Football Season 2018/2019

[crusadernero]

3 of the 4 United defenders yesterday also started against Basel in 2011 when United were knocked out in the group stage... says enough about how United really need an overhaul.

Yes! This here proves how bad work Manchester United has done the last 8 years. How these 3 defenders made it through Moyes, LvG and Mourinho is beyond me. But im not putting the blame on these 3 managers alone, but also on the club. Its been going in all kinds of directions without any sort of a plan at all.

Manchester United has missed out on so many great talented young defenders since then, its shocking. A club on that size should be on the forefront in signing the next big players. What do they have? three shite defenders playing every week, despite they should have a role at most as a squad player.

Ole needs to really clean up the squad. I thought Mourinho would do it, but he didnt do nearly enough.

Smalling, Valencia, young, Mata, Matic, Jones/Bailly, Rojo, Sanchez can all go. Should probably keep maybe 1 CB as backup/squadplayer.

Can sell Pogba to. Will get stupid amount of money and bring in new players. He is to much of a distraction and will never be the great midfielder people always say he will become. The odd good match, never delivers over time. he is not the player who stands up either when things are going bad.

No matter. Point is Ole must clean up the squad and bring fresh air in. PLayers who wants to be there. Players who will give everything to play for the shirt and club. Im not looking for big names, but players that fit in. Great managers get players that suits the team he wants to build, not just bringing a big name.

Look at Salah, Mane, De bruyne, B Silva and many more. non of them were big, but now are. YES - They were good before City/Lfc bought them, but they have taken steps since then and are now superstars with a much higher pricetag.

[draykorinee]

Yes! This here proves how bad work Manchester United has done the last 8 years. How these 3 defenders made it through Moyes, LvG and Mourinho is beyond me. But im not putting the blame on these 3 managers alone, but also on the club. Its been going in all kinds of directions without any sort of a plan at all.

Manchester United has missed out on so many great talented young defenders since then, its shocking. A club on that size should be on the forefront in signing the next big players. What do they have? three shite defenders playing every week, despite they should have a role at most as a squad player.

Ole needs to really clean up the squad. I thought Mourinho would do it, but he didnt do nearly enough.

Smalling, Valencia, young, Mata, Matic, Jones/Bailly, Rojo, Sanchez can all go. Should probably keep maybe 1 CB as backup/squadplayer.

Can sell Pogba to. Will get stupid amount of money and bring in new players. He is to much of a distraction and will never be the great midfielder people always say he will become. The odd good match, never delivers over time. he is not the player who stands up either when things are going bad.

No matter. Point is Ole must clean up the squad and bring fresh air in. PLayers who wants to be there. Players who will give everything to play for the shirt and club. Im not looking for big names, but players that fit in. Great managers get players that suits the team he wants to build, not just bringing a big name.

Look at Salah, Mane, De bruyne, B Silva and many more. non of them were big, but now are. YES - They were good before City/Lfc bought them, but they have taken steps since then and are now superstars with a much higher pricetag.

This is pretty much all correct. This team needs gutting.

[Wezmon]

Look at Salah, Mane, De bruyne, B Silva and many more. non of them were big, but now are. YES - They were good before City/Lfc bought them, but they have taken steps since then and are now superstars with a much higher pricetag.

Agree with everything you say, and I get your point about players improving (rather than going down the pan at united) but let's not pretend these guys werent "big":

You've got a £36 million club record in Salah

The most expensive african player ever (at the time) in Mane

City record £55 million signing in De Bruyne

And Silva was £40m+

It's not like these guys were random bargains

[Cairhiin]

Semi final is an Ajax reunion. Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Eriksen and Sanchez. All ex-Ajax. Gonna be good seeing Eriksen back in the Amsterdam Arena. Vertonghen has a girlfriend from Amsterdam. Both Vertonghen and Alderweireld have spoken about returning to Ajax at some point. Overmars tried to get both for coming season but was too early.

[Jessicka]

Can sell Pogba to. Will get stupid amount of money and bring in new players. He is to much of a distraction and will never be the great midfielder people always say he will become. The odd good match, never delivers over time. he is not the player who stands up either when things are going bad.

So true. He's not consistent, and that's because of bad attitude, not a lack of ability. He only shows up when Matic and Herrera show up to do half his job for him; happy to show off and get the plaudits when it's easy for him, disappears when it gets tough. Don't want that kind of player around, it doesn't help anyone.

Agree with a lot else as well, too many are past their best and previous managers have neither done anything to develop what we have, nor brought enough in to develop. I'll pin that at Mou's door, since he signed Lindelof and Dalot but never played them. At least under Ole they're getting minutes and showing promise.

[Tekkommo]

Good, McLeish is sacked.

Will probably be replaced by crap however, but probably not as crap as him.

