EL Final: Our biggest game since?

[Fortitude]

Given the state of us and the desperate need we have to qualify for the CL next season, not to mention the threat of having to play the EL again should we not win, just how big a game is the Europa League final in our history? What single game(s) would you put over it in terms of importance for us?

José was being a bit hyperbolic when he said it's the biggest game in the club's history, I think, but would any of you agree with what he said?

I think from a financial perspective, the implications of not getting into the CL for 2017/18 will be astronomical as the premiums we will then need to pay to attract top players will go up, and our strength in the market will be at an even lower ebb than last season. The knock-on effect would mean less to spend over the summer, surely? And with a major gutting and rebuilding job needed, those premiums are far from ideal.

 

[el3mel]

Our biggest game since SAF retired. Will put thousands of games in SAF era above it tbh.

But in post SAF era it's the most one. Will make or break this season and winning it can kick start of Jose's era.

 

[strangeways]

Our biggest game since SAF retired.

Yes.
Mourinhos fate depends on it. Depends if you like the Portuguese or not. I want to give him one more year.

 

[charlenefan]

Yes.
Mourinhos fate depends on it. Depends if you like the Portuguese or not. I want to give him one more year.

How nice of you

 

[D2Z]

The Europa League has never appealed to us. It is a competition that has always seemed beneath us, participation in it has always been viewed as a symbol of failure, either to qualify for, or progress, in the Champions League. It was sneered at and dismissed, but that cannot be the case this season. United are no longer in a position to turn their noses up at any trophy. We cannot treat any competition like it does not matter. It's the most prestigious trophy Jose Mourinho can win in his first season as manager. It is a competition that could do wonders for United’s development under JM. Not only is it an opportunity to re-establish our European credentials, eight years after we last won the Champions League and five years since our last appearance in a final, it is a chance for Mourinho to prove several things.
This is not just about Mourinho , though. It is about Manchester United being ambitious in the right field, looking to fill a trophy cabinet rather than a bank account.

Winning the Europe League is a way for United to be successful at more than revenue streams or Facebook followers. It is about United remembering they are a football club, not a brand.

 

[el3mel]

Yes.
Mourinhos fate depends on it. Depends if you like the Portuguese or not. I want to give him one more year.

I'll give him second year regardless of this season outcome, but winning this competition will relief all pressure from him and will make his job much easier to succeed imo.

 

[arthurka]

Jose has made it the biggest thing since sliced bread.. If he would have done this job we would already be qualified for the CL.

But that said I got my tickets and am psyched as one could be..

 

[AXVnee7]

Biggest game since last season at West Ham for me.

 

[charlenefan]

Given that not beating Ajax would mean another season in the Europa which in turn would mean it's unlikely we'd do anything in the league again next season I would say it's the most important game since the 2008 UCL final, hard to think of any games as important than that game in Moscow since

 

[Seveneric]

Yes.
Mourinhos fate depends on it. Depends if you like the Portuguese or not. I want to give him one more year.

It doesn't. He could lose 10-0 and I'd still bet my life he'd be manager next season.

 

[AR87]

Since 2011 CL Final

 

[Sylar]

Our biggest game since SAF retired.

This pretty much.
CL football next season is pretty huge in terms of player recruitment as well as how the season goes in the league.

 

[Jed I. Knight]

It's absolutely huge, and by far the biggest since SAF left.

One game will decide whether the season has been pretty good or a disaster.

 

[Rolandofgilead]

It's a european final. It is a massive game and is our biggest since our last cup final.

 

[Eli Zee]

Our biggest game since last CL Final id imagine..

Aka it's bigger than every game we've played including all cup finals, since we reached the CL final many years ago

 

[roonster09]

Since West Ham last season if we are talking about qualification.

Since Crystal Palace if we are talking about winning cup.

 

[2 man midfield]

West Ham, last season.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Our biggest match since Celtic Viggio.

 

[minoo-utd]

It's make or break for Jose I know he is staying but alot will depend on this game.
Biggest game since 2013 for me.

 

[M Bison]

Season defining and potentially, defining of Jose's Utd career.

Absolute must-win if we are to salvage some positives from this season.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Since the CL final imo.

It's a massive game. It literally makes or breaks the season.

Losing it would be disastrous. Entire season wasted then.

 

[Sunny Jim]

Actually i think this final will be bigger than both finals against Barca. Back then we were stable, winning the CL was iceing on the cake. Now, losing the final against Ajax would have bad impact on our recruitment, fiances etc.

IMHO the biggest game since Moscow.

 

[Eyepopper]

Will put thousands of games in SAF era above it tbh.

Interesting.

Fergie managed 1500 Utd games.

 

[TheRedDevil'sAdvocate]

I'd say since the FA Cup final back in 1990. Or rather, it could prove to be of such importance if we win the Europa League.

