Anyone else stopped watching?

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

I don't think it makes you a bad fan - and when many people work 5 or more days a week, in your free time you want to do something you get enjoyment from.

I find United awful to watch, watching alone is hideous this season. If with family or friends we just watch the game and laugh at how bad we are!

The only warning to fans that stop watching is that United are going to be back on top one day and it will be all the sweeter if you don't bail during these dark times.

 

[evil_geko]

Bloody hell.

Imagine being a fan of a club who hadn't had United's success over the past 20 years?

I supposed you'd all find another team to support or another interest.

If you would take a time to actually read a post or two, you would see it isn't about lack of success or even boring football.

"Top reds" syndrome...

 

[freeurmind]

It’s not as simple as that. Turning the argument around, if Sunderland or Pompey were perennial winners for 20+ years and all of a sudden started tanking for 6 years, players not trying, manager a narcissistic ass who clearly puts himself above the club, management inept, you think all those fans would not utter a word and say “we demand better”?

I've got no issues whatsoever with people expressing dissatisfaction with the team, management etc, I do the same constantly. However you're support for the team being contingent on them being successful or entertaining at all times is like having a woman who only is with you as long as you buy her nice things.

 

[Cloud7]

Bloody hell.

Imagine being a fan of a club who hadn't had United's success over the past 20 years?

I supposed you'd all find another team to support or another interest.

This thread is an utterly bizarre confessional.

Perhaps 'Fergie's right' after all...

There’s absolutely zero people here talking about not watching because we aren’t successful. Everyone is tuning out because the football is mind numbingly boring, which it is.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

I watch most games, but quite often don't concentrate on the match after a while, just passively watching, or back ground noise most of the time.

It has certainly had an affect on the enjoyment of watching other matches as well, it's just hard to get involved like I used to.

 

[iluvoursolskjær]

It's like background noise right about now, sometimes I'm not even aware we're playing.

I can't subject myself to that shit anymore, it's depressing, feels hopeless and will remain so much Mourinho remains i charge. This season was written off before we even got to December ffs. Its the same old talking points after every match and to be quite frank I got much better things to do like sleep, wank, take drugs etc etc.

 

[Guoan]

It's much easier when you're asleep for most of the games. (KO times here in China are either 20:30, 23:00 or 04:00)

 

[haram]

Some of you deserve the results we have been getting this season.

 

[jeepers]

I’m sorry lads but I can’t lie to you guys, I’ve not followed United at all this season.

I forgot to cancel my football channel subscription (not in the UK) so I’ll watch replays IF I’m at all bothered. Work’s already shite, and I get extremely emotional during football, so I don’t need more shite stress in my life.

 

[eondo1]

I'm still watching but it's more of a excuse to get away from the wife and kids.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

Some of you deserve the results we have been getting this season.

I am pretty sure you are enjoying them a lot since you never get bored of defending the one who is responsible for our demise as a top club.

'Top Reds' as they say...

 

[haram]

I am pretty sure you are enjoying them a lot since you never get bored of defending the one who is responsible for our demise as a top club.

'Top Reds' as they say...

So if your team is struggling you just stop watching? I can somewhat understand if you live in another country where kick off is very early. The rest of you are just entitled brats.

*raises hand*

I only watched last night because Pereira was playing. I missed the previous 2 games and i dont plan on watching the pool game.

Out of all players, Pereira?

He's done nothing in a United shirt.

 

[SER19]

Pretty shit thread and no surprises who the self righteous non watchers are. You aren’t entitled to constant success as a football fan. We’ve just come off the back of the most successful spell in our history and in these ‘barren’ five years we have won the fa cup, league cup, Uefa cup and had a couple of seasons of cl football. Of course that is a bad run by united standards and not good enough but you can’t just stop. You either support the team or you don’t. It’s presently a shambles and incredibly disheartening but I’d sooner watch us rebuild than be bought out my Abu Dhabi and just easily rise to the top again. We’ve wasted a ton of money but get anybody in place with some sort of vision and it’s pretty much impossible to not be competitive when spending what city do.

