Ed Woodward 2019 - Until all Arctic ice melts edition

devilish

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They are still deals that have to be discussed and concluded. Some of those players played in the world cup that summer and were united players straight after it. doesn't add up, the board are even more experienced now 4 years later

Signing a crystal palace fullback when nobody else is in for him shouldn't take as long as it did for a club our size
Its far easier to sign a player whose club doesn't want on their payroll anymore especially when the buyer is ready to shower those players with cash and the player in question is believed to be a burden. For example if United had to go for Bale then I reckon we would sign him In a week.

Things get difficult when the player in question is doing well at a club that doesn't want or need to sell especially if the player in question is young and can fetch more money in the future. LvG himself said that he wrongfully thought that United could buy anyone so I guess we went for his 3rd-4th choice. Could it be that Ole is not ready to settle for anything but his main targets?
 

Red Stone

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Do people blame Woodward for the signings and bad management? Surely LVG and Mourinho have to take most of the blame?
SAF is to blame for the Moyes appointment. Everything else that's been poorly managed since is Woodward's fault. The buck stops with him in the end.

It's possible to pin it on the managers, but Woodward hired them. Woodward is also the guy who's hired three managers with wildly differing football philosophies, which is why we have such a dysfunctional squad at the moment. We have some remnants of SAF's last team and Mata who Moyes signed for some unknown reason. I'm not sure he even knows himself. The rest are LvG's youngsters or Mourinho's giants, and very few of them fit into Ole's style.

I'm absolutely certain our poor results at the end of last season came as a result of Ole wanting to play hard-working football with a team that simply wasn't able to cover as much ground as they were required to. I love Ole and I want him to succeed, but asking him to take over the laziest squad in the league mid-season was asking for failure. Woodward doesn't realize that sort of stuff, which is why he should give up running the football side of things and hire someone who knows the ins and outs of the game to do that for him.

It's pretty much impossible to get anywhere in modern football without a long-term plan. Liverpool and City are the two best teams in the world because they have been working towards becoming exactly that since long before they hired their current managers. The bricks were already falling into place for Liverpool under Rodgers. They just needed an actual defence and a stronger team, and Klopp's taken care of that piece by piece. In comparison I feel like we've been lingering at square one or two for the past six years, and have not even definitely identified what sort of team we want to be. Ole wants to play "The United Way" with lots of running and fast attacking play, and we've seen signs of it on the pitch already during our purple patch last season, but our squad still needs a ridiculous amount of work before it's actually suited to play that way over the course of a season. And more importantly, does anyone really trust Woodward to know what the hell he wants if/when Ole is given the sack? If we hire someone with a completely different style again we're planting ourselves firmly back at the bottom of square one all over again.

In short, dude's a fecking clown. He needs to go or at least take a long, hard look at himself and realize his limitations.
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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But this is just speculation. You dont know how the negotiations has been going.
If we are going to speculate; my opinion on the CB issue is this:
I think the club wants a CB that would instantly take a place in the starting lineup and improve the team. An experienced one and/or if possible proven in the PL.
That seems to mean Koulibaly and/or Maguire.
Both seems to be incredible overpriced by their clubs.
If I would guess I dont think that OGS is interested in buying another CB-prospect that is going to need one or two years to adapt to the PL. That includes players like Skriniar and Milenkovic.
I dont think we will be buying a CB this summer if we cant come to an agreement for Maguire. The Koulibaly transfer seems to be dead and it should be if there is truth in what Napoli is asking.
So in summary, I dont think there is a plan B to Maguire. And as you said, the club should know best? Or?
Maguire is likely already plan B, so it's plan C we need now, and tbh the position is so important to strengthen this summer we should have list going all the way to Z, there is no mileage at all in going with the same CB's as last season again, as we'll be back here again next summer saying the same things, whilst been quoted even higher prices.

Our CB's are so lacking, that if Jonny Evans & Michael Keane were still here, then one would be straight in the team, and the other first choice for when Lindelof is injured, so it's hardly a difficult thing to improve us there.
 

Johan07

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That's exactly what I'm saying. Ed Woodward has literally come out and said incredible things that rebuff our position and leverage in the transfer market multiple times in multiple interviews.

