POLL ADDED: Would you want Jose Mourinho as the next Manchester United manager?

[Speak]

LVG encourages pointless possession, Pep's has a purpose.

Nope. Pep simply has better, more purposeful players. A pass to Messi/Robben/Iniesta/Suarez/Muller/Lewandowski's feet gets used in a much better way than a pass to Memphis/Rooney/Mata's feet. That's the biggest difference.

His football would also look like 'pointless possession' with limited players like Mata, Memphis, Rooney instead of Costa, Muller, Robben.
Or maybe you're right, and Guardiola would be doing just as well at Bayern, if he swapped squads (and mainly attackers) with van Gaal.
Maybe it's also Hodgon's fault that England haven't managed to play a possession game like Del Bosque's Spain did.

 

[Santiago_KinderBueno]

Lol. Thats the freaking core of Chelsea. Their Captain and Vice-Captain. The entire system depended on them. Its why he bought Matic and played Willian out wide.

Once those two dropped off, the whole thing fell apart. Jose wanted players to replace them but was denied by their board. They overestimated their players.

He also bought back drogba & he had cech the season he won the leagey. The guy is so reliant on his type of players.

Our identity as a club can go out the window because for him to be successful it's going to be his way, his defensive players playing defensive football. It will be maureen utd & nothing else.

I dont even know how anyone can stand him. Winning is winning but surely it should atleast be done in the right way? Our squad is going to be full of fellaini like cnuts.

 

[mbb8]

He also bought back drogba & he had cech the season he won the leagey. The guy is so reliant on his type of players.

Our identity as a club can go out the window because for him to be successful it's going to be his way, his defensive players playing defensive football. It will be maureen utd & nothing else.

I dont even know how anyone can stand him. Winning is winning but surely it should atleast be done in the right way? Our squad is going to be full of fellaini like cnuts.

He brought back Drogba purely for the dressing room. Off the field Drogba is one of the most respected and beloved players.

Why do I want him? Hes on pace to smash SAF's trophy record. Lol. Defensive football? Hardly. It's pragmatic. His team scored more goals than Arsenal and Barca, the supposed expansive football poster childs.

 

[Santiago_KinderBueno]

Nope. Pep simply has better, more purposeful players. A pass to Messi/Robben/Iniesta/Suarez/Muller/Lewandowski's feet gets used in a much better way than a pass to Memphis/Rooney/Mata's feet. That's the biggest difference.

His football would also look like 'pointless possession' with limited players like Mata, Memphis, Rooney instead of Costa, Muller, Robben.
Or maybe you're right, and Guardiola would be doing just as well at Bayern, if he swapped squads (and mainly attackers) with van Gaal.
Maybe it's also Hodgon's fault that England haven't managed to play a possession game like Del Bosque's Spain did.

Good post. People will talk about philosophies and pointless tactics but they have no idea what it is - then assume that everything is bullshit.

Possesion football is kept from defenders to midfielders. The front 3 work almost in tandem but in complete freedom. Something you can see it barcelona & bayern. Any cnut can see the similarities.

This is why he plays left footed CB's because it should in theory allow balls to be played inbetween the lines of the CF & LW. Likewise the same on the Right.

That's why our attack is been shite. Not only has depay struggled but we do t have a single RW to play inbetween the defence - so we as an attacking front force are easy ti defend against.

Funny how people forget van gaal's influence on guardiola's personal career too ( mostly as a footballer).

 

[Santiago_KinderBueno]

He brought back Drogba purely for the dressing room. Off the field Drogba is one of the most respected and beloved players.

Why do I want him? Hes on pace to smash SAF's trophy record. Lol. Defensive football? Hardly. It's pragmatic. His team scored more goals than Arsenal and Barca, the supposed expansive football poster childs.

Ah pragmatic football. Sensible football aslong as things are won. Half the kids will go replaced by players only useful aslong as mourhino's in charge.

What happened to his pragmatism this season? TBH the guy has lost any wonder or appeal ever since he went to madrid. I would've been happy with him after fergie - almost something like a father son relationship but he is on a downward spiral & he's been found out.

Pretty much what Xavi said.

 

[mbb8]

He's been found out? Lol. What? He's won 3 trebles, leauges in 4 countries, and 2 UCLs.

And he's found out? Why? Because a team that was clearly looking like it was on fumes towards the end of last year was not added to in any significant manner did not perform?

Eden Hazard hasnt scored a goal in 20 games. But no, that's on Jose as well.

They just drew with Watford at home. That's Jose again. When will he stop?

