Romero just won a European title. Other numbers twos must be looking on with envy. (On a very low grade scale)
Manchester City 17/18 discussion | "If you're here for the Champions clap your hands" (#6505)
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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.
Romero just won a European title. Other numbers twos must be looking on with envy. (On a very low grade scale)
Just confirmation of how big a fraud Guardiola really is...that he has to throw a wad of cash at the team to win the league. Or manage ready-made dead certs like Barca and Bayern. Where's he going to go next when the City project inevitably fails?? Probably Juve or PSG or some recent lottery winner like AC Milan. I'd say he's probably going to be the manager under the most pressure next season...even more so than the fella firmly ensconced at the Emirates. Al Mubarak himself said there was no joy to be had in finishing 3rd. So anything other than a title win will be deemed a disappointment.
I've changed radically my opinion of Pep, not because of his results (I don't go knee jerk by a bad season) but the insane cash spent on several players (most of them are promises, yet he called out Madrid for their signing of Vinicius, is that hypocrisy?). FFS, he alone is mega-inflating the market by himself, making imposible for everybody else to make a signing. In Spain there's rumors of him interested in Lucas Hernandez (bench defender in Atleti) and since he's splashing all that money the press is talking about 50m euros. A bench guy. Whether it's true or not, the fact is that the market is already destabilized, journos can make up insane transfer prices because Guardiola gave them reason to do so. Now any club that receives a well reasoned offer for some literal who, they have no reason to sell given the prices flying on the market.
Hurting football as a whole right now, and that's a guy with fame for playing academy players... yeah, the ones nurtured in other academies.
Hurting football as a whole right now, and that's a guy with fame for playing academy players... yeah, the ones nurtured in other academies.
Pep is responsible for destabilising the market - come on now. Did you think Pogba for £90m is destabilising the market, or is it just when City spend money? You'll see all the top PL clubs spending large sums, just because we moved first doesn't mean we've set the prices. It happened well before Pep arrived in England, Raheem Sterling cost us £50m 2 seasons ago.
In reality the only signing he's actually made right now is B.Silva for £43m which is reasonable. We've also been linked to Van Dijk for £50m this morning in the times, we can't sign them all. Lots of lazy journalism you'd feel, and City are an easy name to throw in, and they've drawn you in.
No doubt we will eventually sign a CB though, alongside new FBs. He is being asked to win the PL and challenge in the CL after all. It's not an easy thing to do when your back 5 consists of Bravo, Sagna, Stones, Kolarov and Clichy for most of the season. His alternative is to not spend and get criticised for never fixing the defence.
Judging by the statements from the City's chairman, if Pep again has a season like the last one it's very conceivable that he'll be sacked.
Supporters of no matter which big PL club whining about another big PL club's spending need to stop. It's a ridiculous level of pot/kettle.
Exactly. It's not even the top clubs in the PL that can spend big these days either. With the present TV deal, every single club in the league can conceivably spend £30 million on a single player.
With the kind of money City are going to spend this summer, I can kind of get the "cheque-book manager" jibes thrown at Guardiola but if the money is there and available to spend it would be silly for him not to ensure it gets spent. Very few managers would get a transfer budget and then refuse to max it out.
Benfica has officially confirmed Ederson at City for 40M€
I think their moves this summer are also indicative of Guardiola a) not looking at spending a longer period (5year or more, hardly a surprise this) at the club and b) accepting that the squad simply wasn't anywhere near the required standard he perhaps believed it was when he arrived. I feel that the board believed that there was a long term project in place for Pep on his arrival, a very competitive but ageing squad with a host of talents coming through their vastly expensive and supposedly most advanced youth projects. Those projects, which in fairness have been ripping it up at u21/19/18/17 age levels, have had their backs firmly turned on them by the club with this summers transfer policies so far. If I were Iheanacho, or any other serious talent on the verge of breaking into the team, I'd be livid.
Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Brahim Díaz have just been promoted to the first team, whether they play or not is a different question.
On the plus side, 2 of the 3 are English
Romero was very good in the Europa League this season, tbh.
Hang on a minute! you had a pop at me the other day for pretty much saying the same thing. You wanna maybe take a leaf out your own book sunshine.
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Did you really misunderstand my post the other day? I was agreeing with you
Did you really misunderstand my post the other day? I was agreeing with you
Yeah looks like I did haha
The City academy will turn into a huge white elephant TBH. The talent isn't coming through as they'd hoped. There's no way Mansour spends like he will this Summer if they had players they thought would make the grade. This is going to lead to a huge decrease in the numbers trying to get into the academy. Many won't join if there's no way through to the first team.
They managed to dodge all of their drug offence charges so i doubt anything will come of this.
Looks like the Ederson deal from Benfica is £34.7m.
Nobody's begrudging him that. The main issue many oppo fans have with PG is that this is the only way he can lead a team to success, thus making a mockery of his 'best manager in the world' tag...which a lot of City fans like to bandy about. When he decides to take on a real challenge and turn an unfancied team or a team without a sugar daddy into a decent outfit, then yeah I reckon he deserves a lot of credit. He got found out a bit last season, not being in a 1 or 2 team league for the first time and I'm sure he's going to do the same again. His employers certainly have higher expectations next season, which isn't surprising when you look at the money they're going to chuck at it.
