Manchester United Banter Archive August 07 2013

07 Aug 2013 22:55:03
I may be putting 2 and 2 together and geting 15 here but I read somewhere cesc is going to make an announcement or have some sort o barca press conference on Thursday and with tomorrow apparently being our special day. Could happen. Il stick to us ending up with Fellaini and a winger.

For me a better cheeper alternative for the Afro would be de Rossi although he's 30 he's a physical beast gets stuck in can pass as good as anyone and can even fill in at cb. He's had a falling out at roma and would cost less then half the price rumoured for Fellaini. We'd even have money for the lb we desperately need.

08 Aug 2013 08:22:08
My only real problem with Fellaini is I think he has the physical/technical balance leans to far towards the physical side. Which is fine in the Prem but would be a liability in europe imo. His passing and technical abilities are quite limited and he isn't mobile enough for me. But he does have some key qualities we are missing, he has a presence in midfield, he has a good defensive reading of the game, and he is a threat in the air both offensively and defensively.

But in europe his physical advantages would be stripped away and he would have to rely on his ability with the ball at his feet, and to be honest Cleverley is a far superior passer than Fellaini.

Imo we need a modern defensive midfielder and Fellaini is a more traditional DM. We need someone who has the technical ability before physical ability. Someone who can pass the ball with the best, yes a physical presence would be good but they probably need to rely on interceptions as much or even more than they do crunching tackles. They also need to be very mobile as the modern game relies on speed not power.

For those reasons I would choose Lars Bender, Morgan Schneiderlin, Romulo and Geoffrey Kondogbia before Fellaini.

08 Aug 2013 08:24:19
Oh and Luiz Gustavo too. Lol.

07 Aug 2013 22:39:21
Can't see ronaldo signing on the 8th as he is in Miami playing against Chelsea
Gutted
The whirlwind

The Glazers are from Florida, maybe the press conference is live with Ronaldo from their house :-)

Brendan81

Brendan81

Quality reply, if only it were true

07 Aug 2013 22:20:41
I have got to admit I really feel for Moyes. SAF has basically dropped him in the brown stuff by having the last word on Rooney. We had just clinched the title & Fergie came out & said that he wanted to leave. He didn't need to say anything, he had retired. I personally don't think Rooney asked for a transfer but probably just said if you won't play me " I may aswell leave", to be honest I don't blame him as he was played everywhere bar upfront to cover for the inadequases in the team. Maybe Rooney is that versatile it could be his downfall?. Next up is our woefull centre midfield ( Carrick aside). It has needed major surgery for years, we had Giggs whos a legend but 40, Cleverley not good enough, Anderson whos had 6 or 7 years to come good & still not done it, we even brought Scholes out of retirement, Fletcher will maybe never be the same. No wonder Pogba left when he couldn't get in the team past these. Then come the wide men. Young is awfull, Valencia seems to be going backwards, Nani (see Anderson) & then probably the worst of the lot Bebe. In defence we have Vidic & Rio who are both getting on, Evans, Smalling, Jones all injury prone. I know we won the league by a mile but that was probably down to Fergies brilliant management & motivation. We won't have that this year & city & Chelsea already have new players bedding in. Anyway heres hoping Moyes can pull a few quality signings in before the window shuts because as great as Fergie was he didn't rebuild the midfield when it was needed ( when Keane, Scholes, Beckham left). No matter what I will be there on Sunday cheering on the shirts.

I agree. No matter what happened between SAF and Rooney, SAF should never have left moyes in such a spot. It's a shame really bc I hate to see SAF in a bad light at the end but there's no way to avoid the fact that he did not ensure a smooth transition which had been his promise all along. Quite the chaotic summer, and fruitless on the transfer front. What about the deals we had been working on to ensure a smooth transition? -KG

07 Aug 2013 21:56:55
my prediction,

We sign Faillani and keep Rooney

There you go

Red Daz

Why would you want to keep a player who wants to leave, it's a sign of weakness.

Every player has a price, it's been said countless times.

Chelsea have always said this, interesting this one. They do not want to sell David Luiz and have rejected Barca's initial bid for him. So let's see how this one goes.

Rooney has his value, has it been reached yet by Chelsea?

I'm with you. Hope we get 1 more decent player tho.
RumnourNo. 1

07 Aug 2013 21:13:13
Anzi have sacked rene meulstein. let's get rene back and whilst we are at it how about a cheeky bid for willan. Was really good against chelsea in the champions league. Apparently Anzi are to get rid of their star players to reduce their costs.

I wonder what Chris Samba makes of all of this? Personally I'm tipping him for a £12million move to aid QPR's promotion push ;)

TK-Red

07 Aug 2013 20:05:50
Apparently David Moyes still hasn't bought a house in Manchester, he has put in 2 bids for a house though but they've been rejected as the tennants do not want to sell.

Del Boy!

07 Aug 2013 19:58:50
dont need baines. Evra is still better than him save the 18m now and if shaw improves as expected get a deal done in Jan for beginning of next season like zaha.
Fab and Fellani will come, please have some faith, and Wayne should go with our thanks for good service we have seen the best of the 'next gazza,,,,,,

Id try a cheeky swap loan for kagawa and lewendowski
for a season

Ken Just say no

Stopped reading at evra being better than Baines.

Ken your delusional mate

What are u on about?
Nomidfield

I did think the other day if it would be possible to get Lew on a season long loan. Perhaps BvB want to stand firm and keep him from BM, BUT his heads not right for him to stay at BvB? Clutching at straws methinks, but perhaps worth a phone call to Klopp.

