Let's All Laugh At... Let's all wonder what's going on at United?

[nailsy]

They didn’t seem to have a plan, aside from getting Sancho. You’d think a club of their size and stature would have gone into this window with several targets in mind for all their weaknesses. I didn’t hear them linked with any strikers and then suddenly they get Cavani on deadline day. It reeks of an appeasement buy to butter up the fans. They clearly wanted a left back but lost out to us on their key target and settled for Telles. There was no big push for them to get a centre back or a defensive midfielder which is the two positions I’d address first in that team.

Just seems an absolute shambles.

Cavani definitely seems like a signing to keep them in the headlines. Telles is very highly rated though and could be a good signing. I think they've fallen on their feet there. Their transfer strategy is so strange though.

 

[Japhet]

Cavani definitely seems like a signing to keep them in the headlines. Telles is very highly rated though and could be a good signing. I think they've fallen on their feet there. Their transfer strategy is so strange though.

Their transfer policy is what my Mum would have described as 'Red hat and no knickers'.

 

[dirtyh]

they're a mess. it's glorious

 

[Shadydan]

At the start of the window they wanted a backup RB, a CB a RW and a LB

End of the window they got their LB but got a ST and a CM

Their transfer strategy is genuinely embarrassing.

 

[DJS]

Their transfer policy had been pretty solid up until this summer where they’ve gone back to signing players and ignoring priority positions.

 

[Marty]

Their transfer policy had been pretty solid up until this summer where they’ve gone back to signing players and ignoring priority positions.

I'd say it has been haphazard and confusing ever since Woodward took charge in 2013 apart from last summer where they actually got their main targets. And even then they ended up paying Leicester's asking price for Maguire very late when they could've paid it in June to give him a full preseason with the squad.

 

[Shadydan]

 

[RichieS]

They'll be a great club to take over on the new Football Manager.

 

[rossdapep]

Cavani definitely seems like a signing to keep them in the headlines. Telles is very highly rated though and could be a good signing. I think they've fallen on their feet there. Their transfer strategy is so strange though.

The problem is even a good signing is soon effected by what is going on in the club.

When they signed Bruno many predicted they'd be back up there. Then when he had that initial impact the likes of Neville and Scholed were growing again.

A few weeks later and Bruno is no longer having the same influence.

They badly need to sell some players who have been there for a while and have brought failure upon them.

Pogba, Martial, Fred, Shaw, Bailly - all either were promising at one point or can be superb on their day, but these players either can't put in consistency or have too many issues in their game.

Then you've got Rojo, Jones, Lingard hanging around doing nothing when ideally you need hungry young players from the academy taking those roles.

Now they've got Cavani who's either gunna do well or clog up the squad with his high wages.

 

[rez9000]

The problem is even a good signing is soon effected by what is going on in the club.

When they signed Bruno many predicted they'd be back up there. Then when he had that initial impact the likes of Neville and Scholed were growing again.

A few weeks later and Bruno is no longer having the same influence.

They badly need to sell some players who have been there for a while and have brought failure upon them.

Pogba, Martial, Fred, Shaw, Bailly - all either were promising at one point or can be superb on their day, but these players either can't put in consistency or have too many issues in their game.

Then you've got Rojo, Jones, Lingard hanging around doing nothing when ideally you need hungry young players from the academy taking those roles.

Now they've got Cavani who's either gunna do well or clog up the squad with his high wages.

Even if Cavani does well, there's still so much imbalance, unsettledness and probably a fair bit of apathy in the rest of their squad that it's going to hold back from any consistent long-term (for a player of his age, of course) performance. As you said, it happened to Fernandes - just as likely to happen to Cavani.

 

[Cornpattbuck]

Cavani definitely seems like a signing to keep them in the headlines. Telles is very highly rated though and could be a good signing. I think they've fallen on their feet there. Their transfer strategy is so strange though.

Simon Stone (BBC) made a weirdly emphatic point that they'd been tracking Telles for six years (he made the same point about the kids they signed too). Who knows with Woodward.

