Travesty of Old Trafford: Enough is enough with our Mike Ashley-style owners

Ranchero

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I have kept quiet for some weeks now. But recent developments have only served to underline the fact the club is on a downward spiral and changing the manager alone is not going to solve it. In a way as a diehard fan going back to the days when we were actually relegated from the top flight, it is easy just to try not to think about it. That 'denial' mode where you know things are bad, and have been since Ferguson left, but you just don't want to face it.

But I never imagined even under David Moyes that we would get to a state where players that should not be here, if we had any aspirations to be a top Prem side, let alone a top European side, are turning their backs on us.

Ashley Young. The club captain. Rejects an extra year contract at the age of 34. Which came too late, as his contract, as with young players such as Gomes and Chong have been allowed to run down so they can talk to other clubs now. Add to that Bailly, Matic, Fosu-Mensah and Borthwick-Jackson who are in the final six months and while we may say we won't miss them, we will if we do not replace, and we haven't replace Lukaku, Sanchez, Herrera, Fellaini...

Lingard, signs up with notorious superagent Mino Raola, who vowed that none of his players would be joining the club soon, claiming Man Utd would ruin Diego Maradona, Pele and Paolo Maldini. The same superagent who is trying to get Paul Pogba out of our club... quite transparently, with the French World Cup winner's full backing. Lingard, a player who has 18 appearances in the Prem as an attacking player and has zero goals and zero assists to his name, seems to wants out...but who would have him?



And the travesty is, we cannot afford to let these players go, even without our line of 'injuries'.

Meanwhile in the transfer market it is the same old same old. Lots of players we let it be known on a daily basis that we are interested in who are never going to come. Haaland the more concerning of the throng, as he actually has a relationship with our manager. He would rather go to Dortmund than United. Dortmund! How far we have fallen.

Any fan who has followed our progress in recent years will not hold out hope of signing anyone in January, and yet we desperately need reinforcements, especially a creative midfielders, and, belatedly, a striker to replace Lukaku, who we didn't want. And we appear to be interested in Raul Jimanez of Wolves, a player who is not as good as Lukaku as a replacement. So why did we get rid of the Belgian? Surely it cannot be that the 26-year-old was reaching an age where his resale value would begin to decline, and they had to cash in? It would not surprise me.

Why even discuss Maddison. Leicester were never going to let him go. It just makes us look like amateurs to be pretending to be after players who are not going to come. Just to have the excuse that "oh we tried".

This is Manchester United Football Club. The club of Best, Law, Charlton, Bryan Robson, Cantona, Beckham, Scholes, Keane et al. And we are embarrassingly scrambling around for players like a pig to an empty trough. And it is empty of our own making. Due to the mismanagement at the top of our football club, we are just not an attraction anymore, even for the deadwood that we should have been moving on to be replaced with players that would have us challenging for titles again. But the truth is that is all pie in the sky under this regime.

The only way we are going to challenge again for titles is a change of ownership and a revolution in the boardroom. People say we are being run as a business. Not very well. You don't asset strip your club. You don't leave it in a state where sponsors (eventually) won't want to back you, or if they do, will cut the money they give because we don't have Champions League. It reminds me of Mike Ashley. An owner that sees players as a commodity to make money out of FIRST, rather than players that can achieve on-field success for the club.

The reason we want young up-and-coming players is that they become assets that will increase in value and earn money. But relying on young players will not win us titles. That 'Class of 92' was a one off. We need a mix of youth and experience. We cannot rely on the likes of Greenwood, and we are being forced to, because we quite simply have nobody else. He is a young lad who at Chelsea, would have been out on loan learning his trade. Instead he is pushed into the toxic environment of Old Trafford. A club where you have players, and not just good ones, wanting out, with nobody of note wanting to come in.

The whole ethos of our club has to and must change. How that change happens? Well Newcastle fans tried voting with their feet. It hasn't worked. Ashley pretends to want to sell. But never does.