If you’ve stopped watching you should probably stop posting too. You can’t exactly claim authority on anything can you?

 

[ayushreddevil9]

So if your team is struggling you just stop watching? I can somewhat understand if you live in another country where kick off is very early. The rest of you are just entitled brats.

I watch the games but won't blame those who have had enough of the shite which gets served week-in week-out. 3 years and we don't have any playing style (repeating all that has been said million times). People will support the club when there is a desire from the team and the manager to improve the results. We have the biggest fraud as our manager and some players who are stealing the living. They have ripped the heart out of the club. Not a single player plays for the badge.

We have a manager who can't coach a team to attack and score goals. Starts a team with no wingers, a static lump as a forward and a past it midfielder who under performs every fecking game. You think the people who have stopped watching are entitled? Last season we were constantly fighting for second. We have not been in a title race since Fergie. After every game I say to myself - 'Could have used this time for something better'. I can't wait for the day when Jose gets fired and someone breathes positivity in the club.

We as football fans want good football, want to enjoy the sport and have a good time. When you don't get that for 3 straight seasons, sometimes you ponder about why you watch football. Atleast there was some good football played in glimpses under LvG. 3 years is enough evidence to see that nothing's gonna change.

 

[Raees]

I went to Anfield on Tuesday as my Liverpool supporting best mate had free tickets - atmosphere was incredible and the football on display was just in a different stratosphere. Made me incredibly upset to see what are painfully average players such as Milner, Henderson bossing one of the best possession sides on the continent and a Mourinho reject in Salah... playing like one of the best right wingers I’ve ever seen. Seeing Koulibally in person made me realise, we’re getting hoodwinked into believing overpaying for another non technically refined physical brute is not going to get us out of the current situation - no defender will improve the crap we are seeing on a weekly basis - it’s hopeless.

The Valencia game I watched till 70 odd minutes before just nodding off and the Fulham game, I actually felt abit nauseous seeing us play so well as it felt so weird seeing us play well albeit we are in such a bad run and I always dread that if we win a game like that against relegation fodder it’s juat going to lead to more reinforced support for the manager. Very unhealthy to have to think like that.

My rants about Jose and the club are becoming more scarce by the day as I’ve just become apathetic to the situation but it does help mentally knowing that almost 75% of fans here are now coming round to the same feelings I had pretty much since Sevilla last year. Really don’t think I’d be able to handle watching us live at Old Traffford though... hearing his name chanted - I think I’d end up punching something or would need someone to pass me over the sick bucket.

 

[ravi2]

I still watch but it's a chore and not a joy. None of my friends bother to take time out of their lives to watch United play anymore. Case in point this weekend for livers v utd, I'd have my living room full of my Liverpool and United friends to watch. Now, none of my United mates will be coming. It'll be me and my Liverpool supporting friends.

I really wonder how many young fans united have made over the last few years? None of my nieces or nephews support united and quite frankly I don't blame them.
I fear by the time Woodward the board realize what is happening in the real world, it'll be too late.

 

[ravi2]

I watch most games, but quite often don't concentrate on the match after a while, just passively watching, or back ground noise most of the time.

It has certainly had an affect on the enjoyment of watching other matches as well, it's just hard to get involved like I used to.

Same here, I now spend half the time on my phone, this would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

 

[1994Baggio10]

Bill Shankly: "If you can't support us when we lose or draw, don't support us when we win."

 

[red_de_pologne]

I try to watch every game as always, but I'm not too bothered if I have to miss some.. much prefer to watch my son's games nowadays

 

[Tarrou]

I haven't seen a full game for weeks, not through any real conscious to be honest, but whereas I used to go out of my way to watch United wrt to making plans and work and wotnot, now I just watch it if it's convenient too

 

[Raees]

There’s absolutely zero people here talking about not watching because we aren’t successful. Everyone is tuning out because the football is mind numbingly boring, which it is.

