Oh so that was our first team? I suggest you check again. You tell me, which of those started the premier league game a few days earlier. 9 injuries to our first team on sunday and we then made 10 changes from that team. 19 players short of our first team... Guess what that means.... Reserves. You're welcome.
I think it takes a while for fans to adjust to new situations. For many (even most) United fans this is something they have never experienced in their career as a United fan. Experiencing success year in year out, with teams that were expected to beat all especially at OT. This was not always the case. For many like me the unprecedented domination was the exception rather than the rule. Once you accept that premise then things start to fall into place. The era of total domination by one team over such a long period (albeit challenged and with the odd interruption) is unique and we certainly won't see it again in most of our lifetimes. The reason I say this is because one of the causes is a manager in place for nearly 3 decades. When is that ever going to happen again? Who (LVG, Guardiola, Mourinho, Wenger, Klopp, and others) has the ability to dismantle and rebuild several teams while still remaining competitive and who will be given that time without falling out with owwners, etc etc.? I recall that whenever United didn't win the title, most pundits (!) and fans predicted that United would be finished and that the new champions will take over. It happened with Blackburn, then arsenal and Chelsea and now with City. Every one predicted they will dominate the league but then it never happened. I cannot see City or any other club currently at the top dominating for any length of time. This is because being at the top is cyclical. Strong teams grow old and other younger hungrier ones take over. United fans just like the players and the coaches and every one at the club will take time to adjust to not having SAF around. We are right in the eye of the storm and therefore very dangerous. Many here don't recognise it but I can. The combination of instability, renewal, expectations, media hype for every setback and inevitable loss of confidence of players and coaches is potentially lethal. An acceptance of a poor season to rebuild and lowering of expectations, selling players who are past their sell by date (and that means most of the squad) and bringing in new players who have not fallen under the SAF spell and who are not afraid of playing at OT in front of nervous crowds might help. I am lucky to have been around in that unique period of football history. I do not expect it to repeat itself. We are back to the usual state of affairs when teams take in turns to win the titles and whoever happens to hit the best combination (manager and players) wins the day. I am not writing this because we lost 4-0 to MK Dons. This was to be expected because it was experimental side (even with experienced players in it) playing a new system under a new manager. The Dons had more hunger and took the opportunity to thrash a top name team. Well done and they deserve their acclaim. And the press as expected went OTT in talking about disaster etc. As for supporting the team, FFS if some of us can support it (even more) when United got relegated, "humiliated" by MK Dons is like coming second in the premiership ...
1) He's a left back 2) He's mediocre Can't see that changing **** to be honest. Di Maria will help, as would Vidal and a CB or two. I agree that we wont see another 1 team take over with a long period of dominance for a long time, if ever again. United have a **** load of money they can spend, but so did Chelsea and City before FFP and we only managed to retain the league once, then win it once more since 06. SAF was the determining factor in all of this, now he is gone, it's back to business as normal. Some fans are having a hard time grasping this however.
Things can only get better. Mainly cos we don't have to play any more league one teams for the foreseeable future
