Football Season 2018/19

[Mandalore]

Mid week games plus weekend games this week, does the Fantasy game count them all as one week? Tempted to use a few of the boosters.

[killthenet]

38 minutes ago, Mandalore said:

Mid week games plus weekend games this week, does the Fantasy game count them all as one week? Tempted to use a few of the boosters.

Don't play fantasy football any more but I think they only do double game weeks when games are re-arranged, every club is playing midweek I think so it'll probably just be a separate gameweek. 

[Kav]

I like the brand of football that Sarri is trying to instill into us, but some of the players don’t quite fit it... in times like this I’d like us to have a plan B, but Sarri refuses to give us one.

Still, if it means we get to our end goal quicker then fair enough... but Morata & Willian don’t contribute anywhere near enough!

[Ramar]

So far so good for us. Emery’s had a solid impact, we are on a very good run of form. 

It’s now important that we pick up 4 wins before we play Liverpool and Chelsea over new year.

@dazzybee a bit quiet on here? I guess if he still visits he’d bleat on about how they are above us. Not that poch’s potless boys got ruined last Sunday.

[LazyBoy]

50 minutes ago, Ramar said:

So far so good for us. Emery’s had a solid impact, we are on a very good run of form. 

It’s now important that we pick up 4 wins before we play Liverpool and Chelsea over new year.

@dazzybee a bit quiet on here? I guess if he still visits he’d bleat on about how they are above us. Not that poch’s potless boys got ruined last Sunday.

United fan here. Ive been very impressed with Emery, but also with the way the new operation is working with Mislintat having picked up some real gems. Torreira and that French lad with the big hair both look like proper talents. I think you would have easily had us on Wednesday were it not for the North London taking it out of you. And that was the more important - no one is impressed by beating United these days.

[bob]

I honestly though Guendouzi was Chinese for ages until I saw a picture.

[Julius]

That’s a surprisingly even draw all-around, some great matches to be had  

Hopefully Real won’t be much better than they are now in two months, because I’d love to see Ajax progress. I don’t think Lyon can be written off, even against Barça, after their excellent group stage performances. Tottenham v. Dortmund could be a counterattack fest. Atlético v. Juve finally gives us the chance to find out what happens when an immovable object meets an immovable object — I guess all eyes will be on Ronaldo there. 

And United v. PSG has the potential to be a bloodbath — Manchester will be red alright...  

The only game to me that doesn’t seem on par with the potential competitiveness of all of the other matches would be Schalke v. Man City. City could slip up, sure, but it doesn’t seem at all likely. 

[Happenstance]

Mourinho has been fired

[Julius]

13 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

Mourinho has been fired

It’s about time, to be honest. I think we got a bit of a hint of that yesterday when Martial’s one-year contract extension was activated — there’s no way that was done with the intent of Mourinho sticking around. And Pogba sells shirts and won the World Cup — there was no chance they were letting him leave over Mou. 

Apparently his sacking is going to cost United £24 million. 

As much as I still feel uneasy as a Chelsea fan about the fact that he went to United in the first place, I do feel sorry for him in that he didn’t get the support from the United board that his resume probably warranted. At the end of the day, his tactics are being studied meticulously by every manager and coach coming through  — is it any surprise that everyone seems to have United sussed in one way or another? 

I wonder where United go from here: Zidane would likely be turned off by the lack of ability/desire in the first team, and the excruciating challenge of being an underdog to qualify for the Champions League next season alongside competing in the knockout stage seems too big of a challenge with this team; Conte, I believe, is still awaiting his Chelsea settlement; and I can’t think of too many other high profile managers that are available at the moment, let alone anyone that would be interested in walking into a job like this one.

United needed a top-to-bottom change when Ferguson left, and the fact that they still haven’t done that makes it no irony that, in the most competitive start to a Premier League season that I can recall, United is nowhere near the top. 

The question now is whether or not Ed Woodward and the board finally realise that a top-to-bottom investment is needed as well as a multi-stage, multi-year plan, or if they’re happy to continue doing a whole lot of nothing.

My bet would still be on the latter, and I think that’s a shame for any United fan.

[Kav]

I loved him at Chelsea, but he’s clearly lost what made him great.

