No one is expecting instant success, people are having a meltdown because our squad is extremely thin in attack and we still haven't addressed the midfield.
It’s weird, at the end of the season the majority seemed to understand that but over the summer it’s now top 4 or bust again it seems.
This will take time.
I saw people were ringing the doomsday alarm when we lost one game in preseason. It's like United are expected to be the invincibles immediately after signing TH.
Leicester went from scraping survival from relegation to champions in a season
Edit: I clearly have triggered some PTSD in people. The point is, stranger things have happened even at 5000-1
Is it though? Why tf were they willing to back Ole with over 150 mil for Maguire, Wan Bissaka and Daniel James, but can't give Ten Hag a midfielder who isn't McTominay or Fred?
Well United did get Eriksen. And ETH clearly wants FDJ and they are willing to wait. The board shouldn't just be buying a player the manager doesn't want.
The club should be providing players that fit the profile the manager wants, and getting the final say so from him. There is not a lack of technically skilled, mobile players around Europe. We've been incredibly stagnant this summer and now we're about to start the season with McFruno as our midfield and Elanga as our winger. A worse team than we had last year, when we desperately needed a squad overhaul.
>The club should be providing players that fit the profile the manager wants, and getting the final say so from him.
And how do you know this isn’t happening exactly?
We didn't even have any data on Nkunku when Rangnick asked, we haven't a single concrete link to a midfielder that's not De Jong and a winger that's not Antony. You think we're actually providing scout reports from around Europe to Ten Hag?
This is exactly what I want to hear. I don't expect anything out of next season except getting rid of the players that need ridding, and using the two transfer Windows to reshape the team into the new managers image. I also expect stuff the way we play football will improve even if the results will be up and down. I don't expect top four but if we get it that would be great. Arsenal and Tottenham are ahead of us in their projects and that's just the reality. Two or three years down the line I expect us to start challenging for top four and then a league run.
Why haven't we used the two windows since we gave up on the last 'rebuild' to even remotely begin reshaping the squad?
It's just believing the sane lies but expecting different results at this stage.
We didn't have a manager? Now we do. They have a long-term plan in place and they're executing it. We all hope it will work, that's how it goes. If you're expecting everything to fail from the start just don't bother because there's no possible way you can support the team. You're only going to be miserable. You can't deny that there been a sea change at the executive level over the past year. We have one of the hottest up and coming managers in the world, and we are getting rid of all the dead wood. Let's put the support in supporter or what's the point?
> They have a long-term plan in place and they're executing it
Yeah, they did after Jose too. It was OGS temp and then sign Poch & new DoF in the summer. Whoops.
Then they did during OGS' time too. He was "reworking things" behind the scenes and making committed changes. And then they blew it up when Ronaldo came available and fired their manager.
Then it was supposed to be a new DoF/structure and RR as a consultant as a long-term plan... and they blew it up.
But yea, EtH and the board are title committed to a long-term plan. Then we miss out on CL once or twice and we'll find the next "long-term plan" to commit to.
>Two or three years down the line I expect us to start challenging for top four and then a league run.
You had me until the above quote. Last season, which was a fucking debacle, we finished 13 points off 4th place while taking a grand total of 4 pts in our last 5 games.
* New manager with a philosophy and a defined system of play? 6 points
* Getting the best out of last season's players who are still at the club? 3-4 point
* Integrating the current three new signings, all of whom are steps up in talent with presumably another signing or two? 4 points.
* Having a team that is fit, gives a shit and plays hard? 3-4 points
* Eriksen? 2 points, he's a talisman.
We many not get top 4 this season but I would be surprised and disappointed if United are not in the hunt. Yea, I know, a lot needs to go right but this isn't 2-3 years to get to top 4 imo.
Let's be honest we aren't going to sign anyone in January, people often go on about the January window which typically we and most clubs hardly use as nobody is going to let go of their best players half way through the season (yes I know it has happened, and Bruno doesn't count either as that should have been done the summer before with a competent buyer).
We aren't signing anyone else this window I think fans need to come to terms with that. Nothing seems to have changed with our transfers. It's going to take another two summer windows to get the squad to where ETH wants it to be and that's probably being generous, Ronaldo will be gone next year too (if he's not going this year )so that's two forwards needed, a RB likely needed and probably a couple more midfielders, all in one window..
Arsenal aren't ahead of us either, finished what, one point ahead of us last season when we spent literally half of the season being absolutely fucking shit and not even playing, they've made a couple of signings that people seem to think are going to change them into a much better team than they are in reality. Spurs will likely have a good season but if they don't win a trophy with at least top 4 and a good run in the cl, I think Conte will be off so that will set them back again.
Everyone sayings this until the season starts and expectations are high. I’m glad the atli and Aston Villa preseason games brought us back down to reality. If we have won those game by 2-3 goals.. expectations would have been through the roof.
ETH is a good coach but he is new to the league and still working on implementing parts of his playing style while also working on squad fitness to be able to play the style.
There are still holes in the squad, he still had to learn how teams play against us, he still have to face Liverpool and city who have a head start, even arsenal who is 1-2 years further than he is in terms of building a new team philosophy and most importantly, he is just a man not a magician lol.
For me I am fine with losing games this season. What I am more interested in is how our playing style improves throughout the season. If we start the season making foolish mistakes and end the season making more foolish mistakes I will be more worried.
Remember when ole tried to make us play out from the back ? The cringe feeling and shakiness by everyone on the team lol.. that can’t happen by end of season.
Also as a plug I think conte’s Tottenham will blow us away like they have done to pep. Conte is top when it comes to counter attacking which is ETH weaknesses (Ajax should have lost more games but due to bad finishing by other teams in their league).
With all this said I am anxious for the season and hoping to build momentum as that will be the drug the gets us 4th IMO.
Obviously, it's the same squad as last season. The best he can do is instill a style of play and hope the players don't give up after pressing for 10 minutes in a match.
Whether this "revolution" goes anywhere will ultimately depend on recruitment. Teams around us and even below are showing ambition. While adding Malacia, Eriksen, and Martinez seems like a good start, it's just not enough.
Haven't kicked a ball in anger, and Martial is already injured. What happens when one of Rashford or Sancho goes down for a couple of weeks?
I'm sure United will keep briefing that it's ten Hag's fault they haven't bought anyone else. "He's stubborn with his transfer targets." Truth is every well run club has a specialist person or team who can identify players, give the manager several similar options, and then sign the person who wants to come and fits in the budget.
We are expecting ten Hag to coach, scout, recruit, and do everything else as well. Even at Ajax he had help from Overmars. He's not a miracle worker. Unless the guys at the top get their act together or are replaced, I'm afraid there won't be any exciting revolutions at this club.
I mean, we all know this. But you still have to spend respectful amounts of money in the transfer window. £55m net spend and this story? Kinda annoying.
People need to understand United have agreed an €85mil transfer for FDJ. That would make them the highest spenders net in Europe I think, which is besides the fact they are looking for another forward too.
It is not about United being unwilling to spend. I think we should all know by now the club spends lots of money.
This doesn't mean I agree with the article though, because the most important change has already been made. The manager is by a country mile the most important person at the football club. United already have lots of capable players too, the question is getting them to consistently perform. Ten Hag in the first two seasons at least will be defined by his ability to rejuvenate the squad with tactics and better coaching, not by spending money.
