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I remember in my younger and tribal days, you’d still develop seeing even older Man Utd players under a tribal lens. But I never could with Sir Bobby. He was just too much of a gentleman to develop any kind of tribal dislike towards him. Humble and modest to the core. Listening to some of the stories tonight on the local BBC news, he really was the gentleman’s gentleman. Some great stories in the following link, particularly the one about the mechanic from the Lada dealership.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-67192277
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I stand by what I said at the start of the season regarding Arsenal. I think they lack world class players up top to eek games out like Salah, Haaland, Kane, etc. All they did in the summer was to make themselves a bit more solid and polished here and there. But it wasn’t enough to take them up to the final level for me.
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Yeh just seen some of the link up play between Bellingham & Foden. I’ve never seen such play from two England players like that before, just incredible class. And Kane just looked the best no.9 in the world. This team has *got* to win something with those talents in the team.
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City can spend a lot but they can’t replace KDB.
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Yup Sean. Jones has sort of been acting as our ball winner over the last 6 months so we missed that today. But we really need a specialist in there.
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The opening game vs Chelsea seems a long time ago now but we saw how exposed we were at times in that game and that problem hasn’t just disappeared, it’s very much still there.
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Too casual in defence, no proper ball winners in midfield, leaves us too exposed. We only really did half the job in the summer window.
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Playing Brighton at their own game. We should have the quality to finish this completely now.
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That was such a casual pass from Van Dijk for me. He really needs to sharpen up.
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I suspect it might be a bit tense in that VAR room today 😁
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I think Ten Hag is right to lay down the law to any player not performing. I don’t criticise him for that. There are also players who clearly do still care, and unsurprisingly, McTominay, a player who as he said tonight has been at the club since he was 5, did very much care today and got you off the hook. I also thought Garnacho looked quite bright – probably because he’s still very young and full of beans.
What has undoubtedly exacerbated the situation has been the lack of impetus from some of Ten Hag’s signings. Just one very good player can make a huge impact on the team, just like Mane did when he came to Liverpool early in Klopp’s career. And there was a time we lost him briefly I think and we really struggled without him. And I think Ten Hag is partly struggling because I can’t see many recent signings that are uplifting you. That’s what help’s sustain and build success. The problem is he’s brought some of these players in and so it adds to the pressure. If some of the reports are true that he’s a bit of a disciplinarian, I’m not sure that helps, though I know some might argue that’s exactly what’s needed, you still have to maintain harmony.
At the end of the day, you cannot sack all the players all at once. You need a manager to bring harmony to the team, get results, sustain those results, bring in players that make a quick impact, and then offload the players you don’t want gradually over time. As I concede though, I don’t see any outstanding candidates to replace Ten Hag as things stand. So he will be given time I suspect, but he’s still got to get results. You have a relatively good set of fixtures ahead now, so the ship may be steadied. But I still have my reservations in the longer term.
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I actually don’t think that Utd were that impressive last season. I know a few Utd fans and many conceded they weren’t that impressed even in games they won. Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea also had poor seasons last year. Its ultimately the responsibility of the manager to get results and keep the team fighting and motivated. Always has been and always will be. Utd have made poor managerial appointments since Ferguson left in my opinion. Turn that around, and the club will turn around.
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Thing is though CM, if Ten Hag was getting the results, there would be no way back for Sancho and most people would be lauding him for laying down the law. But he’s struggling to get results and so he’ll inevitably be struggling to demonstrate his authority. Added to that some of the players he has signed are struggling. I know we’ve thrashed this out on the other thread, but I still maintain the manager is and always will be the most important person at a club. I don’t doubt the owners haven’t helped over several matters. But one of the big reasons why some players have become untouchable if you like, is that the managerial appointments have been poor and the players start to sense they will last longer than whoever the manager is, so they inevitably become more powerful.
No matter what’s happening at a club, the manager has to get results. It’s where he derives a lot of his authority from. Mourinho & Conte had difficult spells at Spurs. Things were arguably looking a bit grim after that. Then they lost their top scorer and talisman Kane. But a very good manager comes in and the mist has completely lifted and they’re now top of the league.
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I don’t know even know who you’d put in as interim manager at Man Utd if Ten Hag was sacked, let alone permanent manager. Apart from the derby vs City at the end of the month, Utd have a relatively good set of fixtures coming up to get some wins. I’m personally not convinced by Ten Hag at Utd, and his signings are putting even more pressure on him. But I think the club are just going to have to sit tight for the moment and hope for the best.
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Yeh it’s obviously a good comeback but still lots to be worried about for Utd.
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Chelsea look like they’re turning a corner. Man Utd however…
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Yeh I just don’t think Arsenal have enough world class star quality to topple City over a season.
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He still had som big losses last season. Its one big problem I think with this current modern way of playing that when it’s good, it’s great. But when it’s bad, it can be catastrophic. Only Pep seems to have mastered a balanced way of doing it that is both great up top and pretty solid at the back. I think under Klopp it’s the fear of our attack and general workrate that tends to keep opposing teams somewhat pinned back although we can still be vulnerable.
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Yeh I’m not convinced on De Zerbi either. I dont think he’s balanced enough. They can have some big wins and then some big losses.
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Unless you get taken over by one of them? 😁
I don’t know Ed, I think some teams could still make a hell of a lot better fist of it. There’s quite a few teams underperforming considering the money spent. I do believe there are managers out there but many opt for safe or idealist options.
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