What Are Other Clubs Managers And Coaches Doing That United Aren't.

[Lost bear]

Proactive planning, for one

I think it is simply down to the manager's and coaches we've hired. I think the coaches that have done well in the PL (De Zerbi, Emery, Pep, Klopp, Howe, Arteta) are the ones that have drilled their team with a very clear idea of how they want to play. And it's generally an effective way. Their football methods were clear before they had great teams at their disposal.

I think we've had coaches that have come at the wrong time in their career or have just had bad ideas. Apart from LVG and maybe Jose, hell maybe even Ole, they've drilled their teams but in a style of play that is ineffective or a bit outdated. Dull passing around at the back and no attacking that (LVG), too risk adverse (Jose) or too reliant on the counter (Ole). I think ETH isn't clear on what he wants to do and part of his issue is that he relies on the counter or balls in behind too much. He probably expected that we'd naturally dominate possession, as Ajax did before and after he came, but he's been caught out by the PL standard and he's no answer for some of what he faces.

The Glazers are being mentioned a lot. Over the long run they've not helped at all as they've hired poor choices on the football side and delegated decisions to people that had no idea about football. But, the club has spent a lot of money. ETH has been backed as well as you could expect at any club really. So in this case I don't blame them. And I don't think the sale of the club is something ETH or the players would concern themselves with to the extent they play like they are. To me that is just an excuse and passing the buck. They're two different matters.

But don’t you think that they’re interrelated?
I’ve heard the argument on here that the Glazers are just being used as an excuse for poor coaching, poor players etc.
The point is, though , that this family of American capitalists don’t simply passively own the club. If only they did, maybe things would have been different over the course of their catastrophic ownership.
They came here to make money, but appear to know very little about running a successful football club. They have intervened in the running of Utd through their choice of bankers and financiers to steer the club. I don’t know how deep their crime family fingerprints are on the choice of who does what, but on examining those choices they certainly have had a huge impact. The protracted ‘sale’ I am sure will have taken its toll on manager and players. It doesn’t mean that others at Utd have played no role in the shit show of the past decade, but the Glazers are the worm at the core of the rotten heart of our club.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

But don’t you think that they’re interrelated?
I’ve heard the argument on here that the Glazers are just being used as an excuse for poor coaching, poor players etc.
The point is, though , that this family of American capitalists don’t simply passively own the club. If only they did, maybe things would have been different over the course of their catastrophic ownership.
They came here to make money, but appear to know very little about running a successful football club. They have intervened in the running of Utd through their choice of bankers and financiers to steer the club. I don’t know how deep their crime family fingerprints are on the choice of who does what, but on examining those choices they certainly have had a huge impact. The protracted ‘sale’ I am sure will have taken its toll on manager and players. It doesn’t mean that others at Utd have played no role in the shit show of the past decade, but the Glazers are the worm at the core of the rotten heart of our club.

Absolutely, the vast majority of the blame lies with the Glazers and the 'yes men' they've placed in key positions throughout the club.

 

[pocco]

But don’t you think that they’re interrelated?
I’ve heard the argument on here that the Glazers are just being used as an excuse for poor coaching, poor players etc.
The point is, though , that this family of American capitalists don’t simply passively own the club. If only they did, maybe things would have been different over the course of their catastrophic ownership.
They came here to make money, but appear to know very little about running a successful football club. They have intervened in the running of Utd through their choice of bankers and financiers to steer the club. I don’t know how deep their crime family fingerprints are on the choice of who does what, but on examining those choices they certainly have had a huge impact. The protracted ‘sale’ I am sure will have taken its toll on manager and players. It doesn’t mean that others at Utd have played no role in the shit show of the past decade, but the Glazers are the worm at the core of the rotten heart of our club.

I agree with what you said, as I mentioned it in my post, but I do think it's two separate issues. I don't see how the players would be so thrown off by the sale stuff. If anything it would be worse for them if they did sell as there is a higher chance they're replaced.

