Disappointment On The Horizon . . .

ERICSAGOD

Grumpy Old Git
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Why do I have this awful feeling that after months of speculation about all the many and wonderful players we are expecting United to sign this season.
We are going to be hugely disappointed, with the signing of maybe one average player.
 
I'm beginning to wonder if the money touted around for transfers was really there.
 
So do I. No sales = no buys? It would make Fergie's January signings perculiar, but maybe the situation changed and the Glazers decided that no spending will be allowed.
 
ERICSAGOD said:
Why do I have this awful feeling that after months of speculation about all the many and wonderful players we are expecting United to sign this season.
We are going to be hugely disappointed, with the signing of maybe one average player.

You might be disappointed
 
I think the money is there. From history it would seem that SAF would just quit if placed in the middle of a situation like that. Success is the most important thing to him and if he was being held back from that by the glazers to an unreasonable degree he would just resign.
 
kanchelskis14 said:
Wouldn't you be dissapointed if we signed one average player this summer?

Signings, or lack of signings, don't disappointment me nor gets me excited. Watching the team and the players play do.

For some reason, it seems that many Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime on here are more excited about buying and selling players than actually watch football.
 
CnutOfAllCnuts said:
Signings, or lack of signings, don't disappointment me nor gets me excited. Watching the team and the players play do.

For some reason, it seems that many Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime on here are more excited about buying and selling players than actually watch football.

I think you are lying :boring:
 
CnutOfAllCnuts said:
Signings, or lack of signings, don't disappointment me nor gets me excited. Watching the team and the players play do.

For some reason, it seems that many Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime on here are more excited about buying and selling players than actually watch football.
When we actually buy someone fantastic like Rooney, then the prospect of him playing for us the next season can be exciting.

But I agree regarding the 24/7 TransferWatch thing. Its frightening.
 
jasonrh said:
When we actually buy someone fantastic like Rooney, then the prospect of him playing for us the next season can be exciting.

Obviously, there are exceptions when we sign exceptional players, or if we were to buy a player that I thought was piss poor. But most transfers are neither this nor that.
 
tilo said:
I think the money is there. From history it would seem that SAF would just quit if placed in the middle of a situation like that. Success is the most important thing to him and if he was being held back from that by the glazers to an unreasonable degree he would just resign.

What makes you think that SAF would have resigned because of that?

I mean SAF had never quitted in all his life even when he had the chairman (Edwards) or 2 of the main shareholders (Magnier and his lover boy) against him
 
devilish said:
I mean SAF had never quitted in all his life even when he had the chairman (Edwards) or 2 of the main shareholders (Magnier and his lover boy) against him

If anyone manage to make any sense out of that, could they please give me a call...
 
ERICSAGOD said:
Why do I have this awful feeling that after months of speculation about all the many and wonderful players we are expecting United to sign this season.
We are going to be hugely disappointed, with the signing of maybe one average player.

Nah I think we're gonna be ok. To the Glazers it's all about Business Value. What can we do in order for Manchester United to make us as much money as possible. Sure they can rise ticket prices, sell our fecking ground and change the bloody name, but the cnuts know well that performance on the pitch is the best financial generator
 
Ultimately we have to complete with Chelsea. To do that we desperately need to strengthen in the middle and (at a minimum) hold onto our strengths at the back and forward lines. Without a cash injection we won't close the gap on Chelsea and there is little point in Fergie staying to finish second again.
 
I normally wouldn't be disappointed with lack of transfer activity. But this summer we clearly needed to sign one or two midfielders, all other things remaining equal. I would be thrilled if we did sign that midfielder, whoever it might be, because it would fill a gap in our squad. This gap has been admitted even by Ferguson and Gill, so there's no point pretending it was never in our plans. If they'd thought any of our youth players are ready for the step up to play there, they would not have made those statements.

What's also worrying is that our lack of signings is not for want of trying. We've bid for players, registered our interest, but all of it has fallen through. Now we have the additional problem of Ron and Ruud possibly wanting to leave. I'd rather them stay, but if circumstances do make them leave, I'm doubting that we have the nous and savvy to replace them within a now shortening transfer window.

I hate to say this, but I think we dug ourselves into a hole here. I don't care if it makes a transfer muppet or whatever, but we do have gaps to fill. It's not from a thrill of buying and selling players. This "disappointment" in the transfer scene may translate into disappointment on the field, and that is something I'm not looking forward to.

PS. I think we do have the money (not bazillions, but some money is there), but nobody seems to want any of it.
 
jasonrh said:
I broad strokes?