[draykorinee]

Was a bit of a laughing stock after those results, had to go really.

[crusadernero]

Agree with everything you say, and I get your point about players improving (rather than going down the pan at united) but let's not pretend these guys werent "big":

You've got a £36 million club record in Salah

The most expensive african player ever (at the time) in Mane

City record £55 million signing in De Bruyne

And Silva was £40m+

It's not like these guys were random bargains

Ofc not, but they werent the big big superstars like they are now. They were all players who showed promising signs of becoming really good. Imagine if LFC & City had to pay up for these players today. The pricetag would be atleast double. They are not doing good for teams just below the best, but are dominating among the best.

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So true. He's not consistent, and that's because of bad attitude, not a lack of ability. He only shows up when Matic and Herrera show up to do half his job for him; happy to show off and get the plaudits when it's easy for him, disappears when it gets tough. Don't want that kind of player around, it doesn't help anyone.

Agree with a lot else as well, too many are past their best and previous managers have neither done anything to develop what we have, nor brought enough in to develop. I'll pin that at Mou's door, since he signed Lindelof and Dalot but never played them. At least under Ole they're getting minutes and showing promise.

Manchester United need good players, players who fits the club. Ole dont need to sign already top top players with insane pricetag. He needs to scout, identify and buy players who he and the club can develop to the next level.

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Go on then Man U chaps give us some names for targets?

You really are becoming what you mocked every other club for. Liverpool for living off thier history, Man City for spending big, Chelsea for flipping management, and Spurs for never winning anything worthwhile.

Now all of them are flying and you decided to go down the NFL route. Become a brand not a club. Your problems are structural. You didnt keep up with the modern game.

I could spend hundreds of hours scouting players for Manchester United and this thread, but I see no reason to do it. I spend my fair share of watching english, spanish, italian, german and various other leagues.

Manchester United needs to do it and get the players that fits them. They cant just base everything on big names, pricetags and wages. Find the correct players and develop them into a strong team. Players like Messi & Ronaldo dont keep strolling in the doors every year(or even decade), a strong team is prio nr 1.

BTW - The media just buz up random names every week. They all share one thing; insane pricetags and overhype.

[Nerph-]

Go on then Man U chaps give us some names for targets?

You really are becoming what you mocked every other club for. Liverpool for living off thier history, Man City for spending big, Chelsea for flipping management, and Spurs for never winning anything worthwhile.

Now all of them are flying and you decided to go down the NFL route. Become a brand not a club. Your problems are structural. You didnt keep up with the modern game.

Funnily enough it's more frustrating for us to see than you'd think. We didn't want this.

[RobertoCarlos]

It's OK utd just need a passionate billionaire instead of the grubby glazers turning a profit. Does Manchester have any billionaires? Someone with a monopoly on the chippy shops maybe

[Nerph-]

Just to clarify, when I said "We didn't want this" I meant things like not meeting Herrera's wage demand, or giving Jones and Young contract extensions, or paying Sanchez absurd money to warm the bench. A lot of the decisions being made are ludicrous and I'm uneducated as to who's making them (Ed Woodward?) but it has to change or United will be in this state for many more seasons to come.

[Tommy T]

Giroud really needs to start over Higuain.
Feel sorry for that sexy bastard

[sheffield]

lovely strike Lacazette

[Tommy T]

In danger of going out of the Europa League to a bunch of farmers.

[sheffield]

Arsenal vs Benfica final would be nice

oh well, Chelsea should beat Frankfurt

[Hypasonic]

Gonna be a big easter weekend in the championship, hoping leeds can put plenty past wigan tomorrow.

[sheffield]

if Chelsea win EL, Spurs win CL. United finish 3rd and Arsenal finish 4th, no Champions League next year for Arsenal lol watch this happen

[Hypasonic]

if Chelsea win EL, Spurs win CL. United finish 3rd and Arsenal finish 4th, no Champions League next year for Arsenal lol watch this happen

Yeah I kinda hope it will be a chelsea vs arsenal final, that would definitely spice things up.

[Tommy T]

if Chelsea win EL, Spurs win CL. United finish 3rd and Arsenal finish 4th, no Champions League next year for Arsenal lol watch this happen

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I feel we're destined to win it.
It will be Hazard's last game.

He'll be a man possessed.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

Gonna be a big easter weekend in the championship, hoping leeds can put plenty past wigan tomorrow.

Effectively it's between Leeds and Sheffield to take the second promotion spot. A Norwich draw and Sheffield loss leaves a mathematical chance for Sheffield to move past Norwich if we lose our next three.

Leeds need to score some goals in the next four games, looking at the fixture list it could well come down to goal difference.

The battle for the last play-off will be rather interesting with 4 teams in contention (Bristol, Boro, Derby and Hull), although I'm fully expecting Derby to do what they do every year and bottle it.