We're actually quite good

[Walters_19_MuFc]

That's what happens when you add quality to the team.

Still a long way to go, but I trust Ole will continue to add, not just the right quality, but the right characters for United, too.

 

[BAMSOLA]

Still three Bruno level signings away.

This.
And whoa Nelly!
Are my only two contributions to this thread.

 

[Steve 007]

There’s a long way to go and like everyone else I have doubts we’ll get there but there’s lots of good signs. Even if (and I hope he does) Solksjaer doesn’t make the grade he’s already done wonders. 4 out of 5 permanent signings improved our team whilst getting rid of the dross. Beating all the big teams and a few great displays along the way. A couple more signings and a few more departures I think we’ll be very good again. Our defence is solid, we’ve got some great young forwards and a few decent midfielders.

 

[Denis' cuff]

Still slightly nervous that our breakthrough goal has been a pen in the last two games. Probably unfounded but history of struggling with the breakthrough to blame.

Definite signs of improvement and still 100% behind Ole. I suspect theres a fair bit of dialogue between him and fergie because there are so many things that have his stamp all over it.

 

[ReddBalls]

Still slightly nervous that our breakthrough goal has been a pen in the last two games. Probably unfounded but history of struggling with the breakthrough to blame.

Definite signs of improvement and still 100% behind Ole. I suspect theres a fair bit of dialogue between him and fergie because there are so many things that have his stamp all over it.

Well, he also worked for Fergie for 15 years. He might have picked up a thing or two during those years

 

[sglowrider]

I think Ole started coaching them in the winter break rather than just sat on his arse telling them to enjoy it??

No. Ole started stalking and barking from the sidelines which has made the difference.

 

[AR87]

We have added a creative midfielder who players know will find the right pass if they make the right run. On top of that he's a vocal leader comfortable with giving instructions.

We need more, but this side is heading in the right direction. A bit more quality in the attacking third and a proper DM to replace Matic and we'd really be headed somewhere.

 

[Fussball13251]

New signing makes a difference, 10 men but not too long ago this would have been 1:1. Lingard has been poor for ages. Scott Mctominay... injuries. Pogba... hardly playing anymore.

We criticise Pogba but we do look stronger, more threatening/more controlling, when either Pogba or Mctominay are in the team. You don't want both Pereira and Lingard playing in these games... probably end up getting beat.

 

[#CR7]

I think ole's philosophy resembles SAF in a lot of ways with the emphasis on players solving their own problems on the pitch and expressing themselves etc. Whilst this bears some fruit and give us results like today the problem is we won't do this every week as our play style is dependent on individual players rather than a system. Top level football is more unforgiving than before and therefore systems are more important than the quality of individual players because they breed consistency. So yes we can be really good but whether this translates to success is the key question.

 

[Denis' cuff]

Well, he also worked for Fergie for 15 years. He might have picked up a thing or two during those years

hey, that occurred to me, too

 

[RedCurry]

The positivity is back, that’s for sure. This is the most positive I’ve felt since Ole’s interim period. We are always good when we have “smiles on our faces”. But championships are won with consistency over an entire season.

 

[RedTiger]

No. Ole started stalking and barking from the sidelines which has made the difference.

He needs to be less nice in interviews, only then will we win the world championship.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

7 games and 6 clean sheets is terrific.

Maguire is really looking great business

We can be so much better with a couple of additions

 

[RedCurry]

He needs to be less nice in interviews, only then will we win the world championship.

“Rashford is still a kid, Pogba is a virus, Martial is a cry baby, Shaw is a fatty, no one got mentality except Matic...” something like that?

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Consistency is key. We’ve got some real tough games coming up and let’s see if we can maintain a good consistent level of performance during this upcoming run. Let’s hope we build a good winning run.

In terms of the squad, we do have the makings of a very good side. Still a couple of additions need to be made In this rebuild but slowly we are getting there. The addition of Bruno has helped massively. You can tell he just oozes class and is a player that you want to build a team around.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Injuries have really hurt us this season.

Feels like we never get the chance to put our best 11 out. Even when we get players back someone else gets hurt.

