[Poll] Next permanent United manager

[crossy1686]

That does seem to leave quite a lot of latitude for different tactics. Which brings us back to the question - how will he set us up in the long term? We don't really know.

That's hard to say because we don't know what the tactical trends will be in Europe over the coming years. Fergie played 4-4-2, which later evolved into a 4-5-1 when it became big in Europe. Conte introduced a 3-5-1 and won the league because no one had an answer for it.

Formations come and go based on what's trendy right now, at the end of the day, it's just 10 people standing in a position that gives them the greatest chance of hurting the opposition, depending on how the opposition line up. However, we will always play counter attacking football with varying degrees of possession based on the managers preference for that game.

 

[deadrevelz]

Solksjaer will probably see his ideal United team as being like Fergies circa 2007-09. Aggressive attacking football with a solid defence in most games. Quick counterattacking football against the rest.

Fullbacks who can bomb forward
At least 3 quality forwards
At least one proper winger
One strong CB, one that reads the game
One all CM that runs and harries, keeps it simple
We will press the opposition, but not as fiercely as Pep / Klopp

He's not an idiot and will update and improve these ideas as he sees fit.

I agree that he probably isn't a tactical genius, but neither are Pep or Klopp. Both of those managers instead focus on playing their own style and to hell with the opposition. He's already shown he can set his team up intelligently so I don't see this being a big issue moving forward.

 

[Red_Beans]

I think Poch is a good manager. I do not know how you can look at his body of work first at Southampton and then at Spurs and reach any other consideration. He develops his own players, integrates youngsters from the youth setup, implements a clear play style and has a philosophy that his players buy into. I do not understand why posters have to belittle his achievements in order to big up Ole?

Before Ole was appointed interim Poch was my first choice, and if the powers that be decide he is the best option than so be it. But after having a little taste of how Ole approaches the position of Manchester United manager and how much the position and the club mean to him, I will be bitterly disappointed if he does not get the job full time

 

[glazed]

Formations come and go based on what's trendy right now, at the end of the day, it's just 10 people standing in a position that gives them the greatest chance of hurting the opposition, depending on how the opposition line up. However, we will always play counter attacking football with varying degrees of possession based on the managers preference for that game.

It does rather depend which ten people though. And there's the rub. For example De Gea probably wouldn't get into the City team because Pep needs a keeper who can play out at the back.

People become familiar with tactics and they have to change, as you say. Those best at that win things. We need a manager who is good at that, within a structure that is good at that. For me there's not enough evidence Ole is right for this part of the job..not yet anyway.

 

[crossy1686]

Solksjaer will probably see his ideal United team as being like Fergies circa 2007-09. Aggressive attacking football with a solid defence in most games. Quick counterattacking football against the rest.

Fullbacks who can bomb forward
At least 3 quality forwards
At least one proper winger
One strong CB, one that reads the game
One all CM that runs and harries, keeps it simple
We will press the opposition, but not as fiercely as Pep / Klopp

He's not an idiot and will update and improve these ideas as he sees fit.

I agree that he probably isn't a tactical genius, but neither are Pep or Klopp. Both of those managers instead focus on playing their own style and to hell with the opposition. He's already shown he can set his team up intelligently so I don't see this being a big issue moving forward.

That was arguably the best United team ever so I would imagine Solskjaer would like to emulate that.

 

[bond19821982]

Still firmly in Poch camp. Will rethink end of the month as needed .

Think 8 matches is probably not enough to judge him . But with Liverpool, Chelsea , PSG all coming, March would be a good time to make a call.

 

[vidic blood & sand]

Right now I'm 52 - 48 in favour of Poch. Will change if we see off PSG, Chelsea and Liverpool.

 

[17Larsson]

If we're going to judge Ole's appointment on the next few fixtures of PSG, Chelsea and Liverpool then the same should be true of Poch's next few fixtures of Dortmund, Chelsea and Arsenal

 

[Gentleman Jim]

Who said it? Because they have plenty of idiots on there talking shite.

It's Jonathan Pearce who's spilled the story.
He claims to have been told by "a United Legend".

 

[LordNinio]

Right now I'm 52 - 48 in favour of Poch. Will change if we see off PSG, Chelsea and Liverpool.

So we need to beat two of the top 4 teams in the UK, and one of the favourites for the CL for you to put Ole above Pochetino?

