A glum looking Solskjaer after an embarrassing loss to Liverpool. (Credit: M.E.N)
It’s over…
Regular readers of my blog know that I have always backed Solskjaer and not once have I called for him to be sacked. To a certain extent, I’m not even doing that now. However, and it pains me to say, it now feels inevitable that his tenure as Manchester United manager may be coming to an end.
It feels like the writing is on the wall.
Some of you may have been saying this two years ago but ultimately you were wrong two years ago. The club was a mess from top to bottom two years ago. An absolute mess. Solskjaer has come in and improved and transformed so many areas across so many departments but recently it feels like he has reached a ceiling that he can’t get through.
The idea that he’s a bad manager isn’t true. He’s got the tactical ability there to beat the likes of Guardiola, Tuchel and Klopp but it is clear he isn’t in the same bracket and it breaks my heart to even type that, let alone come to terms with admitting that.
Ultimately, emotions need to be put aside. Fans of Manchester United will still back him and still will love him wholeheartedly but yesterday highlighted that given the progress Solskjaer has brought to the club, we are still years behind Liverpool and Manchester City with Solskjaer in charge.
Fans will be forever grateful for what he’s done as a manager and will only cement his legacy as a club legend even more, but I genuinely believe there is no way forward for Ole after that result yesterday. Everything about it was wrong.
We’ve been defensively shambolic for a long time now with only 1 clean sheet in 21 games. This came against Wolves and the clean sheet was fortunate against them. We just can’t get the basics right. Something needed to be fixed and it isn’t being fixed. It is too easy to play against us. Schoolboy errors seem to be the only consistent part of Manchester United.
There is still a scarily tough run of fixtures still to come and if things don’t change, then serious trouble is coming. If Solskjaer can turn this around then it will be something so incredible, in footballing terms it would be like coming back from 1-0 down in a Champion’s League final in the 90th minute. Ironically something Solskjaer has famously done. However, I think it’s unlikely.
I find it hard to see how he turns it around after an embarrassing 5-0 loss to our most hated rivals.
We all love Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and there’s no doubt about it. This toxic ‘OleOut’ needs to be a thing of the past. He needs to be recognised for what he’s done for the club both as a player but ultimately, the next part of the job might be too big for him. A new chapter may need to start soon.
Ronaldo applauding the fans at West Ham. Credit: Twitter @cristiano
Well, it’s been ages, hasn’t it? United lost on penalties, Football nearly came home, Piers Morgan is still a wanker, Boris Johnson is still a lying cunt, the Tories hate the poor (still) and Ronaldo came home whilst telling City to do one.
Not a bad few months since I last wrote. Covid’s disappeared as well which means I can go to the Pub properly now and scousers can go back to seeing their mix of asister/girlfriend/cousin again.
However, some things haven’t changed. Colossal bum fluffs are still calling for Solskajer to be sacked.
Do you lot want to make your mind up?
5 days ago you had sad bastards calling for Ole to lose his job because of one bad performance and Jesse Lingard should be hung in the streets for making an admittedly awful backpass?
It’s not like United (Nottingham Forest) fans on Twitter to overreact for a few fancy retweets, is it? We’re really hitting a point now where my brain cells start to erode in my own head whilst listening to the excuses of why you want Solskjaer to be sacked.
‘He played 5 at the back we should go get Conte.’ What the guy who basically epitomises what it’s like watching your team with 5 at the back EVERY week?
‘There’s no consistency.’ A record-setting away record in the league tells you differently.
‘He can’t attract big players.’ Viva Ronaldo lads.
His improvement of players within our squad is nothing short of exceptional. McTominay, Greenwood, Pogba, Rashford and Maguire just to name a few. Adding to this, his man-management is something that as fans we can see from the outside has worked so well. His handling of the Pogba situation was perfect.
During his tenure, Ole has encouraged a healthy environment if not letting mistakes weigh you down and to bounce back and overcome and setbacks. You could see that in the celebrations at the end of the game.
You can’t say that our wins are from individual brilliance then blame everything solely on Ole for poor performances as defeats. Credit him when we win and scrutinise when we lose. There’s nothing wrong with that but reactionary shite is pointless.
Look, some people do genuinely believe Ole may be out of his depth and when they have genuine reasons to back that up, I will listen to it all day, but don’t be coming to me with stupid opinions and irrelevant garbage that just does not make sense.
Back your manager for feck sake. It’s not all about how many followers you have on Twitter. Although if you read this and do have a lot of followers, give it a share yeah? Nice one.
The game against Young Boys was as dreadful as my performance in the bedroom after a few too many pints of Foster’s so the less said about that the better.
We’ve had a good start to the season and the game against West Ham United went as I expected to be honest. A hard-fought win with a terrible Referee and a cockney taking the worst penalty since Diana Ross in ’94.
The referee not giving Ronaldo a penalty is probably as stupid as paying 60 quid for a football shirt only to get a loan player on the back. What’s the point in that?
The type of game 2 years ago we would have got nothing we’re now coming out with all 3 points so you know Well done United you seem to not be doing my head in as much as you used to.
The next 6 games though are tough. A run-in that consists of Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester, the ones that play you’ll never walk alone and then sit silently for 90 minutes, Tottenham and rounded off by a team that can’t fill a stadium after being in a pandemic for nearly 18 months.
The last time I saw a run that tough was when Paula Radcliffe shat herself.
In all seriousness, with the squad we have now it’s vital we use it so that everyone can play their part in gaining us as many points as possible in that run of fixtures. Our top players will have to perform and fans on Twitter will have to just shut up if we lose one of the games.
We were all curious what would happen with Bruno in terms of Penalties and we’re yet to see who will take them due to ridiculously not being awarded one yet but his partnership that he’s formed with Ronaldo has blossomed perfectly. I’ve not seen a duo so good since I watched Kelly Brook when I was 14.
