We are going the way of AC Milan

We're already there. Just like them, we hired our former player (Inzaghi, Gattuso) who has shown nothing as a manager and gave him huge responsibilities, just so that he can show how inept he and our board are.
 
We haven't turned into anything, the football world has moved on and we haven't. You could say the same happened to AC Milan.
 
We're already there. Just like them, we hired our former player (Inzaghi, Gattuso) who has shown nothing as a manager and gave him huge responsibilities, just so that he can show how inept he and our board are.
But somehow Gattuso got the Napoli job!
 
You can make an argument that AC Milan are actually better off at the moment!
 
We've been the English Milan for years now.

Or a northern Arsenal, minus the decent football (though they don't really do that either anymore).
 
The only difference between us and AC Milan is that they had a squad with an average age close to 30 whereas we have a squad with an average age of puberty.

As bad as things are, there's still a kernel of hugely talented players in this squad which, given the right coaching and given the right additions is ready to take off and can achieve something special. We have managed to cut back a lot of the chaff over the last year and it's a very lean squad which should leave plenty of funds to add the quality we require.


De Gea, Henderson
Wan Bissaka, Williams
Maguire, Lindelof, Taunzebe
Pogba, McTominay, Fred
Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James

That's a core squad of 14 talented players, average age of 23.

I think we should then have the following as our plan for squad management in the short term:
Players OutTransfer FeeWages (per week)Players InTransfer FeeWages (per week)Temporary Squad PlayersPromoted Youngsters
Smalling​
£15m£70kExperienced fullback to cover both sides.£30m£100k
Romero​
Garner​
Jones​
£5m£75kDefensive Midfielder£45m£120k
Pereira​
Laird​
Rojo​
£10m£80kAttacking Midfielder£65m£180k
Mata​
Bailly​
£15m£80kRight Winger£90m£200k
Dalot​
Lingard​
£25m£100kExperienced Striker (Target man of some sort)£20m£100k
Shaw​
Matic​
£10m£120k
Sanchez​
£10m£390k
Net Spend
Net Wages
Total£90m£915k£250m£700k£160m£215k (11m / year)


£160m outlay and in my opinion we'd have a squad capable of challenging for the league in the next couple of years.
 
AC Milan can at least argue they didn’t spend £600m+ on a squad.
 
Going?! We're so past them, they're just a faint small dot in the rear view mirror
 
The only difference between us and AC Milan is that they had a squad with an average age close to 30 whereas we have a squad with an average age of puberty.

As bad as things are, there's still a kernel of hugely talented players in this squad which, given the right coaching and given the right additions is ready to take off and can achieve something special. We have managed to cut back a lot of the chaff over the last year and it's a very lean squad which should leave plenty of funds to add the quality we require.


De Gea, Henderson
Wan Bissaka, Williams
Maguire, Lindelof, Taunzebe
Pogba, McTominay, Fred
Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James

That's a core squad of 14 talented players, average age of 23.

I think we should then have the following as our plan for squad management in the short term:
Players OutTransfer FeeWages (per week)Players InTransfer FeeWages (per week)Temporary Squad PlayersPromoted Youngsters
Smalling​
£15m£70kExperienced fullback to cover both sides.£30m£100k
Romero​
Garner​
Jones​
£5m£75kDefensive Midfielder£45m£120k
Pereira​
Laird​
Rojo​
£10m£80kAttacking Midfielder£65m£180k
Mata​
Bailly​
£15m£80kRight Winger£90m£200k
Dalot​
Lingard​
£25m£100kExperienced Striker (Target man of some sort)£20m£100k
Shaw​
Matic​
£10m£120k
Sanchez​
£10m£390k
Net Spend
Net Wages
Total£90m£915k£250m£700k£160m£215k (11m / year)


£160m outlay and in my opinion we'd have a squad capable of challenging for the league in the next couple of years.

I'll have what you're taking.
 
The only difference between us and AC Milan is that they had a squad with an average age close to 30 whereas we have a squad with an average age of puberty.

