Hard to say until we see the business that happens in the summer. But we'll have to really spend well and get rid of the crap for me to expect much more than a very underwhelming battle for top 4.
Next Season Expectations
- Thread starter elnorte
- Start date
We will be searching for a new manager by January
That’s the spirit.
Well we are rebuilding again. At least we are doing so with people at the helm - Solskjær and Phelan - that know the club, and will build it with the right intentions in terms of the profile of player. Even if OGS fails, I expect him to leave a squad that his successor can build on, rather than another massive reboot.
For next season I think we’ll finish 4-6. Safe bet. That’s our standard right now. 3rd would be a superb achievement if done so playing the right football with demonstrable progress and a young squad full of potential. We should be retooling with an eye on a title challenge from the season after next.
There are probably only two players in world football good enough to propel us to title challengers over night. Messi and Neymar. Neither of those are signing, so we need to look at a sensible rebuild over the next 3-4 transfer windows. Pretty much exactly as Solskjær said.
All of Rojo, Smalling, Jones, Bailly, Darmian, Young, Valencia, Matic, Pereira, Herrera, Mata, and Alexis, have to be improved upon even from a squad role perspective, in order to be title challengers. That’s a huge turnover. Lingard doesn’t have his fans, but he can be a very useful squad player.
The only players for me that have shown enough to either build around, or continue to develop are DDG, Romero, Shaw, Dalot, Lindelof, McTominay, Fred, Pogba, Martial, and Rashford. That’s thin pickings. Personally I would listen to offers for Lukaku if big money comes in. Otherwise, I’d keep him as a squad option/plan B. The guy is a donkey, but he scores goals, and offers something different. Chong, Gomes, Greenwood and Garner all look high potential players. If even one of those makes the grade, we should be very happy.
For next season I think we’ll finish 4-6. Safe bet. That’s our standard right now. 3rd would be a superb achievement if done so playing the right football with demonstrable progress and a young squad full of potential. We should be retooling with an eye on a title challenge from the season after next.
There are probably only two players in world football good enough to propel us to title challengers over night. Messi and Neymar. Neither of those are signing, so we need to look at a sensible rebuild over the next 3-4 transfer windows. Pretty much exactly as Solskjær said.
All of Rojo, Smalling, Jones, Bailly, Darmian, Young, Valencia, Matic, Pereira, Herrera, Mata, and Alexis, have to be improved upon even from a squad role perspective, in order to be title challengers. That’s a huge turnover. Lingard doesn’t have his fans, but he can be a very useful squad player.
The only players for me that have shown enough to either build around, or continue to develop are DDG, Romero, Shaw, Dalot, Lindelof, McTominay, Fred, Pogba, Martial, and Rashford. That’s thin pickings. Personally I would listen to offers for Lukaku if big money comes in. Otherwise, I’d keep him as a squad option/plan B. The guy is a donkey, but he scores goals, and offers something different. Chong, Gomes, Greenwood and Garner all look high potential players. If even one of those makes the grade, we should be very happy.
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You’re a proper tit aren’t you? What do you expect OGS to say? “They’re all shite, we need to sign 25 new players”?
Clearly he knows that this summer will be probably 5-6 players out, and 4-5 in. Max. So he has to continue to get the best out of the remaining 20. Instilling the right culture takes time and won’t happen overnight. But making everyone believe that they are playing for their future, only seems sensible. No one should ever be complacent at Manchester United.
Fact is, when OGS came in we suddenly started running more and pressing more. We started steamrolling teams and playing with real verve. Then all the soft tissue injuries set in. A result of little proper fitness work under Mourinho in pre-season. In getting over that injury crisis, it is clear the team has had to preserve their legs and not run as much. We just have to keep players fit until the end of the season. There was a clear correlation there. Results and performances obviously declined; but all that matters right now is grinding out results to the end of the season.
OGS will have a proper pre-season to get all the necessary fitness work in. It’s vital to the way he wants us to play. I think after the incredible work he’s done to salvage anything from our season, he be given the benefit of the doubt.
This club has no divine right to win trophies. It takes hard work, investment, planning, and....luck. People hold Liverpool up as a role model, but forget they are talking about a club that was regularly finishing outside the CL places 2-3 years ago; and people were calling Klopp a fraud. A club that hasn’t won the league in nearly 30 years.