I’m excited about this season. I’m excited about where Ole takes us and how this squad can perform. I personally think we are still a midfielder short and that Chelsea will be seriously tough to beat, however, the team has us smiling again. We’re all excited for Saturday to come along where we can have a beer and watch our team play. What else could we ask for?
I’m certain trophies will come but remember the process because it is on the right track.
I know it’s been a while. Soz
Just remember it’s good right now and no matter what, you’ll never be from Liverpool.
Follow us on Twitter: @theunitedroad1 Follow me on Twitter: @_callumstone
A peaceful protest blown way out of proportion by a media so out of touch you’d think it was Boris Johnson.
Although I know I am not anything special, I wanted to use this blog to address the rotten narrative that has overshadowed a peaceful protest which had one purpose. Glazers out.
First and foremost, and this goes without saying that nobody condones violence in any walk of life and especially on those that are just doing their job. Videos have released all over Social Media showing both parties not covering themselves in glory but when huge gatherings or protests are organised, nines times out of ten there will be a small minority that tries to spoil things. To those unfortunately injured, we wish them well. We need to not let that small minority ruin it. Spoiling something that was for such a good cause when it comes to this football club.
Those that said, or aired views that tend to be on the negative side of Sunday’s events show that they simply weren’t there. Those that went too far will garner the attention but those educated and in the know regarding our ownership know to not focus on the minority and focus on a protest that wouldn’t just benefit just Manchester United FOOTBALL CLUB, but English and European football as a whole.
Manchester United fans caused the biggest game in English Football to be postponed. Irrespective of league positions or recent history this game will always be the biggest due to its rivalry and the prestige of being the biggest club in England.
Graeme Souness and Jermaine Jenas talking about how we only protest because we’re not winning anymore is genuinely shite. They must need a second hole for all the shit they spout. Green and Gold protests in 2010 when DAVID BECKHAM wore the scarf. For feck sake, Manchester United fans started a new club from the very bottom of the English pyramid in protest at the Glazer ownership. Or ‘Glazership’ as Jenas so elegantly spoke out of his arse. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Jermaine Jenas to be an out of touch pundit who hasn’t got a fucking clue what he is talking about but what bothers me is, it just doesn’t take much to do some research surrounding the last 16 years. especially when it is your job to be clued up on issues that involve football.
Graeme Souness speaking about inciting violence. The man that planted a flag in the middle of Galatasaray’s football pitch. I’d love to say “ah well he’s a former Liverpool player, he just wants to hate on United” but I can’t because Jamie Carragher has been excellent.
Jamie Carragher calling out lazy punditry and said that both United and Arsenal had problems with the owners before the Super League proposal and that was what pushed us over the edge.
Differing opinions are what make debating football so great, but when said opinion is so ridiculous you simply have to question the motive as to why they are speaking such crap.
If you’re asked about this issue, before speaking, ask yourself; “do I know enough about this issue?” If the answer is no, then say you don’t know enough instead of making a Tit of yourself on national TV.
The Glazer family ownership has cost Manchester United £1.1Billion. the same amount Sheikh Mansour has invested INTO Manchester City. £704 million on interest payments, £244 million on debt repayments and £125 million on dividends. They also sold £100 million worth of shares to enhance their personal wealth which means none of the funds raised went back into the football club.
In the last 11 years, our interest payments alone are more than EVERY OTHER CLUB combined. Arsenal have had owner issues, there is no doubt about that, but their interest payments are £140 million in the same period whilst ours are £496 million. In addition to the interest payments, we are the only club to pay our owners regular dividends which in 2020 was £23 million. Struggling financially due to the covid pandemic? Don’t worry, the Glazers aren’t.
Whereas our revenue growth has tripled, both Manchester City and Liverpool have outpaced us in this area and there has been 0% growth in the last 4 years with our new sponsorship with TeamViewer worth less than what it was with Chevrolet.
A big negative with the Glazers is the lack of investment in facilities and in particular, the stadium. Old Trafford, such a sacred and vital part of our history has been left to rot and fade away during their tenure. Roof leaking and rusting whilst every other team in the big six had their stadiums invested in. Whether that being a stadium move or expansion it helped grow their income and arguably allowed further investment in the playing squad.
With investment comes success and the Glazers have bled us dry. Brighton has spent more on infrastructure in the last 11 years. Club resources are being used to fund the Glazer ownership and debt has remained stagnant at over £500 million which is second in the league. Tottenham stand at the top of the league on that one (the only league they’ll ever top) but don’t forget they have the greatest sports stadium in the world. (Thanks to @swissramble on Twitter)
This is why it’s so frustrating seeing some pundits speaking about the protests in the manner they did. Debt repayments, Dividends, no investment in infrastructure, limited success on the pitch whilst rivals flourish, no communication with fans, out of touch, lack of strategy, poor football knowledge(Offside rule, Joel?), hanging managers out to dry and the treatment of fans and football as a sport.
This is why we are angry. This is why we protest. Not because we haven’t won the league, Graeme.
Oh, and whilst I’m here, Simon Jordan, you posh faced cunt and Jim White, you kiss arse cringe shithouse. Go fuck yourselves.
If you’re moaning about the stadium break-in, that stadium belongs to us. This has been coming for years. Nobody should be surprised that Billionaires and venture capitalists are now behaving like Billionaires and venture capitalists.
The Glazers brought this on themselves.
Football fans will always hold the power. Our history is never to be bought.
The Glazers are far more dangerous to Manchester United and English football than a small minority causing trouble. Condemn it but don’t focus on it. A culmination of events over 16 years of Glazer ownership led to Sunday’s protest. There will be more if there isn’t change.
Here’s to the next one.
We demand change.
Follow us on Twitter: @theunitedroad1 Follow me on Twitter: @_callumstone
“A football club is more than just a club; it is an institution at the heart of our communities… Sport must be run in the interest of those who follow, participate and love it. NOT for the privileged and wealthy few.”
