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24 Aug 2012 22:48:49
syd, you said we have bid for witsel.. how do you know this?
also, jred, have you been posting on the liverpool page or is it an imposter? because they are using capitals to sign off as JRED, thought id let you know just incase it wasn't you.
JK92
no pal its not me , there is another poster who uses JRED to sign off
cheers any way
jred
24 Aug 2012 22:47:14
Name=====Age=====Potential=====
De Gea------21------World Class
Jones-------20------World Class
Smalling-----22------World Class
Da Silva's---22-------Top Quality
Nick Powell---18-----World Class
Tunnicliffe----19-----Top Quality
Lingard-------19-----Next Iniesta according to scholes
Cleverley-----23-----Top Quality
Kagawa------23-----Already World Class
Henriquez----18-----World Class
Welbeck------21-----World Class
Keane-------19------Top Quality
We'll be alright...
Red Joe
Worst post ever. I think you have a different definition of world class to me. The only people i think that could become world class there are De Gea and Kagawa. The only people world class at present are Messi, Ronaldo, Xavi and Iniesta, people use the phrase world class way too often.
MU93
MU93
You haven't seen Henriquez have you?
G.A.G.U.S
Mu93,
While I agree that the phrase is banded about to often I disagree that there are only four world class players currently playing. I would say that if a player is considered to be in the top 5 maybe even top 10 in their position then I for one would consider them to be of world class level.
Nathan
I agree that world class is used too often and the meaning is watered down.
out of this list, how many will make the shortlist (final 3) for the ballon d'or or World PLayer of the Year???
Ask yourself this
Oxred
I think the term gets thrown about abit too often but i've always regarded the term world class to mean that the said player could play in any team in the world and improve it or at least keep it as strong. Example is there any team in the world that if Rooney was put in that it would.make that team look weaker? If not then Wayne is world class. There is a big differance between world class and best player in the world.
Shappy
I may have been in saying here are only 4 world class players ay present.
G.A.G.U.S, i haven't seen much of him, so i couldn't really make a decision on him.
MU93
Nathan, i wouldn't say top 5 in each position, just the number one guy in each position.
Shappy, good point. However i dont rate Rooney as highly as some others. There are a few teams i think he wouldnt improve, they are teams like Barca and Madrid. Hes gone downhill the past two years for me.
MU93
Spot on shappy
Pardoe
24 Aug 2012 22:20:51
Love reading this site but never posted before. Sick of reading about a midfield enforcer (or lack of) being a major issue.
Fact is, with a better goal difference, we would not have lost the league last year and would have then won 5 titles in 6 years (but 4 titles in 6 years is hardly cause for uproar - we've clearly been spoilt!). SAF has previously.referred to a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal and only winning by narrow margins in games we dominated as a key factor in the goal difference issue - and it's hard to disagree (setting aside the freak 1-6 v City) given the stats back it up. We lost the league by a GD of 8 worse than City last year. A couple less goals conceded against City and 5 or 6 more goals in other games (against the likes of QPR, Swansea and Sunderland towards the end of the season to name a few, especially when City were smashing the likes of. Norwich by 5) and it would have been a different story and clearly SAF didn't think a midfield enforcer was a priority in solving those issues. Another point SAF has referred too is that Barcelona taught us a football lesson on more than one major occasion, due to how well they keep the ball and press high up the pitch when they lose it. A Yaya type player isn't going to help us there, hence why they let him go!
So....
Why are we not surprised SAF has addressed these issues by signing RVP who will get 20+ PL goals if he plays 30+ games and Kagawa who on first look appears to always want the ball, use it well and work hard off it?
Add to that a few youngsters and a return to fitness of Vidic and Tom C and we're in much better shape this season. Maybe a midfielder next summer when we can prioritise the budget towards it and Giggs and Scholes retire but our squad this season is much stronger than last, so how that doesn't please some people is beyond me.
Maybe it comes down to what is considered success but I'd be surprised if the title doesn't end up in Manchester this season. And if that's in the red half then that will do me!
And another thing. Why do the doom merchants claim the Everton game proved our midfield was lacking? I'm pretty sure it was the centre backs that couldn't deal with them knocking it long to Fellaini!
Happy to be shot down and I'm not saying I wouldn't like our midfield to have a shake up but I can see why SAF has spent where he has with the budget he has for this season.
PS I hate the Glazers as much as the next man!
Totally agree with everything, well said!
-Def3
Leave a name buddy.
I agree saf might have a plan but the facts remain we have been overrun in CM by the likes of Blackpool and Swansea over that last few seasons and that really is not good enough. People say our CL exit last year was down to personnel choices by saf but I say it was the tactical know how of the oppo teams and they targeted our weak spor..... Our midfield. It's all well and good signing another great striker but if the CM cannot keep the ball then they cannot be supplied so the extra striker is useless in a sense.
Cm is without a doubt the most important area and yet 3 years after we needed one we still have no top player there. That blame has to go to saf IMO.
Jono
Good post xcept for the fact yaya left barca because for a long time barca have been in debt and need to sell to buy, they had biscuits coming through the ranks but im sure if given the choice they wouldv kept him
Sorry. Name is Ben.
Some interesting thoughts. I'm sure Sly showed some stats that said we had the highest average possession % last season and against Everton we had about 60% so for me that doesn't backup the weak midfield claim. I would like to see another addition in the middle of the park don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't swap RVP or Kagawa for a Fletcher or Hargreaves type.
Our midfield was lacking big-time Ben. We had no connection between our strikers and central midfielders. Both Cleverly and Scholes were too static. Neither had the power to force the ball through the opposition, both of whom were Utd rejects so that tells you a lot. Possession doesn't show the full story, and possession for the sake of it is not enough.
J Bones.
We were also awful out wide against Everton and Vidic and Carrick could not handle Fellaini at the back. What annoys me is that it's trendy at the moment to just slate the midfield for all our problems. I'd like a fresh face in their too but can't fault SAF's logic on looking at a team that lost the league on goal difference and adding a top centre forward as priority to score more goals. I'm certain by next summer we will have signed someone in midfield. We clearly have limited funds (I blame the Glazer's) but by then Giggs, Scholes and Berbatov will probably be off the wage bill.
24 Aug 2012 22:18:32
Right seeing as Sir Alex has said we won't be signing anyone else(i'm not quite convinced), i thought it would be an excellent time to evaluate our squad.
Now i don't think any team in the world is as strong as us in the goalkeeping department. De Gea gets better with every game, he will be world class if he isn't already. Lindegaard is probably the best no.2 in the world. Then we have young english talents in Amos and Johnstone. I can honestly say if we had any of De Gea, Lindegaard or Amos in goal against any team i wouldn't be worried. I think Johnstone is a few years away but he has such potential.
Now we move on to defense, and it's an interesting one. When everyone is fit we have the best defense in the league, but we just seem to get so many injuries. Rafael is the best young right back in the league, he still makes the odd mistake but is learning fast, then we have both Jones and Smalling able to cover him if need be. In the centre we have such strength, Vidic is still probably the best CB in the world, Evans showed his quality last year and will take some shifting, Smalling for me is the best young english CB atm, and will really push for a starting spot, Rio is still a class act and will add that needed experiance at key times this season and then we have Jones who i think has the ability to be one of the best CB in the history of our club and he'll struggle to get a look in atm. Infact he may be pushed into midfield just to get some minutes on the pitch. Then we have the problem left back, Evra will in all likelihood be first choice, but hopefully with the signing of Buttner he will be pushed and not be so lazy in his duties. If so then i don't think LB will be as much a problem this year. If he doesn't pick up his performances then we have an exciting young player who can be given the chance to impress. We also have Fabio out on loan who will comr back a better player. If you look towards out youth players then we have Tyler Blackett and Micheal Keane who look like great young prospects, they will easily be able to do as well as O'Shea and Brown if not better. So our defense is looking very strong.
Now the bone of contention......Midfield. We have Scholes who is still a class act even if he can't play two games a week, he will still be fairly regular. And Giggs, who i think has been a great servant for the club but should have probably retired at the end of last season. But he will add vital experiance and remain to be a key figure in the dressing room. Carrick will again be our lynchpin in the middle, he shields the back four well while also using his passing to keep us ticking over and controlling the pace of the game. Some people aren't a fan of him but i feel he is a massively under rated player. Cleverley made a huge differance to our team in his cameo last season, and with no Kevin Davies to cut short his season this time round then hopefully this will be the year he steps up and becomes a key player for us. If and thats a big if we can keep Anderson fit then we will start to look strong in midfield, he has such talent and if he can get back to form then he could flourish this season. Jones i think could play a key role at times coming into the midfield when we need a little extra bite and protection of the back four, although he will have to improve his passing. We have young talents in Petrucci Powell and Tunnicliffe who will get varying amounts of playing time but certainly enough to impress and if as a youngster you impress at our club then you get your chance to stake a claim. I still think we could do with one more experianced player as Giggs and Scholes will have limited roles and apart from Carrick everyone else are younger players who haven't got that much experiance. I'd like to see someone like Dembele who'd add alot to our team. But on the whole not the worst midfield in the prem, there is alot of young talent who will need to step up and prove themselves.
Now our forward are looking very exciting, we have some of the best wingers in the world in Valencia Nani and even Young. Although Nani and Young can be inconsistant, having them as options means we can switch things around and both of them on thier day will win us games. Now our strikers have had a make over and we look very strong. We've added RVP who was the top scorer in the league last year, which has to go down as a super signing. Just hope he is over his injury problems. Then we have the talismatic Rooney, a player who strikes fear into even the toughest of defenders. Welbeck had a great grounding year last year and will be looking to kick on, Hernandez is still one of the best finishers in the world, and can be deadly off the bench. To this we've added Henriquez who is probably the best striker in the world atm under 20. And of course we have the player whho i think will turn out to be the signing of the summer.....Shinji Kagawa, he has such vision and ability. He will turn those tight draws into wins and those narrow loses into draws. He really is that good. So going forward we have one of the best forward lines and attacks in the world. Rooney RVP and Kagawa have the ability to shoot down any team in the world. I mean we always say lets compare to Barca well their front three will be Sanchez, Messi and Villa compared to Rooney RVP and Kagawa, i think they're on a par and i actually prefer our players over theirs.
