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23 Oct 2026 21:03:27
I think it's now a case of when Carrick is removed rather than if.
The problem we now face is finding the right replacement. This will be difficult as I suspect many of the top choice options will have multiple clubs to choose from and I doubt we are many top managers first choice right now.
Conte seems to want it, but I'd have big reservations over him, he also is the antithesis of what the club have said they are looking for since the INEOS take over. It would represent the club making a 180 degree U-turn.
Nagelsman would on paper looks like a solid option, but there are political ramifications that might make it a tough deal. He is tactically astute, but has had a few fallings out, and has been described as a little eccentric at times.
Of the more viable options Unai Emery is probably the pick of the bunch, tactically astute, knows the EPL, multiple winner, has a proven track record of improving players, and building a squad through a transition period, and he has big club experience. The downside is that Villa will want a massive fee to release him from his contract.
The other viable option is Eddie Howe, who might not be as glamorous, but also ticks many of the boxes. I think we need to stop seeing ourselves as a top club that needs a tweak, and understand that we need someone who has the experience and drive to rebuild us. Howe does have experience of that with Newcastle. He might not be the guy who ultimately sees us through, but he has proven that he's very good at building that foundation to build on.
Realistically I see it boiling down to either Emery or Howe, both would be an improvement on Carrick, but Emery is clearly the better choice. Ultimately it looks like it will be whether the club sees the value in spending 30m or so to get the better manager, or to save on cost and get the discounted version.
1.) 23 Oct 2026 21:08:16
I think you already know the answer to your own question there shappy. We will take the cheaper option and the one the will offer the least resistance.
2.) 23 Oct 2026 21:34:07
A 180 degree turn from what exactly? I sure as s*** don't know what the direction is and neither do they. Wasters!
3.) 24 Oct 2026 11:42:28
Keefy, the clubs vision is to have a consistency across multiple managers. They want a DoF who'll put that vision in place, a style of play, a consistency of squad building and recruitment. Which is why they advertise the job as head coach and not manager.
They want to move away from the previous model where you'd be reactive and lurch from one manager to another, whose style of play and philosophy are polar opposites, and then allow that manager to dictate the recruitment to suit their style of play, only to be left with a disjointed, Frankenstein squad with no identity when you inevitably sack the current manager. This was one of the things that caused tension with EtH who was hired by the previous regime, specifically as a manager.
However, Conte is supposedly demanding total control, over style of play, over transfers, he even wants specific people in upper levels of management (DoF). He is demanding the keys to the kingdom and total freedom to take the club wherever he wants.
That is the complete opposite to what the new management have been repeatedly been saying is their aim for the club.
4.) 24 Oct 2026 13:31:03
Any competent directors would get the best man for the job. I think that would be Emery.
But we don't have competent directors. They won't want to spend any money so it's cuts the field down to who is unemployed right now.
They won't touch conte as they know he will call them on their BS. Wilcox wants Howe apparently, and he always seems to get his way.
So Eddie Howe will be the next manager/coach.
5.) 24 Oct 2026 17:49:34
Shappy,
How do you think the clubs vision has worked out so far since Ineos got involved?
6.) 24 Oct 2026 21:07:39
Reactive and not lurch from one manager to another! And yet here we are.
21 Oct 2026 22:29:49
I've got a funny feeling that we'll end up sacking Carrick and hiring Conte, who'll then have us playing with a back three system again.
1.) 21 Oct 2026 22:42:16
See for years we've complained about chopping and changing tactically so Conte might have been a good idea if it was straight after Amorim but that's not our club is run.
2.) 21 Oct 2026 23:36:23
I see no problem in back 3 if it works and Conte has shown multiple times he can make it work. Came to Chelsea and won the PL in his first year with the back 3. The problem with him is that you need to plan for your next manager very soon, he doesn't stick around.
3.) 22 Oct 2026 00:13:27
Let's not kid ourselves now Shappy just as with Amorim ten hag before him and now carrick these players regardless of systems cannot play in any formation
They are clueless,
That back 4 is probably the worst back 4 that we have had in over 30 years or more
How we are still playing Harry Maguire and the likes of dalot as our starting defence is criminal.
And that is down to the club for continuing to keep crap
They shouldn't have gave Carrick the job but the next man that comes in still has to deal with the fact we have a shocking back line which consists of full backs who are crap the cbs are either kids in yoro and heaven or injury prone fodder that have been here for far too long long. We was playing not so long ago Evans and Maguire as a pairing both were relegated at one point.
Carrick playing Bruno out of position is baffling either play him in his position or drop him completely
But then we have 1 striker who's out until rumours are saying feb and then we have Zirkzee who is stealing a living pretending to be a footballer
The club have let carrick down and his decisions and subs are baffling to say the least.
Come Christmas we could be looking at being in a battle to stay up as shocking as that is we are crap and don't have anything about us
We don't run, and we look worse now than we did under Amorim you can't trust anyone at Ineos to get it right as there history says otherwise
Look at what they have done at nice and how many managwrs they have had there
There decision making is just as bad as the players
Weekends game is a must win against a very poor Bournemouth side compared to recent years
But like I say we are a shambles and it doesn't matter what formation and tactics these play when you have players who don't have the passion.
