That's how seasons go, good runs, bad runs, indifferent results, unexpected wins, unexpected losses. We're not halfway yet, but I don't expect us to do as well as last season.
Branfoot (p!ss and horsesh!t be heaped upon him) always preferred Moody to MLT. In the famous match against Newcastle when Matty scored those two unforgettable goals he was just about to replace him with Moody when he scored the first goal. If you watch the recording you can see Branfoot give a wry smile and tell Moods to 'sit down'.
I'm on an iPad so it's difficult to quote selectively but the last paragraph about the cost is not significant. Any player of Premier League standard is going to cost a similar amount. I agree that these figures are obscene but that is the way nowadays. Long is obviously a fully-paid up member of the first-team squad and gets his full share of involvement. Don't forget that he has had a couple of spells of injury that have restricted his appearances. You could argue (I don't) that J-Rod has been a much bigger waste of resources. In modern football you need a full squad of players and you can only play 11 at the start of the game. These days a top-level club needs virtually two complete teams of players. I wouldn't say that the management don't rate him because he makes frequent appearances be they on the field or on the bench. For the time that he actually spends on the pitch he represents a constant threat and and scores relatively prolifically.
I don't know who you think we could possibly replace him with for the amount that we could get for him at this stage in his contract term.
Ok.
I also saw an argument that Man Utd are better off in the Europa League because they have more chance of winning it and hence qualifying for next year's Champion's League.