That's incredibly harsh terms, it would be very unlikely in our current situation for any manager in world football to have us win all those 4 games. Its not impossible of course, but it seems like people are judging Ole by much higher standards than Poch.

 

[Gator Nate]

Just wait until he does win all four games. That bar has higher still to go!

 

[DBT85]

Ole closing in on Poch. 42.2% to 30.4% of the vote.

Quique Setién still with 4 votes so its all to play for!

 

[Judas]

It's Jonathan Pearce who's spilled the story.
He claims to have been told by "a United Legend".

Hmm interesting. We’ve got our fair share of idiotic “legends” though who talk nonsense. Suppose we’ll find out soon enough.

 

[Gentleman Jim]

Hmm interesting. We’ve got our fair share of idiotic “legends” though who talk nonsense. Suppose we’ll find out soon enough.

Pearce is a London based journo but had a rare trip up to Manchester to call the City/Arsenal game last Sunday for the BBC.

 

[Catt]

Pearce is a London based journo but had a rare trip up to Manchester to call the City/Arsenal game last Sunday for the BBC.

And he was told Ole's got the job?

 

[SAFMUTD]

We should wait until mid march to make the decision, Ole has done great until now. The team is playing way better, the attitute not only on the field but also around the club is great, but we haven't really faced major challenges where we can prove weather or not he is ready. This month we will have several tough games, I think that will allow us to decide better.

 

[Paul the Wolf]

We should wait until mid march to make the decision, Ole has done great until now. The team is playing way better, the attitute not only on the field but also around the club is great, but we haven't really faced major challenges where we can prove weather or not he is ready. This month we will have several tough games, I think that will allow us to decide better.

You make me happy when skies are grey.

 

[PeteManic]

Can someone seriously explain to me how Pochettino is a better option?

What would he be doing differently?

We have a club legend who scored the most important goal of the Fergie era. He is the perfect face of Manchester United.

Instead we want someone who will come in and change everything again? Haven't we tried this 3 times already? Plus he will cost the same price as a decent CB.

 

[SAFMUTD]

You make me happy when skies are grey.

the perks of having english as second language.

 

[Paul the Wolf]

the perks of having english as second language.

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Paul the Wolf]

Can someone seriously explain to me how Pochettino is a better option?

What would he be doing differently?

We have a club legend who scored the most important goal of the Fergie era. He is the perfect face of Manchester United.

Instead we want someone who will come in and change everything again? Haven't we tried this 3 times already? Plus he will cost the same price as a decent CB.

Apparently we're waiting to see if Ole loses a match.

Apparently we're also ignoring the fact that since Ole has been in charge Poch has lost 4 matches including the real tests of Wolves and Palace plus ourselves of course.

 

[matherto]

Torn between waiting til the end of the year and just enjoying having Ole for the remainder of the season to announce him.

Or announce him soon so we can see how the players will react to having him permanently as opposed to the current state of play.

They might be playing to impress or they might just really like Ole but if we announce him, it changes the mentality regardless from temporary manager to permanent and it'll be interesting to see how they play and how Ole reacts to it as well.

Don't see the need for Pochettino or anyone else, just get a DoF that'll handle transfers and have Ole, Phelan, Carrick and McKenna carry on what they've been doing and deciding who and what we need to add then the DoF can start sorting the deals out and Woodward can open the chequebook.

We need to see how Ole and the players will react to losing a game or a couple of games too but I think at no point will any of us actually want that to happen right now. Keep the positivity going until the end of the season at least and lets see if we can remain unbeaten. The next few weeks are going to be the toughest given the calibre of opponents we're facing but I don't feel scared about it.

 

[17Larsson]

Apparently we're waiting to see if Ole loses a match.

Apparently we're also ignoring the fact that since Ole has been in charge Poch has lost 4 matches including the real tests of Wolves and Palace plus ourselves of course.

Exactly. Poch's results don't seem to matter as much.

And even if we don't lose a match for the rest of the season we don't know how he would fair out when the going gets tough.
Impossible to keep some people happy

 

[RedDevil@84]

If by end of season, we are still winning (not all of them) and playing good attacking football and the players seem to be in good spirits, I would give him the job.
Regardless of whether Poch is available or not.

 

[Santoryo]

Apparently we're waiting to see if Ole loses a match.

Apparently we're also ignoring the fact that since Ole has been in charge Poch has lost 4 matches including the real tests of Wolves and Palace plus ourselves of course.

