Anyone else feeling disconnected from this current Man United?

[ZAGREB RED]

Hard to watch a team full of international players looking like a pub team at times, yesterday at Brighton was a monumental example. If the team goes out and gives their all and loses to a better team on the day, so be it. But players strolling around, occasionally breaking into a jog and looking disinterested just isn't on, at any level of football but playing for Man United the jerseys shouldn't shrink to fit second or third rate players. That display was shambolic and a downright disgrace, and that is being euphemistic.
Imagine what City or Liverpool would have done to that team yesterday.
Something has to change, and soon. Top 4 will be a struggle at this rate, I am already wondering what Spurs might do at OT next Monday.
As for all the social media stuff, you need to be doing it out on the pitch to get away with that.

 

[Kostov]

Never under any United teams (not even LVG or Moyes) have I found myself spending 2/3 of the game on my phone surfing the web for various stuff. I make online purchases and browse for articles during United games now whereas I couldn't bear being disturbed.

Under Fergie and until the beginning of LVG reign, I had a rule that my phone stays away during matches, I didn't want to get distracted. Now I have i find myself using it during matches, which was unacceptable before.

 

[kouroux]

Under Fergie and until the beginning of LVG reign, I had a rule that my phone stays away during matches, I didn't want to get distracted. Now I have i find myself using it during matches, which was unacceptable before.

I would only use it for the caf and a few posts per match but now it's like the football game has become like a radio show and the real show is in the matchday thread

 

[Green_Red]

I feel more disconnected from a certain group of "supporters" than I ever will from United regardless of how many games they lose.

 

[FcUnitedRed]

A lot of the players don't care about the club? Quite possibly, given how much abusive shit some of them get from their own fans on social media these days maybe they find it hard to care about the lifeblood of clubs, the fans. The manager doesn't care about the club either though, lets not pretend he does. Mourinho has fostered such a negative atmosphere with between throwing players under the bus, the press conferences over the summer and the style of football over the last 2 seasons, and it's bleeding through.

I think that the vast majority of players are mercenaries, gone are the days where players actually wanted to come to us and had high hopes of progressing as a player and winning things.

It's all about the money and not enough about the football. All their thinking about is social media, lucrative sponsorship/bonuses and picking up the next paycheck (not that they need/deserve it) after yesterdays woeful performance.

Going back to your comment, if i were a player and was getting grief on social media, yes i'd be upset that i played so badly and would think "right i'll try my damnedest to show them in the next game what i can do".

When current players are picking up anywhere between £100 - £400k a week i don't care what anybody say's, They deserve to get stick from the fans!!. Unfortunately some players are sensitive snowflakes who can't take criticism they rightly deserve.

 

[André Dominguez]

This is going to be another long long season...

 

[Vidyoyo]

I don't care that we lost to Brighton but we're boring and I have better things to do with my time. Yesterday I didn't start watching until the second half. I went to make dinner halfway through the Leicester game. Missed nothing good both times.

 

[RedorDead21]

This is going to be another long long season...

We love long long seasons we all moan in the off season anyway

 

[Massive Spanner]

Not really. I still look forward to game's and season's. I still actively look to watch Utd at the weekend despite having far less time to do so as I get older. I end up frustrated and disappointed at games and performances far more than I used to do but then I tend to forget about it the next day and look forward to the next match again.

Obviously it's a bit shit to watch us be so poor and frustrating and full of unnecessary drama over the last few years but I was pretty spoilt growing up with Fergie so it's interesting to experience something difference for a change.

 

[Hiren Gor]

The problem is we still remember the Fergie years, most of us grew up watching amazing football and now we realise how lucky we were

I was told by an older fan that Utd were a cup team before Fergie

 

[Rory 7]

A thread that epitomises the saying 'an oldie but a goodie', that I'm bumping because honestly I feel hatred when I think about what Man Utd is becoming.

