Are you confident of success in the INEOS era?

[alexthelion]

For me, it all depends who they get rid of.

A bit worrying that there are murmurs they want Rashford to stay, he'd be top of my list of outgoings.

 

[midou]

I am not confident of success such as winning titles regularly, but I am confident we will not be a joke on the market and a meme source for crap overpaid Instagram footballers.

 

[Maticmaker]

If INEOS has 'a plan' which has been trialed and tested in their other businesses and sporting interests and the early appointments made seem to suggest they know what needs to be done, then there are reasons to be optimistic.

However the problems run deep, not just the Glazers remaining influence but also issues that developed over the last few years of SAF reign, e.g. notably the lack of succession planning for when one of the greatest eras in the clubs history came to an end.

We don't know how deep Sir Jim and INEOS will have to dig before they are confident the foundations are solid. Whilst images of a 'Wembley of the North' sound great for a new stadium, the reality is that will mean leaving OT and that will be very difficult for many United fans to swallow. Maybe its just a distraction, to keep the fans eyes off the playing side problems where millions of pounds are tied up in a group of players that in an ideal world less than 10-15 percent would be likely to remain; or in other words we have to move on large numbers of players and recruit at a much higher standard.

I don't know how long it will take to 'live the dream' but my guess is it will be a lot longer than most fans want to wait and will INEOS have the stomach for all that churn it will bring?

 

[RedIan]

Last year looked so promising.. We were expected to kick on this season… and have regressed so far And have been as bad as ever post Fergie. Injuries to key players have been a factor but it just underlined how weak the back up players are.

Its hard to see things changing in the next 2-3 years but i live in hope.

 

[Withnail]

It could take a few years but I don't think it'll be 5 and I'd rarely take anything Merson says seriously. Klopp will be gone next year and I don't think Pep will be at City much longer either which should be factored in.

However, even without that things could turn around quite quickly with a proper structure, 4 or 5 additions and the right manager.

 

[MadDogg]

I'm confident of improvement. How much improvement is a different question, but so far we seem to be making the right moves (Berrada and Ashworth).

It might also take a bit longer than most people want, as for the first couple of years we're still going to be handcuffed to some extent by the high transfer fees and wages that the previous administration was doling out.

 

[Telsim]

Looking at the difference today, 5 years might not be enough.

 

[James35]

I hate Merson but I’d agree with him we aren’t winning the league in the next 5 years.

 

[fergiewherearethou]

Well, at least we can only go up from here, or at least I hope so.

 

[Sandikan]

We'll improve. But at the moment it'll take improvement to get back to getting into the champions league, even with 5th place allowing entry!

 

[Woziak]

If we appoint Potter as manager it will set us back another 2/3 years, we can only appoint a proven winner, we need to get the best available manager and let him have 2-3 years to build his style of football.

I do think Naigelsmsn is the option, Young will work with Football Director and has a clear way of playing plus his style is not to far removed from ETH when Eric played 4231 so those players we want to keep maybe 11 or 12 from the squad will help him settle in.


Literally need to do this deal now and get his back room staff in for June/July as he’s not available until mid July

 

[Woziak]

We'll improve. But at the moment it'll take improvement to get back to getting into the champions league, even with 5th place allowing entry!

Why, we will have absolutely no chance of getting past the round of 16, this team and squad need a couple of years of Europa League to develop.

 

[Remember the geese]

Why, we will have absolutely no chance of getting past the round of 16, this team and squad need a couple of years of Europa League to develop.

What sort of logic is this? We don't need to "develop" in the Europa League.

 

[el3mel]

There's no reason to be confident of anything regarding Man United at the moment. It can go either way. If anything, it's easier to expect to keep going down rather than up.

 

[Woziak]

What sort of logic is this? We don't need to "develop" in the Europa League.

This squad is so bad it will fail to get out of the group again! We need next year to be in Europa League, deep run maybe win it, young players like Shea Lacey and others can develop in the Europa League, we are currently not a CL team, we’ve played 38.games all season and lost 16. or 42% that’s a team that simply doesn’t belong in the CL, simple reality check we have a negative goal difference in the PL after 27 games.

