We are so fecked! (Knee-Jerk Overload)

[ForestRGoinUp]

I can only really compare this to Liverpool as seems to be the closest comparison. As much as I hate to say it I think this could be our 'Souness' era, and so a lot worse to come.

The scary thing about that is that the lower half of the table are becoming significantly better than they were back then. And they’re not battling the weight of expectations that our group will be.

This could be a very difficult slide to navigate.

 

[Jericholyte2]

The scary thing about that is that the lower half of the table are becoming significantly better than they were back then. And they’re not battling the weight of expectations that our group will be.

This could be a very difficult slide to navigate.

Exactly, with the Liverpool era there was such a more significant gap between the top and bottom. With Premier League money now being what it is the gap between, say 15th and 5/6/7th is far smaller now and getting smaller each summer.

 

[Gfooty]

Oh how the prognosis changed from Ole's win streak to now.

 

[Jericholyte2]

I am about to say something stupid.

Sell them all and play the kids.

I honestly do not care where we finish as a result. The club needs to lay down a marker that we will not be used as a stepping stone, nor are we to be seen as a pit stop before taking on a "new challenge"

We want, need, players at the club who want to be here. Our kids have shown they have some class and talent. Let's see what we have them this and rebuild from the ground up.

Anything else will simply be papering over the cracks. The club needs to hit the reset button.

But then any exemplary talent would just get picked up by 'bigger' clubs such as is everyone's worry about Rashford for some reason.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

I am about to say something stupid.

Sell them all and play the kids.

I honestly do not care where we finish as a result. The club needs to lay down a marker that we will not be used as a stepping stone, nor are we to be seen as a pit stop before taking on a "new challenge"

We want, need, players at the club who want to be here. Our kids have shown they have some class and talent. Let's see what we have them this and rebuild from the ground up.

Anything else will simply be papering over the cracks. The club needs to hit the reset button.

We’ll get relegated though.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

I think we're going to have a real hard time next season.
As mentioned above,this isn't the 90's early 00's.Teams below us are financially stronger and coaching wise far better equipped.
I'm expecting us to be 5th or 6th next season.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

We’ll get relegated though.

That Championship is a beggar to get out of as well.

 

[Hawks2008]

Yeah, this season will end badly.

 

[Stobzilla]

We’ll get relegated though.

I don't mean everybody, we wouldn't get relegated by just selling say:

Pogba
Lukaku
de Gea
Rojo
Darmian

If smart signings like wan Bissaka can be added to the mix as it is looking, then all the better. But this club can not expect to challenge going on like it is doing. It needs to give up the fact that it is in anyway built for success in either the short or long term the way it currently is constructed.

Right now the only way this club can improve itself long term is via net subtraction.

 

[Yakuza_devils]

I feel that it's right to let DDG and Pogba go because we can't build a team with players not fully committed to the club. We should also offload Lukaku, Sanchez and Lingard who have problem of their own that hinder us from building a team that will give 110% for the club. These are right steps to start a complete rebuild with players that will run through the brickwall for the club.

The problem is the next step of rebuild. We need to sign right players to bring the club forward. This is where I can't trust Ed and the club leadership to make it right based on our last 6 years track record.

 

[SteveW]

Jesus. How about waiting and see who we sign before panicking?

 

[rooney1905]

For me, Solskjaers words a month ago are ringing “I know we won’t sign more than 5 players”

James is signed, so now no more than 4 players. United need at least 7 more players if all those are sold to even think about the top 4.

There just seems to be a lack of ambition there. I’ve no confidence that any outgoings would be replaced. We already have more to do than at any point in history. We have 2 weeks until pre-season and doing absolutely nothing

Yea and when you consider we NEED to sign at least midfielders even in if Pogba stays this looks very dire. Odds are we sign one midfielder and a right back. Keep in mind this current midfield gets bossed by most top 12 teams. Not to mention this makes recruiting that much harder. The best Woodward can hope for is to keep hold of what he has and land some more movie adverts. This summer is getting worse the longer it goes on.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

Both luckily and unluckily, things change quickly in football, we went from being the most dominant force in English to being a rich Arsenal, over the space of one summer.

At the moment, things are looking far worse than some are willing to admit, we’re a lower level big club, it’s basically official, the money won’t be there in a decade unless we start doing things right.
As it is, we’ll do well to finish top six next season.

