Latest / Let's Kick It Off! / Ep 53: New Year, Same Problems for Manchester United? Draw against Wolves - Missing Bruno Fernandes!

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Ep 53: New Year, Same Problems for Manchester United? Draw against Wolves - Missing Bruno Fernandes! · Let's Kick It Off!

• 0:14
  Let's kick it off. I'm Steve and I'm joined by Ash
• 0:18
  and us, and it's 2026, so we have a new year ahead of us.
• 0:23
  But first of all, we have to talk about Manchester United
• 0:26
  Wolves, which was still as part of 2025.
• 0:29
  There's a lot of 2025 I'd rather forget, to be honest.
• 0:32
  But we have to start by talking about that game and for once I
• 0:35
  think I'll kick off with my emotions from that game.
• 0:39
  And guys, it's so like heart wrenching to see how bad we are,
• 0:45
  not just the performance. Like, you know, I've talked
• 0:48
  about this for since we started this pod, it's the club from top
• 0:51
  to bottom to me, Like what we're seeing on the pitch is a result
• 0:54
  of years of mismanagement, right?
• 0:56
  We can't put it all on Ruben. We can't even put it all on any
• 0:59
  us. This is a culmination of years
• 1:01
  and years and years of incompetence, right?
• 1:04
  Incompetence is the word for it. Just the strategy of the club,
• 1:07
  everything that's been done, you know, we've talked about it for
• 1:10
  many years now, just pre recording.
• 1:13
  We were talking about the Fergie years, which is now 13 years
• 1:15
  ago. We've seen this for a long time.
• 1:17
  So for me, I'm just like so sick of it.
• 1:21
  Like the big thing for me, I think now the standards of the
• 1:24
  fan base have eroded over those 12 years as well because we've
• 1:27
  got used to it. It's natural.
• 1:28
  You know, we're not a winning club anymore in terms of Premier
• 1:32
  League trophies. Like you know, back in the day,
• 1:34
  like in your heyday, if you'd finished second, it's a
• 1:37
  disaster, right? You need to win the league the
• 1:38
  next season. So the standards have dropped.
• 1:41
  And for me, I'm just like so sick, but I feel so disconnected
• 1:44
  to the club. So yeah, I just get that off my
• 1:48
  chest. But the absolute fucked up thing
• 1:50
  is I'm going to leads away on Sunday.
• 1:53
  Football United the greatest drug ever.
• 1:56
  Why have you become a Leeds fan now, Steve?
• 1:59
  What's? Going on.
• 1:59
  Because I picked up a couple of tickets in the return, I picked
• 2:02
  up a couple of tickets in the return and I thought it's a
• 2:04
  bucket list thing to go Leeds away.
• 2:06
  It's an hour down the road, it's £30.
• 2:08
  Like I've got to go right. Because I'm not so like, you
• 2:12
  know, disconnected with the club where I want them to lose.
• 2:14
  Like I still want us to do well, I'm still a fan.
• 2:17
  So that that's how conflicted I am with it, you know, I'm so
• 2:20
  disillusioned by everything going on, but I still support
• 2:24
  the club ultimately, right? I'm still doing this podcast so.
• 2:27
  Football, man, it's the greatest sport in the world for a reason.
• 2:31
  It takes logic out of it. So that's where I am.
• 2:34
  We're not. Switching to F1 in 26 then.
• 2:36
  No, we're still. We're still locked in.
• 2:38
  Still doing this podcast? Look, I've got my San Sebastian
• 2:42
  mug here because we went to watch United in the European
• 2:44
  final in 2025. I should says it was results
• 2:47
  wise. It still gives us moments.
• 2:49
  It gave us the Anfield moment, it gave us the Harry Maguire
• 2:53
  moment against Leon, probably one of the greatest European
• 2:56
  nights at Old Trafford. We discussed right 2025 gave us
• 3:00
  that amongst the absolute worst Premier League position ever.
• 3:04
  So I just like, I don't like, we can talk about Wolves if you
• 3:07
  want. I just.
• 3:07
  Good question, right? Would you rather be a Manchester
• 3:11
  United fan, right, or a fan of most of the other clubs?
• 3:15
  Brentford or in Bournemouth? Brentford, Bournemouth, whoever.
• 3:18
  Obviously our friend of the pod, Kieran McGuire is a Brighton
• 3:21
  fan. Yeah, they're doing really well.
• 3:23
  They're probably at the highest level that they've been in their
• 3:26
  history, but when you still you would just.
• 3:29
  It's not the same. It's not the same as United.
• 3:31
  It's not the same drug as United, that's the thing.
• 3:34
  Yeah, we got, you know. We still make all the.
• 3:37
  Headlines. It's not, it's not Class A
• 3:39
  football, but it's Class A narcotics, right?
• 3:42
  That's what it is. That's true.
• 3:44
  That is true. Relation to the 90s.
• 3:48
  Yeah, I mean, Ashley, what what have you got to say about that
• 3:51
  game? Are you looking at that game in
• 3:52
  isolation, or are you just looking at the big picture?
• 3:54
  Like like I? Am to be honest, you guys know I
• 3:58
  kind of said this in February last year, right?
• 4:01
  Like when you asked me that question, would you change the
• 4:03
  manager? I was the first one to go on it.
• 4:06
  So it's not that much different, no.
• 4:08
  No, but question, question, right.
• 4:09
  So just changing the manager. Minute, Don't you think the
• 4:11
  manager's actually done a given what Steve's introduction?
• 4:14
  He's talking about the years and years of mismanagement that if
• 4:18
  you look at the team that we put out in the Newcastle game and in
• 4:21
  this game, you know is is there anyone D maybe Cunha you can say
• 4:25
  is a good player right? And he was only put bought what,
• 4:28
  6 months ago? The rest of them, you know the
• 4:31
  most of them are average rate isn't Reuben.
• 4:36
  Done. A if if we look at the league
• 4:38
  table now given if you look at the league table, we're six with
• 4:41
  30 points. If you look at the league table,
• 4:43
  it's fine as in like it's meh, right?
• 4:45
  It's like you, you, you, you're par whatever.
• 4:48
  But that's what it's the drop in standards though, right?
• 4:52
  No, no, no. But it's the football.
• 4:54
  It's it's shit football. Like we can't score goals
• 4:56
  against like, you know, low block teams.
• 4:59
  Like he's proved over nearly 18 months he can't do it.
• 5:02
  He can get results definitely against good opposition,
• 5:06
  especially away from home. I mean, look, look at the four
• 5:09
  games at Old Trafford when if we had racked up some decent points
• 5:13
  as we would be 4th or maybe even like on the tailcoats of third,
• 5:16
  like if we racked up a decent point, we're not good enough to
• 5:19
  get rack up those. That's the point without without
• 5:21
  Bruno Fernandez, this team has no creativity.
• 5:23
  Yeah, but it's under. You can talk.
• 5:25
  About Ruben doesn't know this or that, but who's who's there to
• 5:28
  create the goals without that's? The transfer window.
• 5:31
  I'm sorry like. This is what Steve said.
• 5:33
  You spent. That's what I'm.
• 5:33
  Saying 160 million on two number 10s, I'm sorry, like, but.
• 5:38
  It should have been a problem, so like for.
• 5:39
  The central midfielder. So changing the manager, like
• 5:42
  you know, is a hot debate obviously within the fan base at
• 5:45
  the moment. Is it?
• 5:46
  Yes. As.
• 5:47
  In like, you know, I think yeah, I think now the the Wolves game
• 5:51
  has tipped it back over to ICI. Think the Boo in is you know
• 5:54
  equally for the players as it is for the manager.
• 5:57
  Yeah, yeah, I think that's the club as a whole.
• 5:59
  Yeah. I think it's the club as a whole
• 6:01
  if I'm being honest, like. I don't think this is like the
• 6:04
  Old Trafford fan base being Ruben out.
• 6:07
  They're just sick and tired of just like you said, Steve,
• 6:10
  almost everything. It's a, it's a, you know, I
• 6:14
  don't know what the, it's a rallying cry almost.
• 6:17
  Just like, come on, the whole club, wake up.
• 6:20
  All right. And yeah, January's very
• 6:23
  interesting because the windows open and we need players.
• 6:26
  I'm sorry, we do. I don't know how we're going to
• 6:29
  do it, but we need players. I'm not saying we need to spend
• 6:33
  65,000,000 on some menu. We just need some like decent
• 6:36
  lines, like we need bodies and like good bodies, right?
