Anyone else feeling disconnected from this current Man United?

[snk123]

Regarding the OP, It's good to be idealistic. Ideally I wouldn't want Mourinho at the helm and would not want the club to spend as much. But the reality is that we finished 7th, 4th and 5th in the last 3 seasons and are on the decline. (pre these signings of course)

It's a necessity now - we have to spend to be relevant again.

 

[Zoo]

No we are actually acting like a big club now which is something we've liked to portray ourselves as. And we're not even in the CL this season.

 

[Ludens the Red]

Yes and No. We were spoilt rotten under Fergie and while the landscape of football changed dramatically, he gave us consistency and a link to how things were.

Those days are gone now and as a club we are learning to adapt to this new landscape and impose ourselves on it once more.

So yes, a lot has changed but that's life and I think we are best embracing it as fans rather than talk whistfully of the good old days. 26 years of that attitude has got Liverpool nowhere. I don't want us to do the same. That's why I'm pro-Woodward. He's a progressive thinker who isn't afraid of speculating to accumulate.

This is how I see it, things were basically perfect under Fergie. Now there's a bit of mayhem, disorganisation etc but you know it's still fun, those glory days were never going to last forever and people like twigg are essentially spitting the dummy out but are trying to gloss it over with some self pitying, narcissistic bullshit ode to the 'good ol days'.
Shut the feck up and support the team.
We're lucky as feck to be United fans, Twigg should take a look at fans of clubs like Leeds and Portsmouth. Fans who'd actually have a reason to actually feel a disconnect to their clubs.

 

[Kubalionzzale]

I'm pretty sure this thread is made every time we sign a new player or spend a lot of money.

It looks like we are a very fragile bunch since Fergie left.

Probably because most of them bar Martial flopped.

 

[stevoc]

So I've had a bit to drink today and I'm now waiting at a bus stop in Spain with free wi-fi so this might not make any sense.

But does anyone else feel a bit out of it when it comes to United.

Don't get me wrong. I love the club and all it stands for. But the United I have known for so long is gone. Gone are the class of 92. Giggs was the last remaining link to my childhood club. He was quickly disregarded as he probably wouldn't have been successful.

But the way LVG was dismissed after winning a trophy really angers me. One of our own scored a cracking cup final goal to win the FA cup and within 24 hours the manager had gone and we'd brought in another.

Gone are the days we had long standing players who loved United. I'm not even talking about a Giggs or a Scholes but someone like Rafael or Evra. Someone who you can get behind because they "get" us.

Another thing is the youth. I just don't see them progressing under Mourinho. Players like CBJ, TFM and Rashford really excite me and I want them to get a chance but I don't know. The fact Mourinho didn't go and watch the reserves the other day isn't inspiring.

Same with Mourinho. I know it's simplistic but in my head he's not one of "us". I associate him with one of our rivals. He'd have to be here five or so years (unlikely) before he was known more as our manager than Chelsea's. For years (along with others) I've hated him. Seems galling to accept him now.

And our transfer dealings are somewhat out of the norm. Giving a rumoured 20 million to an agent? Being part of a club who gives more money to them than any other club in England? Why. It feels cheap. Paying world record fees is a bit... Crap. If Pogba succeeds, great, he's the world's most expensive player. If he flops then it's even more annoyinng that so much is spent on a waste of space.

Basically I'm worried about our lack of "United." I come on here and see fans slating Lingard and other home grown players. Mourinho one of the biggest enemies of the club in recent years now runs us. We are outspending all of our rivals (which is a bit annoying). The youth is disappearing (only rumours)

Is this the price of modern football? Am I just an idealistic knob?

I can see where you're coming from, out of interest did you feel the same way about Moyes with him being Everton's manager for 12 years?

I felt a similar way to Moyes, for me he just always looked out of place in United colours.

On players i miss the likes of Evra/Rafael and Hernendez myself but most of those departures were down to Van Gaal.

 

[Wumminator]

You asked!

In all fairness me being a knob is pretty much confirmed not an insult.