 

[Santiago_KinderBueno]

He's been found out? Lol. What? He's won 3 trebles, leauges in 4 countries, and 2 UCLs.

And he's found out? Why? Because a team that was clearly looking like it was on fumes towards the end of last year was not added to in any significant manner did not perform?

Eden Hazard hasnt scored a goal in 20 games. But no, that's on Jose as well.

They just drew with Watford at home. That's Jose again. When will he stop?

If hazard not scoring isnt his fault then why is it van gaal's fault that our players ar not scoring?

 

[mbb8]

If hazard not scoring isnt his fault then why is it van gaal's fault that our players ar not scoring?

Because our system is terrible. Chelsea create chances. Hazard created more chances than Messi last year (101 to 91).

This year, he's been terrible. Nothing to do with Jose. He didn't alter anything in how Hazard played. He tried everything witg him. LW, #10, False 9. Anf still Hazard doesn't perform.

Not only that but Costa didn't score in like 6 games, Cesc without assists.

It's just the case of a team needing to add players to evolve. Chelsea fans were incensed with their board and DoF.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

If we are going to give Mourinho all the credit for all the trophies his teams have won. He deserves the blame when his team fails. Regardless of what is going on behind the scenes a team with the talent that Chelsea has should never be in the position they are in this season. And that has to be significant questions to Mourinho for that.

 

[Member 5225]

The main issues he's had at places he's been in trying to build a legacy was crazy interfering owners and not enough backup in the transfer market. He'll get non interfering owners and massive backing in the transfer market. It's mouthwatering!

 

[amolbhatia50k]

He's won 3 trebles

He has?

This year, he's been terrible. Nothing to do with Jose. He didn't alter anything in how Hazard played. He tried everything witg him. LW, #10, False 9. Anf still Hazard doesn't perform.

Not only that but Costa didn't score in like 6 games, Cesc without assists.

It's just the case of a team needing to add players to evolve. Chelsea fans were incensed with their board and DoF.

Of course, Mourinho is blameless. Of all people how can the manager be held accountable for the results? After all, they only bought 50 odd million pounds worth of players to add to the runaway league champions. It's just like with Moyes. Great manager let down by the club's lack of spending and having no hand in the team's complete failure.

 

[Raees]

People need to read more about Mourinhos time at Porto. He took an ailing giant, completely revamped the squad by getting rid of those who had got too comfortable. . Promoted youth/reserve players and signed the missing players necessary to complete the squad.

He also dropped Deco to make a statement to the side but obviously knew he was the talent he wanted to build his team around. He was ruthless but brilliant. . Not against youth players as long as they demonstrated the temperament of a top professional.

He had young players in that Porto squad... likes of Carlos Alberto aged 20...majority in the 22-26 bracket and rest older.

Mourinho has proven he can go into sides which have lost the culture of winning and weed out the perpetrators. .. revamp the playing staff and produce a team of winners. All the clubs he left.. bar perhaps Inter, has been able to build upon his success. This scorched earth myth is utter bullshit.

SAF left us in the shit... a broken side which he squeezed out of juice to get his title win. There was no longevity in his last side.. what he has done is probably worse than anything that Jose done when leaving a side behind. So I think using such an argument against Mourinho is totally unfounded.

As for Mourinhos ability to revamp his own sides and sustain success. He's been at some difficult clubs where crazy owners and player power rules. . But I think some of it has been his own doing. He has become too close to certain players, over friendly, over trusting. .. when such players lost form he was unable to drop or axe them. He gave certain players so much influence that when he wanted to axe them. . They wielded their power and got him sacked.

A winner learns from their mistakes. . And he is a serial winner.

 

[mbb8]

He has?


Of course, Mourinho is blameless. Of all people how can the manager be held accountable for the results? After all, they only bought 50 odd million pounds worth of players to add to the runaway league champions. It's just like with Moyes. Great manager let down by the club's lack of spending and having no hand in the team's complete failure.

1) how can you blame a manager for the EPL Player of the Year from last season failing to score in 20 games running? How? Lol. What's Jose supposed to do? Hazard's Chelsea's best player.

2) They bought no one of consequence. 50 million on Pedro and Baba Rahman. Yeah, that's some serious firepower. Meanwhile City buy Sterling, De Bruyne, and Otamendi.

Mourinho is not blameless, but to claim its his fault is silly. Anyone watching last yeat towards the end saw that the team was barely hanging on, getting 1-0 victories and 0-0 draws to win the league.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

1) how can you blame a manager for the EPL Player of the Year from last season failing to score in 20 games running? How? Lol. What's Jose supposed to do? Hazard's Chelsea's best player.

