José Mourinho | 2018/19 Performances

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Red71 said:
Mourinho finished 2nd last year and didn’t win anything. Of course he’s not happy. Him and the club have been panned by all corners of the media for a good couple of seasons now and most of it is sensationalism or twisting of the truth and yet there’s a majority on here that are complaining and going after the man because he’s not laughing and joking with those prats. Some of you should take a look at yourselves. I wouldn’t be laughing and joking with those d!ck heads either.

None of you (I include myself obviously) have any clue what goes on behind the scenes or how jovial the man is with his players or what he says to them one to one. Nor should you. It’s none of your business. You’re not an employee, you’re supposed to be a fan. Supposed to be anyway....

Some of the football was dull last year but it wasn’t awful. The man has always been a winner. For fecks sake let’s give him some time to get it right before we get the pitchforks out. Some of you have bought into the media claptrap when all of us have to acknowledge he’s improved us from Moyes and LVG’s time here.

Providing we keep improving, he needs our support, the players need our support. All this shite about Klopp and Liverpool and how they’re doing so much better than us makes me want to be sick in my mouth a little....fecking Liverpool. Some of you are on the wind up surely. Klopp may win something with his headless chicken football, which would probably finish me off, but how long do you think the scouse will put up with his oh so pleasing style whilst still not winning anything...another 2 years, 4...?

Sometimes things get worse before they get better. Honestly, if you knew for a fact that Mourinho was only half way through his rebuilding phase but that when he was done, we’d go back to dominating again, would you see it out? I ask because he could be but there’s so many of the know it alls privy to the inner workings of the club and Mourinho’s mental state that you’ve already decided he’s finished and has to go.

I’m surprised/disappointed if this is a fair representation of our fan base. It has become so much more negative on the Cafe than in a dozen Mourinho interviews....
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No, sorry mate. Some of us prefer to make our own minds up and reach our own judgements, free from blind loyalty or the narcissistic desire to prove what great fans we are.

The football was awful last year. If you don't see that, fine. But don't expect other people to bury their heads in the sand just because that's what you've chosen to do yourself.

If the football improves, Mourinho's critics will get behind him. But this isn't Pravda - we're free to say what we think. If criticising Mourinho because he's fallen (and continues to fall) short of United's standards makes me a bad fan, so be it.
 
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Womp said:
Klopp has been at Liverpool longer and has achieved less. In the span of two years Jose has won us more and got us higher on the table. When exactly will we be "looking up at Liverpool"?

Appreciating the work Klopp has done from an entertainment POV I completely understand, but people have been saying we are doomed to fall beneath Liverpool since Klopp joined now.
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If you're selling out-dated tumescent football, a League Cup and a Europa title over a style of football that has a legitimate shot to win the CL and the league...no thank you. I'm interested in building to the pinnacle. You want to celebrate 2nd over 4th like it's some standout accomplishment when the 4th place team scored more goals and had a better goal difference, when the 4th place team prioritized the CL over the league near the end of the season?? Go ahead...your apologist card is in the mail.
 
According to May on last night's Paddy Crerand show, He would be very surprised if there were not any more signings. He expects players IN and OUT, before deadline day.
 
He is getting on my nerves with his annoying and mostly negative comments. It's always the others, never him.
 
I’m a Liverpool fan, but can be objective.

For me UTD, are a club built on playing great, attacking football, and at pace. UTD do give managers time, but when the progression is there year or year for all to see, much like other sensible thinking clubs. When concerns are raised, and managers start to struggle, then like other clubs, especially PLC’s they have to act, and do act.

Mourinho, for me is a serial winner, but a short term winner. I don’t completely buy the 3rd year blow up syndrome, but at some point, I would completely understand it if certain players get bored with all the crap. Pogba for instance, if played where he wants to be played can make a real difference, a la the City game, but under Mourinho both he and Sanchez are too imprisoned to really flourish on a consistent basis.

Mourinho still has a lot to offer, but I already feel his time at UTD has less to run than it has already run.
 
Any chance we can change the profile photo in the OP to one where he's standing in Ronaldo-esque pose with his tits out please?
 
.Rossi said:
I'd be pretty shook if the manager of Manchester United came out and said he was to blame for certain things.

