The Official Manchester United Thread

[Kompressor]

Austerity manager for austerity times.

The big boys in world football can't spell austerity or recession and would laugh at the idea if paying out £600 million in a 8 year period on non transfer or ground develoonent business.

Yes, the problems started this season and David Moyes is that problem,

He's merely another straw on the old decrepit Horses back. A better manager would merely continue to paper over cracks.

[Kompressor]

Winning trophies with class players and style whilst acting like one if the biggest clubs in the world. >>> papering over any cracks.

Repair the god damm wall.

Guess we'll wait till the debt is paid off and our fantastic owners move on.

[stacksbranning]

#MOYES OUT .

[Kompressor]

Who in? And will or should he get backed financially?

[stacksbranning]

I would give him to the end of the season and get rid . Fucking joke man because this is all one mans fault and its fergie .. This guy should have NEVER had a say who comes into our beauiful club kmt . This is the same guy that was gonna give sven goran erikson the united job ffs  . SVEN GORAN ERIKSON

[Kompressor]

Idiot. One of the reasons why Fergie changed his mind due to Sven and not Mclaren getting the job.

Difference is the hierarchy at the club were knowledgable enough to only consult Fergie on the issue.

That said the club was very different then and behaved like one of the top clubs in the world. Sven was a manager who fit criteria.

Put the bottle of Wray and Nephew down and get ready for work tomorrow.

[Agony]

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

The Undeniable Power of Positivity

How Roberto Martinez's positive approach is working wonders for Everton

According to Sven Goran Erikksen “self-confidence is the most important thing of all." The importance of self-belief may seem obvious to many of us when it comes to succeeding in anything. Without confidence and belief we lack the faith in our abilities, we may perceive obstacles in a negative way and accept defeat before we even attempt to overcome a challenge. A lack of confidence is not conducive to success, therefore the role of a coach, teacher or parent is to instil this feeling of confidence and belief in their students and children. As this article will discuss, the art of motivation may be the single most important attribute of coaching,

Coaching courses are full of technical information, tactical ideas and principles and endless drills and practices. The intention of which is to teach and educate coaches about the ways and methods to improve their players development and performance.

From a football perspective there are five levels of qualification which takes coaches to the top of the coaching pathway. Along this pathway the first time that I personally was introduced to the importance of psychology and communication was on that final level, at the A licence course.

Now being an avid learner and reader of books I had exposed myself to the importance of communication prior to this. However, it is rather startling to consider that if communication, persuasion and motivation are so essential for player development, why is it not covered in the FA’s coaching syllabus until the final rung of the ladder? Surely it should come first, as communication underpins everything else.

You see, what you say and how you say it can have a vast impact on players performance. Knowing what to say, when and how can be the difference in positive or negative performance. To highlight this let us look at Roberto Martinez at Everton and what he has brought to his new club this season.

Everton's new man

When David Moyes agreed to join Man Utd at the end of last season it was seen as a concern for Everton fans. Before he arrived Everton were looking more like relegation candidates. His positive influence on the club cannot be questioned. This is the man who for a decade had kept the club battling in the top six consistently. Against clubs with vastly more wealth he managed to keep Everton challenging near the top.

Post-Moyes the worry would be that Everton would drop down the table as many were of the opinion that Moyes was over-achieving with the club. When Roberto Martinez was the man selected to take over the reigns there was some consternation from the fans and media. This was the man who had just gotten Wigan relegated. How could he be the answer for Everton?

When Bill Kenwright made the rash and perhaps unnecessary statement that Martinez had promised to get Everton Champions League football one could not help but think he had already put a nail in Martinez’s coffin.

And yet hallway through the season and Everton lie in fourth position in the Champions League places. The points tally has been impressive, yet most impressive has the been the manner of the performances, the style of play and the unquestionable belief shown by the players team.

Success against the odds

While at Wigan many dismissed the talents of Martinez based on his sides constant battle with relegation. Some questioned his ability and approach to the Premier League as each season he was scraping survival. Many were doubtful of his capabilities as a coach because of this, yet it was hard not to be impressed with his desire and near stubbornness to play a progressive, through the thirds style.

It appeared that no matter what setbacks his side had, whether a huge loss or the sale of a star player, they continued to play in the manner he desired. Last season he club achieved an astounding success of winning the FA Cup, winning it in a manner which personified Martinez’s beliefs. However that success would come at a cost for the club as they would finally be relegated after eight years in the top flight.

Yet that length of time should highlight how impressive a job the club have done. Look at the Championship and you see some huge clubs striving to reach the Premier League. Then look at Wigan and it makes little sense financially and with their fanbase to be in the top league, yet alone for eight years.

