Topic: Harry Maguire considering his options thread

[aw1991]

This is embarrassing for many reasons:
https://twitter.com/DuncanCastles/status/1218794181252001794

[ScouserAtHeart]

This is embarrassing for many reasons:
https://twitter.com/DuncanCastles/status/1218794181252001794

I'm honestly surprised Duncan Castles gets his face out of Mourinho's ass long enough to tweet

[BoRed]

A bit worrying articles like these are now finding their way into the national press ...

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is not the right manager for Manchester United

Jonathan Wilson

There has been little sign of improvement since Solskjær took over and he looks ill-equipped to turn things around

O n Friday 5 March 1909, Manchester United went to Burnley for an FA Cup quarter-final. The pitch was frozen, there was heavy snow and with 18 minutes remaining the referee, Herbert Bamlett, decided the match couldn’t go on. For United, the abandonment was fortunate: they had been 1-0 down but won the rearranged game 3-2 and went on, for the first time, to lift the FA Cup.

Bamlett, having refereed the 1914 FA Cup final, turned his hand to management, taking charge of Oldham, Wigan Borough and Middlesbrough, guiding the latter to the verge of promotion when, in April 1927, he was named manager of United.

It was an ill-starred appointment. Two months later, the club’s owner and benefactor, John Henry Davies, died. With money tight United struggled to refresh their squad, leading in 1931 to their relegation and the inevitable decision not to renew Bamlett’s contract. Which perhaps goes to show the folly of appointing a manager on a sentimental whim for something he had done to help the club to a trophy two decades earlier.

That brings us to the present situation. Since he was given the job on a permanent basis in March, no United manager since Bamlett – not Frank O’Farrell, not Wilf McGuinness, not even the hapless Scott Duncan – has a worse win percentage than Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s 36.67%.

It is all very well to speak of youth and promise, to preach the value of patience, but what if in a year or two years or four years, it turns out Solskjær was the wrong man all along? What evidence is there that he is the right man? What if the potential in the squad is squandered as a result? What if, most pressingly, they miss out on appointing somebody of the stature of Mauricio Pochettino as a result of loyalty to the idea of Solskjær?

The idea is appealing. Who wouldn’t want a club legend to return to restore the values he had absorbed as a player at the club? Who doesn’t like to think of their club as unique, as having a soul that only true initiates can understand? It’s why Frank Lampard remains so popular at Chelsea. It’s why Barcelona tried to appoint Xavi. It’s why Sunderland fans, at least until the upturn of a couple of weeks ago, took to singing for Kevin Phillips. It’s why the best football decision Ed Woodward has made as Manchester United CEO was to sack José Mourinho and appoint Solskjær on an interim basis.

He was the ideal man to restore the club’s values, to swill out the toxicity. And it worked. United ran along at 2.46 points per game. They pulled off that hilarious heist in Paris, using nothing more than the folk memory of a famous night in Barcelona 20 years earlier to guide them to an unlikely victory over PSG.

Woodward, ever sensitive to the breezes of public opinion, gave Solskjær the job full-time. Since when United have picked up 1.40 points per game. Bamlett, it may be noted, won six and drew one of his first seven games.

The modern world of football is an impatient place. Demands are habitually excessive. Short‑termism reigns. With today’s mindset, Herbert Chapman at Arsenal, Bill Shankly at Liverpool, Don Revie at Leeds, Brian Clough at Derby and Nottingham Forest and, most pertinently, Alex Ferguson at Manchester United might all have been sacked before achieving success.

But that is a dangerous way of thinking: just because some managers given time were successful doesn’t mean that all would be. As Solskjær approaches his 44th game in charge on Sunday against Liverpool, it is reasonable to ask what, if any, progress has been made.

Mourinho was sacked with a win percentage of 53.8%. Solskjær’s, even if you count those games as interim manager, is 48.8%. United are scoring fractionally more goals under Solskjær than Mourinho – 1.7 per game as opposed to 1.6 – but they are conceding 1.2 per game against 0.9.

In those early sunlit months of Solskjær’s reign, Louis van Gaal observed that United had appointed another counterattacking coach, which prompted widespread derision – but he was right. Whether football is exciting or not is, increasingly, in the eye of the beholder and it’s clear that many found Van Gaal’s focus on possession led to sterile football. But Solskjær’s side look a credible attacking force only against teams who leave space in behind them, whether because they attack United, as Tottenham and Manchester City did in that bizarre week of glory at the beginning of December, or because United have taken the lead, as happened against Norwich, Newcastle and Chelsea.

