bman2 wrote: ↑2 years ago
I suppose what’s really happened is that, until now, United was this island where players could act and get paid like they were at a top club, without having to do the hard work that other top clubs now do. The big change in football over the last ten years or so is the arrival of “systems” coaches that have the players working really hard in athletic terms, while being rigidly stuck to a detailed tactical scheme.
Jose brought a new level of tactical precision and discipline, but it was defensive and preserved players’ stamina. Then the likes of Pep came along and said you can be just as disciplined, but also play in the opponents’ half by running them down constantly. A side issue here is how that’s possible. Has athletic medicine really progressed so much, or will it one day be shown that at some point in the last twenty years, football became as doped as cycling was.
But anyway, United sort of ignored that over the past decade or so. The Glazers obviously don’t know and don’t care, they think they’re in the entertainment business.
But obviously constantly being a losing team can only go on for so long. And now United has hired one of the guys who started all this, Rangnick. It used to be the way guys like Rangnick could make poorer clubs compete with richer ones. Now they richer ones are making their superstars do the same disciplined spadework. And it’s obviously shit for many of our players to have this sprung on them.
A lot of the shit we’re seeing in the press now is also an obvious reaction to Rangnick plainly saying that the likes of Pogba and their agents are unprofessional. Him jetting off to UAE is obviously ridiculous. But these twats and their entourages are livid that some bloke from Germany is just telling the press what everyone already knew.
I think Raif’s attitude is great. Burn it all down if need be. But in reality it’s probably just a few cunts who need shifting for everything to change.
Spot on. We're 10-15 years behind the rest. The first step to solving any problem is recognising you have one. No more quick fixes. This needs a root and branch overhaul. I also agree re. attitudes - We clearly have players that want out because they're not playing - Henderson, Bailly, Beek, Lingard, Martial. None of which will be a loss. We have players who are at the end of their careers and need to go, such as Mata, Matic, Jones. Again, no real loss. And then we may have one or two who's behaviours and mentality are a problem - Pogba and Rashford come to mind.
So it needs an overhaul, and even if we're aggressive in how we go about it, it'll take a couple of years. So be it. Get it done, work to a proper 2-3 year transformation plan, do it properly and have it led by football men who're charged with nailing a progressive, modern style and culture - and so be it.
I'm done with circling the toilet bowl and kidding ourselves that we're not that far away.