It's interesting to see the build up to Real V United here on american TV. The focus is almost always on Real's Galacticos, how talented they are, and how much they cost. There is no interest in the United players, just that it is ''United''. We're basically relying on the past to give our ''brand'' gloss. Can't go on like this forever. We need players that people get excited about watching.
Woodward (old thread)
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They have a better 11 and squad currently. I don't think many unbiased pundits would argue with that.
How can you pick Herrera when he hasn't even played a competitive game for us?
Right now, we've two weeks to go into the window and are still looking to recruit from a position of almost desperation. We have banged the drub about having a lot of money and clearly need players quickly. Doesn't seem a great position to be negotiating from.
We need SEVERAL TOP players: RB, CB (arguably two), LB, CM (arguably two), a winger.
Really, all those?
RB - I think we're covered. Rafa, Valencia and even Young all seem to be covering that wing back spot.
CB - I think we do need two, more so as we're using 3 in central areas. Carrick will be used there I'm sure when fit.
LB - If James/Blackett don't force themselves then we need a back up. We have just spent £30m in that department...
CM - One quality addition is needed I feel.
Winger - Not sure why we'd need a winger, unless LvG wants to change the system if he feels 3-4-3 isn't going to work.
I don't agree that we need several top players all at once. Van Gaal is going to trim down the squad and then make probably two more additions. I trust his judgement. We will see more movement next summer or in January. Nothing about our position strikes me as desperate.
Not sure what you mean about two weeks. We've got just under 3 weeks until the season starts and just under 5 weeks until the window closes. The year we won the treble we signed Yorke on August 28th.
LvG won't sanction purchasing half that many players.
This is exactly what he needs to do as well.
He knows we romped to the title season before last, he also knows we were utter dogshit last season.
He needs to know the whys and the wherefores himself and what if any roles there are for players at the club already.
We've already seemingly dismissed the need for a full time hat stand impersonator which is why Felliaini is talking to Napoli.
Absolutely this x1000. He's once again set himself, and more importantly the club up, to look like complete amateurs who are totally out of touch with today's transfer market.
It's certainly concerning that we seem to lack direction about how we intend to approach this window, like you said we signed Herrera and Shaw but then a few weeks later we want to assess the squad ? Frankly I don't know what to think anymore because if we do not make the necessary signings we could suffer badly next season given the wreck we were last season and the improvements others are making. Not necessarily clamouring for world class signings but at the very least we should boost the numbers and quality in defence.
I hoped that at least a solid United side would emerge this summer and the goals from Van Persie, Rooney and Mata would propel us to a better finish. Maybe it's now our turn to experience the turmoil caused by a high managerial turnover, this is a second summer we have started on the backfoot because the new man wants to asses what he has.
I thought that he was waiting for LVG to asses the squad, but after last LVG interview looks like he is waiting for new players just like us. Wake up, Ed!
Because I've seen him enough in Spain maybe? The competition isn't that good, really, old off-form Carrick, Arteta, Wilshere, Cleverley...
We should have a couple more players out on the tour, gelling with the squad and learning the new system together. It's not just about having the players, it's the preparation time for this new system as well.
Woody has already said to ''watch this space''
I'm really not sure we are capable of that any more - there's so much competition from the sugar daddies, the Spanish two, Bayern and the established clubs here of Liverpool and Arsenal that I fear players have too many potential options compared to even when we signed Ronaldo.
Have we ever really been good at building from a position of strength? In the summer of 2008 we were on top of the world as European champions, yet we were in the process of losing our best player and fecking around with Levy the Ego at Spurs over a relatively small difference in valuation on Berbatov, which we had to pay in the end anyway as City won the lottery on the last day of the window. Now Real are European champions, and have spent over £70m on James Rodriguez, who they don't really need. Very different philosophies.
Even in subsequent summers, we've in a position of either being defending or narrowly beaten champions, or Champions League finalists, or at the very least basically guaranteed Champions League participates. Now we have heard talk of Sanchez not being interested in us as we failed spectacularly to qualify for the Champions League without Sir Alex, with him apparently preferring to join Champions League no-hopers Arsenal.
We're no longer in a position of strength, which makes strengthening now even harder.
I'd agree, despite them being also-rans in the Champions League, I have to admit they are stronger than us right now. My mixed 11 would probably look something like this:
De Gea
Rafael---Koscielny---Mertesacker---Gibbs
Ramsey---Arteta
Sanchez---Mata---Ozil
RVP
Gibbs over Shaw due to top level experience, but neither side has a fullback from the top draw. Not sure about the central-midfield exactly, but don't see anyone from us above the Arsenal lot (though Herrera has a decent chance), but we of course have the edge in strikers (though who knows how RVP would work in an Arsenal system? Rafael---Koscielny---Mertesacker---Gibbs
Ramsey---Arteta
Sanchez---Mata---Ozil
RVP
). Basically I don't think we can be as arrogant about Arsenal as in recent years.Why not use the formation we are currently using. Rooney, Van Persie and Mata are all better players than any of Arsenals players.I'm really not sure we are capable of that any more - there's so much competition from the sugar daddies, the Spanish two, Bayern and the established clubs here of Liverpool and Arsenal that I fear players have too many potential options compared to even when we signed Ronaldo.
Have we ever really been good at building from a position of strength? In the summer of 2008 we were on top of the world as European champions, yet we were in the process of losing our best player and fecking around with Levy the Ego at Spurs over a relatively small difference in valuation on Berbatov, which we had to pay in the end anyway as City won the lottery on the last day of the window. Now Real are European champions, and have spent over £70m on James Rodriguez, who they don't really need. Very different philosophies.
