Manchester United upgrade contact with Pep Guardiola, sources say

This first sentence is where your doom-mongering falls flat on its face. We've been utterly shit this year and City are a massive 3 points ahead of us.

3 points.

If our manager wasn't a complete emptyheaded numpty we'd probably be ahead of them. Yet they're "comfortably" ahead of us.

Thankfully I'm pretty sure managerial candidates aren't so short sighted.


Yeah we need the right man in charge.
 
Upgrade contact :lol: feck off espn and Delaney, both not trustworthy and a match made in heaven.

I wished they elaborated on it.
Did Woody go all out and paid for an ad-free communication channel?
Perhaps we paid someone that told him "I know Pep"...
 
This first sentence is where your doom-mongering falls flat on its face. We've been utterly shit this year and City are a massive 3 points ahead of us.

3 points.

If our manager wasn't a complete emptyheaded numpty we'd probably be ahead of them. Yet they're "comfortably" ahead of us.

Thankfully I'm pretty sure managerial candidates aren't so short sighted.
Aye. With the money we've spent and the issues other clubs are having we should be making a much better fist of what is proving to be a very winnable title race.

I don't think there's a single manager (apart from Klopp as a new appointment) in the 'traditional' top 6 that shouldn't be absolutely kicking themselves with how much more they could be doing. Even Spurs, who I think are starting to look a really good side have dropped too many easy points.

Basically the entire league is a shitshow built almost entirely on hubris and expensive haircuts.
 
That would make Charlton dead and cremated?

Christ!
Don't get me started on that.
I'd start a whole new thread in the football forum just to discuss my team's woes if I thought there'd be more than a scintilla of interest.
 
Christ!
Don't get me started on that.
I'd start a whole new thread in the football forum just to discuss my team's woes if I thought there'd be more than a scintilla of interest.
Hey, I'd be interested in hearing about it. I've wondered what happened to yous lot.
 
This story stinks like a usual Woodward press briefing after a disappointing week to try and appease the fans.

A bit like the Neymar, Bale etc. stories doing the rounds the last couple of weeks.
 
This story stinks like a usual Woodward press briefing after a disappointing week to try and appease the fans.

A bit like the Neymar, Bale etc. stories doing the rounds the last couple of weeks.
Would make him look even more foolish. He just briefed we weren't interested a week ago.
 
Nonsense story. We briefed last week that we weren't interested most likely because we already know he's going to City. We're in a mess and Woodward/the Glazers have no idea what to do next.
 
Nonsense story. We briefed last week that we weren't interested most likely because we already know he's going to City. We're in a mess and Woodward/the Glazers have no idea what to do next.

Oh come on.

Even if he'd signed a contract, was spotted buying a house in Manchester, and taking training sessions, whilst we've got someone else in charge we're always going to brief that we're backing him and aren't interested in anyone else.

Who knows where Pep will end up, but the United briefing is immaterial.
 
Speculative article.
After Busby it took United 4 managers and 15 years to get things right.Hope finding SAF's replacement isn't as difficult.
 
It's all well and good saying we just need a few world class signings, but the market is a bit scarce of top class players at the moment. All the top players of this generation are at the biggest clubs already and City have a few of those players.

It can be done. Just need to figure out who is about to make the leap or has recently done so but isn't at a top 10 club, like Bayern did with Costa or Javi Martinez, or find talented players at top clubs who are available for whatever reason like Bayern did with Thiago or Boateng.
 
Seems like he will not be coming to us, I don't think our board is rushing anything to be confirmed as of now.
He doesn't have to announce his next club yet if he really decides to leave Bayern next summer. In that case he could leave it open if he takes another year off or takes over at a new club. I don't think City or United would want that kind of discussion shortly before the christmas period with many crucial games coming up and both playing rather underwhelming league seasons.

We'll only know for sure where he'll be next season, if he extends.
 
Think he will extend. Which for us is far far better than him going to City.
 
He can say i will leave at end of year but not tell where to. Can say he keeps options open. The thing is, if it is so, we might be strung along and lose ancelotti to bayern. I am not sure i would want to be strung along, even for pep.
 
He can say i will leave at end of year but not tell where to. Can say he keeps options open. The thing is, if it is so, we might be strung along and lose ancelotti to bayern. I am not sure i would want to be strung along, even for pep.
I think the club have to make a decision whether to sack LVG at the end of the season now. That's the biggest risk in losing the race for both managers.
 
He doesn't have to announce his next club yet if he really decides to leave Bayern next summer. In that case he could leave it open if he takes another year off or takes over at a new club. I don't think City or United would want that kind of discussion shortly before the christmas period with many crucial games coming up and both playing rather underwhelming league seasons.

We'll only know for sure where he'll be next season, if he extends.

He'll extend for sure. He is not going to announce in the middle of the season that he doesn't want to stay on. When he left Barca he announced it after crashing out of the CL semi-final and after the league was dediced. If there is an announcement next week it means he'll extend.
 
