PAID: Manchester United v Arsenal Official Match Thread 26-09-2019

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

They really weren’t.

So Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester all sacked their managers because they were doing well.

midtable is easier than qualified for the europa imo

Originally Posted by utd99

So Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester all sacked their managers because they were doing well.

He said there were good foundations. Definitely the case at Leicester.

They have a team full of very good players suited to Rodgers' style. And they were all there when he walked in.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

He said there were good foundations. Definitely the case at Leicester.

They have a team full of very good players suited to Rodgers' style. And they were all there when he walked in.

It’s like their board actually put thought into who they hired!

Originally Posted by AK14

It’s like their board actually put thought into who they hired!

And that Rodgers left Celtic at a strange moment precisely because he felt this was a squad he didn't want to pass up. He'd have got another job in England later but he clearly saw something in that group of players.

Let's be honest at no point since Fergie left would any manager have had his head turned by our squad.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

He said there were good foundations. Definitely the case at Leicester.

They have a team full of very good players suited to Rodgers' style. And they were all there when he walked in.

It's easy to say in hindsight; we had a squad full of international players. If we'd bought any of Leicester's players when they did the forum would have been in uproar.

They sold their two best players from the title season, finished just above relegation under the bloke who took over from Ranieri and were deffo bottom half when Puel was binned, though in fairness I do recollect you mentioning how solid their foundation looked.

Originally Posted by utd99

It's easy to say in hindsight; we had a squad full of international players. If we'd bought any of Leicester's players when they did the forum would have been in uproar.

They sold their two best players from the title season, finished just above relegation under the bloke who took over from Ranieri and were deffo bottom half when Puel was binned, though in fairness I do recollect you mentioning how solid their foundation looked.

The good players they have are well suited to the way he plays. That's definitely a good foundation.

Originally Posted by S/Side.Red

The good players they have are well suited to the way he plays. That's definitely a good foundation.

They have players that are responding to him when they didn't really respond to Puel. That was kind of my point. If we don't compare the jobs managers do at their existing or previous clubs how would we ever know who to hire?

Originally Posted by utd99

They have players that are responding to him when they didn't really respond to Puel. That was kind of my point. If we don't compare the jobs managers do at their existing or previous clubs how would we ever know who to hire?

They were never in huge trouble under Puel and got some good results against big sides (beat City iirc) but they have moved up a gear under Rodgers. The foundation line feels fair. It does suggest that they needed something else but had plenty in place.

I think post Ranieri there was definitely a concerted effort to buy young and technical players. Rodgers the ideal target after that.

Originally Posted by atticusgrinch

Klopp took over Liverpool in mid table after they'd just been thrashed by Stoke City didn't he?

Rodgers hadn’t done a generally good job? He just lost the dressing room because he’s a vainglorious, creepy @#%&!. They were capable of playing good football and he didn’t leave them with fundamental problems in the dressing room that had been festering for almost a decade.

Originally Posted by utd99

So Spurs, Liverpool and Leicester all sacked their managers because they were doing well.

Read what I posted.

Originally Posted by utd99

They have players that are responding to him when they didn't really respond to Puel.

Ok. So that means the foundations were good but they just weren’t responding to the manager. Is that the case at united? After the past 7 years or so, do you really think the foundations are good and it’s just a matter of finding the manager they respond to and then it all clicks inside 6 months?

Originally Posted by utd99

Every single one of those teams -with the exception of City who'd been working the Guardiola angle for years- sacked a manager and appointed a new one because they were an utter mess.

So have we, three times.

At some point we need start looking beyond the manager to fix issues out of the managers control.

Originally Posted by Jammy Dodger

Ok. So that means the foundations were good but they just weren’t responding to the manager. Is that the case at united? After the past 7 years or so, do you really think the foundations are good and it’s just a matter of finding the manager they respond to and then it all clicks inside 6 months?

Well you could say the same thing for most players who perform well in some situations and poorly in others; do they represent a good foundation or a shaky one? I don’t know. Theoretically, all of our players who haven’t come through the academy -even the ones we’ve bought and subsequently sold- were at the club because they did well elsewhere; does that make them a good foundation or a bad one? Look at Gnabry, the newest shiny thing; bought by Wenger, consistently underperformed and sold for 5m; not even good enough for West Brom; good or bad?

This is why you can’t avoid comparison between the jobs managers are doing elsewhere and the jobs our managers have done, as tiresome as it is. On the face of it Klopp has bought well; our managers -before Solskjaer- have not. Guardiola appears to have inspired his players to fully embrace his system and philosophy; ours have not. Rodgers has so far done well with a set of players another manager underwhelmed with, and that deserves credit.

I think it’s imperative we give Solskjaer time. The implications of binning another manager before we even know where it’s going is terrible for the club. That doesn’t mean he should be able to hide behind the screen of a re-build. As Keane said, you need to be careful you don’t get caught up with this whole idea of a rebuild and forget you’re paid to win football matches.

I have faith in Ole, it just doesn’t need to look this bad.

Originally Posted by marlo

ole had made us worse that we were under Mourinho

it depends whether you put any value on the medium-term or watchability. it also depends which period of mou you focus on (and which period of ole).

mourinho was a miserable @#%&! who had us playing shit football that was unwatchable. there is no comparison. ole brings hope. hiring mourinho was giving up.