Thomas Frank going from looking like a very competent coach at Brentford to looking clueless at Tottenham is a very good advertisement for prioritizing your recruitment department over finding the “perfect” manager

Only TWO?!? Do the math here. Casemiro is leaving. Bruno is 31 and declining every year. Club are likely hoping Al Hilal renew their interest next summer. Ugarte one of the worst players in the Prem Utd need at least three midfielders next season and four over the next two years

The best football players all bounce around from team to team and coach to coach. Even when there's stability they leave their clubs to go play for a different coach with their national teams The change doesn't matter. Good players consistently perform. open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

Tactical Analysis: This is Amorim's United? They say the worst emotion is apathy, but last night there as just a feeling of acceptance. Acceptance that United were never going to get back in the game in the way they were set up - and that wouldn't change thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/manchester-u...

You should beat Everton at home but sometimes football happens. The issue was how they lost Their plan wasn't working and there was no adjustment. It was clear after a half hour, an hour, and Amorim just didn't make any changes. He just expected it to magically get better. That's unacceptable

David Moyes career Premier League record against Manchester United at Old Trafford: 0 wins 4 draws 13 losses Two of those draws were 20 years ago His only win came in a League Cup tie with West Ham

As the Premier League becomes more global - the quality of the league only gets better. Which makes the jump from academy football to the Premier League all the more difficult In acknowledging that perhaps we need to rethink our expectations of the academy system open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

Welcome to the agenda of every country who has ever hosted the World Cup or the Olympics ever

Tactical Analysis: For the second time in as many weeks Man Utd let a 1-0 lead turn into a 2-1 deficit in a matter of minutes. Why does this keep happening? The answer may lie in how they defend crosses, or more importantly, how they allow them thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/manchester-u...

Tactical Analysis: When is something an individual mistake made by a player vs when is it a tactical flaw? thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/manchester-u...

When you have the means to buy a sports team, you get to run it however you see fit - but the best owners tend to be the people who take a back seat & sign the checks Sir Jim Ratcliffe falls is falling into the "hands on owner" category. Is that becoming a problem? open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

Forgive me for being a few days late here but that Arsenal-Newcastle result is so harsh in relation to how the managers played it Final few minutes Arteta makes a defensive sub wrap it up and protect his point. Eddie Howe brings on an attacker to go for the win Football gods rewarded the wrong man

Hmmm is Unai Emery suddenly really bad or do Aston Villa just not have anywhere close to the talent level they had the past few years? (This is a rhetorical question)

New @tffpodcast.bsky.social with @pkwestel.bsky.social 📉 @colintheshots.bsky.social mercifully missed out on this post-Manchester Derby recap. But then he missed our convo on my Survivor binge watch so he still lost out in the end 😂 Get it in ya ears ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/6ZXq...

the thing the US and Japan are trying to do, develop properly top 8 men's soccer programs, is just really really hard and, at this point on the path, depends heavily on good fortune in the superstar talent lottery

I know a guy

Regardless of how good he is I firmly believe Arsenal are doing this kid a disservice if they’re giving this kid senior minutes at 15 years old

FIFA will make the excuse of requiring to make top dollar to fund football globally. But it already banks a huge amount of money and much of it is funnelled to FIFA members/voters who decide to keep the president in office. If anything FIFA’s problem is too much money.

Manchester United: How did we get here? A couple weeks ago Marcus Rashford said everything United do has been reactive. He's not wrong. The club has spent a better part of a decade patching holes rather than adhering to a long term squad building strategy open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

United fans will spend a year watching a player, determine he’s not good enough, and say he needs to leave the club but when it’s a manager/coach they’ll shout he needs time! He needs time!

it's so wild that Manchester United played a league two side in the cup and still played a 3421 with a dedicated DM, stay at home CBs and defensive WBs because there is no other system they are allowed to play

Tactical Analysis: Is it getting late early for Ruben Amorim? thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/manchester-u...

There's virtually no chance Amorim rolls out this lineup but based on the Arsenal match this is the team I'd select against Fulham (can swap Maguire in for De Ligt if you'd like) Amad obvs in over Dalot to give you the extra attacker. The big call is Mbeumo down the middle and here's why

Can I interest Spurs in a lightly used Alejandro Garnacho? Full Argentina international Maybe if "ball goes in" he can become Eze in a few years? (Won't pass to your striker though)

Kai Havertz injury has people immediately suggesting Arsenal need to sign someone to cover for him I wrote about how terrible this logic is. Why would a club invest money on a transfer fee and long term contract to cover an absence that may only be a few months? open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

New season bold predictions just dropped on The Busby Babe. The only way in which @colintheshots.bsky.social, @pkwestel.bsky.social and I are confident is that we’re confident we’ll be watching this Sunday! @tffpodcast.bsky.social thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/2010-2011-pr... Article mood board ⬇️

Brentford paying 42.5 million pounds to Bournemouth is bigger than any indicator about how far the Premier League is ahead of anything else out there. Incredible numbers.