Regardless of who it is.
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Whatever he says, he's moaning. Be it about how we play, about our players, etc. He should be reminded that he's the coach
 
Escobar said:
He is getting on my nerves with his annoying and mostly negative comments. It's always the others, never him.
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Agreed. I haven't seen the interviews live, but the quotes (which can easily be taken multiple ways mind you) do seem very negative. The one that really annoyed me was that he's doing the best he can with the squad he has on tour. As a young player you can easily take that to heart and no need to say it at all. Klopp is buzzing and building up his squad, Jose is putting his down. Don't like it
 
AndyJ1985 said:
Picking a handful of games out to try and prove a point is nonsense. You judge the season as a whole, and as a whole we played dreadful football.
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On a whole we finished 2nd and made an FA cup final which is a huge improvement on the previous years. It's not even debatable.

BusbyMalone said:
Right, so you pick a few games out of two years to prove what? That we're capable of beating some great teams. Of course we are, we not completely fecking incompetent. We have great players who are capable of great individual things. I'm not even sure those games you picked are indicative of us being a great, cohesive team either tbh.

Again with the premier league positions. Nobody is saying we haven't moved up the table. Those are incontrovertible facts; anyone can read the Premier League table and see for themselves. Nobody is arguing that. Some people can look beyond that though and not be so bloody myopic.
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You are happy to look beyond/ignore the premier league table argument because it makes a mockery of the claim we haven't improved or are going backwards. You like many others have a clear agenda vs Mourinho. We are very clearly improving and arguing otherwise is just delusional.
 
More criticism of Pogba. He was good at the World Cup because it’s a month and he can ‘focus’ while implying that it’s not the case in a League. Absolute nonsense. Seems like he’s trying to piss everyone of this summer.

Certainly seems like he’s looking to build morale going into the season :lol:
 
Hypothesis: Mourinho's man management style doesn't work in the modern game and he is unable to adapt. Ever since he left Inter 8 years ago he's consistently lost dressing rooms and failed to get the best out of players. This seem unlikely to change and therefore we can expect more of the same problems.

Fair comment?
 
With his dour negativity and continual digs at players I'm seriously hoping he is not alienating himself more and more from the players in general. That will just spell disaster for this season. I'm kind of relieved that Carrick is there - I'm beginning to think he's the only one who truly knows United (Butt as well I suppose) - hopefully, he's the voice of reason and encouragement in the players ears......
 
He really is making me feel more and more detached with the United I knew. It's as if he's blatantly trying to piss everyone off. Players, ex players, fans. Add to that, the poor transfer window so far and I don't think we'll be up to much this season. Can't wait till he pisses off but sadly I wouldn't have the slightest idea in who would replace him. Feck me, we really have turned into Liverpool.
 
littlepeasoup said:
So, you're basically hoping for United to perform terribly this coming season? Jose can be dour as f*ck, but if he succeeds, United succeed.
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The best case scenario, I feel, is that we finish in the top four and then Mourinho decides to feck off of his own volition at the end of the season because of some disagreement with the board or the medical staff or the tea lady.

Not very likely, I know, as he's unlikely to be willing to forgo all the money he would get if he's fired. But one can dream.
 
littlepeasoup said:
So, you're basically hoping for United to perform terribly this coming season? Jose can be dour as f*ck, but if he succeeds, United succeed.
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Not necessarily. He isn't winning anything, not due to the squad, due to how he wants us to play.

We'll get top 4, but that's not really an 'achievement' with the squad we have.
We won't get close to City again this year, so there will be no improvement. He's also an absolute arse, so put everything in a pot, and hopefully he'll get binned.
 
Igor Drefljak said:
Not necessarily. He isn't winning anything, not due to the squad, due to how he wants us to play.

We'll get top 4, but that's not really an 'achievement' with the squad we have.
We won't get close to City again this year, so there will be no improvement. He's also an absolute arse, so put everything in a pot, and hopefully he'll get binned.
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Fair enough. Tbh, I'm way more apathetic on Jose than a lot of people here, mainly because I've actually stopped digesting a lot of what he says in the media. I'm trying to separate the personality from the position, and as a manager of Manchester United, I honestly want him to smash it, just like I wanted Moyes and LVG before him to be successful.
 
SteveW said:
Hypothesis: Mourinho's man management style doesn't work in the modern game and he is unable to adapt. Ever since he left Inter 8 years ago he's consistently lost dressing rooms and failed to get the best out of players. This seem unlikely to change and therefore we can expect more of the same problems.

Fair comment?
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No. Broke records with Madrid and won the league with Chelsea. He's not out of touch with "modern football", whatever that is...obviously something that your average Joe on the internet recognises but apparently not one of the most decorated managers in the world that would school any of us on football.

He does obviously have issues, I think more personal ie his attitude and perhaps tolerance towards certain types of players.
 