Yes it is another depressing post. But we have to face the reality of United in a new decade. We are going nowhere fast under Woodward and the Glazers.
 

b82REZ

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Came in on here for a long post with a picture half way through. I am not disappointed.
 

kidbob

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Hard to disagree with any of that. We are in huge trouble and the only thing slightly masking that has been the regression of Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. I want Ole gone but don't think it makes much difference unless Ed goes too or at least installs a football man to run that side of the club.

Edit: there was a period where we could have spent our way back but we screwed it and it seems that period has come to an end. It'll take consecutive years in the CL for us to become attractive to better talent again.
 

roonster09

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Came in on here for a long post with a picture half way through. I am not disappointed.
:lol: Same here, I opened the thread just to verify whether the pic is posted.
 

romufc

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don't think it makes much difference unless Ed goes too or at least installs a football man to run that side of the club.
This is it. We are not going to improve when Ed is running the ship whoever the captain in charge is.

You are looking at the Glazers who are business minded people, how can you let things slip so far and still do nothing.

There is 0 pressure on Woodward, someone other than the manager has to take responsibility for this.
 

Sky1981

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We are going nowhere fast under Woodward and the Glazers.
We're going nowhere nowhen when we keep repeating that mantra, Glazers can feck off, and will definitely feck off, but there's no stopping us from Sacking Ole and actually reduce the embarassment we suffer as Manchester united.

"We're never beating Watford with Glazers and the woodwards in charge"
"We're never be able to string 5 passes without losing the ball with Glazers and woodswards in charge"
"We can't expect our 80M to defend with glazers and woodward in charge"
"We can't expect Ole to coach the team with Glazers and woodwards in charge"
"We can't properly judge ole with glazers and woodwards in charge"

I'm not defending them, but to blame them for everything under the sun is a feel good mantra, a painkiller because that way you have some sort of phantom you can blame when shits going our way.
 

fergiesarmy1

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at least it’s Friday thank god as that was depressing yet sadly accurate.
 

KekiZeki

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If I had a penny for every "Enough is enough" thread I've seen I'd have enough money to buy us Messi and bring Ronaldo back and all our worries would just fade away!
 

ivaldo

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Thank god you spoke up. For weeks I've been asking myself, what's Ranchero's opinion on this? And how we have it. Totally warrants its own thread too with pictures and everything!
 

Utd for ever

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What a fantastic and truthful post, I've said this before if Ferguson and Gill stood buy what they originally said about glazer takeover was to aggressive the supporters would have backed them up if they made a stand, it was obvious the glazers just wanted to use Utd as a cash cow, they than went quiet and went along with it, I wondered what happened there. We are now seeing the result of that takeover and unfortunately I'm old enough to see that if you don't get the right structure in place there's only one way the club goes. I'm praying someone comes along and buys the club who's got real money, not borrowed and take this club back where we should be, top.
 

Coops73

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like I’ve said in other threads my only hope is that this is a prelude to a sale.
 

Bilbo

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Another thread that adds nothing apart from adding to the avalanche of negativity on this toxic forum. You've even gone so far as to list Borthwick-Jackson, who I am certain everybody had forgotten played for us until yesterdays 'news', as an item of concern. That's some mighty impressive barrel-scraping right there. I also heard that the lady who vacuums the players lounge is thinking of going back to her old receptionists role at the local school. These are indeed troubling times...….
 

arthurka

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Don´t be so negative all the time it´s Friday for feck sake. Norwich coming up and we are scouting half their team so a great opportunity to hit two birds with one stone.
 

SweetRightFoot

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Made a similar thread in the Newbies forum a few hours ago about the shocking state of our squad and how this window, if we don't strengthen, might be the final nail in the coffin.

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/if-we-dont-sign-anyone-this-january-window.452702/

Similarly, this muppet walks in...