 

[Tincanalley]

Good thread. I agree on many points. But I have started to question my own devotion to SAF; in the last years we saw a lot of cracks, that BBC programme, the racehorse, the ties to certain agents... I still have a great admiration, respect, but. I agree 100% regarding the treatment of LVG. It's like the board and owners have turned more muppet-like than the CAF. And oddly I am warming a bit to Mou. I am prepared to give this United a chance. I hope the hoopla doesn't kill the season. And I hope we play nice stuff. And to be honest, I am glad Giggs has left home, he needed that.

 

[Wumminator]

This is how I see it, things were basically perfect under Fergie. Now there's a bit of mayhem, disorganisation etc but you know it's still fun, those glory days were never going to last forever and people like twigg are essentially spitting the dummy out but are trying to gloss it over with some self pitying, narcissistic bullshit ode to the 'good ol days'.
Shut the feck up and support the team.
We're lucky as feck to be United fans, Twigg should take a look at fans of clubs like Leeds and Portsmouth. Fans who'd actually have a reason to actually feel a disconnect to their clubs.

I actually know two Pompey lads who have loved the last few years now they've got the team back. They've sacrificed success but feel connected to their club.

 

[SirAF]

In all fairness me being a knob is pretty much confirmed not an insult.

To give a serious answer though. I think it is just the case of the club having to "get with the times" not to get left behind. I get that groups of fans still want United to be "special" - but it's really difficult to adhere to the Ferguson way in this age and still be successful, I think.

 

[settembrini]

I don't care about us spending a lot. In fact I like it.
I don't care about the class of 92. Getting Giggs out the door was the right move.
I certainly don't care about Van Gaal being sacked. Finishing fifth while playing terrible football just isn't good enough.

I do care about youth development though. Right now we have a ton of great youngsters at the club and the opportunity (Europa League) to give them plenty of games. It will annoy me if most of them leave just so some fairly average senior players can be given yet another season.

 

[Raees]

Never felt more disconnected than when Moyes took over and LVGs reign made me lose the will to live. Seeing that video of those prats on the bus v West Ham.. made me feel disgusted.

I can't wait for Jose to transform the club and restore us back to what defines us.. winning and going for the jugular. I feel more connected this summer than I have since 2008.. its been a long long decline and it felt like we have been going through the motions for years.. feckin scared of our own shadows.

If we get Pogba.. even if he flops, its a message to the world. United can do what they want.. they can make Juve their feeder club, they are arrogant and willdo whatever it takes to get to the top. It's a big warning shot to the likes of Real and Barca that we are aiming for continental dominance.. which is as Manchester United as it gets.

 

[mu4c_20le]

I'm pretty sure this thread is made every time we sign a new player or spend a lot of money.

It looks like we've become a very fragile bunch since Fergie left.

For many people it will feel weird to get back to the top. 3 years of post SAF will do that to ya.

 

[Globule]

I feel a bit more alienated by football in general, so between that and getting older the way I feel about United has changed too. I still love the club but it's a different kind of love to how it once was.

 

[MartialsBeard]

No I dont

 

[podurban2]

Twigginater + alcohol, everybody run!

 

[Isotope]

I feel a bit more disconnected because we haven't been challenging the league for 3 years. And the influx of so many new players, also.

 

[krazyrobus]

I wonder if redcafe existed when we signed Keane for a record fee from a relegated team if this thread would have been made.

I'm sure it would have been and now No one question Keane ethos or questions his contribution to this club. This is just some more nostalgic my generation's entertainment is better than your generation's entertainment.

Even more annoying is the nostalgia only goes back as far as Fergie. Why stop there. If you want a real connected authentic experience why not go back to the time we got relegated I am sure there were even more 'authentic' utd experiences then but oh no. That's just too much authenticity.

 

[Ludens the Red]

I actually know two Pompey lads who have loved the last few years now they've got the team back. They've sacrificed success but feel connected to their club.

Yeah that's my point, they've had reasons to self pity and to turn away from their club but they haven't. You're whinging because we're spending too much money and not playing academy players.
Leeds and Portsmouth have no money and lose all their academy players to clubs like Bournemouth, Wolves and Norwich.
They also haven't "sacrificed success". They got raped by people running their club and were driven down as low as you can get. They have reason to turn away but they don't.

