Don't fall for the hook guys. No point in discussing what had happened in the past. Right now i think the club is going in the right direction and i could see a majority of the fans alluding to that fact. We're putting in the youngest starting 11 in the PL and still giving some very good performance. The deadwoods are either getting sold or nowhere near first team. Enjoy the moment and support the club and the Ole.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion
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Have you ever played FIFA manager mode, mate?
Aye, that's the attitude I want from a United manager. Don't get CB, sabotage our season and run away with a big payment.
Jesus wept.
Martial was inconsistent because of the way Jose played him (Or didn't play him). Jose strop/ego time.
Give ONE piece of proof that says those players were purely commercial buys and Jose didn't want one of the best midfield players in the world.
Name the 20 Liverpool players.
I agree this person seems not only not to understand what's happening at the club at the moment, but also not to understand the damage of then bringing in someone else new at this point and how it would undermine the work being done. It's all knee-jerk stuff, while also assuming people are simply interchangeable parts and paying no attention to things like squad unity, building a team, etc.
So wanting to see Ole given time means one is a Glazer puppet? You seem smart and worth discussing with.9 quotes to that postbloody hell the Glazer puppets are all out.
Rememeber unlike city who their owners pumped 1 billion of their own money into the club, all of ours that the Glazers "give us" is all the clubs own money , generated by the club, it is not coming from the owners pockets.
So them "backing" us is not really correct, when its all the clubs money to begin with.
My concern didn't start with this season. It's been there since his appointment
But the progression is apparent though. I'm not sure how you can be worried when you look at the start we've made to this season especially when you consider how we ended the season. Even last season, you could see what Ole was trying to implement. We pretty much started most of our games well during that period but ran out of steam by the second half which allowed the other teams to pounce (Huddersfield, Cardiff, Wolves are perfect examples of this). If that was us last season, we'd have been easily dealt with on Monday, no doubts about it.
Also, re the subs being brought on late; I'd say we were looking in the ascendancy and he held off because he felt a goal was coming. We then had the penalty, and once it was missed Mata was brought on soon after. Greenwood maybe could have done with more minutes, but who would you have taken him off for? Rashford was doing well, Martial was occupying the CBs on his own, and James was performing a tactical role which wasn't suited to Mason. The other alternatives on the bench were non-existent.
Also, if there's one manager who knows how much time a striker needs to make an impact off the bench, you'd think it would be this one
I am worried about how thin the squad is and the ability of our coaching to get the best out of most of the squad because that's what it will come down to. 2 games mean nothing so far even if the results are encouraging at least.But the progression is apparent though. I'm not sure how you can be worried when you look at the start we've made to this season especially when you consider how we ended the season. Even last season, you could see what Ole was trying to implement. We pretty much started most of our games well during that period but ran out of steam by the second half which allowed the other teams to pounce (Huddersfield, Cardiff, Wolves are perfect examples of this). If that was us last season, we'd have been easily dealt with on Monday, no doubts about it.
Also, re the subs being brought on late; I'd say we were looking in the ascendancy and he held off because he felt a goal was coming. We then had the penalty, and once it was missed Mata was brought on soon after. Greenwood maybe could have done with more minutes, but who would you have taken him off for? Rashford was doing well, Martial was occupying the CBs on his own, and James was performing a tactical role which wasn't suited to Mason. The other alternatives on the bench were non-existent.
Also, if there's one manager who knows how much time a striker needs to make an impact off the bench, you'd think it would be this one
We'll see what Ole and his team are made of when we'll have injuries/suspensions/big players are burned out. This is when real real tactical nous will be displayed or not.
When I see how we are choosing pen takers, who takes our corner kicks, who takes our free kicks and how they are taken, I must say, I am puzzled. Those are easy corrections that no one seem to wanna make.
This is actually a genuine worry. Hopefully lady luck shines on us and we don't have any major injuries. I think since sir alex retired we rarely had a stable starting 11 and I can see Ole having one but for that to materialize out main squad needs to stay injury free. This is why I think the board did not back Ole completely. We just added 3 players which is poor. By the looks of it we might add some this January especially if we sell Sanchez, Rojo and Darmian in the next 10 days.