 

[FortunaUtd]

I can tell you two things clubs like Brighton, Wolves or Tottenham are doing that Man United are not.

Not finishing in top four. Not winning trophies.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

They somehow manage to get players to pass the ball to team mates in better positions, and somehow have managed to teach them to repeat certain patterns to help move and dislodge teams. They’ve also and this is the most impressive one, managed to get them to like run with intensity in to attacking and defensive positions to like actually make a challenge or an attack.

It all sounds so simple but watched manager after manager fail to do it at United. The only one that has actually come close is LVG.

 

[caid]

We have been out played this season by the likes of Brighton, Wolves and Tottenham. And despite spending a lot of money, we don't seem to be improving.
Brighton in particular have sold some of their players. And yet they were able to cut through our midfield and defence far too easily.
We have changed managers and coaches.
So what is it that other clubs are doing that United are not.
Is it fitness, nutrition, training coaching.
What is it that other clubs are doing so much better than United?

Just to pick up on this point. Our new signings haven't played to be fair. We've got 90 mins from Hojlund and Mount and nothing from a last minute Amrabat. I think the contrast between Onana and De Gea is pretty clear but i guess a goalkeeper is only going to have so much impact on our play. It feels like a positive change to me.

I think we've been casting around for a formation and selection with the players available (not an ideal selection in a lot of cases) and have struggled with a thousand other issues and have lost 3 games against good teams. Teams that will almost certainly finish in european spots - were nowhere near good enough to turn that into a crisis. Its a rough patch of form. Were always a couple of injuries away from descending back to an utterly mediocre side thats going to win some and lose some.

 

[Rozay]

Their jobs and not blaming their club’s owners of Chief Executive for their team’s inability to pass the football.

 

[RedDevil@84]

They are running a football club, while we are running a business, which used to be successful.

Our rot starts from the very top and what happens on the pitch is an end result of what happens from the top. Of course there will be a few good managers who could get things going for a while, but it is all just a matter of time before it all implodes.

 

[Rozay]

They are running a football club, while we are running a business, which used to be successful.

Our rot starts from the very top and what happens on the pitch is an end result of what happens from the top. Of course there will be a few good managers who could get things going for a while, but it is all just a matter of time before it all implodes.

Why?

Why specifically does the fact that we have poor owners (whatever you see that to mean) stop any manager of the Manchester United football team effectively managing the football team?

 

[CallyRed]

I admire your constant use of full stops at the end of your thread titles.

 

[KirkDuyt]

Ours waxes his bald head so the stadium lights reflect in it. Ten Hag should do it too.

 

[Plant0x84]

Why?

Why specifically does the fact that we have poor owners (whatever you see that to mean) stop any manager of the Manchester United football team effectively managing the football team?

Seriously? Wow.
Let’s consider Martial. We’re led to believe he is Joel Glazers favourite player. Effectively that makes Martial invincible because no matter how poorly he plays the owner has his back - Mourinho couldn’t sell him, Rangnick couldn’t sell him and I bet Erik has tried. That directly undermines the manager.
Let’s consider then the cash situation. We have none, and we are up against FFP. Because of the way the club is financed ( or not) by the owner we are in trouble financially, and are having to tread VERY carefully. They are allowed to put in up to £90m but take out instead.
Let’s consider the decision making at the club. The manager want a player, the FD or CEO makes a decent deal for that player and then it is vetoed by JG. He proposes a cheaper player, hence we end up with DVB instead of Grealish and the rest is history.
The fact that the owners are happy to achieve top4 and take the extra cash, never daring to push for a title or a trophy will absolutely bleed through the organisation to the players.
So you see the owners being poor has a very real effect directly and indirectly on what happens on the pitch, and limits how much success a manager can achieve. But you knew that really, didn’t you?

 

[Shark]

I can tell you two things clubs like Brighton, Wolves or Tottenham are doing that Man United are not.

Not finishing in top four. Not winning trophies.

We're just there to make up the numbers, as tomorrow night will probably highlight.

