I feel no connection to these Utd players

[Rossa]

It does feel like there are too many mercenaries at the club. Even an academy player like Lingard seems more of a lifestyle player than one that shouts Manchester United.

The player that I like, that may not be the best in each position, would be

Rojo - real cojones, and gives his all - not one to smile when he makes a mistake. He genuinly seems to care.
Herrera - quality and genuine commitment. Should be captain.
Mata: he just seems to nice not to like, plus he really does look like he gives a toss. Should play more.
Rashford: none of that Lingard attitude. Works hard even if he is lacking in certain areas. Seems like opposition fans rate him.
Martial: I like him for his potential and that he is one of the few players that, while not getting me off my seat, at least offers a little nudge.

Bailly and Fred may move up, but they have played too little. DDG I'm a little unsure of. As a shot stopper, he's the best in the world, but as a character on the pitch, I think he is part of the problem. We have no, or at least very few, natural leaders on the pitch, and great goalies are leaders!

 

[Red_toad]

What a spoilt bunch of supporters we have. You lot have been spoilt due to SAF and now being 7th isn't enough for you? We are literally above 50 other teams in England. Get a grip. Back in my day we supported ALL players and EVERY manager. We must support the manager at all costs

The usual lecture we can expect to get when complaining about this shambles of a team. Mourinho OUT ffs

Back in what day? Did you support Graeme Hogg?

 

[poleglass red]

Hard to feel connected to players in the modern game. There seems to be a genuine lack of connection with the modern fan across the board. Players like Gary Nev, Keano, Schmikes etc, if we lost, you could imagine them being pissed off long after the game had finished and they had went home. Nowadays you don't get that with the De Gea's, Pogba's, Martial's etc. Maybe it's just the spoilt nature of the modern player. I guess a few wins on the spin and this lack of connection is reignited, I don't know, but right now I've little with any of these lads. As much maligned as Rashford and Lingard are on here, they are 2 of the players in this current set up that look like they actually give a shit.

 

[shamans]

Back in what day? Did you support Graeme Hogg?

Dont bite too hard

 

[SilentWitness]

I think it would be difficult to be a United fan who grew up in the Fergie era to feel connected to the players. You were winning trophies season after season and you did it with a side that was packed full of homegrown talents who fully understood the city, the fans and the club ethos. What made it better than that was SAF meant sure that he built teams with players who also bought into that. Ferdinand, Evra, Van Der Sar, Park etc., they all have nothing but passion and desire for United now that they're pundits and being loony bins (Hi Patrice).

Now that has been sucked out of the club a little bit. There isn't an array of homegrown talent that are at the same level of ability as Giggs/Scholes anymore. I don't doubt that Rashford feels strongly about United and the fanbase but you don't see it in the same way that you did under Fergie because you know that Mourinho doesn't care, he's just doing a job and it's more about his ego. The other players understand that United is a big club but they just think it's because of winning trophies, they don't understand the bigger picture which is why fans can't relate to them.

 

[Oldyella]

Pogba, Fellaini, Lukaku...I just don’t like any of the players.

Apart from Dave and Rashford, I feel no connection with any of them. Which is so different to Utd sides of the past where I really looked up to so many of the players, even the not so talented ones like Darren Fletcher who would always give us everything and score important goals.

I don’t like modern Man Utd at all and it saddens me.

Hugs?

 

[Steerpike]

The loss of a 'connection' with the players is just one of the consequences of how the game has changed.

When I first started following football, it was not unusual for players to spend virtually their entire career at a single club, and a large proportion of the players were local or home grown. Transfers were big news because there were fewer of them. Fans therefore had the feeling that their players cared about their clubs, could trust them to give of their best, and didn't really consider the possibility of them leaving. A bond between players and fans developed, and there was more tolerance of ups and downs in form. In addition to that, players were well paid, but not exorbitantly so, and in that sense still lived on the same planet as the fans

Fast forward to the game today, and players seem more like free agents who provide their services to clubs as and when it suits them. Loyalty is virtually non-existent as players brazenly seek the patronage of the highest bidder (and don't even get me started on agents!). There seems to be little point in waxing lyrical about the talents of any particular player in the squad when in all likelihood they'll be wearing the shirt of a rival in a few years time.

