Fergie Flashbacks! Rooney on Beating City & Spurs in CRISIS?

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1:17I think the fans, they felt something yesterday. They got a taste of what it was like under Sir Alex Ferguson. I think he's devastated that he didn't announce he was leaving two weeks ago, and then he possibly might have had a chance of getting a Manchester United job. There's only one man that the fans, I think, will give time and that's Pochettino. Well, I'm guessing the mood and the vibe of this show is going to be a little bit better this week. Wayne, you can go first. Enjoy the Manchester derby? Yeah, it was... I think it's the best performance I've seen in a long, long time from Manchester United and I think what Michael done with the team, It wasn't rocket science.

1:58It was a simple tweak in terms of what he'd done, in terms of formation. I think everyone's been talking a lot about Ruben Amrond's formation in the back three and how it went suited to Man United as well. So he changed that. But if you go back to the last podcast we'd done, when I spoke about what United need to do, it's simple really, is run and work hard. and it was so refreshing to see the players do that. I thought Ahmed and Dorgou on the wings were excellent. The work they put in to help the full-backs out and they got into a compact shape, which I spoke about, and hit Man City on the break.

2:39The difference in energy, you can feel it from the fans as well, the difference in energy from the team, the confidence, the belief, the composure on the ball at the right times. it was night and day from what we've been seeing so it was such a good day and it reminded me when we talk about Man United's DNA that was it yesterday there work hard run run for your teammate get back into a shape be hard to play against when you get an opportunity to run forward and run forward in straight lines sprint I think it's the first time I've seen some players sprint yeah it was it was insane wasn't it it was just like yeah it was the best performance I've seen in years.

3:21I mean, I know we've had like results against big sides in the last 18 months or so, but I think to actually truly dominate a big side, I haven't seen that happen in years, especially with this current set of players. But it was just amazing. The one-touch football, there was a switch from Durgul at one point, the feint from Menuh when he sent Semenyo to the shops. And I thought that was a bit unfair. Semenyo's just moved to Manchester. He's got no idea where the shops are and he sent him to the shops there. And it was just amazing to see. I saw people online having a go at Michael Carrick for bringing back rondos in training.

3:59But you saw the effects of it on the field. We've done rondos every day. That was the first thing we've done. You do your activation inside and you go out and you do a rondo for 10, 15 minutes. And when Van Gaal come in, he banned it and let's do it. And the players went mad. And it's not a major thing, but it's something which the players enjoy. It gets you going, it switches your brain on as well. But yeah, I think just the simplicity of how Man Utd played is so effective. And the first goal especially, and the disallowed goal, the Mount goal at the end, if you go back 15 years, that could have been myself, Ronaldo, Park Ge Sun, Giggs, all running forwards.

4:44So that was the perfect performance, I think, yesterday. and Man City I think they had like 70 % possession but it didn't feel like that it didn't feel like they've had that much possession in previous years and you feel there's no way of United getting out of this they're going to cave into the pressure United look comfortable they look comfortable defending the box when it went wide they were forcing it back and tired to where the bodies were I thought Casemiro and Maynou were I've been critical of Maynou for when he's come on in recent games I thought he was outstanding and just the experience of the back line.

5:19I thought Dalot should have been sent off, I think. It should have been a red card, so he got a bit lucky there. But beyond that, I thought he was excellent against a tricky winger. Not to get that second gel, I thought he played really well. And the two centre-backs, the experience, they got the cover in front of them, which I think they need to get players in front of them working to help them as well. so I don't think I can fault one player from like AMSD and it was refreshing, refreshing to see. It was brilliant to see I think as well the way the players felt like they actually believed in everything that was going on around them and it was like, it was what you said in the last podcast to just keep things simple and stuff as well.

6:03It was like playing players in the positions they actually want to be in. I mean like who'd have thought that would create happiness? Do you know what I mean? It was like you had Maynou and Casemiro which Amarim led us to believe who couldn't play together. And you had Bruno Fernandes in the 10 and we saw how effective he can be when he's playing in that position. It's like, why you would put somebody like Bruno getting a ball from the back three, I will never know because you saw what he can do from that position and how effective he can be. I think it was a massive game for Mike. There was a lot of talk as well of, is he the right person to go in at this period of time?

