Ed Woodward's position - on top of the world?

[NoLogo]

I'm not even going to vote because absolutely none of us have any idea of what actually happened. Woodward is most probably a lot successful in his career then any of us on this forum so for any of us to suggest the man is incompetent is completely ridiculous. The facts are, we know feck all. All of you. So stop spouting shit!!!!

I also demand you vote for who ever the premier minister is in your country in every election because you are much less successful then him and have no right to disagree with his politics or actions. Also I would love if in future you would stop having your own opinion about things it's really distracting everyone that is more successful then you, thanks.

 

[Sultan]

I feel sorry for Moyes. Being a new kid on the block he can hardly be a critic. No doubt he'll get the brunt of any downturn in performances.

 

[Enigma_87]

The facts are that you and I know very little, and that you are jumping to conclusions, and that Manchester United are far and the way the most succesful club in Britain over the past 20 years. Those are the facts. Now you...

Can't see your point. The fact is Woodward and Moyes have played no part in those 20 years.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

Has the turd been flushed yet?

 

[iczster]

Fergie made a point of ensuring we all got the message to support our new manager. Perhaps he should have gave the same speech to fecking Woody and the board.

 

[That'sHernandez]

That's the debate.

Supporters want the club to buy class players, and see great football. To the likes of Woodward it's a business. Finances and performances on the pitch are connected. We are in a very competitive league, more so than previous seasons. It's vital we always qualify for a Champions league place.

What gets me is I'm not sure I want to see us breaking the bank like the likes of City, Chelsea and Madrid almost every transfer window in order to be competitive. Of course we should always remain competitive but we have one of the best academies in the world and it seems to me signings in the past have been additions to what has come through, over building a team from scratch with signings. I'd be more sad to see us turning into a club like City and Chelsea, completely soulless, than I would to see us not winning trophies any more.

I think the perceived publicity with our bids has been what is wrong, not really the bids/ambition themselves.

 

[Rams]

I also demand you vote for who ever the premier minister is in your country in every election because you are much less successful then him and have no right to disagree with his politics or actions. Also I would love if in future you would stop having your own opinion about things it's really distracting everyone that is more successful then you, thanks.

It's got nothing to do with opinions, it's because people are saying things in a matter of fact way without any hard evidence what so ever to back it up. People just come out with any old shit based on little bits of information they've heard off some crackpot journalist or so called football pundit, without any evidence what so ever to back it up. The facts are we all know jack shit about what actually went on. That's the point..

 

[Buchan]

This thread. That poll.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

I think the perceived publicity with our bids has been what is wrong, not really the bids/ambition themselves.

Extraneous word removed.

I don't think it's a case of wanting to see us breaking transfer records left, right and centre it's actually quite a simple combination of us rightfully acknowledging the need for a quality central midfielder and then witnessing what appears to be a scattergun approach to obtaining that player all Summer long.

 

[antohan]

Pretty sure as Chief Exec, he does more than just negotiate player transfers. What a ridiculous thread.

What else does he do? Yes, there's the general management side which we can't really assess, but in terms of what matters for a football club: deal with the FA, maintain constructive relationships with other clubs, oversee the execution of our transfer strategy. The only one we can assess at this point is the last, which indicates he is no football man (will struggle at the FA bit) and has struggled to develop any sort of empathy to succeed at dealing with other clubs.

Every man and his dog has known the post-SAF period would be difficult. We've all seen the ABUs come out in full force and the media pushing the envelope as far as possible testing the limits. What does the Head of Manchester United do? Act like a complete lunatic for an entire Summer.

As far as anything that matters for a FOOTBALL club the early evidence is he is a fecking liability.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Extraneous word removed.

I don't think it's a case of wanting to see us breaking transfer records left, right and centre it's actually quite a simple combination of us rightfully acknowledging the need for a quality central midfielder and then witnessing what appears to be a scattergun approach to obtaining that player all Summer long.

I can understand that but in that respect, I think actually acknowledging that instead of just doing it is the fatal mistake of all. Clubs are immediately going to add the United tax if they know we are actively looking for a central midfielder.

 

[That'sHernandez]

What else does he do? Yes, there's the general management side which we can't really assess, but in terms of what matters for a football club: deal with the FA, maintain constructive relationships with other clubs, oversee the execution of our transfer strategy. The only one we can assess at this point is the last, which indicates he is no football man (will struggle at the FA bit) and has struggled to develop any sort of empathy to succeed at dealing with other clubs.

Every man and his dog has known the post-SAF period would be difficult. We've all seen the ABUs come out in full force and the media pushing the envelope as far as possible testing the limits. What does the Head of Manchester United do? Act like a complete lunatic for an entire Summer.

As far as anything that matters for a FOOTBALL club the early evidence is he is a fecking liability.

