28 Sep 2018 00:33:18
First time poster, I just had to say something.

So Paul Pogba spoke out publicly (more than once) and all off the back of their leader calling out players in public.

Would Roy Keane not say something in public with this current dictatorship (by the way Pogba is nowhere near Keane but hopefully you know what I mean) .

Now I understand no player is bigger than the club etc but how bad must it be in that changing room? And maybe Pogba is sticking up for himself and his team mates.

Jose has clearly lost his players. He is going about things totally the wrong way. Complaining, publicly criticising players, living in a hotel, blaming the board for lack of funds, blaming everyone but himself and most importantly blaming the fans.

Is this the actions of a true leader?

Unfortunately like Ed 002 said the "toxics" have brought this on themselves. "WE" have brought this on ourselves and I am sure in the back of all our minds we don't want to make the same mistake again.

We want to Win Win Win but what we are forgetting is that nothing in life is certain no matter how much money is thrown at it.

I don't know what the answer is but I know I love my club and I cannot stand seeing it turned into a circus.

I would personally be happy to see the back of "the special one", In my opinion he isn't special enough. We need someone who understands the club and we need to all get behind him and trust him. let's all be honest we never thought Jose would last more than 3 years so we couldn't do that.

Let's move on fast and make decisions based on football not Money.

United till I die x.


1.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 07:45:51
I don’t know how old we all are but a lot of us grew up and loves thru success of Fergie, 1990 I started supporting United and a few years later it was utter dominance and a lot of great football and top players so we will always compare back to that, prob unfairly as not everyone is SAF. I always go back to the point, the club and the fans knew al about how Jose Mourinho operates, how he spends money, how he calls players out who are not doing it so none of this should be a surprise. How many times do we sack a manager and hope we get it right, an identity, a DoF and a a philosophy need implementing and being the overriding thing with this club again. The trouble is us as fans will only accept a manger who plays the right way. As for Pogba and Keane, Roy Keane put the club first, he was united through and through I don’t think Paul Pogba gives a damn about this club if I’m honest and that’s the difference.


2.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 08:08:18
WE haven't brought anything on ourselves. I've supported the Club since I was a kid and have held my season ticket for over 25 years since I was old enough to catch the bus to Old Trafford with my friends and we all still go together to this day. I still support the Club, I go to every home game and Travel when I can get tickets, I have MUTV, I buy my kids the kit, the pyjamas, the bedding, the wall paper, the posters, the caps, the hot water bottle etc you get the picture. I give the Club thousands of my hard earned cash every year. I am entitled to state my opinion and pass comment.

WE had nothing to do with the Club sacking LGV and it's not our fault if the owners didn't have the courage of their own convictions. It's not our fault that LVG preferred to play more football in his own box than the oppositions, it's not our fault that forward passes were outlawed, it's not our fault that LVG failed to finish in the top 4 and got dumped out of the Champions League in the group stages. WE didn't pick the team, WE didn't devise the tactics, WE had nothing to do with it. After investing heavily in the squad WE expected better and merely voiced our opinion. WE still attended the games, WE still bought the Merchandise.

It's not our fault that the owners didn't communicate their plans. It's not our fault that they remain deafly silent.

It seems abhorrent to me that the owners would just abandon their plans because a few supporters had vented their frustration and with good cause. They refused to sell the Club despite some serious pressure and some pretty disgusting behaviour by some of our fans. Death threats, threatening chants, protests yet they stood firm and resolute. It is my belief that LVG failed to deliver the minimum requirement of a top 4 finish therefore he was dismissed. If the owners really did sack LVG because of some disgruntled fans then I have absolutely no faith that they will be able to return us to the top anytime soon.

WE are no different from any other football supporters. ALL Clubs have a minority of persons. Some people would have you believe that ALL football fans are thick, impatient, uneducated, thugs yet nothing could be further from the truth. Most know and understand the game inside out, they know what's good and what isn't. I read some very interesting and articulate posts on here every day yet now we're being labelled toxic for voicing our opinion and blamed for our current predicament. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you don't agree with my opinion that's fine but we should still be allowed to express them without being blamed for the Clubs current malaise. Sorry early morning rant over as you were!


3.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 08:26:03
Stunning post DLIB. Couldn't agree more mate.


4.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 09:29:39
Bang on the money dlib. that's why I totally disagree with ed002 on this matter. We are fans who love our club so have the right to voice our opinions. The owners are just businessmen who don’t give a dam about the club only there bank balance. Love Utd hate glazers.

{Ed001's Note - have any of you read Swiss Ramble's blog post on United from a few days ago? If not I suggest you do.}


5.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 09:35:47
Brilliant stuff DLIB, everything you've stated is true, it's not toxic to want the man in charge of footballing matters to present a team capable of playing something that resembles fluid football and it's not toxic to criticise certain individuals when they fail.


6.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 09:47:26
Burnley, you were in the running for my post of the year so far, but you lost me at the toxics comment, and handed it over to DLIB. Great, great post.


7.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 09:52:04
Hi Ed01 - Do you mean the Swiss Ramble Twitter thread on Utd's financial results? I'm not on Twitter but found the thread through Google? Thanks.

