Transfer committee / Recruitment team

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

So is that based on the assumption, that we'll have the same head coach for the duration of said players career at the club?

Like I said, quality players are extremely valuable commodities. And secondly, they're not always available - once a top club has hoarded them, they're not going to be available back on the market or will cost a lot more. It's why you need to keep a managers personal bias out of it.

I understand your point, but it's a much bigger problem if you jump from manager to manager with completely different philosophies.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

We've had something resembling a transfer committee going back to Moyes. Some people just seem to be very bizarrely adamant we don't despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Often now to try and make Ole look better by claiming our signings were solely down to him when the reality is he played a very small part in most of them.

Did LVG play a big part in us signing Shaw or Herrera in his first summer? No. The work was all done by the 'transfer committee' in whatever form it took back then, and LVG just signed off on the deals. He did however veto Kroos for whatever bizarre reason.

Did Mourinho want Boateng as a cost-effective alternative to Maguire? Yes. Did the transfer committee veto the deal? Yes.

Then we come on to Maguire, AWB and Fernandes. All of whom have been heavily scouted by us over the last 2-3 years. As Woodward said, AWB was chosen from a pool of hundreds of right backs all meticulously analysed. He would have been the RB signed in the summer whoever was manager, unless that particular manager vetoed him. Same is true of Maguire.

The best way to describe our transfer approach post-Fergie is quite simple: too many cooks spoiling the broth. Managers with totally different approaches. Woodward wanting certain players for commercial rather than footballing reasons. A dilapidated scouting team often at odds with the manager's approach. No one constant person tieing everything together into a coherent vision.

Absolutely, but the big difference in 2018 appears to be the ability of the recruitment team to veto a transfer, previously it was all one way.

 

[Random Task]

We've had something resembling a transfer committee going back to Moyes. Some people just seem to be very bizarrely adamant we don't despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Often now to try and make Ole look better by claiming our signings were solely down to him when the reality is he played a very small part in most of them.

Did LVG play a big part in us signing Shaw or Herrera in his first summer? No. The work was all done by the 'transfer committee' in whatever form it took back then, and LVG just signed off on the deals. He did however veto Kroos for whatever bizarre reason.

Did Mourinho want Boateng as a cost-effective alternative to Maguire? Yes. Did the transfer committee veto the deal? Yes.

Then we come on to Maguire, AWB and Fernandes. All of whom have been heavily scouted by us over the last 2-3 years. As Woodward said, AWB was chosen from a pool of hundreds of right backs all meticulously analysed. He would have been the RB signed in the summer whoever was manager, unless that particular manager vetoed him. Same is true of Maguire.

The best way to describe our transfer approach post-Fergie is quite simple: too many cooks spoiling the broth. Managers with totally different approaches. Woodward wanting certain players for commercial rather than footballing reasons. A dilapidated scouting team often at odds with the manager's approach. No one constant person tieing everything together into a coherent vision.

@Regulus Arcturus Black

All due respect, but unless you can provide a shred of evidence ascertaining to the existence of this transfer committee - one that has power enough to veto a transfer target equal to that of the manager and chairman - then this is all just words.

(the following was made in a different thread but it's far more relevant here)

I often find Ed's press statements overly vague and open to interpretation as a result. Let's analyze this one for shits and giggles:

"We would never sign a player the manager wouldn't want because he wouldn't play him."

Here he states that no player will be signed by the club without prior approval from the manager. Makes sense

But we also feel the recruitment department, the football experts, should have a veto too."

Although somewhat contradictory to the previous sentence, it ties in with Jose's "I got vetoed bro wtf" comments last summer. That said, I think Ed is referring entirely to himself as the football expert (minus plural). He vetoed the Maguire deal alone.

My opinion on the alegged existence of this transfer committee is that we don't have one. Instead, we have an 'Ed', the chairman, ruler supreme, calling all the shots from his lofty penthouse position. Beneath him with have an 'Ole', the manager, doing whatever the feck he does when he's not at the wheel. Following him, we have the scouts (whose names aren't important enough to remember) making proposals based on the current flavor of the month.