Some of you have to calm down. People are rightly being patient before making up their mind given this is a delicate matter for us. We've been down the road of 3 failed managers, so forgive people if they're being cautious before declaring someone definitely being suited for the job after 10 games.

Poch losing 4 games since Ole took over doesn't change the fact that he's got an entire body of work behind him and people are rightly judging him on all that.

If Ole is right for the job it'll show by the end of the season because by then we'll have a fairly large sample to judge him on properly. This need to sarcastically laugh at those not quick to declare Ole as the right guy is incredibly patronizing.

I don't even understand all that condescension in your post. It's actually makes for smarter thinking to lean on Poch and trust him more at this stage then Ole. Reducing his work and judging him on the stretch since Ole has been with us is some weird logic. He is a proven entity in all this hence why those clamouring for him are coming from a place of awareness and cognizance. The same can't be said about Ole right now which is why some quite rightly are waiting a bit more before declaring him the right person to take us forward. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Peter Brewer]

Poll:

If at end of season:

1) the players want Solskjaer over Poch
2) Ole wins the Ole-table
3) Ole ahead of Spurs on table
3) Poch grabs fourth place
4) Poch confirm being content with his target, finishing top four, being happy not winning any ego-trophies.

Which one of you still prefer Poch on long term deal?

 

[Raoul]

Poll:

If at end of season:

1) the players want Solskjaer over Poch
2) Ole wins the Ole-table
3) Ole ahead of Spurs on table
3) Poch grabs fourth place
4) Poch confirm being content with his target, finishing top four, being happy not winning any ego-trophies.

Which one of you still prefer Poch on long term deal?

Needless to say of Ole finishes 4th or better then the job is his.

 

[Peter Brewer]

Needless to say of Ole finishes 4th or better then the job is his.

Agree, but not good enough by far, according to some pundits around.
So Poch fanboys; give your say on this

 

[Paul the Wolf]

Some of you have to calm down. People are rightly being patient before making up their mind given this is a delicate matter for us. We've been down the road of 3 failed managers, so forgive people if they're being cautious before declaring someone definitely being suited for the job after 10 games.

Poch losing 4 games since Ole took over doesn't change the fact that he's got an entire body of work behind him and people are rightly judging him on all that.

If Ole is right for the job it'll show by the end of the season because by then we'll have a fairly large sample to judge him on properly. This need to sarcastically laugh at those not quick to declare Ole as the right guy is incredibly patronizing.

I don't even understand all that condescension in your post. It's actually makes for smarter thinking to lean on Poch and trust him more at this stage then Ole. Reducing his work and judging him on the stretch since Ole has been with us is some weird logic. He is a proven entity in all this hence why those clamouring for him are coming from a place of awareness and cognizance. The same can't be said about Ole right now which is why some quite rightly are waiting a bit more before declaring him the right person to take us forward. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm pointing out that Ole is going to be judged on whether he can beat the top teams whereas Poch isn't. Makes no sense.

Yes we can wait until the end of the season just in case Ole loses five or ten games in a row. But if we lose a couple of games to whoever the opposition is , what does that tell you. Say Ole lost 4 games and Poch 3 before the end of the season, who do you go for?

As for judging Poch on his previous achievements, sorry what were they again? And being another outsider how do you know that Poch would be up to the task, no guarantee he wouldn't be a failure just like the previous 3 managers and they were far more experienced than Poch.

 

[LordNinio]

Some of you have to calm down. People are rightly being patient before making up their mind given this is a delicate matter for us. We've been down the road of 3 failed managers, so forgive people if they're being cautious before declaring someone definitely being suited for the job after 10 games.

Poch losing 4 games since Ole took over doesn't change the fact that he's got an entire body of work behind him and people are rightly judging him on all that.

If Ole is right for the job it'll show by the end of the season because by then we'll have a fairly large sample to judge him on properly. This need to sarcastically laugh at those not quick to declare Ole as the right guy is incredibly patronizing.

I don't even understand all that condescension in your post. It's actually makes for smarter thinking to lean on Poch and trust him more at this stage then Ole. Reducing his work and judging him on the stretch since Ole has been with us is some weird logic. He is a proven entity in all this hence why those clamouring for him are coming from a place of awareness and cognizance. The same can't be said about Ole right now which is why some quite rightly are waiting a bit more before declaring him the right person to take us forward. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't think most people are suggesting it should be decided now, we're saying that him and Poch should be compared fairly.

