[Chairman Steve]

I feel like this is going to be what it’s like when we have more than one game a week this season. Our squad was bloated with shite but now it’s thin and once a few key players aren’t in it or having an awful game, it’s massively downhill.

No team other than Arsenal wants to win consistently this year. Everyone’s a feck up.

 

[VP89]

I am not here to defend the team or Ruben Amorim. I have my opinions, other people have their opinions, that's fine.

What baffles me, though, is the pages of whining on here and on social media about his subs.

Not every sub he made was poor, but the Ugarte for Zirkzee one was mind boggling. That's a "let's defend our 1-0 score" sub and causes anxiety.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

We're such a difficult watch. Clueless against teams who are happy to let us have the ball. Just spamming crosses into the box with no one on the end of them.

I keep saying it but when Mbeumo and Amad are gone off to Afcon I can't see where anything positive is going to come from in this system. And it is a truly awful system. Reliant entirely on defenders playing as wingers. It doesn't feel like I'm watching Manchester United any more.

You look at our last 5 fixtures and on paper Palace away should have been the hardest but no, that's the one we win and we draw against Forest, Spurs, West Ham and lose at home to 10 men Everton. I just can't.

No idea what will happen against Wolves either. Should win it but could just as easily be a game where we hand them their first league win of the season.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I knew we were going to concede a goal from that corner - I said as much to the lad next to me. He said "They're taking of Soucek - their biggest threat, at a corner?" so I was like yeah, and that's exactly why they'll score, because we'll see the big man go off, two new players will come on, and we'll switch off/lose concentration and become disorganised. It's textbook with us.

 

[rhutcho69]

I want to be frustrated, but I'm also not surprised at the pure inconsistencies. Whether it's inconsistent starts to games in regards to the intensity of players, or the inconsistencies when in possession, with regards to the quality of passing and the speed we move the ball.

At the end of the day we are crying out for High quality mentality beasts. No Luke Shaws or Diego Dalots who turn up 1 in 5 and arnt aggressive or brave enough. No more Dorgu signings next window please. This team needs pure winners in the form of Elliott Anderson types all action, high intensity types who are consistent with good technical quality.

I'm passed being frustrated as the squads so lacking in depth, way too many passive players in comfort zones or lacking the quality needed. Really do need a ruthless transfer window, we've got rid of the bad eggs, let next summer be about replacing those either not good enough or not mentally strong enough to play for the club

 

[grahamo]

4th bottled, 5th bottled let's hope we are aiming for 6th v Wolves. How Mount failed to make the team v West Han is unreal, the lad can play any position but the manager thinks each player only has one position. Our substitutions are all like for like.

For those old enough to remember its like watching us under Dave Sexton after we had just seen the exciting years of Tommy Docherty. Safety first football wins you very little

This! Its soul destroying being subjected to this every week!

 

[Swango1980]

What is wrong with this club:

Strikers: We basically only have one striker. Not really hit form, and he is now injured anyway. No competition for places in that position. Terrible position to be in as a club, unless you have someone like Haaland who you know will play every game if fit. Did we really need get rid of Hojlund?
Wing backs: Awful. Only one, Amad, has any decent attacking attributes. The rest simply cannot attack. Dorgu has the energy, but sadly his ability to kick a ball is non existent.
No. 10's: OK, I'm happy with the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo. But we almost have too many in that position, to the point we force Bruno to play in a deeper role. And with really poor wing backs and no striker to play up there with them, difficult job to do well in.
Deeper Midfielders: We know the issues here. Defensively, Bruno is weak. Sure, he runs a lot but often just wasted energy. Never gets close to a tackle, and if he does, he flaps his foot weakly into it, probably to avoid getting hurt. He is weak. Casemiro is OK at times, but clearly very slow these days. Perhaps he'd do well in a league where teams play slower (e.g. hotter climates), but he is no Declan Rice of Caicedo when it comes to playing PL football. Surprised Ugarte is pretty much ignored, he must be nowhere near the quality of player we thought he was when we bought him. And if Bruno didn't play in midfield, maybe Mainoo would get more of a chance. But as Mainoo is not your typical defensive minded midfielder, I can see why it would be very risky to play both him and Bruno in that position.

With so many weaknesses, things just become hugely inconsistent. You can barely carry one player, but we are often carrying at least 2 or 3 players, who are simply not good enough to get one over on the opponent. And everyone else is dragged down to the players of the lowest ability.

I'm not an Amorim out guy. Not worshipping him either. But I just don't see how any manager gets a tune consistently out of some of these players. Will be intrigued to see if much is or can be done in January transfer window. If Mainoo was never going to play, due to less fixtures and less rotation, then I really wish they'd have loaned him out to get great experience and game time elsewhere. Worked pretty well for Amad. I can only guess that never happened because AFCON will rob us of Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui and so it was felt we'd at least need players like Mainoo during those few weeks.

 

[Giggsy13]

When de Ligt was ruled out I knew that set pieces would cost us and that’s exactly what happened. Amorim has his fair share of blame as well but our defending on the set piece was absolutely pathetic.

