05 Aug 2022 07:08:21
Does anyone think that the league in which we are in nowadays, Compared to the league we had with fergie and the teams we had think we would make top 2?
I'd disagree, Liverpool and man City would still be ahead in league status and champions league status.
Teams around us are also far better in terms of quality.

1.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 07:51:37
I’d still take United of then over them 2 teams you mention. It’s really hard to compare the eras tho.

2.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 09:31:24
I still think the United team in 08 was the best british side I have seen in my lifetime so far.

3.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 10:33:01
Comparing eras is pointless. The United side we had under Sir Alex showed a grit and determination to overcome all obstacles in their way.

Maybe they didn't hit 99 points in a season, but then no one pushed them to have to hit 99 points.

You beat what is in front of you.

I'd also argue that the league is less competitive than it was 20 years ago.

With less of the "smaller" teams causing upsets against the "big" sides. With the gap between those at the bottom and those at the top being closer.

The fact that until about 10 years ago only 2 or 3 sides had ever stayed in the EPL with less than 40 points. Whereas in the past 5 years 9 teams have achieved EPL survival with a tally of less than 40 points.

That proves that as a whole the league is less competitive with the gap between the bottom and the top widening.

More often than not the league has always been a fight between two sides. United and Arsenal in the late 90's/ early 00's. Then United and Chelsea during the early Abramovic era. Then United and City during the twilight of Sir Alex's career. Then City and Chelsea, with it now being City and Liverpool.

It always ends up as a fight between two sides, with 3 or 4 sides fighting it out for best of the rest/ UCL places.

United have just slipped into that second category since Sir Alex retired. It's not more competitive, it's just gone from us fighting with 1 side for the title to us fighting with 3-4 sides for top four.

I'm fairly confident that if we had Sir Alex and he spent 1.4bn over the past 10 years that we would be up there with 90+ point finishes right now.

4.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 10:52:10
Fergie toppled everyone domestically. He would have came out on top here too eventually.

Look at any sport from different eras and try to imagine what the best would look like in the modern era.

Phil Taylor won many World Darts titles with what would be now considered a low average score. Mid 80s to 90s. Now that wouldn't get you passed the first round of most tournaments. But as the professionalism got better, so did the standards. He would then go onto win with averages of 110/ 120.

Look at Michael Jordan. He played basketball at a time when it was arguably a lot more physically competitive. Stick him in today's game and the amount of free throws alone the man would be gifted he'd be smashing records. His 3 point game would have to evolve to catch up but improving his game was a strong suit for him.

Back to our best Premier League teams. When we were pushed we could rise to the occasion. City and Liverpool push each other week in week out. They have managers who are relentless and I don't think for one second Fergie wouldn't be able to keep up the pace in the league.

Football has become a lot more robotic. City are drilled so well that everything becomes so mechanical. Liverpool are like that also but seem to have more flair about them. Our teams (and football in general) were a bit more chaotic. Like a boxer who would be constantly looking for that knockout blow but leaving yourself open at times was accepted.

Tactics have changed. Wide players now get crazy numbers in terms of goals. Two strikers havnt been seen in a very long time so you're betting mainly on the manager, and only an idiot would bet against Fergie being unable to compete domestically with Pep and Klopp.

5.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 11:38:27
So the standards are better?
The fitness is better, and the tactic are better.
So in essence the top two would probably beat our old side.
An probably the top 6 would be of the same struggles we have now.?

6.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 12:04:10
Magicsy,

I would love to have seen Rooney Ronaldo and Tevez in their prime vs Mane Salah and Firmino.

The thing is when you compare era's it is difficult to say definitively. But when you look at world class players, they could play in any era.

7.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 12:11:17
Magicsy

Comparing eras is foolish.

For starters, a prime Giggs now would destroy everyone - Rashford would be seldom seen.
Then you have the likes of Scholes, Cantona, Beckham, Ruud, Rooney.

Any attacking 5 from those players when even near their pomp would absolutely be the best in the league.

Then you have Robson - a player who was far better than Gerrard.
Then Irwin - imo, the best LB seen in the PL era.
Then Stam - would have been one of the top 3 in world football in any era.

Ultimately, the Liverpool and City players of now would have struggled more in a more physical game.
The game, even 10 years ago, was different, so eras cannot really be compared without gauging so many different aspects, and there'd still be nothing tangible to work with because players develop differently to the inherent nature of the football they'll be presented with.

For instance, do we know how Keane would have developed now? The Nevilles?

I personally think that now, in this age of pampered players with primary focus on image, Fergie would need to be different. Do you think he'd be able to adapt?

United were successful in the eras where all the relevant boxes were ticked - the same applies to every successful team.

I miss the glory day but, as a spectacle, the modern game is arguably better. However that does not mean the current players would have survived as well in another era - it just doesn't work like that.

8.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 13:54:12
Magicsy, that isn't what I'm saying at all.

The standard overall has dropped, the bottom teams do not have the ability to pose as many questions to the top sides. As such they tend to get worse results.

In reality what has happened is physicality has been removed from the game, meaning smaller sides with smaller budgets are being forced to try and play in a similar way to the top sides. Obviously though they cannot bring in the players of the same standard. So they end up poorer imitations of the top sides.

9.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 14:20:30
I’d say our treble winning team would probably come 3rd now. But to be fair they are all in their 40’s and 50’s!

10.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 19:23:52
Who’s to say with all the sport science nowadays we wouldn’t be stronger with them players? Who says Fergie wouldn’t adapt his methods to suite the new era? It’s all ifs and buts. So hard to say really.

11.) 05 Aug 2022
05 Aug 2022 20:07:56
Could you imagine how good a player like Best would be now with his abilities, with modern balls, playing on the snooker table like surfaces rather than the quagmire he played on, with no drinking a proper diet and defenders not trying to GBH him.

12.) 06 Aug 2022
06 Aug 2022 10:13:15
Yorkie who is a very good friend of mine, says the united team of his era would smash all these teams today. He raves about how good irwin, scholes and some the guys that team had. He has had a very dim view if our current team for a few years. He does hold rashford very high in this squad and reckons he is one off our best player.

13.) 07 Aug 2022
06 Aug 2022 15:20:30
Fergie would have found a way.