• 6:40
  Not like this whole nonsense of like if we don't have a striker,
• 6:44
  Igarlo is fine because it's it's better than not having a strike.
• 6:47
  It's like we, we need some players like because he's he's
• 6:51
  not going to be able to do it. So this is what I agree with you
• 6:54
  and that's what I'm saying. Is it the manager or is it what
• 6:56
  Steve says? It's both.
• 6:58
  There's a lack of quality with especially Bruno Fernandez keeps
• 7:01
  saying it's just the best player in this team by miles, right?
• 7:05
  I'd say the second best player in this team is in Bumo and he's
• 7:08
  in AFCON. You've lost that AFCON.
• 7:11
  You're too stepped up. CUNY hasn't stepped up.
• 7:14
  Three goals in the Premier League.
• 7:16
  He you know, I looked at the starts, I think there were stats
• 7:19
  to prove that. Also he over performed last
• 7:21
  season, but even in his first full season at Wolves he got
• 7:24
  like 12 league goals. I check FPL for that.
• 7:27
  No, I agree he hasn't stepped up.
• 7:30
  But my question to you is his his not it isn't of all the all
• 7:34
  the sort of you talk about the system and the manager probably
• 7:36
  the system suits a CUNY and it's actually his individual
• 7:39
  performances where he at those moments hasn't in the clutch
• 7:43
  moments, hasn't put the ball away.
• 7:44
  Is that a manager issue to you? Yeah, because I saw the signs
• 7:49
  earlier than everyone else and even though there's been
• 7:52
  improvements and like it's the output is like the lead
• 7:55
  positions better. Like you can argue obviously
• 7:57
  goals is better, but I know where this is going even in like
• 8:02
  2 years time. Like you can have Elliot
• 8:04
  Anderson, you can have Adam Wharton.
• 8:06
  We're not we're not going to compete for the title with with
• 8:09
  Reuben. This league is too hard for him.
• 8:12
  Like it would have been better. I was thinking about this even
• 8:15
  like before he joined the club. It would have been nice actually
• 8:19
  if he was at West Ham, got all of like the learnings of the
• 8:23
  Premier League, then get him. It was the same with 10.
• 8:26
  Argh. Actually, it's like I would have
• 8:27
  liked to have seen him at Bayern Munich.
• 8:30
  Manager, you know that, you know, big club.
• 8:32
  Then come to United. He's doing he's he's doing all
• 8:35
  his learnings at United. You can't do it.
• 8:38
  It's there's too much pressure. One thing I would say, because
• 8:41
  we discussed this in the last Wolves game, I think Steve, you
• 8:44
  asked the question, is the worst team the Premier League's ever
• 8:46
  seen and I was quite firm. No, I've seen a load of.
• 8:49
  Come on now. No, no, honestly.
• 8:52
  So I want to put this into context.
• 8:54
  We lost to wolves and we, we, I'm sorry, we.
• 8:57
  Drew, we drew. Yeah.
• 8:58
  Three with wolves and it felt like we lost and it was a fair
• 9:01
  result. It was like we didn't deserve
• 9:02
  any more than that. But also Wolves, Liverpool like
• 9:07
  under a lot of pressure and Liverpool only won two one
• 9:09
  that's at Anfield and Arsenal needed a 94th minute goal at the
• 9:13
  Emirates to beat Wolf. So this is not the worst team
• 9:16
  that the league has ever seen, right?
• 9:18
  It's one of the worst in this statistically this season is the
• 9:23
  worst. Like, no, no, no, no, no, I'm
• 9:26
  saying that look, they're they're the two gun teams,
• 9:29
  everyone maybe city as well, 1-2 and three right.
• 9:33
  The Premier League is really tough.
• 9:35
  Our squad is in such a position where in football, if you're 50,
• 9:39
  results can go either way. We've just got to expect this on
• 9:43
  a positive note. We beat Newcastle, who are
• 9:45
  supposedly the top five team, one nil.
• 9:48
  And I thought a really it shows this fight in that team, the the
• 9:52
  team that ended the the game. I don't know ridiculous, right
• 9:56
  and and some of these young kids like in heaven eyes really like
• 10:00
  I mentioned, the attackers we're missing.
• 10:01
  We're missing the McGuire and Delict who I break very highly.
• 10:05
  As you know, I think they're really top players.
• 10:08
  They didn't haven't stepped up really well.
• 10:10
  I've been so impressed, so cool, so calm, dealt with a lot.
• 10:14
  Some of these young players, I mean, Fletcher's kids being.
• 10:17
  They're so young. Like they're so.
• 10:19
  Young I'm not blaming the kids for this.
• 10:21
  This is the point, right? It's like the manager had an
• 10:26
  opportunity to play a system that he's been coaching for the
• 10:30
  last couple of weeks. He's actually got not just some
• 10:33
  decent results, some decent performances like the
• 10:36
  Bournemouth game, like the Newcastle game, and then he goes
• 10:40
  back to, you know, I think the quote from the press conference
• 10:44
  afterwards is to match Wolves. You don't need to.
• 10:48
  I'm not saying we're going to blow, blow them away playing a
• 10:51
  back 4, but you needed a result against the worst team in the
• 10:54
  league. And actually, it would have been
• 10:56
  a nice feeling as well to, you know, go into the new year with
• 11:00
  a win and also almost like probably outright 4th.
• 11:05
  And, you know, he dropped the ball on it.
• 11:06
  I'm sorry he did. It's like the Europa final all
• 11:10
  over again, like these crucial moments when just we're on the
• 11:13
  on the verge of being able to get into the top four or go into
• 11:17
  the next round of the cup. We don't win those games.
• 11:21
  And. Do you know what it is though?
• 11:22
  Like it's even when we do win, it's just not united like this.
• 11:27
  This style of play, just everything about it is not man,
• 11:30
  you know? Haven't we been?
• 11:31
  No, I would say haven't we been waiting the last season?
• 11:34
  Last season was a joke, right? But this season, yeah, it might
• 11:38
  be more. But also with attacking, you
• 11:40
  know, the whole thing with Bruno and midfield and Ahmed at
• 11:43
  wingback has seen a lot more of that.
• 11:45
  We attack a lot more than last season where it was just like
• 11:48
  you're playing a back five. It doesn't make any sense.
• 11:51
  Like defensively, we know Bruno midfield, you're leaving, you're
• 11:55
  leaving gaps in midfield, but at least he's getting forward a
• 11:58
  lot. This like him missing basically
• 12:01
  that we're a one man team. We know we're a one man team.
• 12:03
  We've been a one man team for a while, but he's still, he's been
• 12:07
  producing Bruno. Fernandez from midfield.
• 12:09
  It's improved versus last year. Yeah, if you can.
• 12:12
  The Bournemouth game was one of the best attacking performances
• 12:15
  I've seen for United team for years.
• 12:18
  I know, but we considered four goals.
• 12:19
  Yeah. But I'm saying yeah, because I
• 12:20
  know. I know, but look.
• 12:22
  At our best, defenders are out at the moment and we got
• 12:25
  Casimiro as the main. If it's true, this is all.
• 12:27
  True, he needs a proper we were still conceding goes with dilate
• 12:32
  and McGuire. Look, that's not me saying, oh,
• 12:34
  we don't need him. No, no, we're going to we were
• 12:35
  going to consider it anyway with with Bruno and midfield.
• 12:38
  You're going to concede goals. You you are you're you're
• 12:41
  basically making a trade off to say, look, I'm going to willing
• 12:44
  to be open in midfield, but my attack will be better.
• 12:47
  So the attack this season has been better.
• 12:49
  It just hasn't you know what it hasn't done?
• 12:51
  It hasn't delivered the cruise like for example.
• 12:54
  If Dorgu was 1 yard behind and we win the game, this would be a
• 12:59
  different conversation. Now I moments I think is more
• 13:03
  bigger than that right. For example, if Shesko can stick
• 13:07
  his chances away. This is what I'm saying.
• 13:09
  If Kenya like I agree such an interesting player Kenya like
• 13:14
  because I I really like his style.
• 13:16
  He's an excellent dribbler. He does work hard, but I've
• 13:19
  noticed in the last few games, like he gets, he's a very
• 13:23
  excitable touches and like it drags the ball away and
• 13:28
  therefore it gives the opposition a chance to like nick
• 13:31
  the ball off him. And his finishing is just simply
• 13:34
  not been good enough this season.