They survived against the odds for such a long period, and they did so because of belief and positivity. Their FA Cup success was because of their positive approach and mentality. Martinez was proving not only to be one of the most progressive and tactically astute coaches in England but perhaps the most positive. And it is this mentality which has sought to enhance the fortunes of Everton this season.

Moyes fear of Goliath

During his time at Everton David Moyes was often given a reprieve by the media and the fans who saw his ‘success’ as a triumph for the small club with little money in a world of financial powerhouses. He was David against several Goliath’s.

His approach when facing the Goliath’s however was not fitting of David, who overcame the might of Goliath. Moyes approach was a ‘run and hide’, ‘get out as quickly as possible’ approach. That may be a bit unfair but the results back up the issue Moyes had; in his 46 away league games against the top four, spanning 11 years, Moyes did not win one game. That is quite incredible really.

In his battles against Ferguson at United his famous saying was "You want to get out of Old Trafford alive.” This sort of mentality befitted a man who was rational and realistic to his situation. For him Everton could not compete with the top sides, and this was okay.

Yet to coin the cliché, ‘football favours the brave’ and as Martinez proved last season he was able to overcome Man City in the final, and play with more positivity, confidence and belief than the current Premier League champions, of who were worth somewhat £200m. It was not about money but confidence.

Moyes took his side into these arenas and fed them on negativity, worry and fear. Is it a surprise they didn’t win? Martinez’s approach is different and it is what makes you sit up and wonder how far Everton can go with their new coach.

The eternal optimist

"We beat Fulham 4-1 the other day and he was annoyed because some of the players hadn't looked like they were enjoying themselves. Winning is not enough, he wants us to win with a smile on our face."

For Martinez he understands the constraints he had at Wigan and now at Everton. Yet instead of looking at both situations with negativity, he approaches these situations as challenges.

"I always believe that to achieve things you don't need money. There are other ways to be successful, but you need time. A large checkbook just enables you to accelerate the process. In football, you can compete against anyone if you are tactical, flexible, creative and have time to build."

It was little surprise that he went to Old Trafford and won. In an interview a few months ago, before his success at United with Everton, Martinez made the point, "Over the last 10 years we have not beaten Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool at their grounds and we need to address that. We need to make sure we are ourselves. We need to know how we are going to play and who we are. We are excited about going to Old Trafford."

His approach is not about ‘damage-limitation, or being happy to get out alive, it is about being positive and progressive, "If you are going to be brave and try to win games rather than just being in a position where you want to keep a clean sheet and get through in damage-limitation situations, then you need to be flexible as a player and as a team and play in different ways in the modern game. That is the attitude we have had from the beginning."

Martinez has been inspired by two of the most positive, progressive and creative coaches in the modern game; his "tactical, flexible and creative" footballing philosophy lie in his admiration for Johan Cruyff and Marcelo Bielsa. Perhaps little coincidence that these are two of the men who Pep Guardiola learnt from also. These coaches are visionaries, they create new ideas and ways to play the game. They approach games with the confidence to dominate, to play attacking football. It is what we are seeing now with Everton.

Compare this to David Moyes at Everton and now United. His approach always appeared to be from a defensive perspective. Sometimes his side played some excellent attacking football but there was always caution with his teams. He appeared happier to draw than go for the win, in case they would lose. This has been seen at United this season. And is perhaps why results went badly at the start, with United even conceding late goals, which appeared to be punishment for being cautious.

Under Ferguson there was a philosophy to attack and dominate sides and their success was built from this. The famous late goals were no fluke or coincidence either; Ferguson instilled a never say die attitude with his players, a belief and confidence that they could win games at the last. So many examples epitomise this character, perhaps none more so than Bayern in the Champions League final in 1999. Belief and confidence are what Ferguson built his success on.

Moyes is learning now that this is what he needs to generate. His defensive first mentality may have worked for Everton, yet United require more, the fans and players expect more. Ironically he can learn from his successor at Everton.

A positive philosophy

"There is a way I believe the game should be played that is pure and there is a process of how to change the mentality of a team to make sure the players feel confident enough to be in possession and dominant on the ball without losing their current strengths."

Like his approach at Wigan he believes in approaching games positively, for him why not lose games playing in a positive way than lose playing negatively? It is this kind of mentality which garners belief in his players. Yes they may lose but do it being positive.

It’s incredible the influence which being positive can have on players, especially in defeat, as positive reinforcement can help players deal more effectively and bounce back quicker. A culture of negativity however breeds more negativity and this can be often be seen when teams can through bad periods of results.