So we have a great young goalkeeper and a wall like defense infront of him, an improving and talented albeit young midfield with one of the most deadly attacking units in world football.
So lets not be down and lets look at the bigger picture, things are looking very bright atm.
Shappy
Shapps for once I disagree (with the midfield anyway)
It's all well and good saying scholes and giggs can do jobs in CM bit in the current era of pressing and hounding CMers in possession are they?
Carrick is terrible under pressure giggs too can't hack it, clevs is untested really and ando, well I won't start on him just simply not good enough. Scholes can still do a job but he does not provide the same fear he used to as a player in the middle. If I myself now at 29 and not a particularly great player knew I was up against a 38 year old I would be well happy. Imagine the boost to a couple of 24-25 year olds already hyped up as they are playin Utd but realise that we are playin scholes a 38 year old with a player(carrick) who buckles under pressure they must be gettin that extra boost of hell yeah we can win this!
If say we had signed a couple of CMers this summer and IMO Cabaye and witsel they would have that fear again of unpredictability an ability to take the game to the opposition and win it in midfield.
We are in serious need of repair in that area and with pogba gone I think we need 2 top cmers to be able to compete with the best. Although we have invested this summer IMO not in the right area and because of that we wll struggle with any team that shows some tactical know how and targets that area.
we will no doubt manage a few good results against some teams but IMO that will paper over the ever increasing cracks that are our massive CM issue!
Jono
If Carrick can play as well as he did last season, and Cleverley as well as he did at the start of last season and Anderson kick on and play like he did in his first season then we will look pretty good in the centre, add to that Scholes inspite of his age was one of the best players in the league since his.return last season. I agree with Giggs, he is past it unfortunately. Then we have Jones who can come in and is.learning so should be better than last year. Scholes Carrick and Cleverley had a pass success rate of over 90% over the season last year and Andersons was high 80's so we can keep the ball and with Kagawa able to add the vital pass and RVP upfront then we look alot more cutting and clynical in the final third. I agree i'd like to see someone else who looks more for forward passes, maybe someone like Dembele. But I still feel if all.our players play to their potential.then we are strong enough.
Shappy
Sanchez, Messi and Villa compared to Rooney RVP and Kagawa, i think they're on a par and i actually prefer our players over theirs
shappy
i disagree with that pal messi on his own could be worth 50 goals i think iniesta should prob be added to that forward line as well
jred
If that were all to happen then we are ok in CM not great by any means. But the biggest problem is Shapps it's all hoping for IF's. We could coin on top performances from scholes in there to pull us through games. We can't even do that now. If I were in charge I would fully overhaul that area by next summer with only clevs surviving from the current lot. I have very little confidence matching any team with a good working CM pairing or three as we have seen Saf is incapable of change in a game if tactics are not working.
Everton was another prime example.
Jono
24 Aug 2012 21:56:21
You know what... I'm gonna say it....
Just had a little nose at Henriquez on ye olde Youtube..... I used to watch a lot of Italian football as a kid and for some reason quite liked Fiorentina..... Henriquez really reminded me of Batistuta so I checked out ol Batigol and the similarities are there to see... If he becomes even half the player of Batistuta i'd be delighted...
Check it out...
Whistler.
I to liked fiorentina and batistuta was 1 of my favourite players shame we never signed him, maybe now we have?
marlow
Come on, you can't use YouTube as a marker of how good a player is, guess what, they only show the best bits! You get to see maybe 2 minutes of action of say a 3 year spell, there's a lot you ain't seeing!
24 Aug 2012 21:28:03
Going to put my neck on the on the chopping block and say, regardless of what Sir Alex said this morning, that we will see one more player coming in and a few departures. I look forward to coming back next week to name and shame those whom are so quick to slate a man whom has given decades of blood,sweat and hair dryers ,all which has resulted in,not just success ,but consistent success.. BornInToIT
I think its as Sydney! said early, we now need to sell to make space in the squad. Hopefully Berb is going as he deserves to play at a club where he can fit the style, the saving on wages would allow us to bring 1 more in.
I'd like to think that we'll see one more player but i think it will depend on who leaves and whether the right player is available at the right price. I wouldn't be suprised either way.
Shappy
Put your neck on it but not your name ....... But I agree wit you I believe we will see someone else an I really hope we're not dissapointed but the team at the mo is in good shape defenders still to come back will be a booste ...........
CAIN
Cain, i did put my name to it, bornintoit!
24 Aug 2012 19:57:14
Not really relevant to us anymore, But i'm so glad we "missed out" on that Sanchez guy a few seasons ago. After watching him for Barca last night he looks like a total tool of a player!
not all doom and gloom ay?
1993
Loool in the thick of all the sanchez hype i was 1 of very very few that didn't want/rate him especially 4 the price quoted.
marlow
24 Aug 2012 18:24:03
I know Evra playing at centre back could be a disaster but at least it'll stop him going forward and not been able to get back leaving that side of the pitch with acres of space for Fulham.
24 Aug 2012 18:02:58
Bloody hell the doom merchants are right at it. Yeah we'd all love a Martinez who does look quality, however even he was made to look poor against falcao in the euro final. As for the need for a big unit, why? Barca barely have any 6 footers, piqué and busquets aside, they even played with mascarano at centre half and Puyol is no giant at 5 10. Leave out this desire for height and power above skill and talent. Sir Alex surely knows what he wants and have faith. He's shown us enough times. The season is one game old and so called fans have written us off already. Bring on a packed and buzzing OT tomorrow.
Packed maybe but buzzing unlikely
Old Trafford reflects the mood, like the colloseum in Gladiator. When we have been underdogs the crowd have lifted even our ordinary teams. 1983 Barcelona Maradona was no finer example and an amazing night however right now I feel there is a sense of utter frustration in a lack of investment in midfield. SAF cannot understand it but it is a cause of his own making.
Red Man
Yeah but Barca have a 4 second rule. If they lose the ball they all work very hard to win the ball back as high up the field a possible, then if not successful they all retreat as a unit. Busquets although not extremely tall or "nails" does manage to break up play alot and is as good as any of them at drawing fouls.
Supasub
Just to add to that, IMO alot of it comes back to coaching, when we had queiroz as our coach we didn't particular have a top dm but we conceded very few goals regardless.
Supasub
I think it's more a lack of appreciation after many years of gorging on top quality football that any slight dip or even a levelling out brings out a lack of vocal support. We expect the best as we've had it soo good for soo long. This is still a top quality team, it may not have the swagger of previous teams and its that which i feel has taken the edge off our support.
Shappy
Red man,
Why do you even support the club? I for one will be buzzing today, I can't wait to get in my seat and start singing.
Imagine if we had signed van Persie, kagawa and the left back we really needed how buzzing it would be then. Oh hang on we have..
GDS
24 Aug 2012 17:50:33
Can somebody please beg SAF to get us a good DM?, because it is so glaring that we are bare in that position whether he accepts it or not. I don't want to go through the pain of last season and the agony of d defeat to Everton again.
24 Aug 2012 17:49:33
Quite ashamed to call many posters on here fellow United fans as it seems they only care about what we're spending and in the areas that they think need strengthening.
I was happy with our summer spending with just Kagawa and Powell but even when we do sign RVP and Buttner people STILL aren'tt happy.
We've signed the BEST british talent since Rooney, We've signed one of the best playmakers in the world in Kagawa and we've also signed one of the greatest EPL forwards ever. Not to mention a very high standard squaddie.
And you guys still aren't happy? Complain about the midfield being strengthened but I'll simply say that why do we need a somebody to win the ball back when we have the ball anyway.
Against Everton both times last year to my recollection the possession was fairly similar, however from what I saw in pre-season and against Everton we kept the ball brilliantly and had almost 70% of the ball so that shows me a change in our playing style.
on the odd occassion we will need somebody to combat a big midfield we have players of that certain type in the Recovering Fletcher, a young Tunners and Jones as well as the young Powell, so quite simply I'm incredibly happy with this summer.
We've signed some great players and just because you don't think our midfield is strong enough doesn't actually mean it's not.
Also, to those STILL complaining about Pogba and co. well how many of you sat at Carrington everyday next to SAF and watch these lads train? if you can't answer that with 'every day' then you're not qualified to judge whether or not a player should or shouldn't be playing.
for all I know Pogba and Ravel may have been the WORST trainers in the world and therefore no matter how good they are, they are not deserving of a squad place.
to those complaining about Fryers, erm, well he's not actually a talented player...this is the problem. I have no idea why he was fast tracked but he strugged playing Reserve and Youth team football so I don't get what the fuss about him was.
Rant over.
p.s - if you're bothered that we didn't spend enough then just across the road you'll see a blue team with tons of money go support those guys.
if you don't believe we're good enough or you aren't going to show our lads your full support then again head on over to the blue side of the road.
The Moon.
I'm very happy with the signings we have made, we have that midfield spark in kagawa, he can score and assist and we now have the best striker in the EPL so it can't be too bad can it..
i think SAF wants to see how this team fairs and if we still get over ran in midfield then i can see him buying a box to box/defensive mid next summer.
JK92
Moon, the reason we are STILL Not hapy is because we have had 3 summers to get a top central midfield player. And we STILL haven't got it.
You said if we want big money signings go and support City. With all due respect Moon, that is the most personic thing you can say when it comes to this sort of situation. It is obvious we need a midfielder. If we signed Witsel tomorrow, we would easily be favourites for the League and we would be contenders for the Champions League.
If we played Barcelona tomorrow, what would happen?
G.A.G.U.S
Moon - best rant in a long time - thank you
Mike
Moon
I have watched for many years hoping for the best the most dominant team in Europe. I find it hard to understand how you just fall into line to just accept that yet again we fail to strengthen the one area that all our competitors are the strongest in
Red Man
100% agree with everything here Moon. Top quality post.