Now this I actually do agree with - but then again I hope United never becomes one of those plastic fantastic cash-doped enterprises who's main purpose is to further it's obnoxiously rich patron's bragging rights during upper-class dinner parties. I hope and pray we'll always coast along on our own success - relying on nothing else - rather than end up yet another penis-extension for some self-indulgent bigwig of whom we are completely dependent
I believe most people worry about the depth of our squad - Solskjær included. Which is why most people - Ole as well - agree that instant domination is out of our reach. It's one of those situations that are hopefully temporary and falls under the "what cannot be helped must be endured" category - and as long as we see the team progressing neatly in terms of performances, entertainment-value and positivity - the way we're seeing at present - I feel it's well worth enduring.
This season won't be perfect though - I seriously doubt that - but it'll end up establishing a good foundation to build on of that I'm quite certain.
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I would rather have a thin squad whilst getting rid of Sanchez, Darmian, Rojo, Lukaku than have them all sat on the bench for squad depth not buying into the Ole way.
If we can have a settled 8 players, add 2/3 more. I think we need to also stop giving certain players time thinking they will come good.
I.E Fred, Lingard, Perreira
Think Wolves away was a step in the right direction. We enjoyed a lot of possession which allowed us the press quite well for the majority of the game. Wolves are not a team that seeks more possession, there will be more serious tests regarding our press resistance and defensive stability. Another thing that is too early tocall whether the new pressing style will have negative effects later into the season. The squad seem a bit thin, will it be able to cope with high physical demands?
Anyway, the performance was encouraging, more so than Chelsea at home where luck was definitely a serious factor.
Anyway, the performance was encouraging, more so than Chelsea at home where luck was definitely a serious factor.
That's all I'm hoping to see in the next few months.Now this I actually do agree with - but then again I hope United never becomes one of those plastic fantastic cash-doped enterprises who's main purpose is to further it's obnoxiously rich patron's bragging rights during upper-class dinner parties. I hope and pray we'll always coast along on our own success - relying on nothing else - rather than end up yet another penis-extension for some self-indulgent bigwig of whom we are completely dependent
I believe most people worry about the depth of our squad - Solskjær included. Which is why most people - Ole as well - agree that instant domination is out of our reach. It's one of those situations that are hopefully temporary and falls under the "what cannot be helped must be endured" category - and as long as we see the team progressing neatly in terms of performances, entertainment-value and positivity - the way we're seeing at present - I feel it's well worth enduring.
This season won't be perfect though - I seriously doubt that - but it'll end up establishing a good foundation to build on of that I'm quite certain.
If you can keep more possession and press from a higher position, you actually end up running less.
In the first half in particular we were doing 10 yard sprints at the most and winning it back by the half way line. Compare this to last year under Jose and we'd be running from the oppositions box to our own at full speed. Then we'd be sat back trying to contain them and chasing the ball.
I'd much rather be doing regular 10 yard acceleration sprints than a 40 yard top speed run!
I think this is often why City/Liverpool always seem fresher towards the end of matches also. No coincidence that the teams who dominate the ball end up being less tired.
Adding Maguire and AWB has really helped in this regard, and James really impressed me with his chasing back especially. Caught the opposition cold a few times.
Jose lost a plot, in third season we played awful awful football and he deserved to be fired. But general opinion here how everything during his reign was shit, how he is guilty for everything and attacking posters who point on good things as his fanboys is huge overreaction. He won 2 trophies. Winning EL IS success. And in some things he was right like that everything starts from strong defence.
But story here is that he was worst thing that happened to us in our history. I can't understand it.
That's fair enough, but Mourinho still spent more money than all the other managers in the PL bar Guardiola.
Ole's been dealt a bad hand. Nobody currently, and I mean nobody, would be able to handle such a small squad which is lacking quality all across the park. It's a bit harsh to bash him for it. Your ire should be on Woodward not getting the replacement striker Ole wanted if Lukaku was sold, or a midfielder when Herrera was let go.
