The demise of Manchester United

[Taksin]

How low can they go?

Now that we are flying so high I can't get as much pleasure from their suffering as I once did. I used to look forward to MOTD quite a bit more when they had lost a game. Couldn't give a shit these days. However, this is now a kind of deeper pain that they are encountering, one that might eventually be even a bit deeper than the misery we went through in the nineties, zeros and tens. The delusions that we once had - that we were good enough - are starting to desert them. Gary Neville said he thought Manu U would win the league before LFC last summer, an opinion some posters on here might have shared with him, but that's a different subject.

They have all these ex players as pundits talking about how they are the biggest and best team in the world as if it's their birth right to be at the top, but there is a sneaking suspicion that this might be the end of an era. And the era where they are also rans could last a very long time. I say that as someone who has been thinking we could win the league for thirty years without it happening.

They have been ploughing through the top managers to try and restore the glory days but it hasn't worked at all. It has been a mess. Is Solskjaer a decent manager or inept - can anyone tell? I think they will have to stick with him because they can now see it isn't the managers that are wrong, it's obviously starting to become clear that they have player recruitment issues, despite the usual massive spending. The more they panic, the worse it will get.

Last night the Old Trafford crowd turned nasty and it wasn't Ole they aimed their bitterness at, it was Woodward. This got me thinking again about the argument between Steveo and myself on these boards over the last year or so. Where does the success originate?

LFC had its own demise and it was the end of an era. Our owners fell behind in the race - they didn't know how to keep with the times. Man U were planning differently and started to put something successful together - at that time, talking about people buying shirts in Asia was totally foreign to most clubs, including ours. Breaking the transfer record on someone like Collymore became a symbol of how we had lost pace with our rivals. In that era after our last league title, Leeds, Blackburn, Newcastle and Manu U were all starting to run their clubs differently to historical models. Yes, Ferguson was a genius and they had luck in terms of the talent coming through the youth set up, but they kept signing the best players in the world, over and over again. Even ones you'd never heard of. That's what we have started to do. We've got six players or something in the world's top twenty. How did that happen?

Our recruitment has become cast iron solid. When we buy a player, I no longer worry about how good they are going to be. I know that the manager is convinced, the team has done its research properly, including using statistical models developed by people that don't even know about football, and we are ahead of the competition as a result. The manager, scouts and the owners agree about what is needed. It's a new era of competence.

A mate was telling me that even the Klopp appointment used these methods. He had had a bad last season at Dortmund and they looked at stats to see that his team was actually performing really well but had not had the rub of the green. They brought up specific examples in the interview and he was thrilled that they could see his team were actually playing well despite the loss.

So, my prediction is, the chaos will continue at United so long as the Owners, CEO and board pursue the current model. Doesn't matter if they appoint the best manager, build the biggest stadium or buy the biggest stars, its not enough. The whole, complex organism has to be brought into functional harmony. Even then, as with Klopp at Dortmund, success is not guaranteed. But it's guaranteed not to happen if the club hierarchy is failing.

[Joetan991]

In one word ''Mismanagement''

[teesred]

Their era has ended. Like you say theres this birth right feel from them and us as Liverpool fans know it better than anyone. That feeling of "well get it right eventually and just take over again", but it has gone now. They will get it back sometime in the future I guess the same but who knows? They might not. Who'd have thought Milan would be in the situation theyre in now? It can happen.
Ill never forget saying to my best mate in 06 after we had won the FA cup that their golden days were gone. He fully agreed. We looked like we were in a great position, on the cusp of something good. We had a great squad, Gerrard at his peak almost. But then they had Ronaldo and the rest is history.......
Now they dont have that safety net and are struggling for an identity in all areas of the club. Theyre in the unenviable position we were in for years, paying top dollar for bang average players and the cost is constantly rising.
Personally I'm loving it as I've lived through their siccess having it rammed down my throat but I am also not daft enough to forget how quickly things can change. They throw so much money at things that they can get it right if the right manager comes in but theyvde fallen so far away in every area its unreal. Under Ferguson it was a well oiled machine. They could regularly take the best players from rivals and pretty much anyone. Not now though.
Their current predicament hammers home just how well things are for LFC. We are currently the well oiled machine, pretty much the envy if everyone and theres a genuine feeling that its not a flash in the pan, a false dawn like many before.
Its a good time for us and we should thoroughly enjoy it.

[toneata]

As long as they've got bucketloads of cash to spend, they'll always be a good manager away from getting back on track. Luckily for us it seems the hierarchy at the club haven't got a clue how to recruit one.

Think they'd need to go into administration for them not to win the title for 30 years though................fingers crossed.

[jozza800]

Their era has ended. Like you say theres this birth right feel from them and us as Liverpool fans know it better than anyone. That feeling of "well get it right eventually and just take over again", but it has gone now. They will get it back sometime in the future I guess the same but who knows? They might not. Who'd have thought Milan would be in the situation theyre in now? It can happen.
Ill never forget saying to my best mate in 06 after we had won the FA cup that their golden days were gone. He fully agreed. We looked like we were in a great position, on the cusp of something good. We had a great squad, Gerrard at his peak almost. But then they had Ronaldo and the rest is history.......
Now they dont have that safety net and are struggling for an identity in all areas of the club. Theyre in the unenviable position we were in for years, paying top dollar for bang average players and the cost is constantly rising.
Personally I'm loving it as I've lived through their siccess having it rammed down my throat but I am also not daft enough to forget how quickly things can change. They throw so much money at things that they can get it right if the right manager comes in but theyvde fallen so far away in every area its unreal. Under Ferguson it was a well oiled machine. They could regularly take the best players from rivals and pretty much anyone. Not now though.
Their current predicament hammers home just how well things are for LFC. We are currently the well oiled machine, pretty much the envy if everyone and theres a genuine feeling that its not a flash in the pan, a false dawn like many before.
Its a good time for us and we should thoroughly enjoy it.

I still believe that United struck gold in the early 90s. Having that many good youngster come through at the same time was total fluke. We had our own batch of good youngsters th edifference being United added Schmiechel, Keane and Cantona to their kids, we added James, Ruddock and Collymore.

United are in a similar postion we were but the difference being, they'll probabaly have a few years of throwing money at it, to ge themselves back. Once we missed the boat we haven't been able to climb back on board (until now :)).

In a way, I do wish United were still the top team as beating them to the title would be certainly sweeter than beating City. At the moment it's like kicking a dead horse.

[stevie harkness]

People are saying the demise since Fergie corresponds with the appointment of Woodward. So it is more than just Solskjaer. They have bought some dross over the years (Fergie did too to be fair)

If they replace Woodward they have to replace him with the right man, same as with appointing a manager.

Solskjaer did start his job with a remarkably long 'bounce', just lucky I guess, and they'll always have Paris.

But since Fergie they've had supposed heavyweights like van Gaal, Mourinho, and won a few trophies but have been on the slide.

Sean Dyche said last night they've been 2-0 up at Old Trafford before, last season, it's not a sudden overnight thing.

Quite funny when Rio Ferdinand is complaining "These young kids now in schools around the country, they are not going to be wearing Manchester United shirts."

Reckon they'll give Solskjaer til the end of the month to beat Tranmere/Watford and show some fight in their semi with City but then who?

[Nineteenx]

A few points:

I'm not one to cry foul unless it is, I always said that Ferguson had far too much power and influence with the FA and over match officials in particular that was worth 9-12 points to them a season in terms of decisions they got in their games and decisions made against their closest rivals in theirs. I stand by it, it wasn't bitterness, I always left that to the Evertonians there were just so many rank wrong decisions and it most certainly did not 'even itself out over the course of a season' not even close. I always said once he left and that influence had gone they'd struggle with what he left behind as quite a few of his sides wouldn't have got over the line to win the amount of domestic honours they did without his incredible influence. Indeed under all their managers since I've seen so many decisions and ref make the right call to howls of derision from their fans and thought 'that would have been given under Ferguson'

People like to pour scorn on the above, but the truly great teams have always dominated in Europe as well as domestically in their eras and the filthys rank inability to ever get close to doing so tells the story of their not having that same influence over officials that benefited them so hugely on the domestic front. In 26 years as their manager Ferguson reached just four Champions League finals and only won 2 of them, because unlike the truly great sides, they simply weren't good enough to dominate in Europe under their team's own merit without the advantages they enjoyed domestically.

A huge issue they have is that they're obsessed with LFC, last season their own fans were advocating and requesting they throw their games in their derby to try and prevent us winning the league, including Neville on Sky Sports who even went as far as to call for a statue of Vincent Kompany after his goal v Leicester. They're all complaining now, but what kind of message does that send to the players and everyone connected to their club? Bragging rights and pride in the city through winning your local derby's is very important for football clubs and football players and if your own fans are advocating you throwing those games you've got zero chance at all of returning to the top of the game if you don't even have the heart and desire in the players and the fans to win your own derby games and make sure you're at least the best club in your city first and foremost.

The lack of courage above is also a reason they're struggling so badly, have no identity and their recruitment is so desperately poor, the same lack of courage they showed in their game against us. For everything to work you need a system and philosophy of how you want to play and you need to stick to it, if that means you lose some games while you're trying to rebuild, you still stick to it and build that bravery and courage to keep going out playing how you want to moving forward, that's what all the great managers have done and what Jurgen has done at Liverpool. That way you learn very quickly which players have the right mentality, the bravery, the courage and ability to play how you want to, you know who to move on, you see where you can improve from analysing performances and identify the right players to bring in for the positions you need to improve. The filthy don't have that or anything like it and are just randomly buying highly rated players 'off the peg' without any plan whatsoever on what to use them for, like they think by just buying a group of good players it will all suddenly and magically fall into place, it won't. I remember us doing that in our poorer times, although we were never as bad as they currently are, the Collymore signing and his "I don't know any other business or industry in which they'd pay £8.5m for something and not have a plan in place for how they wanted to use it" and that can be said about almost all their signings.

There is also the element of fans and media and former players, they're used to winning, expect to win and won't tolerate anything else or show any patience or understanding and rather than support the players and manager and that other clubs, their players and managers have built up and are now better, we had our fair share of that, but their elements of that are off the scale, they're part of the problem.

I would back Chelsea and Arsenal to both be challenging more sternly again long before the filthy are, because both their managers have a plan, a way they want to play and they're going about trying to build up again in the right way, sticking to their plan, not chopping and changing formation and personnel every 5 minutes and not cowering throwing 11 men behind the ball when they come to play us

[Taksin]

I agree with 19x's thoughts on Ferguson's domestic influence and lack of European impact. We've also shown over the last two seasons, or three including City, how they were never really that dominant. We have accumulated points at a far greater rate whilst the league is generally stronger. Chelsea, Man City, Man U, Arsenal, Leicester, Tottenham and Liverpool all positioning themselves for the top four places. They never had to face that level of competition.

I also happen to know that Fergie wanted Man City to win last year, not us. Some of his nearest and dearest preferred Liverpool to win because they could appreciate that one is a real club with history and the other is bought with money that promotes essentially an evil regime. Some things in life are more important than either success or keeping ahead of your rival.

Which brings us back to the owners and management. We've just come in with a net spend over five years as number 27 in the world, below Watford, Brighton, Everton, Wolves and just above Fulham. A million miles behind City and Utd. Again, net spend guarantees nothing, except an added gaping hole in the heart of the honest man, as the deal with the Devil fails to produce the desired outcome.

Success takes time and skill at all levels but especially at the top of the hierarchy. It also can't be done without the support of those at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Contrast what we are achieving with Tottenham's current fortune. Does anyone else think they have got their ownership/executive model wrong? The stadium is probably the best in the world - imagine how loud it would sound with our fans in it - but Levy looks like he has taken his eye off the ball. Every aspect of mismanagement - like having one striker, also know as underinvestment in the team - exposes not only its immediate effect (poorer goal tally) but also leads to further adverse effects; poorer team moral, less points accumulated, dropping down the table, less revenue, discontent amongst fans, instability in management. Things go to shit.

Man U are going to shit, big time. My own argument is that their revival, if there is to be one, starts upstairs and not with the manager.

[teesred]

Personally dont feel Levy took his eye of the ball. He simply wouldnt take the next step required to develop that team. The season they finished second to Leicester was the time they needed to spend what was needed to add the game changing players they lacked. Theyve not kicked on since then and the CL final loss has stalled them completley.
Im not going along with that Ferguson refs theory. Its a total myth. They won things because they were the best and that was because of him.

[Nineteenx]

Personally dont feel Levy took his eye of the ball. He simply wouldnt take the next step required to develop that team. The season they finished second to Leicester was the time they needed to spend what was needed to add the game changing players they lacked. Theyve not kicked on since then and the CL final loss has stalled them completley.
Im not going along with that Ferguson refs theory. Its a total myth. They won things because they were the best and that was because of him.

It's not a myth, I don't cry foul if something isn't or to be partizan of tribal, I couldn't fault Wenger's inveincibles, they were an awesome side and fantastic to watch and I never ever felt they got the benefit of plain wrong decisions consistently as Ferguson's filthy teams did, they actually had it the other way if anything, being the recipient of appalling wrong decisions against them at times, particularly when playing the filthy or another top side.

