19 Aug 2014 09:21:56
Hey Ed002 if you've got a minute. Obviously the whole 'glazers out' thing has escalated again because of the Swansea result and the lack of transfer activity or whatever, but I can't help feel like it's an overreaction - regardless of what the Glazers pocket themselves or how they operate you can't deny how they've increased the value of the club. To me it seems that our failure to address key areas is just as much down the manager as it is anything else. My question was, do you have any insight as to why our business is being conducted this late in the window?

You have informed us on numerous occasions that we're going to be rebuilding over the next 3 windows and that significant business is looking to be done in the remaining few weeks of the window, so is it as LvG has said and that he has been assessing the squad and who he thinks the right players for his system are? Our deals for Shaw and Herrera, pre-determined targets, all seemingly went off without a hitch and now LvG has come into the job he has had to identify his own targets. So I am sceptical when all these journalists and supposed ITKs talk about all the people we are failing to get.

{Ed002's Note - I am not so sure that the Glazers played that badly against Swansea. It will simply be the fickle fans. Another loss or two and they will want van Gaal out. I explained my views on van Gaal when we first understood he would be joining and I will stick by those warnings. I am not going to open it up again.

There are efforts being made over Vidal, Cuadrado, Benatia, Rojo, Di Maria, Blind, Depay. There will be other options if deals cannot be done. People suggest the likes of De Jong - I don't know. There was an enquiry made about Manolas but he is seemingly off to Arsenal. Sitting in the background is Veltman - could be a shrewd move and he is known to LvG. Memphis Depay could add options in attack. A bid for Arda Turan certainly would not be a shock. The club might go back after Hummels; Toby Alderweireld has not settled in Madrid and is known to LvG - perhaps someone from Sky Sports will mention on Twitter he is on his way to Manchester.

There is a lot of time left and a lot of business is being lined up by some of the major clubs. Everything will be fine - in years to come we will laugh over this.}

1.) 19 Aug 2014
19 Aug 2014 10:46:52
Love your last sentence ed, I look forward to the day we all laugh, as this place is very depressing lately, bit like last year again.

2.) 19 Aug 2014
Thanks for that ed, great to have some insight about who we are going after. Didn't know there was any interest in Veltman or Alderweireld.

{Ed002's Note - Read it again slowly Fresh!. Have you visted the new Team and Formation page yet?}

3.) 19 Aug 2014
19 Aug 2014 11:23:44
top reply Ed002, pretty much answered every question I've been thinking about lately.

4.) 19 Aug 2014
I am concerned that we will put all of our eggs into one basket, trying to sign the likes of Vidal & Di Maria and when they fall through players like Carvalho & Cuadrado are long gone.

{Ed002's Note - I assume that you have visited the new Teams and Formations page Syd? Dedicated to those who care where players stand before kick off.}

5.) 19 Aug 2014
Cracking update there Ed, lots of names mentioned. Hopefully deals are starting to be done, should give us lots to read over the next four weeks.

6.) 19 Aug 2014
I think that the difference in MUFC the "Franchise" and MUFC the football club is what is causing the problem. We keep hearing "biggest club in the world" which we know currently isn't true on the football side, but nobody can argue the global appeal on the business side.
What we do have linking the two together is Edward Woodward who is renowned for his expertise on one side and is still learning the ropes on the other and will be keen to avoid what happened last season despite how things are looking with two weeks to go.
We all think that we can see things that club officials cant. Holes in the midfield, weak links here there and everywhere. You can guarantee that LVG, EW, SAF, Bobby Charlton and anyone else you care to mention will know this too. I think fans get frustrated because MUFC don't flaunt it all in the media (lessons learned from last year) and keep cards close to chest. A lot can happen in two weeks and think/hope that people will see that "they" knew what they were doing all along.

7.) 19 Aug 2014
Thanks 002, always appreciate your informative responses.

8.) 19 Aug 2014
I think the whole Glazer thing is unwarranted. The biggest problem people had with them was the massive debt they took to buy the club. With our new sponsorship deals in place with Chevy and Adidas and the ones that will probably come in later seasons, I don't think it will be long before we are debt free. People are using them as a scapegoat to the lack of transfer activity, but I don't recollect them ever stopping deals because of the money. The Glazers are businessmen, and they don't know much about football, which is why they leave football matters to those that know it. I would choose the Glazers over Abramovic any day. I think Van Gaal should be putting Ed Woodward under more pressure to get the deals done, it's good that he's trying to get deals done cheaply, but that's why we haven't been able to bring in the players we want. Clubs know we NEED the players so they raise their price, we either pay them what they want or we risk a similar season to last, it's as simple as that.