 

[Ceteris]

I want the glazers gone as much every fan of this club but they don't manage this team, they don't buy the players.

Look at what we have spent since Fergie left and what do we have to show for it?

I just watched City play 2 new players today in the champions league, they looked like they've been there for 2 years.

You can argue we have had incompetent people in charge and it's impact but majority of us were happy with the appointment of our current manager.

I watch us play and I cannot tell you what our tactics are, he has been backed with money to spend so regardless of not getting the defensive cover he wanted the question what did he do with the players pre season?

Am no doctor but am sure there's a positive correlation with our lengthy injury list and how unfit we are at the moment.

We look undercooked, look at Casemiro he can barely run and shockingly Eriksen looks better than him and most of us thought he was done last season.

He allowed Sancho to go through preseason last year unfit and had to send him away to get ready, why could he not handle that in preseason?

We can moan about glazers but here and now Ten Hag is in charge and he needs to address the issues on the pitch.

Let's be a football club again, the business issues won't be resolved now

 

[Cloud7]

• Working under good owners
• Operating in a competent football structure
• Signing hungry young players and developing them, not signing ‘instant fix’ old has beens in key positions.
• Employing a modern style of play, and recruiting players capable of doing so
• Giving a crap about winning and being the best they can be, not simply doing ‘just enough’. (Top 4 for the cash)

Amen brother. Can’t even decide which one I feel more strongly about between point 3 and point 5

 

[el3mel]

Have a strategy.

Actually coach players on how to play football.

It's not that hard is it?

 

[Stig]

It starts from the top and we all know about the parasites.
As I said on another thread I am baffled they didnt want to put the right people in charge as in CEO and DOF.
Talk about penny wise pound foolish. They could have been sitting on a gold mine probably without debt and without fan backlash if we had have planned correctly after Fergie. We were still top dog at that time and been run so much better.
They have mostly wasted £1.3 billion on stupid transfers, where having a system and bringing in manager(s) and players to match the system, could have been so much different.

8/10 well said

 

[Stig]

Agree with all of this.
The years of mismanagement is spot on. We can see that the clubs with the best management are the most successful.
And not just the best managers. But those in charge of actually running the football club. They have the best people in charge of each of the various functions including HR, Recruitment, Finance, Commercial, Business Strategy, Data Analysis and Infrastructure for example.
And then there is the Footballing side of the business.

Each of these has to operate in a coordinated structure aimed at being the very best run.
And the problems at OT prove that they certainly are not.

A few years ago I heard an interview with who I think was the owner of Southampton.

If you remember they were doing very well and sacked a very popular manager. Then the next manager did even better and they sacked him to get Poch.

The owner, or whomever, was asked how Southampton were still doing so well with such a high turnover in managers.

His answer was, "the manager of that department isn't particularly important at this club."

Effectively saying that they had an organization and structure for the club and that the first team manager wasn't the be all and end all of the club's success. The exact opposite of what we have and why we are such a mess.

 

[Rozay]

Seriously? Wow.
Let’s consider Martial. We’re led to believe he is Joel Glazers favourite player. Effectively that makes Martial invincible because no matter how poorly he plays the owner has his back - Mourinho couldn’t sell him, Rangnick couldn’t sell him and I bet Erik has tried. That directly undermines the manager.
Let’s consider then the cash situation. We have none, and we are up against FFP. Because of the way the club is financed ( or not) by the owner we are in trouble financially, and are having to tread VERY carefully. They are allowed to put in up to £90m but take out instead.
Let’s consider the decision making at the club. The manager want a player, the FD or CEO makes a decent deal for that player and then it is vetoed by JG. He proposes a cheaper player, hence we end up with DVB instead of Grealish and the rest is history.
The fact that the owners are happy to achieve top4 and take the extra cash, never daring to push for a title or a trophy will absolutely bleed through the organisation to the players.
So you see the owners being poor has a very real effect directly and indirectly on what happens on the pitch, and limits how much success a manager can achieve. But you knew that really, didn’t you?

