Manchester United other posts

19 May 2025 19:50:00
We've talked a lot about Utd's obvious need for a goal scorer and a goal keeper.

We've gone quiet of late about a position which I consider to be just as important; central midfield.

In particular, I'm talking about a ball player. A metronome who sets the tempo and makes progressive passes through the lines.

This kind of player is the type I like watching the most so I've really missed not having one at Utd since, well, Carrick!

I'm not sure whether this kind of player is what Anorim likes but for me, games are won and lost by the team which controls the midfield.

Gomes has been mentioned as a player who might suit this role but there are doubts about his physicality and whether he can do it in the Premier League.

Does anyone have suggestions of other players who might be good enough to shine in this role at Utd?

19 May 2025 21:09:15
Personally I think Mainoo can do it. He’s comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas and he’s got the ability to dribble out of these tight situations. So getting the ball from the defence won’t be a concern. And although he’s not got a Paul Scholes range of passing, I don’t believe we need that now with 2 number 10’s. Mainoo is capable of forward passes into feet. That’s what Cunha, Amad, Fernandes would want. I hope we see more of Mainoo next season next to Ugarte or Casemiro if he stays.

19 May 2025 23:05:29
Ederson from Atalanta is by all accounts the clubs first choice for midfield.

While many us might want a Carrick type to control the midfield with the ball, Amorim's teams haven't typically played with that sort of midfielder.

He tends to want hard working, tactically intelligent, athletic, box to box midfielders.

Mainoo has struggled a bit this season as he doesn't quite have the athleticism that Amorim's system demands in midfield.

A player who has caught my eye is Hayden Hackney for Middlesbrough.

Others who suit the role under Amorim could be Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, Mateus Fernandes, Elliot Anderson, and João Gomes.

They are the sort of midfielders I'd expect us to sign.

20 May 2025 00:04:07
Have watched Ederson quite a few times and he always impresses.

He is very good defensively and is relentless in his pressing, suits a high tempo and pressing style.

Is well suited to a box to box role or in a defensive double pivot (ideal for RA) He is also very good with his use of the ball.

Would be my first choice for midfield signing by some way and really hope we can pull this one off.

20 May 2025 00:13:31
Wharton for me!

20 May 2025 00:23:06
Baleba the Brighton player is one to watch for that role?

Mainoo is best used further forward but if Cuenha comes I can't see where RA plays Mainoo. Wharton might turn out to be a top player but he is unproven at the highest level. He didn't dominate a below par City at the weekend.

20 May 2025 01:47:54
Mainoo not got the legs or mobility for that role, certainly not the passing ability plus a bit weak, Mainoo don’t really suit a RA team and will be moved on
If Casermiro stays he is in front of Ugarte by a million miles. Ugarte adds nothing to the team, but will be a back up, just as he been everywhere he been, he was the back up of the back up at PSG even when they seriously needed strong midfielders because a front 3 who never run back, so that says it all about Ugarte.
Decent CB will be added to strengthen the middle of the park.

20 May 2025 08:30:51
20 year old who has suffered injuries this season and been part of a fractured squad with 2 different managers with 2 different styles being written off by fans already despite a man of the match performance and goal in the FA Cup final a year ago and a good showing at the World Cup.

20 May 2025 13:38:10
I can see Brighton asking around £100m for Baleba, similar to Caicedo, very good player though, but too expensive.

I like Wharton but don't think he is at Ederson level.

Have been impressed at the performances of Casemiro since RA arrived. At that point he was a sub with seemingly no future, not playing very well, but since then he has been back to his first season level. Word is the seniors at OT been very impressed with RA's handling of the situation.

Would be quite happy for him to see out the final season of his contract on a football basis BUT have heard that his contract includes a clause to the effect that if we qualify for ECL he gets a 25% pay rise! That would see a wage of circa £500,000pw.
If true that's a bit too rich for my liking, that is 3 good players wage levels.

Going to be quite a summer, I hope.

21 May 2025 18:01:47
What world cup ports. Is that a false statement? 🤣🤣🤣.

12 May 2025 12:25:21
Well, we find ourselves in that position again where the Manager is being debated once again. Like ETH, Solskjaer, Mourinho and LVG, I will back the manager until the players and the leadership team give me a reason not to and once again, I don't believe either of them are.

