All our managers made crap signings, but it's not the last thing to judge a manager on surely.
Which post-Fergie manager, given 5 years in charge, would have done the best?
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All our managers made crap signings, but it's not the last thing to judge a manager on surely.
Unlucky?! He should have been gone at Christmas in 2015.
"He was backed" trophy.
Mourinho
If you want to argue who was good and who is worst, transfers should be the last thing to consider as every single one of them was crap at it.
I had genuinely forgotten we signed Alexis Sanchez. Or perhaps I'd buried it deep.
I don’t really get the Van Gaal revisionism that’s been creeping in these past few years. It was painful - the only time I’ve ever fallen asleep at old Trafford was watching us was under him.
Despite the FA cup trophy (against the mighty Crystal Palace) we actually got worse in his second season so I don’t see what progress we were making to give people the impression season 3 was going to be the big one.
Not only did he sell off the old guard full of proven winners, he then turned down Toni Kroos before opting for Schneiderlin, Darmian and Rojo. I loved his press conferences, and the way we sacked him was poor, but he was tragic for us and set us back a long time.
Despite the FA cup trophy (against the mighty Crystal Palace) we actually got worse in his second season so I don’t see what progress we were making to give people the impression season 3 was going to be the big one.
Not only did he sell off the old guard full of proven winners, he then turned down Toni Kroos before opting for Schneiderlin, Darmian and Rojo. I loved his press conferences, and the way we sacked him was poor, but he was tragic for us and set us back a long time.
Wouldn't say unlucky, he deserved to be sacked 6 months before but if any manager deserved time it was him. He was the only manager who set the team to dominate, control using possession. We didn't know what to do with possession, under others we didn't even know how to control possession.
Every manager was sacked at least 6 months too late but with benefit of hindsight, if we had to pick one manager to get 5 years I will always pick Van Gaal.
Who knows. But Maguire playing for a miserly Mourinho side set up to defend wouldn’t have had the same laughable Utd career as playing under a clown like Solskjaer / Rangnick.
At the end of the day, Mourinho DID bring you the most success, that’s objectively undeniable.
You don’t like that, but that’s the reality.
To suggest that if backed (which doesn’t just mean buying whoever, it means letting the manager SELL whoever they want - in Mourinho’s case Pogba, Martial etc, and letting the dressing room KNOW that it’s the manager’s way or out) Mourinho wouldn’t have delivered more trophies isn’t controversial.
It’s the same reason why you let Conte go to Spuds and thus now you don’t have CL and they do.
Winning ugly is still winning.
We got worse in Van Gaal's second season and still lost top 4 on last day of the season, we got even worse in Jose's third season, we got worse in Ole's last season too.
Only reason these managers are sacked is because we got worse. It's not only under Van Gaal.
The entire premise of the question is stupid in the first place and completely out of touch with football. This 5 year planning is moronic - the fact that so many of you believe we should've sold our teenage forwards, for a 30 year old tells you that it's pointless in the first place to think anything beyond the next 2 years.
Jose wanted to sell Pogba has been the biggest myth and used by his fans, he fell out with Pogba during 2018-19 season, not before that. He made Pogba captain in 2018-19 season, Pogba even cut down his vacation to play first game of the season. it was when Pogba said we should play attacking football in post game, Jose lost his shit and stripped him of captaincy pecking order.
It's not possible to sell players outside transfer window. Only player he wanted to sell from the list his fans post is Martial. If one player is the reason why he wasn't backed, then no manager in the history of game was ever backed.
It's not possible to sell players outside transfer window. Only player he wanted to sell from the list his fans post is Martial. If one player is the reason why he wasn't backed, then no manager in the history of game was ever backed.
There is a reason none of them were given five years.
Then again Ole had an up and down form, so maybe LvG or Moyes could’ve also got better results at some point, but it certainly didn’t look like their trajectory was going there. Mourinho’s ego is too big for him to turn it around at the same club once he loses it.
Then again Ole had an up and down form, so maybe LvG or Moyes could’ve also got better results at some point, but it certainly didn’t look like their trajectory was going there. Mourinho’s ego is too big for him to turn it around at the same club once he loses it.
Ralf would’ve taken 3 years to fix.
Tbf I’ve yet to see any manager get the sack because the team was playing better.
