Mails: Would United be lower with Pulis?

Mails: Would United be lower with Pulis?

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Well said
I just wanted to write in to commend the bravery of Andy Woodward in coming forward, whilst applauding the journalism of Daniel Taylor from The Guadian for reporting the child abuse Woodward suffered at the hands of one of his coaches at Crewe Alexandra.

It seems that this story has passed a lot of people by, I’m not sure if it’s because it’s slowly bubbling under the surface before it goes huge. This is an issue that needs bringing into the mainstream and I cannot begin to imagine how difficult and traumatic telling this story has been, not to mention the horror of living through the abuse. Football seems to live in this bubble of denial and granduer where these kinds of abuses couldn’t possibly happen. When abuse happens in every day life at schools, youth clubs etc and at the hands of those in trusted positions (teachers, clergy, coaches, scout masters), essentially anywhere there are children, it’s naive in the extreme for us to assume this hasn’t and doesn’t happen in professional football.

Six more victims have come forward since the story was published at the weekend and I truly believe this is the tip of the iceberg. Reading more about the issue, I have discoverd my first football idol, David White, has co-written a book with Joanne Lake (wife of City legend Paul – read his book I’m Not Really Here btw – it is one of the best football autobiographies out there and shows the depths footballers can plunge to when affected with mental health issues!) due to be released early next year. Heartbreakingly, this book is about the abuse he suffered at the hands of one of his coaches in the 80’s and is potentially the same coach that abused Andy Woodward.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this and I’m sure other readers can put my point across far more eloquently than I can, but I think what I’m trying to say is it saddens me deeply. It makes the tribalism and petty arguing in football seem so insignificant. The whole of football need to get behind the victims and help them get the justice they deserve!
Mark M32 Blue, MCFC.

Would United really be lower with Pulis in charge?
I never intended to watch the West Brom v Burnley MNF (Sky Sports didn’t decide to give this one a name after the frankly embarrassing ‘ReUnited’) but my wife was catching up on Strictly Come Prancing so I tuned in.

I have to say I was mightily impressed with West Brom throughout. I started the game thinking that they have no stars whatsoever. I genuinely looked through the 1-11 and considered whether any top half team would sign any of them. Of course Jonny Evans has great experience and has been linked with moves previously but him aside it is a workmanlike side. After watching the match, this is still my thought but that team of workmanlike players can certainly turn it on.

They have a solid keeper behind a solid back four. Tony Pulis is renowned for this but it shouldn’t be underestimated. If it was that easy everyone would be doing it, and as West Brom are now in ninth clearly everyone isn’t doing it (cough Pardew cough). Ninth place means they are now only behind Watford in the ‘league of the others’.

Midfield going forward, I thought it was a different story. Is there are more likeable player in the game than Darren Fletcher? Even without mention of health issues I believe that his professionalism, commitment and work rate mark him out. The Baggies’ player of the year last year but apparently getting some stick this term. I was surprised at that. Matty Phillips was superb throughout, prepared to run at his man time and time again. And then we get to Salomon Rondon. It is tempting to label him as a target man but he did a lot more. Almost everything stuck to him and his choices of distribution were spot on almost every time.

West Brom have a reputation of being dour and going for 1-0 wins. However, this is the second time they have scored four at home this season and the reputation might be slightly unfair. They have only scored two less than Tottenham in the League. Burnley weren’t bad as such, they just looked like a Championship side playing a seasoned Premier League side. No side can play Sam Vokes up top and genuinely expect to do well. They played decent football through to the final third but lacked incision. They are so used to have a paucity of possession that on the occasions they dominated possession they forgot what to do with it.

It has been suggested in the past but it would be really interesting to see what Tony Pulis would do with a club with money. Maybe he plays the way he plays because of the resources available. Does anyone seriously think Utd would be lower in the table with Pulis in charge? And maybe, just maybe, they would be a couple of places higher.
Micki Attridge

Ross “I used brackets inside a bracket” Coughlan if you had actually read what Pulis had said instead of using your boring narrow minded preconceptions of what makes good football and then using that to slant your view on the best manager in the league, you would have actually read the following: that no British manager has won s trophy for years that they have not succeeded when given big jobs and that a British manager really needs to win something. Hardly blaming the foreigners.

There is no way that Klopp, Mourinhio or any of the others could have got a squad as poor as the Albion’s to ninth place. There is a real art and skill to what Pulis does. Finally he is always gracious in defeat and is a really nice bloke
Ben the Baggie

Martial or Winks?
Great article this morning on Harry Winks / Anthony Martial!

To me, Martial has seemed placid and indifferent for a long time now. It seems as though he is very much ‘not enjoying his football’ at the moment.

It then got me thinking that he reminds me a lot of Aussie tennis renegade Nick Kyrgios. Whilst there are obvious differences between the two, (one plays tennis for example) it seems there is one striking similarity – they are both young people who found themselves incredibly talented at a specific sport that perhaps they have little or no love for. Nick Kyrgios is known for his frustrated outbursts and controversial interviews – he’s even been on record to say he doesn’t like tennis, but he plays it because he’s good at it and it pays the bills handsomely.

