Mails on ‘childish’ Jose, Man United’s misfiring men and…
Date published: Monday 3rd April 2017 9:32
We’re late but we’re good. Mail us at theeditor@football365.com
Not a good week for managers…
Stunning how Premier League managers can make themselves look so small and dumb and this weekend we had three examples.
Koeman. Sure he had injuries to deal with but got his team and system completely wrong. He chose several local lads and clearly had them whipped up into a fervour. So many out of control ‘tackles’ because his players didn’t know where they were supposed to be. Players flying in from way out of position and, even if they did win the ball, it would likely have bobbled off to another Liverpool player. Koeman’s view? Well it was a derby, so these things happen and then goes on to rails about the Liverpool bench when the cameras clearly show his bunch standing up to remonstrate with Klopp, the Fourth Official and the Liverpool bench. People in glass houses Ron!
Mourinho. Well, he is a serial player in this game. His team play utter dross. His team go out to park the bus against other top teams and he was quite happy to talk about the result when he went to Anfield to get a draw. But after being asked if West Brom had basically stalemated his team he goes off on a rant at the interviewer. Now, if his team played magical football, if they had been tearing up the league, that would be one thing. But in most games United look very pedestrian as they amble across the half way line. But no, Mourinho has to ‘educate’ the interviewer on just how well United played against a team that clearly only came for a draw. Another case of people in glass houses.
Finally Moyes. Now, I really used to like Moyes. Spoke straight. Even calling out his own players for bad on field behaviour. Clearly the Moyesiah experience has been chastening. Now we have big tough Moyes, trying to show he has cajones by calling out a female interviewer. No Moyesy, you wouldn’t have slapped a male interviewer, you wouldn’t even have the temerity to suggest to a make interviewer that you were going to slap him. And likely most make interviewers would complain. I hope the FA take Moyes to task because that kind of abusive, anti-woman rhetoric is uncalled for. If it has been racist, it would have blown up all over the place. But because it was a woman and just a ‘tad’ sexist he gets a pass with an apology ONLY after the BBC ask for it? Come on!
While the Premier League demand the Managers talk after a game, there should be a policy that says that if they make these kind of comments they are NOT allowed to talk or have press conferences for several games. There should be a press ban. There is this prevailing thought that they hate doing interviews. Well, call their bluff and don’t allow them any air time. In reality they love all the coverage and publicity.
Paul McDevitt
Jose’s United are okay…he just needs to shut up
So after drawing 0-0 with West Brom (a result that didn’t even surprise me), United once again lost grip on the top four, and the fact that United are just nine points above West Brom and nine points below Spurs says a LOT. Yes, unbeaten in 19 League games, and teams LOVE defending from the off at Old Trafford, but it’s expected from teams so why wouldn’t you prepare best for it?
I can understand Jose’s frustration after drawing so many games against lower-half teams, but the guy needs to stop publicly criticising his players to the media, especially the younger ones. Although the strikers do need to do better without Zlatan, the way Mourinho is criticising his young strikers is incredibly unprofessional and frustrating to watch as a fan. Look if you want to have a go at them, that is fine, just don’t say it publicly in front of everyone for dramatic affect or a show. Give them hell in the dressing room and training pitch if necessary, but the media are using your words against you Jose, and it is making you look VERY irresponsible and childish. His latest criticism of Luke Shaw is quite cruel to be honest, I don’t watch the team train everyday, but if you want a player to work harder and improve overall, the last thing you do is personally criticise him to the press!
I ain’t saying that Mourinho ain’t the right man for the job, love the guy to bits, he has won a league and more everywhere he has gone and was pretty unlucky not to get into at least one Champions league final with Chelsea or Real Madrid. However Jose, you need to let go of the past and concentrate on your job at Manchester United, as apart from Madrid, United are the biggest club he has managed and he is starting to show signs that he isn’t as motivated as before in his 40’s even though this United job is his dream job. I think he will stay at the club for 3-5 years, but he does need to win the league within that time and also bring back some respectable negotiation power for players considering a lot of money has been wasted on players over the last 3-4 years.
Rami, MUFC, Manchester
Moyes: A prat but not sexist
Isn’t Moyes ill-advised outburst the polar opposite of sexism? He basically threatened violence towards someone and said that being a woman would not exempt them from it? Seems a pretty inclusive kind of violence to me!
