Should we just hope a new manager fixes it

Siorac

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Let me just list it for you @Crashoutcassius, the kind of environment you claim "no manager could do well in":

LVG Summer 1: ADM €75m, Shaw €37.5m, Herrera €36m, Rojo €20m, Blind €17.5m = €186m
LVG Summer 2: His favourite player in the World Schweinsteiger €9m, Darmian €18m, his favourite youth prospect Depay €34m, the midfielder you ALL wanted Schneiderlin €35m, Martial €60m = €156m

Mou Summer 1: Paul fecking Pogba €105m, his favourite player in the World Zlatan, Bailly €38m, Bundesliga POTY Mkhitaryan €42m = €186m
Mou Summer 2 + Sanchez: Another big manager fave Matic €44.7m, Lukaku €84.7m, Lindelöf €35m, Sanchez €34m. = €198.4m

And every single manager has been given more time here than he'd have been given at any other club, right now we're backing Ole so much that we're a laughing stock to the World, currently with a 37% win rate but are we sacking him? Nope, we're backing him still. Poch had done a cracking job at Spurs and had them in the CL final in May, fecker wasn't even allowed a blip before being booted out of the door by Spurs of all teams.

Oh yeah, the likes of Klopp and Poch could never succeed with that kind of backing. What an absolutely bizarre myth you've all made up.

The only managers who have an argument for not being fully backed are Ole and Moyes, but I have a real feeling a fair part of that is some self inflicted dithering from Dave and Ole's "it must be the right player" mantra.
These figures - and others, including our humongous wage bill - have been posted so many times but they never kill the story of the penny pinching, miserly, parsimonious Manchester United who just don't allow their managers to spend money.
 

Maluco

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Get in a good manager and hire someone to work with him with squad building.

But the most important thing is hiring a good manager. Not David Moyes, not a dinosaur, not an ex-player.

A proven coach who can have this team actually playing like one.

Woodward, you have made a 4th mistake, you have overspent on certain players wages, not get a good coach in, and help him to build on the decent base we have got.

Sell Jones, Lingard, Mata, Rojo and Shaw, and let’s build on the decent base we have with an actual modern coach!
 

Mainoldo

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It’s all bollo$ as far as I’m concerned. The problem is we have a terrible board who still rely on the manager to dictate the culture. They but in every now and then when the financials don’t add up. Like Mourinho telling them they need yet another CB and Pogba and Martial need to go. But other than that they don’t have a clue.

I hear some say we have a new direction and philosophy. Who picked this? As far as I’m concerned with signed 3 players. Two identified by mates Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville and the other identified by some new database. Like it’s not smart...

People who said Pep would fail here. Probably.. because he won’t have a bunch of guys above telling him we’ve identified Laporte as your CB and he’ll be here next week. But if you think Guardiola is going to get the job know his style he wants to play and request for AWB and Daniel James.. your having a laugh. It was quite clear from the get go Ole needed help and by that i mean just given the job to manage the team and not but in with transfers and style of play. Instead once again we have given a pragmatic and this time novice a free reign and he’s failing bad!!!

But yes should we actually hire an attacking coach who know‘s the high end of this football business. We might be okay. Even with these owners. Mourinho managed it. He was just a out of date coach ready to make bad decisions. Which we will witness again soon enough at Spurs.
 

Web of Bissaka

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We shouldn't but then since the current Ed system is not going to change any time soon...

Then we can only rely on a new manager (hopefully one who is competently good and knows what he's doing).

The root of the whole problems will still be there, hidden and tampered for a while by a good manager.
 

shaky

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LVG's net spend in two years - 129m

Mourinho's net spend in 3 years - 280m

Ole's net spend in the summer - 70m

Klopp's net spend in his 3 years at Liverpool - 74m

Pochettino's net spend in his time at Tottenham - 18m

This is proof that the board has appointed the wrong managers 4 times and backing them has led us to a huge amount of money wasted. Add that to the fact that every new manager appointed wants to change the squad again and style of play thereby spending millions before improvements can be seen. And for some reason these millions spent are on shit players. I can't imagine we would be where we are if it was Klopp or Pochettino instead of Mourinho that spent that amount of money

Anyways The only hope I see is appointing a competent DOF with a plan and we follow that plan, appointing the managers and players that fit into a system.