In summary: the scouts make a proposal to the manager, the manager decides if he wants him, if yes, he makes the proposal to the chairman, the chairman then decides if he wants him.

Or something.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

@Regulus Arcturus Black

All due respect, but unless you can provide a shred of evidence ascertaining to the existence of this transfer committee - one that has power enough to veto a transfer target equal to that of the manager and chairman - then this is all just words.

(the following was made in a different thread but it's far more relevant here)

I often find Ed's press statements overly vague and open to interpretation as a result. Let's analyze this one for shits and giggles:

"We would never sign a player the manager wouldn't want because he wouldn't play him."

Here he states that no player will be signed by the club without prior approval from the manager. Makes sense

But we also feel the recruitment department, the football experts, should have a veto too."

Although somewhat contradictory to the previous sentence, it ties in with Jose's "I got vetoed bro wtf" comments last summer. That said, I think Ed is referring entirely to himself as the football expert (minus plural). He vetoed the Maguire deal alone.

My opinion on the alegged existence of this transfer committee is that we don't have one. Instead, we have an 'Ed', the chairman, ruler supreme, calling all the shots from his lofty penthouse position. Beneath him with have an 'Ole', the manager, doing whatever the feck he does when he's not at the wheel. Following him, we have the scouts (whose names aren't important enough to remember) making proposals based on the current flavor of the month.

In summary: the scouts make a proposal to the manager, the manager decides if he wants him, if yes, he makes the proposal to the chairman, the chairman then decides if he wants him.

Or something.

Wow that's is one crazy post man.

The chairman himself in his own words say he has no say in recruitment aside from signing off the money, he wants the experts in the recruitment team to do that.

Yet you've gone full tin-foil hat on me, the CEO's own words are not evidence, he's an evil dictator.

 

[Teja]

I think ultimately the proof of the pudding is in the eating and you can already see the that our recent transfers have been pretty successful. After 4-5 abysmal windows, we've had two consecutive windows where we've had successful transfers. All of us (and the club) know we're 1-2 players away from having a good squad and rumors all point to an upcoming fix in the summer (Sancho / several other RWs being scouted, CF good at hold up play as well).

We might have had a transfer committee previously but it clearly wasn't as efficient as it is now - we seemed to have nailed down the process, identified key people, gave increased importance to data analysts and are focusing on executing which is a great place to be. We made mistakes, learned from them (albeit agonizingly slowly) and I'm definitely optimistic for the next window and if we nail that, I think more people here will be in the Ole / Woodward in camp.

One thing people underestimate is how much management expertise we lost once Gill / Fergie left and it took a while to setup processes, people to get back to being good in the transfer market (which is a completely different thing from actually being good on the pitch). We're slowly beginning to see who the key people are behind the scenes - There's Butt and the youth academy is flourishing under him, he seems to have a say at the table. Judging by Woody's comments, we've also identified which scouts / leaders in the recruitment department we trust as well. Ole himself has been providing input - all points to a good system. Ripping this apart now and kicking out Woody will kick off another period of rebuilding and another guy coming in to set up his own team and make his own set of mistakes for another few years.

Of course the critique is that every FM player can tell you Maguire, AwB. and Sancho are great players, but then Di Maria, Schneiderlin, Lukaku, Falcao, Depay, Sanchez etc. were equally hyped here when we signed them but they didn't work out. It takes more than good stats on FM to tell if a player can play for United.

 

[roonster09]

I often find Ed's press statements overly vague and open to interpretation as a result. Let's analyze this one for shits and giggles:

"We would never sign a player the manager wouldn't want because he wouldn't play him."

Here he states that no player will be signed by the club without prior approval from the manager. Makes sense

But we also feel the recruitment department, the football experts, should have a veto too."

Although somewhat contradictory to the previous sentence, it ties in with Jose's "I got vetoed bro wtf" comments last summer. That said, I think Ed is referring entirely to himself as the football expert (minus plural). He vetoed the Maguire deal alone.

