Entertainment value or just get the 3 pts?

simplyared

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Ok so we are sitting 2nd in the PL. How are we doing in terms of entertainment value? Is this something we should be taking into consideration or should we focus on results only? Are we being doctrined into accepting anything that’s dished up for us as long as we get the 3 pts?

Looking at the top clubs in the PL. That is to say City, Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal. Where would you put us in terms of entertainment value?

Myself I would have only one of those clubs lower than us and that club would be Arsenal for the simple reason they have a lower lowest level than we have. However on the occasions they put it together they would overtake us imo.

Are you one of those who will take a result at any price or do you expect more from a club of our stature?
 

Skills

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If your not gonna be entertaining, you better fecking win.
 

Raw

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Right now, big games are all about the results for me. Doing it in entertaining fashion is a bonus. I expect entertaining football against the rest though for a club such as ours.

Like Varun said though, we should be doing both. The best teams in the world get results because of their entertaining football.
 

Andy_Cole

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Thing is, most teams that entertain win. If you have better players it’s an insult not to entertain.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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I'd watch an entire season of the most negative football ever invented if it meant winning the league. If it doesn't work, then no, back to ethos of attacking football. So I think he gets another season and if he gets very close (3-4 points) to title, he gets another (depending on cup competitions and other factors), and if he wins the league, he gets a 5 year extension. If it all falls apart or we're out of the top four by December, he could be gone.

I think the board really does back him. He's going nowhere for the foreseeable future so long as he can show improvements, and he obviously has extensive talks with the board and execs about transfers and where he sees the team going. I think there was a common understanding when he arrived that the ship needed stabilizing. If I recall correctly, Mourinho suggested he was unaware of just how bad the squad of players he inherited were in terms of being a Mourinho team. He's cleared out a lot of deadwood and even though there are problems in his usage of players (some of whom he bought, some of whom he didn't), not all of them are his players. So I think he'll get one more big transfer window in the summer (250m-300m net), 3-4 top players, and then we should have an XI entirely created by Jose. That's the do or die season, he has to mount a challenge in Europe and in the league.

@Varun perfect answer. Though I think Mourinho's teams do have an entertainment value when they are typical Mourinho teams. That's what I mean above, sticking with Mourinho doesn't mean sticking with boring football, it might mean he gets it right with final window in the summer (or before) and we see a incarnation of an Inter or Real type United next season (not to slip into the next year is our year la fantasy monopolized by the scouse for three decades).
 

Minimalist

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You need both. Going for one purely over the other is just fecking daft.

During a good season you typically have good performances where you don't get the win and vice versa, that's fine.

If your average result is a draw or loss, that's a problem for a top team like United. If your average performance is dull and uninspiring, that's a problem for a top team like United.

EDIT: Noticed Varun summed it up in a single sentence. :lol:
 
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baskinginthesun

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For now, I will take 3 points. If it works next season and there is a serious title challenge, it's ok. But, at some point, if Mourhino really does respect the fans and culture he will have to entertain a lot more.

We all know he can; his Madrid team scored over 100 goals in La Liga on the way to a title.
 

Santoryo

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Varun said:
A club with our resources doesn't need to pick one.
Click to expand...
This.

We're not some mid-table team that would need to sacrifice entertainment to gain points or vice versa.

We have the resources and players to easily do both. We shouldn't go up against any half decent team expecting to play all negative just to win some points(which we don't even often do), it's quite depressing and that's what has happened the last 2 years.
 

donkeyfish

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It's not that entertaining if you don't have a chance at winning anything. Being in the title race is entertaining, playing knockout CL games is entertaining. Playing Watford at home to decide if we finish 15 or 18 points behind City is not. Regardless of style.
 

Lentwood

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For now it’s all about results. We’ve not had results OR the football in recent years so let’s get off our high horse and recognise where we are at
 

Nytram Shakes

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Honestly i want to be entertained a bit, when you watch your team play regularly for 180 mins a week, if the football is bad and not entertaining then that becomes a real slog.
 

liamp

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Varun's alerts about to get blown up from this thread.
 

RedCoffee

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Most of the big teams do both. Madrid, Barca, Bayern, PSG entertain and get the job done. That’s in Europe and at home so don’t spout any of this easy games nonsense.
 

AndyJ1985

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I don't spend my free time watching football to be bored to death. There's no reason we can't be entertaining and win matches anyway
 

Hansa

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Varun said:
A club with our resources doesn't need to pick one.
Click to expand...
Excellent answer. Tired of this false dichotomy. It's obviously impossible to have both all the time, but it should be the default position of the club.
 

