What is the absolute minimum that United should achieve next season?

[romufc]

Top 4 - fans who are aiming for top 6 can go support Arsenal.
How can the target for Manutd be anything outside the champions league regardless of all that is going on outside the club.
The players are still good enough to provide a top 4 finish with a couple additions. It is up to Ole to get the most out of them.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

Expectations are ridiculously low right now but top 4 is very achievable and 5th will be a failure. It was only a year ago we finished 2nd and the manager was seen as underachieving.
Spurs Chelsea and Arsenal also finished the season in awful form and of those, Chelsea have lost by far their best player and matchwinner and cant buy anyone. Arsenal have a smaller rebuild budget than us and are in at least as big a mess. Top 4 is really not the impossible challenge people are making out......

Think a lot here still refuse to believe That there are some other clubs knocking on Top 6 door and trying to stretch that out to a Top 7/8.

The state of our squad (outside of a couple of standouts) has fallen back to midtable standards while at the same time some midtable clubs are building squads that can legitimately be compared with ours and Arsenal’s (outside of a few players each).

If this summer window turns around quickly and Pogba and Dave decide they’re in for a year at least, plus some legitimately top class First XI players are added...then top 4 is nailed on yes.

That is however quite a big IF at the moment. If we come up short then there are more clubs in the conversation than just us Chelsea and Arsenal rounding out the Top 6.

 

[cyberman]

Top 4. We took half a season off and still came close to it last year.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

• Play fun to watch attacking football
• Show a significant improvement in the attitude of the squad.
• Show signs that there is a long term plan to get back to the top.
• not drop much(if any) further down the league while this happens.

 

[Champagne Football]

I just want all of our signings to turn out to be big successes. Last year we all thought Fred was the missing piece of the Mourinho jigsaw.
But if we can sign 4 or 5 and they all look like Utd players then we'll definitely be in decent shape to challenge fir top 4, while playing the Utd way.

 

[Random Task]

Top four absolute minimum.

 

[Canagel]

Score lots of goals.

 

[BaneIsPain]

Top 4 and crash out of Europa league asap. Focus on getting a cohesive team and make old trafford fortress again

 

[simonhch]

Avoid relegation

 

[Judas]

Top 4. Do I on this day have any faith we can achieve that? Not at all. Still time for things to change, but we look like we're in for a truly woeful season.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Top 7 seems a bit realistic to hope for.

 

[BlueHaze]

Top 4 and if Ole fails to deliver I wouldn't give him another year. My biggest wish regarding the club is to get owners who are serious about competing and not people who are content with completely inept people in charge of transfers but that won't happen anytime soon. It's going to be tough for Ole as it would be for any other manager to work under the current structure but he simply has to deliver top 4 minimum or else he has to go, no excuses.

 

[Sky1981]

At this rate? Top 6.

But that'll mean ole gets the sack and rightly so. We're fecked. I dont see this squad with all it's trouble can sneak in top 4. Not with de gea and pogba wanting out

 

[rpg]

Absolute minimum should be top 4 else Ed and Sols must go.

 

[lysglimt]

Signing some players is the absolute minimum for me.….but even that seems hard

 

[Scholsey2004]

The way the window is going so far we're likely to be even weaker next season.

 

[Maradona10]

This thread is an embarrassment to all fergie did. To see expectation and standards lowered to this level, he must be fuming inside. Anyone who expects bare minimum is part of the problem . This poor mentality is now not only part of the club playing staff but fans too. If it was another big club like barca/bayern/madrid there would be huge uproar and here we are accepting mediocrity.

 

[kiristao]

1) More fluidic attacking football
2) Top 4 finish
3) 100% commitment on the pitch by the players

 

[haram]

People talking out their ass when they say they just want to be entertained. Finishing 6th is not fecking entertaining.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Results wise anything worse than top 4 should be unacceptable and lead to a sacking unless it is mitigated by plenty (and I mean plenty) of progress in the football we play. But yeah, top 4 has to be the minimum expectation.

 

[Pentagruel]

Maybe we shouldn’t put such concrete minimum expectations like champions league qualification, winning the league, winning a cup... Obviously for a club like United winning all these competitions is the goal every year, but we must accept that we are in a rebuild and that certain results can take time.

So what then should we expect from United the coming season to consider it a success? I think we should focus on creating an identity and a strong leadership both on and off the pitch. I think most fans can sense when things are going in the right direction even if results don’t immediately reflect it. That starts with the manager and the others responsible for creating a vision for the club to follow, including of course transfers of player personnel.

