Morning all.
Man Utd are in a bad way and pretty much have been since Alex Ferguson left. Even during his final season, despite winning the Premier League title, a decline looked imminent. They’ve switched managers, spent lots of money but Utd just aren’t what they used to be. We know how that feels and it’s not nice. Unlike Arsene Wenger though, I don’t feel a tiny bit sorry for them.
I would say the gulf between the two teams became bigger and bigger as the game went on..In the end, for such a big club you felt sorry for Man United because there’s no hope there in the team.‘I don’t see where they can improve, basically. This team has lost confidence, quality and even spirit today. I would say it was not a great fighting spirit from Man United, on top of that.
For what it’s worth, I think they should have stuck with OGS and backed him in a way that Stan Kroenke has. It took him a while, or those who operate on his behalf, but once he woke up, smelt the whiff of what could be if he backed his manager, the club we all love is in a much better place. Spending money means spending wisely and not just throwing good money after bad. Wisely means signing characters who want to be part of a team, part of a squad and part of the club. The biggest part of the club is its fans and the coaching staff. If footballers don’t 100% care about the latter two, there’s always going to be a divide which in turn equals problems.
Kev sent me this statistic yesterday – the loss against City on Sunday means they have now suffered 34 defeats at Old Trafford in the 10 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, the same number as they suffered in 27 years under him.
Staggering really… But yes, I love it!
It makes me realise what a remarkable job Mikel Arteta has done at Arsenal but not just him. The board, including Edu of course, the coaching staff, all those behind the scenes, right through to the tea lady, they’ve all played their part. The squad the club has assembled aren’t divided, or at least they certainly don’t seem to be. I think we’d know if they weren’t because it would show on the pitch. Ozil couldn’t hide the way he felt, neither could Aubameyang, Guendouzi, Mustafi or Kolasinac as their performance level dropped and their shoulders sagged. Their body language spoke volumes. Now though, despite limited playing time, we have substitutes who come on from the bench, clearly desperate to try and make a difference. Don’t be fooled by the ‘I don’t do smiling’ Leandro Trossard. Lol
I read something in the newspapers, from Chris Sutton I think it was who said that Eddie Nketiah needs to be more nasty, just because instead of taking the penalty against Sheffield United, he handed the ball to Fabio Vieira because he’d just become a dad. What utter rubbish! Something so simple, yet something so considerate, caring too and imagine how Vieira felt after he’d scored.
But this isn’t a post about Man Utd, not really, it’s about the difference an owner/board can make. Utd’s owners are possibly the worst at running a club in the Premier League. Our own owner, Stan Kroenke has been much maligned since he got involved with Arsenal. His, or at least those who made decisions on his behalf, went through three different phases in my opinion. The shared ownership with Usmanov, a disastrous combination of men on the board during the Unai Emery period and lastly, or rather currently, the sole ownership together with the appointments of Edu and Mikel Arteta.
I think Edu and Arteta are our modern day David Dein and Arsene Wenger. Football is very different now though because back in Dein and Wenger’s day it was pretty much a two horse race between Ma Utd and Arsenal for the League title, Wenger was the main manager tapping into the overseas transfer market and there wasn’t the kind of finances which foreign ownership plough into a club either. Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle Utd and even Liverpool weren’t title contenders back then were they? As for Totts, sis points for Arsenal was pretty much a certainty each season. Now though, every fixture is difficult, winning the Premier League is bloody hard and finishing in the top four is a lot harder too. This season, if the first three months are anything to go by, it could be the hardest yet and that’s without Chelsea and Man Utd in the mix. At least they’re not right now.
I think, at least I’m hoping, Arsenal’s bad times are over. Certainly for a while if not for a long long time. We as a club have been where Utd, even Chelsea are now and we’ve come through it. Admittedly, it took longer than we perhaps all thought it would but bad/wrong decisions were responsible for that but that’s the problem with football, and life in general really, just because a person CV looks great, it doesn’t mean he or she will be a roaring success in the job they’re given. On the flip side, just because a persons CV is lacking evidence of experience in the job they’re applying for, it doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to fail either…
Thats enough positivity from me for one day, catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico
Very little to moan about at present…
Arteta weeded out the bad apples from the Arsenal side. Ozil, PEA, Lacazette, Mustafi, Kolasinac, etc. They almost succeeded in getting him sacked in the dark days of the 20/21 season. He had no choice but to lean into the youth players and it came off.
ETH is in a similar battle with the established United players. It doesn’t look like he is going to win this one. Although some of his signings have been rotten, so he has to carry the can. United are in a death spiral, which is lovely to watch.
Morning Pete. Exactly, although sometimes I wish our football was a tad more entertaining. Saying that, I watched a lower League game the other day and it seems this tippy tappy football is everywhere.
Agree re the bad apples which highlights the importance of having an owner who backs the manager.
Afternoon Rico and all.
Taking the owners out of the equation, I reckon the difference between us and Man U after Wenger and Ferguson both left was Arsene walked away from the club and let us move on without him looking over the club or new manager’s shoulder ever five minutes, while Ferguson stuck around and kept having too much to say instead of letting them move on.
Hi Geoff, having old red nose around couldn’t have helped but even so, as Pete said, some of their squad decisions have been terrible. Managerial appointments too.
How on earth has Messi won another Ballon D’Or.. What an insult to other footballers.
As long as we keep beating Man u I am happy.
Doesn’t the Ballon D’or in English translate to the bullshit / rigged trophy.
Schadenfreude, what a lovely word. A combination of two German words, Schaden meaning harm or damage and Freude meaning Joy. Thus to take pleasure in another’s misfortune. I confess that as far as Manchester United’s present situation is concerned, schadenfreude fits the bill perfectly for me.
The blame for their poor form lies firmly on the shoulders of the clubs’ owners.
The appointment of their present manager was made without consideration of how his team, Ajax, played and the tactics used. ten Hag has admitted that the players he has at the club, and the ones he has bought, can not play in his chosen way so he is having to find a system that they can cope with. A more savvy ownership would have found a manager who could work with the players they had without making wholesale changes.
Has ten Hag “lost the dressing room”? Did he ever have it? As far as the fans are concerned, they seem to have had enough. At the end of the last game those fans who hadn’t already walked out booed the team and the manager off the pitch.
Do I feel sorry for them, the fans, yes a little. For the club itself, not one bit.
The day Henry was ignored said it all imo.
I think Pavel Nedved got it instead of Henry . At least it wasnt Messi or Ronaldo .
One of the few times. Logic alone suggests Haaland should have got it this years, not one of the two old has beens in the game.
Martinez getting the keeper award was wrong too imo. His behaviour in the final was dreadful.
It seems like they make their decision based only on the world cup, where it should be based more around the home and away series, most Football (soccer) reporters in Australia believe Haaland should have won it.
Or just favouritism Geoff..
New post up