Ole can only do so much in those instances. However, rather than complain, he's simply got on with the job. I'd rather have a positive manager in these situations than the opposite. We'll see how we get on towards the end of the season, but I will say this: We're already 3 points up on the corresponding fixtures from last season and we're up against an Arsenal who haven't really fixed their issues at the back, and an impotent Chelsea without the one player who made them semi-respectable since 2015.
The choice of pen takers is such a minor thing, which has been snowballed because of Neville's hysterics. Guaranteed nothing would have been said if it was scored, and even during the game; did you see any hint of an argument or discord among the players when Pogba went up to take it? If not, then how is that a negative? If anything, in this era of increased analytics and scrutiny having multiple penalty takers is a positive as it would throw the keeper's plan out the window. Having the manager choose such things is also increasingly irrelevant. Look at Pep, he didn't even bother to choose City's new captain, he let the players decide. Is that a worrying sign for City also?
This is the first I've heard of free kick takers being an issue, tbh. Rashford has been our designated FK taker for the last few seasons. Ronaldo has been even worse at them for at least the last 5 years, but he still takes them every time they come up for Juve, Portugal, and Madrid. When the free kicks have been indirect, the ball has been going towards the back post more often than not, towards Maguire. Again, I don't see much wrong with the tactic of putting the ball in towards the best header of the ball at the club, and a 6'5 CB.
Corner kicks, again; I've not heard anyone say a word on these until this post. Pereira and Mata have been the designated set piece takers when on the field.
It may sound weird but the truth is he has been the most successful manager till now we have had since sir alex retired. One may not like Jose but that remains the truth.
Nooo don't go there
I don't care about Neville. I've always believed there should be a striker n°1, followed by a n°2, not an alternating routine.Regarding, I've always had issues with it for years, like since David Beckham left us for Real Madrid. The thing is our team was good enough to need worry much about the quality of set pieces but since our football has gone to shit with SAF's retirement, neglecting it by having weird combos with shit takers, pisses me off so much.
I'll happily sing his praises if I feel like the team has played a coherent brand of football in a few months but so far there are have been as many causes for concern OGS for me.
ps:Starting fecking Lingard so much is also something I just don't understand. Basically playing with 10 men out there.
erm... Poch done it.
Small squad yes but Spurs have better quality than ours or at least more stable squad than ours.
Spurs appear to have better quality because the manager improved the players.
If you compare the first team:
GK - De Gea
RB - AWB
CB - Toby
CB - Maguire
LB - Rose
CM - Ndombole
CM - Pogba
RW - Son
CAM - Erikson
LW - Rashford
ST - Kane
If you were to chose positions, it seems pretty even to me?
Really? He had the following: Top 3 GK in the league; two Top 5 CBs in Vertonghen and Toby; Best/second-best creative CM in Eriksen; Best young AM in the league in Alli; Top 5 Wide Forward in the league in Son; and the best striker in the league in Harry Kane.
Compare that to us, and it's not even close. Yes, the squad was thin, but they had quality throughout. We, on the other hand, now have a good defence and a promising if unproven attack and a piss poor midfield.
Like I said, not even close.
What have we said about drinking diesel fuel Before breakfast ?9 quotes to that post
Most of Ole’s wins came with the new manager bounce, helped by playing a lot of shit teams, and a few good teams that were out of form, a squad as soft at this one got a few wins in a row and got a bit of momentum, adrenaline to carry it on, rather than winning being 2nd nature. After that bounce was over, it was 2 wins in 12 games, how anyone defends that is beyond me. He is also a Glazer puppet in the market which is worse than the 2 wins in 12. Mourinho fought against them and Ed
We're not talking about when these players improved though. We're comparing what Poch had last season (when he wasn't supported by his board) to what Ole now has (when he has also not been supported, though not quite to the same extent, as some holes were fixed at least).
At that point in time, all of the players that I listed had proven themselves for at least the two seasons prior.
I wonder what will prove to be the better signings - Mourinhos £400 million-boys or OGS spending £150 million on James, AWB or Maguire. I have to think about that for a while… it could be a tough one!
