Sorry but were there actually many people complaining about this substitution?
Serious question. I thought it was a sensible move to restore the balance of the team.
Don't really know what the reaction from other fans was like though.
Some praise for Jose
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Sorry but were there actually many people complaining about this substitution?
Serious question. I thought it was a sensible move to restore the balance of the team.
Don't really know what the reaction from other fans was like though.
Quite a few. See the Matchday thread for example.
Some people just see a defender coming on and their first thought is that we are going defensive.
He just gets it 
I wanted Jose when SAF reitred as i always thought that only he alone would have the ego and the gravitas needed to handle this job.
I am very pleased at Jose so far and he just feels like a manchester united manager.
I am very pleased at Jose so far and he just feels like a manchester united manager.
Well then they are complete idiots. You can't play with Micheal Carrick as a CB defending cross after cross and long ball and expect to stay solid, especially when you've got a 6'5 giant CB on the bench yourself
I think many young fans on here think it's like a game of FIFA. Carry on attacking non stop and you'll win every game easy right?
The fact that bringing Smalling on also pushed Carrick back into central midfield, where he could shore things up, made the decision even more obvious.
If you ask me, the really clever decision was moving Carrick back into central defence in the first place. West Ham were defending so deep he was passing the ball from similar areas of the pitch to when he was still in midfield and it gave Mata the freedom to go wherever he wanted.
Although no doubt Mou would have been crucified if Antonio had converted his chance. Fine margins.
Yep, I loved that. Far too often our managers have been too slow to react to games (LVG especially) and just carry on with things hoping they will improve. Mourinho saw that with their 10 men they pretty much dug into a 4-5-0 formation, Antonio was covering the right side when defending. Darmian as usual was contributing zilch going forward, so having Mata on higher up and Carrick still dictating was what swayed the game, we had so much more space out wide. He also saw our wingers were coming inside too often, Lingard and Mkhi both were doing the same job and getting in each others way. Bringing on Rashford and instructing him to attack down the line won us the game.
I don't like to keep bashing LVG but he would never have done that. It would have petered out into another draw. Really pleased Mourinho is throwing caution to the wind, that's 2 wins we've had recently that he's earnt, that could have easily gone the other way.
Looks like a madman in that pic.
Just watched his Reading presser, looks like he's back in good form again after looking sour for so long.
Also more praise for him, he's subs are very good and well timed. Unlike LVG who used throw on any player, like he was rolling a dice.
Love our football too, he seems to be going for the results and (twice?) turned to 3 at the back when chasing a game/result. I've yet to see the famous ''bus'' been parked.
Also ZERO injuries.. I always thought we were just cursed.
Can't believe people didn't want him here, the guy is tailor made for us!
Also more praise for him, he's subs are very good and well timed. Unlike LVG who used throw on any player, like he was rolling a dice.
Love our football too, he seems to be going for the results and (twice?) turned to 3 at the back when chasing a game/result. I've yet to see the famous ''bus'' been parked.
Also ZERO injuries.. I always thought we were just cursed.
Can't believe people didn't want him here, the guy is tailor made for us!
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He's playing the kind of football we want, which is more than he did at Chelsea, so he's won over this doubter for now. I wish he'd look like he was enjoying himself though. It's like having Hamlet as manager. It's only a matter of time before he starts a fight that leaves everyone dead.
Lately he's looked like he's thoroughly enjoying himself, you'd be a fool to expect Jose to look anything other than grumpy when he's not winning.
Also, that first Chelsea team with Robben & Duff
Jose winning still looks like Klopp when he's losing. Still he is who he is. I'll just enjoy the ride while it lasts.
That was some football they played at that time.They were very exciting to watch.Lately he's looked like he's thoroughly enjoying himself, you'd be a fool to expect Jose to look anything other than grumpy when he's not winning.
Also, that first Chelsea team with Robben & Duff
Man Utd 4:0 Reading
Very disappointed with the team selection today. This match was a chance to give Carrick a long rest and play the likes of Sean Goss, TFM in the midfield. I can't believe he is playing Fellaini today, a player who should be sold already.
Would have been nice to see some other youngsters but Fellaini is fine.
He has clearly clicked now, he needs 2-3 corrections from the January window in order to mount a challenge from February on. Despite the optimism here, I can't see United going all the way this very year, but the foundational work for next season is really important and fully credited to Mourinho.
