eire-red
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- Aug 9, 2018
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We have spent huge amounts of cash in the last 6 years. I think our failure is less a sign of a lack of ambition and more a sign of lack of direction as a club.
To be fair, while we definitely need to be better with the spending, because we aren't extracting a great deal of quality vis-à-vis money spent, United's net transfer outlay isn't something to write home about for a club with close to world-record revenues — roughly averaging out at something like 21-22% for the post-Fergie era (for reference Arsenal are something like 19-20% and they aren't exactly transfer market behemoths).We have spent huge amounts of cash in the last 6 years. I think our failure is less a sign of a lack of ambition and more a sign of lack of direction as a club.
Not to mention we've had 4 managers in those 6 years.We have spent huge amounts of cash in the last 6 years. I think our failure is less a sign of a lack of ambition and more a sign of lack of direction as a club.
I agree. I also think there are more and more people getting this as time goes on.I’ve always thought that Pogba’s signing had little or nothing to do with Jose. The previous regime had made an idiotic blunder in letting Pogba leave; Ed saw himself becoming the hero by setting it right.
Hmm. Never thought of that. TBF, except for Jose-gate, so far he's fallen in line with (read: glommed onto) whichever current manager's strategy. Gonna maybe have to let that one percolate.Oh absolutely, but such a U-turn would involve such a loss of face for Ed that I just can’t see it happening. One of the reasons I’m only mildly Ole out is that I’m worried he’ll convince himself (and the fans) that the young hard-working British strategy is the right one and it’s only Ole’s execution that isn’t working. At which point he’ll go for Southgate. He may well do that anyway if England have a decent Euros
Quite so... Once again we are plagued by bad luck and injuries. This could have been a chance for Garner to get some playtime but he is ill...This is the darkest timeline isn't it? The manager of Man Utd coming out and bigging up Fosu-Mensah for our midfield in 2020 you have to laugh. This club is so unbelievably buggered.
Still singing from the top red hymn sheet."If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
Which is why we are looking at lower level players, hoping that we find a gem. It could work or it could set us back 40 years.or maybe because big players simply don't want to sign for an average team with a poor manager that isn't going to compete for the league or champions league for a long time
Yes, I think it is more a sign of a lack of direction. Glazers are happy with what Woody is doing ( lining their Pockets) but neither know or care anything about football side of things.We have spent huge amounts of cash in the last 6 years. I think our failure is less a sign of a lack of ambition and more a sign of lack of direction as a club.
Depends on how you look at it. To some it's seemingly a given that we would've been no worse off with Smalling, and if you're of that opinion the Maguire deal was a giant waste of money. I'm not of that opinion myself, however. I think he's a good player and an upgrade on what we had. But - yes - we obviously overpaid for him. In fact, you could reasonably say that we coughed up a record amount for a player who isn't likely to ever be more than "good" in the grand scheme of things. Which isn't in line with a new and brilliant approach to targeting players - I'd certainly agree with that.That’s all very well, but if things had actually changed we wouldn’t have signed Maguire.
The genuine big clubs Juventus and Liverpool have both managed to buy midfielders in January, while we make excuses.Still singing from the top red hymn sheet.
If there was ever a justification for a panic but it’s now anyway.
"it is extremely difficult to navigate the transfermarket, especially during the winter window"The genuine big clubs Juventus and Liverpool have both managed to buy midfielders in January, while we make excuses.
Hell, even Leverkusen signed Palacios who would of been a good choice for us.
So you think our midfield will cope with the amount of games in the next couple of months? We are asking for more injuries and writing off the season without signing someone.Club need not sign anyone this window to show lack of ambition.
Have been showing that plenty way before this, with Ed at the helm. So left to manager to pull the strings. Ole need to be more ambitious and push for transfers behind the scene.
Seriously this attitude is just a joke. Sign 3 players every summer whilst 2 leave, one retires and still retaining 5 players in the squad that have shown for years they shouldn’t play for this club."If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
Mctominay. I get your point though. Not many make it at the top level.We aren’t signing enough players. Our youngsters are not good enough to make the step up. Only Greenwood will become a decent player for us in the coming years. Anyone that tell me the likes of Garner and Chong will do it are having a laugh. We hear the same nonsense every season. How many players have made the jump successfully in the last 10 years? 1 - Rashford.
If we don't sign anyone this window, there is no chance for us making top 4 or even top 6."If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
I was going to ask how the hell is Wilson Palacios still playing at a high level but then checked and realised it's a totally different player in question.The genuine big clubs Juventus and Liverpool have both managed to buy midfielders in January, while we make excuses.
Hell, even Leverkusen signed Palacios who would of been a good choice for us.
