Ed Woodward 2019 - Until all Arctic ice melts edition

Born2Lose

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How dense must the Glazers be to not realize how much lost revenue the idiot Woodward has cost them over the years. Overpaying contracts, bad signing after bad signing, it never ends.
 

BringKlebersonBack

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I know he made mistakes but I think he is being overly criticized on this board. Since his "watch this space" interview back in 2013 summer he released lot of funds and tried to sign big names but its unfortunate that the managers he got didnt pick the right targets.

I feel his biggest failure was unable to convince "Job-less" Klopp before he went to Liverpool. If Klopp came to UTD he would have atleast shipped out all non hard-working junk having easy time here on huge salaries and would have bought few good players atleast.
This is absolutely true. For all my dissatisfaction with the Glazers, Ed Woodward has convinced them to invest SIGNIFICANT funds in players, players chosen by the managers. How can Woodward be blamed for the choices of Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho? Woodward did not force players on them - quite the contrary. We have a huge recruitment/player scouting department, set up by a city firm that apparently headhunted some of the best scouts. We have so much expertise in the club - what we are lacking is a top-class manager to knit it together.
 

Highlyevolved

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Woodward needs to step aside from footballing decisions. He’s clearly inept.

He is great at the commercial side, United are great at maximising their global popularity to milk profits.

What these accountants and the Glazers don’t seem to understand about football is the fans.

We have fans in Asia, Africa, the Americas and across Europe as well as domestically. These fans buy merchandise, sponsors pay us to sell them products. We are a commodity of success.

These fans are fickle. They buy into success. They’re still here because of the success under Fergie.

As we all know, most fans choose their allegiances as children. Children want their imaginations to be captured, they buy into success, they support the best players. So here’s the real crunch that the fools at the top don’t realise...

Today’s kids, who are tomorrow’s fans, consumers and monetary assets, will be City, Liverpool, Madrid and Barca’s collective cash cow to milk. (I include Madrid and Barca as I see more kids at home wearing the kits, and TV coverage nowadays means Spanish teams are a real competitor, my sons friends love Barca because of Messi).

When I was a kid in the 90’s everyone had the NY Yankees baseball cap, it was everywhere. Not many knew much about baseball but the marketing was great, the team was a success. United make revenue from fickle overseas fans who won’t be there in future unless the club regains success.

Before anyone responds with “we don’t need fickle fans” here’s a reality check. We don’t have oil money behind us, we have a successful history and fans who buy into this success, both loyal and fickle. If all these business types at the top see United as is an asset to milk profit, they need to wake up and realise it’s only in this position because of success.

We’ve had several years of mediocrity, and it won’t last. For the fans it’s abysmal to watch, but for the money men they seem unable to realise their asset will be gone forever.

For the fans and the business men, we need success and soon. This requires a DOF and investment, rather than handing out contracts to current players who haven’t performed.
 

predator

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Woodward is in a position where he basically calls the shots, unfortunately. He will do what is best for himself, not the company he currently is employed by.

He is an Essex money man. He has no emotional affiliation with the club, other than a father who apparently supported us, so why would he sacrifice his salary, his role and his familys best intentions for the club? He's in it for himself. You cant blame him if you think about it, beyond football terms.


He obviously needs to go but unless the fans put pressure on him and I mean boycotts, public protests etc then he will continue to ruin the club until it's too late.
 

Hawks2008

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Seems he's started penny pinching. Holding on to shit players because it's cheaper than replacing them, haggling over AWB and Maguire, going for inexpensive nobodies like James and Longstaff, and hiring a coach from Norway cause it was cheaper than trying to lure a top coach over. Good little lap dog looking after the Glazers pockets instead of putting money in the team.
 

freeurmind

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Decent work so far, James is an exciting young player and Mata is proven quality. The addition of Garner and Tuanzebe will be like new signings in midfield and defence without having to spend on a transfer fee. Better to wait patiently for the right player to become available at the right price than run around like a headless chicken. In Ed we trust.
 

Bestietom

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We will never get transfers over the line with this guy in charge. He's got to be taken away from this job.
 

