I was one of the people who laughed that they were spending 100m to bring back a player they had already sold, but maybe SAF knew what he was doing. There's no doubt Pogba is a good player, but his attitude seems cancerous.
United never sold Pogba and SAF did everything to keep him. Pogba simply didn't sign a new contract and left for free. Ferguson has always blamed the whole situation on Raiola, publicly calling him a "####bag" and other things.
That's how Raiola remembers the conversation. God, I'd have loved to be a fly on the wall that day.
Ferguson asked: "You don't want to sign this contract?" Pogba said: "We're not going to sign this contract under these conditions." Sir Alex then allegedly turned to Raiola and said: "You're a t***." Raiola then said the contract offer was not fit for his pet chihuahuas, never mind Pogba.
Ferguson asked: "What do you think he needs to earn?"
Raiola replied: "Not that."
Ferguson again snapped: "You're a t***."
I was one of the people who laughed that they were spending 100m to bring back a player they had already sold, but maybe SAF knew what he was doing. There's no doubt Pogba is a good player, but his attitude seems cancerous.
Was fine in the locker room and a great player at Juventus and for the reigning World Champions.
People should probably realize that if anybody is a cancer in that locker room it's probably Jose Mourinho.
The Following User Says Thank You to SuperMatt18 For This Useful Post:
But even if you wanna say Mourinho is a huge problem (and he is), Pogba's approach here is unseemly and shows a pretty clear lack of respect for the club. Contrast that with someone like Hazard who has also made it clear he wants to leave, but has mostly stayed respectful to Chelsea (despite them being a bit of a drama club as well), and it just makes him look worse. It's looking increasingly likely they both will end up out of the club rather than just one outlasting the other.
__________________
"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
But even if you wanna say Mourinho is a huge problem (and he is), Pogba's approach here is unseemly and shows a pretty clear lack of respect for the club. Contrast that with someone like Hazard who has also made it clear he wants to leave, but has mostly stayed respectful to Chelsea (despite them being a bit of a drama club as well), and it just makes him look worse. It's looking increasingly likely they both will end up out of the club rather than just one outlasting the other.
which is why I'm so pissed they gifted him the captains armband these two past games. I know it's more symbolic than anything, but giving it to a troublemaker who hasn't earned it over a model pro like De Gea is almost insulting.
But even if you wanna say Mourinho is a huge problem (and he is), Pogba's approach here is unseemly and shows a pretty clear lack of respect for the club. Contrast that with someone like Hazard who has also made it clear he wants to leave, but has mostly stayed respectful to Chelsea (despite them being a bit of a drama club as well), and it just makes him look worse. It's looking increasingly likely they both will end up out of the club rather than just one outlasting the other.
Its a bit of both.
Pogba has been disrespectful to the Club, but in fairness, Mourinho cast that first stone from the Club to Pogba, so it isnt all that surprising that hes not all that willing to be respectful in return.
Mourinho threw his hissy fit first, criticized Pogba first and consistently and then has never once backtracked or apologized, but changed his tune to praise Pogba.
If I'm Pogba I realize that this little cretin is playing mind-games that he doesnt even understand and I'd be trying to GTFO ASAP.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
honestly I'm not going to get into a Mourinho vs. Pogba debate, they can both #### off as far as I'm concerned. I'm so freaking tired of the manager, the players and the agents all taking turns in taking a dump on the club. It was always going to be difficult post-Fergie, but it surely could have been handled a lot better.
And to put a little more salt into the wound, there's interviews like those of Leon ####ing Balogun. FML.
"Some of the lads have just asked me that too and I said I had expected the Premier League to be quicker, but they told me this is always the kind of game you play against United,” the Nigeria defender said. “They like to slow it down a little bit sometimes. Liverpool is going to be completely different. I know how [Jürgen] Klopp likes to play. It’s going to be a lot quicker and a lot more intense."
I know it isn't United's style but honestly....I'd probably look at replacing Mourinho with Zidane right now.
Writing is on the wall that this season is going to be a gong show if they keep him...so they might as well cut bait now, bring Zidane in, and let him start implementing a new culture, style of play, and figure out which players on the current squad work in his vision. Then they can really hit the ground running next year at least.
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 08-21-2018 at 10:45 AM.
I know it isn't United's style but honestly....I'd probably look at replacing Mourinho with Zidane right now.
Writing is on the wall that this season is going to be a gong show if they keep him...so they might as well cut bait now, bring Zidane in, and let him start implementing a new culture, style of play, and figure out which players on the current squad work in his vision. Then they can really hit the ground running next year at least.
What makes you think Zidane would be the least bit interested in taking over this hot mess without a transfer window to ship players out and bring players in?
Christmas at best. For now Jose is the man.
If I were a high-profile manager I wouldnt handcuff myself by taking on a team that I couldnt change at all.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
What makes you think Zidane would be the least bit interested in taking over this hot mess without a transfer window to ship players out and bring players in?
