Premier League – Another Away Defeat, This Time in Nottingham

Manchester United traveled to the East Midlands of England earlier today for a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. United were looking to continue their winning momentum having beaten Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, while Forest were also looking to continue their winning form under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo. For a team like Forest in a relegation battle, every point they can scrape matters. The points mattered for United and manager Erik ten Hag as well, but for the visitors it was more about putting in a competent performance and playing with the consistency that has eluded them this season.

The atmosphere inside the City Ground was electric and high energy from the start, although the play on the pitch in the first half from both sides was decidedly dull. Forest were probably slightly better on the balance of things, mainly because United were absolutely anemic in attack. They put together some decent moves towards the end of the half, but the shots on goal were few and far between. Forest failed to score as well, but they looked much more cohesive when in possession. For the umpteenth time this season, United looked clueless in attack. A key substitution was made at halftime by ETH, with defensive midfielder Kobbie Mainoo being replaced by fellow midfielder Scott McTominay. More on this substitution below.

The second half was much more high-energy and uptempo from both sides. Forest grew into the game considerably well, likely buoyed by their home support. The opening goal came from midfielder Nicolas Dominguez, who slotted home past United keeper Andre Onana on the hour mark. Hard to say Forest didn’t deserve it, but the defending from United was very poor. As a defensive midfielder, McTominay was responsible for defending the edge of the box. For whatever reason though, he wasn’t there and Dominguez was given an opening from which to shoot. Onana maybe could have done better with his positioning, but McTominay has to be in position to make a clearance in situations like this one.

I was resigned to another away defeat for United given their lack of urgency going forward, but the Red Devils responded a bit (finally) after going down 1-0. Left back Diogo Dalot struck the post after a good move, and United got an equalizer on 78 minutes thanks to some good pressing from winger Alejandro Garnacho and a bad mistake by Forest keeper Matt Turner. Turner had been having issues playing the ball out from the back for most of the half, and Garnacho jumped on one of his many unconvincing passes. He won the ball about 20 yards out from goal, after which he found winger/forward Marcus Rashford to his left. The Forest defense was scrambling to get back, and Rashford was able to curve a shot along the ground past Turner for 1-1. The goal came about more because of the mistake from Turner than anything else, but of course it counted all the same. I would have been more than pleased with a 1-1 given how the match had gone, as well. Well done to Rashford for finishing clinically despite not being in good scoring form this season.

Unfortunately, United’s defense was undone again just four minutes later by attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. United were pushing for a winner, but were caught out on a swift counter-attack organized by winger (and former United player) Anthony Elanga. Elanga brought the ball forward before centering it along the ground for Gibbs-White, who curled a spectacular shot around center-back Jonny Evans that crept inside Onana’s left-hand post. Again, a fine move and finish from Forest, but where was the marking from United? Evans and fellow center back Raphael Varane weren’t communicating properly, and McTominay was again nowhere to be found when he was supposed to be covering the edge of the box. Gibbs-White is a talented player, and he was given far too much room to shoot. 2-1 to Forest.

United pushed again for another equalizer and were aided by a staggering 10 minutes of stoppage time, but the best they could muster was a deflected effort from midfielder Bruno Fernandes that was saved by Turner. A few more routine saves from the American keeper helped Forest out the rest of the match, and the Garibaldi Reds 2-1 winners on the day. It was their first ever victory over United at the City Ground, and it was a crucial three points towards their survival at the end of the season. All credit to Forest and Nuno, but United were bad yet again.

Frustratingly, there was again a lack of urgency and desire from the players until they were already down 1-0. I don’t know why they don’t start trying until they’re already losing. Another big factor was ETH’s initial tactics and substitutions. He insists on playing Garnacho on the left wing, with opposite winger Antony dos Santos occupying the right wing. This is a good idea if both are encouraged to cut inside and get shots away from distance, but teams have figured out that tactic and they know how to prevent it. Antony in particular was poor today. It’s not a coincidence that United improved when he was taken off and replaced by fellow winger Amad Diallo. Antony has scored just one goal in 33 matches in 2023, and he has not justified his £85 million price tag. I don’t know why ETH simply doesn’t swap Garnacho and Antony so they can ping crosses in with their preferred foot. The “cutting inside to shoot” tactic isn’t working and hasn’t worked, so why not try something different?

Further, taking off Mainoo for McTominay was utterly baffling from ETH. Mainoo has been one of our better midfielders since breaking into the first team earlier this season, and he was doing fairly well at helping to control the midfield. So why was he taken off? There was no injury or yellow card situation for him, but ETH still elected to take him off at halftime anyway. As has been discussed before on this blog, McTominay is not a defensive midfielder. He is simply not good at it and is much more suited to attacking than the defending. It could be argued that McTominay was at fault for both Forest goals due to being out of position both times. United may still have lost anyway, but I think Mainoo would have done much better at helping the defense than McTominay did.

This is the first match where I’ve really questioned what ETH is trying to do. He needs to stop trying to make the inverted winger tactic work, and he really needs to ensure that McTominay is not playing as a defensive midfielder. Is it stubbornness from the Dutchman? Lack of options? I know the injuries have been bad this season, but I think United could have nicked a draw today had Mainoo been on the pitch longer. ETH really needs to re-evaluate his tactics, and the team selection needs further scrutiny as well. Put Antony on the left, Garnacho on the right, and stick a center forward between the two of them with Bruno in behind. Let’s get a lot more players into the box and have the wingers play crosses in to them. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, there needs to be a lot more desire and drive from a good portion of this United team.

United remain 7th in the Premier League table, but could fall as far as 9th once Brighton and Newcastle play their games in hand tomorrow. Next up, it’s a short trip to Wigan, England for a match in the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic. The FA Cup is our last chance at a trophy this season, and ETH really needs a victory there to restore some of the supporters’ faith in him. If they lose to a lower league side in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, the seat underneath ETH will become very hot indeed.

Glazers Out!

Manchester United: It’s Been Bad, But Is There Light On the Horizon?

It’s been a while since I last wrote, but truthfully there hasn’t been a lot to write about aside from bad news. Since their victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford on December 6, Manchester United have lost to Bournemouth (bad), lost to Bayern Munich (almost as bad), drew with Liverpool away (not too shabby), then lost again to West Ham (bad). I have been calling for the Red Devils to play with consistency this whole season, and they have responded with consistency – consistently being bad. Be careful what you wish for, I guess.

