Football Season 2022-2023

[Jessicka]

Zantera accurately summed up why I was asking and was not looking for a gotcha.

Well we could and probably would be sitting here in 12 months looking for someone else whoever is in charge, and we could also be lamenting not picking someone who was available went on to do great things and we’re sat here wondering why we didn’t do something sooner about Ten Hag. Anyone can play at ‘what ifs’.

[Nerph-]

The problem for me is that most clubs nowadays just don't give managers enough time to actually do something, they want a quick fix when in reality that mostly can never happen.

As for Ten Hag, I can understand disliking his strategic choices, that's fine, but he really hasn't had enough time to build the team that he wants. I think others have noted that he did well with Ajax.

Sacking him will not fix anything, not yet at least.

[Zantera]

The problem for me is that most clubs nowadays just don't give managers enough time to actually do something, they want a quick fix when in reality that mostly can never happen.

As for Ten Hag, I can understand disliking his strategic choices, that's fine, but he really hasn't had enough time to build the team that he wants. I think others have noted that he did well with Ajax.

Sacking him will not fix anything, not yet at least.

The thing for me is this season has been really bad for us with injuries. Our best CB has been out the whole season, our second best CB has been in and out due to his injury record and even Maguire/Lindelöf have had some injuries meaning a 35 year old Evans is probably the CB with the most starts for us this season.

Mainoo was out for like 3 months at the start of the season, Casemiro has barely featured. Mount has barely featured. You can throw in the situations with Sancho and Antony, Martial being perpetually injured as always. New goalkeeper in Onana who just hasn't had a great start to his time here.

I don't bring these things up just to say Ten Hag is excused, some blame definitely falls on him as well. But I don't know how much faith I would have in Pep or Klopp to guide us to a higher placement in the table currently with this team and these injuries. As far as I'm concerned we had a good season last year and finished 3rd and got a trophy. This season has been disappointing yes but if we were told in August that players like Martinez and Casemiro would be out for more than half the season, Onana would let in a howler every week and our attack would struggle, would anyone expect us to be in a title race?

There's been better teams than us who have had their seasons ruined by injuries and new signings not hitting the ground running in their first season. This can still end up an OK season, in all the possible scenarios for how it ends it doesn't necessarily have to be us in 10th or whatever. Maybe we sneak 5th and get a CL spot and we put a run together and win the FA Cup. Anything is possible. We still need to get rid of deadwood in the squad and we need some injured players back. We need a complete revamp of our defense since it seems Varane is on his way out, most of us have been ready to move on from Maguire/Lindelöf for years and that leaves only Martinez and Evans. We probably need to sign 2 CBs next summer honestly.

If we get our injured key players back and things don't improve then sure I'll be looking more harshly at the situation but for now it is what it is.

[Marleycat]

When Man Utd play their premier league starting 11 and then have their captain throw himself to the floor for a pen against Wigan! Ill agree they have some problems.

Embarrassed for you guys right now.

[Jessicka]

Sacking him will not fix anything, not yet at least.

Clearly nothing is likely to happen soon while the takeover of football operations is in the air. He has spent a hell of a lot of money and got quite a few players in, I don't think he's actually that far off what he wanted in terms of personnel. That he's actually ended up dropping some and playing those he wasn't keen on keeping instead speaks to a question of what it is he actually wants.

There's a sunk cost fallacy when it comes to giving them time to do something, it's expensive and only digs the pit deeper for when you realise it isn't going to turn around. That's why clubs are so brutal about it, it's not about quick fixes, it's about ripping off the band aid.

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If we get our injured key players back and things don't improve then sure I'll be looking more harshly at the situation but for now it is what it is.

I don't think the number and types of injuries are just an unfortunate coincidence.

[Nerph-]

When Man Utd play their premier league starting 11 and then have their captain throw himself to the floor for a pen against Wigan! Ill agree they have some problems.

Embarrassed for you guys right now.

