Ah yeah you're right wasn't paying attention there.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | W15 D2 L4
- Thread starter Tom Van Persie
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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.
Ah yeah you're right wasn't paying attention there.
You want to sacrifice CL to make CL again?
Fact is, even if we lose against Chelsea, we can always regroup in the league. When Monaco, Liverpool and Roma have gone deep in the CL, I don't see why we can't with some luck. We should hope our losses don't come against PSG unless the second leg is a dead rubber and we have already sealed victory. Though of course, that isn't realistic and the most likely scenario is us losing to them.
I was raging at Rashford missing that header but he certainly made it up a few minutes later.
But on to Ole. He's getting a lot from this group. He's saying the right things and getting the results. It'll be hard not to give him the job if he carry's on. He's brought the belief back.
But on to Ole. He's getting a lot from this group. He's saying the right things and getting the results. It'll be hard not to give him the job if he carry's on. He's brought the belief back.
Earlier this season I did in a post to show how we were doing compared to the same fixtures last season (shock horror it wasn't good and only got worse)
v Leicester (h) 2-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Brighton (a) 1-0 / 3-2 - N/A
v Spurs (h) 1-0 / 0-3 - -3
v Burnley (a) 0-1 / 0-2 - N/A
v Watford (a) 2-4 / 1-2 - N/A
v Wolves (h) 0-1 / 1-1 - +1 (using West Brom as an equivalent fixture)
v West Ham (a) 0-0 / 3-1 - -1
v Newcastle (h) 4-1 / 3-2 - N/A
v Chelsea (a) 1-0 / 2-2 - +1
v Everton (h) 4-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Bournemouth (a) 0-2 / 1-2 - N/A
v Man City (a) 2-3 / 3-1 - -3
v Palace (h) 4-0 / 0-0 - -2
v Southampton 0-1 / 2-2 - -2
v Arsenal (h) 2-1 / 2-2 - -2
v Fulham (h) 3-0 / 4-1 - N/A (using Stoke as an equivalent fixture)
v Liverpool (a) 0-0 / 3-1 - -1
So under Mourinho we were 12 points down on the same fixtures last season. Now under Ole....
v Cardiff (a) 0-4 / 1-5 - N/A (using Swansea as an equivalent fixture)
v Huddersfield (h) 2-0 / 3-1 - N/A
v Bournemouth (h) 1-0 / 4-1 - N/A
v Newcastle (a) 1-0 / 0-2 - +3
v Spurs (a) 2-0 / 0-1 - +3
v Brighton (h) 1-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Burnley (h) 2-2 / 2-2 - N/A
v Leicester (a) 2-2 / 0-1 - +2
So 8 points up on the same fixtures under Ole and now only 4 points down on the same fixtures overall. Next up is Fulham away which is the equivalent of the trip to Stoke last season where we drew, so 3 points Saturday will only get us nearer to levelling out points wise
v Leicester (h) 2-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Brighton (a) 1-0 / 3-2 - N/A
v Spurs (h) 1-0 / 0-3 - -3
v Burnley (a) 0-1 / 0-2 - N/A
v Watford (a) 2-4 / 1-2 - N/A
v Wolves (h) 0-1 / 1-1 - +1 (using West Brom as an equivalent fixture)
v West Ham (a) 0-0 / 3-1 - -1
v Newcastle (h) 4-1 / 3-2 - N/A
v Chelsea (a) 1-0 / 2-2 - +1
v Everton (h) 4-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Bournemouth (a) 0-2 / 1-2 - N/A
v Man City (a) 2-3 / 3-1 - -3
v Palace (h) 4-0 / 0-0 - -2
v Southampton 0-1 / 2-2 - -2
v Arsenal (h) 2-1 / 2-2 - -2
v Fulham (h) 3-0 / 4-1 - N/A (using Stoke as an equivalent fixture)
v Liverpool (a) 0-0 / 3-1 - -1
So under Mourinho we were 12 points down on the same fixtures last season. Now under Ole....
