Jose's Wish List...

scouting and picking up the next big things?

I disagree with a galactico policy - our willingness to throw money around resulted in us paying way over the odds for Fellaini, Mata, Shaw and it's not exactly yielded great results

fair enough if a Pogba (young, talented, resale value) becomes available or a Bale (at the top of his game) is achievable but we have to throw our net a bit wider than the elite players of Europe
A galactico policy has also seen Real Madrid win 3 CL trophies in 4 years. It's a good policy when you actually buy great players. That's where we've gone wrong, we've spent a fortune on too much shit.
 
A galactico policy has also seen Real Madrid win 3 CL trophies in 4 years. It's a good policy when you actually buy great players. That's where we've gone wrong, we've spent a fortune on too much shit.
I agree we have never seen able to attract the top players like Madrid - weather and our managers at the time play a part (Fergie and Value/Moyes lack of appeal/Van Gaal too)

I'm not sure Madrids spending qualifies as Galactico spending so much - some sensible buys in there

Danilo and Kroos for 25, Asensio for 3, Casimero for 5, Carvajal for 5, Isco for 5, Modric for 25

their last galactico signing was James in the Summer we gave them all that money for Di Maria

for that reason I find it hard to see them spending big on De Gea....

there are some gems out there we should be looking to unearth
 
I agree we have never seen able to attract the top players like Madrid - weather and our managers at the time play a part (Fergie and Value/Moyes lack of appeal/Van Gaal too)

I'm not sure Madrids spending qualifies as Galactico spending so much - some sensible buys in there

Danilo and Kroos for 25, Asensio for 3, Casimero for 5, Carvajal for 5, Isco for 5, Modric for 25

their last galactico signing was James in the Summer we gave them all that money for Di Maria

for that reason I find it hard to see them spending big on De Gea....

there are some gems out there we should be looking to unearth

This, we should look to get 1 marquee player and 3-4 Bailly types.

Lukaku
Fabinho
Tierney
Perisic
Keane

Would be a good summer and would make us a solid base. Yes we'd all prefer Sandro at left back and Koubouly at Central defence and Alli or Verrati in beside Pogba but realistically it won't happen. Those 5 above would cost around £200m and would make us a stronger and more balanced unit. I'm not saying we'll sign these guys but I'd imagine something similar.
 
This, we should look to get 1 marquee player and 3-4 Bailly types.

Lukaku
Fabinho
Tierney
Perisic
Keane

Would be a good summer and would make us a solid base. Yes we'd all prefer Sandro at left back and Koubouly at Central defence and Alli or Verrati in beside Pogba but realistically it won't happen. Those 5 above would cost around £200m and would make us a stronger and more balanced unit. I'm not saying we'll sign these guys but I'd imagine something similar.
does Mourinho have the patience for those kind of signings though? he's more often been a more short term thinker when it comes to transfers

after the season we've had it's clear to see mentality and character are as important to ability for Jose too

I'd love a player like Alex Sanchez or players with the mentality of Tevez/Suarez
 
does Mourinho have the patience for those kind of signings though? he's more often been a more short term thinker when it comes to transfers

after the season we've had it's clear to see mentality and character are as important to ability for Jose too

I'd love a player like Alex Sanchez or players with the mentality of Tevez/Suarez

I think all these guys would be in our starting 11.

DDG
Valencia Bailly Keane Tierney
Fabinho
Herrera Pogba
Mykytarin Perisic
Lukaku

Shaw
Martial
Mata
Rashford
Carrick
Jones
Smalling
Fellaini

Shaw Mata Martial and Rashford would all push for starts if in form. Not a spectacular star studded first 11 but one that could be effective and one that would not chop and change like we had to do this season. I could see Jose mount a challenge with this team and add the sprinkler of magic next season as he said he needs three summer windows to see his best team and it's hard to disagree with him.
 
scouting and picking up the next big things?

