Notts Forest v Manchester United - 30/12/23 5:30pm - Official Match Thread

Originally Posted by Sheik JaBooty

The problem is not the moment you decide that a certain manager isn’t up to it, it’s the moment you start to doubt or even harbour those thoughts. How do you entrust a manager with hundreds of millions to just potentially lumber a new manager with a bunch of players he doesn’t fancy, especially when you’ll have to guarantee him significant funds too?

No, once the doubts creep in the incumbent becomes effectively a dead man walking - how many times does a ‘vote of confidence’ ever really lead to a turn around? And anyone who’s having no doubts about ten Hag’s prospects right now is seeing something i’m not.

We all wanted him to succeed, but he may just not be up to it unfortunately.



That would require them to not be as thick as shit.

All true. Cards on the table, I couldn't really give a £#%&! truly. Everything weighed up, it's not going to seriously affect me if ETH isn't manager of us tomorrow. I could agree or disagree with the decision but the path if life won't change.

But if he isn't the man for the job, who is? I'd pack ETH's bags myself for Simeone, but if the chairman of the Declan Rice fanclub is to be believed, and maybe against my better judgement I do believe him, then him in charge of United is a fantasy. So who else that's can come in that's actually realistic?

We've all read in print what most of us knew already; that the people in positions above the manager are as useful as a chocolate fireguard. Many top level managers getting humiliated under them every 24 months or so. It's not about who the manager wants, it's about who the club needs, and we need people above the manager that have some idea as to what the £#%&! they're meant to be doing to be able to curate that long term.

Managers come and go, but the structure of the club as a whole needs to be able to endure a change like that and keep moving forward without it completely everything about the club when we've had our fill of a particular manager. The people's who's job it is to do that over the past decade have been absolute chancers. Burning hundreds of millions of pounds of the clubs money on their own short sighted vanity projects.

I maybe a naive pissed up gimp, but I do honestly believe that with the new influence over the football side of things, they'll start to get more things right, and that they have a better idea as to what's needed from a sporting side of the game, rather than just commercial. I'd be more than happy to give any manager we've had since Ferguson, including Moyes, a chance to see what they can do with that sort of structure above them.

Originally Posted by Ethers

The sub was because Forest were barely pressing us in our half, we were able to advance the ball pretty easily without much pressure , so some of Mainoo’s skill set wasn’t really needed. The Scottish Player is undoubtedly better at making things happen in the final third of the pitch, and we’d not created much, so the gaffer gambled that we wouldn’t miss Mainoo too much, and would benefit from The Scottish Player getting on the end of some chances.

It didn’t work out, and I don’t think it was a good substitution - there were other moves to be made. But it wasn’t random, and there is at least some justification behind it.

As per post #410

No other explanation

Originally Posted by Ethers

The sub was because Forest were barely pressing us in our half, we were able to advance the ball pretty easily without much pressure , so some of Mainoo’s skill set wasn’t really needed. The Scottish Player is undoubtedly better at making things happen in the final third of the pitch, and we’d not created much, so the gaffer gambled that we wouldn’t miss Mainoo too much, and would benefit from The Scottish Player getting on the end of some chances.

It didn’t work out, and I don’t think it was a good substitution - there were other moves to be made. But it wasn’t random, and there is at least some justification behind it.

So he thought the whole second half, Forest would stay quite passive, even though we'd only had a single shot on target from AWB?

And The Scottish Player doesn't "make things happen" - that sounds like he's a creator of chances. He clearly isn't.

Either way, it was a piss poor substitution and if he wanted to take someone off so The Scottish Player could operate further forward, why not swap him for Eriksen? The rationale makes no sense. Taking Mainoo off was a huge mistake, we can all agree on that.

That was dire.

Fed up of watching them.

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

So he thought the whole second half, Forest would stay quite passive, even though we'd only had a single shot on target from AWB?

And The Scottish Player doesn't "make things happen" - that sounds like he's a creator of chances. He clearly isn't.

Either way, it was a piss poor substitution and if he wanted to take someone off so The Scottish Player could operate further forward, why not swap him for Eriksen? The rationale makes no sense. Taking Mainoo off was a huge mistake, we can all agree on that.

Don’t think anyone is seeking to justify, mags. Just a feasible explanation if not a good one.

https://x.com/samuelluckhurst/status/1741188644583403547?s=20

Originally Posted by Ethers

Balls on him

Originally Posted by Ethers

The sub was because Forest were barely pressing us in our half, we were able to advance the ball pretty easily without much pressure , so some of Mainoo’s skill set wasn’t really needed. The Scottish Player is undoubtedly better at making things happen in the final third of the pitch, and we’d not created much, so the gaffer gambled that we wouldn’t miss Mainoo too much, and would benefit from The Scottish Player getting on the end of some chances.