4.) 22 Oct 2026 00:46:29
Zirksee is better than you make out. Never had a proper run in the team. Never been played. In his preferred position and for the most part played in a team which under performs. You could put Messi and Ronaldo in this team and they would look poor.
5.) 22 Oct 2026 07:50:02
I am less bothered about the formation than most, what I hope and expect if Conte was to come in is that there will be a plan/structure and he will get the players motivated. Whether he can get them playing at a higher tempo without a pre-season (feels very similar to pre Amorim).
Also, plenty of the players were brought whilst Amorim was here, so the switch should not be too drastic.
6.) 22 Oct 2026 11:56:28
I'm more than a little weary of managers like Conte. He has a phenomenal CV, but he is very temperamental. Managers like that need to be at very stable clubs who are able to provide the right climate for them to stop them imploding. I really don't think you could describe our club as that right now.
That's putting aside that his playing style isn't a way of playing football that I particularly enjoy and his development of young players has been very, very iffy throughout his career (it's also really difficult to track as he rarely stays at a club long enough to really see how young players develop with him, although he is a manager who typically prefers to use a more experienced player over a younger player with higher potential).
I only highlight that he's a manager who often uses a back three system as that was a big bone of contention for a lot of the fans who wanted Amorim sacked. Ironically, I actually feel that out currently squad is still probably better set up for a back three system rather than a back four system. The extra CB gives our declining/recovering/or inexperienced CB's the extra cover they typically need. We don't have any natural wingers or top quality full backs, yet Amad and Dorgu did well as wingbacks. While the likes of Mbeumo, Cunha, Mount and Lacey probably suit playing as inside wide players more than as traditional wide players. The issue we had with the 343 under Amorim was the lack of athleticism and energy in midfield, yet Mainoo has improved in that area, and we have added Baleba and Santos who also provide more of that. The other issue Amorim had was there was no natural position for Bruno, yet his recent comments probably mean that he shouldn't be here this time next year.
15 Sep 2026 22:36:05
The rumours are that there are people around JJ Gabriel who are very demanding and pushing for him to be involved with the first team, and United's approach to his development doesn't fit his family's timescale.
Whether he stays or leaves, I hope he doesn't become the next cautionary tale, the next reference point for why young players shouldn't be rushed. How the physical and emotional demands need to be given equal consideration to talent when it comes to deciding when a player is "ready" to step into regular senior football.
I understand the drivers for why they want him to be in the spotlight, but pushing him into that when his body and mind are still developing could have catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, consequences that he will have to bare and not those pushing him forward.
1.) 15 Sep 2026 23:42:18
Our problems go much deeper than JJ Gabriel wanting to go. The plain fact of the matter is that we don't have the luxury of playing a 15 year old because our squad is not strong enough to carry him. He's most likely too physically immature for the EPL at this juncture. So, during the next 3-4 years, however he develops, we're not going to get back into contention on his back.
Let him leave. Wish him the best of luck. It will make no immediate difference to us.
If we ever get to the point where we can again afford to compete for top players, then we can do a Pogba and dish out £200m for him...... and then watch him fail?
2.) 16 Sep 2026 08:43:13
Sky Sports: JJ Gabriel has requested the cancellation of his registration; Man Utd are understood to be shocked by the request but believe the situation can be resolved.
3.) 16 Sep 2026 09:55:54
We don't have the luxury of playing a child. For the love of God, he is tiny right now. I just don't see him ready to step up to the first team. This is a Gabriel issue, not a United one.
4.) 16 Sep 2026 12:18:13
I think Max Dowman is a helpful comparison. He is an incredibly talented young player on a very strong team that has the "luxury" of giving him game time.
He has made a handful of appearances because that is what is best for 15/16 y/o boys. Unless they are Wayne Rooney, a teenager is not going to be able to cope with the physical demands of playing against grown men on a consistent basis.
By all accounts, the club was planning on giving Gabriel minutes tonight. It is not unreasonable to tell a really promising 15 y/o that they will get some first-team minutes, but they are too young to be put straight into the firing line.
I have plenty of criticisms of the club, but this is not one of them. This is a kid being controlled by a silly parent who does not have the basic common sense to see the forest for the trees. Daddy wants the money to be rolling in asap, and is willing to risk his son's career to get it. I do feel sorry for the poor lad. He is too young to be used like this.
5.) 16 Sep 2026 14:14:06
Play him in the PL, let him have a career changing injury and then watch him play in League 2. What do his parents actually know about the right time to play him etc. Probably want him to go to Spain and be the next Yamal.
6.) 16 Sep 2026 16:23:29
Barcelona are reigning La Liga champions and Lamal is a World Cup winner and one of the favorites for this year's Balon D'or. What parents wouldn't want that for their child?
7.) 16 Sep 2026 18:09:12
There's lots of issues behind the scenes heard loads I've not shared
Joseph O'Gabriel - promised minutes in the summer friendlies, EPL and League Cup. I need to check but I'm not sure United have delivered on all this.
Jack Fletcher - complete arse. Rude, entitled and see as average and behind other players. Only there due to family.
Tyler Fletcher- nice lad apparently but again there more on name than ability. Ie Devanny is seen as far better.
Same concerns shared by players and family regarding Rooney and Carrick kids.
