Yeah because it's managers who discover unknown gems like on FM.
Ole's Recruitment whilst at the wheel at United
- Thread starter Sparky Rhiwabon
- Start date
Yeah because it's managers who discover unknown gems like on FM.
Tbh generally Ole has been decent, just decent in the transfer market, I don't agree with the people that rate it as terrible and think they're going overboard however, at the same time the people that say it's been amazing and out of this world are also exaggerating.
The worst one for me is probably AWB for 50 million, it goes to show that whichever manager we bring in will most likely be getting a new rb. Hell, Ole tried to get a new one himself last summer.
The worst one for me is probably AWB for 50 million, it goes to show that whichever manager we bring in will most likely be getting a new rb. Hell, Ole tried to get a new one himself last summer.
I disagree that he's hopelessly out of depth. Sorry, I guess I should have made that clear. I think the issues lie with poor coaching (not the manager himself, but his team) and a lack of DM purchased in the past window (which Ole made it clear he had wanted, and I believe would have made a difference to our balance).Seriously? Just so we can cling on to a guy that has been hopelessly out of his depth ever since the day he walked in as manager? In all of the desperate clutching at straws for ways of not apportioning any blame to the manager this one stands out as something really quite special
I didn't say you should do anything. That's 100% up to you. I just opted to judge the signings based on the pitch rather than financial return, and felt I'd point out that so people could better understand my ratings. You do you!
Fernandes - 9/10, excellent signing and proved a godsend at the time, but also creates some current and potential future tactical difficulties.
Maguire - 4/10. Massively overpriced, plays all the time which on the face of it seems a huge improvement over previous options, but means diddly squat when our defensive record with him in the team is inferior to both LvG's and Mourinho's defense (bar his last season when he downed tools and sabotaged the team with masterstrokes like McT as CB).
AWB - 5.5 or 6/10. A slight improvement over his immediate predecessors (Young/Valencia), has some good qualities but ultimately not technically sound enough to become truly top tier, will be upgraded on eventually, most likely. Extra point or two over Maguire largely because he's young so has more resale value.
Cavani -7/10. Injured/unavailable a lot but performed well when fit, one of the best in the team when available.
James - 6/10. Had a bright start, tapered off badly but were useful enough as a squad option. Recouped our money when moved on.
Telles - 5/10. 25m is the going rate with United tax and all that but basically money spent on a pair of cheeks on the bench, didn't impress when played, seems to give Shaw a kick up the backside though, which can be counted as a plus (although you must wonder if an academy player can serve the same purpose)
VdB - 1/10, disastrous for the moment, can change depending on next coach but the fact remains that he cost a fair whack in the area we are lightest in, and he doesn't play, for whatever reason.
Sancho/Varane/Ronaldo - Too soon. But if have to be rated:
Sancho - 5/10. Ineffectual so far, but still very young, needs time to settle in, and the team being rotten as a whole doesn't help
Varane - 7/10. Proven pedigree, put in largely good performances so far but nearly all of them still contained one or two defensive errors/lapses, nowhere near immaculate yet.
Ronaldo - 6/10 overall, 8/10 for keeping our CL hope alive. Hard to judge given that we did not need him and signing him created a lot of tactical dilemma not just for the current coaching staff, but most likely any future successor, but without his contribution we might well have nothing else worth playing for this season.
Maguire - 4/10. Massively overpriced, plays all the time which on the face of it seems a huge improvement over previous options, but means diddly squat when our defensive record with him in the team is inferior to both LvG's and Mourinho's defense (bar his last season when he downed tools and sabotaged the team with masterstrokes like McT as CB).
AWB - 5.5 or 6/10. A slight improvement over his immediate predecessors (Young/Valencia), has some good qualities but ultimately not technically sound enough to become truly top tier, will be upgraded on eventually, most likely. Extra point or two over Maguire largely because he's young so has more resale value.
Cavani -7/10. Injured/unavailable a lot but performed well when fit, one of the best in the team when available.
James - 6/10. Had a bright start, tapered off badly but were useful enough as a squad option. Recouped our money when moved on.