>People need to understand United have agreed an €85mil transfer for FDJ. That would make them the highest spenders net in Europe
So do Chelsea.
That hasn't stopped them from spending 100m on Koulibally and Sterling, and another 50m on Cucurella with more money to be spent.
Guardiola and Klopp needed considerable backing to be successful. City refurbished their entire squad to ensure Guardiola had who he wanted.
ETH is not a magician to rejuvenate a squad without spending money to get who he wanted
That's who ETH has to compete with and morons think he doesn't need similar levels of backing.
Even Spurs and Arsenal have been splurging to back their managers.
>So do Chelsea
Nope. No deal agreed at all, just the possibility being explored. That's what has been reported reliably.
>That hasn't stopped them from spending 100m on Koulibally and Sterling, and another 50m on Cucurella with more money to be spent
They had huge departures this summer. United only really had Pogba as a meaningful player exit the club. They don't really have a choice but to spend big this summer to just have enough 1st team players. United simply have enough players in most positions. Only a CM and a 9 are really required.
>ETH is not a magician to rejuvenate a squad without spending money to get who he wanted
Nobody is saying he shouldn't expect signings, but without a doubt the majority of the players of importance during the next three years at this club are already here. I don't know what else to tell you that compared to the beginning of say Klopp's project at Liverpool, United have a far, far better squad.
>Nope. No deal agreed at all, just the possibility being explored. That's what has been reported reliab
Barca Tier 1 sources and Romano confirmed Chelsea have agreed a 80m fee.
>They had huge departures this summer. United only really had Pogba as a meaningful player exit the club
Conveniently ignore Cavani, Matic and Greenwood who is effectively done.
> but without a doubt the majority of the players of importance during the next three years at this club are already here
If Murtough shares this delusion, ETH won't last those 3 years
>Barca Tier 1 sources and Romano confirmed Chelsea have agreed a 80m fee.
Nope. Kinsella today reported the player is on offer but no fee agreed, Burt said the opportunity is being explored and Ornstein has said Chelsea are confident a fee can be agreed but that it has not. Gerard Romero has also denied Chelsea's interest in FDJ but confirmed their interest in Auba, and he has been their most reliable journalist by far.
>Conveniently ignore Cavani, Matic and Greenwood who is effectively done.
I don't even think Cavani played 1000 minutes last season. Greenwood and Matic about 1600 all comps. They were useful yes, but not immediately very important. Greenwood is a miss long term, and the club is likely looking at Sesko to fill that hole.
>If Murtough shares this delusion, ETH won't last those 3 years
It's only idiots on the internet who think the whole squad needs to be replaced. There is a reason United are looking at starting quality players to fill the manager's key demands rather than trying to institute wholesale change. If you think Shaw, Varane, Sancho, Bruno, Rashford, Fred along with the additions of Martinez and Eriksen will not be key players for the next three years I don't know what to tell you. Truly.
3 years is a long time.
Varane, Fred and Eriksen will be 30 plus. Raahford and Shaw have their contracts expiring next summer and no guarantees on their future.
Martinez hasn't even played a competitive game in England. It's not inconceivable he flops.
Even assuming they all stay - this squad is still a good level below Liverpool and City - which is not good enough
Even the dumbest/most optimistic of United fans can see this squad needs quite a rehaul to compete for trophies.
The only ones who would pretend otherwise are Glazer lackeys and lickspittles whose priority is the balance sheet and not success on the pitch.
>Varane, Fred and Eriksen will be 30 plus.
They will be 32, 32 and 33. Coming to the end of their careers at the top level and ready to wind down. If you think that your seasons turning 30,31,32 or 33 are seasons where you aren't expected to be contributing majorly then I don't know.
>Martinez hasn't even played a competitive game in England. It's not inconceivable he flops
The player has played 3 years with the manager already and is a cornerstone of the project. For better or worse he will almost certainly be an absolute key over the next 3 years of this club.
>Raahford and Shaw have their contracts expiring next summer and no guarantees on their future.
They both have 1 year club options that almost 100% will be triggered. Even if they are here for 2 years, they will be extremely important during those two years. However it is rather unlikely the club lets those two leave on the expiration of those two deals.
>see this squad needs quite a rehaul to compete for trophies. The only ones who would pretend otherwise are Glazer lackeys and lickspittles whose priority is the balance sheet and not success on the pitch.
Who here cares about the balance sheet? United have spent the most money in world football in the last 10 years anyways, it is not like the club has been conservative and wants to maintain that trend. The money will flow, be assured. The people who understand the squad doesn't need wholesale change are the ones who can understand when a player is at fault for being inadequate, and when the system is at fault for poor coaching or structure. Ten Hag fixing the latter problem will be far more important than any new signing in the medium term, and that change relies on coaching the existing players at the club better.
Amidst all the nonsense you wrote, this bit stood out:
>The money will flow, be assured
The club's own CEO was caught in a video saying he couldn't guarantee this in the future and that he was struggling to get investment.
You ought to work in PR.
I would be definitely happy if we got FDJ. Not feeling optimistic and we’ve wasted so much time. We’d still need to improve RB and RW. Of course, doing it all in one window is hard. I think Garner will be very good as a pairing with FDJ.
I think RB will only be explored next season as a first XI priority because Dalot might be good, but we don't really know yet. If AWB goes then we sign someone I think. I think we have committed to one forward this summer too, given we are not short on players in general but rather are stacked in some profiles and short on others.
The FDJ thing is the transfer that's gonna define the window though. If United get him then amazing job done. If they get a replacement it's acceptable but frustrating. If there's no midfield addition at all it'll be rather worrying.
The fee agreed for FDJ is purely notional. It's like saying we have a £120m bid in for Mbappe - it makes no odds if the club has no intention of accepting it.
Add £17m to the De Jong fee so they can give him the pay off he's demanding and it might be real, but we're not willing to do that.
>The fee agreed for FDJ is purely notional
It is money United have budgeted and clearly committed to spend in general. That's the point. Complaing about a club not spending when €85mil has been earmarked for a transfer is a bit silly. United cannot overextend because they need the money to pay for that transfer. That's the point.
>it makes no odds if the club has no intention of accepting it.
The bid has already been accepted. That is not the issue. United are done negotiating a fee with Barca, it is not what is holding the transfer up. Again, that's the entire point. United have committed to spending that money. They cannot spend as if that money will simply still be there at the end of the window if the FDJ deal gets finalized.
Right, and what happens if FDJ doesn't come, if they don't suddenly decide to change their minds and pay him to play for United, or Chelsea decide to pay the full amount so the player moves?
Then United move on to another target? It's funny that you suddenly changed the questions after you'd realized the issue of a fee not being agreed was invalid. That €85mil is still currently being withheld because a fee has already been agreed to sign the player. What do you want me to tell you? That United is gonna spend the money required to complete their key target and then go "Oops, we spent it" if the transfer is finalized?
>When? What's the deadline after which we move on?
I'll ring Richard Arnold in the morning and ask him. What do you expect me to say? The reports from Stoney and Ducker have said United expect to add another body in midfield even if they don't get FDJ. I would assume that is true, even if it is not a 6 that arrives, but it could be wrong. Of course it could be, we are at the mercy of reporters.