When you think about how few players actually went over to our travelling support yesterday, you can tell that most of our players couldn't give a damn about our club. Yet they expect to be worshipped by the manager, the fans and everyone in between. They haven't achieved anything really, besides a Europa League, yet they behave like the sun shines out of them. Downing tools if they don't get the adoration they think they deserve.

We have had far less talented squads than this one but would I trust any of these players over a Rafael Da Silva? Never. They've not got half the heart of a Da Silva twin.

They're more interested in their brands and their personal agendas than they are with the fans. None of them deserve our support. I'm honestly disgusted by them.

Lou Macari said it best last night:

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Sad times...

Sums things up for me too. Very hard to support them, truly support them, they are just not that likeable.

 

[#07]

Meh. I think United fans just hate supporting a team that isn’t good any more. A hatred that gets projected on the players.

I doubt the City fans give two fecks about the flash cars and tweets from their players. Nor would we if our team was as good as theirs.

I’m definitely working on caring less about results. It’s easier that way. But I’m not gonna pretend modern football is the problem. I just need to adjust to supporting a team that’s a tier below the best around. Just like the vast majority of football fans. The first step is realising how insanely spoiled I was for such a long period of time.

Its more the way the culture of the club has changed.

Personally, I would be fine with us playing the way we played the FA Cup semi final every week. We got our goals and then relied on being tough to break down. Not the prettiest football, nothing you'd put up next to what Pep's doing, but showed a unity of effort that has become very rare for us.

The current state of the club is alien to me. We have press, pundits and many fans basically saying player power is a good thing cos Mourinho's football isn't pretty enough. Saying we should side with players who haven't done anything worth speaking of really, just because they might get better under a new manager.

The manager is no longer the most important man at the club, like it was under Fergie. Players openly down tools under successive managers, have their 'camps' running to the media to complain, briefing left, right and centre. I don't give a monkey's about what they do on social media. I actually love seeing the way Lingard gives back to the kids and stuff around town.

I might be one eyed about this kina stuff but, to me, Pogba basically laughed when the interviewer asked what Jose had said at half time and full time. I don't think I've ever seen that reaction from a United player to any United manager. There were moments under Moyes where it got close. This was our captain seemingly laughing at the manager though. That's a million miles off what we have been.

 

[devil in me]

Never under any United teams (not even LVG or Moyes) have I found myself spending 2/3 of the game on my phone surfing the web for various stuff. I make online purchases and browse for articles during United games now whereas I couldn't bear being disturbed.

Exactly what I was thinking yesterday...found myself on my phone barely watching the last half hour, and thats not something thats ever happened before.

 

[ThierryHenry]

Meh. I think United fans just hate supporting a team that isn’t good any more. A hatred that gets projected on the players.

I doubt the City fans give two fecks about the flash cars and tweets from their players. Nor would we if our team was as good as theirs.

I’m definitely working on caring less about results. It’s easier that way. But I’m not gonna pretend modern football is the problem. I just need to adjust to supporting a team that’s a tier below the best around. Just like the vast majority of football fans. The first step is realising how insanely spoiled I was for such a long period of time.

Correct.

 

[JG3001]

Still watch games but I find it’s on the background whilst doing other stuff rather than being glued for 90 mins. Same happened under LVG, win lose or draw, there’s little excitement and I (anyone for that matter) can probably find more interesting things to do in that weekend slot.

It amazes me reading through these forums, comments on instagram, newspapers etc that the board can still be so oblivious to it all. The commercial cash cow won’t last forever under these circumstances. 6 years of mind numbing football, the lack of forward planning after Ferguson is shambolic. If we’re not going to compete for the main trophies, considering the size/supposed finances, I don’t think it’s too much to expect entertainment

 

[Green_Red]

Its more the way the culture of the club has changed.

Personally, I would be fine with us playing the way we played the FA Cup semi final every week. We got our goals and then relied on being tough to break down. Not the prettiest football, nothing you'd put up next to what Pep's doing, but showed a unity of effort that has become very rare for us.

