Documentary - The United Way

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A documentary 'too far' for me!

Of course it was' Eric centred,' he wrote it, but it adds little (in my mind) to what we already know. It was respectful to various stand out matters, but as others have said missed out on the Jimmy Murphy contribution.
We've had 'Never give up' and is it one, or two or three books from SAF? 'The Class of 92,' and various other contributions, and now 'The United Way' and all valid in their way, but all looking backwards!

Nothing, in my mind at least, beats the book "The Day a Team Died" (Frank Taylor) to emphasize 'The United Way' the pain of Munich and the start of the recovery.

Lets have something about moving forward, the next pinnacle of success to be achieved, what does the future hold...over to you Joel!!
You want a happy clappy marketing puff piece about what the future holds under the glorious Glazers?... No feckin thanks :lol:
 

Inigo Montoya

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He played in a world class team. You’d think he dragged a group of no hopers to glory. Our greatest ever keeper? He’s interviewed about Eric Cantona. Paul Scholes and Roy Keane? Never heard of them. Our great team in the 00’s aren’t even worth mentioning. He’s nowhere nears as important as Ferguson or Busby. He was one great player in a sea of them.

You’re entitled to love whatever you want and everybody else is entitled to think what they want. I thought it was a vanity project for Eric Cantona. That’s fine, but name it accordingly.
The first one he did. You weren't there when we lost at home to Charlton Athletic, and it seemed we were miles off winning the league. That side had great players who were floundering with the expectation.
George Best said so after his first few games," he's turned a good team into a great one." This also had a direct impact on the successive title and cup winning success. Beckham and the younger players have said his influence is considerable.

I suggest you contact them about it.

You seem rather apoplectic with rage about Cantona. Does he owe you money? I know he never took cash when he went out :lol:
 

Inigo Montoya

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Is he such a huge figure in our history that half a documentary supposedly about Man United is about Eric Cantona? Not even close. My issue is what it’s sold as and I find the Cantona schtick a little self serving. For somebody that claims to love United so much how often has he been back to Old Trafford?
And that's your stick to beat him with? :lol:
 

acnumber9

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The first one he did. You weren't there when we lost at home to Charlton Athletic, and it seemed we were miles off winning the league. That side had great players who were floundering with the expectation.
George Best said so after his first few games," he's turned a good team into a great one." This also had a direct impact on the successive title and cup winning success. Beckham and the younger players have said his influence is considerable.

I suggest you contact them about it.

You seem rather apoplectic with rage about Cantona. Does he owe you money? I know he never took cash when he went out :lol:
When did we lose to Charlton Athletic?

It was a great team missing a goal scorer. He was a great player and he was a key player, I’m not disputing it. He was one great player in a team filled with great players though. Schmeichel, Irwin, Ince, Giggs, Hughes, Kanchelskis, Sharpe, Bruce, Pallister etc. All ranging from great to very good.

I’m not suggesting he didn’t have great influence. I’m suggesting that his influence wasn’t so great that it would merit 50% of a documentary about United in the 90’s, much less one purporting to be about ‘The United Way’.

It’s a self serving ego trip.
 

Lord Zlatan

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Watched it last night. Really enjoyed it. Highlights were the "one regret" comment from Eric and the flashbacks to the babes and 1968 as Beckham took the corner for the winner in the nou camp..Goosebumps
 

Tiber

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I would have liked a bit more time dedicated to Tommy Doc's team of the mid 70's, and also a few more revelations that might not have been common knowledge.
I never knew he got fired for running off with his physios wife
 

Jeppers7

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Do we have to put up with one self serving ego tripping poster ruining this thread with his ‘opinion’ on repeat.
 

acnumber9

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Do we have to put up with one self serving ego tripping poster ruining this thread with his ‘opinion’ on repeat.
I’m responding to people quoting me. You can put me on ignore if it’s an issue for you.
 

Heardy

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Cantona really does have a poetic handle of the English language for a non-native speaker.

He proper hammed it up for the documentary, but I loved it.
 

Jeppers7

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Eric the king....won the league with Leeds in 92. No way they win the league that season without his signing. Signed for us in 92 and Leeds don’t win the league, we win the league twice in a row. He gets suspended and we don’t win the league. He comes back from suspension and we win the league twice in a row. Then he retires at the end of 96/97 season....guess what happened in 97/98 season...that’s right we don’t win the league.

