Have we underachieved in the Roman era?

[Madmax 9,219]

Yes, I know, but you also said that "we'd all like money to buy titles"... I just said that I wouldn't, because then City would dominate over us

No, I said that football fans expect spending to bear instant results, but titles can't be bought.

[manpe 10,861]

poteito potaato, the point remains fairly the same... expecting it is one thing, liking it to happen is another

But what do you think, could Jose have won titles with the pre-Roman team? I personally think the main things he brought with himself were new tactics, new approach, new winning mentality.. new players were a must, he was probably ordered to rebuild the team. If Mancini had been our "revolution boss", I doubt we would have achieved anything. Mourinho turned unknown players of Porto into heroes and champions, I believe he could have done similarly with the pre-Roman squads, no matter how much money he got. But yeah, it's pointless to speculate, maybe I rate TSO too highly

[warnie_666 1,081]

Underachieved for sure. All the talk of painting the world blue by 2011 by Kenyon didn't turn out to be true.

3 leagues in 8 seasons? Manchester Unites won 3 leagues in 3 season and 4 leagues and Champions League in the same period.

The aim was to win two champions leagues and we haven't won one. One reason for this underachievement is Romans ego. Had he not fired Mourinho we wouldn't have underachieved. But we fired him, and then Grant, and then Scolari and then Carlo. This way no team will achieve anything.

Hopefully AVB can help us knock Man Utd off their fucking perch.

I don't want my club to be one of those several clubs that once threatened to knock Man Utd off their no.1 status but later faded away into being just another top 4 team like Arsenal and Liverpool and to some extent Blackburn and Newcastlee.

I won't Chelsea to dominate the league like never before win titles after titles and not just one in 4 seasons.

Target for this decade is to win 8 titles and 3 Champions League.

I know it is ambitious but having ambitious targets will atleast drive us to achieve it

[warnie_666 1,081]

if we had won more it still wouldn't have satisfied some ...It took us 50 years to win our first title then 50 more to win our second

It's all about being no.1. It pains me to see that inspite of investing millions in squad we have won only 3 titles in 8 seasons while Man Utd having invested less than half compared to us have won 4 titles and UCL in the same period.

We may have won our title in 50 years but that doesn't hurt much cus we didn't invest much in the squad.

It's like a business. You invest in squad to win to be number 1. If you don't achieve that your investment has failed.

[coolhead23 1,147]

I think we done great so far, specially considering the fact that it took 50+ years to get the first title. We have built things brick by brick and where ever needed loads of cash (mostly cash ) under the Roman era, one of the result is a proper and nearing excellent infrastructure which would start giving us good supplies of players who could be drafted into the first team easily apart from the fact that we still have a very decent side. In the Roman era so far we have become a club which is talked among the big names in Europe which is a big achievement because thats recognition and it hard to come by. And you have players who want to join the club for that. Yes only 3 titles the reason is mainly because of our owner who has been keen to acquire a formula for instant success (which unfortunately cannot be bought) and i really hope that AVB is an investment under whom we could grow. As now we have the players (more or less), the infrastructure, the fear in our opponents, a reputation in the Champions league, so all that is needed is someone to stay and take this to a new level.

I m hope that Roman understands that being a little patient would help us achieve more than what other expects. There would be many Citys and Malagas and PSGs in the making but it would be difficult to achieve what Chelsea has achieved in the last 8 years.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I say no, because before Abramovich came in, all of this was fantasy. I still sometimes can't believe we've transformed from the team I fell in love with as a kid in the late 90s after those two FA Cup wins in 1997 and 2000 into he European 'big four' alongside United, Real and Barcelona. 3 league titles and four second-placed finishes in that period of time = absolutely exceptional. We should have won the Champions League, and but for woeful refereeing we would have been in the final in 2005 and 2009, we should perhaps have won it in 2003 as well. Can't complain.

[warnie_666 1,081]

No, I said that football fans expect spending to bear instant results, but titles can't be bought.