The current state of the club is alien to me. We have press, pundits and many fans basically saying player power is a good thing cos Mourinho's football isn't pretty enough. Saying we should side with players who haven't done anything worth speaking of really, just because they might get better under a new manager.

The manager is no longer the most important man at the club, like it was under Fergie. Players openly down tools under successive managers, have their 'camps' running to the media to complain, briefing left, right and centre. I don't give a monkey's about what they do on social media. I actually love seeing the way Lingard gives back to the kids and stuff around town.

I might be one eyed about this kina stuff but, to me, Pogba basically laughed when the interviewer asked what Jose had said at half time and full time. I don't think I've ever seen that reaction from a United player to any United manager. There were moments under Moyes where it got close. This was our captain seemingly laughing at the manager though. That's a million miles off what we have been.

Im sorry man Im calling you out on that, youve basically taken that completely out of context. He laughed because over the last couple of weeks the media has completely blown all comments from Pogba out of proportion and he was clearly trying to dodge puttinf himself into that position.

 

[Ventura]

I have to whip myself into watching the games now. Will probably skip games this season.

 

[Spark]

Weirdly glad we've gone through the shock of being utter dogshit in game 2, rather than last year's run of games where we played relatively poorly and then scored 4 in the last 10 minutes, only to be found out in October.

Spurs next week. Hopefully the team is sufficiently depressed and fired up to turn this disgusting state of inertia around. If not, we are truly fecked and can write this season off in August, because I promise you, City and Liverpool, coupled with a fired up Chelsea under Sarri, will not be as complacent.

 

[ZAGREB RED]

Its more the way the culture of the club has changed.

Personally, I would be fine with us playing the way we played the FA Cup semi final every week. We got our goals and then relied on being tough to break down. Not the prettiest football, nothing you'd put up next to what Pep's doing, but showed a unity of effort that has become very rare for us.

The current state of the club is alien to me. We have press, pundits and many fans basically saying player power is a good thing cos Mourinho's football isn't pretty enough. Saying we should side with players who haven't done anything worth speaking of really, just because they might get better under a new manager.

The manager is no longer the most important man at the club, like it was under Fergie. Players openly down tools under successive managers, have their 'camps' running to the media to complain, briefing left, right and centre. I don't give a monkey's about what they do on social media. I actually love seeing the way Lingard gives back to the kids and stuff around town.

I might be one eyed about this kina stuff but, to me, Pogba basically laughed when the interviewer asked what Jose had said at half time and full time. I don't think I've ever seen that reaction from a United player to any United manager. There were moments under Moyes where it got close. This was our captain seemingly laughing at the manager though. That's a million miles off what we have been.

That plus saying he couldn't say what he really wanted to fear of being fined recently, but can you imagine any United player laughing at the thought of Fergie's team talk ? Something is rotten at OT just now, but whether it is down to Mourinho, the players or a bit both it's hard to tell.

 

[Kostov]

I would only use it for the caf and a few posts per match but now it's like the football game has become like a radio show and the real show is in the matchday thread

I do scroll through the thread, but feel guilt to enjoy my fellow supporters in civil war. For me personally it's strange, I still wait for the game the whole week, and can not wait for the match to begin, but this players are a strange bunch. Maybe I'm too romantic but, it irritates me watching average players like Lingard acting the part, while the true world class players like B. Silva/Salah/Hazard go about their business without the fuss and the stupid hashtags.

 

[Minimalist]

People have mentioned the players being mercenaries. We literally have the definition of a mercenary as our manager. It’s hard to look beyond him if we’re going down that route.

We do have a habit of paying stupid wages for players that aren’t worth it though.

 

[André Dominguez]

We love long long seasons we all moan in the off season anyway

Ehehe so true. We'll always complain nonetheless. I think we were all expecting another off season. All our rivals got big guns and we stayed quiet in the market, but if we did hired some players we would have a 30 overpaid man squad now. I Kinda understand the board position.

