Not really. The majority on here knew what to expect with Woodward in charge.
Ed Woodward 2019 - Until all Arctic ice melts edition
- Thread starter fallengt
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Its actually funny, pretending to be calm and collected like thats a some sign of proper United fan, running around this forum and calling others drama queens, moaners etc. is just a bonus.
If we don't get the Technical Director in I believe Woody is going to use Ole is his scapegoat. This would not be fair as I believe that by not getting in the players Ole required before preseason, I don't think that he has given Ole the a good enough platform to succeed.
There is no way that having clearly briefed that he was staying in the UK to finalise transfers that we're not going to sign anyone. The man is not a total imbecile and knows that he'll look even more of a knob than he already does if nothing happens. Just from a pure egotistical point of view he's not going to want that. We'll get some business done.
I agree with your post. Seems like the movie Groundhog Day. Same sh!te, same smell, different year. I realise that is a rebuilding job which is going to take some time and obviously more than one summer transfer window is needed, but what we don't need is to fall further behind because Woody has not recruited the necessary signings.
I think that AWB and James are good signings and I thought that was going to be the start of something big but that does not seem the case. Your first point in bold is something which really sticks out, I think that if we don't sign anybody else we are going to struggle for top 4, which I think should be our aim for the season. Hopefully Woody does great things in the next 2 weeks and really surprises me but that the rate we are going it doesn't look like he is going to be able to do this.
I disagree with the second point in bold as I think that if we sign those players you mentioned we will just about have enough to get top 4. Although I would have liked to get someone in to rotate with Matic and eventually take his place, which I hope is next year when his contract expires.
He must have had dirt on some high profile people at JP Morgan to get as far as he did there. During his time with us he has a proven track record of failing in the buying, selling & contract renewals of players. He's the only guy who hasn't managed to fleece China when selling them a player. This alone points to a man that doesn't know what he's doing.
Still can't see us challenging for the league this season with the current team. I know that's our aim I just don't think the current squad is good enough. We'd be lucky to get top 6 with our side right now. Hopefully we get Maguire and 5 others in before the deadline. Otherwise we risk losing our top 10 status in the coming years.
He knows what he's doing. Not giving Ole the proper chance to succeed by getting him the players he needs. It seems that everyone beside Woody can see the areas that need sorting out either this or he can see what needs sorts out and doesn't care because he thinks we are goor emough for top 4 or even worse doesn't care about getting top 4 is he is making money for the Glazers
I don't see any reason that wouldn't happen. Honestly, who will the fans complain to?
Are you sure that was briefed? The press also make stuff up, so it’s hard to know for sure.
So many papers reported it at the same time that it cannot have not been briefed somewhere along the line.
None of our managers since SAF has had a platform or circumstances to succeed.
JM: Needs a ready-made team of experienced players to play his pragmatic football. This is how he operates and how he can be successful.
LVG: Needs players with a minimum of technical ability for his possession-based football to be effective.
Moyseh: Sacked the former coaches, but did not get the players he was promised (we must assume).
In the same way, as it is the managers task to create an environment in which the players can perform (What Klopp's cultural philosophy is all about), it is the task of the board/CEO/DoF to create a foundation in which the manager is able to perform (in no small extent).
Nothing to do with the fans complaining. Its all to do with perceptions. I can't imagine that his ego will permit looking like a total knob-end. He's got a spectacularly bad image amongst United fans already. However if he "rides to the rescue" by staying in the UK, pulls off two or three deals due to his "personal attention" he gets to look the hero even if he does feck all in the actual negotiations.
Briefed. No question about it.
Watch this space.
It is possible, sometimes journos get together and decide to publish similar stuff at the same time to give it more validity.
Thinking about it, now that everyone automatically thinks 3/4 similar stories come directly from Ed they are even more incentivized to do so.
Although in this case I do agree it’s most likely a briefing, I’m just saying it is not a certainty.
Yeah, very true. There would be no purpose to putting this out as a story collectively however. There's no especially positive or negative spin in itself. You can imagine all of the papers posting a negative story at the end of window if we haven't got out targets, or a positive story if there had been a leak about a particularly prominent player from an agent say, but this just reeks of a briefing.
Correct.
Regarding (3) - our would-be rivals (MCFC and LFC - we want to compete for the league), don't need to buy players because they are already at the top. We are far behind, so need to be more aggressive.
Madrid are basically in our situation. They had a bad season and need to rebuild...which they have started doing in this Summer. They are being very aggressive. They have spent $340M. We have spent about £65M on 2 players.
Woodie is doing what he does best. He is trying to save money to balance the books and to ensure that the biggest possible dividend payment is made to The Glazers.
We won't rebuild If the money is not given to us. I don't know what to think anymore. are we going to invest more before deadline day or are we just lining players up until we sell players.
I agree with your post. Especially the point in bold. I think we should have had the DoF/Technical Director in a long time ago to give them the best chance to succeed.
As I think a DoF will be sensible enough to see we should get all our signings in as soon as possible for them to get used to the manager's style and gel with the team.
I think Woody is at fault for this. If we had a DoF in a long time ago, I don't think we would be seeing a lot of problems we are seeing now. But I think Woody is so confident of his own opinion and football knowledge that he feels he knows more than the managers, which is clearly not the case.
Agreed, if you look back to quotes from Woody himself, he feeds fans "lies".
1. We are looking to appoint DOF ( Aug 2018 ) Still nothing
2. We can spend £100m on a Cb July 2019 £80m Maguire - over priced and has no alternative to hi.
3. When Jose was sacked, the things come out the club was, we will organise the structure appoint DoF before appointing Perm manager - that didnt happen
4. We will back our manager - well he has got him a potential and a RB. That is not backing the manager, signing one player means the rest of the squad is good enough and your just filling the final blanks.
