The board versus the fans 2018/2019

Pogue Mahone

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Yeah.

I was fully on board with the green and gold campaign. Hate the Glazers and what they did to our club, for a while we were in massive jeopardy. It was only Fergie that got us out of that minefield.

Since then they have spent a feckload. Hired managers who have done poorly but I thought made sense. The only thing I’m massively disappointed with was the hiring of Mourinho. Thought it went against the club ethos and philosophy but so many people wanted him, so cest la vie.
His appointment made sense in that he was a proven winner and the last two guys had turned us into a club where mid-table teams expected to rock up to OT and roll us over. Shocking state of affairs. Say what you want about Mourinho but he’s at least stopped the rot in that regard. Just seems unable to kick on from there. So far anyway. Plus he’s a dick.
 

SER19

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Its a pretty shite record. But I don't think there's a manager out there who could match Fergie. It was always gonna suck for about a decade after Fergie went.

Perspective needed. Under them, we have generated more revenue than ever, also spent more on transfers than ever, never interferes with team decisions, reformed thr women's team, revamped the scouting and youth structure.

What more do you want?
Well what I want can’t happen, because the last five years have been disastrous on there part. They backed us well sure, but here we are now saying oh good on the board not wanting to overpay after overseeing 3 years of appalling signings. They’re achieving hugely in a commercial sense, I see mostly chaos from a footballing point of view. A whole lot of guess work.
 

Ikon

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Can't really point the finger of blame at the board not supporting managers in the transfer market since SAF retired, they have sanctioned the release of hundreds of millions and landed big names such as Pogba, Di Maria, Sanchez, Lukaku, Martial.....

But there is clearly something "off" about this window.
Something is going on behind the scenes, because it's 100% guaranteed that Mourinho would have wanted to spend big again and he would have handed in a wishlist months ago.
The total failure to deliver on any of these targets, really has me puzzled.
I cannot believe that all of the targets were completely unattainable.
I cannot believe that we lack the negotiating skills.
I cannot believe that we lack a substantial transfer kitty.

Is it because the board want Mourinho to resign?
Are they forcing him out..?
 

VanGaalyTime

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Oh, my Gosh, MUST has said so, so it must be true. Putin also said that Russia didn't intervene in US' election, so move along.
Comparing MUST to Putin. Haha. Look, it's at least 500 million, but who knows how much more given all the interest and other payments made since 2012 when this article was written: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/d...og/2012/feb/22/manchester-united-glazers-debt

The point is, the Glazers now owe United for the years of lack of spending between 2009 and 2013 (the reason we're in this mess in the first place). Now we need signings and I can only foresee massive protests throughout the season if things begin to go wrong on the field, which they surely will at some point. It might not be till February, but people are going to get angry and their anger will rightly be directed at the board.
 

RedPed

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Yep, time to back out when asked to express a thought beyond your over simplified interpretations.
You're obviously very disillusioned with the board. I don't have a problem with them. Yeah they probably could have done better in the window this season. But we still have a squad good enough to challenge so we shall wait and see. I'm not getting worked up about it!
 

SER19

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yeah but they were all bollocks.
Haha, fantastic bluntness, what a character. Hope you get a green smiley or two. You’re right, hiring David Moyes for this job on a 6 year contract was a great decision and that first window was just textbook stuff from Woodward. I’m sorry for talking bollocks about that.
 

SER19

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You're obviously very disillusioned with the board. I don't have a problem with them. Yeah they probably could have done better in the window this season. But we still have a squad good enough to challenge so we shall wait and see. I'm not getting worked up about it!
Read my posts about footballing side if you can be bothered, I’m not worked up about that either and am looking forward to tomorrow night. I can separate the two. And I’m tired of seeing players managers and everything else thrown under the bus when the one constant over 5 years is the current off field set up. Are we not allowed to query whether or not THIS is a problem?
 

bleedred

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Okay well after that semantic dismantling let’s all agree fans shouldn’t have an opinion when the club hasn’t won or come close to winning a title in half a decade and look further away from Europe’s elite since the early 90s. The evidence is there to see
And it would be rightful to criticse the board if they had taken no action to rectify the things you mentioned. Your criticism of the board would be valid, for example, say, if we persisted with a manager, who just kept us in top 4 for 3 years and didn't investment much. Rather, they have consistently looked to change when things haven't gone well.
 