It's not contradicting, it actually proves what Woodward said. The people who are part of team have veto power, so whatever Jose wanted was vetoed by others. Woodward said we don't sign players who is not wanted by manager (which means manager has veto power), he didn't say we sign every player manager wants.

Also going by Duncan Castles it was Jose who wasn't impressed with Maguire.

 

[Tony247]

Most important is they are learning from past mistakes. Recent signings are coming good.

 

[Random Task]

It's not contradicting, it actually proves what Woodward said. The people who are part of team have veto power, so whatever Jose wanted was vetoed by others. Woodward said we don't sign players who is not wanted by manager (which means manager has veto power), he didn't say we sign every player manager wants.

Also going by Duncan Castles it was Jose who wasn't impressed with Maguire.

I haven't heard that one mate.

Wow that's is one crazy post man.

The chairman himself in his own words say he has no say in recruitment aside from signing off the money, he wants the experts in the recruitment team to do that.

Yet you've gone full tin-foil hat on me, the CEO's own words are not evidence, he's an evil dictator.

I don't doubt the club has made alterations to our transfer structure and improved it in the process, but I do doubt the existence of a group of people within the club who share the power to veto a deal equal to that of the chairman and manager. I believe Ole has advisors surrounding him - scouts, coaches, club officials in general - and I believe they have a small measure of influence, but not enough to overrule the manager or the chairman.

If what you are suggesting is true, and it's been a part of the clubs set up for several years now, why haven't we received confirmation of its existence beyond a few extremely vague comments from Ed in the press?

Why are we still actively searching for a DoF?

When searching online for the existence of this transfer committee, why does it return zero results?

Sorry mate, I genuinely don't believe it exists.

 

[Bilbo]

When searching online for the existence of this transfer committee, why does it return zero results?

Sorry mate, I genuinely don't believe it exists.

It doesn't. Its a selection of head scouts (which every club has) that feeds into the manager (which every scout does). Its literally the entire point of a scouts existence.

The one big thing that we seem to be doing differently towards selecting our targets is around their characters. Does he really want to play for us? Does he have the mental strength to perform for this club? Is he coming for a payday? Does he train well? Is he still hungry? Etc Etc Etc. All of our signings so far tick every box.

 

[Skills]

I understand your point, but it's a much bigger problem if you jump from manager to manager with completely different philosophies.

Personally, I also think overcommitting yourself to a philosophy is also a bit of trap.

I think keeping your options open is always the best idea. We don't get to choose as a club, the type of players that are going to be available on the market. If all of a sudden the best players available are the type that suit a different brand/philosophy of football, I don't think there's anything wrong with changing approach and changing a head coach to match that. In sports, you really only have a short window to win the big trophies (CL). And for that you need to get the right players, at the right time with the right coach. So fixing one of those parameters, limits your potential in my personal opinion.

 

[JJ12]

In terms of transfers can someone explain to me what Woodward’s and Judge’s roles are?

 

[Skills]

In terms of transfers can someone explain to me what Woodward’s and Judge’s roles are?

Woodward is the CEO. I'm guessing like most businesses he sanctions the budget for the summer and in case we need to break it or something weird happens (i.e. Leicester wanting the cash upfront).

Judge seems to be the one in charge of negotiating contracts and transfers.

 

[devilish]

So let's say we got this change during Mourinho times (I'd avoid Ole, since he's a sensitive issue for most Ole in people)

Mou: I need Willian as RW
ED: Comeon guys start crunching numbers and please find the right player for the manager
Rest: Ok there's Jadon Sancho whose great but costly. As alternative there's Zaniolo and Chiesa while Vignato could be a great punt on the cheap
ED: What do you think Mou?
Mou: Nope I want Willian
Ed: But
Mou: Willian

The reality is that as long as the manager has a veto then we're back to square one. Same with Ole whose signings were mostly British despite all this recruitment team on board some of whom with lovely titles indeed.

 

[Infra-red]

Wow that's is one crazy post man.

The chairman himself in his own words say he has no say in recruitment aside from signing off the money, he wants the experts in the recruitment team to do that.

Yet you've gone full tin-foil hat on me, the CEO's own words are not evidence, he's an evil dictator.