Sydney!

Syd, why would a club loan a player who has only 1 year left on his contract when they could just sell him and get 20million now?
Chippy

Sydney. Yes. I've beem saying RL on loan would be great business for weeks now and gkt a fair amount of negative reslonses but to me it makes sense for us, BVB and BM.

Ben

07 Aug 2013 19:27:45
Deeps

Sorry it's took me a while to answer.

First, personally, I don't think individual stats are everything when it comes to a team game and we shouldn't judge a player's worth to a team solely on them (even goalscorers). RVN is the classic example of this - fabulous player. Best pure striker I've seen. 95 goals in 150 games for us. And yet we had our leanest spell in the last 20 years while he led the line for us.

In terms of Rooney, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon and saying he's awful, and I'm not saying he wouldn't be a loss if he wasn't replaced.

What I am saying is that I don't think he's integral to the success of the team anymore and, therefore, we can't justify keeping him as our highest paid player. If he and RVP were fit and we were only going to play one striker, most of us would go for RVP. To expect Rooney to stay and play second fiddle to RVP is unrealistic. I personally don't think Rooney has worked hard enough to find a role alongside RVP (ultimately that's what did for RVN - he couldn't find a way to work with the newer players like Rooney and Ronaldo and disrupted the dressing room while that was going on). So, on that basis alone, we should let him go. I don't believe in forcing players who want to leave to stay - no matter how good they are. I think Rooney's been looking to move on, or at least not had his heart wholly at United, for a long time now. Prior to the RVP pursuit beginning last summer, there were some initial rumblings from his camp about new deal, ambition, etc. which were quickly quelled when the RVP news broke. He also did himself a lot of damage returning to pre-season in 2012 unfit and overweight - particularly when his place was being challenged for the first time.

He isn't the player he was in 2009/10, just after Ronaldo left, when he looked like he might get close to Ronaldo and Messi in quality. His touch is worse. His distribution is worse. His decision making is significantly worse. His attitude is also worse. My personal opinion that only the last one can be completely fixed. He hasn't fulfilled his potential, which is what his huge paydeal was based on, and he won't do now. None of which is to say he's not a very good player - he's just not world class. Over the last 18 months, his performances for United have been erratic - he's won some games, but in others he has wasted large amounts of possession - which is a real issue when you are as big a focal point in a team as he is. I suspect, if he was fully motivated, he would improve because he would become less erratic. I don't think his best performances will get better, and I don't think there will be more of them, but his poor performances will probably stop.

He's been with us 9 years now. He, for a lot of that 9 years, has been superb. But I think, for his own sake and wellbeing, he needs a change.

Last season, in terms of on-field performances, Carrick, RVP, Rafael and de Gea were all better than Rooney and more important to the team. I think there's arguments to be made for Evans and Ferdinand as well. That's my view from watching the team, not just taking in stats.

My comments were probably unjustified for the prior season, but I do think Valencia was our best player that year.

I do agree with Ed007 that there are players we could more readily afford to lose. But I'm not convinced we could find a system where Rooney would play centre forward week-in week-out while RVP is at the club and, on that basis, if we're going to play him out of position, the loss won't be as acute as people think right now.

For me, the debate over Rooney should be secondary over the need to improve our midfield. We'd be less worried about having Hernandez as our main 2nd choice striker if we had strong options in midfield.

We've lost players before and seen people get melodramatic over it, and then things have turned out OK - RVN, Keane, Stam, Beckham etc. Losing Rooney could give Kagawa, Januzaj, Zaha etc. an opportunity to shine that they wouldn't have had otherwise. Or it might be a disaster. We won't know until well after it's happened. But I don't think we should keep him if he doesn't want to stay, and I don't think we should hit the panic button if he does go. We should be much more concerned if we don't strengthen the midfield, irrespective of whether Rooney stays or goes.

Great post and I totally agree with every word. Players move on however united will continue to win silverware.

DarkLard08

Good post mate! Good to see that you could atleast reasonably justify your comment rather than making a "sheep" like rant. I understand if not agree with a lot of your points.

I just think that we are sending him to the wolves based on one admittedly poor season. A lot of people on here think how many balls he lost, poor touch etc. it is because we watch him as closely as it gets. may be if we did that for player's from other clubs, we would find similar trends. For ex- Lewandowski, you would normally find people here giving a very positive report on how he plays and the fact that he is already world class. I have watched him a fair bit, I have seen him miss as many sitters as he has scored blinders. I have seen him linking up play brilliantly, I have also seen him be selfish and lose the ball or shoot from vague angles. I have seen him conquer all with BvB, I have also seen him look like a muck with Poland.

My point here is if you start observing players closely and literally start counting lost balls or missed passes, you will find not every one is at Xavi's level. INfact take RVP, while he was brilliant, if someone watched closely, his pass completion wasnt the best around. With Rooney, the bandwagon haters tend to dissect every missed pass.

I agree with you, we should actually be having a discussion on our midfield and not Wayne Rooney. I think SAF left behind a bomb and he could have easily avoided it.

Lastly, I will be just fine if Rooney decides to move on, but I will not be naive to say that we are ok without a replacement. He I s a bloody good player if not WORLD CLASS. I haven't heard Rooney or the club say something, so keeping my wits about me and I refuse to believe the "dressing room cancer" thing. Makes no sense to me and its all made up.

We will see what happens and I hope it happens sooner than later.