Nkoto twins at least 2 years older than stated, not even brothers. One is Islamic one is Christian. Club/agents stopping x rays so it's not confirmed, against human rights apparently.
There's a young RB playing before better players perceived to be about virtue signalling over ability. The young lad is average for his age but an Eritrean migrant.
Obi - awful player and arrogant and difficult boy
Club working the backside off to keep Lacey's family happy and at a distances.
Whole strength and conditioning team are seen as poor, one club people with little experience outside uk or Utd, majority promoted from with in, an arrogant bunch.
The more I learn about the club from the inside the more I think we should play in a circus tent.
8.) 17 Sep 2026 19:39:30
JJ had 15min against Atletico and that was it. EPL is not realistic at the moment, we haven't played well enough to introduce a kid and the League Cup might have been possible if his entourage hadn't decided to pull the plug before he turned 16.
19 Aug 2026 18:34:38
It looks like Baleba is going to be on his way soon, which will complete the midfield overhaul in just one window.
Going from a midfield selection of:
Casemiro, Mainoo, Ugarte, and Mount last season.
To:
Baleba, Tielemans, Santos, Mainoo, Ugarte and Mount this season.
That's a massive upgrade and with the ages of Santos, Baleba and Mainoo (21/22) that is a rebuild that should last for the next 5-10 years.
This is on the back of the rebuild in attack that we undertook last summer, signing Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko to add to the existing Amad, Bruno, Dorgu and Zirkzee.
It seems that each summer we are trying to focus the rebuild on one main part of the team.
Which means next summer will likely be a big focus on defence. Hopefully we sign a LB this summer, and Yoro and Heaven develop nicely this season.
But with both Martinez and Maguire out of contract next summer I would expect us to sign a couple of CB's and probably look to upgrade RB. With maybe another forward being signed as a fourth signing depending on how some of our younger forwards are developing.
While people can complain about the timings of transfers, it looks like the club have actually made serious steps forward last summer and this summer in the transfer market to rebuild this squad.
Personally, I really like the signings we are making under the INEOS regime. We look and act like a proper, professional club again. A club with a plan and a direction. I don't expect every transfer to work out, but if we can get 80% of them right then we will be back challenging again within a couple of years.
1.) 19 Aug 2026 23:36:08
You will please some of the people some of the time, shappy, but you won't please all the people all the time.
I also think we will sign a left back this window, and if space is created up top by a departure, a dedicated No 9 to support Sesko.
People are forgetting, I think, that Yoro and Heaven are 20 and 19 and high on the list of all time EPL teenage CBs. Yoro today v the scrawny kid of even 12 months ago are night and day. His physique has developed, and I think Heaven will be a monster in 12 months' time. I like the idea of de Ligt, Maguire and Martinez being the snr pros, allowing Carrick to bring the young guys in and out to look after their development.
With so many games, I can see 2 pairings rotating and dovetailing when required.
Same in midfield.
What fleet have done well is try to address it in a planned fashion with a pretty clear strategy, as you've outlined.
Some will never agree with the strategy no matter what it is.
Fans have put themselves in a really difficult position where they want the management to be hated and want them to fail because they oppose 90% of their decisions and ignore the 10% they do agree with.
But as fans, they do want the team to do well.
But because of the former, they will jump on any period of poor results because they want to blame the management. All reasonable rationale and any positivity is off the menu.
I can't imagine being in a position to want the team to win but have club management fail.
2.) 20 Aug 2026 11:38:25
Ken, I think some people have dug themselves into a position where they can't back out without having egg on their face. So, instead of moving on, they double down on that position, ignoring any and all evidence to the contrary.
I dislike the Glazers for the position they have put our club in, and I can see both the positives and the negatives from INEOS from their short stint so far. But, ultimately, I want the team to be successful, even if that means bigger dividends for the Glazers.
What I'm most impressed/happy with in this new ownership model is that we have made a lot of intelligent, data-driven, and just plain common-sense decisions around restructuring the club.
Woodward fell into the trap of believing his own hype, CEO of the "biggest club in the world". He was all about optics and how he and the club looked, rather than how we performed.
Whereas now, we have hired experts into key positions, we have a plan and contingencies, and we don't get distracted by fancy big names because signing them would look good.
We can see that the club have a clear profile of the kind of players they want to sign, a clear plan on how to address the squad overhaul, and they have committed to that plan and are seeing it through, not ripping it up and starting again at the first hurdle.
3.) 20 Aug 2026 12:25:58
We have people who claim to be fans but they are nothing short of anti-fans imo.
12 Aug 2024 21:24:10
Sander Berge left out of Burnley's squad for their first game of the season this evening.
Seems to suggest that there is something in the rumours of him leaving. Will it be to ourselves, or to someone else?
1.) 12 Aug 2024 22:06:16
He’s also missed most of pre season with the same injury that kept him out of tonight. Nice try Shappy!
2.) 13 Aug 2024 07:53:27
Romanoesque!
3.) 13 Aug 2024 08:58:48
Be a shame to not keep the trend of signing injury prone players going!
4.) 13 Aug 2024 11:45:59
Wazza, where did you hear he is injured, I've scoured the internet and not found any mention of him being injured. The Burnley manager didn't mention him as being out injured.