 

[Canagel]

I feel sorry for our fans. Everytime I think about our current state I get angry. I just console myself with the fact that there are more important things in life than football.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I see what you’re saying but should you need to adjust? We are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I think the fans should hold the club up to that and not let expectations fall. We belong at the top table and it’s about time the club started getting a fecking grip and stop embarrassing themselves.

We finished second last season. That's very much at the top table.

We're miles short of City and I reckon Liverpool will also do better than us this season too. I think we'll be there or thereabouts with Chelsea and Spurs, so it's not as though we've suddenly become a mid-table team. All the big clubs are spending loads of money these days. We've no god-given right to constantly be more successful than they are. Only Spurs are punching above their weight, financially, but they've won feck all.

I just think that every fan - at every club - goes into the season with a certain set of hopes and expectations and the vast majority end up being disappointed. I reckon the majority finish the season hoping for managerial change too. If not the majority, a large minority. United fans are unique in having such a lengthy spell where we could have incredible hopes and expectations more or less met, year after year after year. Now we have to put up with suffering the same shit that most other fans go through we're seeing threads about falling out of love with the club - and/or with football in general - and how we hate the players because they post on Instagram after a defeat (instead of, presumably, being paraded through the streets ringing a bell while we all chant "Shame" Shame!") It comes across as incredibly spoiled tbh.

To be clear, none of this is a defence of Mourinho. Just an observation on United fans. The ones we see on redcafe anyway.

EDIT: see below for a good example of what I'm on about

 

[TrueRed79]

Can't stand the modern footballer. Can't stand the current Utd squad. Can't stand our current owners. Can't stand the modern press. Can't stand the modern fan base. Thank god i love rugby more than football these days. Many of my friends have turned their backs on following football and i can't blame them. As soon as Fergie retired it all went to shit. How can you love anything about the way Utd are run theses days. When your captain comes out and says stuff like he did yesterday, you can say football is well and truly dead.

 

[99withaflake]

Stayed up until 4am to watch that shit.

Been feeling sick all day at work due to lack of sleep, stomach has been all over the place, eyes are sore, but I could kinda accept defeat if the team put in 100%.

They didn’t. It was unacceptable.

Very hard to feel connected when most of the players deep down aren’t passionate about the club. Some are, most aren’t.

 

[C3Pique]

I thought this season would be different and intended to watch every minute of all of our games. But I switched off as soon as the second Brighton goal looked like it was going in, didn't even wait for it to hit the net.

We never looked like we were in the game before and I knew we had no chance of getting back in it. Went from anger to apathy quicker than if I watched the whole game.

 

[Ace of Spades]

I don't have a problem with the players posting on social media and whatnot. This is the new reality, and it is not going away anytime soon, if at all.

The problem I have with the cuurent United side (ever since SAF left really), is that there is no excitement, no optimism about watching the team play. I think if the team was playing some good, attacking football, then there would be a lot more positivity around the fans. The least that should be expected from any United side is that we play good football and the fans are entertained. I keep expecting us to play more positive football, but it's just more of the same crap again and again.

 

[ZupZup]

I came across Lingard's Insta post of yesterday, thanking the fans about travelling and a hashtag of Jlingz in there. And I think what the feck man? He was absolutely horrendous when he came on, completely useless, like everybody else in that attack mind you. But why bother posting? Go and hide somewhere you spineless gits.

In fairness to Jesse, and I was at the match yesterday... he walked over to the our end after the final whistle and apologised to the fans. Both he and Rashford did... he was gutted. He then gave his shirt to a young red before heading back to the dressing room. He may have a fondness for social media, but at least he understands what it means to play for this club which is more than I could say for many others in a red shirt.