WizardOzmand
Its not up to you to tell people to go and support someone else. People have a right to their own opinion as you do but don't get on your high horse and consider yourself a bigger fan because they don't agree with you. Your post has is riddled with stupid points and whilst I myself am happy with the signings we made, I still feel we could have a stronger midfield.
Flimbo
How in the world can you possibly say Powell is the best British talent since Rooney? The guy played for Crewe for gods sake, the PL is much tougher. If you think Jones, Tunners or Powell are good enough to against top sides with top players you are deluded. And what good is having 70% ball possession when we cant do anything with it?
Rant over.
MU93
I bet you were teacher's pet at school, Moon.
DL10
Moon I think Fryers was fasttracked as the boss was worried about Evra's form and fabio was injured yet again so he threw Fryers a few games to see what he was like.
As for Pogba, well i too am sick of hearing about him. i'm sure he'll be a very good player but depsite what he thinks he wasn't ready for the first team, in the middle of the season at a critical point. I'm sure he'll play in Italy but its a poor league so makes no difference. I'm trying to think of the last 18 year old straight out of our academy Fergie chucked straight into the team and i'm really struggling to think of any.
Great post and couldnt of worded it better myself im very happy with our summer and cant wait to see us really get going people will start to notice the change in our play once they see us play a few games
Calvin
Moon, I think you have finally lost it! I thought you were an intelligent man but I'm beginning to change my opinion of you. If people did not have an opinion and supported every single SAF decision this website would not exist - do you understand this? Pussy Riot are being jailed in Russia because they are for free speech and dare to question Putin. Are you the KGB equivalent for Man Utd hierarchy?
Are you trying to say that you are ashamed of me as a Utd supporter because I dare to question SAF's competence?
Do you honestly think that because I want SAF to buy a world-class midfielder I should go and support another team?
Do you honestly think that because I don't think Utd are good enough to win the CL I should go and support another team?
Are you a child Moon?
A very disappointed J Bones
It doesn't matter who you sign you could always sign someone else to improve. We are all crying out for a DM type player but if Sir Alex feels that Jones can play this role then what midfielder do we need? We have great passers in Carrick Scholes and Cleverley, we have Jones who can put the tackles in, we have Anderson who can bring the ball forward, we have Kagawa who can score and be that link between midfield and the forward line. Then we have youngster like Petrucci who deserves a chance and lads like Tunnercilffe and Powell. That 9 midfielders of which 7 of them are under 25 and a players which potential. The only changes i would make is i'd like to see Dembele in place of Anderson and possibly a specialist DM in place of Jones(but that could wait until next summer, we could play Jones in midfield this year then sign someone else next summer with Jones dropping back into defense to replace Rio). But if Anderson doesn't leave then why sign anyone else?
Shappy
Moon ! if you think our midfield is strong and hasn't been in decline for the last 2or 3 yrs !! Maybe you should go spec savers ! and stop telling fans who to support a ahah
fozzy58
Shappy, that may be the case against the majority of teams in the PL, i feel we will get overrun by the likes of City and Chelsea. In Europe that central midfield is in no way good enough to compete with the likes of Barca, Madrid, Bayern, etc. I can say with certainty we will not win the champions league if a class cm isnt brought.
MU93
Moon, seriously man, you did not watch a single United game last season.
Seriously.
We failed to keep possession in all but about 6 games in all competitions, even lower league teams gave us a run for our money in that department.
Basle embarassed us and Bilbao humiliated us. If you think that's good enough, we'll talk in May.
RED_SKY
Moon
is this the same moon that is part chelsea fan and says his more football fan than man united fan telling people to go support another team.
jred
24 Aug 2012 16:52:28
Is it just me but does he seem like SAF was that bothered about being out scored last season he has thought lets go get some forwards raise our goal tally and we will out score people and thats it, I have no worries about our defence when there fit in a few weeks but until then we have to be tighter and not all out attack. I would be more than happy with our midfield if they all stayed fit but that will not happen.
24 Aug 2012 16:49:18
I agree with everything thats being said here about a missing player needed in our midfield.. but you guys should notice that we lost out on the title by goal difference, and vidic was gone too. Then we had young players who were inexperienced in a United shirt, after last season they've surely improved and are even hungrier. So right now we're in a better position than last season in which we lost out on goal difference because we have more experienced players, and new additions to the club who can make a difference: RVP and Kagawa, along with the other 2 youngsters and Buttner.
Everyone would love a treble, but its clear the main priority is the title back from City and currently that looks good. However, I believe we have more threat than City this season with Chelsea rolling out the money. It'll be a race between us, City & Chelsea imo and lets hope we can pull through the 20th title. :)
After all this, I still wish we do get another box to box CM who has a physical presence about him and isn't scared to get into a tackle.
-Def3
O mr goal difference.. Wht abt champ cup exit nd domestic cup failure? Same rubbish everytime with goal differnce stuff.. Dont u have common sence
Rodio17
Im getting annoyed with people saying we just lost on goal difference. Yes thats true but the way we played was poor, barely scrappng 1-0 against poor teams.
MU93
You ignored everything I said and just chose to focus on the goal difference aspect. We lost in 2 minutes, the whole league. Now, surely our players are more experienced and we have Vidic - our captain (which plays a bigger role than you think) back.. and we've got Kagawa and RVP. Surely thats a very good sign? Not enough to please you that there is intent to win the title back?
Obviously we all want a domestic cup and to be champions of europe, but hey I'll be glad if we win a league title even.
I still think we can be contenders for a domestic cup and champions league.. well look how poorly Chelsea played last season and they were champions?
All in all, you guys are overlooking the current talent in this squad and are just fixed on that one midfielder, open your eyes and look at the squad! Its pretty impressive.
-Def3
24 Aug 2012 16:35:34
I know SAF has said no more signings but i believe he will use the Fulham game as a scouting mission for Dembele maybe ending up with the two managers chatting after the game....
I hope so, I'd love us to sign Dembele. He is a great player who'd only get better with us. I don't think Sir Alex is gonna sign a more defensive midfielder until next year. I think maybe he is planning on playing Jones in that role when needed and then maybe next summer when Rio leaves move Jones back into defence and sign a more defensive midfielder then. So with that then we are gonna need to play with three in the middle to press and defend the space. I'd love to see us line up like this:
___________DDG
Valencia_Smalling_Vidic_Evra
__Cleverley_Carrick_Dembele
__________Kagawa
______Rooney____RVP
I think that would have the ability to win any competiton.
Shappy
24 Aug 2012 16:05:28
behind his smile SAF said he would not be buying anyone, he didn't say no one else would be joining the club. We really need a cm player more than ever otherwise buying RVP will have been a waste of time.
Maybe a season long loan coming in for cm!!
TheSpartanred
So they are coming for free?
MU93
24 Aug 2012 15:42:47
Apparently Evra could be Playind CB with Büttner at LB although I am hoping Evans is fit for tomorrow.
God no! the only thing evra has going for him is his attacking ability, quite frankly he would be a better striker than centre back.
Ste-Utd
Giggs or brady wil play an hour of game at lb.
If we have enough goal to back up than buttner wil get chancrodio17
Is it just me? Every time anyone mentions Buttners name I immediately think of the little guy in South Park!
Red Snapper
Haha yeah me too, does that make Anderson Cartman?
24 Aug 2012 15:23:55
syd, you said we have bid for witsel.. how do you know this?
also, jred, have you been posting on the liverpool page or is it an imposter? because they are using capitals to sign off as JRED, thought id let you know just incase it wasn't you.
JK92
24 Aug 2012 16:00:20
i knows its disappointing that we havent signed a midfielder but if thats definitely the case and i hope ferguson has a trick up his sleeve but if not then surely out of carrick,anderson,cleverley,scholes,powell,jones,fletcher? kagawa,tunicliffe and giggs we can hopefully find some combination that will work,,,cant wait for tomorrow,hope rvp gets the start,,,lm
24 Aug 2012 15:54:53
It really cracks me how many people on there think they know far more than the most successful football manager of all time and how negative they are about our current players and chances. Unbelievable!!
We only lost in the last five minutes last season and we have bought excellent players over the summer some people will never be happy I guess.
I agree completely. I also despair at how rude and disrespectful our fans are to each other. "I disagree with you therefore you are an person etc". AJH
24 Aug 2012 15:54:47
Right, let's change the record from my relentless complaining. What's done is done and we're going forward with what we have, it seems.
Surprisingly, despite my moaning, I AM in fact excited about the game tomorrow. What's everyone's predictions for scoreline and scorers?
For me (same as the Everton game, actually);
United 2 - 2 Fulham
UTD - Welbeck & Rooney (pen)
FUL - Petric x 2
I just don't trust our midfield and I think we'll concede a couple, despite it being at OT. I like Fulham, Jol's doing a fine job, tough nut on any given day.
RED_SKY
I'm going 3-2 utd
Hangeland and Ruiz for them.
Clevs, Rooney and van Persie.
I have money on a peno scored aswell good odds at 12/5.
Jono
3-0 Fulham getting proper f***ed
Pardoe
24 Aug 2012 15:28:44
Summary of Sir Alex Ferguson interview ahead of Manchester United next game against fulham :
* Rvp have every chance of starting against fulham.
* phil jones back in training but tomorrow would be too soon.
* Evra could play in central defence.
* Büttner will be involve.
* Evans won't play.
* Henriquez will complete his move.
* No more signing.
RamoN 19
24 Aug 2012 14:56:29
Guys your all sounding desperate about Fergie's decision to call it a day with transfers this window.
I'm not surprised we didn't get the midfielder we wanted.....Fergie obviously doesn't want one......as for all the Witsel rumours....just that pure rumours. Don't think we were ever in for any central midfielders.....if we were, we would have signed one. I agree our midfield is weak, I'd go as far to say, it's one of the weakest in the ELP. There's been alot of banter that this attacking buys are so that Fergie can call it a day on a high......and I think that's true. Fergies taken this club as far as he can. Unfortunately other clubs have caught us up in the past few years and they have managers and coaches with better ideas with regards the type of football you need to win Europe.
So you guys will have to be content with the central midfield we have for another 2 seasons till Fergie retires and a new younger 'continental manager' arrives to take the reins.