Greck

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The entire United brand was built on both but now we have to pretend none of that ever happened and both are mutually exclusive
 

Raw

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Mozza said:
On top of what Varun said we aren't even playing defensive football well. We give up way too many chances
Click to expand...
Exactly. Defensive football can be entertaining too, it's just that we're not really that good at it.
 

drdoityourself

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In later years I've become more about entertainment. At least when watching United, I'm not particularly entertaining myself.

Just want to watch entertaining foorball from United, that would probably lead to more victories than losses considering our resources. Titles and such aren't as important.
 

Minimalist

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Mozza said:
On top of what Varun said we aren't even playing defensive football well. We give up way too many chances
Click to expand...
That's really what winds me up. This nonsense that (for example) some posters 'totally understand' what Mourinho was trying to do against Sevilla the other night.

No you fecking don't.
 

Jam

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Varun said:
A club with our resources doesn't need to pick one.
Click to expand...
Skills said:
If your not gonna be entertaining, you better fecking win.
Click to expand...
Nail meets head.

Though honestly as much as I'd love a swashbuckling approach I'd take something as dull as Spain's domination if it meant league and Champion's League wins. The end justifies the means when it comes to that approach.
 

Vidyoyo

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Maybe I'm a shit fan but I struggle to understand how can you get personal satisfaction out of United winning if they play boring defensive football. Yeah it's great for the club and all that IF we win but I struggle why people would accept it unless their main reason for supporting the club was to get some bragging rights over their mates. As other posters have said, spending your free time being bored to death is not a fun way to spend your time.

Personally I think the bigger issue might be that negative football threatens to make the club look less appealing in the long term to both potential players and new fans.
 

Mciahel Goodman

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Greck said:
Yet the go-to rebuttal when this topic is brought up is 'would you rather play attractive football and lose?'
Click to expand...
I mean in the context of my above post. I could be wide of the mark, but from what I've heard and read, I think the board will back him heavily in the summer to see if he can actually reach the levels of his past Chelsea/Inter/Real teams. Those teams were pragmatic, but Real and Inter (Chelsea to a lesser degree, personal opinion) played really good football too. They were similar (in style if not tactics) to Allegri's Juve and Simeone's peak version of Atletico.
 

beingshe7don

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Who here thinks that Mourinho was more prepared for the press conference with his 12 min rant than the game against Sevilla? Not to mention, he was more attacking with this words than the football he's made United play all season.
 

Greck

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Mciahel Goodman said:
I mean in the context of my above post. I could be wide of the mark, but from what I've heard and read, I think the board will back him heavily in the summer to see if he can actually reach the levels of his past Chelsea/Inter/Real teams. Those teams were pragmatic, but Real and Inter (Chelsea to a lesser degree, personal opinion) played really good football too. They were similar (in style if not tactics) to Allegri's Juve and Simeone's peak version of Atletico.
Click to expand...
Media has reports on senior figures both being behind him and also being unsure about him so I won't be surprised if they were also has polarised as the fans.
 

Kag

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Mciahel Goodman said:
I'd watch an entire season of the most negative football ever invented if it meant winning the league. If it doesn't work, then no, back to ethos of attacking football. So I think he gets another season and if he gets very close (3-4 points) to title, he gets another (depending on cup competitions and other factors), and if he wins the league, he gets a 5 year extension. If it all falls apart or we're out of the top four by December, he could be gone.

I think the board really does back him. He's going nowhere for the foreseeable future so long as he can show improvements, and he obviously has extensive talks with the board and execs about transfers and where he sees the team going. I think there was a common understanding when he arrived that the ship needed stabilizing. If I recall correctly, Mourinho suggested he was unaware of just how bad the squad of players he inherited were in terms of being a Mourinho team. He's cleared out a lot of deadwood and even though there are problems in his usage of players (some of whom he bought, some of whom he didn't), not all of them are his players. So I think he'll get one more big transfer window in the summer (250m-300m net), 3-4 top players, and then we should have an XI entirely created by Jose. That's the do or die season, he has to mount a challenge in Europe and in the league.

@Varun perfect answer. Though I think Mourinho's teams do have an entertainment value when they are typical Mourinho teams. That's what I mean above, sticking with Mourinho doesn't mean sticking with boring football, it might mean he gets it right with final window in the summer (or before) and we see a incarnation of an Inter or Real type United next season (not to slip into the next year is our year la fantasy monopolized by the scouse for three decades).
Click to expand...
Surely you may as well just not bother watching the games then? Just head down into Manchester city centre and follows the bus parade and join in the celebrations? I mean, I'm being a little sarcy but I genuinely can't understand why anybody would watch football solely to win. Getting battered every week wouldn't be very fun either, but the whole purpose of watching football is to be entertained and have a bit of fun with the people you're watching it with.

If all football games were like United-Sevilla then I'd wrap it in all together and stick to watching other sports.
 
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