Us against the world

[Parma Dewol]

Why has no United manager in the post-Ferguson era managed to convey the message of us against the world.

We used to be great at using it to our advantage. Knowing every team wanted to beat United was fuel for the players, as well as the fanbase, and would often lead to the opposition tiring toward the end of the game, having given it too much in the first hour.

We boycotted the entire BBC, made referees know when they got it wrong, and even teammates would tear into one another to make sure the siege mentality filtered through to every facet. It was, at all times, us against the world.

These days, we just seem so incredibly feeble from top to bottom.

I used to think Mourinho, as a past master of us-vs-everyone, would be the one to turn the tide, but nope, at United even he merely towed the company line. It is entirely conjecture on my part, but it almost seems as if they're being told to behave by the powers that be.

The likes of Guardiola, Klopp and Artetta are often lamented for the stuff they come out with, but in a way it's no different to the way we were. Whether it's the refs, the opponents or governing bodies, they'll all defend their clubs no matter what, and you get that same impression when you watch their players on the field.

I can't even recall the last time anyone at the club, on or off the field, ripped into someone or something. The weekly dose of "we're a team and must improve" is getting tiresome. It's all become so very meek.

 

[erikcred]

Why has no United manager in the post-Ferguson era managed to convey the message of us against the world.

We used to be great at using it to our advantage. Knowing every team wanted to beat United was fuel for the players, as well as the fanbase, and would often lead to the opposition tiring toward the end of the game, having given it too much in the first hour.

We boycotted the entire BBC, made referees know when they got it wrong, and even teammates would tear into one another to make sure the siege mentality filtered through to every facet. It was, at all times, us against the world.

These days, we just seem so incredibly feeble from top to bottom.

I used to think Mourinho, as a past master of us-vs-everyone, would be the one to turn the tide, but nope, at United even he merely towed the company line. It is entirely conjecture on my part, but it almost seems as if they're being told to behave by the powers that be.

The likes of Guardiola, Klopp and Artetta are often lamented for the stuff they come out with, but in a way it's no different to the way we were. Whether it's the refs, the opponents or governing bodies, they'll all defend their clubs no matter what, and you get that same impression when you watch their players on the field.

I can't even recall the last time anyone at the club, on or off the field, ripped into someone or something. The weekly dose of "we're a team and must improve" is getting tiresome. It's all become so very meek.

Onana ripped into Maguire during preseason. Look how that turned out. Maybe everyone now is aware that they're in no state to admonish others, given their own performances. Goes for ETH too.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

Agree about the attitude problem, that it used to drive players on being hated. Now it seems to weigh them down, they want to be liked.

 

[Samid]

For a siege mentality to work you need to have a certain aura about you as a leader. Confidence, resilience, trust, unity, adaptability, intelligence, vision etc. Everyone involved in the project has to wholeheartedly buy into it.

We haven't really had a manager who fits that bill. They've been either too soft (ETH, Ole) or too self-centered (Jose, LVG). Doesn't help that all facets above the manager have been a complete circus with unqualified leaders and directors pulling in different directions.

 

[littlepeasoup]

Fan sentiment graphs rule supreme. We're not a football club, we're a machine churning out content - shite content at that.

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

For a siege mentality to work you need to have a certain aura about you as a leader. Confidence, resilience, trust, unity, adaptability, intelligence, vision etc. Everyone involved in the project has to wholeheartedly buy into it.

We haven't really had a manager who fits that bill. They've been either too soft (ETH, Ole) or too self-centered (Jose, LVG). Doesn't help that all facets above the manager have been a complete circus with unqualified leaders and directors pulling in different directions.

LVG definitely had a lot of qualities you mentioned other than adaptability. He was just the worst recruiter I have ever seen at United.

 

[CallyRed]

I think we'd struggle against the world. Galatasary were hard enough

 

[tenpoless]

We got nothing to lose it's just us against the world baby

 

[Zed 101]

Because lets face it the rest of the world doesn't care, there is nothing to be against because we are not a threat

 

[FizzyWomack]

We got nothing to lose it's just us against the world baby

constantly moving while making millions, witnessing killings leaving dead bodies in abandoned buildings?

Back on topic. Honestly, as long as our players social media accounts are getting likes and attention for wearing balenciaga and Gucci fits, it doesn't matter if we are dross on the pitch. We are rotten to the core until most of these players are out of the club. In my humble opinion

 

[Redstain]

LVG definitely had a lot of qualities you mentioned other than adaptability. He was just the worst recruiter I have ever seen at United.

