Woodward (old thread)

Should Studward remain as CE of Manchester United?

  • No - he should be sacked also.

    Votes: 40 22.6%

  • Yes - he should stay.

    Votes: 137 77.4%
  • Total voters
    177
  • Poll closed .
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Subho611 said:
People criticizing Woodward's work is laughable really, especially when they don't have a clue about the constraints that he us working under.

The only point of criticism that I think is fair is for him to disregard the fans and using press conferences as a propaganda machine for sponsors and season ticket buyers. He and the club should be sensitive of the fact that things said in those press conferences are scrutinized by the fans and they set expectations based of it. You can't run a football club like a corporate machine where you spout bullshit in the media.
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A) Woodward himself set the expectations he is now failing to live up to. Nobody forced him into this position, he's dropped himself into this mire.

B) This and last summer have been by some distance the two worst transfer windows I can remember us having. Surely the remarkable drop in competence is an indication that Woodward has thus far been out of his depth? We're not judging him in a vacuum, we can compare his work to previous years and the work of our rivals. All have various constraints, all are operating more effectively within them.
 
Subho611 said:
Yes, and hence the second part of my post. I firmly believe that he addresses sponsors and prospective season ticket buyers while making such statements. He has been a corporate person all his life and that's how his brain is wired. He should actually think about how these pressers are the only way fans get information about the club and stop making such sensationalist comments.
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If that's the case mate, we're fecked. Season ticket buyers aren't fooled for a minute. Sponsors might be for a while but if Woodward is so canny, he'll know damned well that sponsors like to see players like, for example, Ronaldo or Neymar wearing their logo, not Cleverley and Ashley Young (apologies for cribbing this analogy from another poster whose name escapes me for now).
 
KeninDC said:
In markets prices are usually determined by supply and demand--the price of something is established where the marginal benefit equals the marginal cost. So--someone is willing to pay $5 for a widget so long as she receives at least $5 in benefit.

The transfer market violates every assumption of an efficient market: it's thinly traded, has information asymmetries and the goods have idiosyncratic characteristics that make them difficult to compare to one another. As a result, to me the transfer market operates like figure skating judges: every team has an opinion, which is based on some objective measurables (age of the player, goals, assists, tackles, whatever), but also a bunch of factors that reflect a team's own way of looking at players.

So--I'm not sure there's an "optimal" or "efficient" value for players. There are bargaining spaces between a buy-out clause price and whatever the purchasing team can get. The actual price paid, I suspect is influenced by the negotiating abilities of the parties involved. Sure-you can attempt to benchmark values using other transactions: so Bale went for X; a wing player half as good should sell for x/2. But--that's subject to so many variables that it's an approximation of market value, at best.
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Great post.

The closer we get to the end of the window the weaker our bargaining position imo. Everyone knows we desperately need players.

This situation has happened partly due to a poor performance in the market going back five years now. We missed out on the likes of Hazard and bought the likes of Young.
 
KingMinger22 said:
Great post.

The closer we get to the end of the window the weaker our bargaining position imo. Everyone knows we desperately need players.

This situation has happened partly due to a poor performance in the market going back five years now. We missed out on the likes of Hazard and bought the likes of Young.
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Its true, a CM to us may cost £10M more than he would to other clubs...its supply and demand.
 
Everybody else is making moves and we're standing still again
DomesticTadpole said:
I think Woodward is naive and is having rings run round him by more experienced wheelers and dealers in the transfer market. I think he has underestimated how difficult some these transfers would be. Maybe United cocked up by not bringing in an experience CEO to replace Gill. Woodward should be just dealing with sponser deals, which he seems very adept at.
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This is very true, especially the bolded part. Securing big sponsorship deals and securing the signature of a big name player aren't the same thing at all (I would suppose). We've got to hope that we didn't promote two unsuitable candidates to positions they can't handle and that, if we did, United are as a decisive and ruthless getting rid of Woodward as they were Moyes.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Maybe. I would say create a Director of Transfers spcifically for the role to support managers with dealings.

