Season is still there. If we performs just a little bit better than our rivals, we still have the chance to go to top 4 in PL, though impossible to be the champion. For the Cups, who knows. SAF's squad was not all stars when we won the UEFA title.
Why do people keep posting that the season is 'practically done', or 'literally over' for us...?
- Thread starter Rhyme Animal
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Yes. I think they will be happy because this is only interim but a relief that a change had been set into action.
Revel in the moment and enjoy it so far and take it game by game. Seems as if the Toxic one is still leaving remnants of his reign
Plenty still to play for, take it one game at a time. There's not much wrong with our squad, it's just been under performing.
With the exception of Spurs away, the league fixtures are relatively kind before we play Paris. Let's give the new team a chance to build some momentum going into the next year and see where we are.
A decent league run and a potentially an FA cup would be a great boost.
With the exception of Spurs away, the league fixtures are relatively kind before we play Paris. Let's give the new team a chance to build some momentum going into the next year and see where we are.
A decent league run and a potentially an FA cup would be a great boost.
I've been saying this mate around the Cup Tie with Reading which I see as a must, win we have 8 league fixtures of which we are quite capable of getting 21 points if we play to our best and have a bit of luck and then see how the Spurs game goes.
I don't get it either. If the season was already done (or a "write off") and/or the players are not of the adequate quality, what was the point of getting rid of Jose? We might as well have saved money and let the shit show continue. The point of appointing an interim manager before the halfway point in the season is to try and salvage the season. There are more than 55% of the games remaining in the league, one of the cup competitions hasn't even started and we qualified for the knock-out stages of another one relatively easily. There is everything to play for this season. It should not be only about good vibes and getting a positive atmosphere. There is so little pressure on everyone right now they should be able to give their best. It's a golden chance for Ole to show that he is capable of managing at the top level and for the players to show that they belong at Manchester United.
Of our next 10 games till Feb 9th, there is only one really tough game away at Spurs. Rest of the them are all winnable for a club of our stature. In eight of the nine premier league games till then, we should enter the pitch as the favorites easily. There is every chance that we can close the gap to very little if we can perform to our abilities in these games.
I don't believe it over us. And I hope that the players and new managers do not believe that either. This is not amateur hour; it's time for these professionals to stand up for the badge, and more importantly for themselves.
Of our next 10 games till Feb 9th, there is only one really tough game away at Spurs. Rest of the them are all winnable for a club of our stature. In eight of the nine premier league games till then, we should enter the pitch as the favorites easily. There is every chance that we can close the gap to very little if we can perform to our abilities in these games.
I don't believe it over us. And I hope that the players and new managers do not believe that either. This is not amateur hour; it's time for these professionals to stand up for the badge, and more importantly for themselves.
Very good posts and I can see your point. Been thinking around the same myself I think we can 7 out of the next 8 games.
Another reason for appointing an interim manager at this point is so that there is a good runway to negotiate and confirm the next manager and to give him time to work on bringing in new players. The atmosphere in the dressing room was getting toxic and I think the board may also have concerns with Jan signings under Mourinho.
I think it is mostly done, top four is just a little bit too far away IMO, but hopefully we can do it. The only chance is that Arsenal and Chelsea are playing Europa League football, but even then if we do hit some form ourselves I can only see us overtaking one of them, not both. We won't win the Champion's League and the FA Cup is anybody's game depending how seriously it is taken. Ole will have been successful, in my eyes, if we finish in a position higher than sixth and make a final, or at least make decent progress in both cup competitions. I don't see how anyone else can be expecting more, the damage really has been done. It's our worst ever start to a PL season.
Top 4 is highly unlikely - 11 points off a decent Chelsea team (and 8 points of 5th for that matter). Has any team chased down that points gap at Christmas? Maybe Fergie or peak Wenger did but our unbalanced, mentally fragile squad under an unproven caretaker manager?
Champions League - zero chance. Not even a Liverpool 2005 chance.
FA Cup - maybe but it would be scant compensation for finishing outside the top 4.
Champions League - zero chance. Not even a Liverpool 2005 chance.
FA Cup - maybe but it would be scant compensation for finishing outside the top 4.
A fair assessment.
I really don's see the point of dragging up his record at Cardiff all the time.
That squad was terrible I don't see how you can compare the two at all.
Let's get behind him and hopefully enjoy the matches more.
That squad was terrible I don't see how you can compare the two at all.
Let's get behind him and hopefully enjoy the matches more.
Getting rid of Jose now, and hiring an interim, serves a few purposes.
Firstly, we have time to rid the club of the toxic atmosphere that Jose created.
Secondly, it gives us time to properly evaluate the options we have available to us. There are some managers immediately available, and others that may become available at the end of the season. We're going to want to talk to all of them, rather than rushing into hiring someone just because they can start now.
