http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...es-100-million-transfer-fund-this-summer.html
He'll be repeating the same lies next year.
Woodward (old thread)
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He'll be repeating the same lies next year.
No, they were just pandering to potential share buyers.
No matter what happens, this has been another failure from Woodward & Co. Period.
I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say this time next week we'll be singing his praises when we have di Maria, Vidal, Benatia, Blind and Rojo, in the bag...
I feel exactly the same way, by this time next week the mood in here will be distinctly different... I trust in LVG.
I agree. Deals should have been done beforehand. Get the players in as soon as possible and let them have preseason with the rest of the team. This bullshit about waiting until the last minute is ridiculous.
If people are pissed off with Woodward, then it's his own fault.
He was the one that said "watch this space".
He was the one that said " What resonates is an elite player that the manager wants who is going to be a star for Manchester United".
Given this, it is hardly surprising if people feel he has fostered a climate of expectation and, yes, learned the lessons of last year.
The transfers of Shaw and Herrera were clearly well in train before LVG arrived. I cannot believe that LVG thought that releasing Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra and Buttner without replacements in the pipeline was a good idea. Similarly, I can't believe LVG needed to physically see Smalling/Jones/Evans/Rafael to realise that they are all injury prone and that they are not Manchester United quality (I'll moderate that by saying Rafael is but is never around for long enough to prove it). Or that the midfield desperately needs reinforcement. Has he not spoken to Giggs during the summer?
He was never likely to come right out and say that what he had to work with is substandard but I'd bet a fair whack he has told Woodward that in private and made it clear what he believes he needs. Maybe Moyes did the same.
So at the moment, Woodward can't be surprised if people treat what he says as platitudinous guff. Time for actions and not empty words.
He was the one that said "watch this space".
He was the one that said " What resonates is an elite player that the manager wants who is going to be a star for Manchester United".
Given this, it is hardly surprising if people feel he has fostered a climate of expectation and, yes, learned the lessons of last year.
The transfers of Shaw and Herrera were clearly well in train before LVG arrived. I cannot believe that LVG thought that releasing Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra and Buttner without replacements in the pipeline was a good idea. Similarly, I can't believe LVG needed to physically see Smalling/Jones/Evans/Rafael to realise that they are all injury prone and that they are not Manchester United quality (I'll moderate that by saying Rafael is but is never around for long enough to prove it). Or that the midfield desperately needs reinforcement. Has he not spoken to Giggs during the summer?
He was never likely to come right out and say that what he had to work with is substandard but I'd bet a fair whack he has told Woodward that in private and made it clear what he believes he needs. Maybe Moyes did the same.
So at the moment, Woodward can't be surprised if people treat what he says as platitudinous guff. Time for actions and not empty words.
I don't know how anyone can have any faith in him to be honest. He may be great at negotiating sponsorship deals but his transfer dealings have been nothing short of diabolical.
He made a mess of the three transfers he did manage to do. The Fellaini and Herrara transfers were particularly woeful in the way that they were dealt with. They needed an ex-chairman to ensure the Mata deal went through.
I have absolutely no faith at all. Apart from making money for the owners through sponsorship and talking big in the press, what the hell has he done all summer?
He made a mess of the three transfers he did manage to do. The Fellaini and Herrara transfers were particularly woeful in the way that they were dealt with. They needed an ex-chairman to ensure the Mata deal went through.
I have absolutely no faith at all. Apart from making money for the owners through sponsorship and talking big in the press, what the hell has he done all summer?
Have they?
No one knows what went down on deadline day last year, but everyone does know that Bilbao are a tremendously difficult club to deal with. When we actually went in for Hererra it got done within the day, Bayern's Martinez deal dragged far longer than the comparative deal for Herrera. Mata, too was a clearly a difficult deal for a player that we pulled off easily and Shaw (and Fellaini too, but people ignore it because he was/is shite) was done by doing what most people cry out for us to do which is 'paying the fecking money'.
Which is what makes everything so baffling, when we have signed players they've by no means been easy deals. Yet we can't seem to conclude a relatively straight forward signing.
Fellaini was signed in the last few minutes of deadline day, at a cost of about 4 million more than his buyout clause was a couple of weeks before that. I'm sorry, but that is just plain stupid.