I'm also interested in cricket, but I can't get into the IPL: to me the teams are just a bunch of randomly assembled franchises to which I feel absolutely no connection. Is there a danger of football going the same way?

 

[VeevaVee]

The players just fail to strike a chord. Not just playing boring but often not looking like they give a shit will do that.

 

[VorZakone]

It's as if they really just see it as a job. I was watching clips of young Rooney and Ronaldo, and you could tell they had such a natural competitive drive on the pitch.

 

[Red00012]

The only player I cheer for is actually de Gea. And, to be fair, I think that if he wants to improve and win something, we should let him go. This is how much I love him as a person and as a player - I can't stand his pain. Which is a shame, but it's what we are right now.

Ya let’s sell him to make us worse just to put him out of his misery. I’m sure the €200K a week he’s earning eases his pain a little. Maybe we should sell Martial as well he never smiles??

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

This to me is just odd. I find it incredibly weird when fans affection for players extends beyond that of the club.

I dunno this is only an issue because we aren’t competing at the moment. If (huge if) we suddenly became competitive next season/within a couple of seasons time with more or less the same group of players we wouldn’t be hearing this, obviously.

Nope, it's just something that sports clubs need to adjust to. Younger generations are simply not going to be legacy supporters as most people have been in the past. They just have a different set of criteria for picking and choosing brands/teams/cities/etc.

For one, they are much more likely to move away from home which naturally reduces the level of civic pride that older people feel. Beyond that, social media (where their lives are shaped) has given the players significantly more power than they've had in the past. Clubs are not the only entities in sports now. Players have, and know they have, the ability to move the needle. Ronaldo is moving the needle for an entire league at the moment.

This is especially true in european football and basketball - which happen to be the 2 most popular team sports and the sports experiencing the most global growth. They happen to have the most global superstars, players that can change the landscapes of their sports if they choose to because they have the power and freedom to do it.

It's not a fight worth fighting. It's simply the way things have changed and it must be adapted to.

 

[Van Piorsing]

At the end of the week, it's just another 100k to cash in no matter how unprofessional the performance is. Meanwhile Jose speaking about top 4 miracle like it's Christmas makes him look more like a crack addict than a legit manager.

The sad part is players doesn't seem to care even for battle for top 4 and they can't see much sense in simply playing for the fans who are incredibly patient with this tripe.

 

[JPB]

Harsh on Fletch. He had become an instrumental cog in our midfield until he received a crazy illness that ruined his career.

The Mourinho factor is affecting your connection to the club. Many people feel the same as you right now - myself included.

Darren Fletcher was a terrible player, sorry.

 

[Maciej]

Ya let’s sell him to make us worse just to put him out of his misery. I’m sure the €200K a week he’s earning eases his pain a little. Maybe we should sell Martial as well he never smiles??

I don't care about the team when I have reasons to believe that a player's decision is the best for him (not looking at money, but at the opportunity to win titles). I'm not 15 years old to hate anyone who hates my team or plays against it. I understand how it goes.

To be fair, you'd be surprised how many players I appreciate in different teams than I acutally do in the current United squad.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

I don't care about the team when I have reasons to believe that a player's decision is the best for him (not looking at money, but at the opportunity to win titles). I'm not 15 years old to hate anyone who hates my team or plays against it. I understand how it goes.

To be fair, you'd be surprised how many players I appreciate in different teams than I acutally do in the current United squad.

This is how I feel too. And I think a surprisingly large segment of younger people are starting to follow sports this way.

 

[Random Task]

Darren Fletcher was a terrible player, sorry.

You're basing this on what, exactly?