Thirdly, it allows us to properly define the direction we want the club to head in. Bringing in someone on a permanent basis now, means they're immediately tasked with sorting out the mess we're currently in. In the summer, whatever happens between now and the end of May, we'll have a clean slate for the new manager to work with.
Keeping Mourinho maintains a toxic atmosphere, something that seems incredibly likely to be behind the talk of Pogba, De Gea and Martial eyeing the exit. It makes evaluating our options far harder, because we have to do it behind is back, while publicly showing support, something people were very critical of when we did it with van Gaal. Finally, it means we spend the rest of the season moving in the wrong direction, potentially signing more players that aren't a good fit, and means the new manager comes in with a mess to clean up, rather than an understanding that we're starting from scratch.
As for our season's expectations, I think people have to take a step back and see what's actually realistic. We are currently in 6th, 11 points and 21 goals off the team in 4th. The team in 5th are only 3 points and 7 goals off that. We should obviously do our best to aim for 4th, but realistically speaking, it'll take a remarkable run of form from us, and will also be dependant on not one, but two teams dropping between 9 and 12 points more than us over the remaining 21 games. Realistically speaking, we have only a very slim chance of attaining a spot in the top 4, and have absolutely zero chance of winning the league.
We have the Champions League, but PSG would be a formidable opponent even if we were flying high at the top of the league. If we can somehow get through that tie and find ourselves in the quarter finals, then wonderful, but even then, we'll still have Bayern/Liverpool, Spurs/Dortmund, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico/Juventus waiting for us in the later stages. It's a massive achievement and requires an element of fortune for anyone to win the CL, and we're going into the next tie as massive underdogs. Again, it's not a competition we can realistically expect to win, or indeed, get any further in.
The FA Cup is the most realistic of the remaining, tangible successes, but even that will require an element of good fortune, and furthermore, simply isn't a competition you build a season around.
In this post you're saying there's little pressure on the team and interim manager, then also going on to say that we've still got top 4, the Champions League and the FA Cup that we should be aiming for, which to me, seems completely at odds with the idea that there's no pressure.
Our aims should be focused on improving the atmosphere at the club, and we should be doing that by playing better, more attractive, attacking football, that all things considered, should bring good results along with it. After that, we see where the good results can take us. In the league, we need to simply focus on putting as many points on the board as possible between now and the end of the season. We're so far behind that we could have a great finish, and still finish 6th by a few points. In the Champions League, we should just take things a game at a time. The same applies for the FA Cup.
People seem to be taking the stance that those who are saying the season "is a write off" don't want us to do well. We do, but we understand that the focus for the remainder of this season, is very much on laying a good foundation for whoever becomes our next permanent manager to build on next season.
In answer to the OP. It’s effectively an attempt to lower the expectations for Ole. Everyone (that’s a united fan) loves Ole and most realise that he is well out of his depth with this position and don’t want his reputation tarnished with this stint as manager.
For me the expectations remain the same, we should be finishing in the top 4, we have played most of the top teams away from home and have a squad better than all others with the exception of City.
For me the expectations remain the same, we should be finishing in the top 4, we have played most of the top teams away from home and have a squad better than all others with the exception of City.
It's not often I have read such a comprehensive analysis without finding something I think is wrong opinion or conclusion. This has to be the exception because I agree to one hundred percent and wish everyone could do it. Well balanced and above all realistic but still positive! It was a long text but well worth reading.
Remember when the fans were not moaning with LVG in charge
To answer that specific question, I think that was mainly to stop our best players refusing to sign new contracts and/or agitating for a move while he was still in charge.
On the more general point, talking about winning 8 out of our 9 next games is just ridiculous. We've a new manager on board, who will take a while to get to know the players and implement his ideas. And that is why so many people are willing to write the season off. Because Ole's got a hell of a job on his hands and, realistically, we're highly unlikely to win anything, or finish in the top four. No doubt this will be completely unacceptable to the more glory-hunting fans amongst us but I couldn't give a shit about achievements over the rest of this season. I just want to see us play some attacking football again.
I don't fully agree. Jose would have gone anyway in the summer. None of those top players were out of contracts in the summer. Neither was Pogba going to agitate for a move in January. Even if he did, I don't know which club would be willing to pay the sum involved in the January window. Usually big signings are left for the summer.
No one said that we have to win 8 out of our next 9 games. People are simply pointing out that those fixtures are winnable for the squad of our quality under the right manager and atmosphere. If we do well in those then we have a chance to close the gap. At this point that is what we need to do and then see what happens. I am sure Ole and the club want to do well and salvage the season. That is why we paid money and loaned him from Molde. Otherwise we could have simply given the job to Carrick and the let the season roll on. I am actually certain Ole wasn't for shit and giggles. No one is talking about what is acceptable or not acceptable. I would hope the club, Ole and the players are more ambitious than top reds on the internet trying to score points.