If Gill and Ferguson were involved in the Mata deal as has been widely reported, then I doubt Woodward had too much input into that deal.
Let's be fair, the Herrara deal took a year to complete. They could have just paid the buyout clause last year.
We know we got rinsed for Fellaini. We also know why we did, it was stupid but it was a panic because Moyes refused to go after a half way realistic signing. It was definitely a feck up, but I'm not sure Woodward deserves too much blame for it
Well Moyes clearly had a lot to do with it. Ultimately it's the chairman who takes responsibility for the transfers though.
Already failed for a second summer in my book.
Even if we do somehow sign the players we need (we won't), why leave it this late? We are already dropping the points which could in theory cost us the league, and in reality might cost us European football.
Even if we do somehow sign the players we need (we won't), why leave it this late? We are already dropping the points which could in theory cost us the league, and in reality might cost us European football.
We've "watched the space" but dithering about with transfers and failing to land players we need has already cost us 3 points in the league.
It certainly doesn't seem like there's issue with our funds becuase he was so confident about us having enough money to break the transfer record or some bull like that.
It certainly doesn't seem like there's issue with our funds becuase he was so confident about us having enough money to break the transfer record or some bull like that.
Regardless of what happens next, I think it's safe to say, to expect that he would learn it on the fly because he's a smart business person, was unrealistic.
I do think however, that his now celebrated statement wasn't just film-flam. No one does something like that on purpose. He was obviously convinced that something is going to happen. Whether that was overconfidence or hard luck, it's hard to say.
I do think however, that his now celebrated statement wasn't just film-flam. No one does something like that on purpose. He was obviously convinced that something is going to happen. Whether that was overconfidence or hard luck, it's hard to say.
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I've done some research on 'watch this space' and perhaps Ed was referring to something entirely unrelated to football
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/d...he-national-theatre/watch-this-space-festival
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/d...he-national-theatre/watch-this-space-festival
No matter who we buy now - if anyone - they will be seen as panic buys in reaction to the awful performance on Saturday. They won't be seen as part of a concise and planned squad development strategy.
We're great at making a rod for our own backs.
We're great at making a rod for our own backs.
It makes little sense to leave this late to get players, them not having any pre season with us will make it tough for them to hit their best levels rather quickly so even with the signing of players we won't enjoy their best form after a while.
Still, if we make good signings now it will help our season and prospects for top 4.
Also, as we saw with arsenal last year, signing a top player like ozil can give the club a huge lift. Although, I do think our fundamentals are currently weaker than theirs were, which is why it needs to be right players to give us balance rather than just a star.
I expect no "woah" signing in the remaining days and part of me also expects no signing at all. I've gone from optimistic to absolutely frustrated in a matter of a month.
Not that we should care what Moyes has to say about his time here, but I only just read these comments...
"It's been well documented that we wanted Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo," said Moyes.
"There was talk of Ronaldo when I first arrived. We were close to getting a couple of major names.
"I'm not getting in a blame game here but things just didn't materialise.
Just a subtle hint that Woody fecked things up last year?
"It's been well documented that we wanted Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo," said Moyes.
"There was talk of Ronaldo when I first arrived. We were close to getting a couple of major names.
"I'm not getting in a blame game here but things just didn't materialise.
Just a subtle hint that Woody fecked things up last year?
Those were unrealistic targets. Isn't this part of the problem?
I wouldn't mind betting that there was willingness to come here by all 3 behind the scenes, especially as they were likely put in place by Fergie and Gill. We'll never know I suppose.
Not that we should care what Moyes has to say about his time here, but I only just read these comments...
"It's been well documented that we wanted Cesc Fabregas, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo," said Moyes.
"There was talk of Ronaldo when I first arrived. We were close to getting a couple of major names.
"I'm not getting in a blame game here but things just didn't materialise.
I agree that Ronaldo (Once SAF left) was unattainable, Bale was Mardid bound and Fabregras...well we made idiotic bids for him (ta Woody).
But IMO Moyes was reffering to other player in the bold part.
"Hi Edward. Please sign Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale." Bish bosh.