Football is cyclical to a certain degree, and our time will come again. I think far too much is being made of our decline. It’s a rough period, yes, but we’ll be back. I am quite certain the people running the club are a whole lot more competent than the fans believe. Football is one of those things where everyone is an expert from the comfort of their armchair. And hindsight is the number one tool of analysis.
There is so much vitriol from fans about transfer activity; but the fact is, the club has been a kings ransom since Fergie retired, and many of those signings were lauded by fans at the time. I’m talking players like Mata, Di Maria, Ibrahimovich, Mkhitaryan, Falcao, Pogba, Lukaku, Shaw, Matic, Alexis. Players fans went bananas over when we signed them. But now most of them didn’t succeed, the same fans are deriding our transfer policy.
My biggest gripe is that there is a clear lack of strategic intent in hiring managers. No continuity in playing style, meaning that each managerial change requires an expensive and disruptive retooling of the squad. To combat this, the club has to have a clear identity of how they play. The “Manchester United Way”. People thrown that phrase around all the time, but can anyone actually provide a definition of what that means? I guarantee that’s the biggest problem.
There is a huge fallacy that Ferguson left a playing style identity. He didn’t. The Manchester United Way, was the Ferguson way. And he evolved multiple times over the years. When he walked out the door, so did a huge part of our identity. So what script is it that Woodward is exactly reading from? I mean, haters are going to tear him down, fair enough, but what master plan is he exactly deviating from? What grand plan was left behind for him? There isn’t one, I’ll tell you that.
He (Woodward) has simply funded his managers to the hilt. The club has invested generously. But the lack of a clear vision as to what the identity of the club is, is what is hurting us. Appointing OGS and Phelan, and getting a sporting director in like VDS, are the moves needed to put us on a path to success. And that is going to take time. In the interim there is a massive culture of negativity around the club, much of which is emanating from the younger sections of the fan base. Fans who are spoiled on success, and seem permanently poised to turn on players, managers, staff etc. It’s sad. Success has turned some fans into miserable brats. This place increasingly reads like RAWK. Just bitter and nonsensical, repeating the same tired tropes about clueless leadership, and incompetent chairman. All the while having zero clue as to the enormity of revitalising and modernising a massive institution built around the intellectual capital of one legendary man, in the most competitive domestic era of all time.
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I just say how i see it. If we're planning on keeping the same old group of players together with the same structure in place, then i struggle to see how we are going to be successful, when we are now struggling to keep the only two top players we have even got.
I'm not sure whether it's the decline of our fitness that has been the main factor to our declining results. We may have just been found out too. Since the Spurs match, I haven't seen any fresh tactical ideas. We have reverted back to the safe, negative football that we derided under Mourinho. Time will tell if it changes in pre-season.
With regards to our structure. It's crazy how we went from LVG to Mourinho. Complete opposites of each-other. No wonder the squad is in ruins. Completely sums up our leadership under Woodward.
Compared to our rivals, look how long we hold onto past it players, we pay them inflated wages compared to the market rate then wonder why we struggle to offload them.
I abhor our policy of cutting our spending once we're comfortable. We never invest from a position of strength. We started it under SAF and we've continued it ever since. That's mostly to blame why we're even in this mess. Underinvesting for all those years has come back to bite them once the market inflated.
I don't think it's unreasonable to hold the wish that we deserve to be run better.
The Manchester United way to me, was identified as a never say die attitude, being brave, not afraid to take risks, attacking wing-play, with lightning fast counter-attacks. That was what I most loved about Man Utd growing up with SAF. Since SAF retired, it's just been one clusterfeck after another. I hope we can get back to those ideals.
Yes it will take time. No problem. But do you honestly think, the club is doing everything in its power to get us back to the very top? Or do you expect us to settle for second best again like we have been doing the past how many years now? That's what i'm most concerned about.
We will finish somewhere around 6th and Solskjaer will be sacked
After listening ole its 4th-6th place and a new manager by February
Agree with previous posts - there is no blueprint. Thrashing aimlessly about in the transfer market this summer is just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic when we should be steering a fundamentally different course. DOF (Technical Director, Football focused Executive) and secure Micky Phelan for at least the medium term (2-3 seasons min). No purge required; I think releasing 4 or 5 players - we all know broadly which based on posts - and bringing in even just a couple of high quality signings will change the dynamic of the existing squad. Then, I think we might compete next season.
Could win the EL though
Thanks, quite the compliment there, especially as I never said anything like that.
Next season I would like to see us return to attacking attractive football consistently, and at the same time learn how to beat teams like Wolves.