Telles - 5/10. 25m is the going rate with United tax and all that but basically money spent on a pair of cheeks on the bench, didn't impress when played, seems to give Shaw a kick up the backside though, which can be counted as a plus (although you must wonder if an academy player can serve the same purpose)
VdB - 1/10, disastrous for the moment, can change depending on next coach but the fact remains that he cost a fair whack in the area we are lightest in, and he doesn't play, for whatever reason.
Sancho/Varane/Ronaldo - Too soon. But if have to be rated:
Sancho - 5/10. Ineffectual so far, but still very young, needs time to settle in, and the team being rotten as a whole doesn't help
Varane - 7/10. Proven pedigree, put in largely good performances so far but nearly all of them still contained one or two defensive errors/lapses, nowhere near immaculate yet.
Ronaldo - 6/10 overall, 8/10 for keeping our CL hope alive. Hard to judge given that we did not need him and signing him created a lot of tactical dilemma not just for the current coaching staff, but most likely any future successor, but without his contribution we might well have nothing else worth playing for this season.
Think we made good profit on james
Bruno - 10
World-class talisman who embodies a United player. With a better system and more clinical forwards he’d be even more of a monster.
Maguire - 6
Massively overpaid but a good CB who isn’t helped by our over-reliance on him. Think him and Varane will develop a brilliant partnership by the end of the season. Would be a higher rating if the transfer fee had been more appropriate. A decent leader with a great attitude but doesn’t have the personality to be a United captain.
AWB - 4
A serious problem that I think is severely hindering the team’s balance. An excellent one-on-one defender with great physical qualities but a very limited footballer. £50 million was robbery. Trippier would be an instant upgrade who Laird could serve as an understudy for.
Cavani - 9
Excellent signing considering he was a free transfer. Should be our first choice CF because his style of play is much more compatible with Bruno and Sancho than Ronaldo.
Sancho - Too early to judge
Not a good start but his quality is too high to not come good. A more attacking and progressive system will see him flourish.
Van de Beek - 0 (Potential for much higher)
A terrible signing given Ole’s refusal to even give him a reasonable chance. All the more baffling given central midfield is such a weakness. I have hope for him under a new manager but under the current regime it can’t be anything other than a zero. That rating has little to do with VDB (who I really rate) and more to do with Ole though.
James - 8
Bought for £15 million. Gave his best every single time he played and was an important part of some of our best wins under Ole. Ultimately too limited to be a long-term option here and subsequently sold for £30 million.
Telles - 5
Seems too physically limited to be a good Premier League fullback but has excellent technique and his crossing ability should be utilised more. Reasonable price for such an experienced player who seems content in his current role.
Ronaldo - Too early to judge
I think the extent to which he’s unbalanced the team is overstated for the most part, but is probably true in bigger games. We’d be lower down the league and out of the Champions League group already without him though. Apart from the CM issue, how to use Ronaldo will be the biggest question mark for a new manager. If he was willing to accept more of a squad-based role I would put him down as a 9/10 but it remains to be seen if his ego can handle that.
Varane - 9/10 despite being too early to judge
A world-class Rolls Royce of a CB in his prime at a great price. It’s early days but I think he’s a safe bet to call an excellent signing. We’ve missed him a lot the last few weeks and will be an integral part of the team over the next few years.
Special shout out to Diallo (8/10) who I think will develop into an excellent player and fully justify his price.
World-class talisman who embodies a United player. With a better system and more clinical forwards he’d be even more of a monster.
Maguire - 6
Massively overpaid but a good CB who isn’t helped by our over-reliance on him. Think him and Varane will develop a brilliant partnership by the end of the season. Would be a higher rating if the transfer fee had been more appropriate. A decent leader with a great attitude but doesn’t have the personality to be a United captain.
AWB - 4
A serious problem that I think is severely hindering the team’s balance. An excellent one-on-one defender with great physical qualities but a very limited footballer. £50 million was robbery. Trippier would be an instant upgrade who Laird could serve as an understudy for.