You've got other posters digging them up constantly, including videos of him saying these inane things.

So to reiterate, stop pretending like he's not shooting himself in the foot. He is. Even an exaggeration of 200 by a poster is not nearly as bad as going the other way and saying Eds scott free.
It would have been prudent of you to apologize, especially since you asked me too for something that was entirely correct.

I havent said or stated that Woodward is "scott free" either. You made that up and then made a strawman out of it.

And are we seriously being upset over this quote: "After a turbulent season, everyone at Manchester United is focused on building towards the success that this great club expects and our fans deserve. Preparations for the new season are underway, and the underlying strength of our business will allow us to support the manager and his team as we look to the future.".

Its like the biggest cliche ever and means concretely nothing. Any politician would have been proud. Is this "inane" in your world? Is this what the Caf has come to?

And where are all these videos you are talking about. Woodward rarely gives interviews, especially on camera (I remember like one from when he was appointed CEO years ago). And if he does he speaks like a politician with pre-written statements and says nothing of interest.

His investors briefings, which basically is his interactions with media are like the most boring things ever if you bother to listen to them. I have almost stopped because its just financial info.

"Media shy" is exactly what he is. "Flexing"? What? How? When? We would almost not know what he looked like if he did not attend Uniteds games.

I actually would criticise Woodward for not being more open to the press and the fans. I get it that he is bound by company law and NYSE law to not say anything in public that can affect the value of the share on NYSE: Which is one reason why he never says anything else than cliches like the one quoted above.

I would find it much more interesting as a fan if he actually opened up and answered questions about like the organisation of the footballing side, where there actually are relevant questions to ask. For his own sake as well, because like it is now people make up stuff he has allegedly said instead, which is evident from the 200m transfer fee claim.
 
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Johan07

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Maguire is likely already plan B, so it's plan C we need now, and tbh the position is so important to strengthen this summer we should have list going all the way to Z, there is no mileage at all in going with the same CB's as last season again, as we'll be back here again next summer saying the same things, whilst been quoted even higher prices.

Our CB's are so lacking, that if Jonny Evans & Michael Keane were still here, then one would be straight in the team, and the other first choice for when Lindelof is injured, so it's hardly a difficult thing to improve us there.
We obviously need an upgrade in central defence. Its pretty obvious that the club thinks that too, having almost publicly gone after both Koulibaly, who probably was plan A as you say, and now Maguire.
I was merely speculating in how I think that the club is thinking when it comes to that position. After Bailly and Lindelof and their respective struggles, and needing time to adapt/not adapting. I think that the club and OGS really wants a sure thing this summer and that it makes the list very short. And expensive.
Its completely fair to be of the opinion that we should have more targets, I was just speculating in how I think the club is reasoning.
 

Striker10

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I have absolutely no idea what he's doing.
 

Johan07

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SAF is to blame for the Moyes appointment. Everything else that's been poorly managed since is Woodward's fault. The buck stops with him in the end.

It's possible to pin it on the managers, but Woodward hired them. Woodward is also the guy who's hired three managers with wildly differing football philosophies, which is why we have such a dysfunctional squad at the moment. We have some remnants of SAF's last team and Mata who Moyes signed for some unknown reason. I'm not sure he even knows himself. The rest are LvG's youngsters or Mourinho's giants, and very few of them fit into Ole's style.

I'm absolutely certain our poor results at the end of last season came as a result of Ole wanting to play hard-working football with a team that simply wasn't able to cover as much ground as they were required to. I love Ole and I want him to succeed, but asking him to take over the laziest squad in the league mid-season was asking for failure. Woodward doesn't realize that sort of stuff, which is why he should give up running the football side of things and hire someone who knows the ins and outs of the game to do that for him.

It's pretty much impossible to get anywhere in modern football without a long-term plan. Liverpool and City are the two best teams in the world because they have been working towards becoming exactly that since long before they hired their current managers. The bricks were already falling into place for Liverpool under Rodgers. They just needed an actual defence and a stronger team, and Klopp's taken care of that piece by piece. In comparison I feel like we've been lingering at square one or two for the past six years, and have not even definitely identified what sort of team we want to be. Ole wants to play "The United Way" with lots of running and fast attacking play, and we've seen signs of it on the pitch already during our purple patch last season, but our squad still needs a ridiculous amount of work before it's actually suited to play that way over the course of a season. And more importantly, does anyone really trust Woodward to know what the hell he wants if/when Ole is given the sack? If we hire someone with a completely different style again we're planting ourselves firmly back at the bottom of square one all over again.