Carrick played because when you're rotating your squad it's helpful to have a calm presence in their. Even against smaller teams. The alternatives for DM would have been Schweinsteiger, who doesn't seem capable of running, or Fosu-Mensa, who is still young and needs to earn the manager's trust.
And Fellaini isn't going anywhere and is clearly part of Mourinho's squad, so why not use him in the FA Cup against a Championship team.
In hindsight, sure we could have probably afforded to give Carrick a rest, but he contributed to our dominance and there's no guarantee TFM would have had the same impact. And if we had got knocked out playing Goss or TFM Jose would have come in for all kinds of criticism.
We'll have most of our first team out against Hull at OT, so it's safer to rest Carrick then.
You think we need to sign 3 players in January? Not a chance. I'll be surprised if we sign any.
It'll be the Summer when the right kind of players are available.
So, 8 wins in a row?
Starting to get the feeling like we had under Ferguson now, we just ooze quality and confidence. A 4-0 win while playing in second gear and resting your biggest stars is just great.
If this is our level now, i fully expect us to challenge for the title next year
If this is our level now, i fully expect us to challenge for the title next year
Not a CB and a reliable DM cover now, then? Not sure, Mourinho won't risk a top 4 spot because of £50-60m... in addition he can let a couple players go (Schned, Depay) and recoup part of the money?
That was annoying today. He pointed a few times for other people to track a player, the sort of thing that people have called leadership. I think he's.. being lazy. Either that or he doesn't understand our system well enough to press coherently within it.
Fosu-Mensah looked much better than him. I guess we can praise Jose for playing him in midfield. When he was coming on, I thought he would go to RB and Young would take Mata's position on the wing. Perhaps Jose will trust him more and give him a few starts in league. He could take Herrera's position with Herrera covering for Carrick when he needs a rest.
Mou was originally the anti Manchester United per excellence. Sure he had that confidence, charisma and brilliance that a young SAF had. However his lack of patience with players (especially youths) and his over ambition that sometimes made him look a bit of a mercenary had not made him a very popular choice at OT.
I believe that his recent spat with Chelsea changed him. For the first time in maybe his entire career, Mou was ready to stay at a club and makes the necessary painful changes rather then just hop away from them as he did at clubs like Inter. It didn't turned out right for him. The owner didn't back him, information leaked to the team and right from the start Mou was a dead man walking as he lead a bunch of mercenaries who knew that the manager wanted them gone. I rarely say that but I can't think of any manager who would be in that situation and still be able to turn things around.
I believe that the timing is right as United and Mou need one another. We need a manager whose not only brilliant (LVG was a good manager too) but who also understand the club and the EPL. Mou on the other hand need a proper club that gives him support, stability and the respect a top manager demand and yearn for.
No one will ever be able to equal SAF's record. However I can see Mourinho becoming the second best manager this club had ever had. Maybe that's wishful thinking. However I do believe its a realistic goal
I believe that his recent spat with Chelsea changed him. For the first time in maybe his entire career, Mou was ready to stay at a club and makes the necessary painful changes rather then just hop away from them as he did at clubs like Inter. It didn't turned out right for him. The owner didn't back him, information leaked to the team and right from the start Mou was a dead man walking as he lead a bunch of mercenaries who knew that the manager wanted them gone. I rarely say that but I can't think of any manager who would be in that situation and still be able to turn things around.
I believe that the timing is right as United and Mou need one another. We need a manager whose not only brilliant (LVG was a good manager too) but who also understand the club and the EPL. Mou on the other hand need a proper club that gives him support, stability and the respect a top manager demand and yearn for.
No one will ever be able to equal SAF's record. However I can see Mourinho becoming the second best manager this club had ever had. Maybe that's wishful thinking. However I do believe its a realistic goal
This morning I dug up and read a thread on Mourinho around the time he was leaving Madrid (and Sir Alex was retiring) and it was unreal how many were saying they didn't want him and that he was finished.
Seeing this team now and his interviews, he really does seem the best man for the club. And a million miles away from the last 2 managers
Seeing this team now and his interviews, he really does seem the best man for the club. And a million miles away from the last 2 managers
Better than Matt Busby? In terms of trophies maybe...
I never said its going to be easy or that he will surely achieve it.
Let me rephrase it. If there's any person in current football who can rival Busby then that man is Mourinho
But Rojo is the best CB in the league, Rojo-Jones is the best partnership in the league and Bailly is the best young CB back in the league.
