Man Utd Thread:

[magpie seanie]

Games against premium opposition highlight the problem with Lukaku. His heavy first touch will be ok against most Premier League teams where you get 4 touches to get it under control but last night you couldn't afford waste an inch in possession.
Matic is also a player that needs phasing out soon and either Herrera or Fred would have done a better job.
You'd also suspect that Rashford is not going to evolve into a great either when you see how bad his decisions are.

Rashford is very, very far down the list of problems though his development has been stunted by this coach. Gareth Southgate seems to get more out of him. Gareth Southgate.

If this group comes down to the last game, away to Valencia you couldn't be confident. There's no way this group of players should be sitting where they are in the league and struggling so badly in the Champions League.

[BennyCake]

It looks like the group could well come down to the last game against Valencia away from home. A draw there should be enough to scrape through but given the level of performance we have seen, it is by no means certain. Failure to qualify out of a relatively easy CL group would see another complete waste of a season. Meanwhile there exists a certain air of apathy inside the stadium at games, a complete disconnect between fans and team.

Not easy connect to fellas like this 

Some people never grow up

[podge]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

[Geoff Tipps]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

Was a draw

[podge]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

Was a draw

Indeed, but any ambition in the CL has effectively been defeated 😕

[yellowcard]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

I think this is looking like the most likely outcome. Mourinho won't walk, things won't get any better and the toxic atmosphere will linger on until mid season when no top manager is available bar Zidane who will want full control but won't be given it. It will probably be a caretaker then until the end of the season when Pocchetino becomes available.

Relative success for Woodward at this point is finishing top 4, the minute that looks unlikely Mourinho will be gone. Until that happens he will not fire Mourinho as the heat will then turn onto the board. We seen that a few weeks with Gary Neville's comments after it appeared Mourinho was on the verge of the sack, then Woodward pulled back after the public reaction.

Pocchetino would be a good fit for the regime that is in place, he is happy to work with what he has and maximizes his resources. Given a large transfer kitty which he has never had, he could be a top class manager.

[thewobbler]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

I think this is looking like the most likely outcome. Mourinho won't walk, things won't get any better and the toxic atmosphere will linger on until mid season when no top manager is available bar Zidane who will want full control but won't be given it. It will probably be a caretaker then until the end of the season when Pocchetino becomes available.

Relative success for Woodward at this point is finishing top 4, the minute that looks unlikely Mourinho will be gone. Until that happens he will not fire Mourinho as the heat will then turn onto the board. We seen that a few weeks with Gary Neville's comments after it appeared Mourinho was on the verge of the sack, then Woodward pulled back after the public reaction.

Pocchetino would be a good fit for the regime that is in place, he is happy to work with what he has and maximizes his resources. Given a large transfer kitty which he has never had, he could be a top class manager.

I would think you're vastly overestimating the pull of Manchester United for anyone associated with Spurs.

5 years ago the gap was huge. A move to United brought guaranteed trophies, European football and wage increases. The first two are no longer guaranteed, and Spurs' key assets are exceptionally well paid. There is still a gap between the clubs, but the incentives for anyone to bridge that gap just aren't the same. When WHL re-opens, the gap will reduce again.

Would Poch be more likely to achieve success with his current group of players, the vast majority of who are in or around their peak - or by jumping ship to an unbalanced squad of players who've passed their peak or currently look like they'll never reach one?

[Jeepers Creepers]

As long as he brings Harry Kane & Christian Erikkson with him...

[Bord na Mona man]

Bigger result for Man U was Spurs defeat tonight. Spurs failure will be the catalyst for MP to Old Trafford in the next 9 months

I think this is looking like the most likely outcome. Mourinho won't walk, things won't get any better and the toxic atmosphere will linger on until mid season when no top manager is available bar Zidane who will want full control but won't be given it. It will probably be a caretaker then until the end of the season when Pocchetino becomes available.

Relative success for Woodward at this point is finishing top 4, the minute that looks unlikely Mourinho will be gone. Until that happens he will not fire Mourinho as the heat will then turn onto the board. We seen that a few weeks with Gary Neville's comments after it appeared Mourinho was on the verge of the sack, then Woodward pulled back after the public reaction.

