December 2016 – No Question About That

Manchester United v Middlesbrough, Premier League, Old Trafford, 31 December 2016

Mourinho meets apprentice as Reds seek to underscore momentum

December 30, 2016 by Ed

José Mourinho has gained a reputation for alienating many in the game. The big personality, robust ego and single-minded drive to win is ill-suited to making friends. Yet, the Portuguese manager comes face-to-face this weekend with one of his few friends in the game, former assistant and Middlesbrough coach Aitor Karanka. It’ll be a meeting of minds as well as colleagues. Yet, with Manchester United desperate to add a fifth straight league win as momentum builds, there’ll be little time for friendship at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Schneiderlin’s failure a tale of ill timing and bad planning

December 30, 2016 by Adam Joseph

Articles

José Mourinho, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Premier League, Southampton

Sometimes it’s just not meant to be. Despite the best intentions the relationship just doesn’t work, the pieces just don’t fit, there’s a square peg in a round hole. It’s an apt description for Morgan Schneiderlin’s time at Manchester United, which is coming to a low-key end as he metaphorically slips out the back door – a transfer away from Old Trafford is likely this winter.

Manchester United v Sunderland, Premier League, Old Trafford, 26 December 2016

Moyes returns to face in-form Reds

December 24, 2016 by Liam Bryce

Articles

Premier League, Sunderland

It’s the season of goodwill, but there may be little of it at Old Trafford for former Manchester United boss David Moyes when his Sunderland team arrives on Boxing Day. There has been a feeling of indifference towards Sir Alex Ferguson’s hapless successor in the period since he was sacked in 2014. Moyes was hopelessly out of his depth at United, and although his dismissal was handled poorly, it was absolutely the right thing to do. The Scot contributed heavily to the club’s post-Fergie malaise, and should never have been given the job in the first place. Much of the blame has been levelled at the powers who appointed him. As such, there wasn’t a substantial amount of disdain towards the Scot. Until now.

Moyes: the retrospective

December 23, 2016 by Ed

Articles

David Moyes

It was the moment so many Manchester United supporters craved. Late April 2014, after 10 months in charge, David Moyes finally gone to dancing, if not on the streets of Salford, then a surfeit of social media. Moyes’ dismissal ended an anarchic period at Old Trafford; the brutal deconstruction of an experienced manager. History will long remember Moyes for his ineptitude in a job that was always too much, and the club for a shocking lack of a post-Ferguson succession planning. With the Scot’s Sunderland at Old Trafford this Christmas, memories flood back of time many want to forget…

Ghosts of Christmas present: why Rojo and Jones are here to stay

December 21, 2016 by Magnus Henderson

Articles

Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones

When José Mourinho first took the helm at Manchester United last summer wild transfer speculation greeted the Portuguese’s arrival. The summer promised a raft of new players, with many more on the way out in another window of change at Old Trafford. The usual suspects were prepared for exit, with Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones among those singled out for special attention. Rojo’s apparent poor quality and Jones’ injury record made exit all the more likely. Somehow, it hasn’t worked out like that.

Rant Cast 289 – The 2016 Winter Non-Demonimational Festival of Your Choosing Special

December 20, 2016 by Paul Ansorge

The Pod

Another week, another pair of wins for José Mourinho’s all-conquering Red Army. Or something. Ed & Paul look back on victory against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, and forward to Sunderland on Boxing Day, while shaking their heads slowly at the thought that anyone ever thought it was a good idea to give David Moyes the United job.

He’s Juan of United’s best, but it Matas little in José’s grand plan

December 19, 2016 by Adam Joseph

Articles

José Mourinho, Juan Mata

Juan Mata’s recent years in the Premier League have been an enigma. While successful, the Spaniard has often appeared to be a square peg in a round hole. Somehow, and with great credit, the Spaniard has made his time at Manchester United work. The player’s style is unrecognisable from his time at Chelsea and Valencia, with his defensive workrate significantly improved, making Mata both more useful, and more modern.

West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United, Hawthorns, Premier League, 17 December 2016

Mourinho’s men march on to face in-form Baggies

December 17, 2016 by Liam Bryce

Articles

Premier League, West Bromwich Albion

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s last gasp winner at Crystal Palace was that it almost had that old air of inevitability about it. There was no cast-iron guarantee that the Reds would find a way past Palace’s enforced rear-guard, but it felt much more likely than the days of watching Louis Van Gaal’s United pacing around outside the door without so much as knocking it. Now, a tough test at West Bromwich Albion is the perfect opportunity to take another step in the right direction.

Team Building

December 16, 2016 by Thariq Amir

Articles

Andrea Berta, José Mourinho

Manchester United’s season has been one of frustrating but gradual improvement under José Mourinho’s stewardship. Little by little the last vestiges of Louis van Gaal’s philosophy is being chipped away, to be replaced with a style of football that’s more in-keeping with the demands of United supporters.

Crystal Palace v Manchester United, Premier League, Selhurst Park, 14 December 2016

Reds head south ahead of crucial Christmas period

December 13, 2016 by Liam Bryce

Articles

Crystal Palace, Premier League

It is perhaps too early to tempt fate and claim that Manchester United has turned a significant corner, but Sunday’s ship-steadying victory over Tottenham Hotspur was certainly a step in the right direction. It was José Mourinho’s first league victory at Old Trafford since September, a statistic that could be considered a sacking offence in the knee-jerk world of modern football. Yet, as is so often the case, there has been much more to United’s season than the raw data. And the Reds could take another step forward at Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.

Monthly Archives: December 2016

Mourinho meets apprentice as Reds seek to underscore momentum

Schneiderlin’s failure a tale of ill timing and bad planning

Moyes returns to face in-form Reds

Moyes: the retrospective

Ghosts of Christmas present: why Rojo and Jones are here to stay

Rant Cast 289 – The 2016 Winter Non-Demonimational Festival of Your Choosing Special

He’s Juan of United’s best, but it Matas little in José’s grand plan

Mourinho’s men march on to face in-form Baggies

Team Building

Reds head south ahead of crucial Christmas period