Deeps.

Deeps, I'm thinking of setting up a support hotline if he goes :)

Deeps

It's a really good point that we watch Rooney more closely than other players, and you're right that we do. But then, good players always get scrutinised more closely than less-good players.

I also don't believe the dressing room comments. At the peak of his Fergie bust-up, one of my friends saw him out at a restaurant with Paul Scholes, for example. He doesn't strike me as being the sort to get involved in that.

Lol Stevie

Will it be toll free? Are you like a cop shrink or something? Anyways me, NoMidfield and Simmo are going to be the first 3 callers. Expect a call from the almighty KLOOT saying, "you see I said this all along".

Deeps.

DL08

You are right mate, better players will be scrutinized. let's just hope we are done with whatever happens sooner than later. I am concerned about our midfield reinforcements to be honest.

Good you made that Paul Scholes point! I could see Jones and Rafael rallying around him during the PL medal distribution ceremony. Then you have people who will use 100 "what ifs" and try to justify him being a bad apple.

Deeps.

KLOOT is lined up to run the hotline covering many subjects (Rooney, American bosses, logistical locations of United 'fans' etc ;).

07 Aug 2013 19:35:35
Has any link between utd and Garay disappeared, I was convinced this was a done deal earlier this yr?
RedKen

Seems to be as much of a 'done deal' as everyone said the Thiago one was. glad he hasn't signed. waste of 20ish mill.

07 Aug 2013 19:14:17
Cant believe spurs have signed Capoue for around £6 mil unbelievable value


Rogerr

07 Aug 2013 17:39:50
Ed do you think we will show any interest in any Anzhi players now they are on sale so to speak?

Jase {Ed007's Note - I highly doubt it, Jase.}

07 Aug 2013 18:39:31
Glossing over all of the usual (and yes deserved) fawning over SAF's achievements I am growing even more irritated with the mess that SAF's ego has created.

His announcement (lie) about Rooney handing in a second transfer request has made the change of management anything bar as simple (on a scale leading towards difficult) as it could have been.

What on earth was he thinking? That comment has potentially cost United the player, a larger transfer fee, an unsettled squad and an advantage to our nearest rivals.

That one stupid, yet most probably pre-planned comment has caused untold damage, and for all of SAF's efforts to ensure a smooth transition took place he has instead screwed it up with one of his final interviews as manager. It was nothing short of self-indulgent and served only his own interests as he looked to settle the one outstanding "score" before he left.

A legend of a manager, its such a shame it ended like this. The question is would he have said the same thing if he wasn't retiring?

So you don't think Rooney may well have said well if I'm not playing against (Insert name here) I may as well leave?

It was plain to see he was playing crap and his professionalism had gone out the window. To me I feel sure he knew this situation that Rooney is maneuvering his way out and SAF would sooner set it in motion rather than leave all the blame to fall on Moyes shoulders

SAF has never shirked rooting out a rotting apple and Rooney is that apple. SAF leaves as he started doing the best for the club

If Jose got the United job, would there still be an issue with Rooney? I think not. I think Moyes's appointment as manager ended Rooney's playing days at United. I could be wrong; but his silence says everything IMO.

As for SAF, I think the guy left Moyes with a few headaches. The CM issue should have been sorted before Moyes took over IMO.

SLred

Timbo

I have said previously that SAF may have believed at that point that he had Lewandowski lined up and having bought Kagawa he, SAF, would no longer need Rooney. I also said before that it was a revelation SAF did not need to make, nor should he have made it. We can all see the utter disruption already caused.
It may be too late now but it is a test of Moyes and Mr "no retooling" Woodward and let's hope they improve on efforts made so far right across the board

Totally agree with you a legend but legend with a massive ego and who always had to have the last word, should have gone quietly and said nowt, he really has left a messy situation
BIGAL REDFOREVER

If Rooney signs for Chelsea we can kiss the league goodbye already, they'll win it by a country mile

Don't forget the glazers ownership of utd is in no smallpart down to sir Alex. He managed to annoy McManus and magnier over the rock of gibraltar's stud rights. They bought Manchester United shares to put pressure on fergie. Once fergie dropped his legal challenge they dumped the shares/ sold to the glazers as they never wanted the shares in the first place and voila the yanks had a foothold to buy the club with debt. Thanks fergie. You won many trophies, but damaged the club. Just think who we could buy without the interest cost of the debt.

Timbo, you are spot on. I've said before that the conversation saf and Rooney had was private and should have remained so.
Saf knew what he was doing and he has made the transition as bad as it could be. The team is unsettled, Rooney is unhappy, the fans are unhappy. And I think incoming players are unsure after seeing this mess.
Most importantly, mourinho is sat there laughing his head off, and we're about to hand him one of our best players on a plate, and with it, the league title.
We all respect saf but this episode was totally avoidable, and has left a bad taste.
Nomidfield

I've been saying this for a while - although think it's quite brazen to call it a lie. I'm very much of the opinion that Rooney probably did (albeit out of hand) say something along the lines of 'if you're not going to play me - then why am I here?'. Perhaps he even outright asked to leave.

The fact is though that it was a private conversation - and SAF was out of order to both Moyes and Rooney to announce it on live television.

He's probably one of the best managers of all time - but has cost us a fair few players for less than they were worth due to his ego. Beckham, RVN, Stam and Rooney being the big ones.

redseven

No name, in the past we could have bought several top players for the money wasted on debt interest, but debt interest is around £21m a year now so it isn't as much as one would think. That should drop to around £10m within a couple of year's time.