 

[aussiespursguy]

United are on a bit of a precipice and could fall miles behind the top 4. They have combination of:

• Bad owners who treat the club as a cash cow.
• A hapless chief executive who cannot put proper infrastructure in place or get deals done.
• A manager who is out of his depth and not very good tactically.
• An archaic stadium that needs investment and pales in comparison to newer stadium at rivals (Etihad, Emirates, NWHL).
• A misconstrued sense of entitlement (which is re-enforced every time an ex-player says they go should and buy Kane).

If the owners had half a clue they would...

1. Sack the Chief Exec.
2. Get the new Chief Exec to sack Solskjaer.
3. Employ a Director of Football with a long term strategy.
4. Hire the best coach they can get - someone like Naglesmann or Pochettino.
5. Take the next few windows to fix their squad by bringing in the right characters.

They do not need to spend a lot on players, just replace their 'expensive superstars' who are weak mentally with more suitable characters. They need to get rid of players like De Gea, Martial and Pogba, buy a new CB to lead the team, buy a new midfield general to give them a spine. Buy a proper hard working CF to lead the line. Then their talented players will shine (Wan Bissaka, Rashford, McTomminay, Greenwood, De Beek, Fernandes etc.).

I have never rated Solskjaer as a manager, and I personally do not think CFs make particularly good managers. I did a quick look at current PL managers and a few notable others and CFs turned managers are quite rare for a reason...

Premier League Managers:
Nunez - Goalkeeper
Klopp - Defender
Rogers - Defender
Wilder - Defender
Dyche - Defender
Bruce - Defender
Hodgson - Defender
Potter - Defender
Moyes - Defender
Smith - Defender
Bielsa - Defender
Bilic - Defender
Lampard - Midfielder
Parker - Midfielder
Ancelotti - Midfielder
Guardiola - Midfielder
Arteta - Midfielder
Mourinho - Midfielder*
Solskjaer - Forward
Hasenhüttl - Forward
*Not a proper footballer

Notable others:
Pochettino - Defender
Naglesmann - Defender
Tuchel - Defender
Koeman - Defender
Hans-Dieter Flick - Midfielder
Zidane - Midfielder
Conte - Midfielder

Interesting that Sir Alex was a forward!

 

[rez9000]

Interesting that Sir Alex was a forward!

Obviously not United-related, but so was Brian Clough. The exceptions that prove the rule, I think.

 

[Gassin's finest]

Interesting that Sir Alex was a forward!

Obviously not United-related, but so was Brian Clough. The exceptions that prove the rule, I think.

Cruyff

 

[MassadaTom]

Cruyff

Klopp was striker too.

 

[rez9000]

Klopp was striker too.

Indeed, although he did spend a significant chunk of his career (at the end) playing as a right back.

Maybe we see more defenders and midfielders become coaches because they see more of the pitch when playing? Strikers generally only operate in the final third, so maybe that means they don't absorb enough about the rest of play to be able to be good coaches? That's just me spitballing, by the way, not suggesting it's a fact.

 

[yankspurs]

This right here is why Poch, in all likelihood, wont be going anywhere near this club as it currently stands. We didnt get him his players because of funds. United didnt get Ole what he wanted because Woodward runs the ship.

Sources: United missed all of Solskjaer's targets

Manchester United failed to sign any of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's priority targets during the summer transfer window, sources have told ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[Marty]

This right here is why Poch, in all likelihood, wont be going anywhere near this club as it currently stands. We didnt get him his players because of funds. United didnt get Ole what he wanted because Woodward runs the ship.

Sources: United missed all of Solskjaer's targets

Manchester United failed to sign any of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's priority targets during the summer transfer window, sources have told ESPN.

www.espn.com

It's why Poch shouldn't go there, but I'm not convinced he won't anyway.

 

[VegasII]

I’m starting to think Woodward’s on the take. But then...he’s a feckin eejit.

I reckon it’s both.

 

[Timberwolf]

Woodward is a shit turd but I don't think you can really blame him for not getting Sancho, Grealish and Upamecano. Most clubs in the world would want to sign them and the reason they haven't already is because they are all disgustingly expensive.