12 months since Mourinho was sacked and we've arguably gone backwards

[patty123]

Pep already implemented his style of football during the first season. They were just leaking goals thanks to their old defense, but it was obvious with few signings in defense it'll work out eventually.

So after he spent 300 million in defense they are worse than us, really worked out that given they using a mf in there now eh .

Anyway all I see regarding our squad is that it's in a worse place now than it has been during his honeymoon period. Midfield and attack have suffered and we lack options on the bench to change games.

And what did you expect, as even another one of you're heroes klopp took 3 windows before he figured it out, as we were hardly gonna get all we need in one or two windows, but don't let that effect you're way of thinking

 

[Lentwood]

No way have we gone backwards, for the first time in a long time I feel we actually have some kind of platform to build on

Even when it was going well under Jose I felt there wasn’t a huge amount of groundwork being done for the future

People are too focused on short term results. I’d give Ole next season at least

 

[el3mel]

So after he spent 300 million in defense they are worse than us, really worked out that given they using a mf in there now eh .




And what did you expect, as even another one of you're heros klopp took 3 windows before he figured it out as we were hardly gonna get all we need in one or two windows but don't let that effect you're way of thinking

They're 3rd in the league and we're 6th. How do you believe they're worse than us ? Or just because we defeated them it means we're ultimately better ?

The second paragraph I have just replied on and I'm honestly getting tired of this nonsense.

 

[Michael T]

Can you not see the absolute mess this squad was in?

The amount of awful signings three so called ‘better managers’ accumulated on hugely overinflated wages was an absolute disgrace.

Make no mistake that this is the single biggest squad rebuild certainly in our lifetimes. Maybe the biggest ever when you consider how expensive a single player is in the modern day transfer market.

Now compare how our board backed Ole to how Madrid’s board backed Zidane.
The different is Night. And. Day.
With the Lukaku sale our net spend was around £70 million, not nearly enough to bridge the gap in one window.

What none of the Ole-Out brigade are allowing for is that he inherited a side that needed much more surgery than his predecessors. It needed a complete change of direction and ethos.

You have given Ole just one single transfer window to undo all the shocking mismanagement and terrible recruitment that his three predecessors have left us with.

Now ask yourself why were these masterminds of the game given multiple windows and hundreds and hundreds of millions to spend, yet Ole has made the best three post Fergie signings in his first transfer window and you want him out!

He has restored morale, he’s working wonders with teenagers who all seem to flourish under him, but with youth comes inconsistency.

Ole had a mammoth task on his hands, if he manages top four whilst playing the hand he was dealt then I for one back him and appreciate just what an undertaking this was. I wish more posters could look at the bigger picture.

I agree, 100%.

 

[Ramshock]

Here's a hint - our worst ever start to a premier league season. The fewest points we've ever picked up at this stage since the inception of the PL.

Wow what a great hint. You are good at hints.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

We are at least less of a mess than arsenal. Although they have a better attack than us so a good manager might be able to turn them around faster.

 

[RUCK4444]

So the good results are thanks to him and the poor results are thanks to the players ?

No I didn’t say that, you were using what most class as a ‘new manager bounce’ to prove that the team is good enough for top four.

In fact it’s quite the opposite, so far Ole has been afforded next to no credit when we do well...

We beat top sides: ‘ah he’s a one trick pony, only able to use counterattacks’

Fred is a different player under Ole: ‘he’s only doing well because Ole had to give him a run of games’ (nothing to do with coaching of course)

Rashford having his best season, Martial is finally playing as a number 9: ‘Ah that’s just luck, no coaching involved’

Excellent signing in Dan James, has settled instantly and having an excellent debut season for a young lad from the championship: ‘Ah Ole can’t take any credit, Giggs told him to sign him and just luck he’s settled so quickly’

I’ve got more just too tired

 

[Rolaholic]

It's laughable to me to say that we're not better off now than last year,peoples memories seem to be short if they're able to overlook just how bad it had gotten at the end with Jose.

A year ago the atmosphere surrounding the club was as toxic as I've ever seen, it felt like there was a civil war within the fanbase over those who backed and those who had seen enough from Jose and it was bleeding into every discussion with fans at each others throats non stop. There was a big dark cloud hovering over any and all club related happenings.