It’s weird that these fans always bring up Fa Cup, EL etc almost as if winning a trophy is the be all and end all of watching and supporting a team. Then they have the audacity to call us glory hunters ... I have pretty much not enjoyed watching United since 2008 - and yet we were super successful from 08-12 but for me the football during that period never got me as excited as the relatively barren period we had during 03-06 where we used to play with a lot of heart and had flair but were just lacking in a lot of quality in certain positions and were inexperienced. I still rewatch that 2005 FA cup final v Arsenal as it is one of my favourite games and yet we lost that in heartbreaking fashion despite playing brilliantly.

Football for me is about entertainment and the winning is secondary to that - as a fan I don’t get to win the medal myself, so what I want from the team I support is to help pass my time and provide me with a good time... obviously you can’t expect guaranteed entertainment week in week out as teams can have off days but we were a grind to watch in latter years of Fergie but since Moyes it has been a consistent chore. I could just about stomach it under Moyes or LVG because I never felt it was deliberate sabotage - it was more incompetence which I can accept as long as the effort level is there by manager and players alike ... under Jose there is zero heart and effort from him or the board. The players have also stopping trying but I am still in two minds over whether I can see where they’re coming from or just plain pissed off with them.

People talk about Liverpool wilderness years but they had some periods of glorious failure.. the 90s side was very entertaining and in the 00s - they had Istanbul, they had some good seasons where they played some good football and 10s they had that Rodgers side and they have Klopp... so whilst they haven’t been successful, there’s been enough exciting or well coached football to keep the club sustainable and appealing to the masses. I don’t think they had 6 consecutive years of absolute tumescent football following on from 4 years of pedestrian but effective football under Sir Alex. The fact we have shit tonnes of money as well doesn’t help the situation.

 

[Ldn FanBoy]

Thought I was the only one. Been drifting away from watching games for a long while now (2/3 seasons). At first I was actually falling asleep and waking up once the game was done. Now I’m just agitated and frustrated after 20 mins so I find it more difficult to watch games these days.

I do however keep up with the scores with an app on my phone and that’s even more stressful... seeing us go 1-0 down after 5 mins (or something to that degree) just makes me angry.

But overall like a few of you, all I dream is to watch some free flowing attacking football. Not asking for the league (even though I should). Just would be nice to get that excitement back when we play.

 

[M Utd]

I've been trying to get my son into football for the past few years but he's not been interested. I obviously been trying to get him to watch utd and also England starting from the Euros in 2016. I see now why he wasn't bothered.
It took the world cup in 2018 to get him excited and now he enjoys football. We watch games together but if truth be told we both get a little bored.
It makes me feel privileged but also sad that I watched Utd for so long play exciting football and win trophies under Sir Alex.

 

[iluvoursolskjær]

The lack of success I can handle, even seeing things spectacularly fail from time to time. But having no direction or plan, I can't. When you know 3 years in that there is no plan, no developmemt or evolution, it's not going to get better and it's the same shitshiw week in week out - feck that. I can count on one hand (probably not literally) how many games I've missed since Moyes was appointed before this season began.

If putting yourself through that makes you feel top red, and that makes you happy for some reason, then knock yourself out whatever floats your boat and all that. But

 

[Bobcat]

I always tried to watch the games, but lately i have been alt tabbing away the stream much more because its a complete bore and/or infuriating to watch. Since the Palace game i probably spent more time in Total War and just watched the game while waiting for end turn and thats something i never used to do

 

[haram]

I went to Anfield on Tuesday as my Liverpool supporting best mate had free tickets - atmosphere was incredible and the football on display was just in a different stratosphere. Made me incredibly upset to see what are painfully average players such as Milner, Henderson bossing one of the best possession sides on the continent and a Mourinho reject in Salah... playing like one of the best right wingers I’ve ever seen. Seeing Koulibally in person made me realise, we’re getting hoodwinked into believing overpaying for another non technically refined physical brute is not going to get us out of the current situation - no defender will improve the crap we are seeing on a weekly basis - it’s hopeless.