Cavani - 9
Excellent signing considering he was a free transfer. Should be our first choice CF because his style of play is much more compatible with Bruno and Sancho than Ronaldo.
Sancho - Too early to judge
Not a good start but his quality is too high to not come good. A more attacking and progressive system will see him flourish.
Van de Beek - 0 (Potential for much higher)
A terrible signing given Ole’s refusal to even give him a reasonable chance. All the more baffling given central midfield is such a weakness. I have hope for him under a new manager but under the current regime it can’t be anything other than a zero. That rating has little to do with VDB (who I really rate) and more to do with Ole though.
James - 8
Bought for £15 million. Gave his best every single time he played and was an important part of some of our best wins under Ole. Ultimately too limited to be a long-term option here and subsequently sold for £30 million.
Telles - 5
Seems too physically limited to be a good Premier League fullback but has excellent technique and his crossing ability should be utilised more. Reasonable price for such an experienced player who seems content in his current role.
Ronaldo - Too early to judge
I think the extent to which he’s unbalanced the team is overstated for the most part, but is probably true in bigger games. We’d be lower down the league and out of the Champions League group already without him though. Apart from the CM issue, how to use Ronaldo will be the biggest question mark for a new manager. If he was willing to accept more of a squad-based role I would put him down as a 9/10 but it remains to be seen if his ego can handle that.
Varane - 9/10 despite being too early to judge
A world-class Rolls Royce of a CB in his prime at a great price. It’s early days but I think he’s a safe bet to call an excellent signing. We’ve missed him a lot the last few weeks and will be an integral part of the team over the next few years.
Special shout out to Diallo (8/10) who I think will develop into an excellent player and fully justify his price.
Last edited:
I’m not sure how anyone could argue that Varane, Sancho and Ronaldo are “not far behind“ a 10/10 signing like Bruno. Maybe (hopefully!) we can conclude that at some point in the future but way to early to make such a bold claim now.
It’s depressing as hell to admit it but Bruno is the one and only player that Ole has signed who we could consider an indisputable success based on what we’ve seen so far. At a push you could also argue that Cavani and Ronaldo have both consistently delivered at the level expected (and that’s because expectations were relatively low) but neither of them are the sort of signing that Ole’s successor will be grateful for.
If I was being optimistic, I think a few of his signings could turn out to be top players under a better manager, despite never really convincing under Ole. That’s as positive as it’s possible to be right now.
I hate the idea that selling a player for a profit makes them a good signing. Anyone we sign who turns out not good enough to play for Manchester United is a bad signing, unfortunately.
My rating:
Bruno 8
Maguire 6
AWB 7
Cavani 6
Sancho 9
Van de Beek 7
Telles 6
Ronaldo 7
Varane 8
The caf's rating:
Bruno 10
Maguire 10
AWB 0
Cavani 10
Sancho 0
Van de Beek 0
James 0
Telles 0
Ronaldo 0
Varane 10
@tomaldinho1 I think the CAF generally rats Maguire amongst the 0s you have listed, personally. Agree on the other CAF ratings.
Now, I won't cry if Ole goes, but I will roll my eyes at us forever changing managers while ignoring other problems that I see as more in need of solving.
Agree on the other CAF ratings.Nobody has convinced me yet, no. If I could take any manager in the world I'd take Klopp, but that is never going to happen. The fact that LVG and Jose struggled at United says to me that there is something to be said for what Ole is doing, and that rather than just going back to square one, we should actually solve the defence problem while retaining someone that I believe the players do support (perhaps excepting Pogba, but Pogba doesn't support anyone but himself and his agent, pretty sure that's obvious) him. I think Ole makes solid signings. I think his half time talks must be worth something as we tend to play better in the second half and if we do concede, our players don't give up. I think we simply need better defence coaches, world class ones preferably. Not to replace Ole, but to fill in for his failings.
Now, I won't cry if Ole goes, but I will roll my eyes at us forever changing managers while ignoring other problems that I see as more in need of solving.