I disagree with a galactico policy - our willingness to throw money around resulted in us paying way over the odds for Fellaini, Mata, Shaw and it's not exactly yielded great results

fair enough if a Pogba (young, talented, resale value) becomes available or a Bale (at the top of his game) is achievable but we have to throw our net a bit wider than the elite players of Europe

Martial & Shaw were both purchased with 'the next big thing' firmly in mind and they cost the club 30 million a piece. Look at them now, Shaw is perhaps on the way out of the club and Martial just had an awful season. You just never know when buying potential, it's a huge risk considering the cost of these so called wonderkids who, more often than not, fail to meet that which is expected of them.

Think of it from board at United's point of view, why pay 30 odd million for a potentially great player when you can just go out and buy the finished article for few paso's more.

Fact is we have the money to buy our way back, why would we even consider another option?
 
I hate it tbh. The whole "MUFC Galactico Project" feels completely alien to me. Plus I'm fairly convinced it's not gonna bring us much success.

With the prices being quoted for players that aren't even regulars in their first teams I suggest that the business side of football has reached the point where it can only go downhill and implode. Not a bad thing to be honest if it means major teams will need to invest more and more cash to develop their own 'world class' players!
 
scouting and picking up the next big things?

I disagree with a galactico policy - our willingness to throw money around resulted in us paying way over the odds for Fellaini, Mata, Shaw and it's not exactly yielded great results

fair enough if a Pogba (young, talented, resale value) becomes available or a Bale (at the top of his game) is achievable but we have to throw our net a bit wider than the elite players of Europe

You mention overpaying for Fellaini, Shaw, etc.

You think they are galacticos?

We have signed one player that fits the bill of galactico - Pogba.

He's going to work out great.

If we could actually buy a few galacticos, the plan would work wonderfully.

Unfortunately, there are very, very few if any realistic options out there to get tier 1 talent in.

When is the last time anyone bought a world class, ready made star?

A galactico policy has also seen Real Madrid win 3 CL trophies in 4 years. It's a good policy when you actually buy great players. That's where we've gone wrong, we've spent a fortune on too much shit.

This.

It's so fecking simple. Buy the best players and you will win football matches.

We have been shopping at Co-Op and Sainsbury's. Waitrose has been closed to us.
 
Top of the wish list should be a coach who can teach the team how to play some decent attacking football. We have the defending on the edge of the penalty area nearly perfected.
 
Seems like the list is top secret, the press have been clutching at straws for over a month. They have literally linked us to everyone somwhere down the line. I'm hoping we pull a few Bailly style surprises come August.
 
Beginning to get a bit worried that we are going to make an arse out of this transfer window.

It's two weeks or so till we leave for the tour, and I imagine Jose would of wanted everything sorted by then.
 
Top of the wish list should be a coach who can teach the team how to play some decent attacking football. We have the defending on the edge of the penalty area nearly perfected.
:lol: really I remember alot of games where we were banging down the goal only for the other team to pop up with a poxy goal.Maybe a finishing coach
 
:lol: really I remember alot of games where we were banging down the goal only for the other team to pop up with a poxy goal.Maybe a finishing coach

We were hanging on for dear life and defending on the edge of our penalty area against mid-table teams. I know it's Mourinho's strategy, but I absolutely hate it with all the attacking talent we already have at the club (yes, we do have some very good attacking players).
 
We were hanging on for dear life and defending on the edge of our penalty area against mid-table teams. I know it's Mourinho's strategy, but I absolutely hate it with all the attacking talent we already have at the club (yes, we do have some very good attacking players).
You know very well that we would never play attacking style of football under Jose. That's not how he is used to setting up teams. I remember even when he was at Real, his style of football didn't go well with anyone including Ronaldo. But he brings trophies and at this moment we desperately need a big trophy.
 