• 13:35
  Like I was talking about it a couple of months ago and I was
• 13:38
  willing to be like, OK, let's get through the Christmas
• 13:40
  period. I mean, Steve, we've had five
• 13:43
  games at Old Trafford, right of which was Everton, West Ham,
• 13:48
  Newcastle, Bournemouth, Wolves. How many points have we picked
• 13:51
  up like? Maybe 5?
• 13:53
  Four or four or five, yeah. It's just not good enough.
• 13:56
  I'm sorry, 15. And I think I think that's the
• 13:58
  thing as well with the fans, right, that are going all these
• 14:00
  Monday night fixtures at 8:00 PM, you know, they're having to
• 14:03
  work most of those days, go soil traffic and it's just not
• 14:06
  enjoyable like the fan. And This is why the fans are
• 14:08
  booing as well. They're not enjoying the
• 14:10
  football. We're not enjoying the football
• 14:12
  for being totally honest. Yes, you can look to last season
• 14:15
  and say it's an improvement obviously because we finished
• 14:18
  15th. Course it is, unless, you know,
• 14:20
  we're getting even worse. But I just think there's a thing
• 14:24
  with football fans and the manager and the club, you need a
• 14:26
  connection. And the connection for me is
• 14:28
  eroded between all the stakeholders and we're just
• 14:31
  plodding along here like and this is all that's happening.
• 14:34
  And I will pull it back now to talk about I.
• 14:37
  Don't think we're, I don't think we're plodding.
• 14:39
  You know what it is, We are. It feels like, it feels like
• 14:42
  just a bit of it feels messy. It doesn't feel, it seems like a
• 14:45
  lot of tension. The fight is still there.
• 14:49
  There's a bit of fight on the pitch I can.
• 14:50
  Fight, but there's no quality. Steve, can I just mention
• 14:55
  something very quickly because you talked about it maybe a
• 14:57
  couple pods ago. You use the word grit, which is
• 15:00
  actually one of Jim's favourite words.
• 15:03
  When you mentioned it, I was like, it's marginal grip as in
• 15:07
  like it's better than last season, right?
• 15:09
  And this is the problem. We're judging everything off a
• 15:11
  really shit standard from last season.
• 15:13
  However, just very quickly on the Newcastle game for me, there
• 15:18
  was 2 points I, I mentioned in previous pods with you guys.
• 15:21
  That is great, right? Because we, we actually got the
• 15:25
  result and this is a results business.
• 15:28
  So you need to do that. And also that's the point I
• 15:30
  think I mentioned with us is that we need to see a few more
• 15:34
  clean sheets, right? And there was a foundation there
• 15:37
  to to go on, even if it's only for like a couple games, because
• 15:41
  as is right, this is going to happen throughout the whole
• 15:44
  season. And we dropped the ball against
• 15:46
  the worst team in the. League, yeah, because it's it
• 15:50
  was another set piece. And we know without saying
• 15:52
  without Delict McGuire. But we need to score more in
• 15:55
  that scenario as we need to score more goals.
• 15:58
  We do, but again, like if you look at the players, that's what
• 16:01
  one thing I would definitely agree.
• 16:02
  I don't understand this sub so I don't know why he took certainty
• 16:05
  off. Even the new, Even the Newcastle
• 16:07
  game. Newcastle game, he wasn't
• 16:08
  injured, he was tactical. Yeah, he's tactical.
• 16:11
  And it just I'm like. He's not helping himself.
• 16:13
  He's not helping, that's my point.
• 16:14
  I just feel like I've obviously felt this for a long time.
• 16:17
  It's like he just, just when you need almost like that managerial
• 16:22
  inspiration to happen in the Premier League anyway, it
• 16:26
  doesn't happen enough. Yeah, I think you can look to
• 16:31
  positives this season, like even on paper on the stats, when you
• 16:33
  compare it to last season, you can look at the league table and
• 16:36
  say we're 6th, right, We're level on points for Chelsea.
• 16:39
  And interestingly today Maresca has parted company with Chelsea
• 16:43
  and I read the club statement and it talks about Chelsea
• 16:46
  getting back on track. So I actually asked our
• 16:48
  community, oh what does that mean?
• 16:50
  Back on track because and this again comes back to standards,
• 16:53
  right? What are your standards as a
• 16:54
  club? Chelsea have been used to
• 16:55
  winning all the big trophies over the last 1520 years,
• 16:59
  actually going back to Jose in 2005.
• 17:01
  So it comes back to standards. Their standards are clearly
• 17:04
  higher and they expect more, which you know, to me looks
• 17:07
  slightly delusional. And they've spent no, but
• 17:09
  they've spent a lot of money. They've spent a lot of money,
• 17:10
  that's true. They've spent a lot of money.
• 17:12
  But we know it's the younger profile.
• 17:14
  So any football fan would say, oh, you need to give them time
• 17:16
  and patience, but you know they want to be up there even.
• 17:20
  More so younger profile, but Cole Palmer is already a top top
• 17:23
  player, right? Kai Sado's a top top player.
• 17:25
  Enzo Fernandez, Reece James. Like one thing that was a bit
• 17:30
  weird is some of the sales. So they lost mad awake and
• 17:33
  Jackson who were good last season.
• 17:34
  The business model means is you can't build relationships
• 17:37
  because you're always a. Trading firm, aren't they?
• 17:39
  It's. Weird.
• 17:40
  Yeah, but they've spent a lot of money and I can understand why
• 17:43
  the ownership given the level of form.
• 17:45
  Just to be clear, right, what we're talking about is we've
• 17:48
  just been panning Manchester United to, you know, pulling out
• 17:52
  bunch of youngsters. I'm praising Aid in Heaven.
• 17:54
  For example, Elsie and Man United both have 30 points.
• 17:59
  Right. Yeah, my level on.
• 18:00
  Point that just tells you how bad Chelsea must have been.
• 18:03
  Possibly, yeah, Yeah. It's just a weird, weird league
• 18:06
  season, isn't it? Like that, That middle crop?
• 18:09
  Is they bought that what they bought Jiao Pedro de Lap, they
• 18:12
  got Palmer, they got, you know, Kaisaido, They've got lots of
• 18:16
  really good players, a much better squad than ours in terms
• 18:19
  of names. So you'd you'd expect Childs.
• 18:22
  I I expected chill. I said the top four say 4th.
• 18:26
  I mean, The thing is like friend of the pod Scott made this
• 18:30
  point. It's like, look, particularly me
• 18:32
  and ours, we did say Europe via 7th.
• 18:36
  I think it was, look, we're fine for that, OK.
• 18:41
  You know, the pathway I don't know about, but we're fine for
• 18:45
  that at the moment. We are.
• 18:46
  We are on course for that. But if you look at Aston Villa
• 18:50
  as an example, right, they were nowhere after five games.
• 18:54
  You put three wins together in this league because of how
• 18:58
  competitive it is. You'll go flying up the table
• 19:03
  and we've missed a really good opportunity with the home games
• 19:07
  that we had to just, you know, be almost like to have Ruben
• 19:11
  more safe in the job. Steve, in terms of like, you
• 19:14
  know, this like outward pressure and like the tension that
• 19:17
  everyone talks about. There was an opportunity to
• 19:19
  like, almost like, you know? It's a great league, like the
• 19:24
  middle of the league is. It's so competitive.
• 19:26
  Like I said, Wolves took Arsenal and Liverpool to the limit.
• 19:30
  You'd say worst Liverpool team. This is the Champions who have.
• 19:33
  Added. I know that's what I'm saying,
• 19:34
  400. Million or something in signing,
• 19:36
  so they're not a bad squad. But historically, I mean like
• 19:39
  with everything that's happening with.
• 19:41
  And yeah, and the other thing that why I'm more positive is
• 19:44
  underlying numbers, again, boring statistics.
• 19:47
  Stan Villar have just been lucky.
• 19:49
  They've won a lot of games, one nil they shouldn't have won or
• 19:52
  or by one goal that they shouldn't have won.
• 19:54
  So statistics. Substitute.
• 19:56
  So this is the point. No, no, it's just, it's just
• 19:58
  football, football. If you who said they got Ian
• 20:01
  Graham's book, you know. Me.
• 20:04
  If you'll read Ian Graham's But you'll get to it and he'll talk
• 20:07
  to you about that. Football is a marginal game that
• 20:09
  with a bit of luck here and there, the points can turn
• 20:11
  because football is very low scoring.