You can’t turn that round in one summers transfer window

 

[E-mal]

As long as they remain honest and logical in their process and committed to a defined style of play then I will back them.

 

[Remember the geese]

This squad is so bad it will fail to get out of the group again! We need next year to be in Europa League, deep run maybe win it, young players like Shea Lacey and others can develop in the Europa League, we are currently not a CL team, we’ve played 38.games all season and lost 16. or 42% that’s a team that simply doesn’t belong in the CL, simple reality check we have a negative goal difference in the PL after 27 games.

You can’t turn that round in one summers transfer window

This squad was more than capable of getting through the group stages this season. However, this squad shouldn't be 'a thing' next season. A huge overhaul is needed. We haven't got a hope in hell of getting top 5 anyway, but to say we need Europa League? Nonsense.

 

[LordSpud]

All I know is Brailsford has been there every game since they came in, and has SAF in his ear. I cannot believe he is happy with what he's seeing on the pitch unless he knows nowt about football.

I reckon we are 5 years from putting in any kind of league challenge.

Big summer ahead..!

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

No one can guarantee they will succeed but I am fully confident we won’t just be getting a few signings added to the same shite that we have been for years.

I think in 2-3 years time the team we see will look loads different, on the bench & pitch, & that is all we can really hope for.

 

[Woziak]

This squad was more than capable of getting through the group stages this season. However, this squad shouldn't be 'a thing' next season. A huge overhaul is needed. We haven't got a hope in hell of getting top 5 anyway, but to say we need Europa League? Nonsense.

Why is it nonsense when it’s clearly the best we can hope for plus we would have a genuine chance of wining it what damage has it done to Liverpool this season or Arsenal last season, wining games is a good habit to get into, losing 16 from 38 games this season is a losing habit so start small by beating teams the club should and then build to the CL the season after, it’s not as if INEOS have a wealth of CL experience with the clubs they’ve managed, I see Nice have dropped to 5th so we might have to play European Conference league football next season if we don’t get into the top 5.

Already there are worrying things coming from iNEOS, Berada and Ashworth will want different managers and people underneath them, that’s a conflict waiting to happen, If Sir Jim insists on Graham Potter I can see Bereda bailing in 12 months as he wants full control or he won’t be interested. When you lose 42% of your matches at a club like United, the players suffer in confidence, playing in the Europa league will help them build that confidence plus right now I can’t even see United finishing in top 7 anyway!

 

[Remember the geese]

Why is it nonsense when it’s clearly the best we can hope for plus we would have a genuine chance of wining it what damage has it done to Liverpool this season or Arsenal last season, wining games is a good habit to get into, losing 16 from 38 games this season is a losing habit so start small by beating teams the club should and then build to the CL the season after, it’s not as if INEOS have a wealth of CL experience with the clubs they’ve managed, I see Nice have dropped to 5th so we might have to play European Conference league football next season if we don’t get into the top 5.

Already there are worrying things coming from iNEOS, Berada and Ashworth will want different managers and people underneath them, that’s a conflict waiting to happen, If Sir Jim insists on Graham Potter I can see Bereda bailing in 12 months as he wants full control or he won’t be interested. When you lose 42% of your matches at a club like United, the players suffer in confidence, playing in the Europa league will help them build that confidence plus right now I can’t even see United finishing in top 7 anyway!

Because we don't "need" it. If we fall into the Europa League as a by-product of our poor performance this season, then so be it. Though we are perfectly capable of getting through to the knockouts of the Champions League. Not that we have a hope of being in it, mind. Arsenal benefitted from having no European football at all. Perhaps we "need" that?.

Which manager we choose to employ has got absolutely nothing to do with Ratcliffe. Joel Glazer loved to stick his oar in, but if Ratcliffe has any sense (and I'm sure he does), he will allow the qualified people he has brought in to do their jobs effectively.