Woodward was abysmal last summer, I'm sure of that. However, captain calamity was the one that vetoed moves for players like Strootman, Thiago and Garay - albeit I didn't want the latter - and we would be in much better shape had those deals gone through.
It's so easy to blame Woodward because he's the person we see as being responsible for transfers but his hands could be held by the board. He can't spend as much as he wants if the board tells him that he can't spend more than a specific amount on a specific player. I don't think this problem with transfers will ever be fixed unless the Glazers give up their executive positions in our club and leave the football side of things to football people. When you own the money you're working with you're more reluctant to make decisions which are risky and this reluctance increases with the size of the fee involved.
watch this space. no fixed budget. we can break world record. stupid smile on slap worthy face.
This a thousand times over. It amazes me how much the Glazers get away with it on the Caf. I don't give a hoot how much they may of spent in transfers in the last few years, if we want to get back in the top 4, they are going to have to spend the same again. Other clubs are spending big and we need to. They are the problem here 100%
I can't remember when he came out with 'watch this space' quote, but was it by any chance when the club was trying to sell it's ST's? Woodward is clearly a very, very clever man - more so than many give him credit for on here - but those quotes earlier this year are just baffling unless he was just been canny and trying to drum up ST sales or hype the club before the kit deal.
Could be the kit deal but the STs were sold out a couple of weeks before that interview.
Ed must now do in two weeks what he has largely failed to do in two months. Don't expect miracles people.
I would not have been too annoyed if we had actually managed to get rid of some of the deadwood from the club. Even that has not been achieved. Big promises, big let-downs. I would assume we want players out the door so players can come in. LvG does not like working with big squads.
If Ed seals the Vidal/Di Maria/Flavour-of-the-Month deal, he'll probably still only get stick for taking so long or overpaying, won't he? Poor Ed, it's a Lose-Lose-situation for you. Maybe that's the space he's talking about, there's just no love in Ed's space.
There may have been a willingness, some form of encouragement also but it doesn't discount the fact that big clubs have the capacity to keep their stars by offering them bigger wages etc. How many times have we kept Rooney, Evra, Rio and Vidic when it seemed to all intends and purposes that they were on their way out ? If we can hold on to our stars then rest assured so can Real and Barca. Two of those three were playing for such clubs. We lost Bale to Real and any other club, any other CEO can lose marquee signings to Real Madrid, aren't there the same circumstances under which City lost Isco ?
The problem lies in basing our strategy on wrestling players from teams that are bigger than or as big as us. The targets Moyes vetoed were gettable and he didn't have any back up plan when it, expectedly, all went went tits up.
Woodward has known for at least a month what LVG wanted to sign. The big question is has the delay been because he was trying to haggle down the price...
So yes, even if he makes two top class signings between now and sept 1st the question still has to be asked how competent he is at his job.....
The way he seems to spend ages negotiating deals has already cost the team. Even when we get new signings it might be Christmas before they start bedding in...
I'm starting to have imaginations about the sort of conversations Moyes & Woody were having this time last year and not in a good way. Hopefully, LVG isn't quite so gullible and is a bit more assertive. Woodward seems to live in a land of make believe.
He can't really do much if he hasn't got the money to spend.
"Why hasn't Woodward bid for Vidal, when it's clear he'd come here?"
Umm.. Maybe because he hasn't been given enough money to put in a proper bid.
The Glazers might as well give Woodward his old job back, save money on his current role, stop telling the fans they're willing to spend big, hope Van Gaal pulls a 'Fergie', and concentrate on bringing in more sponsorship deals.
At least we'd all be clear on where we stand.
"Why hasn't Woodward bid for Vidal, when it's clear he'd come here?"
Umm.. Maybe because he hasn't been given enough money to put in a proper bid.
The Glazers might as well give Woodward his old job back, save money on his current role, stop telling the fans they're willing to spend big, hope Van Gaal pulls a 'Fergie', and concentrate on bringing in more sponsorship deals.
At least we'd all be clear on where we stand.
He'll only have done his job, nothing more. That's what he gets paid for.
I think after that first game, i expect Van Gaal to speed up the process of getting rid of the deadwood soon and bringing in players (hopefully).
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