Mourinho says it will be difficult to catch City next season

[Skills]

I have called him great man for a reason. He didn't win every single trophy he went in for if you haven't noticed.

Are you fecking kidding me? Do you remember the amount Mourinho spent in his first Chelsea tenure? It was unprecedented, was Fergie moaning like a little bitch like Mourinho and his fans are now?

Yes he did. I am not disputing that. I just think those teams understood about United and had that mentality. I am not sure some of these players are like that. SAF bought and produced warriors. Some of this lot are a bit precious. There again would he have signed some of these players?

He had fecking Ronaldo, who was being a primadonna before the rest of the world caught up

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

Sorry but trying to use SAF as a defense for Mourinho is just pathetic. With this squad he'd be dominating the PL and probably winning another CL or two as well. It's the best squad we've had since the last time he won it.

 

[Massive Spanner]

And like I said prior you’d end up twisting.

Anyways I’m done with you. Clearly you think Pep outspending José with the difference being equivalent to more than the average United summer window isn’t a big deal (he’s spent an extra window compared to United) And the fact he inherited more exceptional players. Martial hype is amazing. Replace his name with Depay and there isn’t much of a difference. Young, hype, flashes, no consistency and not up to United level. But hey I bet you think Pep could have figured out Depay too...when multiple managers see the same problems in a player, it’s the player at fault and not the managers /Martial’s case. But go ahead and make it out to be as if he were the next Messi.

you're the one bringing Depay into it, where did that come from? and trying to compare him with Martial? Jesus wept, just go away, you clearly can't support your "facts" (if we could even call them that) and just make up new shit every time then to try and swindle your argument.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

SAF had plenty of precious players he had to work with and he usually always got the best out of any player he had regardless of what they were like as individuals.

Sorry but trying to use SAF as a defense for Mourinho is just pathetic. With this squad he'd be dominating the PL and probably winning another CL or two as well. It's the best squad we've had since the last time he won it.

it is comical how so many posters go back to our "weak" squad or whatever, like we're the only team in the modern game with players obsessed with money and glamour. it's a load of tosh. A great manager should be able to handle those players regardless of what they're like, and nobody could do that like SAF.

I am not particularly defending Jose as I think we are boring as feck, hate watching us and I think we should have done a lot better this season.

 

[Massive Spanner]

I am not particularly defending Jose as I think we are boring as feck, hate watching us and I think we should have done a lot better this season.

Well I won't disagree on that.

 

[dove]

@Massive Spanner You should just take a break man.

 

[Sky1981]

Can you catch a team that this year finishes 16 pts ahead of you?

Easy
Absolutely
Eboue

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I don't think Guardiola's abilities are doubted, he defined roles that suited his players which improved their performances and consistency enough to make the team far better, but when you look at their players individually they aren't a lot better. It's only a feeling so you can't put too much stock into it but I feel that we don't have a team spirit, I don't see our players play in roles that serves the team, I don't see them play for each others. Individually they are no worse than City's players but collectively it's night and day.

We look like a bad version of the Galacticos.

That is why Jose really needs to have a good look at himself over the summer and build an actual team. I agree we are just signing who is available, the ones the other big teams haven't hoovered up, if they are actually required or add anything whatsoever to the team. I am hoping for a change in our signing this summer. I have said for ages we are signing players who look good in publicity shoots rather than on the pitch.

 

[Massive Spanner]

@Massive Spanner You should just take a break man.

Why? Arguing on an internet forum is a great way to relax on a Sunday morning.

 

[Ban]

Are you fecking kidding me? Do you remember the amount Mourinho spent in his first Chelsea tenure? It was unprecedented, was Fergie moaning like a little bitch like Mourinho and his fans are now?



He had fecking Ronaldo, who was being a primadonna before the rest of the world caught up

Who's moaning like a little bitch? Exaggerating much?