Also, SAF having a disagreement with M and M doesn't mean that's why they sold up. They could have sold the shares regardless.

Sydney!

Well said timbo you forgot to mention SAF always said glazers was best owners we could have had and they would have been if they had loaded my wallet as well, i'm 57 and need the money but if I was fergusons age with the wealth he had I would have told the truth

Listen guys, IMO Moyes is a mini Fergie, he is their as Fergies replacement, chosen directly by Fergie. They are mates? Are you seriously telling me they haven't had a conversation of how the Rooney situation would be handled? We are United for Gods sake, nothing is left to chance with public comments, Fergie telling the press about Rooneys transfer request was done on purpose and Moyes would have known about t before hand. Let's not be too Naive, we might not like it, and yeah, in our opinion, they might balls it up now and thn, but ultimately, Fegie was a master at mind games and unfortunately we are not privy to the reasons why or to what purpose. Frustrating that it s.
Sorry, not ranting just fed up with FIFA dreaming!
Antman

I think there was more behind the Roony statement than just a sound bite-but he did seem to have an 'enough is enough I'm not covering up for Roony and his ego any more' kind of look (if that kind of look exists!maybe a poll Ed?). Just think he outed Roony for what has been going on for probably the last few years.

Sydney, the did not sell the shares because of the disagreement, they started buying the shares because of the disagreement specifically to put pressure on fergie. They have openly said they wanted to show him who was boss. It might only be £21m in interest cost now, but that will still add up until the debt is cleared. Adding to the interest cost how much have the glazers had out of the club? What has the total cost been?

07 Aug 2013 17:56:55
Surely the Barca - Utd - CFC triangle is no coincidence, even the price being quoted for the players is similar.

Moyes seemed calm when asked about Fabrigas so maybe it will happen.

One things for sure the whole Rooney saga has been very undignified and badly handled by both Moyes and Woodward.

Undignified by Rooney not Moyes, what planet are you on.

If this tri-angler transfer thing did actually happen, which club do ye think would be getting the best deal and who would be getting the worse?
I think we would be getting the best deal out of it, and barca getting the worst

Stringer, Chelsea best. Barca worse, but difficult to judge as all different players, depends what you base your opinions on

07 Aug 2013 17:29:42
According to a source it is about the press conference where someone asked about Fabregas saga
This could be simply that they decide Fabregas is a no go for the press conference, BUT why would they suddenly go from being open about it all to not talking about it?

What if "can't talk about it" means they have been asked by Barcelona not to mention because the transfer is actually going to go ahead BUT NOT YET

What reason would there be? Because Barcelona want to do some summer transfer business first and if they sell Fabregas, then the other clubs they deal with may ask for more

Might sound too overcomplicated but possible?

Could explain why they waited so long to make 3rd bid and it all went weird

Maybe the 3rd bid has been accepted but its all being kept quiet for now as request by Barcelona? As I previously mentioned a deal looks in place and probably will be announced very soon possibly with fellaini but fellaini isn't 100% defo if fabregas comes because Anderson has impressed moyes

I think Ando has looked great recently. I thought he was our best player yesterday. He never stopped running, and his passing range was excellent.

SLred

SLred, Totally agree, when Zaha went off there was nobody looking like creating other than Anderson.
Like him or not he is a talent, who if we could get fit could be an important player for us.

A

07 Aug 2013 17:12:28
does anyone remember how good our team was in 08/09 and now looking at the current team their are only 3 maybe 4 players who could make that team

no value in the transfer market

07 Aug 2013 17:02:25
some sites reporting if rooney goes eto'o could come on the cheap from anzhi as a short term fix

i personally think that eto would be a great signing

You must be joking he is a complete mercenary and the reason Reni lost his job as manager today after just 3 weeks
ARB

Please behave, samuel eto'o has gone so down hill since his move to Anzhi, he's about the same standard as anelka and will probably still comand a fee of £150k a week.

07 Aug 2013 16:46:53
Just to get off the transfer topic for a bit (especially as all the articles that could be done have been) can someone enlighten me as to what SAF's official role is now with the club. What is it he will actually do when he has fully recovered from his hip op. Will it be more of a titular role as a director or something more hands on

Would appreciate any info from the regulars/Ed's

Ta

Seen article in the paper this week regarding SAF it stated he has been given an office at his sons business premises think he is a players agent not sure though

I'm definately old enough to know better but had to smile when you have put"titular role or more hands on". I'm looking forward to my retirement now I know I have getting more hands on with titulars to look forward too.

Ha ha, I did write that with tongue firmly planted in cheek (nowhere else before you ask)

Still a genuine question though

07 Aug 2013 16:07:44

{Ed007's Note - I have set up a poll regarding whether you want Rooney to stay or not:

www.manchesterunitedrumours.co.uk/poll2.html

Please feel free to send in any other (sensible) requests for polls. I will try to make sure there is a new poll everyday.}

How about the best number 7 ed? Ronny, bestie or cantona?

Chris

I am not waiting for the poll to actually materialize. Its a close shave between "The King" and "Bestie"and I would go for The King!

Deeps.

Chris don't forget to include Valencia :)

Oh yeh avid lol also owen! How could I forget those juggernauts!

The king is Denis? Brilliant player. Best "finisher" ever (and that includes Greavsie. ) Not the same after his knee injury (1965/6?) However George was better than the lot of them. I saw him play from his debut in '63 in all the home games. A one off genius.
Old man river

Thanks bond

Old Man River

Eric "The King" Cantona. I haven't watched Bestie live, so I may be biased here, but the kind of impact Eric had was unheard of.

