So playing in the CL (or not, as the case may be) is not also a relevant factor? Nor is the club's geographical location? And the identity of the manager is "wholly irrelevant"?
Congratulations, you read my post correctly.
Just to reiterate in any case of uncertainty: playing in the CL is irrelevant, geographical location is irrelevant and "the identity of the manager" is also wholly irrelevant. This has been proven by numerous marquee players signing for clubs with either no manager, no Champions League Football or a manager with no "identity" (ironically something people could still level at Pochettino in his short and trophyless tenure).
A few recent examples include: Crespo, Mutu, Makelele, Robben, Geremi, Drogba, Kompany, Robinho, Tevez, Barry, Toure, Silva, Dzeko, Di Maria, Martial, Sanchez, Ozil. All of these player's had reasons why they "should" join a "better" or more historically successful club. Arsenal hadn't won a trophy in several years. United had/have been a train wreck under Moyes/LVG. "Manchester" were a team in red... players' did not expect to end up playing in Blue. Chelsea were a mediocre team that happened to suddenly have a rich owner.
Glaston; I know by your posts in general that you aren't a moron. You also aren't a fantasist and you are someone that understands basic economics and basic market forces. Naturally your instinct will be to disregard logic and instinct when it suits your loyalties... This of course is understandable. However United fans have already been though your stage of abject denial. We've already assumed that a Sheikh can't buy trophies and we've already discounted said trophies as "plastic" (retardedly). We've come out of the back of this realising one thing: that you have to beat fire with fire... If City are spending £200m and have a £220m salary bill, we have to match it and then spend it more intelligently.
A moron could easily look at the 1% and say we need to emulate Spurs or Leicester... But that would be truly short sighted. Any real Football fan realises that Spurs aren't great... Man United aren't great and Man City aren't great. If we want to be great we don't emulate Spurs' model of getting a diamond in the rough in the shape of a £5m Alli. The reason being is he actually cost several times more because of the wastage you had to encounter by making the "Spurs" gamble of signing hopeful punts: £26m Soldado, £9m Capoue, £7 Chadli, £17m Paulinho, £8m Sigurdsson, £10m Adebayor, £3m Fryers, £5m Stambouli, £8m Fazio, £12m N'Jie. It's easy for a Spurs' fan to hide behind "net spend"... ignoring the copious failures that go with this "cheap model", just as it
could have been easy for a lot of United fans 2005 - 2010 to proclaim that we were incredible because we won several titles despite spending nothing. A claim that saddens me about Spurs in general and irritated me as a United fan.
Why celebrate mediocrity and a lack of investment? Do you know the difference with United fans? United fans did not celebrate and would never celebrate the bolded. We vehemently protested it. We realised that if our chairman and owners weren't in it solely for personal profit that we might have challenged Barcelona or later Bayern consistently. Spurs seem to be not only happy at the fact that they are doing "alright" for the amount of funds they have sanctioned, but sanctimoniously frothing at the mouth at this frugality.
The truth is this: A United fan would be truly saddened and depressed by Spurs at the moment... Ambling towards a "decent" finish, despite chaos all around them, just as we are saddened and depressed by our own team at the moment. Spurs fans are ecstatic at their team falling woefully short this season (and it is woefully short given the environment). The harsh truth is they would actually be equally ecstatic watching the clearly inferior, woeful, laborious, dreadful Van Gaal stutter towards a potential FA Cup win and possible 4th or 5th position (which would be seen as a more successful season by most commentators).
I'm told Spurs have a much better squad, I'm told they have a much better manager, I'm told they have a much bigger pull given the aforementioned (as well as their incredible location). To me then it is bizarre then that a team like this (United) whose fan-base fully accept the utter chaos in their ranks, fully accept the incompetence of their manager and fully accept the key injuries that have plagued their campaign aren't incredibly satisfied with our campaign, that could actually easily turn out to be more successful than the much better team.
The reason for this is simple: mediocrity is fine for Spurs. In fact mediocrity is often really good and acceptable (as shown by the love for your manager). I understand this as you've had a history of under-performing and a history of abject mediocrity. However United have a history of success, we have a history of greatness and we have a history of over-performing. For this reason not only is our season terrible, but your season is also terrible given the climate (in our eyes).
Spurs have had a mediocre season... Luckily for them and their manager their fans are happy because four other teams have had a much worse one. I guess though that this is the managers remit: have a less worse campaign than four other managers.
Fantastic post.