Most of La Liga is cannon fodder anyway. It's getting more like the Scottish league every year. Madrid and Barca have hoovered up all the TV money.
Madrid will win nearly all their games, just like they did last season.
Karim Benzema
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Jamie (@Vault Dweller) are here to talk about United's dreadful home defeat at the hands of Big Ange's Tottenham Hotspur. Should this have been the end of Ten Hag? How long does he actually have left? And does Nik finally want ETH out?!
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Most of La Liga is cannon fodder anyway. It's getting more like the Scottish league every year. Madrid and Barca have hoovered up all the TV money.
Madrid will win nearly all their games, just like they did last season.
Is Benzema actually signed and deal completely done yet?
As far as I've seen on various websites, a fee has been agreed between Madrid and Lyon, but nothing yet on terms agreed with the player. I'm not overly hopeful, because Madrid will probably offer him 400.000 a week which will be accepted because it's such a ludicrous amount, but if the deal is not completely signed up yet, we still have a small chance of getting him.
Certainly missing out on him is a big loss, IMO, as he would work so well in front of Rooney.
As far as I've seen on various websites, a fee has been agreed between Madrid and Lyon, but nothing yet on terms agreed with the player. I'm not overly hopeful, because Madrid will probably offer him 400.000 a week which will be accepted because it's such a ludicrous amount, but if the deal is not completely signed up yet, we still have a small chance of getting him.
Certainly missing out on him is a big loss, IMO, as he would work so well in front of Rooney.
I think the bit on the Lyon Website stating he had informed Lyon several days ago of his desire to join Real Madrid mean this is a done deal. move on
Meh.
The only thing that concerns me is the question of, have we been caught napping? If we were genuinly interested it's disappointing, and worrying news.
The only thing that concerns me is the question of, have we been caught napping? If we were genuinly interested it's disappointing, and worrying news.
Here's to seeing how Real face when they come up against us or Liverpool or Chelsea or even Arsenal in Europe. I fancy the English sides' chances. I think.
Raul has this thing in his contract, that they should play him all the time.
I know just kidding, but what the hell
I know just kidding, but what the hell
Then they change to...
-------------Diarra-------------
-------Kaka--------Guti---------
Ronaldo----Benzema------Higuaín
Take the hit with Kaka having to move back or switch with Huguain who if I remember puts in a good work rate. Diarra is good enough to pull a Yaya and be a bruiser. It's going to be hard enough getting the ball off them when they want to keep it... Plus with a world class CB (or two!) they'll hold the fort like Rio and Vidic do when we go pouncing up until they can come back.
thats still far too offensive a formation considering their (currently) weak back four. we couldnt get away with playing like that and we have one of the strongest defences around.
Mostly at the end when they gave up though. They were still in with a good shot at the league title up until Barca beat them at home. They strung out long sequences of wins even after Liverpool showed them up in Europe.
You cannot deny that the the massive TV contracts that Madrid and Barca can negotiate for themselves is distorting that league far more than the English league. The collective bargaining for the TV contract in England allows a lot more strength in depth.
Valencia almost going bankrupt as they try to compete with the big two is the way of the future in Spain.
it was just one game ffs and it was because the entire squad didn't show up
i wasnt actually refering to a single game, but simply that formation in general.
I'm pretty sure United could "get away" with playing that formation for a season in the league/Europe with adjustments made when facing Liverpool/Chelsea/Barca.
Bentzema LOLOLOLOLOL.
OOOOOOOOOOOH. It hurts.
A quick Benzema related comment
Sorry for not having put this in the mammoth thread in the transfer forum, but I think its an important point that I don't want to get lost amongst the numerous muppet suicides.
I'm as gutted as the next United fan that we have seemingly "lost" Benzema to Madrid.
But lets get one thing straight. Has SAF been that interested in the lad? It seems to me that by the current standards, £30m (rising to £35m) is actually a very reasonable fee. Given that we are awash with funds, I truly believe that we would have bid for the lad if we really wanted him.
The fee quoted is not prohibitive. The fact there has been no bid maybe suggests that SAF hasn't been targeting Benzema. Surely this would make sense if he wants the partnership between Rooney and Berbatov to blossom?
Could it be that all of the press speculation has been rife, yet at no point have we actually registered a firm interest. Maybe this has been a smokescree? Or am I just brave-facing it.
Irrespective - Fergie knows what he's doing...
Sorry for not having put this in the mammoth thread in the transfer forum, but I think its an important point that I don't want to get lost amongst the numerous muppet suicides.
I'm as gutted as the next United fan that we have seemingly "lost" Benzema to Madrid.