 

[fishfingers15]

Didn't you create a similar thread when Moyes left?

 

[sunama]

Aaaah Twigginator.
I have not seen you around since Mourinho was hired. How have you been?

I think you are getting worried that we may start winning important games and aiming to win the league again (rather than the 4th place trophy which LVG and Moyes dreamed about winning).
Don't worry - it'll be fine.
And if you want to see what most fans think about us signing a Galactico class player, head on over the Paul Pogba thread. Its one of the biggest threads ever and the biggest transfer thread of all time. It's also the fastest growing thread of all time. I think that should give you an idea of what the majority of Caftards are thinking.

In any case, when you have sobered up and the season starts, get ready for the winning to begin. Jose is building a squad to win the league and eventually the CL in seasons to come. I don't think he cares too much about the 4th place trophy or the domestic Cup

 

[K2K]

We went the idealistic and houlier than thou route with Moyes and got our hands burnt .

United have always been pioneers for change. For example ,we were the first English team to go into Europe . I wonder what the traditionalist thought.

I am glad we are forever changing and aren't being run on some romantic notion. Legends have come and gone at this club and it's the challenge to put current players to step up and become that.

And it's just hypocritical to mention the Mourinho rival thing when one of our best ever managers was a former City and Liverpool player. He only became a United legend because of what he went on to achieve here. The least one would do a month in the new manager's reign is to give him a chance .

 

[Robbie Boy]

Twiggy for president.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

That's pretty obvious from the fact that all you have to do with free Spanish bus stop Wifi is post on the Caff.
You know some blokes go out with girls, get jobs etc, just to pass the time when there's no football like.

I have to say I don't agree here at all. Utd to me and to many others is a way of life. I follow Utd like a religion pumping in endless hours and money to sustain my interest. If that makes me sad then so be it but without Utd I don't know what I'd do with my time.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

I believe we have lots of players in our current squad who "get" the club and have created a special bond with the fans. Each case, of course, is different than the other but, in general, i don't think you can suggest that players like De Gea, Smalling, Carrick, Herrera, Mata don't understand the culture of Manchester United. There are also players like Lingard, Blind, Young and Valencia whose working ethics and appreciation of the fact that they're United players makes the fans fancy them despite them not being top class footballers. And then you have players like Martial, Rashford, Januzaj and Bailly recently who are on the cusp of becoming important first team players and extend the long catalogue of young prospects who reached their full potential and became top class footballers while wearing the red shirt.

I don't know what Mourinho's assessment of our youth players is going to be but, as things stand, it looks like Martial, Rashford, Bailly and Shaw will play a significant part in the upcoming season and they're all in their 20s. I said it before but i'll mention it again, being young and coming through the ranks is not the only criteria in order to get first team football. You have to show that you have the quality and that you can handle the pressure of an elite club. I was happy with watching the likes of CBJ, TFM, Perreira and the others too but the truth is that their performances were constantly overestimated simply because those kids were the only silver linings throughout a season in which the results were poor and the football we played absolutely dire.

As for the 20 million to Railola: It's either that or we can vanish into oblivion while waiting for the next class of '92 to emerge. I understand that the numbers that are currently doing the rounds regarding Pogba's transfer are ridiculous but, on the other hand, our denial to enter this transfer circus and play the game is one of the main reasons why our squad still needs strengthening three season's after Ferguson's retirement. Treat it as a necessary evil, even the club with the best academy in the world (Barca) partakes in it...

LvG is gone because, if he had stayed for another season, we would probably have seen people jumping off their balconies in desperation and the sales of anti sleeping pills would have gone crazy in Manchester.

As for your hate for Mourinho, this i understand. I always was of the opinion that the people who didn't want him here always acknowledged his managerial abilities but at the same time they saw him as one of the biggest threats United under Ferguson had to face in the PL. And the truth is that for some time, during the 2004-06 period, we seemed beaten. It's a difficult marriage but also an exciting one after his last season at Chelsea. Both he and United seem to need each other atm while not being the best match for one another.

