We're ManchesteROFL United, we do what we want

[Big Foot]

10/10 for originality

[Big Foot]

Sure I read last night that RVP moaned to the Dutch TV Interviewers too...?

[Pepe the Horseman]

Robin van Persie: "It was quite difficult because my team-mates are often in the area where I want to play. That's why I have to change my tactics. Unfortunately, they are often in my area."

[Hoop Blah]

I'm not surprised that van Persie is moaning, if he is, because he spent long enough at Arsenal playing for a side that wasn't going to win anything.

He ran off to United to win things and it turns out he's backed the wrong horse now that Fergie has quit.

Moyes has a massive job on his hands to rebuild a squad that Fergie let grow old and mediocre and it was only Fergies brilliance, and RvP's goals of course, that led them to win the league last season with a very average United side. Fergie had instilled such a will to win and spirit to fight to the end of every game, plus an aura that gave them such an advantage over most teams, that he got more out of these players than any other manager could at the moment.

They need to clear the decks, get rid of the players who are now coasting or past it, and rebuild. It will just be a test of the club, manager and it's fans to see if they have the patience and balls to see the job through.

[BR2]

You don't get much these days for guaranteeing wages of something like £80,000,000 over 5 years.
Fatso wasn't their worst player last night though, how bad were Smalling and Cleverley, two players fast-forwarded into the England set-up much too early in their careers?
As for Carrick, I know it must be difficult to face the cameras after that embarrassing show but the bloke looked spaced out and found it so difficult to admit that they were just useless-everyone an international player but still useless.
What have non-winner Moyes and non-experienced coach Neville done to these players?

Was it just one shot on target in 90 minutes?-that's as bad as Reading.
I would like to hear retro's views when he gets back (safely I hope) from Greece.

The more tolerant Man Utd fans are saying that Moyes needs time and that they will just buy the best players in the world during the summer and everything will be just fine.
Will it?
Will those best players come to a club not in the Champions' League?

[SPARTA]

There are rumours the NYSE were told Moyes had offered his resignation. Nothing confirmed though, just journos and United fans hoping it's true.

He deserves time! At least another 3 years..

[Hoop Blah]

I actually feel a bit sorry for a lot of the more patient and sensible, often match going, Man United fans at the moment. These are generally the ones who are saying he needs time and can see the extent of the rebuild that needs to be done yet they get tarred with the same brush as the reactionary arm chair fans who are all over Facebook, Twitter, Talksport and Sky having a pop at Moyes due to their thirst for instant and constant success to watch on the telly.

It's hard enough for these fans having to get used to watching the kind of crap that most of us have had to put up with for the majority of our match-going lives let alone having to hear a lot of the crap that their fellow 'fans' spout out on their behalf.

[Wimb]

I actually feel a bit sorry for a lot of the more patient and sensible, often match going, Man United fans at the moment. These are generally the ones who are saying he needs time and can see the extent of the rebuild that needs to be done yet they get tarred with the same brush as the reactionary arm chair fans who are all over Facebook, Twitter, Talksport and Sky having a pop at Moyes due to their thirst for instant and constant success to watch on the telly.

It's hard enough for these fans having to get used to watching the kind of crap that most of us have had to put up with for the majority of our match-going lives let alone having to hear a lot of the crap that their fellow 'fans' spout out on their behalf.

+1

[Sanguine]

+1, but we write that as 30-something (I think, apologies Wimb if I’ve aged you) fans of a yo-yo football league club.

Pepe Mel is under pressure just 6 games into his reign at WBA, Sherwood looks inevitably out of a job already, Meulensteen lasted 5 minutes. The argument that clubs are in the hands of impatient and often crazy owners carries some weight, but the financial implications of failing to qualify for Europe/relegation are so huge that you can see why chairmen get itchy. A season out of the CL will cost United tens of millions, two or three seasons would be a financial disaster for a club saddled with its owner’s debts.

Not saying I agree with such sackings at all – I long for the days of long-time managers and real rivalries. But I can see why it happens.

[No Fixed Abode]

West Brom have issued a statement to say Pepe Mel isn't under pressure.

Expect him sacked by next week.

[No Fixed Abode]

[Wimb]

+1, but we write that as 30-something (I think, apologies Wimb if I’ve aged you) fans of a yo-yo football league club.

Pepe Mel is under pressure just 6 games into his reign at WBA, Sherwood looks inevitably out of a job already, Meulensteen lasted 5 minutes. The argument that clubs are in the hands of impatient and often crazy owners carries some weight, but the financial implications of failing to qualify for Europe/relegation are so huge that you can see why chairmen get itchy. A season out of the CL will cost United tens of millions, two or three seasons would be a financial disaster for a club saddled with its owner’s debts.

Not saying I agree with such sackings at all – I long for the days of long-time managers and real rivalries. But I can see why it happens.

You've aged me slightly... but not by much

I would be interested to see if there's been a correlation between the introduction of the transfer windows and the number of sackings. With the windows now in place you can't change the playing staff, your only choice is the manager if you want a spark.