But lets get one thing straight. Has SAF been that interested in the lad? It seems to me that by the current standards, £30m (rising to £35m) is actually a very reasonable fee. Given that we are awash with funds, I truly believe that we would have bid for the lad if we really wanted him.
The fee quoted is not prohibitive. The fact there has been no bid maybe suggests that SAF hasn't been targeting Benzema. Surely this would make sense if he wants the partnership between Rooney and Berbatov to blossom?
Could it be that all of the press speculation has been rife, yet at no point have we actually registered a firm interest. Maybe this has been a smokescree? Or am I just brave-facing it.
Irrespective - Fergie knows what he's doing...
I get the feeling Fergie saw the news and went 'feck, knew there was something I had to do'
You're brave facing it, we were never going to sign a 'big name' player.
It's not the way we do it.
It's not the way we do it.
In Fergie we trust, but this is only speculation like all of it. The 80 million maybe isn't available, maybe we have the 80m the 25 for Tevez and another 20 for a midfileder. The truth is we know nothing.
Regardless of what happens I'll be ready to support the team in August like every year. And this squad as it stands can win the league.
If we sign players great, if we don't we don't.
In all seriousness though, its not as though its £40m - the sort of price where SAF will have looked and thought, "feck it, let them have him at that price."
An initial £30m is pretty reasonable in the current market, and I believe if we were truly interested then a bid would have gone in. If anything, just to ramp up the price for the Francos.
The problem is that he didn't want to play for you, I suggested a while back that offering Tevez a contract at the last minute meant that you had no realistic big ticket forward signings on the horizon.
since Benzema was bought for such a small amount, either SAF wasn't interested as everyone thought or Benzema specifically requested Real for his transfer. Either way... seems Benzema would've never been a United player regardless
Benzema might be big money, but he's not a "big name" player - his profile actually fits the type of player we have been signing over the past 3-4 years.
It could be that fergie was aware that benzema favoured madrid and so didn't make a formal offer
Really don't think we need another thread on this. But do you not think that if United had match the 35m fee then Madrid would just have offered 40m? If we had matched that then Madrid would have offeref 45m?
When Perez has stated that money is no object for Madrid at what point do you think United would beat them in any bidding war??
if as stated the player had stated his preference, then there was no point us making a bid. Bear in mind he's meant to have told them a week ago and we only completed ronaldos sale today
If he had no preference i'm sure we'd have bid. I doubt we'd have bid prior to ronaldos funds being cleared. I think it was perhaps a little too late in the day for United
We live to fight another day
If he had no preference i'm sure we'd have bid. I doubt we'd have bid prior to ronaldos funds being cleared. I think it was perhaps a little too late in the day for United
We live to fight another day
I fully subscribe to this view. I think the Tevez contract offer was a realisation that getting another top striker in was only a remote chance.
If we have sounded him out via his agent and he has said that he didn't want to come, then it all makes sense that no bid has been made.
@ moses: Granted the entire £80m will not be re-invested into new players - but if we go by the failsafe £30m a season tally and then add perhaps another £20m (from Ronaldo funds) then you are talking £32m left over after the Valencia deal.
At the price Benzema has gone for, you'd have thought that we would be in the running - unless he has shafted us when we sounded him out.
To those saying that we may go into the new season with Valencia as the only signing - I don't believe that will be the case. However, I don't want to see panic buys. I'd rather buy in Jan/next summer.
Which doesn't make sense, because you'd have thought we would've lined up a replacement a few months ago - and not handed Tevez a last minute contract. Anyway, I think we need someone like Fabregas
Well, if that is Real's tactic, then forcing them to end up paying a higher end price could have been a useful exercise.
Would never happen. Would it?...
Was saying the same thing the other night in the pub, need a goalscorer from midfield to replace Scholes.
Great player.
Van Persie and Fabregras are plausible.
A person who can pass in midfield a la Paul Scholes.
Makes perfect sense, you didn't really want Tevez but with no other striker buyable you thought you'd make the best of a bad job (lucky escape if you ask me). Fabregas would be a good replacement for Scholes but he'd never go to Man Utd.
I think we need a new right back. Like Sagna.
£40 mil for Fabregas. What would Arsenal say do you think?
No other striker in world football?
As for Fabregas, why would he never go to United? We're not rivals.
In fairness, other than a decent goal-rush 2 seasons ago, Fabregas' tally is quite average over the course of his career. He is capable, but I don't think he has anything like the attacking drive of Scholes (at peak) or Gerrard/Lampard.
Would Arsenal sell to us? I very much doubt it.
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