March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010
August 2010
September 2010 October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 December 2022 January 2023 February 2023 March 2023 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 July 2023 August 2023 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023 January 2024 February 2024 March 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
31
News Every Day |

Disunited We Fall

soccer bars NYCBy Dave Bowler – 

I know two games in is a bit early to be revising predictions, especially with the transfer window still open. But Manchester United. Bloody hell, eh?

All that follows is said with all due respect to Brighton and Brentford, the teams that have comprehensively beaten United in the first two games. In many respects, those two are everything that Manchester United should aspire to be at the moment. They’re well run, they are clubs that clearly have short, medium and long-term plans in place, they have a real identity, both on and off the pitch. Manchester United seemingly have none of these things any longer. Nor, it appears, do they have any footballers.

David de Gea, once a contender for the world’s best goalkeeper now appears to get the nod in goal only because of what he can add to the end of season bloopers reel. But you can hardly blame him for having a nervous breakdown. If you were playing behind that defence, they’d be hiding your belt and shoelaces too.

Harry Maguire, God help us. A complete and utter collapse of this kind is pretty rare and probably hasn’t happened since David de Gea. Oh. Letting him keep the captaincy was perhaps a laudable attempt by Erik ten Haag to try and instil confidence in him and to quell the rumblings in the support. It’s not going to work. Once supporters have made up their mind on somebody, right or wrong, it almost never changes.

A central midfield of Fred and Scott McTominay? There’s nothing wrong with either of them, IF they were playing for Crystal Palace. You could say much the same about Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial – Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney they ain’t.

Bruno Fernandes, seen as the bright spark at Old Trafford in his first season there, has scored five goals since last Christmas.  There is not a single United player who would get in the current Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham or Chelsea teams. I doubt even Brendan Rodgers would want any of them.

United are a shambles. Christian Eriksen, two games into his career there, has already played as both a false nine and then the deepest lying midfielder, which is about as false a nine as you can get without going in goal. Nobody seems to have a clue what’s happening with Cristiano Ronaldo. All that we can seemingly be sure of is that at some point this season, Phil Jones will be wheeled out of a hospital wing somewhere and be installed as centre-forward.

Such is the way that United have twice been dismantled this term, by teams who would both quite happily sign up now for finishing somewhere between 10th and 15th, that there are legitimate fears for just how badly this season might finish. Ten Haag looked like he’d just wandered in from No Man’s Land on the Somme in his post-match interviews after Brentford, so completely shellshocked was he. He tells us that he was aware of the scale of the job awaiting him when he signed up for it, but honestly, I’m not sure anyone was thinking things were quite this bad.

Indeed, if I was on the Newcastle board, I’d be looking very carefully at Old Trafford and wondering if this wasn’t the time to seize the moment. Sixth place is there for the taking this season and if Newcastle could grab it, and perhaps have a Wembley cup final too, if they could find the right couple of big players that they could persuade to head for Tyneside, they could transform themselves into that next really big club a couple of years ahead of schedule.

Manchester United is in its worst state for 50 years, a point where they ended up getting relegated to the Second Division. They won’t go down to the Championship this time, things have changed far too much in the game for that to happen, but when you look at the current disarray, you can’t see any way they qualify for Europe.

And now, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos apparently serious in his desire to buy the club from a Glazer family that has no obvious desire to sell anything but a minority stake, off the pitch wrangling could yet make things much, much worse. Yes, even worse than being the butt of an Elon Musk joke, and who thought that was possible?

 

Dave Bowler is the author of “The Magic of the Cup 1973/74”, telling the story of Liverpool’s FA Cup win in 1974. Available here: https://www.curtis-sport.com/books – 

Follow the magic of the cup on Twitter:  @MagicOfFACup

Share

The post Disunited We Fall first appeared on FirstTouchOnline.com.
Game News

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Top 5 Websites to Watch FREE Movies - TV Shows (No Sign up!)

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye

Ria.city






Read also

China Tightens Its Grip on Hong Kong

Underdog Hawks strike again after 30-point comeback, drop Celtics on buzzer-beater

Baby boy died hours after he was sent home from hospital with ‘tonsilitis’ as parents call for ‘lessons to be learnt’

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Top 5 Websites to Watch FREE Movies - TV Shows (No Sign up!)

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies



Sports today


Новости тенниса
Елена Рыбакина

Рыбакина о том, что не играла в Индиан-Уэллс из-за болезни: «К сожалению, восстановление заняло много времени»



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

Мечевой бой состоялся в павильоне «Спорт для каждого»



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

Блиц-матч по шахматам между двумя командами провели в павильоне «Спорт для каждого»


Новости России

Game News

Для Wuthering Waves проходит предрегистрация в App Store и Google Play


Russian.city


Людвиг ван Бетховен

Торжественная месса Бетховена прозвучит в Мариинском в день 200-летия со дня первого исполнения


Губернаторы России
Сергей Собянин

Раньше срока. Собянин: новая развязка улучшит движение для 600 тыс. человек


Заказать недорогой ремонт шкафов купе в Москве и Московской области

В Москве отметят юбилеи Кира Булычева, Александра Беляева и Клиффорда Саймака

Metaratings: "Спартак" может уволить Абаскаля по ходу сезона, клуб ищет тренера

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)


А надо было ласково? Тимати после слов о "ребятах"-террористах ответили по-мужски

Новая программа пианиста Сергея Арцибашева: Бах, Моцарт, Шуберт

Баста, Валерия и "Любэ" исполнили песни Муслима Магомаева

Макаревич ответил на обвинения в отсутствии сочувствия после теракта в "Крокусе"


Теннисистка Александрова оказалась сильнее полячки Швентек на турнире WTA в США

Теннисистка Касаткина отреагировала на высказывания Винер о россиянах

Россиянка покинула WTA-1000 из-за проблем со здоровьем

Битые корты: Медведев и Александрова вышли в четвертьфинал Miami Open



Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)

Перенос дат II этапа культурного проекта «Классика: история и современность» в Дмитрове

Архитектурные доминанты округов Москвы

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»


На ЧЭРЗ приступили к реорганизации производственной площадки

Фильм о пришельцах снятый на деньги мафии

Где в России жить хорошо?

Грязная азербайджанская пропаганда на трагедии россиян


Жукову отказали в возврате прав на фонограммы песен «Руки вверх»

Панда Катюша из Московского зоопарка уедет в Китай, когда ей будет около четырех лет

Что известно о продлении нацпроекта «Туризм и индустрия гостеприимства»?

Единственная женщина-оператор котельной Химок рассказала о своей работе



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
Александр Галич

Александр Галич. "Облака". Поёт Антон Духовской.



News Every Day

I was diagnosed with cancer aged 39… you are never too rich, too famous or too young, says Dr Philippa Kaye




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости