ian meikle

@UnitedUpdates Who’ll buy Onana? Who’ll buy Ugarte? Who’ll buy de ligt? Who’ll buy Martinez? Who’ll buy rashford, and his £350,000 per week wages?

🚨 NEW: Top figures at Manchester United believe it is high time the Premier League or Champions League trophy returned to Old Trafford. The plan is to restore United to the top level, with the Red Devils expected to sign 3-4 high-profile players this summer as part of that ambition. [@MailSport]

@SeamusLoganMP @theSNP Scotland pays nothing towards hs2. Scotland receives millions through Barnet consequentials, from hs2. But you know that.

Scottish taxpayers are paying for #HS2 but no one in this Labour Government is clear about whether this white and rather expensive elephant will ever make it across the border! It's the same old story for Scotland, Westminster just expects us to pay up without any benefit @theSNP

@UtdMaI Guardiola could not have done what sir Alex did with Aberdeen. Few, if any could have.

🚨 Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City. And before City fans start writing his obituary as the greatest manager of all time, let’s have a quick word. 19 trophies in 10 years at City. Impressive. Genuinely. Nobody is taking that away. But let’s put some context around those numbers before the statues get commissioned. Guardiola had the most expensively assembled squad in Premier League history at his disposal. Every single transfer window. Every single year. Limitless resources. A club willing to spend whatever it took, and a Financial Fair Play case hanging over them that somehow never seemed to slow anything down. Need a full-back? £50 million. Need a centre-back? £60 million. Need a striker? £100 million. Need depth? Buy another international. Most managers are forced to solve problems. Pep simply replaced them. Now compare that to Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex won 13 Premier League titles, 2 Champions Leagues and 5 FA Cups with a club he built from the ground up. He developed young players, rebuilt multiple generations and dominated English football for 27 years, not 10. He did it through the Eric Cantona years, the Roy Keane years, the Cristiano Ronaldo years and the Ryan Giggs years. Different squads. Different eras. Same outcome.

@JohnSwinney Based on your performance so far, you won’t. You’re a liar.

I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland.

@UtdTony1 He needs to replace the word “inconsistent” with “consistent.” Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea, and, let’s add Newcastle, have been , mostly, consistent. Consistently pish. My fear for United comes from my memory of carrick watching Leeds running Utd off the pitch, and changing nothing

🚨 Jamie Carragher: “Manchester United were lucky this season. If we're being honest, their style of play hasn’t been convincing enough.” “The only reason they made the top four is because clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham were inconsistent for long periods.” “People keep saying Bruno Fernandes is the best player, but football is about winning the biggest trophies. Getting 20 assists is good, but that alone doesn’t make you the best when others are fighting for the Premier League title and Champions League.” “Football fans need to stop being sentimental and start being realistic, so the next generation can understand what true greatness really means.”

@p_ackage Your opening line says it all. “Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted….” What top coach/manager would put up with that interference? And Wilcox, who’d answer to him? That’s why Carrick will continue, he’ll do as he’s told.

🚨🚨 WHY MAN UNITED SACKED AMORIM (continuation) Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted Ruben Amorim to switch from his preferred back three to a back four, as did Jason Wilcox. The Glazer family had expressed disquiet at United’s results as long ago as August. Amorim responded that the players needed to be changed. Wilcox said he wanted to work through the issues, evolving the squad over time but sticking with Amorim. Amorim reacted by saying he wished to leave United and would be calling his agent. In their face-to-face meeting at Carrington on Friday, Jason Wilcox suggested to Ruben Amorim that the players were struggling to gain trust in his 3-4-2-1 system and had become confused over his vision. This is the controversial part⬇️ “Amorim would train the team in a back four, only for a back three to be selected in games.” Why would you do that! Are you trying to sabotage the team or what? They also sensed he lacked faith in them due to his selections and public statements United were willing to back Amorim in January by willing to sign Semenyo, but the real disagreement came after that. Amorim wanted the available money redirected toward signing a midfielder immediately. His view was simple: the system could not function properly without fixing midfield first. But the recruitment structure at United now works collectively — Christopher Vivell, Jason Wilcox, and the manager all debate transfer decisions together. Wilcox and Vivell believed there were no “best-in-class” midfield options available in January and didn’t want to panic buy another player the club could regret long-term. (Stating ugarte, Antony, Malacia etc as example). The option in January was Conor Gallagher before moving to spurs! The management said NO! Because they believe we can get something better in the summer! Their stance was: switch to a back four temporarily, stabilise the team, then attack the market properly in the summer. That disagreement became one of the major breaking points between Amorim and the hierarchy. Check comment for more⬇️

@SkySportsPL Who’s on var duty tonight? Paul Merson?

"I don't think that's right..." Gary Neville REACTS to Kai Havertz's challenge on Ugochukwu's calf.

@ScotsFitbaFan @JohnSwinney @theSNP The eu. Where scotch whisky tariffs in the U.S. would 15%, in the unlikely event of Scotland’s becoming a member. Killing the industry off.

@JohnSwinney @theSNP Time to #ExitBrexit, #EndBrexitDisaster and #GetScotlandJoinEUDone. Sick of being worse off due to the #BrexitDisaster? Join the tens of thousands who have already signed to make themselves better off. Sign and repost. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/7491…

Over the election campaign, I said I would put the cost of living at the top of our agenda – and that is exactly how I will govern. This week I will appoint the new SNP ministerial team so we can immediately get on with the job. My Daily Record column today. 👇

@Caro_WiserNow @JeanHatchet He was not elected, because he has extreme views, which few would vote for. He was SELECTED, because he has extreme views, which few would vote for. Ludicrous.