The biggest change at United in recent weeks is the acquisition of 25% of the club’s ownership stake by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his company Ineos. This sale has been pending for over a year and many were wondering if it would even happen, but the move was finally announced on Christmas Eve. More on this takeover below.

Things were heading down a losing path yet again today, when they hosted 3rd place Aston Villa at Old Trafford, one of the many fixtures on a busy Boxing Day. The Villans, coached by the ever-capable Frenchman Unai Emery, were up 2-0 by halftime. United looked rather listless as usual, and there was no pattern to their play. Many in the terraces and online were calling for manager Erik ten Hag to be sacked, mostly out of frustration rather than logic. The tactics were unclear, the defense was leaking goals, and there didn’t seem to be any fight in the team. It was shaping up to be another disappointing day, despite the presence of United legends Robin Van Persie and Edwin Van Der Sar in the stands.

But the second half of this match will be one for the memory banks of the United faithful. United were the better team from the resumption of play onward. Winger Alejandro Garnacho had a goal (dubiously) disallowed by VAR on 50 minutes for an alleged offside. He was undeterred by that setback though, and found himself scoring a goal that stood on 57 minutes. Midfielder Bruno Fernandes pressed at the right time and won the ball while Villa were trying to build possession, after which he played a brilliant pass up the left flank onto the run of winger/forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford squared the ball along the ground, and it fell to the feet of the onrushing Garnacho for a relatively simple tap-in back across the face of Emiliano Martinez’s goal. Villa were still up, but the game was very much on! Much better tempo and directness from the Red Devils.

Garnacho wasn’t finished, either. He got United’s equalizer on 71 minutes, and it was the result of another quick-moving and incisive attack. The ball was won in the center circle by midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who then played it out wide to Garnacho on the right wing. Garnacho brought the ball forward a bit more and then played it even further out to the right to Bruno on an overlapping run. Garnacho then moved more towards the center of the pitch, and Bruno pinged in a cross that was deflected into the exact space Garnacho was running towards. He hit it first time from about 12 yards out, and it took a minor deflection off a Villa defender before hitting the back of Martinez’s net! 2-2!

There was still plenty of time for United to find a winner, and that’s precisely what they did on 82 minutes. They had won a corner, with Bruno swinging in the ball from the right wing in the air. The ball took two deflections off of Villa players before falling directly to the feet of striker Rasmus Højlund. Højlund instinctively swung at the ball with his left foot while it was still in the air, and it banged into the back of the net off the inside of the left hand post. A true striker’s goal – predatory in nature. He was in the right place at the right time, and while it wasn’t a pretty finish, he did exactly what he needed to do in the circumstance. Højlund has scored 5 goals in Europe for United this season, but he had yet to open his domestic account before today. What a time to get your first Premier League goal, too! A late winner in front of the Stretford End at Old Trafford. That’s the stuff dreams are made of! You could see how much it meant to Højlund emotionally, too. The young man was in tears while his teammates and the crowd celebrated all around him. It was a huge relief for him, and everyone was incredibly happy for the lad. After an agonizing final 20 minutes and an even more agonizing 9 (nine!) minutes of stoppage time, the whistle blew and United had their first win in close to 3 weeks.

Well done from the front three in the second half today. Rashford looked like the Rashford of last season, Garnacho turned in a Man of the Match performance on the right wing, and Højlund did well to bag his first Prem goal and the winner. Great game from Bruno as well. He didn’t get on the score sheet, but his tenacity and technique played a role in all three goals. Quick and incisive chance-creation is key to the tactics and style of play of ETH, and it was on full display in the second half. The main takeaway though is that the players upped their tempo and desire today. It’s truly amazing what this team can do when they actually try. We have all the talent and skill a manager could ask for, but desire, passion, and determination have been lacking this season. There’s no reason why United can’t win every game they play if they play with the level of energy and belief they had today in the second half. They need to remember that when they play hard, they usually get a favorable result.

It will be interesting to see what United’s new part-owners do going forward. It was a good start to their tenure today, but there’s still plenty to work on going forward. The challenges to be faced are numerous. While it’s unclear what specific tasks are to be handled by Ineos/Ratcliffe, it seems they will primarily be football-related and less finance-related. The squad needs further revamping, the youth academy needs investment, the medical staff are behind on the times, and Old Trafford is in dire need of repairs and improvements. It’s a daunting task ahead of them to get United back to the top of European club football, but they should be given every opportunity and be afforded patience by supporters. Ratcliffe has a history of doing well in sports business, and more importantly he was a Manchester United supporter as a child. That means he understands what this club what means to people at the local level. He sees it as more than just a money-making venture, something the much-hated Glazers seem to be unable to fathom.

Ratcliffe and his team have taken a good first step in writing an open letter to the Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST), a prominent fan group that has been leading the vocal criticisms of the Glazer family. In that letter, they made it clear that the results from the past 10 years or so are not acceptable and that he is just as “ambitious” as the club’s supporters are. And while the contents of the letter are important, they are of secondary importance to the mere fact that Ineos/Ratcliffe has taken the time to directly address the supporters. Ratcliffe has been part owner for a grand total of 2 days, and he’s already done more to address the concerns of supporters than the Glazers have for the better part of 18 years. All he had to do was write a letter saying “we hear you, and we’re going to try to fix things”. Of course, being a better owner than the Glazers is a low bar to clear, but he is definitely as emotionally invested in the success of the team as he is financially invested. If the club’s fortunes turn around in the next year or two, one would hope that a full sale of the club would be next on the cards. Ratcliffe will likely help improve things,

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out! Happy Boxing Day!

Premier League: A Tale of Two Matches – Newcastle and Chelsea

The past two matches have seen United lose away to Newcastle 1-0, followed by a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford earlier today. The Red Devils looked god-awful against Newcastle at the weekend and probably should have lost by a bigger margin. In contrast, they looked borderline spectacular against Chelsea and probably should have won by more. But there were only four days between these matches, so how can a team like United look so bad in one match and then play so wonderfully in the next one? Well, there’s several reasons…

Location, Location, Location

United have been dismal away from home during the tenure of manager Erik ten Hag. No two ways about it. They haven’t beaten a top-half of the table side away from home since 2021. St. James’ Park in the northeast of England is a cold and dreary place to play, and the fans there always create a tough atmosphere. United’s away form against the big clubs is easily the toughest nut ETH has yet to crack.

