In the end, Mourinho's tenure felt like one long journey of doing enough to keep journey going but never really making true progress, with the closing chapter (this season) being a giant clusterfeck from all angles.
In the first season, we were terrible in the league but managed to win two cups. In the second while we played absolutely terrible and disjoint football at times, our results, particularly those in the 1st half of the season ensured a respectable 2nd place finish.
But no matter how much some people put those two seasons across as achievements/successes, they really weren't. Our development of young talent was poor. Our handling of flair players was poor. Our style of play was uninteresting and lacking in personality. Our signings tended to regress. Our cohesion was well behind that of our peers. Our manager picked too many fights for it to be healthy. And essentially we didn't look a team that was going to challenge. Even last season people felt Liverpool were the ones rising up as potential challengers to City's throne. There's a good reason for that and it's a lesson in perspective and judging potential/direction. And for me, that's why Mourinho wasn't up to mark even in the first two years.
And then, in the third, of course, it fell apart.
At the end of the day, Mourinho was a misfit at Manchester United for me. His poisonous personality combined with the dreary football style made him a manager who, for me, was never a true Manchester United manager. His record with young players is terrible and his handling of them at United showed throughout his tenure. His football was always boring for me, but at United his preference for the less pretty side of the game stood out like a sore thumn. And lastly, his behavior - he started out like a fairly well mannered version of himself but eventually true to form displayed the prick that he is. Some of his comments in towards his own players as well as the club (fecking Seville) were pathetic for a Manchester United manager. And finally, the man never took responsibility. For anything. It was always "they didn't do this" "they didn't do that". A man who is clearly waiting for others to fix the problems cannot do them hismelf.
I am glad he's gone. We bit the bullet and went for a manager who doesn't fit with the club ethos, for short term success and it failed. Now it's time to return to our roots and make things right. We need a manager who brings positivity, attacking football, better youth development and is at a good point in his career.
im lost for words