Haha, ok no Neville.Nooo don't go there
Regarding, I've always had issues with it for years, like since David Beckham left us for Real Madrid. The thing is our team was good enough to need worry much about the quality of set pieces but since our football has gone to shit with SAF's retirement, neglecting it by having weird combos with shit takers, pisses me off so much.
I'll happily sing his praises if I feel like the team has played a coherent brand of football in a few months but so far there are have been as many causes for concern OGS for me.
ps:Starting fecking Lingard so much is also something I just don't understand. Basically playing with 10 men out there.
That's fine and a perfectly reasonable position to take, but the modern game is changing and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes more common that we have multiple PK takers in the game. It's certainly one way to gain an advantage over the GK.
Beckham is one of the GOATs when it comes to set pieces though, I don't think anyone will see someone like that for a while. The teams who have good set pieces are the teams whose games are predominantly focused on them because they can't play football to the same degree as the best. The likes of Burnley, etc. And tbh I think OT doesn't help with our steep inclines at the corners.
Yeah, like I said, we'll see how we get on, but there are definite causes for optimism at my end. It's early days, granted, but there is a lot more to this team than the one last season. We will get better as well, Martial and Rashford are still developing their interplay between themselves, and I think Fred will have a big part to play come the business end of the season, as well as the likes of Gomes and Greenwood breaking through.
Lingard is average, I agree, but the TV watchers don't really pick up on what he brings off the ball. His movement is relentless and he opens up the space for the attackers. Look at Martial's goal on Monday for an example. Even if he isn't the 10, he'll be in the team more often than not because he provides a balance to it that no one else really gives.
Klopp spent more.( if we talk only about spending and not about net spend)
Thinking back, Jose wasted a metric fecktonne. Proof more than anything else, that he lost it IMO. Prime Jose was always considered and measured in the market, at all levels. This Jose, well...
Silent domination type of footballer then ? Not my cup of tea, he can do all of that and be much more productive.
It's not so much silent domination but that he's doing a specific role for the team that will often go unnoticed
Sorry but I ain't buying that, I mean Ole sees it that way and as long as Lingard performs the way he wants him then I suppose he'll keep playing, I just don't see it with him. He wouldn't play for any other self respecting "big team" in Europe.
What does 'backing Mourinho' have to do with anything? He's gone, forget about him.
I wasn't that anti Mourinho myself but it seems there is still lots of delusion from fans like you that these players (which everyone would agree isn't the finest squad we've ever had) should be winning every single game no matter how difficult the opposition.
If you want to talk about CVs go check some of SAFs best seasons, even in title winning years we'd only win 10-13 away games. Every single year we'd fail to beat far worse teams than Wolves and with far better teams than what we have now.
At least with this team, we are able to pinpoint the needed improvement. And with better players, it’s almost guaranteed the team will function better. The model and vision are clear. Problems are identified, and solutions are known.
Under Mou though, feck knows what the problems and solutions. Or maybe we fans are not smart enough to understand him.
Under Mou though, feck knows what the problems and solutions. Or maybe we fans are not smart enough to understand him.
Are there people out there who really think hes going to build a title contending team?
If we have a better season this year, make the right signings, get rid of the dead wood I see us challenging in 3 years time.
Hopefully Pep and Klopp have gone by then also
Worrying is probably too big a word. But it's a worthy question when a player who is not a great penalty taker is allowed to continue to take them. I really don't see how a decision like that, which is simply about who is better at something, compares with being a captain which is just a symnolic thing.
I really don't see how the keeper is relevant here. A keeper can prepare for more than one penalty taker, and probably would not have focused only on Rashford solely on last week's penalty. Also, a good penalty taker would vary his shots.
I don't think he'll build a team that can rival City/Liverpool, however I do believe he's going to build a good foundation for success. We have young, talented squad with players that want to play for United (Pogba aside) and are playing to their strengths. We're about 3 players from becoming a complete team (2 CMs, 1 RW), which I believe will be sorted in the next 2 windows. Though that will change if Pogba leaves.
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