• 20:14
  And if you're in a 5050, it can go one goal here or there,
• 20:18
  right? And that's why he mentions how,
• 20:20
  for example, they analyse the numbers of Jurgen Klopp last
• 20:23
  season at Dortmund. And I think they were like 14th
• 20:26
  or something, he said, oh, but we looked at the numbers and
• 20:27
  they weren't the 14th. They were actually quite good.
• 20:30
  And it will come back to you. We have in the top four teams in
• 20:35
  terms of those underlying numbers and Villa are somewhere
• 20:37
  like in the second-half of the table.
• 20:40
  We just need to some of these moments.
• 20:42
  We need the ball to go in, we need a bit of luck.
• 20:45
  We need to, you know, just need just.
• 20:48
  But that's but that's what Ash talks about.
• 20:49
  The moments don't fall our way. Through our way.
• 20:52
  There is an element of luck in there as well.
• 20:54
  And we've all said on this, we don't seem to have the luck.
• 20:56
  And like, you know, even going back to Bilbao like that was a
• 20:59
  pivotal moment. So as an.
• 21:00
  Example in Bilbao, right, the the, you know, the Hoylan chants
• 21:04
  and he clears it off the line. Yeah.
• 21:06
  Same. Thing with Wolves that that
• 21:07
  goalkeeper mistake, I'm like, that's in.
• 21:09
  How did he clock that back? Yeah, I just just like, why?
• 21:13
  Why does these these things happen?
• 21:15
  And then like I said, the doggy one, I was like, yes, that is a
• 21:18
  great goal. And he's just margining offside.
• 21:21
  That goes in. You win 21 just like Liverpool
• 21:23
  and Arsenal 121 in the death type thing.
• 21:26
  You you walk away and you go right.
• 21:28
  You're the 32 points are in the top four and this podcast is
• 21:31
  like. Yeah, but these, these pivotal
• 21:34
  moments and even if you go back to the treble season, right, And
• 21:36
  Bayern Munich should have won that European Cup, but they
• 21:38
  didn't and United won the treble and that's etched in history.
• 21:41
  Now these, these moments are so crucial in terms of the way they
• 21:44
  fall. And I will go back to that
• 21:46
  Bilbao game again because if we'd have won that, got in the
• 21:48
  Champions League, had more money, got a few extra players,
• 21:51
  like the trajectory of the club completely changes, right?
• 21:54
  Like versus losing. And yes, we are on track
• 21:58
  technically, like we have said, Europa League is on track this
• 22:01
  season. We are like statistically there,
• 22:04
  we're there in the league table. But I think fan, like I said,
• 22:07
  fans know whether a project is going somewhere.
• 22:10
  And I think most of the fan base know deep down this, this will
• 22:14
  last the season I think for sure.
• 22:16
  But I think beyond that, I don't think.
• 22:19
  But we we always had that, right, Steve, you and me, we're
• 22:21
  like, right, this is probably going to last the season.
• 22:23
  But come the summer, yeah, I've always, I've always said I want
• 22:26
  to stick with Reuben because I don't like the options you're
• 22:28
  providing me. Yeah, but so in the summer, you
• 22:32
  know, Carlo, my man, who I'm re. I've started the Gareth
• 22:35
  Southgate book. I always say Southgate because
• 22:37
  it's never going to happen. Yeah, but you know, there will
• 22:40
  be other names. Thomas Tuchel, who I personally
• 22:42
  wouldn't. Have you seen my shortlist that
• 22:43
  I've put together my top five? Yeah, I'll.
• 22:46
  Is. This.
• 22:48
  Official. One I've got.
• 22:49
  No, this is mine. I've gone early.
• 22:50
  I've decided it after wolves on that night.
• 22:52
  What did you say about Thomas Tuchel?
• 22:55
  Who me? Yeah.
• 22:56
  I personally wouldn't go for too cool.
• 22:59
  And it's this, it's the same reason I, I, I've mentioned
• 23:03
  before. So I agree with Steve.
• 23:05
  For me it's the cancers at the top and it's a rebuilding and
• 23:08
  we, we should do a part on all the hirings Ineos have done.
• 23:11
  I think the most important thing I'm looking for is good
• 23:14
  recruitment and I trust. I think Thomas Tookel is a
• 23:17
  tactically brilliant coach and far superior to Reuben, but I
• 23:21
  always his, if you see his history of clashing with the
• 23:23
  board on transfers, looking for older players, that's not the
• 23:27
  direction I'd go for. So I'd go for Tuchel as a if you
• 23:30
  wanted to try and win game short term like a Conte, but I would.
• 23:34
  I'm looking for the next manager to be someone who works with the
• 23:37
  board works. Carlo.
• 23:39
  Carlo is number one on my list. I love Carlo, he's number one on
• 23:41
  my list. So if and.
• 23:44
  Again, I think 2 shows a superior tactical coach to
• 23:47
  Carlo, but Carlo skill is working with, working with the
• 23:51
  top, working in the club, working with the youth system,
• 23:55
  you know, culture building and that's what I want to see.
• 23:58
  If it wasn't Gareth Southgate, because I'm kind of confused now
• 24:01
  where you stand with him. But like, if it's not Southgate,
• 24:04
  give me another name. Like all of that ilk.
• 24:08
  Not an Ancelotti. I'm talking like, you know that
• 24:10
  next level down well. Let me, let me, let me read out
• 24:12
  my top five shortlist. Right.
• 24:14
  Tell us your. List so this is this.
• 24:16
  Is in order. This is in order, so not my
• 24:18
  number one target is Carlo #2 is Thomas Tookel.
• 24:23
  Assuming England win the World Cup or not, I would get him in
• 24:25
  just. OK, what if?
• 24:26
  What if he doesn't win the world?
• 24:28
  Cup I'd still get him in just for, you know, a couple of years
• 24:30
  of just like trying to compete with, you know, good tactics
• 24:33
  because there's so much that needs needs fixing at the club,
• 24:36
  which we can touch on #3 is Southgate.
• 24:39
  He's #3 on my list. For the.
• 24:41
  Culture for the recess. The list is looking good #4IS
• 24:46
  Glasner. OK, Glasner.
• 24:48
  Because he's available. I quite like him.
• 24:50
  He's you know he's experienced and you know he's done well in
• 24:53
  the Premier. League a couple weeks ago when
• 24:54
  we spoke about him I. Put him in.
• 24:55
  I've not got Eriella in your man.
• 24:57
  And #5 of course, is my guy Potch.
• 25:01
  For God's sake, move. On #3 on the list, that's my.
• 25:05
  Cues will be excellent, yeah. Reason the reason they're so
• 25:07
  different in like, you know, you could say I've got Southgate
• 25:10
  next two called completely different managers.
• 25:12
  I've always said a manager at the club is to do with fit.
• 25:16
  There's 100 or 50 managers you could probably say qualified
• 25:20
  based on ACV or their previous work.
• 25:21
  But it comes down to fit with the club for me and that's
• 25:25
  that's who I see as like good, probably short term fits.
• 25:30
  I don't see any of them as like probably like long term
• 25:32
  managers. One interesting thing about your
• 25:36
  top two, you need one hell of a transfer budget.
• 25:40
  Yeah. And that's why I don't think.
• 25:42
  I, I I disagree. I disagree.
• 25:45
  I think Carlo Ancelotti. I don't rate him.
• 25:49
  As a tactical coach. But he's a guy that will work
• 25:53
  with whatever's given and not true.
• 25:55
  Apparently before Everton he had like, like loose talks of United
• 26:00
  and he said like I need a lot of money invested in the squad.
• 26:05
  I don't know if that was in your time.
• 26:07
  This is the thing if if, if you let's say you come to an
• 26:10
  interview the United and they say I want you to win the
• 26:12
  league, then I'd say I need a lot of money.
• 26:14
  Invest in the squad. Depends on the expectation.
• 26:17
  If they say right, we want to try and compete for the top
• 26:19
  four. And this is your budget, Carlo,
• 26:21
  would you take the job? I think it's a it's just there
• 26:26
  was someone you said in the community says we can't attract
• 26:28
  the big talents anymore. I don't know who that was.
• 26:30
  So don't follow the what AJ, just to you.
• 26:33
  AJ yes, we can. And I think someone like Carlo
• 26:36
  would love to come to United. Why did he went to Brazil?
• 26:40
  Great club. He's done Real Madrid, right?
• 26:42
  No, he would take the job. Like I'm not saying that he's
• 26:44
  done by Munich. I think he would take the job
• 26:47
  and even if we don't have unlimited budget, just the
• 26:51
  glamour of the as long as you expect.
• 26:52
  It's like Carlo, we just want you to take 4, probably to take
• 26:56
  this club back into the yeah, into the champion three.