Not condoning violence of course but I’m slightly more okay with equal opportunities violence…I think…I’m so confused!
Thom, Bristol-based Spur
It’s sexist to say it was sexist
When I heard what Moyes said I thought, “idiot! The pressure must be getting to him. Rock bottom. Doomed. Hes lost it”. Then I heard it, and it made me realise how context is everything. It’s banter. Plain and simple. They were laughing and joking. It had less a level of seriousness than Father Ted kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse. Or was that bishop-ist? Shadow secretary calling for action against Moyes for “sexist” remarks is ridiculous. If anything Moyes should be commended for inclusive behaviour. In fact the only sexism in his words were the suggestion that she might still get a slap “even though” she’s a woman. For having a laugh and a joke with a female reporter the same as he would a male one is not a crime. The only real sexism here is claiming that it’s a sexism issue. Violence or threat of violence is not a laughing matter when it’s real. Between or against males or females. That’s understood. But this was a joke people. Some light hearted banter that would be laughed off if it was a male reporter. So why not when it’s a female? Now that’s sexism.
Edwin Ambrose
United cannot put arms around Shaw…
Has everyone forgotten Luke Shaw’s first season at United? Van Gaal claimed he had an attitude problem too. He was overweight when he arrived, he was seemingly incapable of following tactical instructions and was thus eventually dropped, then came in and out of the team. For most of the big games he didn’t play (if I remember correctly).
He then worked really hard over the summer to get himself fit, which seemed to show a significant shift in attitude. He spent the summer doing lots of fitness work with a personal trainer, got himself back in the side and was a shining light of our early season form until the injury against PSV. Now yes the injury would be very difficult to come back from, particularly psychologically, and yes Jose could have probably been more sympathetic towards the psychological impacts. But to succeed in a Mourinho team I think you have to have a iron will as much (if not more so) as ability, and I just don’t think Luke Shaw has that based on the evidence of his United career prior to the injury.
What Jose is doing (or at least trying to do) is set higher standards at United, you can see there are some players living up to them (Herrera, Ibrahimovic, Valencia) and others who aren’t (Martial, Smalling, Shaw) with plenty of others who could go either way. That’s where your will to learn and improve comes in. You either step up or you go under/elsewhere. If Shaw needs more of an arm round the shoulder and a bit of a confidence boost, fine, but he’ll have to go somewhere else to find it. United simply aren’t at a stage where that is possible right now.
And before anyone throws the old “he’s doing extra training” line back at me, it doesn’t look like extra training is what Mourinho’s after. It’s intensity and focus when training with the group. Yes Shaw has fantastic potential, and yes I’d love to see him succeed at United. But will I be that upset if he goes somewhere else and does well? Nope, because it just shows that he didn’t quite fit with what we needed at the time. Doesn’t mean I wish Tom Cleverly’s career on him. Same with Januzaj as well.
Like it or not, Mourinho is United’s manager now and will be for the next two years. He has to make judgements on players, some will be correct, some won’t. One thing is for certain which is that someone will disagree with all of them. At the moment, I’d say that while Mourinho’s reputation will hardly be undamaged by finishing outside the top four, his history still gives United’s board reason to believe that if they back him he will get it right. If we finish outside the top four again next season, by which time he’ll have most likely recruited (at least) eight players rather than less than half a side, then he’ll be under a lot more pressure.
Andy, Bristol
Can’t finish, won’t finish
West Brom arrived at Old Trafford with less ambition than The Dude from The Big Lebowski and got exactly what they were looking for – a pretty miserable nil-nil. That is not to say that I am critical of Tony Pulis being Tony Pulis, it is once again the fault of our mis-firing forward line that means fans finished watching the match with that familiar sensation of resigned frustration as another two points were wrested away, nestled safely in the gloves of the opposition ‘keeper.
Tom Heaton, Lee Grant, Ben Foster, Darren Randolph, Eldin Jakupovic – all visiting ‘keepers and all currently the proud owners of a ‘Man of the Match’ award courtesy of Old Trafford’s poor shot selection. Despite Jose coming under an understandably large amount of criticism, as having a personality like Mourinho’s means there are many who would gladly twist the knife given half a chance, I think he has actually done a decent job so far. Not great, but certainly not bad. We don’t get mugged on the break nearly as much as under van Gaal, when I spent every Premier League game waiting in anticipation of the inevitable sucker punch, and we look solid and create chances. It’s just bloody finishing those chances that is the issue.