Massive Spanner

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Haha, fantastic bluntness, what a character. Hope you get a green smiley or two. You’re right, hiring David Moyes for this job on a 6 year contract was a great decision and that first window was just textbook stuff from Woodward. I’m sorry for talking bollocks about that.
I already responded individually to each of those points and agreed on Moyes, and disagreed with the others. You were unable to explain why any of the others were bad decisions by the board.

Now you are yet again just using the Moyes one when my last question was "what have they done wrong apart from Moyes?"
 

SER19

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Can you call Jose fecking Mourinho a dud though ? I am far from being his biggest fan at all but the guy has a top notch CV, and is usually considered an "instant success" manager. For whatever reason it did not work out and maybe the game has passed him by, but I am not sure how the board would be able to forsee that development.
Yep hiring mourinho was a good move. I think sticking with him might even save them further, he steadied the ship in his first two years. But has been let down this season, hard to kick on without what he thinks we need to achieve that
 

SER19

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I already responded individually to each of those points and agreed on Moyes, and disagreed with the others. You were unable to explain why any of the others were bad decisions by the board.

Now you are yet again just using the Moyes one when my last question was "what have they done wrong apart from Moyes?"
No no, I didn’t do that, you said my original post was ‘all bollocks’ despite clearly not being the case. Forgive me for not engaging in any meaningul dialogue with a poster who made that post. Personally I’m not sure there’s a point?
 

The Firestarter

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Yep hiring mourinho was a good move. I think sticking with him might even save them further, he steadied the ship in his first two years. But has been let down this season, hard to kick on without what he thinks we need to achieve that
Also would be interesting if he shares who his targets were at some point. It may turn out he had a bit unrealistic wishes.
 

SER19

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Can only comment on what I see and it was one personal comment about your aggression. Two of we want to count attention seeking. Maybe if you didn’t fly off the handle so easily you’d get less comments on how angry you are.
Thanks man, can I send a pm if I need a chat?
 

SER19

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Also would be interesting if he shares who his targets were at some point. It may turn out he had a bit unrealistic wishes.
Would be keen to know but don’t see how he can do that publically withiut accused of saying player x y z is better than his own. Best if they stay nameless. I’d guess alderweireld and Maguire were up there.
 

Revan

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Can't really point the finger of blame at the board not supporting managers in the transfer market since SAF retired, they have sanctioned the release of hundreds of millions and landed big names such as Pogba, Di Maria, Sanchez, Lukaku, Martial.....

But there is clearly something "off" about this window.
Something is going on behind the scenes, because it's 100% guaranteed that Mourinho would have wanted to spend big again and he would have handed in a wishlist months ago.
The total failure to deliver on any of these targets, really has me puzzled.
I cannot believe that all of the targets were completely unattainable.
I cannot believe that we lack the negotiating skills.
I cannot believe that we lack a substantial transfer kitty.

Is it because the board want Mourinho to resign?
Are they forcing him out..?
Hard to know so we can only speculate. My list of speculation:

1) Mourinho handed a list of transfers containing players that didn't want to come here, like Bale.

2) Players were attainable but cost ridiculous money and the club's (maybe including Mourinho) found it too much. Maybe Leicester and Chelsea asked for 100m for Maguire and Willian, etc.

3) Club's policy doesn't agree with Mourinho's targets. For example, club - rightfully so - might not be in the same page with Mourinho about big transfers for players with 0 resale and marketing value like Willian and Perisic. In this case, it should have been communicated clearly. Maybe it has, and then Mourinho leaked that we were just a few millions away from getting Perisic to put pressure and blame on Ed, and then Ed didn't like it.

