The beginning of the end... (the original board vetoed Mourinho's transfer wish list thread)

DesiBD said:
If the board wanted a long-term approach, then why did they hire Mourinho in the first place?
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Are you kidding? Mourinho promised to stay here for ages, it was his project. Ask his fans when he signed.

Basically he made all the right noise.
 
If Woodward is leaking this, I don’t know why because it makes him look incompetent. Reminds me of the Chelsea board in 15/16 not getting him a CB he wanted and going for Djilobodji on deadline day. He didn’t even get that this time.
 
Born2Lose said:
Tired of Mourinho's constant moaning, if he doesn't think he can do anything with the team he has and the countless millions he's already been given then maybe he should have the decency to resign.
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He'll never resign, the biggest he's here is for the money. Threw a strop the entire first half of the season, until he got his new contract.
 
Perhaps we’ve learned our lesson after buying Jones, Smalling, Rojo, Bailly, Lindelof....
 
DesiBD said:
If the board wanted a long-term approach, then why did they hire Mourinho in the first place?
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It beggars belief really, if you're not prepared to back the manager then why are you keeping him. Not that I want Mourinho to go. I find Woodward's obsession of signing galaticos worrying. It seems to be all he's interested in, lets face it, that approach hasn't worked well for us so far.
 
MikeUpNorth said:
Noodle, it's clear all the papers have been briefed. BBC, Guardian, Telegraph and Mirror all running basically word-for-word identical articles.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45133827

This article?

It says we tried to sign players and couldn't, due mainly to prices. Something which we all already knew.

The melodrama on here is beyond fecking ridiculous. You are all grown adults.
 
Minimalist said:
I think that's the sensible opinion. Full-backs, a winger and maybe a back-up striker would have been welcomed but none of that is needed to play better football this season.
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We did sign Dalot so hopefully he will eventually take over from Val. Didn't make sense to buy yet another right back.
 
Revan said:
Or maybe Ed is tired of spending all that money to no prevail, and wants a bit to regroup. Additionally, when quite a few players are already old, it probably isn't wise to add other old players to the team. Unfortunately, it seems that most/all Mourinho's targets were old players.

Probably a new policy from the club (similar to how it was under Fergie) after the LVG/Mourinho fiasco when we gave them whatever they wanted and they delivered crap on return.
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This but surely you’d trust Jose over Woodward on football matters, no matter how old the signings were. I think the club realises we aren’t catching city either way and we may as well blood/start signing some younger players and go hard after available world class. I’m ok with that. Why the feck are we trying to sign Maguire for 60 fecking million when he was the same price as Lindelof and E Bailly a few seasons ago etc? It’s crazy. I’ve Been saying it for years. Isn’t it a scouts job to catch these players before they are being sold at an absolute premium? We wouldn’t care as fans if they aren’t a sexy name if they fit a good coherent footballing style and things started looking up on the pitch. It seems like there’s been no such planning and it’s so fecking annoying!
 
clarkydaz said:
I used to laugh at clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea self implode while we quietly romped to a league title
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I know we're just one of the rest now, without the success though (in Chelsea's case anyway)
 
Time to shop around for a new manager then?

Worth a cheeky punt on Mou being the first prem manager to be gone?
 
Huge fault on Jose's part not to prioritise any FBs. Criminal imo.

Maybe they didn't want to back Jose's CB list as he's already spent £65m on CB who haven't convinced.

If this is all true then Jose isn't the manager for us and he won't be here much longer. If we are prioritising long term and telling Jose no, then it's curtains this year I think.
 
I just hope we get a manager in next season who's willing to take an axe to the squad and rebuild properly. I'm as disappointed in the lack of outs as I am the lack of ins.
 
We signed Lindelof and Bailly and while the latter has showcased some huge potential his first months at the club, they both are flops at the moment. On the flipside, a lot of great players has been labeled flops after arriving at a new club, and they are both young so will now have the chance to prove themselves at this club. I don't think it would make any sense to buy another CB if we wasn't able to offload Rojo, Jones or Lindelof. If we could get top level talent like Varane, or a real experienced leader like Godin then we should go for it, but Mina, Maguirez etc isn't that.