I’m wondering if Martial is the same? Perhaps he has little or no interest in football, but merely plays it because he was quite good at Monaco and now after his big money transfer to Utd he has more money than he knows what to do with. I wonder if he enjoys the lifestyle more than the life.

I’ve tried to avoid blaming Mourinho in all of this, but perhaps he is a symptom? All I know is that Martial is a shadow of the player who scored on his debut against us, the cheeky b*st#rd. Is there too much expectation on him given his big transfer fee?

Interested to hear what others think.
Lee, (I’ll let you keep Van Dijk, we’ll take Sam McQueen though) LFC

Strange article on Martial vs Winks today. It’s not even remotely debatable. It’s only a month ago that Winks was playing in midfield for Spurs against Liverpool and was made look awful by Marko Grujic (2 months younger) and Ovie Ejaria (turned 19 last week).

Martial has world-beater talent. I think his personal problems are affecting his play and while they may be of his own making, that stuff would certainly be in your head, particularly for someone so young. I absolutely do not want Utd players to do well but I’d be surprised if he doesn’t turn it around sooner rather than later. He’s too good not to.

Winks on the other hand will be at QPR in a couple of years.
Shane, Ireland (While we’re at it that Carter-Vickers lad is another bound for a career in the Championship), LFC

You know Harry Winks could be another Kiko Macheda.

He could also be another Harry Kane.

He has played only one memorable game.

Like Martial, he’s only 20 and his form can drop at anytime.

He could improve or stagnate in the next one year.

Martial might get his Mojo back

Martial might have been a one-season wonder.

The point is we just don’t know. They are both 20 and it is also too soon to make comparisons between someone who has played one memorable game and another who has played regularly for Monaco and Manchester United. This is the height of “knee-jerkism”.
Deji (Toronto)

Sour grapes
It is interesting the amount of bitter press Arsenal have received in the wake of a decent away point in Old Trafford. Gary Neville made a great effort to denigrate the North Londoners title challenge in what was one of the most obvious deflection seminars ever. While Ryan Giggs and Howard Webb sniffled about the penalty that should have been.

Looking at this reaction, one can only say congratulations Mourinho, the United fans, ex-players and general glad-wishers alike are all so infatuated with analyzing Arsenal that they neglected to notice their own team. How unlucky can one team be? In all of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign I can’t remember a more petulant excuse for under performing (Mind you there were some great ones; can’t see the grey shirts springs to mind).

The truth is, I feel sorry for United, the man who nearly relegated Chelsea has pulled the wool over their eyes. Nobody is discussing his failure to get team selection right, his criticism of his players and their overall poor season at this point. I can only hope that they come to the realisation that this man has been found out, before it is too late.

In closing; how is United gaining a 0-0 draw with Liverpool (They didn’t manage one shot on target) more creditable than Arsenal snatching an away point at Old Trafford?
Patrick (Its a five-horse race that doesn’t include the “Unlucky ones”)

Schneiderlin to Leicester
Dear MC,

I gather that Leicester are playing tonight and may well qualify for the knock out rounds, which is amazing. Obviously there is a recognised issue at the moment regarding their form in the Premier League. Well, I don’t think they’re missing much but there is a Kante-shaped hole missing (as everyone has no doubt noticed).

Why don’t they fill said hole with Morgan Schneiderlin? It makes so much sense. He can’t get decent playing time at United and clearly would like to. With the attraction of Champions League and the potential to rescue Leicester’s season by reinforcing a stable midfield, he would be foolish (I tell you) not to consider it. At the very least it could work as a loan.
JazGooner

Spurred on
It strikes me that you could make a pretty good 4-5-1 relegation-avoidance team from ex-Tottenham players now plying their trade elsewhere in the PL:

GK – Gomes (Watford)

D – Naughton (Swansea), Dawson (Hull), Kaboul (Sunderland), Capoue (Watford)

M – Huddlestone (Hull), Sigurdsson (Swansea), Mason (Hull), Townsend (Palace), Chedli (West Brom)

F – Defoe (Sunderland)

Subs: Routledge (Swansea), Livermore (Hull), Campbell (Palace) … OK, struggling now

Can anyone construct anything similar from their club?
Andrew (Invincible, we’re ‘avin’ a laugh) Warmington, THFC

Bloody polls
I don’t think it’s right for Karl to demand that you stop running polls.

We live in democracy- surely such a decision requires a poll.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London 

Bloody Storey
Just a quick note to say thanks (no really!) to Daniel Storey for putting ‘I need a Salah Salah, a Salah is what I need. Hey hey’ In my head! I fully expect it to stay there for at least 4 days….
Kev (can’t replicate Conte’s 3-4-3 on FM17 for love nor money) Essex

LADllana
If going to a few strip clubs is having any effect on the player that Adam Lallana is showing himself to be then England shouldn’t be punishing him, they should be making sure they renew his annual membership to Stringfellows.
Ross (Save Lallana don’t let the FA win) Jenkins