It’s been a good season

[MalaysianRed7]

All in all, it’s been a good season for us. Coming off the back of last season, I would never have expected us to achieve top 3 and a major trophy this season. Not a mediocre top 3 like when we did it with 66 points in 2019-20 either - we got 75 points, 9 less than the best, most praise-lavished Arsenal team since 2004. We’ve only achieved more in one season since Fergie left.

Even away from the results though, I feel a genuine connection to the team again, and I’m sure most United fans do too. When we won the Carabao Cup, being at Wembley, it was one of the best days of my life (I’m not a regular match goer). Even after losing today, yes, I felt annoyed at players like De Gea and Sancho for letting us down. However, I can say with full conviction that I felt no anger, just desolation, which is the ‘best’ feeling a fan can have after a loss - that their team has given their all, but it sadly just wasn’t enough.

I never would have expected to regain this connection to a group of guys towards whom I felt total apathy towards the end of last season, whether we were losing feebly to Palace and Brighton, or beating Brentford in a dead rubber. A lot of credit must go to Ten Hag for that. He’s brought in likeable guys and most importantly leaders such as Lisandro and Casemiro, who have revitalised a stale dressing room. Another summer of good recruitment, and I’m sure that with this manager, we will challenge for the title next season.

If pushed for a rating, I could not give this season anything less than a 7.5/10. Well done to everyone involved, and it’s time to kick on now, hopefully with new Qatari owners.

 

[V.O.]

Not seen any season review threads

Here you go: https://www.redcafe.net/threads/rate-the-22-23-season.477442/

 

[Livewire1974]

I agree.

 

[MalaysianRed7]

Here you go: https://www.redcafe.net/threads/rate-the-22-23-season.477442/

Thanks, just seen it after leaving the thread Removed that part from the OP now.

 

[AndySmith1990]

It's been good relative to the quality of our squad. It's also once again highlighted how utterly shite our recruitment has been for 10 years

 

[V.O.]

Thanks, just seen it after leaving the thread Removed that part from the OP now.

No worries. Despite today's game, most people, like yourself, are being surprisingly level headed and see the season as a step in the right direction if nothing else.

 

[dove]

It's been fine. I think I predicted 75pts + a trophy before the start of the season, so we have done that. I hope I don't get a ban for saying that.

 

[Unam333]

It was a good season. Hopefully we will improve even more next season. Excited by the upcoming summer transfers.

 

[Nickosaur]

Start of the season, we'd all have taken 3rd with a domestic trophy.
Very good season.

 

[Shane88]

It's been alright.

A trophy was wonderful and CL qualification was important but there has been too many severe humiliations and not showing up for massive games for it to be good.

 

[fergiethegoat]

I'll give it a 6 out of 10.
Hammered by our biggest rivals,got top 4,won a trophy,albeit a third rate trophy and was in an fa cup final that we lost.

 

[Van Piorsing]

It was a difficult season, especially when team switched off after Carabao final. If not for Ten Hag trying to push any standards on the players, we could end lower.

With bench consisting only Garnacho having some impact, it can definitely be called good season... We were also lucky, but let's not push our luck next season. Main opponents will get stronger eventually.

 

[Zen86]

We were trashed/humiliated by Liverpool and City probably win the treble. Not sure I’d say this is a good season for us. Performance wise it was better than last.

 

[MalaysianRed7]

We were trashed/humiliated by Liverpool and City probably win the treble. Not sure I’d say this is a good season for us. Performance wise it was better than last.

The players tried their best today to stop City, maybe aside from Sancho although it’s hard to accuse anyone of shirking their duties. What more could they have done to stop City today? Other than that, City winning the treble has nothing to do with us. Getting hammered by Liverpool was awful but if you had offered me 58 points again or top 3 and a trophy, but we lose 7-0 to them, I’d have snapped your hand off for the latter option.

 

[BusbyMalone]

I agree that it's been a good season. Third and a cup is probably more than most people thought was possible this season. It's just a really garbage way to end the season today, there's no getting around that fact.

 

[Dixieland Delight]

Overall, I'd agree, it had bit of everything, from despair to delight. Hopefully next season we move it up a level and get some of the old swagger back. Without the dumpster fire of a winter world cup, I'm especially looking forward to saner scheduling.