If you took the footage of those seasons, filthy games and their closest opposition teams and applied goal line technology, VAR and modern time keeping to the games I absolutely guarantee you it would show they would have won at least a third less of what they did, Ferdinand would have at least 15 career red cards that would also have been 15 penalties against them too, he in particular made so many last man challenges that were blatant pens and red cards that were waved away, they would have had a lot of players sent off in games too, they really did get away with murder. It's done now, so it's not important, but since Ferguson left and they have been playing on a level playing field with officials and with VAR and other developments will have to almost all the time trying to work their way back to challenging for honours, it's going to be a very long and arduous road for them indeed

[skyebo]

Looking at the line ups from Klopp's first game at Tottenham. 8 of their team are still at the club, our team is unrecognisable from that day.

[justme]

To think most of their league titles were won between 78/85 points. The level as improved since then all over the league (not that the quality is great) But the bar as been raised to win the league. in the last 7/8 years.
Man-united are finding it hard knowing that even if they lose 2/3 games early in the season it will take a lot to compete..Its a different mentality when you know your not gonna compete for a title from the start of November. It takes a lot of mental strength to pick yourself up.They just don't have it right now and looking at their squad they don't even have the players to do it.

[Nineteenx]

Looking at the line ups from Klopp's first game at Tottenham. 8 of their team are still at the club, our team is unrecognisable from that day.

That's what you do and how you build though, you have your philosophy and formation and stick to it, to learn quickly who can play it as you wish and who can't and identify your targets based on them being able to assist the team and other players playing your system even better and continually striving to improve and evolve it.

One fuck up Pochettino made was going to a 433 and trying to employ Smelly Fanny as a No8, he's never a No8 and never will be, at least not in the sense we understand a No8 to be, his very best ability to influence games comes from playing off the striker, so his choices were to play a 433 that often lined up like a 4231 or 4213 with Smelly Fanny in the centre of the midfield 3 pressing and looking to make runs beyond Kane at times when they had possession deeper.

He could have used him as a No8 differently in a 433 I guess, playing him at LCM but have him move further forward and infield to be in positions to receive the ball and make his late runs into the box off the strikers with Rose pushing up to fill in on the left alongside Ericksson and another CM when they had possession, rather than try and have him operate as an attacking full back as Robbo does for us. I think he made a bit of a mess of it, trying to use Smelly Fanny as a No8 in the way we use ours was a total non starter

[eggy81]

I thought during Jose's reign that they were on the way out and wouldn't be back for at least 10 years. I now think itll be longer than that. They have no identity, no style, no quality and no real togetherness or team spirit. They are worse than all of our sides during the 30 years maybe except Hodgson's side.

We need to keep this level of pressurespplied for as long as humanly possible because it's obvious that we are now influencing they're decisions and especially their fans view of themselves. Like they used to do to us really.

They'll recover when they eventually give up on thinking they can get the quick fix and erase all thoughts of fergie and start from scratch much like we had to do.
Be more difficult now for them I think because of money all around the premier league and social media.

[ianlfc]

Personally I think it's fucking hilarious !!
Carry on Ole you're doing a fine job !!

[Clungeman]

Personally I think it's fucking hilarious !!
Carry on Ole you're doing a fine job !!

Spot on!

I applaud the Glazers and their loyalty to a man who has Man Utd running through his veins (if little or no managerial ability to go with it...)

[Nineteenx]

Personally I think it's fucking hilarious !!
Carry on Ole you're doing a fine job !!

Yes Ole must stay, they should show loyalty and patience and give him a 25 year deal to try and repeat Ferguson's success over the same time period

[Nineteenx]

Get a few quid on Tranmere this weekend

Ole's cracking, he was just babbling on, trying to use Paisley quotes and getting them wrong, trying to talk about his philosophy, what fucking philosophy? The philosophy of changing your starting 11 and formation every game and not having one :D

They need to stick with him ;)

[ianlfc]

Get a few quid on Tranmere this weekend

Ole's cracking, he was just babbling on, trying to use Paisley quotes and getting them wrong, trying to talk about his philosophy, what fucking philosophy? The philosophy of changing your starting 11 and formation every game and not having one :D

They need to stick with him ;)

That pitch at Tranmere will be a leveller, it's got all the hallmarks of at proper FA Cup upset.

[toneata]

If they don't make any significant signings this window, he's gone by the summer.

[ianlfc]

If they don't make any significant signings this window, he's gone by the summer.
Talking of signings, they are being linked with Ogalgo or Slimani on loan for the rest of the season . And we're linked with Mbappe! !

[TheDOC1979]

Talking of signings, they are being linked with Ogalgo or Slimani on loan for the rest of the season . And we're linked with Mbappe! !

Don’t think they’d trust Solskjaer with more money. Especially if they’re getting rid in the summer.

[Nineteenx]

It would be great for them to return to where they were when I was a kid, when the commentators are talking about the great rivalry and as a kid you're sitting there thinking "What are they on about, they never challenge for anything, how are they a rival" when I was growing up Everton, Forest and Arsenal were our main rivals as far as I saw it, the filthy were nothing, as it should be

[justme]

I was only 11/12 when LFC last won the league. lets hope a 11 year old, man-united fan is 60 before they win a tea-cup.

[ianlfc]

All the talk basically of Liverpool being shit for 30 year and Utd don't want any of that. Let's see how many European cups they win during their lean spell.

[Balinkay]

All the talk basically of Liverpool being shit for 30 year and Utd don't want any of that. Let's see how many European cups they win during their lean spell.

LFC are European royalty.

United are… not. One of the reasons I like the CL is that history and magic actually count for a lot more there. Ironically that money grabbing tournament is usually a bit more romantic than domestic leagues.

Let's hope this tough spell continues for them. When Fergie left I said it'd take 7-10 years of not winning the PL or CL for it to start impacting them negatively in any sort of sustainable way. It'll take another 7-10 for it to actually stick, if it every actually sticks.

[ianlfc]

LFC are European royalty.

United are… not. One of the reasons I like the CL is that history and magic actually count for a lot more there. Ironically that money grabbing tournament is usually a bit more romantic than domestic leagues.

Let's hope this tough spell continues for them. When Fergie left I said it'd take 7-10 years of not winning the PL or CL for it to start impacting them negatively in any sort of sustainable way. It'll take another 7-10 for it to actually stick, if it every actually sticks.

Well said Bali. Also they are absolutely shitting themselves 😂😂😂😂😂

[Kev0909]

Man Utd target Ighalo and Slimani

Think that sums it up.

Oh sorry ian darling just noticed you already said this

that sums me up

[ianlfc]

Man Utd target Ighalo and Slimani

Think that sums it up.

Oh sorry ian darling just noticed you already said this

You're ok hun 💋💋

[Nineteenx]

I think a lot of their fans and other people in football try to rewrite history in football and conveniently overlook a lot of aspects to their success, but also make things up

Their Edwards, Martin Edwards and Peter Kenyon were a huge part of why they were able to be successful, with new stadiums, billionaire owners at 2 clubs, greater TV money for all teams and other teams having closed the gap on worldwide marketing their power has been greatly diminished, although they are still the most financially powerful club in the league as they can outspend City without breaching FFP. Edwards & Kenyon were light years ahead of the game and every other Premier League club in worldwide marketing deals and partnerships and struck numerous lucrative deals in which they were the only English club in the market at the time, while Moores and Parry were still running LFC like a corner shop. They also ensured they continually used profits to expand their stadium so they'd benefit from far greater match day revenues than any other club and also benefit from hospitality and corporate packages, all that had a massive influence on their ability to be successful.

From 1994 to Abramovich's arrival at Chelsea in 2003 they had a huge financial advantage of every single club in the league, even when Abramovich arrived, they had a huge financial advantage over every other club in the league bar Chelsea and that would continue until 2008 when Sheikh Mansour bought Man City. That advantage enabled them to constantly nick other Premier League teams best players and transfer targets and offer players more lucrative contracts, they still couldn't attract the very best players from around the globe though because of their brand of football and several spurned their advances for this reason and Chelsea for the same reason and neither were talked about or revered as a great team throughout Europe and just 4 Champions League finals and 2 wins in 26 years for the filthy confirms why. (That's the part where 'people' reinvent history, I think Staam and Van Nistlerooy were the only really highly rated players they landed, but not by Europe's other top top clubs at the time, they historically nicked a lot of their best players from other Prem clubs, that every other Prem club wanted but they could outspend.)

In short from 1994-2003 the league had one financial super power that every other team was miles away from being able to compete with financially for the best players - From 2003-2008 They and Chelsea battled it out for the very best available players who would be willing to join them and every other club was miles off being competitive financially, while these 2 escalated transfer fees and wages battling for players that compounded the effect, making it even more expensive for every other premier league team to sign players to build sides that could compete with them - From 2008-present that initially got even worse with Sheikh Mansour's arrival at City, although far greater TV money for all clubs and many belatedly expanding their own worldwide marketing and FFP has closed the gap somewhat as well as the emergence of a lot of more technically gifted players and players being far more professional in their approach to lifestyle and training, if they have a good system, manager and staff a lot of clubs are now able to find players there isn't a lot of competition for, they can develop into top players.

LFC were still miles behind a lot of other clubs but light years behind the filthy, Chelsea and City (and some others) when FSG arrived in 2010 and it took them 3 or 4 years to get that side moving a lot more positively and build thei model as it needed to be, we've achieved our current position by being very astute in the transfer market being only 29th on the net spend list for the past 5 years combined and FSG have closed the financial gap considerably doing all the things the filthy's board did 20 years earlier and we've still some way to go as we need to continue to expand our stadium without diluting the incredible atmosphere and continue making astute signings, including spending the big money on the right players when they are available, be that a proven talent of the right age and profile or a supremely gifted young player for our long term future who can be at the club for 10 years or more where the manager and scouting team believe they really warrant it, to make sure we compete for the very biggest honours with the best brand of football in world football each season to further increase our revenue streams.

If we can do that while the filthy keep floundering there is a very good chance we can become 'the market leader' in several markets the filthy dominated almost entirely in Premier League terms with barely any competition for 20 years and that WILL make a big hole in their finances and see us usurp them financially if we can sustain those things for the next 5-10 years while keeping them well out of it, our usurping them financially and dominating markets they had for themselves for 20 years is the next necessary step in their decline.

[CCTV]

If manu dont get top4 or win the EL this year, ie no CL football next year.
I think we could have the biggest revenue in the pl by the end of next season. Season ending 2021.

Deloitte think by the end of this season, season ending 2020, us city or both of us might overtake manu on revenue.
It's expected to be close for this season and dependent on how us/city fare in the CL ko stages.

[Balinkay]

If manu dont get top4 or win the EL this year, ie no CL football next year.
I think we could have the biggest revenue in the pl by the end of next season. Season ending 2021.

Deloitte think by the end of this season, season ending 2020, us city or both of us might overtake manu on revenue.
It's expected to be close for this season and dependent on how us/city fare in the CL ko stages.

No fucking way! Seriously?!

That's amazing news! Any projections on the sestainability of such a potential monumental flip??

[ianlfc]

No fucking way! Seriously?!

That's amazing news! Any projections on the sestainability of such a potential monumental flip??

Also adidas and Chevrolet have both put penalties in their contacts that if Utd fail to get champions league for 2 seasons they have to payback some of the fee they were given.
At the end of the day the big money is getting to champions league and by the looks of it the pot money will only get bigger.

[Taksin]

As Ferdinand, I think, said, kids aren't going to be buying Man United shirts at the moment. They pioneered the global shirt sales model in the early nineties too.

Nobody is dreaming of being Fred at the moment..

[Nineteenx]

As Ferdinand, I think, said, kids aren't going to be buying Man United shirts at the moment. They pioneered the global shirt sales model in the early nineties too.

Nobody is dreaming of being Fred at the moment..

A huge thing for so many of the kids now is FIFA, so they're all going to want Allisson, Virgil, Trent, Robbo, Mane, Salah shirts, that misses out some of our vital players, but they're not fashionable or cool for the FIFA kids, even though they are incredible players

[Taksin]

A huge thing for so many of the kids now is FIFA, so they're all going to want Allisson, Virgil, Trent, Robbo, Mane, Salah shirts, that misses out some of our vital players, but they're not fashionable or cool for the FIFA kids, even though they are incredible players

Its amazing how quickly things change..

I love it these days when a taxi driver - in London - tells me they're a Man U fan and they have that embarrassed, long-suffering countenance, as if they know things are shit and will be for a long time. They had jumped on the bandwagon when things were going great and forgot that life has a way of turning around and biting you.

LFC has kept competitive, almost having a team, for 30 years. The fans have stuck with the team through all kind of false dawns, empty promises and latterly, terrible appointments. The fans are different in Liverpool. I'm not sure their lot could cope with an extended period of malaise.

[Balinkay]

Most of them won't. Some will. If LFC enjoys a prolonged period of success, there'll be plenty of fair weather fans on the bandwagon soon enough.

