What I Want

[BR7]

What I wanted is basically already gone. I wanted the board to deliver:

Sancho
Van de Beek or Grealish
Reguilon or Telles
Upamecano

If they had delivered this, with Cavani or the young players we actually have signed, I'd have been very happy.

I would then expect Ole to get top 4, but come to an agreement (however unfair it may sound) that we would be replacing him at the end of the season regardless of if he finished in the top 4 (obviously, you don't tell him that until late on....). Assuming we sold the right players we'd look in a strong position. A top class manager would then be required to come and take over what would look like a very strong squad. We sell the surplus to requirement players again and add some more depth. Expect to challenge for the title after the first year of the new manager taking over such a squad.

Now, I am basically assuming Ole will be sacked and we're practically starting again from a staggered position of the process. We might as well pull the plug soon though so the new manager can assess the squad and decide who to sign instead since Sancho felt like a make-or-break signing.

Do you think any manager of the top current crop want to work with Woodward? I think one of the young up and coming managers would but I don’t think someone like Poch would want to work with Woodward

 

[Havak]

Do you think any manager of the top current crop want to work with Woodward? I think one of the young up and coming managers would but I don’t think someone like Poch would want to work with Woodward

We have to try and get someone who is seen as a good tactical manager as I do buy into the argument that Ole is sadly not. He will have done his job if he could keep this squad happy, together, and have sold the bad eggs or at least players that us fans have been calling for to be sold for a while. I think that people can agree that regardless of how we have done or how inept they believe Ole is, this feels like the makings of a better squad than any post-Fergie side. Maybe some will disagree, but I think this is a better group with a lot of players not even in their prime yet.

However, it does seem like van Gaal and Mourinho have been truthful in the way they have described their time at Manchester United. If this transfer window is anything to go by with who we were supposedly linked to (can never be fully sure), it looks like they were correct. Manager's are being handicapped by the board and getting chopped when they underacheive.

I cannot fathom how we are expected to finish above clubs spending either more money or wiser money at the key points of the building process, especially now that we have a worse manager than every side expected to finish in the top 8 bar Chelsea. It feels like the board are asking someone to run a 100m race against Usain Bolt & Justin Gatlin but we're going to cut one of your legs off first.

 

[OleTheGreat]

Ok, so who is the Sporting Director of your choice and is ole in your long term plans? Do you back him with the money and as the CEO how long before you expect results from your manager? If not ole what type of football playing manager do you want?

It is pretty straight forward, new DoF, Poch and an attacking play style

 

[Flying high]

Can anyone afford us at the moment? Very few individuals can afford to buy us that’s the problem.

The Glazers couldn't afford us. Yet here we are.

My point was simply that if squeezed enough, the Glazers will sell. We as fans(consumers) have the ability to apply that pressure. All we need is enough collective anger and coordination.

 

[Pav1878]

I want a defined style of play, a good football structure to the club where footballing decisions are made by football people not financiers.

I want to maintain the tradition of bringing through youth.

I want to revive the winning mentality of the club.

I think this will all stem from who we hire in two key roles:

New sporting director: my choice Ralf Rangnick

New manger who can work well with the Sporting Director: my choice Julian Nagelsmann

The two mentioned above will also bring a clearly defined style of football which is aimed at being attractive and winning matches.

It would also set us up to recruit better, and buying players on the cusp of being world class rather than buying ready made stars. Red Bull group are excellent at this. This in turn saves the club money over time.

The above mentioned guys are also believers in bringing through youth so that won't go against the long standing tradition at United either.

If this was in place, I would be happy to give it time as there would be an improvement year on year I'm sure.

 

[Jaqen H'ghar]

What do I want @BR7?

I think the club needs a re-set on the football side in the way its run.

For a start there should be someone at United who is in charge of sporting affairs. Call it a Director of Football, Sporting Director, Technical Director, whatever.

This individual should be in charge of the footballing side of the club. This person should know when players have two years left on their contract and, in consultation with the first team coaching staff, at that point be making plans about what happens next. We should not be allowing players to get into the final two years of their contracts without a clear pathway for them e.g. either a new deal or sell them. If the player refuses to sign a new deal, sell and replace. If the player is not good enough do not renew their contract and make them a wage sink.

