Manchester United fans plan anti-Glazer protest if club fails to make world-class signings

[Mister Ed]

Is it the Glazers fault we spend their money on dross/players we don't need?

No, we're directing our frustrations about transfers towards the wrong people. Should be directed at the manager and CEO as that duo is in charge of transfer business. It has been said a million times and it has been proven money is not the issue, we have plenty of it and the Glazers have authorized enough transfers to see that they aren't the problem.

This is also a typical people thing, last year people were mostly outraged about our transfers with Woodward in the summer because they wanted to give Moyes a chance, then when results were bad Moyes received most of the blame of our summer and now this transfer summer it is by no means at all the fault of LVG, why because people like him to much, just like in the past it has never been the fault of SAF. If people like you it is never your fault. When LVG gets a couple of bad results and the love evaporates you'll see alot of people turing their heads and blaimling him for the transfers aswell. People always look for somebody to blame, I guess Glazers are the easiest target by far. Truth probably is that it is the manager more than anything who is holding alot back.

 

[ScarleyUtd]

It is not the lack of spending:

Summer 2012: RVP £24m, Kagawa £17m, Henriquez £5m, Büttner £4m
Jan 2013: Zaha £15m
Summer 2013: Varela £1.5m, Fellaini £27.5m
Jan 2013: Mata £37.5m
Summer 2014: Shaw £30m, Herrera £28.5m, Rojo £16m (looking likley)

That is £206m over 2 seasons, that is not a lack of investment.

It could have been more, but it is primarily an issue on what players we have invested that money in. Shaw, Herrera and Fellaini are surly overpaid and Fellaini and Mata weren't signings we needed.

If we are going to protest it should be directed towards the people who are responsible for the transfer business rather than the owners. Money is clearly there, they clearly allow it to be spend, but the management should spend it on better players.

What you're missing out there is the players we have missed out on. We should have pushed on from the days of Ronaldo and we didn't. The reason you're seeing an increase in the last season or so is because we underinvested beforehand because of all the debt nonsense.

Also, Utd are the biggest club in the world, with the biggest revenues, so we should behave like we are (we did in the past). It's all very well saying we've spent x. You can't announce deals like Adidas and Chevrolet and on the other hand expect to get players for 15-20 million all the time. Other clubs will think you're taking the piss, and quite rightly dig their heels in or just tell you to f off. Chelsea have consistently averaged 25-30 million for players for years. And when they really need to, much more. They are obviously more respected in the transfer market right now and that is down to us knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

 

[Mister Ed]

What you're missing out there is the players we have missed out on. We should have pushed on from the days of Ronaldo and we didn't. The reason you're seeing an increase in the last season or so is because we underinvested beforehand because of all the debt nonsense.

Also, Utd are the biggest club in the world, with the biggest revenues, so we should behave like we are (we did in the past). It's all very well saying we've spent x. You can't announce deals like Adidas and Chevrolet and on the other hand expect to get players for 15-20 million all the time. Other clubs will think you're taking the piss, and quite rightly dig their heels in or just tell you to f off. Chelsea have consistently averaged 25-30 million for players for years. And when they really need to, much more. They are obviously more respected in the transfer market right now and that is down to us knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Look at those signings, alot of £20m + ones in there, the problem is just not the right players. I agree we have underinvested for alot of years, but it seems as tough we aren't anymore. I also expected a bigger investment, but it is not as if we can't spend any money at all. There is been spend more than enough over the last 2 seasons that could have gotten us the players we need to improve.

 

[ScarleyUtd]

Look at those signings, alot of £20m + ones in there, the problem is just not the right players. I agree we have underinvested for alot of years, but it seems as tough we aren't anymore. I also expected a bigger investment, but it is not as if we can't spend any money at all. There is been spend more than enough over the last 2 seasons that could have gotten us the players we need to improve.

I agree with you that money has been spent the last season or so, and that some of it has gone on the wrong ones. But it does stand that the reason things are as they are now is through many years of chronic underinvestment previous to the last couple of years. And that was down to the Glazers. Unless you believe Fergie's 'no value in the market' message. Well, there's even less 'value' in the market now!

 

[Mister Ed]

I agree with you that money has been spent the last season or so, and that some of it has gone on the wrong ones. But it does stand that the reason things are as they are now is through many years of chronic underinvestment previous to the last couple of years. And that was down to the Glazers. Unless you believe Fergie's 'no value in the market' message. Well, there's even less 'value' in the market now!