If I had a penny for every "Enough is enough" thread I've seen I'd have enough money to buy us Messi and bring Ronaldo back and all our worries would just fade away!
with a gem of a post declaring we shouldn't waste money on signings because they might not work out and we don't want to sacrifice our financial muscle as THAT is what ruins clubs. Proper one flew over the cuckoos nest stuff.
 

mu4c_20le

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Didn't actually read, I'm just skimming through the replies to get an idea. Doesn't look like i missed much.
 
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First off, they are absolutely nothing like Mike Ashley.

Secondly, I'm going to go against the grain here and argue that the Glazers are guilty of the same thing as half of our fanbase, too often looking backwards starry-eyed and falling into the nostalgia trap. The irony of it all is that the most nostalgic amongst us appear to be the ones who despise the owners the most.

Sir Alex Ferguson worked wonders with these owners in charge and our two worst managerial appointments since SAF's retirement have been the ones recommended by SAF & Gill, and by a long distance.

The owners have spent enough money since SAF's retirement for us to be in a much better position than we are now, but they just can't seem to get the most important appointment correct. Woodward and co. have made 2 managerial appointments themselves, and I backed them bringing in both LVG and Mourinho, however in hindsight they are were never going to fit in or work here, and going from one to the other was a feck up of monumental proportions and cost the club an insane amount of money. In just 2 years LVG had already gutted the squad and brought in his own players for his system, and switching to Mourinho was always going to mean the same thing, it was ridiculously and needlessly expensive.

The Ole appointment is definitely a SAF/Gill/advisory board thing and at least this appointment has some of the right ideals in mind even if the appointment itself was beyond incompetent. I'm rather hopeful that the entire club got a wake up call after Mourinho and that the next manager won't be another flip flap and total rebuild, but a continuation of the work the club and current management team have done.


I genuinely, and probably naively believe that the club took in Ole because the next manager will share some of his and the clubs ideals and will continue this project rather than tearing it up. If Poch (preferred) or Nagelsmann were to replace Ole in the Summer I really do believe we'd be looking at a brighter future than what we have seen these past 6 years.
 

TrueRed79

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Ranchero is inevitably late to the party(albeit with pics). This topic has been beaten to death in other threads. Accept what we are, which is shite. Accept nothing will change till Woodward is gone and your weekends won't be ruined by another bad result. It will eventually change but you might be waiting a while.
 

RedIan

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I think most feel bewildered with what’s happening too The club... but ive lost count on the number of threads on the same topic running now. Cant they be merged into one by mods?
 

Ranchero

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Ranchero is inevitably late to the party(albeit with pics). This topic has been beaten to death in other threads. Accept what we are, which is shite. Accept nothing will change till Woodward is gone and your weekends won't be ruined by another bad result. It will eventually change but you might be waiting a while.
Not late at all. As others are all too happy to report... I have been banging on about our downward spiral for years. Yes, this is more of the same, except things have just got worse. But there are some who really cannot see it. Yeah, you will get those who say those who are negative about the current state, are just traitors. Others are in denial and prefer to just deflect, deflect, deflect. I would say it is reality.

The sad thing is there is no clear hope of anything changing.

For the first time I passed on going to a United game. The City semi. Or even watching it on the TV. I sensed we would get stuffed. It was entirely different from when we beat them at there's. There has been too much happened of significance through injuries and just the mood around the place caused partly by the likes of Raiola's incendiary comments to provide any optimism. I think we will struggle against Norwich.
 

RedNed77

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Not late at all. As others are all too happy to report... I have been banging on about our downward spiral for years. Yes, this is more of the same, except with pictures. But there are some who really cannot see it. Yeah, you will get those who say those who are negative about the current state, are just traitors. Others are in denial and prefer to just deflect, deflect, deflect. I would say it is reality.

The sad thing is there is no clear hope of anything changing.

For the first time I passed on going to a United game. The City semi. Or even watching it on the TV. I sensed we would get stuffed. It was entirely different from when we beat them at there's. There has been too much happened of significance through injuries and just the mood around the place caused partly by the likes of Raiola's incendiary comments to provide any optimism. I think we will struggle against Norwich.
Fixed that for you
 

TRUERED89

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If I had a penny for every "Enough is enough" thread I've seen I'd have enough money to buy us Messi and bring Ronaldo back and all our worries would just fade away!
OP could have just posted that in the Ed and Glazers out thread..
 

