Lets Talk Football

The respect comments? It's silly and it's classic Mou. The team isn't good enough, they missed chances to put themselves in a good position (looking mainly at Rom here) and then seem to have fallen away the moment Spurs scored because they know they're done.

I don't know how other United fans see him. Honestly I think it's been fairly split between those who never wanted him and those who were happy for him to be there because he's someone who could turn it round.

Sadly, I think his time is done. If you don't give him what he wants, then there's no point hiring him but now, even if he got everything he wanted, I don't think the players or the fans would give him the time. The whole thing is a mess that comes from a lack of leadership and/or ineptitude. I'll say the same I said to JD when he asked me. I'd get rid of both him and Woodward because they've both had their time, IMO. The only difference is I'd have gotten rid of Woodward 5 years ago. Which is when I wanted Mou as he'd have been the perfect candidate to take over from Fergie.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Yeah, the players he has are not good enough, but the fact that he keeps reminding that to everyone doesn't help building trust and leadership with the team.

Also, he had the team he wanted supposedly last year and still didn't win the title.

In my opinion Mou would do well to step back a little bit and stop one year. He pretty much hasn't stopped since he began his career. Or maybe come back to FC Porto eheheheh!

I disagree that he had the team he wanted last year (5 years since Fergie left and Jones and Smalling are still our central pairing? No one wants that) but I agree that he's spent a lot of money. What I would argue is has he spent it all? We know he hasn't gotten the people he wanted before, the problem now is that he's become part of the problem and a reason players won't go to United.

I don't see him going anytime soon unless this run continues for a few more games. CL will determine his fate at United, IMO. Getting dumped out early again or not qualifying for next year will probably be enough to provoke someone at United to make a decision. Knowing United, it will probably be at the wrong time and there'll be no one (or the wrong person) lined up to take over.

Even though it's been a while since anyone won back to back titles, I think City will do it this year. Finishing second to City was the best anyone could've done last year and I think it'll be the same this with the exception that it'll be the Scousers taking second. The problem is the football being played is poor and uninspiring. You can do that if you're winning titles (the previous season there were two trophies, so it's OK IMO) but if you're winning nothing you have to give the fans something and entertaining football or a genuine title race is the expectation.

I don't see any leadership or direction at the club, from the top down. Hopefully that's something which will start to be sorted this season.

Well, as a United fan we got a pretty tough draw in the CL. How about you? If your team is playing in Europe this year, how did the draw treat you?

Group A: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Club Brugge.
Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham, PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan.
Group C: Paris St-Germain, Napoli, Liverpool, Red Star Belgrade.
Group D: Lokomotiv Moscow, Porto, Schalke, Galatasaray.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Ajax, AEK Athens.
Group F: Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, Hoffenheim.
Group G: Real Madrid, Roma, CSKA Moscow, Viktoria Plzen.
Group H: Juventus, Manchester United, Valencia, Young Boys.

If we don't get out of this group I can see Mou getting the sack before Christmas, unless we're doing really well in the league (and if we're doing well I'd expect us to qualify from this group regardless)

Tottenham

Last year I think we had the toughest group so I'm excited to see how we do against Barcelona

When Guardiola was asked about his "easier group" he probably gave the perfect answer: "I'll tell you in December whether it was easy or not"

I need to get in this thread more since football is all I do...

My big hot take of the summer is that I said Mourinho would be out of United by Christmas. There is always an air he gives off when he's had enough of a club or a situation, like he doesnt want to quit, but is basically irritating everybody above him until they sack him. It's all very reminiscent of the time he wanted John Stones off us, but when Abramovich said enough is enough and told him to go after someone else because he wasnt willing to keep going higher, Mourinho threw his toys out, signed Michael Hector and Papy Djilobodji, neither of whom I think ever played a game for Chelsea, and he was out in December.

Not a good day for us today, badly missed Richarlison, as well as Walcott once he went off injured. Lack of creativity without them was very worrying. And this zonal marking needs knocking on the head. Four games in a row we've now conceded direct from a corner...I get the feeling all standing in a line marking nobody isnt quite getting us anywhere...

Arsenal

Sporting CP, Qarabag, FC Vorksla Poltava

Decent Europa League draw and I can see Emery using a weakened team in the group stage similar to what Wenger did last year. Welbeck

The hope is that Aubameyang starts firing tomorrow. He looks well short of confidence right now.

Guaranteed sack if they drop out in the group stage but I think they'll sneak through. His style, both on the pitch and in the press is alienating any United fan I know. He's currently the favourite to be the next manger out though Pellegrini is closing.

Appalling to charge Jurgen Klopp for that pitch celebration .