Well the money that was spend in those years has also gone to the wrong ones. Seems like targeting the wrong players and overspending for avergae players has been more of a chronic issue for us than not having the money to spend. I do believe we just came out of an era were there wasn't as much money available as there is now but I don't believe we couldn't spend at all during those difficult financial years were we had alot of debt to service. Anyway I don't think our squad is the result of underinvestment, I think it is more the result of investing in the wrong players. Alot of other teams in the PL and in other competitions never had as much money to spend as us but they did better in the transfermarket because they spend whatever they had wiser. I would actually go as far as to say we have been one of the worst clubs in the world in terms of investing in the wrong players.

 

[ScarleyUtd]

Well the money that was spend in those years has also gone to the wrong ones. Seems like targeting the wrong players and overspending for avergae players has been more of a chronic issue for us than not having the money to spend. I do believe we just came out of an era were there wasn't as much money available as there is now but I don't believe we couldn't spend at all during those difficult financial years were we had alot of debt to service. Anyway I don't think our squad is the result of underinvestment, I think it is more the result of investing in the wrong players. Alot of other teams in the PL and in other competitions never had as much money to spend as us but they did better in the transfermarket because they spend whatever they had wiser. I would actually go as far as to say we have been one of the worst clubs in the world in terms of investing in the wrong players.

All you need to do is look at our net spend compared to our main rivals since Moscow. It doesn't compare.

 

[Manucho the boss]

Who judges if it's a World class signing or not?

Does Rojo qualify? Nobody had heard of him this time last year but technically he does I suppose as he played in a final contested by footballers from all over the World.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I don't care how much money we are spending, we are spending it on the wrong players, every transfer window we flush millions of pounds down the toilet. Somebody's head should roll for that. Somebody has got lazy with the scouting. Too many watching dvd's and listening to agents waxing lyrical instead of going to watch them actually play. We fall for the Youtube compilations on here. Moyes was useless but the one thing he was right about and I don't think Lvg is impressed with it, is our scouting system. Tbh that isn't the Glazers fault, that is the recruitment at OT. They will trust whoever employs people, presuming they know what they are doing.

 

[LonelyFire]

So, do people actually believe we are going to sign anyone? Embarrassing loss on first day of the season - still no action taken by Woodward. Its so obvious what is coming...."we tried....clubs wouldn't sell....we were really close....".

 

[redman5]

So, do people actually believe we are going to sign anyone? Embarrassing loss on first day of the season - still no action taken by Woodward. Its so obvious what is coming...."we tried....clubs wouldn't sell....we were really close....".

Problem with trying to sign the top players is that most of them play for the top clubs. Most of those clubs play on a regular basis in the CL & enjoy the financial benefits this brings. Therefore they have neither the need, nor the desire, to sell. It's not just a simple case of your top brass sitting on their collective backsides doing nothing. You certainly can't complain about your club not splashing the cash in recent years. How much have RVP, Fellaini, Mata, Herrera, & Shaw cost in total ?

 

[MoskvaRed]

I don't care how much money we are spending, we are spending it on the wrong players, every transfer window we flush millions of pounds down the toilet. Somebody's head should roll for that. Somebody has got lazy with the scouting. Too many watching dvd's and listening to agents waxing lyrical instead of going to watch them actually play. We fall for the Youtube compilations on here. Moyes was useless but the one thing he was right about and I don't think Lvg is impressed with it, is our scouting system. Tbh that isn't the Glazers fault, that is the recruitment at OT. They will trust whoever employs people, presuming they know what they are doing.

The fact we had the manager's brother scouting never filled me with confidence...While Moyes was horribly out of his depth, I agree he had a valid point on that score.

 

[Sammyjunn]

The Glazers deserve criticism, and bashing etc, but they are not the ones to blame in this situation, that's Ed Woodward.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Chelsea finished 16 points ahead of us last season and they have since signed two world class players in Fabregas and Costa, as well as a very good left back in Luis.

We need a number of world class signings to compete. Did you see our starting line up on Saturday? And the predictable performance and result?

I thought we were meant to be the biggest club in the world financially? And, with FFP this should mean we can outspend everyone else.

And, no, Woodward, Rojo doesn't count - good squad player (that we need) but does he significantly improve us like the two mentioned above do for Chelsea? No.

 

[fallengt]

This post is misleading. What is bad management? What is poor investment? And what is shocking decision about transitional period... Everything must be said in comparative terms.

Ok agree it's a bit misleading but that's because I wasn't specific. Since we sold Ronaldo, who we bought turn out to be good? Most people will agree on RvP & De Gea but that's about it. LvG said the squad is unbalance ( the result of poorl invesment) and he wasnt trying to make an excuse, every man and his dog can see we need few class players in key areas to make the team competitive again. If that wasn't true why would Glazers waste their money? Just sign 2 class CBs to replace Rio & Vidic and we would be good to go again!!11 Nope, football isn't linear and doesn't work that way. Sorry but people need to stop using the "oh Fergie won the league with this squad" logic, that was Fergie's squad and it was 2 years ago.