I'm a positive fan, but can't see us winning the league this year and we may have a similar season to last year with regards Europe. We have a great forward line but no players capable of supplying the ball to them. Fergie admires barca, but does not learn fro their style of play......it's time to except that just maybe, that Fergie has had he's day.
Well said. Reminds me of the end of the Busby era. I fully admire Fergie but he is looking a little burnt out, exasperated with the modern players, and like all old men getting more stubborn and stuck in his ways. A new assistant coach would have have kept him on his toes but alas that is not going to happen. The midfielder we are hoping for is not going to happen so another disappointing trophy less season beckons because other teams have moved on tactically and player wise.
24 Aug 2012 14:46:26
Wow! If SAF is being truthful that no more players will be brought in during the current transfer window, it will be another frustrating year for United.
All of the pundits who comment that United need to upgrade the midfield must see a lacking component that SAF does not. I think our vision is not obscurred by fantasy. See reality for what it is.
Already this season Everton has overrun United's midfield, and if United's midfield is not upgraded the same results will occur such as last year's loss to Wigan, etc.
Yes, bringing in RVP, Kagawa, Powell, Henriquez shows a commitment to the squad, but those players are not the ball-winners in the midfield that are needed.
Here's an analogy regarding the current player purchases: United purchased a Ferrari vehicle that can drive at great speed (i.e. RVP, Kagawa, Henriquez, etc.), but unfortunately, the vehicle's tires and body are in poor shape. How well will the car run?
Please, United, invest in the squad. United seem to enjoy window shopping while having a pocketful of cash, but do not feel empowered to make the purchases that are appropriate.
United foreever!
24 Aug 2012 14:24:13
Well Sir Alex has said no more signing, i'm not sure if I quite believe him. I'm now hoping we are gonna Dembele and this annoucement has been made so as to not cause speculation ahead of the game with Fulham. If this is the case then I expect Jones to be drafted into the games that requires a DM which in fairness is probably only 20% of the games we play. If we sign Dembele who isn't afraid to.do his defensive work then we could be looking at a midfield three of Carrick Cleverley and Dembele which should be more than enough.
Heres to hoping.
Shappy
24 Aug 2012 14:16:19
Its only after the Fulham match that we will see if we really need a so called CM,i belive SAF is trying not to put his midfielders under position threat pressure,guys i believe also that Anderson if he keeps fit this year he will definately play a bigger role in our team and we also have Fletcher returning,we have Cleverly who on his day is arguably one of the best in the league and then Scholes,Lingard,so dont stress we will do it....
24 Aug 2012 14:14:56
Can't believe the gaffer has said our summer spending is over he must be blind if he thinks we don't need a centre midfielder. We got 4 cm 2 which r over 30 and the other 2 can't stay fit RegTheRed
24 Aug 2012 14:08:30
So apparently fergie has said no more signings. Well another season of getting bossed in midfield against the other big teams looks in order. If so fergie has again failed to address the area we are lacking in the most a strong ball wining midfielder oh well. Not sure what to expect this season now
The interview with the reporter after the conference highlighted exactly what all we are thinking. Said something along the lines of we have lost our air of invincibility over the last few years as teams are aware we are vulnerable and know if the have a go they can take points off us.
That shows that even they can see it yet SAF is ok with what we have supposedly?
It beggars belief that when we all see what's happened against teams as lowly as (no disrespect) west brom, Blackpool, Swansea (at OT!), Blackburn, over the last few years plus better teams like Newcastle, spurs, fulham, everton using the same tactic of targeting CM and LB it's no wonder we are all worried!
We were scraping results v Chelsea over last 2 years but were managing through the fact they were not replacing their ageing team either, they bloody have now though with another 2 signings imminent, city games have changed from entering them confidently to worrying about what the manager has in mind for the starting CM, arsenal will be a struggle this season as their CM IMO is far slicker and quicker than ours and will be up to our strike force to punish them and who knows how Liverpool will end up now with Sahin on board as he will fit Rodgers philosophy well IMO.
I know as well as most of you do that we NEED a top CMer and I will not change my stance that IMO we would be far better off with 2 and getting rid of Ando.
Jono
24 Aug 2012 14:01:18
eds how many "Fergie says no more signings " have you got in the last 30min lol
no need to reply....
oxred {Ed007's Note - Piles of them Ox, it actually clogs the site up because we spend so much time deleting the repetitive posts we can't get to posts discussing it or anything else.}
24 Aug 2012 13:42:00
7 REASONS UTD ARE IN DECLINE
1/ ferdinand - age 34
2/ scholes - age 38
3/ giggs - age 39
4/ evra - age 31
5/ vidic - age 31
6/ carrick - age 31
7/ rvp - age nearly 30
i hate to say it , but no team can just go on and let players just get old and past there best , when i look at what br is doing at lpool , i am very happy , in a few months in charge he has lowered the age of our squad and got rid of older players, now i think utd need to do the same , your team are just not young enough to stay at the top anymore..............lfc
De gea, lindegaard, smalling, jones, evans, rafael, fabio, cleverley, anderson, kagawa, nani, valencia, rooney, hernandez, welbeck....
15 reasons why we will stay at the top...
JK92
You never know lfc next year might be your year europe is running scared after beating the mighty hearts with an own goal .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
johndenton
You Liverpool fans are a right piece of work. You fail to see that we are no longer rivals because you just don't compete for trophies anymore.
Reasons Our Squad Isn't In Decline:
1. De Gea, becoming world class, only 21, Spain's next No.1
2. Rooney only mid 20's
3. Valencia only mid 20's
4. Kagawa 23
5. Vidic in prime years for a defender
6. Smalling, Jones Cleverley etc all ready to step up.
7. Countless youth players, of which at least a couple are sure to make it
8. Good blend of youth and experience.
So there you go
SB
You are sooooo full of sh*t!
G.A.G.U.S
De Gea - 21
Rafael - 22
Jones - 20
Evans - 24
Anderson - 24
Rooney - 26
Smalling - 22
Hernandez - 24
Nani - 25
Welbeck - 21
Kagawa - 23
Cleverley - 23
Buttner - 23
Sorry I didn't realise our first team average was that bad as we have a young team that actually have quality unlike your so called young team with good old Carragher and Co.
You get a bigger buffon by the day
De Gea 21.Rafael 21,Jones 20,Smalling 22,
Buttner 23, Powell 18,Henriquez 18, Wellbeck 21, Henandez 23,Kagawa 23,Cleverley 23, I rest my case you person
ARB
RVP just turned 29. Y r u adding a year on to his age? T45
Lfc you like many seem to think that as soon as a player turns 30 he suddenly becomes hopeless. Vidic and RVP are world class, Carrick is still a very good player and even though Scholes retired for 6 months then came back he was still one of the best 2 CM's in the league from January until May alongside Yaya Toure. Evra isn't the player he once was he seems lazy and Giggs is (hopefully) in his final season because in between his flashes of class he is past it as much as I hate to say that about the man I idolised growing up.
Most of our key players are in their prime or still getting better. Smalling, Jones, Hernandez, Welbeck, Cleverley, Kagawa, Powell, Henriquez, De Gea and the twins are still either teenagers or early 20's not a bad future if you ask me. Remembering any of our reserve and academy prospects as well.
While I agree in the next year we will have to get rid of some of the older players that will probably happen anyway. Giggs should retire, Scholes is probably in his last season and the same with Rio. Buy a Scholes replacement and age wise or squad is fine.
Now lets move to the current Liverpool squad. Lets start with your best player Suarez, if he was an attacking midfielder everyone would think this player is fantastic he pops up with 10-15 a season and is good on the ball but he is your main striker and as shown last week against WBA he isn't a good enough finisher. Surely you can't think our aging RVP wouldn't have put away at least one of the chances Suarez fluffed? Carroll I don't have to mention, Borini again looks decent but only decent.
Midfield - Henderson, Adam and Spearing are average at best, IMO average is a compliment to Henderson. Downing was probably the worst winger in the league last season. Lucas has improved significantly and is a good dm, Gerrard was an unbeliveable footballer who carried your team but age is starting to show with him, he still has everything but doesn't show it anywhere near as much as he used to which despite being a United fan IMO is a shame because he is a fantastic player. Allen will do fine and if you get Sahin I would actually be jealous because I would have loved him at United.
Defensively Agger is very good and Skrtel has his moments but he is also prone to a lapse, Carragher is finished and Coates hardly gets a game so won't progress very quickly. Johnson is not a right back he is good going forward but awful going the other way, Enrique is a good left back. Reina's form has went south in recent months but when on form he is a very good keeper.
Sterling. Kelly and Suso are good young players, especially Sterling, if he puts on a bit of muscle he will be a great player.
Anyways just because your side is getting younger doesn't mean it is getting better, I have posted all of this so as I don't have to keep saying all of this over the season. Liverpool will finish 5th or 6th we will finish 1st or 2nd. I look forward to a response if there is one. Apologies for the essay by the way.
Rjmanutd
Come on lfc your not that thick surely?
1.rio-smalling
2.scholes-irreplacable but we have kagawa,cleverley,petrucci,daehli and januzaj,one of whom will fill the void.
3.giggs-will need to be replaced but we have nani and young who can play left wing.
4.evra-we have brought buttner and have fabio and blackett,all 3 will fight for the left back spot and replace evra no problem
5.vidic-still has another 3 or 4 seasons at the top and we have evans and jones who will replace him
6.RVP-signed a 4 year contract plus we have signed one of the best young strikers in the world,henriquez so to think we have an ageing squad is a bit silly,we have ready made replacements and if 1 or 2 dont work we'll just bring in more quality,your clutching at straws and sound desperate.
phil
Manchester United squad was 2nd in the list of youngest average age with 25.31 years only behind Norwich's 25.08. the team that beat arsenal 8-2 had avg age of 23
NSN
Very selective with your player selections - Carragher,Gerrard,Reina et al ring any bells ? Not to mention Rafael,Hernandez,Welbeck,Smalling,Jones,Kagawa,Cleverly.......