Surely they can't be brought. And that shows why we finished second in our first season of Romans takeover and why Man City haven't won the title after three seasons with the sheikhs.

For Man City, it is different. The team was ranked 11 I believe when they were taken over and they finished 8 and 6 and 3 in the subsequent seasons. For them it is a success and they have achieved their goal Of breaking into top 6 and top 4 considering teir team was 11th when they were bought

Chelsea on the other hand was 6th when roman took over and finished 2nd and 1st in the subsequent seasons. But then we regressed. And self destruct. Fired the manager that bought us success and one who is considered as the best manager. Untill Carlo won us the title again after 3 seasons. We self destruct again last winter. By scaling down the squad and refusing Carlos request to extend Ballacks contract, he would have been invaluable in Lamps absence and We would have not suffered so bad and probably would have won the title. But hey we always self destruct. We were steam rolling untill our board had a brain fart and decided hey we don't need Wilkins and let's isolate Carlo.

Bottom Line is that the board is the cause for our underachievement.

[Ollie 4,400]

Can't complain at all. Man Utd are Man Utd so you can't expect to win it every year just because we have money. Man Utd can still attract the worlds best. Before Roman came, we were barely even a top 4 side and Man Utd and Arsenal had dominated the top 2 places for ages so to have won the league 3 times in 8 seasons, almost once every 2 years is very good plus the cups. Arsenal aint won anything for 6 years and they can still attract the best players plus they aint skint either. Man Utd haven't won the FA Cup since 2004 so at least we've won everything in domestic football multiple times recently.

It's ONLY the lack of Champions League trophy that's missing but 4 semi's and a final is a pretty good effort and we should've won it twice at least (04 and 08).

[francozola 2,040]

Man Utd's recent titles have been due to Fergie rather than their "team". I do think we've kind of underachieved and agree with warnie that it's because of our board imo

Really unlucky in the champions league though. Should have won it in 03/04, 07/08. Should have reached the final in 08/09.

[eldo 868]

It's all about being no.1. It pains me to see that inspite of investing millions in squad we have won only 3 titles in 8 seasons while Man Utd having invested less than half compared to us have won 4 titles and UCL in the same period.

We may have won our title in 50 years but that doesn't hurt much cus we didn't invest much in the squad.

It's like a business. You invest in squad to win to be number 1. If you don't achieve that your investment has failed.

Man utd have spent money too.

[zolayes 14,489]

when we are accused of being glory hunters it really pisses me off ...BUT seeing some of the comments on here ...some people would be better

fucking off to support Manure or Barca ...OF COURSE we would all like to win EVERYTHING every year ...just as some children

would like all the sweets in the shop ...AND make themselves sick

[NattyBlue 44]

Half Half, in the last few seasons regarding titles I could say yes, but winning titles isn't easy! I'm happy anyway, fark the CL for one....Would love to win the FA Cup this year!

[warnie_666 1,081]

Man utd have spent money too.

Yes not even half of our investment and yet they have 4 titles and Champions League

Had we not invested in squad I would have been content not winning but the aim is to be the best not second best which is what we are after having invested more than twice compared to Man Utd. In simple terms that is underachievement.

[warnie_666 1,081]

when we are accused of being glory hunters it really pisses me off ...BUT seeing some of the comments on here ...some people would be better

fucking off to support Manure or Barca ...OF COURSE we would all like to win EVERYTHING every year ...just as some children

would like all the sweets in the shop ...AND make themselves sick

So any fans who want Their clubs to be the best in the world should go and support Manure and Barca?

You do realize that we have regressed after Mou left us. Pacifying yourself by comparing this era to the 50 years when the club didn't win a title is stupid. We invested 700b in 8 years in this club. We didn't even invest half of it in this 50years combined.

[eldo 868]

Yes not even half of our investment and yet they have 4 titles and Champions League

Had we not invested in squad I would have been content not winning but the aim is to be the best not second best which is what we are after having invested more than twice compared to Man Utd. In simple terms that is underachievement.

I think they have spent more than half...