Paul Hardcastle's Domestic Football 18/nuh nuh nuh 19

[PunkStep]

Imagine leaving Pogba (poor form or not) out of a game of this magnitude and then not even bringing him on when you're 2-1 down for his creativity. Typical Jose and his petulant little messages,  whoever this one is intended for.

I hope United never sack Jose, that's one less team to worry about in the battle for the FOURTH PLACE TROPHY~

[AdamTH17]

Didn’t watch the game due to work, but hopefully the game was as comfortable as it sounded. United have absolutely zero fear factor to them at the moment. Not one individual who gave me any concern when looking at their starting 11. Martial and Pogba perhaps, but they were both benched. Shaqiri looks like more and more of a steal, and have to laugh at some of the drivel I’ve seen on Twitter comparing Alisson and Karius.

Glad to see us win. Usually Jose would be alright getting away with playing for the draw, but with the improvements made to our squad that wasn’t going to work.

Watch us stay undefeated and City pip us to the league by winning 16-0 on the last day.

[Arch Stanton]

Jose's post match interview on Sky was as honest as it could be without explicitly saying the words 'some of these players aren't good enough for Man United', which is what the pundits in the studio were all quick to say on his behalf. The recruitment process at the club needs serious review- it's been awful for a long time and the reality is that we now have probably the fifth or sixth best squad in the league because of it. United have spent considerable money in recent years but haven't spent it anywhere near as effectively as the money City and Liverpool have. I honestly don't know how much of the blame for that can be attributed to Jose, his public criticism of the club's investment this past summer suggests he didn't have anywhere near the influence he'd have liked. As manager he obviously carries a lot of the blame for the results this season, but I seem to be in the minority of United fans that are sympathetic to his plight at the moment. I think he's right when he says that they over-achieved in finishing second last season and I really don't think the board believed him. 

[Keith Houchen]

I was watching an NBCSN stream which unfortunately had Lee Dixon as a pundit.  The camera showed Fergie and Gill in the crowd and Dixon said that it was those two leaving, not just Fergie, that is the reason Man Utd aren't in the top tier any more.  It's something I've said before and now I feel sick.

[SuperBacon]

4 hours ago, PunkStep said:

This is the thing that gets me. The media and bellends on Twitter seem to think that unless you're constantly winning trophies or overachieving, then you have to be a miserable prick that isn't entitled to any joy or social life and must instead spend every spare second you have on the training ground or thinking about how you can be a better footballer. Otherwise, you're not entitled to it. Imagine if that warped logic applied to those journos and fans with THEIR jobs.

No wonder this country is fucking miserable.

But then you get someone like Harry Kane who has overcome all the fucking obstacles in the world, is living his dream and overachieving and he still gets pelters “LOLLLLLZZZZZ ADD DA GOLD BOOT TO THE TROPHY CABINET” Just as weird as football fans (mainly United fans), giving out about someone like Poch because he hasn’t won any trophies, but look at what he’s overachieved with. (yes, I’ve used Spurs as an example as I’m COYS as fuck) These people, along with everyone else mentioned should be lauded. I’d rather see Lingard do a dance then see a Proper Football Man doing a serious celebration. I love that those Alli/Son handshakes wound up the miserable pricks of this world.

Basically, Twitter is the worst and we should all probably log off. I’m really, really unwell so this is all abit feverish rambling but that United performance was utterly pathetic. Cheered me up no end.

[PunkStep]

22 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

I honestly don't know how much of the blame for that can be attributed to Jose, his public criticism of the club's investment this past summer suggests he didn't have anywhere near the influence he'd have liked.

I think in the summer he didn't have much influence, whereas I get the impression that previously he did. He wanted a top CB more than anything it seemed, but I reckon the board didn't go all-out to try and get it done because they'd done it twice already by bringing in Bailly and Lindelof (as per Jose's request) and he clearly doesn't have much faith in them.

4 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

The camera showed Fergie and Gill in the crowd and Dixon said that it was those two leaving, not just Fergie, that is the reason Man Utd aren't in the top tier any more.  It's something I've said before and now I feel sick.

