Never been less excited for a season than I am with this one, but I still feel the 2013 summer was worse, the beginning of post SAF and all, I just didn't see a bright side in that summer.
Is this the most depressing United summer ever? (In your memory)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
Moyes.
Moyes pre season was terrible. Lost or drew with some chinese or thai team.
Not to mention Rio's testimonial, losing 3-1 at home to Sevilla.
No 1995 and 2013 were the worst. 95 turned out alright in the end, 2013 not so much.
Definitely didn't.
Final game post-match thoughts from this page onwards. Olly with post of the thread for this:
Thoughts about the tour overall were slightly more positive here though, even if some predictions didn't manage to come off:
Then a few threads around the time the transfer window closed:
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/post-match-v-scouse.376234/
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/david-moyes-that-was-a-good-performance-from-us.376260/
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/its-not-as-bad-as-you-think-seriously.376390/
I think 2013 was worse.
Yes but a large margin.
Hard to look at our team and think we can win the PL or CL. Last season I’d say I thought it was doable but this one I just can’t see. Feels like ya 2003/2005
Hard to look at our team and think we can win the PL or CL. Last season I’d say I thought it was doable but this one I just can’t see. Feels like ya 2003/2005
I had low expectations in 2013 with SAF leaving so that was more grim acceptance than disappointment.
This one, given all the rumours about top notch reinforcements on their way - Sandro, Sidibe, Alderweireld etc...
I'm no muppet but it's been the biggest kick in the teeth I can remember.
This one, given all the rumours about top notch reinforcements on their way - Sandro, Sidibe, Alderweireld etc...
I'm no muppet but it's been the biggest kick in the teeth I can remember.
You think this is bad? Can you not remember selling Ronaldo and replacing him with Obertan, Owen and Valencia? This summer is a dream compared.
2009 and 2013 weren't great, but we had won the league and had some reason for hope.
This summer is the worst I've seen RedCafe. And the least excited I've been for an upcoming season.
This summer is the worst I've seen RedCafe. And the least excited I've been for an upcoming season.
In my time then probably yes, not helped at all by both our local rivals looking in incredible condition, but there’s little to indicate we have resolved our issues on the pitch, and we are still left with many positions unaddressed. Added to that the manager is a miserable feck, and at least one of our players is working to get out of the club. Not great tbh...
The challengers would be I think:
-Summer 2009: coming-off losing the Champions League final, we finally sold Ronaldo, Tevez fecked-off to Mansour and we didn’t recruit the midfielder that the final clearly showed we needed, but he had Sir Alex and were defending champions, as well as having one amazing world class player in Rooney to build around, plus we would definitely recruit that missing midfielder the next summer... definitely
-Summer of Moyes: I remember being bullish about all the change, trusting the club that they had been planning for this for ages, silencing the voices in my head telling me that Moyes was a terrible choice, telling myself that he wasn’t as bad as he came-off every time he opened his month, telling me that the terrible preseason wasn’t an indication of anything more, and that the disaster of the window would mean that the next windows would be meticulously planned, there was no way we’d finish out of the top four with the squad of champions we had, and at least we finally signed a midfielder - Fellaini...
The challengers would be I think:
-Summer 2009: coming-off losing the Champions League final, we finally sold Ronaldo, Tevez fecked-off to Mansour and we didn’t recruit the midfielder that the final clearly showed we needed, but he had Sir Alex and were defending champions, as well as having one amazing world class player in Rooney to build around, plus we would definitely recruit that missing midfielder the next summer... definitely
-Summer of Moyes: I remember being bullish about all the change, trusting the club that they had been planning for this for ages, silencing the voices in my head telling me that Moyes was a terrible choice, telling myself that he wasn’t as bad as he came-off every time he opened his month, telling me that the terrible preseason wasn’t an indication of anything more, and that the disaster of the window would mean that the next windows would be meticulously planned, there was no way we’d finish out of the top four with the squad of champions we had, and at least we finally signed a midfielder - Fellaini...
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You weren't a member here but in 2013 there was Thiago (De Gea signing the ball), Fabregas, Bale, Ronaldo (Moyes confirmed all of the latter three as his targets). Then there was the failed double bid for Baines and Fellaini, followed by us signing Fellaini for above his release clause on deadline day, the failed signing of Herrera with those 3 men who went to Spain and finally topped off with us trying to sign Coentrao on loan for the season and it falling through.
I don't for one minute think this summer has been worse than all of that.
It has been very depressing that's for sure.
