14 May 2026 09:34:54
If you haven't already seen this, it's a great watch.
Rio Meets Casemiro.
Part 1.
Part 2.
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Part 2.
14 May 2026 09:18:04
We seem to have gone quiet, almost accepting the club will appoint Carrick. I was on here warning the dangers of appointing Moyes, flagged that LvG had to be the precursor for Pep or not at all, that Ole was a huge mistake, that ETH was wrong, that ETH should not have had his contract extended. Now it seems the club are drifting in to appoint Carrick. Utterly useless decision making.
I cannot agree with this, it feels like Ole all over again not the man, but the situation. It's almost like appointing Southgate B.
My first time of asking but Ed can we have a vote a. Carrick b. Someone else.
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{Ed033's Note -
Next Manager poll
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14 May 2026 09:28:42
Red Man, someone else is too vague. Your opinion seems to be anyone but Carrick. Give us some options so the poll is meaningful.
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14 May 2026 10:36:05
Give us your pick, Red Man.
I think if the likes of Tuchel or Enrique were available, then we would be all over it. The fact is, they are not available.
I must admit I am on the fence with Carrick, but it looks like he's going to get the job, so everyone needs to back him, including INEOS and the Glazers.
We need a top summer of players coming in to give him every chance to succeed.
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14 May 2026 11:20:46
Some people on here seem to love being right by betting against anything happening, without specifying the right direction. It's getting tiresome.
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14 May 2026 11:25:16
Reflecting on where we are, I now believe Nagelsmann but I actually think Iraola could be a really interesting choice
If Ed wants to make it a 3 way choice then fine
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{Ed033's Note - If you want a poll, submit a question and possible voting options.
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14 May 2026 14:06:33
Nagelsmann was laughed at by the Bayern players. Iraola is interesting, but there doesn't seem to be a queue of clubs after him, does there?
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{Ed077's Note - And there is endless line for CARRICK ?
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14 May 2026 15:09:23
Carrick's getting his shot, and, whilst I'm dubious, I think it's a fair enough choice to give him a chance. What is clear, though, is that if this doesn't work out, then Berrada and Wilcox have to go too. This will be their second managerial appointment, and they also kept Eth; it hasn't exactly gone well, has it? Big pressure on them for this to succeed.
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14 May 2026 15:43:11
I'd take Carrick over either of your 2 options, RedMan.
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13 May 2026 22:11:00
I only thought the standard of refereeing in England was bad… then I watched the SPFL! Awful isn’t the word.
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14 May 2026 07:40:21
Corruption probably is.
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14 May 2026 10:42:29
I've said the word a couple times now, which I never want to, but it's really hard to believe corruption doesn't take place in football. This may sound dramatic, but I can see a time in the near future where football clubs look to sue the governing bodies.
We are now at the point where teams could get relegated or not win leagues because of these decisions, costing them millions of pounds.
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13 May 2026 20:20:52
City have a big match tonight yet there are lots of empty seats yet they pride themselves on having good supporters.
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14 May 2026 07:47:33
They used to go with inflated bananas to fill the space. Are you sure they have not gone dressed as blue seats?
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13 May 2026 18:01:58
I understand the FA Youth Cup final v City will be on BBC tomorrow night, fyi.
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13 May 2026 19:02:17
Cheers, Red Man. I was intending to go until they changed the venue.
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13 May 2026 20:21:02
It's live on TNT, also live on radio on MUFC website.
City have been pretty s***y over the location of the game, it's being held at the Joie Stadium, whose capacity is, I believe, around 10,000, although the demand for tickets has been massively in excess of that.
We did offer to stage it at O.T. but City refused, and the result is we were allocated about 1000 tickets. When we were last in a youth cup final a few years back, when Garnacho and Mainoo played, there was 64,000 at O.T. for the game, so clearly our allocation is woefully inadequate.
Anyway, wherever the game is being played, hope we smash them. Will be some good players on show.
JJ Gabriel should be playing, and there are also conflicting stories about Shea Lacey and whether or not he is injured. Hope he is OK, as he really looks a good player.
Chido Obi is also still eligible for U18s, so again I expect to see him. Have to say, up until a few months back I had been a bit disappointed by many of his appearances since joining us, but over the last few months he seems to have improved quite significantly. He is clearly a better all round player, with movement and hold up play, and not just trying to be a goal scorer. It does look as if the coaching team have been working hard on him.
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13 May 2026 20:33:56
Have just reread Redman's post, and realised he correctly stated the game will be on BBC tomorrow. For some reason, that did not register with me, and I thought he was just stating the game was being played!