5.) 13 Aug 2024 12:47:50
He has not played any pre season due to injury so was not considered last night and it was reported at the match last night that he was left out due to that reasoning.
6.) 13 Aug 2024 12:50:09
Shappy, Parker said so, and confirmed it's what has kept him out of some pre-season fixtures.
You can't have Googled too long as it's the first thing that comes up when searching Sander Berge injury.
"He picked up an injury in Spain. He had a bit of discomfort in his quad. It's not a big injury, it's quite a small injury to be honest with you. "
Nice clickbait though!
7.) 13 Aug 2024 13:33:59
Wazza to be fair I searched last night and that article you've quoted was published at midday today, 15 minutes AFTER I posted saying I hadn't seen anything to say he was injured.
From what I read he was expected to be in the squad and wasn't, which seemed suspicious. As it was he is injured, so that's that then.
Shappy's banter posts with other poster's replies to Shappy's banter posts
30 Oct 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Where Manchester United Are Right Now
1.) 30 Oct 2026 09:24:00
Kind of see where you're going with this Shappy but not all rings true.
According to you, all our success in the last years post Ferguson was down to other teams being poor and not us being any good, and fails to take take into account the increased competitiveness of the league, its evolution over the last decade due to the vast amounts of money available to all top flight clubs. Not to mention, the one team that we based our recent exec structure on came form a club proven to be cheats. It's the allocation of those funds where we fall short year on year.
Undoubtedly for me, it's more down to complacency and repeated poor decion making off the field for a prolonged period of time which then equates to what we see on the pitch. We've got the wrong CEO and DoF, bought the wrong players, hired the wrong coaches, not invested properly in infrastructure, scouting, youth coaching and data analysis, fitness, and not had a suitable structure in place since Fergie and Gill left.
I don't actually think the "rebuild" is as hard as many make it out to be. Yes it will take time, but the blueprint to running clubs properly is out there for everyone to see.
I agree with you about what United should represent. Youth, excitement, hard graft and attitude. We lost that identity the minute Ferguson left.
The club is a cash cow business for its owners, not a serious football club with a brand worth millions whether we win leagues or not so they don't care.
There is not a person in charge at United with any serious experience or pedigree in running a successful football organisation.
Until those changes are made, we're not really a proper club anymore.
2.) 30 Oct 2026 09:53:31
Eric, I mean the more recent "success" rather the end of SAF's time, where he had real competition from City for the title. We also still had a top quality team, DDG in goal, Vidic, Rio and Evra in defence, Scholes, Carrick, Rooney etc. all of them, even at the level they were at in 2013 are miles better than anything we've had since.
3.) 30 Oct 2026 19:47:01
Cannot argue with that squad. Current players not fit to even lace their boots.
29 Oct 2026 10:24:30
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Where Manchester United Are Right Now
1.) 29 Oct 2026 12:13:24
We're clearly a mid-table team right now, at best. Whether we over- or under-performed last season is moot. The club has the level of revenues and support that should enable us to compete at the top level every season. And if we were in that situation we would quite possibly be the highest revenue producing club in the EPL, competing for the best players. The club had the opportunity over the summer to make investments in top players in critical positions, but it failed miserably to do so, partly or mainly because it has priorities other than being a great football team, like acquiring land for a pie in the sky stadium and incurring ever greater interest costs at higher rates.
Where is the club now? It's mired in dysfunction and debt with no apparent way out of the dilemma. It's at the end of a 20 year cycle of the rape and pillage of its cash flows by its incompetent ownership. An estimated £1.3bn in debt servicing costs since the Glazers took over, and another £1bn or so squandered on bad purchasing decisions, sacking managers, etc etc.
For me the performances on the field and whether we should be mid table, top 5 or 6 are of little to no relevance. Until the Glazers are gone the club will continue to perform well below where, based on its fantastic supporters, global reach, and revenues, it ought to be. We should be challenging for the league title and the champions league every season.
SAF in his wisdom (thanks to the Glazers unwillingness to compete for top players even then) bequeathed us an aging team and Everton's manager. It was an omen. We are now the Everton of Manchester.
2.) 29 Oct 2026 14:05:28
newname, I've said it before now that SAF left us shoddy as you describe.
3.) 29 Oct 2026 14:32:52
It is 9nly when you truly realize where and what you are, that you will do the work that is necessary to get back to the top. False peaks only make the real peak of the mountain seem further away.
Our club goal should be about removal of the players from our squad who have been tainted and damaged by this awful period of our history. We will not win the league with bruno, or Martinez, or shaw, or McGuire, or rashford etc. So we should be bringing people in to take over those leadership positions and moving them on.
I think we need to go down the road of a young energetic team that can grow together. But that will not bring success in 12 months.
4.) 29 Oct 2026 15:03:13
Well said dodgy. We need to ruthless. Take stock. Fire sale if required. Just a massive clearout of anyone not willing to adhere to basic principles of turning out for UTD.
Some have been saying the same names need to go for season upon season, it is now beyond a joke.
5.) 29 Oct 2026 17:24:20
If there's one word that can't be used to describe us it's ruthless. A number of these lot will still be here next year because we can't get rid.