Exactly, so the point "we actually got worse in his second season so I don’t see what progress we were making to give people the impression season 3 was going to be the big one." isn't a valid one for this thread as every manager got worse in the season they were sacked.
Well they’ve all been sacked haven’t they? So I’m assuming at some point it didn’t go to well for them. I don’t see why that means you can’t criticise them individually just because they all suffered the same fate? I’ve seen people say we should’ve given Van Gaal more time. I’m saying that’s nonsense as his football put me to sleep and there was no sign of that changing any time soon.
This is thread talks about hypothetical next 3 seasons.
The obvious answer to this thread is 'No one' but this thread is about picking one from the past managers.
Any post that says Moyes is nonsense as he was shit and took champions to 7th place.
Any post that says Jose is nonsense as he finished 6th, 2nd and was sacked when we were 6th, on downward spiral like his career.
Any post that says Van Gaal is nonsense as we were rubbish in 2015-16 season.
Any post that says Ole is nonsense as we looked clueless and in deep shit when he was sacked.
Having poor season or poor transfers isn't exclusive to Van Gaal. It's about developing play style which would/might lead to better future.
Anyways to answer to this thread, which manager are you picking?
The answer is clear LVG. Boring sound destroying football but he imprinted the best identity on the team. He just needed a couple of superstars to click in attack. The only thing Mourinho would have done with more time is drag us even further into the mess.
I’d swap LvG and Ralf, but I agree otherwise.
Rangnick calls in this thread 
In some ways LVG felt furthest from glory for me. Yet you're right there was a clear way of playing and it often just felt like the players themselves weren't good enough to then win games with it.
Yeah, thankfully the Mourinho apologists seems to be in the minority. I’m thinking both Martial & Pogba’s demise has given them some sort of “vindication” that Jose was the victim.
Personally, I’d have loved to say van Gaal, but his signing record was abysmal. Unless we had a committee in place signing players for him, he left us with so many deadweight players. Not actually sure who at this point - shows you how shitty our appointments have been.
We lose the same players.
But sign Nkunku who becomes a world star.
Sancho continues his trajectory of improving and getting in better shape for the Premier League.
Rangnick signs a CDM and CM who are mobile, hard working and can pass the ball
Rangnick signs a CB with pace to partner Varane with Maguire and Lindelof being 3rd and 4th choice.
He replaces Luke Shaw or AWB with a fullback who is mobile enough and has enough quality to help in attack.
I believe if he was manager for a transfer window he would get most of that done. If not over 2 windows as he suggest MULTIPLE times.
Well at least he would have had us eventually playing a high pressing style and hard working team. He failed miserably but not making any signings, not having any of his first or even second choice coaches available and inheriting a shit show from Ole were all huge contributing factors. Greenwood issue also didn't help. Hard to know why we brought in a manager for 6 months famed for the gengenpress, when it takes at least 6 months to implement the press.... 6 months if you have the right players, we clearly didn't.
If he came in at the beginning of a season, with proper coaches and was backed fully I think it would have been very interesting, no means a guaranteed success but I would prefer that to Jose hoof ball.
The problem I have though is that we didn’t even see a play style beyond keeping the ball for the sake of it. There was no penetration, no pace, no attacking plan, no excitement and most importantly no goals. Which, you’re right, wasn’t exclusive to Van Gaal, but what does seem to be exclusive to him has been fans saying he was hard done by and should’ve been given more time.
I don’t think any of them deserved more time tbh. It went tits up under each of them and they all needed to go. I just hope Ten Hag is able to implement a style of play that doesn’t bore the tits off everyone, then he might get further than the rest.
Feels good to have someone agree! Feels like so many posters are affected not by what they see but what they hear or are moved by narratives like Jose was always going to leave in a 3rd season crisis.
Or that Rangnick was clueless and was a horrible coach.
Fact is the players are a horrible bunch with little backbone or quality left. That's precisely what Rangnick and Jose were clear that they needed. Fact is the Glazers/Board didn't want to back them to do an actual overhaul.
Why? So he could bench them and play Rooney every match The guy who sold a bunch of Utd’s best players and signed Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Falcao… ffs, some of the utter muppet nonsense within your fanbase is SO deluded!
and the super star Di Maria. And left us with 49 goals in 38 games.
