The Manchester United Thread

[Legend Incredible]

I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who remembers Dortmund struggling immensely for ages under Klopp due to fatigue. Not that they weren't successful, but the players always looked absolutely exhausted when they were trying to fight for Europe and the league at the same time.

Not only that but once teams started to just cede possession vs them, they seriously suffered. It took Klopp a fair amount of time to adapt to it, and even then they were never really convincing. He basically tweaked his existing system as much as he could to fight the problem but it was still there.

Neither of those are damning, but he is very much a manager who favours a certain approach and he has to be at a club where that approach is useful. It's why he's well suited to a tier 2 club like Liverpool and why he is the last thing United need right now if they want to hang onto their status as a tier 1. It's also why taking Mourinho on will either work out spectacularly for them or be terrible. If he is as dogmatic and stubborn as he was with us, then they're ******. If the Jose of old turns up though, pragmatic and willing to do what it takes to win, expect them to be an absolute force again.

The Jose of old is still here. We all know of his 3rd season collapses.

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[Puddz]

Which Utd now are. Embrace it. It'll make the coming years easier to get through. .

If we get Jose next season, I'm 90% sure we'll be back to winning ways and still laughing at Liverpool hyping up their season and then failing horribly. Again.

10% unsure. If next season is a shamble then I will just cry and know what it feels like to support a average football club.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Joking aside, this tie must be heaven sent for UEFA trying to push the Europa. Viewing figures will go through the roof.

Biggest tie in Europe bar none the next few weeks.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

If we get Jose next season, I'm 90% sure we'll be back to winning ways and still laughing at Liverpool hyping up their season and then failing horribly. Again.

10% unsure. If next season is a shamble then I will just cry and know what it feels like to support a average football club.

Stop by our trophy room Thursday. That big glittering silvery thing you completed your greatest ever season with in '99 ..... we OWN that.

Big clubs win European Cups. Very big ones (you can stop reading here) retain them.

Mega, uhmmm .... 'average' clubs own an original. (H).

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

This is another reason why this is a horrendous draw for both sets of fans.

Whichever loses will never hear the end of it from the other.

 

[Puddz]

Stop by our trophy room Thursday. That big glittering silvery thing you completed your greatest ever season with in '99 ..... we OWN that.

Big clubs win European Cups. Very big ones (you can stop reading here) retain them.

Mega, uhmmm .... 'average' clubs own an original. (H).

Stop by our trophy room. You'll see what a Premiership Trophy looks like. You'll also see a relatively shiny European Trophy instead of them rusty things you call trophies.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Stop by our trophy room. You'll see what a Premiership Trophy looks like. You'll also see a relatively shiny European Trophy instead of them rusty things you call trophies.

See that's the thing. Polish runs out quicker when you've 11 European trophies to buff up. I imagine it goes further on your 5. .

Pain in the **** being one of the European 'average' group. Hear Barca, Milan, Munich and Madrid all have the same trouble too. .

 

[epic terrorist]

Stop by our trophy room Thursday. That big glittering silvery thing you completed your greatest ever season with in '99 ..... we OWN that.

Big clubs win European Cups. Very big ones (you can stop reading here) retain them.

Mega, uhmmm .... 'average' clubs own an original. (H).

Stop by our trophy room. You'll see what a Premiership Trophy looks like. You'll also see a relatively shiny European Trophy instead of them rusty things you call trophies.

See that's the thing. Polish runs out quicker when you've 11 European trophies to buff up. I imagine it goes further on your 5. .

Pain in the **** being one of the European 'average' group. Hear Barca, Milan, Munich and Madrid all have the same trouble too. .

Cracking banter lads gave me a chuckle anyhow

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Cracking banter lads gave me a chuckle anyhow

It's nice and fun now haha, but can you imagine what it'd be like if you lost this tie?

That is a prospect nobody wants to have to deal with lol.

 

[wkdsoul]

We some lovely blue carpet in ours.. so **** you both

 

[epic terrorist]

It's nice and fun now haha, but can you imagine what it'd be like if you lost this tie?

That is a prospect nobody wants to have to deal with lol.

Yeah I have almost forgotten what big matches are like, Yorkshire derby vs Hull City just is not the same, would not like to be either set of fans if you lost. I think whoever wins this tie will take massive momentum for it given the amount of games you both have.

Also if anyone would care to stop by the Leeds United trophy room we have a league 1 runners up medal although I think Ken Bates may have taken it with him ~@#

 

[steveorobbo]

Stop by our trophy room Thursday. That big glittering silvery thing you completed your greatest ever season with in '99 ..... we OWN that.

Big clubs win European Cups. Very big ones (you can stop reading here) retain them.

Mega, uhmmm .... 'average' clubs own an original. (H).

To be fair it was a lot easier to win then than what it is now. A win was still a win but are you really putting the 4 wins playing pub teams over the year you beat AC Milan? Im not talking the quality of the final opponents either but the competition as a whole. In 1999 we have Barca and Bayern in our group. Then had to beat Inter, Juventus and Bayern again. In 05 Liverpool had a relatively easy group but then had to beat Juventus, Chelsea and AC Milan. 13 games. A much greater achievement. Obviously I dont have to list all your opponents from the 4 other wins but you get my point.