Fergie’s United were ruthless – often we would be dominated but still emerge victorious thanks to some clinical finishing. Since he retired the reverse has been true. I can’t remember another season where so often I have found myself shaking my head in disbelief as another strike sails into season-ticket holders with the net just begging to rippled. I am genuinely unsure as to how much is the manager’s fault and how much it is the players’ but I am more inclined to say that Mourinho’s tactics have, in the main, been pretty sound and that he has been let down by some shocking finishing.
As a result of our inability to put the round thing in the big rectangle, it’s probably too late this season to expect anything other than a grim battle for fourth place and a possible reminder of the good old days with a win in Europe (even if it is the budget version). A season that started with a bit of promise has fizzled out somewhat but I feel as though United are making progress, even if we have spent silly money to do so. If we could actually finish our chances we would comfortably be in second and it is this thought that gives me some comfort.
If we could score goals, we’d be dangerous.
Smyth, MUFC
Mainly Man United thoughts
* And just like that we have a title race again – Spurs won and City have extra motivation now for Sunday’s game. I still think Chelsea will hold on but the chinks in their armour are beginning to show.
* Really can’t read anything into Liverpool beating Everton and Man United drawing a game – both things have happened at least 427 times in recent memory. The table and the fixture list tell me the race for that top four spot is skewed towards Liverpool, half of Utd’s game against the top seven and the highest placed team for Liverpool is West Brom.
* I’ve also said it 427 times already this year but Utd more than anything need for the offensive unit to score some bleeding goals. Everyone talks about RVP’S contribution in 2013 but he still had help from the likes of Rooney and Chicarito. LVG in his wisdom decided we should let strikers go in order to show our confidence in one striker. Summer spending will be needed to rectify that.
* I also have to agree with Jose’s criticism of his strikers contrary to what was mentioned in the early loser. During the actual match which I watched we didn’t get denied because of slow play, we had our quickest three attackers on the field. We were denied the points because we would get past the fullbacks and then inexplicably pass the ball into the one part of the 18-yard box where there was no one to take a shot.
Several times the strike force took the wrong decision at the crucial moment. Also saying there is no one to improve the strikers is a bit rich we’ve got Zlatan for a start and we might as well find a reason for paying Rooney’s wages.
* I sent a mail a few weeks back mentioning Fanuary deals that worked out and somehow forgot to include Wilfred Ndidi please also me rectify that he’s been the right combination of tackling with the occasional thunder-bastard, he’s not Kante but then who is but he’s an useful part of Leicester’s renaissance.
* That was a massive win for Hull. Every week it becomes less likely that any team is going to be allowed to go on vacation early. The Swans game on Sunday now becomes even more important. Sunderland are on life support.
* I have to give massive kudos to Spurs for their continued belief they’ve overcome the loss of Harry Kane to win two on the trot and keep the pressure on – they probably won’t finish top but no one can begrudge them.
Timi, Mufc
Musings on Arsenal
* I don’t understand Xhaka, and actually I can only assume it’s Wenger’s choice. We all watch Xhaka and we know what he’s relatively good at. He has a good range of passing and has pretty good vision. In the team yesterday, you had Coquelin to add to cover him defensively and Ozil further up front to open up the attacking options. His role therefore should have been to be the bridge between defense and attack. Every time I watched him though, he was either too far up the pitch, playing where I would expect Ozil, or sitting very deep being a defensive liability. Whether this is his own choice of Wenger’s, he is clearly not playing to his positional strengths.
* Walcott is a finisher and can push the defense backwards to avoid his pace. This is great if you are playing on the counter. We don’t typically play on the counter, especially at home. He becomes void, a passenger because he offers nothing beyond the pace and then the finish. Players like Iwobi, Perez, Ox and Welbeck all offer more in an attacking sense and most do at least the same defensively. I don’t understand on his current form how he gets to play in these games. Yes he poached a goal but that isn’t enough for a title challenge, sorry.