Deeps.

Well old man river did you see George flatten big ron yeats at ot lol

07 Aug 2013 15:21:36
After hearing about the problems at Anzi I would just like to say that Wilian is the perfect replacement for Rooney if we need to sign a replacement. I think we need a versatile forward player to replace him if we are going to replace him and he would be the very man to do so.

07 Aug 2013 15:09:56
As we all know this has been a quite frustrating summer for all of us, before I write something I would like to mention some SAF's thoughts during the pursuit of Wesley Sneijder - united signs only those players who are willing to play for united and can make a difference not just because competitors are singning players. Eventually we did not get him which was later identified as he was looking for a lucrative deal ahead of his united move.

I would like to take you guys last season where we lost our first match against Everton and fellaini outplayed us, everyone on this page were shouting for us to sign fellaini, dembele, herrera (Mexico). Ultimately we didn't sign any of this and stucked with the same squad and finished top of the league and had it not been Cuneyt Cakir's blunder for nani's redcard we would have even finished higher in UCL.

So I believe we will only sign players who are going to make difference and if we don't than we may stay with the same squad untill the Jan window opens up.


Ajinkya_reddevil

07 Aug 2013 14:21:54
Anyone know if it's true that there is to be a press conference tomorrow? Seen it mentioned a few times.

07 Aug 2013 13:48:41
Anzhi looking to sell players we should go in for willian maybe get him a lot cheaper than they paid would be a good signing

07 Aug 2013 12:26:58
On a possitive note and to get away from the boredom of talking about transfers. I went down to the lane last night and watched us beat city to win the Lancashire cup. Good performance only dissapointed that we didn't score more goals. So that's a couple of trophys already in the summer.

Nice to hear something different mate, all this transfer stuff has been boring me. The younger lads deserve more attention, they've been doing really well and often get overlooked.

I thought we could've had a couple more goals as well but all that matters in the end is the win. Its good teaching our young lads how to beat city from an early age!

I know this may sound a bit stupid but why doesn't the team just include Rooney in a deal for Fabregas? It sounds a lot better than him joining Chelsea

Because he would be warming the bench at Barca and they have zero interest in him. They are all about ball possession and smart passing and he is definitely very wrong for that kind of a system.

Shahram

Barca don't want him, he would be on the bench

07 Aug 2013 12:13:37
So the third and final piece of the Luis-Fabregas-Rooney tri-factor is inplace, Barcelona have made an official bid for the Chelsea defender, the theory is this will be financed by Fabregas' move to MUFC which in turn will be the catalyst to allowing Rooney to leave.

I think that is a really good post no name. It makes a lot of sense and it maybe the reason why Moyes is now staying tight lipped over the whol thing.

Simmo

07 Aug 2013 12:58:01
All three players will move for a minimum of £35m. Why not propose a direct inter-swap deals for the trio? Come to think of it, all three players will be interested in the move and all clubs are in dire need. This makes perfect sense to me.
Bas!cs.

07 Aug 2013 14:58:11
I posted the exact same thing 2 days ago on rumours page. was dismissed by most people yet as predicted Barca make an official approach it will happen if Mr Moyes holds his nerve on this let Rooney go the grass is not always greener

Why do you think Luiz and Cesc are interested in the moves? Neither have said they wanted to leave!

It's a difficult situation in terms of a direct swap; owing to the fact that a player can only be registered with two clubs over a certain period (I believe it's in 1 season).

The only way I could see it working would be to have some kind of agreement where all 3 players were released by their clubs with pre-agreements already in place with the players to sign for the other club. This would help deal with the issue of paying tax on the transfers as well and would remove the potential obstacle of Arsenal's first refusal - although it's highly unorthodox and to the best of my knowledge has never been done before.

redseven

Why would Chelsea want to sell luiz they don't need the money.
Jred

I can see Rooney and Fabregas maybe agreeing to their respective moves but Luiz? Can't see him wanting to leave Chelski.

Ozwald

Cant see us getting fabregas but think rooney will end up at Chelsea for maybe 35m and united paying over the odds maybe 25 m for fallaini so moyes should get nice pat on the back from the glazer clan

I hope we sign Cesc & Fellaini, just so Nomidfield has to change his name ;)

Sydney!

07 Aug 2013 11:46:34
United needs quality if we are to compete in Europe. Look at the money and talent the so called top clubs have spend this summer and sadly are so called great squad looks like will get weaker so the gap is just getting wider!

If we are to have any chance of winning the Champions league we badly need Ronaldo/Fabregas/Fellaini and Baines etc. At 1 point we had a squad to be envied, nearly every position had the best player in the uk and a back up to boot. Yeah it has got harder and the transfer markets are just plain r******* but sadly we got to pay these prices or have some sort of system for getting/retaining the best as kids to save us paying these prices.

Sounds like the club have gone bust. Makes sense why Gus left them. I feel sorry for Rene though. He could not have known what was going on.

Slred

07 Aug 2013 11:23:58
Question from all experts

Is there any midfielder who is decent enough and not considered as a marquee signing?

Any player playing in UK or any where else on this planet who can pass the ball and has pace. We don't need a famous name. Just a proper midfielder which will be better than our "brand"

Who is our scout now a days and what he is doing?

Yohan Cabaye. Isn't fast but would improve our midfield options.