It has always been a very simplistic argument to blame the manager and the one before that and the one before that. but at some point you have to recognise that the environment, facilities, resources, standards that are in place at the club do not allow for consistent and expected success.

People will talk about the players individuals brought but will not talk about the players these individuals wanted and the club failed to deliver. Haaland, Bellingham, Caicedo, De Jong, Rice, Kane,

The club continually let down managers. I'll back Amorim again going in to next season, think he shows great traits to be successful and I think despite results, there have been moments where we look good but it's all a little inconsistent at the moment. If the club go and get him his first choice signings, not 2nd or 3rd or alternatives then I think/ hope we'll see a huge upturn. If the club do this and results don't change then we'll have to question whether he's up to the job. But a manager properly getting backed, not just backed in how the club feel he should be backed is what we need to be successful again IMO.

12 May 2025 15:29:31
What great traits have you seen Ports?

12 May 2025 16:47:51
I think he’s honest, I think he’s hardworking, I think got a view on how football should be played in his eyes and he’s sticking with it, I think he’s got a ruthless streak, I think he communicates well, I think he addresses any criticism aimed at him and the team well.

13 May 2025 10:37:30
If the imbeciles don't fully back RA, or worse, sack him, I for one will seriously question my allegiance to the club. I cannot possibly support anybody else, so if this option is forced upon me, football will become a thing of the past. We MUST support RA!

13 May 2025 13:00:09
Traits I see is much better football than ETH, much more discipline trying to be achieved
Honesty
A style of play trying to be inputted into the team

My only concerns Dorgu the only buy is not great
Other teams at United don’t play same system which is a concern would have thought reserves under 21s under 18s should all play same system as 1st team.

13 May 2025 19:50:06
How do the club let managers down Ports what utter rubbish they get put on a pedestal transfer kittys most managers can only dream of its the other way round awful managers have shafted the club look at TH criminal what he done lining his brothers pockets taking full advantage of the UTD cukt of manager.

13 May 2025 23:00:28
Put on a pedestal 😂 well you either don’t know what that means or you just talking nonsense for a change. I’d suggest both to be fair!

13 May 2025 23:55:01
German,

Dorgu isn’t the only buy, we also signed Heaven.

14 May 2025 10:06:22
I am going to go out on a limb and say that Amorim will be a success as our manager. Now, I will caveat that with a couple of points:

1. The fans and ownership need to be patient as I do not think we will be challenging for the title next year and there are likely to be some up and down periods. However, I do believe that we will massively improve and will be in and around the European slots.

2. The system does need an overhaul of the playing squad. I am not expecting every piece to be in place in one window but the players we bring in must be able to play the system and fit what Amorim requires. This also means we need to be brave with who we release and some of them could feel painful/ uncomfortable but required.

3. Youth players who are set to develop and come through. Now, how many and which ones are hard to judge but it does feel like we are at a point where the pathway is open and the players are there. Either we will feel the benefit in the team, or we can loan and make money on sales.

On multiple fronts I like Amorim, his honesty and passion is refreshing, I also like what he expects of players. simple really but seems to have been lost in a lot of modern day players.

We have to just get through this very painful season, nothing is going to change now, we are useless! Like the titanic, it will take a while to turn the boat round.

14 May 2025 14:19:16
The titanic sunk brad.

Not sure that is the best analogy 😂.

14 May 2025 19:26:14
Brad76, the problem with these youth players is they’re currently playing 4231 or 4123.

My biggest gripe with Amorim, who I actually like and think comes across well, is his stubbornness with this poxy formation.

Surely if this is the only way we’re going to play football then the youth teams need to be implementing it otherwise we’ve got squads of players who don’t/ can’t play his way.

15 May 2025 11:59:45
Exactly 2 toms I said this last week, I don’t get why the same system is not being used throughout the club, that’s sensible, but we don’t seem to be implementing it, ok some might say it will start next season, but if we sacrificed this season with first team to use it, why did we not sacrifice all the teams season, that’s sensible makes zero sense the way we half heartedly have done it, that’s my only concern with Amorim, plus Dorgu his buy don’t look great, but I expect him only to be back up.

16 May 2025 13:47:46
So Ports you think managers get a raw deal at UTD Ports getting to play with hundreds of millions every transfer window very low expectations especially now never get blamed for anything its always someone elses fault and when its super obvious your a total failure a big pay it's definitely 1 of the best jobs in world football can't buy a gig like it.