6.) 29 Oct 2026 18:09:28
Yes, agreed, Tim. We had managers who would be ruthless and not play underachievers, and we were too ruthless with them instead of this decaying pile of carcasses.
28 Oct 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Carrick, Injuries, and United's Bigger Mess
27 Oct 2026 10:11:03
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, Carrick, Injuries, and United's Bigger Mess
03 Oct 2026 15:22:44
This whole City thing will drag on and on and on. The water is getting muddier by the day.
Systemic cheating designed to circumvent the rules to gain an unfair sporting advantage.
The punishment needs to fit the crime, and seeing as this is a historic case in it's magnitude and timescale then the punishment has to be equal to that.
For at least a decade Man City have been cheating, with more likely to come out as the current charges only account for things done up to 2018. And let's be honest, no one believes that in 2018 after nearly a decade of cheating and getting away with it they suddenly decided to stop of their own accord.
Which actually makes punishing them trickier now, as it will set a precedent. If (as expected) they are found to have continued breaking the same rules to the same extent between 2018-2026 then they will have to face the same level of punishment.
Of course they will continue to fight this, they are owners who are not used to losing, ever. To them the answer is always how much to make it go away. Yet the cleanest solution, is also an unsavoury one. A deal needs to be agreed with the Man City owners to accept their guilt, to stop fighting it, and to cooperate with further investigations fully. Yet they will not do that without getting something in return.
Of course the alternative is for the EPL to continue to go to war with them and drag this whole thing out longer and longer, to continue to drag footballs reputation through the mud, until someone runs out of money to keep fighting it.
There is no clean and clear way to end this without City's cooperation.
While personally I'd like to see them relegated back to non-league football and made to take the long way back. The reality is that there is no way City will accept that, they will keep fighting it and dragging it out. And ultimately who wins? I know who loses. The fans lose, the people employed by the club lose, football loses.
The non-negotiable should be that City get all of their titles during that period stripped. I don't think they should be redistributed, as it's too messy. Just no winners during those seasons. You cannot allow a club to cheat to win and then retain the spoils of their cheating.
Beyond that, relegation, point deductions, director bans, transfer bans, and the timeframe for any/all of these will probably need to be negotiated.
Some sort of a deal that includes City accepting responsibility, fronting up about any additional cheating beyond 2018 and a total punishment being agreed for all of it is what needs to happen.
Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen as it appears that there are too many egos involved who aren't prepared to give an inch to gain a mile.
1.) 03 Oct 2026 18:15:44
My head is just hurting thinking about it now. im actually angry, not because of the cheating but because I've paid £1000s over the years to see a fraud of a league. But its the cup games that's got me, semis of fa and league cup, lost to players that shouldn't have been on pitch. I think i'm more angry now after a week (after laughing i must admit) because the game i love watching has to me been ruined by it all.
If and its a huge if, city get off I feel that i'm done with it all. My heart sack when Burham came out with that, now its all political and its just feeling s@@t. In fact i'm not angry i'm sad at the state of affairs.
2.) 03 Oct 2026 19:54:30
Nick, I feel much the same way. It's the idea that the sporting merit has been taken away. For some young fans it's wiped out all their memories of the game, the first 10 years of their life watching football means nothing as pretty much none of the results count for anything.
This is the thing that the EPL have to understand, the decisions they make now will have lasting long term impacts on the game. Do they turn. A generation of football fans away from the game by being weak, or do they start to rebuild footballs reputation (which is in the gutter right now) by being strong.
At the same time, the only way we get to move past this is anytime soon is either by City accepting a form of punishment and choosing not to drag it on, or for the EPL (and wider football) to be so hard on City that they wipe them out of existence to bring this to an end (which isn't something I'd want to see, while they might be rivals, the fans shouldn't suffer due to the mismanagement of the owners).
If not then this will drag on and on and on and continue to drag football through the mud until it turns all fans away.
3.) 03 Oct 2026 21:48:40
As you can suspend a person from their job whilst under investigation, can't they do that whilst it drags on?
It's odd they're allowed to keep playing until a punishment or appeal is decided.
As without the initial cheating and success it brought, they'd not have the squad etc they have today.
Games they don't play, automatic 3 points to the other team. End up relegated by not getting any points.
4.) 03 Oct 2026 22:21:23
Owners removed
Point deduction now. -90
Relegated to League 2 or below
Titles stripped and reassigned
Transfer Ban
Huge Fine enough to distributed proportionally to compensate all affected.
Open top bus tour with Sir Alex and Jose.
5.) 03 Oct 2026 22:55:24
Key, the problem is that suspending them until the outcome of any appeal etc would be what happens if they are successful in that appeal?
It's not like a normal job where you get suspended and someone else picks up your slack until the outcome.
If City win the appeal and have missed half a season how does the league recompense that? What do you do about the clubs who have already played City this season? Do you take away any points they might have picked up against them? And even if you did they still had to play that game, how can it be fair to have some teams in the league play one more game than the rest.
Then you have to think about all the people employed by City, not just the players and the coaching staff, but grounds keepers, the cleaners, the catering staff, the stewards, the shop staff. Those that rely on their wages who'll effectively be made redundant in time for Christmas.
