Manchester United Banter Mobile

05 May 2024 18:09:30
So it's looking increasingly more like an 8th placed finish and no Europe next year. While that sounds like a disaster for a club like United it's a fair reflection of where we are and maybe isn't a bad thing. Yes it will make it harder to attract players, yes the accountants won't be happy but a smaller squad and more time on the training pitch might be beneficial. Let's face it we've been awful this year and our league position now reflects that, hopefully the ineos mantra will move us onwards and upwards from next season on. We can only live in hope.

05 May 2024 10:11:01
I just want to congratulate former Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna for the phenomenal job he has done with Ipswich Town, back to back promotions from League One to the EPL in two years is a fantastic achievement.

A lot was said about the coaches at United, particularly McKenna and Carrick under Ole.

Yet both have shown they are excellent young coaches, particularly McKenna. He comes across really well in his interviews with the press, intelligent with a personality that is easy to like.

He is one to keep an eye on, he probably isn't ready for the United job, and if we are to go for someone inexperienced in top flight management then I think it'd need to be further down the line when all of the new structure is in place at the club to support the manager. Also I'd imagine McKenna would not be willing to leave Ipswich this summer after he's done so much work to get them to the EPL he deserves his chance to show what they can do in the biggest league in the world.

Well done Kieran, welcome back to the EPL and we look forward to welcoming you back to Old Trafford next season with Ipswich, although hopefully it's not a winning return.

05 May 2024 10:25:48
Fantastic story and a brilliant club. Happy to see them back in the big time.

05 May 2024 11:07:30
He’s done a fantastic job, two promotions on the bounce is an incredible achievement. There’s no reason for him to rush to a bigger club at just 37, he could have another 25 years ahead of him so we need to see how he fares in the Prem which is the biggest challenge of all, and if he does well he should think long and hard about his next move.

Carrick has shown great character this season, from having a really poor start to finishing just outside the playoffs. He can be proud that he managed to turn it around and well done to the club for sticking with him.

05 May 2024 11:12:05
Just goes to cement the fact that United are a mess when coaches can go elsewhere and shine.

Maybe Ole wasn’t that bad and was constrained like so many since SAF?

Hope for ETH yet?

05 May 2024 11:21:19
Amazing achievement.
He certainly did get a lot of stick at Utd and deservedly so, he always looked lost on the sidelines during games and said very little. Understandable perhaps given that he wasn't the manager and he's proved he did have something about him.
That aside, 'probably' not ready for the Utd job is an understatement. How many managers have looked imperious in the Championship, like Farke and Kompany, only to drop back down immediately. Let's see how he fares over the next few seasons.

05 May 2024 12:08:53
McKenna or Carrick would’ve done a better job than Ole.

05 May 2024 13:57:31
Agreed wazza.

05 May 2024 14:10:30
Back to back promotions is a great achievement.
Tough season ahead next season. I've a soft spot for Ipswich since the 70s and the Bobby Robson era there.
Nice to see them back up.

05 May 2024 14:23:49
Agree Shappy. Amazing achievement. Hope we can send some players on loan there next season. Fletcher, Amass, Wheatley, Ogunneye and maybe Forson (if he stays) are primed for a loan to a PL club. If Ipswich do well I wouldn’t be surprised if he is linked to the likes of Brighton, West Ham and etc. hope he is on the radar of INEOS.
He was never going to get a chance at United with the Primadonnas at the club. We need to build a squad of young, hungry players who are willing to change and learn if we are to get the most of a coach’s capabilities.

04 May 2024 14:07:09
I was having a conversation with my son yesterday about refereeing. He is now at the stage where he feels that the standard of refereeing and the inconsistency is making a joke out of the game. VAR might be helping with offside decisions but on the down side it exposes, rather than resolves, the inconsistencies. If you're going to have VAR then surely it should be easier to be consistent on interpreting what is a hand ball or a trip justifying a penalty.

The problem starts with the ruling on the field taking precedence. We have had virtually identical hand ball situations in the last couple of games, one given against us and one not given for us. If the decision is to be reviewed by VAR anyway, it should be possible to increase consistency instead of expose it.

Today I'm watching Arsenal v Bournemouth. It's 100% clear that Havertz drags his foot intentionally over the goalkeeper's foot to win a penalty. The ref was quite reasonably fooled by the ruse, but VAR should be overturning it but failed to even ask him to review his decision.

Okay, so controversy is and always has been part of what makes the game what it is, but if the goal is to reduce or eliminate bad decisions, then the VAR officials have to have a bigger role in ensuring that the rules are applied consistently. It really shouldn't be that difficult: however, week after week the refereeing mistakes continue, only to be exacerbated by inadequate VAR application. You would think that PGMOL would want to improve the situation rather than continue on this path.