Is this the same Ed Woodward who claims to have nothing to do with transfers or player negotiations, but then was personally calling up Bournemouth on transfer deadline day to tell them, "you have 15 minutes to tell us whether you accept (our offer for Josh King), or we’ll be signing a player from China."

https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/17/man-utd-woodward-josh-king-transfer-manchester-united-12255277/

https://theathletic.co.uk/1608988/2...elsea-transfer-man-united-dortmund-tottenham/

 

[Random Task]

It doesn't. Its a selection of head scouts (which every club has) that feeds into the manager (which every scout does). Its literally the entire point of a scouts existence.

The one big thing that we seem to be doing differently towards selecting our targets is around their characters. Does he really want to play for us? Does he have the mental strength to perform for this club? Is he coming for a payday? Does he train well? Is he still hungry? Etc Etc Etc. All of our signings so far tick every box.

I think you're spot on there.

Our recent signings would certainly support your claim anyway. Long may it continue.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

"..experts at the club." ?

Also, surely Ed is still involve financially in decisions makings. No way he's letting the recruitment team dictate whatever money to pay the cost to get certain players.

 

[Skills]

So let's say we got this change during Mourinho times (I'd avoid Ole, since he's a sensitive issue for most Ole in people)

Mou: I need Willian as RW
ED: Comeon guys start crunching numbers and please find the right player for the manager
Rest: Ok there's Jadon Sancho whose great but costly. As alternative there's Zaniolo and Chiesa while Vignato could be a great punt on the cheap
ED: What do you think Mou?
Mou: Nope I want Willian
Ed: But
Mou: Willian

The reality is that as long as the manager has a veto then we're back to square one. Same with Ole whose signings were mostly British despite all this recruitment team on board some of whom with lovely titles indeed.

Exactly, but there's a second scenario where what the manager needs isn't necessarily what the club needs.

Say your manager desperately wants a fullback, but a top quality forward all of a sudden becomes available and due to budget etc you have a choice of one. You need someone up above to make the call, on which of the two would be more valuable for the club itself. Another scenario, is that you've got a generational talent coming through your own system who will be ready within the year. You need a DOF or someone at that level, willing to say we'll ride it out tough for a season.

 

[Red_Beans]

this is all speculation. a quick google and I found nothing about our recruitment team. whatever we have been doing recently seems to be working though and I hope we stick with it

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

It doesn't.

Yet the CEO says it does. And I’ve never previously heard of scouts that can veto a manager.

I’ll believe the CEO over Bilbo personally.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

So let's say we got this change during Mourinho times (I'd avoid Ole, since he's a sensitive issue for most Ole in people)

Mou: I need Willian as RW
ED: Comeon guys start crunching numbers and please find the right player for the manager
Rest: Ok there's Jadon Sancho whose great but costly. As alternative there's Zaniolo and Chiesa while Vignato could be a great punt on the cheap
ED: What do you think Mou?
Mou: Nope I want Willian
Ed: But
Mou: Willian

The reality is that as long as the manager has a veto then we're back to square one. Same with Ole whose signings were mostly British despite all this recruitment team on board some of whom with lovely titles indeed.

I actually think that’s exactly what happened and eventually just to get anyone in the door he agreed to Fred.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

this is all speculation. a quick google and I found nothing about our recruitment team. whatever we have been doing recently seems to be working though and I hope we stick with it

How is it speculation when the CEO has confirmed it and those quotes are in the OP?

Wtf is this twilight zone I’m posting in?

Also... https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ted-swansea-daniel-james-ole-gunnar-solskjaer

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Solskjær and Mike Phelan, his assistant, are understood to be working closely with the recruitment department on a plan regarding the players wanted. Those in the department include Marcel Bout, the head of global scouting; Jim Lawlor, the chief scout; and Mick Court, the technical chief scout. Lawlor and Court were key members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff before his retirement as manager in May 2013.

United hope to appoint a technical director soon – Rio Ferdinand is of interest – and he will also have input into prospective transfers, with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other. Matt Judge, United’s head of corporate affairs, will remain responsible for negotiations.


