A lot of doom and gloom on these boards this season. It's not been a vintage season for varying reasons, the top ones being our attackers and yes at times the manager, who has to take his fair share of blame.
Anyway there are a few reasons to be optimistic, I feel, for the rest of the season and beyond. So here are a few:
1. We have a trophy in the bag, not the biggest but a trophy nonetheless, it's a start. Managers winning a trophy in their first season is quite unheard of at Old Trafford in the last number of years so that's always a bonus.
2. We have a EL semi final to look forward to, not saying it will be easy but it is a very winnable competition this year and victory would bring CL football.
3. We have had a brutal fixture pile up this season which has taken it's toll on the players. However, no matter how we end up finishing this season, I believe this will stand us in good stead next season. If get CL football we will be used to fixture pile up, albeit a tougher competition and if we end up back in the EL I would imagine Jose will bin it off unless we get the later knock out stages, as he will understand his improving the teams league form is a priority.
4. We have a manager, who although clearly has imperfections has had a year to work with his players, assess who is good enough and who is not and should know exactly what he needs to do improve things.
5. We have a great defensive record. We've had lots of shifts in our defensive personnel this season but we are so hard to beat. It's a great base to build. Even the great SAF agreed that the foundation of any successful team was to be solid at the back.
6. Rooney will be gone this summer. Great service over the years but he's gone, and thankfully Jose recognized this quite early on in his United career. Freeing up his massive wages for someone better will be excellent business.
7. Other teams around us are not certain to improve or maintain their current level. Liverpool, City and Arsenal are all at a similar level to ourselves at the moment. Arsenal will likely have a new guy in charge and will have to rebuild. Pep is learning that the PL is a different animal than anything he has seen before. Klopp's Liverpool are also inconsistent, and they have had a free run at the league. No Europe to distract them next season can they maintain that, baring in mind they are only 1 point ahead of us at the moment. Chelsea have been superb this season, but again, no European football has allowed Conte to focus on domestic competitions, they have a fairly small core of players at the minute. Can they bring in the players needed to challenge in Europe and at home? Spurs, the only other consistent team in the PL. They failed miserably in the CL which allowed them to concentrate on a title challenge. Again balancing those two competitions is a very hard thing to do. How will the react to playing their home games at Wembley? What will financial implications of their move tot he new stadium be?
The last point is of course conjecture but I feel valid points. Whatever happens next season will be very interesting indeed, and I'd be quite shocked things panned out similar to this season.
7 Reasons to be optimistic
posted on 1/5/17
comment by I'll be The Judge of that! (U21434)
posted 30 minutes ago
Maybe it just took the LVG brigade longer to realise that for MAN UNITED the biggest football club in the world
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posted on 1/5/17
Nobody has been that good, but Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs have played a fair few less games than us.
It takes a toll.
At least when we were contesting with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in the 00's all four teams were contesting the latter stages of the Cups no European competitions.
The league is so fiercly competitive. Ow that you feel whoever doesn't qualify for Europe, or gets knocked out earliest, is odds on for the title.
If I were Wenger, I'd aim for 8th, not 4th.
posted on 1/5/17
comment by ManUtdDaredevil (U9612)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Eric_the_king (SE85) (U21241)
posted 25 minutes ago
comment by Clever - son son son - 'The Special One' or Dare To Zlatan' (U18599)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by ManUtdDaredevil (U9612)
posted 26 minutes ago
Superb article and a great attempt at pampering over the cracks.
End of the day, fans are entitled to moan. Some folk seem to believe they are the only ones allowed to for.some reason.
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Desperate Dan has arrived but will no doubt shamelessly celebrate if we win the EL.
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What are you even on about?
So fans who are far from happy with our league form, attack and some even with the manager aren't allowed to voice their concerns or celebrate a trophy because an armchair fan like you says so?
Your logic on arguments always perplexes me. Just because people whine doest mean they don't support or celebrate. Very bizarre argument there.
A Europa win now will make our season a successful one however most people thought we'd be in a title race in August and we really should be too really as nobody in this league is that good.