* An attacking four of Giroud, Sanzhez/Ozil/Welbeck makes the most sense. You have a range of attacking threats and different skills and tools to bring to the table. Yet we don’t get to see this. I wonder if he just keeps promising striker roles to every player when actually all the front three players are “strikers”. I don’t understand why this isn’t a thing. Or, if he wants to be even more dynamic, Sanchez/Walcott/Welbeck as a front three, interchanging positions (not sure Walcott has the intelligence sadly). Giroud scores goals, we are low on confidence and need a win. Play him.
* The muted celebrations to me looked like the team has agreed not to celebrate as they knew how disappointed the fans are at the moment. Wrong. We want to see you guys loving football. We want to see you celebrating every goal, every victory. It’s not just showing “pashun”, it’s about showing us you want to play football and to play football for us. Celebrating goals is a great way to do this.
* Lastly, Zaha would be a great signing for us. With him and Sanchez (if he stays) on both wings, we would have more than enough dynamism and pace in attack. We also need a new left back, Luke Shaw has been told to leave. Something tells me it’s a confidence issues and sadly Monreal is deteriorating quickly.
* Arsene Wenger has signed an extension, they wouldn’t be so coy otherwise. They are just waiting for a big win to announce it. I think his time has come as the life is slowly being drained at Arsenal. I don’t think for a second it’s entirely his fault, but in this day and age the manager is the face of the team and unfortunately he now has a negative reputation, people are not respecting him as much and it is a sorry sight indeed. But it is time.
I was saying to my mate the best thing for Arsene Wenger would be to win the FA Cup, leave and the next manager to come in to also perform average. I think part of his fear is that if he left, someone might come in and outperform him. He has done incredible things for Arsenal, but if any employee had such a negative public image as Wenger does right now, you would have to let them go…
Rob A (when we lose out on top four, I hope some of the youth team get a run out) AFC
Going off Neville
Gary Neville was often praised for his intelligence prior to his Valencia spell. But he has been a really idiotic pundit ever since he was shown up to be bad at being a football manager.
I can’t really understand how a human much less a former player can criticise Koscielny for being injured. I mean there are lots of things the current crop of Arsenal players can be criticised for but criticism for going off with an injury? Dear God! No Gary, you’re not being harsh, you’re being deliberately stupid.
What I make out of this is that these ex-footballers are trying their hardest to generate headlines for themselves and thereby share the spotlight with the current crop of players. That is why they come up everyday with an idea that is more stupid than their last one.
Please you’ve enjoyed your career and retired. Stop stealing the spotlight and headlines of the current crop of players.
Franklin, CFC, Lagos
We’re not bored at Arsenal; we’re incensed
It’s very easy to say Arsenal fans don’t care or they’re just bored now but that just isn’t true going on yesterday’s evidence.
The atmosphere at the stadium is toxic – it has been for years in certain quarters but these days our fans are currently kicking the crap out of each other in the stadium.
Sunday’s game also saw fans attack the man that runs Arsenal Fan TV, while the game was preceded by an advertising van parking up with a message to the manager.
This autumn makes 30 years since I first visited the Arsenal. Graham’s young team contained my favourite Arsenal player of all time – David Rocastle and at the weekend he was rightly celebrated in a programme detailing his and neighbour Ian Wright’s rise to the top.
Back in 1987, Arsenal were a shabby old club that had seen better days but a group of ex and current internationals were being pushed for a place by the best crop of youngsters the club has ever produced and the likes of Paul Merson and Kevin Campbell were still to break through, while Martin Keown and Andy Cole had to leave the club to find first team football.
I remember my first trip to the Arsenal like it was yesterday – it was a match against West Ham in which captain Kenny Sansom scored the winner. The fans were all together and that day I was proud to call myself a gooner or Arsenal fan – nobody seemed to use the term gooner back then.
This Wednesday, I’m going along to see us play the same opposition and all I feel for the club is shame. Shame that our players either don’t know how to defend or can’t be bothered trying, shame of a manager who appears ready to cling onto his job no matter the cost and shame of our fans turning to violence rather than reasoned respectful argument.
Victoria Concordia Crescit used to adorn the club’s badge – I suggest all of our fans involved in those disgraceful scenes yesterday go look up what it means.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London
Looking on the bright Red side
On the face of it, Mane and Lallana being injured is a huge blow for Liverpool, but, is it just possible that this may actually help us win the remaining fixtures?
