We went into tonight with a chance of topping the group. To do so required a win regardless of other events.
In the 97/98 champions league we had already won the group when we went to Juve on the last game day. Have a look at the team Fergie put out:
--------------------------------Schmeichel-----------------------
G.Nev-------------Berg--------------------Pallister-------------P.Nev
Poborsky---------Becks------------------Johnsen-------------Giggs
---------------------Sheringham------------Solskajer------------------
Keane, Irwin, Butt and Cole were injured although Cole was named on the bench.
In a game of no benefit to us whatsoever Fergie set out to get that first win in Turin (we didn't), to lay down a marker against a rival.
Jose accepted not winning before he got on a plane in Manchester. The entire exercise was a waste of everyone's time.
Did we blood new talent? No
Did we try new tactics? No
Did we give confidence to players returning to the side? No, we either hooked them at half time or played them in a team devoid of balance and instruction.
We did however try a revolutionary new formation called 4-Something-1. So innovative nobody has a clue what shape or strategy we were trying to achieve with the 5 of Fellaini, Pogba, Fred, Pereira and Mata.
Jose has accepted not being best
posted on 13/12/18
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
"Jose accepted not winning before he got on a plane in Manchester. The entire exercise was a waste of everyone's time."
Completely agree, the worst thing is he played 5 central midfielders (of different moulds) shunting Mata and Pereira out wide in a system that doomed to fail as soon as the team sheet was named.
Why not give our young wide players a go and play Pereira is his natural role? If you're going to play him wide do so in a system that gives him a chance.
The likes of Chong and Greenwood would befit hugely from an introduction in a game like this imo.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m not sure Pereira has a natural role yet.
More than half of his appearances at Valencia were in wide roles of one form or another.
posted on 13/12/18
comment by rosso is facking happy (U17054)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
"Jose accepted not winning before he got on a plane in Manchester. The entire exercise was a waste of everyone's time."
Completely agree, the worst thing is he played 5 central midfielders (of different moulds) shunting Mata and Pereira out wide in a system that doomed to fail as soon as the team sheet was named.
Why not give our young wide players a go and play Pereira is his natural role? If you're going to play him wide do so in a system that gives him a chance.
The likes of Chong and Greenwood would befit hugely from an introduction in a game like this imo.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m not sure Pereira has a natural role yet.
More than half of his appearances at Valencia were in wide roles of one form or another.
--------------------------------
They have been training the lad to play in a deep central role. Carrick has been working with him to teach him the role. Then when he finally gets a game they stick him out wide. Its a fecking joke.
posted on 13/12/18
comment by rosso is facking happy (U17054)
posted 14 minutes ago
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
"Jose accepted not winning before he got on a plane in Manchester. The entire exercise was a waste of everyone's time."
Completely agree, the worst thing is he played 5 central midfielders (of different moulds) shunting Mata and Pereira out wide in a system that doomed to fail as soon as the team sheet was named.
Why not give our young wide players a go and play Pereira is his natural role? If you're going to play him wide do so in a system that gives him a chance.
The likes of Chong and Greenwood would befit hugely from an introduction in a game like this imo.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I’m not sure Pereira has a natural role yet.
More than half of his appearances at Valencia were in wide roles of one form or another.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not with that lack of movement around him though, what's the point?
posted on 13/12/18
""I expect (better) from my players, especially players that week in, week out, you ask me 'why don't they play?', 'why they don't they start?' the United manager said."
He said this recently about Rashford.
Funny thing is, Martial and Rashford have now (hopefully) made themselves undroppable and Jose has no choice but to play them.
It's no coincidence that when Lukaku plays, the team doesn't.
posted on 13/12/18
comment by Busby (U19985)
posted 2 minutes ago
""I expect (better) from my players, especially players that week in, week out, you ask me 'why don't they play?', 'why they don't they start?' the United manager said."
He said this recently about Rashford.
Funny thing is, Martial and Rashford have now (hopefully) made themselves undroppable and Jose has no choice but to play them.
It's no coincidence that when Lukaku plays, the team doesn't.
------------------
I am so sick of the man now. He just needs to go.
I swing from complete apathy, so absolute rage. The bloke is a tw@t that only cares about his own reputation.
He set us up terribly last night, then moans that the incoming players didn't perform, putting all the blame on them, before trying to claim some glory for himself by saying that we only played well after he made the substitutions.
posted on 13/12/18
The bloke is a tw@t that only cares about his own reputation.
He set us up terribly last night, then moans that the incoming players didn't perform, putting all the blame on them, before trying to claim some glory for himself by saying that we only played well after he made the substitutions.
-------------------------------
Completely agree. He hasn't taken any responsibility, especially with our continuing bad starts to matches.
posted on 13/12/18
Surely his days will be numbered if next Sunday pans out the way most of us dread and expect
posted on 13/12/18
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
He does this thing whereby when he finally relents and plays a player that the fans have been wanting to see, he sets them up to fail. And then, when they don't perform, he turns around and says 'I told you so.'
Case in point from his post-match press conference last night:
"Nothing that happened surprised me at all," said Mourinho when asked if he had learned anything about his players.
"I didn't learn anything from this game."
"I expect (better) from my players, especially players that week in, week out, you ask me 'why don't they play?', 'why they don't they start?' the United manager said.
"(It) was a good match to play, a match without any kind of pressure, a match in a competition that everybody likes to play.
"And, in the end, my team improved, really, when I made the changes that I didn't want to make, which is a little bit of frustration because I didn't want to play the three players that I played in the second half."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
José's said and done so many things that any intelligent man realises is going to alienate the fans, players and suits that I find it very hard to believe it isn't by design.
On the one hand, it¡s prefectly understandable that the fans would want to see the back of him, but on the other, it must make you sick to the teeth to think that someone behaving like such a grade A and couldn't seem to give a flying f*ck about the club could walk away laughing all the way to the bank.
posted on 13/12/18
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 42 minutes ago
comment by Elvis (U7425)
posted 1 hour, 49 minutes ago
He does this thing whereby when he finally relents and plays a player that the fans have been wanting to see, he sets them up to fail. And then, when they don't perform, he turns around and says 'I told you so.'
Case in point from his post-match press conference last night:
"Nothing that happened surprised me at all," said Mourinho when asked if he had learned anything about his players.
"I didn't learn anything from this game."
"I expect (better) from my players, especially players that week in, week out, you ask me 'why don't they play?', 'why they don't they start?' the United manager said.
"(It) was a good match to play, a match without any kind of pressure, a match in a competition that everybody likes to play.
"And, in the end, my team improved, really, when I made the changes that I didn't want to make, which is a little bit of frustration because I didn't want to play the three players that I played in the second half."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
José's said and done so many things that any intelligent man realises is going to alienate the fans, players and suits that I find it very hard to believe it isn't by design.
On the one hand, it¡s prefectly understandable that the fans would want to see the back of him, but on the other, it must make you sick to the teeth to think that someone behaving like such a grade A and couldn't seem to give a flying f*ck about the club could walk away laughing all the way to the bank.
-------------
The pay off doesn't really bother me. It is costing us more to keep him and the money won't make him happy. Some people just don't have it in them to be ever be happy. Time to get rid whatever the cost before he does any more damage.
posted on 13/12/18
Wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he already had something lined up. My worst fear is it might just be us.