But if this isn't going to happen then the closest we can get to a DOF is a serial winner coach that has proven to carry out a rebuild without one and succeeded in it. Pochettino and Tuchel are the closest in this category
Klopp and Poch were given multiple transfer windows, and many years to get their teams from where they were to where they are now. How can you reasonably compare that to the single transfer window Ole has spent money in and claim it's "proof" of anything?
 

Bubz27

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Are we agreed that no manager in the world would be successful in our current set up?

Or is there a manager out there who, with the current set up, could get us back to the top?

The best 2 would be Guardiola and Klopp, and I don't think they could.
 

Bestietom

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Are we agreed that no manager in the world would be successful in our current set up?

Or is there a manager out there who, with the current set up, could get us back to the top?

The best 2 would be Guardiola and Klopp, and I don't think they could.
Think we are running out of HOPE regarding managers. We need 6/7 proper players before we think of another manager taking the reins.
 

DoomSlayer

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How about we scrap these ridiculous excuses and rate the manager from day 1? Not after 5 transfer windows, not after he got his 25 players but game by game, how every single club in the world apart from us does. Good managers have immediate impact, we are the only ones inventing stupid excuses.
Ok, if the next manager starts badly, I will immediately want him sacked. After all, we can't continue making excuses, right?
 

jamesjimmybyrondean

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Klopp and Poch were given multiple transfer windows, and many years to get their teams from where they were to where they are now. How can you reasonably compare that to the single transfer window Ole has spent money in and claim it's "proof" of anything?
Wowww. So after seeing Mourinho's net spend of 280m and LVG's 129m compared to Klopp's 74m and Pochettino's 18m, you think it's Ole I'm talking about as the reason we're in this mess????

By the way, the multiple windows Ole deserves needs to go to a coach that knows how to rebuild. We should have given Moyes multiple windows If you think Ole deserves one
 

sullydnl

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Are we agreed that no manager in the world would be successful in our current set up?

Or is there a manager out there who, with the current set up, could get us back to the top?

The best 2 would be Guardiola and Klopp, and I don't think they could.
Agreed. The problems at the club extend to a level above which the manager can influence.

Which isn't to say a better manager wouldn't do a better job than Solskjaer, who is woefully underqualified for his current role. But the very fact that someone so underqualified was appointed to that position (off the back of multiple other failed appointments) is indicative of the problems elsewhere. He may have made many mistakes as manager but none of them have been as bad as the decision to appoint him was.

So we should certainly get a better manager, we just shouldn't expect them to actually fix things unless changes occur elsewhere.
 

Apokalips

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Let me just list it for you @Crashoutcassius, the kind of environment you claim "no manager could do well in":

LVG Summer 1: ADM €75m, Shaw €37.5m, Herrera €36m, Rojo €20m, Blind €17.5m = €186m
LVG Summer 2: His favourite player in the World Schweinsteiger €9m, Darmian €18m, his favourite youth prospect Depay €34m, the midfielder you ALL wanted Schneiderlin €35m, Martial €60m = €156m

Mou Summer 1: Paul fecking Pogba €105m, his favourite player in the World Zlatan, Bailly €38m, Bundesliga POTY Mkhitaryan €42m = €186m
Mou Summer 2 + Sanchez: Another big manager fave Matic €44.7m, Lukaku €84.7m, Lindelöf €35m, Sanchez €34m. = €198.4m

And every single manager has been given more time here than he'd have been given at any other club, right now we're backing Ole so much that we're a laughing stock to the World, currently with a 37% win rate but are we sacking him? Nope, we're backing him still. Poch had done a cracking job at Spurs and had them in the CL final in May, fecker wasn't even allowed a blip before being booted out of the door by Spurs of all teams.

