Man Utd set to appoint Director of Football (when hell freezes over)

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Not a great period for Woodward.. he managed to get a sleeve sponsor but didnt manage to offload average at best players like Jones, Rojo, Smalling, Young, Valencia and/or sign better players.

Young and Valencia as first choice LB and RB is just painful and embarrasing for the biggest/richest club in the world. Those two should be squad members at best

Rojo, Smalling or Jones would also be okay squad players if they werent injured all the time but its not really starting material for a club like United. An improvement would have been nice but not as urgent as the backs.

Fred seems a good signing, Dalot might be good and selling Blind for decent money was a decent piece of work.
 
spiriticon said:
Arsenal have signed practically no one of note, okay maybe Sokratis.. City have signed one major player. Chelsea have signed 2 major players.

We have signed 1 major player.

Only Liverpool managed an absolute stonker of a transfer window.
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Everyone of them signed what they wanted from the market at the start. Chelsea had a far better midfield now, City improved their already full team and Liverpool covered all their weaknesses. Arsenal also signed the category of players they were after.

Looks like we're the only one who didn't sign anyone we wanted in any position with weaknesses except Fred. We're the only one who are complaining about the early market closure I feel.

We know before the last season even end that the market is going to close earlier this summer. We know 4 years ago that World Cup will be this year. That's not an excuse.

We failed to adapt while everyone else got what they wanted. That's on Ed.
 
Absolute joke of a summer we've had. The Evertons of this world are paying 50m for unknown players and we were unwilling to spend 50m on a proper FB.

I don't expect anything above 4th or 3rd if we play well.
 
I think he knows there is no use of paying 50mln+ for 28-29y+ old players and he did not push to the limit

If we finish again 2nd or 3rd and progress more in the CL , next summer he will spend big
 
I'd rather get rid of Woodward than Mourinho and I don't even like how we play under JM.
 
Woodward 2018 only beaten by Woodward 2013 for sheer ineptitude.

It's literally big signings or nothing with him it seems. We need a team, not eleven huge signings on the pitch every week.
 
Dumat12 said:
This.

Is it really Mourinho's fault that we hired a clown to succeed Fergie and then hired a manager that was way past his glory days? As many here said, compare what Mourinho inherited - a shit team with that had 1 world class player and what Pep inherited - a team that had numerous world class players that fought for the title prior to Pep going there while we finished outside top 4.

I'm fecking sick of the anti-Mourinho brigade. They hate Mourinho more than they love the club. So much that they fail too look rationally at the situation.
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The most astonishing thing is people pointing the finger at Mourinho when we have had a similar stinker of a transfer window under different manager (Moyes).

Now the same thing happens again - we fail to do business in time and come the last week a fecking chaos commences. I doubt Jose and Moyes were penny pinching in those windows, so naturally there should be someone else responsible.
 
el3mel said:
Everyone of them signed what they wanted from the market at the start. Chelsea had a far better midfield now, City improved their already full team and Liverpool covered all their weaknesses. Arsenal also signed the category of players they were after.

Looks like we're the only one who didn't sign anyone we wanted in any position with weaknesses except Fred. We're the only one who are complaining about the early market closure I feel.

We know before the last season even end that the market is going to close earlier this summer. We know 4 years ago that World Cup will be this year. That's not an excuse.

We failed to adapt while everyone else got what they wanted. That's on Ed.
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How do you know everyone wanted to sign all that they wanted? maybe City wanted more? Maybe Arsenal wanted more? Maybe Chelsea wanted more too?

It's kinda pointless speculating this.
 
Rightnr said:
Absolute joke of a summer we've had. The Evertons of this world are paying 50m for unknown players and we were unwilling to spend 50m on a proper FB.

I don't expect anything above 4th or 3rd if we play well.
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For all we know Dalot might carve his way into the first team by Christmas and be a great for us for a decade. It's hard to say. We are always moaning when we don't get players for a good price at first instance but instead pay 50-60m for them just a year later. Lindelof might step up this year....I hear what you say but not long ago everyone was shitting on Jose for not giving Shaw a chance....as he seems to stagnate with every game he gets that is changing.....You just have to hope we can start well and be there at christmas when perhaps something will happen. We are not anyway near as bad as the fans are hearing from the media.
 
