I think the last few games under Ralf Rangnick were worse when the entire team just gave up trying
Is this the worst run of awful football since Fergie retired?
- Thread starter Idxomer
- Start date
We've obviously had significant stretches where we've been worse than this. The thing now is that we have been consistently mediocre for a whole quarter of a season. No big ups, no huge downs, just mediocre, game after game after game. Not a single exception through the whole season.
Well, "easier fixtures" have so far meant mostly scraping a 1-goal win, which isn't going to turn anything around.
Also the tail end of Oles first season. And the pre-Bruno part of the following season, but then the issue was consistency - we got wins against top sides then lost to bottom ones.
That's why I said hopefully, because it's definitely not a sure thing.
Seconded. We have to think it's turnaroundable, what gets me down is the lack of any signs in that direction. I'd be less worried if we alternated between strong and abysmal performances.
The football under Moyes was way worse for me still. Its certainly not pretty but Moyes was worse.
The trouble with what we're playing at the minute when compared to others us, EtH was our saviour in waiting. It may have been worse under RR for example but we knew he was off and the end of the season, EtH was supposed to lead us to a brighter future. It's hard to see that ATM
Some are quick to forget just how crap we have been over the past decade.
But you're right, it always comes back to recruitment.
The current manager always has so many players that we can't sell because they haven't been performing well, are on long term, exorbitant contracts, and because we paid a grossly over inflated fee, the club are reluctant to take the loss, and instead prefer to give the player 'one more chance'
Added to this, ETH has signed 10 players, and none of them are particularly any better than what we've had before, so nothing improves.
The football has been pretty dreadful under Ten Hag for the most part apart from a two month spell last season, we won the league Cup and completely folded then.
I really can't understand how manager after manager can't get these lads to play with a bit more life.
I really can't understand how manager after manager can't get these lads to play with a bit more life.
Oh people definitely want brilliance. The issue is that United is relying on rare moments of brilliance currently. And what for United is a brilliant moment is just a run-of-the-mill attack for a team like City.
Simply said people want consistent brilliance instead of just moments. And currently United doesn't pull it off often enough and whenever they make a mistake they are wide open.
This is a slightly different issue than under Moyes or LVG who are also mentioned as managing potential worst spells. There teams where not that fragile as current United but they also didn't really have these moments of brilliance. They just created lots of low probability situations like the famous crossing record, but when this lead to a goal it didn't have to be a special situation and sometimes this just works.
Now United creates a few great chances through "Hollywood passing" which mostly falls but sometimes works, which actually isn't much different in effect, but the problem is the lack of a safety net that was there through for example LvG's rigid positional play.
And also it feels like Moyes had a plan how to get into the box, it just wasn't good, while currently there seems to be no clear plan how to even get there.
Surely van Gaal wins this debate? I mean, that was a stretch of sterile, pedestrian football that strangled the life out of any game. Even for the opposition. I mean, football under Ten Hag at the moment gives me a lot of heart palpitations but at least some things happen. Albeit, invariably for the opposition…
For this to be a recurring problem, we have to look deeper than simply blaming manager, after manager, after manager.
You have to look at the culture of these players that we have here.
They seem to be bone idle, and either unwilling or unable to improve their game or adapt.
I think it`s up there with the worst and will top it, if it goes on for a few more weeks and we get some 4+ goal drubbings.
It just feels worse due to the circumstances. Most felt that we were turning a corner after last season and we started to see a style of play etc. Things have just crumbled apart. The players look like they have no energy or direction and we just pass it about without any intent.
It just feels worse due to the circumstances. Most felt that we were turning a corner after last season and we started to see a style of play etc. Things have just crumbled apart. The players look like they have no energy or direction and we just pass it about without any intent.
Yes, i'm going back to dreading watching our games.
This football is truly awful. Any glimmer of excitement is from a counter attack or two or a very rare moment of brilliance - tactically we look like a pub team.
I personally would say it is the worst myself although Moyes still just pips EtH in loss percentage. However that guy didn’t have a clue what he was doing, rabbit in headlights, shat the bed did Moyes.
This though is very bad, even last season we were bang average for the majority and we have just got worse. Definitely as a fan the most disconnected I have been from the team since SAF.
I personally would say it is the worst myself although Moyes still just pips EtH in loss percentage. However that guy didn’t have a clue what he was doing, rabbit in headlights, shat the bed did Moyes.