You (we) will feel much better when the new season kicks off and we will actually have something to discuss.

 

[RedElf]

You're alienated from the past regimes that succeeded SAF. This is a new chapter for our club, embrace it.

 

[Ecstatic]

@Twigginater

United in the 60s: no foreign players - Pre Bosman - The true United? This question doesn't make sense

United 'class 92'

Evra, Tévez, Cr7, Van der Sar, Vidic can play together for United since the Bosman judgment in 1992* (1992: end of the quota of 3 foreign players in the starting 11).

The world is changing. United is always changing. Be part of it ®

 

[JPRouve]

One thing comes to mind when I read this type of posts, the poster think that United is defined by SAF and the Class 92. It always gives me the impression that it's an insult to the history of the club, as if nothing happened before and nothing can happen after.

 

[Wumminator]

Aaaah Twigginator.
I have not seen you around since Mourinho was hired. How have you been?

I think you are getting worried that we may start winning important games and aiming to win the league again (rather than the 4th place trophy which LVG and Moyes dreamed about winning).
Don't worry - it'll be fine.
And if you want to see what most fans think about us signing a Galactico class player, head on over the Paul Pogba thread. Its one of the biggest threads ever and the biggest transfer thread of all time. It's also the fastest growing thread of all time. I think that should give you an idea of what the majority of Caftards are thinking.

In any case, when you have sobered up and the season starts, get ready for the winning to begin. Jose is building a squad to win the league and eventually the CL in seasons to come. I don't think he cares too much about the 4th place trophy or the domestic Cup

The fact that the Paul Pogba transfer thread is one of the biggest of all time does nothing to allay my fears in all fairness.

 

[TheReligion]

People are just being nostalgic. Time passes. Things change. People and players come and go. That's life.

United are still producing and giving opportunities to top talent. You could even add Pogba to that sentiment given his background.

 

[MDFC Manager]

We seem to have one of these every summer.

 

[podurban2]

The fact that the Paul Pogba transfer thread is one of the biggest of all time does nothing to allay my fears in all fairness.

So what about in 2008 when the Ronaldo thread was one of the biggest of all time?

 

[Wumminator]

@Twigginater

United in the 60s: no foreign players - Pre Bosman - The true United? This question doesn't make sense

United 'class 92'

Evra, Tévez, Cr7, Van der Sar can play for United since the Bosman judgment.

The world is changing. United is always changing. Be part of it ®

Very fair point.

 

[Untied]

People are just being nostalgic. Time passes. Things change. People and players come and go. That's life.

United are still producing and giving opportunities to top talent. You could even add Pogba to that sentiment given his background.

Pogba has spent more time at united than Fosu-Mensah, was with us at a younger age as well.

 

[El Zoido]

No, football changes. Every decade people pine for the good old days. People said the same thing in 1994 when Sky got heavily involved and the Premier League began. My old man says that in the 80's he felt it was losing its magic compared to when he used to go watch United as a young lad in the 60's. We're watching 11 men kick a ball around for an hour and a half, if we have Jose legging it down the touch line screaming when we bang in a last minute winner against a rival let's return to this question.

 

[Wumminator]

So what about in 2008 when the Ronaldo thread was one of the biggest of all time?

Well one of our own "legends" leaving us is different than a "muppet signing"

 

[podurban2]

Well one of our own "legends" leaving us is different than a "muppet signing"

Pogba is not just a "muppet signing" but fair enough, if that's your opinion.

 

[fellaini's barber]

@Twigginater moaned and moaned in the Mourinho abd Zlatan threads and kept being quoted hundred times by people explaining mostly the same things being explained in this thread. He must feel really special with the attention you guys shower on him whenever he needs it

 

[TheReligion]

Well one of our own "legends" leaving us is different than a "muppet signing"

Pogba is one of ours incase you forgot

 

[ottosec]

Should have brought back TC23, not Pogba. A real United man.

 

[dove]

Absolutely not. And I don't agree with this 'we became just like everyone else' nonsense.