Ok you miserable batards, I'll do the match thread. Probably best to start with injuries and suspensions. Good news, Shaw will be playing. Bad news is, if he's to play at LB not CB that means we need Lindelof playing at CB with Varane. Wan Bissaka MUST play at RB. With Bruno suspended and with most of those capable of playing as the AM injured, it's anyone's guess what our midfield will look like. It could be -----------Mainoo------Amrabat Antony---------McTominay--------Garnacho -------------------Hojlund or -----------McTominay-----Amrabat Antony----------Rashford -----Garnacho --------------------Hojlund It's safe to say the game plan will be to stay compact, be organised and remain in the game for as long as possible and hopefully nick a draw. I expect that game plan will last about 10 minutes but there are really fck all options available given half the squad is unavailable. No doubt the bench will be padded out with goalkeepers again.
Would prefer to see these two swapped, Manoo is more creative and McT more physical. If AWB starts at least Antony will have a link down the right and AWB is really needed at the back. Sadly i think Rashford will start on the left (if his attitude has improved) and Garnacho will be used as an impact sub again. My prefered team with what we have left. Onana (no real option) AWB Lindelof Varane Shaw McT Amrabat Antony Manoo Garnach Rashford (angain if attitude is right) I pick Rashford over Rasmus in this because we really haven't give Rasmus anything to feed off but an in form Rashford can make his own chances and SHOULD be up for it given the oppo.
I think the problem is that nobody's playing well, so whoever you pick is much of a muchness atm. I can't see any creativity whoever we play. It's going to be dire.
**** knows. I'd rather Shaw played left back than centre half, so maybe Varane and Evans there? Amrabat and Mainoo as "the pivot" *forgive the sarcasm. Antony right, McTom at ten Garnacho left, Hojlund up front and Rashford nowhere ****ing near the team. Fingers crossed!!
Too many see your manager as the problem but IMHO the issue is that those doing the recruiting are failing. We struggled with suspensions and injuries cos our squad has no depth and the same is true of united ATM. SAF was given 4 years to start winning trophies yet since 2013, Moyes got less than a season, LVG was sacked after 2 years (after winning the fa cup), Jose won the UEFA and League Cup but only lasted 3 years and OGS was given another 3 years and Ten Hag has only had 18 months. Your squad is filled with players bought by 3 or 4 different managers. Loads has been wasted because there is no coherent strategy to transfers. I agree with Neville ... until you get new owners you'll continue to struggle.
After posting my team earlier and in the absence of Bruno a thought just occured to me. What the **** has happened to Mason Mount? I forgot the man existed, don't remember him getting injured or being on the bench recently. Has he gone to join Sancho on the naughty for some reason?
Calf injury apparently. Funny how we 'didn't need' him when he signed apparently. Well guess what, yeah we do.
How can we blame the performance of a whole squad on the recruiting team that has been getting all the players that the manager wanted? I find that conclusion a deliberate effort to trace problems back to owners, owners, owners! Had ETH performed as expected by building on last year, who would take that credit? It is the manager! Just as he did last year. Consequently, I hold him fully responsible for the results, setup, and preparation into games. My take is not that the manager needs to be sacked, but he needs to change his approach to games if anything is to change. But if the inconsistencies continue with this rich squad, Ratcliffe won’t put up with giving him more time. And that’s about as good of new owners as we’ll get for the time being.
Which part do I not get? Lay it out for me, please! Effectively saying that this loaded team can’t do better until something upstairs changes is utter nonsense because we are too embarrassed by the simple fact that we get past two seasons with a manager. We blame everyone openly but the man that is responsible for picking the team.
Ten Hag signings; Martinez - injured Mount - injured Casemiro- injured Malacia - injured Onana, Antony and Hojlund are signings of his in this team, and Amrabat is a stop gap loan signing (who we didn't need apparently, although **** knows who would be playing if we hadn't brought him in), as is Evans. Again, good ****ing job we brought him in. Dalot- ****e. Ten Hag didn't sign McTominay- ****e. Ten Hag didn't sign. Martial, Sancho, and Rashford, the three who are more or less on strike, he also didn't sign. If we get rid of ten Hag, those ****s are still there and they'll do to the next manager like they did for the last three. Five in the case of Martial. He was signed by van Gaal. van ****ing Gaal. (as was Dalot!!!!) There isn't a manager out there could get a tune out of this lot, and until his signings are all fit and playing, ten Hag is up against it. Hope that helps.