He played on the wing for England and won player of the tournament at the WC. That or number 10 is his best position.
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.
He played on the wing for England and won player of the tournament at the WC. That or number 10 is his best position.
@robinamicrowave
We are not buying, nor need, 120m worth of defensive players in the summer.
Could you pluck anymore nonsense from thin air to justify this splurge?
We are not buying, nor need, 120m worth of defensive players in the summer.
Could you pluck anymore nonsense from thin air to justify this splurge?
It's safe to say that we won't sign 2 full backs for 40M£ each and we don't need a cb. we will spend between 100 and 140M£ as usual these last few years. it'll be a CM (Marquee signing), a back up for Pogba and a right back. Shaw is coming into form and looks like he's going to work. so i can't see us sign an LB.
It worked for Rashford.
We probably could do with a CB and another CM to replace Carrick.
Shaw and Valencia are more than good enough and why two CM’s?
Pogba, Herrera, Matic are all good and we only really need someone to compliment Matic and Pogba in a three man midfield if we play that way.
We're signing two players in summer which is what has been said for a while now, why do we suddenly need to buy an entire new team? More specifically an entire new defence and midfield? Think that's just you trying to justify panic buying Mahrez.
Fair enough on the points about your new signings. You know your squad better than I do.
Although I did literally address the point about Rashford in the rest of my post.
Team who spends the most money plays the best football.
Think that's been an unwritten law since about 1990.
Think that's been an unwritten law since about 1990.
The length your average City fan will extend himself in order to justify yet another unwaranted transfer deal never ceases to amaze me. This Mahrez deal is nothing more than a glorified loan, you're stealing Leicester's most prized asset and influential player, at a pivotal stage of the season might I add, simply to cover a 6 week injury to Sane because Pep lacks faith in his youth system. Chequebook manager if ever there was one.
Mahrez won't feature following Sane's return from injury, he will barely even make the squad. You know this is true.
Please stop trying justify this deal, it is a mockery of the current transfer system. This is the type of deal that is forcing EUFA to introduce a new FFP system. One that actively punishes football clubs who earn their money in a legitimate fashion.
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I'm glad one of you is speaking sense.
We have four fit players to occupy four midfield places. When Sané's fit we have five. It makes sense to add another - not Mahrez necessarily, but we've been lucky not to be hit with a spate of injuries all season. Two injuries have arrived quickly and the club have seen fit to rectify the problem we now have. With FFP 2.0 around the corner it makes sense to move now rather than in the summer.
Jeez, for a fanbase who seem to love "boiling piss", and who've enjoyed exponential wealth for twenty-five years, the way you're all shitting your nappies about this one is pretty unusual.
Don't particularly want Mahrez nor understand the pressing need to get him, unless Pep is truly convinced by him in the long-term. With Sane out we will suffer but not to the extent it seems signing a player like Mahrez is justified. Sanchez made sense as he is much more versatile. I'd have preferred to have seen Bernardo come in and Brahim Diaz get some chances. It seems as though we've decided to get our summer transfers sorted now, which perhaps makes sense, especially given someone like Laporte is going to cost the exact same now as six months later. If Mahrez is a genuine summer target and we've decided to make a move for now then fair enough, otherwise I find it a bit strange.
It seems fairly obvious that Bernardo was bought to play central midfield. Whenever I've caught Monaco last season he played as a wide playmaker. To me he looks like a carbon copy of Iniesta, can probably do a decent job on the wing but that's not his preferred position.
I dont see any issue with them getting Mahrez, only weird thing for me would be if Sane`s injury forced his hand to go for him, i mean what if Sane got same injury in 3 days time instead? Transfer window shut and all that.
Yeah, agreed, but he should still be able to do an adequate job out wide until Sane returns. I suppose the problem is more pressing because of Mendy's injury, which means we've lost both our attacking forces on the left-hand side.
Is Pep a hypocrite or not?
The difference is that City are spending their own money as evidenced by their financial statements while we are spending borrowed money.
I think nobody complains about spending. I am personally pissed because for press and lots of fans pep is a genius and master of football. Guy is a fraud. PeriodOf course he wouldn't.
I cant believe fans are complaining about how much a team spends in this day and age.
I was about to post this. It really puts City's spending in perspective.
Really don't understand the mahrez deal. surely we should have stayed in for sanchez (and I didn't want him). this deal makes no sense, surely the extra transfer money would have covered alexis wage. genuinely stumped by this one. will be such a pointless signing.
