Transfer Rumours Let's ignore the big ****ing elephant and blame the latest manager, again. Are we nearly there yet?

I accept it wit some but not others.

Not good enough
Antony
VdB
Lindelof
Onana.

Those needing attitude adjustment
Rashford
Sancho

The rest are ok in a functioning team but get dragged down when it goes to **** too often.

 

I'd say that ship is long since sailed.

 

For me, many of those on the list are either mercenaries or lazy ****ers who have lost sight of how long behind them the queue to play for the club really is. For others, it is a case of wrong club at the wrong time, Antony a case in point, the majority, though, aren't good enough or don't have what it takes to produce their best form week in and week out, Rashford being the prime example.

Of course, a wholesale clear out is an extremely difficult thing to manage, here again, I don't think ETH has the experience or skill to navigate through that phase.

We need to retain some of the dross, the least worst option, in order to retain some strength in depth - Dalot, Eriksen, Mc T etc, but there is a youthful, energetic core at the club and a few shrewd additions should improve the squad no end.

 

For me, Bruno's attitude is the prime reason why our morale goes tits up.

 

I think this has all been done to death. Nothing will change until it changes and that's that.

Strip everything away and it's clear that when any ONE of 4 players are out, the rest of the team goes to **** and that includes the other 3 who become less effective.

Those 4 are Martinez, Shaw, Hojlund, Casemiro.

Unfortunately we have a manager who doesn't seem to have an answer for this.

So until those 4 return just expect the worst

 

He doesn't have an answer because he's doesn't have a player in the squad good enough to step in when they are out.

He's a manager, not a magician!


I assume I'm the only one with some sympathy for Antony, after the accusations against him etc.?

 

That would be a valid argument if there weren't managers of lesser clubs with players of a similar or lesser quality beating sides we've lost to AND played better football doing it.

The performances are extremely telling.

 

Nope, i like the guy well enough for the effort he puts in and his willingness to track back and help defence.

My problem is that his speed is not as effective as it was in Holland because there are many fast defenders in the PL. This coupled with the fact he is playing on the wrong wing (imho) means we will never see his best as things stand.

 

I rather think you overlook the massive step up for a manger of 'lesser clubs' to being the manager of United and all that goes with it. Just look at some of those who have crumbled under the pressure of the job before ETH, JM, Van Gaal etc.

 

I'm not overlooking it, just stating that maybe he's not capable of making the step up?

Should we, even with our injuries, be losing to Palace, Forest, Brentford, Fulham, Bournemouth, a depleted Newcastle side in the Carabao Cup, Copenhagen, Galatasary?

The argument was that TH doesn't have the players when we have injuries. Are those teams full of players better than ours? No, they're just better organised and played better football.

I made the point ONE of 4 players needs to be out for our team to turn to crap. If it's 2 then we're abysmal. Are we honestly saying we shouldn't expect our manager to cope with 1 or 2 players being out? Really?

 

I think it is clear to a great many that ETH has tactical limitations that are exposed when he loses key players. He needs to see the problem and deal with it - while the game is in play, rather than the following game, which seems his biggest failing. he has the players but doesn't use them well and that leads to dissent and dissatisfaction within the squad.

 

But they are the four absolute key players. And their replacement are a massive down grade. ****ing enormous.

Shaw is out, there is literally no replacement in the squad. None.
Hojlund - ditto.
Martinez - ok Varane/Maguire should be able to do the job.
Casemiro - McTominay!!!! Or Eriksen, who can barely manage 15 minutes.

I'm not surprised we are ****e when one or two are out.

 

Yeh but the players coming in are no worse than the players of the teams we're playing against - when those teams are Palace, Brentford, Forest, Newcastle who also had half their squad out, Fulham with their key player Palhinha also out, or Bournemouth.

It's not like we're playing City every week.

It's not about comparing Dalot to Shaw (if he's playing in his place). It's about comparing Dalot to the opposition he's up against!

And there are 9 or 10 in the starting 11 who haven't changed lol.

 

When either Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro or Hojlund are out every performance is a carbon copy of each other. So I'm not surprised he's incapable of changing during a match either.

Do you honestly think it's any excuse for losing 10 league games out of 26?

 

My point exactly, ETH's limitations have been exposed time and time again - he had his chance (admittedly his squad has been decimated by injury) - but we're not the only club to suffer injury problems. Other managers seem able to adapt, to draw on youth, or to get the most out of other players in their squad. ETH seems to oversee a culture where, if players don't get to play in their preferred role, they ****ing give up.

 

The squad outside of the first team is ****e.

So when multiple key players are out, and it's rarely only one (Brighton is the only time only one was missing) the replacements are ****e.

And outside of those four key players mentioned, the first team is also largely ****e.

Instead of laying the blame at the manager, it might be better to accept that we've got maybe half a dozen players, plus a couple of very good youngsters, who are actually any good.

The rest are average at best, total garbage or permanently injured.

According to 'reports', we're after a right back, a midfielder and a striker. That's it next window, apparently.

I'd say we need a right back, left back, centre half, a CM, a left sided wide player (given Antony is seemingly about to be discarded) and a second striker to have a half decent squad next season.

There's only one player who downs tools if they don't play where they want. Rashford.

Sancho is the other, and he's gone.

So it's hardly a 'culture' that Ten Hag is somehow responsible for.

 

I still think we should go for Mount - he's ace.

 

He's injured.

If he wasn't, he'd be in the team, it's not even a question.

 

I think the one ten Hag signing that will ultimately prove to be his downfall is Onana.

He wanted him, he signed him, he was supposed to be this ball playing keeper who would prove to be the key to unlocking the opposition press.

Big problem though, he doesn't make bog standard saves. Or even attempt them half the time.

He's already cost us too many points and our place in the CL, definitely this season and probably next.

 

Tomorrow night is a whopper too.

We get knocked out of the only cup we can possibly win, well **** me that would be difficult for anyone to defend.