17 Sep 2026 21:21:38
As mentioned bringing in Conte and there would be carnage because he does not take prisoners. In one sense it's exactly what we need but I have two reservations

Firstly that he doesn't usually bed in younger players from the academy and secondly if he feels the club won't back him after several months he might easily walk away leaving us in an even worse mess


Would Wilcox and the others be able to put their own egos aside and do what Conte wants?

1.) 17 Sep 2026
17 Sep 2026 21:39:30
Conte and Mourinho are very alike. Immediate dividends, lots of money spent to get there without much investment in youth, and it they burn their bridges in season 2-3. It doesn't seem a ride United would go on but what a ride lol :D
If anything does go pear-shaped in the next month I guess it's Eddie Howe isn't it? Just hoping perhaps in vain that those good vibes Carrick had in the tail end of the season can return. We weren't playing well, but the results were there which is a decent enough sign. It's quite staggering to see what's happened in a short space of time.

I have never felt any ill-will towards Rashford but his return has definitely mixed up the balance somehow.
I look forward to seeing how Baleba can affect this team. Seems to be a lot of resentment towards Tielemanns on here. I was excited by his signing but he's looking off the pace at the moment. Not sure what Santos brings other than potential and another body in the ranks. Should probably have kept the cash in the kitty for the January sales IMO.

2.) 17 Sep 2026
17 Sep 2026 22:01:46
Howe?? Won nothing his teams played ok but not a lot more than that.

Disagree Spenno about Tielemans. He is used to playing in a well coached team where each player knew his role and took responsibility unlike this current United team who are a team of individuals who often lack fight.

3.) 17 Sep 2026
17 Sep 2026 22:05:15
I really hope it's not someone like conte. He wouldn't last the season before walking out in a strop.

Eddie Howe is ok, but not great. He had Newcastle playing some high tempo football, but not sure he can lead a team to the top. But that might be ok for a few years as United are light years away from the top at the moment.

I'd prefer they went with someone who can build something. Amorim was almost right, and I think if he didn't try and play 3 at the back and say some silly things he might have done a little better.

I reckon someone like Sebastian Hoeneß would be worth looking at.

4.) 17 Sep 2026
17 Sep 2026 22:51:13
If your the board/owners and your choosing Howe you know they lack ambition. I don't think he's the one imo. They will take the easy option. 1-2 years back in the same position.

5.) 18 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026 10:09:55
Oh I don't fancy Howe either Salford. But the pool is quite shallow. The days of secret meetings between Fergie and Pep regarding his successor are long gone. I think I'm probably on the shortlist!

6.) 18 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026 10:42:18
The problem many fans suffer from is allowing their emotions to rule their head. Getting frustrated with performances and allowing that frustration to cloud their judgement. Wanting a manager who'll come in and "take no prisoners" almost like it's a punishment for underperforming. Some might even feel a level of satisfaction when a player gets booted out of the team or falls foul of the new manager.

However, that rarely works in modern football, and even on the rare occasions that it does, it doesn't last long.

We might not like it, but modern footballers are pampered, and they typically don't respond well to the stick. It's the carrot that gets the best results. Going too hard on them always results in either forcing a player out (typically for a big loss, which effects your ability to replace them), or you cannot move them on and they contribute to a negative atmosphere in the dressing room bringing the rest down with them.

While I'm not happy with the current performances, I think we still need to give the management team more time to try and find a solution. Because ultimately if they can't find the solution, then it's unlikely someone will. You might get the dead cat bounce, but it'll soon slip back. In truth they probably will struggle to find a solution. We know the squad is incomplete and there are clear weaknesses in the squad that are difficult (maybe impossible) to work around and perform at the level we want/expect.

It's a process, and we are not complete yet. Which is something we need to keep in mind when judging current performances.

7.) 18 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026 11:35:13
Welcome back Shappy.

I don't want any manager to take no prisoners for the sake of it. I do want a manager who will not allow players to continually misplace passes. I want a manager who will make sure that the players fully understand the positions they are supposed to be in especially defensively and call them out when like on Wednesday our defence was all over the place.

