Poll - What are realistic ambitions next season if we spend 200m?

What is a realistic ambition next season if we spend 200m?


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Jeffthered

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I'd suggest spending that should see a strong top four finish. But that is tough now... Spurs will kick on with the new Stadium, Arsenal will be stronger, and Chelsea rarely have two average seasons in a row. Competitive times.
 

Dozer

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I'd suggest spending that should see a strong top four finish. But that is tough now... Spurs will kick on with the new Stadium, Arsenal will be stronger, and Chelsea rarely have two average seasons in a row. Competitive times.
On Spurs, I think we're likely to see a period similar to Arsenal's Emirates move, with Levy holding even tighter purse strings than usual. I don't think they can realistically improve on their front 4, and I feel like they are 'settling' with their good-but-not-great players such as Winks, Dier, Trippier, Rose and will only bring in rotation options for those positions rather than serious first team quality. Even Lloris could fall into that category.

On Chelsea, it'll be interesting to see if they have any luck with appealing their transfer ban. If they lose Hazard and can't sign replacements I'd see them finishing 6th.
 

purgethefallen

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Surely this can't be right? Unless you mean comfortably top 4 but I'm not sure there is such a thing given how tight top 4 is the last few years

I can't believe the expectation after another 200m spent can be anything other than a title challenge
Because we're not spending £200m from a position of strength, we need to almost totally rebuild. That will take longer than one transfer window. A lot od deadwood has to go as well, that can't be done in one window either.
 

Wumminator

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I think we can easily push for the title. A lot of our squad look poor because we are

a) Thin on the ground
b) Surrounded by dross.

Liverpool signed Salah, Van Dijk and Fabinho with change from 200 million. They'd turn us into a title chasing team.

Man City spent 150 million on Kyle Walker, Laporte and Bernardo Silva. Again we'd be up there after that if they stayed fit all year.
 

purgethefallen

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What is the matter with you people? When I first saw the title for this thread I thought the answer was obvious. Now I'm shocked to see that most of you think that "top 4" is our realistic ambition? When did we become Arsenal? Our ambition every year should be to challenge for the title. Yeah, it sucks that we aren't challenging and haven't for a while, but we are Manchester United and we don't lower our expectations no matter how disappointing the outcome has been...
It's not that we think our ambition is to finish top 4, but that's the realistic level we would be at if we only spend £200m.

Of course we all expect to challenge/win the title, but it won't be done in one window. It's realism, not what we expect in the future.
 

tomaldinho1

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I agree that we should be capable of more than one system, but that bit about Conte is very favourable to him. He came in, it didn't really work, went to a back 5 and carried on with what that squad had been accustomed to (and already won the league doing) which is counter attacking football.
I think Conte is hugely underrated - that squad is mentally all over the shop and finished 10th after the Mou fiasco. He came in and dominated, they got 93pts and now we see 5 at the back regularly in the PL. My point about Conte isn't the style it's the fact he came in and used a system he know very well to get immediate results. I'm hoping that Ole has an idea of how he wants us to play that's a bit different to what we're currently doing and with the right additions we'll see more European style of football next season.
 

Bastian

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I think Conte is hugely underrated - that squad is mentally all over the shop and finished 10th after the Mou fiasco. He came in and dominated, they got 93pts and now we see 5 at the back regularly in the PL. My point about Conte isn't the style it's the fact he came in and used a system he know very well to get immediate results. I'm hoping that Ole has an idea of how he wants us to play that's a bit different to what we're currently doing and with the right additions we'll see more European style of football next season.
I'm not trying to play his achievements down. I just don't think he came in and did anything revolutionary, apart from going with a back 5, which is now quite common and team are more adept at dealing with that.

I'd be very pleasantly surprised if Ole has some tactical master vision in mind. I'd be more inclined to think the coaching staff have some ideas there.
 

SadlerMUFC

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It's not that we think our ambition is to finish top 4, but that's the realistic level we would be at if we only spend £200m.