• 26:59
  Yeah, back into the Champions League.
• 27:01
  That's where we Carlo is fine for that because he's he's cool
• 27:05
  when you know, he tends to get on with the board or like, you
• 27:08
  know, he's able to like have good relationship too.
• 27:11
  Cool is a ticking time bomb. That's why I said not to.
• 27:15
  What do you think about to clash?
• 27:17
  I mean, it's Steve, Steve's got him #2 that's silver medal.
• 27:21
  Position, The thing is like, obviously there's obviously a
• 27:24
  decent amount of managers I would take over Reuben.
• 27:26
  But if I go back to what I said, I think two years ago when 10
• 27:30
  Hog was under pressure, he wouldn't be my top pick.
• 27:33
  But basically because it was so bad with 10 Hog I would take him
• 27:38
  but I'm already planning for two years time or 18 months time
• 27:42
  because he doesn't last longer than two years top.
• 27:44
  This is guys, this is what we need.
• 27:46
  Like we're not we're not set up as a club to put in an areola
• 27:50
  type manager that's done a good job at a mid table club because
• 27:53
  the club structurally is not set up well.
• 27:56
  That's why you need a short term manager and this was always my
• 27:58
  concern of Reuben. It's Tinkle's going to tear out
• 28:01
  the remaining hair he has, like with that squad.
• 28:04
  Which is probably a good thing. Like as in and with and with the
• 28:07
  Ford as well. He will win Harry Kane as an
• 28:11
  example. Which is good.
• 28:12
  It's good he won't. He won't deal with Chesco.
• 28:15
  I don't mind him winning Harry Kane because Harry Kane's world
• 28:18
  class, but it's when he went for the Eric Dyer or the Gel
• 28:21
  Paulinia. It's like, come on, you don't
• 28:24
  need to spend money. As you need to have doing this
• 28:26
  right when you're like, you know, when we've we're
• 28:29
  Pochettino versus 10 argue, you're like, I want the high
• 28:31
  ceiling football, right. So you got it right and you were
• 28:35
  the one who actually wanted 10 Arg out the most.
• 28:38
  You're saying like is an example like, Oh gel Paulino isn't
• 28:41
  boring. He's not a United player.
• 28:43
  He would really help this team at the moment and we could be
• 28:48
  more points on the board. Don't disagree, I don't think
• 28:50
  he's any better than Casimiro. No, but he might be playing with
• 28:54
  Casimiro, shoring it up and bring.
• 28:57
  That could be playing further up.
• 28:58
  He can't pass the ball forward, yeah, but.
• 29:00
  He's better than he's a he's a he's a cleanup player, right?
• 29:04
  I'm not, I'm not saying like, you know, Pauline is the best
• 29:07
  thing ever, but you keep doing this where it's like, you know,
• 29:09
  like there's no better options than Reuben, like really like.
• 29:14
  No, no, no, right now. No, because, because, because I
• 29:17
  like Steve's approach and we've had this approach.
• 29:20
  Is that are there better managers if I could put someone
• 29:22
  in place now who's better than Reuben?
• 29:24
  Yeah, probably could. Not much of an incremental, but
• 29:28
  could I put someone significantly better in the
• 29:30
  summer? Yes.
• 29:31
  And I like your list, Steve. And if you look at your list
• 29:34
  there, Steve, go through those names, right #1 not available
• 29:38
  now, available in the summer #2 not available now, available in
• 29:42
  the summer #3 you could probably get now.
• 29:45
  But you've got one and two, right?
• 29:47
  Wouldn't you wait for one and two to see if one and two?
• 29:49
  There you go. So I like this approach.
• 29:52
  So I mean that's number. 4 as well, probably available in the
• 29:56
  summer. Glass.
• 29:57
  Yeah, he was #5 again, Pot also just for fun.
• 30:00
  No, for fun, but not available now he's got he's got the US job
• 30:03
  available. See four out of five names.
• 30:06
  They're available in the summer. And that's why I think you've
• 30:09
  got the right approach. Say actually we've had an
• 30:11
  improvement. Underlying numbers.
• 30:13
  Look, good luck hasn't gone our way.
• 30:15
  Fight is still there. So the players are still playing
• 30:17
  for Ruben. Ride it out to the summer and I
• 30:20
  think you can look at a significant upgrade.
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• 30:47
  Store. Can we just very quickly touch
• 30:50
  on any us because I have to because it's the New Year pod
• 30:53
  and it's two years officially on Christmas Eve, right?
• 30:56
  They've been in charge. So us, will you please just
• 30:59
  admit that football wise, it's been a disaster under any US,
• 31:03
  just the way it's unfolded as in when you compare to when they
• 31:08
  came in to now, will you admit that it's not gone well?
• 31:11
  And not just the football, the culture at the club as well.
• 31:15
  I would say my opinion of ineosis time is its net
• 31:19
  positive. Shockingly, I do think it's net
• 31:22
  positive. I think the changes they are I
• 31:24
  see. I saw the club as you know, on a
• 31:26
  huge downward spiral to oblivion under the glazes.
• 31:30
  And I was telling you that, you know, our finances are an
• 31:32
  absolute shit show and there's some massive problem coming.
• 31:36
  I think we're we're we've got worse, but the trajectory was
• 31:39
  down and then you have to keep getting worse until you get
• 31:41
  better. You have to make changes.
• 31:44
  I see the, the, the, the, the, the down slip and when they took
• 31:48
  over and where 10 hog was, you know how much angry I was at the
• 31:51
  football, the the culture. Then the recruitment was just
• 31:55
  for me, just corruption and a joke, right?
• 31:58
  Like what was going on? I think the recruitment people
• 32:02
  are being put in is better that that.
• 32:03
  We've hired good people that will take time to come to
• 32:05
  provide good people, probably have fired good people but cut
• 32:10
  down. Can we?
• 32:11
  Can we admit? As a reference to Dan Ashworth.
• 32:13
  Can we? Yeah.
• 32:13
  Can we admit fired? Ashworth, they've made many
• 32:16
  mistakes. So for example, giving 10 haag
• 32:18
  another contract was a blunder. That was ridiculous.
• 32:22
  Hiring, firing Ashworth was a blunder.
• 32:25
  Many, many mistakes have been made.
• 32:27
  So like on the negative, there's a long list, but what I'm saying
• 32:31
  is that for me it's a net positive.
• 32:34
  Versus the Glazers again, right. This is the key is in comparison
• 32:37
  to the. Previous and I, I, I, I think
• 32:40
  that the club, it's a five year plan and you can say like, for
• 32:44
  example, like, you know, nothing's happened with the
• 32:46
  stadium. At least they're looking at the
• 32:48
  stadium. Glazes didn't even look at the
• 32:50
  stadium. Yeah, but I'm, I'm looking on
• 32:52
  the right. We've got a new training ground.
• 32:54
  Oh yeah. And yeah.
• 32:55
  And on the pitch and on the pitch I was like, look, this,
• 32:58
  this squad needs to rebuild and I've just mentioned Aid in
• 33:01
  Heaven. This is the type of signing I've
• 33:03
  been calling out for. Go and pluck out some guy for
• 33:06
  £1,000,000. He looks really good, right?
• 33:10
  So they're investing more in youth players, younger players.
• 33:14
  We've seen some players step up as well, like Ahmad, under 10
• 33:19
  hug was nowhere and he's come out.
• 33:20
  He's done really well. We've we've seen some better.
• 33:23
  In your city Ahmad was bought way before then, right?
• 33:26
  And he's he was bought way before in US but he was 5 loans
• 33:30
  before like. Yeah, but it was it was in it
• 33:33
  was I'm saying there was there's always this thing of keep
• 33:37
  hearing the same thing. Oh, but who's who, which players
• 33:39
  have got better? I'm like a lot of them have got
• 33:41
  better. Even Casimir I just mentioned he
• 33:44
  was just looked trash and I used to look semi.
• 33:47
  Decent even made him trash. And then, you know, that's what
• 33:51
  I'm actually giving credit to, Casimiro.
• 33:54
  He was, he was, he was on the bench in the FA Cup final, Under
• 33:57
  10 hug because he was done right, Jamie Carriger said.
• 34:00
  Go and retire in Saudi. Yeah, but he but Reuben dropped
• 34:04
  him as well, right. Casimiro's wise and he was out
• 34:06
  on Instagram. Yeah, but he's really, no, he
• 34:08
  hasn't rebuilt him like Casimiro's has stepped up.