Unsurprisingly enough,that seems to happen at the end of most of his tenures given how incredibly polarizing a figure he is.

The football was also awful and there didn't seem to be much to look forward to with the type of squad Jose had assembled. Watching matches had become a tedious chore and I can imagine the squad felt the same way playing in the middle of that shitstorm. I rarely got any joy out of watching or reading anything United related at the time.

Now although a lot of the results have been disappointing this season,it's become a lot more palatable because there seems to be a clear vision and identity that Ole has in mind and is building towards when it comes to his decision making on match day and when it comes to personnel/recruitment. It didn't seem like we were building much of anything at the end with Jose and instead felt like we were just biding our time and going through the motions with a loose assortment of players who didn't fit the club.

The squad actually seems capable of playing actual football against most sides now which is a far cry from where we were a year ago and the present young spine of the team bodes well for the future. The fact that his signings have been some of our best and most consistent players has also been reassuring.

It's been refreshing not having to skip over or mute any team related news knowing that it it's gonna be negative 90% of the time as it was last year. I'm not saying Ole has earned nothing but high marks but I'm much more willing to give him a chance to really make his mark at the club as manager after what we've seen over the last 12 months.

It was never going to be an easy rebuild job regardless of the manager as we've all seen and realized over the past 6 years but there have been promising signs that things are trending upwards instead of staying idle as it looked last year.

Letting go of Jose when we did was the correct choice at the time and it stands as the correct choice a year after in my opinion.

 

[ghagua]

Sacking Maureen is never a step backward. It was a pleasure to see him sacked after all that drama. He wanted a big payoff and went about it so he could move onto his next payday.

 

[ash_86]

It's laughable to me to say that we're not better off now than last year,peoples memories seem to be short if they're able to overlook just how bad it had gotten at the end with Jose.

A year ago the atmosphere surrounding the club was as toxic as I've ever seen, it felt like there was a civil war within the fanbase over those who backed and those who had seen enough from Jose and it was bleeding into every discussion with fans at each others throats non stop. There was a big dark cloud hovering over any and all club related happenings.

Unsurprisingly enough,that seems to happen at the end of most of his tenures given how incredibly polarizing a figure he is.

The football was also awful and there didn't seem to be much to look forward to with the type of squad Jose had assembled. Watching matches had become a tedious chore and I can imagine the squad felt the same way playing in the middle of that shitstorm. I rarely got any joy out of watching or reading anything United related at the time.

Now although a lot of the results have been disappointing this season,it's become a lot more palatable because there seems to be a clear vision and identity that Ole has in mind and is building towards when it comes to his decision making on match day and when it comes to personnel/recruitment. It didn't seem like we were building much of anything at the end with Jose and instead felt like we were just biding our time and going through the motions with a loose assortment of players who didn't fit the club.

The squad actually seems capable of playing actual football against most sides now which is a far cry from where we were a year ago and the present young spine of the team bodes well for the future. The fact that his signings have been some of our best and most consistent players has also been reassuring.

It's been refreshing not having to skip over or mute any team related news knowing that it it's gonna be negative 90% of the time as it was last year. I'm not saying Ole has earned nothing but high marks but I'm much more willing to give him a chance to really make his mark at the club as manager after what we've seen over the last 12 months.

It was never going to be an easy rebuild job regardless of the manager as we've all seen and realized over the past 6 years but there have been promising signs that things are trending upwards instead of staying idle as it looked last year.

Letting go of Jose when we did was the correct choice at the time and it stands as the correct choice a year after in my opinion.

Good post!

 

[Sky1981]

The answer will vary depending on our last 2 games.

Prior to spurs city match we're jumping backward, post city spurs match we're leaping forward.

We'll either be turning corners or making 2 steps back.

In other words, we're running on the spot if we want to be brutally honest. We just probably running with a smile on our face.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Here's a hint - our worst ever start to a premier league season. The fewest points we've ever picked up at this stage since the inception of the PL.

Sometimes you have to go back to being the worst before you can be the best. Look at Liverpool. Think of how sweet it will be for them to win their first title in three decades.

