I'm getting fed-up of reading nonsense about the club's current activity in the transfer market being somehow related to cost-cutting or 'penny-pinching'.
Let's just get one thing clear before I start - the club is currently in the state it is in BECAUSE of the Glazers. This is fact. I don't even think it's a debate anymore. They leveraged the club with debt, cut-costs between 2005-2010 and appointed non-footballing men like Woodward to run the club.
I also want to make clear that I have previously criticised the Glazers spending. Their frugality between 2005-2010, caused directly by high-interest loans which needed to be repaid, cost the club it's place at the top table of European football and to a large extent, we've been trying to catch-up ever since.
However, to say that the transfer activity in the last window was somehow a cost-cutting exercise (or even their activity post-SAF) really does get me wound up. I'm sick of hearing that phrase. It's all over Twitter and my Utd-supporting mates are constantly parroting this nonsense in every single conversation about the club.
First of all, it makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever. If your a business owner and you've got a goose that lays golden eggs, you don't sell that goose for it's meat or starve it trying to save money on corn. Yes, the Glazers and Woodward are/have been incompetent but they're clearly not doing this deliberately and we're clearly not in the state we're in because of lack of investment* in players.
*Yes investment is a valid term to use before some moron pipes up with 'they haven't invested it's our money'. Valid point - the Glazers haven't invested any money from their personal assets in the club. Invalid point - 'the Glazers haven't invested any money in transfers/players'.
Second of all, I think Utd fans really need to re-set their expectations on what they think an acceptable amount to spend is every Summer. I've pointed out elsewhere that when it comes to winning titles and major European trophies, we have probably fallen behind the likes of PSG and Manchester City in the spending stakes. However, there are very few clubs in world football who have spent more than us over the last 7 years, if any (including wages). It shouldn't be necessary to spend £200m every Summer to have a squad capable of challenging. It's also important to talk about wages because, again as I've previously stated, Utd have always targeted a wage/turnover ratio of about 50%. We were right on the threshold of this after Jose's tenure and we had virtually nothing to show for it! Therefore, if we want new players in, we have to get players out. This is just good governance. I'm sorry, I want the club to spend a billion every window - providing we can do so in a financially sustainable way - but we CAN'T.
Furthermore, I would be very interested to know what the average Utd fan thinks our 'profits' are at the end of every season. Last season, we actually made a £50m loss (granted we were paying off/restructuring tax payments) but we can't afford to spend £200m every Summer. It's just a fact. If your a fan of Utd and you wanted the club to spend another £100m last Summer (probably gets you one top player), you're advocating risking the clubs financial stability.
Again, I'm sorry if you're looking across town with jealously at the rich kids in blue but they're not a business, they're a toy/PR vehicle for a very, very rich NATION. Also, this will stop now, they've pushed the limits of FFP as far as they will go and will now have to increase revenues to spend more. Something they are massively struggling to do after the initial sharp increase that comes with going from being a Championship-sized club to being a successful Global brand. They are now going to have to be run in a financially stable way and they won't be spending £200m+ very often again, if ever.
Thirdly, the question I keep asking is 'if it's all about penny-pinching, why not sell Rashford, Martial or Pogba last Summer?'. The Glazers, as bad as they have been, have never sold a player who wanted to stay/the club wanted to keep. Ronaldo left because SAF promised him he could go, not because the Glazers forced a sale. Name me one player we've wanted to keep they've forced a manager to sell? I can't think of one. If it's about quick-wins, why didn't they force out Scholes, Giggs, Ferdinand, Vidic and why now do they supposedly let 6/7 players go to 'cut-costs' when they could make all that cash back with the sale of one player? In fact, if I remember rightly, Jose wanted to SELL Martial and the Glazers said 'No'!!!
Finally, I'm sick of this 'why didn't we replace Player X' nonsense....again, I'm sorry if most of your experience of transfers comes from Football Manager 2019 but we were never going to buy eight in one window, and nor should we. I guarantee that had we done this, four at least would have flopped and we'd have been talking about more deadwood to offload in 18-months time. Far better to sign two 'banker' players for big money every window, at the right age, than buy hordes of sh**e and hope some of it comes good! I see very few players who went in the Summer window who were attainable AND desirable so I'm happy to accept it's going to take time! Build with players like Maguire and AWB until we're in a position to attract the De Ligt's, the De Jong's and the Joao Felix's of the next Summer windows.
So let's just calm down a bit and get our facts right, otherwise, we just look like idiots when we're phoning into TalkSport banging on about 'saving money' and 'not spending'. See summary below;
- The Glazers have significantly harmed Manchester Utd
- Spending was curtailed between 2005-2010 because we had high-interest PIK loans to repay
However, post-SAF
- The club/the Glazers have spend a s**t tonne on transfers and wages
- The club sold players in the Summer who were deemed not good enough to take the club forward, as decided by THE MANAGER....I have no issue with this
- Again in the Summer, we spent £50m on a teenage RB and £80m on a CB....I really fail to see how this tallies with 'cost-cutting'. Cost-cutting is selling Lukaku and buying nobody.
So my point is, it's perfectly possible to believe the Glazers HAVE harmed the club immeasurably but still NOT trot out this nonsense about 'penny-pinching' and Wooward 'pulling the wool over our eyes'. We spend huge amounts of money, without risking ourselves financially, but we make TERRIBLE decisions, or did make until this Summer just gone.