In short, dude's a fecking clown. He needs to go or at least take a long, hard look at himself and realize his limitations.
I agree on that we could have had a better long-term plan when it comes to managers. The Mourinho appointment especially sticks out to me.

But its really revising history saying that FSG has had a long term plan for Liverpool when it comes to managers and philosophies.
Their list is
Hodgson
Dalglish
Rodgers
Klopp

Thats not a long term plan. Its also four different philosophies every bit as much as United. Rodgers and Klopp are far from the same.
Its more fair to say that they got lucky with Klopp being available when he was. And what was before is forgotten.

Citys list is even worse:
Hughes
Mancini
Kidd
Pellegrini
Guardiola.

Thats all over the place when it comes to football philosophies. And then they got Pep and people forget what was before.

We should have done better appointing our managers, but dont rewrite history especially not in favor of such shitclubs like City and Liverpool. It took both of them awhile to get where they are and it wasnt by recruiting the same type of managers.
 
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Red Stone

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Rodgers was onto something with the attacking play. He was never going to get the whole way because he simply isn't a good enough manager, but the team was on the right track. More importantly, he got Suarez, Coutinho and Sterling firing. The transfer fees from those three have played a big part in giving Klopp the funds to build his team.

City's managers might be different in philosophy, but they've been signing players that fit into the same mould for a long time. Fernandinho, KdB, David Silva, Sterling and Aguero were already there when Pep took over, and all five have been absolutely crucial to Pep's success at City. Of course it helps that he's been allowed to throw ludicrous amounts of money at players to fill in the gaps, but the fact remains that half of his winning team was already there. How many players did we have that could have realistically played as big a part for their respective managers when we hired LvG, Mourinho and Ole? Not many. Each and every one of them have had to go on spending sprees during their first summer window to piece together the beginnings of their teams, and then they haven't worked out and we've sacked them before they finished building and gotten stuck with half-finished remnants of a bunch of managers' different plans.
 

Saffron

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I agree on that we could have had a better long-term plan when it comes to managers. The Mourinho appointment especially sticks out to me.

But its really revising history saying that FSG has had a long term plan for Liverpool when it comes to managers and philosophies.
Their list is
Hodgson
Dalglish
Rodgers
Klopp

Thats not a long term plan. Its also four different philosophies every bit as much as United. Rodgers and Klopp are far from the same.
Its more fair to say that they got lucky with Klopp being available when he was. And what was before is forgotten.

Citys list is even worse:
Hughes
Mancini
Kidd
Pellegrini
Guardiola.

Thats all over the place when it comes to football philosophies. And then they got Pep and people forget what was before.

We should have done better appointing our managers, but dont rewrite history especially not in favor of such shitclubs like City and Liverpool. It took both of them awhile to get where they are and it wasnt by recruiting the same type of managers.
You’re the one re-writing history by claiming FSG hired Hodgson. They didn’t even own Liverpool then. Hodgson was the puppet of Hicks and Gillett, pretty famously too. It’s clear you’re just skimming Wikipedia desperately hoping it will support your whataboutism.
 
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Johan07

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You’re the one re-writing history by claiming FSG hired Hodgson. They didn’t even own Liverpool then. Hodgson was the puppet of Hicks and Gillett, pretty famously too. It’s clear you’re just skimming Wikipedia desperately hoping it will support your whataboutism.
I claimed no such thing. Strawmen everywhere in this thread.
Hodgson was manager for a an equal period of time under FSG as under Gillett and Hicks.
 

Saffron

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I claimed no such thing. Strawmen everywhere in this thread.
Hodgson was manager for a an equal period of time under FSG as under Gillett and Hicks.
FSG kept him for a whopping 3 months before firing him mid-season. Wildly misleading to say they sanctioned him.
 

Johan07

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FSG kept him for a whopping 3 months before firing him mid-season. Wildly misleading to say they sanctioned him.
Again: did not say that. Dont make stuff up please.
The discussion was about continuity and philosophy, it does not matter who appointed the manager in question. Should we not include Sir Alex when discussing the continuity and philosophy of managers under the Glazers ownership just because of the fact that they did not appoint him?
 

Saffron

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Again: did not say that. Dont make stuff up please.
The discussion was about continuity and philosophy, it does not matter who appointed the manager in question. Should we not include Sir Alex when discussing the continuity and philosophy of managers under the Glazers ownership just because of the fact that they did not appoint him?
You were trying to discredit FSG by linking them with Hodgson. When the reality is, he was a left-over they got rid of more or less immediately.

its really revising history saying that FSG has had a long term plan for Liverpool when it comes to managers and philosophies.
Their list is
Hodgson

Dalglish
Rodgers
Klopp

Thats not a long term plan.
If you want to point out early flaws with the FSG ownership, there are several. You don’t have to make up a false one.
 

peridigm

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LVG made 13 signings in 2 seasons:
Blind
Darmian
Depay
Dimaria
Falcao
Herrera
Martial
Rojo
Romero
Schneiderlin
Bastian
Shaw
Valdes

which blows out of the water we cannot multitask, its clearly by design dragging these deals out, and leaking emails about an inflated market
I seem to recall LVG stating he could sign a player in a day as well. Perhaps he was throwing shade to Ed at the time.
 

Johan07

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You were trying to discredit FSG by linking them with Hodgson. When the reality is, he was a left-over they got rid of more or less immediately.



If you want to point out early flaws with the FSG ownership, there are several. You don’t have to make up a false one.
I was not. Now you made up another thing. You are good at this.
I was making a completely different point which seems to have passed you by completely. I will leave it at that.
 

Saffron

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The discussion was about continuity and philosophy, it does not matter who appointed the manager in question. Should we not include Sir Alex when discussing the continuity and philosophy of managers under the Glazers ownership just because of the fact that they did not appoint him?
Ridiculous analogy. SAF had been here for 20 years and moulded the club around him. Hodgson had been there for 3 months saying ”this club isn’t above relegation”.
 

TrueRed79

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Two weeks remaining in the window after finishing a lowly 6th and we have signed two prospects. Biggest club in the world my arse.
 

oz insomniac

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Two weeks remaining in the window after finishing a lowly 6th and we have signed two prospects. Biggest club in the world my arse.
Well , the nark I am suggests that it's difficult to get deals done when Ed and his acolytes spend so much time on here and other social media attacking his detractors and talking him up. What is crazy is the deliberate move to lowball every signing fee then likely end up paying the release amount anyway. Not them smartest tactic .
 

bond19821982

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Theory is simple- he probably don't have the money. Major share has been spent on AWB . The money left is not enough for Maguire. So it's being delayed and we might sign some cheaper players towards end of the window.

Why he don't have money- probably because he doesn't trust Ole enough and want to save funds for the new manager.

Or feck everything- he is just useless !
 

Sterling Archer

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It would have been prudent of you to apologize, especially since you asked me too for something that was entirely correct.

I havent said or stated that Woodward is "scott free" either. You made that up and then made a strawman out of it.

And are we seriously being upset over this quote: "After a turbulent season, everyone at Manchester United is focused on building towards the success that this great club expects and our fans deserve. Preparations for the new season are underway, and the underlying strength of our business will allow us to support the manager and his team as we look to the future.".

Its like the biggest cliche ever and means concretely nothing. Any politician would have been proud. Is this "inane" in your world? Is this what the Caf has come to?

And where are all these videos you are talking about. Woodward rarely gives interviews, especially on camera (I remember like one from when he was appointed CEO years ago). And if he does he speaks like a politician with pre-written statements and says nothing of interest.

His investors briefings, which basically is his interactions with media are like the most boring things ever if you bother to listen to them. I have almost stopped because its just financial info.

"Media shy" is exactly what he is. "Flexing"? What? How? When? We would almost not know what he looked like if he did not attend Uniteds games.

I actually would criticise Woodward for not being more open to the press and the fans. I get it that he is bound by company law and NYSE law to not say anything in public that can affect the value of the share on NYSE: Which is one reason why he never says anything else than cliches like the one quoted above.

I would find it much more interesting as a fan if he actually opened up and answered questions about like the organisation of the footballing side, where there actually are relevant questions to ask. For his own sake as well, because like it is now people make up stuff he has allegedly said instead, which is evident from the 200m transfer fee claim.
I apologise for asking you to apologise. That was much too dramatic.

I mean what I say though. So you'll have to correct me if my interpretation is incorrect -
Your side (and I'm meaning yourself and other posters) is that fans shouldn't get worked up over that quote.

My feelings and I think the others is that the one comment is not what drives us to a place of frustration with Ed. It's the accumulation of the same pattern of open and false promises over several seasons. And I see arguing over the specific language of one interview as inane when the big picture is convincingly demonstrating that Woodward is not helping Uniteds negotiations. And that's before we really even get to know the behind the scenes stuff. And if that incident w Judge is true, it's frightening. So much so I don't understand why you or anyone else would waste time defending this man and his team over a moot point instead of considering the clubs fortune as a whole.
 

Denis79

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I apologise for asking you to apologise. That was much too dramatic.

I mean what I say though. So you'll have to correct me if my interpretation is incorrect -
Your side (and I'm meaning yourself and other posters) is that fans shouldn't get worked up over that quote.

My feelings and I think the others is that the one comment is not what drives us to a place of frustration with Ed. It's the accumulation of the same pattern of open and false promises over several seasons. And I see arguing over the specific language of one interview as inane when the big picture is convincingly demonstrating that Woodward is not helping Uniteds negotiations. And that's before we really even get to know the behind the scenes stuff. And if that incident w Judge is true, it's frightening. So much so I don't understand why you or anyone else would waste time defending this man and his team over a moot point instead of considering the clubs fortune as a whole.
That he has kept his job after the last 6-7 seasons tells a lot about the ambitions of our owners. As long as the club makes money, nothing matters. The last team of our stature and size that crumbled like we have was AC Milan. Just before their steady decline from the big boys of football they had an ageing squad full of former champions but no transfer funds to renew with younger players of the same quality, reminds me of us a lot doesn't it?

People defending Woodward and the Glazers always fall back on the transfer money spent but somehow forget that when the Glazers took over in 2005 just before our squad matured to CL winners, they put us in heavy debt and had to use most of the clubs financial power to manage the debt, "There's no value in the market" was just a line SAF used instead of saying how things were, that he wasn't given enough funds to replace the outgoing quality from the club, like Ronaldo or replacing ageing players with similar quality. SAF had no problems breaking records in transfers before the Glazers, Rio, Rooney, Veron and the list goes on. With the Glazers that changed, the debt they put us in made that impossible in the first decade of their take-over. That's how our rot started.

The Glazers (Woodward), did not open their pockets until after our catastrophic season with Moyes, too late, too many of our players had already passed the hill and the ones that had, were replaced by much inferior players.

It's that period of 7-8 years with minimal investment in the club that has put us here and the people in charge simply don't have the knowledge to take us out of the hole they created.
 

Sterling Archer

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That he has kept his job after the last 6-7 seasons tells a lot about the ambitions of our owners. As long as the club makes money, nothing matters. The last team of our stature and size that crumbled like we have was AC Milan. Just before their steady decline from the big boys of football they had an ageing squad full of former champions but no transfer funds to renew with younger players of the same quality, reminds me of us a lot doesn't it?

People defending Woodward and the Glazers always fall back on the transfer money spent but somehow forget that when the Glazers took over in 2005 just before our squad matured to CL winners, they put us in heavy debt and had to use most of the clubs financial power to manage the debt, "There's no value in the market" was just a line SAF used instead of saying how things were, that he wasn't given enough funds to replace the outgoing quality from the club, like Ronaldo or replacing ageing players with similar quality. SAF had no problems breaking records in transfers before the Glazers, Rio, Rooney, Veron and the list goes on. With the Glazers that changed, the debt they put us in made that impossible in the first decade of their take-over. That's how our rot started.