Likewise, think about wonderful it will be to see them win a few titles while we languish midtable but then get the chance to knock them off the perch again. Do it the hard way, the United way . If you can't see that, then you're doing football support wrong.

 

[Bobcat]

How can anyone with a straight face say we have gone backwards from last December? Do any of you remember how fecking toxic the air around the club was? Every other day it was some new negative article in the papers and Jose was spewing venom in every interview

Results have been up and down yes, but the squad is in a much healthier state than it was a year ago. Outside of Maguire(26) and Fred(26), pretty much every outfield player is around 24-21 and some of them much younger as well. We constantly field the youngest XI every weekend. These players are inconsistent now, but they have age and time on their side and will only get better

Mata and Matic looks to be on the way out, same with Young. If the Haaland rumors are true, thats another very young player added to the mix.

I get that moaning is kinda addictive, but i prefer to look on the bright side. This team is a very young one and if we keep the same course this group of players will be incredibly good in 2-3 years time

 

[SAFMUTD]

Football wise we are the same, but the toxicity from a year ago has gone. The squad looks happy, even with the underwhelming results, and we look as a squad with players that will only get better with time with AWB, Lindelof, McTomminay, James, Rashford, Martial.

The future looks brighter than a year ago, but the present still is very very dark.

 

[7even]

Ole has taking the club forward as a manager, where he partly fails is as a match day coach getting results against all teams.

As long as we struggle against the bottom half of the table, regularly drop points at home then it’s understandable that he will get criticized and questioned as a long term solution.

We still don’t dominate games at home or against teams with inferior players. He must change this at latest next season. Buying better players is one solution but he also must evolve our style of play to become more dominant and effective.

He’s still raw as a top club manager and coach. In some departments he seems to be as ruthless as Sir Alex, in other areas he’s way to soft and indecisive.

I don’t like his approach in press conferences and some in house interviews. I’m old school and prefer a more authoritarian leadership but I understand that many supporters from the younger generation thinks differently .

I also don’t like his 4231 formation. We shouldn’t approach games as underdogs with two defensive minded midfielders. 433 with one holding mf should be enough against the most teams except City and Liverpool.

His recruitment policy is so far good. The things he can do better is to not hold on to out of date players like Mata and Jones. Terrible decisions. The next two windows will decide his future. He needs to find at least one more player with star qualities. Preferably Sancho or if Haaland turns out to be a huge success.

I’m skeptical that he initially had faith in Pereira. Major blunder and a sign of bad judgment. Hopefully that was a one time off otherwise I’m worried about his ability to difference a flop from a talent.

I’m also not sure about Martial as a striker and Pogba’s long term commitment. Sort that out this summer or move on.

His job are secured until next season but he needs to drastically improve our results if wants to continue long term. We should and must find a way to dominate most of our games. We can’t continue to leak goals on corners, make silly mistakes on a regular basis, look like zombies in our build ups, have lazy movements and a poor passing tempo. That he must improve immediately. Our game against Everton was a testament that we haven’t move forward in these areas.

Another few months at the wheel then we can’t continue to give Ole more soft excuses. Enough talking. Time to deliver! Right?

 

[JohnnyKills]

No way we've gone backwards IMO. The football is miles better than it was under Mourinho and most of the overpaid squad players have gone.

 

[mitchmouse]

Exept we clearly havent.

1 point behind last season, better goal difference, less goals conceded and we're currently on a better run right now than Jose managed last season. Why do you think we've gone backwards?

look who we've lost to... look at the lack of clever tactics... look at the lack of plan b... look at some of individual performances...

 

[Ikon]

No way we've gone backwards IMO. The football is miles better than it was under Mourinho and most of the overpaid squad players have gone.

I guessing that some fans are expecting a "rebuild" to be completed in one transfer window...?
It took SAF 5 years to rebuild a squad with the right mentality and talent, but in my honest opinion, Solskjaer is absolutely doing the right things.

 

[el3mel]

No I didn’t say that, you were using what most class as a ‘new manager bounce’ to prove that the team is good enough for top four.

In fact it’s quite the opposite, so far Ole has been afforded next to no credit when we do well...