His man-management was on point during the first Chelsea spell, at Inter too, but since Real he lost that... he appeared to have it back at Chelsea in his second spell but that disastrous 3rd season, after the incident with the Club Dr (Eva Carneiro), cost him.

I think a number of things contributed to his downfall, all stemming from his time at Real.

As much as I hold him dear for what he brought to us, he isn’t a Special One any longer... he’s a Special Once-upon-a-time!

[killthenet]

I feel sorry for the guy and genuinely believe that given time and proper support he would have eventually won the title with United. Mourinho seems to have a real issue with his third seasons at clubs though, at Real they completely capitulated, at Chelsea he was sacked before Christmas and now the same again at United - albeit performing better than his Chelsea side were when they were defending the title. It's hard to know where either party goes now, Pochettino will surely be on United's list but would he really give up the squad he has at Spurs to take on the poisoned chalice that is the United job? And where does Mourinho go? PSG? Bayern? LA Galaxy?

[Hero-of-Time]

I feel the sacking was harsh. I think the players attitude has had a lot to do with the firing. When they played us on Sunday most of the team were just wandering around the pitch not even looking to play. Shearer done the analysis on MOTD and he was right in saying that the only player really playing for Man U at the moment is De Gea and it's been like that for a while now. Lukaku was highlighted as a player who just isn't interested in playing and this was very evident in Sunday's match as he was purposely taking himself out of the game.

As for a replacement, I going with Rafa. He's been unhappy with the lack of support from the Newcastle board and his contract is up next year. He's got experience with managing big clubs and I think he could do a decent job at Man U.

[Fierce_LiNk]

First time posting on N-E in a couple of months, I think. 
I woke up to this news today and am not surprised nor am I that sympathetic towards Mourinho. My general feeling at the moment is that it's about right in terms of timing, the way it was handled and the amount of chances that he's been given. My only criticism is that I do not think the whole of the blame is solely on Mourinho's shoulders, but rather it is a collective failing.

The performance against Liverpool was pathetic, in a manner of different ways. Pathetic tactics, bad line-up, leaving out key big game players, poor reaction to what happened on the pitch, poor motivation and individual mistakes. Generally, I think most United fans have got behind Mourinho and have been willing to see him succeed. Even when the club finished second last year, there was criticism with the way that the team played and were set-up, but the general feeling was to stick with Mourinho in the hope that the football would improve. Unfortunately, the football this season has been disappointing and the club need to yet again go through another period of rebuilding.

There's a lot that I want to say on this subject. I think back to two seasons ago when I went to Old Trafford to watch United beat Chelsea 2-0. Herrera was outstanding that game, Rashford looked the business and there was a general buzz around the club that things were on the up. Two years from then, Rashford has not progressed. Herrera has not progressed. Nobody truly knows what's going on with Pogba, or Martial, or Sanchez. Mkhitaryan has come and gone. Fred has been signed but never seems to get a run of games. The general feeling amongst fans now is that there's a lot of mismanagement going on, on a coaching level with regards to tactics, to the upper boardroom level. What is the exact transfer or recruitment policy? What is the exact style of football that we are aiming to play? What are our realistic long-term and short-term goals? At the moment, there are lots of questions and, unfortunately, Mourinho isn't the answer to many of them. 

We have some talented players at the club, but the motivation and hunger doesn't seem to be there. In my honest opinion, you shouldn't need to be motivated before you go into a match against Liverpool or City, but maybe that's a different argument entirely about the modern player. The performance against Liverpool was difficult to watch and at no point did I ever think that we were in control of the game, or looked like doing something special. The manager's job is to manage and I don't truly believe that Mourinho has done that well enough, particularly this season, nor do I truly think that he has the ability to work through this. If we were to stick with him for much longer, it will just create even more disharmony in the dressing room and continue to alienate the players and coaching staff. 

The general feeling that I have when watching United this season (or even much of last season) is that we don't seem to have a particular style of play. We play defensive football at times, but concede far too many goals and don't seem to be drilled that well to be able to do this. We don't seem to attack with intent. The passing is really poor and the crossing is arguably worse There's no pressure on the ball, no leadership on the pitch and nobody ever seems to bust their lungs trying to make things happen. The tempo is too slow and never seems to go above a pre-set limit. 

