Much like last year when our signing wasn't around for pre-season, and as such looked like he was playing for a completely different team for the first few games.
Woodward (old thread)
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Much like last year when our signing wasn't around for pre-season, and as such looked like he was playing for a completely different team for the first few games.
Then explain to me and everyone else here how and why Chelsea have shown that it is possible to get deals sorted quickly, and even sign a player on the very same day the World Cup is starting. The evidence has been shown that patience can be fecked off and things can still work out well. There's a whole culture among United's penpushers that needs to be sorted regarding how people work those transfers out because the way we fall behind in everything is unacceptable.
The squad will only get better on the day the likes of Young, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Fellaini and Cleverley are sold and replaced by quality players. Until then, anything that keeps the dross in our squad will not improve anything.
Also until then, Woodward is a big fat cnut of a CEO.
We also bottled on transfers. Said no to a no-brainer in Tevez, and paid £31m for Berbaflop.
I can see why it does - but you could say that about a lot of players over the years. Ronaldinho was a favourite of mine who is have loved to have seen at United. It wasn't to be but the club was still successful. Shearer was another. That's just football.
Either we wanted him and he preferred Chelsea, or Van Gaal prefers other players. If its the former that's just the way it is. If its the latter then Van Gaal and the board deserve time to put their plans in place and see where that takes us.
Then explain to me and everyone else here how and why Chelsea have shown that it is possible to get deals sorted quickly, and even sign a player on the very same day the World Cup is starting. The evidence has been shown that patience can be fecked off and things can still work out well. There's a whole culture among United's penpushers that needs to be sorted regarding how people work those transfers out because the way we fall behind in everything is unacceptable.
The squad will only get better on the day the likes of Young, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Fellaini and Cleverley are sold and replaced by quality players. Until then, anything that keeps the dross in our squad will not improve anything.
Also until then, Woodward is a big fat cnut of a CEO.
Where do you want me to start? Because their manager wasn't appointed three weeks ago? Because he isn't at the World Cup?
Or the most obvious reason - because Fabregas is in the unique position of being one of very few top players who's club evidently didn't want him. He's probably been aware of what was coming for months and his agent has therefore had the chance to put the feelers out. Barca even had a replacement lined up - seemingly months ago. This will have been discussed for ages between the relevant parties.
What other top players are in that position? It's totally different for most others whose clubs will either not want to sell at all, or (for players playing at the WC) at the very least wait until its over to see if they can drive the price up - and also line up replacements for themselves.
And Chelsea have done one deal - possibly for a player we may not even have wanted. How is that "falling behind"? Most business will, as ever in WC years be done after - not before.
Shame they didn't replace Drogba as quickly - they'd have won the title last year.
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Then he gets criticised and rightly so and hopefully the club address the issue by whatever means required. If he gets sacked then its hard to argue.
Last summer was a shambles, hopefully the club have learned from that. If not then he's fair game for criticism.
I fail to see how people can criticise now on the basis of what might or might not happen before the transfer window shuts. The club have money, the manager will want players - there is no reason it won't happen. If it doesn't then is the time to criticise.
Eddie paid for Mata. He wasnt involved in that transfer
It'll happen, and all will be good, just a simple case of all the targets been changed other than Shaw, who would likely have been announced by now if it wasn't for the manager change at Southampton.
Woodward is an intelligent man, he is the one who has primed the media with all the talk of the biggest summer of transfers we have seen at United, he even mentioned it in the last conference call to investors, he has put his head on the block but I'm sure he'll deliver.
Woodward is an intelligent man, he is the one who has primed the media with all the talk of the biggest summer of transfers we have seen at United, he even mentioned it in the last conference call to investors, he has put his head on the block but I'm sure he'll deliver.
Woodward will be hailed as a genius after the world cup...it's obvious we haven't bought anyone because players are busy at the world cup but once the world cup is over I am expecting us to hopefully sign Strootman, Clasie, Miranda, Shaw, Depay, Konoplyanka and Daley Blind.......I just can't see Schweinsteiger coming as he'll have plenty of offers elsewhere
Rooney?
I remember you wanted to hang him by the balls way before today.
Great post!
Then explain to me and everyone else here how and why Chelsea have shown that it is possible to get deals sorted quickly, and even sign a player on the very same day the World Cup is starting. The evidence has been shown that patience can be fecked off and things can still work out well. There's a whole culture among United's penpushers that needs to be sorted regarding how people work those transfers out because the way we fall behind in everything is unacceptable.
The squad will only get better on the day the likes of Young, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Fellaini and Cleverley are sold and replaced by quality players. Until then, anything that keeps the dross in our squad will not improve anything.
Also until then, Woodward is a big fat cnut of a CEO.
Barca was desperate to sell him, and either he didn't want come us/we were not interested. As a result, Fabregas didn't have any other option.