Igor Drefljak said:
Not necessarily. He isn't winning anything, not due to the squad, due to how he wants us to play.

We'll get top 4, but that's not really an 'achievement' with the squad we have.
We won't get close to City again this year, so there will be no improvement. He's also an absolute arse, so put everything in a pot, and hopefully he'll get binned.
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And all that will happen cause you say so? We will win the League and be superior to City, with huge improvement and he will stay for years to come, my words have as much strength as yours, both hypothetical, just cause you want your own manager and team to fail doesn't mean your stupid prediction should be made public.
 
littlepeasoup said:
Fair enough. Tbh, I'm way more apathetic on Jose than a lot of people here, mainly because I've actually stopped digesting a lot of what he says in the media. I'm trying to separate the personality from the position, and as a manager of Manchester United, I honestly want him to smash it, just like I wanted Moyes and LVG before him to be successful.
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I would like to see him succeed also, but the many just isn't willing to adapt.
Some of our best performances are when we are a goal behind and then he lets the shackles off, but the man is afraid to do this at 0-0

We are like Liverpool. Most of our talent is in the attacking areas.
One utilities there attack and one doesn't
 
goin4glory said:
You are happy to look beyond/ignore the premier league table argument because it makes a mockery of the claim we haven't improved or are going backwards. You like many others have a clear agenda vs Mourinho. We are very clearly improving and arguing otherwise is just delusional.
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Oh here we go. The agenda argument again. Anything said against our lord and master must be construed this way because he is beyond reproach. As for the bolded part, a similar thing applies to you and people of your ilk. Happy to just throw out the "but we're second" argument 'cause your so myopic in the way in which you watch football and determine what is "success".

There's no room for nuance because your incapable of arguing with it. The thing is, i can say we've improved in terms of point tally and league position and give him credit for that, while also having other grievances.
 
Baxter said:
More criticism of Pogba. He was good at the World Cup because it’s a month and he can ‘focus’ while implying that it’s not the case in a League. Absolute nonsense. Seems like he’s trying to piss everyone of this summer.

Certainly seems like he’s looking to build morale going into the season :lol:
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It's true in general that it's easier to maintain focus over the span of a month but it also ignores what Pogba did at Juve over the course of a season.
 
pocco said:
No. Broke records with Madrid and won the league with Chelsea. He's not out of touch with "modern football", whatever that is...obviously something that your average Joe on the internet recognises but apparently not one of the most decorated managers in the world that would school any of us on football.

He does obviously have issues, I think more personal ie his attitude and perhaps tolerance towards certain types of players.
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0k you seem to respond to claims I havent made. I never said he didnt have success or was out of touch with "modern football" as you call it. I'm asking whether his man management style still works. In his first Chelsea spell and also at Inter and Porto the players would have killed for him.

Since then he's certainly had success but it's been over short periods and quickly been followed by loss of the dressing room, player unrest and conflict. Would that not at least suggest his man management style has become somewhat unsustainable?
 
Greek9 said:
And all that will happen cause you say so? We will win the League and be superior to City, with huge improvement and he will stay for years to come, my words have as much strength as yours, both hypothetical, just cause you want your own manager and team to fail doesn't mean your stupid prediction should be made public.
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What the hell are you talking about :lol:
At no point have I said I want Man Utd to fail.

What I did say, is that Man Utd under Mourinho won't win us anything of importance, unless of course we fail in the Group stage of the CL, then we have a shot at the EL...
What I am saying is, we have good players, Jose doesn't use them right, and somebody else could do a better job.
 
SteveW said:
0k you seem to respond to claims I havent made. I never said he didnt have success or was out of touch with "modern football" as you call it. I'm asking whether his man management style still works. In his first Chelsea spell and also at Inter and Porto the players would have killed for him.

Since then he's certainly had success but it's been over short periods and quickly been followed by loss of the dressing room, player unrest and conflict. Would that not at least suggest his man management style has become somewhat unsustainable?
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Ok I thought you meant in general.

My answer to your question is that I don't know. There's no real proof he's lost the dressing room here or that the players dislike him. We keep hearing it in the media, but the photos and videos paint a completely different picture. When you look at which players Jose seems to fall out with, it's always the ones with questionable attitude. I think most likely that he just doesn't suffer fools. He wants to win and won't put up with players not pulling their weight or going to the media to put pressure on him. Chances are that there was a large group of those type of players at Chelsea and it was a losing battle for him.
 