He cannot get rid of any player, it is an absolute disgrace what Woodward is doing to Manutd.
Been following this thread for a while now and, gotta be honest, I haven't the slightest clue where the "Woodward lack of ambition" stuff comes from.
We've routinely gotten the most expensive players and managers, one transfer window doesn't change that. If it were a discussion about competence, yeah that's another matter. But lack of ambition?... I just don't see it.
We've routinely gotten the most expensive players and managers, one transfer window doesn't change that. If it were a discussion about competence, yeah that's another matter. But lack of ambition?... I just don't see it.
Very good post. I agree with all of it. I don't like Woody because in my opinion he says so many lies yet manages to get everyone to believe has the interests of the team at heart, now it seems as if he isn't even concerned about top 4 any more as long as he is making the Glazers money.
I do understand it takes time to appoint a DoF but I read somewhere that we had offers from a lot of top DoF's in Europe but they weren't willing to work under the constraints imposed by Woody, don't know how long it takes to appoint a DoF but the time he has taken seems as if he's just taking the p!ss. I always wondered if he had any intention of bringing in a DoF which looks less likely the longer it drags on.
I think he has such a high opinion of his own knowledge that he thinks the signings we got is enough, either that or he doesn't give a feck. I know we are in a rebuilding process but the rate he is moving at we are going to fall further behind the best teams. I don't believe him at all. In my opinion he is just full of crap.
Exaclty, he keeps lying, fans keep believing.
I cannot comment on how long a DoF takes to hire but surely if you give yourself a deadline which he did. A new DoF appointed before manager, you stick to those deadlines right?
I cant believe he is not under more pressure with what he has delivered? mainly by Adidas who have spent so much to sponsor this club. It will be worth seing what kind of kit deal we get next time round due to lack of success and poor transfer windows.
Plus if Pogba goes, one of Adidas's biggest sponsorship deals, how will that effect all other deals?
this season we will hear stuff like;
'DOF proving more tricky than expected'
'candidates overawed by task in hand'
'Woodward wont give up over elusive DOF'
I think the DoF should have been placed before the manager as he knows which style of football we want to play and know which signings fit the type of profile we are looking for, so when the new manager comes in they can work together to purchase the players that fit that profile.
I think if the results don't start improving soon that it will eventually cause the sponsors to start asking questions and might affect how much we negotiate on the next deal.
Pogba is an interesting point and I've only now thought that maybe the reason the club are asking such a high fee is they dont want to sell because Woody doesn't want to fork out the money on a star replacement which I've read Adidas said will be required should he get sold.
I torally agree on this. I believe Woody will make up a load of lies regarding the DoF along the lines that you mentioned well above and a few people will believe him that he is actually trying and it is taking that long, when he is talking a load of crap again.
Selling seems to be main condition for us to buy some more. Either because we don't have the funds otherwise or because Ole thinks our squad is bloated enough
This isn't aimed at you specifically, I'm just curious as to why our fans are all convinced that having a DoF is automatically going to a success for this club.
Around every signing we make for players, and every manager appointed, there is always without fail an element of doubt as to whether it will work - and rightly so.
With the DoF position though - exactly the opposite. Nobody has any doubt whatsoever that it (whoever it would be) will be a resounding success. It's strange
It is not a question whether it will be a resounding success or not; it is about the likelihood that it will not be any worse than it currently is (unless we appoint a complete cretin or another person with zero experience in football).
We do have the funds. Man Utd is publicly listed - accounts are available for anyone to see. Funds are available (but willingness to spend them is another question).
Why are we even surprised of Woodward’s incompetence. This club has continually been putting square pegs in round holes including the top tier of Woodward and his cronies. Not a football mind amongst them.
I never wrote this comment, no idea why you edited in my name
If we go into the season with just AWB and a winger from the championship, they yes i'd agree with you in that we'd be looking at finishing between 4th - 6th again. I know there has been some optimism in pre-season with the performances of Greenwood and the kids, but I mean ffs he's 17 and there is no way we should be relying on someone so young!
Hmm... sorry man, no idea how and why it happenedI never wrote this comment, no idea why you edited in my name
It really is. I am far from sure that it would be.
Worst case we would need to appoint a couple of DoFs before we get it right. Its not that different from managers.
And I am saying that as someone that is advocating a DoF/technical director.
There is also way too little discussion regarding what a DoF/technical director`s job description actually would be.
Its not a clear cut role at all. It can be defined in many different ways.
The idea that seems to be floating around when it comes to United is that it would be more of a technical director, who would relieve Judge of most of his negotiation capacity as well as overseeing the youth setup and the scouting network.
I would in principle like us to go further and appoint a DoF that primarily would be responsible for how our youth setup is set up first and foremost and set a long term view on how we do educate our youth. Someone experienced from Barcelona or Ajax would be a good idea.
Because however much we do like to speak about the "United Way", this is more of an ideal than an actual thing. We dont have a La Masia or the structured youth setup of Bayern or even what City has created.
We should have streamlined our youth setup a long time ago and that falls on Sir Alex an Gill more than anyone else.
The discussion about a DoF/technical director is much more important than making it about isolating Woodward from "footballing decisions". Its sad that i has been the main reason to actually discuss a very important issue.
And btw, as stated before; Woodwards role will not change just because we change the organisational and reporting structure of the football side of the club. Thats just a fantasy.
Glazer 101. Taking the money for themselves. They and Ed should be gone soon hopefully
When you see Paratici fly around completing deals left, right and center or Monchi already signing like ten players you see just how it's supposed to be done. Why is it so difficult for Woodward to wrap up 3-4 signings when you know, we can do things in the market noone else can? He's full of shit. Sell some fecking players at the least.