Oh yeah, the likes of Klopp and Poch could never succeed with that kind of backing. What an absolutely bizarre myth you've all made up.
f
The only managers who have an argument for not being fully backed are Ole and Moyes, but I have a real feeling a fair part of that is some self inflicted dithering from Dave and Ole's "it must be the right player" mantra.
Spot on mate, it's unreal the lengths people go to rewrite history.

If anything we've indulged our mangers' whims more than most clubs and it's due to the belief that we can find another Fergie who can control everything and do so to an impossibly high level. We need to realise Fergie is one in a billion and act like normal big clubs do.
 

Beaucoup

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We wouldn't trust Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche to re-build our club, but we trust Ole who's arguably worse than the pair of them. We have many problems at the club but our manager is the number one issue.
 

shaky

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Wowww. So after seeing Mourinho's net spend of 280m and LVG's 129m compared to Klopp's 74m and Pochettino's 18m, you think it's Ole I'm talking about as the reason we're in this mess????

By the way, the multiple windows Ole deserves needs to go to a coach that knows how to rebuild. We should have given Moyes multiple windows If you think Ole deserves one
You literally said those transfer dealings are proof that the board have signed 4 wrong managers, so you must be including Ole in that 4. I'd certainly agree that LVG and Mourinho wasted too much money, though £100m of Mourinho's spending was on Pogba and he probably didn't have much say in that. Moyes barely got the opportunity to spend. I wanted him gone at the time, but with hindsight, I'd much rather he had another season or two if it meant dodging LVG's hideous era.
 

RUCK4444

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If any fans left are still stupid enough to still think the problem lies with the manager and not the owners then they deserve everything they get. I think most of us have seen through that smokescreen now.
I’m not sure most have. To me it’s clear as day, no replacement manager will benefit the situation.

The squad needs strengthening regardless, at least with Ole you know that we will go for younger talented hungry players because he wants the best for United in the long term.

These players are the best we can attract currently and not only that they fit with the potential requirement of changing management further down the line.

A big name manager now will need instant success and will therefore abandon the good work we’ve made with promoting youth and will look for older, big name players on big money.
And this is exactly what got us in this mess with a squad that needed almost entirely gutting.

At this stage of the rebuild we just need a steady hand promote the youth and add quality, Ole is half way there in my opinion.

BUT we need a big summer for fans to give him time and see the benefit of three years under one manager who has a longer term vision.
 

Chesterlestreet

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In the recently published Times piece (which includes parts that bear the familiar mark of an Ed "briefing") it is stated that United now recognize the problematic nature of having a manager deal with players signed by four different predecessors (with very different "philosophies").

Ah, good - yes. Good thing to recognize, that.

But the obvious response should be to get a bloody DOF in, who can oversee and protect a long-term recruitment plan (according to whatever "vision" is set) - rather than once again leaving it to the incumbent to bring in whoever he sees fit (in the vain enough hope that said incumbent is Fergie Mk2 or close).

So, yeah - short answer to the OP's question: No! We should not.
 

dove

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Ok, if the next manager starts badly, I will immediately want him sacked. After all, we can't continue making excuses, right?
Nah, manager can't do anything at all until he gets £500m to spend, it's just impossible to not look inept, clueless and shambolic until he has at least 5 years to rebuild the squad.
 

MS4

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When i read some posts, i really have to roll my eyes. Even a top-manager has no magical abilities. You think if we hire XYZ, after 1 training the players won't miss tap-ins anyore like they did vs Burnley?

Don't be so delusional
 

DoomSlayer

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Nah, manager can't do anything at all until he gets £500m to spend, it's just impossible to not look inept, clueless and shambolic until he has at least 5 years to rebuild the squad.
No, no, if we don't play like peak Barcelona after 2 months, it's a wrap for the new guy. That's how it should work.

Even if he doesn't get any proper help or backing from the board, he must coach the current players into being title contenders.
 

bondsname

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Well, sacking the current manager and appointing a new one hasn't exactly worked wonders so far.
 