@Random Task @Bilbo

It's a shame Bilbo wants to deny the clear evidence here and he knows full well that a scouting team does not normally have the ability to veto a manager, imagine them doing that to Pep, Klopp or Fergie... haha. But they defo did it to Mourinho, no doubt because we'd spent 4 years buying a who's who of manager's favourite players and the club saw it wasn't sustainable.
And Bilbs, the Guardian link which this passage was taken from clearly highlights OGS influence in our transfer strategy so trying to turn an evidence based post highlighting how our recruitment now works into something "agenda driven" is odd to say the least.

 

[clarkydaz]

Always wondered who was the driving force behind bringing Pogba back for a world fee? I mean that world record deal would take a long time negotiating, not really a LVG player and Jose wasnt here long. Plus the embarassment of paying £89m for a player who walked away for nothing

 

[Bilbo]

Yet the CEO says it does. And I’ve never previously heard of scouts that can veto a manager.

I’ll believe the CEO over Bilbo personally.

I have no doubt that you will believe whatever you can find to support what you want to be true.

We made a lot of mistakes in the market for a number of years. Obviously didn't do enough due diligence on the character of those that we wanted to sign, and ended up with a mixture of personalities. Some that were right for the club, and some that were not. Another poster recently put it perfectly, so I'll steal it for this post with a slight revision:

Good enough; committed enough
Not good enough; committed enough
Good enough; not committed enough
Not good enough; not committed enough

Group A is obviously fantastic. Group B you can get away with a few, but not many. Groups C & D are a cancer in the dressing room and must be removed at all costs.

All we've done is strip away C & D and buy A's. Sounds simple enough, but its often not that easy to identify the difference between an A and a C. Van Gaal and Mourinho clearly struggled with that. They bought a lot of talented players but with the wrong characters.

As for Ole, you can decide yourself whether you want to try to try to erode the credit he deserves by implying that others are responsible (which is what the intention of this thread really is), or you can look at it another way which is how I choose to see it. Ole and Phelan both spent many years working under the greatest man manager that has ever lived (IMO). Sure, it could be a massive coincidence that we've started buying A's instead of C's since they arrived, but I don't believe it. I think maybe all that time working with Ferguson has given them invaluable experience into what makes a solid dressing room, and what types of people you need in there for that to happen.

It doesn't seem to be limited to incoming signings either, because they've also done a very good job with identifying the players they inherited. The C's and D's are mostly gone now, and a lot of the A's and B's have improved under them. That is what this season has been all about. By the end of the summer window we should have a solid enough squad structure to then start to truly and fairly surmise whether he has the ability to get the very best out of them as a unit.

 

[devilish]

Solskjær and Mike Phelan, his assistant, are understood to be working closely with the recruitment department on a plan regarding the players wanted. Those in the department include Marcel Bout, the head of global scouting; Jim Lawlor, the chief scout; and Mick Court, the technical chief scout. Lawlor and Court were key members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff before his retirement as manager in May 2013.

United hope to appoint a technical director soon – Rio Ferdinand is of interest – and he will also have input into prospective transfers, with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other. Matt Judge, United’s head of corporate affairs, will remain responsible for negotiations.


@Random Task @Bilbo

It's a shame Bilbo wants to deny the clear evidence here and he knows full well that a scouting team does not normally have the ability to veto a manager, imagine them doing that to Pep, Klopp or Fergie... haha. But they defo did it to Mourinho, no doubt because we'd spent 4 years buying a who's who of manager's favourite players and the club saw it wasn't sustainable.
And Bilbs, the Guardian link which this passage was taken from clearly highlights OGS influence in our transfer strategy so trying to turn an evidence based post highlighting how our recruitment now works into something "agenda driven" is odd to say the least.

What usually happens is that you've got a CEO + some people at board level (the latter tend to be former players or managers at the club) who understands football. They appoint a DOF and together (CEO, DOF and football people) they choose the manager. That means that everyone from top to bottom tend to have a similar philosophy about football. Now the DOF is responsible of various parts of the admin. That include speaking to agents, staying on the loop of whose moving and whose not and making sure that when a player wants out they are the first to know. The manager on the other hand is responsible of tactics, morale and day to day running of the team. Transfers are suggested by the DOF after feedback coming from the manager. In the rare case that the manager and the DOF do not agree on a player, then the CEO will step in and sorts the issue out.

