Well if you're SAF you're going to try and keep aren't you? Our midfield isn't up to standard and Pogba's talent is obvious. I think SAF would have helped Pogba mature greatly not just as a player but as a person too. It seems as though his mind has been made up for a while but to not have the balls to tell anyone face to face is shocking.
Paul Pogba
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Well if you're SAF you're going to try and keep aren't you? Our midfield isn't up to standard and Pogba's talent is obvious. I think SAF would have helped Pogba mature greatly not just as a player but as a person too. It seems as though his mind has been made up for a while but to not have the balls to tell anyone face to face is shocking.
Fergie doesn't care for players with a bad attitude. He's either breaking the habit of a lifetime or everyone here is talking utter bollocks, as is usually the case.
The thing is he's young, SAF knows young people are easily influenced and Pogba doesn't do anything wrong off the field or on it to be fair. I can see why SAF tried hard because Pogba still has to mature, however to not have the decency to tell someone face to face is wrong. If Pogba does leave it's clear his attitude isn't right for the club but SAF deals with him everyday and he has to trust him at face value.
If he wants to feck off to Italy, he can feck off to Italy.
On the plus side, this means no more allowances made for his development when it comes to planning for midfield next season. From what I've seen he's still got a lot to learn and we'll be a better side if we replace him with someone more developed.
On the plus side, this means no more allowances made for his development when it comes to planning for midfield next season. From what I've seen he's still got a lot to learn and we'll be a better side if we replace him with someone more developed.
Even if we lose Pogba, I'm not convinced we'll bring another midfielder in.
I wonder if his agent has kept him abreast of the corruption probe thats going to come to a head this summer. Over half the teams in Seria A implicated with over 50 players expected to go to trial?
Smart move Pogba.
Smart move Pogba.
Funnily enough, I think we've got too many midfielders, numbers wise. If the likes of Anderson are shown the door and Scholes doesn't renew, which I think he will, then I'll be convinced we'll buy.
I think this means we will be buying 4 players this summer, just as in 2007.
We don't really have four open spots in our squad, do we? I think even if Berbatov, Owen and Kuszczak leave we will only have one or two.
Surely Park will be going?
You would think so and as much as I hate to say it I have a feeling Fletch is going to have to call time on his career.
we have to buy. really, we do. This is the 3rd straight season(I believe), that Ando has been hampered by injury problems. Giggs has been poor. Park is definitely no CM. Might be too much to rely on scholes for one more year. Cleverley also needs to get over his injury troubles. We have no idea if Fletcher is coming back.
We have no backup for Carrick really. Having Jones, Rooney and Park filling in as makeshift midfielders just isn't going to cut it for us. It may work for a few games but it's not going to help in the long-term.
We need to solidify the midfield because this is an important stage as we are phasing out our more experienced players and blooding in some youngsters and at the very least, we just need to ensure some stability is there.
I wouldn't mind bringing in a defensively minded one but we really do need a midfielder.
I think so too. During the game against Swansea, they showed Fletcher at the game and he didn't look all that comfortable. Such a shameFletch won't be going anywhere. Here's why:
1. Fergie treats his players with the upmost respect and compassion. They will never look to terminate his contract even if he can't play.
2. With Fletcher on the wage roll, he will want to register him as a player on the off chance he can play 10-20 games next season.
3. Fletcher is not daft enough to call it a day and forfeit however many millions especially as he will obviously be dying to play again and he has the hope there that he can.
All this adds up to him still being here next year, probably not playing much and no replacement signing due to squad numbers and wages.
For what
Pogba, Park, Fletch, PIG, Berba, possibly Owen. Even with Scholes and Giggs staying another year, we may buy this summer to replace them and allow for a one season transition between some of the inbound and outbound players. Depends on whether the right players are available. I sense a complete overhaul of the midfield this summer though.
Was it a no brainer to you last summer as well?
You're right about Fergie but unfortunately there is a strong possibility that his condition will force him to quit. I hope this is not the case but if he cannot play on medical grounds then he will be released or will retire from the sport.
I can't see Fletcher retiring without even trying to come back. My fear is he'll end up another Hargreaves with us waiting for him forever.
As for midfield signings, yeah, it looks inevitable. Well, I thought it was inevitable last year as well after a terrible year for our midfield and the retirement of Scholes. The departure of even young lads we thought could take over in a couple of years should mean we'll be looking for immediate solutions, but after expecting us to strengthen such a clear weakness for two years and seeing nothing happening, I'm no longer sure.
As for midfield signings, yeah, it looks inevitable. Well, I thought it was inevitable last year as well after a terrible year for our midfield and the retirement of Scholes. The departure of even young lads we thought could take over in a couple of years should mean we'll be looking for immediate solutions, but after expecting us to strengthen such a clear weakness for two years and seeing nothing happening, I'm no longer sure.