04 May 2024 14:58:37
VAR is like the Conservatives. Everyone wanted it at the start because it said it would improve things, but after a while people have realised it's not all it's cracked up to be, so now people want rid.

04 May 2024 15:26:59
Embarrassing dive, absolutely, but I see you forgot to mention the studs up challenge straight into sakas leg that somehow wasnt seemed a red card.

VAR is such a joke that I genuinely wonder if the refs are intentionally messing up to try and get it removed, a child could make better decisions!

04 May 2024 19:24:36
My latest bug bare with referees is the number of players who are blatantly diving for a penalty, the ref says no and plays on, but no booking is given.

That’s a minor point amongst the poor refereeing standards in England but it emphasises that the people making the decisions don’t know the rules, or are too scared to implement them.

The on-field refs have become bottle jobs, sometimes not giving a decision because they have VAR to check and fall back on. But the VARs are their mates who often back up the initial incorrect decision.

The way we use it and the weak mentality of those in charge is a big frustration.

Still the biggest example of our season is that handball by Romero. How that is not a penalty is beyond me. I’m not blaming the refs for our poor season because all clubs have to put up with the same refs, but you have to wonder which way the momentum may have swung if one or two decisions would’ve been given for, or against (Onana v Wolves for example) .

05 May 2024 01:42:22
I'd get rid of it. Referees are human and make mistakes. But sure what else would we have to moan about in the pub after? . Leave the mistakes to human error, suck it up and move on. It's got to the point where you can't even celebrate a goal until a few minutes after. Sucked all the spontaneity out of it. This unrealistic quest for perfection is killing the game.

05 May 2024 03:06:18
I agree noucamp, but I feel we have opened pandora's box now. can't see it ever being removed now. It us so sad when players now score and can't celebrate for 3 mins while we check a toenail.

05 May 2024 03:26:31
The laws of the game were not written to stand up to the level of scrutiny that they are now subjected to.
Imò var should not make any judgement on freeze frames or slow motion. It completely distorts the viewpoint. 2 looks in real time is enough to say if the error is clear and obvious.
The ref on the pitch needs to be in charge.

All the anger and resentment is being fuelled by the media.
Every game in every league in every country from the dog n duck to the epl there will be mistakes.
At the top level var should be there to ensure no blatant errors get through and no more.
Broadcaters need to stop focusing on every contentious decision.
Interviewer's need to stop asking managers about refs decisions.
In what other sport does this moaning and disrespect of the officials happen?
Never or very rarely coming out of a rugby match or gaa match or tennis match or cricket or aussie rules is the talk about the ref. Soccer fans are pathetic towards officials. But then again football fans are the only ones that can play better than the pros manage better than the managers, ref better than the refs Run clubs better than the directors. Again that happens rarely in other sports. Football is pretty unique in that.
For the most part every other sport focuses on the players the action, the tactical analysis the coaching the skills. But not the football media.
The officials need to get tough with the players.
Players need to respect each other, the rules, themselves, the fans and the game. Too few of them do. I think every single footballer would cheat in a heartbeat. Then cry like a baby when caught.
Can the same be said of golfers or snooker players or rugby players. ( they don't cry when caught)
I've never been to a rugby match where 20,000 people abuse the ref every 5 mins or a basketball or nfl?
Football is septic from the fans through to the players to the coaches. Refs are the least of footballs problems.

05 May 2024 06:54:32
Refs are one of the biggest problems.

They get all the power and basically never answer for anything.

Sure, players need to show respect, but when you get calls against your team all the time, don't you get to be angry? Same goes for the fans. And it is not just penalties or offsides, for example, they tend to let clubs like City make some "small" fauls and get away with it, while other clubs cant.

As for other sports, players argue with refs everywhere, just not as often. But it is not easy to regulate it. For example, basketball gives technical foul with 1 free throw, which is a good enough punishment when taking in account basketball rules. What could you implement in football? Orange card for arguing? 5 minutes off the pitch? Yellow card seems a bit too much at the moment tbh. Also, it is normal to have a reaction, they are human beings, not robots.

Not that I want to defend the players, I do think they became too soft, but refs are terrible and big part of the problem too.

05 May 2024 08:13:17
the refs on the pitch are a lot better than the guys sitting in that room in charge of Var. I think if you were going to rate them over a season from a 1-10 its a 2.

There is hardly a game they don't screw it up and then they roll out the pgmol guy mid week on sky to justify bs decisions. Complete rubbish.

There is no pressure and very little consequences when they screw things up and every once a while they don't referee the next weekend. Compare that to a bad tackle by a player and he is out 3 weeks or a manger if he says something afterwards and he is watching things from the stands next week.

Given the amount of money involved in the game and how it affects millions of fans positively or negatively, they are just no where near the standards that is needed.

05 May 2024 09:05:44
Ahmad

“the refs on the pitch are a lot better than the guys sitting in that room in charge of Var”

The refs on the pitch ARE the guys sat in that room in charge of VAR.