Of course we all expect to challenge/win the title, but it won't be done in one window. It's realism, not what we expect in the future.
We are almost there already? 12-2-2 since Ole took over. At that pace over a season it only puts us 5 points behind the leaders. So yes, I expect us to challenge next year. Top 4 isn't a goal. Top 4 is an expectation that shouldn't be celebrated...
 

SadlerMUFC

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Next year is our year, all we need is two signings, that’s Liverpool fans time after time and it’s exactly what you peddling.

Arrogance and delusion holds this club back, we have finished 7th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 2nd and 4-6th. Six successive seasons of finishing below City, terrible transfers and boring and poor quality football. Yet the expectation should be we compete for the title because of who we are.

That has been the last six years, that is our current reality and you think couple of signings and we are right there. That’s exactly how the club think and is why we are stuck in this cycle. Until there is some sort of recognition we are not good enough and a plan to solve it the most likely outcome is more of the same.
So your solution is to lower your expectations? News flash...by lowering your expectations we are still behind those teams. I'm not saying that we go out and do nothing. I'm saying our expection should be to challenge. Not based on what we have done in the past. But based on what we are doing right now. We are 12-2-2 since Ole took over. "If" we had been playing at that level all year we would be 5 points off the top of the table. Last time I checked, 5 points from the top of the table is challenging for the title. Add in a few signings and we are in a really good spot
 

Steven-UK

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£200million will not even make a dent to the problems we have in this team.

The problem is we have far too many mediocre players, so unless we ship out en masse (which we won't and cannot) then in this climate, £200m is not even that much money, not when you consider the wages such players will be on.

If we continue to be reliant on the likes of Rashord, Lingard, and Lukaku, then we will be lucky to even get top 4 next season. It will be the same old, same old.

What we need is to go all out and buy an absolute world class striker.

The problem we have, is that every team on the planet knows we are desperate for talent, and will ramp their prices up to the point of being ridiculous, and this will render many prospects void for us. Plus you have the problem of attracting players to a club that is obviously on the decline, and in a big way. Not just players, and performance, but the way the club is being run now is highly suspect.
 

Roboc7

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So your solution is to lower your expectations? News flash...by lowering your expectations we are still behind those teams. I'm not saying that we go out and do nothing. I'm saying our expection should be to challenge. Not based on what we have done in the past. But based on what we are doing right now. We are 12-2-2 since Ole took over. "If" we had been playing at that level all year we would be 5 points off the top of the table. Last time I checked, 5 points from the top of the table is challenging for the title. Add in a few signings and we are in a really good spot
If you are watching this team play regularly and think we are that close to being in a really good spot you are deluded. Even the manager is saying we need a rebuild and it will take time.

That’s a huge if, at one point under Ole we we had the best record now it is slowly dropping off and we will drop more points than Liverpool and City by the end of the season so that theory will be out the window.

My expectations are based on the ability and performance of the team not that we should always challenge because of who we are.
 

WR10

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805million spent since SAF gone. What’s another 200?
 

laughtersassassin

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200 won't be enough. 300 is what we have to spend. 400+ If Pogba and or De Gea leave.

Clear out all the shit once and for all. Or else just give up frankly.
 

Bestofthebest

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Realistic ambitions for next season? Same as this year. Firstly we should avoid a relegation battle but could easily become victim to mid table mediocrity. If we have a really good season we might qualify for Europa League. Players we bought during summer turn out to be rubbish, again!!! Simples. Glazers happy, Ed gets a pay rise some thirty odd year olds get extended contracts. Everybody is happy apart from the long suffering fans. Carry on ad nauseum.
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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£200m is nothing in today’s market. It would keep us about where we are, challenging for top 4.
 

NoPace

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I admire your optimism but it's misguided. This thread on Twitter will offer you a more balanced perspective on why you are wrong.
Now depressed, thinking of this squad, unbalanced as it is, being real fun to watch with a crazy amount of talent in midfield and a proper athletic back 5 that's comfortable on the ball.

