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The 2025-2026 Football Thread
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Most people love a good upset....unless your own club is on the wrong end of it.
EDIT: Looks like Grimsby edge out Man Utd after a loooong penalty shootout, 12-11! With Bryan Mbuemo the unfortunate player to miss his spot kick after earlier scoring from open play. 2-2 the final score before the shootout. Huge result for Grimsby after throwing away an early 2-0 lead.
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Also notable was that all three went behind to their lower league opponents but managed to score late equalizers, only to lose the shootout.
Leeds and Sunderland I can excuse because they have only just been promoted to the premier league and as such have not established themselves as a premier league club yet (still have championship level in the team) but United, not so. A team full of multi millionaires, a team full of international squad players and they lose to a 3rd tier team. That is inexcusable. The majority of players played under ETH and his system and they failed. Now those same players are playing a different system under a different manager and again they have failed. When are the owners going to see it is not the managers that are the problem but the players. If they could not play ETH's system and they cannot play Amorim's system, just who's system can they play?
I would suggest that the problem ultimately lies with the owners. Man Utd have consistently bought good (and expensive) players and they play below their level (maybe not always the best 'fit', or the best price, but that reinforces my ultimate point); they've tried every type of manager and fired them all. They've rotated upper-level directorial positions without finding a winner.
There's only one common factor amongst all that lack of success: the people at the top. At some point, they have to be seen as responsible. It's easy to blame a player for missing a penalty - we can all see it happen - but what about years and years of poor decisions made behind closed doors (or simple neglect), behind layers of employee fall-guys?
How much influence do senior management have on the footballing side? Some, I’m sure, with the communication with the coach and the negotiation of player contracts, but not that much.
I have a lot of sympathy for Amorim (and Ten Hag before him) being expected to revitalise the club in just a year… it’s not so easy to compete at the highest levels, even given unlimited amounts of transfer money. Look at PSG and how many years it took them to win the Champions League.
I think Man Utd won’t succeed until they get the back room staff and directors right, and then give a talented manager multiple years to rebuild the team.
Are any of them especially easy draws?
Last year, with a team not as good as what we are able to field now, we reached the semi finals of the competition; in any case, I cannot see any reason for us not to qualify for the knock-out phase of the CL.
A Norwegian paper reports that Solskjær has been fired at Besiktas, after failing to get past Lausanne in their Conference League qualifications.
A foreshadowing for Amorim in United...?
A foreshadowing for Amorim in United...?
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There is a kind of grotesque hilarity to some of Manchester United's current trials and tribulations, something that will take any half decent manager a few seasons and several transfer windows to change.
While I would have liked to have seen Grimsby defeat Manchester United in normal time (as they so very nearly did), that penalty shoot-out was extraordinary and utterly surreal; off-hand, I cannot ever recall seeing a penalty shoot-out go so far. Well done, Grimsby.
They might not be the ones running training sessions, but they do have a big hand in transfer strategy and hiring/firing managers. Right now the squad consists of the remains of a handful of different managerial regimes. It's a hodgepodge and that makes it that much harder to build a cohesive squad. That's not the (current) managers fault, or the players' fault. That is the responsibility of the sporting director/director of football, board, chairman, and owners.
I have a certain amount of sympathy for Amorim - he took on an incredibly difficult job and I am sure he's doing his best (though, it was his choice and is being very well paid). But he is committed to a certain system, and that system has never worked. A more flexible manager might be able to fashion something out of this squad, (though others have tried previously), but I think his commitment to the back three makes an already nearly impossible job properly impossible, without a full rebuild. Assuming it will ever work. Also, why did the top brass think this was going to work? They chose this manager and (should have) known what his tactical philosophy was. Did they vet that properly?
More and more Man Utd fans are focusing their ire at the owners, and don't see the club returning to success as long as the Glazers, and now, Ratcliffe, are running things. And I think they have a point.
Some would be upset about seeing Real Madrid in there, given recent history. I say bring it on. I want nothing better than to beat those mugs, and if we lose, whatever, it's such a ridiculously bloated group phase losses barely matter anymore.
Agree re having a certain amount of sympathy for Amorin, agree that the team - or squad, such as it is - is a weird hybrid reflecting the choices and preferences of several different managers - but also agree re his total tactical inflexibility.
Moreover, I am not sure that this group of players - who still do not resemble a cohesive team - are actually capable of implementing the system so adamantly insisted on by Amorin.
Johnathan Wilson has been talking about Man Utd this week on the pods, and he always has some great perspectives on the tactical side of things. He made a pretty cogent argument that the back three system is not working at Man Utd (ok, obvious), but went on to explain why. The reason, in sum, was that the squad wasn't suitable for it. That is not Amorim's fault, or the players' fault, at this point. That is the fault of the people who decided to hire Amorim and have him work with this squad. If Amorim is to be given time to build a squad for his system, it's probably going to take a least a couple more successful transfer windows to do that at best. In which case this season is a write-off. OK if that's the plan, but is that really what the club suits are expecting? It doesn't seem to be.
