Martial is truly special

Originally Posted by dunk

Went into a sulk for several months by all accounts. Players can be very sensitive about such things. Shit management.

Shit attitude from the player.

Why did Zlat need the 9? Could’ve easily worn 11 or 7 etc.

Players can be very sensitive about such things. Or in the real world, because he’s an egotistical #@&%!.

Originally Posted by Clarkie

Give him back the number 9 and it'll be grand

Mate he’s a young footballer who’s had probably the most talent through all his life, he’s had his arse kissed from being 7 years old, you can’t judge him as a man on the street. And tbf even a teenager off the street would have a moody about it. Of course it’s not everything but it is another part of the stripping of his confidence. It was another metaphorical kick in the teeth for him. We should be building him up.

His ‘team’ will have been pissed about it as well, saying a number doesn’t matter is a bit daft because these days it matters to the brand.

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

Players can be very sensitive about such things. Or in the real world, because he’s an egotistical #@&%!.

He waited for the 9 to be vacated at every other club. Worn 8, 10, 11 & 18 IIRC..

New manager comes in, signs old man and whips prestigious number off previous seasons top scorer before a ball has been kicked. I can’t recall it ever happening anywhere else tbh

Originally Posted by dunk

He waited for the 9 to be vacated at every other club. Worn 8, 10, 11 & 18 IIRC..

New manager comes in, signs old man and whips prestigious number off previous seasons top scorer before a ball has been kicked. I can’t recall it ever happening anywhere else tbh

Well, Lukaku had to ask Ibrahimovic for it this year...

Originally Posted by RemisMoses

Mate he’s a young footballer who’s had probably the most talent through all his life, he’s had his arse kissed from being 7 years old, you can’t judge him as a man on the street. And tbf even a teenager off the street would have a moody about it. Of course it’s not everything but it is another part of the stripping of his confidence. It was another metaphorical kick in the teeth for him. We should be building him up.

His ‘team’ will have been pissed about it as well, saying a number doesn’t matter is a bit daft because these days it matters to the brand.

Have you never read about the methods united use on younger players? You don’t develop good players by wrapping them in cotton wool.

Originally Posted by Clarkie

Well, Lukaku had to ask Ibrahimovic for it this year...

Ibrahimovic was gone. He re-signed after Lukaku had been given the number.

The critical issue is it £#%&!ed his burgeoning “AM9” brand which would probably have made him lots of money.

Not surprised he was seething tbh

Btw I’m not suggesting Martial was right or shouldn’t have sucked it up and cracked on etc. Just that it was £#%&!ing shoddy man management and would’ve given the lad the impression that the new manager neither cared about or respected him before he’d even played for him.

He then spent all last summer trying to buy Perisic to play in Martial’s position, converted Rashford to a left sided player and had them job share, before buying Sanchez and immediately ousting Martial from his usual position to accommodate Sanchez and then dropping him. Despite him having scored 3 in 4 before Sanchez’s arrival.

Would not be shocked if Tone slapped in a transfer request tbh.

Apparently, of the 5 games either Martial or Rashford has started RW we have lost 5.. (not checked the stat, but was presented somewhere after Tuesday and sounds about right.)

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

Have you never read about the methods united use on younger players? You don’t develop good players by wrapping them in cotton wool.

Footballs changed players are softened up with the lifestyle and things, it’s not ‘the only way is down after united’ days anymore. If the players getting a rise it’s a step up in most of thier minds. You can’t blackmail them paint them into a corner because there will always be someone else sweet talking them.

Originally Posted by RemisMoses

Footballs changed players are softened up with the lifestyle and things, it’s not ‘the only way is down after united’ days anymore. If the players getting a rise it’s a step up in most of thier minds. You can’t blackmail them paint them into a corner because there will always be someone else sweet talking them.

It’s what united still do now at youth level. As they should.

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

It’s what united still do now at youth level. As they should.

Martial isn’t a youth player and he’s been treated like a @#%&! imo the proof of the pudding will be in the eating we will see in time but it looks like it isn’t going to happen for us

Originally Posted by dunk

Btw I’m not suggesting Martial was right or shouldn’t have sucked it up and cracked on etc. Just that it was £#%&!ing shoddy man management and would’ve given the lad the impression that the new manager neither cared about or respected him before he’d even played for him.

He then spent all last summer trying to buy Perisic to play in Martial’s position, converted Rashford to a left sided player and had them job share, before buying Sanchez and immediately ousting Martial from his usual position to accommodate Sanchez and then dropping him. Despite him having scored 3 in 4 before Sanchez’s arrival.