The Valencia game I watched till 70 odd minutes before just nodding off and the Fulham game, I actually felt abit nauseous seeing us play so well as it felt so weird seeing us play well albeit we are in such a bad run and I always dread that if we win a game like that against relegation fodder it’s juat going to lead to more reinforced support for the manager. Very unhealthy to have to think like that.

My rants about Jose and the club are becoming more scarce by the day as I’ve just become apathetic to the situation but it does help mentally knowing that almost 75% of fans here are now coming round to the same feelings I had pretty much since Sevilla last year. Really don’t think I’d be able to handle watching us live at Old Traffford though... hearing his name chanted - I think I’d end up punching something or would need someone to pass me over the sick bucket.

 

[Raees]

Someone mentioned it a few pages back, but fans of other clubs consider United fans fair weather fans, or glory supporters.

Are they right? Are there other sets of fans who after a period of relative success (to their standing in the game) that lose interest once the glory days are over and performance levels drop?

Liverpool
Everton
Arsenal
Blackburn
Leeds
Rangers

A few examples of clubs who have had periods of success but fallen far from those days. And some of these clubs have played much much worse football than we do right now at their worst.

Also, what is football? Is it a sport? Entertainment? The answer is obvious to myself but I suspect others might view it differently and maybe that plays apart in them walking away.

Like how I stopped watching Lost after season 2...

Only time Liverpool got close to watching football as bad as ours from entertainment value was under Woy - other than that it doesn’t come close to the tumescent shit we have had to watch despite us being more successful post Fergie compared to their past 6 years for example. Winning isn’t everything.

 

[haram]

I watch the games but won't blame those who have had enough of the shite which gets served week-in week-out. 3 years and we don't have any playing style (repeating all that has been said million times). People will support the club when there is a desire from the team and the manager to improve the results. We have the biggest fraud as our manager and some players who are stealing the living. They have ripped the heart out of the club. Not a single player plays for the badge.

We have a manager who can't coach a team to attack and score goals. Starts a team with no wingers, a static lump as a forward and a past it midfielder who under performs every fecking game. You think the people who have stopped watching are entitled? Last season we were constantly fighting for second. We have not been in a title race since Fergie. After every game I say to myself - 'Could have used this time for something better'. I can't wait for the day when Jose gets fired and someone breathes positivity in the club.

We as football fans want good football, want to enjoy the sport and have a good time. When you don't get that for 3 straight seasons, sometimes you ponder about why you watch football. Atleast there was some good football played in glimpses under LvG. 3 years is enough evidence to see that nothing's gonna change.

No offence, but this is just a bunch of shite excuses. Yes I think people who do not watch us because we are struggling are entitled.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

No offence, but this is just a bunch of shite excuses. Yes I think people who do not watch us because we are struggling are entitled.

Excuses? Really? So we should wait like 26 years like Liverpool to get the right man in and enjoy tumescent football until then? We don't want guaranteed titles, we want more value out of our time. There is no evidence of improvement since Sevilla last season. Of course you will fail to notice that.

 

[Volumiza]

I still watch but it’s definately the hardest it’s ever been.

It’s not the results as much as the team performances and general feeling of decay that is surrounding the whole club.
What worries me more is that I’ve found it very hard to get my kids to buy into UTD. They’re 14 and 11.

All they see is boring football and me moaning about watching the team while they prefer to watch City. It’s hard but I can’t blame them.

Where are the ‘hero’ type players? Not superstars but ‘heroes’. There’s very little to love about UTD other than memories and the badge.

 

[1994Baggio10]

Only time Liverpool got close to watching football as bad as ours from entertainment value was under Woy - other than that it doesn’t come close to the tumescent shit we have had to watch despite us being more successful post Fergie compared to their past 6 years for example. Winning isn’t everything.

Souness, Houllier's last 3 years, Benitez last year, Hodgesons stint, Kenny's second reign after the first six months, Rodgers reign except for the Slippy year. We have watched plenty of crap without crying like this. Entitled is an understatement.