SAF is not a quitter.

I've got to agree with him there.

SAF nearly resigned twice in his United Career. Once was the framed retirement the other was over his wages. He felt he was suffering a injustice and nearly left. If the glazers hold back team development in a serious way he will leave... That you can be certain about!!!!
 
tilo said:
SAF nearly resigned twice in his United Career. Once was the framed retirement the other was over his wages. He felt he was suffering a injustice and nearly left. If the glazers hold back team development in a serious way he will leave... That you can be certain about!!!!

Exactly, he;s getting on a bit why would he bother with the hassle
 
Lets not forget that various signings over the years have not happened until late in the summer. In 2004 Rooney wasnt signed until the 31st of August. Yorke wasnt signed until the 20th of August(and he hadnt been away at a World Cup) Ferdinand in 2002 was signed around the 22nd of July(and United that season had a pre qualifier to play). Silvestre and Taibi in 99 were signed around the 31st of August, Berg in 1997 was signed after the start of the Premiership. The World Cup was always going to ensure that players werent likely to be signed early in the summer and nearly all players who played in the World Cup would be on holidays at the moment. Lets not be too pessimistic at the moment.
 
CnutOfAllCnuts said:
We don't HAVE to.

What does that mean? Of course we have to.. If we want to win things, which is a given, then we need to compete with chelsea in every department we can. Youth, transfers, commerially. Its a necessity. They may win because they have competitive advantage but that does not mean utd should not try. We are manchester united, the management and directors should realise this and act accordingly. This means promoting the idea of the club as much as it means selling shirts. Real Madrid have done alot of things badly in recent years but something they have achieved is enhancing the "idea" that they are forever successful and that the power is in their hands.

People forget they had 30 years of failure. United is a great club and it needs to start using this greatness not relying on it. I dont believe united use their power enough in the transfer market. Football is a competitive business and Utd must use their power. This will upset people, it will create some negative publicity but thats better than Utd looking like weak suckers every summer.

For example we let ourselves be associated with Diarra for 6 months. SAF publicly watched him. Then nothing happens because he does not want to come to us. What fools that makes Utd look. He has an agent, who has a phone number. Losing face like that only enhances the idea that Utd are a falling club. An idea thats wide spread in continetal europe at the moment. If it seems to everyone that we want a player. We must get him. That either means we conduct our scouting in slightly more subtle ways or we commit early and dont follow rules that the rest of our competition have long since forgotten about..
 
ERICSAGOD said:
Why do I have this awful feeling that after months of speculation about all the many and wonderful players we are expecting United to sign this season.
We are going to be hugely disappointed, with the signing of maybe one average player.

Do tell me, your foretelling of the future, do you sacrifice a lamb and examine the entrails, or take auspices?

There surely can't be too many Augures on the Caf. ;)
 
Drifter said:
Where did you get that from.

From his brain

People would be stupid to think that utd suddenly will want to change targets when they have scouted them for yrs,you could say utd could be interested in some italian players but to say utd are waiting for the italian players is pure nonsense
 
tilo said:
Real Madrid have done alot of things badly in recent years but something they have achieved is enhancing the "idea" that they are forever successful and that the power is in their hands.

People forget they had 30 years of failure. United is a great club and it needs to start using this greatness not relying on it. I dont believe united use their power enough in the transfer market. Football is a competitive business and Utd must use their power. This will upset people, it will create some negative publicity but thats better than Utd looking like weak suckers every summer.

For example we let ourselves be associated with Diarra for 6 months. SAF publicly watched him. Then nothing happens because he does not want to come to us. What fools that makes Utd look. He has an agent, who has a phone number. Losing face like that only enhances the idea that Utd are a falling club. An idea thats wide spread in continetal europe at the moment.

I agree with this. To be fair we did use it to get Veron (a mistake unfortunately), but little since then. We've been turned down by Diarra, Ribery, Riquelme (possibly), teams like Tottenham and Athletico are stringing us along in the hope of making a windfall from our increasing desperation. We're getting "played" in the way that Liverpool, Arsenal are neatly avoiding. And they do this by selling the idea that the club is great place to go to, targetting clubs who are willing to sell, and buying players who were ready to leave. Hell, even Tottenham stole one on us with Zokora.
 
tilo said:
What does that mean? Of course we have to.. If we want to win things, which is a given, then we need to compete with chelsea in every department we can. Youth, transfers, commerially. Its a necessity. They may win because they have competitive advantage but that does not mean utd should not try. We are manchester united, the management and directors should realise this and act accordingly. This means promoting the idea of the club as much as it means selling shirts. Real Madrid have done alot of things badly in recent years but something they have achieved is enhancing the "idea" that they are forever successful and that the power is in their hands.

