Did Man Utd make a ‘massive mistake’ selling Fred? And Liverpool fan explains why he doesn’t hate Red Devils…

The Mailbox wonders whether selling Fred was actually a ‘massive mistake’ from Manchester United. Plus, why one Liverpool fan has not hatred towards the Red Devils and more…

Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…

Was selling Fred a massive mistake? 
So I just saw a stat that Fred has won all 17 of the games he has featured this season for Fenerbahce, so his win rate is 100%…

Was selling Fred a massive mistake for United? He was arguably united’s top 3 players in the last two seasons between 2021-2023, but offloaded him and since then it actually looks like United miss him in midfield. Doesn’t help the fact that Amrabat has been bloody shocking, but also the fact that Casemiro been out for a few months too.

Once again an example that United don’t know what they are missing until it’s gone, it happened with previous players like Smalling, Mkhitaryan, Zlatan and yes even someone like Lukaku too given he was class at Inter for 2 years afterwards.

The coaching and overall management of players is so bad at United, but also people just stay there for the wrong reasons too, it’s become a comfort zone club. Let’s say for example, a couple of defenders like Maguire and Lindelof left United, you would probably see them improve at other clubs.

Either way, it’s been a shitshow of a season so far, think it’s 12 losses in 24 games for all competitions…and if United somehow get a result against Liverpool tomorrow afternoon, it will purely be due to luck or some form of a miracle.
Rami, Manchester

The Liverpool Way
One can forgive Garey’s trolling as a rival fan, but no excuse for David Molby, Shrewsbury, to say “there has never been claim for ‘The Liverpool Way’” – we’ve been claiming it for about 60 years, since at least Shankly; it became entrenched as “the Liverpool way” when his principles and success were maintained by Paisley, then Fagan, then Dalglish, all internal appointments. Souness bricked because he tried to get away from “the Liverpool way”. Roy Evans was appointed to get back to “the Liverpool way”. Houllier was appointed in part because, having spent some of his student years in the city, he understood “the Liverpool way”. There’s a fan podcast and site called The Liverpool Way. There’s at least one Facebook group called The Liverpool Way. LFC historian John Williams wrote a book called The Liverpool Way. There’s a 2014 Guardian article online where several luminaries try to define “the famous Liverpool way”. LFC’s international academy websites have pages devoted to “How to play the Liverpool way”. You can like it or not, agree or disagree with it, but Liverpool FC most assuredly consider themselves to personify a distinct and correct “way”.
CC, LFC (Also, Hartley MCFC Somerset, Liverpool didn’t win *the FA Cup* until 1965; they had already been League champions six times by then)

Liverpool vs Man Utd
I first started following football decades ago.

Since I’m Canadian, and since the internet hadn’t been invented, pretty much the only game I got to watch every year was the FA Cup.

And so I became a Liverpool fan kind of by default. They seemed to pop up on my television every year or so and, if a Canadian paper deigned to publish an article on English football, Liverpool usually featured.

I’ve remained a fan and following the team is much easier these days. That’s a mixed blessing, of course, because before Klopp arrived supporting Liverpool was often a painful and fruitless exercise. I mean, I remember Gerrard and Torres fondly. I also used to like Patrik Berger for reasons wholly lost on me. However, I also remember El Hadji Diouf, Paul Konchesky, those carpetbaggers Hicks and Gillette, and Jonjo Shelvey.

So there’s my confession: I support Liverpool.

But here’s another confession: I don’t actually or actively dislike other teams, yet I feel I’m somehow supposed to.

I’m told I should hate Everton but, really, what’s the point? Props to Dyche for turning things around, but Everton has been consistently irrelevant for years now.

I’m also told I should hate United but, again, what’s the point? In the Ferguson days, hating United wouldn’t have resulted in any wins against them; they were simply too good. And, nowadays, while it’s easy to hate the endless drama surrounding United, it’s pretty hard to get worked up about a rival that, more often than not, hasn’t been our real rival.

Maybe this is hopelessly naive of me, but perhaps all fans should simply support their team.

If they absolutely must hate anyone or anything, perhaps fans could direct their ire at eye-gouger Mourinho.
Chris (why couldn’t Bergkamp play for LFC), Canada

Turns out football’s not funny: journalists are
There was a comment after yesterday’s mail box which suggested I should ‘ look behind the headlines ‘.In anticipation of getting a drubbing from Arsenal fans let me say the following.

I read an article on the guardian site, another on the talksport site ( I know, the journalistic equivalent of a twinky but I was bored), comments made by Martin Keown and comments from the chief exec of ref support UK which left the clear impression that the main defence was that the word disgrace was intended in the Spanish meaning – bad luck – rather than the English meaning.

Indeed, the written response from Arsenal made exactly this point.

I thought this was funny.

I have now read the judgement ( bored again) and it’s clear that they felt his statements were directed at the decision and the VAR system, not at any official and that it did not constitute a breach of rule E3.

That the FA had admitted VAR needed improvement after the Spurs Liverpool fiasco was also a consideration which made his opinions reasonable.

Additionally, in the foot notes, that Arsenal’s statement regarding the word disgrace was due to some sort of miscommunication.

Maybe Mikel’s not a hoot although if he did say it was a ‘ good process ‘, then props for that.

Turns out football’s not funny: journalists are.
Hartley MCFC Somerset ( here’s hoping Liverpool suffer some desgraciado today – but they’re totally WC and will win easily)

Steve the Gooner
I just want to make two points on Steve the Gooner’s comments in the mail yesterday regarding the quality of the PL.

Firstly, there are 20 teams in the PL so the failure of two of those teams is hardly rock solid evidence of its poor standard.

Secondly, we’re almost half way through the season and neither Newcastle or Man Utd are sitting inside the top 5 which suggests there are better sides in PL.

Ta very much,
Matt, London

Salah wanted in Saudi – shock
Morning,

Woke up to read a certain gossip column and the daily fail have an exclusive.

Saudi clubs want Salah in the summer.

No quotes, nothing new to report at all. Wowsers is there no new football news? Embarrassing, it’s like handing in last weeks exact same school work but only for a national newspaper

With thanks
Ade Walker Guildford