If we didn't win the premiership we were a very close second every year. It is nice to romanticise the past now and then.
Remember when we were good
- Thread starter Billy Blaggs
- Start date
Again, not true.
1992–93 Prem 42 24 12 6 67 31 84 1st R5 R3 UEFA Cup – R1 Mark Hughes 16
1993–94 Prem 42 27 11 4 80 38 92 1st Winners Runners-up Winners Champions League – R2 Eric Cantona 25
1994–95 Prem 42 26 10 6 77 28 88 2nd Runners-up R3 Winners Champions League – Group Andrei Kanchelskis 15
1995–96 Prem 38 25 7 6 73 35 82 1st Winners R2 UEFA Cup – R1 Eric Cantona 19
1996–97 Prem 38 21 12 5 76 44 75 1st R4 R4 Winners Champions League – SF Ole Gunnar Solskjær 19
1997–98 Prem 38 23 8 7 73 26 77 2nd R5 R3 Winners Champions League – QF Andy Cole 25
1998–99 Prem 38 22 13 3 80 37 79 1st Winners R5 Runners-up Champions League – Winners Dwight Yorke[27] 29[28]
1999–2000 Prem 38 28 7 3 97 45 91 1st n/a[29] R3 Runners-up
2000–01 Prem 38 24 8 6 79 31 80 1st R4 R4 Runners-up Champions League – QF Teddy Sheringham 21
2001–02 Prem 38 24 5 9 87 45 77 3rd R4 R3 Runners-up Champions League – SF Ruud van Nistelrooy 36
2002–03 Prem 38 25 8 5 74 34 83 1st R5 Runners-up Champions League – QF Ruud van Nistelrooy 44[30]
2003–04 Prem 38 23 6 9 64 35 75 3rd Winners R4 Winners Champions League – Round of 16 Ruud van Nistelrooy 30
2004–05 Prem 38 22 11 5 58 26 77 3rd Runners-up SF Runners-up Champions League – Round of 16 Wayne Rooney 17
2005–06 Prem 38 25 8 5 72 34 83 2nd R5 Winners Champions League – Group Ruud van Nistelrooy 24
2006–07 Prem 38 28 5 5 83 27 89 1st Runners-up R4 Champions League – SF Wayne Rooney
Cristiano Ronaldo 23
2007–08 Prem 38 27 6 5 80 22 87 1st R6 R3 Winners Champions League – Winners Cristiano Ronaldo 42[31]
2008–09 Prem 38 28 6 4 68 24 90 1st SF Winners Winners
Cristiano Ronaldo 26
2009–10 Prem 38 27 4 7 86 28 85 2nd R3 Winners Runners-up Champions League – QF Wayne Rooney 34
2010–11 Prem 38 23 11 4 78 37 80 1st SF R5 Winners Champions League – Runners-up Dimitar Berbatov[32] 21[33]
2011–12 Prem 38 28 5 5 89 33 89 2nd R4 R5 Winners
Wayne Rooney 34
2012–13 Prem 38 28 5 5 86 43 89 1st R6 R4
Robin van Persie 30[34]
2013–14 Prem 38 19 7 12 64 43 64 7th R3 SF Winners
528 wins from 810 matches.