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

you're the one bringing Depay into it, where did that come from? and trying to compare him with Martial? Jesus wept, just go away, you clearly can't support your "facts" (if we could even call them that) and just make up new shit every time then to try and swindle your argument.

 

[Donnie Brasco]

You shouldn't bother anymore. Fergie had better squads than this current one and his highest points tally in the PL was 92 points but now all of a sudden with a worse team he would of gotten us over 100 points and win us the CL... You couldn't make it up...

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

Can you catch a team that this year finishes 16 pts ahead of you?

Easy
Absolutely
Eboue

‘ iF It WeRe PeP hE wOuLd

iTs AlL jOsÉ fAuLt !¡! ’

 

[Massive Spanner]

ah bless, ran out of arguments so just posting smileys now.

You shouldn't bother anymore. Fergie had better squads then this and his highest points tally in the PL was 92 points but now all of a sudden with a worse team he would of gotten us over 100 points and win us the CL... You couldn't make it up...

I mean, technically he did stop bothering, or gave up, because he just posted some smileys.

And I never said the last part, I never said he'd have won it this season, I said he'd have, at some point or another, won the league with this squad.

Go back to our 10/11 and 12/13 squads and tell me they're better than this one. If you think they are you're really underrating our squad just to defend Mourinho.

 

[Siorac]

I've seen 'Conte only won the league with Chelsea because Mourinho left him a title winning squad' on here before now. Nothing surprises me anymore.

And someone did, in all seriousness, claim that the squad Klopp had inherited was no worse than what Mourinho had.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Firstly, I never said Smalling was shit. Stop putting words into my mouth. There is clearly levels to this football thing, and he obviously is tiers below the best. If you cannot understand that, and that you can say the same for the entire backline, I don't know what to tell you. You seem blinded by the stats of how many we have conceded. Like I said, the team as a whole contribute to the defensive side of the game, how much does our defence contribute to our build up, transitions and delivery? Very little.

Who said he does not have faith in Bailly and Lindelof? They have good games, have bad games, like any player. They don't have to play every week and there is nothing wrong with playing Smalling if he is on form. Can we win the league with this defence? No. Go and look at City's defence last year and what happened to it.

The squad was shocking. I am not doing this again. If you want to believe that players like Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger, Depay, Rooney, Darmian etc aren't shocking for a Man United squad, you're deluded.

What the heck do our central defenders have to do with it transitions? Mourinho loves himself a deep block defence, not once in the last two years I have seen him instruct his defenders to bring the ball out from the back like LvG did or make a pass from the defence during a counter, it's always been hoof it in the general direction of Ibra or Lukaku and don't tell me we don't have defenders capable of bringing the ball out from the back, Smalling did it well under LvG.

 

[sunama]

Getting his excuses in early I see. It should be very, very easy.

I wouldn't say that it is an excuse.
You can bet that if he does not win the title in his 3rd season, it'll hurt him on a personal level.
Jose is all about "Jose" and he wants to do well, for himself.
He'll do whatever it takes to get the players he needs to beat MCFC and finally win the title for himself (and of secondarily, with MUFC, which suits me fine).

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

You shouldn't bother anymore. Fergie had better squads than this current one and his highest points tally in the PL was 92 points but now all of a sudden with a worse team he would of gotten us over 100 points and win us the CL... You couldn't make it up...

Yea think he’s made his point to be the class clown of the thread. Won’t respond back to him anymore.

Though I bet he thinks SAF’s old flipphone is more advanced than Pep’s smart phone! Hehehe

 

[nonso]

So much for instilling winning mentality in our squad..

 

[JPRouve]

And someone did, in all seriousness, claim that the squad Klopp had inherited was no worse than what Mourinho had.

Ironically, it makes LVG look really good.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Yea think he’s made his point to be the class clown of the thread. Won’t respond back to him anymore.

Though I bet he thinks SAF’s old flipphone is more advanced than Pep’s smart phone! Hehehe

Definitely.

