Jose Mourinho | 2017/18 Assessments | Poll Added

[the chameleon]

Here is the exact video from Twitter about this comment. I don't post too much but this really got my attention.

Go to @TV3SportIreland on Twitter and you'll find the exact video.

I can't embed as I don't have 5 likes on here.

 

[Ødegaard]

He said it in his press conference. They showed the clip on tv. He said word for word

Just watched it on youtube, twice. And nothing of the sort was mentioned.
Please provide a source.

 

[Ban]

Also I'd just like to reiterate that to all of those who pointed at the Chelsea and Liverpool results as progress, both these sides are painfully average. Absolutely not the level we should be looking to aspire to. We didn't exactly dominate them either.

Liverpool and Chelsea are not average. Come on now.

 

[lysglimt]

People saying the 1st leg was "pathetic" etc are being over emotional. Nothing wrong with playing like that for the away leg knowing you've got the second leg at home and 0-0 is a good result.

However if you want to call tonight pathetic, I don't see how anyone can really argue with that. The whole point of a 0-0 away result is that you come out attacking/aggressive at home, which we just weren't, regardless of what Mourinho thinks.

0-0 is not a good result - it was a good result before the away goal.

 

[K2K]

Do you honestly think there is anything coming his way? We are second in the league, have improved since lately and can say it's merely a blip.

United hasn't only ever been about results though.

See Dave Sexton . This kind of football alienates fans and a poor atmosphere. And that usually leads to a downturn in results.

 

[royboy16]

Whenever you Doubt mourinho watch this.

The man is human and even the great managers can get it wrong sometimes.

 

[Member 109952]

Is he looking to get sacked?

Christ, you lot are completely missing the point he's making. Not made in the best way, but the point is he himself has knocked United out twice before (under Fergie), it happens. It's the CL. It's tough. Doesn't excuse playing Fellaini + Rashford on the wrong wing, but it's not hard to see the point he's making.

 

[Ban]

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with Mourinho's comments. I mean all he really said, essentially, is that Manchester United is a shithouse institution and that were all a bunch of losers who should be used to defeat by now. What's all the fuss about.

I don't think he meant it or said it that way.

 

[R'hllor]

If you seriously see it in the same light, then idk what to say. United has always been a club with traditions to entertain the supporters. Win or lose. Mourinho doesn't do that.

Dont waste your time, guy lives in JM`s rectum.

 

[goin4glory]

Better have some quality CM's lined up for this summer, getting completely bossed by Nzonzi and Benega isn't a good look.

 

[Garethw]

I bet old Sir Bobby's thinking "I told you cnuts".

 

[VP89]

Oh you're right I'm so happy we won the most pointless English cup available and barely won a cup that you're only in because you failed previously. All while playing awful football and not even doing defensive football properly. It's not all about results. But for Mourinho, it Is, fair, whatever. He has failed to get the results here though. Simple as.

Out of curiosity, if you sacked Mourinho now who would you bring in that would be a certainty in taking us further to the top?

 

[Lentwood]

I’ll defend Jose to the hilt when we play that way against the top 2/3 teams but playing that way against a mid table Spanish side over two legs is unacceptable

It’s not like we didn’t all say it after the first leg

 

[Minimalist]

I'm obviously missing the tone of how he's saying it but it reads like someone not really in tune with best interests of the club. Certainly not sensitive to how supporters are likely to be feeling right now.

I suppose why would he care if United sacked him? Chelsea did it twice, Madrid did it. He'll always get jobs. No matter what happens his legacy is there (one of the best managers of all time if he retired tomorrow).

 

[BennyBlanco]

I bet old Sir Bobby's thinking "I told you cnuts".

 

[moxdevil]

Sack him. Supported him up to this point but have now reached the end. I'm seeing no improvement in the football through the season when I hoped that they would start gelling as a team and work out how to attack with any degree of fluidity. If anything we are getting worse despite having better technical players than what we started with. I am seeing the same thing as with LVG: stubborn insistence from him that he is doing nothing wrong and yet every game, regardless of the quality of the opposition, feels like a grind. I'm bored watching them play and no longer anticipate improvement.

 

[haram]

I bet old Sir Bobby's thinking "I told you cnuts".

Yes, we were better off with Moyes.

 

[walkinhop]

United hasn't only ever been about results though.

See Dave Sexton . This kind of football alienates fans and a poor atmosphere. And that usually leads to a downturn in results.