I've honestly never been behind Bruno as a captain, never felt he was captain material. That said I'd probably not know who I would pick in this lot, Varane maybe?

As for the antics yesterday, yeah the first thing I said was "damn that's cheap".

[Fkiolaris]

The problem for me is that most clubs nowadays just don't give managers enough time to actually do something, they want a quick fix when in reality that mostly can never happen.

As for Ten Hag, I can understand disliking his strategic choices, that's fine, but he really hasn't had enough time to build the team that he wants. I think others have noted that he did well with Ajax.

Sacking him will not fix anything, not yet at least.

Anyone with a brain and without an agenda can see that, but what can you do? And no, that doesn't mean he hasn't done (or he wouldn't have done in an ideal world) any mistakes, but he is not the biggest problem or the reason we are and we have been crap more or less for 10 years, with some occassional highs.

Talking of other issues and mistakes, I am not sure if the rumours for our transfers out are true, but i really don't get the potential sale of Pellistri and Hannibal. Are they top-4 starters? No. Are they good squad members, pushing for starters for top 6? IMO yes, especially when we don't even perform nowhere near like top 6 to begin with. So why ship them out and thin even more a depleted squad? I can see (and disagree to a point) the effort to ship out the big earners (unless they are called Rashford, apparently he is the only one safe), but these 2 are on peanuts as far as I know and should be getting more time, rather than being shown the door.

[Zantera]

Talking of other issues and mistakes, I am not sure if the rumours for our transfers out are true, but i really don't get the potential sale of Pellistri and Hannibal. Are they top-4 starters? No. Are they good squad members, pushing for starters for top 6? IMO yes, especially when we don't even perform nowhere near like top 6 to begin with. So why ship them out and thin even more a depleted squad? I can see (and disagree to a point) the effort to ship out the big earners (unless they are called Rashford, apparently he is the only one safe), but these 2 are on peanuts as far as I know and should be getting more time, rather than being shown the door.

This is something that has annoyed me to no end in the last decade or so. There's been multiple "young and promising" players who haven't really had that many chances before being shown the door but then you also have players like Mctominay who have been given countless chances. Do I think Hannibal will grow into it and become a new Scholes for us? No not necessarily but why can't someone like Mctominay be sold and Hannibal can be promoted into that squad role? With Mctominay we know his level but Hannibal is a bit of an unknown. Could be great, could be average like Mctominay but he hasn't been given nearly enough time. Pellistri similarly feels like someone with a high potential but there's just other players being picked before him.

[Fkiolaris]

This is something that has annoyed me to no end in the last decade or so. There's been multiple "young and promising" players who haven't really had that many chances before being shown the door but then you also have players like Mctominay who have been given countless chances. Do I think Hannibal will grow into it and become a new Scholes for us? No not necessarily but why can't someone like Mctominay be sold and Hannibal can be promoted into that squad role? With Mctominay we know his level but Hannibal is a bit of an unknown. Could be great, could be average like Mctominay but he hasn't been given nearly enough time. Pellistri similarly feels like someone with a high potential but there's just other players being picked before him.

100% my thoughts on this mate. Literally, to the letter.

[molliewoof]

I wondered this when we got eth after a few games, do you think he can manage ajax so well because the players are all 19 and you can basically wind them up and put them on the touchline to sprint all day

Whereas when you get into a team of players where some are over 30 , some have picked up niggling injuries, rashfords shoulder for example they just can't keep up with that.

Injuries are then made worse so players go off more often, he realises this so changes his style of play but the new style isn't really working and he doesn't want to change again?

[Zantera]

I wondered this when we got eth after a few games, do you think he can manage ajax so well because the players are all 19 and you can basically wind them up and put them on the touchline to sprint all day

Whereas when you get into a team of players where some are over 30 , some have picked up niggling injuries, rashfords shoulder for example they just can't keep up with that.

Injuries are then made worse so players go off more often, he realises this so changes his style of play but the new style isn't really working and he doesn't want to change again?