Is Ole the right man to change our fortunes? I don’t think he is, but I’ll be over the moon if he is.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

I think we're going to have a real hard time next season.
As mentioned above,this isn't the 90's early 00's.Teams below us are financially stronger and coaching wise far better equipped.
I'm expecting us to be 5th or 6th next season.

Considering the turmoil and his own pedigree, I think maintaining top 6 would be seen as a success by and for Ole.

 

[Jericholyte2]

Jesus. How about waiting and see who we sign before panicking?

Do you have any faith at all that those who have overseen the last 6yrs of abject failure have the ability to replace these players with others of equal/comparable/ better ability AND this correct attitude to bring us back to some kind of challenging position within the next few seasons?

 

[Lee565]

All this mess would have been averted had the club appointed Conte straight after Mourinho seeing as it is now obviously well known moron Ed actually had no real careful well thought process in mind for finding the right manager when they placed Solskjear in charge as interim manager.

We would be overseeing a smoother evolution of the team rather than a directionless revolution, would have been using a formation that actually fitted the squad that we had/have on our hands, Pogba would be re-united with Conte and back playing in system that he previously excelled in and more than likely stick with club for at least another season, he obviously sees something in Lukaku otherwise he wouldn't have been chasing him as his number 1 striker target at two clubs and probably would get him showing his Belgium form, Conted would actually have top quality players wanting to play specifically under him and has previous of taking a mid-table team and have them winning the premier league title the next season on compared to Solskjear who took over a team in a decent position to avoid relegation but ended up leading them to struggling in championship the following season.

 

[Shakesy]

Henderson / Romero
AWB Smalling Lindelof Shaw
McT Matic Fred
James Rashford Martial

That team has a 40% chance of a top 5 finish if it plays to its potential.

That team + realistic incomings has a 60%-70% chance. Because it would be better than Arsenal.

It might even be better than Chelsea.

Most teams are facing challenges.

 

[Yakuza_devils]

Jesus. How about waiting and see who we sign before panicking?

We have waited for the last 6 years with 12 transfer window already gone. In fact, our transfer during last years of SAF reign were mostly low budget buys or average players.

Ed has been talking big but never deliver result. Just when I thought this season can't get any worse we have this exodus of players during our major rebuild.

 

[Enigma_87]

That team has a 40% chance of a top 5 finish if it plays to its potential.

That team + realistic incomings has a 60%-70% chance. Because it would be better than Arsenal.

That team is comfortable worse than Wolves and Leicester. Let alone comparing it to Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, City and Liverpool

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

That team has a 40% chance of a top 5 finish if it plays to its potential.

That team + realistic incomings has a 60%-70% chance. Because it would be better than Arsenal.

It might even be better than Chelsea.

Most teams are facing challenges.

That team would struggle to finish higher than Everton, Leicester and Wolves, you’re massively overrating that front six.

 

[Josep Dowling]

We have the money to sign young talents from all over the world, Heck, We can also afford to sign older players. They couldn't do those but fair play to their academy, They managed to build a proper team. It's more about building a proper team with the right personnel.

We have wasted so much money for feck all.

The change needs to be from top to bottom, not only the players but the people responsible for signing them, playing them, training them.

Yes I agree but to get better on the pitch right now we need to sign players. That’s the only way to improve our situation. We can’t even do that properly. This nonsense of wanting British players, then signing players from the Championship. If we want British players we should be looking at Harry Kane or Dele Alli. Think I’m being unrealistic? We are meant to be the biggest club in the world but can’t even attract decent players. The club is lost at the moment.

 

[Shakesy]

That team is comfortable worse than Wolves and Leicester. Let alone comparing it to Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, City and Liverpool

That team would struggle to finish higher than Everton, Leicester and Wolves, you’re massively overrating that front six.

Hence - "playing to its potential"

You are looking at that team the way it is, not the way it could be.

 

[nycender]

You’re having a laugh if you think the Glazers will sanction anything remotely close to 400 million in acquisitions

 

[Dr. StrangeHate]

Sod big names, I’d rather have a great attitude, and I trust Ole to spot that.

Ashley Young, Lingard and Rashford. These are the people with best attitudes. What good does that do us?
Pogba will be the world's best midfielder the second he joins Madrid. Pogba isn't the problem, the rest of the players and the managers are. Pogba has won more than any other United player.

 

[Sterling Archer]

Yeah, this season will end badly.

