A decade of irrelevance in the CL

There are some clubs (Man United, Barcelona) who need to be supreme domestically in order to compete in Europe. If they are poor domestically, they don’t do anything in Europe either.

Then there are some clubs (Real Madrid and maybe Liverpool) who can finish 3rd, 4th, 5th in the league and still compete in Europe.
 
Pretty much as expected. We are so far from the giants we once were it’s ridiculous to expect to have anywhere near the same success.

It’s been a hard transition to accept but really we need to lower our expectations.
 
I like to focus on us winning the PL first, then dominating it before trying to have a go at winning CL.
Along the way, we should snatch as much as we can the three mini trophies; FAC, CC and EL.
 
VorZakone said:
11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
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Oh look there's a rhyme pattern, you add one "no CL" after "out in the group stage" and then repeat...
 
SirMarcusRashford said:
Meh, Champions League as been dead to me anyway since BT won broadcasting rights to it.

Used to be great on ITV and Sky Sports.
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So because you’re not bothered about the broadcasting quality - ‘meh’ to us being in it?

We’re bloody Manchester United mate - we should be striving to win it.

unless of course we’re saying this is now our level and we accept that. Which is a massive shame.
 
Alan Partridge said:
Pretty much as expected. We are so far from the giants we once were it’s ridiculous to expect to have anywhere near the same success.

It’s been a hard transition to accept but really we need to lower our expectations.
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People like to use this word. We are not in transition. We have just become shit.
 
Coxy said:
So because you’re not bothered about the broadcasting quality - ‘meh’ to us being in it?

We’re bloody Manchester United mate - we should be striving to win it.

unless of course we’re saying this is now our level and we accept that. Which is a massive shame.
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My comment was made as a joke, chill.
 
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Big Ben Foster said:
It's insane that our best CL campaign in the last 10 years was led by David Moyes
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Not really, considering he was still running Fergie's team. We were like a headless chicken that ran for one more season after the head was chopped off.

Had Moyes took over now we'd be in a relegation battle.
 
Post Sir Alex we're a team that gets 60-70 points a year, and that's it. Thats the level for a team that will on the odd occasion get out of their group in the CL but not go too far, or more often just hang out in the Europa League. The only annoying part is the feeling that our players could be a lot more than that with the right manager.
 
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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Would it feck. That is a horrendous record for a club of our stature. We’ve fallen so depressingly far.
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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they've sacked managers for far less
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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Of course it wouldn’t, but we are not Real or Barca. We are closer to Inter and Milan and even them have not been as shit as us.
 
Revan said:
Of course it wouldn’t, but we are not Real or Barca. We are closer to Inter and Milan and even them have not been as shit as us.
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Commercially wise, the club is up there with the other European giants. Sure, being in the PL helps. But it's a staggering mismatch between commercial size and sporting achievements.
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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Those clubs get free entry to the CL. Teams fighting to get into the CL in Germany or Spain have less money than some clubs that are relegated from the PL.

If you can bank on CL money every season it gets much easier, just as it was for us under SAF. Money in the PL has made it so a lot more teams are competitive for top 4. Spain make the competitiveness in massive output of homegrown talent and being able to get S-American talent much easier due to culture and climate.

To answer your question, no it's not acceptable. That's the point. That's what we've been complaining about and it's what the new part owners are looking to change.
 
We're facing the first back-to-back failure to qualify for the CL in the PL era if we don't sack Ten Hag soon.
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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As far as Europe goes we are not at the same level as those clubs though.
 
There is no point in compering us to the likes of Bayern or Real, they are top clubs and we are a midtable club. Stuttgart or Villareal are more on our level.
 
Snow said:
Those clubs get free entry to the CL. Teams fighting to get into the CL in Germany or Spain have less money than some clubs that are relegated from the PL.

If you can bank on CL money every season it gets much easier, just as it was for us under SAF. Money in the PL has made it so a lot more teams are competitive for top 4. Spain make the competitiveness in massive output of homegrown talent and being able to get S-American talent much easier due to culture and climate.

To answer your question, no it's not acceptable. That's the point. That's what we've been complaining about and it's what the new part owners are looking to change.
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Yep. This doesn’t get mentioned enough, the likes of Real, Barca and Bayern can be shite in their league but still not be under any threat of dropping out of the CL places for the most part. Whereas the standard being so much higher in the PL means if you have a bad season like we did last year you can end up 8th! Still doesn’t excuse how poorly we’ve been in the competition over the years but does explain a bit as to why we’ve featured a lot less in it compared to clubs in Europe of a similar stature.
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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In that same space of time, Real won twice as many CLs as we've won in our entire history. Contrast.
 
VorZakone said:
Feeling a bit provocative today. Would this be tolerated by 21st century Real, Bayern or Barca? Last 13 seasons.

11/12: out in the group stage
12/13: out in the RO16
13/14: out in the QF
14/15: no CL
15/16: out in the group stage
16/17: no CL
17/18: out in the RO16
18/19: out in the QF
19/20: no CL
20/21: out in the group stage
21/22: out in the RO16
22/23: no CL
23/24: out in the group stage
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You mean teams that can shoot themselves in the foot and still finish 1/2? No.

Anyway I don’t really care that much about the CL right - grossly overrated competition the obsession with which has gone way overboard. I just want to see us play cohesive well coached football and be well run as a club. Playing well week in week out in the league should be the primary focus. CL performances (once we are back in it) are a bonus at this stage.
 
I am actually surprised that we haven't qualified for it only 5 times in the last 13 seasons. Feels like more.
 
DOTA said:
What would you propose we do about it?
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Can't help but think the club is too nice. When players aren't good enough anymore, sell them. Instill a top mentality throughout the club. Someone like Phil Jones had an admirable start at the club but should have been sold sooner.

I think it should start with a change in culture & mindset. Amateur analysis but oh well, otherwise let's just continue this irrelevance while the club is commercially as valuable as the other European giants.
 
VorZakone said:
Can't help but think the club is too nice. When players aren't good enough anymore, sell them. Instill a top mentality throughout the club. Someone like Phil Jones had an admirable start at the club but should have been sold sooner.

I think it should start with a change in culture & mindset. Amateur analysis but oh well, otherwise let's just continue this irrelevance while the club is commercially as valuable as the other European giants.
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I guess we hope that's what's occurring now, having not happened enough under the previous leadership. We have shipped a lot out at least.

I thought you were suggesting we grab our pitchforks or something.
 
Went to the stadium tour of the Bernabéu last week. 15 European Cup/Champions league titles, 6 UEFA Super Cups, 2 UEFA Cups, record eight FIFA Club World cups. Plus the rest of it. Then we say we are the biggest team in the world. Depressing.
 
Manchester United is big club in Europe because of the club's wealth, we were respectable during SAF era but we became a non-entity, so much so that smaller teams no longer fear us, they just take it to us and in most cases, they win.
 
Snow said:
Those clubs get free entry to the CL. Teams fighting to get into the CL in Germany or Spain have less money than some clubs that are relegated from the PL.
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To be fair, you also suck when you are in the CL so that is not a good excuse.
 
Insanity said:
I am actually surprised that we haven't qualified for it only 5 times in the last 13 seasons. Feels like more.
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It’s because we don’t go anywhere in the competition when we do get in it.
 
I remember when AC Milan dropped off massively thinking how mad it was that was able to happen and how it couldn't happen to us but it has. At least Milan have a recent league title/CL semi final to be proud of.

When you look at our records in the only 2 competitions that really matter it's been an utterly appalling 10+ years.
 
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