Don't get me wrong, i'm also not a fan of what's goin on. I'm just cynical about it. At this point i'm more for Woodward to take the financial side only and restructure the footballing section. The sport has moved on and we need to move with it. There's not likely to be another Sir Alex on the horizon and continuation and stability should come from further up.

 

[Seveneric]

Christ, you lot are completely missing the point he's making. Not made in the best way, but the point is he himself has knocked United out twice before (under Fergie), it happens. It's the CL. It's tough. Doesn't excuse playing Fellaini + Rashford on the wrong wing, but it's not hard to see the point he's making.

Yeah and I'm sure he couldn't make that point without mentioning Real and Porto specifically.

 

[Ødegaard]

With the FA Cup on Saturday he's clearly trying to say "it's not a big deal" so we can move on and focus on the next match.
Rightly or wrongly of course

Seemed more to me like "we can't let this defeat keep us from preparing for the next match".
He said he's sad and that he's glad the players are sad, so obviously he wants it to be a big deal, just not one that keeps the focus off the next match.

 

[Camilo]

So what the feck was that Jose? Embarrassing.

We've been crap all year. Anyone who thinks our performances against Liverpool or Chelsea prove otherwise have questionable standards. I'd have been impressed if West Brom won those two games with our tactics, but not Manchester United. We continue to play passive football - if the opposition don't play the way we expect them to do, we're nothing. Sevilla are not a great team, and they made us look small time. Why weren't we on the front foot here? Shit scared of conceding an away goal? Grow some balls. It's like it's always about the opposition, never about us. Never mind the players, never mind the tactics, we continue to play like a small team with a small mindset.

We all want success, but come on now enough's enough. SAF didn't always have great players, but he always had players who believed they were great - he made sure of that. Jose highlights his teams perceived weaknesses with his tactics in almost every match, and I think that has probably taken its toll. Change in the summer? Well I see very little reason to hope he stays. 2nd in the league? I suppose if you're a fan of stats rather than football you could be somewhat happy...

 

[Member 109952]

I’ll defend Jose to the hilt when we play that way against the top 2/3 teams but playing that way against a mid table Spanish side over two legs is unacceptable

It’s not like we didn’t all say it after the first leg

They're 5th. They finished 4th last season - better than what we managed (6th).

 

[RedSky]

I don't think we should sack him at all and would agree we're making progress, but a harsh critic could argue that our wins over Liverpool and Chelsea aren't really massive achievements but what should be expected of us: we've been outspending them as of late and rightfully should be above both in the league. They've both got plenty of quality but also have plenty of glaring weaknesses.

And while I don't advocate sacking Mourinho, plenty of clubs sack managers on a regular basis and do just fine. Chelsea have won more titles than anyone else this decade (if you count 2009/10) and yet they change managers on a regular basis. City will join them on three this year and they've sacked two PL winning managers when it was clear they weren't doing a good enough job. And while the idea of long-term managerial stability is appealing, it's increasingly rare now; most clubs switch managers every few years, and Mourinho doesn't have any history of staying at a club for a sustained period of time. Now again, I agree we shouldn't sack him, and I believe he should be given another season, but most clubs change managers regularly and they generally don't fall apart as a result.

Similarly, we need to stop thinking of progress as this linear, guaranteed thing that'll happen when a manager stays at the club - yes, Mourinho staying could be a mechanism through which we improve due to being stable, but stagnation is also possible. LVG improved us demonstrably in 2014-15 but we sunk backwards after that. Mourinho improved Chelsea significantly between 2013-15 but then had a nightmare of a season.

My problem with Mourinho is that while I rate him as a manager insofar as he clearly knows the game and is able to set up a team well, he's also inherently pragmatic and defensive in a way most top clubs aren't. Look at most of the sides winning the top leagues and they tend to win by simply beating better attacking sides than their opponents as opposed to highly organised defensive units. That's different to when Mourinho first started out. He's capable of improving us, but I'm not sure his defensive strategy will yield success.

So, yeah - I don't think he should be sacked, and I think we're improving, but I also think we need to stop inherently regarding him being here as something that's 'stabilising' no matter what, because stability doesn't always yield success and can lead to stagnation, and because other top sides change managers on a regular basis and get away with it.

Money never ever guarantees success Cheesy. Money helps obviously, but only if you invest it correctly.

We're also not in a normal club situation. Only Arsenal can be compared to us given we've both had very long Manager appointments. Just look at how the Club fared once Busby left, the club rollercoasted for years sacking Managers constantly. With the money that's at stake in todays game, we can't afford to be outside of the Top 4 for a prolonged period of time. Therefore a safe option in Jose to steady the ship is required. Arsenal will have similar problems once Wenger finally leaves.