A lot of this sounds made up to me. Nobody has tried to buy Martial, and if we received a suitable offer, he’d have likely been sold this summer as he isn’t the manager’s first choice.

As for the rest, it reads, remarkably, as a sob story of how our poor managers never have any money to spend. Which isn’t true. But you know that really, don’t you?

People have drunk so much media koolaid and are now just reciting rhetoric. Managers don’t always get all the players they want because we work with real money and not monopoly money? Whatever next!

‘The manager or director make a good deal for a player and it is then vetoes by JG, who then proposes a cheaper player.’ What are you even talking about here? You’ve made up some stuff about Grealish and Van de Beek and have run with it. Van de Beek that was signed in an extremely depressed market 3 months into covid which would have undoubtedly impacted any transfer plans, for every club. A manager not getting every player he wants is not an excuse for repeated failure. We have an incredibly expensively assembled squad. We buy players!

Now moving on from all of the above, none of it answers my question anyway. It’s a combination of buzzwords and rhetoric. What you have failed to tell me is, once the transfer window closes and the actual football starts, when we are now left with the players and the manager/coaching staff at Carrington - what role does Joel Glazer play in the manager’s inability to get his football team to pass and move? Because that is what this thread is about, if I am not mistaken. The football that we play.

Do I need to give you a list of managers who have come to the PL and gotten their teams to perform how they want and play good football? Quickly. We can go right from the top to Guardiola down to managers like Gary O’Niell and Ralph Hassenhutl. There are several, they are not all spoilt with unlimited resources, many have even come in mid-season and improved their football teams. Out managers have not and all I’m hearing is nonsense about ‘The Glazers’. Unless the Glazers are at Carrington throughout the season actively working to sabotage their manager, then his ability to coach has nothing to do with them.

Next we’ll be saying our football is poor because ‘The Glazers’ haven’t fixed the leaking roof on the stadium.

 

[gaffs]

It starts from the top and we all know about the parasites.
As I said on another thread I am baffled they didnt want to put the right people in charge as in CEO and DOF.
Talk about penny wise pound foolish. They could have been sitting on a gold mine probably without debt and without fan backlash if we had have planned correctly after Fergie. We were still top dog at that time and been run so much better.
They have mostly wasted £1.3 billion on stupid transfers, where having a system and bringing in manager(s) and players to match the system, could have been so much different.

If a director of football was in charge of transfers, people would be saying he is signing players that the manager doesnt want.

 

[Who's Kissing Cameras?]

Their jobs and not blaming their club’s owners of Chief Executive for their team’s inability to pass the football.

Bingo.

 

[Plant0x84]

all I’m hearing is nonsense about ‘The Glazers’.

You’re right, they are great. Everything is peachy.
Just one thing - take a look at this video and tell me how anything here is ETH fault. He’s clearly coaching the team well and setting them up to do as he wishes, and we’ve seen players improve last season like AWB and Rashford under Erik’s coaching team, so I’m not sure what more you want. It’s clear as day the club and manager are handicapped by the owners, but if you don’t want to see that then fine. Says more about you than the manager.

 

[Rozay]

You’re right, they are great. Everything is peachy.
Just one thing - take a look at this video and tell me how anything here is ETH fault. He’s clearly coaching the team well and setting them up to do as he wishes, and we’ve seen players improve last season like AWB and Rashford under Erik’s coaching team, so I’m not sure what more you want. It’s clear as day the club and manager are handicapped by the owners, but if you don’t want to see that then fine. Says more about you than the manager.

And what exactly does it ‘say about me’?

And I’m not watching a video, I will watch our football matches. We are not ‘clearly’ coached well (enough) in the slightest. And if that were true and he is ‘clearly coaching the team well and setting them up to do as he wishes’, who exactly is stopping them from effectively carrying it out on a Saturday? Joel Glazer?

 

[Plant0x84]

And what exactly does it ‘say about me’?

