The Footie Thread

[fundy]

Well it’s all over social media now that he is talking to Spurs about a return

Allegri going back to Juve

Conte going to Madrid apparently

Rijkaard back to Barce

Some big managerial changes

Even money says Poch doesnt go back for me this morning lol, so much for never betting on these mkts again haha

 

[Liverbirdie]

Getting rid of the deadwood has been an issue for years. The squad has long remained bloated with unused players on huge wages, and those in charge of transfers seem totally incapable of moving them on, preferring instead to tie them up on long term deals. The fact Phil Jones is still there, for example, is utterly baffling.

Last night was a disappointment but, I’m afraid, no surprise. The squad lacks depth, and we arrived at the business end of the season with players horribly out of form, some having been poor for months with no viable options to replace them.

The classic example is Rashford. Sorry, I don’t care what the stats say, he is way short of being world class and has been poor for way too long. He would not get a sniff at City, Liverpool or a host of other clubs. I accept he can be capable of the extraordinary, but he too often makes the ordinary look beyond him, and his tendency to run directly into trouble and lose possession is infuriating. I may be a voice in the wilderness but if any club is mad enough to make a big money offer I’d offload him tomorrow. The club needs a quality forward in his position for the long term - he is not it.

Elsewhere, central defence has been a mess for years. How Victor Lindelöf is still getting a game at this level remains a mystery. A quality centre half is a must. A right winger is needed, and also another central midfielder to replace the appalling Fred, who appears to have forgotten he is Brazilian.

So a huge outlay is required, make no mistake. Is Solskjaer the man to take this forward? I still think he needs a transfer window during which he is allowed to bring in his own players. It is abundantly clear that Van de Beek was not a player the manager wanted, and leaving him on the bench week after week sends a clear message to the owners - buy expensive players by all means, but if I don’t want them, they won’t play.

So, a huge summer (again) for United. If they get the right players in, and we are in a similar position this time next year, then Ole’s race may well be run. But not quite yet.

It reminds me of our 2011-2015 years in some ways.

We have some very good players, some good players, but need at least 3 more very good players in the team. some of the others are good enough to flesh out the squad, but shouldn't be regulars. There are also 4-8 players around the squad that are dead wood, but you can't get rid in one go, but can over 1-3 transfer windows, and may also get you 10's of millions for.

For a few years after then we had a good team, but needed 1-2 for the team plus another 2-3 for the squad, as you need 20 (minimum), ideally 22 and 25 if your lucky (or Chelsea or City) very good and good players to keep multi-target seasons going. The squad can be kept reasonably happy with a title or CL at the end of it. That is the end game for most top clubs.

Man U arent as short as some make out as a squad, but do need 3 minimum for the team.

Ole may do it with one more window if they throw a stack at it but doubtful. When you havent got the stacks of cash, you need to be a helluva coach to get another 25-35% out of a team, and I dont think he has proved he is, so far.

I would say that even though Chelsea finished below you (and us), they are actually closer to improving more. Yes, they threw £200 million??? at it last year but 1-2 in that team could make a big difference, as I think they have a good squad, just that Havertz and Werner havent fired (yet) or they may cut their losses on one and get a top class striker plus one other.

 

[Slime]

Getting rid of the deadwood has been an issue for years.

Elsewhere, central defence has been a mess for years. How Victor Lindelöf is still getting a game at this level remains a mystery. A quality centre half is a must. A right winger is needed, and also another central midfielder to replace the appalling Fred, who appears to have forgotten he is Brazilian.

So a huge outlay is required, make no mistake. Is Solskjaer the man to take this forward? I still think he needs a transfer window during which he is allowed to bring in his own players. It is abundantly clear that Van de Beek was not a player the manager wanted, and leaving him on the bench week after week sends a clear message to the owners - buy expensive players by all means, but if I don’t want them, they won’t play.

So, a huge summer (again) for United. If they get the right players in, and we are in a similar position this time next year, then Ole’s race may well be run. But not quite yet.