“Football is nothing without fans”
It has only been a few days since my last post. I’m not writing so soon because I’m so ecstatic that we beat Burnley. Enough is enough.
For years now, fans have been cast aside whilst multi-billionaire owners exploit our loyalty to make them even more money. The announcement yesterday has to be the final nail in the coffin for all of us.
I wrote the other day about how memories with my old man are what developed my love of football and made it such a big part of my life. That’s gone now.
When owners have no connection to the local area and use us as cash cows to make money there was always one end goal. Bleed as much money out of these clubs as they can. The Glazers at Manchester United are a fine example of this.
They have never given an interview. Never invested their own money. Left the stadium to rot. Brought staggering levels of debt and done nothing for this club. Any success we have had during their tenure is in spite of them, NOT because of them.
They made Ed Woodward our chairman. In 2020, Ed Woodward was asked about the Super League: “I don’t know where that story came from.” He’s now resigned his spot at UEFA and Manchester United are no longer a member of the European Club Association. Sounds like you lied, Ed.
Manchester United and Liverpool. The two biggest clubs in this country. Two clubs that ‘pride’ themselves on their working-class roots and the connection to their community. The locals were proud to call themselves Mancs and Scousers.
It’s these two clubs I am most ashamed of right now. I have written countless times of my despair for Liverpool football club, but right now, it’s not hatred it’s almost a sadness. My club and Liverpool have sold out, simply because the American Owners wanted to make more money.
Those of you who say Football is a business, yes you are technically right but it’s so much more than that. It’s somewhere to go on a weekend where you can forget all your problems. It’s a place to enjoy a beer with your mates. A place where you could laugh, cry scream and shout. The click of a turnstile. The pie at half-time.
No matter what you felt a part of something. You could meet somebody completely new and as soon as they say they follow football, you’ve made a new friend. The best night of my life was the Champions League final in Moscow.
The Pinnacle of club football. (Credit: BBCSport)
Our ‘Busby Babes’ died returning from a European Cup tie. Our owners are taking our opportunity in that beloved competition away from us. The very heart and soul of the beautiful game is being ripped out in front of us all in the name of profit and greed.
Those very owners that are doing this are cowards by just releasing PR statements. They’ve left it to managers and players to answer questions. Putting their employees in unfair positions by placing them in a hypothetical firing line.
The finances the Super League entails are silly numbers. Investment banks in the USA are funding it at $7 BILLION. What if it flops? What happens to the clubs? Debts would sky-rocket. The money in football is already astronomical. it’s completely criminal and a disgrace. An indictment on football fans who are being stripped of following their club.
Football was always sold as this Meritocracy. A sport where if you worked hard, you’d win trophies. Leicester is a prime example of this. With the financial benefits that the 6 clubs would gain, a fairy-tale story would be extremely unlikely ever again.
Joel Glazer, part of our ownership, will be an executive chairman within the Super League structure. A share of $3.5 billion (could rise to $10 BILLION) solidarity payment, a possible $6.5 billion TV deal in addition to other financial benefits are the reasons why these clubs have sold out.
A statement from Joel Glazer: “By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”
A new chapter of world-class facilities? Have you seen the state of Old Trafford? A man who hasn’t given an interview to the media of a club he owns is now trying to portray a clear money grab as a love for football. It’s sickening. How he can talk about facilities whilst OT leaks and rusts is, quite frankly, disgusting. This gimp didn’t even understand the offside rule!
A new Champions League format is in the works where money was shared among more clubs. Less money for the big clubs so they looked at alternatives. As I said, money rules all in football now, not fans.
Jurgen Klopp in 2019: “I hope the super league never happens.”
Klopp spoke out against these proposals. Reports suggest Mourinho refused to train because of the news. Solskjaer only found out yesterday morning. It sounds like there was no colluding with management and players and that those at board level have taken it upon themselves to put their clubs in the super league.
There was no deliberation with fans. We have always been against it. Arsenal and Tottenham aren’t currently in the Top 6. Fuck me Spurs haven’t won the league since 1961! The whole thing is absolutely shambolic and an insult to football fans. It’s an insult to the likes of Leicester and West Ham, Southampton, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Blackburn among many others. Where is the motivation to succeed now?
I’m so angry. Manchester United have a banner in place where the fans sit. On the banner it had wise words from a Manchester United great; Sir Matt Busby: “Football without fans is nothing.”
If the Glazers ever turned up to Old Trafford, then maybe they’d have seen it!
Owners of these clubs have no idea of the roles that these clubs play in their local communities. They have taken advantage of our loyalty for so long. They seem to think these clubs belong to them. They don’t they belong to the supporters and they always will.
Enough is enough. We’re sick of it.
If this goes ahead, I hate to say it but I’ll never set foot in Old Trafford again. The love I have for my club has taken a huge hit and I don’t know if it will ever come back.
They sold out and have shown everyone they don’t care about us.
Usually, I would end with a cheeky joke at Liverpool’s expense. Not this time because this time we are as bad, if not worse than them. Time for fans of all clubs to come together and fight this change.
This is the ultimate betrayal of loyal football supporters.
The ‘foul’ that led to VAR disallowing ManUtd their first goal (Credit:DailyMail)
A brilliant win on Sunday. Amazing performance from the lot of them.
Justice was served you could say. I do want to take this moment to check if Son is alright. After the merciless assault that McTominay put him through, I really hope he can come out the other side and see that he, in fact, is a diving cheat.
A top second-half performance from Ole’s men shown us all that we are capable of producing when we need to and a special mention to Paul Pogba. He was excellent all game and pivotal in the third goal to allow Mason Greenwood to continue his fine form.
The fact it was against a Mourinho side after the damage he caused the club makes so much sweeter. Those of you claiming Spurs have an aggregate win and refuse to give Ole credit then maybe you should stop being complete fanny and recognise what Ole and the players did on Sunday.
