Football 2024-25. Pep’s last season?

Forgotten about Reading then? [Smiley face]

as it happens, sat here watching Newcastle (the first team I ever saw, taken by my Grandad) wearing a pair of Reading leisure shorts (my home town and most watched team)

Most of the time there’s not been a conflict, rare periods of capability never overlap.

Top win for the R’s yesterday, something seems to be happening there and Selles takes a load of credit given the way his hands are tied.

Is Casemiro playing his way out of a Saudi Arabia move? Not good news for the Old Trafford accountants.

He’s a complete liability. Sunday league stuff for both goals. He was absolutely shocking for the latter half of last season, doing exactly the kind of thing he’s done today, but he’s still here and still starting every game.

We’ve got absolutely nothing going forward either, despite all the possession we had at the start. Completely toothless! Has Rashford actually touched the ball yet?

I’m going to go for 4 or 5 nil if it carries on like this

I’m just struggling to work out who Mark Goldbridge is going to blame for this with McTominay now in Italy!

Newcastle were lucky to get 3 points today.

Casemiro hauled off at half time for a teenager.

I’ll reappraise that scoreline. Maybe 7 or 8 nil?

Still no idea what formation/system/whatever ETH is trying to play. Surely on thin ice. Gareth in!!

Think they gave up trying at 3-0, summed up by the liverpool player who had a tap in from 3 yards, but decided to try and skin another couple of players!

Still no idea what formation/system/whatever ETH is trying to play

Nobody in a red shirt today seemed to have the remotest idea either. I honestly haven’t got a clue, watching us so far this season. Liverpool just shut down the game when the third goal went in. They knew they could leave that United squad out there until next weekend and they still couldn’t score, so they could rest some of their big guns and just have a bit of a leisurely kickabout.

Another absolutely  ****ing pitiful performance! Embarrassing! Topped off by the usual inexplicable substitutions from Ten Hag.

We’re in 14th in the table at the moment – exactly where we deserve to be – but if this carries on then that’s where we’ll be finishing. If we’re lucky.Woeful! They look even worse than the back end of last season when they all seemed like they’ve just given up

On an unrelated note: please stop Daniel Sturridge opening his mouth on telly ever again. I keep waiting for Keane to finally have enough of the clown and deck him

Impossible not to feel nerves before a game against Utd. No matter what the form says.

That was disappointingly easy.

The atmosphere (only going on the radio sound) seemed terrible. It felt like they gave up after the first one went in, let alone 2 or 3. United were beaten by half time and seemed to accept that.

Inexplicable substitutions. Ten Hag has no visible plan. No style. No starting 11. Old Trafford’s a shithole. Empty seats everywhere for the last fifteen minutes.

It’s **** brilliant. 😀

This is a first. I’ve found myself agreeing with Piers Morgan

Manchester United have achieved the impossible – they’re even worse than last season.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 1, 2024

Nobody in a red shirt today seemed to have the remotest idea either. I honestly haven’t got a clue, watching us so far this season.

Pretty sure this is a cut and paste from last seasons thread at this point of the season!

Looks like Arne Slot is showing signs that he’s settling in.

Pretty sure this is a cut and paste from last seasons thread at this point of the season!

Indeed. Groundhog Day. It’s all depressingly familiar

Was at OT today and the thing that struck me was how physically strong Liverpool looked. They won all the important battles but was as if they still had something in reserve, their fitness levels were excellent and they never looked tired for a minute, heads up and shoulders back at all times.

It’s clear that Arne Slot’s style is going to be less heavy metal and more hard rock. They’re going to finish above Arsenal this season and they’re going to wrong-foot a few teams with their more solid tactics.

Spotted this mad statistic earlier…

Goals at Old Trafford

All competitions since 24 January 2021:

Marcus Rashford 31

Bruno Fernandes 29

Cristiano Ronaldo 17

Scott McTominay 13

Mohamed Salah 10

Anthony Martial 10

Fitness wise, I should think that’s the United players not playing for, or trusting the manager and tactics. Maybe when he gets the rest of his Ajax team in situ they’ll be on a similar wavelength.