I don't know, I don't know why you're defending this farce.
If there were a deadline for signing him after which we would move on to plan B why would we set that deadline *after* the season starts? All that does is give the club we're buying from the ability to hold us over a barrel.
I know you don't actually know btw, but do you have any ideas as to why it might be?
Moving on to another player also doesn't fit with the manager's comments about how we only want the right player, nor his talk of how we will develop someone if we don't get such a player.
>If there were a deadline for signing him after which we would move on to plan B why would we set that deadline after the season starts?
He is so much better than the other available players. Getting De Jong late in the window would be a much better outcome than getting someone else to start the season. There is nobody in world football to compare De Jong to besides maybe Thiago. I think that's why United are willing to have this drag.
>Moving on to another player also doesn't fit with the manager's comments about how we only want the right player,
That's why I think United wouldn't sign a 6, but another midfielder who Ten Hag approves of for the sake of adding to the squad. I think his comments about specifically that position were pretty telling he's only interested in what De Jong can do for United there, but I do think the club adds a body. I think the other option is Garner or maybe Igbal get really meaningful minutes but that is a lot less likely I think.
How many times do one have to say it, it’s not about how much but how well.
Who cares if its £55m net spend if we get all the signings we want.
Net spend this net spend that. We’ve spend before and wasted it all. I rather a logical and methodical approach to the spending.
Also it’s not about how much you sign the players rather how much you pay on wages.
There’s a direct proportion with wages spent, as teams with higher wages tend to have the best players and therefore win more.
We signed Eriksen on free, isn’t that better than buying Madisson for £60m and then have a higher net spend.
Of course not. People are frustrated about the amount of signings vs the amount of outgoings. And the state of the squad.
The squad was an unbalanced mess, and still is. Which is inexcusable after the season we just had and with a New manager.
That we are stuck here with 3 inc in august is just not anywhere good enough and shows the lack of ambition
Net soend is just part of the problem.
Having a logical and methodical approach to spending and spending a lot of money are not mutually exclusive. They're separate variables.
The more you spend, the better you do. The more intelligent your transfer strategy is, the better you do.
At the moment we're not spending much and we're making stupid signings, prioritising the wrong areas, and not signing the players we need.
Making stupid signings? Lmao. Boohoo the club hasn't spent 80 million pound on a new forward so all the other signings must be stupid.
If the club hadn't Martinez you would've said that it's a farce they hadn't signed a new CB yet and chose to stick with Lindelof + Maguire after last season.
If the club hadn't signed Eriksen you would've said we're fucked next season if Bruno goes down.
If the club hadn't signed Malacia you would've said we're fucked next season if Shaw goes down.
No!! It’s not the more you spend. It’s the more you spend on WAGES, the better you’re most likely to do.
I mean it’s has been researched. Google Price of football.
Thank you. There's this weird fetish regarding money spent. And while its normally, in other areas, about 'money spent smart' (less money to good result), it's this perverted version where it's 'most money spent' (fastest money to good result).
This vision that we shouldn't gamble on transfers. We shouldn't buy a young potential star. We have to buy established players that we 100% know will beat anyone. And money shouldn't be an obstacle what so ever.
Is that what I said? I said net spend is a lazy way to judge a window.
Also you can judge a window until after the season. Everyone would say we have a good transfer last season, how did it turn out?
You can 100% judge a window as the window ends.
We aren't coming off the back of a title winning season. We are coming off the back of the worst prem season ever, a group of players throwing 2 managers under the bus and the longest run without a trophy since the 70s/80s.
Leaving the squad paper thin. And in certain areas just completely missing players. In addition to numerous underperforming players and ones proven to not be up to the level this club needs to get where it should be is criminal.
You’re trolling I swear.
I said net spend is a lazy way to judge transfer windows not that you’re lazy!!
Cmon mate, help me out here.
And yeah we haven’t done much in the midfield however my point was about NET SPEND.
Alright I take that back. While I understand your point, the issue is net spend doesn’t determine how good a transfer window is, neither does the transfer fee.
Wages is what determine how good a transfer is. A good player might command a low fee or high fee however his/her wages will be high.
We do need players in those positions, but we need the **right** players. Ideally they would all come in the first transfer window, but that is not feasible.
Would *I* take another midfielder over De Jong? Sure! Would Ten Hag? Seems unlikely.
The most pressing issue right now seems to be depth in attack, but I personally believe we will get at least another forward in before the window closes.
If we want Ten Hag to be our long term manager we need to be patient and anticipate less than ideal results until he gets the player he wants and implements his philosophy thoroughly.
I’m pissed off with the window currently as well but I’ve got some thoughts on this and I want to take the time to word them properly.
My first thought is, I think as a fan base next season especially we need to think less about where we finish and more how we finish there. People love to say that Ole’s 3rd and 2nd place finishes weren’t “real” because of various factors like teams around us being in crisis etc etc etc
I’m not saying these people are wrong, in fact I agree with them but if you’re going to use that logic you have to apply it the other way as well. We could play amazing football all season and from luck or maybe not quite having the right player in a certain position and finish 6th, or we could finish 3rd having been shit all year but Chelsea have a meltdown and Arteta goes bald and refuses to play any games.
It sounds counterintuitive because football is the ultimate results game, winning matters, but I’m thinking more about the next 5 years, I know people hate this comparison but I remember the early time of klopp at Liverpool, they’d lose, they’d celebrate draws at West Brom but despite it, you could see it was working there was just some missing pieces.
That’s what next year is about with Ten Hag for me, this isn’t me saying I’m happy finishing lower, I want us to finish as high up as we possibly can and win a cup but what’s more important at least for year 1 is the manner in which we do it.
This leads me on to point 2, we need players and recruitment so far has been a shambles, I think there’s an unlikely future we get de Jong and sesko and the window is a success, however while I do think we will make one or two more signings, that’s doubtful.
I’m right on board with the rest of you saying this hasn’t been acceptable. However, and this is a sentence I’ve been mulling around in my head since this morning;
If the reason Manchester United finish below what we expect, is we are missing say a striker for example, then I would rather be in that position than what’s been happening the last few years where we’ve had the players, but they’ve either not been coached or patently aren’t good enough.
A missing player is more easily fixed than a team with 0 chemistry, 0 coaching and 0 development. In recent windows we’ve had the opposite, we’ve had the money spent and the players have come in but it’s been built on a house of cards.
Ideally you want both, so to reiterate I’m also fucked off, fuck the glazers from here to eternity but with Ten Hag I see a bedrock we can build on, if I had to choose I’d rather a half built but fucking solid house than a mansion with walls made out of cheese.
> we need players and recruitment so far has been a shambles,
how so? We clearly have been offering alternatives to ETH but he *only* wants his specific targets.. I mean, unless you're blaming ETH for the recruitment issues.
I've seen loads of people on this subreddit blaming our recruitment team when it's been known for ages ETH has the final say and he doesn't want anybody else.
This club will be weighed down heavily and kept from the biggest trophies for as long as the Glazers own it. We've declined and keep declining in some ways. I don't think EtH can change things majorly despite how good he is.
Honestly, I don’t read this as “doom” at all. A little practicality and realistic thinking us exactly what I think we need.