The Glazers (Woodward), did not open their pockets until after our catastrophic season with Moyes, too late, too many of our players had already passed the hill and the ones that had, were replaced by much inferior players.

It's that period of 7-8 years with minimal investment in the club that has put us here and the people in charge simply don't have the knowledge to take us out of the hole they created.
I need to look at a breakdown of their spending against the way they managed the buyout debt, but what you say does ring true. It actually reminded me of something I saw today that made my stomach drop: a video of Hazards time at Chelsea. That was probably the biggest missed signing of the decade for us. Sir Alex outwardly blamed agents. But I do wonder if it had more to do with the ownership.
 

Infordin

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I am honestly baffled by United’s complete lack of midfield reinforcements. You let Herrera (your second best mid) go for free and you don’t even try to replace him? As it stands, United will go into next season with McTominay, Matic, Fred and Pereira as important and regular members of the squad. That’s simply nowhere near good enough.

You should be targeting at least one top class midfielders, and IMO you need two.
 

Hawks2008

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I am honestly baffled by United’s complete lack of midfield reinforcements. You let Herrera (your second best mid) go for free and you don’t even try to replace him? As it stands, United will go into next season with McTominay, Matic, Fred and Pereira as important and regular members of the squad. That’s simply nowhere near good enough.

You should be targeting at least one top class midfielders, and IMO you need two.
Yeah but the club are tight and incompetent so here we are.
 

Eric's Seagull

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Keefy and others who slavishly support the Woodward regime should consider the question that the board is again dictating to the manager on signings for the managers team. Ole wants to sign Fernandes and Woody/Judge don't believe he is the right player at the right price. After their failure to support a manager they previously appointed for a 3 year term, looks like they are doing the same to a manager they appointed to rebuild the club.

Trying to prove they are masterful negotiators and player evaluators appears more important to them than replacing the dead wood they extended and bringing in players to suit the managers style .Sounds familiar , that's why we are falling out of the top 4 and Champions League with no apparent responsibility sheeted back to the board and Woodward.
Good post of which you make valid points along the lines I have been thinking. Can't understand how anybody sticks for fecking Woody. Think fecking Woody would have learned to give choice of signings to someone who knows football, eg the manager: Ole.

I really dislike Woody. Agree with your first point in bold, it does seem as if they are not backing Ole fully and that is not fair as they are not giving him a proper platform to succeed, as this is a rebuild we are in, give him who he feels he needs to rebuild the squad,that is the point of a fecking rebuild. Really hope we get Fernandes. We don't want to p!ss Leicester off too much regarding Maguire or they might tell us to feck off.

If it all goes wrong, Woody will away squeeky clean and use Ole as a scapegoat which is a bad thing to due anyway but to do it to a club legend is appalling. Then he can bring in new manager decide he knows more than the next guy (again) and rinse and repeat. After failures you'd have thought he would learn. If a manager wants a player it's for a specific role/reason, not just because it's the latest must have toy metaphorically speaking. It's as if Woody is looking at the situation and thinking I know more than you, we don't need him and anyway if we did he is too expensive. As we have no DoF, I think Woody should have just agreed a set budget with Ole. Then Ole identifies whoever he wants then Woody signs them, I think Woody should just be there to sort out the details of the contract and price of which he is going to haggle the feck over as he is such a good negotiator and just leave choice of players to Ole.

Woody seems to be happy with mediocrity and just getting into top 4 but unless we sign a few players I don't think we are going to gt top 4. It's as if Woody thinks, "I know best we have enough quality for top 4 already the manager asking or another player is just being greedy" really fecking annoys me. I just hope in these next 3 weeks Woody really surprises me in a good way and gets a few decent signings in, which is seeming ore unlikely the further we get towards the end of the window if not the likes of Wolves and Leicester will be looking at us and seriously thinking they can finish above us.

With a few quality signings I think we should get top 4 quite comfortably if all players perform to their potential, if we don't sign these required players I fer for us, Agree completely with your last point in bold Woody should grow some balls and take some responsibility for the mess we are in. Cant understand what on Earth made him give Jones a 4=1 contract and Smalling 3+1 or even extend Ashley Young's at all mate? Apologies for long post rant over:mad:
 

Eric's Seagull

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4-4-2: The Flat One
I am honestly baffled by United’s complete lack of midfield reinforcements. You let Herrera (your second best mid) go for free and you don’t even try to replace him? As it stands, United will go into next season with McTominay, Matic, Fred and Pereira as important and regular members of the squad. That’s simply nowhere near good enough.