Didnt like the idea of alexis but hes a top player. mahrez is only decent.. strange one.
That said its worth it for the 10 meltdown threads alone.
Didnt like the idea of alexis but hes a top player. mahrez is only decent.. strange one.
That said its worth it for the 10 meltdown threads alone.
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Exactly. Since the Sanchez deal (and if you get Mahrez) you'll have spent 120m on transfer fees and a truck load more on wages.
Yet apparently couldn't afford a highly discounted Sanchez? Makes me think he simply picked United over City as said previously. City pulled out of the deal when they knew this and tried to save face.
I think you forgot the class of 92. That was the base of United's success and it fortunately coincided with Sky Sports and the Premier League. We took a massive gamble to ditch the likes of Kanchelskis Hughes, McClair and Ince whilst promoting the Nevilles, Giggs, Scholes, Butt and Beckham.
The money we spent we have deserved and made ourselves. Its not about 'letting someone else have a go'. Why isn't your fantastic academy producing anything?
You're paranoid. Most clubs could take snapshots of bad tackles over a 12 game period and have similarly bad images.
The fact that you used a photo of a tackle that was apparantly so dangerous and leg breaking in it's ferocity - yet it didn't actually happen- shows how images can be used to manipulate or how fans can become indignant and lose sight of reality.
A lower league team kicking lumps out of a prem side is a yearly occurrence, Tottenham have shown many times that they lash out and lack discipline. It's not just because it's the wonderful unbeatable man city
You have a preamble to say it's not a city thing, then say show me another club that receives the same. So it is a city thing.
Diaz is 18 and nowhere near ready.
Foden plays in a completely different position to Mahrez, he's 17, and also out with a long-term injury.
Would be superb if journalists took the time to research what they're talking about.
Foden plays in a completely different position to Mahrez, he's 17, and also out with a long-term injury.
Would be superb if journalists took the time to research what they're talking about.
Noticed you missed one:
Bernardo Silva won the French league with Monaco playing on the wing, can't get a game.
For starters, he's not best suited to be a winger.Noticed you missed one:
Bernardo Silva won the French league with Monaco playing on the wing, can't get a game.
But even running with this idea that he is, this matter has been covered in another thread. He's a young player who's still started more league games this season than Sané had at this stage last year, and will be getting a solid run in the team now Sané's not fit.
We currently have five fit forward players (Aguero, Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Bernardo) for five positions, and four competitions still to play in. If Sterling picks up an injury vs. West Brom, we'd have no specialist wingers for two months. Again it must be stressed that we have four competitions to play in for another four weeks.
This is like expecting United to go into the next phase of the season playing 4-3-3 with only Lingard, Pogba, Mata, Martial and Lukaku to choose from in attacking positions. No Sanchez or Ibrahimovic (Ibra's back in two weeks, Sanchez was crocked vs. Yeovil and faces two months out), and you don't have Rashford. Your best option is to throw Angel Gomes into the first team. This is the size of our squad right now.
Suddenly, Mahrez becomes available for around £50m. Do you stick with what you've got or test the water with a bid for him (which is all we've technically done so far)? I hope you can see why it's not completely unreasonable for us to at least try to sign him.
Touched a nerve?
Silva won Ligue 1 playing on the wing. He's more of a winger than Delph is a left back. Sane's back in like eight weeks, why do you wanna spend big to replace him?
Honestly, its fine but don't go pleading poverty like Pep did last weekend and then go two feet in for Laporte and Mahrez.
Super pep can coach better than anybody in the world. Just don't ask him to coach an attacking player in an attacking position that he isn't perfectly suited for
Again, it's been covered. Pep clearly meant that City's board wouldn't sanction a £300k-plus wage for Sanchez/£70m+ to sign one player.Touched a nerve?
Silva won Ligue 1 playing on the wing. He's more of a winger than Delph is a left back. Sane's back in like eight weeks, why do you wanna spend big to replace him?
Honestly, its fine but don't go pleading poverty like Pep did last weekend and then go two feet in for Laporte and Mahrez.
Engaging critical faculties is hard when cognitive biases are present, though, so I sympathise.
Midfielders he inherited included de Bruyne, Silva and Sterling
Inherited Aguero up front.You're deliberately combining two separate statements to make a strawman argument. Not once have I ever suggested that Pep can coach better than anyone else in the world.