As bad as things are, there's still a kernel of hugely talented players in this squad which, given the right coaching and given the right additions is ready to take off and can achieve something special. We have managed to cut back a lot of the chaff over the last year and it's a very lean squad which should leave plenty of funds to add the quality we require.


De Gea, Henderson
Wan Bissaka, Williams
Maguire, Lindelof, Taunzebe
Pogba, McTominay, Fred
Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James

That's a core squad of 14 talented players, average age of 23.

I think we should then have the following as our plan for squad management in the short term:
Players OutTransfer FeeWages (per week)Players InTransfer FeeWages (per week)Temporary Squad PlayersPromoted Youngsters
Smalling​
£15m£70kExperienced fullback to cover both sides.£30m£100k
Romero​
Garner​
Jones​
£5m£75kDefensive Midfielder£45m£120k
Pereira​
Laird​
Rojo​
£10m£80kAttacking Midfielder£65m£180k
Mata​
Bailly​
£15m£80kRight Winger£90m£200k
Dalot​
Lingard​
£25m£100kExperienced Striker (Target man of some sort)£20m£100k
Shaw​
Matic​
£10m£120k
Sanchez​
£10m£390k
Net Spend
Net Wages
Total£90m£915k£250m£700k£160m£215k (11m / year)


£160m outlay and in my opinion we'd have a squad capable of challenging for the league in the next couple of years.

The job is yours!
 
Not quite Milan yet. The ownership shambles they've had down there with 3 owners in the course of 6 years are worse on an organisational level than our current struggles I think.

We're experiencing a Liverpoolesque decline. It's hard to explain to some younger fans how strange it's been for us who can remember the dominant Liverpool of the 80's being simply unable to win a league title for 20 years. A lot of it is due to Sir Alex and his dominance of English football for sure, but so much of it is due to Liverpool's poor management and sporting decisions.
 
We are going the way of a club that is restricted by financial overspend. There is no money for transfers, we need to reduce a spiralling wage bill and cut costs. There is plenty of really good threads on twitter highlighting this using the number from the financial figures.
The debt, the dividends and payments to CEO and co, are all placed before the squad. We have allowances for a c.£50m net spend per year and we have been about that for the last 3 years I believe.
Pogba will be sold this summer to enable us to buy more players. We won’t see anyone this month.
The sooner fans realise this, then anti-glazer movements might take more shape/meaning.
For a club of our structure and status we have been run appallingly
 
I think we are very similar to Everton now. Shit often but sometimes spring a surprise. We could finish either 5th or 14th.
 
We're in a different situation and haven't reached Milan's levels yet but we are getting close. The next 5 years could be really bad, we'll just have to wait and see. We do have some funds and chances to stop the rot.

This season we could drop down to 8th by the end if players like Rashford don't return and we buy no-one.
 
The only difference between us and AC Milan is that they had a squad with an average age close to 30 whereas we have a squad with an average age of puberty.

As bad as things are, there's still a kernel of hugely talented players in this squad which, given the right coaching and given the right additions is ready to take off and can achieve something special. We have managed to cut back a lot of the chaff over the last year and it's a very lean squad which should leave plenty of funds to add the quality we require.


De Gea, Henderson
Wan Bissaka, Williams
Maguire, Lindelof, Taunzebe
Pogba, McTominay, Fred
Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James

That's a core squad of 14 talented players, average age of 23.

I think we should then have the following as our plan for squad management in the short term:
Players OutTransfer FeeWages (per week)Players InTransfer FeeWages (per week)Temporary Squad PlayersPromoted Youngsters
Smalling​
£15m£70kExperienced fullback to cover both sides.£30m£100k
Romero​
Garner​
Jones​
£5m£75kDefensive Midfielder£45m£120k
Pereira​
Laird​
Rojo​
£10m£80kAttacking Midfielder£65m£180k
Mata​
Bailly​
£15m£80kRight Winger£90m£200k
Dalot​
Lingard​
£25m£100kExperienced Striker (Target man of some sort)£20m£100k
Shaw​
Matic​
£10m£120k
Sanchez​
£10m£390k
Net Spend
Net Wages
Total£90m£915k£250m£700k£160m£215k (11m / year)


£160m outlay and in my opinion we'd have a squad capable of challenging for the league in the next couple of years.

