That was one of the worst games of football I think I have ever seen.
I’m generally quite optimistic about Manchester United’s future, arguably naively optimistic, but what I saw last night was a reality check.
I thought we were getting somewhere, climbing our way out of this massive hole we have dug for ourselves since Alex Ferguson retired. Some decent youth coming through, positive signings who started well, toxic players gone, talk of a long term project and backing the manager despite poor results. I genuinely believed this was the way to go.
What matters most for Manchester United at the moment is stability. Even if we don’t win anything or challenge for the Premier League for a few years, a sustained period of travel in one direction is what the club needs. Then they sacked Amorim. Like throwing a boulder into water that was just starting to settle. Now we are out of the FA Cup at the first stage, with nothing to play for except European football for the rest of the season.
Oh, and Cunha can’t find his form. And Dalot has decided to take a dump on the pitch every week. And poor Shea Lacey – an extremely promising young talent just starting to break through – has had his confidence shot to pieces by the softest red card I have ever seen. Simon Hooper needs sacking. He even booked Darren Fletcher for complaining about it…
The worst thing though, the very worst thing, was being in the stands for the game against Brighton and feeling the fans turning against their own players. It honestly felt like they were giving up, and it was horrible to experience.
Boos from the Crowd
As Brighton fans sang “Your city is Blue” at the end of the game, the United squad tried to applaud the crowd. They were met with boos. And worse. Comments that I won’t repeat here.
Boos. We booed off our own players.
United fans will forgive a bad result if they feel the players did them proud, but they won’t forgive laziness, a timid attitude, or a lack of character. Against Brighton, Manchester United were slow, they were uncreative, they looked defeated, and some players looked like they didn’t even want the ball at times.
Late on in the second half, with Martinez taking an age to move the ball forward and no one really helping him out, the roar from the crowd was intense. At one point, the chant “Attack! Attack! Attack!” rang out. Because we weren’t. Potential moments of momentum were handled with little to no urgency, and the fans were screaming, banging the sides of the stands – it was horrible.
Years of frustration were audibly echoing from the stands, and you could see the players were feeling it. The only person I booed last night was Simon Hooper, I will never boo my own team, but thousands around me did it, and it’s a terrible sign of the times.
A Night of Disasters
Maybe such a woeful performance can be useful.
It showed the team at its very worst, removing any doubt about who we need to get rid of and who might have another season or two in them.
I’m not a fan of the Dalot hate but he really was dreadful against Brighton. The guy is only 26, he should be at his peak, but he is all over the place. He has to go. Brighton attacked him at right back all game and they did that for a reason. They see him as a weakness. And sadly, he is one. Get Mazraoui back and give right back to him.
The partnership between Ugarte and Mainoo didn’t work in any way, shape, or form. Brighton played right through us. I’m still a fan of Kobbie but Ugarte is another who I just don’t trust. He occasionally does alright, but more often than not he is left scrambling or loses the ball. We already know midfield is a major issue, and to make matters worse, we lose Casemiro at the end of the season. This is a deeply troubling situation.
No one was exceptional, but these two are serious problems for us. Much as I hate to say it.
Then there is the fact that United looked like a team who have never played together before. Heavy first touches, appalling communication errors, decisions around the opposition box that show a dire lack of judgement. Zero synchronicity. Apart from Bruno now and again who tried to find Sesko and knew exactly where to put it for Harry Maguire in the dying seconds of the game, even if the move didn’t come off.
Cunha has been off it for a while now, and looked frustrated again tonight. Mason Mount was once again MIA. And while Sesko makes good runs and is looking more promising, why is his finishing so weak?
Shea Lacey was a ray of hope in the darkness but bad officiating put a stop to that – hopefully it doesn’t break him, he put out a heartfelt message to fans after the game:
I want to apologise to all of my teammates staff and the fans 😔 I let everybody down tonight I shouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me I will do everything I can to make this right 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/9pmLMlHxWu
— Shea lacey (@Shealacey10) January 11, 2026
I know the squad is threadbare, I know we don’t have a manager, I know morale is low – but my GOD Manchester United…
Up until last night I believed we were taking tiny steps in the right direction, but this morning, after a night of disasters, it feels like despite the signings, despite the changes at the top, despite everything, this club is no further forward than it was when we sacked Erik ten Hag.
Like I said, I’m an optimist, but I am really worried for our future.