So far today, not on here as such but, elsewhere. Twitter, Social media, other forums (club and mutual ones) I have read people calling Mourinho a "cancer" and literally loving the fact journos and pundits are sticking the boot into him and hoping it will speed up his "meltdown"

Good God, it's depressing
 
pocco said:
Ok I thought you meant in general.

My answer to your question is that I don't know. There's no real proof he's lost the dressing room here or that the players dislike him. We keep hearing it in the media, but the photos and videos paint a completely different picture. When you look at which players Jose seems to fall out with, it's always the ones with questionable attitude. I think most likely that he just doesn't suffer fools. He wants to win and won't put up with players not pulling their weight or going to the media to put pressure on him. Chances are that there was a large group of those type of players at Chelsea and it was a losing battle for him.
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Then Chelsea went on to walk the league with Conte, while Real Madrid won the toughest football club competition in the world for 3 times in a row. Mou collapsed badly at both Chelsea and Madrid showed that they can do so much better without him. He is yet to achieve anything of note with Utd both in the Prem or CL. Not sure that players who fell out with Mou are fools. They have won big without him and never ever regretted getting rid of him.
 
Ah yea listening those two United fans are on same level as listening a guy who wished United to lose games under LvG on UH podcast.
 
SteveW said:
Hypothesis: Mourinho's man management style doesn't work in the modern game and he is unable to adapt. Ever since he left Inter 8 years ago he's consistently lost dressing rooms and failed to get the best out of players. This seem unlikely to change and therefore we can expect more of the same problems.

Fair comment?
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Without being privy to anything that happens inside the dressing room, the issue seems to be that Mourinho struggles to impose his will on big-name stars. Less established players will run through brick walls for him and then accept a bollocking for not running through it hard enough. The elite players don't seem willing to do that.

Look at his career history. His successes have been at Porto and Inter, two of Europe's second-tier clubs, and Chelsea, which was essentially a new team when he took over and didn't have too many big names. At each of those clubs he inherited a bunch of workhorses and was given carte blanche to buy more of them in. How many big names did he manage during that golden first half of his career? Shevchenko and Ballack are the only two who come to mind, and it seems one of those was foisted on him.

Since that second CL win, the zenith of his career, he's worked with an all-star squad at Madrid, taken over a Chelsea side with far more big names than he had first time round, and gone to United. What happened? His time at RM ended in chaos and bitterness, he left Chelsea in disgrace and his time at United has been patchy at best.

He's clearly a great defensive organiser and a brilliant coach for one-off games, but to be truly effective he needs players who'll put up with his shithousery and fans who'll put up with his hoofball. He hasn't got either of those at United.
 
JohnnyKills said:
Without being privy to anything that happens inside the dressing room, the issue seems to be that Mourinho struggles to impose his will on big-name stars. Less established players will run through brick walls for him and then accept a bollocking for not running through it hard enough. The elite players don't seem willing to do that.

Look at his career history. His successes have been at Porto and Inter, two of Europe's second-tier clubs, and Chelsea, which was essentially a new team when he took over and didn't have too many big names. At each of those clubs he inherited a bunch of workhorses and was given carte blanche to buy more of them in. How many big names did he manage during that golden first half of his career? Shevchenko and Ballack are the only two who come to mind, and it seems one of those was foisted on him.

Since that second CL win, the zenith of his career, he's worked with an all-star squad at Madrid, taken over a Chelsea side with far more big names than he had first time round, and gone to United. What happened? His time at RM ended in chaos and bitterness, he left Chelsea in disgrace and his time at United has been patchy at best.

He's clearly a great defensive organiser and a brilliant coach for one-off games, but to be truly effective he needs players who'll put up with his shithousery and fans who'll put up with his hoofball. He hasn't got either of those at United.
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Agreed.
 
SteveW said:
Hypothesis: Mourinho's man management style doesn't work in the modern game and he is unable to adapt. Ever since he left Inter 8 years ago he's consistently lost dressing rooms and failed to get the best out of players. This seem unlikely to change and therefore we can expect more of the same problems.

Fair comment?
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He lost the plot at Madrid and it knocked his special one cap off his head and he's never been able to pick it up again. The fallout from Real fundamentally broke him as a person.

Guardiola moved the game on again and someone after him will move it even further. Like you said, he's unable to adapt but we're judging him and all other managers versus Sir Alex who was some kind of God. The game has changed so much in ethos speedwise over the last few years that perhaps the next manager to move the game on might only last a season before he's outmoded.
 
