03 Jul 2022 08:21:14
Lots of upheaval but it was needed.

The good news first.

Lingard, Mata, Henderson, Mata, Cavani, and Pogba all gone, and dare I say it, Ronaldo on the way out.

Yes he's a legend, yes he scored goals last year but I said it when he rejoined, we have to play with 10 men for most of the game. He is now a world famous brand, I wonder what impact he had on the dressing room; he's a huge personality, rumours of splits between the Portuguese speakers and the rest weren't great. If you are being asked to press and track back and run yourself into the ground, watching Ronaldo walk back and not press would be pretty frustrating. Great player, past his best, plays for himself. Bite me.

We also have some youngsters with huge potential and with a proper coach we may see them devleop and be given chances.

That brings me to Ten Hag. Don't underestimate the impact a proper coach with a proper philosophy will have, particularly if we have shipped out some of the whingers.

And then there is the bad news.

We still have some players to shift and the time it is taking suggests it is proving difficult. If any of them are being disruptive I would pay their contracts and send them on their way, a positive one team approach is critical.

And of course there is our continuing inability to get deals done. I realise there may be lots going on in the background but we do seem to drag things out. This reflects the continuing poor structure behind the scenes, Woody going was a plus but it still seems very clunky.

So, move a few more on, get a few in (the right few), promote some youth, let Ten Hag set the standards and lay down the law, take no sh1t, be a team. Simple.

1.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 09:05:21
What have you got against Mata, listed him twice ???? know you meant matic haha.

2.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 09:12:46
Ronaldo leaving is the biggest wake up slap the club has had since Fergie retired. When a club legend, who loves the club, asks to leave as they cannot match his ambitions, its a joke. Manchester United cannot give Ronaldo what he wants. Which is to be competitive at the top of the game. Its pathetic. Shows where we are as a club.

Without Ronaldos goals last season, we would have been so much worse. Who is going to get the goals now? there's not a real goalscorer in the squad. Do we have to rely on someone like Belloti on a free to try and do a job? The mind boggles.

Ronaldo made his mind up weeks ago. He wouldn't come out in public unless he knows there is a deal on the table. This hasn't come out of the blue. His agent was having dinner with Chelseas chairman not long ago. The wheels where already in motion imo. The club knew and yet, how many forwards have we been linked too? Not many. We need a number 9 on a budget now. i'd have a punt on David from Lile personally but it all depends on the system ETH plays. He managed to make Haller look a monster after flopping in England.

ETH must have spoke to Ronaldo and Ronaldo would have told him. It mighy be a weight off ETH not having a 37 year old Megastar who wants to play every game. Might make his sytem a bit easier to get across. Expecting to see Rashford start central now. Does he go all in on Antony or does he give Amad, Garnacho and Pellestri a try on the flanks? Depends how he wants to play I guess.

Anyway, Ronnie asking to leave because we can't compete, should be enough to make the owners aware that its not getting better. We are not closing the gap. They kept one legend in Tom Brady and now have to watch another walk out the door, taking all those commercial eyes with him. Especially with no Champions League. The amateur way this club has been run means we will continuously have something waiting to kick us up the arse.

3.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 12:23:05
I must be watching other games Tony, one thing I can't fault when it came to Ronaldo last season was his work rate, I thought played very well leading from the front. He was probably the least of our worries.

I don't think it's a bad thing that he leaves, providing he is replaced, but creating a narrative to justify him leaving just doesn't make sense to me.

Aside from his work rate last season, I wouldn't like to see where we wouldve been without some of his goals and overall play.

4.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 12:32:59
James, excellent post. And that's why I was harping on about Nunez when United were looking at him in January. Players like him and Haaland don't come around every day they are elite players and we've allowed them to join our rivals. Fully understand why Haaland went to City, he's a fan and he wanted to go to City. But that's not the case with Nunez as he could've been convinced but the club chose not to bid.
We continue to be linked with De Jong but we don't want to pay what's been asked. And in the end, we'll end up paying close to what Barcelona asked in the first place.
The club is run by amateurs as ed002 has been telling us for years, and the current mess is firmly at the feet of the owners, who have put amateurs in place, and have continued to buy players for commercial reasons. And now, they find that their mistakes have landed them in trouble. I see no early and easy way out of this. The only way we're going to move forward is when they sell out and hopefully a more professional orgsnization takes over.

5.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 14:31:59
Ronaldo leaving is not new information. I'm sure I read from Ed 002 that the club would be happy for him to leave prior to the window opening.

I don't see this as the end of the world. We are trying to build a new team, under a new coach and having some9ne with Ronald's ego in the dressing room undermining anything he disagrees with must be a nightmare.

No one is bigger than the team. So long Ronnie and thanks for all the fish.

6.) 03 Jul 2022
03 Jul 2022 21:51:56
Angel, Ronaldo and workrate do not belong in the same sentence, review the stats. Legend that is, he is well past the commitment we need. As you say, we clearly need to replace his goals.