United Thread - 2023/24

[Dirty Harry]

He grew up in Northern Moor a couple of doors down from a relative of mine. I'm originally from Wythenshawe (Brooklands council estate) which borders Northern Moor and so my extended family lived on both sides of Baguley Brook.

Always considered the ‘posh’ part when I were a lad.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

BBC found Ten Hag replacement - McKenna.

Ticks many of their boxes:
Boyhood fan
Ex previous employee
Working wonders in a lower status league
Doesn’t thro money around

Kieran McKenna: How Mauricio Pochettino, university and a golf buggy have revitalised Ipswich Town

When Brenner Woolley, the man who has commentated on more than 1,000 Ipswich Town games for BBC Radio Suffolk, says this is "the happiest I've ever known" the club, it isn't just hyperbole.

www.bbc.co.uk

Still amazing how good the BBC are at rolling out a sports item, that hasn’t got much to do with united, and shoehorning united into the title…

It's how you get the idiots clicking.

Nice to see the classic phrase 'boyhood fan' getting another mention. They could sign a player that grew up in a North Korean concentration camp, and they'd still claim that he was a boyhood fan.

 

[KentBlue]

There was never a 'Uni*ed' way of playing - and there never will be. How can there be when managers have to adapt depending on who they are playing and what their set-up might be? You might start a game with 4-4-2 but then have to switch to some other temporary formation because of the way the opposition is playing. There is no formula, there is no blueprint, nothing is set in stone when it comes to tactics. It is down to the management team to make changes if and when they see fit.

The rags hierarchy like to give their supporters the impression that there is a blueprint for the 'correct way' to play the game, and they have the only copy in existence, buried somewhere deep in the vaults of that rotting and decaying edifice known as the swamp. Like they legally own the copyright of how to play the beautiful game.

After all, that club has never had what you might call a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with the truth.


No. They do not have a 'Uni*ed' way of playing. They do have an approach to the game that is unique to themselves though: an approach that was drilled into them on the day that foul-mouthed, bullying despot marched into the swamp - and it's a system they have been trying to replicate since he officially 'retired.' The mantra is: "Win. Win at
any cost. Fuck sportsmanship, just win."
He ran that club like his own private branch of the mafia: like he was the head of the underworld, the Don of the footballing universe. The intimidating of referees and officials, the foul-mouthed and aggressive language he used when he didn't get his own way. His petty and childish reactions to anyone who did not agree with him saw them banned from the swamp until they "came 'round to his way of thinking."

Times have changed, football has changed, society has changed. But the rags are incapable of change because that aura of coercion, the strong-arm tactics, the underhanded transfer dealings and the tyrannical omnipotence are still there in that crimson-faced, lonely and bitter old man sitting there, scowling at everybody because he has nothing left to live for, and nothing to do for the rest of what remains of his futile life except to waste away into eternal obscurity.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

There was never a 'Uni*ed' way of playing - and there never will be. How can there be when managers have to adapt depending on who they are playing and what their set-up might be? You might start a game with 4-4-2 but then have to switch to some other temporary formation because of the way the opposition is playing. There is no formula, there is no blueprint, nothing is set in stone when it comes to tactics. It is down to the management team to make changes if and when they see fit.

Pep changes our style more between seasons than they do when they change their manager. Four managers now, all playing exactly the same boring, defensive, counter-attacking, long-ball shite.

 

[bigstanhibbert]

I'm not sure I agree that Saint Rashford is "hugely wasted potential"... I think he's just a bit shit not to mention lazy.

His overhyped "potential" is just, as usual, a figment of the sycophantic media and deluded rag fans.

you should be a football scout

 

[Andy TheCatalyst Morrison]

There was never a 'Uni*ed' way of playing - and there never will be. How can there be when managers have to adapt depending on who they are playing and what their set-up might be? You might start a game with 4-4-2 but then have to switch to some other temporary formation because of the way the opposition is playing. There is no formula, there is no blueprint, nothing is set in stone when it comes to tactics. It is down to the management team to make changes if and when they see fit.

The rags hierarchy like to give their supporters the impression that there is a blueprint for the 'correct way' to play the game, and they have the only copy in existence, buried somewhere deep in the vaults of that rotting and decaying edifice known as the swamp. Like they legally own the copyright of how to play the beautiful game.

After all, that club has never had what you might call a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with the truth.


