Solskjaer confirmed Maguire will be the new club captain

NinjaZombie

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He’s hardly crap on the ball but his defending and heading could do with some major improvements I admit.

The fact is the full team just isn’t working in harmony so things tend to break down. Our set piece delivery and especially defending just isn’t thought out.

Players need to be coached better. That’s our problem not our shiny new expensive defender.

I prefer replying to people who offer considered opinions not throwing their dummies out the pram though.
He's not been worth every penny though, like what you say. His price tag's not his fault, but is part of the discussion especially after a game like last night, when he fails at his primary job, which is defending.

I do wonder how a partnership between him and Smalling would fare. Oh well.
 

Son

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He's not been worth every penny though, like what you say. His price tag's not his fault, but is part of the discussion especially after a game like last night, when he fails at his primary job, which is defending.

I do wonder how a partnership between him and Smalling would fare. Oh well.
I don’t understand how Phil Jones can still be at the club and Smalling not. I don’t understand how Jones fits into any role or us these days.

Smalling would have lightened the load on Maguire in the air. Jones is a shambles. Lindelof is a bit lightweight for my taste. I’m hoping Tuanzebe can bring out the best in Maguire. I actually think he will next season when they have both bedded on properly.

Get rid of Jones and bring back Smalling too next season!
 

Fortitude

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I don’t understand how Phil Jones can still be at the club and Smalling not. I don’t understand how Jones fits into any role or us these days.

Smalling would have lightened the load on Maguire in the air. Jones is a shambles. Lindelof is a bit lightweight for my taste. I’m hoping Tuanzebe can bring out the best in Maguire. I actually think he will next season when they have both bedded on properly.

Get rid of Jones and bring back Smalling too next season!
After all the plaudits Smalling has received since going on loan, there's absolutely no way he is coming back here to be somebody's understudy - if he wants to come back at all - and he'll either state he wants some kind of recompense for staying here, given the state we're in, or agitate for a move.

It was a shambolic error to favour Jones over Smalling, and in turn, that will set the ball rolling in Smalling's head because he now knows he was the one considered expendable, whether that was because he's the more saleable asset or simply because he was less fancied is neither here nor there. He's gone out there and shown what he is capable of, and will have offers on the table because of it - offers we'll struggle to match and assurances we're not likely to give.

In hindsight, it's easy to slaughter the club for this, but the fact is, Jones > Smalling did not need anything but a glance rather than any prescience for it to be known as a terrible, terrible decision. Jones should not have been renewed and he shouldn't have lasted another season here; Smalling was at least worthy of rotation, and knowing we had only Maguire who had any aerial repute amongst out entire set of CB's, it was a terrible oversight to just let Smalling go as we did.

We put all of our eggs in Maguire's basket as this beast CB who would dominate in the air and be our John Terry light. We went so far in on that notion that we didn't have a contingency or cover for him. Turns out, the guy is well below par in the air; gets muscled out of challenges in both boxes, and has none of that top defender aura about him. Also turns out he badly needs a partner that can share the load: someone capable in the air, fast, mobile and able to bully attackers... who might that person be? Well, it doesn't take a genius to work out.

Whatever partnership vision we had initially, it hasn't worked out and we look like we need to buy again just to have a competent pairing back there. It's been one calamity atop another, and £80m wasted because Maguire is not a standalone CB who elevates those around him whilst remaining imperious himself, ala a Rio with what he did when he got here (sans his brainfarts), and is in fact a player who is going down with the ship and in serious need of his weaknesses being bailed out from by others.

Spending £80m to standstill at CB is a genuine shambolic state of affairs.
 

Pav1878

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He’s hardly crap on the ball but his defending and heading could do with some major improvements I admit.

The fact is the full team just isn’t working in harmony so things tend to break down. Our set piece delivery and especially defending just isn’t thought out.

Players need to be coached better. That’s our problem not our shiny new expensive defender.

I prefer replying to people who offer considered opinions not throwing their dummies out the pram though.
That is my considered opinion, just because it isn't yours doesn't make it any less relevant. As for the dummy comment, do me a favour.

