That's not a big deal imo. Managers come and go and usually get summer windows to buy players, so if Ruben were to move on at some point, the next guy would simply buy whoever he wants for his formation. Having multiple 10s and not enough CMs wouldn't be anything that couldn't be resolved in one summer.
Jason Wilcox - Director of Football
- Thread starter reddevilchennai
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That's not a big deal imo. Managers come and go and usually get summer windows to buy players, so if Ruben were to move on at some point, the next guy would simply buy whoever he wants for his formation. Having multiple 10s and not enough CMs wouldn't be anything that couldn't be resolved in one summer.
I admire your optimism. IMO I feel we've taken years identifying issues and fixing them with half-measures mostly. I'd say even for an extremely well run club such a thing would be a challenge, let alone for a club like ours.
You originally mentioned replacing Bruno with someone who can't play every position he's capable of playing in. I suspect that wouldn't happen since we would be more likely to replace him with multiple players - in this case lets say Mbeumo (10) and Ederson (CM) - both for about £100 which is Bruno's rumored transfer fee to Saudi.
Where would Cunha play that would be worth playing him for Manchester United?
As a 10 or a 10 wide player hybrid role probably, or else as a false 9. It would obviously depend on the formation of the next manager.
The WBs in his formation are supposed to be wingers anyway.
It’s amazing how players at other clubs can play multiple positions depending on what the manager wants but our players are all supposed to be specialist despite not being very good at their best position.
It will be a crapshoot lottery whatever we’re aiming for as Dorgu is better suited to playing LB. Wilcox and Berrada are out of their depth same as Amorim.
Yep, this is typically how these things tend to work at most clubs (including the traditional heavyweights).
It's an ex-player who is appointed to the position (with first-hand knowledge of the club and its principles, as well as certain people in the inner circles), like Txiki Begiristain for that Barcelona team, Michael Zorc for Klopp-era Borussia Dortmund, Santiago Solari at Real Madrid right now or Monchi for Sevilla. Or an an executive plucked from a smaller club or someone who rises through the ranks internally, like Beppe Marotta and Luciano Moggi for Juventus or Michael Edwards for Liverpool. Louis Rocca is probably the closest we've had to a great Sporting Director type figure and he started out as a tea boy at Bank Street.
Very rarely does a club succeed with the appointment of a ready-made “superstar” Sporting Director, as the context of their initial success can be difficult to replicate in a new environment with different moving parts and a different set of demands. Having the right ideas, intuitive grasp of deductive principles (a sixth sense for football, as it were), eye for talent (players, coaches and executives), scrupulousness and interpersonal skills are the foremost prerequisites, and they are not directly proportional to top-tier experience.
With regard to Jason Wilcox, he might or might not succeed as Manchester United's de facto Sporting Director (officially only a Technical Director for now). Time will tell. But that will not have much to do with his lack of top-tier experience in a similar role. Silvio Berlusconi plucked Adriano Galliani from Serie B club Monza, Galliani brought Ariedo Braida along with, and they appointed a Serie B coach in Arrigo Sacchi. When Sacchi left they appointed a former player in Fabio Capello. None of these were vastly experienced in the top tiers at the time, yet they delivered multiple historically significant teams.
These are all unlikely to be positions he would present a natural/obvious choice to sign him for by any other United manager. In a 433, a top club would not sign Cunha to play midfield and certainly would not sign him to play on the left. He’s a signing that makes sense for Amorim’s nonsense and little else I’d say.
Who ever is calling the shots should plan the continuity, If we are signing players for 3-4-3 system then the next target manager should be someone playing that formation (Like Palace/Wolves/Inter etc).
It's amazing to see the scouting and planning of clubs like Brighton/Palace and hope we get some success in this summer to lay the good foundations
A good Striker/GK/CM should play well in any system so better we bring in those players along with players like Mbeuno who can play in multiple positions (Winger/No10)
It's amazing to see the scouting and planning of clubs like Brighton/Palace and hope we get some success in this summer to lay the good foundations
A good Striker/GK/CM should play well in any system so better we bring in those players along with players like Mbeuno who can play in multiple positions (Winger/No10)
Played right wing at Lecce when we bought him from them.
I see Bruno as an AM, not a central midfielder, and seeing as we're buying Cunha, I don't think it would make sense to buy another out and out AM. But as you said, it's academic, I don't think that's likely and I hope the trident of Vivell, Wilcox and Berrada are competent enough to see beyond one managerial reign.
If Bruno is sold for 100m that could fund more than 100m cost of players, if we are using future budgets now seeing as we are almost starting from scratch with building a functioning team.
An aside, is Ederson good enough technically?
Huge pressure, as we need like 5-8 Heaven like signings
It'll be a miracle
There is probably a place on Earth where it could happen.
Who knew?
Why? We're spending £62m on the likes of Cunha, it's hardly the actions of a club that needs to try unearth hidden gems.
We dont have a crazy transfer kitty. And we need players who want to join
Anywhere but here
Carlisle, all future signings should be done from a remote office in Carlisle.
Heaven, Yoro, Chido and Kone are all exciting to varying degrees. It stands to reason that he has a good eye for young talent. Leon looks like a talent too.