It will hopefully be the official rebuild. I think we need to offload Pogba in the summer, he is a bad influence.
Realistically we'll be fighting for top 4, but laying the groundwork for a new successful era. We must buy a right back, right winger, and at least 2 or 3 midfielders.
Offload Lukaku and buy a decent striker as well.
It will hopefully be the official rebuild. I think we need to offload Pogba in the summer, he is a bad influence.
Realistically we'll be fighting for top 4, but laying the groundwork for a new successful era. We must buy a right back, right winger, and at least 2 or 3 midfielders.
Offload Lukaku and buy a decent striker as well.
I share the same thought, I think people are starting to realize the issues at our clubs are structural rather than simply down to manager or players. Recruitment has been a major issues, but ask yourself who takes accountability for poor buys? Is it the manager, or scouts, or Woodward, or board as a whole? One common denominator on whom the blame has fallen is the manager, and we are now on our 4th one. Who is to say, that won't be the case for Ole as well?
Keeping that in mind, my expectations for next season is to some brand/type/idea of football we are trying to play which looks visible to us fans. That's it, I don't expect us to challenge for PL nor seriously expect us to make Top 4, as long as some progress is made on football front. I'd be content.
We are either going to buy some new players or keep the current ones, so it will be difficult season anyway.
I don't care about top 4 since I don't enjoy getting humiliated by the likes of Sevilla.
I expect change of mentality. Play players that have the desire to fight for the shirt and get rid of everyone that is in for publicity and become a millionaire on the fans' expense.
I expect that few more players will be identified and bought in the winter and then few more next season that will help us fight for top 1 since top 4 isn't really something worth achieving. Just ask Liverpool and Arsenal fans.
I don't care about top 4 since I don't enjoy getting humiliated by the likes of Sevilla.
I expect change of mentality. Play players that have the desire to fight for the shirt and get rid of everyone that is in for publicity and become a millionaire on the fans' expense.
I expect that few more players will be identified and bought in the winter and then few more next season that will help us fight for top 1 since top 4 isn't really something worth achieving. Just ask Liverpool and Arsenal fans.
I hope he’s given a few years. We are all out of ideas now anyway as far as managers go. We’ve tried domestic, youth friendly and superstar manager and nothing has worked. Ole sits somewhere in the middle of that. It’s the players we need to upgrade, we still lack quality even though we’ve spent shit loads on proven players. Get the next wave of superstars in here. The profile of Félix Deligt Sancho but before they absolutely break out and cost the world. Give them games. We’ve missed our chance once a really outstanding talent has the big Spanish clubs interested.
To get back to being a great TEAM again we must first get rid of the deadwood, including those who's heart is not with the club. Then we must bring in players who WANT to play for this great club and build the team around them.
This is not going to happen overnight, it will take about 2 or 3 windows. However I would expect a big improvement next season if we were to bring in the right sort of players. This does not necessarily have to be 100million pound players, there are plenty of very good players out there that would give there right arm to play for us.
We have something like 60 scouts in operation and these can surely find us top players, and we can turn them into world class.
I would certainly expect 4/5 signings this summer as we start the rebuild. 2 Defenders 2 midfielders and a winger for the right hand side would be a great start, but we must keep adding on and improving every year until we are up there with Barca, Real and all the other top teams.
I am sure that Ole and Phelan know the players they want out, and the ones they would like in. But if we don't get into the top 4 and lose out on Champions League players have to take a 25% cut so more players may want to go. So along with trying to build a Team/Squad they will have another problem to solve.
This is not going to happen overnight, it will take about 2 or 3 windows. However I would expect a big improvement next season if we were to bring in the right sort of players. This does not necessarily have to be 100million pound players, there are plenty of very good players out there that would give there right arm to play for us.
We have something like 60 scouts in operation and these can surely find us top players, and we can turn them into world class.
I would certainly expect 4/5 signings this summer as we start the rebuild. 2 Defenders 2 midfielders and a winger for the right hand side would be a great start, but we must keep adding on and improving every year until we are up there with Barca, Real and all the other top teams.
I am sure that Ole and Phelan know the players they want out, and the ones they would like in. But if we don't get into the top 4 and lose out on Champions League players have to take a 25% cut so more players may want to go. So along with trying to build a Team/Squad they will have another problem to solve.
Looking at the table right now, I would say minimum +50 GD. Which means the results have to better enough defensively and attacking wise, where it brings us at table, we'll see.
80 points.