Jurgen will probably now opt to play with an actual striker (Origi), shifting Firmino to the right, and a proper Defensive Midfielder (Lucas). This will result in a more direct style, with less fannying about in front of teams who want to sit back and defend all game and, if Lucas can keep the form he showed against Everton, will offer us more protection against the counter-attack.
Having played all the decent teams (no offence), this tactic may well suit us more for the rest of the season.
Oliver Thompson (file this under wishful thinking if you like but I reckon I have a point).
Why Palace are getting better…
I love beating Chelsea. No-one gave us a chance of doing so on Saturday but there were a few Palace fans that felt we’d get something from the game, boosted by the maximum points we have taken from our previous three games and our enjoyment of last season’s hospitality at Stamford Bridge. The bookies had us at the third longest odds of the season for an upset and after five minutes it looked even more unlikely. But there is no better sight than a confident and fearless Wilf Zaha, a fantastic finish to level things and an energetic, intelligent run to create some space for what turned out to be the winner, deliciously finished by Benteke. As Palace fans we can only imagine what games would be like were Wilf to be afforded the same treatment as Hazard and get protected by the referee, as against Man Utd, we’d regularly be playing against nine or ten men.
Going 2-1 up so early is reason to be fearful and we spent the remaining 90 odd minutes (10 minutes added, does this happen to anyone but the top teams?!) defending for our lives. Under Pardew those extra 10 minutes could have seen the game end 6-3 at least. Sakho, again standing out, having to deal with not one (Tomkins), not two (Dann), but three (Delaney) partners in the centre of defence. The guy is immense, please, please, please can we keep him?
There are many reasons why we are enjoying a great run of form. Allardyce making astute tactical decisions, this game putting Wilf closer to Benteke to restrict the Chelsea centre backs time on the ball. Sammy Lee working well and adding lots of positive energy to our training ground, evidenced by Townsend improving from a player who no Palace fan would have been sad to see the back of in January to a goal of the month winner in February. Townsend himself attributing some home truths from Sammy as a turning point. Our January signings have obviously improved on our squad, all contributing to our recent success, Sakho, Van Aanholt, Luka, as others have pointed out, and even Schlupp surely making a case for our January business to be up there with the best.
But another reason and it is not as easy to qualify as those mentioned above is our fans. Ahead of the Middlesborough game word was spread that everyone should get behind the team and try and turn our season around together. The call was to get in to the ground half an hour before kick-off and get the atmosphere going while the players were preparing for the game. The result was that the players and the fans began pulling in the same direction, in every game since it has been the same. Sakho has mentioned the effect of the support in almost every interview he has given. On Saturday this manifested itself in the form of flares and bangers, to the criticism of some bitter Chelsea fans.
I listened in the evening as some 606 callers complained that in this day and age they shouldn’t get away with it, loud bangs/flares making lots of people on edge. I have to say I disagree. Our fans create an atmosphere. One that is missing from so many of the megabowl grounds in the Premier League. Yes, flares/bangers are banned from the stadium. So, technically, is standing up. Yes, some children would have turned to their parents worried that it was something scarier than a banger, which was one of the arguments put forward on Saturday evening. But these fears can soon be calmed.
The atmosphere created by our fans feeds through directly to the players, it makes going to the football an experience and adds to the feeling that the fans aren’t just there to watch but to play their own part too. I am curious as to what other mailboxers think as I’m aware that my judgement may be slightly skewed but to my mind, we need more of that type of support and not less.
Ant, CPFC
Flirtation
In response to this morning’s mail on teams you have a season-long flirtation with:
– Valencia when they had David Villa, Silva and Mata. They played a first half once that was the best football I’ve seen.
– A. Madrid when the had Forlan/Aguero and Forlan scored a thunderbastard every other game
– That A. Bilbao season where they were unplayable and destroyed Utd.
– Whenever Everton click I seem to fall for them.
– The Bale breakthrough season at Spurs when you tell when he was going to score (West Ham away goal illustrates this perfectly).
I also found the RooNalDez combo at Utd a lot of fun.
Good mail, positive.
Stu, London
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