Anyone saying that the Moyes summer was the most depressing is looking at it with revisionist history... after all we were coming off being league champions, we had the potential to go places in Europe, we won the community shield and our first league game (handily) and generally the season got off to a not awful start. Most of us were prepared to give Moyes a chance (cue the barrage of top reds pointing out that "I knew he would fail" before he was appointed). Yes we were all aware that there was a quasi realistic chance that we could have signed Ronaldo (and I do truly believe that there is truth to the rumor he would have been interested in returning that summer if SAF was still around) or Bale or both. I for one hoped we get someone better, but i was willing to believe that Moyes and the side was good enough for a top 4 finish, and that would have been ok in a transition year. ... but it would be a month or two into the season before most of us would realise that the wheels were about to come off the bus.
Also it seems obvious, but I'll say it anyway... the state of moaning on this forum is at an all time high. Negativity levels reaching new uncharted territory.
Leave the bitterness for the Blues.
Also it seems obvious, but I'll say it anyway... the state of moaning on this forum is at an all time high. Negativity levels reaching new uncharted territory.
Leave the bitterness for the Blues.
There was a lot of uncertainty and anxiety then but we were the PL champions at the time and I don't recall there being so much doom and gloom. We were all excited to see what Moysie would do. Nothing compared to this summer where we already know we'll not win the league or play attacking football
This imo, but elsewhere too. No smoke without fire but there's a fecking lot of smoke compared to the size of the fire.
In terms of transfers, summer of 2005 was really poor in quantity of signings after a poor 2004-05 season (somewhat saved by Ronaldo and Rooney moments) only VDS and Park although pre season was great and the season proved to be the building point to the great 06-09 team. But at that moment in time, when I saw only VDS and park coming in, I was afraid of what would happen next.
Would you be saying the same if Pep was not managing City?
Fair enough, after I saw that, I remembered that we had a difficult (poorly planned) tour of Asia that summer. My mistake. I still think though that we were more optimistic that summer, compared to this one.Definitely didn't.
Final game post-match thoughts from this page onwards. Olly with post of the thread for this:
Thoughts about the tour overall were slightly more positive here though, even if some predictions didn't manage to come off:
Then a few threads around the time the transfer window closed:
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/post-match-v-scouse.376234/
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/david-moyes-that-was-a-good-performance-from-us.376260/
https://www.redcafe.net/threads/its-not-as-bad-as-you-think-seriously.376390/
I think 2013 was worse.
Hell yeah, now that was grim, didn't even want to go out and play football that Summer, or play Doctors and Nurses
Agreed, Van Gaal was an absolute horror show and will take some beating for rock bottom. Have no idea what it was like back then but eeeeeeeeeesh, people trying the old "worst football they've ever seen" at the moment. Not a hope in hell is this as bad as Van Gaal.
LVG literally binned a whole bunch of our serial winners for absolutely no reason. Gutted the lifeblood of SAF's winning legacy out of the club. Imagine if Jose had started his first year with Chicharito/Nani and Rafael still at the club. They aren't the glory signings, but they're serial winning squad filler that we binned off for a bunch of green teenagers, some of which just got stomped out of the club instantly last year because they weren't good enough.
LVG was a complete and utter disaster for the club.
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Nor meWhat winners? Fletcher, perhaps? Even then he wasn't good enough anymore. Nani was busted here and it was sadly a long time coming. Hernandez was and still is fairly shite (his cult-like followers will no doubt disagree, albeit there's a reason Madrid didn't buy him and now he can't get a kick at West Ham). Rafael, I loved, but he wasn't exactly a 'serial winner', in spite of his passion for the club.
Van Gaal didn't work in the end, but your view isn't entirely accurate and I'm confident that our current brand of football is just as hopeless. Moreso when you consider that we now have a much better squad.
Then stop reading this forum. It's a cesspit of negativity as far as United is concerned.
I've enjoyed this one less than 2013, at least with 2013 there was a sense of intrigue for me, it was a whole new experience. I didn't think Moyes was the right man, but I had no idea for certain how the season was going to pan out, I wasn't dreading it.
This summer has been awful, and each time I've had the misfortune of watching us play, I just get flashbacks to how awful we were to watch for lots of last season and it just makes me glum.
This summer has been awful, and each time I've had the misfortune of watching us play, I just get flashbacks to how awful we were to watch for lots of last season and it just makes me glum.
Listening to Radiohead is always a good idea!
What has that got to do with anything?
Still knew we’d do alright during the season. This time most are expecting a car crash.
Given the managers reputation for winning trophies and building a team, couple with the expectation of buying who we want because Ed Woodward promised we can do ‘things other clubs can dream of’, then yes, this has been a truly poor off season.