@JeanHatchet 🤣🤣 Keep letting THIS one talk. He is a specimen and a half. Imagine being the constituents that voted for him - too dim to tie their own shoes - now they have to admit what idiots they were.

Seriously. What the fuck has any of this, including him being in a position to say it, got to do with Scotland? He hasn’t even got a proper name. Fucking “Q” indeed. What a twat.

@Malcolm_Pal9 A Zimbabwean. In a devolved Scots parliament. Only interested in the Muslim side, in its war against judaism, 3,000+ miles away. A war she’s helping to bring here. She also likes sex changes….in 8 year old children. And women with a penis. WTF is going on?

Wow, what a brave lady. Such a powerful gesture. New Scottish Green Party MP Maggie Chapman took her parliamentary oath while wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

@Nuel006 If he gets the job, it’s because no manager, proven at top level, will want it. Answering to Wilcox, and Ratcliffe, will frighten them off. And my image of Carrick will be of him, standing, arms folded, watching a relegation threatened team, Leeds, destroy Utd. And changed nothin

My realistic expectations for Carrick next season: Top 4 in the Premier League. At least Round of 16 in the Champions League. One trophy, either the FA Cup or Carabao Cup. Manager of the Season nomination. That’s a successful season for me.

@ScotNational And, of course, languages, few, if any could understand, transvestites, religions which few accept, in a nation of, mostly, agnostics. And a fascist first minister, who refuses to accept the views of almost 400,000 voters. And Maggie chapman, the epitome of madness in politics.

The swearing in process felt like a real celebration of everything Scotland holds dear – its traditional attire of kilts, its multilingual heritage, its love of diversity and its spirit of collaboration, writes Steph Brawn✍️

@Utdbrizzy 4th, then 8th, then 10th. In a second rate league. Not what Man Utd need.

They'll tell you Carrick failed that Middlesbrough But they won't tell you he took the club from 22nd on the table to 4th, then the following season, the club kept selling his best players and didn't properly replace them Which led to bad results and his sacking Do your proper research and don't embarrass yourself

@SimitaSKumar In a country which is close to becoming a majority agnostic, there’s no place for politics based on religion.

I’ve officially been sworn in to begin serving the people of Edinburgh South Western. I took the oath in English and Hindi to reflect my heritage. I borrowed my mum’s saree which is similar to a kilt - both unstitched, long rectangular fabric that is draped. Secured using pins.

@JohnSwinney As long as they vote for parties he approves of. He ignores almost 400,000 who voted reform. Fascism in action.

Enormous privilege to be sworn in as the MSP for Perthshire North for my seventh session in the Scottish Parliament, and I look forward to serving the people of Scotland as First Minister. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@Heccles94 Polanski is a liar. About his home, his non payment of council tax, his hypnosis ability regarding breast size. His name. Red Cross.

Nigel Farage has 5 houses. Zack Polanski lives in a house share with 5 other people. The media is trying to tell you Zack is the problem.

@Benofutd P.S.G. has become a more attractive job than Man Utd. Sadly. United couldn’t prise Enrique out of there with the biggest lever in the world. To have Wilcox as his gaffer, with input from Ratcliffe? No danger.

Chelsea are already considering Xabi Alonso as their manager for next season. Real Madrid are already considering Jose Mourinho as their manager for next season. Here comes my almighty Manchester United, considering Micheal Carrick as our manager for next season, just because he brought us back to champions league football. We shouldn’t make a managerial mistake again, we’ve done enough, give Luis Enrique whatever he wants and bring him to Old Trafford. He has done a great job at Barcelona, did great a job for Spain and he’s currently dominating Europe with PSG, this is the kind of managers a club like Manchester United should be going for.

@jazzyrussell59 And Scotland, incredibly, in a country of agnostics and Christians, had an Islamic leader recently, who planned to bring in up to a million from Gaza to Scotland. That would have been the last nail in nhs coffin. And homelessness? His own stupidity, alienating greens, sacked him.

It's taken me a while, but i think I've discovered a link that shows why SNP/Greens have good government- they look after scottish interests first. England however look after Israels interest first, which will always end up badly .

@MUFCScoop When you count corner kicks and crosses into opponents’ box as assists, for which team mates fight off defenders to reach, you’re kidding yourself. How about stats for running into defenders, or running out of pitch? Or shots miles off target, with team mates in space?

🎙️ Guillem Balague on Marcus Rashford: “His average goal contribution, which include goals, assists and penalties, is every 86 minutes - compared to Lamine Yamal's 103 minutes and Raphinha's 96 minutes. When you're using that metric, he is actually statistically the best British player in their first season [in La Liga] - ahead of Gareth Bale and Jude Bellingham. Among foreign strikers that have played for Barcelona this century, only Luis Suarez did better in his first season there. When you put it like this, you would assume Barcelona want to keep him. But, even though their perception has changed a bit in the past two or three weeks, the ideas of paying £30m for him is a lot for Barcelona. It will cost £30m to keep him, plus £30m more for his package of wages and so on, so it will cost around £60m for a player who is 28 years old with no real return. This is what is installing the doubt really, but I don't think it should be a debate.” [@BBCSport] #MUFC

@Cantonadevils Carrick ball. For which boro sacked him. Couldn’t get them out of a second rate league.

Shocking discovery; Michael Carrick, was known for playing possession based football at Middlesbrough nicknamed “Carrick-ball” or “Middlecelona” having 52% / 58% ball possession. But at Manchester United, he is known for playing counter attacking football and having less possession of the ball. Basically Carrick ball has evolved to a pragmatic approach based on the players he has on ground.