Spot on.
It's those above OGS who are holding the club back.

 

[Billysboots]

I'm with you on Rashford. He's got an impressive bag of tricks and skills, but his finishing is poor. That's why he's ended up a left winger rather than a striker. He can pull something magical out of nowhere, but all the simple stuff, like finishing a one-on-one for example, he really struggles with. One of those players who's good on instinct, but give him time to think and he fluffs it. I wouldn't say you need to get rid because he is still young and can improve. But you need more options and competition there, I don't think him being an automatic starter is helping him necessarily.

I agree he’s young, but he’s been a regular now for long enough for the club and fans to know what they’re dealing with.

If his long term position is going to be out on the left, and I agree he is way short of the clinical finishing ability to ever be a number nine, he has to rid himself of the infuriating tendency to try and run straight into defenders, losing possession in the process. He does it time, and time, and time again. He’s far too wasteful in possession for me.

My preference would be for the club to cash in. When Rashford was younger I saw much in him that reminded me of Danny Wellbeck. I’m not for one moment saying Rashford has remained at that level, but neither has he reached the level where he should be an automatic starter.

As for the suggestion that he’s world class, that’s simply ludicrous. There are others ahead of him in the England pecking order now, so much so I’m not even sure he merits a place in the final 26.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Spot on.
It's those above OGS who are holding the club back.

You can’t keep excusing OGS though just because he is an ex player

He looked lost last night - didn’t know what to do to change things up , you could see the players were flagging and someone needed to come on for freshen things - even Mata or James for the last 20 mins. There appeared no structure to the way they were playing , no desire

Can look to point fingers above OGS but he has spent a significant amount over the past 2 and half years and they don’t seem to be any further forward compared to when he took over

 

[fundy]

I see yet again Rashford and some of the other Man U players received a load of vile abuse on social media again after last nights result

Good to see the protest of not using it the other week worked

Really has to be time social media companies made people (and themselves) accountable

 

[Orikoru]

You can’t keep excusing OGS though just because he is an ex player

He looked lost last night - didn’t know what to do to change things up , you could see the players were flagging and someone needed to come on for freshen things - even Mata or James for the last 20 mins. There appeared no structure to the way they were playing , no desire

Can look to point fingers above OGS but he has spent a significant amount over the past 2 and half years and they don’t seem to be any further forward compared to when he took over

His whole plan in terms of subs seemed to wait until extra time injury time and bring on two penalty takers.

 

[fundy]

His whole plan in terms of subs seemed to wait until extra time injury time and bring on two penalty takers.

shame he didnt bring on a penalty saver

 

[Deleted member 29109]

shame he didnt bring on a penalty saver

That was the big mistake.

 

[pokerjoke]

A very poor performance last night way below the standard we have played sometimes this season but that’s football.
In my opinion Ole has definitely moved the club forward and will continue to do so next season.
The big players unfortunately didn’t turn up they looked knackered, no surprise with the amount of games they’ve played.
Ole picked his best starting 11 and they under performed.
One mistake Ole did make was not freshening it up but it’s pretty obvious he has no confidence in a lot of them and if so he needs to offload some.
Earlier on in the season if he had played VDB and Mata more maybe it would have helped rest the starting 11.
There’s no doubt where we need freshening and I suspect everything is being done behind the scenes to get it done.
Thank god the Hockey season is upon us and the absolute KJs can watch that really exciting sport.
Final point is Rashford ( sell him) do you realise how old he is and what he’s achieved so far and what he will achieve in the future.
Hockey’s your sport for sure

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I see yet again Rashford and some of the other Man U players received a load of vile abuse on social media again after last nights result

Good to see the protest of not using it the other week worked

Really has to be time social media companies made people (and themselves) accountable

it’s shocking - I can’t understand the mentality that makes people think it’s the action to racially abuse someone just because the team lose

Social media companies need to start demanding proof of address and identity etc before these accounts are created . They need to step up

The social media protests were never going to work .

