The Athletic did a good article last year explaining how the set up would work at United
https://theathletic.com/2440726/2021/03/10/john-murtough-darren-fletcher-manchester-united/
If you're not a member the key bits are here
I know that's the version they sell to the public via the media. However, in practice, I'm sceptical if it actually works like this. Does Matt Judge really report into Murtough when he's doing negotiations? He
should. I'd love to know if that really happens though.
So the board made Murtough meet up with Rangnick years ago just for this long con?
It's likely a process where Woodward was still involved and had the final word. While allowing Arnold and Murtough to take over more of their roles.
Also, remember that Joel Glazer is the ultimate and can veto anything/make his own suggestions.
How is that relevant to Murtough's powers, or lack of these? It would make sense that Murtough would have gone to speak to Rangnick back then. If you want to be a Football Director there are fewer people in world football better to take tips off of than Ralf Rangnick.
Just because he respects Rangnick it doesn't mean he has any real power or influence over club affairs. Let's say, for arguments sake, Murtough really pushed for Rangnick when Solskjaer got sacked. It doesn't mean it was ultimately his decision to bring him in. He may have been Rangnick's biggest cheerleader. It doesn't mean he would've had the power to do anything if Woodward or Arnold said: 'no thanks.'
Was there any player available that was guaranteed to improve our team? January is always difficult to get the right player in and I don’t know that it makes any sense for Murtough to buy a player just to prove he can.
We have a number of questions marks regarding what the team will look like next season. Will Pogba stay or go? Will VDB acclimate to the PL at Everton. Will Ronaldo want out? I am hoping that the new manager will be backed and we sign players they want that also fits our overall plans for the future.
Yes, actually. There are plenty of midfielders I would rather see play as anchor man in midfield above Nemanja Matic. People can say we have Scott McTominay. However, we've already seen several instances where our midfield falls to pieces when McTominay is unavailable. Most recently at Villa Park. I struggle to believe our scouts couldn't find a single player who could come in and fill that gap for us. Nobody was campaigning to try and get Kimmich out of Bayern. However, these are the same scouts who went through 800 right backs to find Wan-Bissaka so you never know...
Also, this idea that January is a difficult market is made a mockery off by Bruno Fernandes, Virgil Van Dijk, Luis Suarez and others in recent years who have come into their team's halfway through the season and utterly smashed it. I won't even mention Evra and Vidic.
First and I think quite obviously we didn't want to spend money in Jan. We got linked to loads of players but nothing was anywhere close to official and it seems as though we weren't really in the market at all.
Second, I genuinely think we've realised how little hands on elite coaching has happened at the club since LVG left and there's a genuine hope we will see continued improvements in the younger players and more debuts. If we can get top four and have a number of youngsters have good bit-part seasons I will be very happy. Then summer is about getting the right guy in and getting him his top 2 or 3 targets.
This is true. I hope for the right reasons. I fear for all the wrong ones though.
Equally, I pray you're right about the youngsters. I would've recalled Garner if we knew we weren't going to buy. Jimmy can certainly get around the pitch better than old man Matic these days.
Yeah I agree with your idea, but you're painting it a bit simpler than it is.
Say for example we want Ten Hag, but he's a bit different than Ralf who's here till summer and maybe even longer.
You have few possible players that you can buy now, who do you buy? Ralf's type of player who may be super energetic and defensive but lack playmaking and on ball abilities or go for more of a Ten Hag controlling midfielder who may not shine under Ralf. Buying players for the sake of it is just throwing shit at the wall hoping it sticks.
You said Football Director should know what kind of coach he wants and what type of players would suit that kind of coach, while I agree with that you too have to understand that the man just stepped on into the job and we don't even know if he has the power to pull the strings as he sees fit, he may as well be just another yes man...
Anyway now that he stands where he stands I think he won't be in rush to make rash decisions. As a matter of fact he didn't succumb to the pressure of panic buying which is good. I don't know shit about Murtough but I'd give him benefit of the doubt and wait a bit more time before I judge.
Some sensible points here. However, this just throws into question the decision to appoint Rangnick in the first place. Why bring in a coach who's so wedded to a particular style of football if you have no intent of building on it?
I'm worried too. It looks like we have no real plan. Just look at our supposed targets. Ten Hag loves pressing but he also likes possession. Poch was closer to Ralf when he was at Southampton and early in his stint at Spurs, but he became much more pragmatic after that.
It looks like the club wants to hire a big name manager who is associated with pressing in any way because it's modern even though their tactics when it comes to attacking are different. One of them will want players who have excellent close control and can play quick passing game and the other will want quick and direct players.
That is why the brief says the club doesn't want to sign players because what if the new manager doesn't like the players. It's shocking planning in my opinion. If we can't hire Ten Hag or Poch well we should hire someone else who fits one of those styles of football.
Absolutely
@Mr. Ant and this is ultimately where I fall down.
As I said to
@MileStolar hiring Rangnick and then pivoting to coaches who have little in common with him screams that we have no plan.
What you said about looking for a big name vaguely connected to pressing rings true. It goes back to what many of us feared about Ole early in the season. When we were hearing about playing on the front foot, being aggressive. Its just buzzwords. Someone at the club has decided they want to do
that. However, they have no idea how to achieve that or what it even looks like. Hence we've appointed a coach from the German school of pressing and now we're looking at a coach from the Dutch school of pressing and another, as you say, whose sides haven't pressed for long before he got sacked at Spurs.
Its a mess that shows that either a) Murtough hasn't got a clue or b) He does but he doesn't have any power to implement that consistent idea across the club.
.