We beat top sides: ‘ah he’s a one trick pony, only able to use counterattacks’

Fred is a different player under Ole: ‘he’s only doing well because Ole had to give him a run of games’ (nothing to do with coaching of course)

Rashford having his best season, Martial is finally playing as a number 9: ‘Ah that’s just luck, no coaching involved’

Excellent signing in Dan James, has settled instantly and having an excellent debut season for a young lad from the championship: ‘Ah Ole can’t take any credit, Giggs told him to sign him and just luck he’s settled so quickly’

I’ve got more just too tired

I praised him alot during the honeymoon and even was for hiring him. After every good big match or a good performance I praised him. I wasn't even that mad after Everton game and said for the moment the performance and results have improved so I won't sack him for now. If you want to talk to someone else who doesn't do that it's not my problem. However saying that the squad he inherited was godawful after that same squad got him the job by a great run of results is just changing narrative to suit your opinion, and it just shows that if you blame those who don't give him credit for good performance, then you are doing exactly the same thing, just in the opposite direction : give him credit for any good result then slaughter the squad whenever things go south. No difference here.

 

[Hammondo]

They're 3rd in the league and we're 6th. How do you believe they're worse than us ? Or just because we defeated them it means we're ultimately better ?

The second paragraph I have just replied on and I'm honestly getting tired of this nonsense.

Their defence is worse than ours, they beat us in every other position heavily.

 

[JohnnyKills]

I guessing that some fans are expecting a "rebuild" to be completed in one transfer window...?
It took SAF 5 years to rebuild a squad with the right mentality and talent, but in my honest opinion, Solskjaer is absolutely doing the right things.

Yeah. Whether that's enough to justify giving him the job long-term I don't know - fans are certainly justified in asking that question.

But he's doing everything right in terms of rebuilding the squad and promoting young players IMO.

 

[JohnnyKills]

Ole has taking the club forward as a manager, where he partly fails is as a match day coach getting results against all teams.

Yeah agree with this.

 

[Artorias]

Yeah agree with this.

x2. Give the man time.

 

[RussellWilson]

So you are saying it would be better for us if we didn't win footballmatches ?

In terms of prolonging the inevitable, yes. I believe Ole was on the brink prior to those wins.

 

[lysglimt]

In terms of prolonging the inevitable, yes. I believe Ole was on the brink prior to those wins.

Oh dear

 

[Hughie77]

What is the plan? What is the difference between Jose's style of play and Ole's? Jose at least didn't park the bus against bottom table clubs

Jose lost the respect of the players, Jose lost it at Chelsea as well, Real Madrid, the guy burns bridges were ever he's been since he left Real! There's one difference, oles doesn't park the bus he plays counter attack different to playing a long ball to Fellaini or Lukaku hoping they hold it up, how does he park the so called bus against Bottom table clubs when against these UTD have had more possession than against pool , City, Chelsea, are they bottom clubs!!

He's playing out from the back trying to keep the ball, I think you need to watch learn about the way UTD play .

That is the plan in progress, young players young squad more to come, more improvement, Jose is a great manager that's why he's taken the spurs job, but he will burn his bridges there before his contract runs out. LVG was the same more possesion no end product, resulting in long passes, time will tell if oles going in the right direction. Unless he parks his bus. My oh my.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Jose lost the respect of the players, Jose lost it at Chelsea as well, Real Madrid, the guy burns bridges were ever he's been since he left Real! There's one difference, oles doesn't park the bus he plays counter attack different to playing a long ball to Fellaini or Lukaku hoping they hold it up, how does he park the so called bus against Bottom table clubs when against these UTD have had more possession than against pool , City, Chelsea, are they bottom clubs!!

He's playing out from the back trying to keep the ball, I think you need to watch learn about the way UTD play .

That is the plan in progress, young players young squad more to come, more improvement, Jose is a great manager that's why he's taken the spurs job, but he will burn his bridges there before his contract runs out. LVG was the same more possesion no end product, resulting in long passes, time will tell if oles going in the right direction. Unless he parks his bus. My oh my.

Nah, he is not doing that. He is defensive manager whos plan is to sit back and counter attack.

 

[90 + 5min]

Nah, he is not doing that. He is defensive manager whos plan is to sit back and counter attack.

