5 years without a trophy - Further away than ever

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TheReligion

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Thats BS. None of the other top teams have spent as much as us bar City. We were just paying Cristiano 500k pw. Chelsea, Real, PSG, Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool, Athletico, have all managed to remain competitive without spending £250m each season. We are also not oil rich and you vastly overestimate our income vs outgoings. I doubt we even have £250m profit each year. How can you say they will not finannce a proper rebuild when we are the 2nd biggest spenders in the game? Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool fans must be laughing at the spoilt mindset of our chequebook fanbase. The issue has been that the owners have allowed inept people to finance the rebuild.
I’m sure Chelsea spent about 250m in Lampard era. I’d question how well they have been run in recent years. Certainly not as well as they were in the early days. Plenty of expensive flops.

I don’t disagree on the general point though
 

Stacks

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I’m sure Chelsea spent about 250m in Lampard era. I’d question how well they have been run in recent years. Certainly not as well as they were in the early days. Plenty of expensive flops.

I don’t disagree on the general point though
On further reflection I sort of agree with the poster. After such a bad season and many players leaving we should have a big spending window or we will just tread water. That said Ten Hag will at least get 2 summer windows
 

Son

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Could be the manager. He might just want overpriced ex Ajax players who aren't worth that level of investment. There has to be balance and we must have a variety of options to go for. I think Greenwood will come back at some point (not saying he should) and looks like Ronaldo is staying
Greenwood we never want back regardless. That would be awful.

If Garnacho blossoms he will save us money but we need to fill gaps in this squad. It’s as urgent as it will ever be if Ten Hag does well. Give him a head start.

Tbh though looking at our losses in recent seasons now we don’t exactly look like a club in amazing health the past 4 years. You are correct I thought we were making more than we are.

Our losses have been pretty consistent last 4 years which is a little alarming considering we still have a poor side.
 

Stacks

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Greenwood we never want back regardless. That would be awful.

If Garnacho blossoms he will save us money but we need to fill gaps in this squad. It’s as urgent as it will ever be if Ten Hag does well. Give him a head start.

Tbh though looking at our losses in recent seasons now we don’t exactly look like a club in amazing health the past 4 years. You are correct I thought we were making more than we are.

Our losses have been pretty consistent last 4 years which is a little alarming considering we still have a poor side.
We may be in a period of treading water like Arsenal unless Ten Hag is a miracle man
 

Azhar88

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The next few days are absolutely vital for Manchester United and whether or not this thread lasts a few more months or sadly, a few more years.

The manager has to really stamp his authority, so the players know he is not to be messed with.

He can do this in one quite simple way (although the issues behind the scenes will be immense). Christiano Ronaldo should not be playing or even on the bench on Sunday, the first proper game of Erik Ten Hags reign.

People might say..... oh we need him, we are light up front etc. etc. But my argument is this: after all the hassle about wanting to leave; not going on the tour - tweeting confidential team selection info. prior to Sundays game and so on, that if he does play, others will think ETH is weak and as soon as there are any tricky results further into the season (hopefully not this first match) they will start to cause trouble for him.

So ETHs first team selection for United must be this, or close to this:

DeGea, Lindelof, Maguire, Fernandes, Martial, Rashford, Malacia, Eriksen, Dalot, Elanga and McTominay (Subs: Heaton, Kovar, Telles, Laird, Martinez, Fred, Garner, Pellestri and VDB) it will indicate that the new manager, Erik Ten Hag, is in charge.

If Ronaldo plays (or is on the bench) I will be concerned. Concerned that Ronaldo has been throwing his weight around "the King must play" and all that rubbish.

Even worse, if Ronaldo does play on Sunday - especially from the start, it might even indicate that he has been given promises by the Robson/Gill/Ferguson consulting team. This would totally undermine the authority of ETH and if I were him, if I came under any pressure to pick a team that was not 100% my choice, I'd just say this: its him (ronaldo) or me.

That won't happen of course, because to give that ultimatum risks everything and we know from recent history that nobody voluntarily walks away from the Manchester United job. If you do, you get a card and a cake. If you get the sack you get a card and a cake and about £8 million pounds.

The teamsheet vs Brighton is the most important one for the last five years - if Ronaldo plays I reckon ETH will have a difficult 18 months where he is fighting with the dressing room and meddling from the people above him in the hierarchy. There will be mediocre results (especially against top-six type teams) and the sack around Jan/Feb 2024. But if he puts his foot down and leaves Ronaldo out of it completely, I have hopes it might be the start of a renaissance at United, he will be our Jürgen Klopp and the cups and titles will follow.
 

Azhar88

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So here we go, Premier League starts today (albeit a TV game tonight C. Palace vs Arsenal) but this weekend it is what we've been waiting for.