 

[BigRon1985]

Long gone are the days when a player used to come home from a defeat, kick the cat and not speak to anyone for a week. I’ve been disconnected from this squad since Mourinho took over - it’s like he’s sucked the life out of the club and replaced it with his planet sized ego. Most of the team aren’t worthy to lace the boots of the players of past eras who really cared and respected the badge. To them this club is just another payday.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

Long gone are the days when a player used to come home from a defeat, kick the cat and not speak to anyone for a week. I’ve been disconnected from this squad since Mourinho took over - it’s like he’s sucked the life out of the club and replaced it with his planet sized ego. Most of the team aren’t worthy to lace the boots of the players of past eras who really cared and respected the badge. To them this club is just another payday.

You feel that way because we are not winning. And we are not winning due to a mix of poor management and squad quality/structure. But it is not because the players don't want to win.

 

[Rhyme Animal]

I really like Martial, Herrera, Rojo, Mata and Jones...

Quite like de Gea, Shaw, Pogba, Rashford and Smalling.

Don't actively dislike any of them really.

 

[King7Eric]

Darren Fletcher was a terrible player, sorry.

Oh dear!! Someone's started the weekend bender a little early.

 

[tjb]

Someone hit the nail on the head .. It feels like they see it as a job. There ids no enjoyment in their game and the lack of quality in certain positions show. We hve defefnders afriad of defending, wingers scared of sprinting, Midfielders and defenders who are scared to pass and strikers who look horrified in front of goal. It just feels like we have a team of mercenaries now.

 

[Maciej]

I just had a look at our squad in order to find out how many of these players I actually like.

I like de Gea a lot. Ma favourite player. I also like Rojo, Martial, Mata, Herrera, and maybe Lindelof.

I don't like Pogba and I fecking hate Lingard.

The rest is neutral, which is sad, because they play for my FAVOURITE football team and I simply don't care about them.

 

[Thiagoal]

I'm off to OT tomorrow and for the first time in my life I'm thinking 'can I really be bothered!' The current crop are very difficult to really get behind and even if they pull out a committed, sensational performance you know next week it'll be another tepid 50% effort showing!

 

[E-mal]

Well I only like those who are good enough or potentially good enough to be in a team of the status of Man Utd. Those not good enough but have efforts, I still don't care about them.
Unlike many on the forum, competence is my number one criteria.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

I'm off to OT tomorrow and for the first time in my life I'm thinking 'can I really be bothered!' The current crop are very difficult to really get behind and even if they pull out a committed, sensational performance you know next week it'll be another tepid 50% effort showing!

Well be sure to clap the manager like a good Top Red. None of this is his fault.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

It's a long time since fans had any real connection with players, such as Tom Finney travelling to the match on the local bus, sat with the fans. Those days are well and truly gone as far as the top tiers of football are concerned. Most people won't feel any connection with the modern day player, or them with the fans. Money, closeting of players in a cocoon, will stop that. The closest we might get is watching players flogging products on TV and not just football items. Everyone of course has their favourite/ not favourite players, but as far as feeling any connections with them l would say, that's long gone.

We still get the occasional moment of players seeming properly connected with the supporters, like Phil Jones watching Utd beat Liverpool at Anfield with our supporters. Even Smalling chanting Utd songs while pissed up brought a smile to my face. Unprofessional or not, at least he was showing some affection for the club.

 

[Melville Red]

I just find it hard to spell the bloody names nowadays!

Except for Jones, but I wish I didn't have to, he should be playing for Stoke City ffs.

 

[Melville Red]

like Phil Jones watching Utd beat Liverpool at Anfield with our supporters.
]

If he has to be at the game then that's the best place for him.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

If he has to be at the game then that's the best place for him.

Sad but true!

 

[Ronaldo's ego]

Apart from Dave, Ander and Rash I’d be happy for them all to go feck themselves

 

[hobbers]

Going back to previous unsuccessful squads there's definitely far, far fewer players in this squad that I actually believe in. I think that's the key to it, really.