So he played five full seasons and won the league five times. The season he was suspended we don’t win the league, the seasons he left Leeds and Man United neither team wins the league.

There’s literally never been a more influential player in the premier league era.

Two doubles, first time the club had ever done a double, plus the effect he had on the class of 92 and the other players at the club. He transformed us properly. Bruno is getting much credit now for transforming us but it’s nothing like the impact Eric had.
 

stw2022

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The Cantona bits were a bit odd didn’t seem to gel the doc together
 

TrustInOle

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Eric the king....won the league with Leeds in 92. No way they win the league that season without his signing. Signed for us in 92 and Leeds don’t win the league, we win the league twice in a row. He gets suspended and we don’t win the league. He comes back from suspension and we win the league twice in a row. Then he retires at the end of 96/97 season....guess what happened in 97/98 season...that’s right we don’t win the league.

So he played five full seasons and won the league five times. The season he was suspended we don’t win the league, the seasons he left Leeds and Man United neither team wins the league.

There’s literally never been a more influential player in the premier league era.

Two doubles, first time the club had ever done a double, plus the effect he had on the class of 92 and the other players at the club. He transformed us properly. Bruno is getting much credit now for transforming us but it’s nothing like the impact Eric had.
Brilliantly put! His contribution to a team will never be eclipsed in my opinion!
 

Maticmaker

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I never knew he got fired for running off with his physios wife
Yes it somewhat 'dinted' the club/team spirit a bit did that one!

It cost Tommy his job and who knows what else, that team of his had 'the makings' who knows what they could have achieved with Tommy at the helm?

However he left, married Mary and they stayed together until the end
 

Maticmaker

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You want a happy clappy marketing puff piece about what the future holds under the glorious Glazers?... No feckin thanks :lol:
I'd settle for anything which had the semblance of a plan 'going-forward' about it and in particular that notified to fans the general direction of travel.
Our club history is great, but it does not help to keep harping back, we need to have our sights set on the future, with or without the Glazers.

Questions to be asked?

Is football (as we know it Jim) destined to become a 'three-ringed/super league circus', dominated by multi-media franchises, Netflix, Amazon Disney+ if so do we still need a stadium that houses 75,000 people or would a new 'super-duper' state of the art stadium holding half that many but observing all anti-pandemic safeguards (including safe standing) do instead... if not where do we go next?

Football being played in empty stadiums leaves a lot to be desired for the fan who wants to and can attend games, but what about the millions that can't get to OT, has it changed their match viewing routines... if so, is it forever?

What, besides absolute 'daft' money will attract the top World Class players to OT , better shopping in Manchester/more sunshine/ artificial beaches in Irlam, e.g. built on the banks of the restored Irwell ( the old river course backing on to Princes Park), etc. for the wife and kids to enjoy. Or perhaps a top world class club management team, including a DoF and top coaches at all levels?

All this and more needs to be addressed by the owners/managers at United, whether it is the Glazers or anybody else, that should be our embedded in our mantra, not keep harping back to the old days!.
 

Josep Dowling

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All that history is hard to get into a 2 hour doc, for a more a comprehensive telling it'd have to be a series than a standalone feature
True. I just thought there wasn’t a lot of new stuff and it felt like a lot of recycling from other United documentaries, especially the class of 92. I think the only interesting part of the documentary was about Ron Atkinson as very little is said of his tenure. Sounded like a good manager to have of you enjoyed a party.
 

The Cat

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I don't remember the footage of Sir Alex waiting to go into the officials' room at Selhurst before that was new for me I think.
 

sunama

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It’s an Eric Cantona money making piece masquerading as a United documentary mostly. A lot more has happened in United’s history than Eric Cantona.
Well, that sucks. I respect Cantona and what he did for us in the mid-90s, but I'm not a huge fan of his.
Roy Keane did more for us, I think. Even Ole scored a huge number of important goals for us. Schmeichel, Beckham, G.Neville, Yorke, Cole. I could go on, but I would put Cantona quite low down on that list.
 