‘ iF It WeRe PeP hE wOuLd

iTs AlL jOsÉ fAuLt !¡! ’

 

[Marcky411]

The excuses are out early now. He needs to win it next season, I don't think the quality in the squads is as bad as it is made to be by his fanboys, just need to get the best out of them, which he has pathetically failed at.

Fully agree.
We can point to the players he has brought in as quality but he isn't getting their top game out of them and in actual fact besides Bailly and Lindelof have overpaid for what we were getting. Jose is trying to curb the expectations and at the same time has put the ball in Ed Woodward and the board's court.
I keep hearing how crap our team is and how below par all most of the squad is and should be moved on (often players that aren't getting any game time anyway) but I do not believe they are as bad as he and many fans like to make them out to be. We have seen examples against the top 6 this season, that given a bit of freedom to attack, while being cautious for the counter we can go toe to toe with the best and even beat them on their soil.
As I say the ball is now Ed Woodward's court if he doesn't get Jose his desired (finished article players) in the transfer it is not his fault that Utd won't challenge for the league but like we have seen so many times in the past 2 years it is never Jose's fault.
This is Jose's loose - loose season and he knows it. Not putting in a decent challenge for the League (over by the first week December) and not going further in the CL is failure and regression. Second place very close to City could be considered progress and maybe a quarter or semi final in CL but anything less is failure as he was brought in to win the big prizes and the FA cup and League Cup will not suffice.

 

[sunama]

I can't help but compare to SAF when Abramovich and Jose himself rocked up to Chelsea. The huge spending power they had, and yet SAF just went on with his business and concentrated on how to topple them.

Jose needs to forget Pep and get the best out of our players, whilst using the resources available to him wisely.

It was a long time ago and memory is hazy.
But did SAF lose the title to Jose for both seasons that Jose was with CFC? He only won the title in Jose's 3rd season, when Jose got fired. SAF never beat Jose in a title race, when Jose completed the season.
Correct me if I am wrong about this.

IF, I am correct about the above, then we cannot wait for Pep to leave MCFC, before winning the title again. We need to win the title, while Pep is still at MCFC.

EDIT:

you are wrong, Jose got fired at the beginning of the following season.

Yep. I just checked SAF did beat Jose in Jose's final full season.
The point still stands though, we need to make things happen and can't wait for MCFC to suffer a drop in form. We need to push hard for the title, IMO. The title is the next stage of our progression under Jose.

 

[Ban]

SAF had plenty of precious players he had to work with and he usually always got the best out of any player he had regardless of what they were like as individuals.

Sorry but trying to use SAF as a defense for Mourinho is just pathetic. With this squad he'd be dominating the PL and probably winning another CL or two as well. It's the best squad we've had since the last time he won it.

it is comical how so many posters go back to our "weak" squad or whatever, like we're the only team in the modern game with players obsessed with money and glamour. it's a load of tosh. A great manager should be able to handle those players regardless of what they're like, and nobody could do that like SAF.

He'd win the league but I doubt he'd win the CL, let alone 2. This squad we have now is good but it's still unbalanced.

 

[Donnie Brasco]

ah bless, ran out of arguments so just posting smileys now.

I mean, technically he did stop bothering, or gave up, because he just posted some smileys.

And I never said the last part, I never said he'd have won it this season, I said he'd have, at some point or another, won the league with this squad.

Go back to our 10/11 and 12/13 squads and tell me they're better than this one. If you think they are you're really underrating our squad just to defend Mourinho.

Please tell me at what point did Fergie come up against potentially 2-3 elite managers in one season of the PL. He went up against Jose in his first seasons and didn't win anything.
Ancelotti arrived and won the double in his first season. No need to rewrite history regarding Fergie and his time here. He eventually overcame all managers but with time and patience, something you wont give our current manager.

 

[Siorac]

Go ahead, tell us the plan then / give us the blueprints if it’s so easy.