 

[humdinger]

Maybe a little but the fun has certainly gone following us. Yes winning a trophy in May is great for that 90mins and few days after if you do it but I want to have fun along the way in Aug, Sept, Oct etc etc not bore the world to death in the hope it leads to something in May. It's shit not going for the throat of half the rubbish in this league. It's shit not creating one chance in the second half when trailing v a squad who cost about as much as Pogba. It's shit letting Leicester come to OT and pin us in our own half for 60mins. I don't like this manager, his personality or style and never have, he was never the right fit and never will be. I just want a team that's fun again, not even asking for trophies, though obviously with our budget you'd expect us to compete for them at least but mainly I just want the fun brought back and a connection with the players again.

sums up my thoughts too.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Feeling more and more disconnected with this current United side...

I was a big fan of Mourinho, and I don't dislike him now - but we hang on to managers for too long after it's clear their individual cycle is done.

Because of having SAF for so long, to many people 2 seasons seems like too short a period to keep a manager - but for a manager like Mourinho, that's pretty much the cycle.

The decision to not back him, or sack him is utterly ridiculous - then it emerges as soon as the window closes Zidane wants the job, and it's infuriating.

We could, and should be going into this season with a new, exciting manager (Zidane), who was backed during the Summer, and there would be a feeling of excitement and rejuvenation around the club - instead, we've got this crap, dull feeling throughout the whole club.

I genuinely think that as a fanbase we're way too low and soft in our expectations - this is laughable from Woodward, as was the decision to appoint Woodward in the first place, as was the decision to appoint Moyes, as was the decision of keeping LvG for another season...

It's these decisions (not all made by Woodward) that show, clearly, that our club is being run by people who consistently make idiotic footballing decisions.

Not just bad decisions, but genuine, bonafide, idiotic decisions.

I've been a fan of United since around 86/87, and like the last season under LvG, I'm finding my interest in the current side very low.

What is there to enjoy? What is there to be excited about? What am I supposed to be directing my fandom towards exactly?

Of course I want the team to do well, but I'm not an idiot, I've been watching football for decades and this is so obviously a broken situation...

We all know that this will be Mouinho's last season here. City or Liverpool will win the PL, and Woodward is directly responsible for it.

It's like choosing to watch a depressing soap opera (something which I loathe), and it fecking annoys me.

Fantasy Football brings me more joy and/or excitement than this current Utd does! And if others were totally honest, I bet I'm not alone in that.

We shouldn't accept a fecking ad man as a CEO, we shouldn't accept this crap football, we shouldn't accept not backing or sacking a manager.

We should expect better.

 

[suhaylah]

Stayed up until 4am to watch that shit.

Been feeling sick all day at work due to lack of sleep, stomach has been all over the place, eyes are sore, but I could kinda accept defeat if the team put in 100%.

They didn’t. It was unacceptable.

Very hard to feel connected when most of the players deep down aren’t passionate about the club. Some are, most aren’t.

Feel sorry for you, really. I no longer watch Man United play when they are playing late during week days, though i watched our first match on friday.

 

[MUFC OK]

I do slightly from the team, but more so from our fanbase who have shown themselves up in recent months and years to be some of the most self entitled, impatient, short memoried, spoilt, revisionists that have ever comprised a fanbase. We've held ourselves to be better than the likes of Chelsea and Real fans, on the majority we are not. The state of this place speaks volumes. Those who actively go out of their way to praise City and Liverpool are the worst, it's just not the done thing imo. time to back the manager and the team, those who can't so that should defect to Salford City or worse..

 

[Yorkeontop]

I'm just tired of the way professional sport has bastardised the United way. Winning at all costs doesn't appeal to me (maybe the odd CL I'd make an exception for). I'd love to see an approach like LVG had where academic players got opportunities in case of injuries to the squad. A hark back to the quick, penetrative football that had the French press calling us le diables rouges would be awesome. I know I'm being a romantic but its not like these things would derail the club.

 

[VP]

I do slightly from the team, but more so from our fanbase who have shown themselves up in recent months and years to be some of the most self entitled, impatient, short memoried, spoilt, revisionists that have ever comprised a fanbase. We've held ourselves to be better than the likes of Chelsea and Real fans, on the majority we are not. The state of this place speaks volumes. Those who actively go out of their way to praise City and Liverpool are the worst, it's just not the done thing imo. time to back the manager and the team, those who can't so that should defect to Salford City or worse..

