Tiresias

It's probably a long way away from that, hawkeye can detect where a ball is in relation to a line, both simple objects, whereas detecting human body shapes in motion is a lot more complicated. Sure some tech bro will come up with some machine learning ai and that will somehow be worse. I think on offside it's largely getting things right and it's kinda silly to complain if something is 'just' offside as that's still offside. Bit of me wishes that as a rule of thumb if the VAR dudes back at base can't very quickly eyeball the static image it's close enough for it not to be a 'obvious' error, but I do see flaws in that.

I was disappointed he didn't stick around with us as thought he was mint at times but in kinda the wrong team. I also wondered if other behind the scenes stuff was up and didn't gel with us. Who knows if true that and not going to be upset, he would not have flourished under bruce and would have ended his career for good most likely.

On the Man U returning to the 'top 4' I think tbh the big 6 or top 4 descriptors are bit misleading now. I think Liverpool and Man City are a long long long way ahead of everyone else. Chelsea last won the league 2017. The only upset in that was last year with Liverpool (and indeed City if above 90 points is the hallmark of these teams) underperforming and Man U somehow getting to second, and yet I don't really think anyone thought they could plausibly win the whole thing so that can be chalked up to Covid disrupted season and Liverpool. Chelsea are closest to them and yet with their ownership situation who knows if they still will be? I think it will be a long time before we are challenging them, and in fact more likely they will slump before we get close. Those teams are basically winning every game all season apart from a few (which are then always a crisis), everyone below them isn't close to that level. You have them, then 5 or 6 plausible champions league contenders below and we can maybe hope to be a sort of best of the rest for next few seasons. I don't think we will be serious champions league contenders for a few years. There are so many questions, what are the expectations really, it could be all this is a long term project we want Howe on for the long hall, but if he has an indifferent season next year and Poch is still free and asks if we want him do the owners say no? Things will be different, and Howe will be perfectly aware of this. He is kinda on a free hit now, he has almost achieved his most important aim. Personally I would be very happy to see steady improvement but I might get a bit unhappy (but not SACK THE COACH unhappy) if we get knocked out the cups super early and it's just a grindy mid table year next season.

No actually have us winning 1-0 that one

I have us finishing on 39 points and burnley surviving on goal difference ahead of everton

as if he knows how to use zoom, it's not like he's needed anyway except to save on food waste at teh buffet

Son is absolutely mint, kinda a shame he's spending best years at Spurs of all places but he does have lovely chemistry with kane

Yeah probably best counter attacking team in league

think between everton and burnley for the last spot now

Only 3 points ahead of us but with 2 games in hand, fair enough. Is rodgers still well regarded there? Would have thought they'd have been hoping for more. Know all their centre backs got injured or something

Couldn't even guess remotely where leceister are in the table, a team that pass me by mostly, will look now

Final warning!

Howe out if we don't tbh ;d

Had a lot to with red bull clubs youth policies that mean that they are constantly churning them out. He would be perfectly fine appointment for a club wanting to replicate that in a backroom capacity.

You just can't get away with having a rubbish midfield in the premier league anymore. Honestly think Fred is underrated, he gets loads of shit and yet whenever i've seen man u be remotely competent he's on the pitch. And yet they keep signing attackers.

Manager i agree, DOF, Hmmm he has a lot of experience in the role and likes it, as opposed to being the actual manager which he hasn't really done for 10 years and has said he isn't keen on it. Baffling appointment but not sure you can write off his skills as director of football on grounds he can't get the raging dumpster fire of the man u dressing room to do much

Cabaye was closer to Shelvey (and a lot lot better tbh) in that he wasnt quick and had excellent range of passing but Bruno has a lot quicker speed of thought with quicker feet, more short ranged incisiveness.

I honestly think they wrote the season off and thought he'd be good moved upstairs in club after. Feels very weird when champions league spot still up for grabs which they clearly won't get now. I am only sympathetic to him because I can't understand how a 'caretaker' manager is going to get anywhere in that toxic dressing room, and everything about Ragnick's philosophy is wrong to Man United. It's just really weird.

I'd imagine in fairness he is feeling a lot of relief at getting out of Lokomotiv Moscow when he did, may take sting out of the shitness of being man u manager

Yep, Van Gaal was right when he was warning Ten Hag on getting involved, it is not a place for serious managers. Poch would similarly be dumb to jump into it having escaped from the psg dumpster fire

It's a really weird one, he would be a perfectly creditable director of football appointment, but what is he supposed to do in 6 months when everyone knows he's only temporary? he hasn't the time or personel to institute his gegenpressing philosophy, the squad is bad and lopsided etc. I think he probably has steadied them a bit actually and done reasonably which is probably as good as can be expected. If he does worse do they keep him on in that 'consultant' position? They ought to that's where I'd want him rather than directly coaching which he has said he is not that keen on. He famously prefers playing kids, that squad is completely his anthesis. if they get Ten Hag i guess writing off season pays off, but only if he is backed to rebuild from ground up, but he wont instead they will blow whole budget on luxury players again

On the negative side never writes a succession of hilarious novels

I am not ruling out Howe being able to coach him long term into a better player. When he is surrounded by better players, and is more often receiving the ball closer to the opposition goal rather than having to do everything himself, and when we have other threats so opposition can't crowd him out he has plenty of potential to be a really damaging player. He just needs some focusing, and when we need to play counter attacking games he definitely has use. Yes we can hopefully buy some players with more consistent end product, and if he isnt improving or goign to get games i hope he goes to a club where he can be that important spark.

Yep the lack of threat from Wood and Almiron (albeit i thought latter had a decent game) mean its easy for opposition to gang up on him so does make him look worse. Frustrating but i dont know where else in this team currently real threat is coming from apart from set pieces, and ASM is still likely to give us a few dangerous free kicks a game anyway.

Absolutely showing how to scrap out of relegation. getting really hard working solid performances from the team making sure getting all the important points at home. Motivating team and making them feel better than the position they were in when he came. Got fans onside. The players aren't playing with weight of teh world on them but also fighting hard. Contrast with Franky de tory at everton who has done everything to make players feel worse, avoid responsibility and hasn't got them organised at all. All with a much more expensively assembled squad and similar investment in january.