-------Martial-----Rashford------
------Pogba-DeJong-Ramsey-----
Shaw-Lucas-Lindelof-Eder-Dalot
 

Jerom

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You can spend 200m on players, but it's important to have the right players in the squad. I guess it's not the quality that is the problem, it's the mentality. Not every player wants to fight for his teammates, not every player wants to "eat the grass" to win.

The most important thing for OGS is to get all the noses in the same direction, a mentally strong squad. Take out the rotten tomatoes and buy teamplayers. I guess that's why we should say goodbye to Pogba, maybe Martial and I guess DDG has his head elsewhere, too.
 

SadlerMUFC

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Wow....I can't believe there are so many people who think we shouldn't expect to challenge for the title next year. That's ok, I'm sure most of you will be supporting Liverpool or City soon anyways. What a bunch of fakes
If you are watching this team play regularly and think we are that close to being in a really good spot you are deluded. Even the manager is saying we need a rebuild and it will take time.

That’s a huge if, at one point under Ole we we had the best record now it is slowly dropping off and we will drop more points than Liverpool and City by the end of the season so that theory will be out the window.

My expectations are based on the ability and performance of the team not that we should always challenge because of who we are.
Then go ahead and lower your expectations. Mine will always be high. But go on....try and convince me that I shouldn't expect more from this team
 

Gator Nate

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For $200 million, you could make the Champions League Quarterfinals.

But you don't have to spend that much. Ajax didn't. But it will take time.
 

RedorDead21

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You can spend 200m on players, but it's important to have the right players in the squad. I guess it's not the quality that is the problem, it's the mentality. Not every player wants to fight for his teammates, not every player wants to "eat the grass" to win.

The most important thing for OGS is to get all the noses in the same direction, a mentally strong squad. Take out the rotten tomatoes and buy teamplayers. I guess that's why we should say goodbye to Pogba, maybe Martial and I guess DDG has his head elsewhere, too.
Bang! 100% spot on. Its not about throwing names in the air. It's about profiling their personalities and bringing in the qualities we need.
 

breakout67

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Bang! 100% spot on. Its not about throwing names in the air. It's about profiling their personalities and bringing in the qualities we need.
Has he got the personality to be a celebrity? Does he have a huge social media following? Then we'll take him! Manchester United Plc.
 

sullydnl

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Wow....I can't believe there are so many people who think we shouldn't expect to challenge for the title next year. That's ok, I'm sure most of you will be supporting Liverpool or City soon anyways. What a bunch of fakes


Then go ahead and lower your expectations. Mine will always be high. But go on....try and convince me that I shouldn't expect more from this team
Assuming City win their game in hand, United will be 22 points behind the league leaders and 21 points behind the team in second place.

So to be competing with them next season we would in effect have to get so much better that we get a third again as many points as we did this year. Realistically, improving that much in one summer is rather unlikely. Even accepting that our early season struggles were largely down to Mourinho, it should be very clear from our recent struggles that the early form of Solskjaer's arrival was very much an overperformance.

Blindly ignoring that reality doesn't make you a better fan. In fact a bit of patience and acceptance that the situation Solskjaer finds himself in as United manager requires a longer term approach would be a lot more supportive. High expectations are nice but unrealistic expectations just set the team up to dissapoint.
 

SadlerMUFC

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Assuming City win their game in hand, United will be 22 points behind the league leaders and 21 points behind the team in second place.

So to be competing with them next season we would in effect have to get so much better that we get a third again as many points as we did this year. Realistically, improving that much in one summer is rather unlikely. Even accepting that our early season struggles were largely down to Mourinho, it should be very clear from our recent struggles that the early form of Solskjaer's arrival was very much an overperformance.