Dear oh dear, I suppose it comes to us all eventually.
Clearly, it does not really matter about it being on TNT.
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13 May 2026 11:37:53
There was a brief discussion at the end of a thread talking about no youth prospects coming through, particularly in midfield. Part of our identify is built around growing our own and we seem to be struggling.
In recent years, results have been mixed. A host of players broke through but most were sold. Mainoo and Rashford were the biggest successes.
Others looked good but didn't progress and whilst some are playing for other EPL teams, I'm not sure they would make our team, players like Henderson, Elanaga, Garnacho, Tuanzebe, Chong, Gomes. I often think we don't give our academy players a fair crack, but few go on to prove us wrong elsewhere.
There are a couple who are doing really well, Garner and McTominay. Personally I think we should have kept both of them. Garner is now in the England team and Scott was player of the year in Italy last year. Sellinng McT was a mistake, and yes, it is a hill I am prepared to die on.
However, for a club with a history of developing players, very few are making it through, is that because very few will be good enough for us, or do we have a deeper issue? If we look at the top EPL clubs, there are not many that came through their own academy, so this problem isn't unique to United, suggesting we all have the same problem.
The class of '92 was an anomaly, never happened before, unlikely to happen again, but surely there is an opportunity to be grasped. We have a lot of academy players playing elsewhere, but not at the very highest level of the top clubs. JJ looks to be the next big thing, so it will be interesting to see how we manage him. Personally, I don't think he is anywhere near ready for the first team so rumours of him playing in cup games may just be rumours.
We need to atract the best talent, we need to nurture and develop them, and then we need to transition them to the first team. It sounds simple but right now we are not doing it.
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13 May 2026 13:24:28
Mctom not doing as well this season. Right decision to sell him, imo. Italian league is very different to the EPL. Got a good price for him and it was a deal that worked out well for everyone, imo.
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13 May 2026 15:50:16
Agree with Ken regarding McTominay. Bar the odd important goal, for me, he never did enough when he played to suggest he should be a regular starter for us. I often found he was quite sloppy on the ball.
I am very happy for the lad; he has gained the plaudits in Italy and done well, but to judge him off that says more about the league than him as a player, imo.
I'm not sure we'd have ever seen, or would ever see, that version of McTominay in the Premier League.
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13 May 2026 16:41:45
To be fair to McT. Was he ever played for a run of games in his preferred position with us...
Was he going to get us to where we were hoping... no, but also not many of the current squad will either.
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13 May 2026 17:51:08
Don't we have to sell McT to balance the books?
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13 May 2026 17:57:37
We did and got a fair price. Nobody knocking the door down to sign him from Napoli.
He is limited, technically, so the biggest sides won't be in for him from Spain or Bayern or the EPL.
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13 May 2026 17:59:34
I think that's fair, Jsu, but he was sellable, unlike a lot of the others, and fully profitable, which was key at that time.
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13 May 2026 18:24:57
Jeez, a long, well thought through piece, and one comment ends up being the discussion point. 🤷
The bigger issue is, why are we not producing our own?
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13 May 2026 19:14:10
Well, I guess, AJH, potentially it comes down to wanting instant success and the need for that in the Premier League now. What you have said also coincides with young English players moving abroad, because perhaps it's "safer" and easier to get first team experience due to there being less pressure and attention on foreign football compared to the Premier League. It's also easier now for Premier League clubs to buy a squad.
Personally, if I could effect the rules of football, I'd have made, at the time of the 5 substitute rule change, 2 of the 5 should be academy players.
There are talks now, I believe, about a certain amount of U21s, I think, in the match day squad? But that's the issue, imo, there's no requirement for academy players to be in the squad/team. I think the players are there, they just need time and opportunities.
Potentially, as well, loan moves aren't as effective anymore. The level of the Premier League and clubs that will take players on loan is so wide now, do players get what they need from the loans? Not sure they do?!
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13 May 2026 19:54:36
Or maybe it's because often the players who are signed from abroad are both technically more gifted and also more desperate to do well. I often wonder why our clubs don't have link-ups with youth teams abroad, and send British players abroad to toughen up, mentally mature, and experience life more.
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13 May 2026 20:03:06
Good points, gents, there are certainly far fewer British players in our league now, so far fewer openings. It is interesting how a few young ones have headed overseas; that was unheard of years ago.