6.) 03 Oct 2026 23:04:43
Utd Road, that would be the dream, although I wouldn't want the titles and cups reassigned. They are tainted and carry little to no sporting merit. Whose to say how those seasons would have panned out without the cheating from City. It's far to reductive to just give them to the team that finished second or lost the cup final.
City probably need there to be a clean end to this as much as the rest of football. Maybe by agreeing to a deal where they accept a punishment a part of that would include an agreement from the other English clubs and players not to take up private damages claims against them.
Maybe something more like stripped of all titles won during that period, a massive fine that goes into a pot and is redistributed to the impacted clubs and players. Then a points reduction of say 40 points per season for 9 years (the period of time they cheated), effectively barring them from being able to challenge for major titles during that time, but not forcing the club into a position where they will surely go out of business and all those innocent people lose their livelihoods.
7.) 04 Oct 2026 06:04:00
Really how does anyone in this day and age think when billions and billions is involved in anything, there is not some degree of it being tainted, it's very naive and your not in the real world if that's how you think, it's just a matter of what level it goes to
All the games of so called Fergie time, was that all official or was it an over zealous ref or a looked after ref, Barca now, Real Madrid have handed over dossier on it .
If you really think that city is the one and only case, your in king of the north 1970 world.
8.) 04 Oct 2026 07:48:48
Just for the record, during Fergies period as manager, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton all scored more 90+ minute winners than United.
9.) 04 Oct 2026 08:36:30
It's funny the idea from Shappy that City should have to agree with a punishment. A city fan was on the radio when my wife and I were driving and said City would have to agree to any punishment. She doesn't have any interest in football but said that is such utter rubbish and started laughing, then a few days later brought it up and laughed again. It's like someone being found guilty in court and sentenced to years in prison and the judge saying would you agree, the lag says, no your honour 2 hours community service and the judge says ok.
Shappy, I don't think City will agree to anything.
There has to be a punishment decided by the league and that's it. City are not the governing body. I don't think the owners are used to not having control and it is greatly angering them, but making aggressive sweeping statements about the PL is not going to help them. We have to see justice and actually agree it should be multi season points deduction but the first season must be enough to relegate them and all the titles taken away, a dash in the records. I don't want a second hand title particularly but no club should have a recorded achievement won through cheating.
If justice is not seen to be done then I don't think the Premier League will have the same attraction ever again. I don't want to watch a tainted product.
10.) 04 Oct 2026 09:33:18
Allowing City to cooperate means compromise.
Nope. No compromise. Otherwise it leaves the door open.
11.) 04 Oct 2026 14:14:54
Red Man, I'm not saying City have to agree to the punishment for it to be handed out, what I'm saying is that with the money and power that City's owners have that the only way to have a clean end to this is a punishment they agree to.
Otherwise they will drag this on and on and on and we will still have no clear end to this in 10 years time. They will appeal, they will sue, they will continue to drag football through the mud until they get l an outcome they are happy with. The longer that takes the less give they will likely have.
This whole debacle has taken what, 7years to get to this point, do you really think City won't keep fighting for another decade or more if they feel they should.
How many more tainted seasons do we want? How much longer do you want to watch football unclear whether it has any real sporting merit before you turn away from it?
It is in everyone's best interest to come to a quick and fair solution to this. That only happens if it is something City won't appeal anymore.
12.) 04 Oct 2026 14:17:49
I don't like the physiology to reject a title earned and deserved.
I don't see why Citeh need to agree to anything.
Anyone with a brain and confidence to speak said and knew they'd cheated. Same about sports washing of a religious Nation of Oil miners and human rights abusers.
The same people who looked the other way not wanting to to rock the boat and the same people bottling it when it comes repercussions.
This mafia level corruption - Government leaders, local councils, football.
We need a backbone and appetite for maximum blood letting.
Keep digging, check QPR players finances and I'm sure you'll see that result was a fix.
13.) 04 Oct 2026 22:02:56
So essentially you want City to choose their punishment? Sorry Shappy, i personally think that just farcical. It is not a clean end, it is sweeping the problem under the carpet.
Essentially setting a precedent that it is okay to cheat because whenever you get caught you can choose your punishment based on your monetary power.
Nope. MAXIMUM impact now to show some balls or the game is gone.
14.) 04 Oct 2026 22:56:32
You can't change what's happened (teams that have played so far this season) same as the work someone has done where you say others pick up the slack.
The club would still operate but not play in the PL.
And as crappy as it is for staff etc if a company closes outside of football (for whatever reason) the staff get made redundant etc. No one wants that for them but it's what happens.
Just because you want to be able to get on with football doesn't mean they should get off easily or it should be done in a way to get them back competing.
Need to be made an example of and plenty of other teams that have missed out on things because of it and deserve their space.
So the quick and fair solution would be to remove them during the process.
If (likely) guilty anything negative (being relegated by not playing) is time served already.
If not guilty they start playing again.
15.) 05 Oct 2026 06:48:47
"that with the money and power that City's owners have that the only way to have a clean end to this is a punishment they agree to."
No, no, no.
Who are the governing body? City's owners or the Premier League.
If the PL give in to "money and power" the league is done. As an example Everton could say they were not treated equally when deducted points because they didn't have money and power. It's just not acceptable and would destroy the fabric of the league.