We can't even accurately do that. You have no idea what really went on behind the scenes.

 

[Rams]

I can understand that but in that respect, I think actually acknowledging that instead of just doing it is the fatal mistake of all. Clubs are immediately going to add the United tax if they know we are actively looking for a central midfielder.

Well, they're probably going to find out eventually if we're going to buy the player..

 

[Enigma_87]

I can understand that but in that respect, I think actually acknowledging that instead of just doing it is the fatal mistake of all. Clubs are immediately going to add the United tax if they know we are actively looking for a central midfielder.

Well they can't if there is a release clause, but we manage to get around that ourselves...

 

[FreakyJim]

The bloke clearly hates transfers and wants out.

Keep him. That'll teach him.

 

[That'sHernandez]

Well they can't if there is a release clause, but we manage to get around that ourselves...

Of course they can, there are plenty of road blocks a club can put in place to hold out for more money.

 

[NoLogo]

It's got nothing to do with opinions, it's because people are saying things in a matter of fact way without any hard evidence what so ever to back it up. People just come out with any old shit based on little bits of information they've heard off some crackpot journalist or so called football pundit, without any evidence what so ever to back it up. The facts are we all know jack shit about what actually went on. That's the point..

I know that this is the point but as a matter of fact we don't know the inner working of many things and aren't experts in everything but the facts that present itself to us with the deals of Herrera and Coentrao literately falling short in the last minutes of the transfer window. That's not good planning and you don't even need to know all facts to say that.

Do some people here overreact? Of course they do and I'm all for giving Woodward a second chance but I will also voice my dissatisfaction at how he handled those transfers may it be due to inexperience or unlucky circumstances is really of little importance if the outcome is as bad as it was for us. If your bring your car to the repair shop because the engine sounds really bad and you get it back sounding exactly the same would you just assume that it's okay because you didn't know the details on what went down in the repair shop? Of course not you would at least go back to the repair shop and tell them "Listen guys I don't know what you did with the engine but nothing has changed it still sounds horrible. Please fix it or I need to see another car shop and demand my money back."

With all this rambling I'm just trying to say that the critique Woodward is facing atm is justified and that there are some people among the critiques who as always go way over the top and are already sharpening their pitchforks is unavoidable and the only thing you can really do is ignore these people.

 

[blythy]

It was feckup from the word go this summer, banding about names of vague targets to the press and conducting business in public. Since when have we done that?

I'm all for making your own mark for the start of a "new era", but the club couldn't have got it more wrong. Unfortunately for Woodward, he's the 'face' of it.

Fortunately for him, he won't be going anywhere, I suspect.

 

[Rams]

This evening I saw a press conference with Sami Khedira at the German national, where Khedira admitted that United had offered Madrid 40m for him but Madrid didn't accept and didn't let Khedira talk to United. I've seen it with my very own eyes. I don't think it's been mentioned once on here. That's how much you know about what actually went on.

 

[Sultan]

What gets me is I'm not sure I want to see us breaking the bank like the likes of City, Chelsea and Madrid almost every transfer window in order to be competitive. Of course we should always remain competitive but we have one of the best academies in the world and it seems to me signings in the past have been additions to what has come through, over building a team from scratch with signings. I'd be more sad to see us turning into a club like City and Chelsea, completely soulless, than I would to see us not winning trophies any more.

I think the perceived publicity with our bids has been what is wrong, not really the bids/ambition themselves.

Football lost it's soul a few decades ago.

We haven't had much coming through the academy in recent years. The simple fact is teams spending the most are likely to be successful on the pitch. United struck it lucky with Sir Alex, and an amazing crop coming through some years back who became the backbone of the team. It won't be the same in the future. An intelligent, and responsible transfer policy seems to be the only viable route. It's imperative we have the best scouts, and negotiators appointed for these roles.

 

[Mickeza]

This evening I saw a press conference with Sami Khedira at the German national, where Khedira admitted that United had offered Madrid 40m for him but Madrid didn't accept and didn't let Khedira talk to United. I've seen it with my very own eyes. I don't think it's been mentioned once on here. That's how much you know about what actually went on.

I wish I'd voted yes now.

Joke. I voted yes anyway.

 

[antohan]

We can't even accurately do that. You have no idea what really went on behind the scenes.

No budget, we are out for the best players, etc. Everyone to a man said that was idiotic and asking for trouble. Guess what happened?

The Fabregas saga we know enough to know we made fools of ourselves. At the time I was happy to sit it out assuming there was some grand plan. But nope, it transpires we were just being complete retards.

The Herrera stuff, why the feck do we keep insisting the three amigos had nothing to do with us? It's a ridiculous idea, we ran out of time/hit a roadblock, tough. Nope, we thought the release clause was "inaccurate". Release clauses aren't fecking inaccurate, you either pay them or you don't.