The_Midfielder

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Nobody can fix this mess.. they are all hoping they spend less, and the kids come through like 92 ...Not gonna happen.. we will be like this for a while until we get new owners/competent board ..m
 

Nou_Camp99

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Unfortunately we've still go too many fans on here who like to have the wool pulled over their eyes. The kind of fans who believe every BS rumour in the transfer columns and every lie that comes out of Woodward's mouth.

Poch or Allegri would come in, we'd see early improvements before another catastrophic fail again. Ole isn't good enough. We all know this. But we HAVE to get Woodward out at the very least and if we're lucky the Glazer scum too. I'd settle for just Woodward now though.
 

Revaulx

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I have often felt that some recent years' signings have come about not from scouting or managerial demands, but as a result of the player's agent calling Woodward and explaining why it would be a great idea for United to sign that player.

I can offer no evidence that this is the case, sadly. Other than that some signings just seem to be a poor fit with the managers they've arrived under. Pogba with Jose, for example.
 

RedCoffee

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We can't continue with this cycle of -
Hire new manager
Demoralise and sell old manager players
Spend big on new players
Sack manager

Repeat....

We have to stick with the current plan of back to basics and build on it. Its painful but continue with the cycle of the last 7 years won't get us anywhere.
 

red woppit

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Ole may not be a great chef, but to bake a great cake you need all the proper top quality ingredients, time to add all those ingredients together, time to bake in the oven, then voila, a beautiful cake. Any chef replacing Ole would still have the same ingredients, and may bake a slightly better cake, but still not of a superior quality. If the chef cannot bake a cake using top quality ingredients, then we should get a new chef. Problem is, the manager won't buy the chef what he needs, so when customers taste the cake, they are unhappy and disappointed, so complain about the chef, when he is doing his best with what he has. Initially we need a new manager to run the shop, before we go through countless number of chefs who would try to bake a superior cake if you get rid of the current chef.
 

Judge Red

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As long as Woodward is there our next manager may as well be Big Sam to give us three years of stable mediocrity. Pochettino will ruin his (already damaged) reputation if he comes now. Big Sam is 100% our level under the current regime.
 

Tel074

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If any fans left are still stupid enough to still think the problem lies with the manager and not the owners then they deserve everything they get. I think most of us have seen through that smokescreen now.

Totally agree . We are now into our 4th disaster of management under them parasites. That team that played against Burnley cost over 300 million just let that thought settle in 300 mil.
We are shocking we have bought nothing but crap we bring in managers and half back them then sack them .
We can sack Ole but we will be in exactly this same position in another year
 

Rob Bowman

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Think this article articulates why I do not see a manager fixing much of anything.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.c...judYx0YKbbvwf2SqbnJLc9-6esUkNQrrHRf026VDUqmgc

The result of Manchester United's transfer mismanagement over the past few years is not just performances like the one we witnessed against Burnley. It's not just the protests either, against Ed Woodward and the Glazers that were prevalent at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, it's the direct impact on individuals coming into the club.

There are at least four players at United right now who are suffering because of the lack of structure around them. Yes, recent key injuries haven't helped anyone and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is justified — to an extent — in using those absences as an excuse, but it goes far deeper than that and all stems back from the same mistakes from the board.

And the worst part is they have been made again and again.

United have lurched from one transfer policy to another since Sir Alex Ferguson left, under four very different managers. They've gone from signing megastar Galacticos to not signing anyone at all. They've spent hundreds of millions, then they've relied on youth. None of it has worked. United have only finished in the top four twice since that title win in 2013 and look likely to miss out again this season.

Elite players like Angel Di Maria struggled at United because they weren't bought to fit into a wider framework. It was a one-out transfer policy. Memphis Depay suffered from a similar issue. You could argue the same now applies to Harry Maguire.

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Some of their other acquisitions just haven't made sense: Radamel Falcao was an opportunistic loan; Paul Pogba a nostalgic transfer statement; Alexis Sanchez a desperate mid-season swipe at Manchester City.