As the bolded statement shows, Utd bailed on this season before it started, hiring a caretaker is just the latest show of that. Hopefully Ole will manage to come out of this with his reputation intact.
I don't think Pogba and DDG want to play for a midtable team that's fun to watch.
As many have said, the rest of the season is about coming together as a club and building a positive atmosphere. Yes we need to win some games to do that, but we'll lose a few as well. Too many to expect silverware.
I keep making this point. If the problem was predominantly Jose then surely you must believe we can win the majority of our games
I don’t believe either of those things but plenty of people on this forum believe we have a great squad and then go on to say “but this season is a write-off”
Isn't it the case that most people think this squad should be in the top 4 and capable of playing more attacking football and look like a team that is happy and has actually been coached? We're 11 points off the top 4 with a manager with limited (and not very good) experience outside of Norway who won't have a pre-season or even a winter break in which to imprint his ideas on the team. We might have a run in the FA Cup but we're not suddenly going to go into title winning form (realistically we need about 50 points from 21 games) or win the Champions League and to suggest that would be some sort of vindication of Mourinho is absurd, he's done an absolutely rubbish job for months.
All you lot saying top 4 is over...
Win today and it's an 8 point gap with 20 matches left.
Utterly daft the amount of people saying it was done, nothing to play for etc.
Win today and it's an 8 point gap with 20 matches left.
Utterly daft the amount of people saying it was done, nothing to play for etc.
Chelsea's lack of a striker will see them fall IMO.
Its always been on, even with Jose in charge. Now we just have a better shot at getting top 4
Its always been on, even with Jose in charge. Now we just have a better shot at getting top 4
It’s still a big ask. Let’s wait until we’re closer before thinking about it.
What is on? Ok say Chelsea dramatically fall away, whilst at the same time we all of a sudden find consistency, there is still City, Pool Spurs and Arsenal who will all finish ahead of us.
Arsenal won't.
Its my opinion that all of the top sides will see their consistency drop in the second half of the year. Its a long season after having so many players at the WC.
So many sides are suffering from I juries already because of it.
You are saying Arsenal wont finish ahead of us? Let's see. I think we will finish where we are now, and rightly so.
We're winning it all now.
It’s only just begun.
Shame everyone else’s season started in August, really.
Shame everyone else’s season started in August, really.
We need to win every game and hope both Chelsea and Arsenal lose three more games.
It's extraordinarily unlikely.
It is quite over at this rate.
We need to win all our matches to even had a chance for top 4.
It's only cardiff. One game at a time.
We need to win all our matches to even had a chance for top 4.
It's only cardiff. One game at a time.
Oh they will lose points no doubt. But so will we.
We cant expect optimism if it's based on us winning 18 matches in a row. Mathematically speaking it is what we need to be in top 4, baring super extraordinary event.
8 points is a substantial gap to make up. Especially when you're pretty much trying to catch two teams and not just one; if Arsenal and/or Chelsea hit a good run it'll make it even more difficult for us. We'll probably need 75-80 points to get top four - that'll mean we need to (counting before today when Jose was sacked) get about 50 points from our final 21 games. And while we'll obviously improve, that seems highly unrealistic. People vastly overestimate the number of comebacks teams make in leagues from disadvantaged positions because of a few specific examples.
Right. It's now 6 points with 17 gameweeks left.
PSG is a game we really can win over 2 legs and Reading in the F.A Cup...
This season is not over.
What say you naysayers now?
PSG is a game we really can win over 2 legs and Reading in the F.A Cup...
This season is not over.
What say you naysayers now?
I say the curse/magic of the Caf is well and truly alive.
Well done. I was admittedly a non-believer. But then again, I had no clue Ole would get us playing proper football so quickly.
It's very easy to get our hopes up and then lose again, putting us back down to a 9 points gap. I'm just taking anything since Solskjaer came in as a bonus. The club itself can focus on objectives, I only care about entertaining football being back on the menu.
Spurs away next lad. Odds still massively against us. Possible =/= probable.
If we beat Spurs we have a pretty decent set of league fixtures, you’d like to think we’d grow in confidence and go on a run.
I was happy just to see some entertaining football, but am happy to beleive if it’s possible. We were dead in the water with Jose. Let’s see how we do against Spurs.
Although having said that I don’t beleive we need to beat them, I don’t think you’d think anything less of City or Pool if they got beat at Spurs so I don’t see why that game is an ultimate litmus test for us either. It’s a very hard place to go and get a result these days. I’d take a hard fought but narrow loss as a big sign of improvement. A win or draw would be brilliant.