1.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 00:56:54
Good post. Having watched Utd since the late 1960s I have seen us play football in the good and bad days. ED 02 Has consistently made reference to toxic supporters not helping the current predicament the team is in and also stated that the structure of the way the whole club in a football sense needs addressing. Your post echoes these ideas. The problem is that realistically you cannot have a wholesale clear out of say ten or eleven players. Logistically it's very hard to do for many reasons. First of all you have to find willing buyers for our rejects. Not so easy for some players. Then some players on long contracts may not want to go. If you move on so many players at once what happens to team spirit. trying to integrate a lot of new players in one or two transfer windows could mean a lack of cohesiveness in terms of playing that is even worse than we currently have. In terms of changing the manager I think that if results do not get better within the next few months then by Xmas Ole will be gone but that also would depend on who was actually available as a replacement. Poch was a lot of people's choice to be our manager but he has failed to win trophy. It will be very very interesting to see how rectifies the current problems T Spurs. If he can't then what does it say about his ability to manage an even bigger club like Utd? Whoever comes in just throwing money at new players is not the answer. Lastly all posters and supporters are entitled to their opinions but verbal or written abuse is not the way to help the situation. Sensible considered criticism is valid and acceptable. We should always remember that behind the public image the manager and players have are real people with families. I don't care how much they earn some comments by so called fans are disgraceful and would be so if eg the players earned £1million a game or £1.


2.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 08:41:31
Very good post Park.

I hope that if/ when Ole goes that the club review more than the managerial position, they look at the decision structure. The problem is that whoever made the decisions on managers will make the next one. I just hope they have a recruitment process instead of just running to someone before thinking it out.


3.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 11:09:40
Red Man, I would hope that the decision process is looked at and independently reviewed. But then again why would it be? Until our failures on the pitch start affecting the numbers on the spreadsheet then why would the owners consider the decision making process to be flawed?

If we want real change, the kind of change that could start to put us on a upward trajectory then things will need to get significantly worse before those kind of drastic changes are even considered.

The classic saying is, if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

We have just announced record profit for a time period where the team bombed, failed to finish in the top four and we sacked one of the most successful managers of the current era. From the perspective of an investor what is wrong with the club? pretty much nothing.

Would you rather have one season where we flirt with relegation if it means real full changes are made

OR

another season like the last 6 where we sack another manager, bring someone else in. Then perform in a middle of the road sort of manner, which is deemed good enough and then rinse and repeat over and over again.


4.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 11:48:17
It is really very simple:
If you want a winning manager, pick a winner (Sir A)
If you don't know what you want, choose someone who doesn't either
If you then turn to someone with a good past but no present then Louis is fine
If you want a one season boost followed by an implosion, Jose is your man
If you want relegation, try the free-fall Gonner.


5.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 12:04:44
Shappy

Full change won’t happen until we change owners.

Financially they may well already be planning for reduced revenue with the transfer activity and reduction of wages in summer. You ask from an investor perspective as if everything is fine, have you not seen the share price, that gives some perspective of what investors think. Using the share price the market value of the club has fallen notably. There may be a buyer out there who will pay what the owners want.

We must survive until then, Armageddon of relegation is too disastrous, survival needs a manager who knows what they are doing until real change comes.


6.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 12:31:37
Park, many thanks for taking the time to write your post. It is very balanced and I too think Ole is out of his depth. But I also respect the man and what he's achieved for us. His reputation will never be tarnished for any true United fan. As a manager, I'm afraid I can't see anything he brings to the table. This is not a slight on his reputation, many great players didn't hack it as managers.
I honestly look at our team even with all the injuries and think between rashford, james, Greenwood, pogba, lingard, gomes, we have enough up front to be having ONE shot on goal.
But I think the players seem aimless, no one knows what their jobs are or what tactics they're playing we were told we're going to press high, but that happened in one match against Chelsea.
I also think that our midfield and attack are not close enough. We are constantly making stupid 20yd passes when 10yd passes are easier and less likely to be cut out, it also makes the transition from defence to attack more likely to succeed.
In an interview with Gary Neville, Pep was asked why do Barcelona and City prefer the short, quick passes, and Pep's answer was simple, it is more likely to succeed playing the 10yd pass over a glory 20yd pass. It is simple but it's also ingenious and requires hard work on the training ground and on the pitch to move into open spaces. This is how they create space and opportunities.
United play a lot of 20yd sideways passes and then try the impossible ball to put someone through. It does not work. Defenders are getting better, and teams are getting better at defending as a whole.
On your choices of managers I've always liked Poch, but I also think people do not give Allegri the credit he deserves, Juve were a very offensive team, but they also knew how to defend when needed. I would add Brendan Rodgers to that list, I think he's an astute manager and plays football in the right way.
I hope Ole can show glimpses of what he's trying to achieve at United, but at the moment, the football is as bad and negative as I've seen for the past 7 years.
Decisions have to be made, if it was me, I would say thank you and relieve Ole, Phelan and Carrick off their jobs, non are up to it. But as you say, we have Glazers and Woodward in charge, so the weird and wonderful decisions will keep coming until they are out of the club.


