Ole doing background checks on transfer targets

IrishRedDevil

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I thought this was interesting and it sounds like a good strategy moving forward. It’s probably fairly basic stuff to do background checks on players, but with a fair few dud signings in recent years, maybe the basics like this wasn’t being done enough?

Pulling out of the Dybala deal since he wasn’t fully committed to joining is another example of a change.



It’s a photograph on Twitter, so I am unable to post the text.
 
I'll wait to see how our new signings do before praising anything here. Could as well be damage control if we don't sign anybody else.
 
Another hallmark of Fergie. It's a small detail but it makes a big difference.
 
It’s a shame Ole can’t actually do the transfer negotiating as well - the current dynamic duo (slow and slower) could do with being changed ghats for sure
 
I’d probably say this approach was part of the reason why SAF was as successful as he was. He knew personalities and wanted personalities who weren’t too far away from his own personality, in that they were driven to win and wanted to play for the team. They may not have been the most skillful, most exotic or even best players around, but they were the most determined to win and that wins out in his head.

You could have a 6/10 player who wanted to go out there and win, play against a 9/10 player who’d be sulky and just there for a pay check, and the 6/10 player would likely end up on the winning team and the 9/10 would be on the losing team.
 
I get the sentiment, but I'm not sure using Giggs or Hennessey as examples of paragons of virtue, as influencers or being the best judges of characters is the best idea.
 
IrishRedDevil said:
I thought this was interesting and it sounds like a good strategy moving forward. It’s probably fairly basic stuff to do background checks on players, but with a fair few dud signings in recent years, maybe the basics like this wasn’t being done enough?

Pulling out of the Dybala deal since he wasn’t fully committed to joining is another example of a change.



It’s a photograph on Twitter, so I am unable to post the text.
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Which would surprise absolutely no one. In fact if you look at the signings made post Fergie I would imagine you can probably count on one hand how many actually had any form of character witness checks done on them prior to signing - Moyes/Fellaini, LVG/Blind & Schweinsteiger, Mourinho/Ibra & Matic and that's simply because all of those players had already been coached by those managers previously
 
From reading the title I thought we were being raided by Priti Patel.
 
This for me is a huge part of why weve gone to shit under Woodward and the subsequent managers, Gill and Fergie were very thorough with checking potential signings personalities, Woodwards gung ho sign galaticos and the managers who went with it have attracted alot of players hunting fortunes in wages or players with major personality flaws.

Absolutley love that Ole is carrying on Fergies brilliant insight, itl stand us in good stead and we l see a much hardworking, passionate team under Ole

Hes learnt from the best
He gets it

Let him build
 
Of course while Ole may be doing things right in terms of the recruitment, style of play etc etc he'll ultimately be judged on results not his philosophies. In fact I actually think Ole would make a damn good DOF if he fails in the dugout, now that really would be unprecedented sacked as manager but moved upstairs...
 
Should be table stakes for any Premier League club, but at the very least it's a move in the right direction for us.
 
It’s the kind of thing I’ve wondered if we’d just stopped doing Post-Fergie. He was pretty insistent about signing the ‘right’ kind of player first & foremost.

Sure, he occasionally sprinkled the team with stardust, but a huge number of our squad players over the years were good footballers that played above their average ability consistently.

And the ones he got that had the right attitude and we’re top notch footballers speak for themselves.
 
Pulled of Dybala move?

No we pulled out because he and his agent were asking for crazy money. Nothing to do with background checks.
 
The same Hennessey who had never heard of Hitler or the Nazis...
 
charlenefan said:
Of course while Ole may be doing things right in terms of the recruitment, style of play etc etc he'll ultimately be judged on results not his philosophies. In fact I actually think Ole would make a damn good DOF if he fails in the dugout, now that really would be unprecedented sacked as manager but moved upstairs...
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Why would he be a great DOF? There’s nothing to suggest that especially with how many failed signings he made at Cardiff.
 
Bojan11 said:
Pulled of Dybala move?

No we pulled out because he and his agent were asking for crazy money. Nothing to do with background checks.
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Money yes but also the fact that he did not really want to be here. I think we would have continued to negotiate the salary if he had given an indication he wanted the move but every action he took over the last 3 days made it clear that he didn't really want to leave Juve and considered United to be beneath him.
 
Good scouting on AWB. If anyone knows a thing or two about former right-wingers it’s Wayne Hennessey.
 