Don't get upset because no one else is joining your one man Maguire fan club.
 

Buchan

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Well in, Harry.

I have to say, he went way up in my estimation back around the Christmas period when we were going through a terrible patch (he himself was playing poorly) and he played through the pain barrier for the good of the team. No hiding. No excuses. He took to the field when he obviously wasn’t 100% fit as that’s what leaders do.

Great choice as club captain.
 

FrankDrebin

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Y'know,he's been pretty damn good for a couple of months now.

So fair-play to the guy. He's starting to perform to the required standards of a United player and long may it continue.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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Ole knows about United, he knows we lack leadership, signing Maguire & Bruno were part of it. Inject leadership & good character into the team.

 

Snuffkin

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He was awesome against Everton. Good choice of captain - not too quiet, speaks the language, plays every game, sensible enough, well thought of by other players.
 

wolvored

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The last few weeks hes looking the player we thought we had bought. If he could score a few more, that would be perfect.
 

Bilbo

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A £60m centre back with an £80m mentality. Worth every penny.
 

mu4c_20le

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Think the decision was confirmed when he broke that poor fan's wrist. That was the moment he became a man.

And after looking at other clubs' defenders, I think sometimes we expect perfection from the guy and become upset when he ain't. He's solid.
 

JJ12

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The last few weeks hes looking the player we thought we had bought. If he could score a few more, that would be perfect.
I’m sure he will now we have somebody who can put in a quality delivery
 

Yagami

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Love him.

As I said in the summer, £80m well spent. When it comes to football, anyway.
 

RUCK4444

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The way he was labelled a waste of money in here by some was crazy, predictable though.

He's a clear improvement on any of the defenders we had, including Smalling (who I feel would be a good partner for Maguire.)

He has excellent positioning and composure. Simple things as well like having the composure to avoid kicking the ball out of play when under pressure heading back towards goal, instead he recycles it well and keeps possession, always frustrated me when the likes of Jones would sky the ball under the slightest pressure.

His forward passing is a massive upgrade on anything we had previously, nice to see a defender of ours step forwards past a player and fizz a nice ball out to the wing.
 

mariachi-19

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I get a Bryan Robson feel from slab head. I think McTominay is more the Keane type of leader in our sqaud.

If half of football is mental, we're going the right direction. Last year I hated the idea of our squad. Now we have people that are willing to fight for the shirt.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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Manchester United players are fined for missing team bonding events

Article Text:
Luke Shaw has revealed that Manchester United players are now fined if they do not turn up to team bonding events.
It is a policy that Harry Maguire has brought in since he became captain in January following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan.
In the past, several players have skipped team bonding sessions. Last September, a handful of players missed a meal organised by David de Gea at Juan Mata’s restaurant in Manchester.
Maguire, who was one of three players signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last summer, has made it compulsory for squad members to attend such events in a bid to improve unity within the camp.
“Ole’s signed people who aren’t just good players, but also really good lads as well,” Shaw, the United left back, said. “They’ve integrated in the squad really well and brought a bit more energy and togetherness in the group.

“That’s particularly true of Harry. He’s really trying to make sure we get more things done together as a group going forward. Youngy was brilliant, really tried his hardest, but sometimes it was difficult to get things done as a group.
“Now we’ve made a pact that whenever a team bonding thing happens, we all have to do it or we get fined. It’s great for the team to be together and do things together.”
Another impact from the decision of making him our new club captain if this article is legit.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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Don’t know how many people actually work for a living on this forum but imagine being fined for missing your work social events. . .

Having worked at places where they’d have a get together for an opening of an envelope you really shouldn’t be forcing people to ‘bond’.

We’ve had far more successful teams that have been full of cliques, this makes for great reading but I’ll judge him on success on the pitch.
 
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Don’t know how many people actually work for a living on this forum but imagine being fined for missing your work social events. . .

Having worked at places where they’d have a get together for an opening of an envelope you really shouldn’t be forcing people to ‘bond’.