6:36I think we've seen that from a lot of people. and I had no doubt over him and I hope he continues this now from the end of the season because if he does, you never know what can happen from there. This looks like a completely different team and they've only had about three days worth of training and I think they asked Lissandro Martinez what they've been doing and he said, we've been playing with the ball in training and that's really helped and you saw even the togetherness, that idea of you were saying the players working for each other. You saw Casemiro jumping on Michael Carrick's back to celebrate a goal, which I don't think we saw any of players doing that under the previous manager.

7:18So it begs the question, what's been going on in those three days? What can you get done in those three days, Wayne? Well, you're demanding. You're demanding. And why I felt it was really important to have people who know the club in there at this period of time is Michael Carrick walks into that test room and he commands respect regardless of what player he's talking to. Michael Carrick's been there. He's done it at Manchester United. He's an example to them players and he will command respect the minute he walks in that test room. So the players will listen to him. He's been there. He's won five Premier League titles, Champions League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, Europa League.

8:02He's won everything. there's only two players who've done that I'm the other one funny you mention that no but so he'll command respect from them players and and you can see that straight away and so when Michael Carrick and I've said this before he might seem quite quiet as a person but he's he's got a ruthless streak so when he's telling you when you run forward you better run back otherwise you're not going to be on that pitch I'll take you off and and that's as simple as it can be and he made big calls he obviously let Sesko out let Cunyar out of the team I thought Cunyar come on and was brilliant seeing him blocking a shot on the edge of the box then running forward towards his attitude when he came on was excellent so it's doing the basics right and making sure you do the basics gives you the foundation to go and win football games and that's all he'd done yesterday so it wasn't rocket science what he'd done or what he'd changed but the players listened to him you know and you could see I'm not saying that he didn't respect Ruben Anwaran but you could see there was a freedom about him yesterday which I haven't seen in a long time.

9:07Have you spoken to him at all, Wayne, since? Sent him a text or anything? Only a text, I haven't called him. I'll keep that private. But I imagine you said you were pretty happy and he was pretty happy. Yeah, no, obviously he's delighted. Of course he is. And I don't think he would have went to sleep the night before, on Friday night, even dreaming of how well the game would have went. I think, you know, I said yesterday on Matching Today, I said, we've seen Man United win big games in recent times, but I don't think we've seen them win big games and perform as well as they have. And when Man United scored the first goal, I was in the studio, I was with Alan Shearer, and I jumped up, I said, that is Manchester United, that is old school Manchester United.

9:53And that's what it felt like. So for them to bring that back in so quickly, I don't think any of us would have imagined it would have been that good so quickly. But now the players have shown he can do it. And I'm sure he'll be right on them, sticking on them to make sure they do that again. It's a difficult game next week against Arsenal on Sunday. But, you know, they've shown the signs that they can go and be a good team. Isn't it amazing how one win will just change your whole mentality? No, I think the change. I think the change happens at the right time. I think Ruben Amren he was probably watching that game sat behind the couch thinking what is going on because he couldn't get that out of them so I think when you see that change in the mentality, fresh faces I think it's good, Steve Holland coming in I said on the last pod it was a really good signing to bring in with him so having fresh faces fresh ideas and a new manager coming in can change give players new energy anyway, but I think especially Michael Kadakonen will certainly lift the whole place.

11:05The one thing I would say as a neutral, and I don't want, I know Wayne, you've said on this podcast before, we just have to enjoy it when it's going well. We have seen United put in big performances before. You've both said that you think this is the best probably in recent years, but how can this be different? The big challenge now, isn't it, is to build on it because we've kind of been here before. Yeah, it feels different. I think the performance was different. I haven't seen Man United, and this is me having a goal to players over recent years. I haven't seen players run and work that hard in a long, long time.