Cant change history, you'll always have 5 and Real Madrid will always have 10, but as a quality competition, it means a lot more winning it in the Champions League era than the European Cup days.

 

[steveorobbo]

It was harder to win the league back then than it was to go and win the European Cup. Back then it was the equivalent of winning the Club World Cup now lol.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

To be fair it was a lot easier to win then than what it is now. A win was still a win but are you really putting the 4 wins playing pub teams over the year you beat AC Milan? Im not talking the quality of the final opponents either but the competition as a whole. In 1999 we have Barca and Bayern in our group. Then had to beat Inter, Juventus and Bayern again. In 05 Liverpool had a relatively easy group but then had to beat Juventus, Chelsea and AC Milan. 13 games. A much greater achievement. Obviously I dont have to list all your opponents from the 4 other wins but you get my point.

Cant change history, you'll always have 5 and Real Madrid will always have 10, but as a quality competition, it means a lot more winning it in the Champions League era than the European Cup days.

Joking aside, completely disagree. You can't beat straight knock-out European football. Champions against Champions.

Istanbul was awesome and will never be beaten if we tried. But it still devalued it slightly to me as we weren't Champions of England going in.

The Champions League you can lose half your group games and still qualify. Straight knock-out from round one is a real test. NO margin for error there. Champions League ..... that contains teams finishing as low as 4th in a league. UEFA should be done for false advertising.

Never go back because of the money, but give me the old style European Cup any day of the week over this. The Europa should do away with the groups and go back to a straight knock-out from round one.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

..... Also if anyone would care to stop by the Leeds United trophy room we have a league 1 runners up medal although I think Ken Bates may have taken it with him ~@#

You should and would have a European big one mate if it wasn't for Bayern paying off the ref.

 

[steveorobbo]

Joking aside, completely disagree. You can't beat straight knock-out European football. Champions against Champions.

Istanbul was awesome and will never be beaten if we tried. But it still devalued it slightly to me as we weren't Champions of England going in.

The Champions League you can lose half your group games and still qualify. Straight knock-out from round one is a real test. NO margin for error there. Champions League ..... that contains teams finishing as low as 4th in a league.

Never go back because of the money, but give me the old style European Cup any day of the week over this. The Europa should do away with the groups and go back to a straight knock-out from round one.

Yes but when your playing pub teams in those knockout games what does that really mean? Ok they were the Champions of their respective countries but they was on a completely different level and shouldnt have even been on the same pitch. They was like glorified friendly games for a team at the level of Liverpool.

I agree with you about the knockout football though. The Champions League should be a straight knockout but obviously money talks so I cant see that ever happening. I cant see the big clubs wanting that and risk being kicked out after 2 games.

 

[epic terrorist]

You should and would have a European big one mate if it wasn't for Bayern paying off the ref.

Yeah was close in 2001 too, I was there in Spain Mestalla is still one of my favourite grounds to this day and I have been to many. Meh **** happens us being **** has got to many aways I never thought I would get too and crossing grounds off my list.

But back on topic think I will tune in for this one guessing its on normal tv?

 

[kitchin75]

Yeah was close in 2001 too, I was there in Spain Mestalla is still one of my favourite grounds to this day and I have been to many. Meh **** happens us being **** has got to many aways I never thought I would get too and crossing grounds off my list.

But back on topic think I will tune in for this one guessing its on normal tv?

bt sport mate

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Yes but when your playing pub teams in those knockout games what does that really mean? Ok they were the Champions of their respective countries but they was on a completely different level and shouldnt have even been on the same pitch. They was like glorified friendly games for a team at the level of Liverpool....

Luck of the draw Ste. You got say the Finish or Danish champions early, or someone like Aberdeen it was like a bye. But then we also went out to Tbilisi and Forest the first round, along with CSKA Sofia and Lodz two successive years the third. (Nods to our Polish friend.). All whilst we were tearing it up domestically. The first treble winning season in '84 we had mammoth early round battles with both Bilbao and Benfica.

Some of those names don't sound much cop now. But when it was only one team that qualified and they had to be the best of their Country, often full of the best players as money didn't dictate the transfer market as it does now, there were some very tricky ties.

Become a bit of a myth over time that the old style European Cup was full of easy games.

There were less games to win it, but I think it was levelled out by straight-knockout football with no margin for error.

 

[Scouseinthehouse]

Yeah was close in 2001 too, I was there in Spain Mestalla is still one of my favourite grounds to this day and I have been to many. Meh **** happens us being **** has got to many aways I never thought I would get too and crossing grounds off my list.....

Same here. My favourite ground in Spain. From an awesome City, to partying with Manolo in his bar the ground before hand, to those steep banked sides that are awesome for atmosphere but scary as all **** if you've got vertigo, lol, Valencia is just brilliant.

Talking of crossing grounds off, a mate went all sneaky on me and ticked Barnet's new ground off Saturday before Palace Sunday when I wasn't down. Wasn't impressed lol.