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Pretty please
Can we have Fergie back now?
Chris MUFC
Don’t look back in anger
Considering Noel Gallagher is a Manchester City fan, I maybe shouldn’t use his lyrics for my subject since I am a United fan, especially at this inopportune moment when we are down in the doldrums after a spanking at Stamford Bridge. Anyway, I love Oasis and music is above fan rivalries.
Granted, we were horrible, absolutely horrible at Chelsea, but isn’t the criticism of Mourinho being a sore loser(I am talking about the period since he has taken over Utd. and not his dramatics at all his other appointments) a little inaccurate?
Management decisions aside, and solely based on his interviews and conduct this season, I for one think he has taken a very good approach to giving interviews. Mailboxers, and the webizens, criticizing him for being pissed off at Conte, would do well listening to Jose’s interview after the match. He took all the responsibility/blame and didn’t try to deflect any attention from the terrible performance we had on Sunday. He especially avoided the bait question-I understand the media has to pose such questions-on what he said to Conte after the match. His clear answer was that it was between Conte and himself and didn’t concern the media. If the general public had a camera/mic thrust at them during high pressure situations, I am pretty certain at least a good percentage of us would say something we realize was incorrect at that time. Possibly Jose thought about this between the end of the match and the interview, and avoided that question. A smart move. The same goes for the question on David Luiz. He could have stated clearly that the decision from the ref was horrible, and possibly wouldn’t have impacted the match, but who on earth knows what could have transpired after a red. We could have lost by an even bigger margin, or maybe won. He didn’t respond to that question as well, which was really hard for him since you could see he was dying to scream and in the end the response was so sheepish and muffled that I had to replay it(possibly since he had a rage stroke at that very moment).
I am pretty certain that Jose has it in his Utd contract to take anger management lessons and the PR team at Utd seems well equipped to brief Jose on how to take questions, and respond, without actually looking like a sore loser(which he well might be, but at least his on camera persona has improved).
This is no justification for the wretched performance we had, but hey, we all live in hope, and here is hoping we win at home to City this Wednesday, by 4-0.
—
Regards,
Adway
United’s squad is built by four different managers, not one
I’ve been mulling over the question of squad composition and come to the conclusion that the problem __with Man U isn’t really Mourinho or his tactics, it is the conundrum of how he solves problems in his squad. Bear __with me for a moment, but assuming that the only positions that really seem assured are the two CBs (Bailly and Smalling) and De Gea, the rest just creates a problem that wont ever solve itself.
1. Play Ibrahimovic up front creates the need to play two wingers given his presence
2. Man U’s players who *can* play wide are: Depay (inconsistent), Lingard (not good enough), Young (the same) and Rashford (not a winger), Mkhitaryan (unfit / not up to pace) or Martial (not a winger).
3. As the wingers are weak, he then needs to deploy more “solid” full backs i.e. less attacking : Blind, instead of Shaw, Valencia instead of Darmain.
4. As the full backs are less attacking he then relies more on his midfield to create : Pogba in a number 10 ahead of the less hard working Mata
5. Pogba is not a number 10 really, so he has to bolster CM mid with 2 defence minded players to compensate for Pogba playing higher up the pitch : Fellani (very limited ) and then Herrera (not a holding midfielder).
6. If he does’nt want to play Ibrahimovic, then he has to play Rashford or Martial, which means he absolutely has to change the way the entire team plays as he is so different to Ibra.
7. If Rashford / Martial comes in, then so does Mata as they will need someone to play close in behind. This then means that Pogba moves back to CM to play as part of a 2
8. Pogba is’nt naturally a 2 in a 4-2-3-1, so he has to compensate with another player like Fellani to do “the dirty work”
9. with a “weaker” Central Midfield, this means that Mourinho will need to retain defensive solidity, so will play Blind on the left / Valencia on the right
10. With hard working solid full backs, the emphasis is on wingers to be creative, yet none are quite good enough, so he goes for hard working choices
And so on….