Although Everton did well under Moyes Martinez has sought to change the mentality of the players, who were perhaps set too much in this negative mindset. His challenge this season has been to ‘change’ the mindsets of his players. Those who have done well under Moyes have been asked to give more, to trust each other more, to have more belief.

Phil Jagielka is perhaps the best example of what Martinez’s approach can do. He plays now with more confidence and belief. He was good under Moyes, yet under Martinez he looks like a top European ball playing defender. Amazing what a bit of confidence can do.

As Martinez says, "The first thing you focus on is the dressing room. You see the good and the bad, build a strategy to impact results and become as strong as we can straight away.”

His long term aim is to develop and bring through more young players, playing a more modern style. It is clear he is building something akin to Bielsa’s 3-3-1-3 formation, using his ‘full backs’ as wingers with great success. Yes he has benefited from the loan signings of Lukaku and Barry as well as Delefeu yet has enhanced his midfield by selling the rigid Fellaini and replacing him with the dynamic and modern midfielder James McCarthy (while making £14m profit from it).

For Martinez his style of play is in-line with where football is going. He wants and strives to have a side who can adapt, be flexible. As Steven Pienaar says, “We have a squad that can adapt to anything. That is something the manager is working really hard to promote. We tried to play good football last season and the new manager actually hasn't tried to change that much because the core of the team is still here. We've just tried to be a bit more patient and not quite as direct.”

Yet the most important quotes from the Everton winger are in regards to the manager’s approach and mentality, this is the key lesson of his management;

"The only demand the manager makes of us is to go out and dominate a game. The work ethic of the team is unbelievable, though, and the manager is always relaxed. He never really gets angry, just more positive. Thinking about it, he might just be the most positive person I've ever come across; he's definitely up there.”

The most positive person I’ve ever come across. That really is a strong statement and it is evident that this approach is breeding the confidence and belief which Martinez is striving for.

The power of positivity is fundamental for success. It can be seen across all the great coaches of the past and present; look at the character of men like Ferguson, Mourinho, Guardiola and Klopp. They epitomise confidence and instil in their players this kind of belief in themselves and what they are capable of achieving.

Martinez may not be regarded in this elite list of coaches, however it may only be a matter of time before he is. His reputation is growing and while there were those who were dubious of his talents while at Wigan, it is hard to not to see them shining through at Everton. Can he get that Champions League spot he promised? It is possible. Yet what is for sure is that under Martinez Everton are more confident to compete with anyone, and this may be the key for their progression to the next level.

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

http://whitehouseaddress.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-undeniable-power-of-positivity.html?m=1

[Agony]

He is now gaining even more experience with the Under-21s. Neville called it “going into the unknown’’. Then Pearce suggested he put on a passing drill.

“My mind went blank. Everything I learned for 18 years! What am I going to do? Shall I phone Steve Round up?..."

We replaced Rene with this guy...

#MoyesEra

[stacksbranning]

Dont care . Bottom of the line is moyes didn't get the job on merit he got it through sentiment and thats fergies fault . He should have had no say whatsoever in who came in 

[Captain Planet]

Needs to be the next Arsenal boss, big shame if he got bogged down with Everton.

[Badman]

huh? can you please clarify that statement CP

[Seydou]

He means Martinez.

[TF S4DK]

I was about to say...

[darkman]

Who in? And will or should he get backed financially?

 

Was Moyes backed financially?

[TF S4DK]

I think thats his point... Yes they might get a better manager but without financial backing if they aint better than Ferguson immediately, they are gonna do equally fuck all as Moyes.

[Kompressor]

Darkman, is say no.

Money was spent on Fellani who I don't actually think was Moyes first choice midfielder. If he was Woodward is more inept than anyone could've imagined.

A better manager would be doing better, but he'd be hanging on and unlikely to win anything too.

This summer 2 teams went out and flexed financial muscle, City & Spurs. Chelsea made a couple moves to maintain. Arsenal made a marquee signing.

Marquee- my definition, the kind if signing that makes players elsewhere sit up and possibly start entertaining the idea of signing for that club.

United signed Fellani....... Decent player who should fit in coz while he is good he isn't quite the standard required.

Quite frankly to us on here £27m is a hell of a lot if money but in 2013 in the world of football it's fuck all. Keep that in mind and then bare in mind we overpaid.

[darkman]

You say no?

 

So bidding for Fabregas and Thiago doesn't equate to backing your manager? Or do you go along with the notion that they were fake bids?