And I’m not watching a video, I will watch our football matches. We are not ‘clearly’ coached well (enough) in the slightest.

Cock off lad, what’s the point?! Going on ignore I reckon.

 

[Rozay]

Cock off lad, what’s the point?! Going on ignore I reckon.

Don’t make me cry.

 

[gaffs]

You’re right, they are great. Everything is peachy.
Just one thing - take a look at this video and tell me how anything here is ETH fault. He’s clearly coaching the team well and setting them up to do as he wishes, and we’ve seen players improve last season like AWB and Rashford under Erik’s coaching team, so I’m not sure what more you want. It’s clear as day the club and manager are handicapped by the owners, but if you don’t want to see that then fine. Says more about you than the manager.

Handicapped by the owners how?

Ten Hag should be getting a tune out of the team he has.

 

[Plant0x84]

Handicapped by the owners how?

Ten Hag should be getting a tune out of the team he has.

Good lord, was nobody watching last season?
It’s the players Mavis, it’s always been the players!

 

[RedStarUnited]

Handicapped by the owners how?

Ten Hag should be getting a tune out of the team he has.

I wish the OP limited this discussion to the football pitch. Too many people are mentioning the owners for me. Unless you think theres some magical piece of equipment the Glazers wont sanction the purchase of to enable ETH to train the lads.

 

[Redstain]

I think it is simply down to the manager's and coaches we've hired. I think the coaches that have done well in the PL (De Zerbi, Emery, Pep, Klopp, Howe, Arteta) are the ones that have drilled their team with a very clear idea of how they want to play. And it's generally an effective way. Their football methods were clear before they had great teams at their disposal.

I think we've had coaches that have come at the wrong time in their career or have just had bad ideas. Apart from LVG and maybe Jose, hell maybe even Ole, they've drilled their teams but in a style of play that is ineffective or a bit outdated. Dull passing around at the back and no attacking that (LVG), too risk adverse (Jose) or too reliant on the counter (Ole). I think ETH isn't clear on what he wants to do and part of his issue is that he relies on the counter or balls in behind too much. He probably expected that we'd naturally dominate possession, as Ajax did before and after he came, but he's been caught out by the PL standard and he's no answer for some of what he faces.

The Glazers are being mentioned a lot. Over the long run they've not helped at all as they've hired poor choices on the football side and delegated decisions to people that had no idea about football. But, the club has spent a lot of money. ETH has been backed as well as you could expect at any club really. So in this case I don't blame them. And I don't think the sale of the club is something ETH or the players would concern themselves with to the extent they play like they are. To me that is just an excuse and passing the buck. They're two different matters.

Agreed to some extent ETH I feel has rolled the dice and played russian roulette with implementing a new system on top of the progress of the teams development last season. A new system is something a manager should be doing maybe three seasons into their tenure. Not after one season with a team of players that have showed a lack of diversity to tactical fluidity.

While the club's structure is a relevant issue there's a level of Erik's contribution for the abysmal performances as of late. We credited him last season for galvanizing the team and helping Rashford and co find form, he must therefore be critiqued for the poor start. This team has look totally dysfunctional at times.

 

[Rozay]

I wish the OP limited this discussion to the football pitch. Too many people are mentioning the owners for me. Unless you think theres some magical piece of equipment the Glazers wont sanction the purchase of to enable ETH to train the lads.

I believe he did. He asked a direct question about what coaches were doing wrong and right. The answer always seems to be the Glazers. I’ve asked one person to explain, they mentioned FFP and Jack Grealish. I’m very curious to hear how specifically ‘The Glazers’ are stopping our coaches from instilling good football on the pitch.

 

[Son]

Arnold and Woodward wasn't cheap.

They got mega salary.

Glazers are just stupid but penny pinching on wages and transfer arent their trait. They just appoint the wrong one.

And we spend 1 bn post Fergie

Should have spent 3 billion if it wasn’t for the Glazer’s debt free. People forget half that would be on new training facilities youth and a new stadium.

