Michael Carrick - Head Coach for the remainder of the season

[Gums]

The question is temperament/personality to cope with the glare.

This is why I think we should keep Carrick and hire the best coaches we can find. Carrick has an unspectacular personality and temperament. No drama.

But we're looking for, as the Germans would say, the Eierlegendewollmilchsau. We're looking for a manager who is a perfect fit for us in every area. We're looking for perfection in everything while we have flaws all over the place. Fix the flaws individually. Bring in the best coaches we can get. Build a team of outstanding coaching ability. Continue growing and improving that coaching team. It is and should be a process.

Looking for a single person and their existing team to be the solution to all of our problems is like buying the best product available instead of building our own custom product based on our needs, wants, and current situation.

 

[philippexyz]

Hiring Carrick as a permanent manager would show that Ineos are totally clueless(and/or unambitious), as much as Glazers are.

It's another Ole situation.

 

[Dominos]

I can safely say he won't be going anywhere if we manage to get CL qualification over the line

There are scenarios.

Imagine we went 0 wins in the final 6 games (in fact, that would make it the final 8 games), but somehow still finished 5th because Chelsea can't buy a win.

It would look genuinely laughable if we gave him the job under those circumstances.

The plan had to be when we brought a championship manager in as interim, only give him the permanent job if he does an exceptional job in terms of both results and performances.

I'm not seeing anything in almost all of these performances that impresses me, the Leeds and 10 man Newcastle games in particular would have even made Amorim feel embarrassed.

If variance of results start to even out over the final games such that his overall points record isn't even particularly impressive by the end of his tenure, he won't even have anything going for him. There's already signs of that happening, we're now 1 win in the last 4.

 

[Jogger Bonitoe]

Hiring Carrick as a permanent manager would show that Ineos are totally clueless(and/or unambitious), as much as Glazers are.

It's another Ole situation.

Some have claimed that it is different, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be history repeating. People have obviously forgotten how well Ole started.

I've debated in this thread (I think) with people who think that he could be the new Pep or Zidane (in the sense that they had little experience also before taking over big clubs). As I said before, the difference is that those two had never been first team managers before, so they were complete unknowns as senior bosses. Carrick has had a job before this, and he didn't do anything spectacular. Expecting him to suddenly turn into a guy that can take a huge club to the league title or a CL win is a bit far fetched for me. Especially as he doesn't seem to have the kind of heft to demand fortunes from the board to strengthen the squad.

Eventually, the new manager bounce wears off. That last performance was pretty poor. Not to say that the team won't bounce back in the coming weeks, but sport is about maintaining success over long periods, not short-lived purple patches.

He deserves to be in contention for the job but there should be a proper process, rather than just giving it to him IMO.

 

[TheRedHearted]

Come on michael, we believe in you. Bring the confidence you had as a player and believe you can bring us over the line

 

[Dion]

Some have claimed that it is different, but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be history repeating. People have obviously forgotten how well Ole started.

It's also wildly insulting to Ole, who changed his tactical approach frequently and wasn't gun shy about changing things up during a match. Carrick is the budget version of Ole.

 

[Rossbach]

I've debated in this thread (I think) with people who think that he could be the new Pep or Zidane (in the sense that they had little experience also before taking over big clubs). As I said before, the difference is that those two had never been first team managers before, so they were complete unknowns as senior bosses.

Luis Enrique failed at Roma, before getting Barca job.

 

[Herschel Krustofsky]

His lack of decision making in the Leeds game exposed his limitations.

His limitations or ours?

I see this thrown around a lot without any genuine alternatives (substitutions for example) being suggested.

Not just at Carrick, but also at previous managers - are they all bad at the same things?

Feels, to me, more likely that the scope for affecting things in game is more constrained by the options available than any given manager.

 

[Jogger Bonitoe]

Luis Enrique failed at Roma, before getting Barca job.

Fair rebuttal, he didn't pull up any trees at Roma or indeed Celta Vigo. But with him, and also with Pep and Zidane, they were taking over clubs that had players like Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar.

Suffice to say, there is no Messi in this Manchester United team. So I'd personally prefer a manager who has shown that he can punch above his weight - to give the club the best chance of winning major silverware. That's the goal, after all. Not just to make the top four or be competitive. Others may disagree.