 

[hobbers]

Just going to whisper this lest the gods strike me down but I think a lot of looking good was down to finally having a target man who constantly shows for the ball (and doesn't have the leadfooted touch of a Lukaku).

World class striker Ighalo is not but he does a far better supporting act for those around him than Martial.

 

[Green_Red]

We were good after a decent start. Yes the 10 men did help but lets beat Everton next week. I still do not like the parallel two midfield players. Against better teams we have been found out.

Which better teams? Chelsea we dispatched twice, Man City we've also beat twice this season. Arsenal we drew. Liverpool, who are arguably the best club team right now, we drew. Spurs we beat with ease at home.

 

[Fussball13251]

Players who want to play.... Self-motivated.

Scott McTominay first half by numbers vs. Club Brugge:
E get 98% pass accuracy
E make 21/22 final third passes (most)
E make 5 ball recoveries
E do 2 interceptions
E play 2 shots
E score 1 goal

Mata also had a good game.

Players like Lingard who are clearly not interested should be sold. Fergie would have sold him ages ago.

 

[The Irish Connection]

Sancho is a must for us. Him and two other good signings, we will have a good chance of getting back to being a top team.

 

[Fletchageddon]

Just going to whisper this lest the gods strike me down but I think a lot of looking good was down to finally having a target man who constantly shows for the ball (and doesn't have the leadfooted touch of a Lukaku).

World class striker Ighalo is not but he does a far better supporting act for those around him than Martial.

I don't necessarily think you need a striker/targetman who scores goals for this team to work. Ighalo is really good at holding players off and then laying off a lovely ball to the midfield.

Especially when you could in theory have greenwood, martial and Rashford on the recieving end of the lay offs.

He's also got a great strikers instinct. I am really impressed so far.

The extra possession we have with him and Bruno is really helping. As opposed to Jesse/Pererira surrendering the ball constantly.

 

[meamth]

Not enough time to fork out another 50 million plus signing. Or maybe we're not Manchester City with infinite amount of cash.

I don't know, but my theory is maybe the initial transfer budget was 150 million pounds. That's been used for James, Maguire and AWB.

Another 60-70 million pounds are expected to come from Lukaku sale.

We simply didn't have enough time.

Maybe Bruno thought the deal was done in the summer, but left disappointed and kept playing for sporting with less enthusiasm, hence his sub par output.

Made sense if you think about it.

 

[sglowrider]

He needs to be less nice in interviews, only then will we win the world championship.

Learn to be smug. A very under-rate attribute.

 

[sglowrider]

Consistency is key. We’ve got some real tough games coming up and let’s see if we can maintain a good consistent level of performance during this upcoming run. Let’s hope we build a good winning run.

In terms of the squad, we do have the makings of a very good side. Still a couple of additions need to be made In this rebuild but slowly we are getting there. The addition of Bruno has helped massively. You can tell he just oozes class and is a player that you want to build a team around.

Part of the ingredient for consistency is squad depth. We are always one injury from being crap. But part of the strategy this summer was to remove the layers of deadwood (lower our costs base), down to the bare metal and (re-build with no legacy). And then, decide our most immediate needs, see who is somewhat useful and then build from there.

A far cry from the Woodward galacticos' FM approach.

 

[Denis' cuff]

Not enough time to fork out another 50 million plus signing. Or maybe we're not Manchester City with infinite amount of cash.

I don't know, but my theory is maybe the initial transfer budget was 150 million pounds. That's been used for James, Maguire and AWB.

Another 60-70 million pounds are expected to come from Lukaku sale.

We simply didn't have enough time.

Maybe Bruno thought the deal was done in the summer, but left disappointed and kept playing for sporting with less enthusiasm, hence his sub par output.

Made sense if you think about it.

I think Woodward made sure of that. He knew at the end of the previous season Lukaku was leaving yet still left it until the last day of the window so he wouldn’t have to spend it. Player wanted to leave, inter wanted him, we needed the money. Ample time to do the deal but still pissed about, just like he did all through January with Bruno. The man is an absolute disaster and constantly holding the club back.