v Cardiff (a) 0-4 / 1-5 - N/A (using Swansea as an equivalent fixture)
v Huddersfield (h) 2-0 / 3-1 - N/A
v Bournemouth (h) 1-0 / 4-1 - N/A
v Newcastle (a) 1-0 / 0-2 - +3
v Spurs (a) 2-0 / 0-1 - +3
v Brighton (h) 1-0 / 2-1 - N/A
v Burnley (h) 2-2 / 2-2 - N/A
v Leicester (a) 2-2 / 0-1 - +2
So 8 points up on the same fixtures under Ole and now only 4 points down on the same fixtures overall. Next up is Fulham away which is the equivalent of the trip to Stoke last season where we drew, so 3 points Saturday will only get us nearer to levelling out points wise
Yes I do. Strange isn't it? I just don't think we've got a real chance of winning it this year. Would rather we make sure we get to try again next year with an improved squad that's capable of really challenging for it. The fact you're saying we need luck to "go deep" in the CL let alone to win it says enough for me. Say we beat PSG, get knocked out in the semis and because of our focus on the CL we drop to fifth in the league. Wouldn't you rather go out to PSG in the CL and finish 3rd or 4th in the league?
Are you a Spurs fan?
Hope I'm wrong, the last few games started to see us going back not able to string 3 passes together and our performance have dropped drastically from the brilliant attacking football when Ole took over.
Not sure what went wrong, player fatigue? Fitness? Motivation? Tactic?
Having said that it's still much better than Jose football.
Not sure what went wrong, player fatigue? Fitness? Motivation? Tactic?
Having said that it's still much better than Jose football.
We aren't going to transform into prime Madrid in one summer. And luck isn't the resort of only weak teams. Even the CL winners need luck. Cup competitions are of that nature.
And there's no point finishing 3rd or 4th at the expense of CL because there is no guarantee of us doing any better next season either.
I'd always take a CL run option. We may end up going all in PL and still not finish Top 4. It's a gamble either way and I think we have a good chance in this year's CL.
Listen nobody wants to be in this situation but currently we're fifth. That's us in the EL again next season. I really don't want that to happen. So how's there no point in finishing 3rd or 4th? There's never any guarantee of us doing any better next season but the way things have been going lately I genuinely think we'll be a lot better next season if Ole gets to stay and we get some new players in to fill up the holes in our squad. I've come to terms with us not winning anything this season. I'd rather make sure we get to try again next season than throw all of our energy in the CL and watch us play in the EL next season.
It wasn't very good performance but Leicester away is a tough fixture. Big clubs have struggled against them, few at their home and few at Leicester ground. So getting 3 points is a job very well done, especially with clean sheet
Leicester 0-1 ManUtd
Possession: 56%
Total shots/On target - 10/6
Leicester 1-2 Liverpool
Possession: 49%
Total shots/On target - 10/4
Leicester 0-2 Spurs
Possession: 58%
Total shots/On target - 7/2
Leicester 2-1 City
Possession: 66%
Total shots/On target - 11/4
Liverpool 1-1 Leicester
Possession: 72%
Total shots/On target - 10/3
Chelsea 0-1 Leicester
Possession: 72%
Total shots/On target - 17/5
Arsenal 3-1 Leicester
Possession: 69%
Total shots/On target - 19/6
Arsenal away is the only fixture Leicester lost easily, apart from that they were a tough team to play against, especially for bigger clubs.