Modern football at the highest level, though, as Liverpool and Manchester City make clear every time they play, is about structured gambits. Attacking, just as much as defending, is about organisation, about players knowing where to move so that when the chance comes, the play is semi-automatic and too rapid even for packed rearguards to repel. A year on, there has been no sign of Solskjær coming close to achieving that.

One of the reasons Mourinho was ousted was that his football was deemed unbecoming to United’s history. Solskjær has not set his side up in the performatively negative way Mourinho occasionally did – at Anfield the season before last most memorably – but it is remarkable how similar their stats look. Passes per game have gone down under Solskjær, as have successful passes ending in the final third. Goals conceded to fast breaks – an indicator of how effective a team’s press is – are up by a factor of three.

United are a shambles. Their problems will not instantly be solved by replacing Solskjær. He is not some malign presence sapping the life force from the squad. But there is simply no evidence, attractive as the dream may be, that he is equipped, just as all seems lost, once again to turn up to save the day. Other managers are available, but they will not always be. At some point, vague promises of youth and counterattacking are not enough.

Luckily, all the highest rated comments below the article are supportive of Ole, so there's still some hope they won't turn on him before he does some more damage.

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

How much is the add-on if he wins the Miss Universe pageant?

Tbf he's beautiful...

[rob1966]

I reminded a Manc at work on Friday that they are paying about £14million for Sanchez to play for Inter.

[jacobs chains]

I reminded a Manc at work on Friday that they are paying about £14million for Sanchez to play for Inter.

Something came out last week about the wages being paid at United. One of the alright United fans at work was bemoaning the fact that their no-marks were being paid more than our superstars. I consoled him by explaining how our players were on massive performance related incentives. Once he calmed down I reminded him they were still paying Sanchez.

"Fuck me. He's not even on the list."

I'm slightly concerned that I might get reported for psychologically bullying the poor sod.

[Crosby Nick]

I reminded a Manc at work on Friday that they are paying about £14million for Sanchez to play for Inter.

Jesus, I’d genuinely forgotten they had signed him. What a fucking terribly run club.

[thejbs]

I keep reading and hearing that Solskjær is young and up and coming, whereas Klopp is established. This narrative suggests he needs time. That he’s at the start of his career. There are literally 5 and a bit years between them, age wise. Baby-faced (at least, before the job aged him) is one thing, but Solskjær is nearly 47. He should really be further on his career, development wise. Look at Brendan, who is the same age, for example. Arteta and lampard fit the narrative. Ole does not.

[Bobinhood]

so i dabble in small time investing sometimes although frankly im not very good at it, so i was looking at a stock screener on Sat that isolates stocks that had a big move up or down on the week, and this shit retailer pops up, moved up 8% on Friday after a prolonged slow but steady decline just like all the other brick and mortar retailers. Called Kirkland, never heard of em.

"Hmm" i thinks, "whats caused that?" So i google them up and it turns out that nobody really gives af about this company one way or the other, but they've gone and fired their CEO and put a new man in place, and the thinking seems to be that the old guy was such crap that the new guy simply must do better.

The new mans name? Woody Woodward.    I shit you not.

100% first thing Monday morning im putting $100 on Down i do not care to examine any financials whatsoever. Sometimes you've just got to take whats in front of you. 

[FiSh77]

I keep reading and hearing that Solskjær is young and up and coming, whereas Klopp is established. This narrative suggests he needs time. That he’s at the start of his career. There are literally 5 and a bit years between them, age wise. Baby-faced (at least, before the job aged him) is one thing, but Solskjær is nearly 47. He should really be further on his career, development wise. Look at Brendan, who is the same age, for example. Arteta and lampard fit the narrative. Ole does not.

Leave him the fuck alone will yer, he's doing a great job and the six fingered mutants should be thankful they have him

[TheTeflonJohn]

so i dabble in small time investing sometimes although frankly im not very good at it, so i was looking at a stock screener on Sat that isolates stocks that had a big move up or down on the week, and this shit retailer pops up, moved up 8% on Friday after a prolonged slow but steady decline just like all the other brick and mortar retailers. Called Kirkland, never heard of em.