{Ed001's Note - yes mate. Well worth a look.}


8.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 10:37:29
Thanks for sharing Ed. Very intriguing and informative blog. What do you make of it if you don't mind me asking?

Salient points for me are Utd aren't reliant on income from players sales. This means we don't necessarily have to sell in order to buy. This may change considering the rise in transfer fees we've seen recently.

We have a cash balance of £242m which is significantly higher than most other Clubs.

Wages although astonishingly high are still relatively under control at 50% of turnover.

The Club are still heavily burdened by the debt placed on them by the Glazers. Our gross debt is still the best part of half a billion pounds. In the last 10 years we have made an operating profit of £651m offset by financing costs of £523m. However to place this in context financing costs have been reduced from 42% of revenue in 2009 to only 3% today. Could this be the reason why we we're often told there was no value in the market back then?

Our commercial arm is worth close to 50% of turnover emphasising why the Club place so much importance or securing new sponsorship deals.

Champions League participation is vitally important to both match day revenue and earnings. This increases significantly if you reach the latter stages.

In summary it would appear we're a financial giant capable of generating huge amounts of money. It's probably a good job for the rest of the league that we are still burdened by significant debt that we need to finance. Wages are very high and whilst financial results are good they are heavily dependent on our commercial partnerships whilst results on the pitch are also importable therefore we cannot afford to become complacent.

{Ed001's Note - I think the big thing I took from it is that the Glazers have basically taken a huge amount away from the club due to their leverage buy out that is putting a strain on resources that should not be there. You could easily spend twice as much as you do without that.}


9.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 11:35:18
im surprised they haven't tried selling the naming rights of OT yet.

would generate enough cash to clear the club of debt.

{Ed001's Note - maybe they have but no one sees value in upsetting the fans?}


10.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 11:43:22
Food for thought. That's what I took from it as well Ed.

The Glazers are basically using us as a cash cow to make themselves very rich and probably explains why we have no long term solution in relation to the football side of the business. I suppose this was taken care of whilst Fergi was in charge but when he retired he left a giant vacuum which we have been unable to fill. Their leveraged takeover basically saddled the Club with massive debt.

From an ethical perspective I'm not sure they should have been allowed to buy such a world famous brand/ institution of such significant historical and cultural relevance using borrowed money which they burdened on the Club.

Thanks again for sharing the link.

{Ed001's Note - I don't think anyone should ever be able to use a leveraged buyout for anything. It is simply far too open for the kind of abuse that the Glazers are using in this case.}


11.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 12:11:08
possibly ed. i personally wouldn't want that to happen as owners other than the debt they have haven't got involved with anything in regards to the football aspect.

we can all fault them but there are worse owners out there.

we could have mike Ashley.

{Ed001's Note - how is Ashley any worse? He has not leveraged debt on the club, he has just taken large sums out. If they had the income you did, they would be able to spend like you did. They just don't have your income streams.}


12.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 12:13:13
Fantastic OP again DLIB. Making a habit of being one of the top posters on this site. Keep it coming.


13.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 12:32:22
Completely agree end. The process of acquiring companies through leveraged buy outs are generally regarded as a ruthless and predatory tactic even in the finance world. The deal is structured so that the company's assets and cash flows are used to finance most of the costs. It is especially ironic that a company's success can be used against it as collateral.

The government blocked Sky's takeover of Utd in the late 90's arguing it would be anti competitive and would have an adverse effect on the wider football industry.

Utd were purchased by a leveraged buy out some years later meaning the Club were saddled with significant debt which nobody cared to argue might be anti competitive for the Club whilst placing one of the most famous sporting institutions in the world at greater risk of bankruptcy.

I believe some things belong to the people. Football Clubs belong to the fans. They are the true custodians and without them football would collapse overnight.

I don't believe any Club should be purchased on a leveraged buy out. Clubs have important cultural and historical significance and should be protected from rich owners who's only motivation is to get rich. Certain safeguarding measures or contractable obligations should be factored into any purchase so the interest of the Club can be balanced against the desires of the owners. My god I'm on my soap box today my apologies to all.


14.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 12:42:44
Sorry guys had to have a bit of a rant last night. I had a few beers and the embarrassment around our club is getting me down as I am sure it is with you guys.

I suppose I am looking to blame anyone even myself.

In the end I will support my club through the good times and the bad but it doesn't make the bad any easier to take.

We have been spoilt over the years and I just hope that the people around the club can make the right decisions based on Football and not for financial gain.

The sad thing is looking at my son who loves football, he plays everyday and loves watching football but not Manchester United. We go on old Trafford, I buy him kits etc but he is slowly getting turned off because of what's happening.

Like I said I will love my club through good and bad times as I am sure everyone else on here will do.


15.) 28 Sep 2018
28 Sep 2018 13:39:48
Really interesting read Ed001. I think the increased spending over the last few seasons has redeemed the owners in some people’s eyes. But the reality is that all the increased sponsorship stuff is simply servicing the debts that they created.

{Ed001's Note - spot on mate.}