People forget they had 30 years of failure. United is a great club and it needs to start using this greatness not relying on it. I dont believe united use their power enough in the transfer market. Football is a competitive business and Utd must use their power. This will upset people, it will create some negative publicity but thats better than Utd looking like weak suckers every summer.

For example we let ourselves be associated with Diarra for 6 months. SAF publicly watched him. Then nothing happens because he does not want to come to us. What fools that makes Utd look. He has an agent, who has a phone number. Losing face like that only enhances the idea that Utd are a falling club. An idea thats wide spread in continetal europe at the moment. If it seems to everyone that we want a player. We must get him. That either means we conduct our scouting in slightly more subtle ways or we commit early and dont follow rules that the rest of our competition have long since forgotten about..

Its not as easy as it sounds. Take Obi Mikel as an example. First he was interested to come with us then Chelsea came and suddenly he became more loyal to Chelsea then Terry. Ok, Obi's case was unique, I mean I cant recall anyone else who had turned us down after signing a contact with us, but many were those players who said that they were interested to sign with us to then end with someone else.

The truth is that we are being used. Thats why we need to be act fast, be ruthless and have plenty of options. If a player doesnt want to join us or a club is keeping us at ransom then we switch target. In that way we will show that we mean business.
 
devilish said:
If a player doesnt want to join us or a club is keeping us at ransom then we switch target. In that way we will show that we mean business.

But eventually you run out of targets which could be the case now.
 
devilish said:
Its not as easy as it sounds. Take Obi Mikel as an example. First he was interested to come with us then Chelsea came and suddenly he became more loyal to Chelsea then Terry. Ok, Obi's case was unique, I mean I cant recall anyone else who had turned us down after signing a contact with us, but many were those players who said that they were interested to sign with us to then end with someone else.

The truth is that we are being used. Thats why we need to be act fast, be ruthless and have plenty of options. If a player doesnt want to join us or a club is keeping us at ransom then we switch target. In that way we will show that we mean business.

I think we agree more then we disagree. Only i would select targets and just go for them. You need to be very definite in your team building. Not anyone should do. One needs a picture of the side and how they will play before they sign players. A transfer must be designed to perfectly fit this structure. Having a wide range of targets means you will lose focus.... Utd should be doing everything in the book to get them. Convince them well before you bid for them. Its up to their clubs to keep them happy as it was uniteds to keep ronaldo. Taking the moral high ground will not work when no one is enforcing the rules. We should have had the summer targets contacted last december. You should have them grow the idea in their brain. Fill them full of tales of glory and glamour. Lets face it with most footballers you are not dealing with the super smart. Materazzi claims he doesnt know the meaning of islamic terrorist for feck sake...
 
I think players want to go to clubs where they think they can win trophies. Unfortunately with the domination of Chelsea they don't think they can win with us.
 
CheadleBeagle said:
I think players want to go to clubs where they think they can win trophies. Unfortunately with the domination of Chelsea they don't think they can win with us.

Yes...but great players always want a challenge and it depends on the manager's ability to convince him. Ronaldinho moved to Barca even though they were shit since Rijkard was able to convince him that the club is moving forward. Arsene and Rafa have done well to convince their main players that they can still compete with Chelsea. Do you think that top players like Henry or Gerrard will continue in this league if they believed they had no chance to win the title ?

SAF's initial success remarkably coincided with a talented set of young players coming out of our academy. Since then he turned little known players and talented youngsters into great footballers. When he bought top players like Veron, RVN & Rio we were the best. They were already convinced that United would be succesful in the future and it wasn't too hard to bring them in. The situation is different now - can he convince a Torres or a Gattuso that we can go from 'also rans' to 'league contenders' once they join?
 
fatboy said:
I hate to say this, but I think we dug ourselves into a hole here. I don't care if it makes a transfer muppet or whatever, but we do have gaps to fill. It's not from a thrill of buying and selling players. This "disappointment" in the transfer scene may translate into disappointment on the field, and that is something I'm not looking forward to.
There are some here who would rather wish for no buys this summer just so that their romantic notions of the club of playing some youngsters in 20-30 games are fulfilled.

The success of the club does not matter to these dopeys, only that local youngsters are played as often as possible. Player ability takes a backseat as long as said youngsters "bleed red".