"Hmm" i thinks, "whats caused that?" So i google them up and it turns out that nobody really gives af about this company one way or the other, but they've gone and fired their CEO and put a new man in place, and the thinking seems to be that the old guy was such crap that the new guy simply must do better.

The new mans name? Woody Woodward.    I shit you not.

100% first thing Monday morning im putting $100 on Down i do not care to examine any financials whatsoever. Sometimes you've just got to take whats in front of you.

It`s the big short!

[ScouserAtHeart]

That moron brought on Rashford against Wolves when they were already 1-0 up. Now he's out injured for weeks. Their leading scorer this season, risked while leading during a cup replay

[xbugawugax]

I keep reading and hearing that Solskjær is young and up and coming, whereas Klopp is established. This narrative suggests he needs time. That he’s at the start of his career. There are literally 5 and a bit years between them, age wise. Baby-faced (at least, before the job aged him) is one thing, but Solskjær is nearly 47. He should really be further on his career, development wise. Look at Brendan, who is the same age, for example. Arteta and lampard fit the narrative. Ole does not.

hmm..the narrative..you are missing the narrative. Its only his first year in charge. He needs to be given more time. Its all about the man u DNA.

did some rough research. Wiki is really the shitz

rafa won his first title at 41
mou won his first title at 45
pep won his first title at 37

but surely how could we forget

Owl won his first title at malmo at the young age of 38. Thats almost on par with pep.

[Skeeve]

That moron brought on Rashford against Wolves when they were already 1-0 up. Now he's out injured for weeks. Their leading scorer this season, risked while leading during a cup replay

Think they scored a few mins after he came on actually, still mad to have risked their most important player in a replay like that though.

[rafathegaffa83]

So Solskjaer pretty much confirming in his pre-match interview Rashford will likely be out for a few weeks

[Dim Glas]

So Solskjaer pretty much confirming in his pre-match interview Rashford will likely be out for a few weeks

and people here actually thought that gormless bloke was capable of playing mindgames 

[OsirisMVZ]

So Solskjaer pretty much confirming in his pre-match interview Rashford will likely be out for a few weeks

Returns late March apparently.

Double stress fracture in his back and also has a piece of bone floating in his ankle. They've overplayed him and its taken its toll.

[FiSh77]

Returns late March apparently.

Double stress fracture in his back and also has a piece of bone floating in his ankle. They've overplayed him and its taken its toll.

Back before Cantona though

[OsirisMVZ]

Clear spring skies in the Alps that time of year...

[Ratboy3G]

Shaw faking an injury so he can get to the post game buffet first

[Statto Red]

Shaw faking an injury so he can get to the post game kebab shop  first

Edited for accuracy

[FiSh77]

Arf!

Fuck off yer six fingered meffs

[Ratboy3G]

Edited for accuracy

Do they do kebabs in the Brick?

[DelTrotter]

Wan Bissaka being shit with the ball led to a massive overrating of his defending. A truly awful footballer. One of many there.

[FiSh77]

Do they do kebabs in the Brick?

There were a few blues skewered in the glory holes if that counts?

[aw1991]

[Samie]

Should've been 5-0 you fuckers. 

[Linudden]

30 points in January with a game in hand

[El Lobo]

There’s gonna be some dry sisters in Salford tonight

[Linudden]

To put it into perspective: for United to overhaul Liverpool:

Win final 15 matches.
Hope Liverpool hit Bournemouth form! (3-5-8)

 

[oxenstierna]

Did Ole even get out of his chair?

[Kekule]

I noticed today that Maguire has got the name of a really good defender on his shirt.  No, don’t be daft, not his own, United’s shirt sleeve sponsors are Kohler.

[BobPaisley3]

Did Ole even get out of his chair?

Was it Mike Phelan shouting the odds from the touchline?

[FiSh77]

There’s gonna be some dry sisters in Salford tonight

I'd love to help them out, but alas I only have 5 fingers

[Medellin]

[Ravishing Rick Dude]

They were lucky to lose only 2-0. Must feel like a win for Ole

[El Lobo]

Almost a perfect result that. Looks like it was tight and they gave it a good go. Five more years.

[Circa1892]

Why are their players so unfit? Wan Bissaka was basically walking half that game.

[JP!]

They're fucking shite.

[ToneLa]

My god, they're fucking awful.