 

[Woziak]

Because we don't "need" it. If we fall into the Europa League as a by-product of our poor performance this season, then so be it. Though we are perfectly capable of getting through to the knockouts of the Champions League. Not that we have a hope of being in it, mind. Arsenal benefitted from having no European football at all. Perhaps we "need" that?.

Which manager we choose to employ has got absolutely nothing to do with Ratcliffe. Joel Glazer loved to stick his oar in, but if Ratcliffe has any sense (and I'm sure he does), he will allow the qualified people he has brought in to do their jobs effectively.

And who makes that decision on the coach?

Omar Berada as the CEO or Dan Ashworth as DOF who has the final call on that decision, I know who I’d prefer to make that decision ?

 

[Remember the geese]

And who makes that decision on the coach?

Omar Berada as the CEO or Dan Ashworth as DOF who has the final call on that decision, I know who I’d prefer to make that decision ?

It's a collaborative effort. They all need to be on the same page.

 

[Baneofthegame]

It can’t be any worse than this.

 

[Woziak]

It's a collaborative effort. They all need to be on the same page.

But surely the CEO is the man empowered to run the club from top to bottom. Dan Ashworth will work for Berrada ?

 

[eire-red]

We used to be best in class at everything, now we don't have it in any department.

Probably not what everyone would think for starters, but a new stadium is a key thing for me.

Extra 20,000 seats, state of the art facilities, shops, restaurants, bars, hosting other sports, concerts, turn OT into a museum etc.. all of this is critical in an FFP world where capital expenditure on players is now restricted, so increasing that revenue stream is key.

So i think that's a positive what Ratcliff was saying, and something that can be done by our own hand and not depending on what everyone else is doing on the pitch.

On the pitch, we won't see any change until the summer when we'll see how serious our new structure is and how we operate in the transfer window with recruitment and shifting old players.

I don't really know if I'm confident or not because I don't really have anything to judge, but I'm more confident at least. There are proper sporting people being put in the right places it seems from the outside so there has to be some sort of change?

 

[Remember the geese]

But surely the CEO is the man empowered to run the club from top to bottom. Dan Ashworth will work for Berrada ?

Yes, but Ashworth isn't a puppet. He will be empowered to make decisions.

 

[Waynne]

There's no reason to be confident of anything regarding Man United at the moment. It can go either way. If anything, it's easier to expect to keep going down rather than up.

Of course its going to get worse before it gets better. We're undergoing massive changes at executive level which will then filter down through the ranks with the manager and some players likely to go. It will take years to get back to where we are competitive again.
As long as the right people are put in charge to run the show then we'll get to where we need to be. The problem is some fans are not patient enough to see through the process.

We have a real chance here if the execs all sing from the same hymn sheet. Everything below that will fall into place. We need to be patient now more than ever.

 

[bosnian_red]

Yes, it honestly won't take a lot or anything special for us to get back to being successful. We make a shit ton of money and have no limiting factors in club size or prestige to have problems breaking any ceilings. It's just start running us close to our revenue and spending level, rather than being an extreme outlier of underperformance in the world of football. Failing with United when actually trying to be good would be a huge flop. The Glazers haven't tried and don't care about on pitch improvement.

Hire a good manager, start making smarter signings with our huge spending power and we'll be up there.

 

[Skills]

Yes, it honestly won't take a lot or anything special for us to get back to being successful. We make a shit ton of money and have no limiting factors in club size or prestige to have problems breaking any ceilings. It's just start running us close to our revenue and spending level, rather than being an extreme outlier of underperformance in the world of football. Failing with United when actually trying to be good would be a huge flop. The Glazers haven't tried and don't care about on pitch improvement.

Hire a good manager, start making smarter signings with our huge spending power and we'll be up there.

What it actually takes is hiring the right manager for the squad you have and then quickly sacking him, when that's no longer the case and then hiring another one. Rinse and repeat - moving on from a manager at the right time is just as important as hiring a good one. Unless you can convince Klopp or Guardiola to manage your club.

