The Mourinho Thread: Should he stay or go? | Sacked

Is Mourinho’s time as United manager up?

  • Yes

    Votes: 2,296 77.1%
  • No

    Votes: 293 9.8%
  • Not yet - needs more time to see if he can turn it around

    Votes: 388 13.0%

  • Total voters
    2,977
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Long Ball United

Goalkeeper Passing Stats:

Ederson - 226 Short Balls, 102 Long Balls
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 246 Short Balls, 129 Long Balls
Bernd Leno - 100 Short Balls, 64 Long Balls
Alisson - 209 Short Balls, 139 Long Balls
Petr Cech - 120 Short Balls, 104 Long Balls
Hugo Lloris - 139 Short Balls, 163 Long Balls
David De Gea - 83 Short Balls, 242 Long Balls

Percentage of Passes Are Long Balls:

Ederson - 31%
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 34%
Bernd Leno - 39%
Alisson - 40%
Petr Cech - 46%
Hugo Lloris - 54%
Is
Long Ball United


Could an enormous part of these particularly awful stat's be from the inability of our team to actually pass or take players on, which could be another confidence thing? If you watch the likes of city or liverpool or psg etc, how many times do you see them admiring their passes? Am I right in thinking that when I see these teams pass the ball, they automatically advance towards the opposition half and make sure they are in a position to receive the ball once they have laid it off? It's basics, our boys have been told to hit it long, even though we usually have only Lukaku on his own up front and avoid running into space and being available for a return pass.
 
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Long Ball United

Goalkeeper Passing Stats:

Ederson - 226 Short Balls, 102 Long Balls
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 246 Short Balls, 129 Long Balls
Bernd Leno - 100 Short Balls, 64 Long Balls
Alisson - 209 Short Balls, 139 Long Balls
Petr Cech - 120 Short Balls, 104 Long Balls
Hugo Lloris - 139 Short Balls, 163 Long Balls
David De Gea - 83 Short Balls, 242 Long Balls

Percentage of Passes Are Long Balls:

Ederson - 31%
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 34%
Bernd Leno - 39%
Alisson - 40%
Petr Cech - 46%
Hugo Lloris - 54%
David De Gea - 74%

Percentage of Passes Are Long Balls:
  1. Manchester City - 31%
  2. Chelsea - 34%
  3. Liverpool - 40%
  4. Arsenal - 43%
  5. Tottenham - 50%
  6. Bournemouth - 63%
  7. Leicester - 64%
  8. Everton - 70%
  9. Newcastle United - 72%
  10. Fulham - 73%
  11. Manchester United - 74%
  12. Huddersfield - 77%
  13. Southampton - 80%
  14. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 81%
  15. West Ham - 82%
  16. Crystal Palace - 83%
  17. Burnley - 90%
  18. Brighton - 90%
  19. Watford - 90%
  20. Cardiff - 97%
Sigh. Not good.

Laughing stock.

Dugarry is spot on too.
 
  • If you combine the top 5 leagues together you get a total of 98 clubs.
  • Manchester United are ranked joint 72nd on the list with 74%.
  • If you average for the 98 clubs is 63%. United are therefore 11% higher than the European Average.
  • The only Elite Club lower than us is Atletico Madrid joint 79th with 78%.
  • Paris Saint-Germain are ranked 1st with 24% Long Balls.
  • Manchester City are ranked 2nd with 31% Long Balls.
I can provide a full list if anyone is interested. But you get the point, it does work for some clubs, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sevilla and Montpellier all have pretty high Long Range stats. But the majority of the clubs in the top 3 from those 5 leagues are in the top 30.
 
No matter who's wrong, the players, Woodward or Mourinho's own is the first thing that has to be done to replace him. Even if it is not his fault, there is no longer any belief that he will be able to solve the problems. This is the only way to get as much a change as required.

If he does not believe in the players anymore, of course, they will not believe him either. It seems quite obvious.
 
  • If you combine the top 5 leagues together you get a total of 98 clubs.
  • Manchester United are ranked joint 72nd on the list with 74%.
  • If you average for the 98 clubs is 63%. United are therefore 11% higher than the European Average.
  • The only Elite Club lower than us is Atletico Madrid joint 79th with 78%.
  • Paris Saint-Germain are ranked 1st with 24% Long Balls.
  • Manchester City are ranked 2nd with 31% Long Balls.
I can provide a full list if anyone is interested. But you get the point, it does work for some clubs, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sevilla and Montpellier all have pretty high Long Range stats. But the majority of the clubs in the top 3 from those 5 leagues are in the top 30.

The long ball vs short ball doesn't bother me, I love a direct counter attack and love watching players ping the ball cross field. Issue with us is we are so ineffective with the style that we surely should change things.

We've got such a soulless team at the minute. A load of massive money signings who have forgotten the basics of football, low confidence all round and toxic manager. The fact we play Bolton under Allardyce style football as well suits us to a tee.
 
Is there a way to get the results of this poll into a mainstream paper?

"A whopping 71% responders in the largest Manchester United online forum now believe that Mourinho's time as United manager is up, with a dramatic increase of nearly 40% from the start of the season."