11:42But they can do that for one-off games, can't they? It's the case of them to do it every week. Yeah, but not like that. Not together. My worry yesterday was after the first half, my worry was, can they keep this up for 90 minutes? Which they did. so I think there's a big respect towards the manager there and the confidence the players have been shattered the confidence has been on the floor for the last three years I think there's anything so it's hard to play when your confidence is low so the confidence that will give them players is huge so I think they could go and lose the game on Sunday but I don't think that would be an issue if they continue you to perform and to work together and be resilient and be hard to play against.

12:33I think fans will accept that. Fans aren't stupid. They'll accept losing a game if the players are working hard and running. So that's all you want to see. And if you get good players doing that, more often than not, you'll win games. I think you're absolutely right. I think we haven't seen Man United dominate a game like that for ages and that could have been 5-0. That could have been 5-0 and it was like it was complete domination on every sort of metric that you could measure. I think if Manchester United play like that till the end of the season every United fan will be happy and I think it's credit to Michael Carrick and his coaching staff that they were able to get that out and the challenge now is to replicate that for every game till the end of the season and do you know what?

13:18if we keep playing like that and we get top four I think put the contract down did you see this I went at the stadium I was in the BBC studios but did you see the difference in the stadium even when he walked out before the game and he's trying to pump the crowd up I think the fans they felt something yesterday they felt they got a taste of what it was like under Sir Alex Ferguson some of them young fans who have been through a terrible time over the last 10 13 years really since Fergie left they haven't witnessed a team perform that well and I've been part of some of them teams as well, I've played in some of them teams they haven't witnessed a team perform that well with that energy and that belief and that fight and being brave with the ball but also being resilient and tough to play against him.

14:19Them fans felt like yesterday and hopefully that's a glimpse of what we've got coming in the next 16 games. I think what you said, Wayne, was about the players respecting the manager. It just, it made me think of something. I think with teams like Man United and Real Madrid, like big institutions like that and Liverpool, those teams, I think it's so important for the manager to be respected by the players. We saw it with Real Madrid recently that if you can't garner the respect of the players in that dressing room because there's a lot of big egos if you've got someone in there that's like listen I've won everything that you want to win like this is what I'm telling you you need to do I think you're right they do respond a lot better to that yeah I think and in fairness United have tried everything you know they've tried Van Gaal David Moyes who's tried and tested in the Premier League Mourinho younger ones in Ten Hag and Ameren but for them young foreign coaches who've come in and I'm not saying no doubt they're fantastic coaches and they'll go on and have great careers in the managerial roles but to come into Manchester United I think it's different it's different to any other club and there probably is only Realms and I wouldn't even put Liverpool in there there's Realms and Man United I think the two biggest clubs in the world and so they're different so for young foreign coaches to come in and who don't know the club and this is why you hear so many ex-players talking about the DNA of the football club and Man United is different I heard Guy Neville talking about it and he's right in certain ways is Man United can't you know sit back and see the back and be a possession based team that's not what Man United is Man United is energy and being brave and fighting and running and getting crosses in the box and being entertaining.

16:18That's what Manchester United is. And I think it's hard to go with a new route over the last... So I hope the powers above see that now. And, you know, like... I know we'll touch on Glasner in a minute, but I think someone like Glasner coming in, it's the same as Amron. It's the same as Ten Hag. they'll bring their ways in a foreign way of which they've learned when they were going through their coaching badges and stuff about playing careers. Man United need Man United people in there, 100%. And I hope this is a start because it was certainly a better start than I think any of us could have imagined.

17:04We should also address Man City and their performance yesterday. Did it surprise you, Wayne? I thought he was flat. I thought he looked a little bit tired.

17:16And it's probably the first time I've seen Pep sit down. I think the first time I've probably seen Pep not believe they were going to get anything out of the game when Man United were 2-0 up. And that's the reason I think he took Haaland off because they've got a Champions League game coming up. And I think he resigned himself to, there's no way they're getting anything out this game and hence the changes he made. And that's a massive credit to Michael Carrick in how United played and how he set them up. So yeah, I thought he looked a little bit tired yesterday. But they've got fresh players in there.