 

[Eagle_eye]

Our players are too nice and too soft... When Bissaka made that tackle when on a yellow we should've rushed to the ref demanding a second yellow.. Sure if it was the other way west ham would've. Also back in the day, with 5 minutes to go, we'd bring on whatever attackers we have on the bench and camp outside their box and find a winner

 

[MrBest]

I blame Amorim for yesterday. His substitute choices are really poor and the timing. He made 3 changes to the defence, including wing backs. 15 minutes to go he brings off cunah who is our best player at holding the ball. Replaced attackers with defenders to try and see the game out at 1 0. The changes destroyed our flow and our team could nto handle the new approach. There is only so much he can blame his players. We all have ideas in our heads, some can take people on their journey, others cannot. Amorim cannot and the evidence is clear. On paper, this team should be in the top 4. Mbeumo cunah Bruno casemiro Shaw, are all great players. We have significantly less games than others, we should be rested. He had a full pre season and has over 12 months here. This club baffles me and SJR needs to open his eyes and watch what is going on. I cannot help but think that with a new manager and with this squad, where we would be.

 

[Scanny]

Ruben is the wrong man for United. It’s the wrong mindset at United to sit back at home and defend a 1-0 lead. He says he understands the history of this club but clearly, with football this dull he does not.
I am convinced a more attacking minded manager playing 4-3-3 would have this squad easily competing for a Champions League position.

 

[Buster15]

Our players are too nice and too soft... When Bissaka made that tackle when on a yellow we should've rushed to the ref demanding a second yellow.. Sure if it was the other way west ham would've. Also back in the day, with 5 minutes to go, we'd bring on whatever attackers we have on the bench and camp outside their box and find a winner

This is a fair point. Not sure they are actually too nice. More like too timid and nothing like mentally tough enough. If you really want to win, you have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to win. And our players are simply not committed enough to do whatever it takes.

 

[redmanx]

Well, nobody can call United boring, at least as far as the results are concerned...but on the pitch, its another matter.

 

[hn4united]

No surprises here. Every time Ugarte comes on, we concede. Not sure what Amorim sees in Ugarte.

 

[Dazzers]

I wish we had all these streaming services or other ways of watching the football back when we were actually good. This current iteration are the most unlikeable United ever.

 

[Craig Ward]

I like Amorin - his passion, his drive, the way he talks > he's ticking the right boxes in some areas.

I like how he is installing a new mentality and he is tasked with transitioning the worst squad we've ever had. A lot of work has been done, and a hell of a lot more is needed. Players are playing in unnatural positions and in areas of the pitch they aren't suited too.

BUT....it is remaining a huge challenge to stay positive about wat we are forced to watch week after week. Formation, style of play, tempo, aggression are all the polar oppositive of what a Man Utd team should be.

We are disjointed, lose individual battles and play so slowly through the lines.

Dalot is a decent professional, does his best, works hard but he is honestly one of the worst wing backs we've ever witnessed in modern football, especially on his wrong side. Bruno > great creator. Flair player, capable of opening up any defense > probably one of the worst choices for a deep CM as part of a pair in the league.

It's been over a year, and as much as I like things about Amorin - the style of play and formation are way off. We do not play good football, we do not look to have any patterns of play that we can work on > we can't beat a low block and we crumble under any form of high press against us.

Bruno was caught offside 2 or 3 times in the first half yesterday > why is he making forward runs? Why is our deep CM who is supposed to be dictating and running the game 50 yards up the pitch ahead of our 5 attacking players? It's so disjointed. Leaving way to much space for the opposition to exploit by being so erratic with where he is on the pitch.

Worryingly > so few of the entire squad look to be at ease in this formation. Those that are doing well could easily be more effective in other positions too. Amad > He's doing ok as a RWB but that's nowhere near the most effective he could be IF we played a different formation, same with Bruno, same with Mbeumo, same with Cunha (he is not looking good as a #10 so far it has to be said).

I dont think we have one good wingback in the squad > they're all solid half decent full backs or Amad - who is an out and out attacking player. The formation is starting to baffle me

 

[SambaBoy]

His football is terrible to watch, awful tactics which could be accepted if we got the results but we don't.

Our standards have slipped so low that we accept beating Palace, Sunderland, Burnley as justification for there being progress or signs of the tactics working.

Give any manager in the league our squad which is full of internationals and is one of the most expensive assembled and they would get wins just like Amorim has done.

No top/decent manager would be producing results over a 12 month period like Amorim has.

 

[Hammondo]

I want to be frustrated, but I'm also not surprised at the pure inconsistencies. Whether it's inconsistent starts to games in regards to the intensity of players, or the inconsistencies when in possession, with regards to the quality of passing and the speed we move the ball.

At the end of the day we are crying out for High quality mentality beasts. No Luke Shaws or Diego Dalots who turn up 1 in 5 and arnt aggressive or brave enough. No more Dorgu signings next window please. This team needs pure winners in the form of Elliott Anderson types all action, high intensity types who are consistent with good technical quality.