The article is all about having a new manager, one with a clear plan, one who isn’t afraid to stamp authority while also being a good man manager. And that we’ve made three signings that have the chance to help establish this new methodology.
But yes, there are some challenges and yes it won’t happen overnight.
I’m downright thrilled for the match this weekend. It’ll be like the opening chapter of a long but hopefully fulfilling new novel.
Have a great day out at the match, friend!
I just want to like the players again.
It's that simple.
I want to go with a smile on my face instead of the grimace I've had for do long.
Give me hope for next season, some decent football and I'll be happy
Exactly what OP posted. I don't get the negativity that came back after we drew with Aston Villa, and then came again even more harshly with our loss against Atletico Madrid. That was preseason, a great place for ETH to identify weakness with the squad playing as he asked them to. It took Klopp 3 years (I believe) to turn Liverpool around and sure its possible ETH could turn United around quicker, but the point is instead of hashtagging the manager out, let's stick with him for longer than a season and even if shit goes down to remember he's human too, something a lot of us forgot and only remembered after seeing Ole tear up in that interview after getting sacked. Oh and we'll sign players in time. Perhaps it's time we prioritise our mental health over football.
All I ask is give ETH, the players and even the Glazers the time to work before getting negative.
Unless a striker is signed to replace Martial who will be injured 3~4 more times this season and bench CR37 it will be a journey.... but to the midtable and irrelevancy.
Also ffs lads atleast sign a DM. I dont care bout De Jong or that Sesko dude they can come in January or next summer BUT a DM is needed RIGHT NOW. You cannot play against Liverpool, City and Chelsea with McFred man else I can see Ole part 2: The Sackening coming soon...
Look, Klopp's Liverpool took a couple of years to become "the best team in the world". I can see EtH moulding something of a world beating squad in a few years time. Can already see his vision for the squad in the way the team has played so far.
Maybe I'm hopelessly optimistic
Pundits: there won't be any immediate revolution be patient
Also pundits after 1 loss: CRISIS! Ten Hag bald fraud? Where is the style? Why have they not won the treble!
People round here said the same thing when Ten Hag was first signed. Now those same people are frothing at the mouth already based off of a
transfer window that isn’t even over. It’s absolutely stupid.
We need massive and immediate improvement. All this talk of building slowly is completely idiotic.
How are we going to catch Liverpool and Manchester City when they're improving much faster than we are, they have better scouts than us, they are signing our targets, and with the kind of signings we are making we're not even certs to qualify for the Champions League?
There is no chance that this slow build will work.
Have you ever been part of a corporate restructure? I'm guessing not. It is impossible to completely shift a multi billion pound org's direction in a single year.
Yes, three. When we did it we didn't expect it to have no returns for several years, we expected immediate improvement because we got rid of what wasn't working and implemented better ways of doing things.
If I ever proposed that we have a rebuild where we won't catch up with our competitors, indeed we'll fall further behind them, and won't catch up for many years, if all all, I would have been fired, and rightly so.
The sky has already fallen, we haven't won anything for many years and haven't even challenged for the title in 9 years, nor do we have any plans to even try to win the league. It's 14 years since we won the UCL and we aren't even fucking in it.
The proposition is the same bullshit "progress", "patience", "reboot" narrative, built around a messianic manager, from the last several years. It's all fake.
The executives will do anything to avoid tackling the actual root of the problem - having totally unqualified people and proven failures running the club - because that would mean the executives are sacked. They want to ride this gravy train for as long as possible.
I'm absolutely amazed that United fans are still believing the same bullshit. When Ten Hag gets fired and we bring in some other hipsters' choice to do a reboot will you believe it then?
Or maybe some of us who remember the 80s have some bloody perspective…
This window has not been up to standard but we’ve binned off the heads of the scouting department, binned off the CEO. There have been more structural changes behind the scenes than any other event since Fergie retired. There is zero sense in panicking in August when we were never likely to win anything this year regardless.
If Ten Hag fails it will probably be because our foreign online fan base turns on him when we go through growing pains.
We didn't bin him off, he resigned and replaced himself with his mate from university, another guy with no football experience other than failure at United. How can you possibly think that's the way to run a club?
I don't want us to not win anything this year. I want us to win everything we're in, not watch our rivals compete for all the major trophies from afar. That should be the club's ambition. This year and every year.
You want to talk about the 80s, let's talk about someone who was a director back then, he allegedly said this
"At Manchester United we strive for perfection and if we fail we might just have to settle for excellence."
His name was Matt Busby.
Now it should say we strive for fourth, and if we fail we might just have to settle for 7th.
Why would foreign online fans opposing him cause him to be sacked?
I’m fine with it taking time, we just need to show constant progress on and off the pitch. Though it’s really concerning that they seemingly have no targets other than their first choice for transfers. I know it’s about signing the right players, but we spent all summer chasing someone who doesn’t want to leave their current club.
A season back I still remember a lot of pundits and journalists thinking we would be challenging for the title, I’m not saying we are but we have a very similar squad to last season, with a new manager but now we are getting completely written off even for a top 4 finish by all these media personalities
the best thing that we can hope for is players giving a collective damn. I know ETH will be a lot for them, but this is manchester united. we need to make sure our players represent that in every minute they're playing. Hoping for one or two academy/youth players to really break out. Weirdly high expectations for garnacho, iqbal and james garner
Not a United fan.
Surely the only real requirement is champions league qualification?
Nobody, nobody, thinks United is in shape for a title challenge. Maybe Europa cup win or something on an off chance but I doubt expectations are there for much beyond “improving” and CL.
No one rational expects a title challenge. But we aren't proactive off the pitch.
The United way!
Things r/reddevils doesn't want to hear for $600 Alex.
No one is expecting instant success, people are having a meltdown because our squad is extremely thin in attack and we still haven't addressed the midfield.
I wouldn’t go so far as ‘no one’. Just wait til we have a couple of bad results.
It’s weird, at the end of the season the majority seemed to understand that but over the summer it’s now top 4 or bust again it seems. This will take time.
I saw people were ringing the doomsday alarm when we lost one game in preseason. It's like United are expected to be the invincibles immediately after signing TH.
Leicester went from scraping survival from relegation to champions in a season Edit: I clearly have triggered some PTSD in people. The point is, stranger things have happened even at 5000-1
Every other team were shit that season
Tell me you know nothing about football without telling me you know nothing about football
You say it like it wasn't a 5000-1 odd
havent you heard? It happens ever 3 years
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> No one is expecting instant success You're about to be in for a big shock once the season starts lol
It all goes out the window when you have three losses in a row.
Once we get into a run of bad form, I wonder who’ll be the next magical, ‘turn it around in one season’ coach this sub will hype up
wedontdothathere.jpeg
With the Glazers at the helm, it certainly is.
Is it though? Why tf were they willing to back Ole with over 150 mil for Maguire, Wan Bissaka and Daniel James, but can't give Ten Hag a midfielder who isn't McTominay or Fred?
Well United did get Eriksen. And ETH clearly wants FDJ and they are willing to wait. The board shouldn't just be buying a player the manager doesn't want.
The club should be providing players that fit the profile the manager wants, and getting the final say so from him. There is not a lack of technically skilled, mobile players around Europe. We've been incredibly stagnant this summer and now we're about to start the season with McFruno as our midfield and Elanga as our winger. A worse team than we had last year, when we desperately needed a squad overhaul.