I want a manager who decides on a way of playing that should suit the players he has available but how he wants to play and then is not afraid to ditch the biggest earners /stars if they don't perform

And at the very least I want a manager who demands fully concentrated effort with no slacking for 90+mins a game every game.

I also want a manager who stands up to the board and makes them understand what has to be done to get United back to the top table.

8.) 18 Sep 2026
18 Sep 2026 13:47:36
Good post that Shappy. I am not a fan of Conte either.

9.) 19 Sep 2026
19 Sep 2026 08:38:18
If we want someone to come in and kick ass then just send Keane into the dressing room.

Conte is a knee jerk reaction to a poor start to the season, but we aren't the only ones having a poor start so let's not get too excited.

10.) 19 Sep 2026
19 Sep 2026 12:21:15
Salford, I've never really been away, I've read the posts daily, but with it being the first couple of weeks back to work (I'm a teacher) it's been incredibly busy and I've just not had the time to post as much.

I think what we have to try and remember is that we don't know what the manager and his coaching staff are doing behind closed doors. The comments he makes to the press and in public are almost definitely different to those he expresses behind closed doors.

You sometimes see fans wishing the manager would "speak out" in the press, whether that is against the owners or the higher ups at the club, or to publicly call out a player. But we forget that the manager isn't a fan like us, he is an employee and he has to conduct himself in a professional manner.

Employees are legally bound to act in a certain manner that doesn't negatively affect their employers.

The problem is that in football is a very emotive sport and we often get players and managers say something in the heat of the moment. Which leads us to expect them to be brutally honest all the time.

For all we know Carrick might be bring his concerns to his line manager or even to those higher up. But his job is to worry about what is happening on the pitch, it's is Wilcox's job to try and provide him with the players he needs for that, and it is Barrada's job to make sure the club is spending within our limits and not financially hamstringing ourselves.

Each man has their own area of expertise, and a different remit for their role. Just like any management chain the people below aren't privvy to the bigger picture that those above them have and are working within.

Carrick might highlight what players he needs, to Wilcox to play the way he wants/needs the team to play. Wilcox has to factor in not just what Carrick wants, but what the squad needs both short and long term. He not only needs to try and give Carrick the players he wants, but he has to think beyond this season, and how the squad will take shape in years to come.

That might mean not spending on a player that Carrick wants now because we have a youth player who can fill that role over the next couple of years, and instead considering the problems further down the line that Carrick isn't (and shouldn't be) thinking about right now. Maybe several players who play in the same position have their contracts end at the same time and to avoid a massive issue in a years time Wilcox might look to bring someone in now who Carrick doesn't think is vital for this season.

Barrada then has access to a bigger picture than Wilcox, he has to factor in what money can be made available for transfers and wages, while also considering existing commitments. For example this summer we didn't spend the reported £170m-ish on Tielemans, Balaba, Santos, Thompson, Orozco and Darlow. The payments for they will be spread out, some going out this summer, some at future dates.

But we also have large fees going out on players we have already signed, many of which were before the current management team took over. He also has to factor the other spending the club are committed to. All the incomings and outgoings. Yes spending more on the first team squad right now might bring better performances and results this season. But it could create bigger problems down the line once we are committed to that spending.

Ultimately fans tend to want revolution at their club, quick and immediate results with wholesale changes. Yet that nearly never works, and even when it does it tends to sow the seeds of its own destruction which will bloom further down the line.

Clubs need to evolve if you want to be able to get to the top and stay there. Look at the clubs who have been successful over the past decade.

Man City spent money, but they also had a plan to adapt and evolve, they hired a managers who would look to play a particular way so that when they managed to get their dream manager in the squad was built to be able to adapt to his style. Unfortunately, Pep had evolved his style quite a bit by the time they signed him and they made wholesale changes to that squad, but even then that was spread over a three year period. They also broke the rules at least 115 times to be able to do it as quickly as they did.