 

[Deleted member 29109]

A very poor performance last night way below the standard we have played sometimes this season but that’s football.
In my opinion Ole has definitely moved the club forward and will continue to do so next season.
The big players unfortunately didn’t turn up they looked knackered, no surprise with the amount of games they’ve played.
Ole picked his best starting 11 and they under performed.
One mistake Ole did make was not freshening it up but it’s pretty obvious he has no confidence in a lot of them and if so he needs to offload some.
Earlier on in the season if he had played VDB and Mata more maybe it would have helped rest the starting 11.
There’s no doubt where we need freshening and I suspect everything is being done behind the scenes to get it done.
Thank god the Hockey season is upon us and the absolute KJs can watch that really exciting sport.
Final point is Rashford ( sell him) do you realise how old he is and what he’s achieved so far and what he will achieve in the future.
Hockey’s your sport for sure

What has Rashford achieved? Promised much, delivers very little.

 

[Bdill93]

If I supported United Id want way more than what they have, they need to go back to signing premier league proven talent. Cherry pick players from the mid table teams, flex some damn muscle. All I ever hear is how big the club is and they couldnt even get Sancho over the line last year

And I'm a Villa fan!

 

[fundy]

If I supported United Id want way more than what they have, they need to go back to signing premier league proven talent. Cherry pick players from the mid table teams, flex some damn muscle. All I ever hear is how big the club is and they couldnt even get Sancho over the line last year

And I'm a Villa fan!

youll enjoy them trying to get Grealish over the line for the next few mths then

 

[Bdill93]

youll enjoy them trying to get Grealish over the line for the next few mths then

They can only dream.... and I suppose thats the struggle, some teams dont have to sell!

 

[Billysboots]

You can’t keep excusing OGS though just because he is an ex player

He looked lost last night - didn’t know what to do to change things up , you could see the players were flagging and someone needed to come on for freshen things - even Mata or James for the last 20 mins. There appeared no structure to the way they were playing , no desire

Can look to point fingers above OGS but he has spent a significant amount over the past 2 and half years and they don’t seem to be any further forward compared to when he took over

Largely agree, with the exception of money spent. The CLUB has spent money, but I am far from convinced the outlay has been on players Solskjaer wanted.

Van de Beek is a classic case in point. I could understand him finishing the season on the bench if he had been given a decent run in the side and been found wanting. But he simply hasn’t been given a chance. Not a chance. That, to me, is as clear an indication as he can possibly give that the player was not one Solskjaer wanted.

I still need to be convinced that Solskjaer is the man for the job. But he is nowhere near the catastrophic appointment many suggested he was, and can only truly be judged when he has the players at his disposal he genuinely wants to work with.

If he gets his players in this summer, and next season sees more of the same, then it may be time to rethink. Let’s be honest, United are not the second best side in the Premier League, regardless of what the table says. At times this season they have been awful to watch, and most realists know there is a lot of hard work to be done.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I’m amazed at all these experts, non Utd fans, we have on Man Utd on here!!

Where were all these comments about the squad after the semi-final or saturday when they finished runners-up in the PL?

If we were to be honest as neutrals I’d say 99% of us would of put Utd maybe 4th in a pecking order based on squads at the beginning of the season, City, LPool & Chelsea certainly looked stronger.

So for a poor manager with a poor squad that has underperforming big players in, Runners-Up in the PL and a European Final really isn’t a bad season considering all that and probably 90% of PL Teams would swap.

It maybe poor by their standards, but why do some opposition fans care or seem to know exactly what they need.

 

[Deleted member 29109]

I’m amazed at all these experts, non Utd fans, we have on Man Utd on here!!

Where were all these comments about the squad after the semi-final or saturday when they finished runners-up in the PL?

If we were to be honest as neutrals I’d say 99% of us would of put Utd maybe 4th in a pecking order based on squads at the beginning of the season, City, LPool & Chelsea certainly looked stronger.