It didn’t work out, and I don’t think it was a good substitution - there were other moves to be made. But it wasn’t random, and there is at least some justification behind it.

you can try to provide a justification, but he is a £#%&!wit for playing just one dm. taking the one dm off is suicidal. even monkey head could see that the positions from which they scored were positions from which they created problems in the first half.

it's all very well overloading with attacking players, but you have to have someone behind them for when they inevitably lose the ball (or our shitty passing out from the back fails even to get it to them).

his one dm dropping into the back line whilst the fullbacks go wandering formation sucks. and there is no £#%&!ing excuse for it.

he made a mistake. but he makes the same £#%&!ing mistake in every game, pretty much.

Calling him a dm is ignoring his talent imo. Bringing on McT was saying "I'd rather trust in luck than talent."

Originally Posted by armchair

Calling him a dm is ignoring his talent imo.

the same is true of amrabat and cass. playing them doesn't make the set up defensive, it just means we are capable of defending.

Originally Posted by jem

the same is true of amrabat and cass. playing them doesn't make the set up defensive, it just means we are capable of defending.

they are water carriers compared to him.

Originally Posted by Ethers

The sub was because Forest were barely pressing us in our half, we were able to advance the ball pretty easily without much pressure , so some of Mainoo’s skill set wasn’t really needed. The Scottish Player is undoubtedly better at making things happen in the final third of the pitch, and we’d not created much, so the gaffer gambled that we wouldn’t miss Mainoo too much, and would benefit from The Scottish Player getting on the end of some chances.

It didn’t work out, and I don’t think it was a good substitution - there were other moves to be made. But it wasn’t random, and there is at least some justification behind it.

The flaw in the plan being that The Scottish Player is shit at football.

Nice to see Rashford get on the scoresheet.
Garnacho worked his %@#$&!s off all night.

Eriksen was diabolical, he should of been the one hooked. Like he's not been put on charge overnight. Low battery mode

Such an odd change to make at half time. Both goals conceded in the exact positions where Mainoo cleaned up multiple times in the first half. He might not admit it publicly but he needs sectioning if he truly believes he's not £#%&!ed up there

I think the difference at the moment compared to loses of the past, is the players are working hard imo but the lack of consistency in any line up we have is constantly biting us. The injuries have been disgraceful and it can't be just luck.

Originally Posted by Zorg

The flaw in the plan being that The Scottish Player is shit at football.

Sub makes no sense to me. Take off a player doing well in that role to add a player who is absolutely useless in that role. For what? The off chance McT might contribute something further forward? The only sub he got right was dragging off Antony. Should have done it even earlier. he contributes nothing beyond shaking a leg, stopping and passing back. At least Dan James went forward now and then. Garnacho was just as bad. Not got the brains and maturity to be playing every game.

https://x.com/vjwale/status/1741252305452736848?s=46&t=gxphPdCyNn5G1bnpwj1gww

Hurts even more this morning

Any photos of the trophy?

Originally Posted by Zorg

The flaw in the plan being that The Scottish Player is shit at football.

Since this turd wormed his way back in the team it's all gone pear shaped.
Utter shit@#%&!

I suppose we should be pleased that teams still think beating us is cause for big celebration. Won't be long before they shrug and say "lads, it's United."

We had 6 (six) players in their box the attack to which they countered and scored their second let's get back in the game then play suicide football...

Either they were told to be there and attack en masse, or we really do have the thickest footballers in the world.




Actually tbf it's probably a bit of both. The only experienced footballer in the team yesterday with a modicum of footballing intelligence was eriksen. Wouldn't trust the rest with a pair of scissors.

Worst part of United now is diminished expectations. The Villa comeback was great, but it has no connect at all to comebacks from the Fergie era and people are desperate to find a sign we're "back". Invariably a decent performance is followed by another reality check.

SJR has a huge task breaking the cycle of mediocrity and will he put his balls on the line by saying that getting a CL place and having a decent cup run isn't good enough? Because that mindset is a symptom of what we've become.

Originally Posted by Tuco

Since this turd wormed his way back in the team it's all gone pear shaped.
Utter shit@#%&!

yup. thought he'd taken some time to get his head straight, but it's the same whiny nonsense.