So far, none of our reported targets are unwanted by their clubs and hence would take longer to get the transfer. Also, potential signings might want to speak to the manager first, and he's a bit busy right now
For the selling, you are advocating the CEO making all the transfer decisions? Just sell them all without the new manager even meeting them?
Why do people even have an opinion on this man?
Literally nobody actually knows what he does. It baffles me.
Literally nobody actually knows what he does. It baffles me.
He is the CEO, he is in charge of the strategy at Manchester United and directly responsible for its long term performance on the commercial and sportive areas of the club. He does a bit of everything, but on a very high strategical level. Most importantly he is in charge of negotiating the big strategical sponsordeals for Manchester United and planning the commerical side of the pre-season tour on the commerical front. He is also most likely directly involved in the club transfer dealings, discussing them with the manager, being involved in the negotiations between the clubs for the transfer fee and in the negotiations for the players contract.
He has got the most important role in all of this. It is up to LVG to determine which players he wants and which ones he doesn't, but it is up to Woodward to get them done. obviously he isn't the sole person influencing these things, but all responsibility ends with him. So if United feck up in the transfermarket, he is the one people should be aiming their finger at.
It's hard to say this as it's very possible the Glazers pulled the plug on big names last summer based on necessary scouting reports not being detailed enough to take risks on certain players....but yes if Woodward messes this window up then he has to go but I am 100% certain he will not mess it up as he is working with a world class manager now and not some rookie bloke trained in the arts of dinosaur tactics.....i am 100% that LVG will not sign any players this summer that will turn out to be a monster flop on the levels of fellaini....i think we will have to wait until the WC is over before we start signing players and it's going to be a very painful wait
Not sure why Giggs is on that list - we bought his replacement a few years ago when we brought in Young...
I don't think the Glazers are involved in all these things, they own the club, they want to see the figures at the end of each reporting period, they'll want to discuss the really high level strategy with the board (of which Woodward is a part) and they'll be involved in the major strategical issues like the clubs financing structure and its positioning on the stock exchange, the big long term sponsorcontracts and the staffing of the major positions at Manchester United like the CEO and the manager. They'll sign off the budget Ed gets at his disposal, and for the rest I think their involvment will be quite limited in terms of the negotiations specifics, that is what you have a Chief Executive for, they give him the orders of how to run the club, what they expect and set out some of the big guidelines, he has to deliver and they'll give him a call or check up with him if they are worried about something that is going on at the club, but no way will they actively be involved at the specifics, this is board level...These guys day to day activities is not to run one company but to run an entire portfolio of them. What they do is manage their investments on the highest level, they probably have a couple of Woodwards to discuss their business with, the only active involvements they'll have is the major strategical things, the things that if the club fecks up they could lose hundres of millions or more, but they aren't concerned to much about the more detailed things, those are managed by Ed and he has to deliver on the targets they set him.
So if we're talking players, my bet is Woodward is the one having the end responsibility and he'll be one held accountable by the Glazers if he fecks up in their book ofcourse what they are interested in is the financial numbers at the end of the year, how much profit United made, what the stockprice is, lots of financial and tax ratios they'll be interested in, the brandimage etc but the short term sportive succes will only be a minor concern for them.
Yes, we obviously have a very high-level understanding of what his position should entail. We know what a CEO is. We don't, however, know what Edward Woodward does. NOBODY here has an idea of his day-to-day work - and this is the correct way in which a club should be run. Commenting on the strategies that he adopts when we have no idea of any of the variables involved (manager influence, Glazer directives, financial constraints, etc.) is frankly ridiculous. It baffles me. It is akin to those people who have really strong opinions on coaches at football clubs when they have literally no idea what they do because they don't attend training sessions/interact with them on a daily basis.
Fair enough if you dislike him based on his handling of the media or public persona - but in this case he doesn't really have much/any interaction with the public. To have any disdain for him based on a perceived lack of ability in the transfer market when we really do have no idea about the inner-workings of these things is, frankly, completely ridiculous and unfair.
You don't need to know exactly what they do in order to judge their performances. people have high level expectations of a football club like Manchester United, being able to sign top players, especially after a season that has been so humiliating in every single way (and with the CEO himself cmoing out saying they would remedy this in the summer) being one of them. Failure to do so, is failure of the management and ultimatley ends up with Woodward. This all you don't exactly know what he does, so you can't comment on it is such a big load of crap. You know what he does on high level, so you can comment on it on high level and you can also make a judgement of it on high level. We're not commenting on the details, we're not judging him on the details, because as you say we have no clue about any of the details, but we know his high level responsbilities, the transfer market being one of them. So if Manchester United clearly fecks up in the transfermarket, like they did last year and the team suffers from it again for an entire season, than this is failure on Woodwards part, he is responsible for it, again he is not the only one influencing these things, but he is majorly important in managing their succesfull outcome, if things get fecked up, then he has to take the lion share of the blame, that is just how the system works.