You might not think that a Top 4 spot is stabilising. But given that Moyes and Van Gaal had us finishing below that tells me all I need to know. Our results in the PL since Jose has taken over has improved significantly, that again is not stagnation. We've scored more goals and conceded less. We've stagnated since Sir Alex has retired, but then the competition has gotten much better too, it's not an easy comparison.

In 13/14 we conceded 43 scoring 64 GD: 21
In 14/15 we conceded 37 scoring 62 GD: 25
In 15/16 we conceded 35 scoring 49 GD: 14
In 16/17 we conceded 29 scoring 54 GD: 25
In 17/18 we conceded 23 scoring 58 GD: 35 with 8 games left

He ballsed up today, no denying that. But talks of sacking him is... well. No comment. I'm not angry tonight, I knew this was our level, I just think people are guilty of over hyping us when the reality is this is our level this year. Perhaps next season we can go up another gear with good investment. Although personally I think we'll be facing new challenges next season as i'm suspecting De Gea will be unhappy and push to leave.

 

[Ban]

Yes, we were better off with Moyes.

Who's saying that?

 

[sullydnl]

Christ, you lot are completely missing the point he's making. Not made in the best way, but the point is he himself has knocked United out twice before (under Fergie), it happens. It's the CL. It's tough. Doesn't excuse playing Fellaini + Rashford on the wrong wing, but it's not hard to see the point he's making.

It's not hard to see his point, it's just a pretty shit point for him to make immediately after getting knocked out by an inferior side. Especially when he's the prime reason we underperformed.

 

[gibers]

Changing manager should be one of the process to transform the club as well.

Exactly. we are going into a 3rd season where things usually fall apart in all his clubs.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Is he looking to get sacked?

Go feck yourself Jose.

 

[Kraftwerker]

Christ, you lot are completely missing the point he's making. Not made in the best way, but the point is he himself has knocked United out twice before (under Fergie), it happens. It's the CL. It's tough. Doesn't excuse playing Fellaini + Rashford on the wrong wing, but it's not hard to see the point he's making.

For me it’s a needless comment that is disrespectful to the club whilst also patting himself on the back for past achievements.

Honestly, after that shit show, he should be apologising, not stirring the pot like that.

 

[NK86]

I bet old Sir Bobby's thinking "I told you cnuts".

One of the first thought in my mind after that performance tonight.

 

[Untied]

Just watched it on youtube, twice. And nothing of the sort was mentioned.
Please provide a source.

 

[Heinzesight]

He’s sadly looking like he could be past it. It’s like we were set up not to lose and not to win at the same time which leads to this shit on stick, souless football. Where’s the enjoyment in that? Football is about going out to win, especially at United. We have the players that could just go for it but we are boring, reactive and awful to watch.

 

[Castia]

Had a dig at the fans lately, dig at the board through lack of signings on the summer now bringing up shit from the past almost taking the piss out of the club....he’s entering his usual sulk mode before fecking off.

Got a feeling he’s off in the summer to PSG.

 

[NK86]

For me it’s a needless comment that is disrespectful to the club whilst also patting himself on the back for past achievements.

Honestly, after that shit show, he should be apologising, not stirring the pot like that.

It's a comment that not even a rival manager would make. No justification for him to make it any time.

 

[Theonas]

I think this highlights a major problem he's having here. For all his defensive pragmatism in his previous jobs he's been able to back it up by having delivered something substantial by his second year, if not his first - I'd argue he's improved and stabilised us but throughout his career he's been known as a consistent, unapologetic winner as opposed to a stable influence.

Yes I mean his approach meant that even when he was the best thing that ever happened to Chelsea in their entire history, he still was living on the fence and every bad result or disappointment was met with an extreme amount of criticism. At Real, he ended Barcelona's dominance, broke the point record and re-established them as a regular fixture in Europe, and yet again, still, there was always something simmering that once things went south, the knives were out. If absolutely brilliant achievements at those clubs still meant their fans and owners were not entirely satisfied, even a league title here won't be enough. His approach is simply too uninspiring in a sport that people tune in to to be excited, it's not a fitting combo.

 

[SteveW]

Just watched it on youtube, twice. And nothing of the sort was mentioned.
Please provide a source.

They showed it on Irish tv. I'm sure the clip will be uploaded at some stage. I don't have the capability to do it. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean everybody is lying to you.

 

[haram]

Who's saying that?