In days gone by players knew they could be out on the scrapheap at any stage of the campaign if things weren't going well but now they know they've got the ultimate power.

For that reason alone I'd support a managerial transfer window though I can't imagine it'll ever happen.

[Hoop Blah]

+1, but we write that as 30-something (I think, apologies Wimb if I’ve aged you) fans of a yo-yo football league club.

Pepe Mel is under pressure just 6 games into his reign at WBA, Sherwood looks inevitably out of a job already, Meulensteen lasted 5 minutes. The argument that clubs are in the hands of impatient and often crazy owners carries some weight, but the financial implications of failing to qualify for Europe/relegation are so huge that you can see why chairmen get itchy. A season out of the CL will cost United tens of millions, two or three seasons would be a financial disaster for a club saddled with its owner’s debts.

Not saying I agree with such sackings at all – I long for the days of long-time managers and real rivalries. But I can see why it happens.

I hear what you're saying, and I agree with your comments, but that's just part of the problem I think, as it making bad appointments of course.

We saw at Reading that we hit the panic button with Rodgers (for vairous reasons) when we'd agreed with him that it was a long term rebuilding job that was needed but didn't support him on it. Chopping and changing managers isn't a way to achieve true success at the top unless you are going to buy a new team of top players for each manager. United can't afford to do that and I'm guessing that's partly why Fergie saw Moyes as a good candidate to follow him.

Appointments like Mel and Meulensteen are massive gambles. I can understand them being under pressure at mid table clubs quite quickly. But a club like United should be leading the way and being a stable example and I hope they do as whoever took over from Fergie was going to be up against it, even before they lost Gill at the same time.

Fans really should realise that, even if they've never been to Old Trafford or any other football ground for that matter.

[TBM]

There are rumours the NYSE were told Moyes had offered his resignation. Nothing confirmed though, just journos and United fans hoping it's true.

He deserves time! At least another 3 years..

What he did wrong was totally change the backroom staff as soon as he got in there. He should have kept them for this season, worked with them and then over time changed it to how he wants to run the side.

[Hoop Blah]

I would be interested to see if there's been a correlation between the introduction of the transfer windows and the number of sackings. With the windows now in place you can't change the playing staff, your only choice is the manager if you want a spark.

In days gone by players knew they could be out on the scrapheap at any stage of the campaign if things weren't going well but now they know they've got the ultimate power.

For that reason alone I'd support a managerial transfer window though I can't imagine it'll ever happen.

Interesting idea and it probably plays a part but I think it's probably more money related. As more money has come into the game and players have become more expensive assets they've probably become less expendable and therefore more powerful.

Managers are cheaper to get rid of than a whole set of players.

[Hoop Blah]

There are rumours the NYSE were told Moyes had offered his resignation. Nothing confirmed though, just journos and United fans hoping it's true.

He deserves time! At least another 3 years..

What he did wrong was totally change the backroom staff as soon as he got in there. He should have kept them for this season, worked with them and then over time changed it to how he wants to run the side.

Apparently he wanted Meulensteen to stay but he wanted to leave to go into management.

I think he's had 3 jobs since hasn't he?

Not sure about all the others, but he probably went a bit too far but I can see why he'd have gone down that route.

[winchester_royal]

I have to say, while I sympathise with Moyes' position, their performance last night was worse than hopeless. They lacked motivation, energy, imagination, and (worst of all) structure. He has to take a large portion of the blame for this. Granted, he hasn't inherited a gr8 squad, but it's still far superior to the one Olympiakos have.

He's not doing a good job. He has mitigating circumstances, but not at the level that absolve him from blame.

[Hoop Blah]

I agree he's not doing a good job as yet, but I think he's been let down by the players so far but how much you put that down to them and how much down to his leadership of them I'm not sure.

He hasn't got a lot of choice but to play some of those that don't seem to be performing because he hasn't been able to buy in his own men yet.

[winchester_royal]

That's reasonable, although in response one could point to Fellaini, a £30m Moyes signing, sitting on the bench while Carrick and Cleverley failed to have any impact whatsoever on the game. One could also point to the one shining light of United's season being left out of the squad entirely.

Maybe it's a little harsh to come to a judgement this early, but when you compare the job he's done to the ones that Rodgers and Martinez are doing, and see the complete lack of progress that his team is showing under him, you do just begin to wonder if he's the right man to take them back into the elite of European football. I have my doubts, and while I do think he should be given more time, I don't condemn those United fans who do believe change is needed as reactionaries that have been driven greedy by success.

[Hoop Blah]

He might end up to be the wrong man, and sometimes that can be obvious quickly I guess, but at the moment I'd say it's the players that are the issue and he needs to have them onside and delivering.

Perhaps there are too many of them that have taken their foot off the gas a bit after Fergie left and they now they're seeing out their time at United. That can make a big difference but Fergie wouldn't have allowed it because of who is/was. Would a bigger name than Moyes have been able to keep them all on their toes a bit more? Maybe, but look at how someone like Scolari struggled at Chelsea and he was about as big a name as there was post-Jose.