That is the next best thing to flying a plane with a banner over Old Trafford :D
 
Long pass isnt something i mind to much, if you have precision and idea where you want that ball to go, ok. Think what kills me when i see lumps and hoofs forward in "Jesus take a wheel" style, even when they have time to look.

Edit: For example, when there is opening for pass towards center of mid and you see Young hoof it somewhere no where near Lukaku. Also seems they are used to doing that shit regardless of who is on the pitch, doing same thing regardless is Afro/Lukaku playing or is Mata on their position.
 
The long ball vs short ball doesn't bother me, I love a direct counter attack and love watching players ping the ball cross field. Issue with us is we are so ineffective with the style that we surely should change things.

We've got such a soulless team at the minute. A load of massive money signings who have forgotten the basics of football, low confidence all round and toxic manager. The fact we play Bolton under Allardyce style football as well suits us to a tee.

I think the difference between a long direct counter attack is that it doesn't happen too often in a game. We're averaging 19 long balls a game. So our main tactic from a goal kick situation is to punt it long, avoid the defense and hope that our forward/midfield line wins the possession.

The long ball counter attack could also work if we've got players who are good at dribbling. Pogba is our highest and he's on 1.8 successful dribbles a game, that's rank 44 in the Premier League. Our next highest is Martial/Sanchez with 1.3 successful dribbles a game. That's rank joint 78th. Hardly inspiring strategy.
 
I think the difference between a long direct counter attack is that it doesn't happen too often in a game. We're averaging 19 long balls a game. So our main tactic from a goal kick situation is to punt it long, avoid the defense and hope that our forward/midfield line wins the possession.

The long ball counter attack could also work if we've got players who are good at dribbling. Pogba is our highest and he's on 1.8 successful dribbles a game, that's rank 44 in the Premier League. Our next highest is Martial/Sanchez with 1.3 successful dribbles a game. That's rank joint 78th. Hardly inspiring strategy.

Yh I agree, I wonder if they count the numerous hoofballs that don't reach anyone as passes as well. A random thought and not a reflection of how I would like us to play but as we are playing this way, I'd genuinely like to see Fellaini as a 9 with Sanchez behind him in a free role.
 


He really has turned us into a laughing stock around Europe


Non Utd fans around Europe used to love watching Utd, not because of results, but as Dugarry points out, passion and emotion. I travel to Spain/Italy and Sweden regularly through work and whenever football comes up you hear hear the same thing. That Sevilla tie last year disgusted football fans, our style of play is so dull and tedious, Utd are losing that romantic appeal. Imagine not seeing Barca often and then the 2/3 times a season you see them, with the hype, the football was horrendous, functional dross. We who watch it every week are desensitized to how bad it really is, shock to the system for those outside the bubble.

Also, those outside the core fanbase don't buy the Mou money excuses. Not because they think Utd should be beating City but money spent is no excuse for how horrific we are to watch.
 
Percentage of Passes Are Long Balls:
  1. Manchester City - 31%
  2. Chelsea - 34%
  3. Liverpool - 40%
  4. Arsenal - 43%
  5. Tottenham - 50%
  6. Bournemouth - 63%
  7. Leicester - 64%
  8. Everton - 70%
  9. Newcastle United - 72%
  10. Fulham - 73%
  11. Manchester United - 74%
  12. Huddersfield - 77%
  13. Southampton - 80%
  14. Wolverhampton Wanderers - 81%
  15. West Ham - 82%
  16. Crystal Palace - 83%
  17. Burnley - 90%
  18. Brighton - 90%
  19. Watford - 90%
  20. Cardiff - 97%
Sigh. Not good.
Look at the bright side, we beat the top 6 to something.
 
Mata has the same amount of shots as Rashford this season in the PL (8 shots). The biggest issue with Rashford imo is that he doesn't shoot enough.

I think it is more to do with the step up, very conservative, not ganging all against a team, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool playing attacking football and will try to score more goal rather than defending after goal up.
 
Those are strong words from someone with no ties or connection to the club. It must be that blatant what a mess we are

It should be blatantly obvious to anyone, unfortunately Ed isn’t taking any notice.
 
It is all his fault. We've given him 2 years of free reign and he's brought us here. The only thing we did wrong was giving him full reign.

Correction.

We gave him full reign.
Year1: EL and LC trophies
Year2: 2nd in the EPL and runner up FA Cup

Full reign was taken away.
Year3: out of the LC, 7th place in the EPL.
 
Correction.

We gave him full reign.
Year1: EL and LC trophies
Year2: 2nd in the EPL and runner up FA Cup

Full reign was taken away.
Year3: out of the LC, 7th place in the EPL.

As he said. Stats are for people who don’t know football lol.

I’ve seen shit football throughout those 3 years. Free reign or not.
 
Simple fact he is he has got to go now. It is the end of the road for him at United. He is not going to rebuild United to play good football. He was always a short term solution and I am surprised that Woodward thought he was a long term solution.
 