Christmas at best. For now Jose is the man.
If I were a high-profile manager I wouldnt handcuff myself by taking on a team that I couldnt change at all.
Because he'd probably get paid a kings ransom, and wouldn't have as much pressure coming in mid-season.
He could come in, get's to see who on the squad fits his style, and can always add in January.
Plus it's Zidane...with the ability to focus 100% on Champions League maybe he can get the squad to make a push for that trophy.
Because he'd probably get paid a kings ransom, and wouldn't have as much pressure coming in mid-season.
He could come in, get's to see who on the squad fits his style, and can always add in January.
Plus it's Zidane...with the ability to focus 100% on Champions League maybe he can get the squad to make a push for that trophy.
Well, two things. First of all its his reputation, which is important, and secondly I dont see this United squad as having even the required quality to do much damage in the Champions' League.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
Well, two things. First of all its his reputation, which is important, and secondly I dont see this United squad as having even the required quality to do much damage in the Champions' League.
Who would have said that last year about Liverpool after they sold their best midfielder in the January transfer window?
Is there any reason everyone seems to think Zidane is a good manager?
The biggest thing for me is that he seems to know how to manage the egos and personalities that come with managing a big club, and IMO that is probably the biggest thing a manager a big club needs to be able to do.
That Real Madrid squad was seen as a similar "cancerous locker room" after Mourinho, Ancelotti, and Benitez had kind of allowed the inmates to run the asylum then Zidane came through and provided the calmness and stability needed to let the talent shine.
Tactically he is pretty flexible and isn't always deadset on one style of play, prioritizing putting his star players in positions were they succeed vs a set system. Plus his use of substitutions has been widely praised, especially in the CL where it really helped turn around a couple of ties.
He has a 104-29-16 record at Real Madrid - for a 69% win percentage, plus 3 CL trophies. Similar W/L record to what Pep had in his 4 years at Barcelona.
I don't think he is as tactically strong as somebody like a Conte, but I just think he's the personality (and prestige) that Man U need at this point.
The Following User Says Thank You to SuperMatt18 For This Useful Post:
Who would have said that last year about Liverpool after they sold their best midfielder in the January transfer window?
Champions League is a funny beast.
Liverpool also got a sweetheart of a draw though. Let's not kid ourselves, they had it pretty easy. City was tough and then obviously Madrid. A group that was Spartak, Maribor and Sevilla wasn't exactly a hard group to come out of though.
Scholes has more trophies than Pogba has played great games.
In fairness, the amount of money he makes probably makes Scholes' lifetime earnings look like chump change, and further he deals with all kinds of players from all over, so he has a breadth of experience compared to Scholes who only ever played in Manchester for United.
In fairness, who does Scholes think he is? He is equating Manchester United with an identity thats a decade out of date.
You're right. He won a lot of Trophies, back in 'The Day' but thats not really relevant at this point right now.
Speaking of Trophies won though, Pogba's got one that Scholes never ever even got a sniff of.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
The World Ends when you're dead. Until then, you've got more punishment in store. - Flames Fans
If you thought this season would have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.
The biggest thing for me is that he seems to know how to manage the egos and personalities that come with managing a big club, and IMO that is probably the biggest thing a manager a big club needs to be able to do.
This.
First time it has been mentioned in the whole debate and is by far probably the biggest skill that a modern day manager has to possess. The ability to manage multiple different personalities, cultures, situations and gain their confidence.
What made SAF so successful was that his players WANTED to play for him. It has been said than more than one (see multiple) player that they considered him a father figure. Someone that they considered always had their back and their best interests at heart. I don't see that with Mourinho ... at all. Was Martial right in The US? I don't know but I feel strongly that the situation would have been different under Fergie.
3:00 gives you a glimpse of the sort of relationship Fergie had with his players.
It has also been said more than once that Fergie was more than capable of tearing a strip of you but also been repeated by many that after that the issue was finished and done and dusted. Never repeated and moved on from. I don't see that from Mourinho. I see a resentful angry man. A miserable unhappy person.
Some players got the hairdryer on a regular basis, some more than others, some .... never because he didn't feel they would benefit from it. Cantona was one. Lee Sharpe with a funny example telling the story of the changing room post kung fu kick.
NSFW!
Bottom line. We're all in the workforce, and some of us have played sport to varying levels but the common theme is you perform better for a boss that you actually like, and that ... at the end of the day you feel has your back.
On another note the biggest mistake made by any manager post Fergie was Moyes on day 1. Fergie left his backroom team in place and strongly suggested to Moyes that he retain them for stability during the transition phase. But of course Moyes knew best and got rid of the very infrastructure of success.
Given what I've said above, my way out here suggestion would be a Martin O'Neill/Keane combo. Someone that has the man management skills with someone that gets the United way. Only concern would be O'Neill's tactical awareness.
__________________
The Following User Says Thank You to Bagor For This Useful Post: