United Thread - 2023/24

[Chris in London]

I think because we are debating two different things.

It seems you both are saying the buck stops at the top and that new owners can right the ship in the near term.

And I am saying that is not the case, because the main drivers of United’s current state of hilarious shiteness is well beyond the owners (whoever they are) and their ability to mitigate it, at least in the near term.

And I maintain that much of the dysfunction causing this massive drop in performance started well before the Glazers bought the club.

I don’t think that last point is right, save that the rot can ultimately be dated to the Rock of Gibraltar fiasco.

in his last season GPC won the title by a distance with more or less the same team that would struggle to make seventh a year later. That in itself is evidence that he was the glue that held everything together. I would argue that the rags post Ferguson haven’t under achieved, but they massively over achieved with GPC at the helm.

Since he has gone, that which he held together has started to unravel. We lose count of the number of good players who have gone there, turned to shit, left and then rediscovered their ability elsewhere. Sancho is probably just the latest in a long line. Even with VAR they do not get the protection from referees they once did.

The ultimate problem it seems to me is the extent to which the current board is in complete thrall to United’s reputation. They sneered at us for buying success, now they are buying failure. They sneered at Chelsea for the rate they went through managers but they are now on their fifth since the GPC (not including the times they gave it Giggsy till the end of the season) and many are calling for him to go. They sneered at Liverpool for clinging to their history, now it is all they have left.

United have pandered to what their fans have wanted. They wanted a new manager? They got one. They wanted a superstar striker? They got one. They wanted to get one over on City in the transfer market? They got one.

They have done none of the things that club needs. Have they invested in the ground or the training facilities? No. Have they invested in their youth section or their academy? No. Anything that requires major capital investment for long term reward they have steered away from in favour of short term revenue gains. The Glazers are complicit in appeasing their supporter base, because keeping their support sweet is what keeps them spending money, which leaves the Glazers able to keep milking the cash cow, rather than doing what the club needs, and that is what is ultimately responsible for their decline.

On that, the buck stops with them.

 

[bondsman]

Watched it yesterday

utd are worst than last year ( great lol ). The keeper looks like a clown, seems to think he is Billy big bollocks.

For a team that is a park the bus team yet they defence has Maguire, Evans lol. Surely if you are going to build a park the bus hoofball team you need good defensive players.
Did Ratface play ? Did Rashford player ? Oh yea scored a worldie lol. He is one lazy player, the laziest winger I have ever seen.

They are a mid to bottom team, that has spent hundreds of millions.

Its fucking great lol

Rashford’s defending for the 3rd goal is nearly as pathetic as his defending for Forests first last week.

 

[paulchapo]

A bit of an altercation yesterday, Micah defending Keane.

 

[Akira]

An honest post on the cafe.

We look like a team pretending to be a modern team more than it feels like a genuine fit. I'd have hoped to see more of a development of a true style after a full year and two pre-seasons and a boatload of cash (albeit almost exclusively spent on players he's already coached, which to me suggests they were not the best option, but the easiest). The way we approach big games away is the biggest concern. "We're Man United, we'll do what we want" couldn't be farther from reality. We'll show up and dick around and let you dictate play against us and hope we can break on you.

A Rag that actually calls it what it is, so credit to him. The majority just keeps shifting the goalposts.

 

[M16 citeh]

He’s a desperate man who today turned into a mard arse, I thought he might be better than that but no he’s just another in the long line of “pep wannabes” who is completely devoid of his own original ideas - we are so lucky to have the authentic original absolute fucking genius that is Pep

Genuinely can't tell weather your taking about arteta or ten haag hahaha

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

6 points from 12, and 4 of those var assisted

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I don’t think that last point is right, save that the rot can ultimately be dated to the Rock of Gibraltar fiasco.

in his last season GPC won the title by a distance with more or less the same team that would struggle to make seventh a year later. That in itself is evidence that he was the glue that held everything together. I would argue that the rags post Ferguson haven’t under achieved, but they massively over achieved with GPC at the helm.

Since he has gone, that which he held together has started to unravel. We lose count of the number of good players who have gone there, turned to shit, left and then rediscovered their ability elsewhere. Sancho is probably just the latest in a long line. Even with VAR they do not get the protection from referees they once did.

The ultimate problem it seems to me is the extent to which the current board is in complete thrall to United’s reputation. They sneered at us for buying success, now they are buying failure. They sneered at Chelsea for the rate they went through managers but they are now on their fifth since the GPC (not including the times they gave it Giggsy till the end of the season) and many are calling for him to go. They sneered at Liverpool for clinging to their history, now it is all they have left.

United have pandered to what their fans have wanted. They wanted a new manager? They got one. They wanted a superstar striker? They got one. They wanted to get one over on City in the transfer market? They got one.

They have done none of the things that club needs. Have they invested in the ground or the training facilities? No. Have they invested in their youth section or their academy? No. Anything that requires major capital investment for long term reward they have steered away from in favour of short term revenue gains. The Glazers are complicit in appeasing their supporter base, because keeping their support sweet is what keeps them spending money, which leaves the Glazers able to keep milking the cash cow, rather than doing what the club needs, and that is what is ultimately responsible for their decline.

On that, the buck stops with them.

Bravo Chris. The prosecution case put brilliantly, as I'd expect.

 

[malg]

I wish I was as confident as you lot are about their demise. I still keep waiting for them to go on a run.

This stuff about Sancho is interesting. Be interesting to see how it goes.

Allegedly the new Scandinavian lad is going to be the dogs bollocks and the Moroccan fella is going to sort out the midfield - him alongside the £70m OAP and rat boy are going to rip it up.

I don't get all the stick their keeper gets on here. Looks like he's what they needed - very, very comfortable with the ball at his feet but not the greatest shot stopper. There are plenty on here who question Ederson due to his shot stopping.

 

[tweety]

The rags allowed ferguson too much influence over the club since the early 90s success. He should have just been an important cog in the wheel of their organisation instead he seemed to control everything. They thought their run of success would continue indefinitely but as soon as he left the club crumbled.
Their owners solely see them as a cash cow there to milk every year. They have no hope until the club is sold and ferguson put out to pasture and that's not happening soon. Someone should write a book titled how not to run a football club. They are fucked for the foreseeable.

 

[Gingers Dad]

If the manager thinks he's not performing in training and on the pitch then fair play to him. Pep has done similar with players he doesn't fancy - get them out. Maybe Ten Hag is once again mimicking Pep and getting players out that he doesn't fancy. Or maybe he's showing Sancho who the boss is? If he's a billy big bollocks this might just be the kick up the arse he needs.

Or maybe he's a shit manager looking for someone to blame?