 

[Infra-red]

Always wondered who was the driving force behind bringing Pogba back for a world fee? I mean that world record deal would take a long time negotiating, not really a LVG player and Jose wasnt here long. Plus the embarassment of paying £89m for a player who walked away for nothing

I expect that the club were the primary drivers behind it, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were also consulting Mourinho regarding summer targets, a long time before he was officially appointed as manager.

 

[devilish]

I actually think that’s exactly what happened and eventually just to get anyone in the door he agreed to Fred.

The trouble is that Woodward has no football know about whether what the manager is suggesting is a good idea or just a dud. Thus we have a situation where we support the manager blindly up until we doesn't. In reality things aren't as clear cut as that. Managers tend to have good ideas and bad ideas. Its up for the club to have enough knowledge to know which is which and to have that person in place that the manager respects who can make the manager see reason.

 

[groovyalbert]

Say it quietly and as someone who has been possibly too vocal in my criticism, I like the decisions we've been making recently. I don't expect it to be totally fixed anytime soon, but think we'll continue to get it right this summer.

 

[Bilbo]

Solskjær and Mike Phelan, his assistant, are understood to be working closely with the recruitment department on a plan regarding the players wanted. Those in the department include Marcel Bout, the head of global scouting; Jim Lawlor, the chief scout; and Mick Court, the technical chief scout. Lawlor and Court were key members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff before his retirement as manager in May 2013.

United hope to appoint a technical director soon – Rio Ferdinand is of interest – and he will also have input into prospective transfers, with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other. Matt Judge, United’s head of corporate affairs, will remain responsible for negotiations.


@Random Task @Bilbo

It's a shame Bilbo wants to deny the clear evidence here and he knows full well that a scouting team does not normally have the ability to veto a manager, imagine them doing that to Pep, Klopp or Fergie... haha. But they defo did it to Mourinho, no doubt because we'd spent 4 years buying a who's who of manager's favourite players and the club saw it wasn't sustainable.
And Bilbs, the Guardian link which this passage was taken from clearly highlights OGS influence in our transfer strategy so trying to turn an evidence based post highlighting how our recruitment now works into something "agenda driven" is odd to say the least.

Well if Jamie Jackson says so....so close to our recruitment department that he has earned the cherished Tier 3 level of reliability on transfers

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I have no doubt that you will believe whatever you can find to support what you want to be true.

That’s rich.

I believe information from the CEO, you believe your own 100% made up story.

Who’s the one believing whatever he can?

 

[Skills]

Always wondered who was the driving force behind bringing Pogba back for a world fee? I mean that world record deal would take a long time negotiating, not really a LVG player and Jose wasnt here long. Plus the embarassment of paying £89m for a player who walked away for nothing

I mean you could do with looking at the PL club he was most heavily linked with prior to the summer he signed for us.

Hint hint: it was the one Mourinho himself was at.

You have to give Mourinho credit though for doing such a great job on a big chunk of our fanbase.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I mean you could do with looking at the PL club he was most heavily linked with prior to the summer he signed for us.

Hint hint: it was the one Mourinho himself was at.

You have to give Mourinho credit though for doing such a great job on a big chunk of our fanbase.

Aye, we must have had Mourinho working on transfer targets months before we sacked LVG, I'm fairly certain of that.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Well if Jamie Jackson says so....so close to our recruitment department that he has earned the cherished Tier 3 level of reliability on transfers

Woodward mate, CEO of United.

But nice try on the whataboutism because Jackson also reported it.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

The trouble is that Woodward has no football know about whether what the manager is suggesting is a good idea or just a dud.

Hence why he took that full power away from the manager and allowed the recruitment team to veto anyone they consider a dud.

 

[JohnnyKills]

Say it quietly and as someone who has been possibly too vocal in my criticism, I like the decisions we've been making recently. I don't expect it to be totally fixed anytime soon, but think we'll continue to get it right this summer.