You mention this time at Southampton, to highlight his style etc, but completely disregard Ole's time at Molde where he won two league titles. They're both smaller teams, but what Ole did with that Molde team was fantastic, including beating some big names in the Europa.

People want Ole to beat all of Chelsea, Liverpool and PSG before even considering him. That isn't a fair trial at all, Poch more than likely wouldn't win all those four games either...

 

[meamth]

In before "we've caught up with 238 votes before" thread.

 

[crossy1686]

Was listening to the Guardian podcast this morning and one of them said that a journalist who has close ties with the United hierarchy suggested the board have decided already and Solskjaer will be the next perm manager with the current backroom staff kept in place.

 

[Chingy Red Army]

If we're going to judge Ole's appointment on the next few fixtures of PSG, Chelsea and Liverpool then the same should be true of Poch's next few fixtures of Dortmund, Chelsea and Arsenal

Exactly my thoughts

 

[Peter Brewer]

The reason why we might se a board decision on permanent manager sooner rather than later, are the players' contracts.
If they are happy with Ole, they may not want to tie up while board is undecided.
So this makes it imperative to not wait out too long, since undecided players attract both interrest from big teams and creates unnecessary frustration which in turn could jeopardize the winning spirit and momentum built up. Just a thought.

 

[Aarron Swift]

I feel that Ole is going to be absolutely hammered and discredited unfairly as soon as we lose a game, regardless of opposition and how the game is lost.

I just get a sense that a lot of journos & pundits are just waiting for it, Paul Ince will probably go on to write 5 articles a day about how poor Ole is & Utd can’t have a manager that loses a game.

Poch in the other hand could lead Spurs on a record losing run & this would be ignored in the eyes of some

 

[crossy1686]

If we're going to judge Ole's appointment on the next few fixtures of PSG, Chelsea and Liverpool then the same should be true of Poch's next few fixtures of Dortmund, Chelsea and Arsenal

This. What people also need to take into account is that Pochettino has had his team for almost 5 years, Solskjaer has inherited this squad 10 games ago.

Also, if Pochettino had the same run of games as our manager at the start of next season, would we be expecting him to be fired if he didn't win them all? Would we only judge him on a tough month like February. Some incredible goal post moving going on in here.

 

[Chingy Red Army]

Not even Pep can come out of our next couple of fixtures unscathed. Judging Ole with that is massively unfair.

 

[Mick321]

Be funny to see the tune change if Poch somehow sneaks the title from here.

Still should be him regardless.

 

[P-Nut]

Torn between waiting til the end of the year and just enjoying having Ole for the remainder of the season to announce him.

Or announce him soon so we can see how the players will react to having him permanently as opposed to the current state of play.

They might be playing to impress or they might just really like Ole but if we announce him, it changes the mentality regardless from temporary manager to permanent and it'll be interesting to see how they play and how Ole reacts to it as well.

Don't see the need for Pochettino or anyone else, just get a DoF that'll handle transfers and have Ole, Phelan, Carrick and McKenna carry on what they've been doing and deciding who and what we need to add then the DoF can start sorting the deals out and Woodward can open the chequebook.

We need to see how Ole and the players will react to losing a game or a couple of games too but I think at no point will any of us actually want that to happen right now. Keep the positivity going until the end of the season at least and lets see if we can remain unbeaten. The next few weeks are going to be the toughest given the calibre of opponents we're facing but I don't feel scared about it.

Why would you want to change anything at the moment? Let's allow him to progress as he is doing at the moment, and then assess at the end of the season.

 

[red woppit]

It doesn't really matter who gets the job, it will be a gamble. I'm sure that Ole is definitely in the running, and that the results of the 'big' matches coming up will not determine whether he gets the job or not, i think it will depend on how the team play, how many players he can get playing better until the end of the season, and what vision he has for the club going forward. Ole 'fits' with United in all aspects, whereas Pochettino may or may not 'get' it, but as I said, it is a gamble whoever gets it.
The DOF situation is intriguing, have United already decided who it is, have they decided not to employ one? All I know is that Woodward should NEVER be involved in football matters, what we do need is that buffer between him and the football, call it what you will, but I'm afraid that he seems hell bent on buying Galacticos, which has cost us in the past. I don't know enough about DOF's etc to hazard a guess at the best one for United, and Ole, but let's get someone in soon.