If anything, the problem is our fans are too patient. I can't imagine any other set of fans singing the manager's name, like ours have, after enduring the shit Mourinho puts us through.

 

[Woziak]

Many fans have a disconnect with this team but we still put ourselves through it week after week, true fans will always support their club through good and bad. The problem is most of what Jose says is true;

• He inherited an unhappy squad probably because they lost their 25% champions league bonus for only the second time in a 4 or 5 years.
• The Squad was imbalanced due to LVG ridiculous recruitment
• Many of our players came back late due to world cup success
• Our under 23 players have just been relegated and our best young players are in the under 19 group and not quite ready!
• His team coming second might actually have been one of his best performances of his managerial career.

But with his toxic comments and his constant negativity he has caused the discord between the team and the fans, from the atmosphere at Old Trafford not being right to his one man demolition of Luke Shaw in the media and public eye. United Fans are also at fault as we've changed, still thinking that the PL is our entitlement, listening to his every word and then on some sites even suggesting that our black players are at fault, what could be more ridiculous than that statement which simply has no place in modern football discussions.
So yes, I have like many of you, currently a disconnect with the club and maybe we need to make a change, not for changes sake but because Sir Bobby warned us of what you get when recruiting Jose Mourinho, initial success, then unravelling and finally fan turning on fan and fan turning on club. Jose talked about class but how much has he really shown by airing the club's dirty Laundry in public. It' time for a change and time for the fans to reconnect with the club.

 

[Kostov]

In fairness to Jesse, and I was at the match yesterday... he walked over to the our end after the final whistle and apologised to the fans. Both he and Rashford did... he was gutted. He then gave his shirt to a young red before heading back to the dressing room. He may have a fondness for social media, but at least he understands what it means to play for this club which is more than I could say for many others in a red shirt.

Oh come on. He understands what being a United player means yet doesn't forget to put his nickname/hashtag at the end. If he truly did that, he would have been ashamed to post on social media, seeking attention. It was disgraceful, and he was dreadful, apart from running he brought nothing in those 45 minutes of ''football''. If him and Pogba had any self awareness, they would have shut the feck up and go repay the fans like they should do, on the pitch, like the superstars they pretend to be.

 

[Wumminator]

I can't get the criticism of Jesse Lingard. Sure he posts on social media a lot but as someone else said he went over to the fans yesterday and gave his shirt out. After home games when I've been with younger relatives he will stay and sign a lot of autographs for the kids. The other day he put up a video of him on the way home from training and he stopped his car and had a kick about with the kids. You can tell that for him it hurts when we lose. He's exactly what I want more of.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Oh come on. He understands what being a United player means yet doesn't forget to put his nickname/hashtag at the end. If he truly did that, he would have been ashamed to post on social media, seeking attention. It was disgraceful, and he was dreadful, apart from running he brought nothing in those 45 minutes of ''football''. If him and Pogba had any self awareness, they would have shut the feck up and go repay the fans like they should do, on the pitch, like the superstars they pretend to be.

Just to be clear. You think it’s an either/or thing? Him posting stuff on social media somehow retrospectively makes the prior performance worse? Or him not playing well somehow means he isn’t allowed to use social media? Because the former seems improbable and the latter unworkable. Who defines exactly how well he needs to play before he’s allowed to post on Instagram?

 

[Attila]

Meh. I think United fans just hate supporting a team that isn’t good any more. A hatred that gets projected on the players.

I doubt the City fans give two fecks about the flash cars and tweets from their players. Nor would we if our team was as good as theirs.

I’m definitely working on caring less about results. It’s easier that way. But I’m not gonna pretend modern football is the problem. I just need to adjust to supporting a team that’s a tier below the best around. Just like the vast majority of football fans. The first step is realising how insanely spoiled I was for such a long period of time.

Spot on