Bruno - 9: top notch signing. He's not without his issues but you really couldn't ask for a more transformative signing, especially in the winter transfer window.
Maguire - 5: I think he's incredibly overrated, and when you consider what we paid for him, I think his signing goes down as a disappointment.
AWB - 5: much the same as Maguire. It boggles the mind to think we paid that much for such a limited player.
Cavani - 7: it would be even higher if it weren't such a stop-gap signing. My favourite player on the team (well after Mata, but he's more mascot now.)
Sancho - 5: it's obviously too early to really rate this signing, but to spend this much time and money on a player and then rarely play is just mind-boggling. Money could've been better spent elsewhere.
Van de Beek - 0: it's not Donny's fault but to pay that much for a player and then almost never play him....mindboggling again.
James - 5: a punt worth taking I suppose and we made a profit on him, but he's nowhere near the required standard.
Telles - 3: a signing that appears to be only slightly less pointless than the VDB signing (and again, not really the fault of the player.)
Ronaldo - 7: he's already delivered what we brought him in for (which instantly sets him apart from the likes of Sanchez), but feels like we signed him for the wrong reasons, and the balance now feels off.
Varane - 8: early days, but he looks absolutely quality. A rare example of United identifying a need, and then signing a top-notch player to address that need.
Maguire - 5: I think he's incredibly overrated, and when you consider what we paid for him, I think his signing goes down as a disappointment.
AWB - 5: much the same as Maguire. It boggles the mind to think we paid that much for such a limited player.
Cavani - 7: it would be even higher if it weren't such a stop-gap signing. My favourite player on the team (well after Mata, but he's more mascot now.)
Sancho - 5: it's obviously too early to really rate this signing, but to spend this much time and money on a player and then rarely play is just mind-boggling. Money could've been better spent elsewhere.
Van de Beek - 0: it's not Donny's fault but to pay that much for a player and then almost never play him....mindboggling again.
James - 5: a punt worth taking I suppose and we made a profit on him, but he's nowhere near the required standard.
Telles - 3: a signing that appears to be only slightly less pointless than the VDB signing (and again, not really the fault of the player.)
Ronaldo - 7: he's already delivered what we brought him in for (which instantly sets him apart from the likes of Sanchez), but feels like we signed him for the wrong reasons, and the balance now feels off.
Varane - 8: early days, but he looks absolutely quality. A rare example of United identifying a need, and then signing a top-notch player to address that need.
Yeah but were not talking about Ole's tactical shortcomings, the OP is asking specifically about the quality of players we've brought in.
On the bolded for AWB, I disagree to an extent, he actually loses the ball very little, is good in passing triangles and beating his man on the wing, his crossing still needs a lot of work but he's continuing to improve going forward slowly but surely, it's been pointed out in a few games this season again. His positioning needs work though.
But back to quality of players, they are all good quality, no player is perfect but my opinion on Harry and AWB is that their good points weigh-out their bad points, more often than not, and the latter can definitely continue to improve with improved coaching.
Bruno great short-term solution 8/10
Maguire average defender even at his best 4/10
AWB I like him but he needed better coaching the last couple years, as he was just starting his senior career 6/10
Cavani apart from 6 weeks of good form, we haven't seen him enough 6/10
Sancho will never work under Ole and wasn't a priority 5/10
Van de Beek who?
James average footballer but kinda good for Ole's simple tactics 5/10
Telles was never a good fit for the PL. 3/10
Ronaldo is too old and not a good fit for our wide forwards 5/10
Varane good defender and upgrade on what we have 7/10
Maguire average defender even at his best 4/10
AWB I like him but he needed better coaching the last couple years, as he was just starting his senior career 6/10
Cavani apart from 6 weeks of good form, we haven't seen him enough 6/10
Sancho will never work under Ole and wasn't a priority 5/10
Van de Beek who?
James average footballer but kinda good for Ole's simple tactics 5/10
Telles was never a good fit for the PL. 3/10
Ronaldo is too old and not a good fit for our wide forwards 5/10
Varane good defender and upgrade on what we have 7/10
Bruno 9 - Quality, should be captain.