He'll extend for sure. He is not going to announce in the middle of the season that he doesn't want to stay on. When he left Barca he announced it after crashing out of the CL semi-final and after the league was dediced. If there is an announcement next week it means he'll extend.
It's the club, who wants to know now. It's much better if it's all done during the winterbreak and his successor is presented without any rumours floating around, so that everyone can focus on the football. It worked well when we announced Pep as the next manager in January 2013 after all, I don't see why it should be a problem now. Everyone still loves Pep, the players clearly are fully behind him and want to be successful this season.

It would be a problem if the club wanted to get rid of an underperforming manager. He could likely become a lame duck if the players hate playing under the manager and are happy that he'll be gone soon. But that's not the case at Bayern.

I'm not saying he won't extend, I don't even have a hunch, I've not the slighest clue what he wants to do next, but I'm sure we'll find out before christmas, no matter if he stays or leaves.
 
It's the club, who wants to know now.

At Barca the club knew about his decision a couple months before he announced it publicly. If I remember correctly Sandro Rosell revealed that after Pep left. So he could still tell the club without announcing it publicly. If he announces it publicly in December with all trophies still on the line he will extend, I'm pretty sure.

Everyone still loves Pep, the players clearly are fully behind him and want to be successful this season.

That's the thing. The players want him to stay so if he announces that he won't it might dampen the mood a bit. Not that I think it would have a major impact on results but maybe it wouldn't be optimal. After all the whole "I only sign a 1 year contract and I will not tell whether I renew or not for an eternity" drama is Pep's way of motivating his squad. No other purpose to it but to make clear: "If you lose the intensity that I demand I will be gone very quickly." So I'd find it weird if he announced his exit now.
 
I think he's a brilliant manager, but we shouldnt fall into the trap of thinking that a managerial change will solve all of our problems.

A lot of us did post Moyes, and hyped Van Gaal to ridiculous levels , and that looks worse considering what happened subsequently.

However, the thought of him here is an exciting one. It's not just him, but his backroom staff, which are absolute class, and we need that sort of expertise. He'll definitely improve us, but he shouldnt be the only solution. For example, Van Gaal has identified areas on where our academy can be improved. Even if he leaves, we should act on that.

It will be a bumpy ride, but we will get through this wilderness.
 
Yeah I didn't take that as he'll be announcing his new club next week, just whether he intends to stay or not.
 
I think he's a brilliant manager, but we shouldnt fall into the trap of thinking that a managerial change will solve all of our problems.

A lot of us did post Moyes, and hyped Van Gaal to ridiculous levels , and that looks worse considering what happened subsequently.

However, the thought of him here is an exciting one. It's not just him, but his backroom staff, which are absolute class, and we need that sort of expertise. He'll definitely improve us, but he shouldnt be the only solution. For example, Van Gaal has identified areas on where our academy can be improved. Even if he leaves, we should act on that.

It will be a bumpy ride, but we will get through this wilderness.

But Van gaal was barely a top 10 manager, that's the difference. At least Mourinho, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Klopp, Pellegrini, Wenger, Conte and Simeone are and were better than Van gaal, after them you can name a handful of coaches in Van gaal's bracket.
 
I think the club have to make a decision whether to sack LVG at the end of the season now. That's the biggest risk in losing the race for both managers.

If we get top 4 i don't think the board will give a feck about missing out on those two. Their measures of success are very different to ours.
 
That's the thing. The players want him to stay so if he announces that he won't it might dampen the mood a bit. Not that I think it would have a major impact on results but maybe it wouldn't be optimal. After all the whole "I only sign a 1 year contract and I will not tell whether I renew or not for an eternity" drama is Pep's way of motivating his squad. No other purpose to it but to make clear: "If you lose the intensity that I demand I will be gone very quickly." So I'd find it weird if he announced his exit now.
Could also create that 'let's finish the job together' mentality that we had in 12/13. I don't think it matters either way to be honest. There's not one perfect way to motivate a team, there are many ways and all can work if the chemistry between manager and team is great.

But there's definitely no way around making it public next week after the club and Pep talked about that date for 6 months now. Whatever his decision is, we'll know it next week. I hope you're right and he'll extend and that he delayed the announcement for some weird motivational reason that makes no sense to me. But I wouldn't be surprised one bit, if he announced to leave and the club presents his successor in January.
 
Just gut feeling but I don't think that Pep will extend at Bayern but moves on, either to an EPL club or into another sabbatical
 
But Van gaal was barely a top 10 manager, that's the difference. At least Mourinho, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Klopp, Pellegrini, Wenger, Conte and Simeone are and were better than Van gaal, after them you can name a handful of coaches in Van gaal's bracket.
This is seriously deluded.
 
But Van gaal was barely a top 10 manager, that's the difference. At least Mourinho, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Klopp, Pellegrini, Wenger, Conte and Simeone are and were better than Van gaal, after them you can name a handful of coaches in Van gaal's bracket.
Because he was replacing David Moyes.

In a sense, Van Gaal's experience and the way we had told about his discliplinarian nature meant that he reminded of Sir Alex .(the comparison seems rather futile now)

And I agree about your placing of Van Gaal at the time among the top managers. Even on the Caf at the time, that was the common consensus. But he was really the most decent candidate we could get, as Klopp wasnt interested. The revisionism is rather strong now. Go to the threads especially after Sir Alex retired and see how many calls they were for Van Gaal.