Yes thanks for the answer rjmanutd
your right about most things you say rj , i would love lpool to finish 4th, but we might just have to do with a cup this season, but the point is rj, given a little time i see lpool not only catching up with utds level, but winning the title , maybe in a couple of years, but i think your manager plays these old guys too much rj, the point is that on there day even scholes or giggs can still play a bit, but its pushing a young player or two out of the side, plus the best utd teams i remember were full of energy and non stop running, i just dont see that with yous as much, anyway mate you might not argee with me , but at least i give you mancunians something to think about.............lfc
I agree that the older players especially Giggs are played that bit too much, that is what caused us to lose Pogba. If we had some faith in the lad then the situation may have been different with him. However, we have always brought through youth and bought players with potential.
To be honest lfc I'd rather have the rivalry between United and Liverpool back to how it was with both sides challenging for the league.
You are correct that I don't agree with you but I am always happy to defend our squad against anyone's.
Rjmanutd
I am very sorry people, my list was not right, i forgot to add old man
8/ berbatov age 31
cheers...............lfc
24 Aug 2012 13:35:43
i understand the frustration with the midfield but dont think we should get hung up on a ball winner, this isnt the only solution. dominating midfield doesnt necessarily mean having a combative ball winner playing in the middle. barcelona+spain have dominated midfield in every game theyve played for the last 4 years and i wouldt say xavi,iniesta or busquets i that type of player.
my point is, if you retain possession well enough, physicality can be negated .we retain possession ok until the final 1/3 but have been lacking the type of quality to find players in those tight areas(kagawa is the type of player to improve this) and also struggle when playing against a team that presses high up the pitch and close down with a quick tempo, which often results in us playing sideways, backwards or longer, hence 70ish% possession against everton(not just this game) but a severe lack of goal threat.
i do agree we need improvement in midfield but would be just as happy to see a player in the modric/fabregas mould as 1 like mvilla, witsel etc.
You are so wrong my friend.
We don't retain the ball well hence the early exit from the Champions League last year, hence the shoddy displays in the premiership last season just scrapping through with one nil wins.
The center of the midfield area was terrible last year we are so weak in there it's untrue. The amount of sloppy passes was unbelievable.
Nodody is saying we need a ball winner but we do need a proper world class midfielder who can retain possession and can tackle, win balls and create going forward which we dont have.
Have a look at the players we have in that position. Anderson is useless, Scholes is 39, Giggs is 40, Cleverley unproven and overrated, Carrick does a good job nothing special but he is now 31. Im sorry to say but Fergie has completely missed the boat again with this and it will show AGAIN against the better teams when we get overun in the center of the park.
I just hope he is having us on and has something up his sleeve but i doubt it.
Simmo
It kind of negates your point when you get the ages wrong - Scholes is 37 and Giggs is 38.
We have bought in 5 players this year - two of them already accepted as world class. We have had the best summer in recruitment terms that I can remember and I have been supporting united since 1974.
The vagaries of the game, not having the best player in every position, picking up injuries and players losing for is what makes it a game - thats where the tension, the excitement and the entertainment comes from.
I think that Football Manager has spoilt football fans - they seem to want to win all of the time and some united fns seem to be the most spoilt.
24 Aug 2012 13:30:45
So, Sir Alex has said that we are done for this transfer window.
Can he be believed this time?
MDJ
You have to believe him. Since last 4 windows its happening continuously.. Once he said its over.. its really over. i trust this words for the fact
Rodio17
24 Aug 2012 13:26:05
so, fergie has come out today and said no more signings. Just a question for any of the eds, and syd if you dont mind answering. Do you beleive him or do you think he may be tellig porkies? i dont want to beleive him but i feel he may be telling the truth.
Trickee
24 Aug 2012 13:10:33
eds hope this gets posted just say fergie on sky spports saying no more signings with a smile on his face do u tink thats it r will he go for a midfielder
irish red
24 Aug 2012 13:04:46
Right I for one am sick to death of reading so much negativity on here towards both the Team and Sir Alex, if all you negative bright sparks were half the man he is you would be a hundred times better than you are now, Sir Alex has led this club to unpresidented success and 1 season without a trophy and it's time for him to go or he's losing the plot, none of us know what plans he's got for Phil Jones maybe he will be our box to box midfielder, if he reaches his potential then we will save ourselves a fortune what about Tunnicliffe too, the same people that come on here saying lets spend this and that are the same people who whinge about the debt, and before anyone says that Tunnicliffe and Jones aren't the finished article what makes you so sure Martinez could adapt WE HAVE TO GIVE THESE KIDS A CHANCE or we might aswell forget the Academy, look people we can't win everything every season and frankly if we did it would become boring.
So get off Sir Alex and the Team back's and support them through thick and thin and if you can't do that that then bugger off and support whoever is winning everything at the time, coz I'm sure i don't want you and the rest of our true fans don't either.
Samster1
Samster1
I'd like to see the kids given a chance mate. Unfortunately, SAF has bottled it and we'll see another season of over-the-hill legends huffing, puffing and getting launched off the ball by bigger, better players.
If you're happy with failure mate, fill your boots. Deluded.
RED_SKY
Samster1
I agree broadly with the sentiment - I will back SAF 100% until he goes. His record means he deserves no less. But that shouldn't mean proper fans can't accept everything without question, like a herd of sheep.
If certain players aren't stepping up to the mark, or evidently don't have the quality to be at Utd, then we should be entitled to say so. Being a fan of the club doesn't mean we should all have to turn a blind eye to things that aren't right.
I'll still cheer on such players when they pull on a Utd shirt - not like Arsenal fans booing Eboue - but I still reserve the right to criticise them if the need arises.
We're not sheep - we pay for the club through tickets, merchandise etc and if some players are short-changing us through lack of effort or talent, then they should be criticised.
I went to my first game 35 years ago, this year, and never once have slated a player when they're wearing the jersey.
Unfortunately, due to fans no longer having a credible voice in how clubs are run, sites like these are sometimes our only way of venting our frustrations at the efforts of some of the players - they live now in such a cocoon, cut off from the real world, surrounded by yes men, and believing their own hype.
When players are earning the money they do now, I do, as a fan, have certain expectations as to how they perform, both on and off the pitch. I expect them to pass a ball properly 5 yards, and preferably to a member of their own team. I expect them to be able to control the ball, and not let it run 5 yards away from them when doing so. I expect them to have a fitness regime, that doesn't involve beer and cigarettes during pre-season. I expect them just now and again, to run with the ball, with their head UP, so as to see options around them.
And I reserve the right absolutely, as a fan of this great club, to criticise them if this all proves too much for them!
StevieK
Stevie k
So instead of supporting them and helping them through a bad spell you would rather shout and scream that they are not good enough. When fletcher first got in the team everyone said he was no good now we all can't wait for him to hopefully comeback.
Djay
Red sky.
How can u say samster1 is deluded. Your the one questioning our greatest and Possibly the worlds greatest manager ever. If sir Alex works with them everyday I'd say he is a better judge than anyone on here.
Djay
Djay
'shouting and screaming'?
You make me sound like a hysterical woman!
I consider myself a very calm person, who is certainly not one of the 'knee-jerk' brigade.
Players going through 'bad spells' will always get my support. Every player goes through them.
I will criticise them if they have been here for a number of years, and still can't make the correct decision with their final ball ie. Nani. he hasn't learnt a thing in all this time and that is inexcusable.
i will also criticise them if they can't take pre-season seriously enough, and end up starting the season sluggish as a result. ie Rooney. people say he starts every season slowly. Maybe if he acted like a professional pre-season he might be a bit quicker out of the blocks.
Don't dare lump me in with those calling for SAF's head, or demanding we get a whole raft of new players in. My very first post on this site was defending Evra from a lot of derogatory remarks about his current ability. I said something along the lines of 'i thought our fans had more class than that' I still believe this.
StevieK
24 Aug 2012 12:55:37
Fergie has said it himself, we aren't signing anyone else. So guess we are in for another season of watching our midfield be second best in the big games
24 Aug 2012 12:46:51
People to panic stations! Fergie has said no more signings, does this mean we have missed out on a good strong mid or just the fact Fergie doesn't want one?
We have already signed Kagawa, Powell, RVP, Buttner and Henriquez which makes 5 new signings. I don't remember us making more than that in one season? I don't think we should worry about the lack of CM though because I think some of us had dropped our standards a little in desperation.
Lets face it, none of us had heard of Herrara before the Olympics yet some of us suddenly thought he was the answer. How can we go from wanting Martinez (maybe the best in his position, maybe not) to then wanting an unheard of Mexican?
There is no point in us signing players just to fill gaps. I admit I would have liked to see M'Villa in but even then I wanted Modric more. I think Fergie was looking that way too. If he could have signed M'Villa for £15m or Modric for £25m he would have chose Modric.
The only player I would have liked to see come in for a budget price was Dembele and maybe even he was a drop in standards and expectation from what we started out wanting.
The thing I am more concerned about is the fact he said he doesn't think anyone will be leaving! Berbs to face another season on the bench or not in the squad is not right! We now have Rooney and RVP our starters, Welbeck and Hernandez our second strikers and still Berbs, Macheda and Henriquez needing game time. Will Keane will be back in new year too.
Now instead of getting maybe 5mil for Berbs he will be a free, Macheda will never develope further (not that I had much hope) and Henriquez I know is one for the future as is Keane.
Lets just be thankful not every team has Fellaini to pump the ball up to and I hope we can get over this fear of Toure. All in all we have Carrick, Cleverly, Scholes, Powell, Anderson, Kagawa and maybe fletcher at one point?. Carrick will be played as our DM with Cleverly being a ball winner and Kagawa the creative player.
Sorry for the long post and feel free to pick it apart but I just thought I would say something instead of reading post after post explaining why Fergie has failed his transfer duties, Despite spending very wisely.
1redarmy
I don't think he did say nobody would be leaving, he said there was no change in the situation.
I would still expect Berbatov to go before the end of the window.
I still think we are a midfielder short but Fergie know best, he has had the funds so we can't blame that, and there are players out there, so he obviously just decided to play a different way.
So lets see what happens, exciting attacking times ahead!