New @tffpodcast.bsky.social w/ @nheints.bsky.social and @pkwestel.bsky.social We look at Manchester United's preseason double (treble) of pointless trophies, the dress rehearsal against Fiorentina, and the new Premier League campaign that arrives this weekend. #MUFC #ManUtd

Continuing to read previews from rivals and enjoying the perspectives | Season Preview Part II: Manchester United are going to be all right. Right?!? buff.ly/aTix4Xl

Manchester United Season Preview time! Manchester United are going to be all right... right? Diving into all the questions around United (and there are a lot) United are making a big bet around a completely rebuilt attack - does it solve their problems? open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

This mother f*****! Did not expect Marcus Rashford to be the one who beat me to it! 😂😂😂

Season preview time! Divided the season preview into two parts this year Part I we're going through all of United's rivals and looking at the question marks around each of them But the biggest question is - who exactly are Man Utd's rivals this season? open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

Manchester United boy, I dunno

Did the annual deep dive into substitution data from the Premier League last season Who are the teams whose subs make the biggest impact? Turns out that's more determined by squad depth than any managerial "skill." It might not even be a good thing? open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

Another signing that ignores the midfield problem, leading to another season of being overrun in midfield which will cause poor results and subject the current players to be accused of “not trying”/“not playing for the shirt” How can you not be excited?!?

So many bad transfers happen becuase 1. Team feels the need they have to sign someone to make it look like they're doing SOMETHING 2. Teams go for the deal that is easy to complete (to satisfy #1) rather than the right deal If you get #1 out of your head, you're already a step ahead

Right but what if you actually gave Ugarte a five year contract?

The FBref Year-in-Review is here—the stats on which players and clubs you checked out over the last 12 months! The most-viewed player pages at each position make up a pretty formidable squad 💪 See the full thread for more 🧵👇

Tactical Analysis: Where Amad fits into this United team after signing Mbeumo and Cunha seems pretty obvious... unless you start looking at Ruben Amorim's past choices thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/2025/7/28/24...

We know United have no money and aren't going to do anything. The club has said as much and they usually don't lie about these things But United clicks is what drives the media machine. They can't have you thinking United are done. They need you believing United are about to sign many more players!

- Is it fair to give up on Hojlund in a season where everyone was bad? - How will Mathues Cunha fit into the squad? - Can Amorim's back three system every truly work in the Premier League? Answering the reader submitted questions in the annual summer mailbag open.substack.com/pub/kwesttho...

I'm a little curious to know what it means when a player lacks "match fitness" to play in a preseason match isn't that exactly what preseason is for?!?

Increase in number of under 16 (youth) players moving between Premier League teams of late. Suggestions that big money changing hands through unorthodox methods far greater than regular compensation amounts and clubs figuring out way to funnel money to agents without detection. Known problem.

The way Rashford’s time at United has ended has been sad and disheartening. The way people are understating how successful and important his United career has been is outright annoying. Rash could never kick a ball again and he would still be a massive, almost unprecedented success story

New episode of The Fergie Fledglings @tffpodcast.bsky.social @nheints.bsky.social @pkwestel.bsky.social and I talk about Rashford joining a strong Barcelona team and the final terms of the deal bringing Bryan Mbeumo to United as preseason kicks off. open.spotify.com/episode/6rDZ...

People act like there's one price for United and a different price for everyone else... No one, BUT NO ONE, gets taken to the cleaners as often or for as long as Manchester United. The point the exercise price discipline and diverse transfer shopping is the point things will get better.

When we mention Cunha's 15 goals we all remember that one of them was an olympico right? That doesn't happen against non-United teams

Many people “Bryan Mbuemo is a 20 goal in the PL player, he’s worth that” If we are saying he needs to hit 20 goals as the expectation to have this work I’ll be on the under.

£135m dropped and no striker, no midfielders, and no wingbacks. No young prospects. No league-leading forwards. I think it’s now fair to say we might be cooked

Yoro is the future but unless form dramatically changes for multiple people - for the 2025-26 season if Maguire is available and you're not putting him on the pitch, you're not putting out your best defensive unit full stop Ugarte is a whole different can of worms