It is significantly weaker than the current team we have, and the only two players who would improve our first team from them are Bale (big improvement) and Dier (improvement). So if that team could have won the league, then our team should be able to walk it.That 11 could do the domestic imho.
It'd probably finish in a champions league position, to be fair.Nah.
Agree about that, but I couldn't see them challenging.It'd probably finish in a champions league position, to be fair.
Its not a global entity to the local fans who have supported United as their local side through 5 generations. This is why Bobby, Robbo and the class of 92 are held in such high esteem. And why Rashford is now a hero, proving British is best but local is better.It's nice to have a few young Manc's in the team, but i'm not bothered about "British" so to speak. At the end of the day United and the premier league is a global entity. IF you want to win you need the best, and if the British aren't then that's tough. We have Rashford and Lingard who are doing a good job, and no doubt a few other's like Tuanzebe coming through. We are doing OK.
Its insane. For Barkley Sterling and Stones, you're looking at £150 mill. None of them will become Balon D'or contenders or top 5 in their position.Agreed even though it may not be fully logical. I want United to sign the best British players and if that means paying more the a British equivalent then so be it.
Almost certainly part of the reason why I was gutted when Welbeck left.
Depends if you think of yourself as British or English.What has British got to do with it?
Its insane because there are few of them, raising their value, but also raising corporate profits to stupid levels. Rooney got his crazy contract because he brings so much more profit.Its insane. For Barkley Sterling and Stones, you're looking at £150 mill. None of them will become Balon D'or contenders or top 5 in their position.
That's only if I rate them though. I'm not big on Barkley and unsure on Stones. If Sterling wasn't at Liverpool, making it a near impossible transfer, I would have wanted us to spend big on him to be honest.Its insane. For Barkley Sterling and Stones, you're looking at £150 mill. None of them will become Balon D'or contenders or top 5 in their position.
Kane or Suarez? Kane or Neymar? Sterling or Martial? (pretend Martial never played for us) Alli or Fekir?That's only if I rate them though. I'm not big on Barkley and unsure on Stones. If Sterling wasn't at Liverpool, making it a near impossible transfer, I would have wanted us to spend big on him to be honest.
I can admit it's more of an emotional connection, so I for example if given the choice between Shaw and Alaba playing for United, I'd rather see us having Shaw play.
It matters to United because of our tradition. We've always had great players in the team from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland etc and I'm proud of that even though my preference is obviously for local lads from the North West. Think of 2 of our best ever players - Law and Best. Think of our most decorated player - Giggs. Think of our (probably) greatest captain - Keane. Not to mention many other great servants who've provided loyal service and memorable moments over the years such as Crerand, Albiston, McClair, Fletcher, O'Shea...What has British got to do with it?
In football there is no British league or British national side, so in football terms someone from Wales or Scotland is as foreign as someone from France or Holland. The question should really be do English players matter, and the answer is yes.
United should always have a group of top English players because they are a top English side. Having some British (Scottish/Welsh) and even Irish players is a great bonus if they are good players but not really that important in the grand scheme of things.
Quotas won't change much, just would make English teams fail into group stages of UCL.It partly depends on if you want the national side to get better. I'm uncomfortable with the general malaise surrounding the England team and would happily accept an increase in the quota. If each team had to field say 5 home nation players I wouldn't grumble. I think the problem with the england team is so bad that drastic action is necessary. There would be concerns about a drop in quality of the football but I think it would be seen by many young players as an incentive and that standards could even rise. At the moment there are too many young british players who don't get a look in and the nation team are suffering.
Kane (Obivously not as good as Suarez but a player I would never want at United). Neymar. Sterling. I know nothing about Fekir, so can't comment.Kane or Suarez? Kane or Neymar? Sterling or Martial? (pretend Martial never played for us) Alli or Fekir?