 

[meamth]

I think Woodward made sure of that. He knew at the end of the previous season Lukaku was leaving yet still left it until the last day of the window so he wouldn’t have to spend it. Player wanted to leave, inter wanted him, we needed the money. Ample time to do the deal but still pissed about, just like he did all through January with Bruno. The man is an absolute disaster and constantly holding the club back.

Maybe it's his fault haggling so much to get that 60 million from Lukaku. That's just the way it is, unfortunate? Yes, but I think he got a good deal from Lukaku.

I'm not backing Ed, far from it, but sometimes transfer business isn't as easy as it looks.

Well imagine if we signed bruno first, and we didn't sign Maguire in the summer. What would happen? I'd think that would be more disastrous.

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

There’s quality in the team but we aren’t good until we are consistent over long periods of time and prove we can handle big pressure games.

 

[Isotope]

Need more fire on attack though. A Salah, Mane, or Sterling class, to genuinely challenging the League.

 

[sglowrider]

Maybe it's his fault haggling so much to get that 60 million from Lukaku. That's just the way it is, unfortunate? Yes, but I think he got a good deal from Lukaku.

I'm not backing Ed, far from it, but sometimes transfer business isn't as easy as it looks.

Well imagine if we signed bruno first, and we didn't sign Maguire in the summer. What would happen? I'd think that would be more disastrous.

We didnt need Bruno last summer. We had a fit Pogba then.

 

[sglowrider]

Need more fire on attack though. A Salah, Mane, or Sterling class, to genuinely challenging the League.

Hopefully, we will get your wish this summer. Every transfer so far has been functionally good to very good. Long may it continue.

 

[RedBanker]

Only for 42 minutes until Lingard was subbed on.

Nice one!

 

[Isotope]

Hopefully, we will get your wish this summer. Every transfer so far has been functionally good to very good. Long may it continue.

They are expensive, but as long as it's close to 100% success rate, it's much better than buying cheaper with much less success rate.
I think we start modelling Citeh strategy when they were bought by the Arabs. Most of their expensive buy were/are the backbone of their later dominance.

The Liverpool model of buying cheap then make them world class has high reward, but extremely difficult to pull off.

 

[The_Midfielder]

Brugge

 

[tenpoless]

But, but....wah wah Ole is rubbish...wah wah Brugge 10 men... wah wah Poch / Allegri... wah wah we're the worst we've been in the 28 years since football started... wah wah wah Ole Out...

And here We see an exotic creature named the 'RedCafe dividerius' or also known as the 'Fanbase splittus' in it's natural habitat, trying to provoke a group of people who have a different opinion that it doesn't like. All the attempts were put in after a massive win which We should be enjoying rather than making an issue out of.

 

[Amadaeus]

With the amount we have spent, it would be a crime if we weren’t. The problem is consistency, and lack of proper footballing philosophy/coaching.

As I mentioned before the season started, we should be third or even second this season. Leceister, Chelsea, Spurs,Arsenal, Wolves and Sheffield do not have a better team than us. It is good to see some positive result, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is another false dawn.

 

[Class of 63]

And here We see an exotic creature named the 'RedCafe dividerius' or also known as the 'Fanbase splittus' in it's natural habitat, trying to provoke a group of people who have a different opinion that it doesn't like. All the attempts were put in after a massive win which We should be enjoying rather than making an issue out of.

David Attenborough I presume?

 

[sglowrider]

With the amount we have spent, it would be a crime if we weren’t. The problem is consistency, and lack of proper footballing philosophy/coaching.

As I mentioned before uthe season started, we should be third or even second this season. Leceister, Chelsea, Spurs,Arsenal, Wolves and Sheffield do not have a better team than us. It is good to see some positive result, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is another false dawn.

2nd or 3rd? With that thin squad?

Leicester and Spuds have better start 11 than we have. Who they had on the bench versus Lingard?
I had us at 6th or 7th at the end of the season.

Let's be serious.

 

[Canagel]

Against 10 men

 

[Volumiza]

Go on, admit it.

You miserable lot.

 

[Sassy Colin]

I edited the OP btw