Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

AidoEirE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826118#Comment_123826118

If my 6 year old asked me for a liverpool kit, never mind salah on the back ill always say the machine is not working right now like they always say when I want a McFlurry.

"Machine not working"

DellyBelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826425#Comment_123826425

Agree..much bigger games these days...unfortunately we won't be part of it for another while...heartbreaking watching pool scoring another last minute winner …we were once like that...

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826455#Comment_123826455

not having a go at you here, but i really wish the media would going on about this. levy was never selling him to us, or any other PL club.

El Gato De Negocios

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123825754#Comment_123825754

Congratulations fella, hope baba and mother are doing well 🤝

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826462#Comment_123826462

but what about just the jersey to fit in with his mates? its only anecdotal evidence of course, but i presume the brains trust realise the fan base is aging cos kids generally follow the best team.

at least we have project 28, project 150 and project 90 all running concurrently.

Acosta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826411#Comment_123826411

It wasn't something I was in favour of, but going on the evidence of last season, it looks to me like Uefa have got it right with the format change. More big games in the early stages and with the league format, the last game week or two is exciting. City just about scraped though into the knock out stages last season.

It's a bit sad that United are not in it. But while the club doesn't deserve to be next to near the competition, it does bring back the frustration of the club not turning up for the Europa League final. It was a massive get out of jail card on the disaster that was last season, and they blew it.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826530#Comment_123826530

amorim blew it. bad team selection plus no changes in game to combat spurs sitting deep.

AidoEirE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826425#Comment_123826425

Big games that dine mean as much for the latter rounds. Look at Liverpool last season.

Group games had more of a threat home and away

FrankN1

Hate the new CL format. Basically zero point in watching until the knockout round now. Or maybe the last league game.

AidoEirE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826425#Comment_123826425

Thats my point,

"its more big games between top team's with the new format"

The new format has changed so much they are giving away CL spots for thos league system.

Olympiclacos vs Pafos FC was some champions league game.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826598#Comment_123826598

i'd say if we were in it and challenging, we'd all love it.

i like it. the jeopardy coming into the last few game weeks is great. same as always

Hodors Appletart

As a long time fan and ST holder at Shels, I absolutely love the changes UEFA have made to the whole lot of the European Competition landscape.

The CL is really none of our business, but we did get the "Champions Path" meaning that if we won the CLQR1 we were then guaranteed at least a play off for the Conference League Group Stage, we did win that tie (Linfield Part 1) and then went into CLQR2, lost, dropped to ELQR3, lost there and then dropped into the UCL Play-off round.

What UEFA have done is, in my opinion, created a pathway for the best teams in the smaller leagues to try to keep improving, have something to aim for, win prizemoney and maybe, like a team like Pafos (or Shels, or Shamrock) could get a favourable draw somewhere along the way, or just spend prizemoney wisely and incrementally improve and get into the CL.

Like you've people here who were presumably dead against the European Super League also decrying having to watch Olympiacos v Pafos. You can't have it both ways.

MercuryBoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123825704#Comment_123825704

I think you're right. Amorin probably wanted to sell Mainoo and I'd say he got push back on that. It's also interesting/baffling that they've only bought one wingback, Dorgu, when his system relies on them, I'd say they're not convinced either

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826867#Comment_123826867

I'm not a fan of the current format, but can definitely see the merits of it.

The one real gripe I have is that I think the Conference League could be expanded to include a lot more teams. I'd go so far as to say they should have the same format, but with two leagues tables (72 teams, 2 x 36 and use the current format).

Add in another guaranteed team from the top 10 ranked leagues, add in another team into the final round of qualifiers from the top 5 leagues, and bump out the qualifiers to include more teams from the minnow leagues.

It's a conference league, no-one is expecting it be chock full of quality in the group stage, so just add another 15 or so teams from the bigger leagues, but adding a lot more teams from the smaller leagues (even if it's just the qualifiers stage) and it would do wonders for the smaller clubs, and leagues, around Europe.

And to save time in format, while the UCL/EL are having their playoffs to make the last 16, at the same time the Conference League would have two direct knockout rounds. The first would be between the teams ranked 9-24 in each league, with teams ranked 9-16 getting home advantage. The second would then between the top 8 of both sides of the draw against the playoff winners, with the top 8 teams getting home advantage. Then at the round of 16, the competition runs alongside the UCL/EL at the same stage.