• 34:11
  This is what I mean. Normally I'm one for
• 34:13
  criticising. Whatever has happened, Casimiro
• 34:16
  is now. Listening any of function this
• 34:18
  is. I can I.
• 34:20
  Talk some of those, OK, But Steve has asked about the
• 34:22
  football, So what do you want me to talk about?
• 34:24
  Under Ineos. Let me talk about.
• 34:26
  Football on the pitch, the underlying numbers, under 10,
• 34:30
  Hog. Second season where we finished
• 34:33
  8th, we were actually like 15th or whatever in the league.
• 34:36
  Underlying numbers, we were pure luck.
• 34:38
  It was pure vibes. It was like Robin.
• 34:41
  Tammany. Which is why he was going to get
• 34:43
  sacked pre pre FA Cup. Final because it was a joke,
• 34:47
  right? So what I'm saying is the club,
• 34:49
  although still has gone in a downward trajectory, is
• 34:51
  rebuilding slowly. I think the recruitment has
• 34:54
  looked a bit, still not elite recruitment but it's 7 out of 10
• 34:58
  recruitment. If you look at 7 come on,
• 35:01
  spending 80 million on Brian and Boomo, like you know, Raffy
• 35:05
  who's 1 1/2 could do that like that.
• 35:08
  That's not smart. First moms is probably firstly,
• 35:11
  what currency is your 80 million in?
• 35:13
  What currency is your 80 million in?
• 35:15
  I don't care like dollars is Brian and Boomu is Brian and
• 35:18
  Boomu like he proven Premier League, but he wasn't he wasn't
• 35:22
  80 million at the at the beginning of that window, right,
• 35:25
  doesn't matter. It was 60 odd.
• 35:27
  You were like no more than 60 million, 120 million and over.
• 35:32
  So don't say that's A7. 80 million how much was it?
• 35:36
  Was it Steve? How much is in Boomer?
• 35:37
  Was it 80 million? I don't remember that we put too
• 35:40
  much in him, but you've just made a number.
• 35:42
  So what is it then? What but you're?
• 35:44
  Going to be like 70. 5%, right? Let me tell you so.
• 35:48
  Much money, but at least we've. No, no.
• 35:50
  Let me tell you about results. Here's the question for you.
• 35:52
  It's like, do you think the improvement pain between like
• 35:55
  we? Better or worse?
• 35:57
  Better or worse? Better or worse March?
• 35:59
  Marginally better. Let me tell you about results.
• 36:02
  Let me tell you about. Results.
• 36:03
  Let me tell you about results. Let.
• 36:04
  Me tell you about results gotcha stuff like right?
• 36:06
  So look, let's let's quickly rewind right?
• 36:09
  So Moyes we'll forget about was a disaster, but seventh was
• 36:12
  deemed total failure and was sacked.
• 36:15
  Next manager Van Hale got us top five, won us an FA Cup, so again
• 36:20
  deemed not good enough, sacked. Jose delivered 6 I think in his
• 36:24
  first season, won the Europa League final, won the Carlin
• 36:27
  Cup, 1 trophies, got us into the Champions League, finished
• 36:30
  second and then it and then it all unravelled and he got
• 36:33
  sacked. Ollie came in saved that season.
• 36:36
  Obviously when Jose got sacked. Dunwelf got two top three
• 36:40
  finishes, I want to say done well, yeah.
• 36:43
  And I'm still deemed not good enough.
• 36:45
  Sacked 10 hog first season, top three wins, the Carlin Cup and
• 36:51
  then second season it all unravels.
• 36:54
  Like you said underlying data is bottom half of the table flukes
• 36:57
  the FA Cup. We have a great day out of
• 36:58
  Wembley, we get over excited, we contract.
• 37:01
  Sacked right now. Now the expectation of our fan
• 37:06
  base and the club as a whole, we finished 15th, had the disaster
• 37:10
  season, the worst club ever, the worst finish ever in the history
• 37:13
  of Manchester United in the Premier League has come under
• 37:16
  NES and now we're at a level where we're saying six, OK,
• 37:19
  we'll just about take that because it is an improvement,
• 37:21
  yes, but I'm showing you categorically how the standards
• 37:25
  have dropped to the club and that's my problem.
• 37:27
  And they've rightly dropped they've rightly if if you as a
• 37:31
  fan have lower standards, now you are a rational human being
• 37:35
  if you don't have lower standards.
• 37:37
  Yeah, no, but what's your aim? The difference here is what's
• 37:40
  your? Why should?
• 37:41
  Your standards be lower because when we when we finished 7th
• 37:45
  under David Moyes we were the by far the highest revenue club in
• 37:48
  the in the league. The league was basically three
• 37:52
  teams and the rest was trash. I'm telling you, this is the
• 37:55
  strongest Premier League ever. The TV money deal.
• 37:58
  It means that everyone can buy the best players from all of
• 38:01
  Europe. You literally have a Super
• 38:03
  League now right? So you can you can go and buy
• 38:06
  whoever you want. All the top teams for example
• 38:10
  you know Crystal Palace can buy a semi decent player and they
• 38:12
  they were nobody when David knew.
• 38:14
  Yeah, that's that's. That's that's the point.
• 38:16
  That is why it's and why should your standards be low?
• 38:19
  Because in Ineos we still. Have a competitive advice
• 38:21
  mistake with the revenue? But the Glazers have absolutely
• 38:26
  destroyed us since their takeover, which we all agree on
• 38:29
  of 2000 and 12/13/14 surrender Moist, you're you're bad, but
• 38:34
  you're still OK. The bleeding has to have 10 more
• 38:38
  years of bleeding. Let me tell you what your
• 38:40
  interest costs. We've spent another 600 million
• 38:42
  on more interest, on more debt, on more failed transfers, on
• 38:46
  more. That contract that wraps up you?
• 38:48
  Supported. Let's no, let's leave it there.
• 38:51
  That wraps nicely into my if I had one new like.
• 38:54
  Resident, I just make one point, Brian and Boomer was 65,000,000
• 38:58
  + 6 million or 7 million add-ons, is that?
• 39:00
  Right. So 70 odd right as.
• 39:02
  You were talking EUR, right Ash? You were.
• 39:04
  Talking EUR Right on. Let me finish.
• 39:06
  I was saying U.S. dollars you. Said, I don't know.
• 39:08
  You said no more than whatever the number was and we went well
• 39:12
  above that number. OK, So that's what I'm saying.
• 39:15
  It wasn't, I agree. It was like some smart transfer.
• 39:18
  That's all I'm saying. But what I'm saying is the
• 39:21
  profile of yeah, we we've overspent, but everything,
• 39:24
  everything is going fall in buying someone who's really good
• 39:27
  at a mid table club like and who who can, you know, But that is
• 39:31
  exactly what Fergie did. And I I think that that's where
• 39:34
  we. Yeah, but it's not.
• 39:34
  Revolutionary from any of it. Is it is for us from going where
• 39:38
  we were before? No, it's not because glazes read
• 39:41
  me as well. Glazes have done that.
• 39:43
  I'm not slacking the blazes right.
• 39:45
  It's. A slight improvement that that's
• 39:47
  all you. Say so you're saying Steve net
• 39:48
  positive then slight improvement.
• 39:50
  Agreement, yeah, but then it comes back comes back to
• 39:52
  ambition comes back to ambition that's that's the difference as
• 39:55
  well we. All know the ambition is to win
• 39:57
  the league. Yeah, Project 2020 at my house
• 39:59
  anyway. Anyway, New Year's resolution.
• 40:01
  Right. The ambition is to win the
• 40:02
  league even though it's the most competitive league, OK?
• 40:04
  Yeah, 2020 projects. What they've said they've got a
• 40:06
  project, so. We want, we want to win.
• 40:09
  We're Leicester like normally you talk.
• 40:11
  No, we we have to. We should be the biggest club in
• 40:15
  the country with the biggest stadium in the best stadium, in
• 40:17
  the best training ground and we should be the Champions of the
• 40:20
  Premier League and competing for the Champions League.
• 40:22
  That is the ambition of Ineos as well, but it's not going to
• 40:25
  happen straight. Away.
• 40:26
  Yeah, yeah. OK, that.
• 40:27
  One so will happen straight away, especially the state of
• 40:29
  the club has been for the last. It's 2026, it's 2026.
• 40:33
  If we could all have one New Year's resolution for the club,
• 40:35
  I'll go first. Mine is for some type of
• 40:39
  ownership, new ownership to like arise like the early talk of it
• 40:43
  because I don't think we're ever going to get back to the top
• 40:46
  under the current model of Ineos times glazes.