100%. One leaving would be bad enough, but both going at the same time was a real double whammy. Woodward had proved himself by this point in other areas, but acquiring players is a different ball game to the commercial deals he managed. The first summer post-Gill & Fergie was an absolute shambles.

As Arch said (I think), they're not buying the right players and there's not enough logic behind their recruitment. There's no strategy or master plan. If there's a club in dire need of the modern, continental approach of having a couple of 'football guys' in high places (e.g. a sporting/football director), it's United. Badly.

[ColinBollocks]

Aye. The club is never getting anywhere unless the owners realise Woodward, while excellent at getting official rubber johnny sponsors, is absolutely useless at organising a football club. Jose will get sacked at the end of the season when he doesn't get the Champions League and United probably have the worst finish since Signs. However, the club will probably get Zidane, and Woodward will spend the summer chasing Neymar again and Zidane will end up with some Tongan 18 year old goalkeeper from Ligue 1, not the center back he was after. It's no wonder the club's squad is so patchy.

I feel no sympathy for Jose whatsoever; he's done. The club is in such a terrible state on the pitch and Mourinho has never shown an aptitude to turn it around, instead he'll be busy taking a shit on the 'Holy Trinity' statue. There are some genuinely great players in that squad and all of them look shot - it happens a lot with Jose, you may have noticed.

[Keith Houchen]

There is an irony that the money they've spunked away is because Woodward it shit at his current job, but the money is there because he was excellent in his previous job.

[SuperBacon]

It’s weird as I remember a clip of, I think Materazzi, hugging him and bawling his eyes out when Jose left Inter so there must be players that buy into him until the end?

Unless it’s a “thanks for what you’ve done for me and my career” type thing. Can’t imagine Pogba and Martial thinking like that.

[Mr_Danger]

The big money defender that Jose wanted was Maguire wasn't it? He's good but he's not sorting that shit show out. Him and another then you have a fighting chance but there's every chance he turns in to Phil Jones if you throw him in there alone.

[ColinBollocks]

@SuperBacon I imagine he was less of an arse at Inter because they won. He left after winning the treble, you can't leave on better terms. Plus, this was prime Mourinho, the best manager in the world, at the time. He had a sparkle in his eye back then and a fine head of hair. Not the bitter puffy-eyed lugubrious old man with the dodgy balding cover job, United signed.

Blame Ramos.

[The Four Horsemen]

Just been listening to TalkSport and they are saying that a board meeting has been called at Old Trafford in the morning, make of that what you will.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

1 minute ago, The Four Horsemen said:

Just been listening to TalkSport and they are saying that a board meeting has been called at Old Trafford in the morning, make of that what you will.

"Nobody will ever suspect we're counterfeiting Jesse Lingard's jeans."

[PunkStep]

13 minutes ago, The Four Horsemen said:

Just been listening to TalkSport and they are saying that a board meeting has been called at Old Trafford in the morning, make of that what you will.

New contract for Jose I'd imagine.

[Devon Malcolm]

6 hours ago, PunkStep said:

This is the thing that gets me. The media and bellends on Twitter seem to think that unless you're constantly winning trophies or overachieving, then you have to be a miserable prick that isn't entitled to any joy or social life and must instead spend every spare second you have on the training ground or thinking about how you can be a better footballer. Otherwise, you're not entitled to it. Imagine if that warped logic applied to those journos and fans with THEIR jobs.

No wonder this country is fucking miserable.

It's mainly, and not short of specifically, black players that this treatment is aimed at. Imagine if Harry Kane was black. They would be all over the fact that he's a dunce, probably a Tory, and not far off being another Michael Owen.

I think back to the mid-80s when Atkinson was in charge and Ferguson was just starting and United were largely a bunch of drunkards. Who was the player that was always singled out for his drinking? Paul McGrath. Almost nothing about Norman Whiteside or fucking Terry Gibson, who were reportedly even worse than he was.

That's not to say white players don't get this treatment sometimes as well, but the proportions are far smaller.

Then you have Keane coming on today moaning about Lingard launching his fucking clothing line this week, like it would have made any different to today's pitiful effort. I'd like to think things will improve since Raheem Sterling spoke about about this. But they won't. You'll just get the 'y'all being snowflakes' clapback, and it'll continue unabated.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Devon Malcolm