Yes, we went a goal down but the sheer resilience to stage a comeback for the umpteenth time this season is portraying to us all that this united team just does not know when it is beat. A united of old where you felt on the edge of your seat just knowing that goal was about to come. It’s nice to feel like that again.
My last blog was all about the sad bastards who are Ole out for a whole host of ridiculous reason’s, so I don’t want to get into that again. If you want to see that rant, then check it out.
Manchester United won 3-1 and as much of a good performance as it was, it felt more like a sense of relief that we won the game. A sense of justice.
I’ll be honest with you, I had my doubts and thought it would be a very close game but when that VAR decision went against us, I seriously questioned whether it would be our day. Not because our players wouldn’t play well but because there is so much unknown in football nowadays because of VAR that none of us know what to think anymore.
When I was a young lad growing up in Manchester, my old man used to take me to the pub so that I could watch us play. It was a stone’s throw from Old Trafford and I got to experience the excitement and elation before the games as the fans enjoyed their pre-match pint and the mood after a game when they would return to, more often than not celebrate a win. He would buy me a packet of Bacon Fries and a glass of Blackcurrant and this where I found my love of football.
I would sit down, cheer, shout, rant and enjoy myself watching that big roll down screen as I watched Beckham, Ruud, Keane, Rio, Rooney, Ronaldo and many others play. To this day and for the rest of my life, I will never forget being in that pub on the 21st May 2008 and jumping up and down with my dad after watching Van Der Sar save Anelkas penalty. It was a joy I knew at that moment I would cherish forever.
The football was a part of those memories that I feel so happy about because it was a time where you could just sit and enjoy the football whilst being among other working-class men enjoying the same thing that they probably once did with their Fathers.
To me, that is what football is all about. Sharing that emotion whilst building something you will remember on your deathbed. It’s what it should be about.
But it isn’t.
Football isn’t the same anymore.
It is not all about a soft as shit footballer cheating and grabbing his face pretending, he’s Marv from home alone after having a brick thrown at him. It’s embarrassing. Then VAR still making the WRONG decision.
Those poor refereeing decisions from all those years ago were annoying of course they were, but it was a human error when the game is played at such a fast pace, you can expect that to happen, but when they bring in a system designed to eliminate refereeing mistakes and mistakes still occur so regularly, then it is simply a flawed system.
Ultimately, VAR is an idea that does make sense and in a game that has as much money in it as football does, then you can see why it should be used. Fundamentally VAR is only as good as those who are operating it. Unfortunately, as we have seen in recent times, the standard of officiating in this country has dropped massively.
Those same referees making the mistakes are sat in Stockley park making the same mistakes on VAR.
It feels as if those officials operating VAR either don’t want to drop their mate in the shit because they know they’ve cocked up or they genuinely agree that the poor decision they made is the right one.
I agree with the idea of VAR I really do and I was all for it being implemented in the Premier League and across all levels that had the facilities to do so, but I am hitting a point now where I’m struggling to see the benefits. When they sit there and judge an arm as offside, it makes me believe Stevie Wonder is the one making the VAR decisions.
When Son grabs McTominay’s arm and he fights him off fairly, a competent referee would see that and give the goal and most who watched the game on Sunday believed that would be the case. However, when you see a decision like that, you start to wonder what the sport of football has become.
It’s no longer that sport where you go to the pub with your Dad and shout at Phil Jones scoring another own goal or cheering because Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored his 709th goal of the season.
Football is the sport where you don’t even know whether you’re allowed to celebrate a goal because an incompetent official is looking for a way to disallow a goal.
Football isn’t what it once was. It’s no longer the game of elation and adrenaline whilst with your friends and family. It’s the game that has removed happy emotions.
VAR in its current format just brings anger and sheer disbelief. It needs to change and fast because the game as we once knew it, is dead.
I developed my love of football because of how it used to be and watching it with my Dad. I just hope that VAR doesn’t destroy the next generations love and passion for the game. Every young person should get to have those memories that I did.
You know what though, I’d still rather be a referee and called a knobhead for 90 minutes than I would being called a Scouser.
Mason Greenwood with the winning goal (Credit: M.E.N)
A bad performance but a good win.
I’m writing about Football Twitter today and those Ole outers who make you want to put your head through some plasterboard but first I want to talk about the game against Brighton.
A frustrating night at Old Trafford that took us an hour to kick into gear and start playing some football. As we come to the business end of the season now it’s these games that are important as they allow us to solidify our position in the top 4 and stake our claim for being the number 2 team in the country.
After that dreadful first-half performance, I think we were all thinking the same thing. Ole needs to lay into these players and get a rocket up their backsides because it felt like I was watching complete shite and trust me I’ve seen Hollyoaks. The second half was better and was clear from the players’ reaction that something was said in the dressing room.
A nicely placed finish from Marcus Rashford after an attempted murder on Bruno Fernandes that went unpunished from good old drama queen Mike Dean. He booked Cavani though for asking why there was no punishment. British Refereeing ey? Mason Greenwood won us the game after Luke Shaw started a move after a pass that can only be described as probably the greatest thing I’ve seen since Kelly Brook’s 2019 calendar.
Donny Van de Beeks role in that goal was EXACTLY why we should be patient with him. His footballing brain is perfect. He dragged the Brighton defenders all over the place allowing Mason to exploit the space and head the ball in the back of the net.
Look, it wasn’t the best performance, but we won. I think bad performances are part and parcel of football, but the result is the main thing. Football twitter would do well in remembering this.
This brings me nicely onto the subject of my blog this week. No names will be mentioned but you will all have an idea of the types of accounts these statements are coming from. They are all genuine.
“I want Ole to lose every game for the rest of this season, that’s how much I want him to be sacked.”