Enigma_87 said:
Like?

Sandro being transfer listed? Willian also being available at the right(for Chelsea) price? Not being able to sign one CB from gazillion options?

Let's not forget his track record - unable to trigger a release clause and ending up paying over the odds in the course of less than 30 days? Unable to finish a loan at time? Failing to trigger another release clause after bidding 5m short before that?
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I wouldn't have minded Willian. But Chelsea didn't want to sell so no point asking for him. Would you want Ed to kidnap Willian instead?

A lot of clubs didn't want to sell this summer. I didn't know that Sandro was transfer listed, I sure didn't see that anywhere. If he really was transfer listed and Jose really wanted Sandro, then yes Ed had a stinker there.
 
el3mel said:
Tell me why are we the only top English club who struggled with this then ? Seems like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and City did what they went from the market and weren't affected.
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Would any of the players Arsenal signed have been any use to United? Were City not trying to sign a midfielder? Have you ignored Spurs deliberately?
 
spiriticon said:
How do you know everyone wanted to sign all that they wanted? maybe City wanted more? Maybe Arsenal wanted more? Maybe Chelsea wanted more too?

It's kinda pointless speculating this.
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Because City weren't linked to any other player except Jorginho and Chelsea and Arsenal are also the same. We didn't hear about them getting in any negotiation for any other players.

And at the end they all have strengthened their team more than us and covered most of their weaknesses.

Us on the other hands though ..
 
acnumber9 said:
Would any of the players Arsenal signed have been any use to United? Were City not trying to sign a midfielder? Have you ignored Spurs deliberately?
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They signed the players from the category they wanted.

Yes they wanted to sign a back up midfielder to Fernandinho, a luxury player for them.

Yes because Spurs aren't targeting any league title and are just happy for a top 4 finish. If you're also happy for a top 4 finish and don't want to win a title you can be happy with our window then.
 
LJJT said:
I really cannot understand all the slagging off of Woodward and the Glazers or club as a whole. Any one who thinks we haven’t spent mega bucks in the last 5 years isn’t realistic. We’ve spent fortunes.

I’d have liked another signing or two, but we’ve bought a circa £50m midfielder who should start most weeks and address our unbalanced insufficient midfield that struggles to link defence and attack. We’ve got a collection of forward players/attacking mids that are a good enough combo for any top team. Got best GK that everyone wants. 5 centre backs all bought for big money that surely to God 2 of them can stay fit for a full season, good steady Eddie at right back and a £30mill English full back everyone wanted a few years ago that if he gets his game together could be top drawer. Plus various squad players who should be more than capable to fill in . I don’t blame the board for not getting ripped off any more. We always pay too much and this year it’s even worse. If Jose can’t get this squad of players challenging and sort out the various combinations that work it’s his fault, not the board who must be naffed off pouring ridiculous amounts of money in to players who for one reason or another are injured or under perform.
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Because they've owned us for much more than 5 years and underspent for years before then. Also presided over a cluster feck of succession planning after Fergie. With some absolutely terrible appointments.
 
el3mel said:
Because City weren't linked to any other player except Jorginho and Chelsea and Arsenal are also the same. We didn't hear about them getting in any negotiation for any other players.

And at the end they all have strengthened their team more than us and covered most of their weaknesses.

Us on the other hands though ..
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I think we have strengthened. We have added two players to the mix. That in itself is strengthening. City wanted Jorginho, didn't get him as you mentioned. Chelsea wanted Higuain at least I know for sure, didn't get him. We wanted one defender, didn't get him.

Arsenal? Dont' really care much for them. By extrension, Spurs also clearly wanted signings and got none.
 
el3mel said:
They signed the players from the category they wanted.

Yes they wanted to sign a back up midfielder to Fernandinho, a luxury player for them.

Yes because Spurs aren't targeting any league title and are just happy for a top 4 finish. If you're also happy for a top 4 finish and don't want to win a title you can be happy with our window then.
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Well it’s easier to sign players when you’re shopping in the bargain basement. I’m sure United could’ve signed players that weren’t good enough easily enough but that would be pointless.

So they didn’t get what they wanted?

And Arsenal are targeting a league title? By signing players like Liechsteiner? A back up.
 