This individual should also be in charge of cultivating the right relationships in the footballing world. Intermediaries and agents should be treated as external stakeholders, not people to be relied on. Evra said United trust the wrong people. That seems to be the case if Honingstein is right that we were at a poker table playing alone. I imagine the people at the club got duff information and believed it. However, there should be someone at the club with independent contacts and networks that can verify the information. Why is there nobody at Man Utd who knows Michael Zorc, on a personal level, who could say to Ed Wooodward 'Ed, I know this guy. He's a good chat over a drink but he's got a massive ego. If he's acting like this now he won't change his mind in a month's time. Lets tell Ole we can't get the player and go for another target'?

This individual should also be in charge of doing deals with other clubs. Matt Judge's remit is taking care of the club's debt. Obviously, first team costs are part of that. However, they are just a part of the overall whole despite being time consuming. Someone else should be dealing with those issues within the envelope that is set by the club. Judge should only be getting involved if first team affairs are putting such upward financial pressure on the club that they start to threaten its financial position.

The turnover of players must massively accelerate. When Jurgen Klopp took over at Liverpool he had players like Mingolet, Clyne, Sahko, Skrtel, Joe Allen, Lucas etc. Pretty much his whole squad has been recycled out. United by contrast have pruned around the edges. If you don't get rid of the players you cannot change the style. Its no surprise that LVG, Mourinho and Ole have all resorted to a low block with a double pivot in midfield at various times. With the players we have you cannot play any other way. Trying to push up and play on the front foot is a recipe for disaster with the slow, immobile players we have in our squad. Instead of constantly renewing contracts the club should be cutting the fat. Even if that means relying on more youth players and supplementing that where possible with buys. You will not be able to play front foot, high line football if you're relying on Lindelof and Maguire etc.

Which brings me to the least important person: The first team coach. Should Ole stay? Yes in my opinion. Why? Because unless there's a massive turnover of playing staff a new manager will not be able to achieve much with this set of players. Accepting the limitations of this squad, pretty much all you can do to avoid being ripped on the counter is sit deep and break. Therefore it doesn't really matter who the manager is. That is why Pep kicked out Kolarov, Clichy, DeMichelis etc at City. Pep is a fantastic systems coach but the players have to have the capacity to play his system. Any manager worth his salt is going to come in, look at our squad and decide to do more or less what LVG, Mou and Ole have done: 4-2-3-1, 2 defensive midfielders to protect our slow defence and no space in behind. You don't need a genius coach for that. Ole can do it while continuing to carry out renovations to the squad so its more equipped to play a more Man Utd style of football. Once he has that type of quick, front foot squad then you judge him. If he fails then you get rid of him. However, if you have a chocolate teapot it doesn't matter who the waiter is. So why change?

Great post.

 

[McGrathsipan]

I think this just proves how far away we are from getting back to what we were as a club. We have serious problems and these posts are all highlighting that fact. Ole out alone is clearly not an answer from reading these posts. All these post are not just coincidental.

I dont disagree.

There is a clear need for a competent CEO that can take the control but once the Glazers are in overall control that will never happen.

 

[Jezpeza]

I do like me so NFL, and the glazers own Tampa Bay Buccs. They have just spent a boat load on getting Brady and brought gronkowski out of retirement and making a push for the super bowl this year. While they have salary caps in the nfl, the owners are not taking any money out of the Buccs now so we’ll be sustaining the glazers lavish lifestyles for a bit

I see! I dont follow the NFL much. I heard for several years that there was discontent amongst Buccs fans. I also thought the Glazers owned a load of shopping malls which tanked or something?

 

[BR7]

I see! I dont follow the NFL much. I heard for several years that there was discontent amongst Buccs fans. I also thought the Glazers owned a load of shopping malls which tanked or something?

Don’t know enough about their business I heard they own a bunch of caravan parks or trailer parks and then bizarrely The Buccs and Man Utd....