If UEFA competition is to expand anywhere, then let it expand for the minnow leagues, they're the ones that need it most.

Hodors Appletart

I think Crystal Place shouldn't be in it, there should be no teams from counties with 3+ CL spots (or something, I'm typing on the fly here).

Are you saying "minnow" on purpose to be antagonistic in a conversation with a Shels fan, or what? Weird choice of word in a supposed good faith conversation. Just wondering.

Hodors Appletart

What purpose does it serve adding more stronger teams to a competition for teams from smaller leagues? We will benefit nothing from playing Crystal Palace, they are so far removed from our scope of competition, we'll be humbled, the players won't be able to learn anything and palace will treat it like a pre season kickabout.

ArmaniJeanss

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827145#Comment_123827145

I'd guess TNT Sports (and their equivalent broadcaster in Germany/Spain etc) would pay zero towards the Conference League if there wasn't a club from their target country/audience in the competition. So it's probably a necessary evil, and ultimately it is just the (theoretically) 7th or 8th best team from these countries so not always a powerhouse.

Hodors Appletart

but even compared to Shamrock, Palace are a powerhouse.

I get the point about the TV money, but adding even more of those teams to the competition seems insane.

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827142#Comment_123827142

No, no antagonism intended, minnow is used merely to express the position of smaller leagues in the co-efficient rankings. An expanded Conference League mainly for the benefit of the likes of teams in the Irish/Bulgarian/Finnish leagues is what I'm talking about, minnows was the word used to express that sentiment regarding the weaker leagues.

I get the idea of Crystal Palace not being in it given the strength of the Premier League, but at the same time having teams from the top leagues in it does help the teams from the weaker leagues by giving them some quality opposition to face, and perhaps a bumper payday.

Hodors Appletart

I don't get your logic, but continuing to use the disparaging language means I've no desire to continue the conversation with you.

Good day sir.

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827250#Comment_123827250

Maybe given you can't seem to grasp simple phrases, it's for the best.

Hodors Appletart

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827506#Comment_123827506

so what's with getting personal then?

Are you like this in real life too? Or is it an online thing?

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827862#Comment_123827862

Given you've completely got the wrong end of the stick to begin with, and then seemed insulted by it simply because you couldn't get the simple phrasing when no insult was intended at all, and then started getting passive aggressive about it by calling it disparaging language, then I can only assume you take things personally no matter what.

Either way, I can confirm in my original post there was no intent to insult or be personal to you, or anyone, in describing teams from weaker leagues, or the weaker leagues themselves, as minnows, but that I was merely suggesting in the post that those teams/leagues could do with an expanded Conference League to give them a better chance at European football.

And I apologize if I've upset you, or anyone, in doing so. I was not my intent, no matter how it was interpreted by you.

Either way, it's the United thread, let's refocus on that.

NITRO95

TBF the way we are playing, I think we can all agree Utd wouldn't even get into an expanded Conference League

FrankN1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827908#Comment_123827908

I'm expecting top 5. Yes top 5.

GolfPar

Rasmus and Ballon d'or nominated McTominay back in Manchester tonight. Be interesting to see how they get on…

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827142#Comment_123827142

agreed. i'd ban the top ~30 clubs based on coefficient. like no way chelsea should have been in it.

Hodors Appletart

Yeah, Chelsea made a mockery of it.

randd1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123828057#Comment_123828057

In one way, you're right, they were too strong for it, made a joke of it.

In another way, they were there because of their league performance the previous season, which given what they've spent, wasn't great.

And I think I can safely say, despite our current woes at United, I'd be happy if the best league position Chelsea can muster on a regular basis is Conference League football (I know currently they're in the UCL this year and we're in the deep sh!t, but you get my point). Personally, I love to see them there, means we're more likely to go past them if we (somehow) get our house in order.

Mitch Connor

I've always wondered if PL teams that are in europe should be removed entirely from the league cup.

would offset the fixture pile ups. create additional space in the calendar in general. create a rotating cast of winners.