What i see no reason for what so ever is not upgrading the LB. Even if Shaw magically developed into a star over the course of this season (which he wont) we wouldn't have to rely on a 33 year old converted winger. I love Young and had hopes for Shaw but this would have been the correct timing for us to buy a top LB. Replacing Mata is another issue i don't understand, we haven't had a right-wing since Valencia played there!
 
I wholeheartedly agree with not overspending on players, especially when it comes to CB where Jose has spent in both previous summers. We have to get value for money otherwise everyone will continue to fleece us. Why spend 65m on Maguire when he's clearly not worth that? We should only spend that sort of money on a proven, experienced player and someone who would instantly become our undisputed best CB, especially as Bailly and Lindelof are already young-ish and we have Tuanzebe coming through too.
 
YouOnlyLiveTwice said:
What is most baffling is that this is all about a fecking CB, when we clearly needed a RW and LB, but maybe Mourinho didn't even request that?

If the fees involved for Alderweireld were out of this world, then fair enough by the club. I also am glad we didn't sign the likes of Mina, Boateng and so on. Keeping tabs on Maguire is a smart thing, but if Leicester really wanted 75m or similar this season, then fair enough that we think twice about it, maybe next year.

We have 5 CB's so before talking about buying one, we should sell. But i don't get why we couldn't try getting a player like Alex Sandro and maybe Malcom/Pulisic, hell, even Shaqiri would probably have improved us.
But if Mou didn't want one then Woody won't go for one i guess. That's why i think we should get a DOF, someone who look at our weaknesses and correct them, and the manager will have little say, as it's in the best interest of the club.
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This.
 
Jose like athletic players who work hard, are positionally sound and press resistant. Granted, his style of play isn't alway exciting, but his mould is adaptable to almost any tactic.

A team left behind by Klopp or Pep can only really play one way. But a team left behind by Mourinho can play in numerous ways. That's why I'd like to see him be given free rein to build the squad. Inter aside (that was a special case driven by the obsessions of the owner) his teams almost always gain success after he leaves. United are young enough to be in that category. A player like Maguire would have been great. The odd stop gap signing (like Willian) is also occasionally necessary. Fergie did it plenty of times.

LvG and Moyes ruined the squad. Let's fix it before moving on to the next manager. Woodward not backing him is a mistake.
 
The only way forward is hiring a director of football who will work in close proximity with the manager. Why is our club not even interested in adressing things but we need a general footballing policy and not a succession of short term solutions.
 
I agree with the board's decision, however on the other hand you just know Mourinho won't let it go and will negatively affect our season at some point.
 
I don't get it, they were supposedly willing to pay 100m for Varane but they were not willing to pay 70m for Maguire how does that make any sense? He is only 25 and imo better than every single CB we have and he is the exact type of Mourinho player tall, strong good in the air and all that so if these reports are true, then feck Woodward for not being able to sort out a deal for Maguire, name any CB around Maguires age we could have signed for that ammount of money who would have been better?
 
Absolutely disgraceful, if true, in my opinion.

If the money is there they should let the manager spend it. It’s not for the board to decide who’s value for money or not.

If the board want a certain profile of player then let the manager know. Don’t be asking for a list then spend the whole summer trying to sign those players on the cheap, and missing out on every one. It’s all half-arsed.

And of course people line up screaming for a DoF when it’s completely irrelevant.
 
MAME DIOUF 32 said:
I just hope we get a manager in next season who's willing to take an axe to the squad and rebuild properly. I'm as disappointed in the lack of outs as I am the lack of ins.
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The outs have nothing to do with the manager, you think it was Jose who's been keeping hold of Darmian and Rojo in this window?
 
Keeps It tidy said:
France just won the World Cup with two 25 year olds. And City will probably have two 24 year olds in Laporte and Stones as their first choice CBs.
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Varane and Umtiti are both world class. Not exactly the best example. We'll see if you're right on Laporte and Stones.
 
Absolutely agree with the board in principle though they kinda contradicted themselves by keeping Fellaini when they could have got rid.