This is from a guy on Twitter who claims to a huge Manchester United supporter. I want to make this clear as a huge Man United fan myself. Regardless of who the manager is of this football club, you should NEVER EVER want us to lose. This is a man who wants us to lose the Europa league just to sack Ole. Club Legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
He goes onto say that a new contract for Ole is only delaying the inevitable and we will only sign one or two players this summer. Even if that is the case, why is that the manager’s fault? Why aren’t you focusing your hatred towards our manager on the Glazers? He makes about as much sense as people thinking sweetcorn belongs on a Tuna Sandwich.
He’s convinced himself this is for the “greater good” of the club making himself sound like on them lunatics from the ‘Hot Fuzz’ film. Total weapon and moron who shows himself to be a football Twitter clown who nobody should take the notice of.
“Just looking at new clubs to support on loan if Ole gets a new contract.”
Another Twitter account with a crazy tweet. A ‘fan loan move’ until Ole is sacked. How about you just fuck off and once you’ve fucked off, fuck off some more. Support your team REGARDLESS of the manager.
We seem to have hit an age in football where fans support players/managers instead of a club. Fans who still think Jose should never have been sacked. Fans who back Pogba over the manager.
“Will always be my number 1 #oleout”
This tweet in response to Dean Henderson being picked over David De Gea. Why should a manager lose his job because he didn’t pick the player you like? So dramatic.
“Glazers will never sack their puppet; He’s doing exactly what they want. Clearing the wage bill, getting top 4, not spend in the transfer window, not antagonising them.”
I will say this until the day I believe scousers don’t rob mountain bikes. If your argument for sacking Ole is that he is a Glazer puppet, then your argument is immediately invalid, and you should go and drink some Blackpool seawater. Fergie said the Glazers were good owners. Was our greatest ever manager a puppet? Jose praised their attitude towards running the club.
Of course, we want more than Top 4, but after the shitshow of how the club has been run, then progress needs to be made to get back to the top. We won’t get there overnight and consistent Top 4 finishes will help attract better players as well as higher income. If you believe he doesn’t constantly ask for updates on player recruitment and doesn’t want to spend in the transfer window, then you are just frigging delusional. Take your agenda and shove it straight up your a…
Being Ole in doesn’t mean we shouldn’t criticise him. Scrutinising those at the club is part of being a fan. You criticise because you care. If you are Ole out then fine tell me why but stop feeding us the same buzzwords like ‘no style of play’ and ‘he’s a puppet’ because you will be instantly laughed at.
Ole in and Ole out can turn toxic. It’s a small part of ‘Football Twitter’(FT). A place where you tweet something and some 40-year-old who is still breastfed replies Ratio’d and thinks they’re cool. Football has changed in many ways over the past 20 years and that includes how we argue. We go online and debate people from all over the world. It can be seen as a positive but unfortunately, the negatives far outweigh the positives.
Football Twitter brings out a very toxic side to football debates. It goes too far and as we’re seeing too often, we’re seeing many cases of black football players being racially abused. These tweets come from accounts where you don’t know the true identity of those committing the abuse. Something social media companies allow to happen.
Unfortunately, every club has this kind of fan and they have a platform that allows them to abuse players in such a way that they get away with it. It needs to stop. Authorities need to come out and show that they are serious about clamping down on this issue. Taking the knee, show racism the red card and kick it out are just fancy slogans and gestures right now and until some action is in place, they will remain fancy slogans and gestures. It shows the world that the authorities don’t care, and I hope that isn’t the case.
“Actions speak louder than words”.
Football Twitter can be a great thing. It’s a place where you can debate those who disagree. A place where you can connect with other fans of your club. It should not be a place where Fred, Jude Bellingham (17 years old!!), Davinson Sanchez, Yannick Bolasie and many others face abuse because of the colour of their skin.
I’m not saying that all of FT is like this. I follow so many on social media that have opinions on so many areas of football both on and off the pitch. Not all I agree with. What’s the point of having an opinion if you agree with everybody else’s? But what I’m trying to say is there is no need for the abuse.
I’m not saying let’s all get on. Look at this blog. I don’t exactly love Liverpool, do I? I’m just saying there’s a very clear line that shouldn’t be crossed and crossing it is happening too often.
As United fans, we know all too well that being reactionary and calling everybody shit is what we do. Then we calm down and realise it was a bad performance and we move on. At the end of the day, it’s a game of football where 22 players kick a ball around a pitch. Yes, we love it. We have such a passion for it that we emotionally invest in these people because they are living a dream that we all grew up wanting. We criticise, we laud, we cheer and we boo.
Football Twitter has become a place where the trolls have taken over. Once they’re dealt with i’m sure it’ll improve. Debating online just isn’t that fun anymore.
A performance I can only describe as complete shite capped off a week that you could probably rate at about 6 out of 10. A win to help our Top 2 chances and a Europa League quarter-final.
I’m gutted that we’re out of the FA cup but as you all know from my blogs, I am a ray of sunshine that always takes the positives and not the negatives… at least we don’t get knocked out at another Semi-Final. I joke of course. What irks me the most about that performance was it seemed like such a bottle job. With the greatest respect to Southampton, it was the draw we wanted. It was a huge opportunity to progress to the final and maybe even win the trophy.
For the team to give that performance was a kick in the bollocks because it was throwing away a huge opportunity to do something that this club is built on, winning trophies.
There was no urgency from the players. Fatigue might have been a factor after we played our third game in 7 days, but I hate using that as an excuse. They’re professional footballers who are privileged to play for Manchester United and when you see Fred pass a ball as bad as I put together an Ikea flat-pack, then something is wrong.
The midfield was abysmal, and I felt for Donny. Having a Fiat Panda in midfield behind him couldn’t have helped. Matic and Fred struggled to pass a ball five yards never mind make a forward pass so what hope has DVB got?
Ole resting Bruno and Rashford right before an international break made absolutely no sense to me. If you’re worried about injury, surely resting arguably your two best players when we were 4-0 up against Real Sociedad would have made more sense. Just because you’re Ole in doesn’t protect him from criticism. You’re allowed to disagree with what he does sometimes. If you didn’t then what’s the point in being a football fan. It’s our job to scrutinise so that our team gets the best possible results. It is an honour and privilege to play for our great club and we need to remind them of that sometimes.
