Is this, where we're at now, really so bad? Yes, this year has been disappointing. The last five years have been disappointing. When I was about eight this kind of thing really hurt (and this kind of thing was normal, because it was Liverpool's era). But those formative traumatic experiences as a fan left me never assuming that success should be taken for granted, or that revelling in glory is the main point of following a football club.
There's a lot of anguish across our forum, some of it frankly pathetic from what we imagine to be grown men. But what we've experienced is basically normality for the supporters of the vast majority of clubs. We all want more than this , but let's have some perspective. That's what every supporter of every club wants.
If you can't enjoy the rollercoaster, what's the point of riding it? For me, this is an exciting time - we're at a crossroads in the history of the club, about to commence a new phase of rebuilding. Football is all about anticipation: will the goal come, will we win the next match, will this season fulfil our hopes? It's about the potential transformation from where we are now, to where we want to be. Right now the need for transformation is at its deepest and we have reason to expect the club will take a new path. Huge choices will be made (successfully or not) or shirked around the structure of the club as well as what to do with the squad, who to keep, who to recruit, what kind of philosophy guides our future strategy.
It's an incredibly interesting time to be a United supporter. It could go horribly wrong. But if the stakes weren't high, it wouldn't matter so much. I'm really looking forward to the summer and the new season.
Interesting times
posted on 13/5/19
The funny thing is that they could make even more money if the footballing side was successful. Revenue and profits would be higher.
posted on 13/5/19
They're not stupid enough (I hope! ) to not realise this too. I actually think that they realise that it's just too much hard work to get back to the top, and thus they are now content with making a decent return.
posted on 13/5/19
It’s such an inexact science though. Coming say, 4th place doesn’t get you that much less money than coming first. And if you can spend less than City but still make a tonne of money it doesn’t make sense to try and take on a behemoth on the pitch when you can do things the way the Glazers are doing and still milk the club dry
Just playing devils advocate and if I owned the club I’d do everything I could do get success in return for my investment but the way the Glazers work seems to pay off for them so what can we do?
posted on 13/5/19
Rob, but if you had an effective football strategy that could put you at the top, and doing well in Europe, the prize money would have been more than what we’ve taken home. Add in that with such a strategy, we’d not have had to spend as much money, revenue and profits would be higher. And with this it would likely have led to a more positive impact on the commercial side of things.
I get what you are saying, because they quite clearly don’t have those interests as it’s too much like hard work.
posted on 13/5/19
Remaining successful is imperative. The domestic market for now will remain more stable for longer than say the Far East. Which happens to be a big market. Some fans over there are less loyal, and then you have the emerging younger generation in which you will have a much tougher time to attract.
posted on 13/5/19
I agree Prem and if we continue like this I imagine a new generation of a billion Chinese Liverpool or City fans in 20 years and United are just the naff team their dad supports but chose the path of least resistance back in the late 2010’s and early 2020’s
And that isn’t something I imagine the Glazers worrying about too much as that’s far too forward thinking a vision for those guys. They could easily sell this club for a profit but the cash cow from the PL is like one constantly blooming cash tree they can pluck no matter how good or bad United are doing on the pitch
posted on 13/5/19
Yes, the Glazers are only thinking of the mini future that benefits them.
We are unfortunate in that we operate in a field that is very financially stable and rewarding and our owners do not see any reasons to leave. And i can understand why, no matter how difficult it is to take.
We shook hands with the wrong devil.
posted on 13/5/19
I guess their thinking is that eventually they’ll get it right. And with the money we have being the club we are, it’s not the wildest thing to imagine they will. Be it’s a risky outlook to take.
posted on 14/5/19
Surely the frustration and anger isn't to do with your current level in isolation, it's to do with everything going for your club and the current level.
United have all the advantages any club in the world could wish for yet are 6th, after playing 5 years of awful boring football.
Which would upset an obese math genius more, scoring a D in PE or a D in maths? Ok that's probably a very silly way to put things but hopefully you understand what I'm saying...
United aren't 6th and shiiite because the 5 clubs above them have more resources at their disposal. In fact only one arguably has and that's City, United are where they are because of very very poor choices since Fergie left.
Surely that's the problem and where the anger stems from?
posted on 14/5/19
I would say there's also no reason not to be excited, all sorts could happen and this could be your lowest point.
Then again I personally thought you'd reached the lowest point possible several times already yet things got worse