Me too.

 

[Random Task]

Solskjær and Mike Phelan, his assistant, are understood to be working closely with the recruitment department on a plan regarding the players wanted. Those in the department include Marcel Bout, the head of global scouting; Jim Lawlor, the chief scout; and Mick Court, the technical chief scout. Lawlor and Court were key members of Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff before his retirement as manager in May 2013.

United hope to appoint a technical director soon – Rio Ferdinand is of interest – and he will also have input into prospective transfers, with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other. Matt Judge, United’s head of corporate affairs, will remain responsible for negotiations.


@Random Task @Bilbo

It's a shame Bilbo wants to deny the clear evidence here and he knows full well that a scouting team cannot normally veto a manager, imagine them doing that to Pep, Klopp or Fergie... haha. But they defo did it to Mourinho, no doubt because we'd spent 4 years buying a who's who of manager's favourite players and the club saw it wasn't sustainable.
And Bilbs, the Guardian link which this passage was taken from clearly highlights OGS influence in our transfer strategy so trying to turn an evidence based post highlighting how our recruitment now works into something "agenda driven" is odd to say the least.

I'm not sure what it is you're seeing in that Guardian article, but there is nothing within confirming your theory. Far from it. There is no mention of a transfer committee or that the club has taken the unprecedented action of allowing their scouts an overriding vote where transfers are concerned.

The deciding factor for me is how crazy it would be to allow your scouts an overriding vote on a transfer that they proposed. They're hardly going to veto a transfer that they originally suggested because that would get them hospitalized on the grounds of insanity.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Ed isn't quite that stupid.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I'm not sure what it is you're seeing in that Guardian article, but there is nothing within confirming your theory. Far from it. There is no mention of a transfer committee or that the club has taken the unprecedented action of allowing their scouts an overriding vote where transfers are concerned.

Well except the bit where it says: "with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other.". It also lists the names of the people on that recruitment department.

Also confirmed in my OP with a quote from Ed saying exactly the same thing.

This is going as well as your "Every bookie on the planet had Leicester as top 4 favourites" post.

The deciding factor for me is how crazy it would be to allow your scouts an overriding vote on a transfer that they proposed. They're hardly going to veto a transfer that they originally suggested because that would get them hospitalized on the grounds of insanity.

You'd have to be a little insane to take that from Ed's quotes. I mean, the idea is that if Mourinho suggests Willian... they can veto it. Not that they suggest Willian and then veto it themselves ffs.

 

[Skills]

Well except the bit where it says: "with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other."

Also confirmed in my OP with a quote from Ed saying exactly the same thing.

This is going as well as your "Every bookie on the planet had Leicester as top 4 favourites" post.



You'd have to be a little insane to take that from Ed's quotes. I mean, the idea is that if Mourinho suggests Willian... they can veto it. Not that they suggest Willian and then veto it themselves ffs.

 

[Random Task]

Well except the bit where it says: "with the recruitment department and manager retaining a veto to ensure no player can be imposed on the other."

Also confirmed in my OP with a quote from Ed saying exactly the same thing.

This is going as well as your "Every bookie on the planet had Leicester as top 4 favourites" post.



You'd have to be a little insane to take that from Ed's quotes. I mean, the idea is that if Mourinho suggests Willian... they can veto it. Not that they suggest Willian and then veto it themselves ffs.

You're making the mistake of treating your theory as an undeniable fact, and you're completely disregarding all opposition to that theory as a consequence. You've formed a mental block from what I can see.

You're assuming the transfer department is made up of Ed, Ole, and the scouting department (which I think you are correct on) but the part I'm struggling with is this, where are you getting the idea that the scouting team is each awarded a vote on a transfer? It doesn't make sense.

As for the last sentence, I knew what you meant obviously. Just having a laugh with you, trying to keep it jovial

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

You're making the mistake of treating your theory as an undeniable fact

You're making the mistake of calling Ed Woodward's, CEO of Manchester United, confirmation of the recruitment department and veto rights as a theory.