The Official Manchester United Thread (Vol 11)

[franki68]

LF5335 said:

I gave us a 9/10 a few weeks ago and stand by that. What ETH has done is way beyond what we expected. I’m worried the higher ups will stifle his progress though.

Outrageously optimistic .

Compared to last season maybe but to the standard we should be at given the stature and money spent it’s a 5 or 6 .

Clear improvement but desperate need of a works class centre forward and a bit more mobility with quality in midfield .

[Frimley111R]

simon800 said:

Bit of a mini collapse at the end of the season

We did but then we had played a huge number of games more than most other teams (15 more than Newcastle IIRC)

[Wombat3]

The bit we don't really know is the amount of work needed behind the scenes and how much of an effect that will have in due course.

Turning united around is the job of turning a super tanker, can't happen in 5 minutes. It's also not solely the job of the manager.

We'll see the effect of behind the scenes recruitment in due course but you can clearly see clubs which are better run than ours...City, Brighton, Brentford, seemingly Arsensal and Newcastle as well now

On the other end of the scale there is Chelsea and Spurs thankfully!

In the meantime a deadwood clearout remains to be completed (Martial, Maguire, Jones etc).but what we can see on the pitch and in the squad is only going to be half the story.

And then there is the infrastructure.....

[57Ford]

franki68 said:

Clear improvement but desperate need of a works class centre forward

I’m intrigued by the idea of this centre forward. Will he have a scruffy flat cap, patches on his shorts and a roll-up dangling from his lip to remain faithful to his working class roots?

[LF5335]

franki68 said:

Outrageously optimistic .

Compared to last season maybe but to the standard we should be at given the stature and money spent it’s a 5 or 6 .

Clear improvement but desperate need of a works class centre forward and a bit more mobility with quality in midfield .

It’s easily a 9/10 season compared to what I was expecting us to deliver this year. It’s nowhere near a 9/10 season in terms of what we should be achieving based on history, stature and where we were 15 or so years ago. I’m judging us as you’d rate a kid starting out at 11 in school in physics, not as he compares to Einstein.

[G-wiz]

Not sure if you're aware of this, but this is distressing.

Look how far off top, Intern Milan are in their league this season, 12 losses also,

There is no hope, no hope, I tell thee, for a treble thwartage:

[LF5335]

Literally, everyone knows that the CL final will be a mauling. The fear for me is that this becomes the norm, rather than the exception. Nobody is close to stopping City winning the PL for the foreseeable future. The CL is fairly poor standard across Europe currently, so it’s all down to them having a bad day in a cup match to stop trebles or quadruples.

At least we can always claim to be the first English side to have done it, I think that’s as good as it gets for the near future for us and the rest of the PL.

[franki68]

57Ford said:

I’m intrigued by the idea of this centre forward. Will he have a scruffy flat cap, patches on his shorts and a roll-up dangling from his lip to remain faithful to his working class roots?

And having a pint at half time

[GTO-3R]

Thing I took from the final is we're not THAT far behind City. Some good recruitment this summer and I don't think we will be too far off them next season.

I'm still firmly in the DDG out camp. He's just not good enough all round and even City's second string keeper showed him how to do it.

[Zoon]

LF5335 said:

At least we can always claim to be the first English side to have done it,

Without cheating!

[simon800]

GTO-3R said:

I'm still firmly in the DDG out camp. He's just not good enough all round and even City's second string keeper showed him how to do it.

I am at the point where I can't even believe it's a debate any more.

[Challo]

GTO-3R said:

Thing I took from the final is we're not THAT far behind City. Some good recruitment this summer and I don't think we will be too far off them next season.

I'm still firmly in the DDG out camp. He's just not good enough all round and even City's second string keeper showed him how to do it.

Personally I think City didn't play that well in the final, and at the top of their game they are still quite a way ahead of us.

Big thing for me is this summer and making sure we get the right players in for ETH. Going by reports the second season is when ETH makes the biggest cull in terms of players leaving the club as he continues to make changes.

[LF5335]

I agree about City not really playing that well, it certainly wasn’t a footballing lesson from them and I’m not convinced that was because we stopped them playing.

Here’s our squad. It’s some cull coming because I think there’s 5 players in there that I’d keep and probably only two of those would be definite

https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/12/Manchester-...