 

[Catron]

No body cares about the good season. Arsenals good season will be remembered more.

 

[Zen86]

The players tried their best today to stop City, maybe aside from Sancho although it’s hard to accuse anyone of shirking their duties. What more could they have done to stop City today? Other than that, City winning the treble has nothing to do with us. Getting hammered by Liverpool was awful but if you had offered me 58 points again or top 3 and a trophy, but we lose 7-0 to them, I’d have snapped your hand off for the latter option.

We’ve made progress from last season yes, but let’s remember we were at absolute rock bottom. Top 4 really was the minimum requirement and the League Cup is a nice bonus, but we’ve churned out some horrific performances and laboured through the last third of the season. And while it may not directly relate to us, I refuse to label any season where the likes of City win a treble as a “good” season.

 

[mu4c_20le]

No body cares about the good season. Arsenals good season will be remembered more.

For bottling it. Next season will be huge for them because if they don't even come close again then we'll all know where it went wrong.

 

[wolvored]

Any season where you achieve the bare bread and butter top 4 and win a cup as a bonus is a decent season. The thing is we got to go one better and be challenging for the title next season, as long as we are backed in the transfer market.

 

[MalaysianRed7]

We’ve made progress from last season yes, but let’s remember we were at absolute rock bottom. Top 4 really was the minimum requirement and the League Cup is a nice bonus, but we’ve churned out some horrific performances and laboured through the last third of the season. And while it may not directly relate to us, I refuse to label any season where the likes of City win a treble as a “good” season.

Agree that top 4 is always the minimum requirement at Man United, but it’s also the minimum requirement at Chelsea and Liverpool, especially Chelsea who spent a large percentage of a billion pounds. They flopped miserably and we passed, albeit not with flying colours at times. Having said that though, even in the last 3rd of the season, it’s not as if we plodded through every game. I can name quite a few decent performances too, especially in home games.

 

[wangyu]

It's been decent. No league title or European trophy can never be labelled as a "good" season imo.

 

[Salt Bailly]

Agreed, it's been a good season.

 

[The_Midfielder]

Would have been fun if we won the Fa cup and scored some more goals

 

[KanieKaned]

A good return for how we started and what we've got available to us. Sadly losing to City in the FA cut final but they are a monster. They have what we don't. A striker, depth and everything functioning as it should. I would have snapped your hand off if you told me at the start of the season we would get top four and a cup.

 

[city-puma]

Wonderful
Great
Good
Mediocre
Bad
Worst

agree it’s a good one.

 

[OldRed1]

I'll only believe it's been a good year when the Glazer leeches have gone.

 

[Ted Lasso]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Wins across all competitions this season

Manchester City: 43
Manchester United: 41

rose tinted specs but it's still a terrific comparison for perspective.

 

[Real Name]

I'll give it a 6 out of 10.
Hammered by our biggest rivals,got top 4,won a trophy,albeit a third rate trophy and was in an fa cup final that we lost.

Took only 10 posts till this.

 

[Real Name]

No body cares about the good season. Arsenals good season will be remembered more.

Thank you for your contribution.

 

[stoinz]

Coming from that trainwrreck of a season, this can be even considered a great season. Not only results but the team spirit has visibly improved. New signings showing leadership immediately. Not sure if anyone noticed but Martinez seems to have taken Garnacho under his wings. Amazing that he only just came in and took it upon himself to guide the younger players.

 

[quadrant]

Totally agree. Yes, its been a 2 steps forward 1 backward kind of season, but overall we've seen solid progress.

Most important thing for me is that we have a manager with a clear modern vision, finally, after Mourinho and Ole gave us 6 seasons of regression. Most of the shortcomings in the team are now about personnel rather than tactics or style. We want to hog the ball, we want to press and counter-press, we're flexible in our formations, we're better at breaking down deep blocks, and so on. The basics are in place.

Unfortunately, the quality of the squad is going to take 2 more seasons to sort out, I reckon. So I don't think domination is right around the corner. We probably need to replace around 8 of the players in the matchday squad with much better alternatives, including some key positions like CF and GK. But I feel like the framework is there to build on.