  • If you combine the top 5 leagues together you get a total of 98 clubs.
  • Manchester United are ranked joint 72nd on the list with 74%.
  • If you average for the 98 clubs is 63%. United are therefore 11% higher than the European Average.
  • The only Elite Club lower than us is Atletico Madrid joint 79th with 78%.
  • Paris Saint-Germain are ranked 1st with 24% Long Balls.
  • Manchester City are ranked 2nd with 31% Long Balls.
I can provide a full list if anyone is interested. But you get the point, it does work for some clubs, Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sevilla and Montpellier all have pretty high Long Range stats. But the majority of the clubs in the top 3 from those 5 leagues are in the top 30.
There really should be a crying smiley.
 
Correction.

We gave him full reign.
Year1: EL and LC trophies
Year2: 2nd in the EPL and runner up FA Cup

Full reign was taken away.
Year3: out of the LC, 7th place in the EPL.

Wow. You sir win Spin Doctor of the year award.
 
is Dugarry a United fan... that was very passionate for a neutral pundit?
 
I like the effort but your preaching to the wrong poster. I couldn’t careless about a DOF. The solution for the DOF to me is so fans can stop meaning at Ed when transfers don’t work out. Plus something has to help these guys just sack him.
Ah feck. Blame the weed. :lol:
True enough. Anything that’d help them sack Jose is worth the investment!
 
If that journo didn't leak the article about Mou getting fired during the international break, I think he would've been gone by now. The board wanted to save face that's why they didn't fire Mou then.
 
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If that journo didn't leak the article about Mou getting fired during the international break, I think he would've been gone by now. The board wanted to save face that's why they didn't fire Mou then.
The board are so desperate to avoid the brand/public image being tarnished that they unwittingly tarnish it. They should make their own decisions, right or wrong.
 
The long ball statistics aren't anything new, kicking long with de Gea is something which has been a feature of Mourinho's play since day one.

The contrast in numbers with the rest of the top 6 are stark though. You know a change is needed when even Arsenal are beginning to leave us in the dust.
 
:(
Didn't hold back there did he?

He's spot on. I don't care what he's won at other clubs. I am not a Porto, Inter or Chelsea fan. I'm a Manchester United fan, and right now, Manchester United are pretty shite under him.
 
He's spot on. I don't care what he's won at other clubs. I am not a Porto, Inter or Chelsea fan. I'm a Manchester United fan, and right now, Manchester United are pretty shite under him.
Oh I agree with him. Just sad to see the impression we're giving as a club....
 
Oh I agree with him. Just sad to see the impression we're giving as a club....
Emannuel petit went on a rant after bouremouth game as well. When neutrals are pitying us you know the situation is not good.
 
I've tried to repress it - is the Caf currently less cheery than the final months of LVG?
 
Emannuel petit went on a rant after bouremouth game as well. When neutrals are pitying us you know the situation is not good.
Yes it's extremely sad. We talk about brand value here and how important it is for the ownership. I'd say the romance/ lure/ magic is of greater relevance. SAFs era created this aura about Manchester United that our dull as feck football these days is eroding. Even if we don't win and dominate as we used, I feel we should stick to those core values. Not just for the impression on onlookers of course. We supporters desperately want that entertainment as well. Bring back the flair and excitement.
 
Long Ball United

Goalkeeper Passing Stats:

Ederson - 226 Short Balls, 102 Long Balls
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 246 Short Balls, 129 Long Balls
Bernd Leno - 100 Short Balls, 64 Long Balls
Alisson - 209 Short Balls, 139 Long Balls
Petr Cech - 120 Short Balls, 104 Long Balls
Hugo Lloris - 139 Short Balls, 163 Long Balls
David De Gea - 83 Short Balls, 242 Long Balls

Percentage of Passes Are Long Balls:

Ederson - 31%
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 34%
Bernd Leno - 39%
Alisson - 40%
Petr Cech - 46%
Hugo Lloris - 54%
David De Gea - 74%

It's a very misleading stat. Even a pass to Fullback is considered as long ball. Box is 18 yards and any pass above 25 yards is considered as long pass. So even a pass to FB hugging touchline is a long pass.
 
Hum...the day I pay attention to what ex-Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool players say about United being poor is the day I stop using my own sense. Everyone loves to take a pop at United, and Mourinho seems to serve as an amplifier for that dislike. I get it but I don't use those comments as a lens to judge the club. So what about the goal kicks??...what is that really a measure of in the full run of a game? Yeah, we are not playing great but then, we don't have to get a result in the final CL group game to go through either, do we? Is it a crisis for Liverpool or Spurs cos they do? (oh, Spurs, the team managed by the man everyone here seems to think should be our next manager, even though he's not exactly a winner or a laugh-a-min personality either is he?). If ether club fails at the next step, will we count their goal kicks or their goal difference? No hope of anything for us in CL final 16? Really..the team that beat Juventus away can't hope for anything in a knock out round? The weird thing is, this United could beat anyone on the day and just might....but also will play like shite on many other days. It's not joyous but we're not the disaster people here seem to see either. I'll stick with the manager cos he is the united manager and I want us to win every game we play. Now if we could lessen the shite bit, I'd be happier.
 
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