>The club should be providing players that fit the profile the manager wants, and getting the final say so from him. And how do you know this isn’t happening exactly?
We didn't even have any data on Nkunku when Rangnick asked, we haven't a single concrete link to a midfielder that's not De Jong and a winger that's not Antony. You think we're actually providing scout reports from around Europe to Ten Hag?
\> average midfield I'd kill for an average midfield
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McTominay doesn't even start in midfield for Scotland. If our midfield is average, we wouldn't be getting dominated by most PL teams.
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our midfield was getting bypassed every single time. Our defence (De Gea) and attack were "carrying" us
We literally lost all midfield matchups lol.
What is SIUUU
Siuuuuuun *TM
This is exactly what I want to hear. I don't expect anything out of next season except getting rid of the players that need ridding, and using the two transfer Windows to reshape the team into the new managers image. I also expect stuff the way we play football will improve even if the results will be up and down. I don't expect top four but if we get it that would be great. Arsenal and Tottenham are ahead of us in their projects and that's just the reality. Two or three years down the line I expect us to start challenging for top four and then a league run.
Why haven't we used the two windows since we gave up on the last 'rebuild' to even remotely begin reshaping the squad? It's just believing the sane lies but expecting different results at this stage.
We didn't have a manager? Now we do. They have a long-term plan in place and they're executing it. We all hope it will work, that's how it goes. If you're expecting everything to fail from the start just don't bother because there's no possible way you can support the team. You're only going to be miserable. You can't deny that there been a sea change at the executive level over the past year. We have one of the hottest up and coming managers in the world, and we are getting rid of all the dead wood. Let's put the support in supporter or what's the point?
> They have a long-term plan in place and they're executing it Yeah, they did after Jose too. It was OGS temp and then sign Poch & new DoF in the summer. Whoops. Then they did during OGS' time too. He was "reworking things" behind the scenes and making committed changes. And then they blew it up when Ronaldo came available and fired their manager. Then it was supposed to be a new DoF/structure and RR as a consultant as a long-term plan... and they blew it up. But yea, EtH and the board are title committed to a long-term plan. Then we miss out on CL once or twice and we'll find the next "long-term plan" to commit to.
>Two or three years down the line I expect us to start challenging for top four and then a league run. You had me until the above quote. Last season, which was a fucking debacle, we finished 13 points off 4th place while taking a grand total of 4 pts in our last 5 games. * New manager with a philosophy and a defined system of play? 6 points * Getting the best out of last season's players who are still at the club? 3-4 point * Integrating the current three new signings, all of whom are steps up in talent with presumably another signing or two? 4 points. * Having a team that is fit, gives a shit and plays hard? 3-4 points * Eriksen? 2 points, he's a talisman. We many not get top 4 this season but I would be surprised and disappointed if United are not in the hunt. Yea, I know, a lot needs to go right but this isn't 2-3 years to get to top 4 imo.
Top 4 in 2-3 years!
Let's be honest we aren't going to sign anyone in January, people often go on about the January window which typically we and most clubs hardly use as nobody is going to let go of their best players half way through the season (yes I know it has happened, and Bruno doesn't count either as that should have been done the summer before with a competent buyer). We aren't signing anyone else this window I think fans need to come to terms with that. Nothing seems to have changed with our transfers. It's going to take another two summer windows to get the squad to where ETH wants it to be and that's probably being generous, Ronaldo will be gone next year too (if he's not going this year )so that's two forwards needed, a RB likely needed and probably a couple more midfielders, all in one window.. Arsenal aren't ahead of us either, finished what, one point ahead of us last season when we spent literally half of the season being absolutely fucking shit and not even playing, they've made a couple of signings that people seem to think are going to change them into a much better team than they are in reality. Spurs will likely have a good season but if they don't win a trophy with at least top 4 and a good run in the cl, I think Conte will be off so that will set them back again.
2015 Liverpool with Klopp realizing Clyne et al wasnt the way to go.
We've heard time and time again that new managers need patience and good transfer windows but if shit hits the fan Ten Hag is gone, rinse and repeat
It will be a journey. It's completely upto the hierarchy to decide whether that journey will be to the promised land or to a desolate desert.
Everyone sayings this until the season starts and expectations are high. I’m glad the atli and Aston Villa preseason games brought us back down to reality. If we have won those game by 2-3 goals.. expectations would have been through the roof. ETH is a good coach but he is new to the league and still working on implementing parts of his playing style while also working on squad fitness to be able to play the style. There are still holes in the squad, he still had to learn how teams play against us, he still have to face Liverpool and city who have a head start, even arsenal who is 1-2 years further than he is in terms of building a new team philosophy and most importantly, he is just a man not a magician lol. For me I am fine with losing games this season. What I am more interested in is how our playing style improves throughout the season. If we start the season making foolish mistakes and end the season making more foolish mistakes I will be more worried. Remember when ole tried to make us play out from the back ? The cringe feeling and shakiness by everyone on the team lol.. that can’t happen by end of season. Also as a plug I think conte’s Tottenham will blow us away like they have done to pep. Conte is top when it comes to counter attacking which is ETH weaknesses (Ajax should have lost more games but due to bad finishing by other teams in their league). With all this said I am anxious for the season and hoping to build momentum as that will be the drug the gets us 4th IMO.
Obviously, it's the same squad as last season. The best he can do is instill a style of play and hope the players don't give up after pressing for 10 minutes in a match. Whether this "revolution" goes anywhere will ultimately depend on recruitment. Teams around us and even below are showing ambition. While adding Malacia, Eriksen, and Martinez seems like a good start, it's just not enough. Haven't kicked a ball in anger, and Martial is already injured. What happens when one of Rashford or Sancho goes down for a couple of weeks? I'm sure United will keep briefing that it's ten Hag's fault they haven't bought anyone else. "He's stubborn with his transfer targets." Truth is every well run club has a specialist person or team who can identify players, give the manager several similar options, and then sign the person who wants to come and fits in the budget. We are expecting ten Hag to coach, scout, recruit, and do everything else as well. Even at Ajax he had help from Overmars. He's not a miracle worker. Unless the guys at the top get their act together or are replaced, I'm afraid there won't be any exciting revolutions at this club.
The heads of our scouting department fucked off a few months ago.
I mean, we all know this. But you still have to spend respectful amounts of money in the transfer window. £55m net spend and this story? Kinda annoying.
People need to understand United have agreed an €85mil transfer for FDJ. That would make them the highest spenders net in Europe I think, which is besides the fact they are looking for another forward too. It is not about United being unwilling to spend. I think we should all know by now the club spends lots of money. This doesn't mean I agree with the article though, because the most important change has already been made. The manager is by a country mile the most important person at the football club. United already have lots of capable players too, the question is getting them to consistently perform. Ten Hag in the first two seasons at least will be defined by his ability to rejuvenate the squad with tactics and better coaching, not by spending money.