United deserve credit for their more recent transfer policy but if this really is a 'cultural reboot' — a self-styled rebuild — it hasn't gone far enough. Maguire and Daniel James were ostensibly sensible summer signings, but to expect them to have a transformative effect on this current United setup was hopeful at best. Delusional at worst.

James was 21 when United signed him and had two years earlier been a flop on loan at Shrewsbury. Recalled from a League One club because they deemed him not good enough.

To be fair he showed at Swansea last season that he boasted far more talent than the Shrews were able to recognise, but he had just 28 league starts to his name, none in the Premier League, when he became a United player. It was an exciting enough signing and worth the £15million gamble, yet to ask James to continually start in United's front three is plain unfair.

The transfer policy might have changed since 2014 and James is a different player entirely, but it's Di Maria all over again. No framework or structure in which a blossoming talent like James can develop. Piling hopes onto a rookie. It feels amateurish.

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When United allowed Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave, they so clearly needed players ready for the first team in the right wing and central forward positions to replace them. Instead they got James and have asked him to create minor miracles on a weekly basis.

It was also unfair on Anthony Martial to turn him into the club's No.9 without any sort of back-up or competition, besides the teenager Mason Greenwood.

Martial is a fine player, but one who needs quality around him. He's actually been one of the club's better signings post-Ferguson but remains frustratingly inconsistent. United should have known they cannot hang their hat on Martial for goals. That issue has now been magnified by Marcus Rashford's injury absence.

In asking Martial to be their centre-forward, James to be their right-winger and Maguire to be their captain, United are exposing the naivety within their own footballing structure. A top four team needs established leaders, it needs depth and it needs goal-scoring options in abundance.

United have none.

The failure to strengthen in midfield last summer was arguably even more baffling. Ander Herrera left, Nemanja Matic was clearly a fading force and there was doubt about Pogba's long-term future. Oh, and United knew they didn't have a No.10 of top four standard.

What happened? Nothing. No midfield transfers, none that barely came close besides a brief dalliance with Newcastle novice Sean Longstaff. Fred has improved immeasurably in that area but he's another promising recent United signing who is getting no help whatsoever — as the last midfielder the club signed. He can't be expected to shoulder the responsibility alone.

It would be funny if it wasn't so painful for supporters, but the setup has been completely wrong at United for years and they continue to pay the price.

No technical director, economics graduates Woodward and Matt Judge in charge, no footballing structure to speak of.

More players will continue to suffer if it goes on.
 

Nou_Camp99

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We wouldn't trust Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche to re-build our club, but we trust Ole who's arguably worse than the pair of them. We have many problems at the club but our manager is the number one issue.
Nonsense. Ole isn't good enough but he's not the single biggest issue. You've learned nothing from these last 6 years. ZERO!
 

glazed

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At this stage of the rebuild we just need a steady hand promote the youth and add quality, Ole is half way there in my opinion.
I think the club needs recasting around a more sophisticated and different playing style. Ole's way of doing things belongs to the last decade. Even if he manages to implement it successfully it won't win big silverware and we will have to start from scratch. Might as well do it now.
 

Acquire Me

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Pochettino isn't going to do anything with this squad of players. If he gets here he needs at least 2-3 windows to strengthen the squad, which might prove very difficult with the current ownership and clueless Ed as CEO.

The sad thing is, i can guarantee you that if Poch has us in a similar position this time next year, people will call for his head as well
This. No doubt about it. He and plenty more would struggle. It’s been like this for years. I stick with Ole for now. I like his ideas.
 

GiddyUp

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IF we are to sign a new manager we need to continue with this Youth, Courage, Success bollocks.

We need managers that adhere to a United philosophy not their own.
We've had that regarding youth, not so much Moyes but he gave Adnan a lot of minutes that season. We need 3 or 4 experienced heads to step in and pull this young squad together and build consistency. Chasing a "United philosophy" is getting us no where. We need to evolve while being competitive which is a huge ask. A new manager shouldn't be asked to play football the "United way" when we don't have the players or squad mentality for it.
 