Ultimate_L

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We have serious issues at the top looking down and Ed hasn't shown anyone any reason to not believe he's the right person for the role. We have had massive signings over the past few seasons which would be the only plus I suppose. We have not been able to attract the best-suited managers to the club. Klopp/Guardiola when they were available should've been dived on for their tactical approach and runnings of their respective clubs. Watching Liverpool and Citeh do their thing whilst also watching their previous clubs shows that even after they've left... The right structure has been there to keep the Club running. How the Glazers persist in keeping this shit-storm running for as long as it has been when it's clear and massively frowned/disagreed upon. Jesus, I hope something disastrous happens and quickly for the best of this club. - Apologies I ranted near the end :lol:
 

Inter Yer Nan

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He's still in over his head and rather than learn from mistakes he seems to actually get worse and worse. It's baffling but he can't handle transfers or negotiations. I get it, he's probably doing some amazing stuff on the commercial side of things but that's just football in this day and age. The sport is getting bigger globally and instead of thinking, "Imagine if we had a good team AND this marketability where would we be?", the Glazers are looking at it like, "We are doing this poorly on the field and we are still this profitable". That isn't sustainable. We'll lose a lot of foreign fans and sponsors to teams like City and Liverpool at this rate which will start to kill the finances if we keep with Woodward who's essentially took us from a winning side to a side that hovers between 4th-6th, occasionally gets into the Champions League but doesn't come close to competing for the big silverware.

We've wasted six years, wasted a few legitimately good signings, wasted De Gea's prime, wasted Mourinho's appointment* because of Woodward. We've fallen a few years behind at least because of him and we are probably nowhere near as marketable as we would be with someone competent because of him. Lot's of money wasted but the Glazers just see $$$ and aren't measuring it.

If we hire someone who isn't out of their depth, they'll get a DOF, they'll make the right appointments and we'll attract the players we need and with whats left of our appeal we would still be able to attract the necessary quality to get us into competing positions within 2-3 seasons and make the Glazers far more money. If he's in this job six more years we'll be about the same six years from now. Just further back and making less money because a lot of the global fanbase will have fecked off.
 

BigBebe

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Ed Woodward running a football club is just a totally ridiculous thing.

It is as if Walmart decided to buy Marks and Spencer and Walmart said to themselves 'Ok, we need someone to do the deal, sort out the contracts and run the newly merged WalMarks company, I know, we will get Sam Allardyce in to do it'

Seriously, it is not that different.
 

sunama

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Yes and Jose blocked it.

We've only started interviewing for the role in recent months. Jose is gone 6 months almost to the day now (4 more days I believe) and folks are in meltdown months as is.

It takes time, but folks think its as easy as picking a phone up and that's it, job done.

You are either ED Woodward or his mother.
:lol:

Keefy is doing his best to give balance to the anti Woodward debate.
Perhaps he is on Woodward's payroll and has been told to keep the redcafe in check.
 

Tom Cato

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Man United to pay £55 million for Wan-Bissaka. I am very happy about this signing. He will lock down the right side of our defense hard.
 

AllezLesDiables

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Of course, now is the time for panic isn't it? How about a panic appointment for DoF? Oooh maybe some panic signings and waste more money? So actually what we need to do above all else is indeed fecking chill!

Your super power is in full effect this morning I see :) Where did I say not strengthen? As I suggested, Ole and Mike might be more careful and not rushing into transfers to ensure they get it right, which takes time!

Real have sweet FA to do with us, its not a lowering of expectations at all...It's called...Reality! Our main competitors currently aren't Real, it is Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal. Until we start winning leagues again and making the latter stages of CL, they aren't anything to do with us, Deal with it!

Kind of hard to install a DoF when Jose refused one. So, answer me this...Did you expect Woodward to over rule Jose? Cause when there was disagreement over a CB last summer, folks also slated him for over ruling there. It's a lose lose situation.

Of course it matters what other clubs are doing, you just said we finished 6th and are leagues behind them all apparently, such a drama queen! :lol:

As I matter of factually pointed out they all have their own issues as well and its nowhere near as dramatic as you make out.
You must have loved Neville Chamberlain’s strategy at the outset of WWII
 
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Man United to pay £55 million for Wan-Bissaka. I am very happy about this signing. He will lock down the right side of our defense hard.

Guessing our negotiating team got them to go down on the initial payment to somewhere closer to 40m up front.
55m will be with all add ons which is a smarter way to structure it than the 50m up front that Palace wanted.
Fair bit of business for all, good negotiating on this one.

Pleased with our first two pieces of business this window, plenty more needed though.

On to MDL, Koulibaly or Maguire (in that order).
 

Sparky_Hughes

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Woodward is a clueless chinless twat who has the footballing knowledge of a concussed penguin.
 

Buster15

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How dense must the Glazers be to not realize how much lost revenue the idiot Woodward has cost them over the years. Overpaying contracts, bad signing after bad signing, it never ends.
While I fully agree with you regarding Woodward, I cannot actually believe that the Glazers are dense.
So that poses the question. Why are they letting all this happen.
The only answer must be that Woodward is actually delivering on all his objectives.
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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While I fully agree with you regarding Woodward, I cannot actually believe that the Glazers are dense.
So that poses the question. Why are they letting all this happen.
The only answer must be that Woodward is actually delivering on all his objectives.
Overall I'm sure he is, the strategy of stealing the club from under our noses, stablising the debt, increasing the revenue, and making us worth a few billion, has been executed perfectly, mostly by Ed, so it's no wonder they've let us become his play thing as a reward.