I can tell you right now that I don’t have any faith in the current management structure. They have failed to do due diligence on the most important hiring decisions, namely, the managers. In a sad way, Moyes might have been the most logical hire United have made thus far, in an attempt at continuity. It turned out however, he simply wasn’t up to the task, and I don’t think this came as a great surprise to many. Louis Van Gaal and Mourinho were purely cases of hiring the biggest names available with little forward thinking for the long term. And Ole, while an inspired hire for the short term, someone who could wash away Mourinho’s rancor with his positivity and connection to the club, should never have been given the job full time before the season had finished. He should have been evaluated at the end of the season, other possible targets should have been scouted and reviewed, and a decision made after all these process’ were complete. They may have come to the conclusion that Ole was still the man for the job but due diligence would have been done, rather then a reactionary hire.

Until the very top decision makers at the club are replaced or improve, a cohesive vision is established and the right manager, coaching staff, scouting department is brought in, or maybe more importantly brought together to all work as one unit, United will continue to flounder. Once they do, I think it will be obvious to all fans that they on the right path, even if they don’t meet these supposed ‘minimum expectations’ set for the following season.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

This thread is an embarrassment to all fergie did. To see expectation and standards lowered to this level, he must be fuming inside. Anyone who expects bare minimum is part of the problem . This poor mentality is now not only part of the club playing staff but fans too. If it was another big club like barca/bayern/madrid there would be huge uproar and here we are accepting mediocrity.

There's truth to this. While the board have been ambitious enough to hand their managers a free spending reign, there does seem to be this sense among fans that this is a long process, will take years etc I'm on board with that but there also has to be an urgency and pressure to deliver quickly. Manchester United hovering around 4th to 6th doesn't seem to be seen as the complete disaster it should be. Then again, Glazers and Woodward aren't going to roast themsleves for the job they're doing - only the fans can.

 

[Gandalf Greyhame]

I expect a mid table finish for our overpaid midtable squad. Would be happy if we made the EL again.

 

[Mancnz]

I totally accept the idea that Manchester United is now a 'project' and undergoing a major rebuild and that the rebuild could take years. However, anyone who has ever managed a project before will tell you that projects have objectives, timelines, milestones and outcomes measures. A 'project' is not some vague, meaningless concept that is wide open to interpretation.

To be honest I get why people are reluctant to set expectations, because they are unwilling to put too much pressure on Ole, but are we seriously saying that we are willing to see United invest upwards of £150m in the transfer market in this window without a reasonable expectation of return? Really?

So here's the rub, set out below are a series of possible outcome options for the end of the forthcoming season. The question is: of these options (or any others that you can think of) what would you say is the absolute minimum that you would accept? What are your absolute bottom line?

Option 1: Champions League qualification
For this option, no matter how we get there, we must be in a Champions League spot at the end of the season. Performances and points tally are far less important than final placing. Even if we finish with a record low total for fourth spot, as long as we finish fourth that is all that matters.

Option 2: Champions League qualification and significantly improved performances
For this option, we need to finish in a Champions League spot and deliver genuinely improved performance on the pitch. We cannot just scrape through, because other teams around us are underperforming.

Option 3: Better performances and reduce the gap to eventual Premier League winners to no more than 20 points
For this option, our improved overall performances narrow the gap to the eventual Premier League winners to no more than 20 points. A 20 point gap would represent a 10 point improvement compared to last season.

Option 4: Significantly improved performances and a pot if we don't make Champions League
For this option we accept that we might not make Champions League, but performances will be much better (even if results don't always match them) and we will bag a pot either domestically or in Europe.

Option 5: A 'free swing' for Ole (same position and the same points)
For this option, we basically accept that this is going to be a season of experimentation, testing culture change and re-establishing the United philosophy. As such, there are no expectations whatsoever for Ole to deliver anything.​

Option 4

 

[Bestietom]

If we don't bring in players, I dread to think where we will finish and what will happen. .

 

[Eric's Seagull]

Option 2: Champions League qualification and significantly improved performances

Top 4 should be the minimum expectation and it hurts me to say that as it shows how low we have fallen.
I think to get top 4 will require serious investment which I hope but doubt we will put in. If we dont invest decent amount of money wisely, I wouldn't even like to think where we will finish. I think this transfer window is massive and we need to invest very shrewdly so that we don't fall further behind the teams at the top.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

When this group of players are low on motivation and confidence, the results can get quite pitiful. Will be interesting to see how/if Ole can change the mood of the team from the end of the season.

I think the only way to do that would be to keep an excited Pogba and the Only way to excite Pogba might be to add a couple more players on his level to the team: Griezmann type players.

I also think Ole doesn’t have what it takes to corral a locker room of talents and egos like that, so it could be risky in itself. But it would guarantee Top 4 you would think

 

[greendevil]

Top 4 finish should be minimum, good FA Cup run and use the League Cup and the early stages of the Europa to see if the young players have got what it takes to make the step up.

Wanting to play good football is obvious but there'll be games where that wont be possible

 

[Leftback99]

At this rate? Top 6.