Fact of the matter is, City have a much better side than us and will match every dollar United spend with 1.5 dollars of their own.

...José is just stating the reality of the situation. People getting all butthurt or trying to put JM at fault don’t have a clue. He and United were at a disadvantage to begin with and will be the next few years; it’s going to be an uphill battle without a doubt.

But if that's the case, if we're already resigning ourselves to City dominating because they have a better squad and more money then José Mourinho is probably the worst possible choice as a manager, after the likes of David Moyes. He can't get this team to be more than the sum of its parts - he can barely even get it to be the sum of its parts - and he can't outspend his main rival. The best chequebook manager has the biggest chequebook in the league so then what's the point of sticking with the utterly dreary, unwatchable football of the second best chequebook manager? Are we just going to wait until Guardiola fecks off and hope that City royally screw up their next managerial appointment so we can win the league by default? That's not a terrible plan, don't get me wrong, but then let's get a manager with whom we can actually enjoy the football while we're waiting for City's implosion.

If we've given up on competing with City then there's literally no point in keeping Mourinho. None whatsoever.

 

[Massive Spanner]

It was a long time ago and memory is hazy.
But did SAF lose the title to Jose for both seasons that Jose was with CFC? He only won the title in Jose's 3rd season, when Jose got fired. SAF never beat Jose in a title race, when Jose completed the season.
Correct me if I am wrong about this.

IF, I am correct about the above, then we cannot wait for Pep to leave MCFC, before winning the title again. We need to win the title, while Pep is still at MCFC.

you are wrong, Jose got fired at the beginning of the following season.

 

[Ban]

Please tell me at what point did Fergie come up against potentially 2-3 elite managers in one season of the PL. He went up against Jose in his first seasons and didn't win anything.
Ancelotti arrived and won the double in his first season. No need to rewrite history regarding Fergie and his time here. He eventually overcame all managers but with time and patience, something you wont give our current manager.

Good post. Some are underrating our squad to defend Jose but on the other hand some are overrating Fergie a bit to have a pop at Jose.

 

[sunama]

I agree, but Jose has to get this transfer window right. No excuses for not getting high performing full backs and a RW in.

My understanding is that Young and Shaw will both be staying. I think I read this somewhere a few days ago.
And given that Valencia is the captain, is Jose going to replace him so readily?
If this is the case, then we could be in for another frustrating season, in terms of lack of width.

 

[El Zoido]

Is this what it’s going to be like for the rest of my life, as a United fan. In 2043: “Fergie would have won the treble with this squad.”

 

[Ban]

But if that's the case, if we're already resigning ourselves to City dominating because they have a better squad and more money then José Mourinho is probably the worst possible choice as a manager, after the likes of David Moyes. He can't get this team to be more than the sum of its parts - he can barely even get it to be the sum of its parts - and he can't outspend his main rival. The best chequebook manager has the biggest chequebook in the league so then what's the point of sticking with the utterly dreary, unwatchable football of the second best chequebook manager? Are we just going to wait until Guardiola fecks off and hope that City royally screw up their next managerial appointment so we can win the league by default? That's not a terrible plan, don't get me wrong, but then let's get a manager with whom we can actually enjoy the football while we're waiting for City's implosion.

If we've given up on competing with City then there's literally no point in keeping Mourinho. None whatsoever.

Who's giving up? Nobody is giving up ffs.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Please tell me at what point did Fergie come up against potentially 2-3 elite managers in one season of the PL. He went up against Jose in his first seasons and didn't win anything.
Ancelotti arrived and won the double in his first season. No need to rewrite history regarding Fergie and his time here. He eventually overcame all managers but with time and patience, something you wont give our current manager.

And then the following season he beat him to the title and won it another two years after that.