7.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 12:43:08
Just out of interest, United share price has fallen by nearly 24% in the past year to $15.50. That's a fair chunk off the valuation. Snd I think the Glazers were asking for a hefty premium which would have scared quite a few investors off. But if it goes along those trends, and the uncertainty around the club, Brexit, and decrease in revenues if we don't make top 4, then the Glazers might look to get out.
I am waiting and hoping this day is sooner rather than later.


8.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 12:55:24
Red Man and AAA, that is assuming the Glazers want to sell. When Malcolm Glazer passed away so did the savvy mind that could spot an investment. Now his kids own the club, they have never shown good investment acumen.

However, with the current state of play in football finances they could just look to keeping us as a solid EPL team who every other season make it into the UCL with minimal investment (in terms of their own money) . Then they can kick back, get their hundred million or so dividend from the club each year and leave us in limbo while making more money than they likely would if they sold the club and tried to reinvest that money into other investments.

The plan was to sell the club between 2016-17, we are now fast approaching 2020. So it is safe to say that plan is out the window. The issue with several of the siblings owning the club is all of them have to agree to a price if they are to sell the club. This often means that the price to buy the club is above market value. There are very few people in the world prepared to pay as much as potentially a billion pounds over market value for a business unless they can see a clear way to make that money back or they have an ulterior motive.

We have to accept we might be stuck with the Glazers for quite some time yet.


9.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 12:56:45
Shappy, the club loses millions from the Adidas deal if we fail to qualify for the cl this season.

Do you think that will make the decision makers change track, or will they just pin it on the manager and bring in a new rube?


10.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 14:20:25
Danny/ Shappy, that was exactly what I was referring to. They stand to lose nearly 20% from the Adidas deal if we fail to qualify for CL. The more the share price drops and incoming dwindle, the less attractive a proposition it will be, and the less dividends the Glazers can pay themselves, it's a PLC so they have to abide by rules and regs of stock exchange as well.
From experience, if someone came offering the market value or above in this climate, they will sell. They can then invest in other areas. But finding someone willing to invest with a view of spending half a billion to strengthen the team and further funds to invest into training facilities and OT, is going to be difficult. Needs someone with love of the game and deep pockets. There's only a few of those around.


11.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 14:38:32
Shappy why do you make up stuff? Its just nonsense.
Tell me abiut the failed glazer investments since their father passed please.
Tell me about the last 6 major investments of the glazer empire none of which have failed.
Look into their most recent history and look at the investments and business purchases since their father died.
If you don't know what your taking about don't say anything its better than just making stuff up to suit your narrative.
The sons are very bright and are making sound investments and of both cash and capitol growth. They are very bright men with plenty of business savvy.
Your just telling blatent lies.


12.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 14:54:21
Brutal Ken

*pulls up a comfy chair, and sticks on the popcorn*.


13.) 06 Oct 2019
06 Oct 2019 14:58:52
Absolutely Ken, and there in lies the problem.

Very savvy businessmen run_own the club, the problem is they are not sports businessmen, look at Tampa Bay, what have they achieved in the last decade, nothing, yet, they still bring the money in and the NFL works very differently.

While United still remain a winning investment and making huge sums of money, nothing will change.

They have invested huge sums and we can't really complain about money invested, but the very knowledge they have when it comes to investing is the antithesis of their knowledge about sport. as in they know nothing.