Champ

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Eric the king....won the league with Leeds in 92. No way they win the league that season without his signing. Signed for us in 92 and Leeds don’t win the league, we win the league twice in a row. He gets suspended and we don’t win the league. He comes back from suspension and we win the league twice in a row. Then he retires at the end of 96/97 season....guess what happened in 97/98 season...that’s right we don’t win the league.

So he played five full seasons and won the league five times. The season he was suspended we don’t win the league, the seasons he left Leeds and Man United neither team wins the league.

There’s literally never been a more influential player in the premier league era.

Two doubles, first time the club had ever done a double, plus the effect he had on the class of 92 and the other players at the club. He transformed us properly. Bruno is getting much credit now for transforming us but it’s nothing like the impact Eric had.
This a hundred percent.

He was the catalyst for change, he made Sir Alex's work easier knowing he had Eric in the club.
 

Jeppers7

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This a hundred percent.

He was the catalyst for change, he made Sir Alex's work easier knowing he had Eric in the club.
Something else I thought of before is that our side was going nowhere really that season before we signed him. We were missing something, a huge final piece of the jigsaw. What a player he was for us.
 

432JuanMata

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Is it the United way or the SAF way ? We have only had 2 incredibly successful managers and while they played excellent attacking football I always found the United way a bit weird. SAF made the United way I mean the way we play not the academy as we always brought through players(so proud of that). But this attacking never give up attitude was all SAF. So when it’s purely about the way we play I cal it the SAF way.

Also I miss it so much. Not the trophies just the excitement that was produced week in week out. This season has had plenty of exciting moments with us going behind but I miss going 3-0 up and playing like we were 1-0 down when teams came to OT
 

redmanx

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A documentary 'too far' for me!

Of course it was' Eric centred,' he wrote it, but it adds little (in my mind) to what we already know. It was respectful to various stand out matters, but as others have said missed out on the Jimmy Murphy contribution.
We've had 'Never give up' and is it one, or two or three books from SAF? 'The Class of 92,' and various other contributions, and now 'The United Way' and all valid in their way, but all looking backwards!

Nothing, in my mind at least, beats the book "The Day a Team Died" (Frank Taylor) to emphasize 'The United Way' the pain of Munich and the start of the recovery.

Lets have something about moving forward, the next pinnacle of success to be achieved, what does the future hold...over to you Joel!!
I agree, Frank Taylors book is required reading to understand the full impact of Munich, the horror, sadness, bravery, dedication, the desire to lift the club up from its ashes, to rebuild it better and stronger, a great read; I dont know how many times Ive read it but last year I bought a new copy in hard back as my old paperback was falling apart!
 

redmanx

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I'd forgotten that bit. Tommy's still fuming over being fired it seems.
Dont believe a word from Docherty, he was a liar who betrayed his players, his staff, his chairman and the supporters.
 

redmanx

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Cantona really does have a poetic handle of the English language for a non-native speaker.

He proper hammed it up for the documentary, but I loved it.
Yes, hes no Lawrence Olivier is he? lol!
 

redmanx

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I'm still fuming he let Denis go so easily
And so is Denis! Docherty didnt have the guts to tell Denis face to face that he had been given a "free" Denis had to read about it in a newspaper on holiday. Willie Morgan is another who loathes Docherty after Docherty sued him for alleged libel. Morgan gathered evidence from former United players, including Denis and Pat Crerand, and his Barrister ripped Docherty to shreds; in the end Docherty admitted he had lied in court and Morgan won. Other stories about Dochertys lies soon appeared and he disappeared.
 

redmanx

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I don't know much about it. He was just quite angry in the short clip. What did he do besides the affair?
He tried to sue Willie Morgan, lied in court and thought it was all a joke, until Morgans Barrister mentioned payment for damages! Sadly, though Docherty was a very good manager he wasnt a very good person and was distrusted by most of those who knew him inside football.
 

always_hoping

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I enjoyed it.

I'm a sucker for the history of Manchester United though, I love this club and love watching how the fabric of the club was woven.

Loved the way Big Ron was portrayed, as one of the lads, always having a party!