For me, Woodward has pretty much been useless as CEO. He is damn good as Director or Marketing/Revenues/Brand Improvement etc...but overall as CEO, a non-person.
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Looking at it from a neutral point of view the installment of a director of football, who concentrates on transfer activity, contract negotiation and scouting would be a step in the right direction in my book. Who does oversee your scouting network at the moment anyway?

One thing most successful DoFs have in common is that they actually spend their whole life in the world of football (they are mostly former players) and know the mechanisms of that world very well. While Woodward appears to be a competent business man in the classic sense his knowledge about football is not comparable with the leading DoFs in world football.

Calling Woodward useless as a CEO is going too far IMO, because he has actually done some great work in the field most CEOs in football work: overseeing finances, securing sponsorship, etc. Some of his work made you really loaded. The only typical CEO area where he made blunders was representation of the club. Him boasting about the financial power of United did not only create expectations among the supporters but also worsened your position in terms of transfer fees.
 
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KingMinger22 said:
This situation has happened partly due to a poor performance in the market going back five years now. We missed out on the likes of Hazard and bought the likes of Young.
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That's a good point. In any other period, spending 100m on Mata, Shaw and Herrera within six months would be considered enough, a huge outlay. Because we didn't do enough in recent years, we still find ourselves lacking two-three players. Some would say even more...

It's just not easy to manage that when you also have three managers within a year and a bit. It's a bit of a mess. But we just have to trust we've got the right manager in charge now. And also accept this isn't a quick fix that will get us to the top again. It will require work and time. It's a big change.
 
Not only has he made us the laughing stock of world football in the transfer market, he has severely impeded our chances of performing to the top level in the coming season. Nice one woody
 
If he cocks up another transfer window for us, I hope we get someone else in for handling transfers and let woody do everything else.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
If he cocks up another transfer window for us, I hope we get someone else in for handling transfers and let woody do everything else.
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He is going to be a laughing stock if he doesn't deliver in the next 2 weeks after all his comments, he would have to be taken off transfers.
 
*Dramatic music* Maybe, just maybe, we have 10 billion in our OT coffers but there is nobody available that would strengthen us without having our pants pulled down, ala Vermaelen.
 
Maybe no Europe is a bigger problem with regard to getting players than we think.
 
KeaneSixteen said:
Everybody else is making moves and we're standing still again


This is very true, especially the bolded part. Securing big sponsorship deals and securing the signature of a big name player aren't the same thing at all (I would suppose). We've got to hope that we didn't promote two unsuitable candidates to positions they can't handle and that, if we did, United are as a decisive and ruthless getting rid of Woodward as they were Moyes.
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Dammit I spelt sponsor wrong. Sorry, I hate it when I spell things wrong. We still have some time, so see what unfolds. Then we can moan if we get no more signings. You wonder if Ed just sits and waits for something to happen and lets other teams get in before him. He has to be more decisive and almost pester sides to sell the players.
 
The quick signings of Herrera and Shaw hid a lot of his inadequacies. I've long said he equally responsible with The Glazers and Moyes in the failure that was last season. It's amazing though how a month ago a lot of you were using this "Studward" joke and now hate him.
 
Im red2 said:
The Glazers have already cost this club a fortune I no longer give a left sided shit how much a player costs if he improves the squad get him in. The money the club generates needs to be on the pitch and not some some guys pocket.
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Couldn't agree more mate.
 
A fantasy conversation between Boss Glazer and Ed woodward. Boss Glazer: Hi Ed how are things going at our investment ? ED: Great Mr Glazer, we have just completed that major sponsorship deal with Addidas and that will bring in at least 75 million a year for the next 10 years. Boss Glazer: Splendid. Do we have plans to keep the supporter base happy? as I am led to believe that the soccer fan can become very impatient. ED: Yes Mr Glazer all season tickets have been sold out already, so they seem to be very happy, and the typical English media has us interested and bidding for the best players in the World. Boss Glazer: Splendid work Smithers, er sorry I mean Mr Woodward, you have not actually made any of these extremely painful and expensive bids that have worried me in the media then have you? Ed: Oh no Mr Glazer, I have just let the media circus run its course and I have finished our transfer business early as I have promised you. We have bought 2 players and they were obviously not so cheap as transfer funds in soccer have gone through the roof, but we will have more players leaving soon and that will bring in some of the cash we have paid out. As I have already stated in our last meeting it is not too important to win trophies to keep generating cash. The club has an enormous supporter base and it will take a long time for it to shrink to a level that will concern our sponsors. So we still have many years before we should need to be concerned. As an example the club not too far down the road in Liverpool have not won a title in many years and they are still selling shirts as if they are going out of fashion. Boss Glazer: Fantastic work Smithe.. er Mr Woodward. Keep up the great work. and if you should need any cash just contact my dad. ED: er, sorry Mr Glazer, but your dad died a couple of months ago, did he not? Boss Glazer: Oh yes you are correct, so he did.
 