Sir Bobby, all respect to him, felt Moyes was the better choice. So that comment doesnt really make sense.

 

[K2K]

Don't get me wrong, i'm also not a fan of what's goin on. I'm just cynical about it. At this point i'm more for Woodward to take the financial side only and restructure the footballing section. The sport has moved on and we need to move with it. There's not likely to be another Sir Alex on the horizon and continuation and stability should come from further up.

We can't just stick with someone when it's not working though (not saying we are necessarily there with Jose though)

 

[JPRouve]

Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with Mourinho's comments. I mean all he really said, essentially, is that Manchester United is a shithouse institution and that were all a bunch of losers who should be used to defeat by now. What's all the fuss about.

Unlike you, Mourinho has a bit of tact.

 

[R'hllor]

Who's saying that?

Nobody, guy made a joke quote comment and he jumped heads in with defense mentioning Moyes for feck all reason.

 

[Ødegaard]

They showed it on Irish tv. I'm sure the clip will be uploaded at some stage. I don't have the capability to do it. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean everybody is lying to you.

If there is no proof, then there is no reason to believe it yet.
Just because people claim stuff, doesn't mean it's true.

 

[Sigma]

Is he looking to get sacked?

Really not that bad of a quote. All he is saying is winning is part of football and that they can't get bogged down with this as they have an important game on Saturday.

 

[Kush]

Some seriously emotional people here.

He got it wrong tonight. Get over it. Stop using childish words like "coward" and such.

In a league consisting of Conte, Klopp, Wenger, Poch and Pep amongst all your rivals you don't comfortably sit 2nd in the league by being a coward. You don't manage a side that scores the 3rd highest goals in the league by being a coward. You don't have 2 Champions Leagues to your name by being a coward and have a CV like he does from being a coward either. His post match interview is reminding the short minded media (and clearly many posters here) what he's all about.

Ferguson was dumped out by Leverkusen in one season and there were 1 or 2 instances where he didn't even make it through the group stages. This shit happens and no manager gets every big game right. Get over it. He has us improved us considerably and just be patient that he'll take us further where we need to go.

It's a really bad time to offer perspective. A performance/result like this has been building up for a while so let the posters vent their frustration. They'll gain some sense after few days have passed, it's normal after a defeat like this.

Everyone and their dog knew what we were going to get when we hired him, he wasn't going to abandon his principles which has won him so many titles just because he's at Manchester United. He's managed a bigger club than ours in the past and has done things his way, it's delusional and borderline arrogant to demand the manager to buy into 'United way' (whatever the feck that means) who undertook biggest task in his managerial career especially in context of what happened at Chelsea.

He massively fecked up tonight, there's not getting away with it. Part of the reason we were able to beat Chelsea and Liverpool was we didn't get overrun in the middle, base of our midfield with duo of Matic and McTominay was strong and allowed our attackers more room on break. Major part of it was the role of Juan Mata, despite all the attackers we've assembled he's the only one who link it together on a consistent basis (Pogba hasn't been himself since turn of the year). Tonight he opted to go without both and this is where we completely lost the game, anytime we had the possession (mainly our defenders) we kept trying to force threaded passes to our attackers who were overcrowded. No one was able to allow us to build-up through the middle. There will be games like these with him but also games like the ones vs Chelsea/Liverpool which will bring us joy, so take the rough with the smooth.

Improvement is there but how can it not be with all the money he's had access to ? Improving the way we did was the least we could expect.

Louis van Gaal spent £250m during his 2 years here, was the football or performances an improvement? Just because you spend a lot of money doesn't guarantee success, you have to spent it well. Mourinho for all his wrong doings has spent the money well and improved the squad, I'd be far more confident in handing him a big pot of cash to spend than anyone else.

Note, this is not going into the fact how well he's utilising the bought players. There's more quality in there to be extracted than what he's getting out at the moment but if he were to go in next few seasons, the next manager will have a far better base to work upon than the one left by Moyes or van Gaal.

 

[AndyJ1985]

Christ, you lot are completely missing the point he's making. Not made in the best way, but the point is he himself has knocked United out twice before (under Fergie), it happens. It's the CL. It's tough. Doesn't excuse playing Fellaini + Rashford on the wrong wing, but it's not hard to see the point he's making.

Yes but when we got knocked out when Ferguson was manager we didn't go out in such a pathetic and cowardly manner, so his point is moot.

 

[walkinhop]

We can't just stick with someone when it's not working though (not saying we are necessarily there with Jose though)

Agreed but we aren't really prepared for the game of "sack the coach" yet.