21 Sep 2026 14:39:17
It's not the Manager, it's the club. Stay with me.

I'm not saying Carrick is the right man, far from it, but sack him, appoint a new Manager and rinse and repeat.

Look at Briggton and Brentford, they change the Manager and they keep on rolling, because they have a sound structure, a clear ethos, a robust transfer strategy, yada yada yada.

Compare that to United, the DOF overruling the Recruitment Director on targets, a squad that appears unprepared for the season, a player that asks to leave is now first choice, and that's since we put professionals in charge.

Moyes was never qualified for the job, Van Gaal was but got his 4th or 5th choice targets. Jose said finishing second was his best ever achievement, Ole was a sentimental but flawed choice, ETH and Amorim were promising coaches who struggled massively, and depsite the Ile mistake, here we are again. I like Carrick, he did very well last year, but in the cold light of day, he isn't qualified for the job, and that's before you factor in the mess behind the scenes.

Ralf called it out, Jose did to a lesser extent, and the change of ownership dhould have addressed the core issues, but it seems not. How is Wilcox qualified to be DOF at United? He isn't. I'd also love to k nw what Berrada does all day.

Conte would last 5 minutes before flouncing out when he sees behind the scenes, Howe would be another nodding dog, and whilst I love Emery, would he really achieve anything in this environment?

Aim your vitriol at Carrick all you like, and he certainly isn't helping himself at the moment (nor did Amorim), but do you see anything changing if we change Manager?

1.) 21 Sep 2026
21 Sep 2026 15:12:47
Famous last words, but I think we will be fine this season and the international break has come at a good time for us.

By fine i mean, will finish in the top 5 and get out of the group stage of the champions league, which is clearly the aim from the top to become a regular champions league team again as a foundation.

The return to fitness of Baleba and Amad will bring much needed energy/intensity to our game and Sesko staying fully fit will allow us to have a focal point to play off.

2.) 21 Sep 2026

21 Sep 2026 15:34:30
Maybe DSG, but if the problem is a fall off in fitness standards leading to a general inability to match other team's effort on the pitch, then I don't think it matters who we put out there, we will be outfought, outrun, out-tackled and outplayed. The EPL is a very competitive physical environment and every team is stocked with hard working players who take pride in what they're doing. Thus far this season we have shown some flashes of quality but it's not enough. Without matching the physical effort, doing the hard work, running, sprinting, engaging the opposition in all areas of the field, quality is of limited value..

I was one of those who believed Carrick deserved a chance, but maybe it's absolutely the case that his success was built on the changes Amorim brought in. If the root of the problem is poor training methods then the pusillanimous start to the season is entirely down to Carrick and his crew, and it will continue. Buying a new full back will not solve the problem. Every new player just sinks into the old rut, their ability and promise withering on the vine. That's pretty much the story of United since SAF and Gill departed. There's simply no excuse for the team being unable to match or outmatch our opponents work rate.