Corruption.
No we are good employers, but I can't help thinking that a harder approach might be taken now our income is down. If this was any other 'industry' Fletcher would be medically retired if he could not work for such a long period.
I'm not counting on Fletch coming back permanently or at a level that's sustainable for first team football. If he does, then its a bonus, but based on his illness I don't get the impression that he is going to be able to play at a high level without persistent disruptions in his availability.
Fair point. There is numbers and then we have to consider the cumulative quality.
No.
I thought we should have signed a CM last summer but could understand why we didn't. Very different scenario this summer though.
With all due respect no one could have understood your reply.
My reply to your reply was meant to be humorous.My post wasn't a considered analysis of Pogba - just an impression from watching him play for the Academy and Reserves for the past three years.
Like Anderson he's always had impressive attributes without ever quite delivering consistently. This year in the reserves for instance, he contributed far less than Petrucci.
Read the thread about his condition and some posts I made regarding Ulcerative Colitus.
If he goes the surgery route, then the problem does away and there is no reason then why he can't regain body weight, muscle and eventually match fitness. The 'unpredictable' health variable is only a factor if he does not have the surgery and so attempts to 'control' UC which makes it difficult for him to retain weight and body muscle and also attain full match fitness.
I have a feeling he is in the middle of the surgery process, if he is and its successful (high probability that UC surgery is successful), Im hopeful he will be back in training around the beginning of next season. His 'break from football' would fit these timelines as it takes about 8-10 months to get through the 3 stage surgery process.
What do you think is different? Was it that this time last year you thought Fletcher would be coming back? To me things seem very similar. You had Scholes retired then, whereas now we might have him, but either way I am loathe to rely on him. Cleverley has been injured but I have more confidence in his ability to emerge and make a mark than I did 12 months ago, so in that sense you could even say the need is less pressing this year. Anderson's problems have been pretty consistent over a longer period that the last year.
I cant see much reason to believe this summer is a very different scenario to last summer. They seem equally pressing scenarios to me, but given SAF didnt seem to see the urgency last summer, I worry he wont this summer either.
Indeed. Club must have known about Fletcher's condition long before, we weren't certain how Cleverley was going to do and he's done fine, Jones has filled in occasionally and did reasonably well, we got Scholes back. We had been aware of Anderson's issues long time before as well.
I don't think we'll sign a midfielder. We have five or six at the moment and I expect us to start next season with them as well. Scholes, Carrick, Cleverley, Anderson, Giggs and Park, and Jones if you count him.
You cannot be serious. Scholes will go back into retirement, Giggs has maybe 1 year left if that. Park should be sold and Fletch will never be able to play at the top level again it seems, certainly not consistently. Jones is not a specialist midfield player and never will be. Pogbas off to Italy and their are question marks over Anderson.
I'd say we are dangerously short of cover in the centre, in fact I know we are because its bloody obvious.
Thanks for clarifying.
I agree with all of that. But what of that is different to 12 months ago? Scholes was retired, Giggs was old, Park was still not a centre mid, Fletch was very ill and SAF knew more about it than we did, Jones had never kicked a ball for us and isnt a midfielder, Pogba was revising for his GCSEs and there were question marks over Anderson.
So if we got through that summer without signing a midfielder, what makes you think this summer will be different? If anything things look better now, given Cleverley is a year older and has demonstrated, if only briefly, that is can cut it at this level. SAF could argue that means we have enough cover there.
Jesus, this thread. I take it he still hasn't fecked off to Italy yet then?
We will definitely sign a proven midfielder and probably also bring in an up and coming lad.
He will bring in a fullback for sure...think the Clyne deal is done.
He will bring in a fullback for sure...think the Clyne deal is done.
Shouldn't that be the baccalaureate?
When you say 'proven' midfielder, what do you mean exactly? A midfielder like Schweinsteiger who has proved pivotal in his team getting to 2 CL finals? Or promising midfielders like Kagawa or Martinez who play an important role for their relatively successful teams?
Pardon, je ne comprends pas.
Why?
Last summer Scholes had just announced his retirement, we had know idea if Cleverley could cut it, question marks over Carrick's ability to have a major influence on the side etc etc..... this summer though if Scholes sticks around we know he's available, we know Cleverley is more than capable and Carrick's just come off the back of a great season as well.
Last summer we were at least showing interest in central midfielders (Nasri, Sneijder), this summer though I doubt we'll even look remotely like signing one.
Will there be a club statement on this soon then? I get the feeling this will be a fairly common theme with us.
You came to that conclusion from 5 Premier League starts?
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