And when LFC's success dries up, fans of rival teams will be saying the exact same things we are right now.

[teesred]

Some good points made. I read the latest Deloitte list last week, I still think overall Utd are some way ahead in overall revenue but Ians point about Chevrolet and Adidas wanting money back for top 4 failure is very interesting. All these things are damaging them and theyre so far behind they really could start taking major hits financially. It jist shows also how savvy the business' and sponsors are. They dont want to be tarred with failing clubs such is the fickle nature of reputation.
Theyve been complacent. Just like LFC were in the early 90s, we just thought it would come back. One year leads to 2, 2 years leads to 3 and before you know it its 5.
Same with Arsenal. Who'd have thought after their invincibles they would go 16 years without the title? Not many. Its such an easy trap to fall into and we will no doubt be in it again at some point in the distant future.

[CCTV]

No fucking way! Seriously?!

That's amazing news! Any projections on the sestainability of such a potential monumental flip??

Champions league money had a decent increase in recent years. Our revenue jumped £77.9mill last year, the accounts haven't been published yet but likely CL money played it's part.
Making top4 consistently is key and we look secure enough for the immediate future.

How far you go in the CL is obviously important. Think we'd want to be in the quarters minimum each year which isnt a huge ask. Semis or final ideally.

This year city's new sponsorship £65iirc for all their associated clubs NYC etc is on their books. Whereas our Nike deal only comes in next year estimated £80-100mill.
We need to use our partnership with Nike to build our global appeal which is bloody strong already.

If manu fail to make the CL next year they'll suffer. But I wouldn't be as certain about the longer term future for them. Look at how quickly we have turned it around since Klopp arrived and they are still a strong club financially, far stronger than LFC when Klopp took over.
No need for us to obsesses over other clubs, whomever is going to join is will join us. Just up to us to keep it lit.

[Insidious]

As long as they've got bucketloads of cash to spend, they'll always be a good manager away from getting back on track. Luckily for us it seems the hierarchy at the club haven't got a clue how to recruit one.

Think they'd need to go into administration for them not to win the title for 30 years though................fingers crossed.

Indeed.

A few sides are in transitional phases right now (Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham) and those sides that look to be improved / in the early stages of improving (Leicester, Wolves, Sheffield United) haven't had enough time to really solidify themselves.

We spent a LOT of time finishing outside the Top Four positions

09/10 - 7th, 63 points, 4th got 70 points.
10/11 - 6th, 58 points, 4th got 68 points.
11/12 - 8th, 52 points, 4th got 69 points.
12/13 - 7th, 61 points, 4th got 73 points.
13/14 - ran City close, finished 2nd.
14/15 - 6th, 62 points, 4th got 70 points.
15/16 - 8th, 60 points, 4th got 66 points.
16/17 - 4th, finishing 1 point above 5th-placed Arsenal - the good time begin.

We finished Top Four once in seven seasons, before that 16/17 season that became a spring-board for better things.

If you manage to capitalise upon it, you "only" need to finish 4th once to begin a bounce-back. United will have more money than most clubs for some time yet, so we're reliant upon two teams (outside of ourselves and City, who you'd imagine will finish Top Four for the next 2-4 seasons at least) to become fairly consistent, fairly quickly.

How much do we really rate Rodgers' Leicester, Lampard's Chelsea, Mourinho's Tottenham or Arteta's Arsenal to be better than, for talk's sake, Pochettino's United over a 2-4 season spell?

They're very fixable with the right Manager - though they haven't found the correct one yet - and thank Fowler for that!

[Nineteenx]

They're very fixable with the right Manager - though they haven't found the correct one yet - and thank Fowler for that!

I'm not sure they're that fixable, quite a number of their squad leave an awful lot to be desired, I'm not saying this because it's them, I just think Pochettino for instance, would really struggle to make a top four side and a good football side out of what they have there and they're not just 1 or 2 windows under a new manager away from fixing that, they're 6 maybe 8 windows away from fixing that.

In their position, there's no guaranteeing that they'll get the players they need or want because several clubs who are far more attractive propositions except to the mercenary types who have been their problem, will be preferred destinations for the very best players, 1st and 2nd tier and they were never able to attract the world's very best players even in their pomp.

I'm not sure their fans or board will have the patience to back a manager to do things as they need to be done, as it involves developing a way of playing, by adopting a system and being brave and sticking to it and developing the players within it to play it as the manager wants whatever results it produces top four wise through the first 2 seasons at least

They also have the issue of holding on to their best players, all though they only have Rashford and Pogba who anyone serious would want, and I'm pretty certain Real Madrid are going to come calling for both this summer, Rashford I understand and for an Italian or Spanish giant Pogba too, I don't think Pogba will ever be a huge success in the Premier League, I think Rashford could be successful at Real or Barca and would be far better off there than wasting his career while the filthy try and get their shit together, De Gea's a top keeper, but which serious club need a new top keeper right now? Then they've got the issue of their paying many of their reasonably talented, but no-one's really sure what they are or what they'd fit into players who are on grossly inflated salaries and they paid well over the odds for to shift, in this respect having loads of money and offering silly wages to try and buy their way out of trouble has actually hindered them

[Nineteenx]

They also have the issue that their are two absolutely top class managers already in the league in Jurgen and Pep, then after those two there are several very good managers who have already gone about setting up their vision for their team and club the right way and are two or more seasons down the line in that or who have started that process the correct way immediately although are only just into their job in Nuno at Wolves, Arteta at Arsenal, Rodgers at Leicester, Lampard at Chelsea, Wilder at Sheffield UTD and then there's Mourinho whose best times as a manager because of how the game has developed are behind him I believe, but who is still an absolute world class anti football spoiler who could still produce a result against even the very best sides on his best days.

Where are they going to find a manager who can usurp all of those over 4, 5 or 6 seasons? Guardiola managing City in their back yard and being a far bigger lure for players than anyone they could appoint is also a huge problem for them, and will remain a huge obstacle for them all the while they are the second best team in their City, so they've really got their work cut out

[justincredible]

Hahaha.....


https://youtu.be/Ewqxu1pO2VQ

[redebreck]

United's thrashing of poor Tranmere will hopefully give Ole another month at least in the job.
Can't help thinking their probable wage structure will either hold them back or attract some aging superstars to further hold them back in competitiveness.

[Steveo]

Stan and Ole...



https://youtu.be/LXCwlO2jnYU


Must be said though - Stan looks more like Ole.. :D

[justme]

He is really delusional. Just caught the headline on the BBC. "sanchez will comeback and prove you all wrong"
Sanchez is only coming back because they cant fking shift him and no one is gonna pay his 500 thousand a week wages

[Taksin]

United will have more money than most clubs for some time yet, so we're reliant upon two teams (outside of ourselves and City, who you'd imagine will finish Top Four for the next 2-4 seasons at least) to become fairly consistent, fairly quickly.



They have more money now and they always did have more money in the old days too. They used to outspend us even when we were winning everything and they were also rans (that’s how I remember it anyway). It’s not about net spend - this is the thing that should be becoming obvious by now. Their net spend is currently miles ahead of ours - only City are further ahead - but it isn’t being spent wisely.
The fans are against Edwards and their walkout is against the club executives, not the manager or even the team.
That dynamic could take much longer to fix than one might imagine. Remember Mourinho was making noises about this as a pundit a few weeks ago - how well LFC and City are run and how that is the context within which the manager succeeds or fails.

[Taksin]

It’s completely typical for a club in their phase of development to have Sanchez on loan at 400k per week or whatever it is, Pogba under threat of being sold for the last few seasons, Wan Bissaka not turning out to be any good going forward.

Also, they are stalling on the deal for Fernandes - something that never used to happen with them. Is that because they are really fiscally disciplined or is because their hearts aren’t really in the deal? That, despite Nineteenx’s excellent scouting reports, they just aren’t sure whether he’d turn out to be yet another big flop.

[Nineteenx]

It’s completely typical for a club in their phase of development to have Sanchez on loan at 400k per week or whatever it is, Pogba under threat of being sold for the last few seasons, Wan Bissaka not turning out to be any good going forward.

Also, they are stalling on the deal for Fernandes - something that never used to happen with them. Is that because they are really fiscally disciplined or is because their hearts aren’t really in the deal? That, despite Nineteenx’s excellent scouting reports, they just aren’t sure whether he’d turn out to be yet another big flop.

They shouldn't spend any money until the summer, they should create a plan for how they want to play, stick with it, whoever they're playing, be brave, work out which players are going to perform which roles in the specifics of their system, go until the end of the season doing that to know which players can do what they want and the specific roles in that system, which players have the mentality to play it, and be building their summer transfer list from what they learn about the players they have and who can play as they want to and has the mentality and heart to play as they want to and go from there.

I'd say Fernandes would be a good player for any team, but all the players I really rate I do so because I can see where they would fit into our system, we have a system, they don't, and I can see how those players would benefit from playing and training with our current players and being surrounded daily by their mentality to continually work hard to improve, develop and evolve, all of it based on playing to a specific system and way of playing and developing and evolving the team and individually in their roles in it, the filthy don't have any of that.

In the filthy's current situation and environment and under their current manager and coaching team, there is a very real possibility that any big signing they make could slide backwards quite dramatically, which would make their situation even worse, the best thing they can do right now is not sign anyone, set out a very clear plan for how they want to play and what each players role is, go with that until the end of the season, then look to move out players and bring in players

Edit: Or, they could sack Solksjaer and his staff now and bring in Erik Ten Hag from Ajax or Simeone from Atletico for example and their coaching team and start afresh with a manager who has a system of playing and do as above until the summer

Rather than sign any more players their priority big signing should be a manager with a clear ethos of how he likes to play who'll stick with it and not pussio around sticking 11 men behind the ball every time he come up against a top side

[ianlfc]

Barca are now in talks with Fernandes. That should be a hard choice for the lad 😂😂

[Nineteenx]

Barca are now in talks with Fernandes. That should be a hard choice for the lad ����

:D :D :D Lolz lolz lolz

[ianlfc]

Lingard > Messi 😂😂

[Taksin]

Nineteenx, you’re talking about the decisions that need to go on upstairs. But they are currently incapable of making those decisions. That’s what’s behind their demise.

[Nineteenx]

Nineteenx, you’re talking about the decisions that need to go on upstairs. But they are currently incapable of making those decisions. That’s what’s behind their demise.

And long may that continue ;) Ole must stay and then when they belatedly sack him off after Rashford goes to Real in the summer, they should open the door for Mark Hughes to come back into management, knows the club, managed City, knows the importance of the rivalry, the perfect fit ;)

[Nineteenx]

Lol Solksjaer prattling on about the FA Cup and their treble, they won the league with 79 points :D :D Seventy Nine points it'd be very easy to go for every competition and rest or rotate a lot more in the league if you could win the League with 79 points, they were only 5 wins short of what it takes to win the League in the modern game, they also had a fully experienced squad with 2 or more recognised senior players of similar levels for every position

Part of me really wanted our lads to do the quintuple this season, just to shut the cunts up for good, because it would be absolutely unprecedented and likely never ever to be repeated, except maybe by our lads next season ;) but we don't roll with that size of squad or depth of squad by choice and I'm happy for us just to focus on the League and Champions League and give fringe players and a few of the less used first team squad the cup games, the domestic Cups just aren't worth the risk given the intensity and mentality you need to play with in every league and champions league game in the modern game, the bar's a lot higher,

The FA Cup would only ever be worth bothering about if we had favourable draws throughout and got to the quarters using only lesser used senior players and up and coming youngsters and the league was mathematically won by the time of the quarter finals, so we could rotate more in our last few league games, I'd never risk our best players otherwise, the League and Champions League come before everything else, always. It might be worth bothering with if we do expand our squad size of experienced players by 3 or 4 in anticipation of UEFA expanding the Champions League in the future and when our youngsters are a couple of years older having had the benefits of this season's experiences and next and we've recruited very well and players with very sparse injury history and had a good season in that respect with very few

The league then didn't have a good Liverpool side, a Man City, a Chelsea as they are now, a Wolves, a Leicester, a Sheffield United and the game wasn't as intense, there were easy league games and Champions League games back then in which you could rest 3 or 4, players still went out on a Friday night and played Saturday or Sunday, I know because I'd go out in Manc on a Friday 2002-2005 a see 4 or 5 of their lads in the club sharking now and then, in the modern game all the players have to eat, live and train like all the very best top athletes, and with internationals increased they rarely get a summer off or any rest and muscle injuries are far more common because of the levels of fitness athleticism and intensity

[dicko1969]

They have more money now and they always did have more money in the old days too. They used to outspend us even when we were winning everything and they were also rans (that’s how I remember it anyway). It’s not about net spend - this is the thing that should be becoming obvious by now. Their net spend is currently miles ahead of ours - only City are further ahead - but it isn’t being spent wisely.
The fans are against Edwards and their walkout is against the club executives, not the manager or even the team.
That dynamic could take much longer to fix than one might imagine. Remember Mourinho was making noises about this as a pundit a few weeks ago - how well LFC and City are run and how that is the context within which the manager succeeds or fails.
1980 MUTD spent £1.25m on Garry Birtles
1981 £1.5m on Robson
1981 £900k on Stapleton
1981 £450k Gidman
1981 £600k Moses
A whopping £3.4m+
1981-82 finished 3rd ; knocked our cups 2nd round and 3rd round

1981 we spent £575k on Johnston and £900k on Lawrenson

1981-82
League winners
European cup 1/4
League Cup winners

Man u used to out spend us through the 80s

Perhaps the exception in 1987 with the £3.2 m sale of Rush

And we bought £1.9m Beardsley £900k Barnes and £800k Aldo (earlier) and Houghton £800k (later)

And didnt we spend well 🙌

[dicko1969]

1989 ManU spent £6.5m+

Pallister Ince Wallace Neil Webb Mikd Phelan

1989 we made a £600k profit
(Hysen in / Aldo out)

[justincredible]

Oh dear oh dear.....