Highest deal for a goalie?
In Pounds? Yes. In Euro? No.
But when your stock is as high as Guardiola's - or Mourinho's for that matter despite his aberration in his final season at Chelsea - you're going to have the pick of the best jobs on the planet so taking a job at an "unfancied team" simply isn't going to happen.
When it comes to spending money on players there are only 3 teams at the moment that have serious intentions of winning the Premier League - City, United, and Chelsea. Other teams could still win it of course as Leicester proved last season and Spurs almost proved this, but those 3 I've mentioned are the ones that make the biggest statement in the transfer market. As such, it's not really conceivable that Guardiola could've ended up at any club in the PL outside those 3. Not only that, it's not just the huge transfer budget that lured him to City - the fact that he has almost total control on the playing side was a factor as well. He's on record as saying that he didn't get that power at either Barca or Bayern so it's clearly something that appeals to him.
Yaya Toure has signed a one year contract extension.
Been away and not kept up with this thread; did you get any replies?
I disagree to some extent with your points in bold as that is the whole crux of the argument. If he really wanted to test himself and show that he is one of the best out there, he SHOULD have gone for a team outside the 3 you mentioned. Imagine if he'd gone to Arsenal or Spurs and won the league this season, there would have been no disputing he's the real deal. I would completely change my opinion about him. Poch managed to get to 2nd so if PG is supposedly a vastly superior manager, it stands to reason and not impossible that he could've won the title with Spurs. He would've been an instant legend at White Hart Lane.. But now, even if he won the Quad at City, which he could well do but unlikely, it would still be a bit meh. Until he really shows his true mettle, he'll never be a great for me!
Read Alves' interview. Maybe, just maybe, it could open your eyes for his qualities as a manager.
http://www.skysports.com/football/n...s-why-man-city-boss-pep-guardiola-is-a-genius
Pep is buying a monster team that will compete for several years yet due to the youth of the spine. I can't see him ever delivering the champions league, especially seeing as he failed at that even with a superteam like Bayern. Perhaps when Messi and Ronaldo have waned too much? Personally, I think he'll win a league and cup double next season but if mourinho works his magic in the market...
Too early to make predictions about their season. On paper, they'll have a cracking team but that's on paper. Most of the new signings are young players as are Sane and Jesus. Young players tend to be inconsistent. If two out of Sane, Jesus and Silva have a great season, then they may win the PL. Too eraly to tell though. Much depends on United and Chelsea.
I'm not for one minute saying he's a bad manager. He actually is quite decent. I'm just saying I would stop short of labelling him the 'best in the world' or one of the 'top 3' etc., etc. I actually rate Pochettino higher at the moment, for example.
Ha ha, made it on to Bluemoon! Funny how the guy didn't copy the whole thing or mention the fact that it was actually a fellow City fan who mentioned the 3 teams City, United and Chelsea as wanting to win the league. He's also completely missed the point of my post. Not very bright those Bluemooners! This probably should have gone in the meltdown thread but still. I miss Minimanc by the way. Haven't heard from him in a while.
Another year for Yaya, kind of on the fence about this. But fair play to the guy, has taken a £120k per week paycut to £100k (still nice money) when he could have run off to China for 5 times that. He's also come out and said the right things and seems to have silenced his agent. Maybe someone got him a cake too. Why I'm on the fence is well, he's too old, despite being excellent on the ball he doesn't really have the legs to employ the press anymore. I think that its another step in holding Aleix Garcia back. If we bring in Fabinho or Carvalho either will be first choice with Fernandinho and Yaya ahead of Garcia in the pecking order.
Pochettino is a good manager but for all the raving about him (and I agree he's fantastic) he's won nothing with a top 4 team in 9 attempts between all English competitions and 4 attempts in Europe (1CL and 3 Europa League).
In that time Wenger has 2 FA Cups, and Jose 1 league title, a Europa and 2 League Cup's in comparison. For Poch he has to win something to show he's a top, top manager. Despite his obvious progress and good record everywhere, he'll not be remembered unless he wins stuff. Its crazy to put him above Pep.
Buffon still the highest, right?
Buffon went for €40.24m which at the time was £33m, Ederson for €40m which at the current rate is £34.5m or something. Given the difference in time since the moves and inflation I think its fair to say Buffon is still the most expensive. Looks like Madrid are going to smash the fee anyway if they get DDG this summer.
So you're telling me if that if Poch was managing Real, Barca or Bayern, he wouldn't get a few titles under his belt too?? The question is are you equally confident that if PG was managing Spurs, he would turn them into world beaters? Pep won NOTHING with your lot this season!
Guardiola seems brutally efficient in the transfer market. He targets his players early and signs them quickly without dilly-dallying, although it could also be that the clubs he's been at simply have people working on transfers who are much better than Ed Woodward. Probably a combination of both. I remember us linked to Thiago for months and trying to lowball barcelona for him most of the summer then Pep announced his interest in Thiago and took him before we could blink twice.
Think De Gea is staying now that United are back in the Champions League.
Nope. Really amazing that no one has knowledge about such a big overruling thing as FFP.