You should be targeting at least one top class midfielders, and IMO you need two.
You know it, we know it. ~~Everybody bar fecking Woody knows it but Woody knows best as always mate. Matic should already be gone as his legs have gone. He cant be relied upon to start he should get about 10 games next season in my opinion against the top 6 and maybe if we have any big Europa games should we get that far. Then let him go for free when his contract expires next year but I have a stupid feeling they will give him an extra year for the experience he brings to the squad never mind the fact he can't be relied up because his legs are gone. Really wanted Fabinho the year we signed Matic and it pains me but I think the fecking Scousers made the better choice there mate.
 

red_de_pologne

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not sure anymore he's the one to blame. We clearly don't want to release the required funds to strengthen properly, might be a decision above im
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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not sure anymore he's the one to blame. We clearly don't want to release the required funds to strengthen properly, might be a decision above im
Tbf Woodward is only guilty of doing the job he is been told to, the fact he has done the footballing side of things so breathtakingly badly, and still hasn't been removed is not his fault, been paid what he is getting you're not going to walk away are you?

He'll of course be set a budget, but he's proven time and again he just doesn't have the skill in the market to make the most of it, many scoffed at the £100 million (net) budget, but it'll be about right, hence why Maguire won't be bought imo until Lukaku is sold, if he's not it'll be a cheaper option, which will no doubt take another week or so to get over the line, and then we'll huff and puff a bit, but excuses prepared that'll be it, Ole thrown to the lions, and then we do it all over again.
 

Henrik Larsson

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Remember last year when he briefed the media outlets and they started reporting about Maguire not being worth his 70 million pound fee, while we were supposedly more than ready to throw a 100 million at Varane? This is exactly why Woodward's a fecking moron, he's pretty much put himself checkmate for this year with those comments about Maguire, because paying up now would expose him for the fool he is. Amateur mistakes when put under pressure to deliver, who gives out such a briefing? And he's been in the job for years now, there's really no excuse for shite like that.


"To Mourinho’s intense irritation, United’s conclusion was that in most cases he had targeted defenders who were no better than those they already had and who, in today’s inflated market, could conceivably have cost upwards of £70m without vastly improving the team.

Mourinho’s enthusiasm for Harry Maguire was not shared by the Old Trafford decision-makers and when the club approached Leicester they were put off by the kind of fee that would have been necessary to sign the England international in the wake of Virgil van Dijk’s £75m transfer from Southampton to Liverpool last season.

United did have significant money available for summer signings and would have paid in excess of £100m for Raphaël Varane if the French World Cup winner had been available from Real Madrid. Woodward had breakfast with Real’s president, Florentino Pérez, over the summer but nothing came of it."

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...united-veto-jose-mourinho-wishlist-cash-fears
 

Garethw

scored 25-30 goals a season as a right footed RW
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Nobody can be this incompetent and remain in such a senior position.

The only explanation that I can see being even remotely plausible for why this window has been such a failure so far is that the Glazers have us working to a very tight budget.

I honestly don’t think we can afford to buy Maguire at the moment.

We are fecked all the time the Glazers are in charge.
 

Hawks2008

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Two weeks remaining in the window after finishing a lowly 6th and we have signed two prospects. Biggest club in the world my arse.
"We can do things in the market other clubs can only dream of. Watch this space."

I despise this chinless feck
 

Garethw

scored 25-30 goals a season as a right footed RW
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Woodward is going to have nowhere to hide if we don’t reinforce the squad after his comments at the end of the season regarding financially backing the manager.

The lack of transfer activity, when we are in desperate need of it, just shows that the Glazers don’t give a shit about footballing achievements. As long as the dollars keep rolling in to their pockets they won’t give a shit about the football side of things.

I’m absolutely mortified that this wonderful and historic club is being run like this. It truly is heartbreaking to see :(.