It's all about how this was communicated to the manager and when. I'd be gobsmacked if he's only finding this out now. They must have said "Now look Jose, give us a list of only top players you want and we will pay whatever it takes to get them but we're not going to keep paying over the odds for mediocre players so don't give us any of those.

They went all out for Sanchez so it looks like that's the direction they're going. We still haven't shifted anybody out yet either.
 
Becoming more and more convinced we'll win the league this season.
 
redzombie said:
I dont understand why we gave him a new contract inJan, just doesnt make any sense.
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Him and Mendes threw a strop for 6 months. Don't you remember all the PSG talk and him being happier elsewhere? Then he got a new contract and it all shut up.

The board was too weak willed, and got blackmailed into giving him a new deal.
 
Ali Dia said:
This but surely you’d trust Jose over Woodward on football matters, no matter how old the signings were. I think the club realises we aren’t catching city either way and we may as well blood/start signing some younger players and go hard after available world class. I’m ok with that. Why the feck are we trying to sign Maguire for 60 fecking million when he was the same price as Lindelof and E Bailly a few seasons ago etc? It’s crazy. I’ve Been saying it for years. Isn’t it a scouts job to catch these players before they are being sold at an absolute premium? We wouldn’t care as fans if they aren’t a sexy name if they fit a good coherent footballing style and things started looking up on the pitch. It seems like there’s been no such planning and it’s so fecking annoying!
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It really depends, and it isn't a matter of trust. Ed wants United to be good for years to come, Mourinho might not care about it and want to sign a few players for whatever they cost, try to get a title/UCL and then leave the squad in a mess (he won't care what happens when he leaves). Which might explain Ed's reluctance to spend a shitload of money on players around 30 years old and to give up on Martial.

It is more that they have different goals. Considering that I plan to watch United even when Mourinho leaves, I am afraid that I back Ed in this case (not that it matters in any case).
 
Cliche Guevara said:
Absolutely disgraceful, if true, in my opinion.

If the money is there they should let the manager spend it. It’s not for the board to decide who’s value for money or not.

If the board want a certain profile of player then let the manager know. Don’t be asking for a list then spend the whole summer trying to sign those players on the cheap, and missing out on every one. It’s all half-arsed.

And of course people line up screaming for a DoF when it’s completely irrelevant.
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Err yes it is.
 
yumtum said:
Time to shop around for a new manager then?

Worth a cheeky punt on Mou being the first prem manager to be gone?
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I think he's the bookies favourite, so you'll struggle to find decent odds.

edit just checked and he's the second favourite to be the next manager gone.
 
Ed just loves a big name shirt seller and is prepared to pay for it. His days of buying squad players appears to be gone, unless they can be bought at squad player prices.


Perhaps that article about Ivan not being marketable enough, was correct?
 
YouOnlyLiveTwice said:
What is most baffling is that this is all about a fecking CB, when we clearly needed a RW and LB, but maybe Mourinho didn't even request that?

If the fees involved for Alderweireld were out of this world, then fair enough by the club. I also am glad we didn't sign the likes of Mina, Boateng and so on. Keeping tabs on Maguire is a smart thing, but if Leicester really wanted 75m or similar this season, then fair enough that we think twice about it, maybe next year.

We have 5 CB's so before talking about buying one, we should sell. But i don't get why we couldn't try getting a player like Alex Sandro and maybe Malcom/Pulisic, hell, even Shaqiri would probably have improved us.
But if Mou didn't want one then Woody won't go for one i guess. That's why i think we should get a DOF, someone who look at our weaknesses and correct them, and the manager will have little say, as it's in the best interest of the club.
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Whilst I mostly agree, I think it's also understandable wanting a new CB. None of ours are anywhere near Ferdinand, Vidic or Stam.

Edit: Or Terry, Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Varane and Lucio for that matter.
 
I’m uncomfortable with an accountant deciding they know football players better than an incredibly successful football manager.
 
This club is lacking direction and vision . We all know what the target is but dont have a clue how to get there. Ed and Jose are both to blame here.
 
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