It's a shame really as under a proper DOF he likely would have seen United make big strides as he's the only manager to have successfully implemented a philosophy. It wasn't without fault, but three managers with a combined 7 odd years which i.e 84 months have failed to offer anything other than zombie football.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

It’s understandable that people are looking for answers but you can’t just magic an Us Against the World atmosphere out of nothing.

 

[Aretak]

Why has no United manager in the post-Ferguson era managed to convey the message of us against the world.

How many players in the post-Sir Alex era have had any real fight in them? A hallmark of the past ten years has been collapsing in the face of adversity, not being fueled by it. From the aging mercenaries to the wet lettuces to the social media clout chasers, there just haven't been many players who'd respond to the siege mentality shtick. Would you want to be stuck in a trench with Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard? Then you also have to deduct the players who are willing to fight and put in a shift, but are simply a pile of plop. "Antonys" I think the Romans used to call them. The end result isn't a long list of good men you could rely upon in a crisis. Even the club's current captain turns into a petulant baby rather than a fierce warrior when the going gets tough.

 

[tenpoless]

constantly moving while making millions, witnessing killings leaving dead bodies in abandoned buildings?

Back on topic. Honestly, as long as our players social media accounts are getting likes and attention for wearing balenciaga and Gucci fits, it doesn't matter if we are dross on the pitch. We are rotten to the core until most of these players are out of the club. In my humble opinion

The problem is they aren't even that good and they act like proven superstars. One can argue the level of motivations these players have aren't even half of what it used to be under SAF.

 

[THE ZOL]

Not throwing your players under the bus in media interviews would help. Especially not ones who are already mentally fragile. LvG, Jose, Ralf and ETH all guilty of this.

 

[gajender]

It’s understandable that people are looking for answers but you can’t just magic an Us Against the World atmosphere out of nothing.

Most are ignoring the key element in all this as usual you actually have to be good enough , if we just look at cold hard facts and leave sentiments aside our squad at anytime post Sir Alex's retirement has never been anything more than top 4 side and similar is true for managers and we have roughly Mirrored that on field more or less there is not much to read into it.

 

[Blood Mage]

We hired Mourinho too late. He should have been in the door as soon as Fergie retired and maybe he could have stopped the deterioration of standards and culture at the club before the rot that doomed him set in.

Things might have fallen apart upon the arrival of Pep and Klopp to the league but Mourinho would have kept us at the top for another couple of years after Fergie at least.

 

[Alan Partridge]

Everyone hates us sure. But we hate ourselves even more. Siege mentality can’t work when the biggest resentments lie within.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Why has no United manager in the post-Ferguson era managed to convey the message of us against the world.

We used to be great at using it to our advantage.

Isn’t it obvious? It only works when the players are together and have the right mentality as opposed to living in their own entitled disinterested bubble. Right now it’s more us against the club rather than the world.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Not throwing your players under the bus in media interviews would help. Especially not ones who are already mentally fragile. LvG, Jose, Ralf and ETH all guilty of this.

They only resort to that because nothing else seems to work with the players. You see one comment to the media whereas they live through a day in day our effort to get a response which ends up in a public comment.

Jose is the only one who had a general tendency to overdo it.

 

[Marcus]

2 problems. There is no united "us". And the "world" sadly doesn't care about an irrelevant team relying on past glories.

 

[The Kag]

Simple; as it stands, it's been us against ourselves since the great Sir Alex retired. The footballing landscape has changed, the swashbuckling United sides of yesteryear are all but a distant memory, and United's biggest battle is with our upper management and ownership. The only constant, which has been massive thorn spear through our backside for nearly two decades, has been the Glazers. Unfortunately, the shit trickles down from there. It's difficult to galvanize the troops when the entire foundation from top to bottom is built upon rotten wood and the troops themselves are made of glass. This is all the direct result of the aforementioned mismanagement.

 

[Amir]

Us against the world is something that is relevant when you are doing other things well and use that mentality as the final touch, to give yourself something extra. It doesn't quite have the same impact when you are going nowhere and the world is laughing at your expense.

 

[Insanity]

These cliches are good for print media and panel discussions. In real life they don't mean shit.

In real life, it's competence (Or corruption) that trumps everything else. We are a shambles from the top to the bottom....from the owners to the players. We need a plan, not a cliche to be successful again.

 

[Get In Scholesy]

It begins…?