Maguire 7 - Overpriced, but other than a few blips in form has been pretty solid although unspectacular.
AWB 7 - Overpriced, but similar to Maguire. He's improving though and very young still.
Cavani 7 - Quality, should be played more.
Van de Beek 5 - Useless waste of money.
James 6 - Would have been a 5, clearly not cut out at the top level but we sold him for a profit.
Telles 5 - Barely involved.
Pellistri 5 - Loaned out, waste of money but did look not bad in pre season. One for the future.
Diallo 5 - Similar to above, we'll see the benefit of both in a season or two.
To soon:
Sancho
Ronaldo
Varane
All in all, a decent rebuild although should probably have bought a young DM instead of one of Pellistri/Diallo. A real shame we missed out on Bellingham, he'd have been perfect.
Maguire 7 - Overpriced, but other than a few blips in form has been pretty solid although unspectacular.
AWB 7 - Overpriced, but similar to Maguire. He's improving though and very young still.
Cavani 7 - Quality, should be played more.
Van de Beek 5 - Useless waste of money.
James 6 - Would have been a 5, clearly not cut out at the top level but we sold him for a profit.
Telles 5 - Barely involved.
Pellistri 5 - Loaned out, waste of money but did look not bad in pre season. One for the future.
Diallo 5 - Similar to above, we'll see the benefit of both in a season or two.
To soon:
Sancho
Ronaldo
Varane
All in all, a decent rebuild although should probably have bought a young DM instead of one of Pellistri/Diallo. A real shame we missed out on Bellingham, he'd have been perfect.
It's very depressing, particularly when you think just how much money was spent to bring in these players. Our transfers since Fergie left have exhibited Boris Johnson-levels of incompetence, and there is one common denominator through all that: the Chucky-doll faced clown who was supposed to be gone by now but is instead staging the kind of farewell tour that Elton John would be proud of.
Bruno - 7/10 individually I like him a lot but from the point of view of squad building he has been a pretty bad addition, to me it's similar to Pogba in 2016.
Maguire - 4/10 (this is the most expensive defender of all time and I'm not sure if he should be in our starting XI)
AWB - 4/10 (top clubs have no use for him)
Cavani - 7/10 (delivered what's on the package - great Woodward signing saved our season)
Sancho - Pass
Van de Beek - Pass
James - 3/10 (didn't offer much but we didn't lose much)
Telles - Pass
Ronaldo - Pass
Varane - Pass
Credits: @Skills for the template of this post.
Maguire - 4/10 (this is the most expensive defender of all time and I'm not sure if he should be in our starting XI)
AWB - 4/10 (top clubs have no use for him)
Cavani - 7/10 (delivered what's on the package - great Woodward signing saved our season)
Sancho - Pass
Van de Beek - Pass
James - 3/10 (didn't offer much but we didn't lose much)
Telles - Pass
Ronaldo - Pass
Varane - Pass
Credits: @Skills for the template of this post.
How is Bruno a short-term solution?
Bruno - 9/10
Maguire - 6/10 - Good level CB, generally speaking. He's hideous at the moment, but he'll pick up. Hinders the side a little in the long term because he's an £80m English CB who is captain. Quite hard to ever prise from the squad.
AWB - 5.5/10 - Decent level RB, generally speaking. Fundamental flaws in his game that mean he was never worth the price. Another we are kind of stuck with.
Cavani - 7/10 - Good when he's actually fit, which is barely ever. Provides a bit more balance uptop from a pressing perspective, not great with build-up, mind.
Van de Beek - 1/10 - guy never plays, and he doesn't fit any positions in the managers desired formation.
James - 4/10 - Kind of did exactly what a Championship level winger was going to do, really.
Telles - 2/10 - What was the point? We spent 20 odd million on a guy who's played 9 PL matches in 2 years. Hasn't ever looked good enough either when he does play.
Sancho - Way too early to tell even if he's started poorly.
Ronaldo - Too early to tell, but you sort of know what you're getting with him. Fantastic goalscorer, not much else.