Shamwow said:
Maybe no Europe is a bigger problem with regard to getting players than we think.
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I don't think so,money talks at the end of the day.
City weren't in Europe when they were able to sign some decent players.

I think we are a work in progress and will not go out and buy a shit load of players in a transfer window.
Our young defenders have been at the club a few years now and have been groomed to take over from Ferdinand and Vidic,Whether they will be good enough time will tell.
 
Shamwow said:
Maybe no Europe is a bigger problem with regard to getting players than we think.
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As people already mentioned, City were not in Europe when they splashed what had to be splashed to improve their squad significantly. Remember that they leaped from 5th to 2nd place within a year (from mid-table to 2nd place within 2 years if we count the season before that). So with all due respect, it can be done if we have a CEO who is serious about using our financial resources and who is competent enough to get the top players we need in.
 
Kakeru said:
As people already mentioned, City were not in Europe when they splashed what had to be splashed to improve their squad significantly. Remember that they leaped from 5th to 2nd place within a year (from mid-table to 2nd place within 2 years if we count the season before that). So with all due respect, it can be done if we have a CEO who is serious about using our financial resources and who is competent enough to get the top players we need in.
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Were City under the same pressures that we are under though?
 
Im red2 said:
A fantasy conversation between Boss Glazer and Ed woodward. Boss Glazer: Hi Ed how are things going at our investment ? ED: Great Mr Glazer, we have just completed that major sponsorship deal with Addidas and that will bring in at least 75 million a year for the next 10 years. Boss Glazer: Splendid. Do we have plans to keep the supporter base happy? as I am led to believe that the soccer fan can become very impatient. ED: Yes Mr Glazer all season tickets have been sold out already, so they seem to be very happy, and the typical English media has us interested and bidding for the best players in the World. Boss Glazer: Splendid work Smithers, er sorry I mean Mr Woodward, you have not actually made any of these extremely painful and expensive bids that have worried me in the media then have you? Ed: Oh no Mr Glazer, I have just let the media circus run its course and I have finished our transfer business early as I have promised you. We have bought 2 players and they were obviously not so cheap as transfer funds in soccer have gone through the roof, but we will have more players leaving soon and that will bring in some of the cash we have paid out. As I have already stated in our last meeting it is not too important to win trophies to keep generating cash. The club has an enormous supporter base and it will take a long time for it to shrink to a level that will concern our sponsors. So we still have many years before we should need to be concerned. As an example the club not too far down the road in Liverpool have not won a title in many years and they are still selling shirts as if they are going out of fashion. Boss Glazer: Fantastic work Smithe.. er Mr Woodward. Keep up the great work. and if you should need any cash just contact my dad. ED: er, sorry Mr Glazer, but your dad died a couple of months ago, did he not? Boss Glazer: Oh yes you are correct, so he did.
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I think the ending of that is a bit tasteless.
 