The guy who sold a bunch of Utd’s best players and signed Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Falcao… ffs, some of the utter muppet nonsense within your fanbase is SO deluded!
We got 66 points in 2016. And manage barely to finish top 4 with no European football in 2015.
He also said no to Kroos, right?
With Moyes we looked destined for mediocrity from Day 1.
Always felt Ole could have built something special if he surrounded himself better to address his shortcomings. Clearly not.
Van Gaal bored me senseless but I always felt it could build a platform for the future, much like Bayern went up a gear or two after him. It was all rendered useless and a waste of time and money.
I always liked Mourinho but we should have got him after SAF. He would have got a tune out of that squad and built on it. Instead, we brought him at a time which essentially negated any benefits from having Van Gaal and gave him too much to chop, change and spend before inevitably running out of time.
Best would have been Mourinho for five years after SAF. None of them deserved five years the way things panned out and none would do best because they would have all been total car crash wrecks by the end of 5 years.
Always felt Ole could have built something special if he surrounded himself better to address his shortcomings. Clearly not.
Van Gaal bored me senseless but I always felt it could build a platform for the future, much like Bayern went up a gear or two after him. It was all rendered useless and a waste of time and money.
I always liked Mourinho but we should have got him after SAF. He would have got a tune out of that squad and built on it. Instead, we brought him at a time which essentially negated any benefits from having Van Gaal and gave him too much to chop, change and spend before inevitably running out of time.
Best would have been Mourinho for five years after SAF. None of them deserved five years the way things panned out and none would do best because they would have all been total car crash wrecks by the end of 5 years.
This didn’t happen.
Jose and Lvg.
On the other hand, Moyes and Solskjaer in 5 years would turn us in Everton.
On the other hand, Moyes and Solskjaer in 5 years would turn us in Everton.
Has Jose ever stayed at a club for five years before he starts a shiit show?
Van Gaal being given five years is the most interesting, we'd either have been top level football and/or the footballing equivalent of temazepam?
Pains me to say it had Ole been given 5 years we'd be more in the crap than we are now.
Van Gaal being given five years is the most interesting, we'd either have been top level football and/or the footballing equivalent of temazepam?
Pains me to say it had Ole been given 5 years we'd be more in the crap than we are now.
Van Gaal. Comfortably, I reckon. He’d have needed help with recruitment, though.
He had the worst set of attackers by a country mile, but was the only manager who showed any willingness in ensuring the team could keep the ball.
Moyes wouldn’t have reached top four at any point and Mourinho would have burned the place to its foundations.
He had the worst set of attackers by a country mile, but was the only manager who showed any willingness in ensuring the team could keep the ball.
Moyes wouldn’t have reached top four at any point and Mourinho would have burned the place to its foundations.
They are not in minority, just need something to happen to play the "Jose was victim" card. Forum is infested with too many of them.
The guy spent shit loads of money, signed almost for every position but somehow he wasn't backed because one player wasnt sold and he didn't get one player he wanted. The excuse for him is endless, his fans takes so much offense when players are not comitted and the man himself just downed tools and flirted with PSG to get new contract at ManUtd, before downing tools for big paycheck.
He was the real virus at this club, shame the eye gouging cnut was even part of this club.
I agree, problem was that Mourinho cant help himself criticising his players in the press. Its a huge weakness in his management style.
The football would have continued to be dire but we would have won trophies. Some of fergies football post ronaldo and tevez was dire to watch but we kept winning.
This sounds like fan fantasy.
SAF dire football was like peak Barca football compared to the shit served by Jose.
SAF was poor by his own standards.
Toss up between Moyes & Ole for me.
Van Gaals football was truly dreadful aside from a short spell when we were outstanding. People seem to have forgotten how bad we were under him
Mourinho is incapable of doing 5 years anywhere so shouldn't even be in the conversation
Rangnick we'll never really know. Walked into the sh*ttiest of sh*t situations and wasn't a miracle worker
Van Gaals football was truly dreadful aside from a short spell when we were outstanding. People seem to have forgotten how bad we were under him
Mourinho is incapable of doing 5 years anywhere so shouldn't even be in the conversation
Rangnick we'll never really know. Walked into the sh*ttiest of sh*t situations and wasn't a miracle worker