Ozwald

Bayern have confirmed that they are willing to listen to offers for Gustavo, this is well worth a punt IMO, a top defensive midfielder.

Tony Vilhenna and jordy Classie are two names that instantly pop to my mind

07 Aug 2013 12:47:21
There are many players who would improve our midfield. It drpends on what role you want that midfielder to play.

If you want someone who does all the less attactive stuff then I think you'll struggle to find someone better than Morgan Schneiderlin. Prem proven and wouldn't struggle settling in, wouldn't cost that much, and statisticly one of the top 5 midfielders in the league last season.

If you want a more all round midfielder then Yohan Cabaye is a very good shout.

07 Aug 2013 13:47:12
And if your looking at an attacking midfielder then Remy Cabella is worth a look.

07 Aug 2013 19:10:21
Good point by no namer! Vilhena and Clasie both at Feyenoord look to be quality young players that could only improve. There was a lot of hype about Jordy Clasie a few months back, 'the next Xavi' and all that rubbish. Has died down now though.

Ozwald

07 Aug 2013 03:27:59
eds

any chance you can delete all future posts refering to Rooney until either he is sold or the transfer window shuts?

I think everything that could be said on the subject has been aired multiple times and tbh it's gone way past boring.

can we talk about something else now?

Simple answer. don't read the posts then.

Simmo

Simmo, I take it then you are still enthralled and thoroughly stimulated by the whole Rooney saga and that every post on the subject has you captivated with its original thoughts and new insights?

Going to be honest but i'm getting fed up of just seeing Rooney's name! Can't wait until he future is confirmed and out in the open.

Ozwald

Wat about welbek do u think he should be sold he is shorely better than he is presently rated

Obviosly you still are AndrewB because your still commenting on it now.

Simmo

Simmo, commented recently, yes.

But I've realised that neither me or anyone else has anything new or interesting to say on the matter. No disrespect meant to anyone 'cos I usually enjoy the thoughtful, interesting and sometimes funny comments on this site. It's just that everything that could be said about Rooney already has.

TBH I'm even bored with my own post.

The only thing I'd like to see is a poll on who wants rooney to stay and who wants him gone. I think its about 50/50 from the posts I've read. {Ed007's Note - Give me 5 mins and I will set a poll up Andrew.}

There was one on the site the other day not sure what the result was
Jred

Nice one Bond - thanks.

I'm really curious to see how this turns out.

Welbeck and cleverly living the dream if we could get the players we are suppose to have been interested in in last couple of season they would both be at everton or sunderland not good enough for united

07 Aug 2013 10:00:42
Let's look back at all those people on this site who have attacked me for saying that with the Glazers in charge the standard of the squad would diminish and even though more money would come into the club it would not be spent on bringing in world class players.

Then again when I pointed out that Rooney had no love for the club and was holding us to ransom and we should get rid I was slaughtered now he has proved once again that he is trying to squeeze the club. His silence is deafening.

Sometimes you may not like to hear what I have to say but History will prove me right about Rooney and the Glazers

Not many take notice of wot u say tbh RFT.
U dnt voice opinions pal u shove them down the throats of people and god forbid any1 disagree with u

Kloot

You haven't got a clue what is going on with Rooney.
Rooney hasn't come out and said he wants a move and United haven't said that he want's a move.
Why don't you wait and see what happens and stop reading the Sun Newpaper and believing everything you read.

Simmo

Oh dear chris.

god forbid some 1 is allowed their own opinion.

you tell them kloot!

Hehe.

Been on this site a few years now and agree with you, although you do come across as some one who likes to rant and can't take others points of view but generally your posts are spot on with things. We do have a group here who hate to hear bad things about the Glaziers or can't see anything wrong with the club but we would of been in a far better place without them.

/hug to all

Kloot is going to be right about rooney he wants out as for the Glazers we'll wait and see who comes in

Since 06-07 (7 seasons) we won the league 5 times, and finished 2nd twice by with a total of 1 point (09-10) and goal difference (11-12)

Isn't that good? I know what a lot might say "In decline, overachieved, weak midfield" Its not the end of the world if we have an off year, although that hasn't even happened yet.

Moyes and the new staff gets a year in, gets comfortable, learns all the players and gets used to the pressure that comes with this job. Maybe youngsters get to progress more and become the talents they were trained to be.

Who knows, we may even pick up a transfer or two.

Haha nice to see u malaga, still getting ripped apart by your OWN fans on your page?
Dnt worry mate keep chucking those made up rumors about one will stick, who have u said so far will defo sign this season? Caesar, Fabregas, fellani, rooney, Suarez to name a few.

Malaga-gooner

Is Fabregas still in London for talks as you assured us all a while back? Those talks must be pretty lengthy and complex!

Also, the other Gooners are still waiting on Higuain, Bender, Jovetic and all the other playrers you promised them :)

HB

How about if rooney is sold and the Glazers pocket most of the money as they did with Ronaldo when they replaced him with Valencia.
That is more likely to happen than any other scenario. We have all bought our season tickets and stuff the fans.
Nomidfield

There's a surprise, RFT proclaiming to have been proven correct long before the argument has even been settled. You'll find that the ones who "attack" you, as you so preciously put it, are the ones capable of forming their own opinion as opposed to being sheep and following the opinion of the one who makes the most noise. Sometimes your views make sense, others they are a bobbins but PROVEN to be correct? Not by a long shot sweetheart.