GiddyUp

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Ok, if the next manager starts badly, I will immediately want him sacked. After all, we can't continue making excuses, right?
If his win % is around 35 definitely. Dec/Jan is the best time to change an underperforming manager. Last season proved that, we had a champions league spot in our grasp and pissed it away every two weeks. We've continued to slide even after spending 130mil on the defense. If Ole was manager of any other team he would be sacked with a % like that.
 

glazed

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This. No doubt about it. He and plenty more would struggle. It’s been like this for years. I stick with Ole for now. I like his ideas.
Aren't you sick of scousers taking the piss and singing Ole's at the Wheel? Maybe you're fortunate enough not to know any.
 

Bobcat

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If his win % is around 35 definitely. Dec/Jan is the best time to change an underperforming manager. Last season proved that, we had a champions league spot in our grasp and pissed it away every two weeks. We've continued to slide even after spending 130mil on the defense. If Ole was manager of any other team he would be sacked with a % like that.
Well thats a half truth if i ever saw one. We sold Lukaku (80 million) and lost Herrera for a free (30-40 million easy) along with the other dross we rid ourselves with who honestly is not worth much, but should still have been replaced. Oles win% for his entire reign is 47something%. Thats hardly great, but ignoring his record when he was caretaker for "reasons" is just silly

Not saying we should not sack him in May (unless things drastically improve) but he got properly shafted by Ed and co regarding transfers.
 

Amadaeus

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Pochettino isn't going to do anything with this squad of players. If he gets here he needs at least 2-3 windows to strengthen the squad, which might prove very difficult with the current ownership and clueless Ed as CEO.

The sad thing is, i can guarantee you that if Poch has us in a similar position this time next year, people will call for his head as well
Pochettino will have us pressing more intensively every single game, he won’t make us solely a counter attacking team, he will improve our interplay and movement, and he will also have us structured better on the field where we will be more comfortable player out of the back. Pochettino will do a lot with this squad and his impact will be seen like Rodgers, Klopp and even his pupil Arteta. In 2-3 years, he will have us winning the title and/or champions league if our board backed him like our previous managers. People won’t be calling his head, if they see noticeable improvement in our performances which I m sure we will see.


Okay so you are the first poster who is in the 'but this time is different' camp

Out of interest would 5 more failed managers change your mind, that we will struggle to succeed with Woodward ? Would 10? Or is it unshakable for you that the level above the manager isn't important you just need the next manager
If the next five managers are Pochettino, Nagelsman, Rose, Tuchel, or Xabi Alonso then I will agree that it is our structure of the club that has the most problem. If our next five managers are Allegri, Southgate, Carrick, Simone, or Neville, then I m quite sure it is our managerial appointments.

The level above the manager is important, but not important to our on field performances or players recruitment especially if the people above the manager continue to give our managers a lot of cash to spend.
 
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Well said!

I've stopped posting but still have an occasional lurk and am constantly shocked at how many people can't see the simple fact that every single manager we've hired since Fergie retired hasn't been up to the job. I mean, it couldn't be more obvious. All you need to do is look at how they've got on at other clubs either before or after the job at United (recent career, obviously, as far as Mou/LVG are concerned) They're all varying degrees of bad news for any football club with aspirations of CL football, for various different reasons. It's no great surprise that no other top club would touch any of them with a barge-pole (unless you're an idiot like Daniel Levy, and I will thoroughly enjoy watching him reap the inevitable Mourinho toxic implosion at some point in the next year or two).

