80's

[FL4ZGN]

I'm starting to think that the only way people can call the current situation fairly is if they saw the 80's and better still the 70's. My enduring memories are of a side who could do magical things like Robbo's winner in the 85 FA Cup sfr or come from 2-0 down to beat Barcelona, yet lost home games to teams like Oxford, Portsmouth, Leicester etc. I barely recall the Dave Sexton days, so the only 2 Managers I've seen are Big Ron and Fergie. There are people who slag Ron off but he delivered silverware and with a bit more experience we could have been champions in 86. We finished 4th but after the 10 in a row at the start of 85-86 we could have been forgiven for thinking we'd win the bloody thing.

Anyone not appreciating how good a side we've been given to watch under Fergie, get out your video of the 91-92 season. 25 years without the title, 4 games from the end we are agonisingly close then Forest beat us 2-1 at Old Trafford. It's still in our hands until West Ham beat us 1-0 & then we're all shitting it. I did not sleep one wink that night. On a April Sunday morning, Leeds beat Sheffield United 3-2 in a game with some of the poorest defending ever seen in the 4 divisions of English football. Leeds have played 41 & have 79 points. We have 75 from 40 played. I will never forget the sickening feeling as Liverpool go 1-0 up on us, then we're giving it everything and Liverpool breakaway. Walters & Houghton are lining up to put it in the net. One hits the bar with it, the other puts in the rebound. 2-0, season over and title dreams demolished. 10,000 Liverpool fans rush towards the goalscorers in delight that they've beaten United & stopped us winning the league. Now that is
painful.

And then there are people on this list with the cheek to moan about Manchester United & say that the 2002-2003 title was a fluke or Arsenal handed it to us. No title win can ever be considered a fluke given that the only table that matters is the final one. I'm scratching my head thinking to myself why is it I'm only 31 but can remember all these bad times & thank heavens for the success we've achieved yet there's people out there aged 25-35 who tear the team to shreds if they don't win? The only thing I can come up with is these people are bandwagon jumpers from the 93/94/95/96 years. I'd love to see us go on & achieve sustained success, but sometimes that's not always possible.

[imnonorrie]

I can go back further than the 80's, I remember the relegation, 74 I think. I'm not a united fan, but they now have a problem that all clubs are facing [except chelsea], buying big money players [transfers and wages], retards your ability to develope your own young talent, uniteds greatest successes came with, butt,scholes, the neville sisters,beckham etc., paying 29mill for rio means you have to play him,even though he gives donkeys a bad name, fergie in his prime was the berries but now? i don't know,i think there are more questions tha answers at the moment.

[STEVIEG]

I'm starting to think that the only way people can call the current situation fairly is if they saw the 80's and better still the 70's. My enduring memories are of a side who could do magical things like Robbo's winner in the 85 FA Cup sfr or come from 2-0 down to beat Barcelona, yet lost home games to teams like Oxford, Portsmouth, Leicester etc. I barely recall the Dave Sexton days, so the only 2 Managers I've seen are Big Ron and Fergie. There are people who slag Ron off but he delivered silverware and with a bit more experience we could have been champions in 86. We finished 4th but after the 10 in a row at the start of 85-86 we could have been forgiven for thinking we'd win the bloody thing.

Anyone not appreciating how good a side we've been given to watch under Fergie, get out your video of the 91-92 season. 25 years without the title, 4 games from the end we are agonisingly close then Forest beat us 2-1 at Old Trafford. It's still in our hands until West Ham beat us 1-0 & then we're all shitting it. I did not sleep one wink that night. On a April Sunday morning, Leeds beat Sheffield United 3-2 in a game with some of the poorest defending ever seen in the 4 divisions of English football. Leeds have played 41 & have 79 points. We have 75 from 40 played. I will never forget the sickening feeling as Liverpool go 1-0 up on us, then we're giving it everything and Liverpool breakaway. Walters & Houghton are lining up to put it in the net. One hits the bar with it, the other puts in the rebound. 2-0, season over and title dreams demolished. 10,000 Liverpool fans rush towards the goalscorers in delight that they've beaten United & stopped us winning the league. Now that is
painful.

And then there are people on this list with the cheek to moan about Manchester United & say that the 2002-2003 title was a fluke or Arsenal handed it to us. No title win can ever be considered a fluke given that the only table that matters is the final one. I'm scratching my head thinking to myself why is it I'm only 31 but can remember all these bad times & thank heavens for the success we've achieved yet there's people out there aged 25-35 who tear the team to shreds if they don't win? The only thing I can come up with is these people are bandwagon jumpers from the 93/94/95/96 years. I'd love to see us go on & achieve sustained success, but sometimes that's not always possible.


Great post
It's in the nature of fans to get frustrated but no-one has a devine right to win anything-United will be back
The impossibly high standards have been set in the last ten years but remember, no team in the 80s had the young talent of Rooney and (when he gets his shit back together) Ronaldo at their disposal, so this team will be back. Obviously, there's a lot of changes need to be made though.
Great to see young Rooney talking up the future again yesterday.
Rather than moaning about the domination of 5 years ago fans should appreciate that teams like arsenal (in more peril than united?)and united are changing their whole teams for the benefit of the long term. But its when these teams start finishing out of the the top 3 that i'll start calling it a crisis.

[Fat Tom]

Great article.
I'd hardly call it a crisis still and I know times were worse.
Players need to be criticised though and we should demand the best players at our club.
Hopefully we'll improve, we're not finished yet.
WE'll have a big say in where this title goes yet.

[Rebelred]

And then there are people on this list with the cheek to moan about Manchester United & say that the 2002-2003 title was a fluke or Arsenal handed it to us. No title win can ever be considered a fluke given that the only table that matters is the final one. I'm scratching my head thinking to myself why is it I'm only 31 but can remember all these bad times & thank heavens for the success we've achieved yet there's people out there aged 25-35 who tear the team to shreds if they don't win? The only thing I can come up with is these people are bandwagon jumpers from the 93/94/95/96 years. I'd love to see us go on & achieve sustained success, but sometimes that's not always possible.
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