Isn't it time we moved away from 'the United way'?
- Thread starter wolvored
- Start date
The United Way means different things to different people. I view it as intense high quality attacking football. A brand of football that gets you off your seat, win, lose or draw is fundamentally what it means to me, that's why I fell in love with the club as a kid.
To some it means winning full stop and to others it means giving youth a chance.
Reality is Ole has done a better job instilling this than any previous manager post SAF but he's not gone far enough with it. I could see his vision at first with 3 forwards interchanging ala our 2008 team but this has changed and evolved with his signings and it had to because we aren't in 2008 and don't have those players.
Our biggest issue is that our midfield is poor and doesn't allow us to play in a sustained expansive way, there is no control in the game.
The United Way is what we should always aspire to be identified with, it inspires and creates a feeling of achieving and belief, something we all need in life..
To some it means winning full stop and to others it means giving youth a chance.
Reality is Ole has done a better job instilling this than any previous manager post SAF but he's not gone far enough with it. I could see his vision at first with 3 forwards interchanging ala our 2008 team but this has changed and evolved with his signings and it had to because we aren't in 2008 and don't have those players.
Our biggest issue is that our midfield is poor and doesn't allow us to play in a sustained expansive way, there is no control in the game.
The United Way is what we should always aspire to be identified with, it inspires and creates a feeling of achieving and belief, something we all need in life..
The United way was about thrilling footy.
This didn't include a leaky defense, a lost midfield and everybody wanting to play in the opposition half
I would play the United way, play attacking football and develop youth players so that we are proud of our team
than
Winning trophies by defensive - scratching my eyeballs out of my sockets of boredom - mourinho ball with players where we dont give our youth chances and we dont value creativity (apart from perhaps 2 players on the pitch).
Ofcourse I want to win trophies with attacking football most of all, and many teams have showed this is possible over the last years.
(mind you, Im an Ajax fan more than a United fan, which share the same values)
The 'United way' is on display under the tutelage of Erik Ten Hag at Ajax and Luis Enrique with Spain. Both coaches play a attacking brand of football whilst also developing and integrating youth players. The United way has been lost for well over a decade imo.
We already did that, remember? Did it work well?
It's not "romanticism". It is also not to "turn the clock back". That's a caricature of what's happening, not a description of it. No one is trying to exactly replicate the club structure and style of play we had under SAF, in the expectation that would deliver the same result. It's about building on some key principles and choices, and about embedding those in the organisation so that there is some sort of long-term identity and structure to how we do things that doesn't get rebooted to zero every time we change the manager. Such as emphasis on the academy and reasonable opportunity for young players, and a fast, attack-oriented brand of football. Things that any new manager has to fit into, and work on the basis of. The SAF period is the starting point for that and defines some of the values and principles we need to build on, but it's not a template to copy.
If we want that continuity, I believe one thing that has to not work the same way as it did under SAF is that the manager has to adapt to the club and work within that culture. Not a problem for OGS, because he's the one who's building that culture. But it will be an issue with whoever succeeds him, whenever that happens. Never again should a new manager be allowed to come in at United and fundamentally affect things like the role of the academy, or put us on a completely different course in terms of playing style, the way van Gaal and Mourinho did. Not understood too narrowly of course - football changes and playing styles develop. But you can't jump from the kind of fast, attacking, fairly direct form of football we played under SAF to the very different possession-based style we had under van Gaal to the reactive football we played under Mourinho - to name just one thing, it makes sensible recruitment impossible.
Most of that work of course would be in the selection - find someone who shares the basic principles and can work well within that structure.
Agree. Unfortunately.
Why unfortunately????
Surely the size of club that we are, we approach both of those managers to fill any void that might need filling in the future!
It’s ludicrous to think we can’t go and get 95% of managers anywhere the world.
I wouldn’t mind us approaching Enrique after the World Cup doubt he’d leave Spain before then..
Read the last line of his post.
The United way should be two things;
1) play attacking football.