Non of what's going on now really matters to the Glazers, the next step is no doubt an exit strategy, then they will have finally rinsed us dry.
 

clarkydaz

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While I fully agree with you regarding Woodward, I cannot actually believe that the Glazers are dense.
So that poses the question. Why are they letting all this happen.
The only answer must be that Woodward is actually delivering on all his objectives.
the club making money doesn't soley revolve around the team
 

Buster15

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Overall I'm sure he is, the strategy of stealing the club from under our noses, stablising the debt, increasing the revenue, and making us worth a few billion, has been executed perfectly, mostly by Ed, so it's no wonder they've let us become his play thing as a reward.

Non of what's going on now really matters to the Glazers, the next step is no doubt an exit strategy, then they will have finally rinsed us dry.
That is the reality all right.
 

M16Red

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I wonder If he knows the offside rule? Or weather he actually takes in any of the football he watches... I mean Mata cant keep hold of ball if challenged - does he not see that? We all see it..
 

Buster15

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Very short term. We lose money on absolutely everything by struggling on the pitch and only an idiot would think otherwise.
Correct. I hate to see the club I love living off its former glory.
Everything that is good about us happened in the past.
Best team.
Best management.
Best stadium.
All we have left are the best supporters and even that is being taken completely for granted.
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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That is the reality all right.
Maybe wishful thinking but it wouldn't surprise me if their exit is nearer than we think, it seems we've tied up a few contracts, have not appointed the promised DOF, have a low maintenance manager, and personally I'm expecting some sort zero net spend this summer, or close anyway.

What a time for them to go that would be, the club teetering on the brink of dropping to mid table, Old Trafford desperate for investment, sponsors starting to think again, and the fans ready to get their pitchforks out, but still they could potentially walk away with £3 billion having milked us for years already, you've almost got to admire them it's been that well executed.
 

Enigma_87

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Guessing our negotiating team got them to go down on the initial payment to somewhere closer to 40m up front.
55m will be with all add ons which is a smarter way to structure it than the 50m up front that Palace wanted.
Fair bit of business for all, good negotiating on this one.
How so? At 55m we would end up paying pretty much what Palace wanted.

No one is paying transfer sums in bulk, 40m up front is actually more than what clubs would pay.
 
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How so? At 55m we would end up paying pretty much what Palace wanted.

No one is paying transfer sums in bulk, 40m up front is actually more than what clubs would pay.
Because all of the reports have said that Palace would only accept 50m straight up, not with options/bonuses.
If we’ve got that to 40m by offering an extra 5m in incentives/bonuses, that’s good negotiating and a fair deal for all.
 

Bastian

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Correct. I hate to see the club I love living off its former glory.
Everything that is good about us happened in the past.
Best team.
Best management.
Best stadium.
All we have left are the best supporters and even that is being taken completely for granted.
Hardly at OT.
 

Enigma_87

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Because all of the reports have said that Palace would only accept 50m straight up, not with options/bonuses.
If we’ve got that to 40m by offering an extra 5m in incentives/bonuses, that’s good negotiating and a fair deal for all.
Straight up doesn't mean in cash. Those 50m are in installments either way. To make it a good deal it depends what those options/bonuses are - I doubt Palace will accept something like 5m if he wins the Ballon D'or.

If the bonuses/options are easily achieved they might end up being paid before the base transfer value is paid in full.
 
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Straight up doesn't mean in cash. Those 50m are in installments either way.
I’m pretty certain you know what I meant and are being a little obtuse here.

50m in full cash is still 50m whether it’s installments or not, United never pay the full fee apparently.

The point was that 40m + 15m in bonuses such as CL qualification, England caps etc is a much better deal for all than 50m cash.
 

Patrick08

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I’m pretty certain you know what I meant and are being a little obtuse here.

50m in full cash is still 50m whether it’s installments or not, United never pay the full fee apparently.

The point was that 40m + 15m in bonuses such as CL qualification, England caps etc is a much better deal for all than 50m cash.
We will earn back 15 m from zaha sale.
 

Enigma_87

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I’m pretty certain you know what I meant and are being a little obtuse here.

50m in full cash is still 50m whether it’s installments or not, United never pay the full fee apparently.

The point was that 40m + 15m in bonuses such as CL qualification, England caps etc is a much better deal for all than 50m cash.
My point is - without knowing the full structure of the deal we can't say if it is good or not.
 

Enigma_87

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Agreed. But if it’s not straight up 50m as Palace wanted, I’m happy with that. Bonuses like CL qualification pay for themselves anyway.
If it is club related bonuses and CL qualification then yeah. National team caps also would be interesting if it is included, because it would be very tough for AWB to break in the national team apart from odd friendly game.