Good luck Manchester United and Good Luck to all fantasy football players too.
 

laughtersassassin

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Well that's brilliant. The obviously fake I'm happy with the squad is being used already.

Say I'll be upping this title to Six Years soon enough


 

Siorac

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Well that's brilliant. The obviously fake I'm happy with the squad is being used already.

Say I'll be upping this title to Six Years soon enough

I'm as pessimistic about our transfer window as it gets but that's a nothing comment. No manager is going to say that we are definitely signing more players or that we're fecked if we don't get bodies in, even if he's actually panicking behind the scenes.

I do expect that we are done, simply because we are barely linked with anyone but I expect Ten Hag would say this even if we were on the verge of sealing some deals.
 

Ayush_reddevil

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United are 40/1 to win the league and I would say it should be 400/1. This is without doubt the furthest away we have been
 

Tom Van Persie

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So here we go, Premier League starts today (albeit a TV game tonight C. Palace vs Arsenal) but this weekend it is what we've been waiting for.

Good luck Manchester United and Good Luck to all fantasy football players too.
Are you going to be randomly bumping this thread throughout the season again? ;)
 

Azhar88

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Are you going to be randomly bumping this thread throughout the season again? ;)
Well I’m not, but when we drop out of cups or the league title race I expect it might be discussed here.

Starting today, because we ain’t winning the league with this lot. They are strolling around as usual, Ronaldo on the bench looking grumpy - as usual.

He should have been left out of the squad and the players might realise this manager isn’t to be messed with and then they might be 2:0 up not 0:2 down 45 mins into the first funkin game of the season.
 

Ayoba

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Make it 6. This shower of cnuts ain't winning anything
 

Tom Van Persie

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Well I’m not, but when we drop out of cups or the league title race I expect it might be discussed here.

Starting today, because we ain’t winning the league with this lot. They are strolling around as usual, Ronaldo on the bench looking grumpy - as usual.

He should have been left out of the squad and the players might realise this manager isn’t to be messed with and then they might be 2:0 up not 0:2 down 45 mins into the first funkin game of the season.
Thought you were a Huddersfield fan? :lol:
 

Azhar88

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Normally a big club plays their most experienced players in the Premier League and uses the Carabou Cup and increasingly the FA Cup to try out new up and coming players or give the second goalie some game time.

Could an argument be made that this season Manchester United switches that around. Save the older players for a Cup run (specifically the Europa League) and try out new players, new formations and new ideas in the League.

Let me explain my thinking: we can't play a core of say 15 players in 60 games, so it does make sense to have a League 11 and a Cup 11.

Are the current 1st eleven favourites for a top-4 place: not with any bookies I have looked at online and they usually know. Winning the Europa Cup is our best chance of a quick return to the Champions League and a success in one of the other cups too, would be much appreciated and a confidence boost.

Meanwhile, using the younger players primarily in the League would give them a chance to become part of next years best-11 which could target a top-5 place (top five gain entry into the CL from next year I think).
 

Azhar88

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Got to win on Saturday, can't be 6 points off the lead the early in the season, although I am confident we will beat Liverpool who seem to be unprepared for the new season.
 

Tigersam

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Got to win on Saturday, can't be 6 points off the lead the early in the season, although I am confident we will beat Liverpool who seem to be unprepared for the new season.
Well I hope you put some money on that and Napoli too!

Best of luck to Manchester United in Europe this week, probably the top chance of winning something in 2022/23 - Haaland City not being in this competition.

Bookmakers (corals) has Arsenal as favourites at 5.5/1 but Man Utd. @ 6/1 so pretty much the same and you just beat us so I don't know how they worked that out, have you got a tougher qualifying group or something?

I suppose a Man United vs Arsenal final would be nice and red shirts to win?!!!!
 

Tigersam

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Would it not be possible to cancel the Carabou Cup for just this one year, because of fixture congestion?

There is a precedence for this - didn't Manchester United withdraw from the FA Cup (whilst holders) around 2000? due to fixture congestion?
 

Rauður Djöfull

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Would it not be possible to cancel the Carabou Cup for just this one year, because of fixture congestion?

There is a precedence for this - didn't Manchester United withdraw from the FA Cup (whilst holders) around 2000? due to fixture congestion?
Not all team have World Cup players in their squad, seems unfair we rob them of their opportunity to compete, surely Utd for example could just play entirely youth to give them some experience without pressure
 

Tyrion

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Would it not be possible to cancel the Carabou Cup for just this one year, because of fixture congestion?

There is a precedence for this - didn't Manchester United withdraw from the FA Cup (whilst holders) around 2000? due to fixture congestion?
Honestly I think there's an argument that the top 6 shouldn't be allowed in the league Cup. There should be the possibility of a trophy for Premier league teams that aren't the top 6, it's extra games for teams in European football and its the least prestigious domestic trophy.

Iirc, United withdrew because they were in the World Club Cup.
 