A little story that springs to mind is about the story of Oasis, a band that I grew up absolutely in love with. The story has it that Noel Gallagher unceremoniously sacked Tony McCarroll shortly before the recording of the famous (What's The Story) Morning Glory? album. The reason being that Noel felt that Tony's style of drumming would not be suited to the newer tracks that he had envisioned. Similarly, I feel that this is the same with Mourinho and the direction football appears to be going in. Klopp, Pep, Poch, the big managers seem to be playing a style of attacking football that currently Mourinho is unable to do. Whether that is down to Mourinho seemingly being unable to adapt to that, or just unwilling to coach in this style, is another matter. Whether he went today or stayed another month or went in the Summer, the point is that we are currently out of reach of the top 4 when we should be aiming to challenge for the league and are just going further and further in the wrong direction. 

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

 It's hard to know where either party goes now, Pochettino will surely be on United's list but would he really give up the squad he has at Spurs to take on the poisoned chalice that is the United job?

We're really stretching and taking the piss a little by referring to the United job as a poisoned chalice. 

In the seasons post Ferguson, United have still managed to finish in the top four, win the FA Cup, win the Europa League, win the League Cup and then, last season, finish second. That's hardly a barren spell or what many would call a "poisoned chalice". Unfortunately, the managerial choices just haven't been the right ones for various reasons and that's a problem with recruitment at a board room level. With the right manager and with a much rumoured Director of Football, we should see an improvement. Mourinho and Van Gaal were given looooots of money, tons of backing and time to improve things. Mourinho had the opportunity this season to take the club forward and he hasn't done that. That's not the fault of the Manchester United job or it being "poisoned", that is down to him and the ethos of blame and negativity that he has helped to create.

What I would like to see is somebody more progressive. Somebody who has a long-term aim of the club playing quicker, more fluid attacking football. The emphasis also needs to be on improving the players when they come into the club, or promoting youth from within. Too many times over recent years have players come in and then proceeded to just get worse. 

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

We're really stretching and taking the piss a little by referring to the United job as a poisoned chalice. 

In the seasons post Ferguson, United have still managed to finish in the top four, win the FA Cup, win the Europa League, win the League Cup and then, last season, finish second. That's hardly a barren spell or what many would call a "poisoned chalice". Unfortunately, the managerial choices just haven't been the right ones for various reasons and that's a problem with recruitment at a board room level. With the right manager and with a much rumoured Director of Football, we should see an improvement. Mourinho and Van Gaal were given looooots of money, tons of backing and time to improve things. Mourinho had the opportunity this season to take the club forward and he hasn't done that. That's not the fault of the Manchester United job or it being "poisoned", that is down to him and the ethos of blame and negativity that he has helped to create.

Good to see you back @Fierce_LiNk, and you make a lot of great points. I have to wonder if the board have been waiting to sack Mourinho ever since the summer transfer window closed, but didn’t think it an ideal time to replace him?

I think that @killthenet was referring more to the job as a “poisoned chalice” in the sense that it’s a position which seems to have the potential to do much more harm than good to anyone who takes the job — what is there to gain from managing Manchester United right now, and what has there been to gain from managing United since Ferguson left? 

Moyes, once one of the most consistent managers to stick with one club in the PL, had his entire career virtually destroyed by taking the role (and every role he’s had since has been nothing short of a failure); van Gaal, one of the most storied managers across Europe in the last twenty years or so, had his career end on a bitter note, having his contract end a year early despite meeting the club’s goals at the time; and Mourinho’s resume was left in tatters when he left Chelsea for a second time, and can arguably only be viewed as having been made worse by his stint at United — despite having added a few trophies to the cabinet. That’s not his fault in a lot of ways, not least because he lost his father recently and his desire on the pitch clearly hasn’t been the same since (if I recall, his father got ill towards the end of his Chelsea stint — it’s probable that is a key reason for his “lack of progression” since his great 14/15 season with us, which seemed more like him getting back into the flow after his time at Madrid). 

For Mourinho, I hope that he takes a sabbatical, at least until the end of the season, and comes back primed for whatever’s next. Italian football is on the up again, and he loved his time at Inter, so I’d love to see him to return there just to see how well he’s treated by the fans. All of this talk about him being done as a manager at the top level (not here, but of course, by his best friends in the media) seems well off the pace to me; he seemed to rush into the United job, so hopefully he uses this time more wisely so that he can come back in a big way.

