Man Utd don’t have to look far for Mourinho’s successor…
Anything to add? Send your thoughts to theeditor@football365.com
A Casey for the defence
I just saw a game in which Man United scored 8 goals – yes you read it right – 8 goals! Do you know the game I’m talking about?
I saw beautiful diagonal through balls into space latched onto by overlapping fullbacks putting in high and low crosses to existent forwards in the penalty area.
I saw different kind of goals – some from individual brilliance, others from team cohesion.
I saw quick transitions after winning the ball resulting in counter attacks.
I saw brilliant hold-up plays by the forwards, releasing short lay-offs to onrushing midfielders either side.
I saw telepathic understanding from hours of practice in training.
I saw movements into space, single touches and releasing other movers.
I saw a good-looking, tricky left winger dribbling and crossing and basically making a miserable life for the fullback.
I saw a blonde scoring directly from a free kick and a couple more long-rangers.
All sound reminiscent of a regular Man United performance we all came to expect, and were used to, from Man United, no? But I was actually describing the Man United Women’s thrashing of Millwall.
Casey Stoney > Jose Mourinho.
Nor
One win means nothing
In anticipation of United’s game this evening, which in spite of their awfulness they will probably win, can I ask why we always assume such a result should bring “respite” to the club / manager / players?
Just as with the Newcastle game a few weeks back, there seems to be this belief amongst the media and fans that every win somehow represents the “turning of a corner”, leaving everything rosy again until then next bad result.
This attitude frankly makes no sense. Why? Because mid-table teams (which United are) win games too.
Nobody is claiming that United are relegation fodder, for whom every win counts. The issue with United is that they are bang average – but that doesn’t mean they will win no games; it just means that when they do win games, it’s meaningless. It doesn’t represent a “step in the right direction”, or “an answer to the critics”, or “a glimmer of hope”. It just represents business as usual. Average teams win some games.
The only thing that would prove United aren’t mid-table fodder, which would indeed be a “step forward”, would be doing something mid-table teams don’t do – which isn’t “winning games”; it’s going on a 10 match winning streak.
So please, when United win tonight, please don’t greet it any differently than a loss or a draw. On its own, it means nothing. Just another average result for an average team.
Alex
…Why do so many people seem to think they know how to fix the myriad issues at Man Utd? It’s a bit like claiming an intimate knowledge of the legal minutiae of the Treaty of Rome to proffer a resolution to something in which you know nothing about and conflate your opinion for evidence based argument.
As MediaWatch does an excellent job of demonstrating, many of the journalists we, the people, rely on, are equally in the dark.
Maybe Jose just needs a holiday. Top brass ‘Dick’ Arnold has already called Utd “the biggest TV show in the world”, so why not set up something like Football Swap, a reality TV show which ships Jose over to Florida and whoever is in charge of Tampa Bay Buccaneers can have a crack at Old Trafford. This won’t cost the Glazer’s anything and you can even run a hashtag alongside the programme, generate that engagement.
I wonder if Professor X, thinks this more or less likely than upgrading for Football Manager?
Stuart, a slightly bored but quite satisfied Utd fan (The club really did win a lot for a long time)
Rafa revisionism
My god,on a blustery,wet dour November morning I needed a laugh & huge thanks to Rami,London for providing it.Benitez doesn’t call out his players or his owners no??Did you suddenly start watching football in Sept 2010 or something?
Rafa spent ALL of his last time from when Hicks & Gillette took over to him leaving calling them out on a lack of spending.This,despite the fact he spent more then Wenger & Ferguson COMBINED from 2004-2010.
Not a press conference went by that he didn’t have a cheap dig at them for selling players. When he left the core of Reina, Carra, Mascherano, Gerrard & Torres were still there.Liverpool lost Coutinho mid season last year, Rafa would have exploded if that happened.
You say he never has a dig at players?Literally the night of the Gerrard cup final he said the team would have won the cup without Gerrard(utter rubbish).
He also wanted Alonso out and repeatedly said it in the media to force Xabi out to be replaced by Gareth Barry (yes,that Gareth Barry) & treated Robbie Keane disgracefully when he signed him.Keane won a motm award & the next day at training Rafa called Keane into his office to tel him he didnt deserve the award.
He used up all Liverpools luck winning those finals as since then in 4 finals we have had no luck.
Rafa is a spoofer with caveman tactics & no man management skills.Am no Mourinho fan but he left Benitez an Inter team that had won the treble & within 3 months of Rafas “management” they were an utter joke.
He was sacked in November 2015 by Madrid as they were an utter joke yet 6 months later they won the CL.
Ferg,Cork.
Who’s your favourite pen-pusher?
At Manchester United the common complaint is the lack of identity to the club on and off the pitch. As many mailbox writers are calling for Woodward’s departure as they are Mourinho’s.
This has got me thinking about the thrilling topic of senior football administrators. Who currently is the top-flight poster-boy/girl for well run clubs? Most of the higher profile ones just seem to be in for a kicking these days with Woodward the most prominent. Even Daniel Levy appears to be facing increasing levels of disgruntlement.
In recent memory Huw Jenkins at pre-Americans Swansea and John Williams at pre-Venkys Blackburn used to be loved by their club’s respective fanbases. Who have all the youngsters daydreaming about being the next Peter Kenyon got to look up to in 2018?
Ian, BRFC
Pet hate
Holy balls – some guy has just been referring to Raz Sterling as though 1) that’s a thing and 2) its not a dickish thing.
On the plus side it did allow me to momentarily think something nice about the dirty Gooners – enough time has passed since they wandered around referring to TH14 and PV4 and RP7 – Jesus wept!
If I’m being honest that annoyed me more than their several FA Cups, winning the league at WHL etc etc – its just dirty dirty behaviour. Unbecoming even for them.
Unless they are still doing – oh shit, just saw someone writing Laca.
I take it back – there is no redemption for these maniacs
Any other fans bothered by preposterous pet names used by a grown ass man (Hi Romelu!) for another grown ass man they don’t actually know?
Sher, THFC (forget Inter, bring on the derby!)
Spurs of the week
I realise that responding with criticism of this type of ranking is grist to the mill, but in all fairness that is an embarrassment of an effort from Goldstein. Mental acrobatics in order to include nonsense choices.
Here is the actual team of the week:
Lloris
Aurier
Alderweireld
Foyth
Davies
Sissoko
Dier
Eriksen
Alli
Son
Kane
#imnotbiasedyourebiased
Darragh, Spurs, Ireland