Loon

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Would it not be possible to cancel the Carabou Cup for just this one year, because of fixture congestion?

There is a precedence for this - didn't Manchester United withdraw from the FA Cup (whilst holders) around 2000? due to fixture congestion?
and, quelle suprise, got untold amounts of shit and bad faith for it.
 

Tigersam

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Honestly I think there's an argument that the top 6 shouldn't be allowed in the league Cup. There should be the possibility of a trophy for Premier league teams that aren't the top 6, it's extra games for teams in European football and its the least prestigious domestic trophy.

Iirc, United withdrew because they were in the World Club Cup.
That is an excellent idea, I totally agree.

and, quelle suprise, got untold amounts of shit and bad faith for it.
Rightly so, to be fair. Man United should have played the FA Cup in 2000 and the youth players if required due to that Club World Cup thing. It demeaned the tournament that they didn't - I can't remember who did win it that year, but I guess they did so thinking: well we might not have if MUFC had been in it. When I was a kid the FA Cup final was the biggest thing of all. Now it is regarded as slightly better than the League Cup (Carabou) and I blame Man Utd. for that and the TV companies. P.S. It should be the last game of the season & on a Saturday at 3pm. But the way things are going this year that would be mid-June 23!
 

Loon

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That is an excellent idea, I totally agree.



Rightly so, to be fair. Man United should have played the FA Cup in 2000 and the youth players if required due to that Club World Cup thing. It demeaned the tournament that they didn't - I can't remember who did win it that year, but I guess they did so thinking: well we might not have if MUFC had been in it. When I was a kid the FA Cup final was the biggest thing of all. Now it is regarded as slightly better than the League Cup (Carabou) and I blame Man Utd. for that and the TV companies. P.S. It should be the last game of the season & on a Saturday at 3pm. But the way things are going this year that would be mid-June 23!
It was actually the British government and the FA frightened of damaging their World Cup bid who forced United into it because they wanted them in the World Club Cup tournament. That gets conveniently forgotten by those who say United killed the FA Cup.
 

Remember the geese

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Would it not be possible to cancel the Carabou Cup for just this one year, because of fixture congestion?

There is a precedence for this - didn't Manchester United withdraw from the FA Cup (whilst holders) around 2000? due to fixture congestion?
It wasn't our choice. We were forced to pull out by the FA and the British government. We were their golden goose and they needed us to represent the country in the World Club Cup. They were concerned that their precious 2006 World Cup bid would be in tatters otherwise.
 

Tarrou

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I think the FA cup died mainly due to a shift in focus from all the top teams towards UCL qualification over the domestic cup competitions..

never understood why United couldn't field a reserve team though, I mean it's not far off what Fergie was doing anyway at that point
 

liman

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I don't care even if it's carabao cup ( Pep literally statpadding his CV with it ) we have to end this drought ASAP before it getting embarrassing.
 

Tigersam

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It wasn't our choice. We were forced to pull out by the FA and the British government. We were their golden goose and they needed us to represent the country in the World Club Cup. They were concerned that their precious 2006 World Cup bid would be in tatters otherwise.
I did not know that, I apologise for my previuous post.
 

wolvored

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Honestly I think there's an argument that the top 6 shouldn't be allowed in the league Cup. There should be the possibility of a trophy for Premier league teams that aren't the top 6, it's extra games for teams in European football and its the least prestigious domestic trophy.

Iirc, United withdrew because they were in the World Club Cup.
I dont agree with that. Hypothetically you could be a team that 2 out of 3 years finish 5th or 6th, but not good enough to win a european trophy and denied a chance in the league cup as well.
 

Tyrion

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I dont agree with that. Hypothetically you could be a team that 2 out of 3 years finish 5th or 6th, but not good enough to win a european trophy and denied a chance in the league cup as well.
Is the league Cup any harder than the Europa league or conference league?
 

wolvored

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Is the league Cup any harder than the Europa league or conference league?
Probably not, but why penalise a team by not offering them the chance to compete. Unless you changed the rules to make the competition voluntary for teams in Europe, then it would be up to the individual team to decide to play in that years competition, or not.
 

Tyrion

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Probably not, but why penalise a team by not offering them the chance to compete. Unless you changed the rules to make the competition voluntary for teams in Europe, then it would be up to the individual team to decide to play in that years competition, or not.
We can't compete in the Johnstons Paint Trophy.

Edit: Apparently it's the Papa John's trophy now. I'm old.
 

Tigersam

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I totally understand the reasons for it, but it is so tricky that Mnachester United (and other teams) got up and running and then have basically had a month off.

It has not been a good thing.

The Queen I respect, but did we also have to have a international break too?
 

Tigersam

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Barcelona now in the Europa League - it is getting as if winning the CL is easier then the lesser valued trophy.
 
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