• 40:48
  That's mine, Ash, What's yours? Just to be different new
• 40:52
  manager. Yep, fair enough.
• 40:55
  And are you happy to wait until the summer?
• 40:57
  Yeah, absolutely. OK.
• 40:59
  I've been like that throughout the season, right?
• 41:01
  Because I know it's not going to happen.
• 41:02
  It's unrealistic to change now anyway.
• 41:04
  Like what you're going to achieve.
• 41:06
  The time to have done it was, you know, after the Europa
• 41:09
  final, like if you were going to do it.
• 41:11
  But I'm happy to wait for the summer now and then just pick
• 41:14
  the best one. Would you take Marco Silva?
• 41:17
  I've Ruben absolutely like Fulham are like what, 4 points
• 41:20
  behind us with a terrible squad compared to ours.
• 41:24
  So yeah, I definitely looking forward to talking about the
• 41:26
  attacking football that we're not playing.
• 41:28
  I don't care at least at least they'll be like 4-4 fifth and
• 41:31
  like we can beat like the shit teams.
• 41:33
  Well, so you. Had to get you had to get you
• 41:35
  had to get Marco Silva reference.
• 41:37
  I didn't bring it up. He brought it up.
• 41:39
  God, what's your one New Year's resolution?
• 41:41
  I'm guessing it's not Marco Silva.
• 41:42
  I agree with I'd. Rather have an ownership like
• 41:45
  investment but like you pick that up.
• 41:47
  And I agree with one, one and two, I think those would work
• 41:51
  for me as well. So if I'm going to pick a third
• 41:52
  just to be different, I would love a concrete announcement on
• 41:57
  the new stadium that it's that's got the the green light that we
• 42:02
  have the the land or whatever it's required from the freight
• 42:04
  company. Andy Burnham does his, you know,
• 42:07
  whatever he used. To do.
• 42:08
  Are we able to get that now? I don't know.
• 42:10
  No, no. So.
• 42:12
  We're asking a ridiculous price on.
• 42:13
  Yeah. So so that that that.
• 42:15
  You want Andy Burnham to sort out for you?
• 42:16
  The Force. The Force.
• 42:17
  Come on, Andy. Yeah, purchase, I would love
• 42:20
  that because yeah, I'm a long like my my when you say, oh, the
• 42:24
  expectations here, my expectations for the next 6
• 42:26
  months, my expectations for five years time are super high.
• 42:29
  And I would love a brand new stadium or a big river
• 42:32
  development of Old Trafford and either, either one of those
• 42:35
  Ineos have delivered the new training ground and they deal
• 42:38
  with it quickly and it's really nice.
• 42:39
  But I we'd love work or some commitment that we we're going
• 42:44
  to finalise thing on on, on the stadium that'd be.
• 42:46
  Amazing. I think that's three good ones
• 42:48
  to be fair. It's clearly why we should be in
• 42:50
  charge of the club and not these current jokers.
• 42:52
  Just need to find the money. Just to end, I need 2020.
• 42:55
  Five, the other one. The other one would be I'd love
• 42:57
  a central midfielder in the summer.
• 43:01
  And to stop conceding goals. It's very quickly on that, like
• 43:03
  we're talking about any us and I didn't really get a say.
• 43:06
  That's the thing that annoys me. It's like all the talk for the
• 43:09
  summer is like, oh, we need a number six.
• 43:11
  We needed a number six six months ago.
• 43:14
  It always just feels like we're chasing our own tail and we're
• 43:17
  six months behind where? We, I mean should be to be fair,
• 43:20
  you gave in on the in the ocelot defence quite early during this
• 43:23
  podcast. That's why I didn't bother
• 43:25
  asking you. I wanted to see if others have
• 43:26
  changed his opinion and he's going off the data and you know
• 43:29
  he's comparing against. Steve, just come to me because I
• 43:33
  talk crap and and you were. Saying like net positive, but
• 43:37
  like the The thing is we. This the thing tech technically
• 43:41
  us is correct because it was so bad under the.
• 43:44
  I could have said something similar, but like The thing is
• 43:46
  like you guys always said it right?
• 43:49
  You, Ron and Jay, you were like, you gave examples of like what
• 43:54
  they did with the Swiss team and nice.
• 43:57
  And it's actually bad out. Similar stuff that happened at
• 44:00
  those two clubs has happened to us.
• 44:02
  Like we went to utter disaster last season and now there's a
• 44:07
  little bit of stabilising. It's not good enough.
• 44:10
  Yeah, but it's it's OK because at least the club's not being
• 44:13
  embarrassed like 12 months ago. So it's it's kind of like micro
• 44:17
  steps. So net positive.
• 44:20
  So it's a wrap up, right? Obviously 252025 on paper has
• 44:24
  been the worst ever year in terms of Premier League finished
• 44:28
  in our lifetime. We have to acknowledge that.
• 44:30
  I don't want to do worse three moments because there's too
• 44:32
  many. But let's just finish on our
• 44:34
  best moments of 2025 because as we were speaking about at the
• 44:38
  start of this pod, it still deliver those crack moments.
• 44:41
  So we've had a few in 2025. So let's just cover our top
• 44:45
  three of the year. So as Mr Positive, you must have
• 44:48
  loads to reel off. I'll let you go first.
• 44:50
  It's actually, this is the thing I've said this before and I'll
• 44:54
  say it again, as much as it's been bad, that means a great
• 44:59
  moment. She wouldn't swap it with
• 45:00
  Brighton or someone else, would she?
• 45:02
  No, and I'd and I'd have, you know, when, for example, the
• 45:06
  Leon game, when Kobe and and and when Harry scored.
• 45:11
  I don't I just that feeling. It's just, it's just incredible,
• 45:17
  incredible. And you know, the best of 2025
• 45:20
  was definitely for me. You know our trip to to Bilbao
• 45:24
  It was. Despite the result, right?
• 45:26
  Despite the result like the trip you.
• 45:28
  Know the trip itself was was lovely and and having that's why
• 45:31
  I want us to get back in Europe because there's European nights
• 45:35
  that we had even playing Bilbao in the semi yeah, you know,
• 45:40
  great, great performances in that.
• 45:42
  We booked our flights like after the first leg didn't we I think.
• 45:46
  Yeah, sure. Yeah.
• 45:48
  And I don't know if it was 2025, but you know, McGuire nearly
• 45:54
  winning at Anfield. But then we actually did win.
• 45:57
  We beat Liverpool. With a McGuire.
• 45:59
  Winery when he missed and. Then oh, was it so in the.
• 46:02
  Same in 2025, we've had that close thing where we nearly you
• 46:07
  beat the Champions as it was, they would have been the
• 46:10
  Champions And then you know, we've we've done them.
• 46:13
  So they've been there have been good moments.
• 46:15
  There have been this just like yes, most of it's I can't
• 46:20
  remember the words you used. Was it stagnant or something
• 46:24
  like that or we're just. Plodding along, yeah.
• 46:27
  It's like for me, it's not plodding.
• 46:28
  For me, it's a roller coaster. It's up and down.
• 46:30
  It's emotional. It's a plod, You're right,
• 46:32
  Steve. If it for me.
• 46:33
  For me, Darren Roller. Coaster, it's a big you know
• 46:36
  what it you know what it is. Maybe there's that thing if
• 46:38
  you've lost the emotional connection, but for me, I was
• 46:41
  watching that new car. I love this car.
• 46:42
  I was. More than like that Newcastle
• 46:45
  game, I was kicking every ball, heading every ball.
• 46:48
  Aiden Heaven was heading out. It was like they were backed
• 46:51
  against. Anyone describing Ruben Ameren's
• 46:53
  tenure at United as roller coaster.
• 46:56
  Like as if it's like hardcore drugs or something.
• 46:58
  And then in a come down, absolutely not.
• 47:01
  You know, Ollie's time was more of a roller coaster.
• 47:04
  Well, if you give me a last minute winner at LM Rd on Sunday
• 47:06
  and I'm yeah, well, you might change your mind.
• 47:09
  It's been just some. Crazy.
• 47:10
  Sticking the ball to Harry Maguire is not roller coaster
• 47:14
  right? Because the roller coaster
• 47:15
  moment only happen when we do that under Reuben.
• 47:19
  Yeah, but that's the that's the the good bit right There have
• 47:22
  been these things. At the end of the day, I don't
• 47:24
  care how the ball goes in the net.