We’d be crushing it.

Imagine adding Kim and Kane for example this summer on top of what we’d of already added bonus from previous years. Maybe De Jong last summer etc… even Haaland might have joined us if the club was debt free.

We are a long way from competing on that level.

We signed Casemiro for the same price as De Jong. Well past his peak, won everything already unlike De Jong who obviously has it all to prove and is proving it.

Casemiro is a good player still with plenty to offer but he see’s us as a lower level than his last club obviously. We are the step down and he’s earning a tonne of cash to make that step down.

 

[Rozay]

Should have spent 3 billion if it wasn’t for the Glazer’s debt free. People forget half that would be on new training facilities youth and a new stadium.

We’d be crushing it.

Imagine adding Kim and Kane for example this summer on top of what we’d of already added bonus from previous years. Maybe De Jong last summer etc… even Haaland might have joined us if the club was debt free.

We are a long way from competing on that level.

We signed Casemiro for the same price as De Jong. Well past his peak, won everything already unlike De Jong who obviously has it all to prove and is proving it.

Our owners have nothing to do with why De Jong does not play for us. We agreed a fee for him! The player didn’t want to leave Barcelona.

 

[Lost bear]

I agree with what you said, as I mentioned it in my post, but I do think it's two separate issues. I don't see how the players would be so thrown off by the sale stuff. If anything it would be worse for them if they did sell as there is a higher chance they're replaced.

Yeah, I meant to acknowledge that you referenced the Glazers’ appalling record of hiring. But I do think it goes further and that their malign culture has permeated the club right through, sadly.

 

[RedCurry]

Telling their wingers to actually pass to the overlapping fullbacks once in a while to start.

 

[pocco]

Yeah, I meant to acknowledge that you referenced the Glazers’ appalling record of hiring. But I do think it goes further and that their malign culture has permeated the club right through, sadly.

I just don't agree, I find it too hard to relate. If I was a player then I'd not be bothered about who owns the club. They probably barely ever see the Glazers and all the same staff will be around them if the club does get sold.

Besides, nobody was saying any of this last season even though the writing was on the wall in terms of style of play. Back then it was about Ten Hag needing his own players. It just seems to be the latest convenient excuse for the manager.

What I suspect is that there's quite a few that made big proclamations about ETH and are now finding excuses. I've been there, I defended the likes of Jose. These days I feel less attachment to our managers and just call it how I see it.

 

[Rozay]

I just don't agree, I find it too hard to relate. If I was a player then I'd not be bothered about who owns the club. They probably barely ever see the Glazers and all the same staff will be around them if the club does get sold.

Besides, nobody was saying any of this last season even though the writing was on the wall in terms of style of play. Back then it was about Ten Hag needing his own players. It just seems to be the latest convenient excuse for the manager.

What I suspect is that there's quite a few that made big proclamations about ETH and are now finding excuses. I've been there, I defended the likes of Jose. These days I feel less attachment to our managers and just call it how I see it.

Exactly this.

Although I don’t think it’s even always as premeditated as this tbh. Football has become a 24/7 bombardment of tweet after tweet, article after article and I have long felt that many fans simply cannot think for themselves. All the football views are already packaged and stored and people often just regurgitate things subconsciously because not everyone wishes to engage at certain levels. Like pundits will say again and again that McTominay has been picked because of his defensive work off the ball, even though he doesn’t do it. Or that Rashford always chases back. It’s not that they deliberately want to mislead, and it’s not even that they formed that opinion independently due to watching him play hundreds of times. It’s just what people say.

Again, I’d ask anyone to actually explain why our owners are the cause of our poor football. And my point is, if you say it, then you should be able to explain why you say it. And if you can’t, then you’re just saying it because people say it.

 

[Lost bear]

I just don't agree, I find it too hard to relate. If I was a player then I'd not be bothered about who owns the club. They probably barely ever see the Glazers and all the same staff will be around them if the club does get sold.