9.) 19 Aug 2014
Fantastic update Ed and very welcome to see some of those names are still live on the list of people the club are working on. Would love Hummels over the other defenders but wouldn't say no to any of them at this point. Here's hoping to Di Maria, Hummels, cuadrado and Vidal just because I'm greedy.

10.) 19 Aug 2014
Great insight ed thanks for the reply! I think some fans are under the impression that LvG is a wizard and Woodward & the Glazers are Beelzebub n Co

11.) 19 Aug 2014
Unless Utd pull a 'rabbit out of a hat' the Rojo signing will be the last before the window shuts:

Vidal - Staying at Juve

Di Maria - Agreed loan to PSG

Hummels - Going to Barca

Cuadrado - Probably going to Barca

Benatia - Probably going to Bayern

Blind - Van Gaal doesn't fancy him as we could have signed him any time during the last 4 weeks and still haven't done so!

Depay - Possible but honestly he's no better than an in-form Valencia or Januzaj.

Veltman - Possibly but young, raw and no better than an in-form Jones.

Reus - Staying at Dortmund then going to Bayern in 2015.

Like I said. unless Utd come up with someone that no one in the world of football has linked them to yet, Rojo will be the best they buy.

12.) 19 Aug 2014
Eric, how do you know all this? You are just guessing. You can't just state players will join clubs because the press have said it.
If we were to believe the press we would have players such as cavani and kroos.

We have great chances of buying Vidal and benatia if we negotiate to a decent fee.
Bayern have increased thier interest in Godin, they won't buy both benatia and Godin.
When did reus say he was going to Bayern?

13.) 19 Aug 2014
Eric mate a vast majority of what is out there in the press is conjecture and speculation so I would hold off with the pessimism until September 2nd. If we haven't signed anyone by then you can satisfy yourself by saying you told us so

14.) 19 Aug 2014
Guys don't feed Eric, its what he wants, he's wot we call an attention seeker, he likes to be noticed and has zero imput worthy of the other pages so just types junk like this over and over again to get noticed!

If we pull off a few top signings he will disappear not to be seen until next transfer window.

Sorry if that was a little to much eds :-)

15.) 19 Aug 2014
With numerous reports suggesting Bayern are unwilling to pay what Roma want and increasing their interest in Godin, Benatia is probably not going there.

So he is still a viable target.

Rojo, Benatia, Shaw and Herrera will be a pretty good window. We know that the club is looking to rebuild over 3 windows, so that means we'll be looking to do more business in January and next summer before the team is really where it should be.

16.) 19 Aug 2014
Thorne, sorry but that would be a shocking window and we will struggle to get top four.

17.) 19 Aug 2014
How many are you expecting Syd? We aren't going to rebuild the whole team in one window, and too many new players in (especially when they are going straight in as 1st choice) is disruptive to the team.

This is still mostly the team that one the league, season before last. We've got great options up front and in the no 10 role, Herrera improves our midfield immensely, as does Fletcher finally being back to full strength.

I reckon that replacing our older defenders and adding Herrera to our midfield gives us a good platform to build on in January and next summer.

More particularly, it will keep us in competition for top 4 until January, when we are likely to add Strootman, and hopefully one or two others, and our summer signings will have had time to settle.

18.) 19 Aug 2014
Fletcher isn't good enough Thorne mate. We NEED one more top midfielder, a top CB & a top wingback. Only good signings is going to improve our massive loss in confidence.

19.) 20 Aug 2014
Syd, if Darren Fletcher is not good enough, what about Cleverley? Fellaini? Anderson? Carrick? All these players are not good enough, I rate Fletcher higher than Cleverley, Fellaini and Anderson. I agree with you on the rest.

Thorne, I agree with the idea that we should rebuild over three transfer windows, but I don't think Rojo, Benatia, Shaw and Herrera would be a good transfer window. We were short in defence before we lost Rio, Vidic, Ferdinand and Buttner, so I still think we need another defender and midfielder to go with those signings.