I'm passed being frustrated as the squads so lacking in depth, way too many passive players in comfort zones or lacking the quality needed. Really do need a ruthless transfer window, we've got rid of the bad eggs, let next summer be about replacing those either not good enough or not mentally strong enough to play for the club

We have high intensity players, it's why we never have patience.

 

[MyBloodIsRed]

Dorgu is shite lately..

It’s so clear that we need January reinforcements. With only kobbie on the bench that could make a difference. We’ve had some good results this season and immediately jump to. We could be fighting for European places, but let’s face it. The squad is not good enough yet and we need more recruitment similar to our summer window to actually drive consistent results.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

I think generally speaking we play the system better than last season, however you watch it and it’s like all nearly moments.

They do something nice or you can see a pattern repeating but then the players screw it up with no pass, a rubbish pass or just turning away from it.

There are too many things that repeat in game that can’t just be a coincidence. Clearly something they work on in training. It’s just frustrating to watch as it’s almost good, but yet so far.

There are certainly players that need moved on and people brought in more suited to the demands but I do think Ruben got it wrong last night.

Arguably a bigger mistake than bringing on Ugarte was taking off Zirkzee.
He seemed to be doing quite well defensively for us during set pieces. Him going off just seemed like something was destined to happen from a set piece.

Can maybe understand given he’s the only striker we currently have that maybe he wanted to protect him but just felt wrong, especially with a 1 goal lead.

 

[rhutcho69]

We have high intensity players, it's why we never have patience.

Your telling me it helps when Shaw is posturing with the ball for 10 seconds, or Dorgu plays a safe sideways pass, allowing the opposition to get all 11 behind the ball.

We look at our best when the balls moved forward first time into space, their is a shocking lack of intensity in the speed we move the ball especially from the back, coupled with players hiding and taking easy non risk options.

The lack of intensity is glaring , we drop off, and this is why we can't finish teams off, last night was a prime example.

Martinez when he came on for 5 minutes showed exactly what we need in creating that late chance for Bruno, bravery, intensity and a quick forward pass.

The centre midfield is too placid in it's movement, no intensity low tempo, the full left hand side is, Cunha barely got a sniff of early ball.

The other issue is some just do not have the quality as well as the intensity, poor passes, poor decision making and choice of pass, poor control.


An Elliott Anderson, a top class left wing back and another striker would help massively, need to get back to buying the best available, Mentality, Intensity, Work rate, decision making and technical ability please.

 

[fps]

I'll admit I'm at work and didn't get to watch the entire match in its entirety, but that shit from the refs grind my gears. Especially when clubs like Pool get 11 minutes added on for feck all.

Fair enough. I think if anything with more time and knowing how we close out games West Ham would have won it.

 

[Drz]

Disappointed with the draw, particularly because I felt we played some good football. But I also felt the players were complacent on the ball after we went ahead (some more than others obviously...), and we paid the price for that. We were good enough to get a second way before their goal, yet the players got overconfident just because we were working the ball well enough to get out of our half before they scored.
Had we won, or they simply not scored out of the corner, I'd have said we showed promise and finally figured that we should show no intent after leading in a game.
The players are poor at focusing/not getting carried away, we were and are the better team it showed but we didn't make it count, a shame really.

 

[croadyman]

It makes you wonder what he has to do to be sacked.

Call out INEOS but he will never have the bravery much like he doesn't when it comes to attacking subs

 

[armchairfan25]

Cunha is only coming back, yes. He wasn’t doing much of his driving runs through. But fans sang, supported, encouraged. I think the players were trying. Martinez seemed really fired up. I kind of worry about the Afcon thing more after this. Maz Amad and Mbuemo all missing!

Yup, AFCON is going to hit us hard. You hope Sesko will be back and showing a bit more form and that Cunha and Mount would then form the front 3. We're going to be relying on Dorgu and Dalot at the back with Maz and Amad off. Very worrying...

 

[Resch]

Who where the 5 defenders we started with yesterday?

3 CBs, Dalot as a wingback, who can not play WB, Amad as WB, we had Casemiro as DM. 6 "defensive players". 4 out of 5 sub were defenders, Yoro, Martinez, Dorgu, Urgate. And the problem is not the starting 11, but we struggled to score, needed a goal to win, and our manager subbed in a defender. He is stubborn, because the 3-4-3 is more important than winning.

 

[Gordon S]

3 CBs, Dalot as a wingback, who can not play WB, Amad as WB, we had Casemiro as DM. 6 "defensive players". 4 out of 5 sub were defenders, Yoro, Martinez, Dorgu, Urgate. And the problem is not the starting 11, but we struggled to score, needed a goal to win, and our manager subbed in a defender. He is stubborn, because the 3-4-3 is more important than winning.

Amad and Dalot are playing as regular wingers more than anything else, Casemiro is a cm, more defensive than Bruno but still a cm. It is really only 3 starting defenders.

Not defending this system/formation because we look poor playing like this.

Changing a cb to another cb when we are scrambling for a goal is above me as well.