I can blame him for the worst title defence most people have ever seen, and an absolutely pathetic season by Chelsea and Mourinho, with the entire squad including some top players completely falling apart.

Lol.

They bought no one of consequence. 50 million on Pedro and Baba Rahman. Yeah, that's some serious firepower. Meanwhile City buy Sterling, De Bruyne, and Otamendi.

Ah, so Jose needed to spend a 130 million to keep the champions from falling part? That's nice. Also, very precious. Maybe he should have spent the 50 million better instead. Or gotten more out of a signing like Pedro who should have been "of some consequence".

Mourinho is not blameless, but to claim its his fault is silly. Anyone watching last yeat towards the end saw that the team was barely hanging on, getting 1-0 victories and 0-0 draws to win the league.

A lot of it is on him. The players are also responsible but the buck stops with him. He's the manager, after all. The manager has to own up to bad results, especially if the champions are sitting 1 point above the relegation zone. His team hanging on to results last season isn't exactly something to big him up by. If anything, it should be questioned why he allowed their level to drop so much after a very good first half of the season.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Also, @mbb8 you just made up the 3 trebles thing didn't you?

 

[Randall Flagg]

1) how can you blame a manager for the EPL Player of the Year from last season failing to score in 20 games running? How? Lol. What's Jose supposed to do? Hazard's Chelsea's best player.

2) They bought no one of consequence. 50 million on Pedro and Baba Rahman. Yeah, that's some serious firepower. Meanwhile City buy Sterling, De Bruyne, and Otamendi.

Mourinho is not blameless, but to claim its his fault is silly. Anyone watching last yeat towards the end saw that the team was barely hanging on, getting 1-0 victories and 0-0 draws to win the league.

What a load a of balls

It's all on him just like Utds season is all on lvg

Anyway Amol summed it up nicely above

 

[MoBeats]

He shit himself and parked the bus when Costa got injured. With all the attacking players they have, shit himself when one striker went down.

 

[mbb8]

Also, @mbb8 you just made up the 3 trebles thing didn't you?

What?
He won a treble with Inter in 2010. And won two I think witj Porto, one was Europa League.

 

[Xaviesta]

What?
He won a treble with Inter in 2010. And won two I think witj Porto, one was Europa League.

The "treble'' consists of domestic league, main domestic cup and the UEFA Champions League.

 

[Riz]

Sadly all the noises coming out are that we don't want him. I guess we would've appointed him already if he were a serious candidate, I'll cling to the hope he didn't want to manage against Chelsea and that's why we're waiting..

It's a shame cause if Guardiola does go City as expected then we'll really struggle to keep pace without Mourinho let alone with Giggs!

 

[amolbhatia50k]

What?
He won a treble with Inter in 2010. And won two I think witj Porto, one was Europa League.

1 treble then.

 

[mbb8]

What a load a of balls

It's all on him just like Utds season is all on lvg

Anyway Amol summed it up nicely above

I can blame him for the worst title defence most people have ever seen, and an absolutely pathetic season by Chelsea and Mourinho, with the entire squad including some top players completely falling apart.

Lol.


Ah, so Jose needed to spend a 130 million to keep the champions from falling part? That's nice. Also, very precious. Maybe he should have spent the 50 million better instead. Or gotten more out of a signing like Pedro who should have been "of some consequence".


A lot of it is on him. The players are also responsible but the buck stops with him. He's the manager, after all. The manager has to own up to bad results, especially if the champions are sitting 1 point above the relegation zone. His team hanging on to results last season isn't exactly something to big him up by. If anything, it should be questioned why he allowed their level to drop so much after a very good first half of the season.

You are making it sound like its his first season managing and that he has no purchase in the credibility market. He just won the league. Lol.

No. They didn't have spend 130 million, but they could have done better than Pedro and Baba Rehman. It was clear last year that tge squad was thin. The reason they finished with such a struggle was because the squad had no depth. Hazard had no backup. Matic and Cesc also had no backups. It was a team perfectly balanced and relied on everyone performing. They needed to add one or two players who could aggressively challenge for starting spots.

The season for Chelsea has been an all around disaster. Ivanovic and Terry look finished. Cesc was just benched. Matic was benched several times already and is still struggling. Oscar has disappeared and Hazard is sleepng.

Their only saving grace is Willian.

When so many keep players dont show up, there is little a manager can do. Yes, he gets blame. But he didn't engineer this mess. You think United fans will be singing about Van Gaal after he's gone like Chelsea fans have been singing about Mournho? They know he took the fall, but the players were also to blame, a lot.

