Manchester United Banter Archive January 21 2020

21 Jan 2020 17:18:56
Given our form and the desperate situation we find ourselves in, it’s quite bizarre that if Arsenal take points off Chelsea tonight, and we can see off Burnley tomorrow, we could be 2 or 3 points off 4th place by tomorrow night, the closest we will have been all year. It’s been a very odd league this year.

21 Jan 2020 17:44:37
It's been a mad season.

{Ed047's Note - which is exactly what many a United fan ridiculed Arsenal fans for, for years, being a 4th place trophy team a million miles away from challenging.

With your squad you now sit in that exact position literally a million miles away from a challenge and like Arsenal fans did, trying to convince yourself that just two more players and you’ll be challenging when the reality is much much worse.

That’s my perspective looking from outside, fans attempting to talk players up into players they’re not, hoping young promising talent comes good and pretty much any excuse to shine a light on something to give you hope.

It’s like talking about Klopp taking over 4 years to get it right but that was with a plan and a manager light years ahead of Ollie.

21 Jan 2020 18:22:53
Thanks ed was having a good day before that 😭.

21 Jan 2020 18:33:13
My brain literally exploded when I read this Ed.

{Ed047's Note - sorry mate 🤯

21 Jan 2020 20:14:50
Completely agree Ed finishing 4th in not success unless your the Glazer family and want to get your grubby little hands on the extra revenue it brings.

Perhaps the greatest trick they ever played was convincing us all finishing 4th is acceptable. When you set your aspirations so low what is the incentive to ever finish any higher?

For 7 seasons since SAF retired there has been no talk of a title challenge only a top 4 challenge.

The brutal truth is the Club is more than happy with mediocrity because 4th is considered success in their eyes.

We sack managers not when they fail to deliver the title or even a challenge but when they finish outside the top 4 that says it all really. What other top Club in Europe has aspirations so low?

{Ed047's Note - can’t argue with that DLIB

21 Jan 2020 20:51:07
Ed047,

As terrible as we are, you guys are worse! Talk about stones and glass houses now 😂.

{Ed047's Note - that’s my point mate, I’m not speaking from strength, I’m not putting you down because we’re better than you, I’m just stating what’s so obvious.

But there you go, making yourself feel better. 🤣

21 Jan 2020 21:02:24
Ed you are spot on. Unfortunately the truth hurts 😂. But you are spitting facts and some people can’t take it. Too many fans just accepting or defending mediocrity.

{Ed047's Note - it does Park, it’s hurts me that we are in such a state ourselves and the worst of it is relying on people that don’t appear to want to make our respective clubs great again.

It’s painful to watch both of us mucking it up so spectacularly.

21 Jan 2020 21:07:00
Can't remember who said it but it sums up our situation perfectly. In 2018 2nd placed united bought to finish 4th,4th placed Liverpool bought to finish 1st. sums up our owners/ board in a nutshell. Now they have us thinking the same🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️.

22 Jan 2020 01:36:55
Surely finishing 4th is important for the rebuild, get into the champions league etc, it isn’t where we want to be in the long term but it is where we are at now.

22 Jan 2020 04:55:03
I agree GDS2.

The atmosphere around chelsea is a lot better than round MUFC at moment.

They have UCL games and have been in 4th place most of the season. Still have new fledgling coach. Lots of young and slightly inconsistent players.

Not as big a gap as some would like to believe between us and them at the moment. Be nice if we had Kante in midfield though 🙏.

21 Jan 2020 23:11:17
Ed you’re not meant to tell them now they might try to unseat ole and actually become a decent team!

I seen on our page a poster said he won’t park in safs parking space as that’s that's bosses parking space! If the alarm bells aren’t ringing there then you all must be deluded! Also Keane was an embarrassment on sky last night, won’t have a word a criticism said about his mate ole. Comparing him to Klopp and pep is laughable.

Another post summed it up perfectly that if you read the pre and post match build up you’d think we were playing Everton.

{Ed047's Note - the whole thing is just a little crazy mate, the world and his dog can see it but some just chose not too.

22 Jan 2020 10:11:26
Lerchy that post was spot on, I tried reposting it here but eds wouldn't have any of it.

21 Jan 2020 13:55:19
At the very least we will be able to tell something about the clubs thinking based on activity during this window.
If we do not make any signings, I expect OGS to be gone before the end of the season. If we sign 1 possibly 2, i'd say it is highly likely he will leave in the Summer. Duncan Castles is providing regular interesting podcasts at present time that often mention something in detail about the United situation. I cannot see EW lasting much longer at United either regardless of how much in favour he is through the eyes of the owners. I expect a lot of change I've the coming months, hopefully for the better.