At home however, United are a juggernaut. They don’t lose often within the hallowed halls of Old Trafford. Indeed, they have claimed the scalps of some of the biggest clubs in Europe when playing in front of 75,000 screaming United supporters. Old Trafford has been a fortress during ETH’s time in charge, and it’s walls held firm for the most part again today.

The Opposition

Newcastle are a better team than Chelsea, as things stand. Chelsea have tons of new signings and a manager (Mauricio Pochettino) who is still trying to figure out his best XI players. Manager Eddie Howe at Newcastle has his lads drilled exceptionally well and they have the financial backing of an oil state, which has allowed them to bring in some very talented players.

Line-Ups

ETH shuffled the deck quite a bit between the previous match and the one today, largely because he had to. Forwards Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have been in poor form for weeks now, with Rashford playing particularly poorly in the previous match. Those two players were dropped to the bench in favor of winger Antony dos Santos and striker Rasmus Højlund respectively. Further, midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was given a start, paired with Scott McTominay in midfield.

Højlund and Antony both had stellar games, and Amrabat put in a very good shift as well. Antony won a penalty on 8 minutes that midfielder Bruno Fernandes failed to convert, and even though Højlund has yet to open his Premier League scoring account, he was tireless in his running today and put himself about on the pitch in a way that continually caused problems for Chelsea. Amrabat had a key tackle in the buildup to McTominay’s opener on 19 minutes as well. I am really happy with how Mainoo played when he came on as a substitute. He didn’t do particularly well against Newcastle, but his pairing with Amrabat in the center of the park really seemed to suit him. Mainoo has the energy and athleticism, while Amrabat has a ton of experience playing at the highest levels. Their styles of play compliment each other well.

Effort

You would think that a team full of professional athletes wouldn’t need to be told to play hard and put in good effort. Counter-intuitively though, it seems that’s exactly what was needed. The effort on display from the players in red was easily the biggest contrast to the loss against Newcastle last weekend. The majority of the team was guilty of bad effort last weekend, but I want to talk about a single player specifically.

I don’t know what’s wrong with Rashford. He’s in the “effort” section because he showed zero of it against Newcastle, and when he came on today against Chelsea in the closing minutes, he proceeded to again show zero of it. I just don’t get it. He’s not running anywhere. He walks or jogs when running is definitely required. I know he knows this, but no one is going to be a world-class footballer if they don’t run. The media is rampant with speculation that he’s squabbling with ETH or somehow unhappy with how things are going. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but his lack of effort is totally unprofessional. It’s okay to be frustrated or upset with the manager. It’s okay to not be happy when the team is in inconsistent form. The unacceptable thing is not trying! The professional thing to do would be to go out and give 100% even if you’re frustrated, so that supporters know you’re at least trying. I am a big fan of Rashford and have been since he came up through the United youth academy, but I’m not going to defend his lack of effort anymore.

Since this post is all about contrasts, let’s contrast Rashford’s lack of effort with another maligned United player – center back Harry Maguire. This is a man who was stripped of the captaincy in the off-season, and was only seeing so much playing time this year because of injuries to fellow center backs Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane. I don’t think I’ve seen a player take the amount of stick that Maguire gets on social media every time he makes a mistake. It’s absolutely brutal. Maguire’s season started off extremely rough and the noise around his form was quite loud, but he kept his head down and kept himself focused on the game. He was a rock at the center of defense today, his overall play in the month of November earned him the accolade of Premier League Player of the Month, awarded to him today. Rashford should take note of how Maguire ignored all the noise around him and just focused on working hard and playing hard. Even if Martinez and Varane were suddenly fit to play, it would be hard for ETH to drop Maguire due to his excellent form. Both of them are extremely talented players, but one is displaying focus and determination right now, while the other is not.

Tactics and Execution

Interestingly, the tactics in the Newcastle match and the Chelsea match today were not all that different. ETH does not deviate much from his preferred 4-2-3-1, with the players running a counter-press when out of possession, and building from the back when in possession. In order to effectively play the counter-press, every attacking and midfield player needs to know when to press and on which opposing player. Vitally, the players must be willing to run at the opposition, and not just let them have possession without pressure. If one player doesn’t press effectively, ETH’s system is practically neutered. This is almost exactly what happened Newcastle. We had an attacking player who didn’t feel like running anywhere, and as a result we didn’t create anything for the first 80 minutes.

Højlund, Antony, Bruno, Amrabat, and winger Alejandro Garnacho all executed the tactics wonderfully today. They were coordinated in their press and Chelsea often looked rudderless at times due to it. Amrabat pressing the ball in the attacking third is what led to United’s first goal! They forced Chelsea into a turnover in a dangerous area, and United punished the Blues for it. ETH football in a nutshell. The finishing was poor today and United should have had at least 4 goals, and that has to improve, but the chance creation was so much better today. Credit to McTominay for getting both United goals. The Scotsman is in truly wonderful attacking form this season, and being given license by ETH to roam forward a bit more has suited him well.

ETH has faced some frankly ridiculous media speculation in the past four days that his job may be in jeopardy if United’s poor form continued. The media were trying to generate headlines and clicks of course, but this match should end any wild conjecture that ETH will be sacked soon or that he’s somehow lost the locker room. It’s clear he’s the man to bring us out of this mess. He knows this team is far from perfect and that there is still a ways to go before we are back at the top, but we’re headed in the right direction. He has the tactical nous for the job as has been evidenced, and it seems he has finally learned to drop players in poor form. Man-management is a criminally under-appreciated aspect of what it takes to be the manager of a multi-billion pound football club. You have to be able to manage the often very large egos of professional athletes, and it’s a skill that takes a very deft touch. There is an abundance of evidence that the overwhelming majority of the players believe in him and what he’s trying to do. The Glazers still need to sell the team and leave, but it’s clear we finally have the right manager at the helm.

Conclusion

A changed line-up, better effort, and better execution are the main reasons why United were so much better today against Chelsea than against Newcastle last week. As has been said a thousand times on this blog though, the inconsistency has to stop. I won’t be celebrating this club’s resurrection until we win the Premier League title again, and inconsistent teams do not win titles. Well done against Chelsea today, but if we have another Newcastle away-type match, it means little.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Champions League: A Chaotic Draw in Türkiye

Manchester United traveled to Türkiye last Wednesday for the penultimate match in their Champions League group stage campaign for a match against Galatasaray at Rams Park in Istanbul. It was a positively terrifying atmosphere, with the home support in full throat before, during, and after the match. Foreign clubs can and often do struggle in such a hostile atmosphere, which makes Turkish clubs very difficult to beat when they are at home. United needed 3 points to resuscitate a fairly dead European campaign, while Galatasaray also needed a victory to cement their claim on second place in the group.