But that'll mean ole gets the sack and rightly so. We're fecked. I dont see this squad with all it's trouble can sneak in top 4. Not with de gea and pogba wanting out

How would top 6 mean rightly so getting the sack when at the same time you are saying the squad is a mess?

6th is around par. Anything else would be an over achievement with this squad

 

[Bestietom]

Option 2: Champions League qualification and significantly improved performances

Top 4 should be the minimum expectation and it hurts me to say that as it shows how low we have fallen.
I think to get top 4 will require serious investment which I hope but doubt we will put in. If we dont invest decent amount of money wisely, I wouldn't even like to think where we will finish. I think this transfer window is massive and we need to invest very shrewdly so that we don't fall further behind the teams at the top.

I agree,but doubt that we will get the players that we need in this window.

 

[matt10000]

What is the absolute minimum that United should achieve next season?

Cup runs are down to luck and although great to win it is league position is a true reflection of where the team is at. I don't think we can expect to beat City and Liverpool league points unless they drop their level of performance but we should be looking realistically at 3rd place as a great success. However, even if we don't get 4th and a champions league spot I don't think it is an automatic sacking for ole, I think you have to be subjective as well as quantitative and look at the overall direction at the time.

 

[red woppit]

Top 4 and crash out of Europa league asap. Focus on getting a cohesive team and make old trafford fortress again

Top four yes, but I would look at giving a few of the academy players a shot in the Europa League, this, hopefully, will give them an understanding of European football, put players like Mata in the team for experience, and hope to get as far as knockout stages. Those academy players who didn't make Europa League squad should be in the Under 21s squad for the EFL trophy, and some in the League Cup squad. All I want to see from a football perspective is a team willing to work their socks off, defend for their lives, and create many goal scoring opportunities. Players like Martial, Rashford, Lingard, McTominay, Shaw, Pereira and Fred (at least some of those) stepping up to the plate and becoming players that the younger ones can look up to, and players like James, Chong, Garner, Greenwood, Tuanzebe, Fosu Mensah, Laird getting minutes on the pitch, and starting to look like Prem players. Season 20/21 is when I hope and expect the team to start challenging for top three, Champions League last 8, getting to a cup final.

 

[Sky1981]

How would top 6 mean rightly so getting the sack when at the same time you are saying the squad is a mess?

6th is around par. Anything else would be an over achievement with this squad

Because we sack the other manager for less. Mourinho ole moyes or lvg the objective is the same
, top 4 or gone. Considerations if you win cup (lvg and Mourinho).

Just because it's ole doesnt mean he gets a blank season. Tough job for him, isnt fair and all that. But no way you can survive being a Manchester united manager and finished 6th

 

[adexkola]

What happens if the team doesn’t reach this “minimum”? Do we start supporting a different team?

Did anyone answer this?

 

[Raoul]

CL qualification and league table improvement

 

[Oldyella]

People talking out their ass when they say they just want to be entertained. Finishing 6th is not fecking entertaining.

I could probably accept 6th if we see a total change in our football, blowing some teams away, playing aggressive fast football and just miss out on top 4 as there are a lot of decent teams now in the league for us to catch up.

So long as we look to be moving in right direction, but if we just stutter on like most of last season and another purple patch is all that separates us from the pack again that won't be good enough.

 

[Swearing Budgie]

Top 10 and 3rd round of the cup

 

[TRUERED89]

Top 4 - fans who are aiming for top 6 can go support Arsenal.
How can the target for Manutd be anything outside the champions league regardless of all that is going on outside the club.
The players are still good enough to provide a top 4 finish with a couple additions. It is up to Ole to get the most out of them.

Precisely; CL should be a minimum, it's painful to see the transition of being 1st/2nd every year to just accepting the Arsenal trophy as good enough (top 4). Prior to 2013 finishing second was a travesty and unacceptable for more than a season or 2, the contrast is extraordinary...

 

[Irwin99]

We seem to have expectations every season and we always seem to be disappointed in some fashion. Seems too early to say with DDG, Pogba and Lukaku's futures all uncertain.

It depends on the transfers (ins and outs) but if James, AWB, and Maguire are the only signings i think top 4 still might be a struggle. Our salvation could be that Arsenal and Chelsea have bad summers. Also depends if the players buy into Ole's high press/high energy style that he wants to play.

 

[Leftback99]

Because we sack the other manager for less. Mourinho ole moyes or lvg the objective is the same
, top 4 or gone. Considerations if you win cup (lvg and Mourinho).

Just because it's ole doesnt mean he gets a blank season. Tough job for him, isnt fair and all that. But no way you can survive being a Manchester united manager and finished 6th

In previous seasons I would have agreed but we've never looked less likely to get top 4 before the season has started than we do now, regardless of manager. Bookies give us less than 50% chance.