Over the last couple of years I found myself coming round to the way of thinking that us Man Utd fans have it easy. I have never gone with the line that supporting Man Utd is easy cos that's just not true....supporting yer team is like circuit training....you put in as much as you want to put in, but after last night's defeat and the pain in my belly all I can say is SHITE!

Bottom line......the more you have, the more you want. Losing hurts bad. We (supporters) don't have it any easier that anyone else.....can't belive I nearly fell for that feckin' line!

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

Answers

Everything is relative LR - you're disappointed at not having quite stepped up to being legitimate and consistent challengers for the CL: we're thoroughly brassed off at having slipped some way away from challenging for the PL.

Celebrate your successes, and look forward to future challenges: nee point looking backwards.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

I wish I could say that " I know how you feel" but the fact is that Man U have had an astonishing 10 years of success, something I fear most of us will never see happen at Newcastle. If your gauge of a bad season is winning the PL at a stroll getting the the quarter finals of the european cup, then I'll be happy to see has have a bad year every year. Things change LR, sometimes good sometimes bad. Still doesn't hurt any less though.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

That's correct Clarky...it is all relevant but losing still causes me grief. Ok, I can look on the season and say it was a good one cos we won the league, but I'm forever being told it was a cak league anyway. If it's that cak, what are Leeds doing in the semi of the CL then?

The Wizard's reign is over. For weeks and weeks clued-up United have been saying that he's losing the plot tactically. EVERYONE I know was saying that we should go balls out.......leave out Butt maybe but deffo have Chadwick on from the start. Fergie played the way we knew he would...SCARED.

Football's balls innit? :-(

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

Syme...U do know how I feel. You lost the league when you shouldn't have and you lost two cup finals on the bounce. THAT hurts. The pain of losing is the same for us all.....and I PROMISE you this.....having 10 years of super success DOES NOT compensate for the pain of losing. LIke I said, the more you have the more you want...just like money.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

I'm not a super united fan :)) well not your united anyway but I had a feeling that Fergie and the TEAM didn't have the right amount of fire in their bellies for this game....

They've still got another step or two until they're the best team in the world....you aren't that far away though mate so take heart....a little bit more quality in depth and a couple of WORLD CLASS signing will sort you out...

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

I didn't see the game at OT, but from accounts, SAF played it too negatively. That's where IMHO you lost it. Losing 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium isn't a bad result. Losing 1-0 at OT was a disaster. However, I guess it could have been turned round if (a) your defence hadn't gone AWOL (been watching Toon videos too much??) and (b) he had picked a more attacking team.

You lost Becks and replaced him with Butt. I agree, Chadwick would have made more sense, though at it transpired, going 1-0 down so early, that probably wouldn't have made a lot of difference. If you'd kept it to 1-1 for say 70 mins, I could have seen you winning 2-1 and hence the tie.

Not conceding away goals is important. But not if you don't score at home. Still, the consolation is, you're there already in the bag for next season.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

I agree that the pain of losing doesn't lessen with practise, but I believe the joy of winning does wane with familiarity.

The difference between winning the Premiership in 92 and 2001 can only be the normality of it all. In 92 beating Blackburn, getting the trophy was all great. In 99 winning the CL was the same. Now, well the Premiership is matter of fact and the CL is the same semi or quarter loss.

Fergie seems to have lost the hunger, although the churlishness is still there. He was given the opportunity to say the Germans had played well in the post match interview and the thought never crossed his mind.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

Cheer up LR - I wish we had your "problems". If anything this result will be an alarm call for the complacement at OT. After your last major disappointment when Arsenal won the double you reacted by signing Stam and Yorke which moved the club onto a new level. I don't really see why the same won't happen again this time.

BTW these are interesting times for your club. Taggarts retirement coupled with the emergence of Leeds and Liverpool mean that ManU must negotiate a number of threats to their dominance of English football over the coming seasons. I would be interested in your views on who should replace Taggart, should he go now as opposed to a years time and generally how you see the next few seasons shaping up.

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001

The fire was there for the 2nd half Gav...but only just.... and that ain't good enough to beat a team like Munich who were demanding retribution. I still thought we had a chance when the ball dropped to Teddy with about 1 min left but he blew it. We do need a few signings but I seem to remember some strange looks when we opted for Stam and Yorke last time the wallet came out as opposed to the BIG names. Who knows? I'm not happy with that consolation Screach anyway.....ffs Liverpool may be in the CL next year too....and WHY?

Screach...without doubt SAF played too neg. He did last night too just as we knew he would. Sam said this after the 1st leg "I'm not doing Munich now...it's gonna be just like PSV and Anderlecht all ovber again. He'll play tight and hope to catch them on the break and scab a win...fuck it...we'll lose and I'll be two days getting home and depressed". He went in the end :-)

Mac...I understand what yer saying about Black Nose but if he's anything like me then he won't wanna praise anyone like Munich even if they did deserve it. I have seen SAF praise the opposition on many occasions but let's face it, Fergie is no Bobby Robson is he?.....different genes mate.

SellElena ...no point replacing Fergie now. I'm a firm believer in the art of a good "handover" and if it's to be Steve Maclaren then I think he needs the final year with Fergie. Our dominance in the PL WILL be over if only the teams like Liverpool Arsenal and Leeds as mentioned can sustain winning runs and also beat everyone else, not just us :-)

Then again, once a new man is in he may wish to try out his own ideas and rock the boat too much. When Paisley stepped down and Fagan took over Liverpool still went on to win their third title in a row. I don't think Ugly Bloke Joe did much at all. However, between Souness and Dogleash..... lol

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001