17:55Matt Gay, I'm sure, will come in and help them. But I think yesterday was about Manchester United. I think you can't get away. The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people. So when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads. LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, including 130 million decision makers. And that's where it stands apart from other ad buys. You can target your buyers by job title, industry, company, role, seniority, skills, company revenue, so you can stop wasting budget on the wrong audience. It's why LinkedIn ads generates the highest B2B return on ad spend of major ad networks.

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19:53Just a word on Manchester United's next fixture as well, Wayne, because of course it's Arsenal, but they've got the whole clear week going into that. And actually, do you think it's good to have another huge game, another big team for them to play against? Well, I think what we used to, and obviously Michael was part of that, we used to love playing against Arsenal because Arsenal would take the ball and the performance you've seen yesterday was almost a mirror image of how we would play against Arsenal when we were playing. So I think for Michael, his game plan is simple exactly the same what he's just done against Man City is he'll have a full week now to work on that and try and go and execute that again against Arsenal where if it's you know a lesser team at Old Trafford then you know you're going to have more of the ball you know you're going to have to work on different things slightly where actually I think this simplifies it for him going into the Arsenal game tactically it's the exact same game plan.

20:55Wayne you've already mentioned his name on this podcast the other big story of the weekend of course came courtesy of Oliver Glasner he has been linked with the Manchester United job and on Friday he announced he's leaving Crystal Palace at the end of his of this season in quite spectacular fashion when he was asked about Mark Gahey leaving he said yep he's leaving bombshell number one and then he was asked if Gahey leaving would affect his future bombshell number two was the fact that he then said no my future has been decided told Steve Parrish I'm off in October and And then after the defeat at Sunderland, well, his post-match press conference was arguably even more extraordinary.

21:29He said, I feel we're being abandoned completely. I can't blame any player. They did everything they could. And this has been going on for weeks and months now. We have 12, 13 players from the squad available. And we feel no support. Wayne, what's your immediate reaction when you're... You watch that game, of course, in the Match of the Day studio. When you hear a manager saying that, something like that, we've seen it a few times this season. What do you think he's trying to say? Yeah, I don't see how he continues. I think Palace might have put a statement out saying he's staying until the end of the season, but I don't see how that continues after them words he spoke after the game yesterday.

22:04For me, it's a bit of both, really. I do feel for him because I was at the semi-final and the final last season and the atmosphere, how the feeling around Crystal Palace was incredible. Obviously, they lost Eze in the summer. Mark Gay stayed I think everyone knew that he was probably going to leave in January but then Glasner when he came out he's agreed to leave in October so I'd like to know did Brent Johnson get told he was leaving when he signed for Crystal Palace did his agent get told because maybe that changes things for that player so that's one question but also to come out and say they've been abandoned and he said he had to tell the players that the captain was leaving 10.30 the day before a game.

22:54But he'll do everything to support the players. But then he comes out and tells the players he's leaving. I think it's all strange. I think he's angling to try and get himself out of the club and try and get paid up. If he feels that badly and feels that let down and feels that the club have abandoned him and his players, then walk. Why don't you walk away from him? I'm not saying he's staying because he wants the money but if you feel laughed badly he knows that place is going to be toxic there's no way and maybe Palace are telling him he's staying to try and flush him out and try and double bluff his call because he's doing everything he can to get out to that football club as soon as possible and get paid up I think he's in a hard situation though as well I mean you've I do feel for him but I think it annoys me the players get a lot of stick.

23:49He's there hammering the board or players get stick for wanting to leave. When managers do it, I know he's being seated bad and the success he's brought to that football club, but when a manager does it, but then he says, I'm going to stay until the end of the season, but the board, we've been abandoned and this is a disgrace and all this talk then walked in. Yeah, I think he's probably quite emotional though, isn't he? Like, I mean, you've probably given a club the best years of its existence, you know, a trophy, a community shield. Yeah, 100%. Okay, I completely get that and feel that. But then if he feels that strongly about what's going on, yeah, then leave him.