E. g. David Coote was the VAR at Luton on Friday night. He then refereed Arsenal v Bournemouth on Saturday lunch time.

03 May 2024 19:55:13
In-depth interview with Gary Neville and EtH here (29 minutes).

I'm not expecting it to change people's minds on whether he should stay or go. And I don't want to open up another debate, but it gives some good insights into things this season and he comes across really honest and sincere.

I think it's quite clear that he understands the club and what it needs, whether he is given the time or not is up to Ineos.

04 May 2024 07:08:00
Good interview. Comes across very well. Sounds like a man that will be there at the start of next season.

04 May 2024 08:37:21
I thought GR asked some good questions, many of them ones we’ve all been asking. Ie the shots conceded and glaring gaps in midfield.
I think any serious owner, DOF or whoever who has gone in above EtH this season will have seen the issues he’s faced. A few oddities of his own making but mostly out of his control.

04 May 2024 09:15:15
I like EtH,

His first season I thought that we played some really good football.

The turning point was the league cup win against Newcastle. Newcastle really gave Utd a good game androugked a few feathers. This unsettled the players to pont where they appeared to question the teams ability. This was when Utd started to wobble abit.

The real turning point was the Martinez injury against Sevilla. Utd without Martinez are a completely different team. His absence has been sorely missed this season.

The second season, questions have been raised about EtH and rightly so. He has made some questionable substitutions and stuck to playing out of form players, who should have been dropped.

However injuries have blighted the team this season and have shown just how much quality this squad lacks.

Roll on next season!

04 May 2024 10:30:35
Good post MH. I saw this reply from Pilib de Brun today on X. Pretty much sums it up. I think ETH does well with a proper structure and a quality team. Give him time.

He doesn’t have the pace in the back 4 Sav to play a high press/ a high line, it’s essentially the same back 4 that Solskjaer had (except Ten Hag has no left back for more than half our games this season) . Ole had to play a counter attacking style to for this reason. The problem is, when you play that way you’re forced to invite teams to attack you which will inevitably lead to conceding more shots. Martinez is a massive loss, we have nothing else remotely like him, we lose his leadership, his defensive skills and his ball playing ability. Not having a left back is unforgivable, Wan Bissaka can not play left back, he can’t overlap because he has no left foot which greatly impedes who plays on the left wing and the central striker. When Shaw played at Wolves, Rashford scored centrally after 5 minutes, he also set up Hojlund for a strikers goal that nobody else can provide on the left. The squad is massively unbalanced, he’s got one fit center back, no left back, he’s given more minutes to teenagers than the top 6 combined, he has lost a bunch of fitness and technical staff that he wasn’t allowed to replace, he has a medical department that’s a decade behind and he’s been working for a club who haven’t been trying to win the league for a decade. There’s lots of fair criticism for Ten Hag and he’s not obviously blameless but a fully fit Utd team is basically a top 4 team, the fact he’s had 70+ injuries this season, wasn’t allowed to spend in January, I don’t think it’s capital offense to be sitting in 6th and in his 3rd cup final in 2 years. I genuinely can’t believe how they left the guy without a left back mate, it is shocking sobering ineptitude.

04 May 2024 11:27:55
And one actual striker. Who is 20. Ridiculous.

04 May 2024 11:30:36
He wasn’t great, but what was the story with Reguilón? I could understand him leaving if Brentford purchased him.

04 May 2024 11:53:29
Angel that’s a great point, ETH’s back 4 is Ole’s back 4, only worse because AWB is playing at left back.

The quote mentions AWB doesn’t have a left foot. Well he doesn’t have a right foot either. Never have I seen a player in our red shirt with such poor technical ability. Another where the effort seems to be there but the quality is not.

We’re still playing McTominay who was half of the McFred partnership we all wanted to see the back of, and Casemiro is a crock.

Frankly I think we’ve done well to get to another FA Cup final, considering we all agree that 80% of the squad should be sold and lunatics have been running the asylum behind the scenes.

04 May 2024 11:55:01
It’s interesting that they clearly had a choice of Kane (first choice) then moved onto Hojlund. Two completely different profiles. I assume Kane was more an opportunity because he became available but a younger raw striker was the target.

04 May 2024 12:13:00
I agree with a lot of what you say Angelred, Having most of the back four changing so drastically all season and not having a proper left back has affected us massively.
Wan bissaka for me hasn't got the concentration levels to play at right back never mind left back, constantly slow to move out and playing people onside all the time, I also think that Shaw not playing affects Rashfords game too but that doesn't excuse the massive drop off we have seen from him.
Look at Liverpool when they had all there defence and midfield players out injured for huge chunks of the season it affected the way they played in a big way.

Would we have been in the top four now if we had been able to play our strongest team consistently all season, I do believe we would have been.

