Did COVID set us back years?

[Champagneblade]

Tracing back through when things started to go array, you look at teams like Brighton and just at the time we were looking to cement our place COVID came around.

What were we? 6th with a game in hand and having just won two from three?

I think after the restart we only won a further three. I think we would have beaten Newcastle and Villa without the break and that would have been more or less enough to have gotten us European football or perhaps needing one point from Everton and Saints which under those circumstances I think we might have got. In the end Southampton was a dead rubber. It wouldn’t have been.

But besides that, we lost 20-30m from the budget and whilst there are never guarantees with signings, that would have either meant securing a better training complex sooner and getting better infrastructure or simply targetting a better caliber of player. Brighton didn’t have this issue interrupting them and having to reboot their aspirations and unfortunately we did. We also lost O’Connell to compound things further.

All ifs and buts I suppose but if O’Connell had stayed fit, just like when Hulse got crocked, I think that would have at least kept us away from the drop. Had the COVID money and the momentum not been impacted I dare say we would have had a better playing squad to cement that spot.

Typical of United. Just when we looked like having a decent team in the late 30s and early 40s World War II broke out. This time we look like we are going places and a bloody pandemic scuppers us. In between there was the whole Hans Segers and Carlos Tevez affairs.

This time coming back will be harder because we’ll have to redress the negative momentum and perhaps only new faces will do that and as we know that costs money, which is usually in short supply down at BDTBL!

 

[Stegosaurus]

Hi Stegosaurus here,


No. Other teams suffered from COVID as well. What set us back years was Wilder spaffing absolutely millions away on garbage. No wonder the Prince doesn't want to put more money in the club when he saw Wilder spunk over 20 million on Brewster and 20 million on McShitty

 

[Houston_Blade]

It impacted us, but nowhere near as much as it had impacted other teams lower down the league structure.

Our piss poor recruitment when we got to the PL cost us much more than Covid did.

 

[Delboyscap]

I suppose what it did do for you guys was halt some serious momentum. Yes, every club was impacted, some more than others, but not everyone had the momentum you had. You were flying, had everyone pulling in the same direction, there was high levels of belief and confidence, the energy within the club and fanbase sky high. I think you were impacted more than most tbh.

But, it wasn't helped by very poor recruitment, Wilder throwing the players under the bus and then never recovering, and CWAK's system getting found out.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

No.

I think the no fans hurt us theory has probably been rubbished now.

The momentum absolutely killed us. I think maybe we would have kept Wilder instead of sacking him and come up right away perhaps but more or less the squad has clearly been shown to be not good enough

 

[Bladezz]

Hi Stegosaurus here,


No. Other teams suffered from COVID as well. What set us back years was Wilder spaffing absolutely millions away on garbage. No wonder the Prince doesn't want to put more money in the club when he saw Wilder spunk over 20 million on Brewster and 20 million on McShitty

We spunked that money after Wilder earnt us £200m. To be fair McShitty got 14 goals last season which contributed to another £100m.

 

[Jon Bon II]

Hi Stegosaurus here,


No. Other teams suffered from COVID as well. What set us back years was Wilder spaffing absolutely millions away on garbage. No wonder the Prince doesn't want to put more money in the club when he saw Wilder spunk over 20 million on Brewster and 20 million on McShitty

So why did the prince re-employ Wilder then? Maybe it was to have a convenient excuse for why he's not putting more money into the club???

 

[Deadly_D'Jaffo]

We can't indefinitely blame COVID.

COVID hurt us, but the fix to that damage was supposed to be promotion and we got that. Hecky played a blinder taking the team up amidst the shambles surrounding the training ground and embargoes.

The timeline of events that followed promotion showed has majorly contributed to the disaster season we're having.

April 23 - We get promoted. Prince goes to the National Media and says he wants to sell.

May, June & early July - Little in terms of signing players. We spunked at least £5m on Traore, Slimane & Larouci for players we didn't particularly need and were signed on a 'suck it and see' transfer policy because they might have high resale value.
During this time Luton Town, who we had 5/6 weeks advantage on in terms of PL preparation, astutely signed players that fitted into their style of play. Ogbene & Barkley have been masterstrokes.

Late July - Prince states he doesn't want to sell anymore. Not long after we decide to cash in on Ndiaye & Berge just days before our Premier League return. Not to mention a moronic statement about not doing contract negotiations because, like in the NFL, it makes players motivated "and sometimes play for free" (it depresses me that is a direct quote).

August - Because of a slapdash transfer policy and little resources given, Heck is forced to start a PL game with Osborn, Basham, Lowe, Traore & Osula. The side we put out was much weaker than the one we had in the championship the season before.


In that span of time we've shown ourselves to be skint, without a strategy to approach the PL being skint (Luton did) and an Owner who doesn't particularly care (Luton have got an owner who cares).

 

[raimond]

Typical of United. Just when we looked like having a decent team in the late 30s and early 40s World War II broke out. This time we look like we are going places and a bloody pandemic scuppers us.

It's much overlooked that amongst Hitler's sociopathic, megalomaniac hatred a massive motivation for the holocaust was him having it in for't Blades.

 

[Bladesman]

Tracing back through when things started to go array, you look at teams like Brighton and just at the time we were looking to cement our place COVID came around.

What were we? 6th with a game in hand and having just won two from three?