I think the thing is that United never looked like challenging for the title last season, and so I think that them finishing in second actually only speaks volumes more about how poor a lot of the clubs in the top six were last season, and not how well they performed. 

It also doesn’t help that it is one of the only clubs in Europe’s elite being treated as a commodity to be sold off more than it is a living, breathing, legendary football club. No-one wants to make a loss, sure, but when you’re on the New York Stock Exchange, it’s much more about money than it is about football.

That’s something that needs to be changed. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by Julius

[killthenet]

Yeah, to me the United job is pretty much the definition of a 'poisoned chalice' it's a job every manager would like to take but the weight of expectation is so great that whoever is appointed is liable to come out of it with a lower reputation than they went into it with. Just look at the permanent managers since Fergie - Moyes career is basically over, LVG faired better but still had to go with his tail between his legs and now Mourinho - who won the league in every other spell he had in charge of a club - has failed to satisfy the board and the fans despite a couple of top 4 finishes and a few trophies. The spectre of Ferguson will disappear eventually but, just like after Busby left, anything less than winning the Premier League of Champions League is going to be viewed as a failure by the media, fans and the board.

 

 

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 hour ago, Julius said:

Good to see you back @Fierce_LiNk, and you make a lot of great points. I have to wonder if the board have been waiting to sack Mourinho ever since the summer transfer window closed, but didn’t think it an ideal time to replace him?

I think that @killthenet was referring more to the job as a “poisoned chalice” in the sense that it’s a position which seems to have the potential to do much more harm than good to anyone who takes the job — what is there to gain from managing Manchester United right now, and what has there been to gain from managing United since Ferguson left? 

Moyes, once one of the most consistent managers to stick with one club in the PL, had his entire career virtually destroyed by taking the role (and every role he’s had since has been nothing short of a failure); van Gaal, one of the most storied managers across Europe in the last twenty years or so, had his career end on a bitter note, having his contract end a year early despite meeting the club’s goals at the time; and Mourinho’s resume was left in tatters when he left Chelsea for a second time, and can arguably only be viewed as having been made worse by his stint at United — despite having added a few trophies to the cabinet. That’s not his fault in a lot of ways, not least because he lost his father recently and his desire on the pitch clearly hasn’t been the same since (if I recall, his father got ill towards the end of his Chelsea stint — it’s probable that is a key reason for his “lack of progression” since his great 14/15 season with us, which seemed more like him getting back into the flow after his time at Madrid). 

For Mourinho, I hope that he takes a sabbatical, at least until the end of the season, and comes back primed for whatever’s next. Italian football is on the up again, and he loved his time at Inter, so I’d love to see him to return there just to see how well he’s treated by the fans. All of this talk about him being done as a manager at the top level (not here, but of course, by his best friends in the media) seems well off the pace to me; he seemed to rush into the United job, so hopefully he uses this time more wisely so that he can come back in a big way.

I think the thing is that United never looked like challenging for the title last season, and so I think that them finishing in second actually only speaks volumes more about how poor a lot of the clubs in the top six were last season, and not how well they performed. 

It also doesn’t help that it is one of the only clubs in Europe’s elite being treated as a commodity to be sold off more than it is a living, breathing, legendary football club. No-one wants to make a loss, sure, but when you’re on the New York Stock Exchange, it’s much more about money than it is about football.

That’s something that needs to be changed. 

I don't think the club ever truly wanted to get rid of him right now, but the rot had already set in. We have a divided dressing room, the results are going the wrong way and the performances are even worse. A change had to be made in some sort of capacity and if Mourinho wasn't able to turn things around, then he had to go. I think in this instance, the club has made the right decision, as I don't think there was any indication that things were due to change course. The performances didn't show any hint of improvement. Not just with regards to the Liverpool game, which was a definite low point, but there are many other fixtures this season where the performances have been disappointing. 

I've made a more in-depth post below to @killthenet, which covers some of your other points.