Fitness wise, I should think that’s the United players not playing for, or trusting the manager and tactics. Maybe when he gets the rest of his Ajax team in situ they’ll be on a similar wavelength.

They seem to constantly have a lengthy injury list (similar to Newcastle) so you have to question what they are doing in training to break so many players.

He’s had 2 full seasons & spent more than enough money (& 20 players) to put his stamp on the team.

Come on, he’s not Harry Potter,…

ETH, the gift that keeps on giving.

At least now they have a proper structure around the club – he and all the other managers since Fergie have operated without this. I doubt it’ll make much difference mind.

????? pic.twitter.com/vQJ0tJZxAU

— Davolaa (@Davolaar) September 1, 2024

and

This story from @alanshearer is absolute gold! ??#NUFC #SAFC

pic.twitter.com/YbTpLL54Uv

— NUFCBlog.co.uk (@NUFCblogcouk) September 2, 2024

?????

That was crying laughing emojis

In the big news of the weekend Matlock Town FC’s manager has left by mutual consent! He was appointed on 3rd May!  🙂

Come on, he’s not Harry Potter,…

Give it a few weeks, and he will magickly become Graham Potter.

In the big news of the weekend Matlock Town FC’s manager has left by mutual consent!

Replacement for ETH being lined up then?

I doubt it’ll make much difference mind.

The first 3 games of the season have proved that any of us hoping for any improvement from the new sort-of-owners are just pissing in the wind

Same old, same old…

Sir Jim Radcliffe summing Man Utd’s Sunday up perfectly ?#MUFC | #MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/MIq0FI2fMC

— Betfair (@Betfair) September 1, 2024

That Alan Shearer clip is fantastic! 😀

that ETH video is by Bryans Gunn on twitter – well worth a follow, his vids are always brilliant:

https://x.com/bryansgunn

Give it a few weeks, and he will magickly become Graham Potter.

More like Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights

Give it a few weeks, and he will magickly become Graham Potter.

More like Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights

Newcastle were lucky to get 3 points today.

They’re lucky to have any points at all. They’ve played like a relegation team so far yet somehow have 7 points. Gordon looks pissed off, Bruno has lost it, Isak is starved of service and Longstaff is as inept as ever. If it wasn’t for Joelinton and Barnes we’d be down there with Everton.

Howe is also making some poor decisions. Why marginalise Trippier when he’s still one of our best and most experienced players? Why the continued reluctance to play Barnes and Hall? And what’s going on with this Steve Bruce sit back and play on the counter?

Amazing how much can change in a few months. There’s obviously lots going on behind closed doors and they need to sort it out before the the crap performances turn into crap results.

I would argue he’s protecting Trippier – given his age & the fact he didn’t have a summer break

I’m reading Trips could be off to Turkey, seems daft to me.

maybe he wants some shiny new teeth?

I would argue he’s protecting Trippier

Nope. Pretty sure he’s turned against Trippier because of all the stuff in his personal life. Howe doesn’t like his players in the tabloids, especially his senior ones.

And what’s going on with this Steve Bruce sit back and play on the counter?

Dan Burn and Emil Krafth don’t have the pace to cope with players running in behind them, which is always going to happen when playing the high pressing game they used to, he’s gone back to the style of play that we had just after the takeover but I agree we’ve been poor so far. Playing badly and still  picking up points didn’t happen last season

God knows how we got him but Elliot Anderson has been fantastic for Forest, playing beyond his years for a 21yr old.

maybe he wants some shiny new teeth

I thought you signed for Liverpool if you wanted those?

God knows how we got him but Elliot Anderson has been fantastic for Forest, playing beyond his years for a 21yr old.

FSR at it’s worst, being forced to sell a homegrown talent to balance the books. 13 years of development.

God knows how we got him but Elliot Anderson has been fantastic for Forest, playing beyond his years for a 21yr old

You got him because of the ridiculous PSR rules that force a club with no debt and the richest owners in world football to sell players they’d rather keep. As a Toon fan I was pretty p****d off to see him sold, with Bruno, Joelinton and Tonali he wasn’t going to be a regular starter but I’ve always thought Anderson was a better player than Sean Longstaff who was regularly picked ahead of him. The applause he got from the Toon fans after he was subbed in the Carabao Cup said it all