TK-Red

Lol HB bless him (malaga), comes pn our site and leaves wot hr thinks is a witty remark and gets told, I forgot about those other ones too. Even his own fans now say they wait to see who he claims to be 100% signing then they no who aint.
Malaga u are the weakest link, good bye

Kloot is correct about the glazers if you look at a player as being an asset to the club they have asset stripped the club, great players and squad when they bought the club with our cash no where near same quality now in the squad and things are getting worse take RVP vidic and rio out of that squad were left with average premiership squad

07 Aug 2013 09:31:30
I don't know whether any of our transfer plans will work out, or if we will still buy players even if they aren't starting XI quality or if we don't buy anyone, but I hope that regardless of the outcome that Ed Woodward, David Moyes and Co. don't try and treat the fans like persons. Despite the massive respect I have for SAF, I felt that he and David Gill were insulting the fans' intelligence when they made claims about "no value in the market" when every fan could clearly see the moves most other teams were making. I'm not even criticizing the transfer results, but I will say that at times even the most gullible supporter wasn't buying the things SAF and Gill were saying, and it was insulting to me and many others that they couldn't just man up and say "we couldn't afford to spend that much" or "we tried to bring in the player but he wanted to play elsewhere". Be honest with the supporters and we're far more forgiving over things like transfer failures. If Moyes got to the end of the summer and said, "I didn't want to buy for depth, we went for the few players who could improve our starting XI and help us challenge for the CL and unfortunately we weren't able to secure any this summer. We'll continue trying to add the very best players to the squad when needed. " I would be content that they did all they could to achieve what I agreed was needed, but circumstances weren't on our side. But if they waste money on some squad players (Fellaini, Cabaye, etc) and then try to sell them to fans as signings that will match up against those made by our competition, I will again be offended that the United brass thinks so little of their fans.

Kg, there are more than a few players potentially available who could improve our starting XI.

I'd be concerned if we didn't try signing any and even more concerned if we did and none would come.

that's unless Moyes can transform cleverley and Anderson into something that can measure up to the mid fields of the top European clubs

KG

Cabaye and Fellaini would probably seal the Pl title for us. We might not have enough for CL but they would be a huge improvement on what we currently have.

Fellaini is the same player who has given us a horrid time every time we have played everton the last few years and made our current crop of midfielders look like s***. BTW he cost us the title 2 years ago in that famous 4-4 draw.

Shahram

I don't think Cabaye will improve our midfield that much. Rooney had an average season and everyone wants him out, Cabaye has had a bad 18 months and yet everyone remembers the 8 months he played well.
I know AndrewB was joking but if we are to transform Anderson and Cleverley into any sort of midfielders, then we will need some devine intervention I'm afraid.
Nomidfield

07 Aug 2013 08:36:20
well. while all the focus was on the first team last night people seem to have missed the U21 senior cup final.

MANCHESTER UNITED 2
(Petrucci 31, Lingard 75 (pen))

MANCHESTER CITY 1
(Tchumeni-Nimely 16)

WELL DONE LADS. May it long continue and into the first team.

Maybe this is why, Lingard & Januzaj were missing last night. Instead of a warm-up game against no-one of meaning, they are winning silverware against city.

07 Aug 2013 07:44:44
what a great article ngiak read
after embarrassing themselves the last month or so
losing out on some midfielders of "quality"and "repute
there will be no one of any reputable quality who would want to be a 3rd or 4th choice to be bought by our dear bungling club
a player of bastien's quality will never agree to be a public 3rd choice after many others have rejected Manchester united
ngiak can't believe the embarrassment that is brought onto our great institution.
and giggs will still play next season. sign
gan

Agree and i'm actually shocked moyes is giving so much game time to gigs

07 Aug 2013 03:41:16
So media reports are saying Anzhi are transfer listing most of their stars, and Rene Meulensteen could be fired (after just 16 days in charge!).

Should we go after any of their players? Willian?

07 Aug 2013 03:04:39
Fabregas is not comin. what a waste of time that was. our transfer efforts so far have been embarassing. were supose to be the biggest team on the planet. looks like were in trouble when fergies not around to hold every ones hand. if this does nt change I fear for us this season. hope i'm wrong but wegot to buy some class soon. the rest have already. please break the bank for ronnie and we ll once again put them to the sword

chilly""
dear mr chilly
ngiak is not sure if he agrees with you
we have been struggling with signings for at least 5 years
sir alex himself has been hunting for a striker and midfielder for the longest time, but no one of repute wanted to come here
wait. ngiak has to correct himself
Manchester united in the last 5 years cannot afford to compete with market forces the last 5 years or longer, salary- or bids-wise
a world wide brand name with no players that are huge brand names
and the only one with a semblance of a brands name wants to leave
sad isn't it?
rvp? well he is the only one who bucked the trend and came to us. very lucky
IF rooney goes and we continue to scrape the barrel for the likes of fellaini, we will be in the Liverpool league for sure, and gigs will still be playing next season.
ngiak really hopes these desperate last 3 weeks will prove him wrong
gan

I agree with you on the subject of 'brand' name players.

We simply don't have any, RVP possibly, but that would be the exception.

IMO this was why the club offered Rooney his pay rise 2 years ago. He was the only brand player we had and if we were to have lost him then it would not have looked good on the club.

With the emrgence of the super rich clubs we have dropped down the pecking order

Can't afford to compete on the market? Did you get RVP on a free?

Ngiak or gan or merlin. what ever

CAIN thinks you need assistance mentally he also feels that I should not be writing this reply. wel f $&k him i'm the one who runs the fingers around here

CAIN

Call yourselves united fans?