 

[Garethw]

It’s sentimentality all over again and it’s why I didn’t want an ex player brought in as interim. They get a few good results and fans and pundits start calling for them to be made permanent.

Carrick is no where close to being qualified enough for this job.

If Sam Allardyce had come in and had exactly the same results, would any fan be wanting him permanently? I think we all know the answer and he’s a manager that has achieved far more than Carrick likely ever will.

 

[Pickle85]

It’s sentimentality all over again and it’s why I didn’t want an ex player brought in as interim. They get a few good results and fans and pundits start calling for them to be made permanent.

Carrick is no where close to being qualified enough for this job.

If Sam Allardyce had come in and had exactly the same results, would any fan be wanting him permanently? I think we all know the answer and he’s a manager that has achieved far more than Carrick likely ever will.

I don't necessarily disagree with you that Carrick isn't an ideal option but the bolded doesn't make much sense as a comparison. Allardyce has had an entire career during which his entire body of work has shown he's not a top club manager.

 

[waza7111]

United’s target when Carrick replaced Amorim was to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Carrick is on course to achieve that and, if he does, it’s a big tick in his box. Results so far and his popularity inside and outside the club put him in a very strong position, although Monday provided a reality check.If they secure Champions League qualification, United are expected to finalise a shortlist including Carrick. Many feel there’s no way United can overlook him if he delivers, but questions remain about how well equipped he is for the full-time job with limited experience, juggling domestic and European football, and contributing to the summer transfer market.Top options like Tuchel, Enrique and Ancelotti are largely unavailable. Tuchel has signed a new contract with England, Ancelotti will be at the World Cup, and Enrique is expected to sign a new contract at PSG. The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League.United have completed all background work and are in no rush. As things stand, Carrick is in pole position, but nothing has been decided yet.[
@David_Ornstein
,
@TheAthleticFC
Q&A]

 

[Dubai]

I'm not dead set against him staying if we can't attract an absolutely top tier manager but we should use the 'opportunity' of having a manager who isn't coming in with a massive list of demands to make some decent decisions for the squad development.
Offer him a 1+1 year contract on 20% more than he's making now, value his input but absolutely don't let Carrick dictate our transfer policy or summer moves.

 

[Giggsyking]

Our form the last 5 games regardless of the results have been very poor. I have big doubts about him. We play very rigid football.

 

[Isotope]

This is why I think we should keep Carrick and hire the best coaches we can find. Carrick has an unspectacular personality and temperament. No drama.

But we're looking for, as the Germans would say, the Eierlegendewollmilchsau. We're looking for a manager who is a perfect fit for us in every area. We're looking for perfection in everything while we have flaws all over the place. Fix the flaws individually. Bring in the best coaches we can get. Build a team of outstanding coaching ability. Continue growing and improving that coaching team. It is and should be a process.

Looking for a single person and their existing team to be the solution to all of our problems is like buying the best product available instead of building our own custom product based on our needs, wants, and current situation.

Yeah. Kompany and Arbeloa, two coaches that the Caf would laugh their tits off, if people suggesting their names as managers, were showing one of the best Champions League game ever. Madrid was even a red card away from winning the game.

 

[Someone]

I really wanted to be open minded about it, but this is going exactly how I feared it would. Won't his 1st 4 games and now we have 1 win in the last 4. Performances seem to be regressing, and our level of focus in the last game was shocking.

 

[Godfather]

United’s target when Carrick replaced Amorim was to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Carrick is on course to achieve that and, if he does, it’s a big tick in his box. Results so far and his popularity inside and outside the club put him in a very strong position, although Monday provided a reality check.If they secure Champions League qualification, United are expected to finalise a shortlist including Carrick. Many feel there’s no way United can overlook him if he delivers, but questions remain about how well equipped he is for the full-time job with limited experience, juggling domestic and European football, and contributing to the summer transfer market.Top options like Tuchel, Enrique and Ancelotti are largely unavailable. Tuchel has signed a new contract with England, Ancelotti will be at the World Cup, and Enrique is expected to sign a new contract at PSG. The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League.United have completed all background work and are in no rush. As things stand, Carrick is in pole position, but nothing has been decided yet.[
@David_Ornstein
,
@TheAthleticFC
Q&A]

So Iraola only of we miss out on the CL? Well what's one more season without it I guess...

