Well I think what people hope though is that the team will improve as the manager is starting to influence things more. The fact that we have got worse with time doesn't feel good.
Of course we do not know what effect a transfer window can have. He might know the types of players we need and could see us improve. Although his tactical abilities as well as man management is something we should really doubt.
He hasn't shown to be able to do that well at all. When things are going well and players are confident you might not need to do much and could still win. Although once the problems start to come you need a manager to sort them out.
Either by adapting the tactics/instructions or by simply benching the players not performing. Also inspire the players in a way that can give them energy and confidence.
Sure we’d hope to see a straight line of improvement, but if we’re the side that runs the least in the league, and we get taken over by a manager who wants to make sure we’re among the hardest working teams, it makes sense that we don’t quite get there. Shit gets more and more intense during spring, especially when you advance in both the FA cup and the Champions League. Add to that injuries and a squad with a weak mentality, and all of a sudden it doesn’t look so cut and dry. Ole couldn’t properly implement what he wanted mid-season, stands to reason considering what we’ve seen.
Tbf after we picked up 1 point from 2 relegated sides to close the season, I think our record with Ole is only marginally better than Mourinho's awful first half of the season. If we give Mourinho the 2 wins that Ole started with to give them 19 games each, Mourinho would have 32 points, Ole would have 34. It started off really well, and some of the results were understandable to drop points in, but these last 2 really kill it.
First half of the season is a different prospect, and when we are only behind City and Liverpool since Ole walked in, then clearly the Mourinho point isn’t so damning? Poch did worse than Ole, does that mean he ought never have been considered?
That’s simply not true. Nobody likes to criticize Ole but the results is just one part of the story.
There’s no structure in his coaching. After the PSG game when we where hit with injuries he started the dithering with formations, line ups and his tactical approach. His man management must be questioned. First he praises his squad without foundations then when things go south he change his stance and starts to openly criticize their fitness and commitment. He talks about fitness, pre season, new players and use platitudes like “what the club is all about” and “the United way”. What kind of crap is that? If you don’t have the results or the credibility then it’s better to shut the f*** up then to trying to be smart and in control when the results and the teams performances says something else.
We can’t sack him now because of many different circumstances. That’s the hard reality. Unfortunately.
But let not fool ourselves. There is nothing in his first five month that justifies his appointment. His CV as a manager is thin and nowhere near the standard we can expect when you recruit a elite club manager. There is nothing, and this is the brutal part, that suggest that he has what it takes. Absolutely zero. In fact, the opposite.
He started screwing around with strange tactics and formations once it became clear that his favoured approach would mean fielding the U12s come the end of the season, with the rest out injured. It’s hard to draw any conclusions from this spring run-in. Btw, there’s no big discrepancy between talking up your team but criticising their fitness, and saying we have some way to to before we’re at the level needed.
I doubt Ole «shutting the f*** up» would have calmed anything. When you’re in a tough stint you get shat on, regardless. I can agree that his interviews and conferences sometimes comes across as fan service, but generally he’s handled that stuff pretty well and he’d get flack regardless.
But also, had those results been spread out, he probably wouldn't have been given the job already (and may not have got it at all)
Maybe. At least shit would be more balanced, and we’d have fewer hypocrites shouting Ole out despite gagging for his appointment a few months ago. It’s the fecking lack of nuance and rushing to extremes I hate.