1993–94 Prem 42 27 11 4 80 38 92 1st Winners Runners-up Winners Champions League – R2 Eric Cantona 25
1994–95 Prem 42 26 10 6 77 28 88 2nd Runners-up R3 Winners Champions League – Group Andrei Kanchelskis 15
1995–96 Prem 38 25 7 6 73 35 82 1st Winners R2 UEFA Cup – R1 Eric Cantona 19
1996–97 Prem 38 21 12 5 76 44 75 1st R4 R4 Winners Champions League – SF Ole Gunnar Solskjær 19
1997–98 Prem 38 23 8 7 73 26 77 2nd R5 R3 Winners Champions League – QF Andy Cole 25
1998–99 Prem 38 22 13 3 80 37 79 1st Winners R5 Runners-up Champions League – Winners Dwight Yorke[27] 29[28]
1999–2000 Prem 38 28 7 3 97 45 91 1st n/a[29] R3 Runners-up
- Champions League – QF
- Super Cup – Runners-up
- Intercontinental Cup – Winners
- Club World Championship – Group
2000–01 Prem 38 24 8 6 79 31 80 1st R4 R4 Runners-up Champions League – QF Teddy Sheringham 21
2001–02 Prem 38 24 5 9 87 45 77 3rd R4 R3 Runners-up Champions League – SF Ruud van Nistelrooy 36
2002–03 Prem 38 25 8 5 74 34 83 1st R5 Runners-up Champions League – QF Ruud van Nistelrooy 44[30]
2003–04 Prem 38 23 6 9 64 35 75 3rd Winners R4 Winners Champions League – Round of 16 Ruud van Nistelrooy 30
2004–05 Prem 38 22 11 5 58 26 77 3rd Runners-up SF Runners-up Champions League – Round of 16 Wayne Rooney 17
2005–06 Prem 38 25 8 5 72 34 83 2nd R5 Winners Champions League – Group Ruud van Nistelrooy 24
2006–07 Prem 38 28 5 5 83 27 89 1st Runners-up R4 Champions League – SF Wayne Rooney
Cristiano Ronaldo 23
2007–08 Prem 38 27 6 5 80 22 87 1st R6 R3 Winners Champions League – Winners Cristiano Ronaldo 42[31]
2008–09 Prem 38 28 6 4 68 24 90 1st SF Winners Winners
Cristiano Ronaldo 26
2009–10 Prem 38 27 4 7 86 28 85 2nd R3 Winners Runners-up Champions League – QF Wayne Rooney 34
2010–11 Prem 38 23 11 4 78 37 80 1st SF R5 Winners Champions League – Runners-up Dimitar Berbatov[32] 21[33]
2011–12 Prem 38 28 5 5 89 33 89 2nd R4 R5 Winners
Wayne Rooney 34
2012–13 Prem 38 28 5 5 86 43 89 1st R6 R4
Robin van Persie 30[34]
2013–14 Prem 38 19 7 12 64 43 64 7th R3 SF Winners
528 wins from 810 matches.
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The reception he'll get if and when he returns to watch a game will be something else.
No thanks, I'd be alive and well when United lift trophies again.
Looking back in retrospect the 2008 teams had so many world class players.
A prime ronaldo, tevez, rooney. A prime evra vidic ferdinand.
A prime ronaldo, tevez, rooney. A prime evra vidic ferdinand.
We shone like the sun.
We really did take this era for granted, cos winning seemed inevitable (even if we lost out, you know we would bounce back). Even those three seasons without winning the title we won a couple of cups.
The problem is we always wanted more (mostly European success) so didnt really appreciate every premier league title as we should have.
The problem is we always wanted more (mostly European success) so didnt really appreciate every premier league title as we should have.
Ironic I said that
I know for sure that the plastics across town don’t appreciate their good fortune.
The ones I know act like they deserve to be where they are. They are revelling in our fallow period.
Still, they can’t be bothered to turn up to the stadium to watch their team...
The ones I know act like they deserve to be where they are. They are revelling in our fallow period.
Still, they can’t be bothered to turn up to the stadium to watch their team...
Funny, at that time people were questioning if Berba was good enough for United.
That's just the media fawning to their audience, the majority disliking United over their success. I know which time I'd rather watch out the two, the one winning the trophies. The team that can play badly and still win. The one that didn't have to walk it in the net on each attack. United were so dangerous under Fergie because they were the most adaptable team.
I remember Fergie saying that football goes in cycles. Great teams and team spirit are built over a few seasons. The Alan Smith, Liam Miller years before we got another vintage united team springs to mind... or the early 90s where we were pretty much just a cup team.... That’s the main reason I don’t want us to sack Jose. The only way we should be sacking him is if he’s totally lost the dressing room and it seems like he hasn’t. Otherwise he should be allowed to contnue to ship out sulky or underperforming players who’ve achieved nothing for us. Historically lots of our big signings have failed to hit the heights for one reason or another, it’s not a new thing. I’d like to see us build a young confident side who play for each other and see the club for what it is- one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest stages possible to showcase your talent. I’d also like us to go back to signing up the best proven and young talent in the PL and mixing with our youth prospects along with a few select foreign punts. That’s our true identity and its given us a lot of success. A lot of the players we’ve signed post Fergie seem to lacking the absolute winning mentality and fight old united players used to have and they get a free pass every time we change the manager.
