Yeah, looks like a few brave souls getting a few digs in early.

He barely got a kick at the Euros to be fair but yes his form and general demeanour so far is a worry. He's not the only one though.

I wonder what sort of side we will see play against Northampton, more changes from the Watford starting eleven I would hazard a guess at .

We could do with finding a settled side, and going with that, rather than chopping and changing things for different competitions, so that we can get into a rhythm, and that the players know who their teammates will be.

This is something that is vital, and it's not about how much I rate the other guys. I don't think Blind is the long term answer, and as we saw against West Ham at the tail end of last season and City the other week, that Blind isn't immune to poor performances in defence. However the one thing that he does seem to do is talk to the other defenders, he helps them by doing that and his ability to bring the ball out and pass the ball well helps them to. I said this last year, as I saw him help Smalling to have a great season, and improve a hell of a lot, and with Bailly this season his best games have been with Blind.

Till we find that natural defender who'll come in and lead the defence, we'll end up with performances like yesterday.

As for Wednesday, I think we may see one or two who didn't start last week, but it will be fairly similar to one we played in Rotterdam.

I am Rooney's biggest fan and have never wavered from my support for him.
Untill now. Yesterday's performance was woeful, his passing was shocking his movement was shocking and his leadership skills.
The problem we have is who else is in the squad that can bring the best out of players? Zlatan? A few people have said they Don't think he should be anywhere near captains armband. I would probably say give him a go. Degea? Great player but does he command the role and is he vocal enough?
Smalling? Yeah another player I would give it to.
Bailly could be a contender in the next few years.

I wouldn't worry too much about who can replace him, pretty much anyone in the squad in terms of ability he's that bad.

Lingard and Blind dropped after the city game but Rooney continues to play on regardless.

I see Murphy and Sinclair refused to acknowledge his decline on MOTD last night but then I can imagine any rival fan would be happy to let him continue if we are basically playing with ten men every week.

I hope he isn't anywhere near the team on Wednesday.

Carrick needs to be back in the starting eleven for a start.

Carrick is almost at last chance too though. I've rated him over the years and agree he should be given a chance .

Fellani has done a decent job so far but it's time for something different.

There are so many other options than Fellani and Rooney that we could try. Considering Schweinsteiger has been dumped I can't believe we continue to accommodate Rooney.

What's the point of buying Miki and Pogba if we're just returning to the same old that clearly isn't working?

I predict Mourinho will be sacked before the end of the season. It's Chelsea revisited!

I am certainly on the side of the court not wanting Zlatan near the captains role. I'm not going from the past either, he's scored some goals, which as a forward he's meant to do for us. However, like the rest of the team, he hasn't done much else to impress me. We saw when things were "good" against Bournemouth and Southampton the flicks and tricks came out and came off, but since the Hull game he's laboured through games, his touch has let him down and he's guilty of slowing our play down when we break.

As I said yesterday I could find a case to drop all of them for poor performances, mistakes etc, but we know it isn't going to happen, nor should it. If we are to drop Rooney the next two in line for the captaincy are Carrick and Smalling, as I've heard nothing to suggest they've been replaced as vice captains.

Carrick isn't going to be playing, I think he's been kept on for his experience and as a squad player, all be it closer to playing that Schwiny. He's an OK captain, but he's not the vocal, motivator that most people seem to want. Smalling, anything I say will be misconstrued as I'm not his biggest fan. However, he seems to be more from the Rooney school of captaincy than the Keane school, and at least with Rooney he'll go say something to the ref, Smalling just walks away and doesn't do much.

For the long term two players who could be captain material are Bailly as has already been said, and I think given a year or two Shaw could develop into captain material, I think he needs a settled run in the side to build his confidence up to speak out.

Please no, we have to stop this sacking mentality, we have to stick by a manager at one point, otherwise what is the point in hiring someone for the job?

This was never going to be a quick fix situation, so why be in a rush to get rid asap?

Its been an unending rush since SAF retired on this thread. Its all about expectation of winning in style and Moyes and LVG never looked like doing it so the rush has been getting rid of them both.

I get your point because it does rather beg the question of where United go next if Mourinho gets into an early rut. There is a slight sense of Chelsea already about the reactions in general to 3 consecutive defeats and the treatment of Shaw. The problem is the press are like dogs chasing a fox where Mourinho is concerned, he needs stability and positive results in the next weeks or it will all unravel.

There comes a point where the madness needs to stop, and this should be the point, changing managers will only get you so much of a reaction from the players, eventually their minds will be like, "who cares what you say, you won't be around much longer anyway".

We need to a have a more permanent, stable manager, one that the players know will be around to keep them on their toes.

The press and what they say, to a large degree are an irrelevance, today's paper is tomorrow fish and chip paper and all that.

Mourinho should keep his trap shut, beyond saying the squad is a work in progress. He should more particularly, not attempt to coach the players (Shaw) through the media.

He's got a big job to do. Perhaps bigger than he imagined. STFU and get on with it. He will only be 'special' again if he succeeds.....

Said it before - Rooney has been playing professionally and at the highest levels both at a club and international level for 14 years. He's 30, but the years build up and 99% of athletes in sports such as football, basketball, American football, rugby, etc. do not maintain high standards for that long. And starting young can lead to declining at a young age.

No width in that team outside the full-backs for me.

I'd go:


Still something to be said for the classic diamond formation IMO.

Blimey, hope Schneiderlin has three Weetabix on matchday - very attacking side in front of him!

Am I misguided to think that Schneiderlin may actually still have potential at Man United?

If he could dismantle some of the current alternatives that we have he certainly couldn't be any worse.

He should play on Wednesday.

Do you think thatt Jose Mourinho was the right manager for Man United as the club has a tradition of bringing youngsters into the team

It just seems that he wants include all of his signings into the team and not picking the players who performed well last season

This one's been done Owen!

Oh sorry i did not know you discussed that subject

So what do you think of Mourinho as manager. Were you against him coming to the club

Not a Man United fan and apologies, I thought this was the other Man United based thread around Mourinho that is on the go at the mo which Is why I responded specifically....I just meant that the question u asked has been done to death after his appointment, in the run up to his appointment and just over the last year or so... at least until he's had time to settle... Other specific questions or just general observations on a match by match basis are less trodden ground..

Edit..apologies also for grammar and sentence structure in above paragraph,

Had he got top 4, LVG would still be here imo.

I'm not personally a supporter of Manchester United, but I watch most their televised games and went with my father to several matches last season, as well as the Community Shield, so I feel qualified to offer my opinion.

I have never understood all the hype surrounding Wayne Rooney, and the part I especially don't get it why manager after manager (for both Utd and England) feel the need to somehow 'shoehorn' him into the starting eleven.
He's clearly not suited to playing midfield, and Jose doesn't like playing two up-front, so Wayne isn't a player that ManU need. So why not just sell him instead of spend an enormous amount on his wages and stick him in the team for virtually every game, at the expense of both teammates and the club's potential for success?