Liverpool hired Klopp who built on some of the principles that Rogers himself installed. Then over a 3-4 year period they rebuilt the team before they could truly succeed. There were times under Klopp in the first year or two where some questioned him and what he was trying to do. Liverpool would play with such intensity that the players were exhausted by the 70th minute and they regularly dropped points to conceding goals late in games.

Arteta at Arsenal was in some quarters considered a joke until last year, he was able to grab an FA cup with the team Emery built when he first took over, then 4 years with no trophies as the club dismantled and rebuilt the squad. They won the title last year, were strong in Europe (something they've never really been before) and they are the overwhelming favourites this year in the league and amongst the favourites for the UCL.

All three teams took 2-4 years to dismantle and rebuild the squads, and they did not become the all powerful teams they became overnight.

We are in a process, and it's a process that if done correctly shouldn't be derailled if we are forced to change manager. Which is why I'm calm about the whole thing, disappointed obviously with recent performances and results, but I'm not losing my head over them.

Last summer we brought in Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo in attack, add to that Bruno for the shirt term, and Lacey for the long term. Along with Amad and Dorgu who should hopefully develop into top class players and we look like we won't need to make wholesale changes in our forward line over the next 3-4 years. Sesko, Lacey, Amad and Dorgu can develop, while Mbeumo, Cunha and Bruno shoulder the bulk of the goal scoring burden. Rashford and Zirkzee will probably leave and ideally we would have a more experienced head at CF to help Sesko grow into the role. But that's probably the only areas we could do with spending/upgrading/replacing.

This summer we spent in midfield, and with Baleba, Mainoo and Santos all being 22 or younger we look settled in midfield for the foreseeable future. Add Tielemans and Mount as more experienced options, and the possibility of young lads like Kone, Orozco, the Fletcher twins or Thwaites breaking through from the academy we look well stocked. The only issue is that maybe we lack a little experience in there, if Mount leaves it would be good if we could get a more experienced player in to replace them for the short term while the younger lads develop and gain come consistency.

We now have an attack and midfield that should improve over the next couple of seasons without having to spend much if anything on it.

The problem area now is defence, and they say that attack wins games, but defence wins titles.

We have a couple of young lads in Yoro and Heaven who look to have what it takes to make it to the top. But we have to remember that defenders peak later than attacker's and midfielders. Their position relies more on experience, communication, and unity/teamwork, all things that take time to develop in players. In truth they are probably 3-4 years away from really being ready to command a first team place.

What we need is top class first choice players who are available more often than not. If you could wave a magic wand and make it so Martinez and MdL wouldn't be injured for the next 2-4 years then you solve the issue instantly. But that isn't going to happen, and we probably need to replace them when we can. Martinez, Shaw and Maguire all have their contracts end next summer. So we will be forced to address defence then. We also need to sort out the fullback positions, with none of them good enough.

So when we consider that Carrick has a squad without any fullbacks who are good enough, regularly injured CB's with young players who are 3-4 years away from really being ready to be relied upon regularly at CB as the only real cover in that position.
A midfield that is entirely new and trying to find the right balance, while also in truth probably a couple of years away from being the kind of dominant midfield you would expect at a title challenging side.
And a forward line that are trying to cover for everything behind them and finding the right balance early on as some players recover from injury, and others trying to find their rhythm after a world cup interrupted summer and pre-season.

No team has had more shots than us so far this season, but we aren't quite hitting our stride yet and are not converting enough of our chances. But the underlying numbers are encouraging.

Maybe when Baleba is able to get into the team we can start to find a better balance in midfield, but I still think that will take a bit more time.

However, until/unless we are able to get MdL back fully fit and playing regularly, we will continue to struggle in defence and give up too many chances. Even when he is back and fully fit he will only be one of four defenders and the other three will continue to be inconsistent either due to not being good enough, inexperience, or due to struggling with fitness.

As the season progresses my prediction is that we will score well, and the midfield will become better as the season progresses, but that we will continue to see us give away too many goals and be too easy to score against. That won't change until we bring in 3-4 new and better defenders, regardless of who the manager is.

11.) 20 Sep 2026
20 Sep 2026 14:23:53
You certainly made up for lost time with that one, Shaps ?.