No. They do not have a 'Uni*ed' way of playing. They do have an approach to the game that is unique to themselves though: an approach that was drilled into them on the day that foul-mouthed, bullying despot marched into the swamp - and it's a system they have been trying to replicate since he officially 'retired.' The mantra is: "Win. Win at
any cost. Fuck sportsmanship, just win."
He ran that club like his own private branch of the mafia: like he was the head of the underworld, the Don of the footballing universe. The intimidating of referees and officials, the foul-mouthed and aggressive language he used when he didn't get his own way. His petty and childish reactions to anyone who did not agree with him saw them banned from the swamp until they "came 'round to his way of thinking."

Times have changed, football has changed, society has changed. But the rags are incapable of change because that aura of coercion, the strong-arm tactics, the underhanded transfer dealings and the tyrannical omnipotence are still there in that crimson-faced, lonely and bitter old man sitting there, scowling at everybody because he has nothing left to live for, and nothing to do for the rest of what remains of his futile life except to waste away into eternal obscurity.

Excellent post. One of their ex-players, I think it was a goalkeeper (maybe Ben Foster?) said that he left them because he couldn’t stand the “win at all costs” mentality.

 

[Cellarite]

Chatting with one of the rare normal rags in the pub the other night, I offered him my perspective and he got it. Hopefully he’s in the very small minority.

I pointed out that since the FA Cup semi final everything they’ve done as a club has been reactionary. Right from the moment the toe sucking ginger pig chopped Zabaleta in half because they couldn’t stand being beaten by the better team.
We saw how they took their loss as they all tried to pile in on Mario. A guy that didn’t seem to give a fuck about much, but he did hate them. But they couldn’t stand that City no longer suffered their nonsense. Ferguson only really encountered Mourinho that didn’t bend over for him. Even Wenger was happy to be the Bruno to his Tyson. Mancini was not, Cook was not, Mubarak was not.

Ever since that day they’ve been reactionary, signing a 30 year old RVP, something that only months before GPC had said United couldn’t do. Something along the lines of ‘United can’t sign established World clad players in silly money’. From that transfer, Rooney, Ferdinand etc all wanted huge wages. The reaction had set in.

GPC knew his race was ran, fucking off and leaving an ageing and vastly overpaid squad.

From here, they still didn’t learn, gpc insisted on Moyes signalling a refusal to accept change or progression.

We got Pellegrini in, we knew it was a transitional manager working towards where we wanted to be. It didn’t need to be instant success but progression.

United longed for the status quo. Moyes would surely pick up where piss can left off, well, he didn’t and in a desperate move to keep up, once again they tried to emulate Ferguson with Louis Long Ball, he understood the United way, so once again they went back to what they knew. High wide wingers, kick n rush football. Not realising this was dead.

We announce Pep. The single most progressive coach of all time(arguably). What did they do? Mourinho. After all this is “Manchester United” and “Manchester United” only know one way.. The ‘United way’. Only the ‘United way’ was becoming more and more outdated. Mourinho suited that. But even if successful, he’d offer zero progression.

Then we saw 4 years of trying to react to all our signings.
One after the other players rocked up there that we’d either identified as a potential player or a cherry on top type signing.
They weren’t at that stage, they needed solid foundations, not players like Sanchez. Did they learn? No. Still going on about “MANchester Uoonited” and the “United way”.

Whilst all this was going on, off the field they were trying to react to what we were doing. Hurrying through FFP, all sorts of other hurdles for us to jump. They were more concerned with stopping us than actually progressing. They’d become Dick Dastardly. Constantly trying to halt our progress rather than grow their own.

It’s not changed, they’re not learning, off the field they’re still trying to hinder what we do, they’d be better emulating and learning from us, but they won’t because their own fucked ego, delusions of grandeur and that fucking “Yoonited Way” simply can’t allow them to acknowledge that it is not only bullshit, but if it were true, it’s so far out of date, they’re trying to recreate glory days rather than create new glory.

Right up until this week, they keep going on, the media will always continue to go on about United being ‘bigger’. How is that fucking measured? JFE at centre back and a half empty stadium on 70 minutes is not and never will be the actions of the biggest club in the World.
Neville harping on about it being Manchester United, Keane going on about what it means to be captain of United. Neville slaughtering the Glazers for not making sure everything they have is the best… Well Gaz, whilst you all long for what once was, you’ll never realise what needs to be. Old Scaffold needs knocking down, or they need to move. They won’t do that.. Why? Because they’re Manchester Yoonited. Not accepting that all the biggest clubs in the World are doing exactly what they think they can’t do. Barca, Real, Atleti, Juventus, Bayern have or are doing what the ‘Nited’ way won’t allow, as they’ll lose their Soul.. Yep, fuck knows what that means a

And Roy, it means fuck all to be captain at United. The club is a fucking shambles. Obviously the captain is going to be a joke, if he had desire, passion, belief, heart and leadership skills, he’s not at United.