16.) 05 Oct 2026 18:13:30
Keefy, I'm not saying they choose their punishment, I'm saying that if they want the quickest and cleanest end to this then everyone needs to sit down and negotiate that.
Otherwise City will keep fighting this and it will never end.
Do you want to see City still competing for the title over the next decade as we get appeal after appeal, after appeal?
Or do you want a line drawn under it, a fair punishment handed out, and for football to be able to move on and just enjoy the sport?
17.) 05 Oct 2026 19:42:54
By negotiate they get what they want as a punishment. They will drag it out anyway until they get that so
NO NO NO!
I, and I suspect most people, want the EPL to show some balls and make the decision that stops this ever happening again. Not one that leaves a chink of light for anyone to pull the same stunt moving forward.
Whether we get that is of course an entirely different discussion.
05 Nov 2026 22:32:10
They probably wouldn't, but a premium price from the Jupiter league and a premium price in the EPL are vastly different things.
The record sale coming out of Belgium was Tzolis signed by Arsenal this past summer for a fee rising to a maximum of 33m.
You could probably expect to get Tresoldi for 30-35m as a striker he will go for a higher price, and Seys being a defender probably for something more like 20-25m, maybe less.
Which a fair bit cheaper than the prices quoted for similar players coming out of La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and a massive cheaper than the EPL.
05 Nov 2026 12:23:55
These are the kind of sensible transfers we should be doing.
We have needed a massive squad turnover for over a decade now. The problem is we have never fully committed to it. What we need to see happen is that within three summer transfers windows (ideally within two) 95% of the first team squad should be moved on and replaced.
Far too many times have we seen the same 12-15 players stay the same across multiple managers and we wonder why each manager keeps failing.
You only need one rotten apple to turn the whole fruit bowl rotten.
To have a turn over of that size means accepting that we will take a step backwards before we can move forward. It forces us to sign those younger, up and coming players who are not yet seen as superstars, or even potential superstars. We need to be signing 15+ players, which means they can't really cost much more than 30m or so each on average.
That is how you build a solid base, a team of young, hungry, talented, hard working players. Then after that you start to add the star quality, you sign a couple of superstars to that squad.
We've always done it backwards, signed the superstars to a team that lacks the basics and then wonder why we keep making the same errors.
02 Nov 2026 20:07:59
I think they both need to go before next season starts, whether that is January or summer.
I think they don't believe in the project anymore, or they realise it will take longer than they have left at the club.
I liken Bruno Fernandes during his time with us very much in the same mould as Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. He is the man that demands the ball, everything has to go through him, which when he's on form isn't a problem, but the moment his form drops the whole team performances drop. This is because no one else will step up and take responsibility while Bruno is there.
02 Nov 2026 12:17:01
Probably a reaction to a host of bets being placed due to rumours rather than them knowing anything we don't. Standard practice when they get a rush of bets.
01 Nov 2026 14:23:12
For me the problems start with Wilcox. He seems to want to micro-manage the club and has created more issues than we even know about. He fell out with both EtH and Amorim over trying to dictate tactics to them. He ignores the advice of Vivell on transfers (you know our head of recruitment), and it seems he chose to hire Carrick due to Carrick being more prepared to accept his "support". He also was a factor behind Ashworth leaving the club and him taking Ashworth's position.
While I agree that the idea behind allowing managers to pick their own transfers and build the team in their image, is a bad blue print long term. Having a DoF who controls things behind the scenes without taking any responsibility when it goes wrong is equally disastrous.
The idea is that we have an overarching philosophy, and we build and recruit to fit that. That philosophy shouldn't be over prescriptive.
Something like trusting in youth, developing young players, and playing an attacking, aggressive, front foot style of play. Is fine, it gives you a clear direction, but leaves room to manoeuvre within it.
It sets out the kind of players we should be looking to sign (but doesn't rule out signing the occasional older player when necessary). It ensures we continue our traditions of youth development. While it gives the club and managers a degree of tactical flexibility and support. You could be a high pressing side with or without possession, how you look to build attacks, a d defend is fairly open to adapting depending on the players available and/or the tactical landscape.
Then you hire managers who fit within that idea. They should be managers with a track record of giving youth a chance and developing younger players into top level talents. They should also be managers who look to play an aggressive, offensive style of football.
That's your first two filters when looking, anyone who doesn't trust or develop young players isn't the right manager for our club.
Likewise, anyone who will look to play slow, or defensive football isn't the right manager for our club.
Then you can start shifting through the remaining options for more specific skills and experience (winning titles/cups or exceeding expectations, managed in specific leagues or competitions, media savvy, a certain level of experience, dressing room management, language skills, specific coaching tactics that fit/suit the current team, etc). Ultimately whatever it is they feel the manager needs to have to be successful. The reality is that it's rare a person is the perfect fit, especially in football management. That isn't a problem as long as you understand what those short comings are and how you can support them or bridge that gap. For example maybe you have a manager who lacks a little in terms of experience, can you ensure they have a more experienced head or two amongst their coaching staff.
The problem with our club right now is the man who is really steering the ship is Wilcox, and every time he gets to make a major decision we get a little worse for it.
05 Nov 2026 22:36:35
It takes a lot more than talent to make it as a professional footballer, I wish him the best of luck, I really do. Because with family like his, he doesn't need any enemies.