Touchy touchy.
Fact remains, Pep is supposedly a genius and a believer or progressing youth yet he resorts to spending when a problem arises.
Don't think I quoted you? Separate point being made
Rashford wasn't ready either when he burst on the scene, plenty of youth players (at normal clubs) get their chance because of injuries/suspensions to senior players. Seems odd to me that you spend so much money on your academy and yet you bring through no youth players. When was the last time a City youth player got a genuine chance at your club?
I'd be concerned that Diaz will look at Sancho and leave for first team football, he only has 1 year left on his contract for example. Foden is a different example because I do think you'll actually give him a go, I don't think you'll shower him with minutes, but a few appearances here and there next season is a possibility. Given I never go on a City forum, i'd be interested to know if City fans are bothered by this?
Thanks for this kind of response.
I do like Rashford a lot for how he broke through, and still do. He proved, at least on some level, that you can give a chance to a kid when there are no other options and still rely on them to do well. But as much as he's a romantic success story, he's a rare case, and he broke onto the scene after the January window had closed. I'm not sure he'd have had the same chance if your striker injury crisis had occurred while you had the chance to sign an emergency back-up. He also got his chance when you were trying to finish 4th and get through against Midtjylland in the Europa League, not fight for the title and win four trophies.
Plus, for every Rashford there are five Machedas and a Januzaj, so to speak.
It's a little concerning for some City fans that we can't seem to hold onto youngsters or give them much of a chance, but Foden and Diaz and aren't the best examples to put forward right now. They're seventeen and eighteen-years-old respectively, and while they might be excelling in their age groups, it doesn't mean they're equipped to consistently perform. Foden's a CM and injured long-term so using him as an argument against us signing Mahrez makes no sense, and Diaz is a child with a child's build. A better example would be Tosin Adarabioyo, who's featured just seven times this season despite our injury problems in defence, or maybe Jordan Sancho, who's featuring sporadically for Dortmund - although he was apparently after a wage that would have been triple that of the other academy players.
We've been incredibly guilty of over-hyping lots of kids in the past - remember when Guidetti, Denayer, Angelino, Barker, Razak, Denis, Huws, Lopes, Pozo and Evans were going to bring this team glory? Yeah, that didn't work out all too well. They've all formed decent careers but mainly in Scotland, France and the Championship. If we don't manage Foden, a local lad from Stockport who's supported City all his life, and Diaz, one of the best u-18s in the world right now, properly, their potential we love to talk about right now could be dashed. Playing kids is always a gamble, and having Mahrez around just eases the pressure.
I think Richards and Sturridge are the last youth players that got a chance. Sturridge had to move once they started signing forwards.
Let's be honest though. You've built a big enough cushion in the league that the title (unless your form dive bombs) is all but guaranteed. So you'd be signing Mahrez as a stop gap for cup competitions, it's fair enough I can see why you'd go for him personally.
But lets look at it from Diaz' point of view. He finally gets a chance and is on the bench in the FA Cup, Sane gets a bad injury and given you've already got Jesus out he must think "I actually have a chance here!". He comes off the bench for the last minute of the game and yet a few days later it's revealed Pep is going for Mahrez which closes the door of opportunity for him. If you were in Diaz' shoes, what would you be thinking? Given he's got 1 year left on his contract he'll be faced with the same issue Sancho had of being hungry for first team football and yet having a squad of world class stars to try and muscle into with a Manager who when hit with an injury issue would sooner sign another player then give him a chance. If he can't fight his way into Peps thinking when you've got several players out injured then what hope does he have when those players are back fit?
You can argue that Sancho left because he wanted a decent wage, but then he moved to Dortmund and has now finished 90mins in the last 3 games in a row. From his perspective I think his move was fully justified, he's getting regular minutes for a top team in Europe. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Diaz because it could spark a bit of a problem for City in the academy if they start leaving (this is something I think youth players should do far more often and I include United players in that).
It was the only thing I was concerned about with Jose. I thought he'd go out and buy loads of players (like Pep has done) and ignore our academy, he'd do the occasional token academy appearance to appease the fans but in house he'd be largely ignoring it. To his credit he's moving the opposite direction and actually seems to be giving our youth players a real genuine chance. This is something that Pep currently seems to not want to do, whether he'll do that next season once he has a trophy under his belt is a different scenario I guess.