People do the same thing with politicians, they don't have a clue about what they actually do, but they have a high level idea on their responsiblities and wheiter they fecked up or not without knowing any specifics. That allows people to form an opnion on them. It is similar to how a University professor has no idea about what his students are up to from day to day, but he knows they have to pass the final exams and if they don't something most likely went wrong on their part. What that is exactly they don't know, they don't care either, they just know the student failed.
I think what possibly colours some people's attitude to Woodward is that we had all those quotes a while ago about all our targets being "desperate to sign for us" and "we're going to get as many deals done as possible before the World Cup starts", now there's nothing at all being said while other teams are doing business. I know our targets have no doubt changed since Van Gaal was appointed but I'd be very surprised if Woodward wasn't advised of his wishes well before the appointment was announced.
For me it's like this - a top class CEO gets the job done no matter the obstacles while a poor one has a myriad of excuses why it wasn't his fault. We'll see before long which one Woodward is.
For me it's like this - a top class CEO gets the job done no matter the obstacles while a poor one has a myriad of excuses why it wasn't his fault. We'll see before long which one Woodward is.
Flog him back to his old job and get someone in who knows the transfer market.
I still have no clue why he felt the need to tell the media we'd be spending big money on big players in the summer.
I still have no clue why he felt the need to tell the media we'd be spending big money on big players in the summer.
Rooney?
I remember you wanted to hang him by the balls way before today.
Great post!
Barca was desperate to sell him, and either he didn't want come us/we were not interested. As a result, Fabregas didn't have any other option.
So far, none of our reported targets are unwanted by their clubs and hence would take longer to get the transfer. Also, potential signings might want to speak to the manager first, and he's a bit busy right now
For the selling, you are advocating the CEO making all the transfer decisions? Just sell them all without the new manager even meeting them?
Your last point is exactly what I was driving at.
How can anyone want Woodward sacked but also say the the club should have pushed ahead and signed a player even if the manager didn't rate him - on Woodward's or the boards say so alone? - a player incidentally that the previous manager (who you also wanted sacked) identified as a target?
That makes absolutely no sense at all. You don't want him in charge but you do want him to decide what players we bring in?
It shows that people don't know what they want and some fail to engage their brains before they post.
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Given the moaning that is going on now from fans who are upset that we're not hearing anything from the club - I'd suggest that's a major reason.
Genius? Wow, good to see someone is keeping the faith.
As to most of us he seems an arch blagger. All the big talk and little to back it up.
That's what's causing the problem though - inconsistency. Either you give out information or you keep quiet, but be consistent about it. Don't blab all over the media about what you're going to do then impose a media blackout when it comes time to do it.
If that's our summer business he won't be hailed a genius. Other than Strootman and Miranda (who will be 30) the rest are not good enough and shows we had to scrape the bottom of the barrel for players.
A summer in which he said we'd sign big name players who wanted to join us only to end up with Jordy feckin Clasie, Blind, Konoplyanka and Depay.
Seen in some of the papers the last couple of days that Woodward is ditching one of his great ideas that he implemented for Moyes. Apparently Moyes had to produce cost justification reports on any player he wanted to sign.
How did Fellaini escape through the net then ? Fecking hell !
Easy: 2.7 million wigs at £10 a pop.
He told the fans that the club would be after big players in the summer - which they probably are. Some targets may have been lined up but the decision to sack Moyes (possibly taken over and above his head, or at least with significant involvement of the owners) has thrown a spanner in the works, but the suggestion that we''ll sign big players might very well be true.
As it is the suggestion seems to be - "he said big players would be coming in - and it hasn't happend" - despite the obvious fact that we're only a few weeks into the transfer window. No doubt things are going on behind the scenes and the club is doing business as quietly as it can. Its a marked contrast to last year which was a disaster - and I suspect that's why they're on media blackout.
The major problem is not "inconsistency" from the club - but fans reading daily speculation on Twitter and in the papers which is itself likely based on nothing. This whips people into a frenzy leading to the proposition that the Chieft Exec should be sacked solely because we didnt sign Cesc Fabregas - which in itself is a ridiculous proposition.
As I've said above - I fail to see how you can criticise the club for failing to bring in players when we're not even half way through the transfer window. Its nonsense. If these signings don't come off then he has to explain himself, and face the consequences of that, but I dont see the point in a witch hunt now.
No you just took exception to what I said which is fine. Speculation is speculation. You're speculating. I'm speculating. He'll strengthen our rivals so yes it is a disaster. If you stop challenging for big players, they'll go elsewhere. If you cannot sell the idea Manchester United is a bigger club and this is a transition then you're not for the role.