2) Aspire to have the best youth academy in world football that brings through exciting young talents.
1) play attacking football.
2) Aspire to have the best youth academy in world football that brings through exciting young talents.
This probably is the goal of every football club out there to be honest. Entertain your fans and save as much money as possible by producing your own players.
The current style of play is not the United way.
If there is anything that we could ever claim as the 'United Way' that other clubs aren't striving to do as well (play attractive, attacking football + nurture youth talent + win trophies), we most certainly aren't doing that now. Our football is dull and mostly just as bad as Mourinho, we have loaned out all our youth and the few youngsters we bought are left to rot because Scotty/Freddy/Bruno/Pashun, and we certainly haven't won anything in years. There's nothing United Way about our club right now except that we have brought back in a bunch of old boys (and not even the most talented ones) to fill roles they're hardly qualified for.
What are those things, then, if you don't mind me asking, that set you apart from the rest?
It is absolutely no doubt about that. If he left now or after this season is over, he will leave the club in the best state it has been since SAF retired. By a good margine. All the three other managers we've had left the club and squad in shambles. Ole has done almost everything i wanted him to do. Get rid of useless players, add quality players and get our club to look like we have been used to for the last 20-30 years. All that remains is the last step, and it is this step people doubt OGS has what it takes. Myself included, i have to admit. Anyway, he will not be fired this season, so lets see.. No matter what he will have left the club in a better state then when he signed.
The 'United Way' is just a catchphrase at this point, currently being used to give longevity to a failing manager and coaching setup.
The only really tangible of the United way is the history of academy players being in the squad and giving youth a chance, something Greenwood aside as he is exceptional and would get a chance at any club hasn't been happening under Ole.
The elements of playing attacking entertaining football haven't been happening either, a lot is said about it by the powers that be. But unless we can play Leeds every week it doesn't happen.
The only really tangible of the United way is the history of academy players being in the squad and giving youth a chance, something Greenwood aside as he is exceptional and would get a chance at any club hasn't been happening under Ole.
The elements of playing attacking entertaining football haven't been happening either, a lot is said about it by the powers that be. But unless we can play Leeds every week it doesn't happen.
For me, one is the last gasp goals.
It obviously happens to everyone but United did that great.
Playing the United way isn't as feasible anymore in part because almost every other team now has their own way. Technology and data is at such a level that every team in the league can use scientific data to prepare for every eventuality, so when they come against us, it's a little bit easier to stop us from playing "The United way". I have no doubt that the team ethos is to play attacking football on the front foot as often as possible, but teams are just so well organized now that it's only natural that plan B and C needs to be utilized.
One thing that was part of the way we used to do things was that we were very difficult to counter attack against, because the midfield and defence worked as one unit. We don't have that at the moment in part due to tactics but also player ability.
One thing that was part of the way we used to do things was that we were very difficult to counter attack against, because the midfield and defence worked as one unit. We don't have that at the moment in part due to tactics but also player ability.
Yep, we must remain the United way, it's why we ae so loved by so many, I agree we aren't probably playing the way we want, but it is a much bigger picture, amazing youth numbers, legends who stay with the club forever eg Rio and the like, the theatre of Dreams.
We can be a League 1 team playing the United Way.
We can be a mid-table team playing the United Way.
United Way doesn't mean success on the pitch. It's set of principles and values that the club should always work towards. When we hire a manager or a director of football they should embody these values that you described.
But these values alone aren't enough. The manager has to be competent too and it should also allow the manager to bring his uniqueness and identity with him. Ask yourself, does someone like Klopp embody the United Way? Hell yeah? A manager doesn't have to be an ex-player or someone trying to be a Sir Alex clone.
United way should 100% be mandatory requirement, but it should also come with competence. Ole embodies many aspects of the United Way but he doesn't have the competence. Jose and Louis Van Gall had the competence but they didn't fully embody the United Way. Moyes had neither the United Way nor the competence.
The problem has been that we have had managers that have one or the other.
