Red Army Reaction

At last, the most knowledgeable and influential voices have their say on the Independent Commissions decision over the charges against Manchester City. The wait is over, and I think you'll be pretty surprised with our stance. Through barely suppressed glee, we discuss how we got here, what is all means and where we go from here. We invite you to come along for the ride.

Four matches, one win, and the only clean piece of work now feels oddly distant. Sabah were eventually put away with the expected difference in quality, Sesko and Mbeumo scored, and the Champions League campaign began without alarm. Everything since has been harder to explain. City went down to ten men at Old Trafford and still dictated the terms, while Brighton overturned a two-goal deficit in a...

United were seconds away from a second successive league win before Everton’s late equaliser turned a promising afternoon into another lesson in game management. We discuss Mbeumo’s consistency, Šeško’s first goal, Rashford’s encouraging return and the familiar defensive problems that allowed Everton back into the game. We also look ahead to a pivotal week featuring United’s Champions League retur...

A first win of the season made Sunday at Old Trafford feel pleasantly familiar again. Ipswich were beaten, the early damage was repaired, and United could enjoy an afternoon without every old failing arriving at once. Still, one home victory cannot settle whether this side has truly improved or simply become a little more dependable. The transfer window leaves a peculiar impression. Three new midf...

Bruno Fernandes may be the most instinctive footballer United possess, which is both the attraction and the problem. Against Hull, every glance forward seemed to promise another early ball over the top. Tielemans had much the same idea, Cunha kept leaving the space a striker might occupy, and Hull soon learned that defending deep required patience rather than heroics. Carrick's faith in good p...

We’re back, and as slick and polished as ever. Yes, the video cuts out halfway through. Yes, you can hear Nathan eating Sweet Chilli Peanuts throughout, but the effortless charm of two consummate professionals pulls you through. A long, hot summer has done little to make Manchester United easier to read. The players return with wildly different workloads and rather more questions than answers: Ama...

There was something almost suspiciously pleasant about it all: clear skies, a soft final-day pace, and Brighton leaving the door open as though European football were no great concern. United took the invitation without fuss. The ball kept travelling to the right places, the game never quite caught fire, and that was probably the point. Not every win needs to be dramatic to mean something. Fernand...

Sun at Old Trafford does half the work on a day like this. The place was in the mood to forgive a few loose touches, indulge a bit of selfish play and enjoy a game that didn’t carry much jeopardy but still managed to be properly watchable. Forest played their part, especially through Anderson, who auditioned well for a role in a Manchester production soon, even if it is in the wrong colours. Unite...

Weeks ago, Sunderland could have represented a crucial match in the run-in: a tough place to go, needing a result, against an opponent still fighting for every place they could get. That is not how it transpired. Both Sunderland and United concluded, probably correctly, that this game could not matter less, and both teams played accordingly. We decided to take this rare opportunity not to talk abo...

Liverpool were dragged into a game that never let them get comfortable. United tore into it, scored twice before the visitors had worked out the pace of the afternoon, and spent the first half making the whole thing feel oddly one-sided. Cunha punished the loose ball with no fuss, Šeško got his reward for being where strikers are meant to be. Still, no United win is allowed to remain straightforwa...

For fifteen minutes it looked as though United might put Brentford away early and save everyone the usual strain. They moved it well, found the openings, missed the obvious chance, and invited the kind of game Brentford relish: busy, physical, slightly chaotic, full of second balls and turnovers. By the time the second goal arrived, Lammens had been busier than he should. What followed was the sor...

There are few things more conducive to optimism than beating a direct rival away from home, and United did just that on Saturday night. After a limp return against Leeds, they travelled to Chelsea with half a defence missing, kept a clean sheet, and took a huge stride towards Champions League football. We look back on a composed if hardly dazzling performance, praise another decisive contribution...

After a month of waiting, United came back looking like a side that had misplaced its thread. Leeds arrived sharper, louder and far more certain on the night, scored early, struck again, and left Old Trafford with a win that felt deserved. We go into why it went wrong and why it felt so flat. Mainoo’s absence changed the entire shape of the midfield, and Ugarte and Casemiro are not capable of the...