Moreover, Wilson made the point that Kobbie Mainoo is not going to fit in a back three and Amorim isn't playing him. Will the club sacrifice this promising young talent to Amorim's project? Many fans seem upset at the prospect of losing him, but if Wilson is correct, it's going to have to be one or the other - Amorim or Mainoo.
Surely INEOS knew what they were getting by hiring Amorim, and knew which players in the squad suited the 3-4-3 system and which ones didn't. Then they went into the summer window and did not prioritize the glaring weak spots of central midfield and goalkeeper, thus not giving Amorim the tools he needs to succeed. They either need to spend more and faster, or be patient and rebuild over more transfer windows. Right now they look incredibly weak and naive.
That, and many of the United players yesterday looked like they could be barely arsed. Amorim bears blame for picking a completely different, weaker XI and throwing Onana back in there, when we all know Onana isn't up for it.
Basically, everyone is culpable for this mess, and no one can dodge accountability.
I can see Amorim resigning after the Burnley match. It might not even matter what the result is. United will hire another manager playing another system, rinse and repeat.
Mainoo is a tricky question. He is a promising young talent, but I don't think he's quite as good as many people think. He definitely does not work in Amorim's midfield two — maybe he'd do better as a #10, but there are plenty of 10s in the squad now. If Amorim does stay, sadly Mainoo should leave.
That, and many of the United players yesterday looked like they could be barely arsed. Amorim bears blame for picking a completely different, weaker XI and throwing Onana back in there, when we all know Onana isn't up for it.
Basically, everyone is culpable for this mess, and no one can dodge accountability.
I can see Amorim resigning after the Burnley match. It might not even matter what the result is. United will hire another manager playing another system, rinse and repeat.
Mainoo is a tricky question. He is a promising young talent, but I don't think he's quite as good as many people think. He definitely does not work in Amorim's midfield two — maybe he'd do better as a #10, but there are plenty of 10s in the squad now. If Amorim does stay, sadly Mainoo should leave.
I agree. Personally I think INEOS hired Amorim fully knowing what he intended to do tactically, but have failed to support that project. For ???? reasons.
And here is where I would agree that Amorim can take some blame. His squad is unsuitable for his system and he surely knows that. Some of his starters are genuine liabilities.
The pragmatic thing to do would be to find some system, any system, that he could apply to this squad that might be able to win football matches. It would require a very public (if temporary) renouncement of his 3-4-3, but it would at least give the squad the chance to build some morale, to be as competitive as circumstances will allow, and to demonstrate to the fans that he, at least, is doing the best he can regardless of his own ambitions.
But instead he is being very stubborn with this formation. Is he angry because he feels the club aren't following through on promises made when he was hired? In any case, at this point he appears to be either seriously tactically dogmatic, or naive, or just not really giving a hoot about how this ends. Which is bad in any case.
And this is where I miss Big Sam. 🤣
It certainly seems that is the choice. And it's a good point that he is a very promising, but unproven, talent. Prioritizing him over Amorim carries its own risks.
I don't think Utd needed to buy Sesko. Mbuemo and Cunha were needed for Zirkzee and Hojlund. But should've then focused on the midfield.
Casemiro shouldn't be anywhere near that 11. Should've moved for Palhinha or gone for Baleba. Bruno is a luxury player who needs 2 engines besides him.
Ugarte isn't enough and Utd shouldn't be relying on Mainoo and Amad. Have them in supporting roles and nothing more.
Utd's midfield has been easy to play through for about 6yrs and counting. And it looks like that will continue.
Onana for all intents and purposes has proven to be a terrible buy.
Arguably need another defender because Martinez is always injured. Ironically Maguire is the only that seems to stay fit. Yoro is another kid who they shouldn't be relying on yet.
All this to say £200m on forwards when there are glaring issues with the rest of the squad is crazy.
Its now Amorim and Potter who are making their cases for first dismissals of the season.
Casemiro shouldn't be anywhere near that 11. Should've moved for Palhinha or gone for Baleba. Bruno is a luxury player who needs 2 engines besides him.
Ugarte isn't enough and Utd shouldn't be relying on Mainoo and Amad. Have them in supporting roles and nothing more.
Utd's midfield has been easy to play through for about 6yrs and counting. And it looks like that will continue.
Onana for all intents and purposes has proven to be a terrible buy.
Arguably need another defender because Martinez is always injured. Ironically Maguire is the only that seems to stay fit. Yoro is another kid who they shouldn't be relying on yet.
All this to say £200m on forwards when there are glaring issues with the rest of the squad is crazy.
Its now Amorim and Potter who are making their cases for first dismissals of the season.
Another one:
www.theguardian.com
José Mourinho parts company with Fenerbahce after Champions League exit
José Mourinho’s contract at Fenerbahce has been terminated, the Turkish club said on Friday, bringing an early end to the Portuguese coach’s tenure