The point is, the squad is imbalanced and looks like the construction of 4 different managers rather than the clear thinking of one. Contrast this with Mourinho Chelsea Mk1 – he had 2 specialist players for every position, all playing in the same system week in, week out. The players were not the same but slotted in and out of a clear system dependant on the opposition. He has a habit of having a CB out wide (Gallas / Ferreira) but being able to bring in a more attacking full back when needed (Johnson / Del Horno).
Give Mourinho the time to bring in players to fit a mould and system and I am sure that he will be successful. He may not have adapted quickly enough to get the most out of the players he does have, but it is clear that this Man U team is far from the vintages of yesteryear.
Best,
Lee
EFL Cup preview
In my morning skim through the mailbox I was surprised by the dearth of excitement regarding the upcoming EFL cup fixtures. Perhaps this was foolish of me as the insistence on squad rotation for these games oftentimes dilutes their fluidity and quality. I, however, can’t wait to see some of the youngsters and fringe players try stake a claim for themselves in a pressurised environment.
Take the Liverpool vs Tottenham game for example. Each one of Sturridge, Origi and Ings will be desperate to play (and play well) to move to the front of the queue should Klopp require a change to his attacking options. Added to this the likely appearances of youngsters Alexander-Arnold at rightback and Kev Stewart, Marko Grujic and Ovie Ejaria in midfield. Finally, current back-up options Mignolet, Klavan, Lucas and Moreno will be eager to show what they can do.
As for Spurs, surely their fans are desperate to see more of Carter-Vickers, Winks, Onomah and Marcus ‘mini-Messi’ Edwards?
Don’t tell me the Manchester derby doesn’t mean anything on Wednesday night! Guardiola has gone 5 games without a win in all competitions while the news stories emanating from the United camp indicate that the pressure is mounting on Mourinho and his under-performing charges. I expect the losing manager to attempt to gloss over the importance of the result but don’t let that fool you-there is more than just local pride at stake!
Am I just being overly-optimistic or can we hope for two absolute crackers despite the inevitable rotation?
Osric the Brave, Cape Town
Everton were losers
I don’t know whether to feel relieved or aggreived that Everton escaped being named in the Losers section following defeat against Burnley.
Like most supporters, my team losing puts a downer on the whole weekend and well into the following week (Lord knows how Sunderland supporters cope with life at the moment) and I never watch MOTD in the weekend Everton lose (as it just exacerbates the negative elements of defeat). So the last few weeks have meant me having to watch Strictly Come Dancing on catch-up as Mrs B takes my refusal to watch MOTD as free licence to lust after some no-mark called Danny Mac.
So while I feel relieved that Everton and Koeman justifiably escaped the F365 whipping that Man United and Mourinho experienced (as they clearly dominated the Burnley game) I am aggrieved that once again my Saturday night is ruined and I don’t want therm letting off the hook. Especially as Klopp has got Liverpool into a position well above us which our 1 point from 9 in the last three Premier League games has allowed them to do so. I am all bantzed out from my Liverpool mates crowing over me.
So if we do lose again on Sunday against West Ham, please feel free to let them have it with both barrels. Instead of sequins and sambas I’ll be instead be forced to watch some excrutiating nonsense called Autumnwatch and a host of other nature programmes where some shaggy haired beast (it could be Danny Mac) emerges from the undergrowth accompanied by ooohs and aaahs from the other half. There’s only so much a man can take, Ronald Koeman. Make me enjoy the weekends once again.
Phil B, The Wirral.
Southampton fire sales
Having just read Sarah’s excellent piece on Southampton I just wanted to mention something that seems to have been left out of most articles in relation to the club since the summer transfers.
While the sales of Pelle, Wanyama and Mane were happening over the summer, something else was happening too. The players who might be seen as the next wave of transfer targets were being tied down to contracts. And while we all know contracts don’t have much value in the modern game, Van Dijk, Forster, Ward Prowse and Bertrand each signed 5 or 6 year contracts during the summer. Van Dijk’s and Ward Prowse’s deals are the first 6 year contracts in the club’s history.
On top of those, the incoming Hojbjerg, Redmond and Boufal each signed 5 year contracts. Tadic, Soares and Long signed 4 year contracts.
