Why is Man U so bad this year?

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this thread it sucks

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is it the new coach?

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Why is Man U so bad this year?

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He took us from battling relegation to an established top 6/7 side, but it looked like he peaked for us there IMO -- don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything he did for us, and he left a fantastic foundation that has helped Martinez ease into the job. I dislike what he's become since leaving us though; at Everton he had class and morals -- at United he seems to have an air of arrogance and is doing what he often berated other managers for (insulting bids for our players, trying to unsettle the team, etc.)

The criticism I see thrown at him from United supporters is often how I saw him at Everton:
•Archaic tactics with no real Plan B (long ball after long ball - "hit the front man!" was often the scream you'd hear from the touchline when our defence was looking to play the ball forward), this changed eventually to playing with wide players and banging crosses into the box with the middle of the park being more about stopping attacks than starting them.
•Sticks with 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 and doesn't seem to know how to use anything else.
•He was great in the transfer market and got us some fantastic players for peanuts, but he sure took his time, sometimes making us miss out on a player - earning him the nickname "Dithering Dave" amongst fans.
•Generally quite negative in all aspects of the game - would play with a defensive posture, would aim not to lose rather than to win ("let's just get out of there alive" being the often cited quote), would talk down our chances of achievement and made sure everyone thought of us as the underdogs - even the players, I think.
•Had a negative affect on the prolific strikers that came to Everton - they often ended up netting fewer and fewer goals as their time with the club went on (Johnson, Yakubu, Jelavic).
•Would form close bonds with a few players and do whatever he could to accommodate them in the side regardless of there being better options on the bench (Phil Neville, Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman).
•Would leave it too late to make substitutions, and when he did they'd be questionable ones - like one defensive player for another when you're 1-0 down with 10 mins to go.

Some of this may be overly critical, and I'm sure not everyone agrees with me, but it's how I see things in hindsight. Personally I think him leaving has been a very good thing for us and Martinez is streets ahead of him tactically and in most other aspects. I think he's out of his depth at United and will struggle even with this supposed £200m warchest, but only time will tell...

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