Blindly ignoring that reality doesn't make you a better fan. In fact a bit of patience and acceptance that the situation Solskjaer finds himself in as United manager requires a longer term approach would be a lot more supportive. High expectations are nice but unrealistic expectations just set the team up to dissapoint.
The key word here is "Mourinho". The numbers I'm interested in are the ones since Ole took over. This is what we are capable of. Mourinho was holding us back. And since Mourinho took over we are 12-2-2 or an average of 2.375 points per game. At 2.375 points per game over a 38 game season, that would give us 90 points. So I ask, if we are capable of 90 points in a season would you consider us a contender? I certainly would. So yes, I'm optimistic. What I don't understand is why anyone would want to try and convince someone who is optimistic that they shouldn't be? Do I think we still have work to do? Of course. There are a lot of players in our team that I don't think should be. Some of them may actually surprise you. That doesn't change the fact that I believe with the right moves this summer we can be right there...
 

Roboc7

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Wow....I can't believe there are so many people who think we shouldn't expect to challenge for the title next year. That's ok, I'm sure most of you will be supporting Liverpool or City soon anyways. What a bunch of fakes


Then go ahead and lower your expectations. Mine will always be high. But go on....try and convince me that I shouldn't expect more from this team
People aren’t fakes just recognise we are a top six team now and have no right to expect it will miraculously improve based on the competence at the club.

I don’t want to convince you of anything, you’ve obviously expected 6 title challenges in last 6 years and despite failing every time are content to repeat the same process. Good luck to you but if you haven’t learnt your lesson by now then you never will. Hopefully you can come back and gloat in a years time but more likely you’ve got 2-3 more years at least before your expectations will be met.
 

dove

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Wow....I can't believe there are so many people who think we shouldn't expect to challenge for the title next year. That's ok, I'm sure most of you will be supporting Liverpool or City soon anyways. What a bunch of fakes


Then go ahead and lower your expectations. Mine will always be high. But go on....try and convince me that I shouldn't expect more from this team
So basically according to you, everyone who is not deluded is fake :lol: Some of us know that based on 6 years of a complete shitshow, we would waste these £200m on more mediocre players, and having such an inexperienced manager doesn't fill me with confidence at all. I can bet we will be in a fight for TOP 4 again this time next season but feel free to expect a title challenge.
 

SadlerMUFC

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People aren’t fakes just recognise we are a top six team now and have no right to expect it will miraculously improve based on the competence at the club.

I don’t want to convince you of anything, you’ve obviously expected 6 title challenges in last 6 years and despite failing every time are content to repeat the same process. Good luck to you but if you haven’t learnt your lesson by now then you never will. Hopefully you can come back and gloat in a years time but more likely you’ve got 2-3 more years at least before your expectations will be met.
So just lower your expectations so you won't be disappointed. Got it...sigh
 

mad1max954

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No chance of a title challenge!! Crazy to even think that as your basically saying we will have a fairly significant clear-out, spend a sh1t tonne of money. Then we need all those players will gel instantly and for all of those to be quality signings.

Its a rebuild job and will take two summers minimum. It needs to be done with planning too as I doubt we can get everything we want in one summer.
 

Borussin

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Liverpool spent 186 or so million last summer. Fans from every other club declared we have to win the league.

So I don't understand how people are saying 200m shouldn't mean united have to win the league. Somethings not adding up or it's just double standards.

If United spend 200m, you will have to do as you all pointed out last summer, and win the league.
What does it matter what fans say though? How many points did they finish behind MCFC last season? Most people who have any sort of clue, expected MCFC to win it again, as they should, they do have the best squad, already with the experience of winning it.

And to the second bolded point - same as the first, what does it matter what fans say, it's just Twitter talk, fans winding each other up, 'you spend such and such amount, you have to win', yet ignoring teams around them and what they have done to strenthen. Teams like Everton have spent heavily in the last 3 years, and look where they are, the spending isn't the be all and end all.

It's about how you spend. What Liverpool have done very right in the last 3 seasons is built their squad methodically, focusing on certain areas and a certain age range of player each summer. No doubt done with a lot of scouting and statistical groundwork, to fit their team.

So what United spend this summer isn't really important. They could spend 100m on 4 players and get every transfer spot-on and take a massive step forward. But as easily they could spend 300m on 4 players and only get 1 or 2 transfers right and stand still. Plenty examples in every league of this happening. Money totals spent is secondary, having the structure and network in place and the right coach to implement it, is what matters.
 