Unfortunately, our fanbase is always going to be a problem when it comes to moving on from a manager, before the ship completely sinks.

 

[wolvored]

I'm confident of improvement. How much improvement is a different question, but so far we seem to be making the right moves (Berrada and Ashworth).

It might also take a bit longer than most people want, as for the first couple of years we're still going to be handcuffed to some extent by the high transfer fees and wages that the previous administration was doling out.

Yes agree entirely. Unless we have a fantastic summer with clearout and better players along with a better manager coming in, which might shave some time off, but minimum 2-4 years to get to a challenging level. As long as we definitely can see a style and a plan on the pitch, then we can all wait a bit.

 

[Woziak]

Yes, but Ashworth isn't a puppet. He will be empowered to make decisions.

He won’t even start work until August/September so like I said whose calling the shots ?

 

[pocco]

He won’t even start work until August/September so like I said whose calling the shots ?

If that's true and we're waiting for him, then it's going to be another farcical 12 months for sure.

 

[Theonas]

Berrada and Ashworth seem like astute appointments. The Way Ratcliffe talks reeks of pandering populism though and I just have a deep skepticism when it comes to that. He is doing too much of that whole we are this and we are that and these are our principles and it just sounds like too much PR. When Abramovic or the City owners took over, there was barely any fuss and grand talk if any. They came, invested and built what needed building. I don't trust the fact that he is trying so hard to appeal to the average fan like a politician and I am not sure someone who is trying to get the government help us build a new stadium, has the funds to get us to compete at the very top. Having said, if he hires the right people, it almost doesn't matter as we've seen with the Liverpool owners who are not great either but once they made two key appointments, it was still enough to get Liverpool competing. So in short, not getting the best impression from Ratcliffe but if you ask Sir Alex and David Gill, they wouldn't be too complimentary of our owners pre Glazers either. As long as you have good people in the executive and managerial positions and have the money to invest, you have a chance.

 

[Skills]

If that's true and we're waiting for him, then it's going to be another farcical 12 months for sure.

We'll write off another season. If Jim really believes it'll be worth it, he should put his money where his mouth is and just play next season behind closed doors. It'll at least save the young players from fan toxicity.

 

[tentan]

No not at all

 

[The_Midfielder]

All it takes is 4-5 shrewd recruitments and we should be rolling ..

 

[Tyrion]

Paul Merson says United won't win the league in the next 5 years and if they do then the manager who does it should be Knighted

Whereas Sir Jim says he thinks it'll be 2 or 3 years before we start looking like the United of old. He certainly has the pockets to make that happen if he wants to.

Even trying to look at it neutrally (let's say INEOS took over Spurs and targeted Berrada & Ashworth etc) I would think a title in the next 5 years - particularly when Klopp and Guardiola are gone - is doable.

Your take?

5 years from now we could definitely make a serious push for the title assuming things go well. Generally though when people say that a team needs X years, they're always just guessing and it massively depends on lots of things.

It can't get any worse.

This is what I'm confident of. The Glazers barely noticed that United have a football team. INEOS seem to notice and actively want it to be good. Even if they're utterly incompetent they'd still represent an improvement.

 

[Martinez4midfield]

It's too early to tell but, we'll get some clues soon. Getting rid of the manager is easy enough. They need to show some real ruthless with the playing staff however, My opinion is we have to get smaller to become a big club again. Might mean accepting a few more mid table finishes but we need to get rid of not good enoughs, the mentally fragile, and then players in their 30s who want be here for the ride that are taking up a fortune.

People are going to laugh but I think Chelsea has a good strategy, that's going to be dividends in a few years. They lowered their wage bill, and have some decent players that can grow together. I think we should copy that.

 

[The Red Thinker]

When we were run by clowns we challenged twice. Not too close in the end but we were riding a wave. Once under Mourinho and then Ole.

I am more bullish than ever about United’s success under serious football operators.