 

[Reds Under The Bed]

I guess we will know more about what he’s made of after the Chelsea game.

A defeat could see us under real pressure and if we stumble our way into the CL rather than playing decent exciting football then it will absolutely put keeping him on under a lot of scrutiny.

 

[Fahad Jawaid]

Carrick has been very good and credit to him for getting great results and putting us in the comfortable position in terms of Champions league qualification. However, except the City performance all the other matches have been very stodgy and either red cards or certain moments have decided the matches instead of us winning them comfortably.

Few key aspects which are very noticeable in our style of play and clearly shows, Carrick also needs to improve alot, maybe that's the ceiling for Carrick and we need to have a better manager to get us to that level and i am glad these are coming up at this stage instead of us appointing him and then them being apparent next season.

1) Our play out from the back is non-existent, we end up hoofing it long, even against poor sides, we should stamp our authority and try to play and let our technical superiority shine, which we never seem to do even against poor sides. Our chance creation has nosedived significantly.

2) Our style of play seems to be confusing and without any logic, when we have Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad starting, we keep crossing and then stop doing the same when we have a 6'5 giant up top to properly use him.

3) Our width is completely gone since Dorgu got injured, we cram up the middle with Amad and Cunha playing in pockets and this end up allowing the other team to mark us out without any fuss, since there is no width and less space to cover.

4) Our pressing seems to be very poor and uncordinated, its very easy for every side to bypass it and move forward and create chances against us.

5) His decision making in terms of making changes to impact matches is very slow, always delay it by 10 to 15 mins, this changes the momentum, has already cost us against Westham and Leeds.

6) Intensity of our players seem to be very low, and whenever we have a 2nd match in a week, we struggle badly (Westham, Everton and Newcastle) seems to be a coaching issue. On the flip side, 24 days break did not help either, we were clearly undercooked for which blame needs to go to manager, he needs to prepare them better for matches.

 

[USREDEVIL]

Carrick has been very good and credit to him for getting great results and putting us in the comfortable position in terms of Champions league qualification. However, except the City performance all the other matches have been very stodgy and either red cards or certain moments have decided the matches instead of us winning them comfortably.

Few key aspects which are very noticeable in our style of play and clearly shows, Carrick also needs to improve alot, maybe that's the ceiling for Carrick and we need to have a better manager to get us to that level and i am glad these are coming up at this stage instead of us appointing him and then them being apparent next season.

1) Our play out from the back is non-existent, we end up hoofing it long, even against poor sides, we should stamp our authority and try to play and let our technical superiority shine, which we never seem to do even against poor sides. Our chance creation has nosedived significantly.

2) Our style of play seems to be confusing and without any logic, when we have Mbeumo, Cunha and Amad starting, we keep crossing and then stop doing the same when we have a 6'5 giant up top to properly use him.

3) Our width is completely gone since Dorgu got injured, we cram up the middle with Amad and Cunha playing in pockets and this end up allowing the other team to mark us out without any fuss, since there is no width and less space to cover.

4) Our pressing seems to be very poor and uncordinated, its very easy for every side to bypass it and move forward and create chances against us.

5) His decision making in terms of making changes to impact matches is very slow, always delay it by 10 to 15 mins, this changes the momentum, has already cost us against Westham and Leeds.

6) Intensity of our players seem to be very low, and whenever we have a 2nd match in a week, we struggle badly (Westham, Everton and Newcastle) seems to be a coaching issue. On the flip side, 24 days break did not help either, we were clearly undercooked for which blame needs to go to manager, he needs to prepare them better for matches.

TLDR: we are not well coached.

 

[Gazza]

"The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League"

Can someone explain the thinking here? CL qualification could be decided by a single point in either direction, so why are we letting that determine our hiring strategy? It is a shame we don't have a plan that goes beyond "If we're top 4, we're golden"

 

[sp_cgb]

"The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League"

Can someone explain the thinking here? CL qualification could be decided by a single point in either direction, so why are we letting that determine our hiring strategy? It is a shame we don't have a plan that goes beyond "If we're top 4, we're golden"

There is no strategy. There wasn't one when Amorim was here and there isn't one now. That's why Carrick is even considered. It's the easy decision to make, if we end up in the top 5. Actually doing the work and going through all the options and making an informed choice at the end of a thorough process is beyond our executives still.

