Where is the spine of the team?

[McGrathsipan]

Great teams are usually built around a spine of a quality goal keeper, good centre backs, consistently good central midfield and a quality striker.
These are the players that the team is built around. Their quality will mean that you can afford one or two flair/luxury players that add that extra layer.
One of these players is usually the leader - driving things on the field and being that rock making sure that he and his team-mates will do the hard yards for each other.

Outside the keeper we have none of that. We have no leader, we have no consistently good players, to me it looks like we have nobody thats willing to put it on the line for their team mates.

Our so called elite players

Bruno is horrendous for a long time now - does nothing but whine.
Rashford is dreadful
Greenwood seems off.
Sancho seems off.
Fred is a worker but he just isnt an elite player
Maguire is bang average
Shaw is incredibly limited
WanBissaka is not an elite player
MC T isnt elite
Pogba - a fecking chancer and a show-pony. No interest in his team
Martial - passenger
Ronaldo - over the hill
Varane - the jury is still out. He is a quality player but we havent seen it yet


Until we can get a team with a spine of quality and grit then we are at nothing. It doesnt surprise me at all that we are still shite.
a good few of these players need to be shown the door

 

[SER19]

I think how far away they are from Rangnicks desired way of playing is eye opening to everybody. I think most fans want a hard working, well organised high pressing team and players with certain mental qualities.

I certainly have been surprised by how far off the mark I've been on many and maybe we needed a progressive manager to expose it this clearly.

There is no spine, and as you point out, some players we actually consider big talents are actually a bit shit. Rashford in particular. Nobody would want us to sign him if he played for Palace.

 

[hobbers]

Our 'best' spine with the players we have is probably something like

De Gea
Varane Lindelof
McTominay Fred
VdB
Cavani

Which is ironic because Lindelof is quite a spineless CB but there you go. At least he isn't Maguire.

Add in Dalot, Telles, Sancho and Ronaldo/Greenwood around that and I think we'd have a pretty effective team.

 

[arthurka]

All bunch of spineless whiners.

 

[Get In Scholesy]

“Team” you say?
Interesting, considering we haven’t seen a semblance of a team, this reeks more of athletic club or community centre where strangers come for a kick about.

To be clear, I’m not having a go at the OP. Makes a very good point. I haven’t seen anything close to a “team” at this club in a long time.

 

[Amar__]

Di Maria left ages ago.

 

[Escobar]

We need proper leadership with a winning mentality

 

[rk4utd]

Keep reading about what a good squad we have….unfortunately most of the ‘good’ players are also pretty shoddy at the ‘fight for the shirt’ mentality - the rest are bang average.

 

[MDFC Manager]

Maguire is the captain of the team. What else is there to say.

 

[McGrathsipan]

“Team” you say?
Interesting, considering we haven’t seen a semblance of a team, this reeks more of athletic club or community centre where strangers come for a kick about.

To be clear, I’m not having a go at the OP. Makes a very good point. I haven’t seen anything close to a “team” at this club in a long time.

I'd agree with you completely and that's the real issue. We need to get rid of the selfish and lazy players.

The sooner we do the sooner we get back on to the right track.

Start with telling Pogba he can go and benching Rashford

 

[Leftback99]

Our 'best' spine with the players we have is probably something like

De Gea
Varane Lindelof
McTominay Fred
VdB
Cavani

Which is ironic because Lindelof is quite a spineless CB but there you go. At least he isn't Maguire.

Add in Dalot, Telles, Sancho and Ronaldo/Greenwood around that and I think we'd have a pretty effective team.

If that's our best it's no surprise we're nowhere near winning anything. Add in Dalot and Telles and it gets worse not better.

 

[hobbers]

If that's our best it's no surprise we're nowhere near winning anything. Add in Dalot and Telles and it gets worse not better.

Yeah, my only point is Maguire Bruno and Rashford make it far worse rather than improving it.

 

[royboy16]

They are all spineless !

 

[Oranges038]

Spine starts with the keeper amd works it's way out.

DDG is weak as piss.
Centre backs have no command or leadership qualities.
Midfield 2 are just shite.
Bruno runs around and whinges too much.
Ronaldo just isn't what he was.

 

[Leftback99]

Yeah, my only point is Maguire Bruno and Rashford make it far worse rather than improving it.

I won't try argue a case for any of them based on this season.