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51290264

[Taksin]

And we bought £1.9m Beardsley £900k Barnes and £800k Aldo (earlier) and Houghton £800k (later)

And didnt we spend well ��

When we bought Aldridge and Houghton from Oxford United I thought we were finished. Turns out our philosophy and method was still working a treat.

Yes, thanks for confirming they always were bigger spenders, even in the pre-Premiership era when they were still under performers. When the Premiership was invented, with all the new TV rights and exposure to the TV fan from Surrey, they were perfectly placed to capitalise. Luckily for them Ferguson turned out to be a genius at the 11th hour but their ownership-business-development model was perfect for the time. Ours was an anachronism. We hadn't caught up.

Now they still have the Premiership / Sky era, they have had excellent, arguably genius managers but they are all at sea upstairs. Their model looks like it is falling apart. I can only speculate that when an organisation has success, people get lazy, complacent. They think all that's needed is to be Man Utd and all the best players will just show up. But the current era includes the oligarchs and Arab states - that's new. We are looking like the only team to point towards a different model - the US franchise type model when excellent planning and market awareness triumphs pure big money.

Even Barca and Real look to be fading in the current market. It will be interesting to see which models start to rise. I don't know much about Juventus but they seem to be making a long term improvement at the moment. And then there's also luck and fate. Most on here, including me, thought our team wasn't good enough to win the league this year. I'm not sure exactly why it turned out the way it did, but the club seems to be on top of things.

[miller0863]

Utd fans behaving like total scum.

Who’d have thought it ...

[Steveo]

An overview of the top spending English clubs by decade


Decade: 1970s
Top Spending Club: Arsenal
Amount Spent: £1.9 million
Trophies: 4

Notable signing:*Pat Jennings*f
Overview:*The dawn of the 70s was a decade of firsts for the North London club. In 1970 they won their first ever European trophy, the prestigious Inter-Cities Fair Cup. The following year the Gunners achieved their first League and Cup double. However, after such a strong start to the decade, Arsenal somewhat faltered. Though they did pick up near the end of the 70s reaching 3 FA Cup finals in a row. A win in the '79 final, sandwiched in between two final defeats in '78 and '80. They also missed the chance to claim another European trophy, losing on penalties to Valencia in the European Cup Winner's Cup Final in 1980 (although that's a completely different decade)....*transitions onto the 80s



Decade: 1980s
Top Spending Club: Everton
Amount Spent: £11.7 million
Trophies: 8

Notable signing:*Gary Lineker*
Overview:*The 80s, a decade of questionable haircuts, equally questionable music but also a decade of Merseyside dominance in English football. The Toffees won their first trophy of the decade in the shape of the FA Cup in 1984 under manager Howard Kendall. The following year they won the league, with neighbours Liverpool in 2nd place. That same year Everton won their first (and only) European trophy, the European Cup Winners cup in Rotterdam. An historic treble was on the cards, if it weren't for Norman Whiteside's goal for Man Utd in the FA Cup final. Everton would have entered the European cup but all English clubs were banned from Europe after the Heysel disaster. In 1986 Everton lost out on both the FA Cup final and the league to Liverpool (finishing 2 points behind them). Evertonians were starting to get used to travelling to Wembley, where they hold the bizarre record of winning 4 Community Shields in a row in '84, '85, '86 and '87. In 1987 Everton got their revenge when they beat Liverpool to the league title again. In 1989 they lost again to city neighbours Liverpool in the FA Cup final. It was a famous but emotional final where both sets of supporters were still in shock from the Hillsborough disaster that occurred a month before hand. Unfortunately for Everton they declined just as soon as the Premier League era money was coming in, and the 90s were not a pleasant decade for the blues...*transitions onto the 90s



Decade: 1990s
Top Spending Club: Newcastle
Amount Spent: £109.8 million
Trophies: 0

Notable signing:*Alan Shearer*
Overview:*Newcastle started the decade in Division 2, languishing there for 3 years until promotion to the Premier League in 1993 under Kevin Keegan. In their first year back in the top flight they finished a very respectable 3rd. The following season Newcastle claim so close to winning their first trophy in donkeys years (their last being the same year man first landed on the moon). At one stage in the season Keegan's men were 12 points clear of Man Utd, but they somewhat imploded and finished 4 points behind Fergie. The year after they finished runners-up again, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time. Keegan left in '97 and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, who was later replaced by Ruud Gullit. Although they declined in the league, the Magpies reached 2 FA Cup finals in a row, losing to the double winning Arsenal side in 1998 and the treble winning Man Utd side in 1999. In the early 2000s under Sir Bobby Robson they qualified for the champions league again, however since then their fortunes have "varied" to put it nicely.



Decade: 2000’s
Top Spending Club: Chelsea
Amount Spent: £529.7 million
Trophies: 11

Notable signing:*Didier Drogba*
Overview:*Contrary to popular belief on here, Chelsea did exist before 2003. In fact in the 90s they were a strong cup side winning an FA Cup, a League Cup, a European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup. Then in 2000 they won the last ever FA Cup final to be played at the Old Wembley via a famous Di Matteo goal. In 2003, a certain Jesper Grønkjær goal which gave Chelsea Champions League qualification might have influenced a certain Russian to take over the club, who a year later appointed a certain Portuguese manager to the club. Under Mourinho Chelsea won the Premier League in his first season, the blues first league title since 1955. The following year they won the league again, becoming the fifth club to win the league back to back since WW2. Mourinho also won the League Cup in 2005 and 2 FA Cups in 2005 and 2007. In a shock move Mourinho left the club in 2007 and was replaced by Avram Grant. Grant led the club to their first Champions League final, in Moscow. A final to forget for Chelsea, which will be remembered for John Terry's famous slip in the penalty shoot out. In 2009 under Guus Hiddink they won the FA Cup again. The following decade however was a hard decade for Chelsea fans, they won the Champions League, the Premier League twice, the FA Cup twice, the Europa League and the League Cup once, added on top of that they finished a meagre 11th in the 2015/16 Premier League season.



Decade: 2010 - 2015
Top Spending Club: Manchester City
Amount Spent: £665.1 million
Trophies: 5

Notable signing:*Sergio Agüero*
Overview:*Although the decade is only half way through it's course, Manchester City have already spent more than the teams from the last 4 decades combined. With similarities to the last club we discussed, in 2008 Man City were taken over by this bloke from Abu Dhabi who had a bit of cash. In 2009 City spent nearly 100 million on world class players such as Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor,and Joleon Lescott. In December 2009, Sparky was replaced by an Italian who went by the name of Roberto Mancini. In 2011, Man City beat neighbours Man Utd in the FA Cup semi-final to set up a final against Stoke. They won that final 1-0 in doing so winning their first trophy since 1976. It didn't stop there. The following season City trailed United by 8 points with only 6 games to play. However with 3 games left to play Man Utd fucked up against Everton drawing 4-4 and suddenly City were back in it. A game later was the Manchester Derby where City took control of the title race after a resounding header by Vincent Kompany. In the final game of the season, not much happened, I think Aguero scored? and City beat QPR comfortably and won the title (their first since 1968). A year after that they fucked up in the FA Cup final and somehow lost to Wigan Athletic, bye bye Mancini. He was replaced by Manuel Pellegrini who won the league cup and league title with City in the 2013/14 season. Manuel will have to thank Steven Gerrard for that league title, it was his fuck up against Chelsea that made it possible.



An interesting take...

Newcastle seem to be the only genuine anomaly... They got close - but no cigar..

[Taksin]

Poor Everton

[Nineteenx]

Oh dear oh dear.....

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51290264

It's going to be funny seeing Neville, Keane and Ferdinand being bundled into the back of a police van, they were likely the ring leaders :D

[dicko1969]

2009/10 through to January 2020
Manchester City have spent approximately

£1.5 BILLION

[dicko1969]

10 Trophies

[dicko1969]

£1.5BILLION SPENT
£435MILLION INCOMING

NET SPEND £1.065 BILLION

SEASON 2009/10 to January 2020

[Taksin]

Odion Ighalo

[fiordearg]

38 points ahead of them

[Nineteenx]

Let's not forget they used to get away with shit like this and worse numerous times over the course of every single season when Ferguson was there, penalties for dives, penalties not given for blatantly mistimed challenges in the box, offside goals given etc etc etc

xowj6Qx78so

[Nineteenx]

Also when bitter Keane was losing it with Carra and Souness winding him up after our recent 2-0 bumming of the filthy and he piped up, and I quote "Well teams can win the Champions League now without even winning the league!" why did neither of them slap him down and remind him that his lot are forever harping back to their treble when 79 points was good enough to win the Premier League, pre Chelsea and pre City and there was no VAR and decisions most definitely did NOT 'even themselves out over the season' and guess what, they finished 2nd in 97/98 :D :D :D

[Nineteenx]

I'll be absolutely ecstatic if we win the league and retain the Champions League this season, I would be absolutely over the moon if we could win the League, retain Champions League and win the FA Cup and complete an unprecedented quintuple, that would shut the cunts up forever, all of them not just the filthy, imagine a team pulling that off in the game as it is today, it would be absolutely incredible :D

[dicko1969]

Also when bitter Keane was losing it with Carra and Souness winding him up after our recent 2-0 bumming of the filthy and he piped up, and I quote "Well teams can win the Champions League now without even winning the league!" why did neither of them slap him down and remind him that his lot are forever harping back to their treble when 79 points was good enough to win the Premier League, pre Chelsea and pre City and there was no VAR and decisions most definitely did NOT 'even themselves out over the season' and guess what, they finished 2nd in 97/98 :D :D :D

So of Real Madrids 7 champions league wins we should take away 4 wins because they hadn't won the league

Chelsea too didnt win the Champions League either

Hmmm makes sense

Bit like liverpool being called liverpool; when if VAR was introduced; we would have won the league in 2009 2014 and 2019

Bit like the premier league is a shit level this year... even if man u and man c have spent near a billion pound over the last 5 years to win it

Or like we are lucky liverpool
Hmm again city and united scoring last minute goals to win the league or champions league

[dicko1969]

*LiVARpool

[Nineteenx]

*LiVARpool

Lol :D with the VAR decisions we've had against us that have been game changing this season, and we've just got on with it and overcome it to get the win except for at old toilet when it ended in a draw, I can't help but laugh that some opposition fans call us that, I'm not talking about VAR ruling something out because it was a clear and obvious error, I'm talking about ones VAR got badly wrong that went against us, not ruling out goals/penalties that were scored/given as a result of clear and obvious errors by referees and ruling out goals as a clear and obvious error when the ref had made the right call, the Rashford goal at old toilet was a clear and obvious error as there was a very clear foul on Origi, the Bobby goal at Anfield was incorrectly ruled as a clear and obvious error when the ref had got it right for example

I've always been fair when it comes to decisions, always called it if/when we've got away with one, which hasn't been very often at all, most of our fans are pretty straight about it too

[Balinkay]

I'll never forget that insane red card Masch got against United for smiling at the ref. Such a disgrace.

[Taksin]

The one that gets me is when Hyppia was sent off at Old Trafford. He made a genuine attempt to get the ball well inside the box, he caught the player. They got the penalty. That was enough punishment. He got sent off because he was the last man in on goal but they were about 4 yards from the line so it was impossible for anyone else to be closer to the goal. A surreal decision inside the first quarter of the game.

[Nineteenx]

The time they got a pen for an absolutely brilliant and perfect tackle on Valencia by Hendo, I was absolutely livid, because the tackle was just perfection, Hendo was steaming after him, he slid alongside him, not through him, and as Valencia was about to pull the trigger to put the ball across the face he turned his footwards at the ankle knocking it away from him, Valencia threw himself to ground as the filthy's players always do - penalty, when we should have all been talking about an absolutely incredible tackle

[Nineteenx]

A game of their v Fulham in the 08/09 run in I think, Ferdinand takes their player out, he's last man, penalty, yellow card when it should have been red, then with the scores level he does it again, last man takes their lad out, should have been a nailed on pen and another straight red, impossible to give the pen and not book his again at least, so the ref waves it away, Ronaldo goes up the other end and scores a late winner for the filthy

You should youtube the game they ended Arsenal's unbeaten run, an absolute fucking disgrace of refereeing from Mike Riley, let challenges go that were a straight red even then, let tactical fouls and persistent fouls go all game, literally let them kick them off the pitch, I think it was Phil Neville's foul count was 21 :eek: he belatedly booked him with about a minute of the game left AND gave them a penalty that was never a pen for a Rooney dive. Even as a lifelong Liverpool fan I had a soft spot for that Arsenal team as they were just a great football team and really good to watch, shhhhh don't tell anyone ;)

[Insidious]

Agger on Berbatov.