Varane - Too early and even though we've kept 1 clean sheet all season, I think individually he's very good.
Maguire - 6/10 - Good level CB, generally speaking. He's hideous at the moment, but he'll pick up. Hinders the side a little in the long term because he's an £80m English CB who is captain. Quite hard to ever prise from the squad.
AWB - 5.5/10 - Decent level RB, generally speaking. Fundamental flaws in his game that mean he was never worth the price. Another we are kind of stuck with.
Cavani - 7/10 - Good when he's actually fit, which is barely ever. Provides a bit more balance uptop from a pressing perspective, not great with build-up, mind.
Van de Beek - 1/10 - guy never plays, and he doesn't fit any positions in the managers desired formation.
James - 4/10 - Kind of did exactly what a Championship level winger was going to do, really.
Telles - 2/10 - What was the point? We spent 20 odd million on a guy who's played 9 PL matches in 2 years. Hasn't ever looked good enough either when he does play.
Sancho - Way too early to tell even if he's started poorly.
Ronaldo - Too early to tell, but you sort of know what you're getting with him. Fantastic goalscorer, not much else.
Varane - Too early and even though we've kept 1 clean sheet all season, I think individually he's very good.
That's based on their level as players, not what we've seen so far on the pitch, naturally - plenty of mitigating circumstances there. All three are top, top players.
oh my days this place is goldYou can blame coaching all you want, but at the end of the day Ole is the one in charge of his coaching staff and he saw no need to make any changes which tells you how inept he is at his job.
He'll be lucky to get a job at a championship side once he's fired.
Still over rating players in here I see.
I think they have all been good signings and most will get much better under a more tactically astute manager. Some of you cnuts have become so pessimistic that you’re trying to tarnish everything.
Mostly good, honestly. The only signings that haven’t proven to be good value have been the ones where we’ve been forced to shop in the bargain basement because of how tight the owners are - I’d say James, De Beek, Telles are the flops. Costing a grand total of not very much.
Good
Bruno
Cavani
Ronaldo
Varane
Average
James
Telles
Bad
Maguire (Marginally better than what we had, for 80 million we should be getting a world class defender not someone above average)
AWB (50 million for an average right back who is only good at slide tackling)
Sancho (Doesn't know how to use him)
Van de Beek (Refuses to use him)
Bruno
Cavani
Ronaldo
Varane
Average
James
Telles
Bad
Maguire (Marginally better than what we had, for 80 million we should be getting a world class defender not someone above average)
AWB (50 million for an average right back who is only good at slide tackling)
Sancho (Doesn't know how to use him)
Van de Beek (Refuses to use him)
If Ole gets under a 9 for Sancho then take some consolation that a lot of the forum would have paid 120m euros for him.
Generous, but does price matter if these 2 manage to stay here for 7-8+ years?
Bruno - 9 - doesn't get much better for the impact a new signing can make. Needs a bit more discipline and structure to his play but hopefully that comes with a new coaching team
Maguire - 6 - 80M fee outrageous, he's full of silly mistakes, doesn't look confident, doesn't lead and in no way is a captain. Score could increase with better coaching team
AWB - 7 - reasonable fee, superb defensively but offers little going forward, can be more effective in a better structure
Cavani - 8 - he's been brilliant, his attitude and work rate are superb. Wish he was 5 years younger
Sancho - 3 - not a reflection on Sancho's ability, a reflection on Ole. Would have been better staying at Dortmund why pay £73M for a player to sit on the bench?
Van de Beek - 2 - not a good fit here, and managed horrifically. I said at the time this was a strange signing, he won't play. I was told he will get plenty game time as we have a lot of games. Well that didn't come to pass.