You know very well that we would never play attacking style of football under Jose. That's not how he is used to setting up teams. I remember even when he was at Real, his style of football didn't go well with anyone including Ronaldo. But he brings trophies and at this moment we desperately need a big trophy.

we will win nothing significant if Jose is unable to organise/coach an effective coherent attacking unit out of the players

Martial - Rashford - Mhikitaryan could be a 70 goal front three with the right support and organisation

you can put Martial's form down to 2nd season syndrome and Mhiki's down to the adjustment to a new league. You can also attribute it to Mourinho's odd treatment of them.

Rashford didn't play at 9 until Ibra's knee went - big season for him. how many games did he look isolated with Mourinho's tactics?
maybe buying Matic will free Pogba to play at 10.

either way Mourinho needs to coach more from these players and relieve some of the psychological pressure they seem to have on them - Rashford/Pogba/Martial/Mhiki/Mata have the quality to score double what they did last season

we might need to wait for someone like Pochettino unless Mourinho manages to do this
 
You know very well that we would never play attacking style of football under Jose. That's not how he is used to setting up teams. I remember even when he was at Real, his style of football didn't go well with anyone including Ronaldo. But he brings trophies and at this moment we desperately need a big trophy.

That's nonsense. He had us playing great stuff before injury and fatigue set in and at Madrid he had them playing break neck counter attacking football.
 
we will win nothing significant if Jose is unable to organise/coach an effective coherent attacking unit out of the players

Martial - Rashford - Mhikitaryan could be a 70 goal front three with the right support and organisation

you can put Martial's form down to 2nd season syndrome and Mhiki's down to the adjustment to a new league. You can also attribute it to Mourinho's odd treatment of them.

Rashford didn't play at 9 until Ibra's knee went - big season for him. how many games did he look isolated with Mourinho's tactics?
maybe buying Matic will free Pogba to play at 10.

either way Mourinho needs to coach more from these players and relieve some of the psychological pressure they seem to have on them - Rashford/Pogba/Martial/Mhiki/Mata have the quality to score double what they did last season

we might need to wait for someone like Pochettino unless Mourinho manages to do this
I'd agree to this point that we do need proper link up and need to play in a way that we have a coherent attacking system which we sourly lacked last year. But i am not sure that Jose likes to work that way. He gets his teams all stitched up on counter while basing his style of play with great defenders and defending midfielders. Not sure how much would that be pleasing to eyes but hey! He wins, right?
 
That's nonsense. He had us playing great stuff before injury and fatigue set in and at Madrid he had them playing break neck counter attacking football.
Which Injury are we talking about? And As far as Madrid part is concerned, i am saying exactly the same thing. He plays on counter and thats his style of play. And he has said personally that he just needs to score one more than the opposition and thats what he wants. I'd say that means, we score one and we need to defend then. Right?
 
Amazed that we havent made any further signings yet. I know the pool of "available" players is relativdly shallow, but id havecthought that Jose would want his squad gelling on the US tour.
 
Amazed that we havent made any further signings yet. I know the pool of "available" players is relativdly shallow, but id havecthought that Jose would want his squad gelling on the US tour.

The list is with Woody I hope and not with Jorge. Don't be surprised if none from the "pool of available players" end up at United.

It has been weird in the transfer window so far. None of those jaw dropping transfers being written up in the Sun coming off, eh?
 
we will win nothing significant if Jose is unable to organise/coach an effective coherent attacking unit out of the players

Martial - Rashford - Mhikitaryan could be a 70 goal front three with the right support and organisation

you can put Martial's form down to 2nd season syndrome and Mhiki's down to the adjustment to a new league. You can also attribute it to Mourinho's odd treatment of them.

Rashford didn't play at 9 until Ibra's knee went - big season for him. how many games did he look isolated with Mourinho's tactics?
maybe buying Matic will free Pogba to play at 10.

either way Mourinho needs to coach more from these players and relieve some of the psychological pressure they seem to have on them - Rashford/Pogba/Martial/Mhiki/Mata have the quality to score double what they did last season

we might need to wait for someone like Pochettino unless Mourinho manages to do this

He certainly will not be winning the league playing that defensive shite. Things are different now that it is more than a 2 horse race for the league title.
 