The Red Devils got off to a flying start, getting two goals in the opening 20 minutes. Winger Alejandro Garnacho carried on his good form from the weekend and got the first with a high finish from close range, followed by midfielder Bruno Fernandes seven minutes later. Bruno picked up the ball on the left wing outside the box, then took a touch or two before unleashing a screamer of a shot from 20 yards out that Galatasaray keeper Fernando Muslera could do nothing about. The raucous crowd in Istanbul, while still loud, was the quietest it had been all evening.

The Cimbom were undeterred though. Bruno needlessly gave away a free kick in a dangerous area around the 28 minute mark, and United were punished for that recklessness by winger/forward Hakim Ziyech. He hit a low free-kick along the ground that went under the United wall and wrong-footed keeper Andre Onana. Well struck by Ziyech, but Onana likely should have done better to get down and make the save. It was 2-1 at the end of the first 45 minutes though, and United had done well to not concede another before halftime.

Midfielder Scott McTominay got a third goal for United on 55 minutes, and it was the result of well-executed build up from the back by United. After playing the ball through the middle of the pitch, winger Antony dos Santos found right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka on an overlapping run to his right. AWB delivered a beautiful cross into the box that fell right at the feet of the sliding McTominay. He turned the ball in from close range, and restored United’s two goal cushion. 3-1!

Again though, Galatasaray proved they have a great resilience about them. They won another free kick in a dangerous area just 7 minutes after the McTominay goal, similar to the position they had at the opposite end in the first half. Ziyech stepped up to take the free kick again, and he forced Onana to dive to his right to try and make the save. Unfortunately for Onana, the ball somehow ricocheted off his hand backwards and into the net. Ziyech wheeled away in celebration as Rams Park erupted, but this goal was down to Onana completely misjudging the shot and failing to keep it out. It was a pretty bad howler from him, and it continued United’s unfortunate trend of goalkeeping errors leading to opposition goals in the Champions League. More on Onana below.

The home side were galvanized by the mistake, and suddenly started playing with a lot more confidence. They got their equalizer on 71 minutes when winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu buried a fine shot past Onana from just inside the penalty area. He was found by an excellent pass over the top from Ziyech, with the United defense undone. United were guilty of poor marking on this goal, and they perhaps could have done more to stop the build-up from the back. But take nothing away from Ziyech and Aktürkoğlu. It was a goal of quality, and probably deserved from a neutral point of view.

The match ended 3-3, although many in Istanbul would have felt that Galatasaray were the better side and likely should have had a 4th if not for VAR overturning a penalty against United. The home side were particularly better in the second half. I hate to pin this result on one man because football is team sport, but Onana really let the side down in this match. There’s no getting around it. The first goal likely should have been saved, and the second one definitely should have been saved. The defense has really cost us in this group stage campaign. We have conceded 14 goals in these 5 matches, several of which were the fault of Onana. You can’t reasonably pin all the blame on him, but this was a guy that was touted for his ability to play in the Champions League. He was very good for Inter Milan in this tournament last year, helping them to reach the final. But for whatever reason this year, he has not done well. The defense doesn’t help him sometimes, but other times it’s very unclear what Onana is doing between the sticks. That said, he has been very good domestically this season. He is one of the better keepers in the Premier League, but for some reason his play drops significantly in Europe. Despite the bad match today, I still believe in Onana for a variety of reasons and I am sure he will improve.

The draw leaves United’s hopes for qualification to the knockout stages hanging by the proverbial thread. They are rock bottom of Group A on 4 points. They not only need to defeat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in the final game, they then have to hope for a draw between FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray. Any other result in that match will see the Danish or Turkish side qualify in lieu of United. If United finish third in the group they would qualify for the Europa League, but I personally do not want us to have to participate in that tournament this year. The last thing we need would be more fixtures in far away countries that would most likely end up being meaningless. We need to either crash out completely in 4th, or hope that fortune favors us and we finish 2nd. The Premier League and FA Cup are way more important to me personally this year than the Europa League. My prediction for that final match day? United beats Bayern, but it ultimately doesn’t matter because Galatasaray is going to beat Copenhagen and clinch 2nd place. United will end up in the Europa League thanks to finishing 3rd, much to my would-be chagrin.

Taken as a one-off, this wasn’t a bad result. 3-3 in Istanbul is usually nothing to be ashamed of. But what bothers me the most about this match is that United blew a 2 goal lead twice! They were up 2-0 and then again at 3-1, and at this level of professional football that should be a victory. The good quality goal for Galatasaray to make it 3-3 never should have been anything more than a consolation goal. This team clearly still has issues with mental toughness and resiliency. There have been several occasions both in Europe and domestically where United have blown leads this season, and manager Erik ten Hag needs to sort that out immediately. To be fair, United have seen out their fair share of close victories this season as well, but they seem to crumble when resiliency is needed the most. This current iteration/generation of United players need to learn how to consistently win games, and that will only come with more time and practice at it. They do seem to be getting better about managing leads, but this match was a stark reminder that there is still a ways to go.

United face another difficult test in their next match, a trip to St. James’ Park to play Newcastle on December 2nd in the Prem. This will be a tough match, but also a great opportunity for United to build on their away win at Everton last weekend.

Glazers Out!

Premier League: An Impressive Victory at Everton

Manchester United traveled 30 miles west to Liverpool for a match against Everton FC at Goodison Park yesterday. This was the first match after the resumption of the international break, and the Red Devils were happy to have left back Luke Shaw back in the team after a long injury layoff. Manager Erik ten Hag handed a debut to 18 year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, who started alongside midfielder Scott McTominay in the center of the pitch. Everton, their supporters, and manager Sean Dyche were definitely motivated to get a positive result in this match, having (wrongly, in my opinion) been docked 10 points by the Premier League for violations of the Financial Fair Play rules.

Despite the restless and raucous atmosphere inside Goodison, it was United who got off to a flying start just 3 minutes into the match when winger/forward Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring with an absolutely stunning overhead bicycle kick. I could describe it in detail, but Bill Shakespeare himself couldn’t put the words together to describe this beauty of a strike!