 

If Fabregas joined lets not act like you wouldn't have paid way over what you paid for Fellani

 

lol @ 28 million being fuck all. The fees paid for players like Bale, Ronaldo etc are exceptions not the norm

 

Are you forgetting that you bid for Bale too?

[Kompressor]

Before I say this let me reiterate that I am neither expressing support or the opposite for Moyes but I believe he's been totally stitched up.

One if his first interviews he spoke about how he was told that "there was no budget" he then said he wanted 3 new players and that we'd be shopping for high quality players. We know what happened then......

He spoke a lot about the traditions of the club and his he'd be looking to maintain them, I imagine he was given that talk about traditions by Fergie and Bobby Charlton. What happens next Moyes completely out of character from his time at Everton starts playing 4-4-2 with wingers intent on crossing the ball. (This is much more Fergie 101 than Moyes so the people acting like its typical Moyes to play a 4-4-2 formation or similar have a look at how Everton played)

Coming to the end of the transfer window he was resigned to not signing the targets he wanted so started bigging up the current squad.

He was bashed for being too conservative and making defensive changes.

He was also bashed for being to headstrong with RVP.

Then comes a game when United are behind and he doesn't want to take RVP (fresh from injury) off (not being conservative) in the process he asks RVP If he ok with staying on, (signs of being less headstrong and more considerate) he's criticised.,

He was 100% correct when he said if he had made the change the crowd and media would've gone crazy.

People complain that with Moyes in, the fear factor has gone. Newsflash for the most part it's been gone for a few years now.

Somebody must have the stat of how many times the opposition took the league and United had to comeback last season, difference then was RVP was on fire and bailing us out left right and centre.

De Gea's first season was tough for him due to the pressure he was under from the opposition. Sure I saw a star that season that said he faced more shots than anyone else in the league by November that season.

After a few more bad results he said for this club to be where it should be it should have at least 5 or 6 truly world class players. (This is Manchester United manager talk, I couldn't give a shit if it makes the current players nervous and fearful for their place or long term future, coz they should be, competition keeps people on their toes and standards high)

I believe he then alluded to looking into the possibility of a few deals in the January window.

Now the windows open we hear "January isn't a great month for doing business" and it's unlikely that anything will be done...

This season is a case of not being able to paper over the cracks anymore. On and off the pitch. Moyes the patsy is in the right place at the wrong time as he probably isn't good enough to turn this around without significant financial backing.

[Kompressor]

You say no?

So bidding for Fabregas and Thiago doesn't equate to backing your manager? Or do you go along with the notion that they were fake bids?

If Fabregas joined lets not act like you wouldn't have paid way over what you paid for Fellani

lol @ 28 million being f*ck all. The fees paid for players like Bale, Ronaldo etc are exceptions not the norm

Are you forgetting that you bid for Bale too?

I'm a Fc United co-owner, I'm going to propose at the next general meeting that we bid £100m for Messi. This serve as proof that we are big boys and we mean business and had money to spend.

Also 27m was a lot if money in the early 2000's when we spent in that range. Now if anyone thinks the champions of Englabd spending 27miliion in a summer where the squad needs and reinforcing and with a new manager they're on a different planet.

It's a lot if that's what everyone else is doing but when that fee is dwarfed by the other clubs with eyes on the tittle on day one, it isn't.

The Glazer family seem to think 80 million a year paying of their debt isn't big money. They must really think 27million is pocket change.

I'm always talking about the 600 million that left the club during their reign, I'm not for a second saying that if they weren't in charge all that would be spent on players instead, but imagine just half of that on top of the money spent during that time.

[darkman]

I did not say it was a lot I said I wasn't fuck all

 

Either way you didn't answer the question.... do you believe the Fab, Thiago, Bale bids were "fake"?

[Agony]

Why Ed Woodward deserves more time/patience and respect than Moyes!

A lot of people, including me, have been very critical of Ed Woodward because of his role in the transfer window debacle and true even thou it was his first ever attempt at transfer negotiations he should of been better prepared. But what strikes me is when I hear pro Moyes fascist call anyone who criticizes Moyes a plastic but then they themselves turn around and say Ed Woodward should be out etc. They use points like, time, patience, "loyalty" to argue that Moyes will improve and he should be given time.

But of the two whose past record offers the greatest hope that they can succeed? Ed Woodward has actually taken on a new role and been promoted, Moyes is doing the same job at a different but bigger club! So who needs and deserves more time to learn the ropes? Moyes is proving pretty much incompetent at every aspect of his job at United, and lets be honest his success at Everton was exaggerated because even Everton fans felt he was negative, stale and holding the club back! Woodward has been judged on the transfer window, he has only had 1 to work on, and transfer window is probably 2% of his overall job as CEO. Woodward has been at OT for over a decade and has been extremely successful in helping us increase our revenue. Throughout his career with various companies in different industries he has demonstrated the ability to excel in different areas of business and to me this shows adaptability and versatility, something Moyes has never shown!