With Mourinho, I'm disappointed more than anything. I feel that he's let a huge opportunity go by and I'm questioning whether he ever fully committed to the club. Continuing to live in a hotel whilst in your 3rd year at the club just doesn't sit right with me. I dislike how farcical the whole situation has become, with Pogba being left out of games, the bluddy press conferences, the information leaked out to the press about certain players not being unhappy. It's created a negative atmosphere around the club and, ironically, is not united. I think that this actually goes beyond results now and is more about the football club itself. We needed someone to not only manage the players off the pitch, but man-manage them off it too, especially in this social media age that we're in. I do honestly think that Mourinho will look back on this third season specifically (because this is the real one that seems to have caused the most trouble...most fans were sticking with him after seasons 1 and 2) and he will regret not making the most of it.

With the part you've said about second placed finishes: you can only beat and compete with what's in front of you. It isn't up to Manchester United to determine how well the other teams play. So, if United finished season, then results wise they were the second best team that season. They may have been miles off the top spot (which they were), but that says more about how well City played than the rest of the league did. We can't just discount the result because certain other teams didn't play as well as they could have done. 

The nature of football clubs has changed now and it's down to more than just what happens on the pitch. That's a difficult one to swallow, but that's the nature of reality for the top clubs. I try not to get too rattled or worked up by the business side of things and concentrate most of my energy on the game itself. Football itself is quite vulgar when you look really deep into it and I can understand why it receives so much criticism due to the inner-workings, the sums of money involved, the agents, the shareholders, etc. That won't change because there is money to be made in the sport. It'll just spread out to other levels of the sport. If there's money to be made by someone, then it will be done.

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

Yeah, to me the United job is pretty much the definition of a 'poisoned chalice' it's a job every manager would like to take but the weight of expectation is so great that whoever is appointed is liable to come out of it with a lower reputation than they went into it with. Just look at the permanent managers since Fergie - Moyes career is basically over, LVG faired better but still had to go with his tail between his legs and now Mourinho - who won the league in every other spell he had in charge of a club - has failed to satisfy the board and the fans despite a couple of top 4 finishes and a few trophies. The spectre of Ferguson will disappear eventually but, just like after Busby left, anything less than winning the Premier League of Champions League is going to be viewed as a failure by the media, fans and the board.

 

 

I disagree entirely with your notion that this is a poisoned chalice.
The United board were completely realistic in their expectations when Moyes took charge. We know this because they gave him a huge long-term deal; a clear indication that they were willing to give him time. Moyes made a series of failings, from scrapping the backroom staff as soon as he came in (which also impacted on the subsequent managers' reigns at the club), he was given a big transfer budget and messed up in his first transfer window by only bringing in Fellaini for MORE than his buyout clause after he missed that deadline. Not only that, but there were other targets that were missed, so right from the start he put the club on the backfoot. The football wasn't good enough and the results were poor. We finished that season in 7th place after winning the league the year beforehand. His comments about United "aspiring to be at City's standard" that season alienated a lot of the club's following and it became clear that he was out of his depth at this level. That's nothing to do with the role of United boss being a poisoned chalice or the expectations being too great...that's a failing at manager and boardroom level. That's one.

Van Gaal had ideas when he came and his vision of how to play the game was clearest of all the managers post-Ferguson. He wanted a more continental, possession based team that would be more comfortable on the ball. The ideas were there, but the results ultimately weren't. He is the one I feel most sorry for post-Fergie because it was clear what he was trying to do and what he was trying to get the players to do, but the players that he brought in just weren't up to it and the high-profile signings of Di Maria and Falcao didn't work out. But, he brought Martial and Rashford to the club. He lost his job as soon as Mourinho was available and when the fifth league place finish indicated that he wouldn't be the one to help the club challenge for top spot. He was given two seasons and took us as far as it was possible for him to take us at the club. That doesn't indicate that the role is a poisoned chalice at all. This is down to a manager being at the end of their career and the style of football not being quite right for the club in question. 

Mourinho has just been too inconsistent. He's brought trophies to the club and a second place finish, and the hierarchy were willing to give him even more time. We know this because he was given a contract extension in January! But, the style of football has received criticism from United fans, the media, ex-pros, pundits, the lot. That is something that was within Mourinho's control. He was given the money to go out and sign players...I think it was over £400million in total, can't remember the exact figure to the pound. But, that's a lot of money. The fact of the matter is that United have won only 7 out of 17 league games, have a goal different of zero and are 11 points off fourth. Those stats are just not good enough. When you have players on obscene amounts of money, you can't be having results like that, with performances which we've seen this season. 