The goal went viral quickly, and if you haven’t seen it, give it a watch. It was good play from United to get it up the pitch quickly, but the cross from right back Diogo Dalot was a little bit behind Garnacho. All credit to the 19 year-old Argentine for his technique and the audacity to pull off something so grand. 1-0 to United!

Everton were unmoved, however. Despite being behind, they were mostly the better side for the rest of the first half. Keeper Andre Onana was on hand to make a double save around the half hour mark, after which the ball was cleared off the line by Mainoo. The United defense was holding up alright, but in attack they were again struggling to create chances for a second goal. Despite Everton’s dominance, they couldn’t capitalize and it remained 1-0 at halftime.

United got their second goal on 50 minutes, thanks to finally catching a break from VAR. Striker Anthony Martial looked to have been fouled in the box by Everton right back (and former United player) Ashley Young, but the referee did not give a penalty and also booked Martial for diving. VAR checked the incident though, and upon replays it was clear that Young stuck his leg out and tripped Martial in an effort to get to the ball. Martial’s yellow was rescinded and a penalty was given. Initially, midfielder Bruno Fernandes had his hands on the ball to take the kick, but then he walked over and handed the ball to winger/forward Marcus Rashford. Rashford stepped up and buried the penalty into the upper-left corner of the goal, with Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford unable to do anything about it. Rashford has been in poor goal-scoring form this season, so perhaps Bruno sensed he needed this penalty to raise his confidence a bit. Aside from this goal though, Rashford had another poor performance. His passing and awareness were bad for most of the game. He does not seem to be injured, but rather distracted. His head isn’t in the game, as it were. A very recent post of his on social media indicates he is mourning the death of a family member, which may be part of the reason for his absent-minded play. If that’s the case, I don’t blame him at all for playing poor today. I hope he takes care of his mental health first and foremost, and I think the penalty will help with his confidence. 2-0 to United!

United continued to run at the Everton back-4 in search of a third, and came close a few times before eventually getting that third goal from Martial on 75 minutes. The ball was won in midfield thanks to a good press, and there was an exchange of passes between Martial, Bruno, and substitute winger Facundo Pellistri near and beyond the center circle. Pellistri played a return pass to Bruno on the edge of the area, who found Martial on a run just ahead of him with a beautifully weighted pass. The Everton defense was all over the place, and Martial took a touch to knock it into space before deftly lifting the ball over the onrushing Pickford. 3-0 to United, and game over! Everton managed to hit the crossbar a few minutes after the third goal, but there was no major action after that.

For the first time this season, United looked convincing away from home. This is also the first time they’ve won by multiple goals on the road in close to a full season. All three forwards scored in this match, which is yet another positive that hasn’t happened often this year. The first goal will grab all the headlines, but for me the most important goal was the third one. The first goal was a piece of individual brilliance, and the second goal was the result of VAR actually working as it’s supposed to, but the third was the exact sort of goal ETH has been looking for all season. We pressed in midfield, won the ball back in the center of the park, and were quickly away down to the other end to create a chance. Press + passing = goal. That is the footballing philosophy that ETH wants this team to employ. We don’t need 70% possession. We don’t need 500 passes. We need to get the ball, pass the ball, and score a goal. It’s what this team is built to do, and it’s fantastic that they finally remembered how to do it. Brilliant from Martial, Bruno, and Pellistri. Also a quick shout-out to Mainoo, who had a very impressive debut. He’s only 18, but bossed the midfield like a man ten years older. His passing, positioning, awareness, and tackling were all excellent.

The challenge now is to go out and do it again in the next match. Consistency must be the next step in the process. It’s no coincidence that some good form has returned now that some key players have finally returned from injury. Everton are not the best team of course, but to win like this in a very hostile atmosphere is nothing to minimize. This was a big win, no two ways about it. As I have said many times though, winning like this means nothing if they can’t go out and replicate it.

United have won 5 out of their last 6 Premier League matches, and find themselves 6th in the table. They are just four points from fourth, and a scant six points off the top. They next play Galatasaray in Istanbul on Wednesday, which will make Goodison look like a tea party in terms of the atmosphere. Turkiye is an insanely difficult place for foreign clubs to play, and frankly I won’t be upset if the result is less than positive. The European campaign this season may already be doomed due to previous results, and I don’t want the club to have to play in the Europa League for the rest of the year should they fail to finish 2nd in the group. Let’s give it a good effort, but if we lose it’s not the end of the world. This team needs to focus on the Prem and the FA Cup the rest of the season.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Euro Qualifiers: England Win Group C!

The November international break saw England play their final two competitive matches before next summer’s Euro 2024 in Germany. They played host to minnows Malta at Wembley last Friday, after which they traveled to North Macedonia for the final qualifying match. England’s victory over Italy last October sealed their qualification for the tournament, but there was still the matter of winning the group so as to ensure they got a more favorable group stage draw next summer as a “seeded” team.

These matches were largely unremarkable. England beat Malta 2-0, thanks to a Maltese own goal followed up by yet another Harry Kane strike in the second half. North Macedonia was a trickier foe, with England managing a 1-1 draw against them earlier today in Skopje. Kane got the key touch on England’s equalizer today as well, but it was officially scored as a North Macedonian own-goal.

While these results were decidedly lackluster with England often looking devoid of creativity and invention, it’s important to remember the context in which these matches were played. For one, England had already qualified for Euro 2024 due to their excellent match last month and previous positive results. That meant that several key players (including star midfielder Jude Bellingham) pulled out from the squad to rest themselves during this long and grueling club season. For two, manager Gareth Southgate was attempting to experiment with tactics a bit and see what players on the fringes of selection would be worth bringing along to Germany next summer. Any time you experiment with lineups and tactics at the national level, there is bound to be some amount of disjointed play. Still, England won Group C by 6 points, which is an accomplishment of note given that Italy and Ukraine were in this group. Italy also qualified in 2nd place today, with Ukraine likely headed for a playoff after finishing 3rd.