This though is very bad, even last season we were bang average for the majority and we have just got worse. Definitely as a fan the most disconnected I have been from the team since SAF.
Our 'star player' seems to be allergic to breaking into a jog to close others down, and our captain, who tbf always puts a shift in, is soft as shit and spends half of every game moaning at anyone who looks in his direction. No wonder everyone else follows on from that.
Yea that sounds about right. I just remember it being embarrassing and tactically inept.
Being the 'number 1' critics of ETH since January this YEAR I can tell you this..
ETH usually says this because it's a very small part of our game where it's not okay. Only 1 part. But it's the most important one. Playing as a block. Either in attacking or defending.
Every other metric we are not badly off, and every other metric will go better when we achieve this. Good teams attack in blocks and defend in blocks. Our problem is never do any of those well.
Mourinho was known for block defending same as Simeone.
Pep and Klopp for attacking in blocks.
Us we are caught in between, if you understand, so that's why you can glaring issues in our play but you can understand people who hold on to the fact that ETH should be given time.
My only issue with ETH is, upto now he has not binned anyone who can't play in a block. This lays on him sadly
The last few games under Ole and Jose were bad. I still think LVG's entire reign was the worst football I've ever seen in my life from a Utd team.
I largely blame him for Utd becoming slow and pedestrian when they should have been going the other way. A rut the club and team just can't seem to get out of.
I largely blame him for Utd becoming slow and pedestrian when they should have been going the other way. A rut the club and team just can't seem to get out of.
It really does. Ridiculous thread.
There was worse football under LVG, Moyes and Ragnick at points so I don't know what people are on about.
Nothing worse than LVG. I’m still team Ten Hag you can see too many players have a rotten culture and/or have been there too long. Been nice to see some players who maybe aren’t the best show just what the club means to them recently.
Talk about hyperbole! We've been mediocre, sure, even sh*t at times, but to claim it's worse than any run post fergie is ridiculous! The year prior to ten hag came had at least two runs of games were we were diabolical AND got humiliated time and time again.
Under mourinho it was toxic beyond belief on top of terrible results and football. Way worse than it is now.
Under van gaal, well zombie football and barely any goals.
Under Moyes, 72 crosses, fellaini, got 7th and were embarassed so many times. The fact that this was the season after fergies winning team makes in far worse in my eyes.
We have been poor to average this year. No denying that. But we are still 6 points behind city, in the league cup and still have a chance at Cl qualification. It's not all doom and gloom.
People need to look at where we are in the context of the last few years, not just last year. Yes, ten hag has spent 400 mil, but this was after losing at least 6/7 players on a FREE (most were in first team squad) without including fred, mcT, maguire, martial, bailly, telles, tunzebe all of which were surplus to requirements. We simply haven't turned over the squad quickly enough. All this while our rivals have spent just as much if not much more. And we've had the ownership situation hanging over us for so long, it's bound to affect performance. I won't even mention the injuries!!!
TL
R people are drama queens. It's nowhere near the worst run.
Under mourinho it was toxic beyond belief on top of terrible results and football. Way worse than it is now.
Under van gaal, well zombie football and barely any goals.
Under Moyes, 72 crosses, fellaini, got 7th and were embarassed so many times. The fact that this was the season after fergies winning team makes in far worse in my eyes.
We have been poor to average this year. No denying that. But we are still 6 points behind city, in the league cup and still have a chance at Cl qualification. It's not all doom and gloom.
People need to look at where we are in the context of the last few years, not just last year. Yes, ten hag has spent 400 mil, but this was after losing at least 6/7 players on a FREE (most were in first team squad) without including fred, mcT, maguire, martial, bailly, telles, tunzebe all of which were surplus to requirements. We simply haven't turned over the squad quickly enough. All this while our rivals have spent just as much if not much more. And we've had the ownership situation hanging over us for so long, it's bound to affect performance. I won't even mention the injuries!!!
TL
R people are drama queens. It's nowhere near the worst run.I will never understand how Bayern was able to add aggressive pressing and transitioning to their style when he left while United didn't seem to make that step forward after him. The style of both clubs hasn't been that different.
Same. LvG games (post the infamous Leicester match) were soporific trash. I have never been so consistently lulled to sleep by our football.