A galactico policy has also seen Real Madrid win 3 CL trophies in 4 years. It's a good policy when you actually buy great players. That's where we've gone wrong, we've spent a fortune on too much shit.

Real Madrid's transfer policy attacking wise they been smarter than us, since 2009 they have signed ronaldo, bale, benzema, ozil, di maria, isco, that seems pretty settled to me. I do love how fans try and bash Real's policy you don't need superstars to be a team and win things, yet Bayern, Real, Barcelona, chelsea yet their model has been a core of some of the best players in the world
 
Real Madrid's transfer policy attacking wise they been smarter than us, since 2009 they have signed ronaldo, bale, benzema, ozil, di maria, isco, that seems pretty settled to me. I do love how fans try and bash Real's policy you don't need superstars to be a team and win things, yet Bayern, Real, Barcelona, chelsea yet their model has been a core of some of the best players in the world

Mate, anybody who tells you that you don't need superstars to win trophies has not been watching football lately. Either that or they saw LCFC win the league and think that this is the norm.
Real Madrid have Galacticos in virtually all their positions.
Barca have MSN as their front 3. The very definition of Galacticos.
Bayern have some of the best footballers who play football in Germany.
Juventus have a cracking line-up. We bought 1 player from them recently and needed to break the transfer record for him.

If we want to win trophies, we are absolutely going to have buy in some superstars. I wouldn't rely on LCFC's model to win us trophies, that's for sure.
 
He certainly will not be winning the league playing that defensive shite. Things are different now that it is more than a 2 horse race for the league title.

As opposed to when he won it like 2 years ago? Football hasn't changed dramatically in 2 years.
 
Mate, anybody who tells you that you don't need superstars to win trophies has not been watching football lately. Either that or they saw LCFC win the league and think that this is the norm.
Real Madrid have Galacticos in virtually all their positions.
Barca have MSN as their front 3. The very definition of Galacticos.
Bayern have some of the best footballers who play football in Germany.
Juventus have a cracking line-up. We bought 1 player from them recently and needed to break the transfer record for him.

If we want to win trophies, we are absolutely going to have buy in some superstars. I wouldn't rely on LCFC's model to win us trophies, that's for sure.

It's like gambling, if you good at it you can be successful, same has football clubs if you buy the right players who fit a simple system you can win things, with 433 that Madrid and Barcelona especially have perfected.

I feel since 2009 fans have kept moving the goalposts by saying we don't need this and that. I feel in a starting 11, the GK, CB, LB, CM positions, and atleast 2 outstanding forwards on the pitch to be the gold standard to dominate. Madrid and Barcelona have had a midfield 3 and front 3 that have dominated and had attacking players with mobility and goals in them, and using tactical forward play that makes them not only hard to beat, but go to any ground and win

It's the model we once had during our 2008 CL winning squad, but what these top clubs have had is balanced tactical play who buy the right players who fit a system, that makes the team so devastating where the small teams are being ripped apart by the big sides by a few goals, like what we used to do at the height of the fergie era 1992-2008. For me unless we buy a DOF and put a structure in place where they have to play to the clubs philosophy we will never learn, it's why Madrid are on 12 CL titles and we are on a pathetic 3, still rewatching old tapes of our 99 CL win while Madrid can show 10 times the amount
 
Last edited:
Mate, anybody who tells you that you don't need superstars to win trophies has not been watching football lately. Either that or they saw LCFC win the league and think that this is the norm.
Real Madrid have Galacticos in virtually all their positions.
Barca have MSN as their front 3. The very definition of Galacticos.
Bayern have some of the best footballers who play football in Germany.
Juventus have a cracking line-up. We bought 1 player from them recently and needed to break the transfer record for him.