That was a lot more than media fawning. Of course you would have rather watched United, you supported them! As for the team ‘playing badly and still winning’, that is the whole point of saying the other team who didn’t ‘play badly’ played the better football!
Not to mention that Arsenal had plenty of substance to go along with their style anyway. They won 3 PL titles during their good years, and pushed us close on the other occasions. However, that was always their badge of honour. ‘We play the best football’, and our response was ‘well we still won’. But to deny they paid the best football is just false to me. When they were on, they played a brand of football every other PL team couldn’t get anywhere near.
Haven’t really got time to watch all of those clips, but I imagine they will all be pleasing on the eye. None of it would change the fact that Arsenal played better football than us (and the rest) during that period, in my opinion. I don’t need to go to YouTube, I remember, I was there at the time. That was literally their ‘thing’.
Arsenal were lauded at the time because English football had not seen that style before. It was new, it looked good, so it must be better.
SAF played some of the most exciting football I've ever seen as a neutral. I loved watching his sides play, especially the 1999 and 2006-2009 teams.
Over his tenure he really defined what the English style was about, fast-paced, counter-attacking football based on being athletic, competitive and most of all exciting!!
Why does tika-taka have to be the 'gold standard'. I hate watching Barcelona play. Technically, it's incredible, I can't fault it. But I don't want to see a side dominate the ball for 75% of the game and walk the ball into the net, it bores me.
Leicester won the league recently playing some of the most exciting football I've seen in recent years. It was SAF football. Other teams had become so obsessed and complacent trying to copy the Spanish model, they had forgotten how to play against English football!
The closest thing to it at the moment is probably Liverpool. They break so quickly and their front 3 reminds me of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez from 07-08.
I would love English teams to stop trying to do what the Spanish do, but worse than the Spanish and get back to blowing teams away with pace, athleticism, competitiveness and determination. It's not a backward step, it's just what English teams have always done best.
Make the English way of playing the gold standard!
Arsenal's was much better than Barcelona. It included long shots and aerial battles. But have you ever seen a team crossing the ball better than the 06-08 United or the 98-01 United? I do like crosses and long shots if they are precise.
Really? Wow! I guess Old Madrid fans will look back now and say "Never thought a day would come when we'll be lifting the champions league in an era of super dominant teams 3 times in a roll." Que sera sera! The future is not ours to see.
You should see Old Trafford Spaniard. Seventy thousand supporters.. watching every movement of the ball... willing to see our players make that killer blow. The silence before they strike and the noise afterwards. It rises. It rises up... like a storm. As if you were the thunder god himself.
3 seasons, some luck, some skill obviously.
United had 20+ years of almost permanent success (and failing that, usually second/runner up) ... I don't think we'll see that again.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the reality is that the far more common opinion is not that percentage crosses and counter-attacking is the best football. I don’t know why Barcelona’s football was seen as the ‘Gold standard’, but that’s besides the point. The fact is, it was. And Arsenal’s was seen as such over here.
You may we’ll have ‘hated’ watching Barcelona at their best, but again, the reality is that most people didn’t. Their football was seen as very entertaining to many, myself included. It also requires the most amount of skill, and they also scored far more goals than us with all of our crosses anyway. Counter-attacking goals are seen as the most exciting on here, perhaps in part because that’s the type we were really good at. I imagine if we scored more goals like Arsenal’s against Norwich a few years back people would be utterly thrilled and wear it like a badge of honour. In my personal opinion, counter-attacking goals are massively overrated anyway, in terms of their ‘greatness’. I’ve seen Rooney’s goal against Bolton spoken about for years. Scoring a goal by running from one end of the pitch to another with barely any opposition isn’t that special to me personally.