All this overseen by GPC, how do you fucking progress with that shadow looming over the club?

Manchester United are Manchester United’s problem. They can’t see it and hopefully never will.

Sometimes, just sometimes.

Bravo!

 

[Braggster]

I football cycling and I admit I cant see what Brailsford would bring to football. Footballers dont use a machine ! Alot of cycling work of marginal gains are done in a wind tunnel. Working on positioning, clothing, helmets etc.
Of course he works on diet which is to get the cyclist as light as possible but still strong enough for the season.

Dont think any of this will work in football. A six foot tall footballer who weighs 9st lol he'll get knocked over every 5 minutes.

Ineos is not a big cycling power like Team Sky use to be in fact Ineos is a bit like the rags, on the down would slide

The Dave Brailsford thing is interesting. If Ratcliffe does go down this route (assuming he actually buys in and gets control over the footballing operations) I'm not sure it will be successful.

The first thing to say is that Ratcliffe/Brailsford could obviously improve them because their footballing operations are obviously hopeless. So just a level of basic competence would probably lead to better outcomes.

But in terms of the Brailsford stuff (all the guff about marginal gains and suchlike), I'm not sure. Brailsford himself is a difficult person from what I can see. That won't help. But then, football is just better and more competitive from this point of view than it was 10 or 20 years ago. Even if they can improve United's set up there's no reason to think they can put in place a better system than what Brighton or Newcastle have - never mind us or Liverpool.


And football is a bit of a graveyard for this kind of stuff really. At least it is when it's done in an aggressive, high profile way. It's a bit like politics and Harold Macmillan's famous quote about events - they can overtake you very quickly in football, certainly more so than a sport like cycling or even rugby (as happened to Clive Woodward, who in any case seems to me a lot less abrasive than Brailsford).


Also they can't afford to make big changes now really. So they are in a real tough spot.

 

[ShorehamCitizen]

Still puzzles me how he won the league with that shite squad that they had last time they won it.

Van Persie kept popping up whenever they needed it, drawing games they should have lost and winning games they should have drawn, except the Southampton away match which they should have lost but won.

Still a totally dull one man team though in which their total number of goalscorers was like 13 but they were all on like one, two or three goals and Van Persie was on a much higher number. The one against Villa wouldn't have counted if VAR existed back then.

 

[Father Paul]

There was never a 'Uni*ed' way of playing - and there never will be. How can there be when managers have to adapt depending on who they are playing and what their set-up might be? You might start a game with 4-4-2 but then have to switch to some other temporary formation because of the way the opposition is playing. There is no formula, there is no blueprint, nothing is set in stone when it comes to tactics. It is down to the management team to make changes if and when they see fit.

The rags hierarchy like to give their supporters the impression that there is a blueprint for the 'correct way' to play the game, and they have the only copy in existence, buried somewhere deep in the vaults of that rotting and decaying edifice known as the swamp. Like they legally own the copyright of how to play the beautiful game.

After all, that club has never had what you might call a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship with the truth.


No. They do not have a 'Uni*ed' way of playing. They do have an approach to the game that is unique to themselves though: an approach that was drilled into them on the day that foul-mouthed, bullying despot marched into the swamp - and it's a system they have been trying to replicate since he officially 'retired.' The mantra is: "Win. Win at
any cost. Fuck sportsmanship, just win."
He ran that club like his own private branch of the mafia: like he was the head of the underworld, the Don of the footballing universe. The intimidating of referees and officials, the foul-mouthed and aggressive language he used when he didn't get his own way. His petty and childish reactions to anyone who did not agree with him saw them banned from the swamp until they "came 'round to his way of thinking."

Times have changed, football has changed, society has changed. But the rags are incapable of change because that aura of coercion, the strong-arm tactics, the underhanded transfer dealings and the tyrannical omnipotence are still there in that crimson-faced, lonely and bitter old man sitting there, scowling at everybody because he has nothing left to live for, and nothing to do for the rest of what remains of his futile life except to waste away into eternal obscurity.