- Top 4 finish, I expect us to be much closer to the league leaders
- Get rid of the deadwoods this summer, there shouldn't be any more excuses as Ole has had 6 months to fully evaluate his players (unlike the previous managers)
- Promote youth players
- Has a clear identity of our brand of football
- Distance covered by players should have a major improvement, especially that Ole keeps mentioning about fitness level
- Takes responsibility if he insists on playing certain individuals regularly that have already been given more than enough time and chances in the past years
- Get rid of the deadwoods this summer, there shouldn't be any more excuses as Ole has had 6 months to fully evaluate his players (unlike the previous managers)
- Promote youth players
- Has a clear identity of our brand of football
- Distance covered by players should have a major improvement, especially that Ole keeps mentioning about fitness level
- Takes responsibility if he insists on playing certain individuals regularly that have already been given more than enough time and chances in the past years
You also have to look at the teams around you when you think about where we will finish. All will spend, all chasing roughly the same players. Position wise we wont topple City or Liverpool. The next best thing to strive for is to be in the top 4 all season or certainly a big part of it. As long as he improves the squad players, fitness and tactically wise, so we can see an identity forming of how we play, then thats all you can ask.
I can see a change of personnel with as many as 5-6 sold/leaving and at least 4 starters coming in, maybe with a couple of cheapish up and coming kids for the squad. Add to that promotion of the likes of Greenwood, and maybe 1-2 others.
So for me top 4 would be the aim, and a bonus could be a domestic cup.
I can see a change of personnel with as many as 5-6 sold/leaving and at least 4 starters coming in, maybe with a couple of cheapish up and coming kids for the squad. Add to that promotion of the likes of Greenwood, and maybe 1-2 others.
So for me top 4 would be the aim, and a bonus could be a domestic cup.
Assuming no exodus of players at Spurs, drifting between 4th-6th again.
Doing the same threads every year and sacking managers and rebuilding again hasn't really worked great.
I expect the club to change the structure and start signing coherent players and blooding our serious young talents. Ole should play a nice style of football, we should score goals and we be top 4 I think
I expect the club to change the structure and start signing coherent players and blooding our serious young talents. Ole should play a nice style of football, we should score goals and we be top 4 I think
No one can honestly say until we know our transfer business but there’s a lot of deadwood that needs shifting in Grant, Darmian, Bailly, Rojo, Valencia, Fosu-Mensah, Mata and Sanchez and I’d be happy to see every one of those go.
Realistically we need a first choice genuine quality right back, a first choice genuine quality centre back, a left back to challenge Shaw, a new defensive midfielder, a first choice right sided attacker and a left sided attacker to challenge Martial so that’s 6 players in if we’re to genuinely challenge for trophies next season.
If I could choose I’d go Wan-Bissaka, De Ligt, Tierney, Rice, Sancho and Hudson-Odoi as the 6 in which fixes all the problems and adds a youthful depth with players that are going to get better rather than expensive short term fixes that never work out for us.
Realistically we need a first choice genuine quality right back, a first choice genuine quality centre back, a left back to challenge Shaw, a new defensive midfielder, a first choice right sided attacker and a left sided attacker to challenge Martial so that’s 6 players in if we’re to genuinely challenge for trophies next season.
If I could choose I’d go Wan-Bissaka, De Ligt, Tierney, Rice, Sancho and Hudson-Odoi as the 6 in which fixes all the problems and adds a youthful depth with players that are going to get better rather than expensive short term fixes that never work out for us.
My expectations
Season 1:
Top 4 or win Europa League in season one to qualify for CL. Want to see improvement, and start wheeling and dealing in transfer windows.
Season 2:
A stronger showing in the league, maybe an FA cup. Improvement to continue in the team, and in the transfer windows.
Season 3:
Title challenge. The two previous transfer windows should have been good. This one should allow us to target one world class player, who'll fire us to the title.
Season 1:
Top 4 or win Europa League in season one to qualify for CL. Want to see improvement, and start wheeling and dealing in transfer windows.
Season 2:
A stronger showing in the league, maybe an FA cup. Improvement to continue in the team, and in the transfer windows.
Season 3:
Title challenge. The two previous transfer windows should have been good. This one should allow us to target one world class player, who'll fire us to the title.
Well, we have five huge games coming up. Ironically, the "tests" are back. If, by some miracle, we win them all, then I'd be quite confident about our future under Ole. If we repeat the Barca performances, then, in truth, it's looking all too familiar.