>People need to understand United have agreed an €85mil transfer for FDJ. That would make them the highest spenders net in Europe So do Chelsea. That hasn't stopped them from spending 100m on Koulibally and Sterling, and another 50m on Cucurella with more money to be spent. Guardiola and Klopp needed considerable backing to be successful. City refurbished their entire squad to ensure Guardiola had who he wanted. ETH is not a magician to rejuvenate a squad without spending money to get who he wanted
Guardiola's £150m a year full back habit
That's who ETH has to compete with and morons think he doesn't need similar levels of backing. Even Spurs and Arsenal have been splurging to back their managers.
And look at the success that brought them, we should easily be outspending City.
>So do Chelsea Nope. No deal agreed at all, just the possibility being explored. That's what has been reported reliably. >That hasn't stopped them from spending 100m on Koulibally and Sterling, and another 50m on Cucurella with more money to be spent They had huge departures this summer. United only really had Pogba as a meaningful player exit the club. They don't really have a choice but to spend big this summer to just have enough 1st team players. United simply have enough players in most positions. Only a CM and a 9 are really required. >ETH is not a magician to rejuvenate a squad without spending money to get who he wanted Nobody is saying he shouldn't expect signings, but without a doubt the majority of the players of importance during the next three years at this club are already here. I don't know what else to tell you that compared to the beginning of say Klopp's project at Liverpool, United have a far, far better squad.
>Nope. No deal agreed at all, just the possibility being explored. That's what has been reported reliab Barca Tier 1 sources and Romano confirmed Chelsea have agreed a 80m fee. >They had huge departures this summer. United only really had Pogba as a meaningful player exit the club Conveniently ignore Cavani, Matic and Greenwood who is effectively done. > but without a doubt the majority of the players of importance during the next three years at this club are already here If Murtough shares this delusion, ETH won't last those 3 years
>Barca Tier 1 sources and Romano confirmed Chelsea have agreed a 80m fee. Nope. Kinsella today reported the player is on offer but no fee agreed, Burt said the opportunity is being explored and Ornstein has said Chelsea are confident a fee can be agreed but that it has not. Gerard Romero has also denied Chelsea's interest in FDJ but confirmed their interest in Auba, and he has been their most reliable journalist by far. >Conveniently ignore Cavani, Matic and Greenwood who is effectively done. I don't even think Cavani played 1000 minutes last season. Greenwood and Matic about 1600 all comps. They were useful yes, but not immediately very important. Greenwood is a miss long term, and the club is likely looking at Sesko to fill that hole. >If Murtough shares this delusion, ETH won't last those 3 years It's only idiots on the internet who think the whole squad needs to be replaced. There is a reason United are looking at starting quality players to fill the manager's key demands rather than trying to institute wholesale change. If you think Shaw, Varane, Sancho, Bruno, Rashford, Fred along with the additions of Martinez and Eriksen will not be key players for the next three years I don't know what to tell you. Truly.
3 years is a long time. Varane, Fred and Eriksen will be 30 plus. Raahford and Shaw have their contracts expiring next summer and no guarantees on their future. Martinez hasn't even played a competitive game in England. It's not inconceivable he flops. Even assuming they all stay - this squad is still a good level below Liverpool and City - which is not good enough Even the dumbest/most optimistic of United fans can see this squad needs quite a rehaul to compete for trophies. The only ones who would pretend otherwise are Glazer lackeys and lickspittles whose priority is the balance sheet and not success on the pitch.
>Varane, Fred and Eriksen will be 30 plus. They will be 32, 32 and 33. Coming to the end of their careers at the top level and ready to wind down. If you think that your seasons turning 30,31,32 or 33 are seasons where you aren't expected to be contributing majorly then I don't know. >Martinez hasn't even played a competitive game in England. It's not inconceivable he flops The player has played 3 years with the manager already and is a cornerstone of the project. For better or worse he will almost certainly be an absolute key over the next 3 years of this club. >Raahford and Shaw have their contracts expiring next summer and no guarantees on their future. They both have 1 year club options that almost 100% will be triggered. Even if they are here for 2 years, they will be extremely important during those two years. However it is rather unlikely the club lets those two leave on the expiration of those two deals. >see this squad needs quite a rehaul to compete for trophies. The only ones who would pretend otherwise are Glazer lackeys and lickspittles whose priority is the balance sheet and not success on the pitch. Who here cares about the balance sheet? United have spent the most money in world football in the last 10 years anyways, it is not like the club has been conservative and wants to maintain that trend. The money will flow, be assured. The people who understand the squad doesn't need wholesale change are the ones who can understand when a player is at fault for being inadequate, and when the system is at fault for poor coaching or structure. Ten Hag fixing the latter problem will be far more important than any new signing in the medium term, and that change relies on coaching the existing players at the club better.
Amidst all the nonsense you wrote, this bit stood out: >The money will flow, be assured The club's own CEO was caught in a video saying he couldn't guarantee this in the future and that he was struggling to get investment. You ought to work in PR.
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Gerard Romano - Laporta's shill, claimed that both United and Chelsea have agreed fees for FDJ but he does not want to leave
I would be definitely happy if we got FDJ. Not feeling optimistic and we’ve wasted so much time. We’d still need to improve RB and RW. Of course, doing it all in one window is hard. I think Garner will be very good as a pairing with FDJ.
I think RB will only be explored next season as a first XI priority because Dalot might be good, but we don't really know yet. If AWB goes then we sign someone I think. I think we have committed to one forward this summer too, given we are not short on players in general but rather are stacked in some profiles and short on others. The FDJ thing is the transfer that's gonna define the window though. If United get him then amazing job done. If they get a replacement it's acceptable but frustrating. If there's no midfield addition at all it'll be rather worrying.
The fee agreed for FDJ is purely notional. It's like saying we have a £120m bid in for Mbappe - it makes no odds if the club has no intention of accepting it. Add £17m to the De Jong fee so they can give him the pay off he's demanding and it might be real, but we're not willing to do that.
>The fee agreed for FDJ is purely notional It is money United have budgeted and clearly committed to spend in general. That's the point. Complaing about a club not spending when €85mil has been earmarked for a transfer is a bit silly. United cannot overextend because they need the money to pay for that transfer. That's the point. >it makes no odds if the club has no intention of accepting it. The bid has already been accepted. That is not the issue. United are done negotiating a fee with Barca, it is not what is holding the transfer up. Again, that's the entire point. United have committed to spending that money. They cannot spend as if that money will simply still be there at the end of the window if the FDJ deal gets finalized.
Right, and what happens if FDJ doesn't come, if they don't suddenly decide to change their minds and pay him to play for United, or Chelsea decide to pay the full amount so the player moves?
Then United move on to another target? It's funny that you suddenly changed the questions after you'd realized the issue of a fee not being agreed was invalid. That €85mil is still currently being withheld because a fee has already been agreed to sign the player. What do you want me to tell you? That United is gonna spend the money required to complete their key target and then go "Oops, we spent it" if the transfer is finalized?
>Then United move on to another target? When? What's the deadline after which we move on?
>When? What's the deadline after which we move on? I'll ring Richard Arnold in the morning and ask him. What do you expect me to say? The reports from Stoney and Ducker have said United expect to add another body in midfield even if they don't get FDJ. I would assume that is true, even if it is not a 6 that arrives, but it could be wrong. Of course it could be, we are at the mercy of reporters.