Shamwow said:
Maybe no Europe is a bigger problem with regard to getting players than we think.
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It can be a problem for some players.. But the problem United have is the owners are here to milk the club, they have zero interest in what United do other than the financial side of things. City, and Chelsea, are getting blood, United are being sucked of it. Woodward is not incompetent he is an expert and is doing a great job in the eyes of his employers, otherwise he would be out on his arse.
Kakeru said:
As people already mentioned, City were not in Europe when they splashed what had to be splashed to improve their squad significantly. Remember that they leaped from 5th to 2nd place within a year (from mid-table to 2nd place within 2 years if we count the season before that). So with all due respect, it can be done if we have a CEO who is serious about using our financial resources and who is competent enough to get the top players we need in.
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People need to understand that the facts are Woodward is a Glazer in all but name, He does what they tell him and nothing more and nothing less. If we are pissing around the transfer window not signing players then it is because he has been told to do exactly that. Let the rumours run and let it look like we are bidding for all the best players that are available. Then it will look as if we are just unlucky that no one comes. The sad facts are that United is now owned by someone who intends to suck a lot of money from the club.
antsmithmk said:
I think the ending of that is a bit tasteless.
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He died, I did not kill him nor did I ever wish him any misfortune.
 
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Im red2 said:
It can be a problem for some players.. But the problem United have is the owners are here to milk the club, they have zero interest in what United do other than the financial side of things. City, and Chelsea, are getting blood, United are being sucked of it. Woodward is not incompetent he is an expert and is doing a great job in the eyes of his employers, otherwise he would be out on his arse.

People need to understand that the facts are Woodward is a Glazer in all but name, He does what they tell him and nothing more and nothing less. If we are pissing around the transfer window not signing players then it is because he has been told to do exactly that. Let the rumours run and let it look like we are bidding for all the best players that are available. Then it will look as if we are just unlucky that no one comes. The sad facts are that United is now owned by someone who intends to suck a lot of money from the club.

He died, I did not kill him nor did I ever wish him any misfortune.
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He did die, a fact his own son seems to have forgotten in your not so funny script. I just find it tasteless you bring family matters like that up. Unpleasant.
 
antsmithmk said:
He did die, a fact his own son seems to have forgotten in your not so funny script. I just find it tasteless you bring family matters like that up. Unpleasant.
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OK then we can leave the family matters out of it, I did not wish him to die(allthough I did wish him and his family to fcuk off away from United) He is dead ok, may he R.I.P. And while we discuss my immoral post the rest of the Glazers continue sucking the lifeblood from Manchester United. We will all die eventually . We can show respect for dead people by not trying to abuse them in any way, I am not trying to abuse Malcolm or any of the Glazers. All I am saying is that the club would be much better off without them.
 
Im red2 said:
A fantasy conversation between Boss Glazer and Ed woodward. Boss Glazer: Hi Ed how are things going at our investment ? ED: Great Mr Glazer, we have just completed that major sponsorship deal with Addidas and that will bring in at least 75 million a year for the next 10 years. Boss Glazer: Splendid. Do we have plans to keep the supporter base happy? as I am led to believe that the soccer fan can become very impatient. ED: Yes Mr Glazer all season tickets have been sold out already, so they seem to be very happy, and the typical English media has us interested and bidding for the best players in the World. Boss Glazer: Splendid work Smithers, er sorry I mean Mr Woodward, you have not actually made any of these extremely painful and expensive bids that have worried me in the media then have you? Ed: Oh no Mr Glazer, I have just let the media circus run its course and I have finished our transfer business early as I have promised you. We have bought 2 players and they were obviously not so cheap as transfer funds in soccer have gone through the roof, but we will have more players leaving soon and that will bring in some of the cash we have paid out. As I have already stated in our last meeting it is not too important to win trophies to keep generating cash. The club has an enormous supporter base and it will take a long time for it to shrink to a level that will concern our sponsors. So we still have many years before we should need to be concerned. As an example the club not too far down the road in Liverpool have not won a title in many years and they are still selling shirts as if they are going out of fashion. Boss Glazer: Fantastic work Smithe.. er Mr Woodward. Keep up the great work. and if you should need any cash just contact my dad. ED: er, sorry Mr Glazer, but your dad died a couple of months ago, did he not? Boss Glazer: Oh yes you are correct, so he did.
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Jesus Christ you have just single handedly decreased the overall IQ of the internet.
 
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Cassidy said:
Haha I don't think you got me, I was saying I thought he played RM and not CM. Not sure though that is just what I heard
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Ok I see you meant RM as in winger or out wide? No I think he's been played as a DM before at his previous club. Can't be 100% sure though myself.
 
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