I still believe that ETH will be gone in the summer but if he is still here then I will back him and the team as always.

04 May 2024 12:37:58
He doesn’t strike me as someone who’s worried about his job.
Why would this interview go ahead if Ineos were looking to sack him in 3 weeks time?
SJR has also praised Arsenal for sticking with Arteta.
I can see Ten Hag staying and hopefully improving next season.

04 May 2024 16:21:25
He has said before that he was told by the medical team that both Shaw and Malacia would be back to full fitness and playing in Jan. So, he agreed to send Reguilon back only for both to have major setbacks. I think our finances have been a major problem this past 18 months. One young developing striker fit for a club our size is just crazy.

Bottom line is that we are an impatient club and we want to win now. But we are in a mess following years of awful recruiting and it will take time to untangle. We still owe a fortune in transfers, but our squad is nowhere near. Buying older players with no sell on value has been a disaster. Giving players wages that mean no other club would ever take them has been a disaster.

I would give ten hag another 3 year year contract now, and then set about fixing our squad. If a player is being paid more than they would get at any other club, they are on too much! We need players who want to play at utd, which are young and hungry and ready to roll up their sleeves and work hard everyday.

04 May 2024 16:42:06
A few on here will have cardiac arrests reading your suggestion about giving EtH a new 3 year deal Dodgy.
But whether him or someone else, as hard as it is to suggest that we are still in transition after over a decade of decline, that’s all we are. A sleeping giant someone with a plan needs time to untangle.

05 May 2024 10:03:17
In terms of ETH and a new 3 year contract, the questions are whether it would be as manager or coach given the club seem to be moving away from an all powerful manager scenario. Without authority to bring in his favoured players like he has done, would it work for ETH. Is ETH best in class? Do they see him as best in class? Why bring in best in class above him and stay with someone who isn’t.
The club has suffered from the holy grail scenario, thinking this manager is the one and the only variable is time, give them time? In that time they take the club in a direction, players, style as that manager wants. Then when it becomes clear that isn’t going to work, it’s Armageddon at the club. They appear to be moving to give the club consistency, a coach who will coach the team and not set a direction they think is right. The DOF will set a direction along with experts, not the latest manager.
ETH has not shown much coaching, how has he improved players, his tactics have been all over the place, recruitment awful. If the decision makers keep him, expect more of the same unless he is given better objectives. He cannot throw young players under the bus to hide his mistakes.

I doubt they will give three years contracts now, unless they get Pep after he finishes at City and that won’t happen.

05 May 2024 11:28:58
I feel this continued 'throwing young players under the bus' thing has got a bit out of hand. In the case of Garnacho, it was clear he wasn't tracking back for whatever reason in that particular and we were exposed on that side. Wouldn't any decent manager have done the same, irrespective of the player in question?
As far as I can see EtH has repeatedly defended the youngsters, even if that means bringing them off. To some that might be seen as taking off a better player, to others conserving them or simply bringing on fresh legs.

05 May 2024 15:49:38
spenno

ETH has not treated Rashford or Antony in the same way. When was the last time ETH came out and said similar about how Rashford or Antony did. He hasn’t, he has favourites and to throw Garnacho under the bus like he did was cowardly. His after game comments about Sancho caused the first main issue, when it didn’t need to happen, then his comments about Garnacho were totally unnecessary. He also substitutes him whilst leaving Rashford on playing far worse. It stinks.

02 May 2024 15:58:50
Great news everyone. Tony is back in training! Cue a new 5 year deal 😂😂.

02 May 2024 17:31:49
If he makes a squad before any youth players I'll be sick.

02 May 2024 18:18:06
If he gets playing time scores a hattrick and attracts a higher purchase price because of it I will be delighted!

02 May 2024 18:27:34
Think his contract is up Salford?!

I for one cannot wait to see the back of Martial.

02 May 2024 19:09:16
The biggest blagger at the club and that’s saying a lot. Least he’s out of contract so we will finally get rid. Lucky Ed Woodward’s gone because he probably would have given him a new five year deal 😂.

02 May 2024 19:58:31
Ports, “ I for one cannot wait to see the back of Martial. ”
Weed said the same bit for a different reason. 😂.

02 May 2024 20:11:15
Him and Rashford are twins.

02 May 2024 23:48:48
Out of contract, lazy and always injured. £10m please 😂.

03 May 2024 06:24:35
He is here for a farewell match.

03 May 2024 09:59:11
Talented player, and still our best finisher at the club. Sadly riddled with injuries, and seems to lack the mental strength needed to be a top player we needed him to be.

03 May 2024 14:18:19
just got heavier looking year on year from his initial years and injuries Galore. on his day was superb but far and few days like that.

03 May 2024 16:06:23
I think Martial had about two good days. Even less than Pogba.