When Wanyama left he had just 1 year left on his contract, as did Clyne and Pelle. Schneiderlin had just 2. While Lallana, Lovren and Shaw each had 3 years left when they moved, we are surely on a different level with the length of contracts the current players have signed.
This feels like a club making a statement, trying to prevent their prize assets from leaving next summer and maybe even the summer after. Big clubs can covet Van Dijk all they like, but in the summer of 2017 when he has 5 years to run on his contract, will they get anywhere without paying through the nose?
If the club can break this cycle just once, it might be enough to shed the label they have earned in the media and with the fans of being the team who sell their best players in bulk every summer.
Jody, Tipperary, Ireland
Can we keep our players now?
I am pleased to see that Vinny is happy that Liverpool now have a manager who will look to develop players rather than simply poach them.
Does that mean that we, at Southampton, can actually look to build a team now rather than rebuild again next summer? Interesting that Mané, Lovren and Lallana are doing so well without the Saints sides around them that made them look so good in the first place.
Mind you, will miss their masses of money…..
Colin (Thanks for the Kind Article about how we are still pushing on) Brown, Saints
Money can’t buy me love
I thought Nick Hamblin made a good point in the mailbox this morning that the financial gap between the haves and have nots might not be as effective as it once was. I think this, in turn, is why we have seen increasing attention paid to managers rather than players.
Nick’s point was that clubs have reached a ‘critical mass’ in terms of financial power which means they can pay good wages and hold off bids for their best players. I only think this is part of the issue. The major part is that the quality of players these days is so, so high that any Premier League club should be able to put eleven men on the park and play to a high standard. In the press over the last week or so several pundits have offered a view on whether Dele Alli is a better player than Paul Pogba. Your view on who is better isn’t really the point, the point is that Pogba cost £89m and Alli cost £5m. By scouting effectively and moving when the time was right Spurs were able to secure an incredibly talented individual for £5m. In the summer Liverpool bought in Joel Matip for free. Last season Leicester assembled a Premier League winning squad for not much cash outlay.
The power of money might come in the ability to destabilise your opponents. Bayern Munich do this every season, Celtic in Scotland to a lesser extent, Barcelona in Spain certainly. Chelsea signed Kante from Leicester which improved their performance but arguably destabilised Leicester even more. However, the power of money to improve your own performances is less proven now. Manchester Utd spent very heavily in the summer to secure fewer points than last season. Would they be better off to have stuck with the young players they were bringing through? Man City spent heavily on John Stone and Leroy Sane with unclear benefits. It is rarely the absolute most expensive signing who does the business. Look down a list of club’s record signings and judge how many have been unqualified successes. The shear amount of good quality players around the world, up and down the levels, is superb and means any team should be able to provide a match for anyone else.
As an extreme example, I happened across Welsh Premier League football on S4C last week. The standard was absolutely solid. The style of play was good to watch and the pitch was immaculate. If you don’t believe me, watch Aberystwyth Town v Airbus UK Broughton on Saturday evening and tell me the standard isn’t better than a Division One game from the Big Match Live in the 80s.
Micki Attridge
The great Premier League turn off
Wow. That Guardian article yesterday on the 19% decline in TV viewing figures has generated one hell of a lot of comments on their page. I usually detest comments sections but this time I made an exception and had a read through. It seems like people really are switching off, and those that haven’t are royally fed up with a lot of aspects of subscription-based coverage and the quality of the Premier League teams and players. It really is worth a trawl through. Two key factors have emerged:
1) The product is deemed too expensive for what it is. I’m sure there’s a technical economic term for this. Due to the immense wealth generated by staying in the Premier League, teams have become less ambitious and are now set up not to lose rather than win. Why should I pay what equates to £75 per month to watch bang-average players duke out well-drilled but ultimately boring contests? If the price was lower, then maybe, but for that kind of money (£900 per year to be exact) I expect to be royally entertained by the product overall. Bournemouth 0-0 Spurs just ain’t doing it for me. As I mentioned yesterday, who on earth would pay £900 a year to watch Sunderland, Swansea, Hull and I’m sorry to say my beloved Baggies? Also, Thierry Henry’s earnings from Sky is reported to be £24M, whilst Pogba would be lucky to turn out for the Dog and Duck on Sunday mornings given the standard of his performances this season so far. Didn’t his agent get a good deal? Oh, and isn’t he a world record transfer? Madness (which I have now chosen not to contribute to through not renewing my subscriptions).