It will end badly if we don't finish the transfer window strongly. Simple as that.

 

[sp_107]

This is the issue. How long it'll take to get back there. Which individual / combination those midfielders you've listed would give the creativity, workrate etc needed to break back into the top 4?

This will get worse before it gets better and I fear for the money that will be wasted as this trajectory continues.

I mentioned those 4 names as we can pick 3 from them to cover 2 CM postions, We are trying to sign someone like Bruno/Maddison to fill in ACM position anyway, means we will sign 4 good midfielders in total. There is a talk Roma wants Fred and we need to replace slow Matic too. so we really need 4 midfielders if Fred and Pogba are leaving.

I am sure with right signings this time, We can flourish rather getting into same situation by going for big names who doesnt have drive to take us back to the top again.

We can get 250+ millions in this summer by selling Pogba, Lukaku and some other fringe players like Baily, Rojo,Darmian etc..and with money from this year budget on top of that, we could sign 6/7 decent players if we are really ambitious. Isnt it ?

 

[Enigma_87]

Hence - "playing to its potential"

You are looking at that team the way it is, not the way it could be.

If Leicester, Wolves and Everton team play to its potential I still can see it having higher ceiling than the one you posted.

If those team underachieve and ours plays to its potential then yea, but there are more ifs and buts than we would realistically like.

 

[antohan]

I think we are fkd too. Especially if we really think we can replace everyone with young British championship players. James is in everyones first team!
But if we spend the money 400-500 we could build a really good side. Everyone says we are nuts and wont spend over 250 and we won't sign more than 4 players. But this is no ordinary situation. 6th in the league and lose all your top players. Thats disaster. If we generate 200 on sales then we should spend like crazy.

———-——-Oblak
Wan B—-Harry-Alderweild—Shaw
———-Rabiot—Matic
—————Dybala
Sancho—-Rashford—Martial

Even if we pay top rates
Oblak - 80
Wan - 60
Harry - 75
Alderweild - 25
Rabiot - free
Dybala - 90
Sancho - 90
Total - 420

Main problem though is we probably won't spend the money either.

 

[soaphroniscuss]

All this mess would have been averted had the club appointed Conte straight after Mourinho seeing as it is now obviously well known moron Ed actually had no real careful well thought process in mind for finding the right manager when they placed Solskjear in charge as interim manager.

We would be overseeing a smoother evolution of the team rather than a directionless revolution, would have been using a formation that actually fitted the squad that we had/have on our hands, Pogba would be re-united with Conte and back playing in system that he previously excelled in and more than likely stick with club for at least another season, he obviously sees something in Lukaku otherwise he wouldn't have been chasing him as his number 1 striker target at two clubs and probably would get him showing his Belgium form, Conted would actually have top quality players wanting to play specifically under him and has previous of taking a mid-table team and have them winning the premier league title the next season on compared to Solskjear who took over a team in a decent position to avoid relegation but ended up leading them to struggling in championship the following season.

Yes but "Ole knows the club and Conte doesn't". *squawk*

 

[Shakesy]

If Leicester, Wolves and Everton team play to its potential I still can see it having higher ceiling than the one you posted.

If those team underachieve and ours plays to its potential then yea, but there are more ifs and buts than we would realistically like.

Don't get me wrong. I don't like it.

But, I did say if that team plays to its potential then we have a 40% chance. So it's still far from a certainty.

We WILL buy though. So, it is not nearly as hopeless as people make it out to be.

 

[The Don]

I am about to say something stupid.

Sell them all and play the kids.

I honestly do not care where we finish as a result. The club needs to lay down a marker that we will not be used as a stepping stone, nor are we to be seen as a pit stop before taking on a "new challenge"

We want, need, players at the club who want to be here. Our kids have shown they have some class and talent. Let's see what we have them this and rebuild from the ground up.

Anything else will simply be papering over the cracks. The club needs to hit the reset button.

There two very different, yet two very successful models we can follow. City or Liverpool. Much as it pains me to say that. Its not who we sign but whether they fit in with the ethos of the club and manager.

We can buy the biggest names and hope they work out or do what Liverpool did and buy players that are good fit for what the manager wants.

 

[simonhch]

This season is going to be fecking intolerable in here. But not because of the team, but because of the complete feckwittery in threads like this.