 

[padzilla]

It's been a better season than many we have endured in recent years. There is still a long way to go but if we keep making progress then we can't really complain. This summer's recruitment will be crucial as we can't still be relying on emergency loan signings who just aren't United standard like Weghorst and Sabitzer again.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Good season for sure, 3rd place a domestic trophy and another final too.

However, the recruitment has been so bad for so long that we have a very good first 11 but when we need to make changes we really can't do it, as highlighted v City. Massive summer to get right, recruit better for the starting 11 and by doing so we will make the depth better. 85+ points next year, a QF/SF run in the CL and a domestic final would be a great season next year too.

 

[dalriada]

In the Ferguson years we'd consider it a disappointment, compared to last season it looks like good progress. This commentary in The Guardian sums it up pretty well for me:
Weghorst’s inept Cup cameo shows chasm Manchester United must cross | Manchester United | The Guardian
That's not a dig at Weghorst, by the way.
ETH can only deal with what he's inherited and work towards a style of football he's been recruited to create. By that measure, he's had as good a first season as could be expected. Taking the team as a whole, there's been more positives than negatives, but the negatives need addressing urgently.
I just hope that we're not going round in circles. Since SAF retired we constantly seem to be talking about "clearing out the deadwood" and Ole got credit for moving on players from the LVG and Jose seasons. Now we're talking again about about moving on "deadwood" on the one hand, but that the squad is too thin on the other hand. It points to such a failure of footballing foresight and a failure to evolve from the days when SAF ran the show almost single-handed, adjusting his strategy each season on what David Gill could sign off.

It ultimately has to be traced back to the ownership - other clubs like City, Arsenal, Villa, even Liverpool, have managed their strategy more effectively and consistently, while we've been reactive and inconsistent.
I'm optimistic that ETH is the real deal this time, the transfer window this summer will tell us a lot. I was initially optimistic about Moyes, though.

Taken in that context, I'd call it a good season in the circumstances.

 

[Rightnr]

We've been decent but won nothing of note. City are about to win the treble and we had a part to play in that.

Hard for this to be a good season, we're not Arsenal over here.

 

[MancFanFromManc]

Its been our best season for some years. ETH is the man to get us back on track. But... lets not get carried away. We cocked up the chance of a Euro final, we lost (albeit narrowly) in the FA Cup final. We were battered by that lot down the M62. Its been great to not have to delete MOTD every week and I've been really enjoying our football again (a lot of the time). Its been a really positive building season, let's just hope we can get the take-over sorted and continue to build ahead of 2023/24

 

[fergiethegoat]

Took only 10 posts till this.

I mean it's the truth is it not?
Its a very average season considering in the way we lost the fa cup final with two pathetic goals which highlits the mentality of our team,threw away a genuine chance of winning the europaleague due to ten hags ridiculous subs and getting absolutely hammered by pool and city.
Add that to the fact that the glazers are staying and we still have a lot of dross in our team. Eriksen,De gea,Sancho,Martial,Anthony,Wout etc
I feel completely dejected.

 

[matsdf]

No it hasn't. Getting trashed by City and Pool was extremely frustrating, and the Sevilla debacle was very very ugly as well. It's been an OK season with the double fixture against Barcelona as the (IMO) highlight.

 

[Real Name]

I mean it's the truth is it not?
Its a very average season considering in the way we lost the fa cup final with two pathetic goals which highlits the mentality of our team,threw away a genuine chance of winning the europaleague due to ten hags ridiculous subs and getting absolutely hammered by pool and city.
Add that to the fact that the glazers are staying and we still have a lot of dross in our team. Eriksen,De gea,Sancho,Martial,Anthony,Wout etc
I feel completely dejected.

Well no, it isnt the truth.
At all.

Losing FA cup final doesnt portray the whole season especially not the way you do it.
We've improved masively compared to last season, OT is a fortress, lost one game whole season, ETH winning percentage is the best since Fergie, new players have in majority been a success and I wouldnt call Antony a dross by any means. Sure there were hickups and problems (away form being one) but general direction is a good and positive one.
We were hammered by Liverpool and City sure but bounced back every time. Not to mention Liverpool will play Thursday night football.
We didnt go out vs Sevilla cause of ETH subs.
Strange you feel dejected but each on their own.