Any time England plays, whether it be a friendly or the final of a major tournament, you can always expect a hyperbolic reaction from pundits and supporters. Only England fans can manage to find a way to be upset about a win or otherwise positive result in such spectacularly over-the-top fashion. Many England fans online and in the papers have taken these results as evidence of how the team will play next summer, which is rather asinine. Everyone needs to calm down and relax! These were effectively friendly matches, given their low-stakes. It’s very clear no one in an England shirt was taking them super seriously. I have every confidence that the lads will be able to turn on the juice again once things get hot in the kitchen next summer. The return of Bellingham and other regular first-team players will inject some life into the side as well. It’s true these matches weren’t inspiring or entertaining to watch, but England got the job done in the end. England have done all they need to do to set up a deep run in the tournament so far, and they did it with room to spare. I guarantee that things will look much different come tournament time.

As has been stated by me and many others many times though, qualification is usually not England’s issue. The Three Lions usually do qualify for all major tournaments. The measure of success for this current iteration of England under Southgate is success at the tournament itself. We’ve gotten very close to winning something several times going back to 2018, but they haven’t quite gotten themselves over the finish line. The form of Kane, Bellingham, winger/forward Bukayo Saka, and winger/forward Marcus Rashford will be vital to England’s chances. Kane and Bellingham are arguably the two best players in the world right now, so here’s to hoping they remain uninjured between now and next summer.

Southgate himself faces a big test next summer as well. This could be his last tournament as England manager, so he and all the players will want him to go out with a bang. There’s no better way to do that than by winning England’s first major trophy in what will be 58 years by then. There aren’t many concerns about whether or not England are talented enough to win. By all accounts, they very much are. The concern is the conservative play style usually employed by Southgate at major tournaments. England have at times looked unsure of what they’re doing going forward, opting instead to retain fairly harmless possession in the middle of the pitch. Southgate is also at times too unwilling to change things until its too late. Will he finally take the shackles off England’s talented attack? Will he opt to remain with playing conservative? A mix of the two? It’s unclear. We can only hope he has learned from his mistakes in the past and tries something new when the tactics are not going according to plan. He’s not a bad manager by any stretch of the imagination. Indeed, he is England’s most successful manager since 1966. But is he the right man for this England team at this time? We will find out next summer.

Three Lions on the Shirts!

Manchester United: Victory Over Luton Town and Big Premier League News

Sorry for the delay in writing this match report. I started a new job this week and had to focus on that. Much to my chagrin, this blog does not pay the bills!

United defeated newly-promoted Luton Town 1-0 in a nervy win at Old Trafford on November 11th. The goal was from center back Victor Lindelof, who swept home with a high finish on 59 minutes after the Hatters failed to properly clear their lines. While the scoreline was a narrow one, United could have easily had 2 or 3 goals if not for some woeful finishing by winger Alejandro Garnacho and forward Marcus Rashford. However, the positive news is that they were consistently creating chances against a team defending in the low block. That is something that has not really happened this season, so it was good to see a bit more creativity. Yes, the finishing must improve, but there was a direction and purpose about the team in this match. Manager Erik ten Hag can hang his hat on that improvement. A win is a win of course, but more goals will need to be scored so as to improve on United’s pitiful goal differential.

United went into the November international break 6th in the Premier League table on 21 points, having won 4 of their last 5 matches in the domestic league. Given how crap they’ve been to start this season, things could be much worse. They are 7 points off Man City in first place, and 5 points off of Tottenham in fourth place. The team must continue to improve and get healthy, but things could be a lot worse. United will travel to Liverpool to play Everton on November 26th, after the international break ends. England play their final two Euro 2024 qualifiers this month, with one of them happening today against Malta at Wembley. I will do a separate post after the final qualifying match against North Macedonia on Monday, November 20th to recap all of the action.

Speaking of Everton though, there was some absolutely massive news announced today by the Football Association (FA) concerning them. It was announced today that Everton would be docked 10 points for violations of the rules surrounding Financial Fair Play (FFP). The FFP rules are often murky and difficult to understand even for the most diligent and learned of football fans, but what it boils down to in this case is that Everton have lost too much money in the past three seasons. English top-flight clubs are permitted to lose a maximum £105m over three years, and an independent commission supposedly found Everton’s losses through 2021-22 amounted to £124.5m. It is also rumored that Everton will be sued for hundreds of millions of pounds by other clubs that were relegated in the past two seasons. Everton is appealing the points deduction of course, but if it stands it will be a massive blow to their hopes of avoiding relegation this season. Everton were in 14th place and and 9 points clear of the drop before today, but now they find themselves in 19th place and 2 points away from safety. This is a huge, huge deal. I don’t recall the last time a team were given a points deduction from the FA in the middle of a season, and 10 points is the biggest deduction ever handed out to a club by the FA.

A couple of things on this, though. For one, FFP is a far from perfect set of rules and I think ten points is a harsh penalty to pay. If they were indeed in violation of the rules surrounding the clubs finances then fine, but how is this penalty supposed to help a cash-strapped club like Everton fix their finances? Relegation would be even more devastating to them financially. Is the FA trying to send a message to the club’s owners regarding spending? Perhaps, but taking away Premier League television revenue (should they be relegated) will not help Everton bring in more money to offset those losses. The punishment does not fit the crime, if you ask me.

Further, the application of FFP rules are not evenly applied to every club. Oil-rich Manchester City are also under investigation for (numerous!) violations of FFP, but the prospect of the reigning champions being given a points deduction seem rather slim. Why? Well, City are extremely well-funded and they have an army of lawyers working to slow down the adjudication of the charges they face. The source(s) of their funding have always been cloudy, though many suspect that the government of Kuwait funnels money into the club through sideways means. Football clubs under FFP are meant to be generally self-sustaining, but it seems that City is not really adhering to that policy. They make their own money to be sure, but the amount of money they bring in does not really match up with match day attendance revenue and sponsorship deals year after year. If the FA wants clubs to take FFP rules seriously, City need to face the same or worse punishment as Everton already has. If there is no such punishment forthcoming, clubs like City will continue to ignore FFP and their will be nothing “fair” about them. There’s no denying the rules must be tightened, but if they aren’t equitably applied then there’s no point in having them altogether.

Champions League: VAR at the Center of A Controversial Defeat in Denmark

Manchester United traveled to Denmark last Wednesday for a Champions League group stage match against FC Copenhagen at Parken. This was a replay of the match a fortnight ago which United won 1-0 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils needed a victory to get out of 3rd place in the group and help secure progression to the knockout stages.