4) Club doesn't have near as much money as we think. The profit most likely (after interest payment and dividend) was around 150m, but we owned to other clubs around half of it from last seasons. We needed to sell some players in order to get new players.

5) Wage bill might be a problem. For example, we have 10 senior defenders, we just cannot stockpile players without getting rid of some of them. How many CBs we need, we have already 5 + youngsters?!

6) Club wants Mourinho to show and justify that he is the right manager without giving him another 200m to spend. Maybe they just aren't ready to sell Martial yet in order for Mourinho to get Willian for one season, knowing that Mourinho might well self-explode this season. Like Chelsea which were unable to turn time back for De Bruyne, Salah and Lukaku, we might not be able to turn time back for Martial and Pogba.

7) Neither of this, it just wasn't meant to be. No one wants signings more than Perez but Madrid has a negative net spent in the last 5 years. It is a long game and the club might be willing to play it instead of just signing the first semi-decent player which is semi-available for 80m pounds.
 

The Firestarter

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Would be keen to know but don’t see how he can do that publically withiut accused of saying player x y z is better than his own. Best if they stay nameless. I’d guess alderweireld and Maguire were up there.
He has usually no problems throwing players under the bus, but anyway I presume if they sack him, he will spill the beans.
 

Snafu17

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Shouldn’t this go in the “penny-pinching Glazers” thread?

Of course, if I’m on the board I’d be counting up the money already spent by Mourinho (plus the salaries paid to his squad) and wondering how the feck any fan could have the brass neck to blame a lack of investment on our current situation.
I mean yeah, we clearly should be in a better situation but pulling the handbrake halfway through the managers stint does seem ridiculously stupid. Especially since fingers could've easily also be pointed at the board for overspending in the first place.
 

Peyroteo

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Oh good, I can already see the narrative for this season is going to be the board are at fault for all our failings because they didn't give Mourinho another £200m to spend. Give it a rest already, they have spent a fecking fortune and a lot of it has been wasted on shit by three managers. We're nothing like Arsenal.
Manchester United have the third best squad in the league at best, that’s a problem when you’ve spent the money you’ve spent and the club clearly has no direction footballing wise.

That’s not the manager’s problem.

Mourinho hasn’t done great but he’s far from being the main problem. Does anyone believe firing him and getting Allegri or Pochettino would solve anything?
 

simonhch

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Shouldn’t this go in the “penny-pinching Glazers” thread?

Of course, if I’m on the board I’d be counting up the money already spent by Mourinho (plus the salaries paid to his squad) and wondering how the feck any fan could have the brass neck to blame a lack of investment on our current situation.
Exactly this. It need to be reiterated that Mourinho alone has spent 411m in the last two seasons. Then there is the money LVG spent.

Board appointed Moyes on Fergie’s recommendation. Appointed LVG to steady the ship (which he did). Were ruthless enough to sack him despite winning the FA cup, and then appointed fan favourite Mourinho to win trophies, and backed him to the tune of over 400m.

What the board is guilty of in my opinion is (a) not having a coherent sporting strategy (b) being too risk adverse in it’s managerial appointments. But one can’t complain about investment, not when we’ve been throwing money around like a coked out bachelor at a strip joint.
 

Kostur

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Manchester United have the third best squad in the league at best, that’s a problem when you’ve spent the money you’ve spent and the club clearly has no direction footballing wise.

That’s not the manager’s problem.

Mourinho hasn’t done great but he’s far from being the main problem. Does anyone believe firing him and getting Allegri or Pochettino would solve anything?
Cannot wait for this meme to die.
 