2) Coverage saturation. There’s nothing special about live football on any more as it’s on ALL THE TIME. Friday Night Football? Why not. Monday Night Football? Sure. Two or three matches on a Sunday? We’ve got nothing better to do. Champions League? League Cup? FA Cup? EUROPA League? That’s not mentioning the EFL, Scottish Premier League or non-UK league coverage. It is just not special any more. If six televised matches are on over the course of a weekend which is probably the norm now, then that’s 9 hours of football. There’s no value in that, especially if over half of them are featuring unambitious teams who sacrifice flair and skill for hard graft. Boring. I don’t mind MOTD or ITV as they are essentially highlights packages. Mercifully, this reduced Bournemouth 0-0 Spurs to about 4 minutes, thus saving myself 86 minutes of tedium. I now expect boring games and have chosen not to pay over-the-odds for this. Instead I catch the highlights. I now look forward to MOTD, MOTD2 and the ITV Champions League packages. Yes, even Alan Shearer…
Can Football365 please do more here? You’re usually quite good at stuff like this (it’s why we keep reading). I can’t be the only one fed up of the quality on show for the money and prices quoted and I have voted with my feet. Football fans have been priced out of attending football and now it seems we are being priced out of watching it too. Can Football365 stand up for the little guy? I think this is quite an important issue and one which, evidently, a huge number of people care about. I miss football…
WB (subscription is dead; pay-per-view instead), Cambridge.
(Read this, buddy: http://www.football365.com/news/how-long-can-sht-be-sold-as-sugar)
I thought I was alone in this but maybe not, but I have switched off the football. I still have the Sky and BT package but I have stopped tuning in, and on the occasion I do it ends up being so boring that I turn off. I think there’s a few reasons.
Firstly as a United fan who only ever knew Alex Ferguson as manager and Giggs and Scholes in the squad, it’s changed a lot to the point where after the last few seasons I feel like I was an Alex Ferguson fan rather than Man United. The romance and the excitement has gone and even though we didn’t play great in his last few seasons the last-minute goals remained. His final two games were Rio popping up with a winner in added time and then a 5-5 draw….f*ck me I miss it. I know that makes me a glory supporter, maybe I am, but I want to be entertained and that hasn’t happened for a long time (aside from the first half against Leicester).
Tactically I think the game has changed. Inverted wingers coming inside and passing backwards, one striker, three midfielders….it just isn’t fun. Leicester and their 90s tactics reminded me of what football used to be.
The coverage is too much and there’s too many games on. 3 games on a Sunday now, plus the foreign games in the evening – there’s too much supply and the f*cks I have to give are ever dwindling. The hype and drama surrounding every game has become annoying especially as there’ll be another game straight after where it all happens again, I have just become numb to it all. United lost 4-0 yesterday (I turned off after 50 minutes, and after 30 minutes against Feyenoord) but who cares? We’ll be playing again in a few days, and a few days after that, and a few days after that.
You can shove your Ageurooooos and your Red Mondays and your big iPads and your Fellainis and sod off. David Mitchell summed it up best https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MusyO7J2inM
Silvio (Put Rooney back in the team…I want to feel something even if it’s rage) Dante
Tunch
In reference to Maddison, Alnwick and meal names, being of working class stock but working in a middle class environment I’ve selected the best of both and have lunch and tea. This hybrid allows me to name that most precious meal of the day: tunch. The meal-sized snack to be enjoyed between meals, specifically your tea and you lunch. L-ea, din-ea, or lun-ner if you’re posh, don’t work quite as well.
Tunch is especially useful for the Sunday 4pm game.
Do any other readers manufacturer extra meal times? Are they always around kick-off times?
Hector
YNWA