I disagree with your idea that whoever gets the United job is doomed to failure or is doomed to come out of it worse than they went in. There are clear reasons why each manager failed and a different set of circumstances for each one. If we're going to call this job a poisoned chalice for the expectations being big, then we have to call the Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, AC Milan, Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, France, Spain, Germany and all other top jobs poisoned chalices, too. The expectations are great, which is true. But I disagree that they are too great. As each manager has been shown, they were given the time, the funds and the access to players in order to succeed. Whilst I have already said that part of this failure isn't solely down to Jose, he has to own a large portion of it. The players have to take individual responsibility too, because there has been a lot of nonsense going on, both on and off the pitch. But, unfortunately, Jose has to shoulder the blame because he is the one who motivates the players, he is the one who chooses the lineups, he is the one who decides who gets to sit on that bench (injury dependent, of course) and he is responsible for the tactics and style of play at the club. That has absolutely nothing to do with Sir Alex Ferguson...that is on him.

[Julius]

 

[killthenet]

I hate how the media are treating it as if Pochettino is definitely going to leave Spurs for United, I really hope it doesn't pan out the same way as Marco Silva and destroy the form of the team. It would be a shame if Pochettino left Spurs at the end of the season, I think that he and the club are a great fit for each other and I'd hate for their relationship to come to an acrimonious end. 

League Cup semi final line up is interesting reading, three teams that are always there and then League One Burton Albion on their greatest ever cup run. A Burton vs Spurs final would suit me but it'll undoubtedly be Chelsea and Man City that make it through.

[Kav]

Here’s Craig Bellamy letting slip that City drew Burton a full day before the “live” draw took place...

 

[bob]

Here’s Craig Bellamy letting slip that City drew Burton a full day before the “live” draw took place...
 

I think he just thought it was a 'bracket' competition rather than a drawn one. If there is a conspiracy where they already know who's going to play who, why would they let Craig Fucking Bellamy know?

[Kav]

22 minutes ago, bob said:

1 hour ago, Kav said:

Here’s Craig Bellamy letting slip that City drew Burton a full day before the “live” draw took place...
 

I think he just thought it was a 'bracket' competition rather than a drawn one. If there is a conspiracy where they already know who's going to play who, why would they let Craig Fucking Bellamy know?

Surely Bellamy would know how the competition works, given he’s played in it and has commentated on it before..?

As to why he’d know, who knows...

I’m not buying into it myself, just think it looks suspicious. As you say, he may have just got his wires crossed.

[bob]

Surely Bellamy would know how the competition works, given he’s played in it and has commentated on it before..?
As to why he’d know, who knows...
I’m not buying into it myself, just think it looks suspicious. As you say, he may have just got his wires crossed.

Yeah, when I say 'thought' he clearly didn't think. It's was probably just a brainfart moment. He is a professional footballer after all.

Also, if it is all a fix, when exactly would they have decided out who was going to play who? Before the quarter finals? Since the first round? What would be the benefit?

Shadowy Craig Bellamy pulling the strings from afar, trying to get Man City as far as possible in the Micky Mouse Cup, clearly.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I was excited about watching some football on terrestrial tv when I learned that it was the FA Cup this weekend. But then, I quickly remembered that we don't have that anymore. 

Quite an average performance from Man Utd today and, aside from Romero, there was nobody from the second string who I thought could improve the first team. I'm still struggling to see what Fred can offer at the club as he just constantly gives the ball away and doesn't seem to do an awful lot with it. I hope he just needs time, but I also get the feeling that we can fast forward to five years down the line and still be having the same conversation about the player.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Big game tomorrow. I feel that we'll put in a good performance but will do well to come out of it with a draw. I'd love to somehow get a 2-0 victory, but I'm not sure if our defence is good enough to keep a clean sheet, plus we seem to make a lot of defensive errors and are also a bit shit at set-pieces. With my sensible hat on, I'm thinking 2-1 Spurs, but with enough there from United that it won't be a totally demoralising result. 

[Nicktendo]

Why are United even thinking about Southgate? Laughable. 

Thoroughly enjoyed that game as a neutral. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm kind of glad United seem to be back now. It was just depressing watching them play so badly for so long.