Kenny's return.

[ianlfc]

Roy Carroll in goals for them and the ball was over the line about 1 metre and the goal wasn't given.
No one got more dodgy decisions than them over the last 30 years. A funny coincidence that.

[Balinkay]

Roy Carroll in goals for them and the ball was over the line about 1 metre and the goal wasn't given.
No one got more dodgy decisions than them over the last 30 years. A funny coincidence that.

The thing is, there were wrong decisions that went against them too. Maybe even the same number. Yet somehow you always got the feeling a decision went against them it was when they were either winning or losting 4-0 but when one went for them it was always in a tight game that could go either way. Funny that.

[justme]

Roy Carroll in goals for them and the ball was over the line about 1 metre and the goal wasn't given.
No one got more dodgy decisions than them over the last 30 years. A funny coincidence that.

Tottenham got robbed badly about 3 years running against Man-united at old Trafford, including the ball which was miles over the line.

[ianlfc]

I guess we all as opposing fans remember what we want too 😂😂
And now opposing fans think it's us who's getting the rub of the green.

Though if you look at the bigger picture and see were we've come from in less than 10 years without Oil money or on the back of 30 years off success, it's slightly deserving in my eyes.

[dicko1969]

Roy Carroll in goals for them and the ball was over the line about 1 metre and the goal wasn't given.
No one got more dodgy decisions than them over the last 30 years. A funny coincidence that.

Yep remember that one v Spurs
It's so far over its embarrassing

[justincredible]

Just seeing the title of this thread puts me in good form every day. Hahaha.....

[Balinkay]

I guess we all as opposing fans remember what we want too ����
And now opposing fans think it's us who's getting the rub of the green.

Though if you look at the bigger picture and see were we've come from in less than 10 years without Oil money or on the back of 30 years off success, it's slightly deserving in my eyes.

I'm sure we do. I'd be interested in a proper study into this. It might be fun to play around with the stats and see what comes up.

[ianlfc]

I'm sure we do. I'd be interested in a proper study into this. It might be fun to play around with the stats and see what comes up.

Us liverpool fans jokingly calling ourselves " The Unbearables " and it getting up everyone's noses, says it all 😂😂

[redebreck]

Us liverpool fans jokingly calling ourselves " The Unbearables " and it getting up everyone's noses, says it all 😂😂

I can remember clearly, about ten years ago, walking past a man Utd fan, in our small town, wearing a Liverpool scarf, or hat.
The filthy fan had a great laugh at our expense. Being from this town he's probably never been to a proper football match in his life.
Wonder if he still "supports" them?

[murii]

Does anyone remember the United supporter who used to post here a few years ago? I think Quintuple was his username. Anyone know what happened to him?

[Nineteenx]

Does anyone remember the United supporter who used to post here a few years ago? I think Quintuple was his username. Anyone know what happened to him?

He obviously disappeared when they started being shit as one would expect

[justme]

Does anyone remember the United supporter who used to post here a few years ago? I think Quintuple was his username. Anyone know what happened to him?

There was one called trebble99 or something like that as well

[Nineteenx]

There was one called trebble99 or something like that as well

He was a proper dick too, I would never in a million years even consider joining another clubs forum and lurking around trying to act like a smug knobhead, that behaviour takes being obsessed with other teams to a ridiculous level, surely you'd rather spend your time on forums with your own fans discussing your own players. I join in with it here a bit of course, but that's between our own fans and a fine bit of banter and lolz after all the shit they've given us, I actually really don't give a fuck about any of the other teams, I'm far more interested in our lads and manager. I take more of an interest in teams like Wolves, Sheffield UTD and Southampton, with decent football people as managers, who are building something up, going about it the right way and who treat us and our fans with the respect our manager and fans treat them, they interest me

[justme]

Yep, I only looked on the blue moon forum when Red Noodle mentioned how they are acting over there!. I would never consider thinking of joining another football teams forum.
When someone does it, Ie these clowns like trebble99 and quintuple only come to gloat. they vanish quicker than a rat up a drain pipe when things are going pear shaped.

[teesred]

There was one called trebble99 or something like that as well

Thats going back a long,long time. There was one called tigerman too. Quintuple was actually a decent poster. I think he was from Germany.

[Nineteenx]

Thats going back a long,long time. There was one called tigerman too. Quintuple was actually a decent poster. I think he was from Germany.

Maybe Quintuple was Jurgen trolling us to get Rodgers out so he could deliver the quintuple in 2020 :D :D :D

[teesred]

Maybe Quintuple was Jurgen trolling us to get Rodgers out so he could deliver the quintuple in 2020 :D :D :D

Lolzness. You could be onto something there fella.

[eggy81]

He was a proper dick too, I would never in a million years even consider joining another clubs forum and lurking around trying to act like a smug knobhead, that behaviour takes being obsessed with other teams to a ridiculous level, surely you'd rather spend your time on forums with your own fans discussing your own players. I join in with it here a bit of course, but that's between our own fans and a fine bit of banter and lolz after all the shit they've given us, I actually really don't give a fuck about any of the other teams, I'm far more interested in our lads and manager. I take more of an interest in teams like Wolves, Sheffield UTD and Southampton, with decent football people as managers, who are building something up, going about it the right way and who treat us and our fans with the respect our manager and fans treat them, they interest me

Well you should see the amount of lfc fans on red cafe.

[eggy81]

Thats going back a long,long time. There was one called tigerman too. Quintuple was actually a decent poster. I think he was from Germany.
Who was the other united fan. It was just a fellas name if I remember correctly. Possibly a surname. He was a sound cunt.

[LFC-DPG]

Thats going back a long,long time. There was one called tigerman too. Quintuple was actually a decent poster. I think he was from Germany.

Quintuple was a nob. Only ever showed up when United were winning.

[teesred]

Quintuple was a nob. Only ever showed up when United were winning.
I thought he was okay. Always up for reasonable debate in my experience.

[teesred]

Who was the other united fan. It was just a fellas name if I remember correctly. Possibly a surname. He was a sound cunt.

Cant remember mate, Tigerman and Treble99 are going back a good 13 years. Remember them being around after the Athens final.

[justincredible]

I thought he was okay. Always up for reasonable debate in my experience.

He was a knob. He came on here one day with; "Which (insert expensive) watch shall I wear today?"
A proper creepy wankbag......

[teesred]

He was a knob. He came on here one day with; "Which (insert expensive) watch shall I wear today?"
A proper creepy wankbag......

Aw howay we've all done that at some point. Phhhhhhhttttt.

[dicko1969]

Treble 1984 and 2001 (Quintuple) much better itk

[Insidious]

Here is an XI made of players that United have signed (and subsequently let go) since Fergie left.

With a few extras for squad depth.

..................Valdes

....Darmian.....Rojo......Blind

.........Herrera..........Fellaini

Depay.........Mkhitaryan.......Di Maria

..........Sanchez.........Lukaku

Zaha
Ibrahimovic
Schweinsteiger
Falcao
Schneiderlin

Chuckle! :hopelessness:

[skyebo]

Here is an XI made of players that United have signed (and subsequently let go) since Fergie left.

With a few extras for squad depth.

..................Valdes

....Darmian.....Rojo......Blind

.........Herrera..........Fellaini

Depay.........Mkhitaryan.......Di Maria

..........Sanchez.........Lukaku

Zaha
Ibrahimovic
Schweinsteiger
Falcao
Schneiderlin

Chuckle! :hopelessness:

That's what happens when you keep replacing the managers.

[Insidious]

That's what happens when you keep replacing the managers.

Roy could steady the ship.

[skyebo]

Roy could steady the ship.

lol

[Nineteenx]

Roy could steady the ship.

Yes yes YES get the Owl in, the filthy will be celebrating famous draws against Brighton at Old Toilet before you know it

rjxseHuUSYI

[Balinkay]

That's what happens when you keep replacing the managers.

That doesn't even look like a bad team in all honesty. Ok, their defense in suspect, but I recon they'd do well in the PL.

[sydenham red]

Who was the other united fan. It was just a fellas name if I remember correctly. Possibly a surname. He was a sound cunt.

Tony Smith

[RedNoodle]

C***Nipple, Treble99 and Tigerman were all massive ****s.

The only decent rival fan we've had on here was that Arsenal fan, and he hardly ever posted.

[RedNoodle]

Well you should see the amount of lfc fans on red cafe.

There are fans from lots of different clubs on there and to be honest it's all the better for it. They are still biased/bitter as ****, but at least they have others who pull them up from time to time on their bs.

They keep talking of "having a mass cull of Scousers" if/when we finally win the title, so it will be interesting to see what they do. Our fans won't have to say one word as the Mancs will be seething even without anyone rubbing it in.

[eggy81]

Tony Smith

That's him. He was a good poster if I recall correctly

[eggy81]

There are fans from lots of different clubs on there and to be honest it's all the better for it. They are still biased/bitter as ****, but at least they have others who pull them up from time to time on their bs.

They keep talking of "having a mass cull of Scousers" if/when we finally win the title, so it will be interesting to see what they do. Our fans won't have to say one word as the Mancs will be seething even without anyone rubbing it in.

I get that it's full of posters3frim other teams. I think the general foot section of it makes great reading at times. Point I'm making is that there feck all of them on our forums that i can see. Theres a hundred kopites on there.

[RedNoodle]

I get that it's full of posters3frim other teams. I think the general foot section of it makes great reading at times. Point I'm making is that there feck all of them on our forums that i can see. Theres a hundred kopites on there.

Well comparatively speaking this forum is quite small. Rival fans will tend to gravitate towards RAWK, Red Cafe, Blue Moon, Glory Glory/The Fighting Cock etc. On those forums rival fans are either not tolerated at all, or they are given a short, sharp, shrift if they dare say anything 'out of line'.

The most tolerant of those that do allow rival fans is definitely 'Red Cafe'.

[justme]

The fighting cock is a football forum? should be porn site more likely

[Taksin]

currently only forty two points behind us

[Insidious]

currently only forty two points behind us

Questions for them are -

1. Can they finish 5th (or higher) in 19/20?
2. Can they win the Europa League in 19/20?
3. Can they finish 5th or higher in 20/21?
4. Can they finish 5th or higher in 21/22?

Only really takes one season of finishing in the Champion's League to allow an opportunity to stabilise and re-build - we began our own re-build this way - but it's doing it in the first place.

They can still spend more than most, but it would be delicious if they could fluff things for a couple more seasons.

They are somewhat incredibly 10th in the UEFA co-efficient with 87 points (it really rewards consistent knock-out appearances - Arsenal are 9th with 89 points) which isn't far behind ourselves, currently 8th with 99 points (being "weighed down" by the points tally of zero in 16/17, which we can "cut off" in 2 seasons time) which will allow them decent seeding provided they can maintain a non-laughable level.

[Insidious]

Tough fixtures for them yet to come in the League, but if they get an away win against Brugge on Thursday, they will be really buoyed that they have two relatively realistic paths to Champion's League football next season.

The inconsistency of Chelsea and Spurs combined with the potential ruling with City has really let them in.

[teesred]

The City situation will come to nothing. Its absolutely nailed on they'll get off with the ban.
Spurs are picking up points more consistently than Utd are, they're a better side so I see them finishing 4th.
Chelsea need to sort their shit out big time. 5th place tussle now between them, Utd and Arsenal I'd say.

[Nineteenx]

The City situation will come to nothing. Its absolutely nailed on they'll get off with the ban.

It really isn't

[teesred]

It really isn't

It absolutely is. Nobody involved in football thinks it's going to happen.

[justme]

Would be good to see what happens if Man-united finish 5th and this drags on until June/July..And how they react at Old Trafford
I can see Man-city getting the ban reduced. If its reduced to a year that's kind of acceptable. But ending up just a fine , then its just a waste of time and effort from Uefa

[Nineteenx]

Would be good to see what happens if Man-united finish 5th and this drags on until June/July..And how they react at Old Trafford
I can see Man-city getting the ban reduced. If its reduced to a year that's kind of acceptable. But ending up just a fine , then its just a waste of time and effort from Uefa

I don't see them getting any less than a season, hopefully UEFA insist on the 2 season ban, they're bang to rights, I don't see how any amount of money spent of lawyers can get the decision overturned, money in suitcases maybe, but no amount spent on lawyers challenging due process will help them

[teesred]

Would be good to see what happens if Man-united finish 5th and this drags on until June/July..And how they react at Old Trafford
I can see Man-city getting the ban reduced. If its reduced to a year that's kind of acceptable. But ending up just a fine , then its just a waste of time and effort from Uefa

UEFA are a waste of time full stop. They've done nothing in terms of racism and fan violence in Italy towards away supporters so I genuinely don't see them following through with this on City. They wont lose face by backing down as they lost it a long time ago anyway.
Most fans and even players have them down as a bunch of bent out of touch organisation anyway just like FIFA.