16 May 2025 22:29:45
While Amorim might be a good manager, maybe this club just isn’t the right fit for him, do you think his team would have performed better if he join Chelsea, Arsenal or Newcastle?

18 May 2025 08:25:48
Mourinho, LVG, ETH, Rangnick, Solskjaer and now Amorim. Not all these managers would struggle in a thriving environment. Owners not selling a player because he’s the owners favourite player. Actively speaking to other managers about the role when a manager is in place. Not getting managers first choice players because their negotiators are incompetent. Ed Woodward being the main man at the club for years. Yeah great environment for managers to succeed Brum Boi 👍.

25 Apr 2025 17:14:24
Obviously it's all just paper talk and speculation right now. But I do like this seeming new approach by the club in terms of transfers.

In the past we seemed to drag our feet with deals, as if we thought that if we waited until the last minute the selling club would accept a lower fee. When in reality it always meant we ended up paying a premium to sign a player late in the window.

We also seemed to favour signing either big name players for huge fees, or young unproven players for huge fees.

Rarely did we ever unearth a gem, or make a smart or sensible signing.

In the past our transfer strategy seemed akin to the carnival ring toss game, rather than a well thought out, planned and targeted approach.

By contrast, if the rumours have it right at least, we seem to be targeting players to fit specific tactical roles within the team. With little to no regard to who the "popular" choice would be. Signing players based purely on tactical fit.

We seem to be trying to find better value in the market, looking at EPL players that have clauses that fix their transfer fee. They might not always be "cheap" bargains, but there is less chance of them flopping, and they will likely give us a a far better chance of getting some value for money.

While signings from outside the EPL seems to be younger players, for smaller fees who have high potential, but will retain some resale value if they don't work out. Smarter, more sensible signings.

We seem to be targeting players who are more physical, with a high work rate to match their ability. Something this squad clearly needs more of.

Maybe signings like Cunha and Delap aren't as sexy as some of our signings over the past decade. But I have a strong suspicion that they'll have better careers at United than those sexy signings.

26 Apr 2025 05:53:47
But are we targeting them Shappy or is it just the press that are targeting them, thinking we are…. You can’t say one minute believe nothing in the press then the next minute let’s believe the press that we are targeting these players and then making up a paragraph about what the press say is gospel after slating the press previously! But then again let’s manipulate the narrative to suit, much like you do with stats! Just saying!

26 Apr 2025 08:50:52
Your stalker is back Shappy.

Does seem to be a new approach to transfers and you would expect that with the new team now fully in place and having time to identify signings and players that will fit the system, I’d expect a very interesting summer, even more so if we win the EL. It’s hilarious to me seeing people on social media saying they don’t understand why anyone would come to United, they just don’t get how big we are. Imagine being the player that turns Manchester United around, that challenge should be enough for anyone.

26 Apr 2025 11:56:23
It's refreshing to see the club take this approach and I do like the targets that are being touted. Although not so sure on delap being the main man, good squad player but I suppose baby steps, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Little warning on Cunha though, he walks more than Rashford 😂.

26 Apr 2025 13:01:02
Fast walker. On average he has covered 1.15km more per game than rashford.

26 Apr 2025 13:34:13
The stats I've seen shows Rashford covers more ground per game on average.

Cunha spends 77.6% of his time walking in the premier League. That's more than anyone in the Premier league.

So I hope he can change that because we don't like that here.

26 Apr 2025 20:24:40
If he scores and gets two assists like he did today, I think most people will be okay if he walks around the pitch.

28 Apr 2025 19:10:30
If his job is to put the ball on the net and he delivers, would not care about him walking.

28 Apr 2025 23:56:07
The club did have a strategy last time round sign any player whod breathed in the same space as ETH worked out really well ended up with a goalie with feet for hands a non scoring traffic cone up top a so called midget butcher made of balsa wood the list goes on. Its all paper talk believe it when these players put pen to paper.

29 Apr 2025 14:57:19
Have to disagree Brum, you are downgrading anyone’s feet if that’s what clown got on end of he’s arms!
Seriously though every signing under ETH was a joke, I said that time and time again that he was shifting better players then he was buying no, none of them were world beaters but they were much better than what he bought…. I would say every player he dispossessed off, gets into this team in front of the ETH replacements, and would have over half a billion in the bank.
ETH was a shocking manager and what bothers me along with lots on here SJR never realised it immediately.