Anyway, very unfair to dismiss or downplay the quality of Arsenal’s football. They were widely accepted as the best entertainers at the time, and United fans didn’t really protest against it too much at the time as it was what it was. They couldn’t get one over on us because we still found a way to win. But to now go back and say we played better football than them, while of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion, is far from the consensus at the time. Just let them have that, it’s not a real trophy anyway!
Madrid and Barca can attract virtually every WC player in their prime. We cant. Whether its the weather, the city, the club etc, but we never have.
I agree with you. In Europe it was different though. 2 lucky Ch league wins in 20 seasons. I even think if City and Chelsea had have had the money 5 years earlier, we would have seen Fergie retire with a much better team albeit not so many titles. The glazers would have had to have given Fergie the players he wanted instead of the no value in market BS he was forced to spout.
SAF's teams were scary as anything, the one match that used to make me so nervous. It still does but not to the same level as when SAF was the manager
Remember when our biggest problem was that sometimes we drew an away game.
Remember when we beat them 4-2 and O'Shea scored the 4th? When they interviewed Fergie the commentator said, "Arsenal had 60% possession" Fergie said "Aye, and we won 4-2" class
I definitely agree with this. The style of football SAF teams used to play is really looked at through rose tinted glasses.
Ah ok, I thought you were talking about success in the league and champions league.
Look at the teams Fergie built, over and over again. Championship winning teams, which were fantastic:
Had a few transition years before European success as the Fledglings were phased in, but Championships kept rolling
Then completely Rebuilt:
There was another period of transition, where we still won some trophies, and saw some amazing players come through the club such as Van Nistelrooy and Veron, but they were never part of our greatest three sides.
Then finally emerged:
There was no-one who knew how to put a team together like SAF. He was the master at squad rotation, and showed the way for so many of today's managers; he highly valued the importance of entertainment; he imbued his players with a never say die attitude; and he built incredible partnerships all over the field. One thing this very simplistic post doesn't touch on, is how many incredible squad players Fergie had, who regularly performed like they were chomping at the bit to be starters. Players without whom none of this would ever have worked. The Nicky Butts, Ji Sung Parks, Ole Solksjaers, Teddy Sheringhams, Henning Bergs, John O'Sheas of this world. Incredible. It felt like the glory would go on forever.....
Schmeichel
Parker Pallister Bruce Irwin
Kanchelskis Keane Ince Giggs
Cantona Hughes
Parker Pallister Bruce Irwin
Kanchelskis Keane Ince Giggs
Cantona Hughes
Had a few transition years before European success as the Fledglings were phased in, but Championships kept rolling
Then completely Rebuilt:
Schmeichel
Neville Stam Johnsen Irwin
Beckham Keane Scholes Giggs
Yorke Cole
Neville Stam Johnsen Irwin
Beckham Keane Scholes Giggs
Yorke Cole
There was another period of transition, where we still won some trophies, and saw some amazing players come through the club such as Van Nistelrooy and Veron, but they were never part of our greatest three sides.
Then finally emerged:
Van Der Saar
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Scholes Carrick Hargreaves
Ronaldo Tevez Rooney
Brown Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Scholes Carrick Hargreaves
Ronaldo Tevez Rooney
There was no-one who knew how to put a team together like SAF. He was the master at squad rotation, and showed the way for so many of today's managers; he highly valued the importance of entertainment; he imbued his players with a never say die attitude; and he built incredible partnerships all over the field. One thing this very simplistic post doesn't touch on, is how many incredible squad players Fergie had, who regularly performed like they were chomping at the bit to be starters. Players without whom none of this would ever have worked. The Nicky Butts, Ji Sung Parks, Ole Solksjaers, Teddy Sheringhams, Henning Bergs, John O'Sheas of this world. Incredible. It felt like the glory would go on forever.....
Tad harsh?
Fortunate maybe (08 CL), not lucky. No deflections, dodgy penalty decisions, missed red cards. Chelsea hitting the woodwork isn't lucky, it's them not scoring. Same as Leverkusen weren't lucky when we couldn't score in the semi (in ... 02?)
From those years I remember a couple of matches in which you played in Coruña against Deportivo, 2002 and 2003? I do not remember exactly.