James - 5 - hardworking player with a good attitude. Just not good enough but fulfilled a role and we got a reasonable fee for him
Telles - 7 - neeeded back-up at full back he has fulfilled that role and is effective when used
Ronaldo - I can hardly rate this one...did we really need him? Probably not...but what team doesn't need one of the top 3 strikers in the world? Ole just doesn't know how best to set-up the team to get the best out of him. But he's Ronaldo, it had to happen - we had to bring him back. Hard to even rate it an Ole signing, it's like a club signing. OK I'll give it a 10 he's the best ever. He's 36 but that doesn't matter. 10
Varane - 8 - a great coup to sign a top, proven defender. A winner added to the squad, which we are sorely lacking. Not enough time to make a proper impact.
Maguire - 6 - 80M fee outrageous, he's full of silly mistakes, doesn't look confident, doesn't lead and in no way is a captain. Score could increase with better coaching team
AWB - 7 - reasonable fee, superb defensively but offers little going forward, can be more effective in a better structure
Cavani - 8 - he's been brilliant, his attitude and work rate are superb. Wish he was 5 years younger
Sancho - 3 - not a reflection on Sancho's ability, a reflection on Ole. Would have been better staying at Dortmund why pay £73M for a player to sit on the bench?
Van de Beek - 2 - not a good fit here, and managed horrifically. I said at the time this was a strange signing, he won't play. I was told he will get plenty game time as we have a lot of games. Well that didn't come to pass.
James - 5 - hardworking player with a good attitude. Just not good enough but fulfilled a role and we got a reasonable fee for him
Telles - 7 - neeeded back-up at full back he has fulfilled that role and is effective when used
Ronaldo - I can hardly rate this one...did we really need him? Probably not...but what team doesn't need one of the top 3 strikers in the world? Ole just doesn't know how best to set-up the team to get the best out of him. But he's Ronaldo, it had to happen - we had to bring him back. Hard to even rate it an Ole signing, it's like a club signing. OK I'll give it a 10 he's the best ever. He's 36 but that doesn't matter. 10
Varane - 8 - a great coup to sign a top, proven defender. A winner added to the squad, which we are sorely lacking. Not enough time to make a proper impact.
I think this is absolutely a fair criticism but I think it's something that is easier to fix rather than to replace Ole and his staff. I absolutely believe that Ole needs to be ruthless with his coaching staff in order to succeed, and if he refuses to do so he should go. But I think this should be made clear to him rather than to just chop him without having this conversation first.
The squad looks better now than it did before he came in, which can't be said for many of our post-SAF managers.
I get what you are saying, and it's a fair point when judging a player, I just can't see past the world record fee. He bloody should be a decent signing at that price. And he's marginally better than what we had. That's not a good signing imo. And it's on both Ole and our scouting network.
For all the talk over the last few years about his great recruitment, Bruno is the one and only player he's signed that can be called a flat out success. Every other player has question marks over them or was simply a failure (James, Telles, probably VDB), apart from maybe Cavani who you could argue did exactly what he was brought in to do (but then got fecked over by the signing of Ronaldo as he was startng to hit his stride).
Now obviously if Sancho and Varane go on to be great players for us (hopefully under a different manager) it will elevate all that somewhat.
£300+m and the biggest wage bill in England. Shambles.
Now obviously if Sancho and Varane go on to be great players for us (hopefully under a different manager) it will elevate all that somewhat.
£300+m and the biggest wage bill in England. Shambles.
Bruno - 9 kept Ole in the job for far longer than Ole had any rights to be.
Maguire - 6.5 Expensive for his price but his best attribute is him being always available. Still think we should have kept Smalling and bought in someone else to replace Lindelof in the first place.
AWB - 6 Let's be honest, the only real reason people think he's competent is because we've been so used to watching 2 wingers and a fraud in Darmian play at RB in the years before. Like Maguire, his best attribute is that he's practically always available, otherwise we really should have done much better, especially at the price.
Cavani - 7.5 Backup striker who showed more passion than everyone else in the club other than Bruno.
Sancho - By the time he can be properly rated, Ole will be gone.
Van de Beek - 0. Just a bloody waste of a good player's playing career and money. Ole should be sacked just for how he has treated VDB. Man Utd DNA my ass, Sir Alex would have never treated a player like this, he even offered Ole the chance to leave the club if he wanted more playing time.