Denis79

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Who here believes our owners have the ambition and are willing to invest beyond a established top 4 team a la Wengers Arsenal?
 

ivaldo

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First off, they are absolutely nothing like Mike Ashley.

Secondly, I'm going to go against the grain here and argue that the Glazers are guilty of the same thing as half of our fanbase, too often looking backwards starry-eyed and falling into the nostalgia trap. The irony of it all is that the most nostalgic amongst us appear to be the ones who despise the owners the most.

Sir Alex Ferguson worked wonders with these owners in charge and our two worst managerial appointments since SAF's retirement have been the ones recommended by SAF & Gill, and by a long distance.

The owners have spent enough money since SAF's retirement for us to be in a much better position than we are now, but they just can't seem to get the most important appointment correct. Woodward and co. have made 2 managerial appointments themselves, and I backed them bringing in both LVG and Mourinho, however in hindsight they are were never going to fit in or work here, and going from one to the other was a feck up of monumental proportions and cost the club an insane amount of money. In just 2 years LVG had already gutted the squad and brought in his own players for his system, and switching to Mourinho was always going to mean the same thing, it was ridiculously and needlessly expensive.

The Ole appointment is definitely a SAF/Gill/advisory board thing and at least this appointment has some of the right ideals in mind even if the appointment itself was beyond incompetent. I'm rather hopeful that the entire club got a wake up call after Mourinho and that the next manager won't be another flip flap and total rebuild, but a continuation of the work the club and current management team have done.


I genuinely, and probably naively believe that the club took in Ole because the next manager will share some of his and the clubs ideals and will continue this project rather than tearing it up. If Poch (preferred) or Nagelsmann were to replace Ole in the Summer I really do believe we'd be looking at a brighter future than what we have seen these past 6 years.
Great post.
 

JPRouve

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Who here believes our owners have the ambition and are willing to invest beyond a established top 4 team a la Wengers Arsenal?
We are investing beyond an established top 4 team. When you spend around 600m, only City is close. We are absolutely not comparable to Arsenal.
 

Denis79

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We are investing beyond an established top 4 team. When you spend around 600m, only City is close. We are absolutely not comparable to Arsenal.
We are investing because we don't even make top 4. My question was when/if we establish ourselves as a top 4 team, will they push all that extra money to contend at the absolute top of football? I don't believe they will.

I always found it odd that when Mourinho managed to get us second we invested 30M net the following window. I don't buy that bullshit that they lost faith in him but kept him on as a manager, that would make the running of this club worse than a joke. As soon as we establish ourselves I'm convinced that our investments will be kept at an maintanance level.
 

JPRouve

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We are investing because we don't even make top 4. My question was when/if we establish ourselves as a top 4 team, will they push all that extra money to contend at the absolute top of football? I don't believe they will.

I always found it odd that when Mourinho managed to get us second we invested 30M net the following window. I don't buy that bullshit that they lost faith in him but kept him on as a manager, that would make the running of this club worse than a joke. As soon as we establish ourselves I'm convinced that our investments will be kept at an maintanance level.
But this makes no sense because we always spend around 95% of our revenue, there is no change in that and there is no reason for it change either. As for Mourinho it has already been explained multiple times but some of you really don't want to listen, when Mourinho arrived our wage bill was around 216m when he left it was around 330m, players don't play for free, their cost isn't limited to transfers fees and it reduces your ability to spend in the future.
 

Denis79

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I don't have the stats but I'm rather certain that since SAF's retirement we've invested as much as anyone bar City? Or am I way off Denis :confused:
No we invested a lot you're right. But that was after Moyes ended 7th. Our owners really want CL football that's for sure. But will they invest to push further than that? You need to spend a lot to push from a CL qualifying team to a contender for the PL and the CL, especially in this inflated market.