Glazers have put their money in- poga ibra lukaku bailly mikhi fred lindelof etc etc. They also pay big wages to sanchez.and de gea.

Cant blame glazers. Ed is the transfer guru and he failed to deliver the targets that jose wanted.Whether this was because he was useless or if it was simply the board's decision not to invest huge amounts of dosh on 29/30 yr olds with no sell on value
The one ypubger player that was.on list was maguire and if reports were true we did bid 60mill which was turned down. So the money was available for the right player
Maybe they think jose should do more with existing squad. I agree he should and failure this year will see him out.
 
spiriticon said:
I think we have strengthened. We have added two players to the mix. That in itself is strengthening. City wanted Jorginho, didn't get him as you mentioned. Chelsea wanted Higuain at least I know for sure, didn't get him. We wanted one defender, didn't get him.

Arsenal? Dont' really care much for them. By extrension, Spurs also clearly wanted signings and got none.
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We entered the market wanting to strengthen the midfield, the 2 fullbacks and a right winger. Got only one, which is actually the least priority of these positions I mentioned.

Chelsea strengthened their midfield which was a major problem for them last season with only Kante as a good one. Now they have Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic.

City didn't need any signings and still got Mahrez to enforce their attack.

Liverpool entered the market wanting a GK and a better midfield, got all they wanted, and with a great quality too.

We're the least club among them in terms of strengthening our weakness. We're entering the next season with exactly the same squad +1 player. This squad did well enough securing second position, and that was a good improvement, ok, but we can't be targeting the same position again the upcoming summer.

The target was to decrease the gap with City, and we did nothing to do that. The results won't be changed much then, and it won't be considered an improvement then this season.
 
Fluctuation0161 said:
Because they've owned us for much more than 5 years and underspent for years before then. Also presided over a cluster feck of succession planning after Fergie. With some absolutely terrible appointments.
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I have been absolutely baffled by the succession part but to be fair to them most people in here are still clinging to the Manager-Emperor model which is a relatively rare model in football and in Sport in general, it's even rarer as a successful formula. I always think about the NFL or the NBA when it comes to this and I'm under the impression that most organizations recognize that the Popovich-SAF-Belichick model isn't really something that you engineer, you stumble on it. It's linked to truly exceptional sportsmen.
 
Mou has spent enough to have an awesome team:

------------- GK --------------
RB - Bailly - Lindeloff - Dalot
------------- Matic ------------
------- Pog -------- Fred------
RW--------------------Sanchez
------------ Lukaku------------

This season is crunch time for him and I can see why Woodward wouldn't see the need for a £60m CB when we have 2 signed by Mou and a load more waiting in the wings, need some sales.
 
With my conspiracy hat on, I think there is a reason why Jose wasn't fully backed in the transfer market this summer.

With the shit football we play, Jose falling out with anyone and everyone and his insistence on players at the wrong end of their 20's, Woody's realised Jose isn't a manager for the long haul, and probably won't stay beyond this season. Why blow upwards of £50 million a piece on the likes of Boateng and Willian? Hence why he only sanctioned carefully selected deals like Fred and Dalot which would give us value for money and be useful to his successor. He is a businessman, and he delivers more often than not.

My prediction is that Pochettino will be our manager this time next season, and he will be heavily backed. A manager that can work with what he's given with minimal fuss, and get the most out of them.

I am a supporter of Jose but he's just lost his spark and charisma. He's a burnt out manager that comes across as a miserable git.
 
acnumber9 said:
Well it’s easier to sign players when you’re shopping in the bargain basement. I’m sure United could’ve signed players that weren’t good enough easily enough but that would be pointless.

So they didn’t get what they wanted?

And Arsenal are targeting a league title? By signing players like Liechsteiner? A back up.
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Arsenal are targeting top 4, they got the players they wanted from the category.

City wanted a luxury player, not someone essential for them. They didn't even try to get another one instead of him even with the market open because he was just a backup for Fernandinho, completely different from us and the positions we're struggling in and were a major problem for us last season.

The summer we did and the squad we had are good enough for a top 4 finish, 2nd or 3rd, which is clearly not my ambition or the thing I'm looking for this season.