29 Apr 2025 23:42:46
Haha Onana wasnt he supposed to unlock the genius of ETHs system a high press or some gash . Absolutely agree every 1 of ETHs signings have been shocking from the Butcher made of balsa wood to the wet wipes up top why the club gave him so much power was unbelievable guy was a non-entity never heard of him till he rolled up If Amo fails a lot of that is on ETH he emptied the bank account to oversee what has to be the worst rebuild in football history spent 700 million be lucky to get a hundred million back for the lot of them . He left Amo with absolutely nothing to build on can't stand TH good getting a couple of little trophys but hel be remembered as by far the worst post Fergie manager footy was awful signings even worse just a disaster zone.

30 Apr 2025 13:07:41
Tough call between eth and ole both made a complete mess of the job and left a bigger mess behind.
2 managers who were complete cowards and not up to the job imo.

30 Apr 2025 20:18:20
Id say ETH everyday guy was a crook out to line his brothers pockets seen early doors the cult of manager at UTD and absolutely shafted the club left us with a way worse squad than he inherited and skint as well a terrible manager Ole was gash as well tbf but the footy was slightly better to watch and his signings tho average were leagues above THs . Ole did tho start this lowering of expectations that low now that if Amo avoids relagation he's Dynamite.

30 Apr 2025 20:21:16
Only good manager UTD have post Fergie was Jose only time i felt wed win most games i'm no feeling that with Amo yet he's shocked me with how bad he's been was expecting to at least be in a top 4/ 6 battle he'd better win the Europa League make the wordt season in decades half tidy.

14 Apr 2025 10:37:50
Well done to fellow United fan and norn iron native Rory Mcilroy. Finally got his green jacket but boy did he put us through the wringer to get there. Victory always tastes sweeter when you make it through the struggle. 😊.

18 Apr 2025 04:24:52
Think United can identify with Rory at the moment, struggles make the next victory even sweeter.

18 Apr 2025 08:38:09
Hey Tim we're you slagging him off after he fluffed his chip on the 13th ?
Did you write him off them too?
Fans like you are hard to take. Sing when your winning cry like a child when losing.

12 Mar 2025 10:46:00
If the finances are that bad, then why not sell the naming rights of OT for its remaining years?

Its an iconic stadium that would attract a lot of interest. Perhaps SJRs recent interview will pave the way for something like this to happen. It would be a good way to generate extra revenue, given the likelihood of absence from European football for at least a season.

13 Mar 2025 09:07:04
MH- given a lot of the outrage I’ve seen over the stadium online and all the criticism- I can’t see that happening or fans going for it.

13 Mar 2025 12:43:37
Caolan

Tbf, most of that outrage is borne more from what's led up to this point - ticket prices and redundancies being whooped up into a storm by the basics of the media world - and these new plans add a jolly good bird-flip to the optics.

The worst thing for me is, as a businessperson, seeing others involved with running businesses missing the point entirely - speculating to accumulate.
These people are what I call BHS Suits - people who are clearly happy to see a business rest on it's laurels, thinking that past glories have superfed the brand with Midas cookies, then asking 'What happened there? ' when the world has moved on.

I don't particularly like how SJR has managed things entirely, but I accept that he's likely a better businessperson than I am and certainly has far more in-depth knowledge of the club's workings than any of us, so I support these stages of speculating. It's not a comfortable ride, but we steered our way onto the hard shoulder and need to ready ourselves before we return to the higher speeds.

14 Mar 2025 10:12:00
I wouldn't have a problem with naming rights being sold. It would only be called by the sponsors name on TV and official stuff. Fans would still call it Old Trafford so it would make very little difference in the real world, but would probably make the club £50m a year.

14 Mar 2025 13:33:42
At the end of the day who gives a sh*t about the naming rights anyway. Like AA80 says it will always be known as OT.
No doubt they will earn and absolute fortune for the naming rights of the new stadiuim as well.
As long as the debt clears and we start winning on the pitch i couldn't care less.

20 Mar 2025 19:54:28
BHS did some quality suits Ork.

13 Apr 2025 22:37:31
Only man city get mega deals for ground naming rights so be careful what you wish for .