I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO BLAME FOR UNITED SLUMP, CLAIMS JOSE

JOSE MOURINHO admits Manchester United’s miserable form isn’t good enough, but claims he shouldn’t be the only one to blame for the crisis engulfing the club. Mourinho is under mounting pressure ahead of today’s clash with Newcastle United and his old rival Rafael Benitez at Old Trafford. United are hoping to avoid going five games without a win at home for the first time since the 1989-90 season — when there were calls for Sir Alex Ferguson to be sacked and one fan produced his infamous ‘Ta Ra Fergie’ banner. When it was put to the Portuguese coach at a short and unusually early 8am press conference yesterday that such a sequence wouldn’t be good enough, Mourinho answered curtly: ‘I accept.’ The United boss declined to elaborate on what he is doing to turn it around, or why things are not working out ‘for many different reasons’, but insisted results will improve if he is given time. ‘This team can do much better than it is doing,’ he added. ‘The team will do much better than it is doing. ‘We are better than this and because we are better than this, our situation is going to improve. I have no doubts about that.’ Having said earlier this week that some players care more than others about United’s malaise, Mourinho added: ‘Sometimes things are not just in the manager’s hands.’ So who does he think is to blame? ‘The same people that were to blame for the fantastic season of last season.’ Mourinho maintains that United’s second-place finish was one of his finest achievements in football and reminded yesterday’s audience that he predicted this was going to be a difficult campaign.