Normally for a rebuild youd need 1 or 2 years just to get the players and style of play really running, depends on the transfer window but i wouldnt be expecting to challenge for title just yet
Top 4 and, most importantly, a solid base for the future consisting of:
- shit players clear out
- definitive formation and playing style
- club structure
- players signed for the positions we need to cover
This needs to happen for us to even start rebuilding, that's just the 1st step out of 5-6 that need to happen across 2-3 seasons.
- shit players clear out
- definitive formation and playing style
- club structure
- players signed for the positions we need to cover
This needs to happen for us to even start rebuilding, that's just the 1st step out of 5-6 that need to happen across 2-3 seasons.
A top 3 finish and pushing for a domestic trophy would be nice but I wouldn't say it's the be all and end all. I'm more interested in seeing tangible progress being made on the pitch in terms of implementing an attractive style and having the capacity to blow some of the smaller teams away - when that happens, the results will come.
This.
Depends what we do in the summer. If we have a good window and sign quality players then I expect a title challenge.
Obviously depends on who the signings are and if they are any good but my general thought would be 4-5 starters in and we have a really respectful season coming third maybe a trophy. 1-3 starters in we repeat our dog fight between 6th and 4th. Team has too many problems to only be bringing in 2 or 3 lads.
This squad is Europa league class only, there's a few to get rid of, and at least 4 top class in. Otherwise it's another disappointing campaign.
We need to sign Delight, Sancho, Rice, Bissaka, to start. Young, rojo, Valencia, Darmian, Sanchez, pogba . Can go really even think that Lukaku, and DDG could go. Can see a massive clear out.
We need to sign Delight, Sancho, Rice, Bissaka, to start. Young, rojo, Valencia, Darmian, Sanchez, pogba . Can go really even think that Lukaku, and DDG could go. Can see a massive clear out.
I just want to see better football, decent signings and visible improvements in most of our younger players.
League position is not important.
League position is not important.
Would like to change my answer.
I’ll take finishing 10th if it means we have a proper summer clear out, time to start from scratch.
We’ve tried everything else.
For the first time in my life as a supporter, I care more about who we sell than who we sign.
I’ll take finishing 10th if it means we have a proper summer clear out, time to start from scratch.
We’ve tried everything else.
For the first time in my life as a supporter, I care more about who we sell than who we sign.
Title challenge. Anything else would be a failure. We are one of the biggest clubs in the world, a football giant on par with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern. Those clubs would never compromise on a goal of "slowly rebuilding for 3 years". Either bring the personnel to challenge for the title or we might as well call ourselves Arsenal.
Impossible to say until we see what business we do in the summer.
With the current squad the best we could ever hope for is to challenge for top 4 again. Even playing to max ability we would still be a mile off City and Liverpool.
With the current squad the best we could ever hope for is to challenge for top 4 again. Even playing to max ability we would still be a mile off City and Liverpool.
I do not believe that even having bought excellent players we’ll be above the 4th place. Because at the moment I don’t see either the style or the pattern of the game as we’re gonna to play in the next seasons under Ole. I only see cowardly defensive football even against small clubs. I don't care whether we are in the top 4 or not, it is more important to me how we will play, as this will be the foundation of success. I want to see a team that will try to play dominant football with any teams, away or at home. Even if there is not always a good result, but so that at least they aren’t afraid to play like that. If I see that Ole managed to bring in the mentality of the winner in the team, then I will wait for something from this team. But now I see the mentality of a small club, so I have no expectations for the next season.
It will be a massive rebuilding summer. It won't be easy to clear out the deadwoods and convinced your best players to stay and fight for you.
Without CL football, you can forget signing the likes of Pepe and De Ligt unless you pay massive wages.
Without CL football, you can forget signing the likes of Pepe and De Ligt unless you pay massive wages.
Just re-visiting this subject after a few months.
If there were no further signings this transfer window where is the lowest you would accept United finishing in order for the manager to keep his job? Would sixth be permissible or perhaps even lower than that given the current circumstances? Maybe others would go even further and say that Solksjaer should be given a full season regardless of where the team finishes.
Alternatively were United to add only Maguire, for example, how much of a difference might this make to those same expectations?
If there were no further signings this transfer window where is the lowest you would accept United finishing in order for the manager to keep his job? Would sixth be permissible or perhaps even lower than that given the current circumstances? Maybe others would go even further and say that Solksjaer should be given a full season regardless of where the team finishes.
Alternatively were United to add only Maguire, for example, how much of a difference might this make to those same expectations?