Leicester 0-1 ManUtd
Possession: 56%
Total shots/On target - 10/6
Leicester 1-2 Liverpool
Possession: 49%
Total shots/On target - 10/4
Leicester 0-2 Spurs
Possession: 58%
Total shots/On target - 7/2
Leicester 2-1 City
Possession: 66%
Total shots/On target - 11/4
Liverpool 1-1 Leicester
Possession: 72%
Total shots/On target - 10/3
Chelsea 0-1 Leicester
Possession: 72%
Total shots/On target - 17/5
Arsenal 3-1 Leicester
Possession: 69%
Total shots/On target - 19/6
Arsenal away is the only fixture Leicester lost easily, apart from that they were a tough team to play against, especially for bigger clubs.
At this moment when we're firing and most players are playing great, then the individual poor performance is clearly the problem of these players imo. Lukaku is an anomaly now in the style he plays well in comparison to his other teammates.
CL run any day. We beat PSG and it's all up in the air.
2 of the favourites (Liverpool and City) our two of our rivals, and even if they are better than us in these type of fixtures there's a decent chance we'll come out on top. Grudge matches are difficult to predict on the best of occasions.
2 of the favourites (Liverpool and City) our two of our rivals, and even if they are better than us in these type of fixtures there's a decent chance we'll come out on top. Grudge matches are difficult to predict on the best of occasions.
22 points in 8 games, 26 in the 17 before. Incredible, really.
I don't think our football has really been that much better than, say, last season. What we have is someone backing up our main striker i.e. Pogba and Rashford and a solid defense (Lindelof, Matic and Herrera). I'd say Ole's biggest achievement is slapping the world class out of Pogba - for the first time since we signed him, you can see why we signed him. To be brutally honest, we're nothing without Paul.
I don't think our football has really been that much better than, say, last season. What we have is someone backing up our main striker i.e. Pogba and Rashford and a solid defense (Lindelof, Matic and Herrera). I'd say Ole's biggest achievement is slapping the world class out of Pogba - for the first time since we signed him, you can see why we signed him. To be brutally honest, we're nothing without Paul.
Very confusing to understand what it is that you are trying to say.
So, there's been a downhill turn, but also the players aren't good enough in midfield, in attack and across the defense?
So then they were over performing?
It's all a bit of mess really.
Do you realise that apart from 9 wins /10 Ole didnt bring 1 player and he is using the team and quality he found. If he manages top 4 , a good cup run and a great performance vs PSG then he should be given the manager role and start building his team in the summer
I'll be the first to admit I wasn't a fan of our second half performance yesterday (and even a few of the ones previous) but to give Ole his due, there's a grittiness to this team that many wouldn't have expected when he was first appointed. I remember plenty of posters worrying about us being too gung-ho when he got the job.
It's also worth remembering every team has performances like these. Spurs and Pochettino have had plenty, except they tend to start slower and peak in the second half.
It's also worth remembering every team has performances like these. Spurs and Pochettino have had plenty, except they tend to start slower and peak in the second half.
I genuinely couldn't give a toss about qualifying for the CL, if we're not going to be bother to try to win it when we're still in it and in excellent form. It's highly unlikely that you'll go into a last 16 tie in the Champions League with a run of form that contains 9 wins out of 10, and possibly 10 out of 11, regardless of who we sign and who the manager is next season.
Being in the Champions League or not makes next to no difference for the acquisition of players and/or a manager for United, with their wealth, status, and top four being highly competitive in the PL. We saw this with the Mourinho, Pogba, Zlatan, Mkhi and Bailly transfer window.
I doubt even SAF with the '08 squad could go through all those fixtures unscathed.
When is the right time to announce Ole as the permanent one if things go exceptionally well?
During the season or at the end of this season?
During the season or at the end of this season?
End of the season. Even if he wins his next 10games on the trot we'll only announce that when the seasons over.
Another factor is that CL is basically a lottery. Real, Barca and Bayern all have weaknesses this season but may improve the next and become strong again. So we might actually face a greater chance of exiting the CL quickly next season if we draw one of them in the knockouts, or even get drawn into a tough group of death.
Point being, we can plan for the future, for sure, but we absolutely cannot think long term for the CL. Luck is required to reach the later stages and we may as well focus on doing that now. And then, who knows.