• 47:26
  And I actually love it more when McGuire scores for me, it's
• 47:30
  brilliant. I love it.
• 47:31
  I love you Harry. And when you score a 90th minute
• 47:35
  header, I think it's. And when he does, when Harry
• 47:38
  McGuire does a knee slide, it's the highlight.
• 47:41
  It's the best slide of it's beautiful.
• 47:43
  It's absolutely wonderful. And I wouldn't swap it, but
• 47:46
  just. Remember Eric Tenharg?
• 47:48
  He was doing that and you hated it.
• 47:50
  So that's what I'm saying. Just remember what you said.
• 47:53
  No, I didn't hate it when we win football matches even no under
• 47:57
  10 hog and if we if we win a football match then I still love
• 48:00
  it. It's just that it was just not
• 48:03
  not enough of those moments. But I love the FA Cup final
• 48:06
  under 10. We had a great day.
• 48:08
  It was sunny, it was beautiful. We beat Man City.
• 48:11
  So it's a roller coaster in this club.
• 48:14
  There are, we have had highs, we have had highs.
• 48:19
  I mean, I think us is cover the best three.
• 48:21
  Yeah. Like you know the you're.
• 48:24
  Any round of the trance. Not really, to be fair.
• 48:27
  Those are the three that stand out.
• 48:28
  I might be forgetting, but just looking at those three moments,
• 48:32
  like the European final, you can never take them for granted.
• 48:36
  Especially like these days. A winner.
• 48:38
  Anfield is the best thing as a United fan you could ever have
• 48:41
  really. And you know, Liverpool haven't
• 48:43
  been as good as they've been this season.
• 48:45
  And then of course, the famous European night at Old Trafford,
• 48:49
  which will will go down in history like as a top three
• 48:52
  mostly bad year. That's pretty, that's pretty
• 48:55
  good as a top three. I don't know if you've got
• 48:56
  anything Ash to throw in before we wrap up.
• 48:58
  Tricky. Nothing's going to be the ones
• 49:00
  that, as mentioned, nice one. We'll take that, I said.
• 49:04
  We'd, We'll take that. But what are you going to throw
• 49:05
  in? No nice one at this beginning of
• 49:08
  the season was the win against Chelsea because actually we
• 49:11
  played some like decent football.
• 49:14
  We made them get the red card and like again, the result
• 49:18
  should have actually been better in terms of like we we should
• 49:21
  have scored more goals. But yeah, that's not going to
• 49:24
  top what as is mentioned. Yeah, it's the moments, isn't
• 49:27
  it? Like you still have moments.
• 49:28
  The Chelsea win is another example of the fight because I
• 49:31
  was in Manchester that day and it was biblical.
• 49:35
  The rain was I could have barely seen.
• 49:37
  I was driving and windscreen wipers on full blast and I
• 49:40
  couldn't see a thing and and I was genuinely worried that
• 49:44
  they'd call the game off in the second-half.
• 49:46
  That's how bad the rain was. So the Bulls likes and, and this
• 49:50
  is what I mean, there's still some, the team doesn't have the
• 49:52
  quality, but they just just dug something out of nowhere.
• 49:56
  And it delivers moments, right? And that's in the matches.
• 49:58
  That's what you live for. But I think you can have two
• 50:01
  views of like, you know, living with the highs and lows of each
• 50:04
  game week to week, but then also having the bigger picture view
• 50:07
  of where the club is heading. And I mean, that's what we try
• 50:09
  and. Do one good one just to piss off
• 50:12
  AJ when we beat Arsenal in the penalty shootout.
• 50:16
  FA Cup, yeah. And David Ryan decided not to
• 50:18
  die for any of the penalties. That's a good one.
• 50:21
  No, he did. Die you, AJ.
• 50:22
  He just died the wrong way far too early, and it's just
• 50:25
  bizarre. Yeah, right.
• 50:28
  OK, Well, we'll wrap it up there.
• 50:30
  Yeah, we've got a new year ahead of us, so let's see what it
• 50:33
  brings. Let's see what Ellen Rd brings
• 50:35
  on Sunday. I'm looking forward to it, even
• 50:37
  as much as I talked about how disillusioned I feel because
• 50:40
  it's, you know. Out of interest because I've
• 50:41
  been following the WhatsApp, how does Jay feel about Dominic
• 50:44
  Calvert Lewin's form this season?
• 50:45
  Because he hates him. I've not seen anything on that.
• 50:49
  Should ask him. Yeah, there's a there's a lot of
• 50:52
  opinions we need to get. He scores against us, he's going
• 50:55
  to be furious. Does he go like any Scored his
• 50:59
  six games in the last six games something Crazy guy.
• 51:02
  Keep seeing the scores and oh, Calvert Lewin scored again.
• 51:05
  I saw some talk around Calvert Lewin beating Watkins to the
• 51:09
  England squad, maybe in the summer, which will be absolutely
• 51:12
  nuts. Yeah, problem with him is the
• 51:15
  fitness record. Yeah, it'll get.
• 51:17
  Injured Yeah 100. Percent.
• 51:18
  Well, the tricky thing right is we've got quite a few games.
• 51:20
  We've got leads away, Burnley away midweek and then we've got
• 51:23
  the FA Cup Brighton game at Old Trafford and then after that a
• 51:26
  couple of tough fixtures, Manchester Derby, 17th of Jan
• 51:32
  and then Arsenal away the following week at the Emirates.
• 51:34
  Do we have AFCON players? Back to what do we know?
• 51:37
  I think yeah. Is it going to be possibly
• 51:39
  possibly for? The city if they.
• 51:41
  If they get to the if they get to the final, then it will be
• 51:44
  after city. So yeah, let's hope Reuben can
• 51:48
  deliver in the big games like he has done sometimes and give us
• 51:51
  some more moments because that's what we're living off at the
• 51:53
  moment. Curiosity guys, any these guys,
• 51:56
  the all these players menu Fernandez, Mount Delict,
• 52:00
  McGuire. Do we know when they're coming
• 52:02
  back? I think menu is didn't sound
• 52:05
  serious. Obviously people are suspicious
• 52:06
  in general. But it's a calf injury.
• 52:09
  Yeah. So I think it could be like in
• 52:11
  the next few weeks you see some of these guys start to come
• 52:14
  back. None of them seem proper long
• 52:15
  term so. They're not long term, but
• 52:17
  they're they're lingering because, you know, delayed has
• 52:21
  been out for probably close to a month when it started off as
• 52:24
  like some niggle slash, yeah, a minor injury, but that's the
• 52:28
  problem. He was one of our best players.
• 52:31
  Yeah, he was having. It's been a massive loss, but I.
• 52:34
  Think there was some index rate saying like it was the best
• 52:37
  defender in the league. Yes, this is what I mean like
• 52:40
  but haven't started dodgerly, but his last two games I think
• 52:45
  he's done really well, especially for a 19 year old.
• 52:47
  He's doing superb because he's not just leading that that back
• 52:52
  line. He's been switched into a back
• 52:54
  three and then into a back 2. Like, that's fantastic.
• 52:58
  Like and leecher back thinks big news.
• 53:01
  I think he he's passing has really helped the team a little
• 53:04
  bit so. But we we need, but we need some
• 53:06
  good bodies we get like we need some good.
• 53:09
  Those names I've just reeled off, especially Bruno Bruno's
• 53:12
  The Massive 1. Yeah.
• 53:15
  And also I want to get Carl the physio on Steve because I want
• 53:19
  to discuss how Bruno's first major injury comes under Ruben.
• 53:24
  In a season where we play one game a week, that needs to be
• 53:27
  discussed. There's there's the call out for
• 53:29
  Carl. We're going to have a lot of
• 53:31
  interesting guests coming up as well.
• 53:33
  We're working on the schedule. So there's some surprises.
• 53:35
  So there's a lot to talk about. There will be a lot to talk
• 53:37
  about. A lot to talk about this year,
• 53:39
  Steve. Yeah, there's some big fixtures
• 53:41
  in January, January, let alone the rest of the season and into
• 53:45
  next year. So yeah, let's wish everyone a
• 53:48
  happy 2026. Apart from Liverpool fans, of
• 53:50
  course. Let's hope it's miserable for
• 53:53
  them and they drop. Out Anyone seen Cubs for about 3
• 53:56
  months? Yeah, disappeared in it.
• 53:59
  So yeah, we'll get him on again. Thanks for joining us on this
• 54:05
  episode and we'll catch you on the next one.