 

[Herschel Krustofsky]

Anyone who thinks Ralf’s going to come in and turn the current mob into high pressing killers is seriously deluded

Was thinking who I’d keep after noocassle and list was as follows;

Dave
Varane
Fred
Mason
Edi

Rest can feck off as far as I care, just throw a load of kids in

 

[sp_107]

Our 'best' spine with the players we have is probably something like

De Gea
Varane Lindelof
McTominay Fred
VdB
Cavani

Which is ironic because Lindelof is quite a spineless CB but there you go. At least he isn't Maguire.

Add in Dalot, Telles, Sancho and Ronaldo/Greenwood around that and I think we'd have a pretty effective team.

This highlights our squad problem, the names people are trying to put here are not even first team regulars ...and the ones like McTominay in the list proves how far we have fallen, I like our academy products as there is some romance involved but Scott playing in DM every week is not good....

After spending 800M over last 9 years we are still struggling to list few solid names in first XI, I am feeling sad to be honest

 

[tenpoless]

The spine is Marry Haguire.

 

[wolvored]

I agree there isn't any player we have who is good enough and can start a revolution on the pitch to get better. I bet RR wishes he had turned the job down. The ideal scenario is the board let him bring in 3-4 players with the right attitude and aptitude next month, but that's not going to happen. Would we be better finishing 8th for a season do next season they have virtually a full week of training every week and the ' bigger names' have all fecked off? It's one hell of a mess and the sad thing it's now the norm we are a pile of shit for winning trophies

 

[Raees]

The only player with a spine we have is Ronaldo and he’s wrong side of 30 and one of the most self centred players in the history of football.

McTominay isn’t good enough to be a starter and therefore doesn’t have the gravitas to drive this team and everyone else was sufficiently covered by the OP.

It’s why our team seems to crumble at any sign of trouble and no one gets pulled up for being a whiner.

Need a lot of surgery in this regard.

 

[Deery]

McTominay is probably the only one showing any spine this last while, been very good and putting his body on line if not technically gifted as some.

 

[Gehrman]

Spine starts with the keeper amd works it's way out.

DDG is weak as piss.
Centre backs have no command or leadership qualities.
Midfield 2 are just shite.
Bruno runs around and whinges too much.
Ronaldo just isn't what he was.

Bruno was great last season. I think players with innate quality can turn it around and he's one of them. However a lot of our players have been shocking this season.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

Bruno was great last season. I think players with innate quality can turn it around and he's one of them. However a lot of our players have been shocking this season.

He was great early in the season too. Scored a hattrick on the opening day. Anyone who is writing him off has a really bad memory.

 

[Bestietom]

The captain of the team should be the one to pull them all together and stop all this whinging, but he too is Spineless.
We are a shambles and a disgrace to the Supporters. Rangnick has a huge job on his hands.

 

[Gehrman]

The captain of the team should be the one to pull them all together and stop all this whinging, but he too is Spineless.
We are a shambles and a disgrace to the Supporters. Rangnick has a huge job on his hands.

Maguire really shouldnt be captain. But I don't who should. Bruno would have been ideal last year. This year maybe not so much.

 

[Oranges038]

Bruno was great last season. I think players with innate quality can turn it around and he's one of them. However a lot of our players have been shocking this season.

He can. But he runs around trying to do too much. If he just played s bit smarter and positioned himself better he'd be more effective.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

All bunch of spineless whiners.

We have talented players but as you say the majority are spineless. They are fine when the other team lets them play, but when that doesn't happen they are not up for a fight. Past teams had talent but were willing to graft and were not scared to get stuck in. They will not graft. We have a couple who do try, Fred and McT, but unfortunately they do not have much talent.

 

[Bestietom]

Maguire really shouldnt be captain. But I don't who should. Bruno would have been ideal last year. This year maybe not so much.

Yes it is a tough one to call now as no one really doing anything to deserves it.

 

[Ixion]

Yes it is a tough one to call now as no one really doing anything to deserves it.

I'm not sold on keepers as captains but De Gea would deserve it.

De Gea
Maguire - Varane
McTominay
Bruno
Ronaldo

This is the spin of the team currently, rightly or wrongly. We need someone alongside/instead of McTominay and a long term solution to Ronaldo and build from that.

 

[Bestietom]

I'm not sold on keepers as captains but De Gea would deserve it.

De Gea
Maguire - Varane
McTominay
Bruno
Ronaldo

This is the spin of the team currently, rightly or wrongly. We need someone alongside/instead of McTominay and a long term solution to Ronaldo and build from that.

You could be right, but I think we need someone who can sort out the dressing room as well as on the pitch.