GDS
And what if Carrick or Cleverly get injured? Is Scholes at 37 (almost 38) good enough to play week-in at the top level? What does Anderson offer? If Fletcher returns, will he be capable of playing his old role? Is Powell experienced enough in the position, let alone at this level?
Regardless of how much supporters have lowered their standards, because they see the desperate need for a new cm. The truth of the matter is that we are not equipped, in the centre of the park, to compete at the top level. We have one proven cm player in Carrick, one player who may possibly emerge as a top class player in Cleverly, an aging legend who should be allowed to retire gracefully, Anderson, and a lot of unprove youth. This year we have the weakest midfield we have had since the 80s. We are literally one bad injury away from relying on a 37 year old or inexperienced teenagers. It's a squad game and while I think we have a starting 11 that can cope (if Cleverly fulfills his potentional), our pool of midfielders is severly lacking. If after at least 3 summers Fergie still refuses to buy for the position we are clearly most lacking in, then it is his fault.
Danny Pughnited
I agree 1RD. With Scholes and Giggs still around and needing games I was struggling to see how we could fit everyone in the squad!
I think some were hoping for an Ando&cash - Witzel switch, but I think Ando will get one more chance, when he gets a run of games I still think he looks very good. For some reason he plays better with Clevs than Carrick, seems to take more responsibility.
I'm excited about the season with what we've got, some very good signings.
DodgyBanter
I'm sure most fans, not just the ones on here are going to be dissillusioned with what's going on with the midfield. Star Youngsters leaving + no new signings while continuing with 2oaps, a player never fit for more than 5-6 games, an almost finished covering CMer who buckles under pressure and a player still finding his feet after an injury ravaged 1st season. What is there to be optimistic about?
If we play kagawa there we are wasting him. Even Powell who I think won't get many games this year is looking like he will be chucked into a central role instead of a more attacking one.
The one thing when we all got excited about when talk of a formation change was rife, was the fact we would need CM reinforcements to carry this change out successfully. It's looking likely that's not gng to happen. I totally agree mate that the standard of player talked about now is a little below what would instantly show everyone we are hear to compete but most will still improve the squad in there.
I for one cannot see past how Witsel and Cabaye (my preferences) are available for the right price yet we will prob get none yet spunk 24m on a hardly needed striker? Our goal difference was lower due to conceding so many from a shocking midfield last year more than the strikers. We have the resources to do it it's clearly SAF doesn't want to pay that. Why should it be up to him what the club pays if it's a player he wants?
Mourinho doesn't have a say on what the club pays, he says I want him or him and they get either, usually the first target. Money should be no option as even if the above 2 cost 50m our CM will be covered to the point where Tunners, Petrucci and Powell can take over from Carrick, Scholes and Giggs so if all went well would need no others for maybe 4-5 years. We could take these new formations on no problem if we had those signings under our belt yet here we are 1week to go and no signs of anything happening and no doubt will end up back to 4-4-2 by October.
I agree with the fact 5 signings is more than usual but 2 are youngster who will have very little effect on first team, 1is a squad player in a position we were needing a replacement and the other two are top players but not in the most important area that we need them for the team.
A very disappointed.
Jono
24 Aug 2012 12:44:26
Well Fergie states no more purchases this summer following the sigining of Henriquez, I know he can't be taken on his word but yet again we have failed to address the one key area of midfield, we have a frontline that any of the top European sides would be happy with and when fully fit our defence is more than adequate but I can't see us getting anywhere in Europe and City & Chelsea will only get stronger. I still have faith but would have loved to have seen 1 or 2 quality experienced midfielder brought in. Lets hope its a smoke screen.
Cool your Boots
24 Aug 2012 12:04:24
Fergie has been on the bbc website today saying that we will be signing no more players now in the transfer window. Do we believe him or has he got one more sneaky signing up his sleeve?
24 Aug 2012 12:01:35
SO fergie has said no more sigings... IS HE SURE ??
our CM players are not strong enough.... period.... if he is putting his faith in carrick & fletcher then I am sorry but this is mis-placed.
ando & clev's looked really good last year but they were not strong enough defensivly. giggs is finished, and scholes whilst still flipping good at what he does is a liability when asked to sit deep and make tackles.
reading the game and making interceptions is one thing, but did fergie not see how carrick got bullied at everton. the same happens when he is in the middle.
really hope that this is just press talk, and fergie is trying to drive a price down somewhere for that dm/cm player that we all want.
Oxred
24 Aug 2012 11:55:12
No more signing lads. Straight from the SAF's mouth. Source manutd.com
Caolán.
24 Aug 2012 11:46:53
Fergie has said Henriquez is last signing of the summer, additions of RVP, Nick Powell, Shinji Kagawa, Buttner and Henriquez. All in all a brilliant transfer window for us signing 2 brillaint young prospects within Powell and Henriquez. A good striker, playmaker and promising left back. Well done Fergie, bring on the season.
Its not a brilliant window at all. Kagawa, great. RVP - great but a luxury we didnt need. Powell and Henriquez may get 2-3 games this season. So no immediate impact. Buttner isn't first choice.
So basically, we've signed 2 new first teamers, which is great. But when your manager has, 3 SUMMERS IN A ROW, agreed that our CM is below-par, you expect a signing there.
He's either lost it completely or we have no money, I'm leaning towards the RVP money being our last. If Berba and a few others were sold, then we MIGHT have gone in for a CM. But with them staying, no cash I reckon.
Shocking. Another season of watching our defence over-exposed and our midfield made to look league 2 standard.
RED_SKY
24 Aug 2012 11:45:38
Ferguson has come out and said today that the spending is over after henriquez, so guys looks like no midfielder is being signed.
I for one am disappointed how could ferguson not address our weakest area.
Dwright
24 Aug 2012 11:34:59
Manchester United Summer Transfers Done
- Sir Alex Fergusson
So we have to be happy with the soldiers and the arsenal we have atm, no more weapons updating hope fully the wins and the cups :)-*Reddy
24 Aug 2012 11:34:56
Finaly Saf have came out and ruled out further signings..ending speculations of all names.
Personaly..i cnt say if i m happy with summer or not. Except kagawa we cant say we have improved squad for now. For future yes.
Good to see natural left footed competition for evra. Rvp is just luxury..we were ok without him in those position.
Can express my disappointment in center midfield area. Third season we have not addressed this problem relying on old guard too much.i m sure youth wont get much lookin either as always.
Last season it has costed us league nd cl exit. Hope de gea can save us by letting less goals in. As not conceding is itself a winning.
Shaky deffence has been prob for us. This season hasnt stated any better in case of injuries.
Lets hope for the best now
Rodio17
Woah woah woah,
Champions League exit was not down to a dodgy midfield but down to us putting poor teams out in the home group matches and struggling.
We may not have been strong enough to win it but the poor midfield was certainly not the reason we went out of the CL and we will quite comfortably get through this time round.
GDS
24 Aug 2012 11:10:31
Hi eds first time poster. Love the site. Well according to sly sports, sir Alex has come out and said no more signings. This for me is very disappointing. The average Joe can see that our midfield is not good enough. Just want to know if what sir Alex has said is true?. And if u believe this quote?
Conor {Ed004's Note - I am not sure. I am hoping he is lying}
24 Aug 2012 10:48:59
if ed2 is around after angelo henriquez is there going to be another signing thanks in advance {Ed002's Note - It depends if you believe SAF or not.}
24 Aug 2012 11:29:26
Manutd.com details SAF has said Henriquez is last signing of this window.
If 4-2-1-3 continues to be our favoured formation, accepting there will be the need to vary that dependent on the opposition, this to me means our '2 midfielders' are Carrick - Cleverly or Jones - Carrick.
Halesini
24 Aug 2012 11:17:38
Just watched the manager's press conference and when asked about incoming players he did smile whilst saying there will be no more players coming in. So as we know about the Witsel bid, talks with Pachuca and interest in Dembele we will have to take that with a pinch of salt at this time. Hope there is one more signing in Witsel, but we will see.
He also never mentioned Jonny Evans and said he will go with the same squad for Fulham, not the same line-up, but same squad so if Evans was in the last squad then I feel Evans maybe ready. Jones is training now which is good news too, but will not be ready in time for tomorrow. Buttner should make debut tomorrow.
Sydney!
Have to agree syd,hes not going to admit hes after someone especially if other clubs are sniffing around,im sure he said the other week after signing RVP that there might be 1 more but that wasnt definate,then 3 days later we've signed buttner and henriquez,might be wrong but i wouldnt be suprised to see 1 more signing.
phil
24 Aug 2012 11:17:32
A lot of emphasis on the not 'buying' - loan deal perhaps ?
24 Aug 2012 11:13:09
Personally both Young and Nani need to step up. Both are quite predictable and fail to beat there man. However at the Euros Nani played awesome and often beat his man and delivered some brilliant crosses. This makes you wonder whether or not the fact that we have supposedly adopted the Barca style has affected our wing play.
In some ways we need to be more direct we appear laid back too at times and allow teams to settle when we have possession, more so against the bigger teams.
Looking how we played against Everton was how we played alot last season.
We need Kagawa behind RVP and Rooney play to our strengths.
That would require a good holding midfielder. To consistently play Scholes will not help us against top teams. He hasn't got the stamina to do so and gets p1$$ed off and fouls players.
Id like tunnicliffe to be on the bench and blooded this season. Carrick is our only fit dm/holding midfielder. Jones can play there but id prefer tunnicliffe to be given a chance. Hopefully we won't suffer anymore injuries this season as they affect us and our players. Jones and Smalling played really well until they got a few injuries which affected there form. In some ways of Scholes and Giggs had retired they would have doe us a favour and made Fergie blood his younger players.
Mad Hatter
24 Aug 2012 11:10:55
Fergie says he will now be putting the chequebook away.
"We definitely won't be buying anyone else, that is for sure," Ferguson said.
The likes of striker Dimitar Berbatov and winger Nani have been linked with moves away from Old Trafford and asked if there would be any likely departures, Ferguson added: "There is no movement I can tell you about.
"There is only a few days left now until the deadline and that will pass quite quickly I would imagine."
fergy also says evra could play CB
jred
Did you watch the press conference Jred mate?