The fact is SAF was a miracle worker, he could get the best out of this squad but don't you expect any manager in the world could do the same. Fergie & Gill both resigned at the same time and surely they didn't make the job easier (aging CB/messy MF/average wingers) for their successors who just cluelessly went ahead a sack most of the old backroom staff. Am I wrong saying the trasition was poorly handled? Don't think so.
I'm just stating the fact, not moaning.

 

[Sixpence]

United have spent £120m on 4 players in the last 2 years. It doesn't seem like money is an issue here, it's more to do with the fact that Woodward is horrible at wrapping deals up and players simply don't want to play for us.

At least this will make Woodward aware that the fans just can't take it any longer, hopefully it'll get him off his arse and start signing players.

We've spent that yes, but what has the club brought in through sponsorship in that same time? A feckload, that's what.

 

[simonhch]

A lot of it is quite clearly just very bad planning. We have penned ourselves into a corner now where we have to spend big to land top targets. For the money we have spent on Fellaini and Rojo we could've signed Strootman last summer and Benatia this summer. And if we had, I believe our team and prospects would've looked completely different right now.

Moyes was an appalling manager and the worst possible time. Van Gaal is top class but the pressure for us to get right back to the head of the top table is making everyone panic. We are so far away it's not even funny. A top 4 finish is the very best we can hope for this season and I personally don't think we will achieve it. We will not sign Vidal or Di Maria, the two most obvious talents available. We won't even sign Khedira, who would improve us immeasurably.

I believe the club will take 2-3 more transfer windows to get us where we need to be, and even then I think it will be motivated by desperation rather than a genuine desire to see top players on the field. I'm actually hopeful that Joel Glazer has been hands off up until this point and that Woodward has been cocking things up. Hopefully he will step in and make the changes we need, such as a Director of Football. The Fergie era is over. I'd ask Van Gaal for a recommendation of someone he can work well with.

 

[Will Absolute]

The Glazers have made a lot of money available; they weren't responsible for how it was spent.

Joel didn't decide to spend £28M on Fellaini, nor instruct Fergie to waste £15M on Zaha. Avram didn't tell us to spend £37M on a good attacking midfielder that we didn't really need. Bryan didn't force us to make all those mid-range purchases of the later Fergie years that haven't worked out.

Our present predicament is due to bad decision making, not lack of spending.

 

[Fully Fledged]

Rather embarrassing to be honest.

Yeah and how much notice did they take last time? It's a waste of time and it makes look like a Mickey Mouse Club.

I lambasted Blackburn a couple of seasons ago for their protests against their owners. All it did was cause division in the club and they ended up getting relegated.

 

[The Mitcher]

Yeah and how much notice did they take last time? It's a waste of time and it makes look like a Mickey Mouse Club.

I lambasted Blackburn a couple of seasons ago for their protests against their owners. All it did was cause division in the club and they ended up getting relegated.

The owners have provided us ample funding, but we have chosen to spend it unwisely. The Glazers haven't interfered at all with the football side of things, unlike Blackburn.

 

[Badunk]

I don't think a protest will get the desired effect. It'll just make us look like spoilt brats who throw the toys out of the pram just because we had a poor season. The time to oust the Glazers was at the beginning of their reign, not now.

Anyone looking at us will think the same: United fans were happy to keep the anti-Glazer stuff to a low murmur when they were winning everything, but now that they're not, all of a sudden it's a problem.

 

[redevil2]

Ok agree it's a bit misleading but that's because I wasn't specific. ......
I'm just stating the fact, not moaning.

Fact of matter is, everyone can nitpick and never stop criticising.... and they conclude: I am just being realistic, stating the obvious etc...

Any given sets of facts can be interpreted (and be understood) very differently, wrongly or rightly, and fairly or unfairly.... Half glass full or half empty, being positive or negative. No one claim United is the prefect club to support, or it is flawless. Under magician Fergie, year in year out, we would have games which fans moaned about and being critical of players, Fergie or their dogs. Eventually we kept winning year in year out, or thereabout.

We as United supporters do not know how lucky we are. Anything less than 1st place was regarded a failure. Imagine yourself supporting a lesser team and live a day or a year being them.. and come back to this forum as a United fan again, and see if you would still keep complaining (stating the facts as you put it). The transitional period after Fergie is going to be harder than normal club which changed their manager every 12 months.