So for a poor manager with a poor squad that has underperforming big players in, Runners-Up in the PL and a European Final really isn’t a bad season considering all that and probably 90% of PL Teams would swap.

It maybe poor by their standards, but why do some opposition fans care or seem to know exactly what they need.

Its called a discussion. Are people not allowed an option anymore?

I've spent all season listening to experts and fans of other clubs give their opinion on Leeds this season. Most have no idea and have been wrong.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Largely agree, with the exception of money spent. The CLUB has spent money, but I am far from convinced the outlay has been on players Solskjaer wanted.

Van de Beek is a classic case in point. I could understand him finishing the season on the bench if he had been given a decent run in the side and been found wanting. But he simply hasn’t been given a chance. Not a chance. That, to me, is as clear an indication as he can possibly give that the player was not one Solskjaer wanted.

I still need to be convinced that Solskjaer is the man for the job. But he is nowhere near the catastrophic appointment many suggested he was, and can only truly be judged when he has the players at his disposal he genuinely wants to work with.

If he gets his players in this summer, and next season sees more of the same, then it may be time to rethink. Let’s be honest, United are not the second best side in the Premier League, regardless of what the table says. At times this season they have been awful to watch, and most realists know there is a lot of hard work to be done.

I think it’s always a rocky road when players arrive that the manager doesn’t want. De Beek is a very good player - better than the likes of Fred , it may not be his player but to ignore him seems daft - he would improve the centre of the park for the team

OGS reminds me a bit of Roy Evans - a good club person but just doesn’t have the standing to manage at that high level. They will buy again in the summer but I don’t see them getting near to winning either of the big comps. His track record just isn’t there and he isn’t changing that in the past 2 and half years. The football even isn’t even good to watch at times.
Put it this way I hope they stick with him.

 

[Billysboots]

I’m amazed at all these experts, non Utd fans, we have on Man Utd on here!!

Where were all these comments about the squad after the semi-final or saturday when they finished runners-up in the PL?

If we were to be honest as neutrals I’d say 99% of us would of put Utd maybe 4th in a pecking order based on squads at the beginning of the season, City, LPool & Chelsea certainly looked stronger.

So for a poor manager with a poor squad that has underperforming big players in, Runners-Up in the PL and a European Final really isn’t a bad season considering all that and probably 90% of PL Teams would swap.

It maybe poor by their standards, but why do some opposition fans care or seem to know exactly what they need.

Not sure if you are including me in that, but I’ve been a United fan for nearly fifty years and a regular at Old Trafford for many of them.

At the start of the season I didn’t believe we had a prayer of making top four. I thought, whilst the club doubtless has quality at their disposal, the squad is thin and there have been alarming gaps in key areas for far too long.

Defensively, we are appalling. We have been for far too long. Even with Maguire we struggle to defend set pieces but, without him, we are a car crash waiting to happen. Before Villareal’s goal last night I commented at the ridiculously high line United were holding, knowing full well that any decent ball would lead to Lindelöf being bullied out of the challenge. That’s not me professing to be an expert, merely the fact I have seen it happen that often I know what’s coming. A commanding centre back with pace is a desperate need, and has been for too long.

Don’t let second place fool you. The home form has been abysmal. It’s only the astonishing away form which finds us where we are, and I wonder how the absence of fans has contributed to it.

Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly signs that United are on the right track. But what has really frustrated me at times is when Solskjaer hasn’t gone for the kill in games which have been there for the taking. Liverpool away is a prime example - they were on a poor run, we, at the time, were in a title race. And yet Solskjaer went all Mourinho on us and played for the draw. I was screaming at the television.

A good year, if you look at the table and a run in Europe. An average one if you actually consider the reality of how both were achieved. Getting into the Europa League via the back door and then being given the benefit of a largely easy draw should have been a passport to silverware. But even that was too tough for a squad lacking in key areas to handle.