Agree with this. Our record of signing players in January hasnt been that good either. Id personally rather see the right signing in the summer over a knee jerk panic buy in January and end up stuck with another half decent deadwood player like we have been in the past.
If we don’t sign anyone this window it shows the club lacks ambition
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
IF this is true we are done as a top team. Struggling to get a game for Newcastle for fecks sake.
There is no kneee jerk purchase. knee jerk is if you buy a midfielder because pogba is injured in december for 2 mths.
We're barebone, and this purchase should have been done last window. We just have 6 extra months to make sure.
Even if everyone was fit, we'd still desperately need CM reinforcements, there's nothing knee-jerk, It would now be negligent to not address the issue when we can this month.
Kill me now, for fecks sake... Can the start of the new year be any worse? Now that I've said it, it will probably get worse for real.
Says all you need to know about our “ambition”
If you cant find the right fit of players that's available in januray for all your money and stature as a club. I'd say you have a lousy manager. We're not looking for the next messi, just a fecking midfielder who's expected to do basic midtable midfielder job.
Dont tell me we cant find one. Sack the whole scouting department.
Dont tell me we cant find one. Sack the whole scouting department.
We are not signing anyone, just end these threads while they are early and spare your souls from the obvious disappointment and frustration that will soon come to all of us.
But this is the calibre of player that Ole can attract why are we suprised. Average British players that don't need to be sold the name of Manchester United. Any other players will reject him and his project because he is a terrible manager. Even a player that he knows previously from his country and he even travelled to couldn't be attracted to the club by him.
If only we signed Bruno Fernandes in the summer. Instead we end up spending over £100 million on defenders and our defence is still shit. Then end up playing Lingard or Andreas instead of signing Bruno. To top it all off, we will end up spending £50 million plus on Sean fecking Longstaff.
The issue isn't who Ole can attract, it's who the club itself can currently attract.
We've been struggling for the best part of a decade at this stage, regularly going without CL football and having changed managers numerous times. Even if we replaced Ole with a different manager there would be little to suggest that our long term problems have been rectified.
Even with us being Manchester United and even with a better manager in charge, there would be more than enough problems at the club to make a top class player (someone with CL football, potential moves to other top clubs, a focus on winning trophies, etc.) extremely wary of joining us. Unless their priority was money, of course, which would hardly be ideal in and of itself.
Not signing at least one central midfielder wouldn’t be a mark of ambition, moreso a mark of negligence and incompetence.
If we were to sign someone in January, the transfer would already have been done. Management (Woody&Ole) were expecting Pogba From the injury. They were happy to have McFred&Pogba for the rest of the season and believed that Lingard and Pereira would be competent subs. A huge, huge mistake. Now we are completely unprepared for the window. Woody is going to write the season off.
Indeed.
I actually realised the lack of ambition back in Summer 2018.
In 2017/18, Jose got us 2nd. He then wanted to compete properly for the title the following season.
So, in that Summer transfer window, Jose gave Woodward our targets. Jose expecting to be backed to win the league. Woodie hid (went on holiday or whatever it is he does when he doesn't want to spend). At the close of the window, he then said that Jose's targets were no good. So, apparently Woodie knows more about football than the serial winner and a specialist in winning trophies, who we hired to get us back to winning ways. Jose also realised that our ambition did not match his own.
Woodie's ambition is to make as much money as possible. If we could make the most profit by getting relegated, he'd get us relegated.
As it happens, to maximise our profits, 4th place is about the best position to finish in the league and that is what Woodie is attempting to do.
Ole is a 'yes' man, there to protect and shield Woodie from the fans' vitriol. Eventually when Ole screws up, he'll be fired and a new shield will be hired to protect Woodie.
And while we are at it, let's not forget that several fans have also lowered their standards, expectation and are showing far less ambition than they did 2 years ago.
These days, mid-table seems to be an acceptable position. You only have to look at the number of threads of Ole in Vs Ole out. Plenty of fans are happy with where we are and going.
Thats what you'd do, but you're not the manager. Dont get me wrong, it would be nice to get a stop gap but Ole has said he's looking long term. Also, short term doesn't necceasrily guarantee success either. Sanchez was a big example of that. High wages, massive reputation, but failed massively.
It'd be nice to get a player in to help us, but it has to be the right one and someone who wants to come here. We need to get away from signings these mercenaries that dont give a feck.
Got to hand it to our scouts, they must be knackered travelling up and down the UK. The Data analysts deserve a pat on the back as well, I'm sure they've spent hours sifting through 100's of potential CM's performance data from dozens of league across Europe covering the last few season to identify Sean Longstaff. Fair play.
I love how 6 years of failed big money signings haven't put people off splurging millions on average footballers.
So who's the next Messiah who will come in and single handedly drag us to title glory? Another £35 million for Andy Carroll maybe? He deserves another chance at a big club.
So who's the next Messiah who will come in and single handedly drag us to title glory? Another £35 million for Andy Carroll maybe? He deserves another chance at a big club.
It shows a couple of things, how poor our networking of scouts is, that the ones we are after only play in the Premier League or have played in the league. We arent going for any players who can add depth by bringing something different to what we have that is found in other countries (are we really saying that from all our scouts, the ones we are linked with are emre, longstaff, grealish, rice)
Can't really see how Wolves and Leicester got Neves and Tielemanns and we missed out. Do these guys not play fm or what?
