Man Utd start under Pochettino amid fraud claims and relegation threat

Mauricio Pochettino appears set to become Manchester United’s new manager, though not everybody is impressed. The club is described as languishing near the bottom of the Premier League with a strong chance of relegation. Critics argue the appointment cannot change the deep‑seated problems facing the Red Devils. Readers are invited to send their thoughts to [email address hidden].

Appointment and criticism

Poch is labelled a fraud, described as the single biggest fraud in world football. The claim adds that he has been stealing a living for nearly a decade, beginning with his slide at another English club.

It is suggested that any of Howe, Emery or Conte would have been an improvement over him. The commentary concludes that no manager can pull the Mancunian mess out of the mire for the foreseeable future.

Ownership and human shields

The Glazers’ ownership is accused of convincing their paying public they barely exist. From their perspective, the percentage sale and hiring of a “football operator” is portrayed as a masterclass in PR.

The move is said to hike book value and install Ratcliffe as a human shield. Ratcliffe is claimed to benefit from two purposeful human shields, Wilcox and his oval sidekick.

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Those two are said to have Mike Carrick shielding them and shouldering the angst. The situation is described as a brilliant shell game from the top down. A rhetorical question is raised about who Mike has, noting his players won’t shield him, he is on his way out and his successor faces the same.

Club’s crisis and outlook

A famous football team is said to be languishing near the bottom of the Premier League with a strong chance of relegation. Owners are described as bleeding the club dry. Management is called incompetent. Players are said to lack the skill and fight needed to avoid the drop.

Success is not required as long as revenue is generated, yet the manager will have no access to that revenue to improve the squad. There will be no transfer budget in January. Only the centre forward and the left‑back are reported as injured. The treatment room is likened to an NHS Emergency Room.

The star player is described as a prima donna who plays a completely different game to the rest of the team. Several players are said to earn over £200,000 a week. The two best central defenders are reported as being 19 and 20 years old. New players will be selected in January from cheap, free, overrated or Sunday‑League sources.

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The club may not be able to bring its coaching staff, forcing work with staff whose coaching has seen the team concede the most goals of any top‑five European league. If the manager or staff are terminated, they are said to receive a multi‑million‑dollar payout. A question is raised about why hire Pochettino for free and give him a pre‑season when the club could instead buy out his contract and terminate Carrick’s contract. It is claimed Manchester United cannot survive with Bruno and Maguire, calling the expectation of winning pure folly.

Bruno is labelled not a winning player. Continuing with him would see the club fluctuate between relegation battles and occasional Champions League places because that is his level. The author says he was called Evil Mike for saying that. He adds there is no satisfaction in being right as a United fan.