I don't think Mourinho's job is at stake and neither was Ferguson's back then despite what the rumors said back then, at least according to the great man himself (at the time of the final). We had failed to meet expectations in the league (the two seasons are not comparable of course but, then again, neither were the expectations at the start of each season) and we were in dire search for something that would give us a glimmer of hope, a hint that, despite all the difficulties, we were on the right path.

And, as strange as it sounds today, Ferguson needed some silverware to show for because some of the fans were already running out of patience and the British media were ready to tear him apart and label him a failure at United. Well, Mourinho is not exactly in the same tough spot but with a second bad season in a row it's natural for people to start asking questions about his managerial abilities.

After winning his first trophy with United, Ferguson went on and gave us a wonderful quarter of century of unparalleled success. Mourinho's credentials are well known and he has all it takes in order be successful for as long as he stays here. But he's got to start from somewhere just like Ferguson did and it's got to be a game of high pressure in which the manager will get most things right and the players will give everything they've got for themselves, the fans and their manager. And perhaps a win in such a game will create the right bonds and lead us to a better future.

 

[Rubberman]

Also go with CL final. It cannot be underestimated as this team is far from the finished article. A win will give us an edge over the summer to set us up for hopefully league title assault and a decent CL campaign. The confidence it would bring for Jose and the players, plus a good summer window and we're nicely set up.

 

[Adisa]

2011 CL final.

 

[Random Task]

Biggest game since the CL final in Moscow. The ramifications following a loss in this game do not bare thinking about.

Especially since Jose, whether enforced or not, chose to give up on finishing top4 and throw all of his eggs in the Europa basket. Failure to bring home the bacon, as it were, is entirely on his shoulders.

 

[Kazi]

Probably since the City 1-0 loss in 2012

 

[Hammerfell]

Interesting.

Fergie managed 1500 Utd games.

That's how unimportant it is to him, the guy is so cool.

 

[Varun]

Why's no one saying the 2nd leg vs Celta? We had already given up on the league by then.

 

[sammsky1]

Since the CL final imo.

It's a massive game. It literally makes or breaks the season.

Losing it would be disastrous. Entire season wasted then.

I think its even more than that. If it were Monopoly, winning allows us to pass 'Go' with new cash and opportunities. Lose and we get sent back to 'Old Kent Road'.

This group of players and coaches need to excel in such pressure situations if we are ever to regain out former glory. Fans may know what it feels like, but 90% of this new set up does not. So the mindset going in shouldn't be that its a one off, but a taste of what's to come on a regular basis.

There can be no excuses. We simply must win.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

I think its even more than that. If it were Monopoly, winning allows us to pass 'Go' with new cash and opportunities. Lose and we get sent back to 'Old Kent Road'.

This group of players and coaches need to excel in such pressure situations if we are ever to regain out former glory. Fans may know what it feels like, but 90% of this new set up does not. So the mindset going in shouldn't be that its a one off, but a taste of what's to come on a regular basis.

There can be no excuses. We simply must win.

Pretty much.

I'll be a nervous wreck before the game. Though I miss that feeling. Want more of it haha.

 

[Ban]

Its not make or brake regarding Jose's career at United. But if we lose it will have consequences, will be a lot harder to attract wc players (altho not impossible), financially will get less money from Adidas I think and it will won't be regarded as a step forward.

 

[Sky1981]

1999 nou camp.

Winning cl is a marvelous achievement, but the treble... You'll need the stars to align and it align that nite.

But yes. Post fergie this is the most important game of all. Win this and we might jumpstart our winning mentality and we know what wonders it may do winning the first big one after fergie.

 

[el3mel]

Interesting.

Fergie managed 1500 Utd games.

Don't take the words so strictly.

 

[Jacko21]

The ramifications following a loss in this game do not bare thinking about.

Yeah, this.

A defeat would take our post-Ferguson recovery into the fifth season. Half a decade spent trying to move on without him!

I fear for the morale of the players and the commitment of Mourinho should we have to endure another Europa League campaign.

Conversely, a win and a successful summer window, you'd think would see us right. And finally challenging again.

 

[Random Task]

Yeah, this.

A defeat would take our post-Ferguson recovery into the fifth season. Half a decade spent trying to move on without him!

I fear for the morale of the players and the commitment of Mourinho should we have to endure another Europa League campaign.

Conversely, a win and a successful summer window, you'd think would see us right. And finally challenging again.

Yup, pretty much my feelings on the matter. Then again our feelings are irrelevant, it's the players who need to stand up and recognise the significance of the game and play to their maximum potential.

Europa or not, the world will be watching this game, including potential transfer targets that Jose has his eye on, so going out there and battering Ajax (not just scraping a win) is equally important.

Plus a cup double will be considered a successful season, for both the players and Jose himself.

 

[Oscie]

As a single game probably as big a match since our last CL final.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

F.A. Cup final last season.

 

[ThomasEmil]

It's a european final. It is a massive game and is our biggest since our last cup final.

Yeah that Southampton game in the EFL Cup was huge