21 Jan 2020 15:39:13
I wouldn't read too much into any reports at the moment KG.
I too think we will see significant change in the summer of we fail to qualify for CL. Or at least i hippie there will be.
I hope a new coach will be appointed along with a new coaching team.
I hope he will work under a structure he is comfortable with and that the club will put that structure in place without delay.
I expect they will sign 6 players in the summer with a spend of 300m plus with half of that recouped in sales of pogba smalling matic lingard jones periera.
A front 3 with choices of rash martial greenwood james new rw new cf (my choices sancho dembele)
A midfield 3 from fred mctom 3 x new midfielders (my choices sms bruno ndiddi)
A defence from awb dalot williams shaw maguire bailly lindelof tuanzebe and new cb (not at all sure lots of possibilities at a push i'd say koulibaly he can be clumsy but has good pace and presence i still have hopes for bailly)

Im of course not expecting all of the above but for me it doesn't sound impossible to put a squad like that together and a good progressive coach should be able to compete with anybody with a squad like that after a couple of seasons together.
Its not at all unaffordable wouldn't bust the bank on wages. It keeps the age profile low and brings in players approaching their peak years.
Of course everybody will have their own favourites but that's how, who and what i'd like to see this summer.
As for the coach.
Poch and allegri are the ones i'd be focusing on with a wildcard of blanc.
If results and performances improve on the pitch the club is in a great place to move forward again and take big strides to regain our place at the top table.
Blame whoever you like but once things improve on the pitch the rest will fall into place. I know that's very much over simplifying things however its what i hope will happen.
We can all dream😂.

21 Jan 2020 16:39:55
I'm honestly not convinced the club are interested in shelling out the required amount to get us back to the top. Now whether that's the owners or Ed Woodward or the board I'm not entirely sure. I think they'd happily quite spend the bare minimum possible just enough to get us 4th and into champions league. I think they're honestly happy with that and that's based on what we have seen in the last couple of years. It seems to me that we are cutting back. Yeah I know we signed Maguire, Wan bissaka, James but lukaku was sold for nearly 75 million, Valencia was released, Herrera left, Fellaini sold, Young just been sold, Sanchez loaned out to save on wages. Also when we finished 2nd we weren't a fantastic runner up we finished 19 points behind City remember we didn't run them close or anything. What did we go and do? Signed Fred when that clearly was never going to be enough. We obviously make a hell of a lot of money but in terms of there being huge amounts available to go and get players I just don't believe there is. Hope to god I'm wrong as we sure as hell need it.

21 Jan 2020 16:49:00
I think we need to be mindful of our squad and how it will look at the start of next season, I count about 12 CBS and goalkeepers as it stands .
I'd like us to have 6 midfielders, I count the central attacking one as a midfielder not a forward but if pogba wants out, matic contract up and probably leaving, mata and Jesse may well be off that leaves 3 fred and mcctom who have Improved and are deserving of being in the 6 and peierria who the jury still out on, that would leave us requiring atleast 3 midfielders, two of which would need to be offensive . I don't know anything about bruno as I don't watch sporting Lisbon but even if he's added we look like we could be two short still .
I'd want a right sided attacker rather than a central striker, dan james would still get lots of football covering both wide players and if we play with one central striker we have martial, Greenwood or rash to play there, to be fair the front lads have scored goals and with a more creative midfield youd hope they would get more .

21 Jan 2020 17:47:06
Good post that Ken.

21 Jan 2020 12:51:36
Hello ed002/ ed001
Totally not transfer related, can you please tell, from latest young crop of strikers/ Cf around european leagues, who is most similarly in Wayne Rooney mould, i meant technique, passing range, shooting, first touch etc. Just asking out of curiosity.

{Ed001's Note - I have no idea sorry.}

21 Jan 2020 08:57:50
Rooney to come back on a loan (Sky kaveh solekhol) . why not bring scholesy out of retirement again too lol.

21 Jan 2020 10:38:45
Heard that Giggs is keeping fit too. And RVP fancies another season with us too.

21 Jan 2020 11:52:26
Just bring back the legends 11 that played last year. Becks, Scholesy etc that would be entertaining 😂.