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14 May 2026 01:03:47
It was probably on the back of my comment, AJH, and I concur. Mainoo aside, Garner and McT are the only notable central midfielders in the last decade. For context, we have promoted 14 in that time, including the twins this season.
Garner, we should have found a way through, but that was our problem. We were going through a phase of trying to buy success, rinsing through managers, etc.
The issue for me is the pathway to the first team for the players, and knowing when to release more senior players who are restricting these pathways.
You could name maybe a dozen who are in the way of some of these coming through, but it is a balancing act of having a productive youth setup and also a successful senior team. We just need to get better at identifying a true talent, take JJ, and ensuring he has a clear pathway to the first team. If that means shedding some of the senior squad who are deemed surplus, so be it.
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13 May 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 36 - Quick Round Up
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12 May 2026 21:57:25
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 36 - Quick Round Up
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12 May 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - MCR has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool, Brighton and the Third-Man Run Problem
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12 May 2026 06:43:06
Jose back to Madrid apparently, I'm predicting initial success, then a massive fallout and he will be back to Chelsea by Christmas.
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12 May 2026 08:48:17
Crazy move for all parties. Jose needs to go and manage Portugal next.
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12 May 2026 09:10:18
He will win the league with Madrid next year.
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12 May 2026 10:49:06
Bizarre. The guy's pattern at every club he goes to is so predictable.
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12 May 2026 11:21:01
Why is it crazy?
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12 May 2026 12:34:47
It'll end in tears. It always does.
Will make good TV I guess (off the pitch).
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12 May 2026 12:35:07
Mourinho is historically one of football's best short-term elite managers, but his intense, confrontational style often creates diminishing returns after 2-3 seasons, leaving clubs needing significant cultural or tactical rebuilding afterward.
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12 May 2026 12:39:40
Not the last time he was in Madrid, Philip.
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12 May 2026 13:29:23
He seems like a very odd fit. Jose's style of football is deep, compact defence and explosive counterattack. Madrid's fullbacks are all attack minded, and I can't see the likes of Mbappe and Vinicius buying into his defensive expectations. As we saw with Alonso, if the players aren't happy with the manager, the manager gets the boot.
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12 May 2026 16:38:20
He did not play a defensive style last time he was at Madrid.
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12 May 2026 16:39:34
Well, he did alright last time he was there, so I don't see it being a problem for Madrid this time. By all accounts, Mbappe will be gone anyway.
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{Ed077's Note - "if they can find a suitable taker"
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12 May 2026 17:18:30
He can't go to Saudi, surely. Who else can afford him? I think he stays, and Jose will sort it all out.
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12 May 2026 17:55:31
Rubin for Benfica?
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12 May 2026 18:48:22
Can't possibly see how Mbappe stays, all fans want rid... Talk of him to the scousers... He will surely upset that dressing room...
Got to be to EPL, it's only fools who will pay the money....
This is a time when hopefully SJR sticks to being a skinflint, certainly don't want him at United... He is Toxic.
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12 May 2026 20:04:32
Who will be Jose's fall guy? Mbappe, Trent?
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12 May 2026 20:35:45
Seeing as we are apparently backing the manager now, maybe we should have offered him the job! We would have at least won something for once.
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12 May 2026 22:21:47
Eric, I think it might be the guy who claimed to be racially abused by one of Jose's players, and Jose's response was, "A stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens, always."
Ken, I didn't say Jose plays defensive. I said he wants his teams to play with deep, defensive compactness when not in possession.
He's not one for a high press, and expects wingers to defend (unless it's Ronaldo). I just can't see this Real team getting on board with his quite rigid team shape.
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13 May 2026 08:13:19
As I said, Danny, I think he will win the league next season. The Madrid players are craving leadership.
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13 May 2026 17:50:29
Break glass and call for someone to sort out an utter mess in the dressing room. Enter Jose. Suspect empowered to sort out the dressing room egos that have run amok. Short term situation that needs someone who doesn't care about upsetting anyone. If fully backed, suspect he will win something next season and move on.
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13 May 2026 18:03:16
Yes, I agree, Red Man. The right man in the right place at the right time. He'll knock a few had together and unite the dressing room, cause a bit of havoc, bank a few trophies in 2 seasons, and eventually go a step too far and leave with his reputation restored and a whipping pay off and take Portugal to the next World Cup.
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13 May 2026 20:04:40
I think it will end badly. Player power is out of control there. He has a chance, if he takes an axe to them, but that will mean some big names leaving. Mbappe is an issue, and has nowhere to go. That will be a challenge.
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