Revan

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Comparing MUST to Putin. Haha. Look, it's at least 500 million, but who knows how much more given all the interest and other payments made since 2012 when this article was written: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/d...og/2012/feb/22/manchester-united-glazers-debt

The point is, the Glazers now owe United for the years of lack of spending between 2009 and 2013 (the reason we're in this mess in the first place). Now we need signings and I can only foresee massive protests throughout the season if things begin to go wrong on the field, which they surely will at some point. It might not be till February, but people are going to get angry and their anger will rightly be directed at the board.
Yep, it is more than likely above 500m, but not much more than it. That also doesn't contain the money we save on taxes, the hypothetical payments the previous PLC was giving to their investers and the large commercial growth Glazers, Gill and Ed made. So more than likely, it is less money lost than it would have been under the previous ownership.

We are not in mess cause of under investment from 2008 to 2010 (we spent plenty on 2011 and 2012). Since Fergie left, we have signed at least 25 players (might miss someone), which is a full squad (slightly more).

MUST has been a propaganda tool for years, which an agenda. And now still speak the same lies despite being proven continuously wrong.
 

SER19

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Exactly this. It need to be reiterated that Mourinho alone has spent 411m in the last two seasons. Then there is the money LVG spent.

Board appointed Moyes on Fergie’s recommendation. Appointed LVG to steady the ship (which he did). Were ruthless enough to sack him despite winning the FA cup, and then appointed fan favourite Mourinho to win trophies, and backed him to the tune of over 400m.

What the board is guilty of in my opinion is (a) not having a coherent sporting strategy (b) being too risk adverse in it’s managerial appointments.
These are two significant failings, let’s say mourinho goes in the next two years, with what you’ve said in mind, are you confident these guys will get us on the right track?

If no, then starting to talk about this board is more than merited
 

ivaldo

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Oh for the love of god stop with these stupid fecking threads!
 

simonhch

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These are two significant failings, let’s say mourinho goes in the next two years, with what you’ve said in mind, are you confident these guys will get us on the right track?

If no, then starting to talk about this board is more than merited
I don’t disagree with that sentiment. And for what it’s worth I think Mourinho will be gone inside 12 months. I think the key issue is that neither the Glazers or Woodward are football people. They are business people. We need someone in place to oversee the football side of the business with some long term strategic intent.
 

SER19

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I don’t disagree with that sentiment. And for what it’s worth I think Mourinho will be gone inside 12 months.
So there we go. Too many people have reacted to my concerns in monetary terms alone. There’s huge concern about where we’re going if this season doesn’t turn into a great one. I truly think these guys are just going to keep doing the same things and don’t trust them at all to redirect the club
 

Bastian

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@Damien When we get the customary Jose poll, could we also have a poll asking what is our biggest problem: a) squad b) manager c) board ?
 

MoskvaRed

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My main issue with the Board is a seeming lack of strategy or vision on the football side rather than lack of investment. We have gone from the supposed old school, Fergie-style dynasty builder (Moyes) to a Dutch school philosopher to a short-term win at all costs cynic. The last two appointments were reactive crisis-management rather than an attempt to establish some form of long-term football identity. Other than selling the club as Disneyland for managers, what exactly is Woodward trying to achieve with the football team as opposed to the commercial juggernaut?
 

liamp

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Can I ask a general question to people who talk about "the Board." Which board committee do you think influences transfer activity and who are the members of that committee? Feels like threads like these paint a picture of some internal shadow organization that doesn't exist
 
Last edited:

JohnnyKills

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Hard to know so we can only speculate. My list of speculation:

1) Mourinho handed a list of transfers containing players that didn't want to come here, like Bale.

2) Players were attainable but cost ridiculous money and the club's (maybe including Mourinho) found it too much. Maybe Leicester and Chelsea asked for 100m for Maguire and Willian, etc.

3) Club's policy doesn't agree with Mourinho's targets. For example, club - rightfully so - might not be in the same page with Mourinho about big transfers for players with 0 resale and marketing value like Willian and Perisic. In this case, it should have been communicated clearly. Maybe it has, and then Mourinho leaked that we were just a few millions away from getting Perisic to put pressure and blame on Ed, and then Ed didn't like it.

4) Club doesn't have near as much money as we think. The profit most likely (after interest payment and dividend) was around 150m, but we owned to other clubs around half of it from last seasons. We needed to sell some players in order to get new players.