To be fair to the board both Jose and LVG wasted a small fortune, however from last season two midfielders and two forwards left the club and none of them were replaced. That shows a serious lack of ambition.We have spent huge amounts of cash in the last 6 years. I think our failure is less a sign of a lack of ambition and more a sign of lack of direction as a club.
I dont know if he was being sarcastic but this is one top redAny January signing should be lined up and ready to go, especially if they are open goals like Can and Longstaff! Yet we are hearing the same old lines all over again, which is fine if we are writing off top 4, and are not surprised when 'the right players' don't want to join us in the summer either.
I'm sure the 'slow rebuild', only wanting the 'perfect fit' players, depending on 'youth', we are 'financially robust' enough to cope without CL, and tales of how our 'bank of iPads' , and 1000 scouts super analyse players better than any other club could only dream of, are all lined up. Just not sure there's anyone left who believes a word of it anymore.
"If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
Me too!I was going to ask how the hell is Wilson Palacios still playing at a high level but then checked and realised it's a totally different player in question.
Agree with you on this. There seems to be no common goal at this club at all. It feels like we're being run like a multinational and not a football club. We have huge revenue, a worldwide commodity, an incredible brand, we pay huge wages, but it's like we've forgotten what's actually important.To be fair, while we definitely need to be better with the spending, because we aren't extracting a great deal of quality vis-à-vis money spent, United's net transfer outlay isn't something to write home about for a club with close to world-record revenues — roughly averaging out at something like 21-22% for the post-Fergie era (for reference Arsenal are something like 19-20% and they aren't exactly transfer market behemoths).
Agree with the second half of your post, though one might argue that ambition (if we consider the term to be a nexus of several factors in an all-inclusive sense) isn't just about haphazardly/nonchalantly spending money on player personnel on the recommendation of a carousel of managers (or a combination of scouts + bankers) to create a distorted mosaic, but actually aspiring to be be one of the best — and that includes laying out a potent plan for the improvement/streamlining of the football decision-making infrastructure, too.
We have seen for 6½ seasons that the club's ideology isn't bearing fruit in the absence of a Fergie-esque alchemist who can figuratively poop rainbows and stardust and galvanize the organisation to be the envy of club football, it's not even a secret outside of United because several managers and director of football have suggested that the fundamentals of our operation are kind of hollow, yet we continue to disregard the need for a robust and much needed root and branch overhaul on the administrative front to try and set things right.
Our ability/ambition to spend is pyrrhic and blunted by the inability/lack-of-ambition/lack-of-intelligence to reform the decision-making framework, like Internazionale of old — where they spent and spent, but achieved little success. Half, if not more, of the issues stem from that sense of indecision and archaic thinking and incompetence riddling the club (and sometimes a form of interference by footballing ignoramus)...yet the penny hasn't, and by the look of things isn't, going to drop.
What's the point of being one of Europes' richest football clubs if you're not prepared to 'break the bank' once in a while to secure a much needed transfer?"If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
So true.Why cant we sign someone now? It's such a bullshit excuse saying it's hard to sign someone in January. It's hard for us to sign anyone ever apparently. If there's players that suit us that we can realistically get in the summer, we can just as well get them now. Plenty of quality players out there. Time for those who get paid a feck ton at the club to prove they're worth the money.
If in successive transfer windows the “ones you want” are either ‘not available’ or “unwilling to force a move” then sitting on our arses doing nothing isn’t something to rejoice."If we don't sign anyone this window it shows the club" couldn't get the player, they wanted in this window and didn't want to make a panic buy...
Sure, but wouldn't James qualify as a player no one had really heard of, and turning into someone useful for the squad?If in successive transfer windows the “ones you want” are either ‘not available’ or “unwilling to force a move” then sitting on our arses doing nothing isn’t something to rejoice.
I’d quite fancy us signing Van Dijk, de Bruyne & getting Ronaldo back - not being able to get them is no excuse to not find alternatives.
This squad has a serious lack of quality, we don’t need to sign the worlds best players to improve it - also since when did a manager not have to sign players & improve them through coaching?
Signing a talent & improving them shouldn’t be beyond a club of our size - I refuse to believe in world football there aren’t multiple talents that could be signed & if coached well improve. When was the last time we signed a talent no one had really heard of & turned them into something useful? It’s beyond a joke.
There is NO excuse for not improving this squad in successive windows; no fan wants the club to sign a Bale - simply show that transfer planning is being done.
Dan James was an international before coming to us if I’m not wrong but yes he definitely counts as lesser known & [thus far] one hell of a signing but in the same breath we spend £80mil on a player that has the turning circle of an artic truck but yes Dan James is exactly the kind of signing I’m on about.Sure, but wouldn't James qualify as a player no one had really heard of, and turning into someone useful for the squad?