I didn't like the Moyes summer. I didn't like anything about it, but I tried to believe that was because I just didn't know him. Depressing is maybe the wrong word, it was just really hard work to dig out any ray of hope. That "chosen one" banner didn't help either, the 30 seconds worth of the joke was never worth the display space at OT.
LvG's second season, I'd started the summer genuinely optimistic. We'd played well at times the previous season, we were on the up. Then I watched the pre-season and realised that LvG had decided to throw away everything good about the previous season. By the time the season started I feared the worse, and that's what I got. More annoying than depressing.
Mourinho summers are weird. I don't enjoy the doom merchant show he puts on for the press. I don't like the undersell of our players or our chances. I don't like the buck-passing that I hear when he speaks. I can't say I've found the preseason depressing though, more uninspiring.
As for history. Getting relegated was the worst. Looking at the fixtures list for the next season, looking at the empty league tables, all pretty grim. Strangely enough, the season that followed was actually enjoyable.
I don't know. I guess I don't find football depressing. Mind you, I'm always convinced that we're going to win the lot until it's mathematically proven that we can't. And when it's mathematically proven we can't I'm convinced we will do it next season.
LvG's second season, I'd started the summer genuinely optimistic. We'd played well at times the previous season, we were on the up. Then I watched the pre-season and realised that LvG had decided to throw away everything good about the previous season. By the time the season started I feared the worse, and that's what I got. More annoying than depressing.
Mourinho summers are weird. I don't enjoy the doom merchant show he puts on for the press. I don't like the undersell of our players or our chances. I don't like the buck-passing that I hear when he speaks. I can't say I've found the preseason depressing though, more uninspiring.
As for history. Getting relegated was the worst. Looking at the fixtures list for the next season, looking at the empty league tables, all pretty grim. Strangely enough, the season that followed was actually enjoyable.
I don't know. I guess I don't find football depressing. Mind you, I'm always convinced that we're going to win the lot until it's mathematically proven that we can't. And when it's mathematically proven we can't I'm convinced we will do it next season.
I have suffered a bereavement recently, and my Trailhound Barrett is recovering from a spinal operation and near paralysis. I come here for some light relief and distraction.
May we live in interesting times.
May we live in interesting times.
Let's face it, it was this attitude that got us through the 70s and 80s!
I thought the Moyes summer was more depressing. This runs it close though. Not because of the lack of signings, but the way we have been playing and José's attitude to the team does not leave me with too much confidence.
Moyes was definitely worse, so much worse. I certainly don’t feel we are running around chasing unobtainable players - but we do have a budget.
Sir Alex and Gill had just left, so a massive cloud of uncertain hung over the club. At least this season we know what we are going to get!
The pessimism comes from our style of play. The defensive set ups, the lack of passion/ intensity to our play is holding us back. This falls on the manager. I have no doubt we have the players to compete for the title but you have to ask yourself as a professional footballer would you want to play in this style? As a transfer target would you want to play for a manager who publicly slates his own players?Are opposing teams scared to come to old trafford anymore? Are we.always going to shut up shop if we take the lead ?
Pre- season we all held hopes that mourinho may change his style but its been so poor and his dull moaning media outbursts do not help.
I was big on mourinho when we got him but he lost me last season after the sevilla home game-- and us fans will need to get used to more of this dull defensive football this season unless we buy a game changer in the next few days to give everyone a lift.
Mourinho needs to change or he needs to go.
Pre- season we all held hopes that mourinho may change his style but its been so poor and his dull moaning media outbursts do not help.
I was big on mourinho when we got him but he lost me last season after the sevilla home game-- and us fans will need to get used to more of this dull defensive football this season unless we buy a game changer in the next few days to give everyone a lift.
Mourinho needs to change or he needs to go.
Indeed. It's probably part of the reason why I personally think the "false dawn" problem is overstated - the more dawns the better. You have to enjoy the fun when it's there, whether that's a win in a derby match or a last minute equaliser against an also ran.
Honestly it's not been great and I don't see how anyone can be brimming with optimism just at the minute. I just hope die hard Jose Out posters haven't reached the point where they'd prefer us to do badly so they can be proven right on the caf, and that the 'Is the United Forum Safe?'-types can accept when we've been poor. It looks like we're heading for season where a lot of posters will struggle to objectively appraise us for fear of losing face, hope I'm wrong.
Last night just confirmed it for me. That will most likely be our starting team on Friday night and Bayern just dominated every single thing about the game. So clear that we need 2 fullbacks and a right winger at the very minimum
This.
The only hope I have is that Lukaku, Pogba and Sanchez will carry the team. And at least one of Lingard/Rashford/Martial has a stormer of a season.