It's not something he's allowed to do, therefore he's been charged. But, yes, I can understand anyone thinking it's petty. On the plus side, at Ł8,000, it's not like he'll miss it.

I didn't think it was disrespectful, I think he was just caught up in the moment (which I completely understand) but unless you keep to the laws of the game, you set precedents.

In this case I think the law needs changing – there are much more appropriate things to fine people for.

There are. But there's also the problem that he's a fun, nice guy who hasn't won anything and has no real power with the FA. I'm not saying it wouldn't have happened to another manager, but did it happen to Fergie? Or Wenger? Now that man is Pep, not Klopp.

Bit of an odd one tonight. I expect Arsenal to win because we're just that bad/average atm and I worry that we're worse at home than we are away. I've not looked at the home/away table to see if that's right, but it's how I feel. If I thought it'd help, I'd hope that Arsenal really whacked us for 4 or 5 to usher Jose out the door, but I can't see that happening until the day we can't qualify for CL and/or get knocked out of the CL, which we will to the first half decent team we meet unless we fluke a hat full of goals in the first leg. The whole club is such a mess. I didn't think we'd win the title for at least five years after Fergie left, but I did think we'd at least be on the right road by now.

Lastly, although I'm bias because I can't see a best player in a team sport, can we all just agree that the Ballon D'or is pointless and let it go back to being something a French magazine gave out without ceremony? That, or admit that Ronaldo and Messi are footballing freaks who deserve to win the award every year until they're not producing anymore. I still wouldn't care who won it, but at least 'the best footballer in the world' would have an argument to claiming the 'title'.

I was thinking about the contrast between United and Arsenal in replacing their long-serving managers. Unai Emery seems to have performed a miracle whereas David Moyes couldn't get that kind of instant success. I honestly don't know who United could go for if Jose Mourinho went, but if they had a smile on their faces – like Klopp for example – I don't think it would hurt .

I was pleased it went to Modric .

During the highlights of that game last night I was wracking my brain to think who Unai Emery reminded me of. In the end it was this Steve Coogan character from The Day Today :

There's so many reasons as to why it went so wrong. IMO, at least. But one of the main ones is that none of the 'big name' managers were available when Fergie retired (there's also the fact they weren't prepared for his leaving and that David Gill went too, but that's for another time). There's an argument as to whether they could've got Jose if they'd wanted him, but the truth is they didn't (or a sizeable number of the boardroom didn't and they still aren't happy about it.) Personally, I think he was the only man who could've done the job at that time and succeeded. Obviously I don't know if he would've, but he'd have done a lot better than Moyes because certain players would've respected him and, therefore, not been dickheads. Plus United would've had to loosen the purse strings earlier as Jose doesn't do bargain basement, as we all know.

As for last night, that's the first United game I've enjoyed in a long time. Not because we were great (or even good) but because they looked like they were trying to attack and score. Not all the time, of course, Arsenal were the better team and looked the more threatening, but it wasn't one way traffic and we had our moments. Slightly annoying that it took going behind twice to actually score, but that's something which goes back to the late Fergie era.

BTW, for those who haven't seen any of the goals and wants to see how not to defend, this game is for you. One goalkeeping mistake (though Dave Saves, so he's allowed to throw a couple in), two terrible examples of defending and one offside goal. Only just offside and not something you'd expect an official to spot, but next season that goal will be disallowed.

Yeah, I totally agree about the timing being optimum for Mourinho had he been available. I think it would have worked well. It's interesting about the money side too, as Moyes was known for doing a great job at Everton with such limited resources – but why should he go up a level and be forced to operate in the same way?

The comments about Mourinho's impassivity made me laugh too. When United got a goal back Jose was stoic as usual and I thought yeah, because he's probably thinking "You're Manchester United – that's what's supposed to happen" .

And Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United, maybe saying in his interview how fantastic Liverpool are was the last straw?
I wouldn't want him as Tottenham's manager (there were rumours before Pochettino was appointed) as I think he plays boring football, but I love seeing his post-game interviews, they're comedy gold sometimes.
I think he's done with the premier league now, any team that would want him would be "beneath him"

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can i have one of those buttons?

Yeah, probably. Gary Neville was in tears apparently.

Just imagine if they got Roy Keane in as caretaker manager .

Pochettino's good and I think he genuinely wants to try and win something with Tottenham before he considers leaving.

Keane would be popular with the fans but what are his recent credentials as a manager.

Glad Boreinho is gone, past his sell by date if you ask me, so afraid to lose that he cant win.

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I was just thinking of the intimidation factor .

I mean, if Zidane came in Pogba might not find him as warm and fuzzy as he might expect…

Yea you are right, no one would **** with Keane.