United Thread - 2022/23

[crazyg]

They don't know what rock bottom is like. Fuck the absolute fucking lot of them. Funnily enough I was 9 when some older rag **** came on the field near our house and kicked the shit out of me because I had my City shirt on. Imagine having to go home to your mum and tell her some **** has broken your nose because you don't support that shite.

I truly fucking detest them and my hatred of them cuts deep. I'd honestly celebrate them going down like I celebrated Sergios winner.

I want them to fucking suffer then go bust on the day I die.

Live long and prosper.

 

[KS55]

I have a slightly different take on one aspect of this, though I agree with most of it especially the part about Pep. Ferguson had no interest in training anyone new or ensuring that the club continued his “legacy.” Because it was HIS legacy, not UNITED’S. This is how megalomaniacal authoritarian leaders operate (especially CEO/founders). I’ve brought this up a number of times — read what he’s said to Harvard Business School about the eight tenets of leadership. One of them is “Complete Control” — which is insane in my view as a management tenet, but look what it got him. How does ensuring the club is successful after him help his legacy? It doesn’t — because in his mind, the reason United was successful was HIM. In fact, their lack of success burnishes his personal legacy.

Because the Glazers (who know nothing of football) were absolutely going to refuse to allow the dictates of football people to impact the commercial aspects they LBO’d the club for, they were never nor are ever going to give “complete control” to another manager again. I agree with whomever said they want “company men.” Mourinho was a desperation panic gambit after two failures which, after that failed, has only firmed their resolve to employ managers who will not act out of line with the club’s commercial goals.

Only now, based on my admittedly cursory reading of their financial filings, they are going to be up against it possibly if they fail to finish in a CL spot two years in a row. That impacts both the payout on the Adidas deal (which ends in 2025 anyhow) and, more concerning, their debt covenants in terms of how much they can borrow on their revolver (I think — it might be the terms on their senior notes, or maybe it’s the interest rate on the revolver). I think they have some flexibility to waive EBITDA-related covenants too but no matter — if they don’t make CL for next season, they’ll be dealing with some potential financial issues they haven’t had to consider before.

IMO this is just the beginning of a stormy period for them. They might right the ship but this could also get a lot worse, financially.

I’d still bet the Glazers put their stakes in the club on the block if it looks like they might trip covenants and maybe before the Adidas deal expires (it’s 750M accounted for over 10 years — not a small percent of their revenue annually). For the first time I believe it might happen sooner rather than later.

That stuff he said about complete control was a classic piece of bad advice, a narcissist believing only he can do it.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I like the idea you assume there's a driver ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

I like the idea that you assume it’s drivable!

 

[dario2739]

Rumours they're signing Vardy from Leicester, ahahahahaha. Fuck me. Who is even driving that clown car?

That won't be awkward if the Rooney family go to watch a game or two

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

How about they appoint Roy Keane? Still hasn't let go of his his beef with Ferguson and would draw a line under Baconface sniffing around the club.

Would likely end in failure and farce as Roy hasn't taken naturally to management as he did to dog wanking.

But might be what's needed to get the older bully out of the way of his successors.

 

[Chippy_boy]

I wonder what they would be saying if, for example, the club was still a PLC, with little or no debt, but run the same way? Their problem would be the same as it is now, which is that the people running the club on a day-to-day basis are the problem.

But if they were a PLC and the share price had dropped as dramatically as it has, those people would have been given their marching orders a long time ago.

Of course the owners are a large part of the problem. They've not appointed the right people and simply don't have the right structures in place, as we notably have. They see things too much in commercial terms, so potentially good signings have been missed because "they won't sell shirts" and they've made bad signings (Ronaldo, Maguire, et al) because they will. They've extended the contracts of players they should have let go, because they think they'll get a better fee for them.

They split Gill & Ferguson up as they'd pulled a few fast ones to get what they wanted but they should've kept together for a while longer and planned the managerial succession better.

But they aren't coaching the players or taking training sessions. Avram Glazer isn't making the call on who picks who up at corners or picking the team. They didn't tell McTominay to hoof a simple pass into touch. So they're certainly not the whole problem.

I agree to an extent mate, but IMO ultimately it's down to the Glazers.

As the owner of a business, you either meddle in the running in the business - in which case failings are on you. Or you appoint people to run it for you, and if they demonstrably can not do a good enough job, then it's also on you for (a) appointing them and (b) not getting rid of them after repeated abject failure.

The Glazers have been - at best - AWOL, and that still means blame ultimately lies with them.

 

[HelloCity]

I can assure you it wasn't planned. It was all spur of the moment, as was his "planned retirement". Ferguson may have had Moyes in mind but he hadn't discussed that with Gill, Woodward or anyone else at the club, is my understanding.

I always thought City coming along brought it forward a few years as well. He must have seen the writing on the wall with the players we were bringing in. He probably thought that title might be the last one for a while so decided to go out on top.

 

[MafeotulBlue]

Sorry to lower the tone of the thread by actually being serious for a moment...

But - genuine question - how on earth do people think they can possibly get themselves out of this dire mess? (And I know the sensible answer is "who cares, let them rot in it"). They are well and truly fucked.

Eric Ten Weeks when asked about his substitutions at half time said he wanted to sub "all of them". :-) Still makes me laugh typing it.

But if they were to sell the entire squad - which lets face it is what's needed - no new player worth their salt will touch them with a 50ft barge pole. The only players they can attract are half-arsed mercenaries or b-team dross. This season they will struggle to get above mid table. At best.

There seems to be some hidden contractual situation regarding SlabHead, Rashford, DDG, McTomminay, and a couple others.

Like a barrage of managers, and they STILL start.

The ownership, funnily is their last problem.

They need at least 10 years, of effective managerial, player, employee clear-out.

They need to effectively do a Milan. And that's actually okay, because the internal revenue would help them reduce the 10 years to probably 5.

However to do that, everyone involved in the running of the club needs top be sacked.

Every level of management needs re-recruited but, replaced with top level seniors, within football, with the eye for football, and with good professional integrity and conduct.

The board needs re-vamping, and above all else, all players to be effectively banned from having access to them, neutralising player power.

All coaching staff that are there with the exception of ETH needs to be sacked, replaced.

All contractual dinosaurs needs to be cut, contract annulled and players for the right profile need to be transferred. keep player profile at about 35-50 million to minimise loss in case of a negative output.

Contract renewal and duration + pay scheme is the worse in the PL. That needs to be addressed.

Social Media ( duties ), and media output needs to be toned down urgently. Make a direct comparison between Chelsea, Spurs, City and Pool and United. You'd be shocked.

This does not include, and it probably should: Training Facilities, Technical Data on players, Scouting and Scouting Reports to be up to date. Etc, i could co on forever.

There are so many wrong things at that club, it beggars belief. Nothing is impossible, but, patience, and above all else, professionalism needs to be applied, for an extended amount of time, and they clearly are defunct in this chapter.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

How about they appoint Roy Keane? Still hasn't let go of his his beef with Ferguson and would draw a line under Baconface sniffing around the club.

Would likely end in failure and farce as Roy hasn't taken naturally to management as he did to dog wanking.

But might be what's needed to get the older bully out of the way of his successors.

This is not a bad shout.

He did take naturally to dog wanking.

 

[Bluesince1979]

The funniest one I know, a Rag mate of mine told me about a City fan who jumped ship in the mid 90’s and became a full blown Rag, eventually organising away trips and being involved in the Ashton Supporters Club. He wasn’t universally liked being an ex Blue, I wonder how he’s felt over the past decade?

I hope hes suffering