out, and that is mainly on the players.

Where it concerns me is when we are out of possession, and for that the manager is primarily responsible. As I say, in the first two games United looked far more compact and even during the first quarter yesterday I thought they looked relatively comfortable. But after that first goal it was just chaos, no shape, huge gaps everywhere. There’s a lack of leadership on and off the pitch and, during our headless chicken periods, that is a huge problem.

Bringing Ugarte in is clearly intended to help resolve the issue. In that respect only time will tell.

 

[Billysboots]

View attachment 54816

It’s his 3rd season now , spent a fortune , brought in a lot of his own players , brought in his own staff ,


Not his biggest fan as a pundit but Peter Schmicheal had it spot on - there should be at the very least a style of play to point too -if Slot can sort one in 3 games why can’t ETH in 2 years

To be fair, Slot inherited a well oiled machine. Ten Hag inherited a chaotic mess, on and off the pitch. He hasn’t made anywhere near the progress he could have done, but I’m not going to rehash what was said about last season. It’s been done to death.

But that club was a shambles from top to bottom when ten Hag came in. I’m not sure he realised just how bad it was. And the support structure he had to help him was a massive part of the problem. To compare Liverpool and the start Slot has made with United under ten Hag is like comparing apples with pears.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

To be fair, Slot inherited a well oiled machine. Ten Hag inherited a chaotic mess, on and off the pitch. He hasn’t made anywhere near the progress he could have done, but I’m not going to rehash what was said about last season. It’s been done to death.

But that club was a shambles from top to bottom when ten Hag came in. I’m not sure he realised just how bad it was. And the support structure he had to help him was a massive part of the problem. To compare Liverpool and the start Slot has made with United under ten Hag is like comparing apples with pears.

Agree. I think Klopp himself said it would take an absolute idiot to ruin what Slot has inherited, especially in the short term. United has arguably been a shambles since Fergie left but EtH hasn't helped himself and the players he have brought in don't seem to have made a difference. Find a very simple way of playing and stick to it. Players would get familiar with it and be more solid

 

[Lord Tyrion]

He’s certainly got to take a large part of the blame. But the individual mistakes are a huge part of the problem.

Ten Hag clearly likes his full backs high up the pitch, which is fine when you are in possession, but when you see mistakes like Casemiro’s first yesterday, the speed with which the ball is turned over is so fast in the Premier League now that United simply can’t get back into shape. So those individual mistakes when in possession need to be ironed out, and that is mainly on the players.

Where it concerns me is when we are out of possession, and for that the manager is primarily responsible. As I say, in the first two games United looked far more compact and even during the first quarter yesterday I thought they looked relatively comfortable. But after that first goal it was just chaos, no shape, huge gaps everywhere. There’s a lack of leadership on and off the pitch and, during our headless chicken periods, that is a huge problem.

Bringing Ugarte in is clearly intended to help resolve the issue. In that respect only time will tell.

If you haven't got the players to play how he wants, despatch signing a huge number of people, then you have to adapt the playing style accordingly. History is full of sacked managers who blindly keep playing in a fashion that doesn't suit the players available.

The players are absolutely part of the problem but equally, the manager keeps picking them, Casemiro / Rashford . That's on him.