 

[ron86]

"The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League"

Can someone explain the thinking here? CL qualification could be decided by a single point in either direction, so why are we letting that determine our hiring strategy? It is a shame we don't have a plan that goes beyond "If we're top 4, we're golden"

Just like keeping on ten hag after the fact cup win after a disastrous season

 

[Gazza]

There is no strategy. There wasn't one when Amorim was here and there isn't one now. That's why Carrick is even considered. It's the easy decision to make, if we end up in the top 5. Actually doing the work and going through all the options and making an informed choice at the end of a thorough process is beyond our executives still.

Just like keeping on ten hag after the fact cup win after a disastrous season

I fear you're right. I get the same feeling when I hear we are looking at "Anderson, Baleba or Wharton" for midfield, three very different types of player but apparently we'll take any of them. They can certainly still prove me wrong, but it's hard to escape the feeling that the INEOS team looks bereft of a clue.

 

[peridigm]

I guess we will know more about what he’s made of after the Chelsea game.

A defeat could see us under real pressure and if we stumble our way into the CL rather than playing decent exciting football then it will absolutely put keeping him on under a lot of scrutiny.

The reaction against Chelsea will be interesting. I'm more worried about this group of players putting in a shift than I am Carrick selecting the team.
He's got us to 3rd with a make-shit defense. If we manage to finish the season in 3rd and we can't convince Enrique to come, I'd be happy to give Carrick the job for next season.
If we stumble over the line, I'd pass.

 

[FortunaUtd]

The reaction against Chelsea will be interesting. I'm more worried about this group of players putting in a shift than I am Carrick selecting the team.
He's got us to 3rd with a make-shit defense. If we manage to finish the season in 3rd and we can't convince Enrique to come, I'd be happy to give Carrick the job for next season.
If we stumble over the line, I'd pass.

Of course we can't convince Enrique to come. Who actually thinks that's a realistic scenario, and why would anyone think so?

 

[Teja]

4) Our pressing seems to be very poor and uncordinated, its very easy for every side to bypass it and move forward and create chances against us.

I've been saying this for a while but it's hard to tell if it's personnel or tactics for me.

For one, you need to be brave enough to go man to man and press sides in a lot of games. But that means leaving the likes of Maguire, Martinez exposed without a +1 covering. Fletcher did exactly this and it turned out that our midfield couldn't duel for shit and our defenders were caught in all sorts of situations they didn't really want to defend. If you don't go man to man, sides are good enough to just play around our guys and find the free man.

Amorim's solution was also to keep a +1 at the back but let the free man be found in the wide space and let him run forward with the ball instead of finding the free man in the middle running at our CBs.

Overall, I don't know, I think the pressing could use work but Carrick isn't some stubborn mule here. If his analysts show him evidence that pressing in a certain way works, then he'll go that way.

 

[Reds Under The Bed]

The reaction against Chelsea will be interesting. I'm more worried about this group of players putting in a shift than I am Carrick selecting the team.
He's got us to 3rd with a make-shit defense. If we manage to finish the season in 3rd and we can't convince Enrique to come, I'd be happy to give Carrick the job for next season.
If we stumble over the line, I'd pass.

Yeah agreed completely. Third place and I say he’s earned his shot for sure.

A mini collapse and just about getting over the line will be a massive red flag

 

[croadyman]

It’s sentimentality all over again and it’s why I didn’t want an ex player brought in as interim. They get a few good results and fans and pundits start calling for them to be made permanent.

Carrick is no where close to being qualified enough for this job.

If Sam Allardyce had come in and had exactly the same results, would any fan be wanting him permanently? I think we all know the answer and he’s a manager that has achieved far more than Carrick likely ever will.

Yeah we all knew this lot would bow to sentimentality when it came to picking permanent manager, now you hear it from the don Ornstein it's safe to say the due diligence done is pretty much non existent. I don't blame Michael it's INEOS who need to carry the can for this because they are clueless on management situation.

