Manchester United banter 93759

 

Use our rumours form to send us manchester united transfer rumours.




09 Sep 2024 08:10:01
I’m a new poster but I’ve being reading for ages Ed could we get a poll up? Do you think we are any better off than we were 5 years ago? Football side I’m taking about not upstairs.

{Ed033's Note -


Man Utd poll

Agree0 Disagree0

09 Sep 2024 11:47:30
For me, it depends on what you mean by 'Football side' as it's far more nuanced than what I think you mean.

I reckon you're comparing this offering of the football side to that of 2019/ 20, and maybe also 2020/ 21.

Here's how I see it:

In 2019/ 20 we finished 3rd, but the reason we finished there was because of how decent we were in front of goal - Rashford got 17gls/ 7as, Martial got 17gls/ 6as, Greenwood got 10gls/ 1as, and Bruno arrived to chip in with 8gls/ 7as. That's 52 of the 65 goals scored and almost half the assists provided in the PL that season delivered by 3.5 players (Bruno arrived in January) - is that really such a grand team result?
We didn't finish 3rd because of the team, we finished 3rd because of the counter-attacking system and the players who thrived on it.

If 2020/ 21 is to be included too, then the same applied to get us to second. Rashford got 11gls/ 9as, Cavani got 10gls/ 3as, Greenwood got 7gls/ 2as, and Bruno got 18gls/ 11as.
That's 46 goals from 70 and almost half the assists delivered by just 4 players. That's also not really a great team result.

You also have to accept that, since Ole, the game has changed. FFP/ PSR rules have been heavily tightened, and in-game fluidity and flexibility have essentially somewhat stifled the threat of frequent counter-attacks.

The last season that can comfortably be used as comparison for the modern game was the one that produced more of a team result - 2017/ 18.
Of the 67 goals scored, 40 were scored by the most prolific 4, and easily less than half the assists came from those 4.

So, imo, regarding the 'Football side', I'd say that, although we aren't getting the results from a system in transition when compared to the results of a system that would look flimsy now, as a team, I think we're better.

For clarity, like the puerile debate over whether or not the '66 boys would win anything now, Ole would be embarrassed if he set out his system now. Whereas, ten Hag would probably get similar results to Mourinho who, arguably, did just as well as Ole.

So, for me, considering the better 'team' ethic we now have, considering the 'Football side' is now seeing proper structure to the academy system, considering how we've finally (thank fk for that) moved away from spending stupid amounts on players who aren't good enough, considering we have finally sought to avoid being dragged into transfer sagas with players who have made it clear they're not interested, considering we have a coach (like him or not) who won't take s*** from petulant brats, considering we now have a strategy set by a sporting structure which won't display a scatter-gun approach to progress, I'd say we're better off.
I might well be an outlier, but that's how I see it.

Imo, we are, without question, in a better place. There are still more pieces to this puzzle that need to be found yet, but at least we now have the outline laid out.

09 Sep 2024 12:23:49
That was a very Shappyesque way of pressing yes!

09 Sep 2024 13:15:33
?

While the answer only required the standard itchy trigger finger, the other busy wrigglers felt the need to expand with a Shappilogue.

09 Sep 2024 15:49:01
I'm voting yes on the basis that, for the first time in more than a decade, I see a plan which, I'm hopeful, will yield success. There are 3 things missing: goalscoring, calmness in defense at the end of games, closing down in midfield. A start has been made towards repairing all three deficiencies.

09 Sep 2024 16:17:05
Welcome sully.
We have a better squad but the answer is no for me and I can't remember a worse position we have been in football wise for 40 years due to the man at the helm.
From a business perspective we are in much better shape.
Three u turn the did in the summer on the manager fell will set us back 12 months imo but lots of other things have improved for sure.

09 Sep 2024 17:57:56
We are worse right now, but closer to winning titles consistently. We needed to blow it up and start again and we are jn the middle of that process. We still have more culling to go.

10 Sep 2024 06:21:41
We were not 8th five years ago.

10 Sep 2024 12:04:53
Not a hard question is it Redman. I can’t believe some are still defending this current nonsense on these posts above.

10 Sep 2024 14:07:05
I think Tumbleweed and Red Man nailed it.

Fact is you can buy the best food ingredients on the market. Give them to an overrated chef and you still end up with a suspicious looking KFC!