Or next season we became strong ourselves like that 2007 season. The United resurgence next year with Ole. We can dream.
Foolish and/or irresponsible to make any decision during the season imo. Nobody, that is currently employed, will throw their hat into the ring until the season is over. I think the Board are right to wait and make a judgement when it becomes clearer who might be interested other than Ole. No need to turn it into a one horse race at this stage.
They're really hard to play if you're a top team. In that arsenal game they should of had a pen and a red card for holding, so they were really unlucky in that game.
But it could steady the ship faster, finding transfer targets sooner. Don't you think?
Why not during the season? we can plan for next season early. We have seen how Moyes failed to do anything when he was signed in the summer.
For all the moaners, ALL teams have a bad day.
I guarantee you fans are moaning on RAWK about their home draw with Leicester.
I guarantee you bluemoon are moaning about losing to Newcastle.
Chelsea got stuffed by Bournemouth 4-0, Arsenal are a schizophrenic team that you never know will turn up.
Tottenham are just scrapping wins by the skin of their teeth with Son in great form.
Yes we weren't at our best against Leicester but I didn't feel like we needed to be. We were pretty comfortable all match and had a clear gameplan to let them have the ball, as they're most dangerous on the counter.
Unfortunately Rashford was injured most the match, Sanchez and Lingard were both poor also, it happens.
The team have got a week to rest now and i'm sure we will have a better performance at Fulham.
I guarantee you fans are moaning on RAWK about their home draw with Leicester.
I guarantee you bluemoon are moaning about losing to Newcastle.
Chelsea got stuffed by Bournemouth 4-0, Arsenal are a schizophrenic team that you never know will turn up.
Tottenham are just scrapping wins by the skin of their teeth with Son in great form.
Yes we weren't at our best against Leicester but I didn't feel like we needed to be. We were pretty comfortable all match and had a clear gameplan to let them have the ball, as they're most dangerous on the counter.
Unfortunately Rashford was injured most the match, Sanchez and Lingard were both poor also, it happens.
The team have got a week to rest now and i'm sure we will have a better performance at Fulham.
I think we can all agree that there is less sane supporters than the insane ones. I think you should be used to it by now and just ignore them.
I think the job is OGS' to lose. Let's get Feb out the way and if successful, offer him it permenantly.
I'm happy with all aspects of his tenure, bar two areas that I'd like to see more evidence of:
1) Be ruthless with under performers
2) Give youth a chance
Both are interrelated, but I'll expand on what I mean. On being ruthless we have an oversized squad, 'star' players who are not delivering, in addition to proven members of 'Deadwood FC' that are approaching contract expiry. Meanwhile we have at least 3, possibly 4 academy prospects that need to be brought into the senior squad, to at least take the 'fringe' squad places of the under performers. So far, OGS has done the bare minimum (at best) with youth opportunities and I feel his actions have not backed up his words.
OGS appears to have made some steps to being ruthless, with Valencia seemingly dropped and Fellani moved on. He has now given others a chance, but he should have seen enough to know the limitations of Jones, Lukaku and Mata*. Time to drop them and give the youngsters a chance.
If he does the above, then I'm 100% convinced he will be right for us.
* Darmian and Rojo are the other members of Deadwood FC, while Perreira is also playing his way into this team. Sanchez and Fred are also close to becoming members
I'm happy with all aspects of his tenure, bar two areas that I'd like to see more evidence of:
1) Be ruthless with under performers
2) Give youth a chance
Both are interrelated, but I'll expand on what I mean. On being ruthless we have an oversized squad, 'star' players who are not delivering, in addition to proven members of 'Deadwood FC' that are approaching contract expiry. Meanwhile we have at least 3, possibly 4 academy prospects that need to be brought into the senior squad, to at least take the 'fringe' squad places of the under performers. So far, OGS has done the bare minimum (at best) with youth opportunities and I feel his actions have not backed up his words.
