A watershed moment?

[Neil Hawkes]

With the events over the last few days, not just the win, but the vindication of " why are we persisting with this approach?".
Coupled with the very distinct possibility of long term contracts for all the players that fit in with our new playing/scouting/retention policy.

Is this week the watershed moment for PL, that SAF had with MUFC all those years ago?

While it is unlikely we could reach the phenomenal success achieved by MUFC; mainly because should we ever become a major force again, it would not mean that the current crop of untouchables would be outclassed. But to be able to compete with them on our own playing field/ criteria, in the long term, would be most welcome!

I have fingers/toes and all bendable body parts firmly crossed we can see a natural progression of PLs strategy for quite a few years to come.

[Dave Clark Five]

With the success of our reserves / youth / academy teams over the years, you would have to think that we would have as good a chance as anyone else, but Ferguson also had the expensive imports that have also pushed up the challenge of Chelsea and Man City. It has become like owning a house on Old Kent Road when others have four hotels on Park Lane and Mayfair. You need some good rolls of the dice to overcome that opposition. We have had one good throw and that was finding Benteke in Community Chest.

[Brend'Watkins]

Is this week the watershed moment for PL, that SAF had with MUFC all those years ago?

A little too early to think it might be something on that scale. 

We've been playing half decent since January suggesting that the plan, if not baring fruit is at least budding.  Next season, with a few key additions, a 'Benteke' in defence, a 'Benteke' in central midfield and a 'Benteke' back up keeper all of which are on nobody's radar would see us shoot up that table.

[richard moore]

Way too early to be talking about such things I think

A lot of people on here and the media thought Liverpool away was a watershed moment

I thought us winning the European Cup was a watershed moment - which it was, for all the wrong reasons

What I will say, slightly at a tangent, is I think it would take very little effort indeed to shoot up the table next season if we stay up. I think we are only 5 points off Swansea despite what has seemed like complete unremitting pain and misery at times this year. And when you look at the teams operating in positions 5 to 10, you realise how relatively easy it would be to get in amongst that mix. Much as I rate Moyes, I don't even think Everton are much more than a good workmanlike team and suspect their elevated position is as much about the generally poor standard of the league as it is about them really being that good...

[Concrete John]

We could have said that after Anfield, so let's not get carried away.

In truth, there won't be any watershed moment - can you put your finger on one for Man Utd?  What we are hopefully going to see is more of the Sunderland/Liverpool performances and less of the Chelsea/Wigan ones.  This will be gradual until we look at ourselves and say "You know, this is a cracking side."

At best, Monday night was a moment of realisation for some, both in and outside of the Villa family, that there are brighter days ahead.     

[ktvillan]

I think Monday, plus periods of the games at Stoke and Reading, were glimpses of what could be if it all comes together. However, without wishing to piss on the bonfire,  I would urge caution after one exceptional performance.   Relegation is still a very real possibility, which could set us back years  (a nice win at the weekend will hopefully put that issue to bed).  There was similar optimism after the victory at Anfield and the aftermath of that wasn't pretty.  Sunderland's recent experience is an example of how it can all look desperate one minute, then brilliant the next, and then quickly fall apart again.  We don't suddenly have a good defence,  our players haven't suddenly eliminated their flaws and limitations.  The recent signs are good but there is still an awful lot to put right in my opinion.

[Mister E]

Although I was very nervous about the result beforehand, Blunderland couldn't have played a better game for us. Open, expansive and with only two holding midfielders. And, for once, we came out of the traps firing on all cylinders. And, we managed a full 90-minute game.

However, I do think something changed for us on Monday evening: we looked comfortable on the ball and were able to get our MF and supporting attackers (Gabby and Andi) helping out the defence when required; we played with and maintained a tempo that would have put most teams under pressure. And PL was not drawn into making any risky substitutions.

All of which we have seen in patches throughout the season: this time, it all came together, and PL now needs to build on that and repeat for each game.
It could be the start of something really exciting.