It pains me to say it but Ole got it wrong against Leicester and was outclassed by Brendan Rogers. A huge opportunity and a competition a personal favourite of mine is over for another season.
Although, I have never known a manager to have to be sacked after every single game he loses. That was our first away defeat in THIRTY games. Have some perspective will you and stop chatting complete shit. Football Twitter is a cesspit sometimes. Well, that and listening to Jermaine Jenas spaff his pants every time Ndidi made a tackle.
Last week wasn’t all bad. Solidifying our position in the Top 4 with a crucial albeit close 1-0 victory over West Ham putting us back into second in the league just above the very team that just knocked us out of the FA Cup. In hindsight, due to the lack of owner ambition, our main goal was top 4 and a trophy. Ole seems to be passing that test. Yes, it’s the Europa League which may well be our trophy, but it’s better than nothing.
A trophy could be the starting point.
An extremely favourable draw against Granada in the quarter-finals, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that we don’t win the Europa League. I would like to see Arsenal in the final and who knows, we could all be back in the pub to watch Bruno score a 98th-minute penalty to win us the cup.
We can hope, can’t we?
If that FA cup game taught us anything it’s that our squad is still well short. We have too many squad players in first-team positions and it needs to change and fast. This summer is pivotal and with the talk of a new contract for the manager, he HAS to be backed. There is an argument we need 6/7 players with 4 being first-teamers.
I don’t want to get my hopes up because this board will inevitably fail our managers and our fans just like they have done time and time again over the last decade. I just hope they don’t hang out Ole to dry and if they do, we as fans have to stand up and show that we aren’t going to take this treatment from the Glazer family.
But…
For now, we bid a temporary farewell to domestic and European football for the 789th international break of the season with England renewing their famous and exciting rivalry with the football heavyweights San Marino.
San Marino man. Fuck me England may as well go to the local park and play a game with the local 15-year-olds. Although Adam Johnson got in trouble for that so probably best not.
Rashford shouldn’t have travelled, he looks like a broken man and I wouldn’t be surprised if he came back wearing a first aid kit and sipping some Lemsip. Marcus needed these two weeks to rest so I just pray he comes back okay. It’s the business end of the season for Manchester United now and we need our best players available for it.
Rashford travelling with the England squad makes as much sense as having internationals when there is a global pandemic. It still blows my mind they’re going ahead. Then you remember football is all about Money.
And when you realise it’s Money over Morals, you realise that the beautiful game is lost, and I don’t think it’s ever properly coming back.
Love ending on a high note, don’t I?
An okay week for Manchester United and not long left to go in the season now and as it’s City who will win the league and we don’t care as they’re a club who have sold their soul, or what little soul they had before anyway, let’s all remember one thing. You could have a Mother that works on a street corner. You could have to steal mountain bikes to pay for your child maintenance. You could be from Liverpool and you’re not, always be happy about that.
Bruno celebrating his goal that gave us an early lead. (credit: Metro)
There’s nothing sweeter than a Bruno Fernandes penalty is there?
A perfect way to start a game that will forever remind not only the neighbours but the entire Premier League that Manchester was and always will be RED with Anthony Martial causing havoc from the get-go winning a penalty faster than Piers Morgan can spout shit about Meghan Markle.
Face it, I don’t think any of us were particularly confident going into the Manchester Derby. Although we had a 21 away game unbeaten run, City was in the form of their lives and none of us would have been shocked if they’d have beaten us. Disappointed of course but not shocked.
28 games unbeaten and we put an end to it. Obviously, it looks likely that they will go and win the league and of course, they’ll spin it as if we celebrated like we won the league, but you know if they beat us, they would be celebrating just as much. Ignore their fans and just enjoy the win. After some poor performances, it’s nice to see a reaction from the players and get a win to give Solskjaer his 4th victory over Pep.
Wasn’t bad from a so-called PE teacher, was it?
Is 21 back on? Is it bollocks although second isn’t too bad right now considering where we all believed we would be at the start of the season. Everybody thought we’d be fighting for a top 4 place and losing the battle whilst we were at it.
Look, it’s a credit to Manchester City. 28 games unbeaten with 21 straight victories across all competitions is an achievement in itself. They’re a top side and I’m so glad that they’ve been able to achieve this through hard work and giving academy players a chance to show what they’re all about. God knows where they’d be if they had a bit of investment from an Oil-rich Billionaire from a state that has a disgraceful history of human rights abuses.
You know like they all hate UEFA? I bet they’ll frigging love them if they win the champions league. Hypocritical and classless club. Remember when it got announced that they were being bought out by Sheik Mansour and fans went in the background of Sky TV interviews with Tea Towels on their heads.
Anyway, Form goes out the window in all Derby games and after the dross that was served up in the first tie at Old Trafford, this lived up to expectations. I mean it couldn’t have been any worse, could it?
It was a brilliant game and although my nerves did start to get the better of me as the first half grew into life, it was a credit to Ole’s tactics and the players to keep Man City at bay. They didn’t create a clear chance and struggled to open up Maguire and Lindelof. The pair had a brilliant game with the latter putting in one of his best games for Manchester United. Maybe the Royal Family should have asked United if they could use our centre backs as security for Prince Harry instead of bullying a black woman whilst simultaneously protecting someone pictured with a known sex trafficking Pedophile.
Even though we started the second half just like the first with an excellent second goal for United, nerves always remain, especially in a Manchester Derby but the lads kept their heads and their nerve which is a huge testament to them.
The second goal was scored by the unlikely Roberto Carlos. Sorry. I mean Luke Shaw. Dean Henderson with a throw as good as a SuperBowl winning pass to Shaw saw him power from the left side of the pitch to City’s penalty box, finishing the move brilliantly by scoring only his second goal for the club.
