OPPOSITION VIEW: MAN UTD

With Sunderland sat nine places ahead of Manchester United in the Premier League, we spoke to James Roades from Muppetiers to discuss their faltering start to the season and what's gone wrong for the club over the last decade or so! He also praised Sunderland's return to life in the Premier League and gave his predictions for this match and beyond...

14th in the league after six games, what's been the story of Manchester United's season so far?

The same inconsistencies, everything changes but also remains exactly the same. United are a sometimes team. They turn up when they feel like it. They play when they feel like it. They win when they feel like it. Lot gets made of tactics and systems, but we’ve gone through managers for a long time with a similar story, we just don’t know which team we’ll get every weekend. The Premier League is too tough for that these days.

What are your thoughts on Ruben Amorim? Do you reckon he'll be in charge for much longer?

I think Ruben is a very good manager. But I also think he may simply be up against the same reasons everyone else at United has failed. The pressure is incredible, it's indescribable and unless you’ve been at a club like United before (and who has?), there’s just no way to prepare for it. I think this pressure leads to managers making mistakes, falling into bad habits and going on reactive management and hope, and that’s where Amorim has found himself. There’s a good chance he stays for a bit longer. But a few more losses and those with a mind to keep him will likely change their mind quite quickly.

What has been the issue at United over the last 12 years since Sir Alex left? It seems that whatever decisions are made, things never go to plan...

Sir Alex was not just the coach, or manager at United, he was essentially the entire football structure. He kept the place running. He kept the recruitment right, the squad right, the culture right. When he left the vacuum was so massive, United just became a jumbled mess of incoherence. Helmed by people with no knowledge or even duty of care for the club, flying without a plan and purely based on feeling, or popularity, or who knows what. Turning that around after 12 years takes time.

Who has been your best player in these early games?

Matthijs De Ligt most likely, really strong, very aggressive, very brave. One of the few who doesn’t take a day off.

We would love to have Amad Diallo back at Sunderland, what do you think of the winger in a Manchester United shirt?

Absolutely love the kid, bags of talent, wonderful sparkling personality. Can be a superstar with more time and consistency. Have to thank Sunderland for the time he spent there it did wonders for him.

What have you made of Sunderland's start to life back in the Premier League?

Really impressed. Before the season I picked you all to stay up and I bet on you having a good season. I’m a big believer in atmosphere, culture and belief and I think you’ve got that at Sunderland these days.

Have any of our players caught your eye in particular? A few of them would walk into your team right now, surely!

Isidor is very impressive, and Granit Xhaka terrorised us when he was at Arsenal, and is still going. I also watched Chris Rigg a bit before this season, I know he hasn’t really got going yet in the PL but think he will be a future star.

Where's the best place for our travelling fans to have a pre-match pint or grab some food?

Not the best person to ask for this, but from the real regulars, they say it's best to go to the Salford Quays, as the places around the stadium are all of course very home fan dominated (not that United fans are a bad sort). Lime Bar and The Matchstick Man are the ones people mention for away fans.

What's your score prediction for the game?

Well we lost last week, so this week I’d expect us to turn up, we've been better at home as well. Sunderland are very good though and I have absolutely no confidence at the moment so I’ll go with a 1-1 draw, Isidor & Mbeumo scorers.

Finally, where do you think both sides will finish this season?

8th for Sunderland, and somehow 6th for United even though I have to close my eyes and be in full delusion mode at the moment to say that!