You're embarrassing.

Why don't you wake up and smell the coffee. so your a bigger fan than the rest us because you in a bubble and don't question anything. sorry for having a brain

07 Aug 2013 01:34:00
I fully agree with Nomidfield and Simmo about Rooney Saga…
Back, once again. I just can’t tell how painful it is for me to see the great united team is withered and even can’t beat AIK. On top of that still waiting for the new signings. I can’t understand this why we have to wait till the last moment to get the targets. We should sign players as early as possible and let them play in the preseason matches so that they will settle in the team but no we will wait till the end.
Wait… What I am talking about, We are Champions and we won the league by 11 points.
If we were that good last season then why you guys craving for new signings. The reason is because all of us know except SAF that we need players in the midfield. Now I don’t mind even if we sign Fellaini as well. Adnan and Lingard both have very good potential so we can use them as well.

Another thing amused me that we are playing with mediocre teams while Chelsea has played with AC Milan/ Intermilan and will play with Madrid. And very soon they will play Bayern as well so they will be well prepared.
The main problem for me though is Rooney Saga. If you want to sell him then sell him fast otherwise sort him out. A bad start this season means we won’t be able to catch up due to first 5 tough matches. On top of that we want our best player to put in a transfer request and move to rivals. Moyes only has to do is to tell Rooney, mate I got your back don’t worry show how good you are but unfortunately he is not doing it for whatever reason, may be due to SAF. SAF is very clever, two seasons Rooney questioned his ambitions as lack of quality signings and what SAF did. He didn’t sign quality players around Rooney but he signed RVP to replace him. So basically he screwed Rooney and played him out of position. As RVP is 30years old but very young and will play next 5 years for United. Will he be effective? I don’t think so. I can see fans will come here in two year time and write sell RVP and get a world class striker.
Having written all that, I can’t see United to lose any match. Football for me is like a war so never strengthen your enemy. If Rooney don’t want to play for us then so be it, let him train with the reserves even if puts in transfer request at least till January. Jose is a very cunning manager and Chelsea don’t need Rooney but they want to unsettle United squad and this is what has happened. Rift in the squad is already reported. I think we need to make a bid for Mata, just to see what is Chelsea’s response. Mind games as usual by Jose.
I will be laughing madly if we will beat Chelsea and I hope that we will. We will once again show the world what Manchester United is all about even without SAF as no one is bigger than the club, be it Rooney or SAF or anyone else.

Apologies If I offend anyone.

If you beat chelsea its the second game of the season nothing will be decided then. Uniteds attraction to sign players has gone down to the retirement of your SAF

Get off our page you no name chelsea fan. Where did I write that beating Chelsea will decide anything? I am writing and discussing it with my fellows fans. You don't have to come here. Ironically you have money and John Terry to attract players!

King of desert

Another clueless post

King of desert:

You appear to be emotionally compromised.

Look at the situation objectively, no club should be trying to keep a player who wants to leave a club, who doesn't want to play for the club anymore.

When the club decides it is the end of the road for a player, then he's off, whether he likes it or not.

IMO contracts should be no more than 1 year in length, this will bring transfer fees right down.

King of Desert
You make the mistake that most people do when looking at our fixtures, it's not the first 6/10 games you should focus on but the last 6/10 games that's when the titles sorted,
Of course it's important to get off to a good start but if we are 3/6 points behind with our run in I'd take that now.
Dylan

Rooney wants out maybe just maybe the chiefs at OT want rid, their not giving him any playing time purposely he's renowned as a slow starter. just a thought they will make sure this drags on till 1st sept.
Dylan

King of desert. That's my point. Its not that I like Rooney the person, but Rooney the player, always gives his all on the pitch. And we can't say the same for every player on that count.
So too sell one of our best players to our closest rival, will be handing them the title.
I said sometime ago that we should start playing the mind games too, saf was the master at it and so is mourinho. It was sad to read some of the players are unsettled due to the Rooney saga. I don't think rvp wants him to go as they played brilliantly together.
Saf is gone now, so why didn't Moyes just come out and say Rooney is very important to the team and that whatever happened before is in the past and we trust him to play for us. Instead we got Rooney is a backup for Rvp! Its insulting and totally underestimating him.
When he moves to Chelsea, we will soon realise the monumental cockup we have made, give it till Xmas!
Nomidfield

Oh Chelsea fan without name! When did I mention that it will decide anything. I said, it will give me immense pleasure if Man united beats Chelsea.
and yeah Chelsea have money and John Terry to attract players :P

Nomidfield spot on mate once again.

Dylan I agree with you about Rooney.

This season will be a bit different than the past seasons so we have to work hard from the start. I will also take 3/6 points difference in the first 10 games. But I am scared of the worst case scenario. If Swanse, city, liverpool and Chelsea all will win then it is too much to catch. I hope and pray that I will be wrong. Hope we will at least beat chelsea and liverpool. I am not worried about city and swansea even if we lose those games.

07 Aug 2013 00:21:41
So by the looks of things the fellaini deal is imminent tbh I wasnt to happy about the deal abit ago but after thinking about it as long as he is deployed infront of the back four I think he will do a good job and could releave the pressure off carrick to let him move forward which imo has been preventd from doing over the last 2 seasons.

Is anyone doing a mini league in the a website fantasy league?

Calvin

As I have previously said, now we have failed with acquiring our primary targets, we are now at the 'panic' buy stage.