If it wasn’t for Bruno then Luke Shaw would be our player of the season by a country mile which is mental considering we were all telling him to be axed only a year ago. I was included in that and I am so glad to be wrong. His reaction and mental toughness over recent times show that he clearly has what it takes to be a starting Manchester United left-back and if he keeps his consistency then he will be for years to come.
My praise should be as loud as the criticism I gave and recently I have lambasted Martial. He hasn’t been good enough and I imagine he would be the first to tell you that. He’s been as lazy as me on a hangover Sunday but his work rate this past Sunday was brilliant. Unfortunately, a usually ice-cold finisher didn’t take his chance which left a good performance without a much-needed goal. If he continues to perform the way he did, then I have no doubt we’ll see the best of Martial very soon.
I really want to talk about Dean Henderson. A 23-year-old keeper that has dreamed of playing for Manchester United since he was a boy. A guy that knows he should be number 1 and believes in his abilities to make it at the club. What better way to show off these traits? A Manchester Derby.
Henderson commanded his 18-yard area and instructed his centre backs whilst simultaneously keeping his focus in case he was called upon. Great distribution and claiming the ball from crosses gave the team the confidence to transition from defence to attack in a fast-paced but controlled manner. David De Gea will definitely be looking over his shoulder and Ole has a difficult decision to make with his two goalkeepers,
One of our own. Something City will never truly understand.
One final point I want to make is that the game missed one more thing. Fans. A year ago yesterday was the last time we saw Old Trafford bouncing. Mainly because we beat City 2-0 then as well. It was a brilliant day and a fantastic finish to the game with Scott calmly putting the ball in from 40 yards.
Knowing that was a year ago makes me yearn for the day we’re allowed back to Old Trafford. Football isn’t the same without fans and I think I speak for everyone when I say I cannot wait to go back.
3 wins in a row against Manchester City. I tell you what, I personally think Ole is pretty good for a ‘PE teacher’, don’t you?
What a win and another loss for the scousers. The greatest team ever they said. Remember don’t be a delusional twat. Remember you’re not from Liverpool.
A poor performance at Selhurst Park (credit: SPORF)
Well, that was just shit. It seriously wasn’t good enough, was it?
The 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace was one of those games that if you’d shown somebody who had never watched football before they’d think you were mental for loving the beautiful game.
That was genuinely disappointing that last night. I would say I’m at a loss for words but that wouldn’t work would it considering I’m about to write a blog about that shower of shite.
Manchester United should be easily beating Palace but here we are again the day after the night before wondering how the feck we didn’t beat a team who have Christian Benteke as their main striker. They set up to frustrate us all night and even looked like the team more likely to claim victory had it not been for Hendo’s wonders at the end of the game.
So, let’s go into the game last night. The first half was better than the second half but fuck me that’s like asking what smells better; Dog shit or cat shit? I remember when I played Sunday league football and played a bad pass, my old manager Nige would bring me off and the lads would slaughter me. I watched that last night and wondered how many times Fred had to misplace a pass before he got took off.
It was so infuriating. I like Fred but last night must have been one of his worse performances I’ve seen in a United shirt. Fred and Matic in the midfield don’t progress the ball forward fast enough and when they try to, they mess up a pass. Again, I like Matic, but I believe he is the main reason why a lot of fans are crying out for a new holding midfielder. As good as we know he was in the past, it’s the past and he is coming to the end of his United career.
I want to see Donny Van De Beek feature a lot more, especially against teams that sit with a low block. Playing two holding players in a pivot system doesn’t seem to work against the so-called lesser teams in the league and when Bruno isn’t at it, we lack any other creativity in the team, especially at the moment with Pogba out injured. I’ll come back to this again later.
Donny would add so much and once given a run in the team will soon find his feet and we will see the ball progress up the pitch quicker than when we have two of Matic, McT or Fred. As much as Ole likes that setup, ultimately one of those has to be sacrificed to take us to that next level. I understand playing that pivot in a game against the top 6 but against West Brom, Arsenal, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace? Surely, we should be taking more of a risk.
It was just the lack of ideas from the players, the lack of fight or intensity that bothered me the most. I sat there watching it and my girlfriend shouted at me for getting so angry. But how could you not get angry at someone earning 100s of thousands a week not able to pass a ball five yards?
My biggest irk in football other than Liverpool is watching Wingers stand offside. They can see the entire last line of defence and Rashford was guilty of this. It’s not a big deal about the Maguire situation. I guarantee that happens every game at every club across all levels.
The quicker we all move on from last night the better, but the issues remain. A reaction is needed, I hope the players know that.
There’s no doubt in my mind that there has been clear progress under Ole, we’re sitting second and still in the FA cup and the Europa League. The opportunity for a trophy is there and it is really important we win one but as we watch our neighbours run away with another title, it does put a bit of a dampener on our progress. We just need to look at the season with some hindsight and remember where we all thought we were going to be after the board’s failure to adequately back Ole.
Our main aim for this season now should be a trophy and to solidify our position in second place. I don’t want us to needlessly drag ourselves into a Top 4 battle. If we are serious about this, figuring out a way to break down those teams in a low block is a must.
Returning to what I said earlier, with Bruno not in form, Pogba out injured and Fred trying to pass to anybody but a United Player, we seem to struggle. Since going top in January Man City went on a run that would be hard to match but it doesn’t mean our performances should have dropped the way they have. Since going top we’ve struggled creatively against teams that sit in a low block and we have averaged 64% possession in those games, highlighting the issue. Thanks to @utdarena on Twitter for that Statistic also.
I’d argue having two defensively minded players in midfield isn’t the right way to go about solving this issue and swapping one of them for Donny would be a good start. His technical ability alongside his football brain would stretch out opposing team defences and allow the ball to get forward faster and create more chances. Whether Ole doesn’t want to put him in due to the defensive weaknesses in the side is a possibility but with the quality Donny possesses it’s worth the risk.
