Yeah this is a quality writeup.
I'll add my two cents to this, and a short "why the hell do i keep defending OGS":
For me, and I assume most of you, football fandom is very much based on emotion. Most of us grew up fans of the club, and football has a special place in our hearts.-
Being a fan has different meanings to a lot of people. Some fans want to win all the time, some fans are just happy to participate. Some fans are very opinionated, whereas others believe, for most part, the club can do no wrong. It' that, and everything in between.
I grew up a fan of the club, I've been a fan since i was 6 and watched games with my dad. Manchester United has been a constant in my life for over 30 years since. I've never truly known any other manager than Sir Alex Ferguson. He set the standard for what I want of a manager in this club. The longevity and identity is completely unique in football. There has been nothing like it. Not even Arsene Wenger left a similar imprint on Arsenal, despite being one of few manager in club history who can stand tall at the end of a lifetime a reign.
So with that being said: I care about identity. I care about that we win, and how we win. I care about who leads the club, and i very much care about who plays for the club. There are players here who needs to leave, to be replaced with better players. There is probably staff here who needs to be replaced. There is even a executive running the club that need to divest his responsibilities to a DOF.
But I also don't want to be just like other clubs. Buy players, change managers, be angry, be spiteful and demanding and surround myself wiht a cloud of negativity every time an obstacle appears. In very short term, I want Manchester United back. And quite frankly I am patient, because how matter, at least it does to me.
This season, I'm happy to write off. Players need signing and replacing. This MUFC team is not the team that will win trophies. But in a transfer window or three, it will be. And I want it to be lead by the manager who is the very heir apparent to the greatest manager in football history.
Being a fan of this club to me is very much about romanticizing the present and past. In the present I see the writing of a new beautiful chapter of this clubs history, and all we need is to be patient. Actually patient, not a few games patient.
There is a new "class of 92" brewing in Gomes, Greenwood, Williams, Garner, lead by a young starlet in Marcus Rashford - coached by Sir Alex' pupil. It's the perfect continuation of a football legacy we'll never again. And quite frankly i am MORE than happy to take the gamble to see it come to fruition.