24:36No manager resigns anymore, Wayne, though. I think what's happened is I think he's devastated that he didn't announce he was leaving two weeks ago. And then he possibly might have had a chance of getting a Manchester United job. Do you think that's what he's angling for? No, I think he's gutted because if he would have come out and said he was leaving at the end of the season two weeks ago, maybe Manchester United might have went to him and spoke to him. So he's missed that job. He's missed that opportunity. So I think he's fuming with that. And the Madrid job might be open now. And so he's thinking, I can't afford to let any more opportunities slip.

25:10So I'm coming out and telling everyone I'm leaving at the end of the season. I think that's what has happened. We've seen this from so many managers this season though, right? He's the fourth manager, right? That's a fifth of the Premier League managers that have done that. Yeah. Not have done that. It's all been slightly different, hasn't it? But if you think of, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but it's such a good point. We've seen it with Nuno towards the start of the season, kind of speaking about things that were happening above him and transfer activity and that. we then saw Maresca and we've seen Amorim and now we've seen Glasner and I mean the three previous of Only Ended One Way which is probably what you're about to say I feel like that managers once they realise they want out they're like well this is what I'm going to do because nobody resigns anymore you never see a statement going so and so resign from his role I think it's like Wayne said they want to get paid up and leave but I think if you've got six months left then you want to leave that strongly you might as well leave that It has to come to, there has to be an agreement.

26:06If Palace aren't going to sack him and he's not going to walk, there has to be an agreement between the two of them because for that fan base, which I respect the Palace fans a lot, for that fan base to have your owners and your manager, your manager coming out to talk about the owners in that way, knowing that in six months' time he's going to be out there anyway. And then you've got the players who are left behind who are trying, they won't know what day it is and what's happening. There's no way he can be at that football club till the end of the season. You said he has to go? One way or another, whether Palace pay him up or he resigns or they come to an agreement and meet in the middle.

26:46There's no way he can be at that football club till the end of the season. It's demoralising being a Palace fan as well. You lose Mark Gathe and now you're losing your manager. They're still in Europe. They're still challenging in Europe as well. He did say on Friday, didn't he? I know that was kind of pre this outburst, but he did say on Friday that he was committed to try and to win another trophy and to try and give the Palace fans like the best ever season in their history. Yeah, but then what he said on Saturday is, you know, he's told 12 or 13 players that you 12 or 13 players are the only ones who are good enough to play for this football club, the rest.

27:20So imagine the other players, the other seven or eight players who don't think they're in that 12 or 13. and he said I've only got 12 to 13 players so what about all the players who sat on the bench and players who I don't think he's given them a lot of confidence when they've got the Arsenal in Europe and they're safe in the Premier League but from my experience as a player and seeing different things happen with managers or with players there's no way that can continue the way Do you think it's slightly strange, Wayne? He said, obviously, that it was decided and he told Steve Parrish in October.

27:59Then he basically, it feels a bit like when he heard the Geahy news on Friday, he told the players and then he told the press. Is there ever a right time? As a player, do you think that news should be out as soon as he's made the decision for clarity for everyone? Because he said he's given that he feels like now is the time for clarity, but the last few months there's been speculation. Unless you're like Syracuse Ferguson, which Ferguson come out, it might have been a similar time, January or February, and told us he was leaving, but he's earned that right. He's not leaving in a bad way where this is in a bad situation.

28:37He told everyone he earned that right to have that last few months of accolades and et cetera from everyone. but this is completely different. I think what's happened is I think he's met in the October international break with Steve Parrish and said what's the plans with Mark Gay in January and he's probably been told if we get the right amount of money we have to sell him because otherwise he walks on a free in the summer and he's probably said well if he goes then I'm leaving I'm leaving the football club and I think that's probably where it started and that's obviously come to a head now and there's no good going to come from him staying at that club now.

29:19And I respect him. I think what he's done at Palace is incredible, but it's only going to end badly from this point, I think. Okay, well, we've had plenty of manager chat so far on the pod and let's continue that because at the time of recording, a report suggests that Thomas Frank's position at Tottenham is in doubt. BBC Sport does understand that at least one member of the club's executive team has raised the option of sacking him recently. Of course, Spurs are beaten 2-1 by West Ham. Big rivals, another home defeat, and there were chants of sacked in the morning from Spurs fans. Captain Christian Romero did call the result a disaster.