I imagine this summer will be make or break for him as to weather he gets the full time job of Sporting Director or we look for an Ashworth replacement.
I imagine this summer will be make or break for him as to weather he gets the full time job of Sporting Director or we look for an Ashworth replacement.
What? 8 players costing 1 million that go straight into the first team squad. Why would we need that.
You forgot the white text
I’d prefer 1 million players costing 8.
We’d probably still end up with Hojlund upfront.
Donald Love came first.
He should be left to focus on youth prospects and an ashworth replacement brought in but our execs show little sign they want anyone with a strong voice
We should have got Luis Capos a long time back. Look at his success at Lille/Monaco/PSG.
He got an eye for good talent. we were linked with him back in 2018
He got an eye for good talent. we were linked with him back in 2018
At least aspire to bring in someone of hos quality. But to be fair he is no DoF at United.
Vivell seems to be doing well.
We had Murtough and we don't need Luis Campos.
Now we have Wilcox and we don't need Luis Campos.
See the problem with our club?
Good post.
Your post outlines the reality of football when it comes to the structural side of top tier football clubs and how they're structured. What matters is whe vision of said Director of football and not who he is or where he from. Because if you follow a vision that is proactive/attacking at its core and apply it to the recruitment, then it makes life easier for everyone who is working towards identifying the talent to come in and execute the proactive/attacking ideals.
I'll give Wilcox a pass for last season but he needs to deliver in the summer window and the signings have to make sense as far as playing a more proactive, attacking brand of football.
I couldn't sleep last night thinking of all the mistakes we have been doing in last 12 years.
PSG proved you need money, same time a good DOF...finally they done it just because of sensible recruiting. Guys like Jason could have benefited by having a reputed DOF like Campos and its sad that Campos actually wanted to join UTD back in 2018 but we didn't take it.
It's our inept owners who doesn't have any pride and let the club's image fall by recruiting so poorly over the years....no tittle for 12 years man still they took 1.25B from SJR and no signs of clearing debt or using that money to build a new stadium.
In some way INEOS were responsible to two successes actually. They sold McT which was instrumental for Napoli's title and then bought Ugarte which gave PSG the funds to buy Joao Neves.
It feels like we’re still trying to fit square pegs into round holes with some key leadership positions.
We’ve got Wilcox wearing two hats as technical director and director of football, which seems a bit much. Especially when you consider that his star role so far in his career, is being City's head of academy.
Now we’re bringing Sasoni in from Mercedes to be our analytics director, but he’s never worked in football before. He’s expected to whip up our analytics team from scratch.
And on top of that, we’ve got a new manager who needs a complete squad overhaul to get his style to click.
With our tight budget, there’s hardly any room for error. Yet we seem to be taking a lot of chances. Given Ineos's record at Nice, can't say I'm optimistic for the future.
We’ve got Wilcox wearing two hats as technical director and director of football, which seems a bit much. Especially when you consider that his star role so far in his career, is being City's head of academy.
Now we’re bringing Sasoni in from Mercedes to be our analytics director, but he’s never worked in football before. He’s expected to whip up our analytics team from scratch.
And on top of that, we’ve got a new manager who needs a complete squad overhaul to get his style to click.
With our tight budget, there’s hardly any room for error. Yet we seem to be taking a lot of chances. Given Ineos's record at Nice, can't say I'm optimistic for the future.
I think @Raoul is right, changing an Amorim team to one that suits a more conventional formation won't take ages. The reason we struggled with the transition to his system was because of the deficiencies in our own players, hell, they couldn't play the system the previous manager signed the majority of them for.
In the backline it's just a matter of dropping one CB and getting Dorgu/Shaw and Maz/Dalot to play fullback. The midfield duo is ok, so you drop one 10 for a winger and we usually have a couple of them on the fringes of the team from the youth set up. Depending on what the new manager wants to do, he can use the two 10s with one as an inside forward (Cunha) and the other as a winger (Amad) with an extra CM in there.
We should be more concerned about the physical and technical attributes of our new signings and their suitability to the demands of the PL.
If we could get Cunha, Mbeumo and a decent striker and offload a load of chuff that would massively improve us and should be covered by the 100m plus outgoings of Anthony, Sancho, Rashford and Garnacho.
Can't see much else happening unless Bruno goes.
Can't see much else happening unless Bruno goes.
Just have to wait and see with Wilcox, we are so desperate for players that even if he does pretty well it might be too big a job.
Luis Campos is getting a lot of plaudits as you’d expect but even he has bought a fair few duds at PSG and pissed away a lot of money. He was also fortunate enough to inherit the likes of Donnarumma, Hakimi, Mendes and Marquinhos. Even for someone like Campos this would be a tough ask as we don’t have that kind of foundation or the funds and time to make as many mistakes.
Luis Campos is getting a lot of plaudits as you’d expect but even he has bought a fair few duds at PSG and pissed away a lot of money. He was also fortunate enough to inherit the likes of Donnarumma, Hakimi, Mendes and Marquinhos. Even for someone like Campos this would be a tough ask as we don’t have that kind of foundation or the funds and time to make as many mistakes.
It really makes you wonder what team Campos would've been able to assemble with the funds we've wasted over the last 10 years.