You realy should go some UEFA coaching classes like some of us has done before even mentioning that Ole is defensive manager. That is why we pretty much have hade more possesion in 70-80% of games we played this season. That is why we pretty much have outshot lot of our opponents this year. But hey, we are defensive team according to you.

 

[RUCK4444]

So you are saying it would be better for us if we didn't win footballmatches ?

In terms of prolonging the inevitable, yes. I believe Ole was on the brink prior to those wins.

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”

 

[Fletchageddon]

No I didn’t say that, you were using what most class as a ‘new manager bounce’ to prove that the team is good enough for top four.

In fact it’s quite the opposite, so far Ole has been afforded next to no credit when we do well...

We beat top sides: ‘ah he’s a one trick pony, only able to use counterattacks’

Fred is a different player under Ole: ‘he’s only doing well because Ole had to give him a run of games’ (nothing to do with coaching of course)

Rashford having his best season, Martial is finally playing as a number 9: ‘Ah that’s just luck, no coaching involved’

Excellent signing in Dan James, has settled instantly and having an excellent debut season for a young lad from the championship: ‘Ah Ole can’t take any credit, Giggs told him to sign him and just luck he’s settled so quickly’

I’ve got more just too tired

Finally someone with their eyes open.

 

[Greck]

Backwards from where? Jose took us backwards by himself in his final season before Ole could do any harm. Ole isn't the right one but he hasn't set us back just yet.

 

[Aresma7]

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”

This is gold. Could not agree more

 

[roonster09]

Happy Jose sacking day

 

[He'sRaldo]

Ole has taking the club forward as a manager, where he partly fails is as a match day coach getting results against all teams.

As long as we struggle against the bottom half of the table, regularly drop points at home then it’s understandable that he will get criticized and questioned as a long term solution.

We still don’t dominate games at home or against teams with inferior players. He must change this at latest next season. Buying better players is one solution but he also must evolve our style of play to become more dominant and effective.

He’s still raw as a top club manager and coach. In some departments he seems to be as ruthless as Sir Alex, in other areas he’s way to soft and indecisive.

I don’t like his approach in press conferences and some in house interviews. I’m old school and prefer a more authoritarian leadership but I understand that many supporters from the younger generation thinks differently .

I also don’t like his 4231 formation. We shouldn’t approach games as underdogs with two defensive minded midfielders. 433 with one holding mf should be enough against the most teams except City and Liverpool.

His recruitment policy is so far good. The things he can do better is to not hold on to out of date players like Mata and Jones. Terrible decisions. The next two windows will decide his future. He needs to find at least one more player with star qualities. Preferably Sancho or if Haaland turns out to be a huge success.

I’m skeptical that he initially had faith in Pereira. Major blunder and a sign of bad judgment. Hopefully that was a one time off otherwise I’m worried about his ability to difference a flop from a talent.

I’m also not sure about Martial as a striker and Pogba’s long term commitment. Sort that out this summer or move on.

His job are secured until next season but he needs to drastically improve our results if wants to continue long term. We should and must find a way to dominate most of our games. We can’t continue to leak goals on corners, make silly mistakes on a regular basis, look like zombies in our build ups, have lazy movements and a poor passing tempo. That he must improve immediately. Our game against Everton was a testament that we haven’t move forward in these areas.

Another few months at the wheel then we can’t continue to give Ole more soft excuses. Enough talking. Time to deliver! Right?

Great post, with no bias either way.

 

[SteveW]

Backwards?

We're building. Surely anyone with half a brain can see that.

 

[Eleven-Eighteen]

Wow what a great hint. You are good at hints.

 

[Andrew Richmond]

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”

Very clever and for the most part pretty accurate.

 

[Volumiza]

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”

 

[Bilbo]

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”

Excellent

 

[tenpoless]

In the voice of David Attenborough:

“And here we have the latest species of football fan, muttering away in its natural habitat, the online football forum...
Waiting until it’s prey is at its weakest it strikes with its acid tongue...
It’s diet consists of negativity and senseless, knee jerk football opinions... A lazy opinionated creature it contributes nothing to the good of the colony...
Being closely related to the Dung Beatle it likes to peddle bullshit around it’s environment, it uses this as a method to garner attention...
Blending in perfectly with the anonymity of its online habitat it slowly skulks away to await its next opportunity”