 

[mbb8]

1 treble then.

Three trophies in a season is what I think of as a treble.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Three trophies in a season is what I think of as a treble.

Well, he's won 1 treble irrespective of what you consider.

You are making it sound like its his first season managing and that he has no purchase in the credibility market. He just won the league. Lol.

Noone's making anything sound like that. They're just stating that he's had a miserable season himself at Chelsea and refusing to defend the indefensible. Lol.

No. They didn't have spend 130 million, but they could have done better than Pedro and Baba Rehman. It was clear last year that tge squad was thin. The reason they finished with such a struggle was because the squad had no depth. Hazard had no backup. Matic and Cesc also had no backups. It was a team perfectly balanced and relied on everyone performing. They needed to add one or two players who could aggressively challenge for starting spots.

They could have done better than Pedro and Baba Rahman. Maybe Mourinho should have done better in the transfer market than that, then.

Either way, they "needed" those one or two players you claim to win the league again. They shouldn't have needed it to avoid being 16th in the table.

When so many keep players dont show up, there is little a manager can do.

Little a manager can do besides fight with everyone around him I presume. Mourinho's had a shocker at Chelsea this season. From man management, to what he's gotten out of an excellent squad, he's failed on every front. And only his fans can absolve him of most of the blame, and say "there is little he could have done".

I actually have come around to the idea of Mourinho at United. But there's no chance I'm going to make up statistics in his favour to make him look better, or absolve of him the shit job he's done at Chelsea this season.

 

[McUnited]

People need to read more about Mourinhos time at Porto. He took an ailing giant, completely revamped the squad by getting rid of those who had got too comfortable. . Promoted youth/reserve players and signed the missing players necessary to complete the squad.

He also dropped Deco to make a statement to the side but obviously knew he was the talent he wanted to build his team around. He was ruthless but brilliant. . Not against youth players as long as they demonstrated the temperament of a top professional.

He had young players in that Porto squad... likes of Carlos Alberto aged 20...majority in the 22-26 bracket and rest older.

Mourinho has proven he can go into sides which have lost the culture of winning and weed out the perpetrators. .. revamp the playing staff and produce a team of winners. All the clubs he left.. bar perhaps Inter, has been able to build upon his success. This scorched earth myth is utter bullshit.

SAF left us in the shit... a broken side which he squeezed out of juice to get his title win. There was no longevity in his last side.. what he has done is probably worse than anything that Jose done when leaving a side behind. So I think using such an argument against Mourinho is totally unfounded.

As for Mourinhos ability to revamp his own sides and sustain success. He's been at some difficult clubs where crazy owners and player power rules. . But I think some of it has been his own doing. He has become too close to certain players, over friendly, over trusting. .. when such players lost form he was unable to drop or axe them. He gave certain players so much influence that when he wanted to axe them. . They wielded their power and got him sacked.

A winner learns from their mistakes. . And he is a serial winner.

You don't win the league by over 10 points with a broken side. I don't understand how you squeeze the juice out of a side. He left a good mix of experience/youth in the side. The blame lies not with the genius of SAF, whose man-management skills were evidently far superior to any other living manager. (The only thing I would blame him for is under-estimating his own ability, perhaps, and his backing of Moyes). I would rather point the finger at the board for not having a proper succession plan, the first dreadful 'Fellaini' transfer window, and Moyes (taking out the backroom staff etc.)

 

[Loon]

Wonder how many think Mourinho will return to trophy-winning (wherever that may be) or has lost his mojo for good?

 

[Judas]

In 6 months? If anyone think he's truly "lost his mojo" they need their heads examining.

 

[hobbers]

Sadly all the noises coming out are that we don't want him. I guess we would've appointed him already if he were a serious candidate, I'll cling to the hope he didn't want to manage against Chelsea and that's why we're waiting..

It's a shame cause if Guardiola does go City as expected then we'll really struggle to keep pace without Mourinho let alone with Giggs!

What noises?

Until Van Gaal is sacked there won't be any noises about anyone, and I don't think that was ever going to happen before the Chelsea game. Especially if Mourinho is the intended replacement.

 

[Drifter]

Wonder how many think Mourinho will return to trophy-winning (wherever that may be) or has lost his mojo for good?

Think i need my head examining because i think he's lost his mojo in the PL.

