Look at how much we have spent over the summer, and how many top players we now have. We also only have the league to worry about, so it will be totally unacceptable if he finishes outside the top 4. That group of players should easily be good enough to make it. Man City and Chelsea should fill the first 2 spots, but after that it's 2 from 4. Ourselves, Arsenal, the dippers and Spurs. Look at there squads compared to ours, even Arsenal who have the strongest of those 4 are buying our 2nd string players off us.
Rightly or wrongly, no top 4 finish and he will be under serious pressure. The money spent and only P.L and FA cup to now play for means United really should get top 4. You'll probably play less than 45 games this year. The C.L/Europa teams could play upwards of 60.
It shows a distinct lack of any football understanding from Woodward and the Glazers if they think that because they've thrown a **** load of money at the problem it has now gone away. The teams we're competing with for third and fourth, let's say Arsenal and Liverpool, have squads that their managers have worked with for longer and were merely added to this summer, rather than ripped to shreds and rebuilt. We also have a manager picking up the pieces of a failed previous manager, not one who's been in the job at least a couple of seasons. I think we should do it but if we don't quite manage top four those are reasons, not excuses. He should not be sacked.
It doesn't always come down to where you finish though, performances, signs of improvement, how signings fare etc will all play their part. If you finish 5th / 6th and expensive signings flop there will certainly be a chance he'll go if a decent alternative is out there. Personally I think it'll be irrelevant as can't see you not getting 4th at least. Liverpool and Arsenal (probably your main rivals), look inconsistent already and Liverpool particularly have lost Suarez and have C.L to contend with for once. Spurs and Everton not worth considering, just not going to happen.
I said in post #17 that fifth or six showing improvement is good enough for me. Like I said in your quoted post though, I think we should get in the top four. However, I don't see not getting there as a sackable offence unless we've really gone to pot.
Thats the problem. How do you get to fifth or sixth without having a bad season? If the spurs, RS, everton and arsenal play to their skin, we could argue that but what if they are inconsistent?
There are five or six good sides capable of top six apart from us. We're on a large rebuild so have no right to expect to four really. But that's a fairly clear benchmark, if we don't finish top four yet those above us haven't been good then it's clear we're not improving. I can't see that though, If we don't get to four it'll be because those above have had a good season and we'll just have to improve more.
City and Chelsea have the best squads, and whilst we are progressing away from the Moyes nightmare, a lot can depend on injuries and suspensions. Arse will probably do the customary lean 2 month period sometime between Christmas and May, and Brenda and the dippers dont even look a threat this year now that wobblegob has gone to sunny Spain. don't think a top four finish is out of reach, and if thats at the dippers expense, even better
Then he will join us with hopefully Hummels De Gea Rafael Hummels Jones Shaw Blind/Carrick Herrera/Strootman Robben/Januzaj Rooney/Mata Di Maria RVP/Falcao Well we can dream
[video=youtube;0u0ioVFH03o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u0ioVFH03o&index=1&list=UU4SUUloEcrgjsxbmy_rQQXA[/video]
Could be quiet an exciting season. Fair play to the Chelsea fans, they can see the quality of our signings. But as for the dippers, all the usual tripe. Seems they never ever learn