[justme]

UEFA are a waste of time full stop. They've done nothing in terms of racism and fan violence in Italy towards away supporters so I genuinely don't see them following through with this on City. They wont lose face by backing down as they lost it a long time ago anyway.
Most fans and even players have them down as a bunch of bent out of touch organisation anyway just like FIFA.
Yep,The fooball world only cares about whos has the most money.We see Jurgen often mentioning how much football players have to endure. Mane hasn't had a rest in THREE years.And yet UEFA wants to make the champions league even bigger.
How about dealing with the stuff you mentioned first?? Corrupt bastards.
And furthermore, Man-city have been diddling the books for years. How any team can afford to pay 100 million on 2 full backs alone. Is very questionable to say the least

[justme]

I don't see them getting any less than a season, hopefully UEFA insist on the 2 season ban, they're bang to rights, I don't see how any amount of money spent of lawyers can get the decision overturned, money in suitcases maybe, but no amount spent on lawyers challenging due process will help them
I hope your right, time will tell,

[teesred]

Yep,The fooball world only cares about whos has the most money.We see Jurgen often mentioning how much football players have to endure. Mane hasn't had a rest in THREE years.And yet UEFA wants to make the champions league even bigger.
How about dealing with the stuff you mentioned first?? Corrupt bastards.
And furthermore, Man-city have been diddling the books for years. How any team can afford to pay 100 million on 2 full backs alone. Is very questionable to say the least

They've broken rules no doubt, I just don't them UEFA are powerful enough now to carry this through and I think its them trying to flex and show they still have some balls left. City are an easy charge, they don't have the clout of the big clubs.
Theres another argument to this also and it's what Neville was saying earlier. How is any team supposed to challenge the top clubs without investment? There has to be cash pumped in somewhere if they aren't already part of the elite. Our current situation has been a divine blend of luck and design.
If City had just curbed it a little it probably wouldn't have been so severe, also their failure to co-operate has bitten them on the arse. Their arrogance in all this is why theres little sympathy. This could have been Chelsea 15 years ago because they did exactly the same thing.

[Nineteenx]

From being outside the top four and Champions League we've come back without massive investment, AND FSG have built our revenue streams massively and made sure we're run like a top club, we made our come back without those advantages as they've only reached the top club levels of those in the last 2 seasons, so that pretty much pisses all over the argument that clubs can't compete without massive investment. There's a much stronger argument against the UAE FC's and PSGs that although there's more and more TV money going to all clubs which would enable them to compete, those 2 are massively inflating the transfer and wages of players and are the ones more likely to make it nigh on impossible for other clubs to move up living within their means and being very well run despite the considerably larger amounts of funds from TV all clubs now receive

[Nineteenx]

You've got to laugh at saddo Keane, he was at it again on Sky today trying to load a combined team with their shower from 99, trust me, just go and watch a few youtubes and watch the standard of play in a lot of those games. Not being bad because it's them, but the game's moved on so much and it's never seen anything like the team pressing and numerous different ways of playing this Liverpool side has, I've never seen anything like it in 42 years of watching football, honestly in today's football a really good Championship side would turn that 99 filthy side over, a half decent Premier League side would easily put 2 or 3 past them, Hoever now makes Staam of 99 look bang average and our current side would absolute destroy them. Our team who knocked Everton out of the cup would destroy them, never mind our best 11.

[Taksin]

:*(

[Insidious]

:*(

Everton, City, Spurs, Sheffield their next League games.

Still feel their best chance of Champion's League qualification is a Europa League win as opposed to qualification via a good League finish.

[Nineteenx]

Everton, City, Spurs, Sheffield their next League games.

Still feel their best chance of Champion's League qualification is a Europa League win as opposed to qualification via a good League finish.

Got a feeling after all the underperforming Wolves have done against them in their league and Carabao Cup meetings they will meet Wolves in the Europa league and get bummed

Edit: Also, as back in whiskey faces day with officials, they won't have our referee's association ManchestVAR to rely on when they meet Wolves in the Europa League

[jozza800]

You've got to laugh at saddo Keane, he was at it again on Sky today trying to load a combined team with their shower from 99, trust me, just go and watch a few youtubes and watch the standard of play in a lot of those games. Not being bad because it's them, but the game's moved on so much and it's never seen anything like the team pressing and numerous different ways of playing this Liverpool side has, I've never seen anything like it in 42 years of watching football, honestly in today's football a really good Championship side would turn that 99 filthy side over, a half decent Premier League side would easily put 2 or 3 past them, Hoever now makes Staam of 99 look bang average and our current side would absolute destroy them. Our team who knocked Everton out of the cup would destroy them, never mind our best 11.

Behave.

[Nineteenx]

Behave.

Oh I am behaving, you might wish to go back and watch some youtubes of games in that season so you are able to see the huge disparity in the quality of overall play and players.

The organisation, tactical play, pressing and counter pressing, analysis based knowledge of how best to deal with certain players and on opposition set pieces is light years ahead of where it was then in the current game.

Look at the full backs and consider how many players of the abilities players currently have now they would have regularly faced, name them if you can, there were barely any if any at all Mane's, Salah's, Jota's, Traore's, Rashford's, Mahrez's, Sterling's, B Silva's, Sane's, Willian's or even Saha's, Hudson-Odoi's

Lots of exerts of Staam's defending, he was great in his day, but lots of mistakes, lots of him getting beaten easily, by players with lesser abilities than the above.

Look at the time players were afforded on the ball, the kind of pressing we see in today's game wasn't even in the game then, they would be beaten soundly by most sides in the top half of the current table.

It's why I think combined teams and comparisons like that are daft, the game constantly moves on, fitness levels and athleticism are far greater in the modern game also, the analysis and tactical play and set ups, all of it.

I look at the standards of the game in both eras, look at the evolution of the game and players in all aspects and genuinely believe our 11 would simply destroy them, Mane, Salah and Bobby in combination are miles better than anything they ever faced and individually. Our press and counter press would simply destroy that side

[Nineteenx]

Also, no idea why Carra didn't set Keane straight, on two separate occassions, Keane has asked what Liverpool have won this season, they've already won the Super Cup and WCC, trophies you can only win both of by virtue of being European Champions, Keane can't simply discount them because Whiskey faces side only managed 2 Champions League wins to be able to compete in them in his 26 years at the filthy, they are more important trophies than the FA or Carabao Cup

[eggy81]

This I'd the single greatest team in the history of football. Period. No other team comes close.

[Kev0909]

This I'd the single greatest team in the history of football. Period. No other team comes close.

Does that mean if atletico knock us out they're the greatest team ever?

[eggy81]

Does that mean if atletico knock us out they're the greatest team ever?
Suppose it must. We haven't even won a league title yet and peeps ate losing their shit about us so it must be the same for them.

[Nineteenx]

Does that mean if atletico knock us out they're the greatest team ever?

Stupid pedantic question as ever, were that to happen, which is incredibly unlikely, do Atletico have an incredible run of wins and performances over 2 consecutive seasons in their domestic league, a Champions League win. A CWC and Super Cup win playing an incredible brand of football as part of that? No so it very obviously wouldn't make them that

[Kev0909]

Stupid pedantic question as ever, were that to happen, which is incredibly unlikely, do Atletico have an incredible run of wins and performances over 2 consecutive seasons in their domestic league, a Champions League win. A CWC and Super Cup win playing an incredible brand of football as part of that? No so it very obviously wouldn't make them that

not really people need to calm the fuck down, and go and "bum" yourself boring childish shite

To be the best team ever, it would take a few years of winning everything to say the least

how can you can call us the best team ever just from a season or 2, last season champions league, this season prem sure, what if we get knocked out of champions league early?

What if we don't win anything next season?

1/2 seasons doesn't make it the best team EVER in history of mankind, that's a huge statement

We've only just started getting top 2 constantly long may it continue but a bit early to be so dramatic yet, if it was another club in our situation, we'd not be agreeing with them would we, if they posted about being the best team ever after a couple of seasons.

I can't be arsed to go looking for facts, and stats but the best team ever surely was winning titles on a very consistent basis / europe.

Won't argue with you simply put there's no point arguing with someone that will post 1000 times, I don't have time for it sadly! enjoy your day.

[Nineteenx]

There are plenty of sides incorrectly viewed as great sides through playing in a one team league financially and in their ability to attract better players who given their considerable advantages should have been A LOT further ahead of other teams in their league with their brand of football and in the points tallies they were able to amass and who didn't challenge for top European honours nearly enough who often just scraped landing trophies because their managers weren't ever able to develop a style of play that changed the game

Shankly did it, Paisley evolved it

Klopp has now done that, now he needs to add more trophies sure, but this side are a far better side than many who are falsely rated great sides who had massive advantages in their favour this side has not benefited from

[dicko1969]

Does that mean if atletico knock us out they're the greatest team ever?

If that happens

Will the haters think our fantastic and historic season was a failure?

[justincredible]

We now have 79 points. The same as the 'great' Utd '99 team. It is still only February......

Let that sink in.....

[LEGS]

If that happens

Will the haters think our fantastic and historic season was a failure?

Let them think/say it I am up for failing by only winning the league !

Its great as LOTS of fans loved mocking us for it and they cant now the title is in the bag.

[Insidious]

Sky actually did a half-decent list of the best English sides since the 60s on Monday Night Football. Was pleasantly surprised.

They agreed that there isn't a perfect system and that it was subject to debate, but they analysed sides over a 3-year period and assigned points for certain accomplishments over 3 years to see who had the most and ranked them accordingly.

Where sides "missed out" in some way they pointed it out ("if it was over a 4-year spell you include X trophy") etc but they were using 3 years due to City being potentially into a 3rd year of excellence and Liverpool having the capacity to have 3 excellent years too.

Give it a watch when it goes on YouTube - it's one of the more fun things they have done for a while.

[Kev0909]

If that happens

Will the haters think our fantastic and historic season was a failure?

Maybe the proper retards, but I don't see how it could be.

It's crazy to think though how many games we've won by a goal or so, there's not been many big wins not that it matters, just weird, don't think i've seen anything like it

[justme]

Maybe the proper retards, but I don't see how it could be.

It's crazy to think though how many games we've won by a goal or so, there's not been many big wins not that it matters, just weird, don't think i've seen anything like it

That's how games of football works! you win games by scoring 1 more than the opponents. Its funny that eh?
Still think Tottenham will finish above us?

[Insidious]

It's crazy to think though how many games we've won by a goal or so, there's not been many big wins not that it matters, just weird, don't think i've seen anything like it

At work and no access to a PC but I would imagine 04/05 and 05/06 Chelsea would have a decent number of wins in such a manner.

[skyebo]

At work and no access to a PC but I would imagine 04/05 and 05/06 Chelsea would have a decent number of wins in such a manner.

Chelsea had a great back line then, I bet Mourinho wishes he had one half as good as that now.

[Insidious]

Man United October-December 2019 finances -

Revenue down almost 20% year-on-year to £168.4m due to not being in the Champions League.

Debt rises 23% to £391.3m

Lovely stuff. Would be massive if we could win the Champion's League again, increase the gap.

[Balinkay]

Let's get past Simeone's boys first.

I'm dreading that game more and more.

[Kev0909]

Let's get past Simeone's boys first.

I'm dreading that game more and more.

Same

but you know what, when have we done it easy?

[Nineteenx]

Let's get past Simeone's boys first.

I'm dreading that game more and more.

We'll beat them by the required margin

[CCTV]

If that happens

Will the haters think our fantastic and historic season was a failure?


The season wouldn't be a failure, but it'd be disappointing if they knock us out.

[Insidious]

Let's get past Simeone's boys first.

I'm dreading that game more and more.

Believe me Bali, taking nothing for granted, just presenting a hypothetical - if we were excelling at a time United were declining then it really catalyses the process of us getting beyond them and leaving them in the Dust.

[dicko1969]

We've only conceded 17 goals in the league

[miller0863]

If we win at Watford and Utd lose at Everton, we will have exactly double their points tally after 28 games in fifth place, 82-41. Has the gap ever been bigger between us and them after 28 games I wonder, or even between 1st and 5th.

[miller0863]

I see Utd have turned another corner.

That’s nice.

Pity they’re in a maze.

[Steveo]

@ Everyone... You never know in football. Fergie started worse than Ole..

[Insidious]

I see Utd have turned another corner.

That’s nice.

Pity they’re in a maze.

Fa Cup quarter-finalists.
Europa League last-16.
3 points off 4th.
5th may be enough for Champion's League football.

Only takes Champion's League football and cash in the right area for a couple of windows for them to become an annoyance again.

Don't see them winning the League in the next 3-5 seasons, but I frankly was rather hoping they would go 5 seasons in a row without Champion's League football - looks less likely now, seeing as Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal seemingly can't get anything together.