The target was to get closer to City, and we did nothing for that. I was content with 2nd finish last season. I won't be content with it again for a second season without any major improvement.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
Mou has spent enough to have an awesome team:

------------- De Gea --------------
Dalot - Bailly - Smalling - Shaw
------------- Matic ------------
------- Pog -------- Fred------
Sanchez--------------------Martial
------------ Lukaku------------

This season is crunch time for him and I can see why Woodward wouldn't see the need for a £60m CB when we have 2 signed by Mou and a load more waiting in the wings, need some sales.
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That team is perfectly fine but it seems that neither the caf nor the manager see it. We just need to work we the good players that we have.
 
JPRouve said:
That team is perfectly fine but it seems that neither the caf nor the manager see it. We just need to work we the good players that we have.
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Some members of the cafe don't see it. There's a lot of us who think Jose should be doing a better job with the squad at his disposal.
 
el3mel said:
Arsenal are targeting top 4, they got the players they wanted from the category.

City wanted a luxury player, not someone essential for them. They didn't even try to get another one instead of him even with the market open because he was just a backup for Fernandinho, completely different from us and the positions we're struggling in and were a major problem for us last season.

The summer we did and the squad we had are good enough for a top 4 finish, 2nd or 3rd, which is clearly not my ambition or the thing I'm looking for this season.

The target was to get closer to City, and we did nothing for that. I was content with 2nd finish last season. I won't be content with it again for a second season without any major improvement.
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I think Utd have done poorly in the market but you’re being disingenuous in your argument here. You fail to mention Spurs because they aren’t aiming for the title but mention Arsenal before admitting they aren’t going for the title either. It’s been a difficult market for many clubs.

I don’t think City were looking at Jorginho as a sub. More likely a replacement for a 33 year old player with him becoming the sub.

None of that is to say that United shouldn’t have made more improvements, they should have. You’re just grossly exaggerating other clubs accomplishments when that isn’t necessary to make that point.
 
Eddy_JukeZ said:
Some members of the cafe don't see it. There's a lot of us who think Jose should be doing a better job with the squad at his disposal.
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Better than 2nd really? Maybe closer because our performances against the bottom 6 was poor but I think he put the points on the board alright!
 
tomaldinho1 said:
Mou has spent enough to have an awesome team:

------------- GK --------------
RB - Bailly - Lindeloff - Dalot
------------- Matic ------------
------- Pog -------- Fred------
RW--------------------Sanchez
------------ Lukaku------------

This season is crunch time for him and I can see why Woodward wouldn't see the need for a £60m CB when we have 2 signed by Mou and a load more waiting in the wings, need some sales.
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It's relative though its not as good as City's so thats us in 2nd where we already were
 
spiriticon said:
Arsenal have signed practically no one of note, okay maybe Sokratis.. City have signed one major player. Chelsea have signed 2 major players.

We have signed 1 major player.

Only Liverpool managed an absolute stonker of a transfer window.
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Its not about signing "major" players its about addressing weaknesses. Liverpool one by one have addressed their weakness over the last two to three windows - LB, CB, GK, CM and now they are adding depth with players like shaquiri. Now they have a formidable team that can challenge city.

We too had to address our weaknesses and this transfer window represented a huge opportunity to sign world class players in the problem positions to give Mourinho exactly the team he needed to mount a realistic challenge for the league, (at the very least). Mourinho, unlike his recent predecessors, has the track record to back his demands.

Woodward has failed to deliver those signings. And its not the first time this has happened. If it was a club like Real or Barca, Woodward would be out of a job by now.
 
RedorDead21 said:
Better than 2nd really? Maybe closer because our performances against the bottom 6 was poor but I think he put the points on the board alright!
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Challenging for the title.

He's failed to do so in 2 successive seasons.

2nd and nowhere near City is nothing to write home about and we had an embarrassing exit in the UCL.
 
I don't understand how we go a new season with a worse back four than last season selling blind has weakend us, how toby and danny rose were available and we dident even go for them is like we have given up the title before we kick of.
 
RedorDead21 said:
Better than 2nd really? Maybe closer because our performances against the bottom 6 was poor but I think he put the points on the board alright!
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We can be better seconds and simply work on being a better team, that's what we should do. Simply improve and try to reach the top of the pyramid all of these players at the exception of Matic and Sanchez have a lot of room for improvement and the team as a whole too.
 