Sydney!
Evra CB? True words of a man struggling to paper over the cracks.
If we fail this season, SAF will retire, the gap will be too big to bridge after two dismal seasons. I think 2nd or 3rd at the very, very best.
RED_SKY
24 Aug 2012 11:10:04
Sly Sports is reporting that SAF has said that there will be no more signings after the completion of the Henriquez deal. This means no midfielder will be signed - has he finally lost the plot, or is it smoke and mirrors to deflect attention away from a major target?
Mike B.
24 Aug 2012 11:04:50
Henriquez will be our last official signing. Nani is willing to cut his wages.
24 Aug 2012 11:00:43
Good news...Fergie has said the spending is over for this transfer window.
Another season gone still no central midfielder.
What a joke!
Simmo
24 Aug 2012 10:44:15
SAF says spending over - confirmed Henriquez and says that's def it - obviously hasn't watched replays of Mon nite for confirmation of last seasons weakness - I guess time will tell if he's got it rite
24 Aug 2012 10:42:34
So no midfielder coming in according to Fergie. Suck it up guys 2nd or 3rd for us this season. the big problem still has not been addressed!
Red Snapper
24 Aug 2012 10:42:26
alex ferguson has told a website that there will be no more transfers in or out of the club in this transfer window, looks like we will be playing 2nd fiddle to city again this season, we so needed another midfielder, thanx for nothing alex.
"thanx for nothing alex"
What have you been watching the last 20 years?????
DarkLard08
24 Aug 2012 10:39:03
Tht's all folks! According to SAF on the official Man United website. Also no sign of anyone going in the other direction
24 Aug 2012 10:38:04
No more signings straight from SAF's mouth.
The man has well and truly lost it.
We signed 2 x strikers this summer. TWO. And we still have Macheda and Berbatov rotting on the bench and eating up salaries.
What the hell is going on?! Are our reserve strikers REALLY that bad that we can't even flog them to ANYONE?
But yet still no CM steel. The area that needed TLC the most.
Absolutely gutted. Kagawa and RVP, great. But our most important signing this season was a CM. Instead, what do we have:
Scholes - 39yrs old.
Giggs - 39yrs old.
Carrick - decent but flimsy.
Cleverly - unreliable for an entire season.
Anderson - fat, useless waster who has been at this club 3 years too long already. This isn't gonna be his year lads - why would it be?
Oh yeah, same as last year. Kiss trophies goodbye for a second year running, you won't win a thing if you get rolled over in the middle every week.
RED_SKY
There is still one week left mate, perhaps you should have saved this post til then?
Sydney!
You know me Syd, I'm a dramatic 'person' shall we say, haha. Seriously though mate, we've gone back and forth on this matter for the last couple of summers (weird to think this community's been going that long!) and still......nothing.
I believe SAF. I think we're done for the summer and we'll reap what we sow. How any manager, even league 2 standard, would watch the Everton game Monday night and think "We're fine" is beyond me.
RED_SKY
RED_SKY, we will not have to face Fellaini every week thank god, but I still believe we need that Witsel mate. Now I think people will understand why I kept on about the manager's stubborn self. He has had £100m (net) to spend over two summers and he has refused to buy a midfielder. The more the media press him to get one the more he will rebel.
Sydney!
24 Aug 2012 10:33:33
So SAF calls time on our summer spending.
Ummmmmmm, Fergie - where's our midfield steel?! You know mate, the area of the field you yourself have marked out as being a weak spot for many years?
You know, the area of the pitch made even weaker when we lost our supposed future legend, Paul Pogba?
Come on, that spot in the middle of the park where you have a man approaching 40yrs old as your main man? And have been forced to play another ineffective 40yr old alongside him?
COME ON FERGIE, WAKE UP - that middle section of the field that was ripped to shreds by West Brom, FC Basle, Bilbao and pretty much every other team we played, last season?
Done for the summer?
Done for the season. No silverware again lads. RVP and Kagawa are all well and good and will get us goals - without steel in the middle, it's not gonna matter.
Sickened, once again. 3 summers running.
RED_SKY
Did you actually watch his press conference? I think the way he said what he said is far more important than the words he used. He did have a cheeky grin when saying no more signings.
We'll see.
Sydney!
Yeah, we're reading into things too much though, it's hope more than true belief Syd! I wouldn't be shocked if we got a loanee in, but Im not confident. I just don't understand this. It's so frustrating and infuriating to know we've SHOWN AN INTEREST in CM players but nothing has come of it, again!
RED_SKY
I agree, we definitely need a Witsel type player and I will be disappointment if we do not bring one in.
Anyway I am off out now so............ to be continued ;)
Sydney!
24 Aug 2012 10:27:50
The daily fail (I know,I Know) are saying Bayern are baulking at how the Martinez fee is paid!Why can't we match the £31m and nabbed him quickly?
I think the money is there, but SAF can't see the need. I'd like Iker Muniain as well then we'd have three top attacking midfielders in Rooney, Muniain and Kagawa to play behind RVP...just like City have and Madrid.
RedDevil19
24 Aug 2012 10:26:49
Looks like everyones hopes of a midfielder coming in have been dashed:
Sir Alex Ferguson calls an end to Manchester United summer spending, insisting that Chilean youngster Angelo Henriquez is the final arrival at Old Trafford before transfer deadline day.
"We definitely won't be buying anyone else," he said. "There is no movement about anyone going the other way."
That means nothing, we may still move for one more - but not a big money move. Some unheard of Bebe type player.
RedDevil19
Dissapointing if thats the case ,happy with some of our buys so far but cant believe another season will go without doing something with the midfield.
johndenton
I think what he is trying to say is that unless a certain select few players are sold i.e. berbatov etc then there simply isnt enough room in the squad..........
if he goes however i expect a midfielder to come in
Robbo
24 Aug 2012 10:21:57
Eds -anyone- have we ended our interest in the transfer market now? Or is there anything looming? Speculation seems to have died down.....
Would love Cabaye from Newcastle....
Pedro
Well i can tell you through a very reliable source that the spending is indeed over....the source by the way was none other than Sir Alex Ferguson!!
Samster1
We have had 5 lets not be greedy haha.
1redarmy
24 Aug 2012 10:18:40
Just to add to my previous post about SAF being scared. He has said that Evra might pair Vidic in the centre of defence...just what I was saying...why not use the natural centre back Wooton?! Evra is hopeless at left back at times, never mind putting him at centre back. A sensible back 5 would be:
___________De Gea
Rafael__Wooton___Vidic__Evra
I think that Wooton could turn out to be another Ryan Shawcross - someone that we regret letting go of or we force out of the club like Pogba through zero opportunities even when there is a massive injury crisis.
RedDevil19
Never said he might pair evra and vidic. when asked about buttner making his debut he said probably not altough evra has played cb before. that is not even close to suggesting hes thinking of playing vidic and evra togather.
vinny
You are massively overrating Wootton, he really isn't much good. He will not make it at United.
Sydney!
I kind of agree with what you mean but also I dont. I dont think Evra should be playing CB as he is not big enough but I also don't know is Wooton is quite ready for the Prem. He was decent in pre season and next to Vidic I could look good but is that not too much of a risk too?
1redarmy
I would agree with everything you said but given that I would play buttners at lb instead of evra and get rid of him completely.
what is wooton going to think given 4 cbs are out and he can still not get a game... what does he have to do?? Playing him may be a risk not only in this game but for the future too if he got destroyed and his confidence was then shot to pieces, but there was a time when fergie would have taken this risk (95)...
Oxred
If we play Evra at cb this weekend then it's official SAF has lost all his bottle and needs his love ins with Evra and Giggs to be cut forever by him retiring at the end of this year. It will be an absolute disgrace if we reach 1st September and have no CM signing or realistic instant replacement for Evra at LB. He cannot hide behind no value tripe as even Baines at 17m is not worth it but comparing paying an extra 4-5m or having to put up with Evra at LB or possibly CB for another year is a no brainier, get that money paid!!
CM is a total joke. What is it SAF must see that we all can't? I actually think Phelan works for someone else, constantly plying ferries mind with talk of how good the CM is and we need no change there. I know it has been looked at but for whatever reason we still have no CM in and it's 1 week left of the 7th consecutive window where we have no top CMer coming in.
With no CMer we do not have what it takes in the middle it's as simple as that! I will look forward to the third consecutive season of seeing average-good sides over running our CM and probably getting embarrassed by the really good sides!
Shocking really!
Jono
Wooton is better than Carrick or Evra at centre back though. At least that is his position and he is has the physicality. He might not make it here, I'm not saying that, but he is a much better option than Carrick or Evra.
RedDevil19
24 Aug 2012 10:10:50
Initially I thought this Hector Herrera that we are close to signing was more of a defensive midfielders - but it seems as though he is more forward thinking. If this is the case then its infuriating. If we needed anymore attacking midfielders then why not use Petrucci? I can't understand SAF's reluctance to use the younger players apart from to fill the bench. Wooton should of played last weekend, Tunnicliffe deserves a first team chance if we don't sign a midfield bully. Either the lads like Petrucci, Wooton and Tunnicliffe aren't seen as good enough, or SAF is too scared to use them - something that we wouldn't have seen 15 years ago.
RedDevil19
24 Aug 2012 10:09:23
Well that is it guys. Saf has just said no more incoming players and done with the summer transfer window. Also has mentioned no players going the other way, which means berba is staying.
Shahram
24 Aug 2012 10:07:07
Fergie has just ruled out any more signings from a website
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out making anymore signings before the close of the transfer window
24 Aug 2012 10:00:41
Fergie seems to hint at no more transfers in unless players leave, so if Berba or anyone else goes first then there will be no more new faces in midfield. Fergie seems happy with what we've got :(
One quality midfielder is needed. Let's hope Powell or tunicliffe, petrucci is given a chance to see if they can do the job!
24 Aug 2012 09:38:34
Fergie has said at the press conference that there will be definitely no more signings. :(
24 Aug 2012 10:05:31
New signing Alex Buttner has been given the number 28 shirt number and is set to start saturdays game against fulham, on the bench.