Most fans believed in Rooney, Ruud, Carrick, Rio, Heinze, Ronaldo, Saha, Fletcher. Maybe not Evra and Vidic to start off, but certainly after that 6 month bedding in period. I looked at any of those players and thought they were worthy of being in a title winning side. No question. Sure there were also some polished turds, but we still had a big core group of talented, likeable players there. And that's even without taking into account Neville, Scholes and Giggs.

Now who have we got? De Gea and Martial for sure. Herrera and Mata are obviously likeable. Rashford and Shaw have a lot of promise. Pogba obviously if you ignore his pathetic attitude, which most cant. That's it. Any other player gets sold tomorrow and not one fan would give a hoot, and that's a sad fact.

 

[simplyared]

The days when you felt a connection with players are gone I'm afraid. Remember the days when you waited outside the ground after the game, players leaving the stadium through a side door. We used to follow them to the car park, hoping you'd exchange a few words and get a signature. Remember once getting the 112 double decker from top of Warwick Rd to All Saints after a night game. I'm sitting downstairs, the bus is creeping forward in a traffic jam and Bestie jumps on (took him a while before he got his drivers licence). Beatle style jet black hair, black leather coat. So fecking handsome! He jumped off again at White City.

 

[Negan]

We still get the occasional moment of players seeming properly connected with the supporters, like Phil Jones watching Utd beat Liverpool at Anfield with our supporters. Even Smalling chanting Utd songs while pissed up brought a smile to my face. Unprofessional or not, at least he was showing some affection for the club.

I swear the club organize shit like this. As it seems to only ever happen when we play against Liverpool.

 

[Water Melon]

Players are generally distant from the fans these days, they prefer interaction via social media rather than face to face interaction. Also, our playing style is rather dull and we do not see Utd challenging for top honours playing important finals. Bring back our attacking approach and some swagger, and you will see your love grow fonder.

 

[LoneStar]

I agree, DDG, Herrera and Rashford (maybe Mata) are the only players I can relate to.

I disagree on Fellaini though, the guy gives his all on the pitch. You might like him or hate him, but you have to respect that.

But the team as a whole feels a bit alien to me, maybe a new manager can change this perception.

 

[Slevs]

DDG, Herrera, Lindeloff, Fellaini, Martial

 

[jmaggio]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Still love weyn even if he had a gash few seasons towards the end

 

[Class of 63]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Still love weyn even if he had a gash few seasons towards the end

Let's be honest once he'd texted his favourite hacks the starting XI an hour or so before kick-off he didn't need his phone being on any more

 

[Livvie]

De Gea, Herrera, Rashford.

The rest are just so suspicious, do they even care seriously or just here for the paycheck and stardom.
Don't care about their usual sweet words, serious genuine efforts in performances is what matters.

You seriously think Mata is only interested in the pay check and stardom....he is probably our greatest role model, and I’ve never seen him not give his all. He has too much self respect for that.

De Gea, Herrera, Mata, Shaw, Rashford, and possibly Martial and Lingard. Seven players who I think do their best and respect the club. Lindelhof showing improvement so needs more chances. Sanchez we know is awesome...needs to be used correctly. Pogba is lazy and showboats...don’t care what ability he might have, I don’t like him. Matic nothing like he was at Chelsea.

Jones is either injured or runs round like a deer caught in headlights...just not good enough. Smalling either brilliant or useless. Valencia and Young, good moments but not the consistency needed for a whole season. Rojo, hard to tell as never in the team enough to draw a conclusion. Darmian ineffective. Lukaku is an enigma...started off brilliantly, currently a clumsy embarrassment. Fellini can be good but is too frequently like an accident waiting to happen.

I still maintain though, that there is something wrong at OT, when so many players come here and change from brilliant to mediocre.

 

[Jacob]

I've more or less lost interest in football. I no longer consider myself a supporter of United. I am indifferent. I catch a few games here and there for old times sales.

A big part of my affection disappeared with Fergie. The rest is just natural, you tend to lose interest as you get older. Most players are younger than me now.