RedorDead21 said:
It's relative though its not as good as City's so thats us in 2nd where we already were
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It's just bad timing as well, Pep walked into a premade midfield trio that's so well balanced & the best striker in the league and basically bought a world class defense ontop to complement. Mou walked into a sh*t show and yet we got 81 points last season, which was somehow a complete failure. He'll need to spend another £200m to get to City's level IMO
 
acnumber9 said:
I think Utd have done poorly in the market but you’re being disingenuous in your argument here. You fail to mention Spurs because they aren’t aiming for the title but mention Arsenal before admitting they aren’t going for the title either. It’s been a difficult market for many clubs.

I don’t think City were looking at Jorginho as a sub. More likely a replacement for a 33 year old player with him becoming the sub.

None of that is to say that United shouldn’t have made more improvements, they should have. You’re just grossly exaggerating other clubs accomplishments when that isn’t necessary to make that point.
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I didn't "fail" to mention Spurs, I ignored them deliberately because they're irrelevant, they're not a top club and have no target for the upcoming season except sticking around.

Arsenal are targeting top 4 and get the players from this category they wanted.

Liverpool and Chelsea are targeting a title challenge and did what they wanted. City were targeting a minor improvement in their quality and did.

We targeted title challenge and did nothing to improve and do that.

So far the only one who seem to be moaning about the transfer window closing earlier are us tbh. The window closing early + presence of World Cup didn't come as a surprise for Ed or United. We knew that months ago. That's not an excuse.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
It's just bad timing as well, Pep walked into a premade midfield trio that's so well balanced & the best striker in the league and basically bought a world class defense ontop to complement. Mou walked into a sh*t show and yet we got 81 points last season, which was somehow a complete failure. He'll need to spend another £200m to get to City's level IMO
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Yeah, because Silva-KDB-Fernandinho were firing under Pellegrini.

Pellegrini didn't even use them as a midfield trio. I doubt Jose would either.

Mendy-Stones-Otamendi-Walker is now a world class defense?

Some of you seriously overrate this City squad. They're more than the sum of their parts, because of Pep.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
It's just bad timing as well, Pep walked into a premade midfield trio that's so well balanced & the best striker in the league and basically bought a world class defense ontop to complement. Mou walked into a sh*t show and yet we got 81 points last season, which was somehow a complete failure. He'll need to spend another £200m to get to City's level IMO
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Playing devil's advocate here but no reason why really.....yep we are not as strong as city but retaining the title is hard. Pep will prob make a mockery of that but if not.....we need to perform against the bottom 6 like we did against the top 6 and get another 10+ points on the board. No reason why thats beyond Jose and this squad. If late 80s early 90s isn't enough you have to hold your hands up.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
Mou has spent enough to have an awesome team:

------------- GK --------------
RB - Bailly - Lindeloff - Dalot
------------- Matic ------------
------- Pog -------- Fred------
RW--------------------Sanchez
------------ Lukaku------------

This season is crunch time for him and I can see why Woodward wouldn't see the need for a £60m CB when we have 2 signed by Mou and a load more waiting in the wings, need some sales.
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Yes, ole RW is some player!
 
Eddy_JukeZ said:
Yeah, because Silva-KDB-Fernandinho were firing under Pellegrini.

Pellegrini didn't even use them as a midfield trio. I doubt Jose would either.

Mendy-Stones-Otamendi-Walker is now a world class defense?

Some of you seriously overrate this City squad. They're more than the sum of their parts, because of Pep.
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Thats a pretty good defence to be fair......but I get your point...their team has the ball 75% of the game so less pressure is on them than ours....
 
Eddy_JukeZ said:
Yeah, because Silva-KDB-Fernandinho were firing under Pellegrini.

Pellegrini didn't even use them as a midfield trio. I doubt Jose would either.

Mendy-Stones-Otamendi-Walker is now a world class defense?

Some of you seriously overrate this City squad. They're more than the sum of their parts, because of Pep.
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This City side won the league and league cup double with Pellegrini in his first season before even signing KDB. In his second season they finished second, and in his last season they also got to semi final of CL + winning another league cup.

Meanwhile we were struggling finishing 7th, 4th and 5th.

You're the one underrating them.
 
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