 

[haram]

Excuses? Really? So we should wait like 26 years like Liverpool to get the right man in and enjoy tumescent football until then? We don't want guaranteed titles, we want more value out of our time. There is no evidence of improvement since Sevilla last season. Of course you will fail to notice that.

Does not mean you stop watching.

 

[Denis79]

There’s absolutely zero people here talking about not watching because we aren’t successful. Everyone is tuning out because the football is mind numbingly boring, which it is.

I don't think we are that boring tbh. I've actually found quite a few games really exciting this season but I think our quality of football is the worst I've seen from us since I started supporing the club more than 30 years ago.

LvG games were boring in my taste, if we were losing 1-0 you knew we wouldn't turn it around but atleast we were consistent in our quality or lack of it.

This season we have no idea how a game will unfold, that doesn't mean the football is better, it's not, just more exciting.

 

[Shiva87]

I don't think it makes you a bad fan - and when many people work 5 or more days a week, in your free time you want to do something you get enjoyment from.

I find United awful to watch, watching alone is hideous this season. If with family or friends we just watch the game and laugh at how bad we are!

The only warning to fans that stop watching is that United are going to be back on top one day and it will be all the sweeter if you don't bail during these dark times.

I stopped watching from the Man City game as I just knew what is coming. Watching gives me nothing but anger game after game - even when we win sometimes. I watched the Arsenal game - but I'd rather not put myself through self inflicted torture.

Hoping Jose goes soon and the joy comes back. Have never felt this apathy for United before so it's new.

It's not about bailing on United - but self preservation. You know it's bad so you just dont put yourself through it. You wait till the club does something you associate with (sack Jose or sack Ed or appoint a DoF) and get that excitement back again. Right now - the whole thing is too much of a shambles.

 

[bdecuc]

I half watch now. There's no excitment there when we score. No nerves that we'll get beat. If I have to put myself out to watch like over the net or watch a replay of the match if I've missed it then I won't bother. I still enjoy watching the u18s and u23s but Mourinho (and partly the Glazers and just what the whole thing has become now) has ruined the first team for me.

Mourinho is obviously a terrible football manager now. That he's still in the job is a sad reflection on the club.

 

[E-mal]

So if your team is struggling you just stop watching? I can somewhat understand if you live in another country where kick off is very early. The rest of you are just entitled brats.



Out of all players, Pereira?

He's done nothing in a United shirt.

Perhaps that is where the excitement is, looking to see how good or bad he might be as the rest of our play is pretty predictable.
Do you get it?

 

[haram]

Perhaps that is where the excitement is, looking to see how good or bad he might be as the rest of our play is pretty predictable.
Do you get it?

No. I don't get that people would stop watching their team but would tune in if Andreas fecking Pereira was playing.

 

[E-mal]

Those of you saying missing games because of how bad we are makes one a bad fan are just been inconsiderate.
By the time you do setting jobs, like been in a hospital for 6 days of the week and depressed from seeing the cruelty of life, you will want to watch something less depressing, if missing our games helps me relaxed for the next day work so be it
Football like every other leisure should be enjoyed, I shouldnt have to want to pull my hair out of my head each time I watch this united team.

 

[E-mal]

No. I don't get that people would stop watching their team but would tune in if Andreas fecking Pereira was playing.

Well is better than seeing Fellaini as a 6 making slow motion predictable passes.
The point is people are just trying to find a reason to watch the despite how utter shut they've been and will hold on to things no matter how insignificant it might sound.

 

[Pughnichi]

No - because I have followed United in much worse times than that - and I was equally exciting looking forward to each game. The difference then was that you didn't know what was gonna happen - sure we could lose, we could win - but there was Always an ambition to play football - and frequently we did. We don't anymore. And if we played half-decent football and still lost, I would be semi-ok with it...but not this

Perfect example and obvious one for me is the FA cup final Arsenal. Think it was 05. Don’t get me wrong it was upsetting to lose the game but we destroyed them that day and I was happy with the performance