His team at Ajax had a couple of older players in there as well though. Tadic, Schöne, Blind were the spine and all of them were around 30 or above in that season. I don't think his team there was necessarily more youthful than most other teams you will find. While i'm sure Rashford's shoulder injury didn't do him any favors it's not enough for me to disregard him not putting in an effort for so long or just not looking interested. You have players in other teams who will run through walls even if they have a knock themselves.

[Marleycat]

Werner choses Spurs over Man Utd
Dragusin choses Spurs over Bayern Munich
Dier to Bayern for Money!!

WTF is going on?

[Fkiolaris]

Werner choses Spurs over Man Utd
Dragusin choses Spurs over Bayern Munich
Dier to Bayern for Money!!

WTF is going on?

I am a Man Utd fan and I would choose spurs over my team to play football right now. Why? Because it seems to be a much healthier environment to land in and try to play football, in every aspect unfortunately. As for Dier, I honestly don't know what Bayern are seeing in him, maybe it's the bonus clause on Kane's contract for all the goals he has scored so far

Meanwhile, according to the press, my beloved team will also get rid of Amrabat as well (the stories started a couple of months ago), making it a potential exit trio of Casemiro, Amrabat and Hannibal. If 5 good games from Mainoo and a punt on a megabucks deal for an unproven Danish kid makes them think they can have a central midfield to compete in the PL, then I have no idea what Ratcliff and his pals are smoking. I guess it must be McT and Mount that they are banking on, silly me, I forgot about those 2.

Edit: typos

[Nerph-]

When was there ever a link between Werner and Man Utd? This is the first I've heard of that.

That said, yeah I don't blame him lol, complete shitshow atm.

[Jessicka]

If only Amrabat had had 5 good games for us. Don't need a midfield anyway if we don't play in middle of the pitch, we play donut formation around the sides then cut inside.

[Fkiolaris]

When was there ever a link between Werner and Man Utd? This is the first I've heard of that.

That said, yeah I don't blame him lol, complete shitshow atm.

Yeah, he has been mentioned quite a bit lately. Personally, I wouldn't want him (and no, this is not post-rejection sour grapes) even though I do like him for his effort and character. So I hope he does well at spurs

[Nerph-]

Yeah, he has been mentioned quite a bit lately. Personally, I wouldn't want him (and no, this is not post-rejection sour grapes) even though I do like him for his effort and character. So I hope he does well at spurs

I must be living under a rock because I've not seen it mentioned once, and I regularly read sports news on sites like BBC Sports, etc. Weird.

But yeah I honestly don't blame him for going to Spurs. Wish him the best there.

[Jessicka]

I must be living under a rock because I've not seen it mentioned once, and I regularly read sports news on sites like BBC Sports, etc. Weird.

But yeah I honestly don't blame him for going to Spurs. Wish him the best there.

Never seen it either, only Choupo-Moting and even that seems wild, real talk is we don't have money for anyone and with the Ratfcliff deal yet to go through they don't want to commit to anything until that's finalised.

[Fkiolaris]

I must be living under a rock because I've not seen it mentioned once, and I regularly read sports news on sites like BBC Sports, etc. Weird.

But yeah I honestly don't blame him for going to Spurs. Wish him the best there.

BBC sports is the worst/best place to read for rumours because 99% of the time if it's there then it's a probably done deal. It's "bad" because you only read about things right at the end, it's "good" because it filters a lot of crap out (even though they do have a section with the tabloit headlines).

Regarding this one in specific, a lot of MU fan channels mentioned him but they tend to get rumours from non-UK publications and reporters, as well. Anyway, it doesn't really matter, in some ways he is the last kind of player we needed right now.

Edit: I had a quick look and Fabrizio Romano mentioned the story back in December and again a week ago and he is usually quite reliable (plus he doesn't make 50-minute videos out of things he can spit out in 5 minutes).

[molliewoof]

Missed the first half.

How many times are utd going to concede that exact same goal.

Just don't play onana and put two traffic cones at the edge, in the centre of our box. Unbelievable