JohnnyKills said:
Without being privy to anything that happens inside the dressing room, the issue seems to be that Mourinho struggles to impose his will on big-name stars. Less established players will run through brick walls for him and then accept a bollocking for not running through it hard enough. The elite players don't seem willing to do that.

Look at his career history. His successes have been at Porto and Inter, two of Europe's second-tier clubs, and Chelsea, which was essentially a new team when he took over and didn't have too many big names. At each of those clubs he inherited a bunch of workhorses and was given carte blanche to buy more of them in. How many big names did he manage during that golden first half of his career? Shevchenko and Ballack are the only two who come to mind, and it seems one of those was foisted on him.

Since that second CL win, the zenith of his career, he's worked with an all-star squad at Madrid, taken over a Chelsea side with far more big names than he had first time round, and gone to United. What happened? His time at RM ended in chaos and bitterness, he left Chelsea in disgrace and his time at United has been patchy at best.

He's clearly a great defensive organiser and a brilliant coach for one-off games, but to be truly effective he needs players who'll put up with his shithousery and fans who'll put up with his hoofball. He hasn't got either of those at United.
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He won titles with both Madrid and Chelsea though and to be fair has gotten United to the best position post Ferguson. I just don't understand the negativity he's portraying and the excuses. We all know it's not an ideal situation, but at the end of the day it's Leicester not City who we are opening the season against. Show some arrogance and sense of pride, get us excited for this upcoming season. I mean if the manager doesn't even show faith how are we suppose to?
 
matherto said:
He lost the plot at Madrid and it knocked his special one cap off his head and he's never been able to pick it up again. The fallout from Real fundamentally broke him as a person.

Guardiola moved the game on again and someone after him will move it even further. Like you said, he's unable to adapt but we're judging him and all other managers versus Sir Alex who was some kind of God. The game has changed so much in ethos speedwise over the last few years that perhaps the next manager to move the game on might only last a season before he's outmoded.
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Perhaps. He certainly isn't the defiant, charismatic figure he used to be. He strikes me as someone who is miserable and angry with the world.

I don't really seek to find fault with him. As you say the game moves quickly and we can all agree he's been a really successful manager and deserves respect for that. I'm just struggling to see this ending well. He just seems unsuited in both temperament and football style to be a United manager.
 
JohnnyKills said:
No, sorry mate. Some of us prefer to make our own minds up and reach our own judgements, free from blind loyalty or the narcissistic desire to prove what great fans we are.

The football was awful last year. If you don't see that, fine. But don't expect other people to bury their heads in the sand just because that's what you've chosen to do yourself.

If the football improves, Mourinho's critics will get behind him. But this isn't Pravda - we're free to say what we think. If criticising Mourinho because he's fallen (and continues to fall) short of United's standards makes me a bad fan, so be it.
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Ha ha, oh dear, I’m in the “mate” zone now I see. Nobody (we’ll not me anyway) has suggested this should be run like Pravda and I don’t have the definition of what makes a good or bad fan. I just know it’s depressing being in the Cafe at the moment. I’d just like a bit more reason and balance.

The football was awful is your opinion, and apparently some others too. Fair enough. I didn’t always enjoy it but I didn’t think we got to 2nd spot in the PL and to an FA Cup final being awful. I just think this place now echoes that bastion of journalistic integrity, the Mail. That is depressing!

I used to see the Cafe as a haven from that sort of shite with a bit more balance but apparently everyone knows Mourinho’s state of mind, all his interpersonal relationships at the club, that he has definitely lost his mojo and that everything he’s quoted as saying is gospel, including the titles (which are always extremely “creative” to say the least. Now I’m being told, definitively, we were awful last season. Just awful. Ok but I don’t agree.

All I can say, following on from my other rant, is that I remember enjoying the Atkinson years as a kid, especially when we stormed to the top of the league, until we were overtaken by the dippers in the end. We won the cup with him but ultimately he was moved on. Decent team on the eye but he wasn’t a winner. Cue Fergie. His first couple of years were dreadful. Can you imagine the grief he would have got from the Cafe and social media back in the day. He would never have been given time to create his dynasty. Now I’m not saying that’s what Mourinho is in the middle of doing but you can’t say he’s not either. Surely he deserve a bit of time to get it right? Doesn’t his history buy him a bit of patience from us all?
 
Kostur said:
Any chance we can change the profile photo in the OP to one where he's standing in Ronaldo-esque pose with his tits out please?
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Oh God no. That was awful!

I suddenly had an image of Sir Bobby's face when the saw the ManUtd manager standing there with his tits hanging out:lol: As my little godsons would say, GROSS!
 
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