He will find it infinitely harder to break into the first team at Real Madrid. Expect him to be sent out on loan as soon as he is legally allowed, and to probably spend several years out on loan, probably before being sold for a modest amount with a buy back and/or sell on clause.
05 Nov 2026 22:43:57
The clubs value will never cripple the Glazers. If they sold the club for £1 that would all be profit. They literally haven't put a penny of their own money into the club and have taken out dividends every year for the best part of two decades.
Hell they could probably pay some 100m to take the club off their hands and still be net positive over their ownership.
One of the concerns over the Glazers ownership initially was they had a track record as asset strippers.
If we get relegated, they'll sell off the players to balance the books, and could sell off Old Trafford, Carrington, and all the land the club has recently acquired for the best part of 1bn, pocket all the money, and then sell the club to someone else for 500-800m even as a Championship club without a stadium.
We'd be rid of them, but homeless, and with nothing but a name and a history, and with no way of getting back to where we want to be.
Relegation might get rid of the Glazers, but it would also likely be the end of us for another 20 years, unless we hike up our skirt for some sugar daddy. If we're lucky.
05 Nov 2026 12:26:27
Common sense at last. What they really needed was to have a sit down before all this silly stuff happened, and have a serious conversation about how Ronaldo should retire, allow him to go out on his terms, by explaining to him that the team needs to move on and that they are thankful for everything he's done, but the national team needs to refresh.
04 Nov 2026 11:07:17
I agree I want to see more of Lacey, he's clearly a super talented lad, but more than that you can see that he really wants to play for the team, and that kind of enthusiasm is infectious.
Amad I think is having a tougher run of form right now, but he's still got so much ability. Over the previous two seasons only Bruno was creating more chances per 90 minutes than Amad. He will be fine, I think the injuries, disruption to pre-season and the poor form of the rest of the team are having an impact on his current form.
The real challenge will come once Sesko (or another striker is signed) returns and Mbeumo is moved back to the right. Giving us Mbeumo, Amad and Lacey all fighting it out for one starting spot. Unbelievable depth.
Cunha's fighting spirit and passion are things that will make him a fan favourite. It's great to see and we need a couple more players with that sort of attitude. Again it can be infectious to the other players around them.
Yoro has been surprisingly good at RB, and I think he should get an extended run there. It's a good position for him to gain experience in with less pressure than you get at CB. In the past we've seen players like Wes Brown and John O'Shea get game time when they were less experienced in the fullback positions to great effect.
Heaven desperately need more experience around him, he's got talent and the ability, but he just makes the errors of youth and inexperience. Having someone alongside him who can talk him though the game and reduce those errors is needed. I wonder if we can get MdL back fully fit whether he'd work well alongside Heaven.
I really feel for Baleba, such an unfortunate injury. I hope he gets the chance to fully recover, and we don't rush him back. Hamstrings can be tricky things, and a second tear could put him out for quite a while. One of the often not discussed things around injuries is how the body often tries to compensate for an injury or issue in one part of the body; Which can then cause greater tension or stress in another part of the body, increasing the risk of injury in that area. This is obviously a bigger issue for professional sportsmen as they tend to push their bodies to the limit, which increases the chance of injuries if their body is compensating an injury elsewhere.
I thought having Mainoo back also made a big difference, he was clearly a little rusty in the first half, but he is by far our best midfielder so far this season.
While we have been all doom and gloom on here recently, and rightly so given the performances and results. There are actually quite a few promising players within this group of players.
Players like Lammens, Yoro, Heaven, Dorgu, Mainoo, Baleba, Amad, Cunha, Mbeumo, Sesko and Lacey have all shown real quality and potential. I also think Andrey Santos has been okay so far, with a few bright moments. I think he will turn out to be a good signing in time.
The problem is that we still have too many players who have over time shown themselves to either not be good enough, or lack the mental fortitude to perform when things get tough.
Players like Maguire, Shaw, Dalot, and Mount have consistently underperformed. While the likes of Rashford, Bruno and Martinez have at times performed well (amazingly in Bruno's case), but have shown they maybe lack the mentality when the chips are down. We also still have the likes of Bayindir, Onana, Mazraoui, Ugarte, and Zirkzee still part of the first team squad, all of which need to be moved on as they aren't good enough.
That's 11/12 players who are potentially good enough (most still very young and developing), and 12 players we need to move on as they aren't good enough or lack the right attitude.
When you consider that most of the more senior/stronger characters in the dressing room are in the latter group that needs to be moved on, while the former group is mostly younger, more impressionable, and easier led players; you can see why it's so challenging for a manager to get a consistent tune out of this squad.
You're left in a situation where you either don't play the players that need to be moved on, which will upset the apple cart and they probably bring the mood and performances down for the whole squad. Or you play them to keep the squad harmony, but they have consistently proven they aren't good enough, meaning you fall short of where you need to be. As well as not developing the ones who might actually have a future at the club.
This is a problem that cannot be solved by the manager, and can only be solved by those above him, by moving on those that need to be weeded out and bringing in more suitable replacements.
03 Nov 2026 15:07:39
Dan Ashworth got sacked because he didn't agree with the party line.