SAF even talked about Patrice Evra playing CB if Buttner is included however i can't see this happening.
Ozwald
24 Aug 2012 10:05:02
Evra to start at center back,Buttner to wear 28 and start tommorrow.Henriquez to be our last signing.Gutted we are still noticing where our weakness lies.
Same here. You look at Chelsea signing with 2 more yesterday and by the sound of it they after a world class striker, I believe it is not just city but Chelsea who is a contender. With city about to offload johnson,dejong and adebayor, expect them to buy a big name player for the middle of the pitch. I hope saf knows something about scholes/carrick/cleverly/Anderson that we have missed and can carry the team for the year. Let 's hope so Shahram
24 Aug 2012 09:49:28
fergie has said he wont be signing ny more players
Sir alex has said this before then gone on to sign more players,however,i cant see anymore coming in now,unless herrera had already been agreed before this mornings press conference but thats me being hopeful.
phil
24 Aug 2012 09:26:18
Sir Alex confirms no more signings !
Salford red
If this is true I hope SAF retires very soon. His targets are people we dont even need right now. Like Moura, if we got him what a waste of money it would of been, very overrated and a position we do not need to fill. The position we need to fill is central midfield, anyone can see that.
Now we are signing some Chilean striker that we do not need. How many games is really going to start? We already have Rooney, RVP, Welbeck, Hernandez and still have Berbatov. Then we have the likes of Will Keane coming through. It is getting pathetic, he is poor in the transfer market, can never get the targets that can actually make a difference.
He needs to get some new glasses so he can see what we really need.
MU93
MU93, the club bid for Witsel less than a fortnight ago so he is well aware of what we need. If we do not sign Witsel then it's because we will not overpay for him and the manager doesn't want to go for 2nd or 3rd best. I hope a deal for Witsel can be done, he is just what we need.
Sydney!
24 Aug 2012 08:57:07
On a web site this morning that Fryers has joined Standard Liege On 2year deal. Can any one tell me why he's joined them? Great site btw pleased to finally get a first post in!
He put all of his eggs in one basket, hoping/ assuming Spurs were gonna take him, then when they didn't he had no other offers, apart from Liege.
#ags
Spurs have strong links with leige, Fryers will end up at spurs at the end of this season spurs pay no compo.
Eagle eye
24 Aug 2012 06:13:11
Yesterday, Angelo Henriquez was present at the British Embassy in Chile, to sort out his visa. There is a photo of Angelo with the British Ambassador in Chile.
Looks like this should be wrapped up very very soon.
MPez
24 Aug 2012 05:26:38
If we buy this young Mexican lad I'm losing all faith in our reserves u21 players. He's 22, only just got himself in the first team last season. He gets subbed a lot cause he runs out of steam ala Anderson. It's been suggested he's a similar style player to Cleverley. Obviously not the tackling enforcer we crave.
Petrucci should be the player ready to get some game time next season. As he showed in pre season he's got a great shot, good close control & an eye for a pass. Even after all his injuries he's not afraid of a challenge.
Tunnicliffe is also an option. It seems Fletcher will struggle with his energy levels & could be a make or break season for him. Tunnicliffe could do a great job of closing down & winning the ball back.
Cole & Lingard have been hailed the new Xavi, Iniesta by players & coaching staff. If that's the case why waist money on this flash in the pan Mexican. We've bought before on Tournament impulse. Porborsky, Djemba, Kleberson & Manucho.
Powell should be our midfield project, even Jones needs to hold down a perminant place RB/CB or CDM.
Sometimes just sometimes you have to throw these young talented players in. A CB alongside Vidic or Rio. A 3rd midfielder alongside Carrick & Scholes. Upfront with Rooney or RvP. A young lad would clearly learn from the best.
Agree with you. We have alot of talented players coming though. We even seen alot of other EPL teams giving young players chances. WE seem to buy young player and give them a chance.
Think Tunnicliffe needs to be given a few games. He has a great engine and can tackle and pass too.
Mad Hatter
Agree with u mate. It seems fergie is reluctant to give chances to our own academy guys on big front. Couple of days back pogba interviewd and said boss said his time wil come and it never came. can anyone recall opportunities
Contrary to what SAF claims, MUFC are NOT good at blooding youngsters, our youth policy is a shambles quite frankly for such a big club and taking into account that SAF has has 25 years to sort it out! SAF is too timid and prefers to play experienced players out of position.
I agree, I guess we should not surprised if we see more of them leave the club due to lack of first team opportunities. Either they are good enough and should be given a chance or not good enough, which is even more worrying given the fact that we have not produced a great player in the last 15 years from the Academy. Given PSG,Manc, and Chelsea's spending power, we need home grown world class talent as we might struggle to sign the top tier players in the transfer market for financial reasons or location of the club. Shahram
You win nothing with kids!!!
Boyley
God, some of those names mentioned just made me shudder.....Manucho.....Djemba....ugggghhh!
Should make us appreciate what we've got really :)
StevieK
24 Aug 2012 05:21:39
Why is it a childish way of viewing money mr.noname? We were reportedly after Moura for around the same amount and I may have misread the article. I was refering to the limit on the funds that we were rumoured to have for the summer. At least do some research before you post ignorant things. If we had 40 m (rumoured) spent 12 on Kagawa 3 on Powell 15+ on RVP 4 on Buttner and Henriquez not sure on the price wouldn't you say what we have left to spend is 40m - what we've spent+player sales? Hows about next time you leave a name
Darren-Bermuda"""
dear mr darren-bermuda
ngiak agrees mr no name was rude and crude
however he does have a point
there are many factors that govern new players coming to a club
club factors and player factors
club factors wise
there must be a NEED for a certain type of player or a certain position to be filled
second there must be that kind of player available
third that player must be affordable to the buying club
fourthly the player must want to come
and finally the contract must be right
ngiak believes that there is literally no correlation with how much pocket change the club has
nor does it mean that ALL money set aside MUST be spent on tom or harry
and books have to be balanced but
its very unlikely the "budget" is fixed
when players come in, some need to be sold to "balance the books" or to make way for the newbies
and net sales do not excompass the large net worth of the player in terms of salary and image rights etc which may count for much much more than the actual "fee"
gan
Gan did you read my original post it was based on speculation. I never said that United must spend every penny of their budget on any player out there. If there was a 5m offer from us for Dembele I would assume that we don't have a great deal left to spend which would be understandable given the players we have signed. Maybe just maybe if the right player is available we will have enought to pick him up too.
Darren-Bermuda
23 Aug 2012 23:33:43
Question for Ed 002. You keep referring to witsel and given that you have pretty much nailed most of the transfer, why is there absolutely nothing in the news on this as with every other transfer possibility there seems to be leakage of info.
Finally, glad you are not answering any post on the chelsea page, they are obnoxious and rude and don't deserve it :).
Shahram {Ed002's Note - I obviously cannot say why there is nothing in the news about Witsel.}
23 Aug 2012 22:42:07
Ed02 any change on the witsel situation? Also are chelsea now finished then transfer window? {Ed002's Note - Since Roma pulled out there is nothing new, and no Chelsea are not finished with transfers.}
Ed002, good morning. Can I ask who the other club that you said may become interested in Witsel is? Is it Chelsea that you were referring to? Thanks again.
Sydney! {Ed002's Note - Anzhi Syd.}
24 Aug 2012 02:40:52
Prediction for Saturday,
5-1 united kagawa, rvp 2 Rooney and one from vida!
Fulham will score a conselation from petric.
Caolán.
Field a team like we did on Monday and play like that and we'll be lucky to get a draw! We struggled to break fulham down at OT at the end of last season remember, another tricky fixture I fear!
You going to put money on that Caolan?
Gar
Worth a tenner!
Caolán.
24 Aug 2012 00:40:02
kagawa 15m-18m
powell 4m
RVP 24m
buttner 4m
total 50m
plus if we were after lucas for around 28m we should have at least 25-28m to spend plus any extra sales like berba 5m and others i think we should try and get at least 40m to bid for cabaye and tiote fm newcastle great pair of midfielders who can both tackle and provide greats passes
FLASH
24 Aug 2012 00:11:48
I AM KLOOT - How can you say that the youth are being offered pathetic pennies as wages.. so he deserves 50k a week ? He did nothing and was very poor when trying to step up we have a structure Welbeck stuck to it and made his way up so why couldnt Pogba or Fryers? We offered them easily enoug money.
You do know that pogba is only on 20k.... not 50k???
he was more interested in playing time which he did not get here even during a spell when we had 3 first team cm's out NO Scholes and Gibson was injured.....
how did you expect him to feel.... the little token of some minutes here and there at the end of the season were too little too late......
and to be honest every time he did come on he looked fine. won every header was strong in the tackle and his passing was good. (not outstanding but good)
I expect him to excel and be lined up for a big move within 2 years.....
Oxred
Im sure fryers was offered £1,500 per week still a lot of money for most people , pogba i think was offered £20,000
johndenton
Yet another example of Utd NOT giving youth a chance, contrary to SAF's claims!
Ox, regardless of what Pogba says about playing time and what RFT says about a weekly wage, Ed002 has made it abundantly clear that he left for other reasons. Pogba and his agent were angling for a move before last season kicked off, it was little to do with playing time and as you know he is on just £20k a week at Juventus and that is less than we offered him. So that indicates it had nothing to do with salary either. Ed002 has said it is more to do with long-term goals like image rights etc. The player was always going to join Juventus no matter what we offered.
Sydney!
Oxred
I agree with you. SAF had faith on Pogba but he didn't trust him. The future will dictate if Pogba made a clever move or not.
Only conclusion you can come to about Pogba is SAF did not rate him highly enough to 'trust him' with a first team spot.
I think history will record that as a big mistake however SAF hasn't made too many of those in his 25yr tenure and we have to trust his judgement. We've done alright by it so far haven't we ?
Halesini
Pogba had three offers according to a friend of mine, of course it's not gospel, but seems to be quite certain about it. £16k, £20k & £25k. This opinion is also shared by Doron Salomon who gets a lot of info regarding the youth.
Sydney!