Come on, Fletcher is a complete long shot. He might never play again for us. Anderson will be sold and Giggs may retire. If that is the case, which Moyes will know, then he needs more than one midfielder.
Fernando Reges "The Octopus"
- Thread starter The White Pele
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss Amad saving our blushes in a win against Southampton as well as our now annual loss at home to Brighton. They discuss Amorim's post-match comments, revisit how mid-table we may or may not be, and discuss some transfer news.
Come on, Fletcher is a complete long shot. He might never play again for us. Anderson will be sold and Giggs may retire. If that is the case, which Moyes will know, then he needs more than one midfielder.
It's Porto. They will make us pay 40 million before we even realise we got ripped off.
I want us to sign 3 midfielders, so if one is a good defensive option then sign him up, then a box to box and a creative midfielder in the summer, no worries for the rest of our days
Yea, Fletch had bite, I agree. I was more referring to sheer muscle and brute force though. Toure, Wanyama like strength. Could do with one of those in the team.
And I also agree, we may have an issue with switching styles so long as Rooney and RVP are still here. Although I think Carrick and a Fernando can work with both srtikers in a 4-2-3-1 set-up. This is similar to what Madrid had when they had Makalele and that Brazilian dude whose name I can't remember, and then had Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Raul free to do as they pleased in front.
We could similarly have Rooney, Persie and two others ahead of a more defensive two.
Exactly. And carrick is 32 and not getting any younger.
None of our current lot are up to the task of being a back up to Carrick. They're all different midfielders. We are seeing that first hand currently.
I suspect that we may have to wait until summer for our prime midfield target. Having the ability to rest Carrick more without losing much on the pitch would be a start. Whether Fernando is the man to do that is another question.
I would love to see us play with a pure defensive midfielder like makelele simply because it would allow our full backs to push on, and allow our front four to basically so whatever they want without as much defensive responsibility.
Yeah, Fletcher is a long shot, but you know how the club works. Fletcher is a valuable and well-thought-of member of the squad. He is getting his chance to return and that chance will extend into the next season. Moyes isn't getting shot of him after barely 5 months of football. I'll be astounded if Fletch isn't here come next September. I kind of mocked the term last week, but getting rid just isn't "the United way."
Giggs might retire, but he's playing better this season than he was last and may just fancy a crack at hitting the 1000 games mark. Like I said, I don't think we have the room to go stockpiling reasonably talented midfielders.
Lets hope Moyes doesnt just get the one then, because he wont be doing himself any favours
How long does Fletch have left on his deal?
While I agree it wouldn't be the United Way to let him go, in fact I alluded to as much in the thread I created on that topic - if he is out of contract and not close to playing, it may be different. After all, we did release Owen Hargreaves when his contract expired, after he did not contribute for 3 years.
No idea, mate. 2015, maybe? I suspect that he's the kind of player we could just keep giving 1 year rolling contracts to, provided he's still wanted. To be honest, I actually hold a fair amount of hope that he can come back and do well. If it's not enough then at least he's been given a chance, but he's exactly the kind of character that can come back from this.
And it's Porto.
Whether we're in for him or not, the fact Moyes was watching Athletico vs Porto last night makes me 
HE'S ON TO SOMETHING.
HE'S ON TO SOMETHING.
Whether we're in for him or not, the fact Moyes was watching Athletico vs Porto last night makes me
HE'S ON TO SOMETHING.
He was probably there to watch Falcao knowing us.
i hate such threads.....they give you hope
Really, he can only play in a midfield 3 as a lone DM. Our manager this season has been determined to invert the triangle, so Fernando plays with another CM on his side and he looks completely out of place on the ball.
Moutinho was the real gem on our midfield, I don't think Fernando will improve you that much, I don't even think he'll adapt to your system. As a squad option he should be ok, very experienced footballer, and he won't cost much, with just 6 months on his contract. He has been running it down for about 3 seasons without wanting to renew so I doubt he does it now. So either chap on January, or free in June.