A full match summary would easily be close to 3000 words given it’s chaotic nature, so I am not going to fully summarize this one. United scored the first two goals via striker Rasmus Højlund, who continued his fine form in the Champions League this season. He hasn’t shown up in the domestic league yet, but he’s been on fire in the Champions League. The game changed however when forward Marcus Rashford was controversially sent off on 42 minutes. The Red Devils showed some signs of mental weakness yet again, and Copenhagen got two goals in quick succession before halftime. More on the decision to send off Rashford (and other suspect referee/VAR decisions) below.

Despite the lads collapsing a little bit at the end of the first half, United took the lead again on 69 minutes when midfielder Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty to give them a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately though, Copenhagen scored again in the 83rd minute to level the score, and then got a winner on 87 minutes. Playing with ten men for over a half probably got to the team towards the end, which may explain the collapse. It was a devastating blow to United’s hopes of moving on to the knockout rounds. They are bottom of Group A with a daunting trip to Turkey to play Galatasaray next, and then they host group leaders Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in the final group game. Needless to say, I am not optimistic.

Now, a couple of things before I dive into the refereeing decisions – there’s no excuse for this team to concede two goals just before half time. Can’t have it. This team is still mentally fragile, and that is something manager Erik ten Hag must work on. The tactics weren’t terrible in this match and United were not aided by the officials, but the defending simply has to improve.

That said, VAR is making this sport unwatchable. It seems like in every match that’s played, there’s at least one controversial decision made by a VAR official that affects the outcome of the match. Rashford’s red card was – simply put – not a red card until the referee was alerted to review it by the VAR official. United’s penalty to give them the lead was also (candidly) not a penalty. And it’s not just United that are getting screwed by VAR, even though it seems like VAR has been overtly harsh on us this season. Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp, managers of Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, have both been publicly critical of this particular instant replay system in recent weeks. Arsenal had a goal given against them against Newcastle that should not have been given due to a foul, which even the Premier League officiating council has since admitted was the wrong decision. There’s a just a laundry list of incidents that have caused a mountain of controversy this season, and the problem is present in all different competitions.

If the goal of VAR was to reduce the controversy of the game and ensure that correct decisions are made, then VAR and the application thereof has failed spectacularly. There’s no clarity in what the standard of proof is, and subjectivity is reigning supreme when subjectivity was supposed to be eliminated altogether. No one knows what a “clear error” is, and no one seems to know how far back VAR officials are looking when it comes to confirming or negating a given referee’s decision.

Perhaps the biggest issue with VAR however is that it has taken the excitement of scoring a goal out of the game. It used to be that as soon as the ball hit the back of the net you could wheel away and celebrate, but not anymore. VAR has made everyone stop and pause. VAR makes everyone wait. You can score, but then you have to wait for the VAR check to happen before you can really celebrate. The unsteady application of the review system has made everyone, particularly United fans, extremely cynical. When Bruno scored the winner last weekend against Fulham, I expected the VAR official to go and find some random rule or incident that would have disallowed the goal. Further, these reviews often take as long as 4 or 5 minutes, which totally kills the momentum and flow of a match. It’s much more difficult to enjoy football with the way VAR is currently done, and that’s going to lead to fewer spectators, which in turn will lead to less money coming in.

It behooves the Prem and other domestic leagues to review their VAR rules and when it is supposed to be applied. There also needs to be a clear standard of proof as to when a referee’s decision should be overturned or confirmed. This problem must be fixed in order to make the sport watchable again. Instant replay is a good idea in general, but of course the actual replays are not the issue. It’s the human application and interpretation of what the replays show. These inconsistencies must be fixed by the powers that be.

As far as United goes, I think they should throw in the towel on Europe this season. I don’t want us in the Europa League, as it will only detract from the remaining domestic campaign. Center back Jonny Evans was also injured at the end of the first half, which makes our back line even thinner than it already was. Well done to Højlund and left back Diogo Dalot for having good matches, but the collective mental collapse after Rashford’s red card was unacceptable. Bad decisions are going to happen with or without VAR, and professional players should be able to cope with that mentally.

United play newly-promoted Luton Town at Old Trafford on Saturday in the Premier League. Last but not least – this is my 350th post on this blog. Thank you all so very much for reading! I hope I have been able to spur your interest in this fantastic sport.

Glazers Out!

Premier League: United Squeak By Fulham in London

Manchester United traveled south to London for a fixture against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League earlier today. Fulham don’t have a good record against United in the past few seasons, but the Red Devils’ miserable current form would encourage any team that they could sneak a result.

This match was rather laborious, like some of the results pre-Manchester Derby. United would establish some possession, but it would be fairly harmless possession with Fulham dug in deep. It’s all on the tape for opposition managers, and Fulham’s manager Marco Silva had clearly watched his fair share of it. It’s obvious to everyone and anyone that United struggle to break down teams that sit in the low block. Silva put 9 to 10 men behind the ball, and United couldn’t do anything about it for long stretches of the match. Credit again to keeper Andre Onana for making some key saves on the rare occasions that Fulham ventured forward, but United were once again ineffective in attack.

The key substitution from manager Erik ten Hag was to bring on winger Facundo Pellistri on 63 minutes, with the match still being 0-0. Pellistri has generally impressed when he comes on as a substitute, as his quickness with the ball at his feet is a struggle for tired to defenders to keep up with. United still struggled to forge clear openings for a bit longer though. Then, something changed. It must have been some kind of signal from ETH, or perhaps a pre-planned tactic, but in the final 10-12 minutes or so United really poured on the pressure going forward. Our attackers and midfielders were doing everything they could to either win the ball high up the pitch or get the ball into dangerous areas and create chances.

United were rewarded for their pressure in stoppage time. Pellistri had managed to dribble and wriggle his way into the box with the ball, but it was eventually won and cleared by a Cottagers defender. His low clearance was poor however, and due to the press from Pellistri and having men forward, it fell straight to midfielder Bruno Fernandes on the edge of the box. Bruno tried to find Pellistri with a pass, but after some deflections in the area it came straight back to Bruno. He took a touch to get the ball onto his preferred right foot and let off a low shot that trickled through the entire defense and then rolled in past keeper Bernd Leno. The pressure forced a mistake and United capitalized. That is how ETH likes his teams to play, and the lads executed the plan perfectly. United won 1-0 and secured three points away!