Although we did not start the season well, and losing to Swansea ffs, we are still within time to get more players, to compensate for inbalance, still time to allow players to gel and bond, to get their confidence back, and to execute LvG's system.... Why keep picking out flaws of the club? You should be thankful at least we are still hopeful we are challenging for something whatever that something is. The club, manager and players have more desire than you to do well you know?!!

 

[redevil2]

Rather embarrassing to be honest.

My thought exactly!!!!

 

[Fully Fledged]

The owners have provided us ample funding, but we have chosen to spend it unwisely. The Glazers haven't interfered at all with the football side of things, unlike Blackburn.

The owners have provided us ample funding, but we have chosen to spend it unwisely. The Glazers haven't interfered at all with the football side of things, unlike Blackburn.

Agreed, there has been significant money spent so far this year and with Rojo coming another £16m+.

 

[Lennon7]

The signings we make don't have to necessarily be 'world class' ie. Vidal or Di Maria. Vidal would obviously be ideal though.

They just have to be sensible and useful buys, not daft panic buys for £27m...

 

[Empire]

We have spent £76m so far this transfer window, last season we spent £68m.

I do not think that finances have been a problem recently, that is to say they will spend if they need to.

Perhaps we would prefer it if the Glazers sign the players they want instead of the manager?

 

[Brwned]

Protesting because they won't buy the fans a shiny new toy to play with...christ

 

[Acole9]

The Glazers are to blame because they're the ones who appointed Woodward as chief executive.

 

[red_7]

It is only recently that we spent Money but the damage done the years before by Not replacing stars will haunt us for years if it is ever possible to fully regain our status. The Glazers are to blame no matter what happens now. The incompetent Woodwards only adds to that and signing a mediocre Rojo doesn't change anything, only show even more we are no longer after the biggest names. Squad still not good enough to Return to the CL!

 

[Kakeru]

The Glazers are to blame because they're the ones who appointed Woodward as chief executive.

This.

Anyone with common sense as an owner of a sports team would hire somebody with genuine ties with the club (or with the city) to take that position. If Bayern have their golden boy in Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as CEO, I would love to see Becks getting that job someday and soon.

 

[starman]

Stupid, its not their fault we spend just under 70m on Fellaini and Mata. Spent wisely, that could have been Fabregas and Di Maria.

 

[UnofficialDevil]

Apparently we've saved a staggering £16.64 million a year on wages with the departures of Evra Rio and Vidic.

 

[ScarleyUtd]

It is only recently that we spent Money but the damage done the years before by Not replacing stars will haunt us for years if it is ever possible to fully regain our status. The Glazers are to blame no matter what happens now. The incompetent Woodwards only adds to that and signing a mediocre Rojo doesn't change anything, only show even more we are no longer after the biggest names. Squad still not good enough to Return to the CL!

This. People keep talking about the past two seasons. The rot started long before then. Rooney had a point when he had his bust up with Fergie. Not to say I agree with all he's done of course, but he was right – we we're weren't signing enough quality. We've been overtaken in terms of ambition and now we're having to play catch up big time – and with a chief exec who's learning on the job.

 

[ScarleyUtd]

Apparently we've saved a staggering £16.64 million a year on wages with the departures of Evra Rio and Vidic.

Hopefully nearer 18 mill now with the Nani loan.

 

[roseguy64]

The Glazers are to blame because they're the ones who appointed Woodward as chief executive.

Don't think Woodward being CEO is the problem. It's that there's no person between him and the manager. Bar Arsenal, every top club has someone in that role to provide continuity and to allow the incoming manager to not start off behind the 8 ball.

 

[Triple.Threat]

 

[Sarni]

Rojo takes our Summer spending to £75m and combined with Zaha, Fellaini and Mata last season we have spent over £150m. But of course we have not been given the money to compete.

 

[slir32]

Rojo takes our Summer spending to £75m and combined with Zaha, Fellaini and Mata last season we have spent over £150m. But of course we have not been given the money to compete.

We are spending now but the problem is the end of the Fergie era we didn't spend much and the little we did spend wasn't on high quality players and now we are paying for it.

 

[milemuncher777]

We are spending now but the problem is the end of the Fergie era we didn't spend much and the little we did spend wasn't on high quality players and now we are paying for it.

You can't blame owners if Fergie and Moyes didn't invest properly and ended up buying average players.

 

[slir32]

You can't blame owners if Fergie and Moyes didn't invest properly and ended up buying average players.

I said 'we' as the club at the end of the Fergie era didn't blame the great man himself.

 

[Mainoldo]

This is getting stupid. Like a lot have said already... Its not there fault for funding £27m for Fellaini. I hear on the radio people moaning out signings are not good enough because Rojo cost half the price of Rio. Wtf.