Yes I would have signed him and you say it's utter rubbish which I respect but he's better then Kagawa. If we were serious about Hummels, we could negotiate maybe. Who knows right? Look i've seen fans saying we didn't need Vidic and Evra. Seen people saying we didn't need Robin Van Persie. In Hindsight it looks daft to turn down quality when you have a squad lacking.
I think most people are intelligent enough to know we were successful because of Sir Alex. Since his retirement the board have failed the club. Don't pick out my post and use it for theraphy. You saying 'new generation twitter fans' is daft.Twitter is just rumor and speculation magnified. Maybe it's you who should understand that.
Oh and btw, Woodwood should have been fired last summer so don't put words in my mouth. Last summer, if Dave was dithering Woodwood needed to make it plain and clear what is required. We ended up paying more for Fellaini then we needed too. The club were doing the same big talk until LVG came in. Anyone with a little common sense would just get to work.
Ps: If we did make a bid, that would mean LVG sanctioned it wouldn't it?...
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As I said, the inconsistency is in the club's dealings with the media - which has nothing to do with fans reading anything on Twitter or anywhere else. Personally I'm not blaming the club for not signing anyone yet, but I do blame them for making bold statements one minute then clamming up the next. They should either speak up or shut up, but please be consistent about it.
I can't see why Woodward is getting bashed over our inactivity thus far, a lot of transfer work is done in private. I wouldn't be surprised if we've already put feelers out to our targets and we're waiting for Van Gaal to finish up before we go through with them.
You guys do realise we sacked a Manager who said "we want to sign players before the WC" right ?
I am as pissed of as all of you about not having anyone signed yet but Moyes was the won shouting about signing all these players, do you honestly think we were just going to sign them anyway after appointing LvG and not give him a say in it ? The guy managing our team next season ?
After the WC we might sign 3-4 players in 1 week which is what I feel is going to happen, it's impossible now so enjoy the World Cup and then when it finishes we have the start of Pre Season and new transfers to be excited for.
I am as pissed of as all of you about not having anyone signed yet but Moyes was the won shouting about signing all these players, do you honestly think we were just going to sign them anyway after appointing LvG and not give him a say in it ? The guy managing our team next season ?
After the WC we might sign 3-4 players in 1 week which is what I feel is going to happen, it's impossible now so enjoy the World Cup and then when it finishes we have the start of Pre Season and new transfers to be excited for.
Every rival will strengthen every year, are you saying we should bid for every player?
And there will be players that rather play for another team, if that's a sackable offense then we'll change our CEO every summer.
How do you even know anything about what happened with the transfer? Maybe we went big with the bidding, out bidding Chelsea but Cesc rather live in London, work under Mourinho and be part of a team loaded with talent.
Alternatively, maybe LVG wasn't keen and Woodward decided to listen to his manager.
Most of the transfer "news" are made up by people who are making "educated" guesses.
You think Fellaini is a board signing?
There's not much a board can do if the manager is dithering. We've seen enough over last season to suggest that Moyes wasn't up the job.
In the second window, the board delivered Mata.
Then they sacked Moyes and hired LVG.
So sack the new CEO a month or two into his job? How does this even make sense to you?
How many times would we have sacked Gill?
How do you know what actually happened? Woodward could've called him hourly but Moyes just couldn't come up with credible targets?
There's been reports since then that suggest Moyes vetoed a few transfers.
Are you suggesting the CEO should just overwrite the manager?
And how do you know he's not quietly getting to work with the targets?
Even if he did, and there are many reports saying he didn't, it's never a guarantee players we want will come to us
An Edward Wodward a day - keeps the transfer news away. Top Man-Child is our Ed.
Too bad there is no realistic way of confirming that Ed actually demanded cost justification reports from Moyes before approving a signing . If do then he is absolute tool who shouldn't be anywhere near the football side of things because it's supposed to be basic knowledge that there isn't a universally accepted way of establishing standards for what constitutes a justifiable cost . The mechanics of football are such that transfer valuations are an intuitive art where spending twenty six million on an established cm like Veron turns out to be poor business compared to spending thirty million on a twenty three year old defender re Ferdinand . In this instance the overall team's specific needs and/or weaknesses should determine what you are willing to part with and in the scenario that we had twelve months ago spending the required amounts on the right player would have saved us loads in lost revenue .
I asked Woodward to pop down to the corner shop for me when we were running low on milk. He came back with a carton of homeless man diarrhea and the bubonic plague.
I'm not sure I see where this "inconsistency" is. As I recall the suggestion was that we will be bring in big players, and that they are interested in coming here - that may very well prove to be the case. That is a bold statement, and may prove to be true once the transfer window is closed.
People need to use some common sense. The club wont be blabbing about transfer business every day and keeping the fans updated. It was bad enough last year when things were leaked to the press or daft comments were made by the club. I assume they've learned from that from the way the Mata transfer was handled.
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the same was said last summer mate
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