I never said I won't give Jose time? I already said numerous times in here he's done enough to get a third season. I haven't said he's done a bad job, or should be sacked, not once. It seems just by me saying he hasn't done as well as some posters seem to think or that he should be doing better, that automatically means I hate him and think he should go, which isn't true at all. I just don't agree that he's done a good/great job so far, I think he needs to do better, I hope next season he does. His record in his third year tends to be pretty dire so I don't particularly expect him to, but I hope he does.

 

[pacifictheme]

Like a moth to a flame. Your name is perfect for this occasion

His comments are not annoying at all. The league is difficult enough to win regardless.

Arg! Well played sir.

 

[Siorac]

Who's giving up? Nobody is giving up ffs.

All the Mourinho supporters keep telling us that it's unrealistic to expect us to compete with City because they have a better squad and will spend more money on it anyway. And that it's going to be an "uphill battle for years".

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Excellent reply. Very informative. 10/10 would read again.

I know this place is flooded with stroppy manic depressives and it’s increasingly hard to tell if someone is being serious or not. But surely my post was overwhelmingly stupid and it was obvious!

 

[Ban]

All the Mourinho supporters keep telling us that it's unrealistic to expect us to compete with City because they have a better squad and will spend more money on it anyway. And that it's going to be an "uphill battle for years".

Didn't see those posts here nor in other threads. Nobody is saying it's unrealistic but that it's gonna be hard which it will.

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

But if that's the case, if we're already resigning ourselves to City dominating because they have a better squad and more money then José Mourinho is probably the worst possible choice as a manager, after the likes of David Moyes. He can't get this team to be more than the sum of its parts - he can barely even get it to be the sum of its parts - and he can't outspend his main rival. The best chequebook manager has the biggest chequebook in the league so then what's the point of sticking with the utterly dreary, unwatchable football of the second best chequebook manager? Are we just going to wait until Guardiola fecks off and hope that City royally screw up their next managerial appointment so we can win the league by default? That's not a terrible plan, don't get me wrong, but then let's get a manager with whom we can actually enjoy the football while we're waiting for City's implosion.

If we've given up on competing with City then there's literally no point in keeping Mourinho. None whatsoever.

This is a fair point and something the club should consider.

It seems the club is tilting towards backing Mourinho and wanting to win the league yet they aren’t willing to pony up vs our direct rivals in order to give ourselves a realistic chance. One foot in - one foot out? Weird stance considering they are backing him and aren’t willing to go to the lengths to fulfil things.

(And for those who mention, no this is not SAF and there will never be another SAF. Times are changing so don’t bother making the comparison)

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Arg! Well played sir.

 

[VancouverUtdFan]

I know this place is flooded with stroppy manic depressives and it’s increasingly hard to tell if someone is being serious or not. But surely my post was overwhelmingly stupid and it was obvious!

My apologies!

And agreed, very hard to tell as you may have noticed in this thread hahah

 

[Siorac]

Pretty much. He’s just trying to squeeze out every last penny available to give United the best chance possible. The playing field is not level at all and it’s going to take a bloodbath of an effort.

I’m convinced people here are either A) really out of sync with their footballing knowledge or B) just that blind...like seriously, think about this for a moment: we have the likes of Mata, Darmian, Shaw, Young, Smalling, Blind, Valencia, Fellaini, Herrera that we rely on, on a consistent basis in order to get results. That’s insanity and shows how far off we are. Those guys are average at best or below average and have no right being relied on to start so frequently for a club like United against City and their Sheikhs. 3/4 (possibly more) of City’s starters are permanently resolved and locked in. United maybe 1/4 of their starting 11 as locks and everything else a revolving door.

Like Jesus feck it amazes me how deluded some of our fans are that think it’s José and that we’re neck and neck with a City. Take a hike...

That is fecking bullshit and you know it. Darmian, Fellaini - let's not forget that the manager is bending over backwards to keep him, btw, so you really shouldn't mention him anyway -, Shaw and Blind started a grand total of 19 games between them in all competitions. That's like saying City consistently had to rely on Zinchenko, Mangala and an ancient Yaya Touré in order to get results.