 

[ManhattanRed]

I think I’ve made my mind up. I don’t think he should get it. This isn’t based on last week’s result, its based on our performances under him. They’ve been, for large parts, bang average. Even when we’ve won some games, we haven’t looked anything special.

Big credit to him for getting some huge results and putting us in a good spot to get CL, its a huge boost for the club. That alone however, is not enough. I haven’t seen enough to think this is the manager that will get us winning titles again.

 

[croadyman]

I think I’ve made my mind up. I don’t think he should get it. This isn’t based on last week’s result, its based on our performances under him. They’ve been, for large parts, bang average. Even when we’ve won some games, we haven’t looked anything special.

Big credit to him for getting some huge results and putting us in a good spot to get CL, its a huge boost for the club. That alone however, is not enough. I haven’t seen enough to think this is the manager that will get us winning titles again.

I agree with you, however it looks a certainty that if we achieve CL qualification then job is his. I want to play in the competition, however have concerns about him managing us permanently. I really wish they had come out and said whatever happens he will be interim until the summer.

 

[roseguy64]

Regarding attacking subs he could have put on Shea Lacey as well. I know there was discussion about him not being used a while back.

There was but he was injured and then also out of the limelight because of personal issues. He's back now though so should be used if the situation calls for it.

 

[Dominos]

United’s target when Carrick replaced Amorim was to qualify for next season’s Champions League. Carrick is on course to achieve that and, if he does, it’s a big tick in his box. Results so far and his popularity inside and outside the club put him in a very strong position, although Monday provided a reality check.If they secure Champions League qualification, United are expected to finalise a shortlist including Carrick. Many feel there’s no way United can overlook him if he delivers, but questions remain about how well equipped he is for the full-time job with limited experience, juggling domestic and European football, and contributing to the summer transfer market.Top options like Tuchel, Enrique and Ancelotti are largely unavailable. Tuchel has signed a new contract with England, Ancelotti will be at the World Cup, and Enrique is expected to sign a new contract at PSG. The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League.United have completed all background work and are in no rush. As things stand, Carrick is in pole position, but nothing has been decided yet.[
@David_Ornstein
,
@TheAthleticFC
Q&A]

My problem with ruling out managers as unavailable, what attempts have we actually made to change their plans? Were we speaking to Tuchel before he extended his England contract and he told us he doesn't want to come here? Because if not, I'm not buying the club's excuse "no one was available" when they've sat on their ass assessing the situation for months while managers are forced to make other plans about their future.

"The club doesn’t see picking Iraola, Glasner or Silva ahead of Carrick - unless they miss out on the Champions League"

Can someone explain the thinking here? CL qualification could be decided by a single point in either direction, so why are we letting that determine our hiring strategy? It is a shame we don't have a plan that goes beyond "If we're top 4, we're golden"

I've said this before. As an example it's not beyond the realm of possibility United could go 3 draws and 3 losses in our final 6 games, and still finish top 5. That would put us 8 games without a win.

How on earth could you give him the job under these circumstances, just because he scraped top 5?

Finishing top 5 (or not) can be dependent on other teams being shit or them hitting some good form, that wouldn't make the job Carrick has done any better or worse.

I fear you're right. I get the same feeling when I hear we are looking at "Anderson, Baleba or Wharton" for midfield, three very different types of player but apparently we'll take any of them. They can certainly still prove me wrong, but it's hard to escape the feeling that the INEOS team looks bereft of a clue.

We need 3 new midfielders to be fair, would make sense we've got a lot of different profiles on the wish list.

 

[El Jefe]

The whole point is what your objective actually is. If your goal is to win trophies, then you need an Amorim/ETH-type manager, not a Carrick/Solskjaer-type.

Teams don’t win trophies (league titles or cups) with managers whose approach is based on minimal tactical structure and relies heavily on giving players freedom. This is especially obvious in cup competitions, where a manager has to make tactical adjustments both before and during a single match. Solskjaer against Villareal compared with Erik against City are good examples for that. One froze, other did his homework with his staff.

Carrick and Solskjaer are the type of managers who can, for a season or two, ride the current strength of the squad and finish roughly where that squad belongs in terms of quality. Sit deep away from home, rely on individual quality at home against weaker sides, and that gets you 5th or 6th place.

Long-term, if you want trophies, you need a tactician, not a motivator.