[PaulWinch again]

A bit early to say that at this stage. I think it might be more suitable to say that the younger players are starting to develop and the hardship of this year may be the making of them. It's imperative that was survive and are in the Premier League next year. Hopefully this is the start of something great, but there is a long long way to go.

[Jarpie]

We could have said that after Anfield, so let's not get carried away.

In truth, there won't be any watershed moment - can you put your finger on one for Man Utd?  What we are hopefully going to see is more of the Sunderland/Liverpool performances and less of the Chelsea/Wigan ones.  This will be gradual until we look at ourselves and say "You know, this is a cracking side."

At best, Monday night was a moment of realisation for some, both in and outside of the Villa family, that there are brighter days ahead.   

Buying Cantona in 1992, they wouldn't be the same team now if they wouldn't had bought him off from the Leeds.

[Concrete John]

We could have said that after Anfield, so let's not get carried away.

In truth, there won't be any watershed moment - can you put your finger on one for Man Utd?  What we are hopefully going to see is more of the Sunderland/Liverpool performances and less of the Chelsea/Wigan ones.  This will be gradual until we look at ourselves and say "You know, this is a cracking side."

At best, Monday night was a moment of realisation for some, both in and outside of the Villa family, that there are brighter days ahead.   

Buying Cantona in 1992, they wouldn't be the same team now if they wouldn't had bought him off from the Leeds.

That was more a catalyst than a watershed.  They were already title contenders, having finished 2nd to Leeds the year before, after having relatively struggled under SAF in his earliest years.

[Lastfootstamper]

Watershed moments are only identifiable with hindsight. Manyoo's could've been beating forest in the cup in '90. Given our stop-start up-down nature over the last thirty-one years, I'm pretty certain we've not had one, in that time-frame, prior to this season. In my lifetime, I'd pinpoint an event that happened when I was too young to know; appointing Vic Crowe. The club had reached its nadir, and that decision sparked a chain of events which would take some 12 years to reach The Greatest Night. But all traceable back to Crowe's appointment.

Maybe it was Monday. Maybe it was the swift removal of TSM. But it'd be fantastic if historians have this debate in the future, and they pinpoint a moment where I can say, "I was there"!

[Jarpie]

We could have said that after Anfield, so let's not get carried away.

In truth, there won't be any watershed moment - can you put your finger on one for Man Utd?  What we are hopefully going to see is more of the Sunderland/Liverpool performances and less of the Chelsea/Wigan ones.  This will be gradual until we look at ourselves and say "You know, this is a cracking side."

At best, Monday night was a moment of realisation for some, both in and outside of the Villa family, that there are brighter days ahead.   

Buying Cantona in 1992, they wouldn't be the same team now if they wouldn't had bought him off from the Leeds.

That was more a catalyst than a watershed.  They were already title contenders, having finished 2nd to Leeds the year before, after having relatively struggled under SAF in his earliest years.

True but without Cantona they wouldn't had won the first PL title and without Cantona they wouldn't had capitulated on that and probably wouldn't had won four titles out of the five without him while he was at Manyoo. IMO Manyoo and Ferguson owes a helluva lot of their success to Cantona even after he retired.

This is off-topic but people probably forget how much of the complete footballer Cantona was and how huge leader on the pitch he was, at least for me he was probably greatest player of the 90s given the importance of him to Manyoo.

[TonyD]

Anfield was a bit different, you could say lucky.   But Monday was different, completely.    The players tore Sunderland apart all over the pitch.  Not many clubs would have taken anything away from VP.   

The difference in the two Mondays was huge.

UTFFAV.

[TonyD]

RE ManU.  The watershed moment was that bloody ref against Wednesday.

[Chico Hamilton III]

In truth, there won't be any watershed moment - can you put your finger on one for Man Utd?

Generally regarded as the moment Mark Robins scored the winner against Forest (?) in The Cup, which Man United went on to win. Fergie rumoured to be facing the sack if they went out of the competiton.