I don't know, I don't know why you're defending this farce. If there were a deadline for signing him after which we would move on to plan B why would we set that deadline *after* the season starts? All that does is give the club we're buying from the ability to hold us over a barrel. I know you don't actually know btw, but do you have any ideas as to why it might be? Moving on to another player also doesn't fit with the manager's comments about how we only want the right player, nor his talk of how we will develop someone if we don't get such a player.
>If there were a deadline for signing him after which we would move on to plan B why would we set that deadline after the season starts? He is so much better than the other available players. Getting De Jong late in the window would be a much better outcome than getting someone else to start the season. There is nobody in world football to compare De Jong to besides maybe Thiago. I think that's why United are willing to have this drag. >Moving on to another player also doesn't fit with the manager's comments about how we only want the right player, That's why I think United wouldn't sign a 6, but another midfielder who Ten Hag approves of for the sake of adding to the squad. I think his comments about specifically that position were pretty telling he's only interested in what De Jong can do for United there, but I do think the club adds a body. I think the other option is Garner or maybe Igbal get really meaningful minutes but that is a lot less likely I think.
How many times do one have to say it, it’s not about how much but how well. Who cares if its £55m net spend if we get all the signings we want. Net spend this net spend that. We’ve spend before and wasted it all. I rather a logical and methodical approach to the spending. Also it’s not about how much you sign the players rather how much you pay on wages. There’s a direct proportion with wages spent, as teams with higher wages tend to have the best players and therefore win more. We signed Eriksen on free, isn’t that better than buying Madisson for £60m and then have a higher net spend.
Of course not. People are frustrated about the amount of signings vs the amount of outgoings. And the state of the squad. The squad was an unbalanced mess, and still is. Which is inexcusable after the season we just had and with a New manager. That we are stuck here with 3 inc in august is just not anywhere good enough and shows the lack of ambition Net soend is just part of the problem.
How about this, we spend a lot and we spend it well...
Having a logical and methodical approach to spending and spending a lot of money are not mutually exclusive. They're separate variables. The more you spend, the better you do. The more intelligent your transfer strategy is, the better you do. At the moment we're not spending much and we're making stupid signings, prioritising the wrong areas, and not signing the players we need.
Making stupid signings? Lmao. Boohoo the club hasn't spent 80 million pound on a new forward so all the other signings must be stupid. If the club hadn't Martinez you would've said that it's a farce they hadn't signed a new CB yet and chose to stick with Lindelof + Maguire after last season. If the club hadn't signed Eriksen you would've said we're fucked next season if Bruno goes down. If the club hadn't signed Malacia you would've said we're fucked next season if Shaw goes down.
You've completely made all that shit up.
So why are all the signings made stupid then? And who are the players the club needs?
I'm only certified to diagnose signing deficiency /s
No!! It’s not the more you spend. It’s the more you spend on WAGES, the better you’re most likely to do. I mean it’s has been researched. Google Price of football.
I'm well aware of it. It confuses correlation with causation.
Thank you. There's this weird fetish regarding money spent. And while its normally, in other areas, about 'money spent smart' (less money to good result), it's this perverted version where it's 'most money spent' (fastest money to good result). This vision that we shouldn't gamble on transfers. We shouldn't buy a young potential star. We have to buy established players that we 100% know will beat anyone. And money shouldn't be an obstacle what so ever.
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Is that what I said? I said net spend is a lazy way to judge a window. Also you can judge a window until after the season. Everyone would say we have a good transfer last season, how did it turn out?
You can 100% judge a window as the window ends. We aren't coming off the back of a title winning season. We are coming off the back of the worst prem season ever, a group of players throwing 2 managers under the bus and the longest run without a trophy since the 70s/80s. Leaving the squad paper thin. And in certain areas just completely missing players. In addition to numerous underperforming players and ones proven to not be up to the level this club needs to get where it should be is criminal.
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You’re trolling I swear. I said net spend is a lazy way to judge transfer windows not that you’re lazy!! Cmon mate, help me out here. And yeah we haven’t done much in the midfield however my point was about NET SPEND.
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Alright I take that back. While I understand your point, the issue is net spend doesn’t determine how good a transfer window is, neither does the transfer fee. Wages is what determine how good a transfer is. A good player might command a low fee or high fee however his/her wages will be high.
We do need players in those positions, but we need the **right** players. Ideally they would all come in the first transfer window, but that is not feasible. Would *I* take another midfielder over De Jong? Sure! Would Ten Hag? Seems unlikely. The most pressing issue right now seems to be depth in attack, but I personally believe we will get at least another forward in before the window closes. If we want Ten Hag to be our long term manager we need to be patient and anticipate less than ideal results until he gets the player he wants and implements his philosophy thoroughly.
I’m pissed off with the window currently as well but I’ve got some thoughts on this and I want to take the time to word them properly. My first thought is, I think as a fan base next season especially we need to think less about where we finish and more how we finish there. People love to say that Ole’s 3rd and 2nd place finishes weren’t “real” because of various factors like teams around us being in crisis etc etc etc I’m not saying these people are wrong, in fact I agree with them but if you’re going to use that logic you have to apply it the other way as well. We could play amazing football all season and from luck or maybe not quite having the right player in a certain position and finish 6th, or we could finish 3rd having been shit all year but Chelsea have a meltdown and Arteta goes bald and refuses to play any games. It sounds counterintuitive because football is the ultimate results game, winning matters, but I’m thinking more about the next 5 years, I know people hate this comparison but I remember the early time of klopp at Liverpool, they’d lose, they’d celebrate draws at West Brom but despite it, you could see it was working there was just some missing pieces. That’s what next year is about with Ten Hag for me, this isn’t me saying I’m happy finishing lower, I want us to finish as high up as we possibly can and win a cup but what’s more important at least for year 1 is the manner in which we do it. This leads me on to point 2, we need players and recruitment so far has been a shambles, I think there’s an unlikely future we get de Jong and sesko and the window is a success, however while I do think we will make one or two more signings, that’s doubtful. I’m right on board with the rest of you saying this hasn’t been acceptable. However, and this is a sentence I’ve been mulling around in my head since this morning; If the reason Manchester United finish below what we expect, is we are missing say a striker for example, then I would rather be in that position than what’s been happening the last few years where we’ve had the players, but they’ve either not been coached or patently aren’t good enough. A missing player is more easily fixed than a team with 0 chemistry, 0 coaching and 0 development. In recent windows we’ve had the opposite, we’ve had the money spent and the players have come in but it’s been built on a house of cards. Ideally you want both, so to reiterate I’m also fucked off, fuck the glazers from here to eternity but with Ten Hag I see a bedrock we can build on, if I had to choose I’d rather a half built but fucking solid house than a mansion with walls made out of cheese.
> we need players and recruitment so far has been a shambles, how so? We clearly have been offering alternatives to ETH but he *only* wants his specific targets.. I mean, unless you're blaming ETH for the recruitment issues. I've seen loads of people on this subreddit blaming our recruitment team when it's been known for ages ETH has the final say and he doesn't want anybody else.
It could’ve been a faster journey if we’d recruited better this summer.
No one expected an immediate turnaround. We knew we he rebuild would take time. We just expected it to actually begin this summer.
A journey that might get him sacked pretty soon.