Come on Wolves! Come on Sheffield!

[pob]

The season wouldn't be a failure, but it'd be disappointing if they knock us out.

For a first league title in 30 years I'd gladly watch Atletico bum us 10-0

[LFC-DPG]

For a first league title in 30 years I'd gladly watch Atletico bum us 10-0

Me too.

[teesred]

I see Utd have turned another corner.

That’s nice.

Pity they’re in a maze.

Exactly. Doesn't take much for the hype train to start up again. They got a result against a City side that have thrown the towel in on the title ages ago.
If City are only a few points off that's a different game completely.

They've turned so many corners the last year that they've turned it into a circle.

[miller0863]

They are 40 points behind us.

[Nineteenx]

Solksjaer's not behind their moderate improvement anyway, it's Whiskey faces old coach Mike Phelan who's still there pulling the strings, setting the team and tactics up, no doubt about that at all, they'll get bummed by Spurs anyway and let's not pretend their ManchestVAR team haven't been giving them a helping hand, they'd be 8th right now and 9 points behind Chelsea but for ManchestVAR in their recent game v Chelsea, take into account the 2 points they got from their games v us and the bitters courtesy of dodgy ManchestVAR and they'd be 9th on just 40 points

[Nineteenx]

I think City's ban will be upheld, but, I think the timing of their CAS case will mean that it doesn't take effect until the 2021-2022 season, so 5th won't get a Champions League spot this season

I think Chelsea will finish the season stronger than the filthy, Lampard's belatedly started playing Giroud and a 433 and using Barkley as a No8 as we use Gini and Loftus-Cheek is back now and will need games and he'll make them stronger as a No8 on the other side, he's started playing Alonso too, so he's got more experience and know how in defence, midfield and up top now

The filthy haven't been very good at all at any point in the Prem this season when they've had to attack teams and try and break them down, games where they can park the bus and try and counter seem to be what they're best at

[Taksin]

I think City's ban will be upheld, but, I think the timing of their CAS case will mean that it doesn't take effect until the 2021-2022 season, so 5th won't get a Champions League spot this season

I think Chelsea will finish the season stronger than the filthy, Lampard's belatedly started playing Giroud and a 433 and using Barkley as a No8 as we use Gini and Loftus-Cheek is back now and will need games and he'll make them stronger as a No8 on the other side, he's started playing Alonso too, so he's got more experience and know how in defence, midfield and up top now

The filthy haven't been very good at all at any point in the Prem this season when they've had to attack teams and try and break them down, games where they can park the bus and try and counter seem to be what they're best at

If we win the Champions League, does fifth place qualify?

[Nineteenx]

If we win the Champions League, does fifth place qualify?

No, I believe the only way we can get 5 teams in the competition is if a team wins in but they finish outside the top four or one of our clubs winning the Europa League

[justme]

I watched the entire game yesterday, apart from the cheating dive for the freekick. Fernandes did absolutely nothing in the game. In fact in the second half. I only saw him on the ball once.. Apart from that let the world start creaming themselves over him

[fiordearg]

United have been peaks and troughs all season

[Insidious]

United have been peaks and troughs all season

True, though undefeated in 10 matches now in all comps.

Their run-in also looks quite kind on paper.

[fiordearg]

They've achieved four league wins in 2020 we'll see. The rest of the big clubs are shocking this year so they may well get the 3rd or 4th spot. Shedfield and Wolves look more convincing at times

[toneata]

When's Pogba back?, it'll go tits up again when he returns.

[skyebo]

When's Pogba back?, it'll go tits up again when he returns.

I didn't know they were unbeaten in 10 until Sid mentioned it, looks like they're not missing him. I never got all the hype about him anyway.

[southernboy]

True, though undefeated in 10 matches now in all comps.

Their run-in also looks quite kind on paper.

Yup. They’re actually on a better run than us. #kloppout

[stevie harkness]

I thought they'd miss Rashford more.

[Steveo]

They have missed him BUT decisions have gone their way. They have been lucky too - just watch the Chelsea game for an example.

[CCTV]

I thought they'd miss Rashford more.

Same, still time to....

Think Bruno offfset some of the funk around manu.

[teesred]

I didn't know they were unbeaten in 10 until Sid mentioned it, looks like they're not missing him. I never got all the hype about him anyway.

They had a similar run last year when they got that jammy result at PSG and then were promptly spanked in the 2nd leg and it all went to shit from there. Hope it happens again.
I cant stand Solskjaer, hes such a bitter little cunt and looks like a grandmother.

[justme]

Solskjaer blabs his way through it all. Its pretentious nonsense so he gets to keep his job. I hope he stays there for years.

[Aldo1988]

They had a similar run last year when they got that jammy result at PSG and then were promptly spanked in the 2nd leg and it all went to shit from there. Hope it happens again.
I cant stand Solskjaer, hes such a bitter little cunt and looks like a grandmother.

He looks like he should be playing bingo with Dot Cotton.

[skyebo]

If a small team like Sheff Utd eventually finish top 4 and they don't, both he and Woodward will be under severe pressure.

[Insidious]

If a small team like Sheff Utd eventually finish top 4 and they don't, both he and Woodward will be under severe pressure.

True, though with this "change the culture" project I think Ole is there next season no matter what happens.

Will be young, hard-working British players complimented by top foreign talent where/when they can get it.

Could be storing up problems further down the line if they do end up changing Manager again.

We'll see!

[Taksin]

Feel free to imbed this as I don’t know how. They have bought top young british talent before and it remains to be seen whether they get it right or not.

https://youtu.be/cFGdPVH65FI

[Nineteenx]

Feel free to imbed this as I don’t know how. They have bought top young british talent before and it remains to be seen whether they get it right or not.

https://youtu.be/cFGdPVH65FI

You just copy the part past the = on the link and insert it between

cFGdPVH65FI&feature=youtu.be

[Nineteenx]

Massive blow for the filthy and Arsenal if no further games are played

In the event no further games are played UEFA not the Premier League will decide which teams qualify for next seasons Champions and Europa League and will base this on team's final league standings in this season's table at the point of suspension, so the little plan of cancelling the league and reverting to last season's finishing positions goes up in smoke, and the filthy would have no-one to complain to or attempt to take to court

UEFA President also wants all the teams who were leading their League at the time of suspension crowned Champions if fixtures cannot be fulfilled

[justincredible]

Well this thread turned into a crock of shit. United haven't been beaten since the 22nd of January.

[Insidious]

Well this thread turned into a crock of shit. United haven't been beaten since the 22nd of January.

Hahaha these things can happen!

Their financial might and willingness to go big in terms of transfer fees and wages means they can stick around at a reasonable level (2nd - 6th) with the goal of 1st - 3rd becoming more regular with the right moves. You always sense they are only a good signing or two away from Champion's League football - but will they get those signings right or not?

Also need the right manager. Klopp is extremely unlikely to ever join them. Guardiola doesn't strike me as terribly loyal so he could, but again, not "likely" per se - maybe the likes of Nagelsmann in time - he is one I hope we consider post-Klopp so it would be mildly annoying if he went to them.

[dicko1969]

Klopp said he would never join a rival

No to Bayern
No to an English rival

Who knows where he goes after Liverpool.

If truth told , he should become a life coach to the world.
Prime minister for the people.

This guy is so perfectly wonderful!

[Nineteenx]

Klopp said he would never join a rival

No to Bayern
No to an English rival

Who knows where he goes after Liverpool.

If truth told , he should become a life coach to the world.
Prime minister for the people.

This guy is so perfectly wonderful!

I think he should sign an extension ;) because he's our Mr Wonderful

[reddownunder]

Well this thread turned into a crock of shit. United haven't been beaten since the 22nd of January.

But Solskjaer is still their manager

[Nineteenx]

Well this thread turned into a crock of shit. United haven't been beaten since the 22nd of January.

Lol, only courtesy of ManchestVAR, but for their dodgy mates at Stockley Park they'd have lost and should have lost their games v Chelsea and Everton

[Insidious]

"Who knows how the market is going to react to this? Who knows which clubs need to sell players?

"There might be just a situation there where you can exploit, and I know that we at Man United we are one of the biggest, and the biggest, financially well-off" - Solskjaer

By all means internally have these thoughts internally and/or behind closed doors in meetings in terms of seeking an advantage in a time of adversity, but bloody Hell, to say it out loud at this time is the height of shitty.

[dicko1969]

Manchester United
Manchester City
Arsenal
Chelsea
Tottenham

I'm fed up with the hate in football !

I guess my first dislike was

1. MU
2. Forest
3. CSKA Sofia
4. QPR
5. Everton
6. Arsenal
7. Wimbledon
8. Manu (again)
9. Chelsea
10. MAN CITY

[huyrob]

Perhaps they'll exploit the market again in the way they did with Pogba and Sanchez.

[skyebo]

Manchester United
Manchester City
Arsenal
Chelsea
Tottenham

I'm fed up with the hate in football !

I guess my first dislike was

1. MU
2. Forest
3. CSKA Sofia
4. QPR
5. Everton
6. Arsenal
7. Wimbledon
8. Manu (again)
9. Chelsea
10. MAN CITY

I understand your dislike for most of those, but why QPR ?

[Taksin]

I guess my first dislike was

1. MU
2. Forest
3. CSKA Sofia
4. QPR
5. Everton
6. Arsenal
7. Wimbledon
8. Manu (again)
9. Chelsea
10. MAN CITY



I like this game. Mine are probably

1) Man U
2) Everton, although I can admit this is really love hate
3) Chelsea - late entries onto this chart
4) Real Madrid
5) PSG, more late arrivals
6) Barcelona - they get worse with time and have crept up slowly
7) Man City - very late on the scene
8) Leeds, Villa and Palace - all in freefall
9) Marseille.. non entities these days, really
10) Bayern - actually they should be higher up
11) Inter and AC Milan. Honourable mentions

[dicko1969]

I understand your dislike for most of those, but why QPR ?

League cup semi ... mind you it was our central defence bulls up

[skyebo]

League cup semi ... mind you it was our central defence bulls up

Ok, I forgot about that one.

[vin]

I like this game. Mine are probably

1) Man U
2) Everton, although I can admit this is really love hate
3) Chelsea - late entries onto this chart
4) Real Madrid
5) PSG, more late arrivals
6) Barcelona - they get worse with time and have crept up slowly
7) Man City - very late on the scene
8) Leeds, Villa and Palace - all in freefall
9) Marseille.. non entities these days, really
10) Bayern - actually they should be higher up
11) Inter and AC Milan. Honourable mentions

Spurs not on either list?

[dicko1969]

I like this game. Mine are probably

1) Man U
2) Everton, although I can admit this is really love hate
3) Chelsea - late entries onto this chart
4) Real Madrid
5) PSG, more late arrivals
6) Barcelona - they get worse with time and have crept up slowly
7) Man City - very late on the scene
8) Leeds, Villa and Palace - all in freefall
9) Marseille.. non entities these days, really
10) Bayern - actually they should be higher up
11) Inter and AC Milan. Honourable mentions

Millwall most hated club +
Any club managed by Allardyce or Warnock

[reddownunder]

1. United
2. City
3. Chelsea
4. Real Madrid
5. Spurs
6. Everton
7. PSG
8. Barca
9. Juventus
10. Bayern

[faridtoxteth]

Chelsea
Leeds
Cardiff
Millwall
Man City (recent addition in my case)
I don't hate Man U (pantomime hate) I respect the club.
Don't hate Everton at all. Love to beat them though

[Taksin]

Spurs not on either list?

I couldn't honestly put Arsenal on there, and I tried to put Spurs on there but it's not really hate. I used to like watching Hoddle and Gazza play. My cousin had his trainees stolen outside White Hart Lane in the eighties but he's a blue so even that amuses me.

[redebreck]

ManU
ManC
Real
Chelsea
Spurs have become arrogant (without actually winning anything, which is
A joke). Maybe it's just Harry Kane.

[Aldo1988]

They are now doing the makers of Football Manager for using their clubs name, how embarrassing and what a horrible shithouse of a club.

[Aldo1988]

That should read suing!

[justincredible]

They have to claw back that lost £28m somehow or another. How else can they afford megs bucks shit players?

[justme]

Just seen this ,here are some of my choices.

Man-united
Man-city (their fans are toxic)
Everton
Chelsea
West-ham.(they were ok at one point,but in the last 2/3 seasons I have hated they way they have acted)
Barca
Real Madrid

[Insidious]

They are now doing the makers of Football Manager for using their clubs name, how embarrassing and what a horrible shithouse of a club.

Sounds like a club with some thinly-veiled financial issues.

Diddums.

[Insidious]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG6_3Em3MCA

Hope they're stuck with the Glazers for a long while yet.

[Steveo]

I get what you are saying BUT under the Glazers 15 years they have managed to amass

5 League Titles
1x FA Cup
4x League Cup
1x Champions League
1x Europa League
1x FiFA World Club
6x Charity Shield

That’s around 19 trophies tbf.

[teesred]

They will have gone 8 years without the title. Easily be a decade as they are not winning it in the next 2 either. 10 years without a major trophy. Happy days and long may it continue.