One thing I am really happy about is Jose instilling one of his trademarks of off the ball movement in the team.
The amount of times teams have been in our half and then just been cut off, positionally forced and out worked by our collective pressing so they have to do backpasses all the way to their own defence and start again is really pleasing.
This was one of the trademarks of his great Chawsea teams, they just gave you no joy whatsoever.
Give him a transfer window or two more and we'll have a great team once again. We've had our slump and most teams failed to take advantage, now it is time for us to reclaim our rightful position in the PL.
The amount of times teams have been in our half and then just been cut off, positionally forced and out worked by our collective pressing so they have to do backpasses all the way to their own defence and start again is really pleasing.
This was one of the trademarks of his great Chawsea teams, they just gave you no joy whatsoever.
Give him a transfer window or two more and we'll have a great team once again. We've had our slump and most teams failed to take advantage, now it is time for us to reclaim our rightful position in the PL.
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Interesting. Lot of good coaches around in the Prem atm though with Conte, Klopp, even Guardiola - big job to carve out any sort of dominance in the league even with the financial advantage.
I'm also a big Ancelotti fan, though he's maybe ever so slightly too soft a la Bobby Robson, don't know what your thoughts are on him?
I'm always disappointed to see us win an FA Cup match with ease at home, with 70 minutes being played at training ground pace.
Or not...
Perfect performance from Jose today. Picked the perfect team who played the perfect way. Abit more luck for Rashfords in 1st half and it would have been the perfect result, but 4-0 isn't bad at all.
He has the squad close to playing high intensity attacking football, with plenty of fast movement and passing. Really enjoying alot of our first time passes through midfield onto the wings. Also appreciate his improvement of players like Valencia, Jones, Rojo and Mhkitariyan as well as his development of Martial and Rashford who are getting plenty of game time.
Going forward, he just has to get out strikers to be more ruthless and clinical and we will start to demolish other teams on a regular basis.
He has the squad close to playing high intensity attacking football, with plenty of fast movement and passing. Really enjoying alot of our first time passes through midfield onto the wings. Also appreciate his improvement of players like Valencia, Jones, Rojo and Mhkitariyan as well as his development of Martial and Rashford who are getting plenty of game time.
Going forward, he just has to get out strikers to be more ruthless and clinical and we will start to demolish other teams on a regular basis.
Could have thrown on TFM earlier. Other than that who can complain.
Loved how we set up today. Our counterattacks looked fluid and Rooney was at the heart of a lot of them. 20 off shots, 12 on target, 4 goals, 45% possession. Mou has made his stamp
We look like a proper side now, his influence has been immense. He has a fantastic young side, the core of which would get in to any team in the league. Rivals beware, we're only going to get better and better from here.
Looking ahead, we have the manager, finances and stature of the club to attract the best players. We're in a very good place right now.
Looking ahead, we have the manager, finances and stature of the club to attract the best players. We're in a very good place right now.
Oh I absolutely adore Ancelotti which is kind of strange since the cnut had shown the door to two of my most favourite players ever (Roberto Baggio and Gianfranco Zola). I would have loved him at United but yes he does tend to avoid rocking the boat too much. I am impressed about Conte tbh. I knew he was good but not that good (although tbf Juve know how to develop their men). There again he's a bit of time bomb/cry baby. Soon enough someone at Chelsea is going to step on his toe and once that happens he'll be off the door. Pep was my favourite. There again after LVG's experience I can understand why he's struggling
I have a feeling Mou will bring us back to his best
Can you link to that thread?
I wasn't a member of this forum at the time, but I'd imagine many would've thought that Moyes was going to be the greatest manager of all time, even though had never won a trophy in his life...some fans have crazy notions.
Even as recently as a few weeks ago, there was a thread criticizing Jose and that LVG should never have been let go.
He was the only man who was good enough to replace Fergie. Not Moyes. Not LVG or Pep (proved himself in 1 league, no EPL experience and requires the best player of all time to play for him to get great results). Ancelotti could've done well for us for 3 years, before moving on (he tends to stay at a club for about 2 years, before moving on).
Indeed.
This time last year I was feeling like matches were a chore, especially cup matches where we would struggle through. Now, im looking forward to them, even with 9 players being rested. We won 4-0, but with better finishing, it could and should have been higher. Its not just the goals, but the chances created and the build up which is fun to watch.
Theres excitement regardless of the result but winning does help
Theres excitement regardless of the result but winning does help