Smalling and possibly Matic are the only players we'd sell on that list for a fee. Our wages kill us for sales.
 
We will be in 1-2yrs, 100%. We are well on the way there and things don't look like changing anytime soon.

This season will probably be around 8-10th.

Next season (under Ole, if he stays) will probably be around 13-14th.
 
We're not quite there yet. When we start buying washed up superstars like Beckham and Ronaldinho, our journey will be complete.
 
From a United fan perspective, awful.

From a neutral perspective... is this not good? Do we want clubs to be entrenched at the top just because of their history? Is it healthy that no club in La Liga has any chance of winning the league apart from the big 3?
 
From a United fan perspective, awful.

From a neutral perspective... is this not good? Do we want clubs to be entrenched at the top just because of their history? Is it healthy that no club in La Liga has any chance of winning the league apart from the big 3?

Ye, it's good for football I suppose.

AC Milan still isn't too bad, they haven't reach Leeds level yet :lol:
 
The Italian match fixing scandal in 2006 really knocked the sh1t out of Italian football.

In 2006 you had 3 Italian clubs in the top 10 revenue. 2 in the top 4.

In 2019 even Juventus missed out on the top 10.

So when Milan started to miss out on the CL it really made it hard for them to make it back to the top.

Unbelievable really to think many of the non "big 6" in the PL turnover much more than them.

So as long as the PL is popular United will have a big turnover.
 
From a United fan perspective, awful.

From a neutral perspective... is this not good? Do we want clubs to be entrenched at the top just because of their history? Is it healthy that no club in La Liga has any chance of winning the league apart from the big 3?

Who gives a shit?
 
The only difference between us and AC Milan is that they had a squad with an average age close to 30 whereas we have a squad with an average age of puberty.

As bad as things are, there's still a kernel of hugely talented players in this squad which, given the right coaching and given the right additions is ready to take off and can achieve something special. We have managed to cut back a lot of the chaff over the last year and it's a very lean squad which should leave plenty of funds to add the quality we require.


De Gea, Henderson
Wan Bissaka, Williams
Maguire, Lindelof, Taunzebe
Pogba, McTominay, Fred
Rashford, Martial, Greenwood, James

That's a core squad of 14 talented players, average age of 23.

I think we should then have the following as our plan for squad management in the short term:
Players OutTransfer FeeWages (per week)Players InTransfer FeeWages (per week)Temporary Squad PlayersPromoted Youngsters
Smalling​
£15m£70kExperienced fullback to cover both sides.£30m£100k
Romero​
Garner​
Jones​
£5m£75kDefensive Midfielder£45m£120k
Pereira​
Laird​
Rojo​
£10m£80kAttacking Midfielder£65m£180k
Mata​
Bailly​
£15m£80kRight Winger£90m£200k
Dalot​
Lingard​
£25m£100kExperienced Striker (Target man of some sort)£20m£100k
Shaw​
Matic​
£10m£120k
Sanchez​
£10m£390k
Net Spend
Net Wages
Total£90m£915k£250m£700k£160m£215k (11m / year)


£160m outlay and in my opinion we'd have a squad capable of challenging for the league in the next couple of years.
Do you genuinely think someone would pay £25m for Lingard? He's become a meme and well deserved.
 
From a United fan perspective, awful.

From a neutral perspective... is this not good? Do we want clubs to be entrenched at the top just because of their history? Is it healthy that no club in La Liga has any chance of winning the league apart from the big 3?
It's good for football that big clubs can fail and become irrelevant. But please let it happen to Bayern, Barcelona, Juventus, Madrid, Liverpool, anyone but us.