I am not writing him off. However we do tend to overrate our kids. Our patience threshold is far too high on most players really. I mean Phil Jones is on his way to his testimonial match right?
I am not a big fan of Maguire. I was against this signing long before we actually signed him up and had been critical ever since. Having said that its one thing playing at a club like Leicester and its another playing with United. Smaller teams tend to play in a deep line, they tend to be very defensive against the top sides and they tend to commit loads of players in defence. United can't afford that. We play a high line, we tend to commit loads of players forward and that leave gaps at the back.
Yeah I get what you're saying and I wouldn't be against a better system for bringing through youth players. I was always hoping they'd bring in a B team like in La Liga, but that's probably a bit hopeful.
How can a manager from outside be able to bring back our DNA and the United philosophy.
United's problem is that we've got business men at board level who keep taking football decisions. The result of that is that we keep making silly mistakes like giving long contracts to the likes of Jones or paying silly salaries to retain the likes of Rojo. That had left us in a vulnerable position with 3 injury prone players (Bailly, Tuanzebe and Jones) acting as cover/competition for Lindelof and Maguire
You're confusing improvement with just playing regularly.
Mourinho comments on Fred at the time of his signing:
The issue is if this slide continues we might not hit top 4. Have you seen our fixtures?
I don't see your point?
That's certainly possible, though I don't see Mourinho as a yes man if the player was truly forced on him. He's probably not his first choice but I would be surprised if Woody didn't run it by him first and got his approval.
Looks like Mourinho never properly watched himIs it the lack of quality or are there other issues? Last year even though our defence was still a little shaky we are even worse this season. Last season all our forwards were on fire ,this season there's been a notable drop. Fernándes looks burnt out but that's easily explained by carrying the team on his back for so long.
I dont think it's a fair parameter but ok. Let's see where we at in a month, 2nd in the league is as slim as it can get only there because of goal difference and 4 points above 5th.
Yes, a small number of top teams get more possession than us. We still lack some quality in midfield and I’ve been banging on about that more than most. But our possession game is very much improved in the last year.
I do blame them a bit. It’s hasty. Last year’s 3rd place doesn’t merit sacking and we’re 2nd now. Let us play out the games.
Great. We're so lucky they've just started awarding a trophy for the team in second place in mid February.
I don't think it is hasty. Obviously there's levels of abuse thrown at Ole which are bang out of order but I do think the supporters who don't think Ole has what it takes on the whole are pretty rational, actually more so than the supporters who think Ole should be given a few more years at the helm because the doubters are going by facts which is the only metric we should go by and not just hoping he'll become successful because he's a United legend.
Our average possession over this season is 56%, it was 56% last season and 55% in the Ole/Mou season, then 55% and 56% in Mou's first...we haven't really changed our approach to possession since Mou came in and moved away from LVG's coaching (think his peak was around 60%). We are still direct, still recycle the ball rather than keep it and still struggle to get behind defensive teams. Nothing wrong with not having loads of possession (for reference this season City, Liverpool are at 64%, Chelsea at 62%, Leicester below us on 53%) if you get results but important to note how little our approach to possession has changed in a long time.
You’re right about one thing, Ole’s position will be reviewed at the end of the season with the benefit of two full seasons’ evidence.
The current low contains only one defeat.
We are second because one of the top two had a massive drop off this season, but because of our own massive improvement.
I agree and I think 2 full seasons (well 2.5 but who's counting) is plenty for any manager at any club. It's not really Ole's direct fault but the United bar has been lowered and I think consecutive top four will get him a new contract. If we're in a position where we can be a stable CL club and that's Ole's limit that's fine, as long as we're not parking the bus to get wins, and then we should shift to longer term planning, as City did with Guardiola, and moving when the right manager is available.
Thanks for the stats, our possession wasn’t as bad as I thought it was before then. My impression watching the games is that we have more control and are less direct. Either way, we need more quality in midfield and I’ve said that so many times.
2nd by a long way.
I think as time has gone on and also seeing Spurs play now, we assumed we were the same but they are wayyyyyyyy worse than we were (49% average possession this season
). For me it's more a case of a manager's aversion to risk. Ole is very different to Mou (thank God) in many ways but very similar in his unwillingness to play two attacking/possession CMs further forward which for me in the key to offensive football in the modern game. Until that changes I think we will always struggle with how we use possession and it's strange because on paper Pogba/Bruno should work, as should VdB with one of the two.Or, as I keep saying, without anyone agreeing with me, Jack Grealish and Bruno. Many problems solved if we do that, I feel. But that is pretty much JUST me.I think as time has gone on and also seeing Spurs play now, we assumed we were the same but they are wayyyyyyyy worse than we were (49% average possession this season
We'd be like Kegan's Newcastle if you played Grealish/Bruno as CMs, entertaining, scoring for fun but leaking so many goals! Bruno has zero positional discipline so I feel like Grealish would end up being hung out to dry unless we also signed someone like Kante and then you're buying players to accommodate other players and it's all just echoes of signing Pogba and then struggling to get the best out of him for years and years.
Not for me. Last season was a pass from me regardless of where we finished, but this season CL qualification has to be the minimum
yip but we don’t have the players city have
That'd be fair. Champions League football is a major source of revenue and a great attractor of top level talent. Ole getting sacked last season for finishing outside the top 4 wouldn't necessarily have been unreasonable either, so even more so this season.
Why can't they ? As do you think setting up so defensive against top teams like we have done under ole is the UTD way and philosophy, granted AF did it towards the last few yrs here, but that was down to lack of top talent in the squad.
Sorry but top teams or giants do fall all the time in all sports. Take Forrest they were a top team back in the 70s, early 80's even doing something we have never done and that's win aul big ears back to back, won the league, league cups, where are they now and there are many others considered top teams/giants of footie throughout different eras of footie and are no where to be seen nowadays and that's just not in England.
I don't think we'll ever see a team dominate like we did 90s, 00s or liverpool back in the day due to the money out there and not just for certain clubs, but what I would like from Ole, is some consistent footie rather than what we have seen since 2 and a half yrs ago, this good run, shite run, good run, shite run nonsense.
First: We are talking about different things. You are on the micro level. I’m on the macro level. So I don’t actually see the relevance.
It’s the only performance indicator the owners care about, so that’s what would most likely happen