Regardless of what he does as CEO Woodward will only be judged by fans by transfers, yet we fail to consider he is working under the Glazers budget whatever that maybe and also the managers choices and valuation etc. So to be honest a lot of how he performs depends on the competence of the manager guiding him and then he negotiates and seals the deal etc, if Moyes identifies Herrera 2 days before deadline day is that Woodward or Moyes fault if the deal is not made?

Woodwards most obvious transfer mistake was his low ball bid for Fabregas and the £18m for Fellaini/Baines probably insulted Everton so much that they wanted to prove a point when we came in for Fellaini. Why did he take this approach? Simple, he was used to dealing with sponsors that needed United and United were viewed as the big brand so United could play hard ball and charge more, he applied a similar principle to football transfers. E.g bid for Fab came in when Barca needed money for a defender and rumors were Fab wanted to go, against Everton he thought Everton's need for money and United name would cause both players ask for a transfer etc. Bottomline he should have learned from this and can easily change his approach. Moyes on the other hand all of his decisions are ingrained in his DNA and are things he cannot change!

I was bit harsh on Woodward at the time but now I agree with this quote, especially the bit in bold. Woodward isn't a DOF so it's not like Moyes said I need a CM and then Woodward went away and decided to bid for Cesc.

Moyes should have had the common sense to know that bids for Cesc, Bale and CR7 would be a waste of time because they was never going to United. Also if he wanted Khedira and Coentrao he should have had the common sense to bid for them earlier in the window, before the Ozil move when Madrid needed to sell.

Even now Moyes is saying the targets he wants won't be available in January. Now assuming he's talking about some world class players what makes him think they're gonna move in the summer to a team that's not in the CL and not playing football good enough to qualify for it next year.

[Kompressor]

Well I guess it depends on your view of the summers events.

What I have heard is that a number of targets were highlighted but it was the negotiations and the pace of them that saw us end up with only one signing.

I will ask the same question of Woodward as I ask of Moyes. Why is the biggest club in the world employing a rookie and someone who many would argue isn't fit for the job at the time if employment. I've said it before Cardiff get laughed at and ridiculed for employing somebody to sign players who had never done so before, well they are only following the lead of the "biggest club in the world"

It isn't them that need to be question and criticised its the people who have employed them and climate they have entered.

People said in 2005 that Gill and Fergie would leave at the same time. Yet it took the United hierarchy by surprise?

Liverpool in the early 90's suffered their decline due to a manager stepping down out of the blue (for genuine reasons) and leaving the incoming manager a man who fit the sentimental criteria but lacked the top quality ability to take over. He also inherited a squad in decline.

When David Dein left Arsenal imagine if Wenger would've left too..... That's what's happened at United. To offset that 1 of the 2 replacements should've been the best in the world at their job who'd come in and adapt with minimum upset. Instead we have two men who naturally have to adapt to their new positions.

Dave Whelen knew last season was going to be Fergie's last....

The Glazer family have stitched United up since 2005 and Fergie and Gill stitched the Glazer family up last season.

David Gill and Moyes would've signed more than Fellani last summer and so would a team of Fergie and Woodward.

Even the way Gill and Fergie resigned left the hierarchy with very little say in things. I.E if Fergie had told them first then Gill tried to resign they could've explained the situation to him and explained why they'd need him to honour the rest of his contract or at least stay on for a while.

Gill's resignation was signed off then Fergie wants out, the board couldn't tell him give us a few more years.

Complaining about Moyes without bemoaning the process that led him to be in charge is silly.

Woodward is in a similar boat, with the exception being he knows exactly what the financial situation is and what kind of job he has on, I honestly think Moyes came into this situation thinking wow I'm going to manage the biggest club in the world and I'm going to enjoy the next couple transfer windows. Then reality set in and now he understands what's going on a little more.

On the Ronaldo deal, a few people have said a deal was all but signed off but the final negotiations broke down... (Moyes wasn't involved in this)

Lol at thinking Moyes doesn't want to sign a few players this month. Doesn't his "the players I want won't be available in January" sound like his version of "no value in the market" if the board said, here "have £60m to spend in January, he'd fucking spend it.

[JOHN DOE]

Kompressor you write too much unnecessarily . The guy is out of his depth thats all.

He should do an ian holloway asap and keep it moving

Deliver us klopp