After an absurdly long break between matches, we’re back with a slightly rusty general chat: United’s time in Dublin, the weirdness of going so long without a game, and why too much rest might not be the blessing it’s made out to be. We also get into the FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool being battered by City, Arsenal’s oddly flat title charge, Chelsea’s latest bit of chaos, and our guesses for wh...

We look back on an infuriating but ultimately survivable point at Bournemouth, where United were decent for long spells, Bruno was Bruno from the spot, and the referee contrived to become far more central to the evening than anyone would have liked. There’s plenty on the two penalty decisions, the late drama, and why a draw on the south coast may yet feel more useful than it did on Friday night. B...

We look back on a cold, damp but ultimately rather pleasant afternoon at Old Trafford, where United saw off Villa with a minimum of panic and a fairly healthy amount of control. Also, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, whose influence once again shaped the game, as well as Sesko’s latest goal, United’s growing set-piece threat and the increasingly persuasive case for Champions League football returning...

Slightly belatedly, we look back to Newcastle, where United, presented with the considerable luxury of playing against ten men, made the evening feel like an exercise in self-sabotage, with refereeing oddities, a needless penalty and a performance that gently squeezed the breaks on the Michael Carrick Hype Train After that, attention turns to the wider football landscape: FA Cup results, the Champ...

Another three points for Carrick’s United, though this one was more grind than glow. We look at a flat first half, Palace’s early set‑piece goal and how United slowly wrestled control before Šeško’s header from a brilliant Bruno Fernandes cross sealed it. There’s plenty on the VAR penalty/red‑card debate, how much it changed the game, and why United’s rising “floor” might be the most important dev...

A soggy, scrappy night at Goodison gives us another data point on Carrick’s United: not fluent or fun this time but reliably hard to beat and capable of nicking games with one proper bit of quality. We break down a first half of little rhythm, the earlier Šeško change, and the Cunha–Mbuemo–Šeško move that decided it. We also talk goalkeeping: Lammens’ calm under Everton’s corner barrage, and what...

Off the back of a flat West Ham draw and an even flatter first half, we take stock of Carrick’s United at the point where “new manager bounce” meets reality. There are clearer ideas and better control than before, but the soft goals, the lack of box presence, and the squad’s physical limits still show up the moment United have to break a team down. We discuss selection calls, why Šeško changes the...

This was more a match about competence than brilliance. The opposition going down to 10 men is not the guarantee it may be seen as, as this United team proved against Everton. But with Spurs, we saw an accomplished, professional performance with little drama. Goals from Mbeumo and Bruno, and assured performances from Maguire and Martinez, meant this never got nervy or edgy; instead, it was defined...

United spent most of the afternoon looking like a team that knows what it is doing. The press was sharp, the midfield compact, and Fulham found little joy between the lines. Two goals felt like a fair reflection of the control exerted, even if the chances had been few. Then the final minutes arrived, and the old chaos briefly returned. A penalty, a wonderful strike, and suddenly a stroll became a...

At the Emirates, United did something unfamiliar: they controlled the danger. Arsenal had the ball, but mostly the wrong shots; United had fewer looks, but the right ones. They went behind, didn’t wobble, and stayed disciplined enough to keep the chances low-quality at both ends. Limited, but ruthless. Is this a blueprint for every game? No. What remains to be seen is whether this is one string to...

This derby felt like more than a win; it felt like a shift. Under Michael Carrick, United did not cling on against Manchester City - they stood up to them, played with nerve, and took control when it mattered. This week, we look back at a match won in moments. United showed composure, calmness and bravery when it mattered. Two goals, properly earned, and a performance managed with a composure we h...

The margins at Manchester United remain razor-thin. Under Darren Fletcher, after Ruben Amorim’s departure, the gap between what our forwards can muster and what our defenders allow is far too narrow. Football’s variance means most of our games will stay competitive, and we won’t reliably go on long winning runs or long losing runs until one or both of these lines move on the graph. With Burnley, w...