If we want to win trophies, we are absolutely going to have buy in some superstars. I wouldn't rely on LCFC's model to win us trophies, that's for sure.

I agree with this to a point yes we need game changers but we don't need to buy a superstar for every position. Guys like Vidic and Evra were not household names but became superstars with United. We really need to get a solid base first (solid starting 11) and then add the shiny stars to it imho unless we have the option to buy them then that might force our hand ala Pogba and Griezmann.
I'm looking forward to next season when we have a solid 11 that plays week in week out (that's Jose way) and once we have that then in the summer I can see us buying instead of 4-5 players just 2 top drawer players.
Imo we are stuck in the predicament of wanting the top players but struggling as the team is to weak in other departments as well.
 
I agree with this to a point yes we need game changers but we don't need to buy a superstar for every position. Guys like Vidic and Evra were not household names but became superstars with United. We really need to get a solid base first (solid starting 11) and then add the shiny stars to it imho unless we have the option to buy them then that might force our hand ala Pogba and Griezmann.
I'm looking forward to next season when we have a solid 11 that plays week in week out (that's Jose way) and once we have that then in the summer I can see us buying instead of 4-5 players just 2 top drawer players.
Imo we are stuck in the predicament of wanting the top players but struggling as the team is to weak in other departments as well.

Apart from Van Persie and possibly a few others we never signed superstars. In addition to Vidic, Evra you could add Carrick, Valencia, Chicharito, Hargreaves, Park Ji-Sung, Van Der Sar etc etc

There's absolutely nothing wrong with signing non superstar names as long as they are players who will improve the team and fit the system and style being played
 
Real Madrid's transfer policy attacking wise they been smarter than us, since 2009 they have signed ronaldo, bale, benzema, ozil, di maria, isco, that seems pretty settled to me. I do love how fans try and bash Real's policy you don't need superstars to be a team and win things, yet Bayern, Real, Barcelona, chelsea yet their model has been a core of some of the best players in the world

It's a stupid viewpoint that could hold weight when we had world class players all over the pitch, but maybe not quite the superstar worldies like Real had.
It doesn't work when you have a team full of 6th place standard players but people still keep applying it.
 
Is Ronald still an option?

As an out and out number 9 in front of Pogba, Rashford coming in from wide?
 
Apart from Van Persie and possibly a few others we never signed superstars. In addition to Vidic, Evra you could add Carrick, Valencia, Chicharito, Hargreaves, Park Ji-Sung, Van Der Sar etc etc

There's absolutely nothing wrong with signing non superstar names as long as they are players who will improve the team and fit the system and style being played

We got to the point with Fergie as we had a very good team that we bought blue chip players like a Stam, Veron, RVP, RVN, berbatov because our 11 was that good that's what I hope we get back to. Buying 1 or 2 players a season instead of 4, 2 is enough when your team is solid one that will make a real difference instantly and 1 with world class potential aka a young Rooney or Ronaldo type signing.
 
We got to the point with Fergie as we had a very good team that we bought blue chip players like a Stam, Veron, RVP, RVN, berbatov because our 11 was that good that's what I hope we get back to. Buying 1 or 2 players a season instead of 4, 2 is enough when your team is solid one that will make a real difference instantly and 1 with world class potential aka a young Rooney or Ronaldo type signing.

But our team is not the same as it used to be. We had Scholes and Giggs for their entire careers playing for us; and we don't count our lucky stars enough for that. Once they retired, the whole core of the team had to be replaced, including Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Park, and a few others.

We went for broke and signed the biggest names that were available instead of whether any real value was added. Hate to see that policy ruin our club's chances yet again.

Believe it or not, the players sticking around even now are the most unfancied signings of their time - Rojo, Blind, Darmian, Herrera, Fellaini. Mata is the only superstar signing to make a stand in the playing XI.
 
