The “Ole doesn’t have the players to work with” myth

The depressing thing is...our beloved CEO keeps 'believing' in Ole and while that's the case this sh*tshow is going to last all season.
 
He doesn't tbf. This squad is terrible. There are maybe 4 positions in the starting XI that don't need replacing.

Unfortunately, the manager is even worse than the squad.
 
Our squad is not the best, but a better manager would without a doubt make better use of it than Ole is, and he wouldn't need over a year to do so. It's just indisputable at this point.
 
Figgins said:
there is absolutely no depth or balance to the squad. This is not Ole's fault.

We've had numerous managers, the shape of the squad hasn't been great.

Oh... wow Williams...

Oh.. wow Greenwood
Click to expand...
Not entirely, but this summer he has to take some of the blame. He got rid of players and didn't replace them, if we do not bring players in January, then he can take some more blame.
 
TMDaines said:
I agree with this and this is why I don’t want to sack him and just replace him with Allegri or Pochettino. I’ve seen nothing to suggest either of these two can build a side and make a team better than the sum of their parts.
Click to expand...

What? Poch has taken Spurs to such a high level since taking over.
 
charlenefan said:
How a thread can be made titled the way it is in direct response to a game where Ole is forced to play Fred and Andreas in midfield and question the validity of this so called myth is highly ironic
Click to expand...

All their goals came from mistakes on our part, not some brilliant tactical management. We were better in the second half, once we made changes, and even had a lot of possession but did not have the quality of players in midfield to really make any chances.

Our attack is pretty good, but very shallow. Our next best option after the front three is Greenwood, an 18 year old. We have AWB and Williams as our FBs, both young and in Williams case very inexperienced. The only area that we have some quality and depth is GK position. The first choice CBs are good, the others not so much.

Our squad is poor, and the injuries have been taking a toll for a while.

Now granted, SU is a very well drilled side, but that is the advantage of having stability in the club and not having their best players being unavailable for most games.
 
SteveW said:
Fred and Periera were our only midfield options today
Click to expand...


I'd like to see any manager in the world compete for trophies with those two imposters as your central midfield, in addition to terrible players like Jones and a then a number of young kids. We have a mid table squad, hence we are mid table. We need at least six quality signings plus a number of players moved on.
 
John Fleck joined Sheffield United in 2016 in league 1.

If only Ole had that level of player available to him.
 
Salus Populi Suprema Lex said:
I'd like to see any manager in the world compete for trophies with those two imposters as your central midfield, in addition to terrible players like Jones and a then a number of young kids. We have a mid table squad, hence we are mid table. We need at least six quality signings plus a number of players moved on.
Click to expand...

Nobody expects Ole to fight for the title with that squad. He should be doing better than he is though. A lot.
 
SteveW said:
Fred and Periera were our only midfield options today
Click to expand...

They were but the way they were utlised was the problem. They were on the same line and if one gets beaten there is no need to beat the other. You simply cannot play like that. When you defend you defend in layers. Ole should have played Jones in midfield along with Fred and I hate to say this but Lingard. A 3 man midfield with Jones being ordered not to go forward and to hold his position as the holding player. We also were too slow and let Sheffield United get back. They were well drilled and much better coached side.
Ole needs to be sacked and a temporary manager got to get us till the end of the season as most of us know he cannot take us forward so there is no point in throwing money away in January.
 
el3mel said:
Because they are greatly coached. They're punching above their weight.

How many players will you buy from their team ?
Click to expand...

Funny how Sheffield United are punching above their weight but Wolves who did similar things last season where doing so with a plethora of players good enough for Man Utd
 
mu4c_20le said:
That is an amazing team. Two high flying wingers, prime Rooney, and a solid back four.


Always liked Ollie Norwood, and Lundstram had a hell of an engine today, played like a Gareth Barry
Click to expand...

Really? You not remember how inconsistent Nani was even with Sir Alex at the helm? Young was always a decent player. Evra by that time was going downhill. De Gea just signed and was very, very suspect. Let's not talk about the defence and the midfield. The only player that was world class was Wayne Rooney with Evra still a good player that used to be world class. We annihilated Arsenal. Leicester annihilated Southampton and are second and is their team/squad that much better than ours.

It is a big myth and it needs to die asap.
 
charlenefan said:
Funny how Sheffield United are punching above their weight but Wolves who did similar things last season where doing so with a plethora of players good enough for Man Utd
Click to expand...

IIRC the only Wolves people were talking about to sign was Neves. I don't remember anyone wanting their entire team, and yes, they're still punching above their weight.
 
Last edited:
I've seen Sheff Untied a couple of times this season. They've been playing above themselves. Sheff were at home. I knew that this game wouldn't be easy.
 
Foxbatt said:
Ole needs to be sacked and a temporary manager got to get us till the end of the season as most of us know he cannot take us forward so there is no point in throwing money away in January.
Click to expand...

Who and why?
 
Look at how losing Laporte and Kompany has affected City this season, a squad far superior to our own and a manager considered by most to be a genius.

Players matter, and our squad has some glaring holes that are plain to see whenever any player is unavailable.
 
There are people saying Sheffield have a better squad than ours. Our fanbase is so deluded it's crazy.
 
Skills said:
Tbf it was the same with Mourinho, Van Gaal and Moyes. The clubs fanbase have this weird fetish for whoever is sitting in the managers seat, irrespective of what they have achieved in the role.
Click to expand...
It’s like they get a mind wipe when it comes to transfers and players on a screen too. A transfer window of players and hypothetical lineups plastered over the forums of how good we’ll be when this team gets going, only for said players to end up being part of ‘deadwood clear out lists’. It’s something you’ve alluded to as well, actually.