Would not be shocked if Tone slapped in a transfer request tbh.

Apparently, of the 5 games either Martial or Rashford has started RW we have lost 5.. (not checked the stat, but was presented somewhere after Tuesday and sounds about right.)

Which came first, Mourinho’s testing the water for Perisic putting Martial’s nose out of joint, or Martial not working hard enough to lock the position down so that JM didn’t need to test the water? I’ve been critical of Mourinho lately -where it’s due- but his remit is to make us better, and if he thinks we can upgrade on Martial what’s he supposed to do?

Remember, he’s privvy to much more information than we are. We see these players for a maximum of three hours a week and nothing behind the scenes.

Mourinho put Martial’s nose out of joint before a ball was kicked in his tenure tbf.

Martial clearly not workmanlike enough to be Mou’s ideal supplementary fullback.

Originally Posted by dunk

Mourinho put Martial’s nose out of joint before a ball was kicked in his tenure tbf.

Martial clearly not workmanlike enough to be Mou’s ideal supplementary fullback.

Even if he gave him licence to do nothing but attack he’d still have to work hard. Why are we giving Martial a pass that we never afforded Giggs or any of our wide men with the possible exception of Ronaldo at his Utd peak? And I’m not even talking about tracking back tbh, I’m talking about busting a gut going forward. From his first season here he’s regularly seen trotting when he should be sprinting, waiting when he should be forcing, standing waiting for ball to feet rather than making the play by making the run.

Originally Posted by utd99

Even if he gave him licence to do nothing but attack he’d still have to work hard. Why are we giving Martial a pass that we never afforded Giggs or any of our wide men with the possible exception of Ronaldo at his Utd peak? And I’m not even talking about tracking back tbh, I’m talking about busting a gut going forward. From his first season here he’s regularly seen trotting when he should be sprinting, waiting when he should be forcing, standing waiting for ball to feet rather than making the play by making the run.

There’s an element of that, nqat, and it’s frustrating, he’s still probably our second most dangerous attacking player, possibly first. We aren’t exactly blessed in that department.

I honestly believe that you get the whole team playing in a system they enjoy and believe in, they work hard. The problem is with the last 3 managers is nobody has believed in any of them.

Should be starting most games imo.

Originally Posted by dunk

There’s an element of that, nqat, and it’s frustrating, he’s still probably our second most dangerous attacking player, possibly first. We aren’t exactly blessed in that department.

I honestly believe that you get the whole team playing in a system they enjoy and believe in, they work hard. The problem is with the last 3 managers is nobody has believed in any of them.

That’s right, but as frustrating as it is with Martial we can’t keep rotating managers to suit players. Sometimes a young player with bags of potential simply doesn’t realise it because he doesn’t have the mentality. Now with Rashford it’s different. He runs all day long but his decision making and keeping his head down can be maddening. But I have high hopes for MR if he becomes a student of the game. If he doesn’t make it, it won’t be because he was lazy, it’ll be because he didn’t learn quickly enough.

As much of a @#%&! as Mourinho is being currently, you can see the way he’s talking up The Scottish Player’s attitude and application has more than one purpose.

I don’t think Martial is lazy, he just wants the ball and wants to be going forward. He doesn’t want to be defending 30 yards from his own goal as a priority. He was mustard consistently during his first season because he was told to attack primarily and was supported. He was practically dropped before his second season started.

The shirt number thing was stupid from the manager, the only way to change an important players number is to give him a more prestigious number or a number he’s asked for.

See Beckham being briefly gutted at losing 10 until he found out he was getting 7. Of course those numbers are on par in general but following Cantona was obviously a huge deal for a young player.

Originally Posted by RemisMoses

Mate he’s a young footballer who’s had probably the most talent through all his life, he’s had his arse kissed from being 7 years old, you can’t judge him as a man on the street. And tbf even a teenager off the street would have a moody about it. Of course it’s not everything but it is another part of the stripping of his confidence. It was another metaphorical kick in the teeth for him. We should be building him up.

His ‘team’ will have been pissed about it as well, saying a number doesn’t matter is a bit daft because these days it matters to the brand.

Sadly this is spot on. Take over a team in League 2 and tell one of the better performing players you're giving his number to a new arrival and it'll be the same. Footballers have sensitive egos. With Martial it won't have helped that he also saw his involvement reduced.

When Mou got the job Martial was one I feared for. Bad combination and the club again not having foresight to see it coming.