Besides, nobody was saying any of this last season even though the writing was on the wall in terms of style of play. Back then it was about Ten Hag needing his own players. It just seems to be the latest convenient excuse for the manager.

What I suspect is that there's quite a few that made big proclamations about ETH and are now finding excuses. I've been there, I defended the likes of Jose. These days I feel less attachment to our managers and just call it how I see it.

Yes, there are different ways of looking at it and yours is reasonable enough. Often disputes are organised around binary understandings- Oh, it’s the coach ‘s fault or No, it’s the players to blame. Usually there are in fact multiple causes. It’s a complex problem or set of problems that we face.

However, I think the Glazers are the root issue because they have shaped the fate of the club through the terrible choices they’ve made during their sorry history at the club. But others have played a role for sure- even Sir Alex in his original choice of Moyes. But with our American friends, it’s the complex ways in which their rabid capitalist ethic and their decisions and choices which structure Utd that underlie the tensions, the demoralisation, and the sheer miserable football we see from our team, almost regardless of the manager and the players.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Why?

Why specifically does the fact that we have poor owners (whatever you see that to mean) stop any manager of the Manchester United football team effectively managing the football team?

Glazers employ poor people to run the club who make poor decisions in infrastructure, poor decisions in player recruitment, poor decisions in player negotiations, poor decisions in the transfer windows. End up getting average players all around the pitch who can't be sold (high salary, long contracts) or played. Manager with all his tactics can get things going for a while, but then average players eventually hit their ceilings and thus create a manager-player friction. Success on the pitch dwindles, so does the money, further escalating the whole process.

I am not saying ETH cannot or should not do better than he is doing now, but Glazers are the problem and until they are gone and someone who loves football to appoint proper footballing structure comes on, every manager is gonna suffer with hundreds of things.

 

[ScholesyTheWise]

Most of them have much more time to find their feet and the right players for them; Most of them have much fewer expectations and burdens to deal with.

A lot of them probably sign players who view their arrival to the PL as a dream, a challenge. they have the need to prove themselves. They know they'll otherwise be dropped. In contrast, Man Utd have players who- in some cases- probably think they already made it by getting signed by a huge club and getting shit tonnes of money. You'd think not all of them have a truly truly burning desire to necessarily win trophies.

You'd also think that for other managers, it's easier- to various degrees- to handle or control the dressing room.
I assume that there are many more journos who egg United players on to spill some beans to them, compared with most other clubs.

The fact that our play from the back is crap and that we don't seem to be able to press as a unit-
I know that it looks like there are several managers who make their teams do these things to a much higher level than United does,
But I also believe that it would have looked different for us if we had most of the first teamers available.

There are many players I don't like to put it mildly, and we're not a great team by all means,

But I guess we'd look at least more cohesive with the likes of Martinez, Varane, Dalot/AWB on the right, Shaw on the left, Antony on the right, all playing together.
Seeing these names put together as some sort of promise makes my eyes bleed, but that's our reality.

these are the players who have probably been learning to play with each other the most since ETH manages United.
Every time a backup player steps into the starting 11 we will regress massively, and while it's true for all clubs,
I tend to think that the immense pressure on United players' shoulders makes it harder to be a sub for us than it is for lots of other clubs.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Glazers employ poor people to run the club who make poor decisions in infrastructure, poor decisions in player recruitment, poor decisions in player negotiations, poor decisions in the transfer windows. End up getting average players all around the pitch who can't be sold (high salary, long contracts) or played. Manager with all his tactics can get things going for a while, but then average players eventually hit their ceilings and thus create a manager-player friction. Success on the pitch dwindles, so does the money, further escalating the whole process.

I am not saying ETH cannot or should not do better than he is doing now, but Glazers are the problem and until they are gone and someone who loves football to appoint proper footballing structure comes on, every manager is gonna suffer with hundreds of things.

Do you really think we have average players(at the moment) all around the field?

This excuse doesn't really fly.