5) Wage bill might be a problem. For example, we have 10 senior defenders, we just cannot stockpile players without getting rid of some of them. How many CBs we need, we have already 5 + youngsters?!

6) Club wants Mourinho to show and justify that he is the right manager without giving him another 200m to spend. Maybe they just aren't ready to sell Martial yet in order for Mourinho to get Willian for one season, knowing that Mourinho might well self-explode this season. Like Chelsea which were unable to turn time back for De Bruyne, Salah and Lukaku, we might not be able to turn time back for Martial and Pogba.

7) Neither of this, it just wasn't meant to be. No one wants signings more than Perez but Madrid has a negative net spent in the last 5 years. It is a long game and the club might be willing to play it instead of just signing the first semi-decent player which is semi-available for 80m pounds.
All very plausible. Love the idea of someone self-exploding as well.
 

VanGaalyTime

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Yep, it is more than likely above 500m, but not much more than it. That also doesn't contain the money we save on taxes, the hypothetical payments the previous PLC was giving to their investers and the large commercial growth Glazers, Gill and Ed made. So more than likely, it is less money lost than it would have been under the previous ownership.

We are not in mess cause of under investment from 2008 to 2010 (we spent plenty on 2011 and 2012). Since Fergie left, we have signed at least 25 players (might miss someone), which is a full squad (slightly more).

MUST has been a propaganda tool for years, which an agenda. And now still speak the same lies despite being proven continuously wrong.
How do you explain our inability to replace Ronaldo or our lack of spending compared with City, Chelsea, Liverpool and others during that period of time? How have Liverpool been allowed to spend world record fees on their defence and goalkeeping positions, with City spending 50m for each defender in their team while United can't seem to find the extra money for ANY defender this window? Surely even you must admit that the club isn't spending according to their wealth. Do you honestly believe we can win the league and/or champions league with this squad?
 

SER19

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Can I ask a general question to people who blame "the Board." Which board committee do you think influences transfer activity and who are the members of that committee? Feels like threads like these paint a picture of some internal shadow organization that doesn't exist
The board is primarily made up of the glazer family, who have one single interest here. The public face beyond them is Woodward who talks a big talk but doesn't walk it very much. The other board members i cant claim to know much of, but think that surely some self reflection would recognise the need for somebody new or a change in thought that projects a notion of a sporting vision
 

Oneunited26

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The club dubs itself the richest and biggest club in the world and they haggle over key positions in defence because it may not sell shirts it seems. When we were out top 4 they threw money at it, now they are in a comfy top 4 position they tighten the wallets. I don’t know why fans even give these scumbags a penny, has much as I love United I refuse to give any money to a club taking the fans for mugs. It may not effect the club me not given a penny to them since 2009, but it’s a principle

But? On the other hand with today’s football, there is so many clubs well off money wise it’s making it very hard to buy players, so the question is? The club and mourinho need to develop players more from within or scout better, because buying from clubs these days is like dealing with top rivals, clubs just don’t need to sell, and not to mention how the PL clubs agreed to shut the window this early is so beyond a farce, we have given European clubs the upper hand. But we defiantly in a dark era of glazer economics, where spending 40 million is like taking one shilling out of Scrooge’s perse and with these owners, we never going to be top dogs has long as the glazers and Woodward continue to run this shit show
 

Revan

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Can I ask a general question to people who blame "the Board." Which board committee do you think influences transfer activity and who are the members of that committee? Feels like threads like these paint a picture of some internal shadow organization that doesn't exist
Main board is Ed, Arnold and a bunch of Glazers. Bar having the number of how much we can spend (or some emergency issue like Messi is available for 100m we don't have, can we have some extra money please), I don't think that they care much for the transfers. Then there is some other board with the likes of Fergie, Bobby etc but it doesn't look that they have any power and they are more like ambassadors rather than directors.

So almost certainly, it is just Ed and his team (maybe some advice from SAF etc).