How many successful transfers have we actually had in the past 6 years? How many highly rated, talented players do we have to sign, only for them to struggle here? We’re certainly not just being unlucky in the market and signing bad players (for the most part). How long before the majority realise that the problem is not player quality, as @Rado_N states, but actual cohesive tactics and an identifiable footballing direction from the club as an entity?
 
I'm not backing anyone here but this SAF won stuff 8-2 with Rafael in midfield stuff has to stop.

SAF was in a league where the competition was at max, 2 top clubs in the first decade & 3 top clubs in the 2nd decade he managed. Everybody else were ants and played like ants. You now have clubs like Sheffield United playing like Barcelona vs City & Liverpool & tactically not playing scared.

As rinsed as repeated it is - SAF playing Rafael & Jones in midfield & his poor decisions are one of the major reasons we are here struggling today.
 
MaxiPaxi said:
Really? You not remember how inconsistent Nani was even with Sir Alex at the helm? Young was always a decent player. Evra by that time was going downhill. De Gea just signed and was very, very suspect. Let's not talk about the defence and the midfield. The only player that was world class was Wayne Rooney with Evra still a good player that used to be world class. We annihilated Arsenal. Leicester annihilated Southampton and are second and is their team/squad that much better than ours.

It is a big myth and it needs to die asap.
Click to expand...
Squad no, but it's irrelevant because Leicester have their best XI on the field week in week out in the PL with no midweek games. And yes, the team Leicester had against Southampton (and nearly every other game) is clearly better than what we had available today.
 
De Gea, Lindelof, Jones, Pereira, Rashford and Martial have got new deals under him. Lingard's new deal is on the way too (it was reported by the same rumours that were claiming that Lindelof would get a new contract).

Maguire, AWB and James are his signings.

The first team was supposedly kept thin so that youngsters like Williams, Tuanzebe and Greenwood would get playing time.

That's 13/14 of the players who played today plus Fred.

These are all players he wants to work with and trusts. But yeah, keep fooling yourselves that in three years you'll be seeing a different United and that it's all Woodward's doing.
 
Last edited:
mu4c_20le said:
That is an amazing team. Two high flying wingers, prime Rooney, and a solid back four
Click to expand...
How did it go for these two high flying wingers and that solid back four when they were no longer managed by SAF later down the road?
 
Godfather said:
Yes because they have a great coach. Doesn't change the fact that none of their players would get into our XI. Probably not even today when they played us off the park for 70 mins.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see the outrage on here if Chris Wilder is given the United job. I mean why not? According to the caf, he is a great manager.
 
Yeah but erm erm it's just fitness. Yeah not Ole's fault. Fitness.

The idiots who keep saying this squad isn't good enough were singing a very different tune this time last season.
 
I dunno I think it's a big factor. I don't think Ole gives us any big boost like Klopp or Pep do, or how Fergie used to (or anything even to a small degree). But I also don't think he holds us back really. We're pretty much playing at the level of our players, but because of the youth and other factors we just haven't been consistent. You look at some of the options we've had to use this season, and it's not a big surprise to see us struggle as we have.

Ole has Rashford in the best form of his career right now IMO, and in a perfect position for him. James has been quality. McTominay has looked very good this season, taking his game up a few levels. Martial is inconsistent as he's always been but on the whole a bit more consistent then normal I'd say. What does the rest of our team have? The defence has been alright on the whole this season, some shit performances but it's still lacking pieces. Look at our midfield: Pogba (injured all season, but last season had his best form when Ole took over), McTominay (injured now, but by far having his best season), Fred (best form since he's joined, still pretty shit), Pereira (garbage), Matic (well past it), Garner (18 year old who isn't ready to play).

Is it any wonder that we struggle when our midfield looks like this? Or the revolving door at left back. And he lack of depth throughout. Like I said, I don't think he is a great manager who gives us any boost, but nor do I think he is hot trash who holds us back. Some are in very good form, some are just continuing to be shit as they always have. We play a midfield of Fred and Pereira because we literally have no other midfielders, it's no surprise to see us struggle.
 
Wednesday at Stoke said:
I'd love to see the outrage on here if Chris Wilder is given the United job. I mean why not? According to the caf, he is a great manager.
Click to expand...

Wilder's a much, much better manager than Solskjaer but that doesn't mean he's good enough. I mean Solskjaer won't get anywhere near another PL job once he's done here, and even Championship clubs went nowhere near him after his disastrous spell at Cardiff.
 
the glazer brainwashing process is wearing thin... yes man needs to go now and replaced asap with a manager that knows what hes doing
 
Leftback99 said:
Squad no, but it's irrelevant because Leicester have their best XI on the field week in week out in the PL with no midweek games. And yes, the team Leicester had against Southampton (and nearly every other game) is clearly better than what we had available today.
Click to expand...

We had Martial, James, Rashford today. All 3 would get into the Leicester 11. We bought their CB for 80 million. We bought AWB for 50. I mean do I need to go on? Our players are not bad our coaching is.

By the way Jose had 7 wins and 5 draws when he was sacked with a squad that completely downed tools. What's the excuse for Ole who was brought in to make difference.
 
For people saying the lack of depth is not his fault -
Smalling had a goal and 2 assists and clean sheet today. Might even have been able to stand up to a shoulder barge.
Fred and Pereira were our only midfield options since ... we got rid of Herrera.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.