Even in subsequent summers, we've in a position of either being defending or narrowly beaten champions, or Champions League finalists, or at the very least basically guaranteed Champions League participates. Now we have heard talk of Sanchez not being interested in us as we failed spectacularly to qualify for the Champions League without Sir Alex, with him apparently preferring to join Champions League no-hopers Arsenal.
We're no longer in a position of strength, which makes strengthening now even harder.
I'd agree, despite them being also-rans in the Champions League, I have to admit they are stronger than us right now. My mixed 11 would probably look something like this:
De GeaGibbs over Shaw due to top level experience, but neither side has a fullback from the top draw. Not sure about the central-midfield exactly, but don't see anyone from us above the Arsenal lot (though Herrera has a decent chance), but we of course have the edge in strikers (though who knows how RVP would work in an Arsenal system?
Rafael---Koscielny---Mertesacker---Gibbs
Ramsey---Arteta
Sanchez---Mata---Ozil
RVP
De Gea
Koscielny Merterscker Evans
Rafael Ramsey Herrera Gibbs
Mata
Rooney Van Persie
Koscielny Merterscker Evans
Rafael Ramsey Herrera Gibbs
Mata
Rooney Van Persie
THis is the alleged story behind our cavani interest. Think Taylor from the Guardian reported Ed wants a marquee signing and he saw Cavani as one. When Moyes was manager, Ed wanted to sign Cavani but Moyes vetoed it.
You then lose Arsenal's two best players in Sanchez and Ozil. They would be a lot more threatening than Rafael and Gibbs. A 4231 is probably right with Mata, Ozil and Sanchez in the three and RVP up front. Having said that, I would go for a mf two of Ramsey and Herrera. Wilshere is rubbish and Arteta isn't great.
It was pointless to say anything like this during the mass-caf-dreg-swooning immediately post Herrera/Shaw, but the bolded part is most definitely the case.
Guarantee you amongst his peers he gets ridiculed/sneered at transfer/public statement-wise.
I didn't consider it tbh since we've only played two (and a half) pre-season games with it, so I went with a more traditional formation.
Your line-up is a good effort for that formation, but with a mix of the two squads I'm not sure why it would be selected over a back four.
He wants a marquee signing, so let's blow that much money on a player in a position is the last position we need to strengthen. Is it the clubs mission to avoid strengthening the spine of the team? Yea we have 5 defenders to choose from, and midfield beyond Herrera and Carrick? we have Anderson fletcher cleverly and fellaini, yea let's buy another striker, when we have Rooney RVP welbeck and Hernandez, yea let's buy a striker that makes sense from Woodward perspective, IDIOT
If that story is true, we really have one of the most clueless individual working in the game today, and trust our luck, we have him.
Woodward isn't a football man so chasing after Cavani isn't a surprise to me. Still shocking though
Taylor also said we've dropped interest in Cavani already. Non-story.
I'm judging him and the owners to date. Can't keep hiding behind managers public comments. What a manager says publicly and what they really think don't always match up! Managers are employed and like most people they have to publicly back their employers unless they want to potentially get into trouble.
Incidentally the Herrera and shAw deals were all but signed before LVG even got the job. He cleared the signings, I presume trusting the scouts/Staretgy, but they weren't players identified or chosen by LVG.
The story was that RVP was a cert to leave had Moyes stuck around and Cavani was the replacement Woodward had tentatively started working on. All scrapped when LVG was hired and Robin was happy again.
That's interesting considering Taylor said moyes said no to cavani
this thread title needs to change. Studward day is DEAD!
He's going to look more of a tit than Moyes if he finishes this window without the adequate recruits. In fact that's kind. He'll be a fecking useless tosser.
I think he needs a director of football. He makes good money, but seriously lacks judgement on the spending side. Weighing a player, judging his market price and if needed, how much premium we are willing to pay all seem beyond his capabilities. I recommend he hire a good Director of Football or even Fergie to provide a middle ground.
Good God no.
Fergie should be allowed to go and rest, invest his energy into his grandchildren and stuff. We should be grateful and turn page over. Not because of the old history when Busby was at OT or something like that. No, we owe it to SAF really. I mean think of him as not a manager of United, but a man, husband, farther. He is 72 years of age, surely he gave the club much more than anyone could asked really. He deserves to rest, it's just as simple as that.
we should reset the poll to see what views are of him now, as it appears people are losing patience again with his bulls*it and ineptness.
Will we buy on the very last day of the window? I think Ed's the type to try his luck.
Chill Pills all around I think.
I think it's only fair to give him until the end of the transfer window before judging him. If we don't buy anyone then by all means call the bloke every name under the sun but we've still got two weeks before our first league game.
I think it's only fair to give him until the end of the transfer window before judging him. If we don't buy anyone then by all means call the bloke every name under the sun but we've still got two weeks before our first league game.
After signing Shaw and Herrera, things have gone a bit stale. I give a lot of credit for Woody getting those deals done, but you do get the feeling that plans were in place months before their signings. I just hope that he we aren't struggling with attracting players that we're freshly approaching this window.
Would be interesting to run this poll again......
We were preparing the bid for 3-4 months prior to the deal. I think it's perfectly possible that we will sign no one in this window other than them two simply because there's only a month left and it's a very short time to prepare a bid, too short.
Yeah, I reckon Woody prepared the bids too late. It's probably only in stage 2, out of 10 stages in terms of preparation.
That's unfair. It's got to be at stage 3 at the least.
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