 

[Raees]

You don't win the league by over 10 points with a broken side. I don't understand how you squeeze the juice out of a side. He left a good mix of experience/youth in the side. The blame lies not with the genius of SAF, whose man-management skills were evidently far superior to any other living manager. (The only thing I would blame him for is under-estimating his own ability, perhaps, and his backing of Moyes). I would rather point the finger at the board for not having a proper succession plan, the first dreadful 'Fellaini' transfer window, and Moyes (taking out the backroom staff etc.)

Yes he did ... of course he can't be blamed for the ineptitude of those that followed but even taking coaching aside.. any top manager coming in would have needed to take an axe to that squad for us to have future success and that is a damning indictment of Fergies long term planning when it came to the latter years of his reign.

His top strikers had peaked.. no more left to give. No top midfielders in the squad whatsoever. . Even then we were aware Carrick was on his last legs and even his best isnt a man to build your future midfield around.

Defence full of players over the hill, no more to give aside from unproven youngsters like Smalling and Jones.

De Gea was literally the only top class player with longevity he left behind. The rest were over the hill, unproven or simply not good enough. We only won the title because the older players had enough about them to give one last hurrah. They were spent forces by end of that campaign.

 

[Riz]

What noises?

Until Van Gaal is sacked there won't be any noises about anyone, and I don't think that was ever going to happen before the Chelsea game. Especially if Mourinho is the intended replacement.

That's why I said I'm hoping it's cause Mourinho has indicated he doesn't want to start off his tenure with the match against Chelsea. Otherwise surely we'd have instated him after the Norwich game.

 

[Ixion]

Yes he did ... of course he can't be blamed for the ineptitude of those that followed but even taking coaching aside.. any top manager coming in would have needed to take an axe to that squad for us to have future success and that is a damning indictment of Fergies long term planning when it came to the latter years of his reign.

His top strikers had peaked.. no more left to give. No top midfielders in the squad whatsoever. . Even then we were aware Carrick was on his last legs and even his best isnt a man to build your future midfield around.

Defence full of players over the hill, no more to give aside from unproven youngsters like Smalling and Jones.

De Gea was literally the only top class player with longevity he left behind. The rest were over the hill, unproven or simply not good enough. We only won the title because the older players had enough about them to give one last hurrah. They were spent forces by end of that campaign.

Had Sir Alex retired a year later and been in charge of the Moyes season do you think we'd have finished 7th with the same squad Moyes had?

 

[Raees]

Had Sir Alex retired a year later and been in charge of the Moyes season do you think we'd have finished 7th with the same squad Moyes had?

I think we'd have got top 4 but if SAF had remained (knowing he was to stay another couple of years) the quality of signings whilst becoming more hit and miss with each passing year would not have resulted in Fellaini and Mata coming.. Rooney wouldn't have stayed. We'd have got some decent players in that summer. . I reckon Thiago and Lewandowski would have been attainable under SAF.

So put simply I think in order to be a CL winning side, Fergie needed to go eventually for us to go forward as a club (he'd become too mellow and the quality of football was declining) but he'd definitely have handled the club better than Moyes/ LVG.

 

[O'Sheady]

Please no Mourinho! He is a dirtbag, any club he is at is just a vehicle for his own bitter battle with Guardiola and the Barca way. Utd have to be an advert for attacking football not JMs brand of anti football and win at all costs never mind the collateral damage agenda. Utd is in a bad way but please don't compound that by giving up on the principles that made the club great in the first place. Take a chance on a young unproven coach with the right beliefs about the way the game should be played before becoming a pawn in Joke's shitty little narrative. So just to be clear, please no Mourinho!!!!

 

[Leftback99]

It sounds increasingly like it's stick with LVG if he wins tonight or appoint Giggs. I don't trust our board at all.

 

[Loon]

See a lot of ex-Liverpool players against Mourinho to United (Barnes excluded).

Just an observation.

 

[Ubik]

If we win, he'll probably resign and say at least he went on a high (relatively speaking). If we lose or draw, he'll resign or get sacked. Either way, I don't see him as remaining manager beyond a couple of days.

And I can't see the board going with Giggs with the top 4 in doubt.

 

[Sied]

It sounds increasingly like it's stick with LVG if he wins tonight or appoint Giggs. I don't trust our board at all.

Maybe you shouldn't trust everything you read instead. We don't know the board's plans.

 

[Member 5225]

For those against appointing Mourinho, I say we simply cannot risk not hiring him and increasing the likelihood of not attaining top4.

No top4 = defo no Pep and anyone else of that calibre

 

[Judas]

I hope I'm wrong, but it feels like wishful thinking that if we win he'll resign.