Pocchetino would be a good fit for the regime that is in place, he is happy to work with what he has and maximizes his resources. Given a large transfer kitty which he has never had, he could be a top class manager.

I would think you're vastly overestimating the pull of Manchester United for anyone associated with Spurs.

5 years ago the gap was huge. A move to United brought guaranteed trophies, European football and wage increases. The first two are no longer guaranteed, and Spurs' key assets are exceptionally well paid.

Are you sure about that?
Certain Spurs players are getting about half of what they'd get at other clubs. Danny Rose kicked up last year as he was getting 65k a week compared to what Kyle Walker got by jumping to City.
Spurs had to break their wage structure to give Harry Kane 200k a week. He'd get double at United, City, Real Madrid etc.

Arsenal's decade of stagnation after Emirates opened in 2006 shows that new stadiums can drain a club. The lack of summer transfers may be the start of stadium austerity.
The rumour is that Poch would leave Spurs for the Real Madrid job.

[thewobbler]

I expect Poch will end up at Madrid. Maybe not this year or next, but within a few years.

Re Rose, Alderweireld - neither would be that expensive to buy in current market terms. But I'd guess that the lack of firm offers would suggest that their salaries aren't that far out of sync with what any suitors might be willing to pay them every week, and then there's the risk - unless it's City, Madrid or Barca - that it's not actually a step forward for the player. They all want medals. Even the financially greedy ones.

[Cunny Funt]

Going into November its clear Mourinho is not walking at this stage. Knocked out of the league cup by an average championship club,10th in the league and out of the title race by early October,Champions league qualification hanging by thread,only 2 home wins all season and manager that prides himself on defence has his side defending so poor.

It's his 3rd season with United they have regressed badly from last year, If he was managing another big named club in Europe he would be sacked by now but it seems the business men owners are going to let the season run until its mathematically impossible to reach the top 4 of the league.

All that Pocchetino would bring is better football to watch is that enough? a club of Uniteds size and wealth should at the very least challenge for the league title and i can't see that happening under Pochettino.

[magpie seanie]

Going into November its clear Mourinho is not walking at this stage. Knocked out of the league cup by an average championship club,10th in the league and out of the title race by early October,Champions league qualification hanging by thread,only 2 home wins all season and manager that prides himself on defence has his side defending so poor.

It's his 3rd season with United they have regressed badly from last year, If he was managing another big named club in Europe he would be sacked by now but it seems the business men owners are going to let the season run until its mathematically impossible to reach the top 4 of the league.

All that Pocchetino would bring is better football to watch is that enough? a club of Uniteds size and wealth should at the very least challenge for the league title and i can't see that happening under Pochettino.

Spurs put in two very credible title challenges under him with miniscule resources compared to what United have. It's crazy to suggest he couldn't at the very least challenge for a title. Players improve under him. As they have done under Guardiola, Klopp, Zidane to name but a few. A coach is supposed to work with players to get the best out of them.....not just buy lads when he can't get others to do what he thinks is right. I'm not saying Pochettino is the answer but wasting the rest of this season definitely isn't the answer either.

Manchester United has always been a step forward from Spurs and I can't see that changing.

[Boycey]

They ALL buy players Seanie

Guardiola 22 at City (despite inheriting by far the best squad)
Klopp 19 at Liverpool
Poch 22 at Spurs
Mourinho 10 at Utd......

ZZ only bought 6 at Real but the riches he inherited meant he didn't need to.

[screenexile]

They ALL buy players Seanie

Guardiola 22 at City (despite inheriting by far the best squad)
Klopp 19 at Liverpool
Poch 22 at Spurs
Mourinho 10 at Utd......

ZZ only bought 6 at Real but the riches he inherited meant he didn't need to.

The difference is they bought good players and made them better . . . who on the United team is a better player now than when they were bought? De Gea is the only one I can see!

[TabClear]

They ALL buy players Seanie

Guardiola 22 at City (despite inheriting by far the best squad)
Klopp 19 at Liverpool
Poch 22 at Spurs
Mourinho 10 at Utd......

ZZ only bought 6 at Real but the riches he inherited meant he didn't need to.

Where did you get the figures from Boycey? Only looking at Klopp but I cant think of the 19 player he signed, I'm probably in the low teens?