We’ve had far more successful teams that have been full of cliques, this makes for great reading but I’ll judge him on success on the pitch.
you probably don’t work somewhere where a marginal gain is the difference between winning and losing.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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Don’t know how many people actually work for a living on this forum but imagine being fined for missing your work social events. . .

Having worked at places where they’d have a get together for an opening of an envelope you really shouldn’t be forcing people to ‘bond’.

We’ve had far more successful teams that have been full of cliques, this makes for great reading but I’ll judge him on success on the pitch.
No one in here will complain if they got paid the same amount as them.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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you probably don’t work somewhere where a marginal gain is the difference between winning and losing.
[Some] players given the option chose not to go to Mata’s restaurant, instead spending time doing something they actually want [be that play Playstation or spend time with their actual friends/family] but you think ‘marginal gains’ could be made by forcing them to rock up to events they rather wouldn’t.

I’ve worked in a few industries & some of the most productive workers were ‘anti-social’ where as others who were more than happy to socialise at every opportunity were far less efficient.

Forcing colleagues to attend functions is more likely to p*ss people off from my experiences.

No one in here will complain if they got paid the same amount as them.
This obsession with justifying making footballers do every/anything because of what they get paid needs to stop.

I’m not on the £100k a week some members of the squad are so yes I’d love an invite to Mata’s restaurant along with his wages - I fail to see your point.

Missing a ‘team bonding’ session isn’t missing a club mandated hospital visit or ceremony - if they don’t want to go, they shouldn’t have to & hailing Maguire as some Captain Marvel for this when he made Batshuayi look like R9 earlier in the season is rather laughable.

Should this translate to cohesion on the pitch I’m all for it but this surely isn’t big news.
 

VP89

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[Some] players given the option chose not to go to Mata’s restaurant, instead spending time doing something they actually want [be that play Playstation or spend time with their actual friends/family] but you think ‘marginal gains’ could be made by forcing them to rock up to events they rather wouldn’t.

I’ve worked in a few industries & some of the most productive workers were ‘anti-social’ where as others who were more than happy to socialise at every opportunity were far less efficient.

Forcing colleagues to attend functions is more likely to p*ss people off from my experiences.
It's not massively frequent so it shouldn't interfere massively in day-to-day lives. Team bonding is vital in this profession, just as client entertaining would be vital for say sales traders. Just because it's not technically in your contract, doesn't mean you aren't expected to make an effort.

If players would rather sit home and play the playstation, ignoring multiple bonding events they are likely not the profile of our club in the first place - so I don't get the problem here.
 

tenpoless

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Ole knows about United, he knows we lack leadership, signing Maguire & Bruno were part of it. Inject leadership & good character into the team.

The high five looks staged to me, so perfectly timed. If it wasn't then He has a very good reflex.
Maybe that's why He became a footballer.
 

MadDogg

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[Some] players given the option chose not to go to Mata’s restaurant, instead spending time doing something they actually want [be that play Playstation or spend time with their actual friends/family] but you think ‘marginal gains’ could be made by forcing them to rock up to events they rather wouldn’t.

I’ve worked in a few industries & some of the most productive workers were ‘anti-social’ where as others who were more than happy to socialise at every opportunity were far less efficient.

Forcing colleagues to attend functions is more likely to p*ss people off from my experiences.
I think the most important thing is how often they do it. If they try to make a bonding session every week or two then obviously that's too often to start fining people, but if it's once a month or two months then I guess it's ok. I would hope that they are also sensible about it if you already had something else planned.
 

Tel074

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The high five looks staged to me, so perfectly timed. If it wasn't then He has a very good reflex.
Maybe that's why He became a footballer.
Mate if you would struggle with that high 5 then I'm genuinely worried for you hahaa
 

Tel074

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I think the most important thing is how often they do it. If they try to make a bonding session every week or two then obviously that's too often to start fining people, but if it's once a month or two months then I guess it's ok. I would hope that they are also sensible about it if you already had something else planned.

Yeah I'm guessing it's for the ones who just don't bother turning up and we don't even know what the fine is .It could be a token gesture and a very small fine just to say lads you should have turned up.
Don't think it's a big deal and it's good Maguire is having a effect on the club