Spot on. Some might prefer the stability of going for a Ole/Carrick but with our signings and off the pitch decisions improving, I think we are in a better position to show some ambition and risk while being mindful of what made ETH and Amorim unsuited for the job.

 

[Gazza]

My problem with ruling out managers as unavailable, what attempts have we actually made to change their plans? Were we speaking to Tuchel before he extended his England contract and he told us he doesn't want to come here? Because if not, I'm not buying the club's excuse "no one was available" when they've sat on their ass assessing the situation for months while managers are forced to make other plans about their future.



I've said this before. As an example it's not beyond the realm of possibility United could go 3 draws and 3 losses in our final 6 games, and still finish top 5. That would put us 8 games without a win.

How on earth could you give him the job under these circumstances, just because he scraped top 5?

Finishing top 5 (or not) can be dependent on other teams being shit or them hitting some good form, that wouldn't make the job Carrick has done any better or worse.


We need 3 new midfielders to be fair, would make sense we've got a lot of different profiles on the wish list.

Sure but you'd hope for some indication that the midfielders are being chosen with a specific profile or tactical set up in mind. The reports I have read seem to suggest we are looking at adding one of them, and they are all very different players, so I am not optimistic that we actually have a plan in terms of what traits we need to add in midfield, but I am open-minded and I could be proven wrong later in the summer, so let's see!

 

[lex talionis]

The fact that Maguire was suspended and Martinez sent off should have no bearing on the outcome of Leeds match, right? Carrick therefore must not even be considered for the job now that he has lost a home match.

 

[Raoul]

The way I see things playing out is if we finish strongly (as in, play as we did in Carrick's first 5-6 games after taking over), then he will probably get the job. On the other hand if we play has we've played in the preceding 5-7 games, it will scare Berrada and Wilcox into being more risk averse, and they will pursue Enrique and one or two others instead.

 

[Vidooq]

The performances are not convincing.

• West Ham - Equaliser at the death to get a draw
• Spurs - Helped by a red card
• Palace - Red card and a penalty
• Newcastle - Big red flag, loss with a player more, midfield completely dominated
• Leeds - Dominated at home by relegation team for almost an hour
• Fulham - Nearly capitulated with a 2 goal lead

While the results are good, the performances are worrying and they are starting to catch up with the results. And all of this is happening while we have 7 days between games.

I'm not sure what the plan is with these alleged relaxed training sessions, when we start playing 2 games a week?

We need to be looking at better coaches, I'm sorry. Alonso, Fabregas. No time for sentiment. The signs are there.

 

[Bastian]

The way I see things playing out is if we finish strongly (as in, play as we did in Carrick's first 5-6 games after taking over), then he will probably get the job. On the other hand if we play has we've played in the preceding 5-7 games, it will scare Berrada and Wilcox into being more risk averse, and they will pursue Enrique and one or two others instead.

I can't believe this keeps getting talked about (and polled) as if it's something remotely realistic. Enrique is currently managing the best footballing side in the world. He's assembled a midfield no other team comes close to. He's got the best full backs in the world. He's got a DoF he trusts. He has limitless money. And he's reported to be just about to put pen to paper on a long contract making him one of, if not the best paid manager in the world. And he would give that up to join Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada to work on a sell-to-buy budget where the players you have to sell are mostly massively overpaid and hard to flush?

 

[croadyman]

The performances are not convincing.

• West Ham - Equaliser at the death to get a draw
• Spurs - Helped by a red card
• Palace - Red card and a penalty
• Newcastle - Big red flag, loss with a player more, midfield completely dominated
• Leeds - Dominated at home by relegation team for almost an hour
• Fulham - Nearly capitulated with a 2 goal lead

While the results are good, the performances are worrying and they are starting to catch up with the results. And all of this is happening while we have 7 days between games.

I'm not sure what the plan is with these alleged relaxed training sessions, when we start playing 2 games a week?

We need to be looking at better coaches, I'm sorry. Alonso, Fabregas. No time for sentiment. The signs are there.

Yeah the only ruthlessness that INEOS have demonstrated in their time here is with staff members. Very different story indeed when it comes to showing it towards the manager and players. Post perfectly demonstrating that we haven't put in a decent performance under him since Arsenal