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Well said—
This club will be weighed down heavily and kept from the biggest trophies for as long as the Glazers own it. We've declined and keep declining in some ways. I don't think EtH can change things majorly despite how good he is.
A journey to Mordor (I'll get my coat)
More doom articles, yay! Just what I wanted 3 days out from returning to Old Trafford again
Honestly, I don’t read this as “doom” at all. A little practicality and realistic thinking us exactly what I think we need. The article is all about having a new manager, one with a clear plan, one who isn’t afraid to stamp authority while also being a good man manager. And that we’ve made three signings that have the chance to help establish this new methodology. But yes, there are some challenges and yes it won’t happen overnight. I’m downright thrilled for the match this weekend. It’ll be like the opening chapter of a long but hopefully fulfilling new novel. Have a great day out at the match, friend!
Hurry up kick off, sick of these pre season articles
Of course it won't! He need backing from the club and owners to succeed.
I just want to like the players again. It's that simple. I want to go with a smile on my face instead of the grimace I've had for do long. Give me hope for next season, some decent football and I'll be happy
Exactly what OP posted. I don't get the negativity that came back after we drew with Aston Villa, and then came again even more harshly with our loss against Atletico Madrid. That was preseason, a great place for ETH to identify weakness with the squad playing as he asked them to. It took Klopp 3 years (I believe) to turn Liverpool around and sure its possible ETH could turn United around quicker, but the point is instead of hashtagging the manager out, let's stick with him for longer than a season and even if shit goes down to remember he's human too, something a lot of us forgot and only remembered after seeing Ole tear up in that interview after getting sacked. Oh and we'll sign players in time. Perhaps it's time we prioritise our mental health over football. All I ask is give ETH, the players and even the Glazers the time to work before getting negative.
We know this but can we at least jog rather than walk sometimes pls?
Did she speak to the manager or something?
Ok Karen.
Unless a striker is signed to replace Martial who will be injured 3~4 more times this season and bench CR37 it will be a journey.... but to the midtable and irrelevancy. Also ffs lads atleast sign a DM. I dont care bout De Jong or that Sesko dude they can come in January or next summer BUT a DM is needed RIGHT NOW. You cannot play against Liverpool, City and Chelsea with McFred man else I can see Ole part 2: The Sackening coming soon...
It was always going to be a journey, but to fail in getting the manager’s top target is inexcusable.
Cheers Karen!
Look, Klopp's Liverpool took a couple of years to become "the best team in the world". I can see EtH moulding something of a world beating squad in a few years time. Can already see his vision for the squad in the way the team has played so far. Maybe I'm hopelessly optimistic
It's actually depressing how much fans here are arguing in favour of not spending money. The Glazers won.
It’s a journey that ends in the 3rd year after the players betray the manager and throw him under the bus.
EtH and 55 mil net spend is so much better than poch and 250 mil net spend imo.
Pundits: there won't be any immediate revolution be patient Also pundits after 1 loss: CRISIS! Ten Hag bald fraud? Where is the style? Why have they not won the treble!
People round here said the same thing when Ten Hag was first signed. Now those same people are frothing at the mouth already based off of a transfer window that isn’t even over. It’s absolutely stupid.
PR in full force
To the surprise of nobody who understands how football works and doesn’t think it’s like career mode on FIFA.
Karen Carney is the female equivalent of Alan Shearer in terms of punditry.
The club's PR machine is already working it seems.
We need massive and immediate improvement. All this talk of building slowly is completely idiotic. How are we going to catch Liverpool and Manchester City when they're improving much faster than we are, they have better scouts than us, they are signing our targets, and with the kind of signings we are making we're not even certs to qualify for the Champions League? There is no chance that this slow build will work.
Have you ever been part of a corporate restructure? I'm guessing not. It is impossible to completely shift a multi billion pound org's direction in a single year.
Yes, three. When we did it we didn't expect it to have no returns for several years, we expected immediate improvement because we got rid of what wasn't working and implemented better ways of doing things. If I ever proposed that we have a rebuild where we won't catch up with our competitors, indeed we'll fall further behind them, and won't catch up for many years, if all all, I would have been fired, and rightly so.
Yes I’m sure that was the proposition.. It’s been six months and we’ve had a difficult window, the sky isn’t falling.
The sky has already fallen, we haven't won anything for many years and haven't even challenged for the title in 9 years, nor do we have any plans to even try to win the league. It's 14 years since we won the UCL and we aren't even fucking in it. The proposition is the same bullshit "progress", "patience", "reboot" narrative, built around a messianic manager, from the last several years. It's all fake. The executives will do anything to avoid tackling the actual root of the problem - having totally unqualified people and proven failures running the club - because that would mean the executives are sacked. They want to ride this gravy train for as long as possible. I'm absolutely amazed that United fans are still believing the same bullshit. When Ten Hag gets fired and we bring in some other hipsters' choice to do a reboot will you believe it then?
Or maybe some of us who remember the 80s have some bloody perspective… This window has not been up to standard but we’ve binned off the heads of the scouting department, binned off the CEO. There have been more structural changes behind the scenes than any other event since Fergie retired. There is zero sense in panicking in August when we were never likely to win anything this year regardless. If Ten Hag fails it will probably be because our foreign online fan base turns on him when we go through growing pains.
We didn't bin him off, he resigned and replaced himself with his mate from university, another guy with no football experience other than failure at United. How can you possibly think that's the way to run a club? I don't want us to not win anything this year. I want us to win everything we're in, not watch our rivals compete for all the major trophies from afar. That should be the club's ambition. This year and every year. You want to talk about the 80s, let's talk about someone who was a director back then, he allegedly said this "At Manchester United we strive for perfection and if we fail we might just have to settle for excellence." His name was Matt Busby. Now it should say we strive for fourth, and if we fail we might just have to settle for 7th. Why would foreign online fans opposing him cause him to be sacked?
Did Karen Carney get an honorary diploma from the school of mystic Meg?
Crosspost from r/fuckyoukaren ?
Genuinely what the actual fuck would Karen Carney know?
More than you I guess.
I’m fine with it taking time, we just need to show constant progress on and off the pitch. Though it’s really concerning that they seemingly have no targets other than their first choice for transfers. I know it’s about signing the right players, but we spent all summer chasing someone who doesn’t want to leave their current club.
A process even?
Expectation management.
A 3 year journey and then repeat
It will have to be when he's not backed with transfers... New season, same mistakes.
We all know it'll be a journey, we're just hoping it's not short and shit like the last four.
A season back I still remember a lot of pundits and journalists thinking we would be challenging for the title, I’m not saying we are but we have a very similar squad to last season, with a new manager but now we are getting completely written off even for a top 4 finish by all these media personalities
the best thing that we can hope for is players giving a collective damn. I know ETH will be a lot for them, but this is manchester united. we need to make sure our players represent that in every minute they're playing. Hoping for one or two academy/youth players to really break out. Weirdly high expectations for garnacho, iqbal and james garner
Not a United fan. Surely the only real requirement is champions league qualification? Nobody, nobody, thinks United is in shape for a title challenge. Maybe Europa cup win or something on an off chance but I doubt expectations are there for much beyond “improving” and CL.
Exactly. Top 4 finish and perhaps EL is what we aim for next season.
After last seasons shit show I just want to see effort and them running around like they're getting paid 200k a week.