The Glazers are probably bad owners and Woodward is probably a bad CEO but there are shit-loads of managers out there who would love to have a "problem" like the scale of investment in our squad/wage bill that they've signed off on since Fergie retired. Not least a certain Argentinian who should be given the keys to Ole's office this weekend, if Woodward had an ounce of sense. The single biggest failure of Woodward's reign has been hiring bad managers and - more recently - stubbornly refusing to accept his latest hire has been a disaster. In terms of player recruitment he's been hit and miss but you can't ignore the role the manager players in building a squad at a club with a structure like United. Nor can you ignore that long running transfer sagas turning sour, or key targets being missed out on is part and parcel of being a PL manager. It is 100% the managers responsibility to make sure that he has a squad that is fit for purpose going into a long season, where we want to compete on multiple fronts. And by, "fit for purpose", I don't think anyone expected Ole to win the league but he sure as shit should have got more than 34 points after 24 games.

As you correctly point out, Mou and LVG were handsomely backed, Moyes and Ole less so, but they have to be held responsible for this themselves. Whether through indecision, an inability to identify attainable targets, or generally not having the experience you need to put pressure on the money men to seal the deals. Whatever, Ole is grossly out of his depth in every single aspect of what's needed to manage this club and anyone who insists that he would be a great success if only Woodward hadn't sabotaged his grand plan is living in cloud cuckoo land!

Rant over...

P.S. Re Ole and Moyes finding it harder than Mou/LvG to get signings across the line, does anyone honestly think ambitious, potentially world class footballers would go that extra yard to get their agents to try and seal a deal so they can develop their game under managers the calibre of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David fecking Moyes?!?
Bang on Pogue, you've been missed. I completely understand why you've not been interested in posting too much, it's depressing it really is.
 
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Oles win% for his entire reign is 47something%. Thats hardly great, but ignoring his record when he was caretaker for "reasons" is just silly
Ironically his PL win-rate is actually inflated by Mourinho's squad, the squad he couldn't wait to rip to pieces and the one you are all lauding him for doing so. His own rebuild (this season) has 37% win-rate with Wolves and Chelsea to come.

His PL win-rate over his entire reign @Bobcat is 38%. :lol: (12 in 21 last season, 9 in 24 this). Ole is flushing us down the toilet.

If we wanna really get silly, by ignoring the caretaker time... feck me, it's 34% man. THIRTY FOUR PERCENT. We don't need to get silly though, in the Prem he's been fecking awful, doesn't matter how you want to twist it, every single stat says he's wank at his job. The longer he's in the job, the worse the stats become.
 
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tjb

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This has absolutely nothing to do with the Manager. Pep would get a similar tune from the squad we have as Mourinho did prior. People need to understand, you can't ask a manager to rebuild a house for you and then chicken out on the payment after he has already demolished the house and expect a top of the line mansion. Ole was right to use the housing analogy, but for the wrong reasons. The board have failed to truly back any of the managers that we have had except LVG. They have always gone in halfway and at an excruciatingly slow rate. We have problems with how we negotiate under woodward's regime. It is slow and very leak heavy. Agent's have come out with negative reports concerning woodward, something which never happened during previous regimes. The managers coming to utd have been promised the vision of financing for a rebuilding project and most of them have left with squads worse or as bad as the one they met. We clearly have a problem implementing this strategy, yet the club has been unwilling to hire a director of football to set the direction that the footballing side of the club takes. We can't keep accepting mediocre recruiting projects, disorganized negotiations and disappointing transfer windows. A manager is only as good as the players they have to work with, they can implement systems that make a good squad of players more consistent in terms of wins and attacking play, but cannot turn poor players into good players.
Sometimes it feels that is what our managers are forced to deal with. Most dominant clubs do not wait for young players to become consistent or keep players that consistently underperform. We do this, something we did not used to do under sir alex, and extend their contracts with large salaries that make it hard to sell them. Some of our players have lived on good moments rather than consistently decent performances. That cannot happen in a team with ambitions of titles. Players like Lingard, Pereira, Lindelof, Shaw and even Fred should never have had the opportunities they have had to start for us with the consistent they produced (Fred) or keep producing ( the rest). We are not ruthless enough or are too lazy/cheap to push these players out and replace them with more talent.

When building a new house, especially one that you want to last long and be of significant value, you expect to spend alot to attain the equipment, then maintain the house when it is eventually fixed.