The problem is that English footballers haven't evolved and catch up with the other nations. Or maybe, it is just a very poor generation of players (likely not, considering how shit England has been on tournaments for half a century).Ugh, thank god we have all this money now to import real players into our teams, wouldn't like it being like the old days before Sky started funding English football (1993) and we were all subjected to 11 British donkeys running about on our fields.
It's not like before the flood of money and foreigners (1993) the top performing nations in the Champions League (clubs) were: Spain 7 wins, Italy 7 wins, England 8 wins (9 if counting British Celtic), Germany 4 wins.
Thank GOD those dark days are gone.
Hail the foreign legion, Anyone> British.
Okay mate, carry on.The problem is that English footballers haven't evolved and catch up with the other nations. Or maybe, it is just a very poor generation of players (likely not, considering how shit England has been on tournaments for half a century).
No one is denying that there were great English/British players in the past. George Best is one of the most technically gifted players of all time, Charlton is an another goat, Scholes served as a model for La Masia etc etc, but at the moment, English players are fecking shit, and all the heavy touch, weak mentality, being overrated and so on can be attributed to them.
I think you may have misinterpreted my post mate, i am Irish myself and would love to see more Irish players at United but only if they are as i previously said good players.It matters to United because of our tradition. We've always had great players in the team from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland etc and I'm proud of that even though my preference is obviously for local lads from the North West. Think of 2 of our best ever players - Law and Best. Think of our most decorated player - Giggs. Think of our (probably) greatest captain - Keane. Not to mention many other great servants who've provided loyal service and memorable moments over the years such as Crerand, Albiston, McClair, Fletcher, O'Shea...
What I think is really fantastic is that, for example, a young Irish lad coming through will most probably dream of playing for Manchester United (or Celtic, Liverpool of course) due to our historic connection.
In the end it's good to have a balance in the squad. My favourite players over the years I've been watching have probably been Evra, Ole, Scholes, Keane, Giggs and Cantona. Foreign and British alike. I guess all things being equal I'd probably want something like one third Manc, one third British/Irish-but-not Manc, one third foreign. But obviously if a Zlatan, Cantona etc comes along, you shift an Alan Smith out the way to make room, so it will never be exactly how you'd imagine it in fantasy land.
Yes i can understand that but thats national identity mate.Depends if you think of yourself as British or English.
Yeah I'm more about the tribals. When Pogba says he's coming home to Manchester, it's not really very believable. Truth is he'd be as happy if not more happy playing in Spain. With the Brits, especially the academy lads, you know they might mean it. Otherwise you're just cheering for a brand, like a new iPhone or something.Yes i can understand that but thats national identity mate.... i am only looking at it from a football and not a political point of view.
I'm not a Manc or even English myself, but i love the fact we've always had a few lads from Manchester or close by in the last 20 years Butt, Scholes, Giggs the Nevlles, Brown, Welbeck and now Rashford. In an ideal world i'd love us to have 11 lads like that or guys like Becks and Evans who were United fans and came through the academy.Yeah I'm more about the tribals. When Pogba says he's coming home to Manchester, it's not really very believable. Truth is he'd be as happy if not more happy playing in Spain. With the Brits, especially the academy lads, you know they might mean it. Otherwise you're just cheering for a brand, like a new iPhone or something.
This.It's a huge deal, always has been always will be. It set us apart from the rest. I couldn't support United if it was full of Johnny foreigners, I honestly couldn't.
I don't think quality is missing. I think opportunities and, most importantly, discipline is lacking.British players matter because we're a British club but quality is quality and currently British players aren't up to scratch in many, if any positions.
I honestly dont think Smalling is less a player than Blind. I also think Lingard would decide a similar amount of games as Mata if he had same games and continuity. Somehow Mata's more likeable though (great at talking to the fans, I love him myself) whereas British players suffer from the unexotic british brand of now. Lingard is that squad-player type and as with young, Evans, Welbeck, etc its easy to just roll out the scapegoatism on him, even though he's a great squadplayer (at least).British players matter because we're a British club but quality is quality and currently British players aren't up to scratch in many, if any positions.