Feck Woody if he writes this season off. We need to try to get some players in to try to achieve Champions league or we may have less chance of signings quality players in the summer. Otherwise things could keep getting worse.
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Dani Olmo
Bruno Fernandes
Jack Grealish
Christian Eriksen
... And probably a lot of other options
It's not like there's no one good available in January. Even if we're not buying top quality, we'd still need decent squad-players. Even Can could be an option.
There's also the factor that we're a team under development. Get a player in now, and he'll have the next 6 months to adapt like Vidic and Evra had. Waiting does no one good.
Bruno Fernandes
Jack Grealish
Christian Eriksen
... And probably a lot of other options
It's not like there's no one good available in January. Even if we're not buying top quality, we'd still need decent squad-players. Even Can could be an option.
There's also the factor that we're a team under development. Get a player in now, and he'll have the next 6 months to adapt like Vidic and Evra had. Waiting does no one good.
Well Said Sunama !!!
I am in the midst of drafting something, that re-inforces your point and how we have all become sheep in front of the hypnotist.
Is Jack Grealish actually wanting to leave this January or are we hoping that a cool £100 million transfer fee and £20 million a year wages will turn his head?
If it's the latter, I'd rather not.
If it's the latter, I'd rather not.
I really dont get this Longstaff obsession.. Im hoping its just paper talk.
I could literally rhyme off 10 players much better than him. Shows how high the club is aiming
I could literally rhyme off 10 players much better than him. Shows how high the club is aiming
Would rather loan a player than pay daft money for rubbish like Longstaff. When you pay 50-60+ million you have to play the guy and really he's more of a project you get in for cheap and we won't be able to sell him. He's hasn't played much and has been out a while with a knee injury.
Also don't see it being worth the clubs time trying to get him and probably failing.
Also don't see it being worth the clubs time trying to get him and probably failing.
I don’t see us going after Longstaff and think it’s just lazy journalism due to reporters knowing we’re in for a midfielder or two, he isn’t starting at Newcastle so he’s not coming to us.
I can see Rice coming in but even though we desperately need a defensive midfielder that’s going to be an inflated fee due to being English, how’s Aouar getting on at Lyon this season ? I’d be happy with Aouar and Rice then once Pogba leaves bringing Maddison in during the summer.
I can see Rice coming in but even though we desperately need a defensive midfielder that’s going to be an inflated fee due to being English, how’s Aouar getting on at Lyon this season ? I’d be happy with Aouar and Rice then once Pogba leaves bringing Maddison in during the summer.
Do City lack ambition for not signing two CBs in January? They’re worse off than we are with a midfielder playing CB. I get what you’re saying, and it sucks to miss out on Europe. But we just aren’t competitive at that level. Sometimes you have to resign the present and put the long term first. I’m sure can find someone to overpay for, but someone substantially better than what we have? I’d rather spend the money more wisely in the summer.
Longstaff? what a joke.
Yeah we should wait until summer. We always sign quality in the summer. And we never, ever overpay for average in the summer.
Speaking of average, can we not recall Smalling or is that not really done these days in the loan system?
Speaking of average, can we not recall Smalling or is that not really done these days in the loan system?
Woowoo and his pals have no interest in football whatsoever, so I seriously doubt they have even heard of FM
Quite honestly I think FM is the best scouting tool in the world. It nearly always works out in real life. There's only a few exceptions.
Man Utd don't need several windows. The problems start at the top. Solskjaer does not create any sort of competitive advantage for the club. He is an ordinary manager who doesn't have any answers beyond "counterattack." But if the plan is to keep him, then get him an AM. Who? Players like Maddison and Grealish are off the table, they are a pipedream, both teams need them far too much to be persuaded by money. So you look to players in situations where money is everything. Which brings Christian Eriksen to the forefront. He is only 27 years old, and he is immediately available if Woody is willing to meet Spurs' price. That means immediate improvement is available, and it is entirely within Man Utd's control whether or not to bid enough to win his services. Bid a bit over asking, Inter is being brought into things now, just pay the money and sign him to a new deal, and be done with it. Once he has a new contract, you will have a better AM than Maddison or Grealish, as Eriksen is in his prime NOW, and will continue to be for the majority of a 4-year contract, if not its entirety.
This is the move to make. Man Utd needs goals, and is somehow only 5 points off 4th place. Eriksen gets the team in position to score goals. This is a deal that can be wrapped up for 25 mill plus salary and can get Man Utd into the CL. It is a no-brainer, it pays for itself with the CL money. Accept no excuses if it doesn't happen, this is entirely in Woody's hands.
Sean Longstaff is essentially the only type of player we will attract under this manager. He is the extent of this club's ambition for the foreseeable future.
Freddy Adu?
Well there are exceptions. Mata is monster on FM despite having been quite shite for a long time.
Realistically, who are people expecting us to sign during this transfer window? Big transfers happen in the Summer, unless there is some scandal or a player running down his contract. Additionally, there is an European Championship in the Summer and most players won't risk moving to another team or country. And that is not even taking our manager/club situation under consideration.
Unwanted/inexperienced players are the best we can hope for and we already have a ton of youngsters. If Can is available, he could be a decent option.
Unwanted/inexperienced players are the best we can hope for and we already have a ton of youngsters. If Can is available, he could be a decent option.
Cherno Samba
I find it hard to imagine that we are after Longstaff who is in and out of the newcastle team.
Lazy journalism.
Lazy journalism.