13 May 2017 19:34:42
With top 4 hopes all but gone and much riding on beating Ajax, such as next season's revenue levels, players we are able to attract would it be wise for the miserable one to select his team for the final now and say season over till then for every one of them, there's not much to gain playing any of them now, it'll be a hard pill to swallow if we get lashed off spurs but that Ajax game is pretty important now to the whole of next season if we want to see big names arrive and money for more the season after.
13 May 2017 20:11:29
Cannot see the team for the final playing against Palace, I imagine they might get a run out against Southampton to keep their match fitness, also I doubt we will see Pogba playing until the final now after his father passing.
13 May 2017 21:37:37
Well grim normally the managers excuse handbook goes 1 injuries 2 the players played to many games and 3 three games in a week no time to work on anything in training, rest the side now no more injuries, fresh and loads of time to work in training solely on a game plan to beat Ajax, I don't get as excited as most about winning a cup 32 of the best teams in Europe were over qualified to even enter but I do get the importance of qualifying for the champs league and what it entails to utds future.
13 May 2017 23:35:57
Slate,
Such a shame you don't get the excitement, it's the biggest game the club will play since Fergie, I cannot wait and I feel a bit sorry for people who can't get excited for it.
14 May 2017 02:36:31
Bang on GDS. And what a great move by UEFA to give UCL qualification for the winners, makes it very interesting.
The only trophy we are yet to win and people can't get excited. Imagine if we were relegated to the championship. Can base would plummet.
14 May 2017 06:56:40
Uefa reformated their euro trophies to create a super tournament the champs league but in doing this massively devalued the Europa cup or old uefa cup, winning the uefa cup in its old format was quite an achievement but many now feel maybe not the case, 32 of the best teams are not in it, if there was a second Olympics running side by side with the main one but the best 32 athletes were in the main one would u understand people not being thrilled by it . Not one poster on here wants anything other than utd to win it.
14 May 2017 10:13:15
Slate that is complete nonsense. The 32 best teams are not in the cl. The 32 teams that did the best in their respective leagues are in the cl. But to suggest they are the best 32 teams us talking rubbish.
I agree that the EL is obviously if much lesser importance but it is still a big competition with the most valuable of prizes.
We entered 4 comps at the beginning of the season. We have won the 4th priority already. We had an opportunity to win the 2nd most priority. If we do go on to win that we will have had a far more successful season imo than any of our rivals with the exception of chelsea not withstanding our awful league campaign.
Obviously even if we do win the EL we have not won it with the style most of us favour but it's been so long that we have competed at the top table that it's a great start. We need better players and winning this will make the task of getting those players so much easier.
14 May 2017 10:43:48
I read somewhere that if we win it we would go straight in to the group and not have to play qualifiers which, if true, adds a further benefit to winning it. It is a major European trophy and as GDS says the biggest game since SAF left.
14 May 2017 10:44:17
Kinda exactly what I said ken it's important to win to attract better players with champs league qualification and higher revenue next season, I'm sorry u don't agree that the better teams are in the champions league but they were the highest placed finishers in their respective leagues, it isn't utds fault the Europa league duznt have the same quality of teams the uefa cup once had due to the expansion of the champions league. Before qualification was given to the winners it looked suspiciously like no English teams were very bothered about it and fielded teams that looked like they didn't mind elimination one bit . I like u am desperate to win against Ajax.
14 May 2017 10:52:28
It is the biggest game since SAF, a major European trophy is at stake. I don't know if true, perhaps the Ed's can confirm but I did hear that if Utd win they go straight to the group stage because of results elsewhere in the Champions League itself (Real beating Athletico) . If true that makes it even bigger. I think it is only our 7th Euro final of any sort and I am looking forward to it.
{Ed002's Note - It is nothing to do with other results, but yes.}
14 May 2017 11:20:01
It is a European trophy and we want to win it. How can people not get excited about this.
The press are playing it down as it is United in the final but if it was the Scousers, then it will be different.
{Ed001's Note - I don't think so, when Liverpool were in the final most of the press talked about how far they had fallen from the glory days. I can remember the Bob Paisley quote being trotted out a fair few times, about how, when asked why he had not won very many UEFA Cups he had said because they hadn't finished low enough down to qualify very often. It is what it is when you are a successful club. When you are in the minor competition you get grief, as it is clearly not where the club want or intend to be. No matter what way you look at it, the Europa League is not the top table, it is a reward for being second best. It is worse than the League Cup or FA Cup in that respect, because it is just for those who didn't win anything in their country or failed in the Champions League. It is a reward for failing. That is why it has never quite worked. It does not matter how they rejig it or alter the format, it will never have real respect while it is a competition for those who failed. Especially now you have the top 4 in the Champions League and the Europa League winners. It means the winner does not even defend it, as it means so little. It is such a shame UEFA have devalued it so badly.}
14 May 2017 12:07:20
Agree with you Ken, 2 trophies, CL qualification is a fantastic start and hopefully with new additions jose will trust his team for us to be able to play better football that lack of trust is a possible reason why we've seen such dull tactics in certain games, next season tho we can kick on and hopefully compete for major honours again. got to win the thing first tho ha.
14 May 2017 12:19:19
Ed1 that's a fair point .
Don't no if it can be done but the FA should take CL qualification away from 4th place and give it to the FA cup winners Imo.
{Ed001's Note - anything, just too many go into the Champions League and it means you are left with midtable teams in the other comp.The Champions League should be just for the clubs who win trophies, not come second.}
14 May 2017 12:48:24
Yeah, I think it would be a great way to bring back the FA Cup to its rightful place, as THE most famous domestic cup competition in the world. It saddens me to see how they've messed about with it.
14 May 2017 12:47:23
Totally agree 001. You said above the EL is a competition for teams gnat have failed the cl is the exact same.
Personally I think it should be for league and the snr domestic cup winners only. So 2 teams qualify groom each country. You should never be the European champions if toy are not a champion I your own country first.
If course this won't suit the money men but you would then have a very good second tier European cup that has top level teams like the old eufa cup used to.
{Ed001's Note - and they would get the big TV money for both comps. The only people complaining would be the big clubs who miss out on CL and they would start threatening a breakaway league again.....}
14 May 2017 11:18:56
Thanks Ed, that makes winning even more worthwhile.
14 May 2017 13:38:08
Wow ken a 180 degree u turn to I was talking rubbish to ed saying same things as me and you completely agreeing with him . I'm just teasing mate hope we win it same as you do.
14 May 2017 14:02:37
How is that a u turn?
You said 32 best teams were in cl but that's not the case slate.
14 May 2017 14:11:34
99
FA cup was the best day of the year once over.
Ed1
I agree about to many teams in it, the group stages are boring it only gets good once the knock out starts.
{Ed001's Note - I miss those great FA Cup days, the whole season used to build up to the final when I was a kid. Now it is all about the money league.}
14 May 2017 18:34:38
I still can't take to the semis being at Wembley either Ed, surely the incentive was to reach a Wembley final.
{Ed001's Note - I thought it was just me who hated that! It just isn't the same.}