The key difference here is that the manager doesn't believe in their own ego to substantially influence someone's core character. Mourinho thought he could mould people into whatever he wanted completely disregarding who and what they are as a person. Great stuff.
 
a Director of Football should be leading this

a Director of Football with a well-developed network of trusted scouts and sources

much wider net than relying on old teammates

still it's a good approach from Ole
 
Bojan11 said:
Pulled of Dybala move?

No we pulled out because he and his agent were asking for crazy money. Nothing to do with background checks.
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OP mentioned that we pulled out of the Dybala transfer as another step in changing our transfer policy. The club refused to give in to an extortinate player demand to come play for the club. We signed Alexis Sanchez to fantasy money and it's currently the worst contract in football.
 
I mean he's asking people he knows for their opinions on transfer targets...hardly seems revolutionary, but it's a sensible sign i guess.
 
Is this the new "no value in the market".

BBC Journo when we are in 11 th place with no midfielders : "Why didnt you buy a midfielder in the summer?"
Ole: "There was noone available with the right mentality"

Don't get me wrong if this is genuine ... great, but I am in meltdown mode as we approach a new season with Matic and Lingard as possible main players in our first team and it sounds like a ready made excuse for not buying.
 
References are common place in the professional environment, I doubt football is any different. This is hardly anything revolutionary
 
Bojan11 said:
Pulled of Dybala move?

No we pulled out because he and his agent were asking for crazy money. Nothing to do with background checks.
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If you read the whole article it mentions about checks on players having the right attitude for the club. They pulled out of the Dybala deal because he would only be coming for the money as he clearly didn’t want to join us. Which means his attitude wasn’t right for the club, which is what this talks about.
 
Bojan11 said:
Why would he be a great DOF? There’s nothing to suggest that especially with how many failed signings he made at Cardiff.
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Cardiff was his first big managerial appointment (I say big because ya know the Norwegian league) I think he deserves some slack on that one. Everything Ole is trying to do here is right the only thing that remains a question is his ability to implement it
 
I guess it was just coincidence that many on here doubted Dybala "had the right kind of character" to play for United before we wasted time trying to get him.
 
Bojan11 said:
Why would he be a great DOF? There’s nothing to suggest that especially with how many failed signings he made at Cardiff.
Click to expand...

He's talking to people. That's some unheard of revolutionary shit on the Ingurlish soil as everyday struggles such as hunting mammoths and failing to start a fire take most of the time to the British neanderthals.

Honestly though, it's the same type of idiotic article we've had before and before. With LVG it was planting trees around Carrington so the wind's stopped and throwing out rectangular tables in favour of round ones. With Mourinho it was inviting over SAF to the training ground as if he had been banned by the security from constant alcohol drinking and pissing at the doors, etc.

New season (manager?), same shit.
 
Really don't get what's so impressive here. Shouldn't it be the default that you ask for character references? I mean, you need them for minimum wage jobs. Big whoop. Sounds like something from nothing.
 
It's signs of a good approach. I like it but the work doesn't stop there. The signings still have to pan out in terms of quality. The major trait of SAF was being able to do this and still sign quality contributors
 
Phil Jones Face said:
I get the sentiment, but I'm not sure using Giggs or Hennessey as examples of paragons of virtue, as influencers or being the best judges of characters is the best idea.
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In terms of football-related character, they're likely reliable. Personal life virtue and footballing/team virtues aren't necessarily linked.
 
Tbh did he have to go into extensive background checks on the likes of awb and Maguire, you can tell even from the outside looking in that these are the type of characters that would be welcomed at the club along with their ability.
 
The bit about Sanchez is worrying. I said at the time he was a bad influence and it was clear from his time at Arsenal. Of course the muppets don't listen to reasonable questions or observations. They thought the club knew best, well it seems even they couldn't see it until after the fact when somebody from Arsenal told them.
 
pocco said:
The bit about Sanchez is worrying. I said at the time he was a bad influence and it was clear from his time at Arsenal. Of course the muppets don't listen to reasonable questions or observations. They thought the club knew best, well it seems even they couldn't see it until after the fact when somebody from Arsenal told them.
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Where is the bit about Sanchez? I can't see it in the original twitter post.
 
Reapersoul20 said:
Where is the bit about Sanchez? I can't see it in the original twitter post.
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United have not always applied full due diligence in recent transfer windows. By the time one person connected to the club found out that Alexis Sanchez was characterised as a loner at Arsenal, downright sullen at times, United had already made him their highest-earner on £500,000 a week.

Contacts at the Emirates were not then surprised to hear of similar reports of Sanchez’s behaviour once at Carrington. Ideally the Chilean would be gone but his wages act as a golden anchor.
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