Of those games I remember Beckham, who scored a very beautiful goal, some kind of chip from outside the area, and especially Giggs, who dazzled the entire stadium. He was a locomotive, he did what he wanted on the left.
I think he's still one of the best players we've seen in the Champions League.
If I could go back to the past I would probably be more aware of Scholes, but he was not very well known.
I remember that United fans sat in a stand very close to ours.
At the end of the game they started to make the symbol of V (but the other way around) to us and I, naive, without ever having seen English fans (except Leeds fans years before for some minutes), I told my friends. "Look, they are so drunk they do not know make the symbol of victory"
I also remember the victory at Old Trafford, which was a milestone for Deportivo. Years ago playing in England was like traveling to another dimension. Football was much more different than now with a constant bombardment of crosses. Each corner looked like a penalty.
Of those games I remember Beckham, who scored a very beautiful goal, some kind of chip from outside the area, and especially Giggs, who dazzled the entire stadium. He was a locomotive, he did what he wanted on the left.
I think he's still one of the best players we've seen in the Champions League.
If I could go back to the past I would probably be more aware of Scholes, but he was not very well known.
I remember that United fans sat in a stand very close to ours.
At the end of the game they started to make the symbol of V (but the other way around) to us and I, naive, without ever having seen English fans (except Leeds fans years before for some minutes), I told my friends. "Look, they are so drunk they do not know make the symbol of victory"
I also remember the victory at Old Trafford, which was a milestone for Deportivo. Years ago playing in England was like traveling to another dimension. Football was much more different than now with a constant bombardment of crosses. Each corner looked like a penalty.
Such a great game. As soon as Keane was kicking off in the tunnel you just knew it was going to be a belter.Remember when we beat them 4-2 and O'Shea scored the 4th? When they interviewed Fergie the commentator said, "Arsenal had 60% possession" Fergie said "Aye, and we won 4-2" class
Amazing skill by Berbatov, and if there's a goal that showed us where Ronaldo was heading in terms of being a great scorer it's this right here.
That desire to get in the box, he was way outside the box when the pass to Berbatov was played. Put it this way, I doubt Martial/Rashford or even Lukaku is getting there for that tap in.
Champions League is what stopped the English teams playing the 'English way'. United were dominating in England for a decade but only really had one or two decent runs in the CL. It's only when we started adopting the European style and also had the midfield to play that way (Carrick was fundamental) that we started dominating in Europe properly.
PS Leicester won the league because the top teams had a stinker of a year and everything lined up for them. Not just because of their football style.
Didnt stop the snakes I mean fans moaning like feck
Lukaku yes
2001 and 2009 in particular. Shame. Would kill for United to win another title.
It's 5 years encounting....
Its coming home. Mckenna and Carrick are making sure of it. Mourinho's getting his mojo back, i can feel it
I was talking about the pen miss as Terry slipped. In 99 Bayern were the better team and hit the post and bar. They took Effenburg? and Matthaus their 2 best players off as they thought they had won it until the magical 3 minutes add on.Tad harsh?
Fortunate maybe (08 CL), not lucky. No deflections, dodgy penalty decisions, missed red cards. Chelsea hitting the woodwork isn't lucky, it's them not scoring. Same as Leverkusen weren't lucky when we couldn't score in the semi (in ... 02?)
I am a season ticket holder at Bury. You know, given United always finish top 8 in the best league in the world, we're always good, or never bad. It's good to have a semblance of perspective.
For me and United though, being really good is about invincibility - like 1999, they must score, they always score. We don't have an aura right now, just good players. Jose I think is right in wanting experience. We don't have as much as we should, it's not just about quality, but leaders who don't like losing. It counts for a lot.
I love Martial, but when the chips are down, we aren't getting a performance.
For me and United though, being really good is about invincibility - like 1999, they must score, they always score. We don't have an aura right now, just good players. Jose I think is right in wanting experience. We don't have as much as we should, it's not just about quality, but leaders who don't like losing. It counts for a lot.
I love Martial, but when the chips are down, we aren't getting a performance.