Also funny to note Leeds announcing £1.2m as the fee paid by United for The King, when it was in fact £1m! Just goes to show you can't trust any fees you see or hear!!
Was funny the way Gordon Strachan talked about Big Ron's style of management. Enjoyed the documentary and Cantona fronted it very well.
 

rotherham_red

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Without wanting to spoil it, it takes United up to The Treble but no further. I enjoyed it, theres little that most United supporters wont have seen before but some great stuff from Eric Cantona, stuff hes probably never said before, at least I havent heard it! It starts with Sir Matt but, as with so many documentaries about United, the great Jimmy Murphy is hardly mentioned, not even during Munich when he single handedly "kept the flag flying" as Busby asked him too. Jimmy Murphy was vital to Uniteds success both before and after Munich but, to the lasting shame of the Club and certain leading figures within, both living and dead, until recently he and his part in our history have been largely ignored. Jimmy Murphy deserves to be remembered alongside Sir Matt Busby, not as a foot note to his success.
Fully agreed on the absence of Jimmy Murphy and how his role wasn't really considered. It was the one thing I wished the documentary focused on more.

Thankfully the club have agreed to a permanent monument to him, so we should have some news on the specifics of that soon.
 

Maticmaker

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I agree, Frank Taylors book is required reading to understand the full impact of Munich, the horror, sadness, bravery, dedication, the desire to lift the club up from its ashes, to rebuild it better and stronger, a great read; I dont know how many times Ive read it but last year I bought a new copy in hard back as my old paperback was falling apart!
:) I did the same two years back!!!
I loaned someone my paperback... it never came back (warning to all, don't loan this book!)
 

youngrell

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Was funny the way Gordon Strachan talked about Big Ron's style of management. Enjoyed the documentary and Cantona fronted it very well.
Yes, I enjoyed that too. It was strange to see Strachan in an upbeat mood. Seemed to be so dour for so many years.

Haven't finished watching it yet, but I really enjoyed the Atkinson segment.
 

JB7

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Well, that sucks. I respect Cantona and what he did for us in the mid-90s, but I'm not a huge fan of his.
Roy Keane did more for us, I think. Even Ole scored a huge number of important goals for us. Schmeichel, Beckham, G.Neville, Yorke, Cole. I could go on, but I would put Cantona quite low down on that list.
Then you don't understand Manchester United of the 1990s.
 

b82REZ

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I'm genuinely shocked at posters who don't seem to understand or appreciate the impact Cantona had on the club. Without Cantona none of the success we celebrated occurs. The Class of 92 likely wouldn't have been a thing either.

I can only assume they're not old enough to have witnessed his impact first hand.
 

kirk buttercup

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Eric the king....won the league with Leeds in 92. No way they win the league that season without his signing. Signed for us in 92 and Leeds don’t win the league, we win the league twice in a row. He gets suspended and we don’t win the league. He comes back from suspension and we win the league twice in a row. Then he retires at the end of 96/97 season....guess what happened in 97/98 season...that’s right we don’t win the league.

So he played five full seasons and won the league five times. The season he was suspended we don’t win the league, the seasons he left Leeds and Man United neither team wins the league.

There’s literally never been a more influential player in the premier league era.

Two doubles, first time the club had ever done a double, plus the effect he had on the class of 92 and the other players at the club. He transformed us properly. Bruno is getting much credit now for transforming us but it’s nothing like the impact Eric had.
This Is a Perfect explanation of What Cantona did for United.

I think Some people may not remember him playing for United and Cant fully appreciated how good he actually was . I sometimes feel I dont fully appreciate how good Charlton or Best or Law actually were because it was before my time. Even though I think they were greats.

Cantona Brought United to a whole new level . Lots of Other things also happend around that time with Keane and the Class of 92 . Bit he was definitely the driving force. In ways I miss those days and being so Excited about united.


hopefully We start writing new chapters tonight of this wonderful story .
 

Zlatan 7

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Because I thought a documentary called The United Way may be a little bit more about that and less of a self serving ego trip for one player.

Each to their own if they enjoy watching Cantona eulogise about himself.
I kind of agree with you, I love Cantona, I love United and appreciate what he did for United in the 90’s but this documentary he’s almost turning into a parody of himself with his whispering and saying United needed him. It was basically a documentary about Cantona with a bit about the busby babes at the beginning. Missed out decades inbetween.

I enjoyed it, I liked how they did it and it’s great for my kid who is eleven to watch and see some kind of United history but I did laugh a few times through it at Cantona being over the top Cantona.