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Roboc7

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So just lower your expectations so you won't be disappointed. Got it...sigh
Starting to see why you struggle with this. Not at all form an opinion based on the quality of th players, manager, recruitment etc and make a decision.

Rather than do some scouse maths, pretend everything is fine and think you are somehow better than everyone else despite being repeatedly wrong, which you clearly have been.
 

RasTiaGba

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City and Liverpool will probably spend in the summer.

They've already got supersquads of young players, that suit two of the best managers in the world's tactics.

Plus both of them spend well e.g. no Fellaini's.

I'd be looking to sign a player like Sancho next season, someone else who is world class the season after, and someone at Pogba's level, in their prime, in the third season. And aim for the title in the third season.

Being realistic even Zidane would probably require more than 200 mil to catch up with Liverpool and City in a season.
 
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SadlerMUFC

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Starting to see why you struggle with this. Not at all form an opinion based on the quality of th players, manager, recruitment etc and make a decision.

Rather than do some scouse maths, pretend everything is fine and think you are somehow better than everyone else despite being repeatedly wrong, which you clearly have been.
When did I say that everything is fine???
 

anant

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I have absolutely no idea why people are always this negative here.

Since Ole joined us, league table looks like this:
1. Pool P17 40Pts
2. City P16 39Pts
3. Utd P16 38Pts
4. Ars P16 32Pts

Even if we assume that the 1st 5 games (upto Spurs were results from new manager bounce)
1. City P11 30Pts
2. Pool P12 28Pts
3. Ars P11 25Pts
4. Utd P11 23Pts

Under OGS, we've averaged 2.375 PPG, which puts us on course for 90 points over 38 games!

And before anyone comes back saying that the results have been favourable to us under OGS, lets go back to last season. We finished at 81 points, and some of our results against sides that we should be winning against look like this:

Newly promoted Sides:

Lost 1-2 vs Huddersfield
Lost 0-1 vs Newcastle
Lost 0-1 vs BHA

Sides that would go on to be relegated/serious threat of being relegated:
Drew 2-2 vs Stoke
Lost 0-1 vs WBA
Drew 0-0 vs Southampton

We dropped 16 points to teams which should have been walk in the park

All we need is consistency, and with a few more players, which 200m should buy- we should be able to get the 50/50 games going our way. Anything less than a serious title challenge and we should consider it to be a poor season
 

RedorDead21

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I'd try and get a world class striker in and a right back. We need more but clinical striker masks all kinds of wrongs. Liverpool have always been the best at that for me. Torres, Suarez, Salah.....they can carry you way higher than you would be if you upgraded any other position.

That's why I'd be looking at Kane or similar and a Lukaku and cash deal this summer.
Mbappe would be the dream throwing cash and Martial at them.
 

WolfInSharp'sClothing

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Why are there only two options?

The option I would choose, if it were available would be:

- Fail to challenge for the title and probably also the top 4, with disenchanted fans calling for the Board to be sacked, the manager to be replaced and the club's under-performing, over-paid stars to be moved on. i.e. The same as every other season you've wasted close to £200m since Fergie left.
 

el3mel

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So because we haven't signed anyone before the window opens it's all doom and gloom? Wow
You don't realize it. The window will close on Aug 8th for English teams. We will have about 2 months only of transfer business.
 

RedorDead21

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You don't realize it. The window will close on Aug 8th for English teams. We will have about 2 months only of transfer business.
Ed's pretty good at getting them over the line as Balague says about him he simply says "yes, yes, yes" to agent demands.
The type of players motivated to join us is the problem.
 

Zed 101

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reckon positions 1-3 are possible if we but more suitable players than previous few years and shift some of the dead wood, and last 4/8 CL, probably a cup final, depends on a lot of things, but I do not see Chelsea, Arsenal or Spurs being a major obstacle, just whether or not we can get close to City and Pool, something tells me Pool will drop off a bit if they do not win this season..... damn to be rooting for City is a poor, poor althernative