3 wins on the trot and a last minute penalty save has really entertained me, it must be said. Better than comfortably losing to Frank Lampard's Everton like under Ragnick.
Think the difference is that Bayern had a relatively settled squad, they went from 2 or 3 managers in 4 years with Heynkes having a brief spell, then LVG and back to Heynkes. After that it was Ancelotti, Guardiola. Good coaches who know how to play good football.
Utd came off a long spell with SAF, then Moyes. It went from slow and boring under LVG, to Mourinho's shit on a stick football.. To what ever Ole was trying to do.. all that and a squad that has been poorly put together for 10 years now.. it's easy enough to see why Utd haven't moved forward.
+1, LvG towards the end and Ralf were just dire. We're nowhere close to that right now.
But it's following the same trend and we'll get there unless Ten Hag manages some magic like he did last season.
But it's following the same trend and we'll get there unless Ten Hag manages some magic like he did last season.
We've had worse stretches I think. Appreciate this thread was made a few weeks ago, we have won 3 in a row since then, albeit with about 60odd minutes of decent football. Off the pitch issues and injuries need to be taken into account too I think. The month or so in the run up to this thread I'd certainly put in the top 5 stretches of poor football in the last decade, accentuated by the disappointment of what I viewed as the start of a comeback last season, and the fear of losing a manager I am mostly behind
The past decade has been full of fecking terrible football.
It's the fact that most games all season we've been having loads and loads of chances to score and not taken them - then the opponent has one chance and it goes in.
Or, we score and they score within 5 minutes.
Honestly sometimes it's like having a whole front line of Darwin Nunez's
Or, we score and they score within 5 minutes.
Honestly sometimes it's like having a whole front line of Darwin Nunez's
We have turned into a graveyard at this stage. But i still think Rangnick was the worse i have seen - players just gave up. It was like Lampard was managing us. I actually stopped watching us under Rangnick - the first time i have ever done that in 30 ish years of following the club.
What bad run, we’ve won 3 games in a row.
The Wreck-It Ralf era has been the worst post-Fergie by a mile. Some were just duped by his 'revelatory' press conferences, even though he was just stating the obvious that every man and his dog had been saying for months.
I was dead against the appointment of Jose, for a whole host of reasons.
That said, I actually enjoyed his first season and a half, and in addition to two trophies the football was a lot more enjoyable that I was expecting it to be.
After he’d conned the club into giving him an improved contract it almost immediately became terrible. I still can’t remember a duller game at OT than the 0-0 against a very poor Southampton at the turn of ‘17/18. We managed to grind out enough points to finish second in the league; it felt just as hollow as Ole’s second, but without the patches of entertaining football that the latter provided.
That said, I actually enjoyed his first season and a half, and in addition to two trophies the football was a lot more enjoyable that I was expecting it to be.
After he’d conned the club into giving him an improved contract it almost immediately became terrible. I still can’t remember a duller game at OT than the 0-0 against a very poor Southampton at the turn of ‘17/18. We managed to grind out enough points to finish second in the league; it felt just as hollow as Ole’s second, but without the patches of entertaining football that the latter provided.
Yes the league titles have stopped and we’re a nothing force in Europe who can only hope to win the odd cup here and there and finish in the top 4, but it doesn’t get mentioned as much how we’ve also played absolutely terrible football in that time to. That’s a total contrast to the 80s where the results were similar.
Just throwing it out there, maybe last season we were well ahead of schedule by finishing third and raised expectations too much. Don't forget Spurs & Liverpool had crap seasons.
Perhaps this season is showing where we are really at and a more of logical follow on from the Solskjaer, Rangnick season. We always knew it was going to take 3 years or so before we were truly challenging again. Maybe this is a step back short term to take a step forward long term
Perhaps this season is showing where we are really at and a more of logical follow on from the Solskjaer, Rangnick season. We always knew it was going to take 3 years or so before we were truly challenging again. Maybe this is a step back short term to take a step forward long term
I remember Ronaldo just laughing when a goal went in, think it might have been the fourth against some absolute shite like Brentford or something. As much as he was annoying me at the time, I kind of felt where he was coming from. Was a complete shambles.
For a number of reasons, I personally think Van Gaal was sacked a year too soon. I appreciate that he’s been a popular reference in this thread, but I think he should have gotten another year. I can’t even remember if that is hindsight or not at this point, but it’s certainly what I think now anyway.