Let's not strangle this new start in it's crib because we can't see past one Summer or one game. Let the re-build take it's course because every time we tear up a plan and start again, we set ourselves back 3/4 years
Let's just get one thing clear before I start - the club is currently in the state it is in BECAUSE of the Glazers. This is fact. I don't even think it's a debate anymore. They leveraged the club with debt, cut-costs between 2005-2010 and appointed non-footballing men like Woodward to run the club.
I also want to make clear that I have previously criticised the Glazers spending. Their frugality between 2005-2010, caused directly by high-interest loans which needed to be repaid, cost the club it's place at the top table of European football and to a large extent, we've been trying to catch-up ever since.
However, to say that the transfer activity in the last window was somehow a cost-cutting exercise (or even their activity post-SAF) really does get me wound up. I'm sick of hearing that phrase. It's all over Twitter and my Utd-supporting mates are constantly parroting this nonsense in every single conversation about the club.
First of all, it makes absolutely zero sense whatsoever. If your a business owner and you've got a goose that lays golden eggs, you don't sell that goose for it's meat or starve it trying to save money on corn. Yes, the Glazers and Woodward are/have been incompetent but they're clearly not doing this deliberately and we're clearly not in the state we're in because of lack of investment* in players.
*Yes investment is a valid term to use before some moron pipes up with 'they haven't invested it's our money'. Valid point - the Glazers haven't invested any money from their personal assets in the club. Invalid point - 'the Glazers haven't invested any money in transfers/players'.
Second of all, I think Utd fans really need to re-set their expectations on what they think an acceptable amount to spend is every Summer. I've pointed out elsewhere that when it comes to winning titles and major European trophies, we have probably fallen behind the likes of PSG and Manchester City in the spending stakes. However, there are very few clubs in world football who have spent more than us over the last 7 years, if any (including wages). It shouldn't be necessary to spend £200m every Summer to have a squad capable of challenging. It's also important to talk about wages because, again as I've previously stated, Utd have always targeted a wage/turnover ratio of about 50%. We were right on the threshold of this after Jose's tenure and we had virtually nothing to show for it! Therefore, if we want new players in, we have to get players out. This is just good governance. I'm sorry, I want the club to spend a billion every window - providing we can do so in a financially sustainable way - but we CAN'T.
Furthermore, I would be very interested to know what the average Utd fan thinks our 'profits' are at the end of every season. Last season, we actually made a £50m loss (granted we were paying off/restructuring tax payments) but we can't afford to spend £200m every Summer. It's just a fact. If your a fan of Utd and you wanted the club to spend another £100m last Summer (probably gets you one top player), you're advocating risking the clubs financial stability.
Again, I'm sorry if you're looking across town with jealously at the rich kids in blue but they're not a business, they're a toy/PR vehicle for a very, very rich NATION. Also, this will stop now, they've pushed the limits of FFP as far as they will go and will now have to increase revenues to spend more. Something they are massively struggling to do after the initial sharp increase that comes with going from being a Championship-sized club to being a successful Global brand. They are now going to have to be run in a financially stable way and they won't be spending £200m+ very often again, if ever.
Thirdly, the question I keep asking is 'if it's all about penny-pinching, why not sell Rashford, Martial or Pogba last Summer?'. The Glazers, as bad as they have been, have never sold a player who wanted to stay/the club wanted to keep. Ronaldo left because SAF promised him he could go, not because the Glazers forced a sale. Name me one player we've wanted to keep they've forced a manager to sell? I can't think of one. If it's about quick-wins, why didn't they force out Scholes, Giggs, Ferdinand, Vidic and why now do they supposedly let 6/7 players go to 'cut-costs' when they could make all that cash back with the sale of one player? In fact, if I remember rightly, Jose wanted to SELL Martial and the Glazers said 'No'!!!
Finally, I'm sick of this 'why didn't we replace Player X' nonsense....again, I'm sorry if most of your experience of transfers comes from Football Manager 2019 but we were never going to buy eight in one window, and nor should we. I guarantee that had we done this, four at least would have flopped and we'd have been talking about more deadwood to offload in 18-months time. Far better to sign two 'banker' players for big money every window, at the right age, than buy hordes of sh**e and hope some of it comes good! I see very few players who went in the Summer window who were attainable AND desirable so I'm happy to accept it's going to take time! Build with players like Maguire and AWB until we're in a position to attract the De Ligt's, the De Jong's and the Joao Felix's of the next Summer windows.
So let's just calm down a bit and get our facts right, otherwise, we just look like idiots when we're phoning into TalkSport banging on about 'saving money' and 'not spending'. See summary below;
- The Glazers have significantly harmed Manchester Utd
- Spending was curtailed between 2005-2010 because we had high-interest PIK loans to repay
However, post-SAF
- The club/the Glazers have spend a s**t tonne on transfers and wages
- The club sold players in the Summer who were deemed not good enough to take the club forward, as decided by THE MANAGER....I have no issue with this
- Again in the Summer, we spent £50m on a teenage RB and £80m on a CB....I really fail to see how this tallies with 'cost-cutting'. Cost-cutting is selling Lukaku and buying nobody.
So my point is, it's perfectly possible to believe the Glazers HAVE harmed the club immeasurably but still NOT trot out this nonsense about 'penny-pinching' and Wooward 'pulling the wool over our eyes'. We spend huge amounts of money, without risking ourselves financially, but we make TERRIBLE decisions, or did make until this Summer just gone.
Let's not strangle this new start in it's crib because we can't see past one Summer or one game. Let the re-build take it's course because every time we tear up a plan and start again, we set ourselves back 3/4 years