I think after the restart we only won a further three. I think we would have beaten Newcastle and Villa without the break and that would have been more or less enough to have gotten us European football or perhaps needing one point from Everton and Saints which under those circumstances I think we might have got. In the end Southampton was a dead rubber. It wouldn’t have been.

But besides that, we lost 20-30m from the budget and whilst there are never guarantees with signings, that would have either meant securing a better training complex sooner and getting better infrastructure or simply targetting a better caliber of player. Brighton didn’t have this issue interrupting them and having to reboot their aspirations and unfortunately we did. We also lost O’Connell to compound things further.

All ifs and buts I suppose but if O’Connell had stayed fit, just like when Hulse got crocked, I think that would have at least kept us away from the drop. Had the COVID money and the momentum not been impacted I dare say we would have had a better playing squad to cement that spot.

Typical of United. Just when we looked like having a decent team in the late 30s and early 40s World War II broke out. This time we look like we are going places and a bloody pandemic scuppers us. In between there was the whole Hans Segers and Carlos Tevez affairs.

This time coming back will be harder because we’ll have to redress the negative momentum and perhaps only new faces will do that and as we know that costs money, which is usually in short supply down at BDTBL!

I would say COVID undid a lot along with the freak injury to JOC. COVID stopped us re-opening the hotel sooner and pressing ahead with upgrading the training ground.

Throw in the 20million plus we lost in revenue and the daft money that we did spend under Wilder last time just made things even worse.

I still can't believe the cheek of broadcasters asking for some money back even though games eventually went ahead and they had the rights to broadcast all of them. Which they didn't have to pay extra for either I believe.

 

[jono_t2000]

Covid was a convenient excuse.

Once we lost JOC, Moose stopped giving a shit and Lundwank thinking about his upcoming move.

Sure we might have got couple more points but Covid in reality didn't impact anything much at all.

 

[Bladesman]

Covid was a convenient excuse.

Once we lost JOC, Moose stopped giving a shit and Lundwank thinking about his upcoming move.

Sure we might have got couple more points but Covid in reality didn't impact anything much at all.

Convenient excuse? It fucked us up good style and our form dropped immediately once football resumed.

 

[Davalon]

The loss of momentum due to Covid might have stopped an unbelievable European spot. It might not.

We came back sluggish after the restart but still had some fantastic results before the season ended.

I've no doubt having no crowds didn't help us but I can't believe crowds would have kept us up in the second season at all.

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

For me, losing O'Connell and not being able to replace him was our biggest failure. Our threat down the left seemed to disintegrate with the form of Stevens and Fleck falling off due to the lack of having O'Connell down there with them and whichever replacement not being able to do what he did. Our main threat with the over lapping centre backs system had to come down the right. Once the opposition had this worked out it was easier to defend against knowing there was very little coming down the left. Our failure to replace O'Connell or adapt tactics accordingly seemed to be a big part of our downfall.
Other things did contribute as mentioned, Lundstram and Mousset being less effective than when we were "flying high".

 

[Sithblade]

Wilder had wanted Antonee Robinson and Matty Cash as our new wing backs, unfortunately we got gazumped by Villa and Fulham and ended up with Bogle and Lowe.
A fit JOC along with Robinson and Cash, sliding doors moment.

 

[Working Class Hero]

We lost O'Connell because of COVID. If there hadn't been a pandemic he'd have been on a beach when that freak training incident happened.

 

[Bladesman]

We lost O'Connell because of COVID. If there hadn't been a pandemic he'd have been on a beach when that freak training incident happened.

Yes and no because a similar coming together during a competitive match could have still had that same outcome. He apparently has always had an underlying knee issue.

 

[originaltrueblade]

No.

I think the no fans hurt us theory has probably been rubbished now.

The momentum absolutely killed us. I think maybe we would have kept Wilder instead of sacking him and come up right away perhaps but more or less the squad has clearly been shown to be not good enough

Was he sacked or did he walk

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Was he sacked or did he walk

Sacked walked whatever it was I think the stop then restart played a part in the sudden drop off.

 

[Champagneblade]

For me, losing O'Connell and not being able to replace him was our biggest failure. Our threat down the left seemed to disintegrate with the form of Stevens and Fleck falling off due to the lack of having O'Connell down there with them and whichever replacement not being able to do what he did. Our main threat with the over lapping centre backs system had to come down the right. Once the opposition had this worked out it was easier to defend against knowing there was very little coming down the left. Our failure to replace O'Connell or adapt tactics accordingly seemed to be a big part of our downfall.
Other things did contribute as mentioned, Lundstram and Mousset being less effective than when we were "flying high".

I’ll always argue against us being “found out” or “worked out”, because with O’Connell that system was the dog’s back wheels.

So we might have struggled with inferior alternatives but not with the A1 set up.

We made mistakes that summer in recruitment targets. Instead of obsessing over Ramsdale and Brewster, in my view we should have prioritised other positions.

We should have loaned another keeper, spent money on replacing O’Connell, spent money on getting a better replacement for Lundstram and persevered with the strikers we had. We had Didzy anyway and just had to rotate his +1.

 

[Working Class Hero]

Yes and no because a similar coming together during a competitive match could have still had that same outcome. He apparently has always had an underlying knee issue.

Maybe, we'll never know. I think it's a fair assumption though, after his impeccable injury record for the first 3 years, that he would have been fit for the end of the 2019/20 season.

If he had, and we'd kept that momentum, I have no doubt we'd have qualified for Europe. Everything from that moment to now would have turned out differently.