And we are far from having the best ingredients!

10 Sep 2024 14:58:10
BRD

Very true, but if you put one or two very fine ingredients into a meal put together mainly with ingredients that are of a much lesser standard then you'll have rather short-lived excitement - the odd blast of tang will be an underwhelming experience when surrounded by meh.

The current meal might not be delivered well enough by the chef, at least we're not seeing onion being added to a dubious meal?

Whilst we certainly weren't 8th 5 years ago, we were weakening the foundations of the club's structure by continuing to throw onion into a manky stew.

This is like thinking that Bojo made for a decent PM because he had character or, maybe charm? ?
The occasional quirky or funny soundbite surrounded by sheer incompetence, but there was a sustained period of utter nincompoopage where his personality swayed opinion - where did that get us all?

This is the same. Ole was a yes man of the highest order, and everyone above him was in the wrong job. That period proved that, irrespective of the vast fortunes splashed out on big names, success requires other boxes to be ticked.
That's all that was ticked - attracting big names for big fees on big money. That's not how it works long-term, even City knew that.

So yeah, nothing above has changed my opinion on any level whatsoever, we are in a better place.

I agree that ten Hag probably won't get us competing for the PL or CL anytime soon, but even chess demands a sideways move - at least now most of the pieces are facing the right way.

10 Sep 2024 15:12:49
This us the process. We had almost nothing worth keeping. Aging stars who weren't performing and were injured too much. Over hyped youngsters who through injury or form have not delivered (rashford, martial, shaw)

This is a full rebuild and that means turbulence and change. Young players are being brought in, young players are being given their chance. We still have huge squad gaps and we will grow into a successful team. Many more players need to go, either through sales or just end of contract. The wages we paid were crazy, and the market tightened un the new financial constrained world. It was never a quick fix project, and fans who think we should be challenging with this squad are out of their minds.

10 Sep 2024 15:55:25
Who thinks we should be challenging to win the league dodgy? Who are these people out of their minds?

10 Sep 2024 16:00:29
It’s a no from me as well. Our squad is as good as it’s been since the SAF era, but without the right man at the helm, this ship is going nowhere fast, and I just don’t think we have that at the moment.

10 Sep 2024 18:25:26
Tumble,

I am referring to anyone who thinks we should be better than 8th with the injuries we have had. Even this season, look at our midfield options. Cassemiro looks like he will struggle, at the very least he needs to play reduced games - max 1 per week. But Mainoo also should not be playing 2 a week at his age. Eriksen has also lost his legs. Mount can't stay fit. Need I go on? We needed another midfielder, but we can't have everything straight away.

Leftback is another major problem. One injury to either rightbavk and we are back to playing a midfielder or a kid who is not ready.

I read these pages and everyone expects top 4 minimum, or tenhag should be sacked. This is a very competitive epl. Top 4 with this squad would be a major achievement.

10 Sep 2024 18:39:54
€700m spent Dodgy, and you think top four would be a major achievement. Really? Is that what we are now, some making excuses for this mess despite spending all that, likely because people don’t want to acknowledge this now has to move forward notably.
ETH must show against Southampton and Palace the direction he is taking us in and win the games.

10 Sep 2024 20:49:29
Top 4 with this squad should be the bare minimum.
I your post dodgy you said competing. Top 4 is not necessarily competing.
I don't expect us to compete to win the league this season but Top 4 is the bare minimum.

{Ed025's Note - top 4 minimum is an almost impossible ask with your squad and manager i feel Ken, top 6 maximum for me mate and even that should be followed by an open top bus parade around the city.. :)

10 Sep 2024 22:20:53
Total disrespect for the rest of the epl teams t.

10 Sep 2024 23:06:11
This is brilliant. ETHOUT ?.

11 Sep 2024 00:13:31
Ed025 with this manger I agree with you.

11 Sep 2024 19:27:18
Nope, not a chance on the footballing side. We can’t score goals, have no decent strikers, no Goalkeeper, no creative midfielder, can’t pass a ball 10 yards can’t keep the ball, got no mobility and no legs in midfield!

And wingers who can’t beat a man! A manager who sees the total opposite to everyone else, no real style of play. I would say that’s as bad as it gets!





 

 

 
Log In or Register to post

User
Pass
Remember me

Forgot Pass