 

[Yakuza_devils]

You’re having a laugh if you think the Glazers will sanction anything remotely close to 400 million in acquisitions

The problem go deeper than spending 400 mil. If the Glazers are willing to spend 400 mil, the problem is Ed and Ole have no clue at all how to rebuild one of the top team in the world.

Ed for the past 6 years has proven that he was a disaster in transfer. Ole is a rookie manager who can't attract big names.

 

[Denis79]

So everything in football is cyclical and it’s now starting to look like we aren’t even half-way to the bottom of the downturn here.

Our best player over the last 8 year, our most potent goal-threat and the most creative player all look like they’re leaving now and, whilst I stand to be corrected on this, I have zero faith in Woodward to use the money to create anything like a team that can compete for even the top 6 never mind top four!

So it’s looking like, barring transfers, our lineup will be something akin to:

Henderson / Romero
AWB Smalling Lindelof Shaw
McT Matic Fred
James Rashford Martial

That is barely even a top half team there! There simply has to be some absolutely huge spending going on to get players with the right mentality to take this clubs forwards.

£200-250m was mentioned before sales and let’s say we get £200m from the significant sales, surely this all needs to go back into the pot for transfers otherwise we'll be looking up at Leicester, Wolves, Everton and probably more come the end of next season.

Not happening, last season we had 30M net spend. I'll be shocked if we have a net spend over 200M this season, even if we sell all those you mentioned.

 

[Eriku]

Ashley Young, Lingard and Rashford. These are the people with best attitudes. What good does that do us?
Pogba will be the world's best midfielder the second he joins Madrid. Pogba isn't the problem, the rest of the players and the managers are. Pogba has won more than any other United player.

Pogba’s jumping ship, clearly he can’t help us. I love him as a player, I’d like him to stay, but we have a lot of positions that need better options before Pogba can work for us, and he’s clearly not willing to stay and hope for that. As is his right. If he were a stronger leader with a better attitude, he’d help raisw the level. I’m not blaming things on him, just saying that clearly retaining him shouldn’t be our top priority.

Rashford is still young, and for all the whining about him, he’s got a solid return for us. Young shouldn’t be first choice, but he can slot in a number of positions and will always have the right attitude. I really don’t get why people want to kick these players out. They’re definitely good enough for the squad.

 

[-Supreme-]

Not happening, last season we had 30M net spend. I'll be shocked if we have a net spend over 200M this season, even if we sell all those you mentioned.

I have a completely opposite view.

Due to our low net spend and poor performance last season I fully expect the club to invest heavily this summer, we share some similarities with Madrid in this regard.

 

[SharpshooterTom]

I think we're going to have a real hard time next season.
As mentioned above,this isn't the 90's early 00's.Teams below us are financially stronger and coaching wise far better equipped.
I'm expecting us to be 5th or 6th next season.

I don't know what people are going on about when they say this.

The points gap between 6th and 15th was about 20 points back then, today its the same or slightly greater?

 

[Keefy18]

Wow, this is so bad you've actually made me post on this account for the first time in 5 plus years.

Ha! What a ridiculous over reaction. Two different types of wide player but if I was offered them both as a manager and told I could only take the 1, I'd be taking Sterling. Think he's only going to get better and better.

Hazard at 28 has reached his peak arguably last season and probably has another season or 2 at this level.

Both Pogba and De Gea are free to pursue their own career interests. I don't begrudge them that. But Pogba talks about it on camera whilst still contracted to the club. De Gea doesn't.

That's the difference.

You're creating your own fictions about De Gea based on tabloid reports, suppositions and implications.

Whether the facts about their situations are identical or totally different, their conduct is certainly not the same.

No I'm not, this is the 2nd time he's decided to stall on renewing his contract. Weather he wants to be here or not, say something.

Instead he's happy to be mute, not commit nor have the balls to say he wants to leave and instead just slowly drags his feet around and performances drop of a cliff and the club ends up not getting back a cent on their investment on him.

Yeah, Saint Dave!

 

[Jericholyte2]

This season is going to be fecking intolerable in here. But not because of the team, but because of the complete feckwittery in threads like this.

Examples of feckwittery? We are acknowledging the pitiful performance of the United leadership and where we will go if they continue in the same vein.

 

[JoaquinJoaquin]

It will end badly if we don't finish the transfer window strongly. Simple as that.

We have turned down the chance to sign Tielemens and are concentrating on Langstaff. It is ending badly, no doubt.