For what it's worth Paulo Bento is considering him for the NT. He's eligible as he's been in Portugal for 7 years and never played for Brazil. I think he's better than Veloso and our NT plays with a midfield like Porto used to, so he could be a good addition for the World Cup squad.
Moutinho was the real gem on our midfield, I don't think Fernando will improve you that much, I don't even think he'll adapt to your system. As a squad option he should be ok, very experienced footballer, and he won't cost much, with just 6 months on his contract. He has been running it down for about 3 seasons without wanting to renew so I doubt he does it now. So either chap on January, or free in June.
For what it's worth Paulo Bento is considering him for the NT. He's eligible as he's been in Portugal for 7 years and never played for Brazil. I think he's better than Veloso and our NT plays with a midfield like Porto used to, so he could be a good addition for the World Cup squad.
Is he owned by a thrid party?
Sounds like an Everton signing to be honest...
There'd be no point in this signing really, if he doesn't improve our already shite midfield. We've already attempted that with Fellaini.
Fernando, to me, is one of many players who would have been a better signing than Fellaini - in the sense that he at least has one clear function which he does very well. Like Fellaini, would need a better signing to come in with him, but as a squad option to give us 'steel in midfield' etc, he's one of tons of players who would have done for a good price.
Despite him not being the world's best, he's actually very good at one thing, and could add that thing to us. The same with players like Capoue or many others I can't be bothered to list. Fellaini isn't defensively good, nor is he anywhere near good enough to be an attacking player. He adds nothing.
He's a marginally better Javi Garcia. No thanks.
So he likes to play alone?
time to settle this... put him and phil jones in the octagon, 5 rounds to death... the winner takes it all.
time to settle this... put him and phil jones in the octagon, 5 rounds to death... the winner takes it all.
He'll fit right in then considering we've either been playing a 1 man midfield with carrick or a no midfield.
Let's hope the "Octopus" doesn't put ink to paper before Moyes gets his wicked way
I always get excited when I see new threads like this with the title of a player I've never heard of before - and I get even more excited when I hear that we've actually been linked with the player.
But these things never usually turn out true
But these things never usually turn out true
No contest i'm afraid, the octopus would have all corners covered.
Yeah, very accurate comparison. Javi Garcia was good as a lone DM in Benfica as well and looks out of place in other formations. I think Fernando is even more specialized, possibly better in defensive duties but at least Javi Garcia was a threat in dead balls, could cover for CB in emergencies, and could hoof a nice long pass every now and then.
Been rumours this week that he's joining us though. He's limited, but he is very good at what he does do. Wouldn't cost much and would enable a more impressive offensive signing in the summer.
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Also him and Fellaini would provide a very defensive axis enabling us to play all the bling boys up top and ditch the defensive wingers *cough Valencia cough*
I rate him a lot! For us. Not for the likes of United, more because of formation/tactics than his quality. As a pure DM he's been invaluable to how good Porto has been for the past 5-6 seasons. What I do say is that he's not to play in a double-pivot or two-man midfield, that's for sure. His passing and dribbling ability is not up to the standard of a CM. He plays like a defender in front of the CB's. Worked wonders in our 4-3-3 he reads the defensive game superbly, is fast, nimble and strong. Perfect cover for advancing full-backs from either side. Very specialized player though, for anyone that needs someone like him he's certainly among the best in the world. Trying to make him what he's not would fail, just like City did with Javi García (who, not being as good as Fernando, can also be seen as a "specialist" in the same position).
Can't predict which big club they're talking about, but adding all the rumours Liverpool seems the stronger bet. United and Arsenal would have no place for him given the way they play.
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I dont think we need an offensive midfielder
I think we need a link between midfield and attack honestly. So an attack minded midfielder would be great.
You need Moutinho. Period.
Heard he's been poor for Monaco..