The Emirates FA Cup 5th Round ** Spoilers ** [26th - 28th February 2024]

[BaZ87]

Because he's dreadful on the left

So better than he is on the right then

 

[fez]

It's the same argument I have with my United supporting coworkers. Opposition fans don't dislike you because you've won everything, they dislike you because a large demographic of your fanbase have a smug sense of derision for everyone else, as well as holding the almost divine belief that you should be on the pedestal forever.
That sort of attitude is prevalent in all clubs of course, not just the successful ones. But it's particularly prevalent with United, perhaps because they have so many fans.

Thats just not true is it. We've been **** for over a decade at this point. United fans aren't smug and they don't have a sense of derision for other teams. United fans are far more interested in how **** we are than looking outwards at other teams. I think you might still have hangups from when we were successful and some of what you said was probably true. Currently far too many opposition fans just can't resist trying to wind up United fans at every opportunity. Its not even subtle from certain posters on here who seem just as concerned about trying to stick the boot into United as they are about following their own team.

The sense that we should be on the pedestal is simply because we spend so much money. Its nothing to do with a god given right or that we deserve it, its that we should and could be there if we weren't run like a clown show. Its genuinely impressive how much we have wasted. Again, this is nothing to do with other teams and their quality and everything to do with how unnecessarily **** we are and have been for so long. If we had no money or weren't spending hundreds of millions on players and churning out football that was utterly turgid then it might not be quite so frustrating. Its like watching a child that has every advantage in life just **** it up the wall. Its frustrating because you know they should be doing so much better.

 

[ArcticHeron]

United fans aren't smug and they don't have a sense of derision for other teams.

I'm not saying all United fans, it's obviously the minority as it is with every other team. But I absolutely see that sort of snark more from United fans then I do any other whether it be outside the ground after the inevitable away day wins at VP, on social media or even in person. Our office postie who's a United fan even commented to me last week that we'd been 'put in our place again' following the win over Villa. This is the same man who just before Christmas said Villa where a 'small club feeding off ageing history'...

I think you might still have hangups from when we were successful and some of what you said was probably true

There'll always be a little of that, sure. But it's difficult for most other teams in the Prem and beyond to sympathize with United on any level whatsoever. You're struggles are the stuff of dreams for 99% of clubs in English football.

It's obviously all contextual and at times I feel for United fans given what's come before and what it must be like having to live in the shadow of such a prolific era, but if you're expecting commiseration and capitulation or indeed anything but other fans of the sport to stick the boot in then sorry, but that's the bants. You had it right for so long and now you've got pretty much the same problems as the rest of us, except you have billions in revenue to play with. Welcome to the party.

 

[Mekrel]

Trust me, as a Manchester United fan, I'm more than aware of how woeful we are and how that's been the case for pretty much a decade now. It's embarrassing when you recall all the failed signings and the truckload of money we've spent on said signings. Zaha, Sanchez, Di Maria, Fred, Maguire, DvdB, Antony, Sancho, Telles, Ronaldo (return), Dan James, Lukaku, Mkhitaryan, Pogba, Bailly, Depay, Schneiderlin, Martial, Darmian, and Fellaini. All of those were money and/or wages poorly spent - and that's not including some of the expensive wage loan deals we've had, or some of the younger arrivals that whilst I'm confident won't come good, they at least have time and were not expensive.

Liverpool had a disastrous Premier League campaign (by their self-set high standards) last season by finishing 5th, one summer transfer window later and they're in the mix for the title this season and actually brought in players to fix last seasons issues (mainly the midfield). The mirror opposite of United's awful transfer policy.