OGS appears to have made some steps to being ruthless, with Valencia seemingly dropped and Fellani moved on. He has now given others a chance, but he should have seen enough to know the limitations of Jones, Lukaku and Mata*. Time to drop them and give the youngsters a chance.
If he does the above, then I'm 100% convinced he will be right for us.
* Darmian and Rojo are the other members of Deadwood FC, while Perreira is also playing his way into this team. Sanchez and Fred are also close to becoming members
If this was Game of Thrones, people would say they were time travelling and it's unreal. @RedSky
I like it that he watched the game. Was a good game too with Lyon missing millions of chances. He must have noticed Cavani's ability to receive the ball under pressure in the middle. Must get Lindeloff/other CB to stay tight to him and get the ball back.
Yep. Some fans are very unrealistic and just expect us to blast every team 4/5-0 like football manager.
Football has never been that way, even under fergie we had poor performances + results but we'd often hit back with a strong win and go on a run to negate it.
If this was Game of Thrones, people would say they were time travelling and it's unreal. @RedSky
What have I done?
That was a sight to behold.Phelan’s hat would’ve gone perfectly with Guardiola’s scarf/coat combo today
I do think the new manager bubble has burst. Recent performances like yesterday, Brighton, Burnley etc have indicated that. However it has been a huge plus point that we have managed to beat Arsenal and Spurs, which does prove that we can raise our game under Ole. For me, I think no decisions should be made until the end of the season. See how we get through March.
No guarantee we’ll finish 3rd or 4th just by losing to PSG on purpose
Who said anything about losing on purpose? Tbh knowing now that Chelsea is a cup game I want us to go all out in the first leg. The second leg depends on the first. If we're in a good position to go through (first leg win) then fine, play our strongest team. If not, rotate and prioritize beating Arsenal (a direct top 4 competitor) a couple of days later. Maybe we still beat them having rotated, maybe not.
Speaks volumes towards how poor a coach Mourinho was. After spending over half a billion on players, our squad shouldn’t be lacking quality players. It is for this reason that some fans are having doubts over Zidane because he just inherited a good team. United are not similar to that Madrid team, but our team is better than most give it credit for. Even though Ole is my second choice now, I m not that ready to say that he should be given the job over the likes of Pochettino if he is available. Ole though has manage to convince me that he is a better fit for United than a three time champion league winner or a tactical competent manager like Marco Rose.
I agree that the honeymoon period of having a new popular manager is wearing off and after the players upping their game in the last two months they are now reverting back to their natural level of fitness which for some is not high.
Whilst Ince is still trying to justify that anyone could have done what Olly has done, and there is some truth in that. But, I think his main impediment to maintain the levels we want are the owners and the CEO who don't know the first thing about football and are only in it for profit, not profit for the club but for there fat pockets. They could have bought a good midfielder this session, and should have. We will see what their intentions are at the next window but by missing the chance of getting a great player in at this moment, it lessens the probability of getting players of stature to want to come and play for a team with owners and executives with real ambition, other than their fat pockets.
Unlike other top teams our owners don't have the billions to throw about and this, whether one likes it it not is the real problem for man utd.
Whilst Ince is still trying to justify that anyone could have done what Olly has done, and there is some truth in that. But, I think his main impediment to maintain the levels we want are the owners and the CEO who don't know the first thing about football and are only in it for profit, not profit for the club but for there fat pockets. They could have bought a good midfielder this session, and should have. We will see what their intentions are at the next window but by missing the chance of getting a great player in at this moment, it lessens the probability of getting players of stature to want to come and play for a team with owners and executives with real ambition, other than their fat pockets.
Unlike other top teams our owners don't have the billions to throw about and this, whether one likes it it not is the real problem for man utd.
This month will paint the true test for Ole. So many big games coming up! At least we're going into games knowing we can hurt the opposition.