We need our next manager to embody the United Way + be competent and bring their own personality.
We shouldn’t need to as we are the leaders and dominated football in recent history. It’s all the other teams that has had to change there ways to catch us. What we have to do is get back to business, we’ve got far to much to talk about which is just as much to blame. The United way as a fan should he who scored our best goal or who’s the fastest player we’ve got, instead we’re talking about things that we as United fans can’t fix!
A very good post, that the " United Way", is indeed a set of principles and values by which the owners, and all club employees should work towards. I believe this is what Sir Matt meant when he said, " At Manchester United we strive for perfection and if we fail we might just have to settle for excellence".
United Way probably means to entertain the crowd. Sir Matt did say 'The people over there work hard all week long and it is your job to go out on the field and provide them with some entertainment'.
No, mr Wolvored, it’s not time for going for The Wolvo Way, nice try.
The United way is nothing more than an insurance policy for Ole to keep his job when results go south
The United way is no different to the way many other clubs operate. We simply have a selection of fans who arrogantly throw the term about to show that other clubs are beneath us, and by talking about this supposed United way, it makes you a better fan because you understand the "culture" or "DNA" of the club. No, you simply know the history.
What set us apart from other clubs during our successful periods of time, was having a manager and players who instilled a winning mentality for prolonged periods of time. If the United way means anything at all its giving your all to win and be successful. That mentality seems to have left the club when Sir Alex retired.
What set us apart from other clubs during our successful periods of time, was having a manager and players who instilled a winning mentality for prolonged periods of time. If the United way means anything at all its giving your all to win and be successful. That mentality seems to have left the club when Sir Alex retired.
Van Gaal made me hate football. His teams literally had me sleeping. Sir Matt would've been turning in his grave.
Ooh why not spiteful
No.
This is the way I see it as well and can we honestly say the managers since SAF have succeeded in getting bums off seats? Even Ole football is stilted and not really fluid compared to Klopp etc so for me blaming the United way doesn’t make sense when we haven’t really returned to our roots of all out attacking football. Our full backs aren’t even the most attacking and our midfield is more steel than silk...
Probably not. Ole's got the closest, I do think his teams have given fans more expectation. Even though we're not great to watch, we feel more like United. Don't you think?
You should tell Ajax fans that what they do is actually the United way. Would be a fun show. Lot of fuming and the name Johan Cruyff being screamed at you I imagine.
I don't know what the "United way" is anymore. The word has been used and abused so much that it has lost all meaning. Suffice to say we play no "United way" under Ole, no matter how much he talks about DNA and stuff. My only understanding of the "United way" is playing a fast, free flowing attacking football combined with winning. This is the legacy of Sir Busby and Sir Alex. Everything else is nonsense.
The United way is attacking football playing youth and seeing the team lifting a shiny thing on a semi regular basis
Its an old way of playing football, with a paper thin system. It's so far behind modern football.
And this is our biggest problem, it's closer to a slogan than any actual football depth or merit.
Just for my notes... You think your behaviour should be a template to all other peoples behaviour because you are the epitome of moral integrity and positive fan-hood?
I mean, come on. Posting such a text, how does that not make you look a little too full of yourself. About your advice for people to look for another club. I'd say just stop coming to the forum. All your troubles gone with one little decision.
Just for my notes... You think your behaviour should be a template to all other peoples behaviour because you are the epitome of moral integrity and positive fan-hood?
I mean, come on. Posting such a text, how does that not make you look a little too full of yourself. About your advice for people to look for another club. I'd say just stop coming to the forum. All your troubles gone with one little decision.
No not at all. Do your own thing sir, I don't even know you.
Will do. But on a genuine note: Do you understand my irritation? I mean, you state that you don't know me, I guess, that applies to 98% of all posters here, doesn't it? Still you felt the need to suggest that some posters should look for a different club to support. And you use yourself as an example of how to deal with the situation better - I am not trying to attack you here, I just want to know, if a part of you can understand, that such posts will only fuel the debate going on a more personal level?