The Coentrao stuff anyone could see it coming, go read up the BBC minute by minute and it is clear everyone expected Real to bail out of it. Yet we insist we filed it in time. So what? Does anyone really think Real will be left with no LB cover because we filed something three minutes before a deadline? No fecking chance.

The random bids on De Rossi, Khedira and now it appears Sneijder since everyone is keen to jump on the let's laugh at Woody BW.

Spending an entire Summer sitting on two targets that were clear from the outset and assuming we could get them on the cheap from Everton. Fat fecking chance. Time was always on their side, the only thing we ever had on our side was the release clause but some genius thought missing that could turn out better.

Overall outcome: we got Fellaini. However successful this chap may have been at other roles, anyone on this forum could have delivered that for less money a month ago and secured the player to start in our horrid early fixtures.

None of the above requires us being insiders to read into the car crash it is.

 

[Sultan]

This evening I saw a press conference with Sami Khedira at the German national, where Khedira admitted that United had offered Madrid 40m for him but Madrid didn't accept and didn't let Khedira talk to United. I've seen it with my very own eyes. I don't think it's been mentioned once on here. That's how much you know about what actually went on.

That's because it was bizarrely offered late yesterday.

 

[Rams]

I wish I'd voted yes now.

Joke. I voted yes anyway.

He sounded disappointed, but said Ancelloti had told him he was integral to Ancelotti's plans.

 

[Sultan]

We simply had a scatter-gun approach to transfers this summer.

 

[Moriarty]

That's because it was bizarrely offered late yesterday.

Woodward probably had a bunch of pre-prepared faxes ready to fire off at random clubs at the last minute; a sort of shotgun approach to transfer dealings.

 

[Rams]

That's because it was bizarrely offered late yesterday.

Errmm.. I got the impression it happened pre season. It certainly wasn't offered yesterday.

 

[Enigma_87]

Of course they can, there are plenty of road blocks a club can put in place to hold out for more money.

Do you have other shining examples of club buying a player for more than his release clause?

 

[Sultan]

Errmm.. I got the impression it happened pre season. It certainly wasn't offered yesterday.

I'm positive it was made yesterday when it seemed clear we were going to lose out on most of our targets.

 

[golden_blunder]

The best you can do is pick up on a spelling mistake?

 

[Rams]

I'm positive it was made yesterday when it seemed clear we were going to lose out on most of our targets.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't, Khedira seem to suggest it happened weeks ago.

 

[Rams]

 

[antohan]

Errmm.. I got the impression it happened pre season. It certainly wasn't offered yesterday.

It was a random shot in the dark yesterday soon after the Herrera thing looked dead. It smacked of desperation or Real on a WUM as they got pissed off with us for delaying any resolution on the Coentrao thing.

That Coentrao deal actually would have been quite a coup. I have no idea why we didn't confirm it before 10PM when it was still a goer. Surely, surely, no one expected Kenwright to release both Fellaini AND Baines for anything but mad money.

 

[Rams]

It was a random shot in the dark yesterday soon after the Herrera thing looked dead. It smacked of desperation or Real on a WUM as they got pissed off with us for delaying any resolution on the Coentrao thing.

That Coentrao deal actually would have been quite a coup. I have no idea why we didn't confirm it before 10PM when it was still a goer. Surely, surely, no one expected Kenwright to release both Fellaini AND Baines for anything but mad money.

Do you speak German?

 

[antohan]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't, Khedira seem to suggest it happened weeks ago.

I don't speak German but that came out of nowhere yesterday. What I read about that press conference indicated it was yesterday and what did happen weeks ago was his chat with Ancelotti which left him reassured he was in his plans.

 

[Rams]

I don't speak German but that came out of nowhere yesterday. What I read about that press conference indicated it was yesterday and what did happen weeks ago was his chat with Ancelotti which left him reassured he was in his plans.

Well find some one who does and look at the youtube clip with him. You'll find he seems to suggest it happened weeks ago.

 

[rio's upper lip]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't, Khedira seem to suggest it happened weeks ago.

Oh sorry, I actually thought it was a subtle joking reference to the spelling mistake in the thread called "Politics, Niaveity and a lack of time to prepare". I guess I overrated you

I actually quite agree with everything your wrote, by the way.

 

[Rory 7]

Amazing but ITV sport are now reporting we made a failed bid for Sneijder too...I might re-cast my vote!

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/update/2013-09-03/manchester-united-failed-in-sneijder-bid/

 

[Mickeza]

The Sneijder bid was weeks ago though wasn't it? Even if we assume Galatasaray are telling the truth.

 

[Rory 7]

The Sneijder bid was weeks ago though wasn't it? Even if we assume Galatasaray are telling the truth.

Yes it was according to the report. Just another to add to the list of failed bids. Not our usual style it has to be said.