 

[VanDeBank]

I'm not sold on keepers as captains but De Gea would deserve it.

De Gea
Maguire - Varane
McTominay
Bruno
Ronaldo

This is the spin of the team currently, rightly or wrongly. We need someone alongside/instead of McTominay and a long term solution to Ronaldo and build from that.

On what basis is McT considered part of the spine of the team and not Fred? Because he was subbed at half time in one of Ralf's 3 games?

 

[Ixion]

On what basis is McT considered part of the spine of the team and not Fred? Because he was subbed at half time in one of Ralf's 3 games?

Purely on the basis I think he's a slightly better DM of the two and a few years younger. I think Fred is better further forward but I wouldn''t say good enough to put alongside Bruno in terms of a spine.

I did also say we either need someone alongside or to replace McTominay.

 

[VanDeBank]

Great teams are usually built around a spine of a quality goal keeper, good centre backs, consistently good central midfield and a quality striker.
These are the players that the team is built around. Their quality will mean that you can afford one or two flair/luxury players that add that extra layer.
One of these players is usually the leader - driving things on the field and being that rock making sure that he and his team-mates will do the hard yards for each other.

Outside the keeper we have none of that. We have no leader, we have no consistently good players, to me it looks like we have nobody thats willing to put it on the line for their team mates.

Our so called elite players

Bruno is horrendous for a long time now - does nothing but whine.
Rashford is dreadful
Greenwood seems off.
Sancho seems off.
Fred is a worker but he just isnt an elite player
Maguire is bang average
Shaw is incredibly limited
WanBissaka is not an elite player
MC T isnt elite
Pogba - a fecking chancer and a show-pony. No interest in his team
Martial - passenger
Ronaldo - over the hill
Varane - the jury is still out. He is a quality player but we havent seen it yet


Until we can get a team with a spine of quality and grit then we are at nothing. It doesnt surprise me at all that we are still shite.
a good few of these players need to be shown the door

For me it's Bruno + Ronnie, Varane, De God, Shawberto (not this imposter that swapped place with him after the Euro)
The others are replaceable in varying degrees.

I don't get the Bruno has been horrendous hyperbole. We've had 3 different managers with multiple different game plans.
I do think if he can't adapt and play like an actual midfielder he could still be really valuable as a false 9 or on the left.

Shaw is limited!? He's super all round. Just a bit pudgy and in shit form.
Greenwood and Sancho are young and the latter is a new signing. Why does the jury is still out apply to Varane, but not to them?

Purely on the basis I think he's a slightly better DM of the two and a few years younger. I think Fred is better further forward but I wouldn''t say good enough to put alongside Bruno in terms of a spine.

I did also say we either need someone alongside or to replace McTominay.

If you're in favor of considering to replace Scott, he doesn't fit the OP's definition of spine (build around in the near future)
I think Fred's the slightly better of the two, but in no way do I think they should be considered as the spine of the team or whatever.

 

[Hester_manc]

Maguire has had a poor season, but it is still amazing that people have already forgotten, how Maguire played for us last season, where he was one of the best central defenders in the world. I do not know what has happened to him, but I still hope, he will reach that level again.

 

[Lee565]

If all could stay fit then de gea, varane, matic and cavani would be a very good and experienced spine.

 

[Kostov]

There is no spine, just a bunch of spineless overpaid losers. Apart from Ronaldo and Varane, you have a bunch of fecking nobodies in the world of football.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

You can’t have a spine when you’ve a massive hole in the centre of the park. Until we get some proper midfielders in we’re always going to struggle.

 

[Hammondo]

Our 'best' spine with the players we have is probably something like

De Gea
Varane Lindelof
McTominay Fred
VdB
Cavani

Which is ironic because Lindelof is quite a spineless CB but there you go. At least he isn't Maguire.

Add in Dalot, Telles, Sancho and Ronaldo/Greenwood around that and I think we'd have a pretty effective team.

I'd agree with this.

 

[lex talionis]

Every top footballer can be expected to go through a bad patch, but Maguire’s bad patch has gone on way too long now.

And we definitely need to upgrade on both Fred and McTominay, neither of whom would even make bench for any other top six club, possibly any other top ten club.

Our spine is badly in need of surgery.

 

[Carlsen19]

Maguire has had a poor season, but it is still amazing that people have already forgotten, how Maguire played for us last season, where he was one of the best central defenders in the world. I do not know what has happened to him, but I still hope, he will reach that level again.

Come off it man.