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Don't take him seriously. No one does. Himself included
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Aww look. Its mr deflection himself
posted on 1/5/17
comment by Mumbai Mkhitaryan (U3867)
posted 16 minutes ago
Um....nowhere in the article does it say fans can't moan. We all do it.
And SE85, we all see flaws in the team. This board is so absolute about opinions. If your optimistic it means you're just papering over cracks and see nothing wrong, If you're moaning it means you're a miserable git that doesn't back the manager.
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There is a middle mate which is where the vast majority of us are. It is just amusing seeing some of the reactions of some posters who had no issue seeing things black and white not that long ago
posted on 1/5/17
Username with two of the most useless midfielders we've had too. It's almost like he knows he's full of it.
posted on 1/5/17
comment by Eric_the_king (SE85) (U21241)
posted 3 hours, 25 minutes ago
I give up on top 4 when we went 10pts behind. How often do teams go 10 pts off top 4 (with Europa football to contend with too which was part of my argument) and get back in ???
It was being realistic. We've been up against it ever since. We've made a better fist of it since Xmas and not lost a league game but we have drawn about 5 or 6 too many.
We've been bookies outsiders since that day too so it's not like I was writing us off when we were sitting pretty.
I could see the flaws in the team and didn't fancy us. I still don't. Maybe we can win the weakest Europa in yrs to save our blushes but we will have to wait and see on tbat. Hopefully we do.
Are am I only allowed to make predictions if they are positive ones then?
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"How often do teams go 10 pts off top 4 and get back in?"
Quite often actually over the last 15 years. I did some research and demonstrated this back in October when people were writing our season off already.
"We've been bookies outsiders since that day too..."
Depends how you define 'outsiders'. Through autumn and winter we were still shorter than 3/1 with some bookmakers to finish in the top four. We obviously weren't odds-on favourites, but I don't think many people would see 3/1 as an outside bet in a twenty team competition that hadn't run half its course.
posted on 1/5/17
comment by Eric_the_king (SE85) (U21241)
posted 1 hour, 31 minutes ago
Username with two of the most useless midfielders we've had too. It's almost like he knows he's full of it.
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Oh im sorry. Bow down to the spoilt plastic match goer. Must watch with chit in your eyes because you certainly talk it.
The berties have got you spot on you, you glory hunting plastic.
posted on 1/5/17
comment by rossobianchi #EquipaLulaDaAlegria (U17054)
posted 29 minutes ago
comment by Eric_the_king (SE85) (U21241)
posted 3 hours, 25 minutes ago
I give up on top 4 when we went 10pts behind. How often do teams go 10 pts off top 4 (with Europa football to contend with too which was part of my argument) and get back in ???
It was being realistic. We've been up against it ever since. We've made a better fist of it since Xmas and not lost a league game but we have drawn about 5 or 6 too many.
We've been bookies outsiders since that day too so it's not like I was writing us off when we were sitting pretty.
I could see the flaws in the team and didn't fancy us. I still don't. Maybe we can win the weakest Europa in yrs to save our blushes but we will have to wait and see on tbat. Hopefully we do.
Are am I only allowed to make predictions if they are positive ones then?
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"How often do teams go 10 pts off top 4 and get back in?"
Quite often actually over the last 15 years. I did some research and demonstrated this back in October when people were writing our season off already.
"We've been bookies outsiders since that day too..."
Depends how you define 'outsiders'. Through autumn and winter we were still shorter than 3/1 with some bookmakers to finish in the top four. We obviously weren't odds-on favourites, but I don't think many people would see 3/1 as an outside bet in a twenty team competition that hadn't run half its course.
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Seasons over by ictober im a plastic
posted on 1/5/17
comment by Returning managers (U1762)
posted 4 hours, 27 minutes ago
comment by I'll be The Judge of that! (U21434)
posted 30 minutes ago
Maybe it just took the LVG brigade longer to realise that for MAN UNITED the biggest football club in the world
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posted on 1/5/17
comment by Returning managers (U1762)
posted 7 hours, 35 minutes ago
comment by I'll be The Judge of that! (U21434)
posted 30 minutes ago
Maybe it just took the LVG brigade longer to realise that for MAN UNITED the biggest football club in the world
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United are a far bigger club than Chelsea