[Taksin]

Yes under normal, non covid, circumstances this close season would be telling for them in terms of how downward their trajectory is.

It sounds as though they will be spending big yet again in order to catch up. But if things don’t get going as they’d wish are they going to sack OGS and bring another big name manager in who wants to clear out the dead wood? That would be a pattern developing.

[Insidious]

I get what you are saying BUT under the Glazers 15 years they have managed to amass

5 League Titles
1x FA Cup
4x League Cup
1x Champions League
1x Europa League
1x FiFA World Club
6x Charity Shield

That’s around 19 trophies tbf.

I think this chap called Alex Ferguson might have something to do with that :D

[Steveo]

Yes indeed - a clear indicator that team management is most often the biggest factor in success.

Just look at us and Klopp. But the scum still have taken...

1x FA Cup
1x League Cup
1x Europa League
2x Charity Shield

... since Fergie left in 2013.

They have invested plenty of cash but haven’t found that elixir. Just like us In many ways after Kenny left and the magic formula was lost. Things can change for them fast though - even with the Glazers. They have the means

[Insidious]

They have invested plenty of cash but haven’t found that elixir. Just like us In many ways after Kenny left and the magic formula was lost. Things can change for them fast though - even with the Glazers. They have the means

Undoubtedly, they can and they do.

One top appointment (let's say they appointed Nagelsmann) and a couple of good bits of recruitment and they get a Top Four finish, which I always view as a springboard to better things. I can't stand "4th is nothing" talk as it opens your transfer window door that much wider and can help you "stay afloat" when it comes to being regarded as a respectable outfit. Two or three Top Four finishes in a row open the door a little more and so on. Hell, Chelsea slipped up / failed to pull away this season to the extent that United could nick 4th spot yet this season around, so they aren't "down and out".

However with the "Arms Race" always ongoing, I feel that if they had a few seasons on the spin outside the Top Four, it could become really difficult for them.

We're excellent, City are excellent, Leicester and Chelsea have the potential to be very good, Arsenal and Tottenham will try hard to claw back and Newcastle could be about to enter the party. Provided ourselves and City remain top sides for a couple more seasons yet, it becomes very hard for those sides around us (potentially 6 sides gunning for 3rd and 4th) to solidify a position.

Which would buy us time to match them / get ahead of them in the "Leagues won" stakes as well as reaching a stage where we are regularly raking in a comparable amount of money (or more) to solidify yet further.

They'll probably never become what Spurs were or what Everton are - but it's nice to dream :D

[Insidious]

Hoping Spurs can conjure up something in the first game back.

A lack of Champion's League football next season would have some impact, as would a 30% drop in sponsorship from Adidas if things pan out that way.

Combine those factors (if things "go to plan") with the huge wages they're paying and they're bound to begin to feel the squeeze a little bit.

[Balinkay]

It's vital they don't make it into the CL.

[Insidious]

It's vital they don't make it into the CL.

7th
4th
5th
6th
2nd
6th
....?

They got seriously let off the hook the year they won the Europa League, this getting Champion's League football again.

Just want a spell of 3-5 seasons of them not having it. Would hurt them so much.

[toneata]

If City gets banned does the PL give up a place or does everyone shuffle up a spot?

[Insidious]

If City gets banned does the PL give up a place or does everyone shuffle up a spot?

Article 4.08 of the UEFA rulebook states: “A club which is not admitted to the competition is replaced by the next best-placed club in the top domestic championship of the same association, provided the new club fulfils the admission criteria.

So presumably 5th spot would get Champion's League football.

Hopefully Wolves - Sheffield United have a horrendous fixture list so probably too big an ask.

[toneata]

Utd have a pretty easy run in. I guess them getting in instead of City would be the slightly lesser of 2 evils at the moment.

[miller0863]

Not for me. City have a bottomless pit of wealth anyway, Utd will start to feel the pinch if they can’t get back in to the Champions League for another two or three years. Would rather keep my foot on the throat of the red side of Manchester as long as possible.

[Balinkay]

Not for me. City have a bottomless pit of wealth anyway, Utd will start to feel the pinch if they can’t get back in to the Champions League for another two or three years. Would rather keep my foot on the throat of the red side of Manchester as long as possible.

This.

[sydenham red]

Not for me. City have a bottomless pit of wealth anyway, Utd will start to feel the pinch if they can’t get back in to the Champions League for another two or three years. Would rather keep my foot on the throat of the red side of Manchester as long as possible.

Exactly. Plus its not as if Pep will ever manage Utd either and if we can stay on top in the league and win/knock them out of the domestic cups/CL then he will be away to PSG or back to Barca. Chelsea to a lesser extent have enough money not to need CL as a revenue stream.

Spurs could be financially in a.bad way too without CL. Might.as well have us, City, Chelsea and a Leicester/Wolves in it every yr with us going furthest obviously.

[toneata]

Not for me. City have a bottomless pit of wealth anyway, Utd will start to feel the pinch if they can’t get back in to the Champions League for another two or three years. Would rather keep my foot on the throat of the red side of Manchester as long as possible.

Of course I'd rather both out but if it was a choice of Utd getting CL or City getting away with a serious ffp breach I'd choose Utd all day long, plus City trying to spend that bottomless pit of money is what's got them in the shit they're in now so they're not likely to spend £300m in a window after this.

Would Pep really stay with a 2 season CL ban?, I'm not sure. De Bruyne has already said he'd have to think about it if the decision is upheld, doubt he'd be the only one. It's clear that's the jewel in the crown for the players as well as the manager, it'll cause all sorts of disruption.

Utd don't seem to miss out on many players due to lack of CL, Sancho will have a decision to make it they do miss out on CL again though, but wouldn't be surprised if they just offer him ridiculous money.

[Insidious]

Utd have a pretty easy run in. I guess them getting in instead of City would be the slightly lesser of 2 evils at the moment.

To each their own.

In a World where FFP is properly applied and adhered to (I know, I know....) Man United are the one side that have the potential to become to our League what Bayern Munich is to the Bundesliga, once they get their act together and get their "club culture" into a more stream-lined, intelligent Modus Operandi.

That could take time however and the longer they go without success (of ANY sort, people are quick to belittle 4th-placed finishes but they can be a platform) the better for us, especially given the financial potential they have (in the right circumstances) coupled with the size of their stadium and their close proximity to us in terms of total trophies won.

They are very much bottom of my (subjective, admittedly) list of Clubs I am content with seeing do remotely well.

The words "and STAY down" summate my feelings about them rather accurately and I can only hope they eventually become a permanent mid-table club.

[justme]

Lets hope City are banned and Man-united fail to get top 4! problem solved all around.
Anyway I hope they go in with Pogba at number 10. they are basically playing without no holding midfielder. You just cant in modern day football. oh and speaking of Pogba,they wont get him to sign a new long term contract.he will be gone for pittance soon.
Pep will leave at the end of this season.Either way.he will leave if he wins the title again and he will leave if they fail. Don't want his brilliant record to be tarnished.

[Insidious]

92-93 - "FA Premier League"
93-01 - "FA Carling Premiership"
01-04 - "FA Barclays Card Premiership"
04-07 - "FA Barclays Premier League"
07-16 - "Barclays Premier League"
16-now - "Premier League"

So, if we enter this data into the Manc Logic Calculator - mmmm, glavin, gloivin, ahoy - then Manchester United have never won the Premier League.

Manc fans somewhere presumably - "but that's not fair, it's always been the same League"

Liverpool fans, everywhere - "we know and have been saying this for years"

As you were.

[ianlfc]

Their fans are having a meltdown today 😂😂

[Taksin]

I’m putting a lot of voodoo energy into supporting Wolves at the moment

[scientificred]

92-93 - "FA Premier League"
93-01 - "FA Carling Premiership"
01-04 - "FA Barclays Card Premiership"
04-07 - "FA Barclays Premier League"
07-16 - "Barclays Premier League"
16-now - "Premier League"

So, if we enter this data into the Manc Logic Calculator - mmmm, glavin, gloivin, ahoy - then Manchester United have never won the Premier League.

Manc fans somewhere presumably - "but that's not fair, it's always been the same League"

Liverpool fans, everywhere - "we know and have been saying this for years"

As you were.

I like the true history regardless of who the sponsors were

[Insidious]

I like the true history regardless of who the sponsors were

Don't we all - it

[dicko1969]

Since Ferguson left in 2013; United have won the FA Cup in 2015-16, the Europa League in 2016-17 and the EFL Cup in 2017

In 7 seasons 3 trophies...

A Europa league which used to be laughed at.
League cup ... Mickey mouse cup wasn't it ?

The demise is horrendous ;)

Or should that be a spell check moment

HILARIOUS

[Balinkay]

I am wary of them. I don't think they'll win the league with Ole, but if he gets Pogba to stop being a prick and manages to get the best out of Marcial and Rashford, they'll be a threat to anyone.

[Insidious]

I am wary of them. I don't think they'll win the league with Ole, but if he gets Pogba to stop being a prick and manages to get the best out of Marcial and Rashford, they'll be a threat to anyone.

The "secret" with them is them being out of the Champion's League as often as possible, as they have a big edge on most clubs if FFP is adhered to, to the extent where they could (with proper planning/action) be the Premier League equivalent of Bayern Munich.

Hope Wolves can do the business this season.

All we can do is worry about our own affairs and they look to be in order, which is great - long may we reign.

[faridtoxteth]

Yes I think Pogba's attitude would be more focused if they were in the CL. I think Wolves are looking good for it though.

[LEGS]

Yes I think Pogba's attitude would be more focused if they were in the CL. I think Wolves are looking good for it though.

True Wolves are a good side but I think United will finish 3rd the next 3-4 games are p*ss for them.

The lockdown has ruined Leicester/Sheff Utd and benefitted Spurs/Utd.

As we are champions i don’t care really about them if I am wrong they finish 5th miss out on CL if I am right they keep Ole it’s win win really.

[Insidious]

As we are champions i don’t care really about them if I am wrong they finish 5th miss out on CL if I am right they keep Ole it’s win win really.

City are likely to be banned from the Champion's League and if they are, 5th will get Champion's League football for the 20/21 season.

Would be pleasantly surprised if United finished 6th or lower now. Spurs have to make up 4 points on them despite trickier fixtures and Wolves (also trickier fixtures) would need to make strides in the goal difference column as well as matching them for points.

We aren't threatened by then whatsoever in next season's title race - our Home games total this season probably beats their points haul. However, Champion's League qualification can be a springboard to better things, so let's hope they fail more often than not, as they will get some transfers right eventually.

[teesred]

City are likely to be banned from the Champion's League and if they are, 5th will get Champion's League football for the 20/21 season.

Would be pleasantly surprised if United finished 6th or lower now. Spurs have to make up 4 points on them despite trickier fixtures and Wolves (also trickier fixtures) would need to make strides in the goal difference column as well as matching them for points.

We aren't threatened by then whatsoever in next season's title race - our Home games total this season probably beats their points haul. However, Champion's League qualification can be a springboard to better things, so let's hope they fail more often than not, as they will get some transfers right eventually.

Its unlikely theyll catch us for quite a time I'd say.
On thursday night I was having a whattsapp discussion with my mates. Four of them are Utd fans. One said if they get 4 players in the summer they could push us. Me and another mate whose Liverpool laughed at him and he got shirty saying we were arrogant. .
Firstly when does any team ever get 4 signings right in a summer? It never happens or very very rarely.
Secondly City and LFC are doing things that are simply off the scale. No margins for error.
Utd are nowhere even close to it. To win the league they'd need to usurp both. That isn't happening for a long time.
He also said "I think Ole is like Klopp". I nearly spat my beer out. They're exactly like were were. A few more signings and we'll catch you. Never happens and it wont happen with Nanna hair managing them. They're simply deluded to fuck and long may it continue. Neville saying in august last year Utd will win the title before Liverpool is cast iron proof.

They should cash in on Der Gear and buy You no who but lets hope they dont,hopefully they keep faith with Captain klutz.

[worldpanel]

Never happens and it wont happen with Nanna hair managing them.
That Sir, is the funniest thing I will hear this weekend
Thank-you

[ianlfc]

They've drew Chelsea in the semi final and if they beat them they will probably have City in the final.
Good luck with that 😂😂

[Aldo1988]

God I hope they don't get into the Champions League next season. Since we win the league they have been the unbearables not us.

[eggy81]

God I hope they don't get into the Champions League next season. Since we win the league they have been the unbearables not us.

They have a great chance now of getting in. I don't think they will win the fa Cup but they have the firepower to catch Chelsea and the squad to win Europa. Here's hoping this burst of form ends very soon.

[justme]

They are playing the pressing style more under gargoyle. If they do get into the champions league. The wont be able to play the pressing game for an whole season. They will run out of legs.
we have been called boring this season for not being as attractive going forward. But we have learned to play in 20/30 minute spurts and the rest of the time we control the game.

[teesred]

Who else is left in the Europa that's decent? They surely cant be the best side in that?

[southernboy]

Fernandez has made a huge impact. He’s their best player by a country mile.