There’s two different ways to look at this match, and each has a degree of validity. The optimist would correctly point out that United have won three straight away matches in the Prem for the first time since 2020. Another positive was the performances of Pellistri, Onana, center back Harry Maguire, and right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka (back from injury!). ETH is now also the joint-fastest United manager to secure 50 wins, and his substitutions were very good today. The final 10 minutes or so was very aggressive and direct football from United, and it was great to see the players endeavoring so hard to try and find a winner.

The pessimist would say that this was more of the same poor play that has plagued United all season. They looked lost in attack for good portions of the match. Yes they turned it on at the end, but a better team than Fulham would have scored at least 1 or 2 goals on us before we came alive and started playing better. Winger Antony dos Santos was yet again wasteful in possession and the team improved significantly when he was taken off. ETH seems to want to stick by him, but there’s going to need to come a point where he realizes that a temporary benching may do Antony some good. It’s true that forward Marcus Rashford was injured pre-match and didn’t play, although it’s unclear how much he would have helped today anyway given his continued poor form.

A victory is great, and I will never complain about a winner in stoppage time. But there’s no way to know if this win actually means something or not. We’ve seen many false dawns with this United team this season, so a narrow victory over mediocre opposition means very little if they go out and lay an egg in the next match. And that next match is a big one, as United will fly to Denmark to take on FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday. Three points are desperately needed, as United are third in the group and need all the help they can get to catch Galatasaray in 2nd.

Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!

Manchester United in Turmoil – But How Do They Fix It?

United’s last two matches have been nothing short of piss-poor. That’s strong language coming out of the gate for this post, but every word of it is true. United were defeated in the Manchester Derby by Man City at the weekend 3-0, and then they were similarly drubbed by Newcastle United in the League/Carabao/EFL Cup by the same score yesterday. There were very few positives to take from either match. They were uninspiring in attack and porous in defense. Just bad football all around. Yes, City and Newcastle are good sides, and losing to good sides isn’t the worst thing in the world, but the absolutely listless manner in which we are losing is unacceptable. It’s not even close!

Rumors are flying everywhere about the status of the club and what the real source of the problems are. Unfortunately, without being present in the locker room for training sessions and matches every day, there is no way to suss out the real problem(s). Any and all media speculation, including from me, should be taken with a grain of salt. Every major sports news outlet claims to know what the problems are based on the aforementioned rumors, but no one aside from the players, manager, and club staff really know what’s going on.

Let’s approach this from the point of view of trying to get better. Okay, it’s been a crap start to the season. United are 8th in the Premier League table, they are out of the League Cup already, and they are second from bottom in their Champions League group. A decidedly poor start by the standards of this club. But alright, let’s acknowledge the poor start and then move on by asking the key questions – how do they fix it? How do they go about improving results on the pitch?

Some have called for the sacking of manager Erik ten Hag. While it’s true that his tactics have been stale and confusing at times this season, and he could stand to change things up a bit, I don’t think firing ETH will really change things in the long run. It’s the simplest way to change things, but will it really do anything? I doubt it. For one, who do you replace him with? There are no obvious candidates with the proper coaching pedigree available right now. For two, his tactics last season were largely successful. Is he really the biggest problem? Or is it that the players aren’t listening to him?

The majority of commenters online are laying blame at the feet of the players these days. It’s hard to disagree with those comments at times. It’s true that injuries have forced some of them to play out of position, but that’s not an excuse to not try hard. There’s no denying that our forwards – Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Højlund, Antony dos Santos, and Alejandro Garnacho – have all been extremely poor this season. There is just one measly Premier League goal amidst all that talent, and it was scored by Rashford in a losing effort against Arsenal. The attack is just so static and uninspiring. No one makes runs into the box. No one tries to play a dangerous ball into the box. They just bring the ball into the attacking third and then stop! Is that at the instruction of ETH? Is it the players not understanding what ETH wants? Worst yet, is it that they simply don’t care to try? Are they upset with ETH over something and don’t trust him anymore? I think no matter what the real problem is, it can’t be denied that at least part of the problem is that the dynamic of the locker room has shifted for one reason or another. I think there is a negativity surrounding the relationship between ETH and the majority of his players that wasn’t there last season. However, whatever the problem, there is no excuse not to work hard. Every single one of these first-team players is making hundreds of thousands of pounds every week to play this game. It’s the absolute least they can do to run their asses off every match! Every single player who claims to love playing for United needs to come out and show that.

Of course, yet another entity to blame is ownership. My gripes with the Glazer family are well-documented on this blog, and as owners of this club ultimately a lot of the blame is on them. The structure of this club is absolutely garbage, in the sense that it’s unclear who is in charge of what tasks and what goals each person is trying to achieve. Manager of Man City, Pep Guardiola, recently took an indirect swipe at United when he suggested that the reason for City’s success is that everyone at that club is on the same page and has the same goals. Their manager, sporting directors, and owners are all aligned on what they want and need to do. Now, Pep can be a little bit flippant at times and there’s a lot more to success than just being aligned, but I have to admit that he has a point. The owners need to set the tone of what the club needs to be, and the manager/sporting directors/players all have to align with that. The Glazers are not doing that, put mildly. There’s no accountability from them, and that trickles down to every level of the club. If they don’t really care about results and are only in it for the money, that attitude can and will permeate. Glazers Out, now and forever.

It has been reported by several outlets that the Glazers will eventually be selling 25% of this club to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a British billionaire who grew up supporting United. It is also rumored that Ratcliffe and his people will be taking over football operations and will be re-building the structure of the club. If that’s true, he has a mountain of work ahead of him. We have players that need to be sold, more that need to be brought in, and serious renovations are needed at both Old Trafford and Carrington training ground. The leaky roof on our beloved stadium is the perfect metaphor for this club’s current issues – a once great entity that has fallen into disrepair due to mismanagement and neglect.

In short, there is no simple solution to the club’s problems and no instant fix. We need an over-arching and holistic solution that no one seems to be interested in providing. There’s also very little to feel optimistic about. The Glazers need to sell, ETH needs to improve his tactics, and the players need to try harder. We didn’t get to this point accidentally. This is what happens when businessmen (and not football men) are allowed to own a club. Financial investment is a major aspect of the modern game, and United have fallen far behind on that front. We’re a joke right now. Every other club in Europe is laughing at us, and rightly so. Many of them aren’t even laughing as loudly as they once were, because at this point the tepid mediocrity isn’t even funny anymore. It’s just sad.

United have an away trip to Fulham in west London up next on November 4th. Any kind of positive result would be welcome, but I’m not holding my breath.

Glazers Out!