We got to the point with Fergie as we had a very good team that we bought blue chip players like a Stam, Veron, RVP, RVN, berbatov because our 11 was that good that's what I hope we get back to. Buying 1 or 2 players a season instead of 4, 2 is enough when your team is solid one that will make a real difference instantly and 1 with world class potential aka a young Rooney or Ronaldo type signing.
I miss those days. How many more transfer windows will it take before we have enough confidence in our squad to not need to sign half a new team every summer? It'd be lovely to think this summer would be the one that would get us there, but somehow I doubt it.
 
But our team is not the same as it used to be. We had Scholes and Giggs for their entire careers playing for us; and we don't count our lucky stars enough for that. Once they retired, the whole core of the team had to be replaced, including Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Park, and a few others.

We went for broke and signed the biggest names that were available instead of whether any real value was added. Hate to see that policy ruin our club's chances yet again.

Believe it or not, the players sticking around even now are the most unfancied signings of their time - Rojo, Blind, Darmian, Herrera, Fellaini. Mata is the only superstar signing to make a stand in the playing XI.

Think you miss understood my post I'm saying I hope we get a team solid first to a stage where we can then start signing 1 or 2 blue chip players a season instead of 4-5 player turn over every summer.
 
Think you miss understood my post I'm saying I hope we get a team solid first to a stage where we can then start signing 1 or 2 blue chip players a season instead of 4-5 player turn over every summer.

I get what you are conveying - I am saying that in order to do that, we need a stable team in first.

We would need to build a core of players that would form the crux of our team for the foreseeable future. Pogba, Herrera, DDG, Rashford and Mikhi are only 5 of 11 you would bet to last at least 4 to 5 years down the line. (Lindelof might be added to that list depending on how well he does this season, Valencia is close to hitting his shelf life in the next couple of years).

That leaves us a minimum of 5 more players that surely would needed to be added or replaced; and all comes down to what names were on the Jose's much vaunted list in the first place. Morata is a good bet to last that long if he can gel well with the team but that won't be enough would it?

We have lacked long term thinking and that will come back to bite us.
 
I get what you are conveying - I am saying that in order to do that, we need a stable team in first.

We would need to build a core of players that would form the crux of our team for the foreseeable future. Pogba, Herrera, DDG, Rashford and Mikhi are only 5 of 11 you would bet to last at least 4 to 5 years down the line. (Lindelof might be added to that list depending on how well he does this season, Valencia is close to hitting his shelf life in the next couple of years).

That leaves us a minimum of 5 more players that surely would needed to be added or replaced; and all comes down to what names were on the Jose's much vaunted list in the first place. Morata is a good bet to last that long if he can gel well with the team but that won't be enough would it?

We have lacked long term thinking and that will come back to bite us.

So essentially the exact same thing as I said lol?
 
Seems like the list is top secret, the press have been clutching at straws for over a month. They have literally linked us to everyone somwhere down the line. I'm hoping we pull a few Bailly style surprises come August.

I knew my hunch was right, the press are clueless.
 
As opposed to when he won it like 2 years ago? Football hasn't changed dramatically in 2 years.

Chelsea still scored over 75 goals, but still the league has changed even in the last 2 years. Liverpool and Spurs have become very serious contenders.
 
But our team is not the same as it used to be. We had Scholes and Giggs for their entire careers playing for us; and we don't count our lucky stars enough for that. Once they retired, the whole core of the team had to be replaced, including Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Park, and a few others.

We went for broke and signed the biggest names that were available instead of whether any real value was added. Hate to see that policy ruin our club's chances yet again.

Believe it or not, the players sticking around even now are the most unfancied signings of their time - Rojo, Blind, Darmian, Herrera, Fellaini. Mata is the only superstar signing to make a stand in the playing XI.

"The biggest names available" were far from superstars though.

We simply haven't recruited top players.

I miss those days. How many more transfer windows will it take before we have enough confidence in our squad to not need to sign half a new team every summer? It'd be lovely to think this summer would be the one that would get us there, but somehow I doubt it.

A while probably. We need much better players all across the team.