[simon800]

I think getting rid of all but 5 is a bit extreme!

Far simpler in my view.

Out go;

De Gea
Maguire
Wan Bissaka
Fred
McTominay
Sancho (likely loan)
Collective dross who don't play anyway (Van De Beek/Henderson/Elanga/Williams/Bailly/Telles)

In come

Keeper
Centre Back
Right Back
CM 1
CM 2
ST

Based on who the press have been linking us with (which admittedly is mainly completely made up but it's fun to read) could end up with something like 6 Out, 6 In

Costa > De Gea
Pavard > AwB
Timber > Maguire
Mount > McTominay
Rabiot > Fred
Neymar > Wout

Plus add Greenwood and Amad in - we'd have first team quality throughout the squad, get our average age down a lot and it would offer significant upgrades in key positions.

[LF5335]

Greenwood shouldn’t ever play for us again. He may not have been charged but there is absolute proof of what he did and that should rule him out.

[simon800]

LF5335 said:

Greenwood shouldn’t ever play for us again. He may not have been charged but there is absolute proof of what he did and that should rule him out.

Completely disagree as per previous exchanges, but acknowledge you feel differently.

[soupdragon1]

Challo said:

GTO-3R said:

Thing I took from the final is we're not THAT far behind City. Some good recruitment this summer and I don't think we will be too far off them next season.

I'm still firmly in the DDG out camp. He's just not good enough all round and even City's second string keeper showed him how to do it.

Personally I think City didn't play that well in the final, and at the top of their game they are still quite a way ahead of us.

Big thing for me is this summer and making sure we get the right players in for ETH. Going by reports the second season is when ETH makes the biggest cull in terms of players leaving the club as he continues to make changes.

I think its worth pointing out that we didn't bring our A game either. Our passing and general sharpness was lacklustre yet we were a crossbar away from taking it to extra time against the same team that hammered the serial CL winners Madrid just a short time ago.

The main difference between the 2 teams for me is squad depth for a full season campaign. They have the better 1st eleven and obviously a great bench but a good summer window and we could narrow that gap a fair chunk. City already have a great squad which makes it more difficult for them to get better so at least we've got room to grow into.

[Frimley111R]

simon800 said:

LF5335 said:

Greenwood shouldn’t ever play for us again. He may not have been charged but there is absolute proof of what he did and that should rule him out.

Completely disagree as per previous exchanges, but acknowledge you feel differently.

I didn't look into this much at the time but looking at the pics on Twitter it's very hard for me to accept him back. IF he did those things...

If I worked with someone who had done like that I'd get rid of him ASAP. He's a wife-beater and MU should not be associated with that. He'd get slaughtered by many of our fans and all of the opposition ones. Yes, he was good but is he now? He could come back, there would a storm of bad PR and he may not even play well. Lose-lose.

[Adam.]

LF5335 said:

Nobody is close to stopping City winning the PL for the foreseeable future.

A still-in-development Arsenal came within 5 points of them.

It requires a team having everything coming together in the same season (low injuries, high confidence, players peaking) just to challenge them but it can be done.

[Challo]

Frimley111R said:

simon800 said:

LF5335 said:

Greenwood shouldn’t ever play for us again. He may not have been charged but there is absolute proof of what he did and that should rule him out.

Completely disagree as per previous exchanges, but acknowledge you feel differently.

I didn't look into this much at the time but looking at the pics on Twitter it's very hard for me to accept him back. IF he did those things...

If I worked with someone who had done like that I'd get rid of him ASAP. He's a wife-beater and MU should not be associated with that. He'd get slaughtered by many of our fans and all of the opposition ones. Yes, he was good but is he now? He could come back, there would a storm of bad PR and he may not even play well. Lose-lose.

Just a general point but is there a chance of coming back if he is a changed man? He is back with the women in question, and expecting a baby together. What if he worked with professional people to turn his life around, got treatment for any issues he has, agrees to work with charity so support women beaten by partners? Or can he never be forgiven?

I mean in general society we forgive people from various terrible crimes they have committed. Murderers can seem to turn their life around? Many of footballers have done horrible things and still can have a career it seems.

What he did was horrific, and should never happen to anyone.