James - 6 Having him means we didn't try to play Rashford every game so that's a win already.
Telles - 4.5 Barely played but at least he knew he was here as a backup to Shaw.
Ronaldo - too early to rate, but chances are is that he'll get 20 goals no matter who's the manager.
Varane - same as Sancho but he's practically a success already because it means one of Maguire/Lindelof has to be on the bench.
Does it really though?
Maguire isn't giving me any confidence these days aka Smalling.
Jury is still out on Sancho aka Mkhi.
Zlatan was as good as Cavani or Ronaldo.
AWB vs Valencia isn't even a contest. Would still take Darmian now.
Fellaini was inconsistent aka Fred or McT.
Again, it might look a bit better now thanks to that 400m spent but we should have done much better with that money.
On paper great signings, but if you have a manager who fails to utilize the new signings then what’s the point? It’s telling that Ole’s “revolution” included only 4 of his signings in our starting 11 against Liverpool.
Right, so if we can absolve Ole of any blame when it comes to coaching (which seems crazy given that he is the Manager, he decides the style of play, and overseas the coaches), what is it that you think he's doing well? Tactics? That would be an odd one given that we're yet to see anything approaching tactical acumen from him. Signings? That would be an odd one given that two of his biggest signings are sat on the bench stagnating. Man-management? Does being a 'nice guy' qualify as man-management? I doubt that Lingard would agree - he was sent on loan to West Ham, played out of his skin, was assured that he was still wanted at old Trafford, and then pretty much ignored - in spite of scoring a couple of important goals in the small number of minutes he's been given, and showing some of the workrate that is needed for any player playing alongside Ronnie these days. Would Cavani agree - begged to stay for another year and then unceremoniously dumped for a shinier model a couple of months later? Does Bailly agree when he sees Maguire rushed back when still injured and played ahead of him. How about development of youth prospects? Amad Diallo might have something to say about that, not to mention Tuanzebe, who's playing better for Villa than arguably any of our centre-halves. Seriously, please enlighten me as to what you think he's doing well? the very notion that a good manager would need somebody brought in alongside him to help shore up his deficiencies is boggling my tiny brain...
I don't absolve people of blame, I simply think there is still the potential based on the past two seasons for Ole to bring us success. I do feel he has a lot to do, but I don't think replacing him is the simple solution to all of our problems, and if anything replacing him might bring back some of the older ones in addition to not actually fixing the other problems that can be solved without replacing the manager. I think the past two seasons were better than any of the previous seasons post-SAF when it comes to style of play, signings and arguably man-management, though, yes. I guess you could say I think Ole needs to up his game, but I don't think he needs to be sacked unless he refuses to do so (by replacing members of his coaching team with better coaches). I also think that if he had got the midfield signing he was after during the summer then we would probably be in a considerably better place right now, but that's very hypothetical (as with any manager replacement or signing).
Bruno - excellent
Maguire - ok
AWB - bad
Cavani - good
Sancho - not needed / so far really bad
Van de Beek - very bad (though should be ok/good with a good manager)
James - punt gone wrong but recovered money
Telles - ok
Ronaldo - very good
Varane - very good
Overall, I think that Bruno, Cavani, Ronaldo and Varane (though Ronaldo and Varane have been obvious) have been hits. Telles ok, as has been Maguire. AWB, Sancho, VDB and James misses (though James got his money back).
Overall, it is an okay record but nothing extraordinary.
Maguire - ok
AWB - bad
Cavani - good
Sancho - not needed / so far really bad
Van de Beek - very bad (though should be ok/good with a good manager)
James - punt gone wrong but recovered money
Telles - ok
Ronaldo - very good
Varane - very good
Overall, I think that Bruno, Cavani, Ronaldo and Varane (though Ronaldo and Varane have been obvious) have been hits. Telles ok, as has been Maguire. AWB, Sancho, VDB and James misses (though James got his money back).
Overall, it is an okay record but nothing extraordinary.
The only time I will say this squad has actually improved is when I see it win something and compete in a title race. Everything else is just looking good on paper.