Another argument to resolve this is a certain right-winger from Borussia Dortmund. I don’t even care how much he costs at this point, just buy him. Putting all the creative burden on Pogba and Bruno isn’t good enough for a club the size of Manchester United.
Bringing Jadon Sancho in would be a centre-forward’s dream and would take us to the next level. I still believe it’s doable, I just hope the board can remember that they own a football club and not the one with the egg-shaped ball.
Ignore the dickheads on Twitter, they haven’t a clue what they’re on about. Making up shite about Ole to get likes is everything wrong with them and whilst they’ve clearly never known the touch of a woman (unless they’re from Liverpool and think kissing your sister counts) at least they’re useless tweets get them the attention they crave so badly.
I was going to talk about the Chelsea game and the fact that having your hand in the air is now a natural position, but I feel like I’m finally at peace and my blood pressure has returned to normal, so I’ll leave it. I will say though that the officiating in this country is now so bad, that if you put Stevie Wonder and Helen Keller in charge, we’d get better decisions.
Manchester City have unfortunately dominated the league this year but remember one thing. You’re not somebody who spent millions on a title parade only to come second. You’re not someone who supported a racist. You’re not someone who sounds like a squeaky twatbag. At least you’re not from Liverpool.
City up next. Expectations are low I’m not gonna lie. If Fred makes one completed pass, I’ll be happy. A reaction is needed. Simple as that. Enjoy.
Bruno’s equaliser earning us a point at The Hawthorns (credit: BBCsport)
Seems so long ago we won a game 9-0 doesn’t it?
In the past few weeks, we’ve played bottom of the league and lost after a performance that my Grandad could have done, and he’s been dead 20 years. Then this past weekend we played second from bottom which ended 1-1.
What has wound me up about the game against West Brom is we lost points the easiest way possible. Every single Sam Allardyce team defend for their lives to try and get a point. So, what we thought we should do is gift them a goal in the first two minutes for them to defend and waste time. It’s so amateurish.
It’s the exact kind of game plan that has made Sam Allardyce’s teams so notoriously hard to beat over the years.
To be fair, my driving license has more points than Liverpool got this weekend, so you know, silver linings and all that, ey?
We’ve struggled against the teams at the bottom of the table and in the games against Everton, West Brom, Sheffield United and Arsenal, we have accumulated 3 points; all draws. Considering it was only a few weeks ago we were pushing Manchester City for our first title in 8 years then that simply is not good enough.
Watching the game on Sunday, I genuinely thought West Brom looked the team more likely to snatch a win and if it wasn’t for De Gea and his heroics, then we would have been looking at another embarrassing 2-1 loss against a team all but relegated from the Premier League.
Their early goal was fortunate and yes it was a foul but does a stronger centre back get bullied like that? I don’t think so. Does Maguire fall to the floor so easy to allow West Brom to force a save from De Gea? Look, I have defended them two centre backs as much as Boris Johnson defended Dominic Cummings (prick) but I can’t defend that performance yesterday.
As two individual defenders they are very good but as a pairing? Not for me.
Harry Maguire is our captain, and he needs to show his leadership. Lindelöf over-compensated being bullied for the goal by continuously giving needless fouls away and maybe Maguire should have said to calm down and switch who they both marked. It’s no doubt who is the stronger of the two. Maybe he did, I wasn’t on the pitch but with the way they played together it didn’t seem like anybody mentioned anything.
Maguire’s craziest moment wasn’t even during the 90 minutes. What the fuck was he on about when he said, “we won’t come here and create 10 chances”? Every team since November has done exactly that. Manchester City beat these 5-0. Christ almighty. I get he’s trying to defend his teammates but don’t make yourself sound like a tory knobhead.
The penalty decision was correct. He was offside. Simple. End of.
The defence wasn’t great yesterday and was unfortunate when VAR is concerned but our attack was nowhere near their best. I don’t feel we tested a team that has conceded 55 goals this season. How didn’t we brush them aside with ease? It’s ridiculous. If that attack had fallen into a pool full of tits, they’d have come out sucking their thumb.
It seems moving Rashford to the right to accommodate an extremely out of form Martial was a decision that baffled many fans, including myself. His link-up play with Luke Shaw wasn’t close to the levels of Rashford’s and it proved when our attacking play on the left struggled. Greenwood replacing him was a sign his play isn’t up to scratch and I hope he can find his form soon because I don’t think Ole will put up with his performances for much longer.
There is clear progress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but recent weeks have shown that holes in the squad are glaring for all to see. We needed more last summer, and it didn’t happen. We all know why. Our attack is short, Defence too weak and a board that would rather Wank off Tom Brady and feel Rob Gronkowski’s tight end. (God I hope I don’t have to explain that joke)
Our good form led us to believe that maybe we were title challengers at one stage but at the start of the season if you’d have said we would be second at this stage we’d have all been happy with that. It’s just a shame that United turned into an under 11s football team in Istanbul and got us knocked out of the Champions League. The Europa League is the last thing we need and the only good thing I can think of is that we will most likely see Amad Diallo make his senior debut.
A centre back, a right-winger, a striker, a defensive midfielder and a right-back is what’s needed this summer. I don’t expect it all this summer, but I do hope we get a good chunk of these positions sorted out.
However, if last summer taught me anything, it’s that I should never get my hopes up when it comes to transfers. Woodward couldn’t negotiate a taxi journey and the Glazers are too busy celebrating their true love after their team won the Superbowl. So happy for Tom Brady, it really couldn’t have happened to a nicer cu… guy.
Unfortunately, it is Manchester City’s title to win this year and 21 in 21 in gone but always remember you could spit on children. You could slip on your arse and cost your team the title. You could have a Mum and a wife who are both the same person. You could say this means more when it doesn’t mean a single fucking thing. You could be from Liverpool and absolutely nobody wants that do they?
The United Road 