Manchester United Banter Archive June 30 2014

30 Jun 2014 22:07:52
Is everybody happy with Herrera or would you have preferred Kroos? There was a lot of love for Kroos before the summer and his names not been mentioned for a while. I know its been said he's likely to go to Real Madrid just wondered what everybody thought that wanted Kroos so badly

I think they're different players. Kroos is better deeper and doesn't dribble as well. Would like to pair both to be honest.

I don't think that with Kroos and Harera it is one or other. for me they play different roles so you could in theory have both. For me Kroos is great if you want to keep the ball and have the right players of equal ability around him.for me I feel that he may just not suit Man Utd and the pace we tend to.like the game played.
So at the minute I am happy. but I may be completely wrong

I think they're very simiĺar players and if he could play deeper are we suggesting that Kroos would be a better fit than Vidal or are we just being greedy and want Herrera Kroos and Vidal

Depends entirely on the way you want the team to play and the players he has around him.

They are both very good midfielders with Kroos maybe being ahead of Herrera on current ability, but that doesn't mean that Kroos will always be the better player.

At the end of the day they both do a similar job in different ways. Both can play as a No.10 or deeper in midfield. Kroos is more about making the ball do the work, he hasn't got a great deal of pace and he isn't as hard working. Herrera has more pace and mobility about him but maybe not the same vision that Kroos does.

Personally considering that we have Mata and Kagawa as our likely No.10's then we will need a higher work rate and more mobility form our other midfielders so Ander Herrera for us at this time is probably the better signing.

Yeah Kroos slows the game too much for me. Quality but I would prefer others for the revolution.

If it is true that United had an A, B and even a C list of players for all the positions they needed, perhaps Kroos was on A list till it was ascertained that he didn't really want the move. Maybe Herrera was B. It seemed Kroos was definitely being watched. Something odd went on with Herrera on last day of the window (which has never really been fully explained). I am very happy with Herrera - he seems to really want to play for the club.

01 Jul 2014 08:24:37
Kroos would be the most perfect player for the number 6 role with Herrera for the 8. I've just come to realise that it won't happen as he's just not interested in playing for us. Maybe if we were in the CL it'd be slightly more realistic.

01 Jul 2014 09:05:37
Kroos would slow the game down too much?
After years of Carrick??

01 Jul 2014 11:19:43
LVG sees Kroos as a 10 not a 6 as does Pep but what the hell do they know?

01 Jul 2014 12:01:53
Pep doesn't play him as a 10 though does he? Nor does he play there for Germany. He's naturally a deep lying play maker, that's where he's most effective.

30 Jun 2014 21:12:22
Anyone know when the new kits going to be launched? If it's the one that's been apartently leaked online then it's not great to say the least. The giant gold Chevrolet logo is hideous.

It will be revealed on July 7th, not sure if that is also the release date though.

I like the design of the leaked home kit, but as you say, the sponsor logo is horrible. Not so keen on the away mind.

Ah cheers, can't see it going down well with fans if it is the ones I've seen. Just the white Chevrolet writing would look smart though.

I like the away kit. Very simple classic white with black collar.

30 Jun 2014 18:21:07
Interesting to see that Pogba's agent has come out and said that the player will be staying with Juventus next season. Given that Ed002 has said that Juve need to sell before they can buy - I'm now wondering whether a deal for Vidal isn't impossible. Throw in the numerous sources claiming that Vidal prefers a move to Manchester United over Real Madrid (I'm not sure that's ever happened before) and we might be in with a chance.

30 Jun 2014 18:48:45
Pogba has two years left on his contract. If he doesn't sign an extension,Juve will sell.

Pogba will leave on a free, unless he gets offered a deal that's too good to turn down.

Good point R7, if I was a guessing man I would say there's a good chance that either Gustavo, Pogba, Vidal or Carvalho will end up at Chelsea this summer, I think one of these will end up at MU too. I hope we get one of these. MU are clearly open to spending money this summer so I wouldn't rule out a decent bid for Vidal and if that doesn't happen for whatever reason then we will look at Carvalho. Hopefully the price can come down to under £30m.

Wouldn't it be just grand if we got him back on a bosman in 2016 :-)

How do you know that Syd?

30 Jun 2014 20:50:10
Pogba will do what his agent tells him

Anon, because Pogba and his agent are greedy.

30 Jun 2014 15:46:14
Surely if Vidal prefers united the deal would not be able to be turned down. But at the same time it is reported our reps are in Portugal finalising William Carvalho deal. There is going to have to be some clear out to accommodate all these - not that it is necessarily a bad thing we have a lot of average players.

A little underwhelmed by the Vermaelen rumours, but seems to me this could be aback up strategy for Hummels and maybe 2 Dutch defenders.

My goodness we won't recognise the team next year!

30 Jun 2014 16:15:11
I would suggest you don't believe everything you read, if our reps were really everywhere that the papers say we must have more reps than fans.

No one can know who he prefers. But I am sure that no deal for Carvalho will go through until talks with Vidal have ended for good.

30 Jun 2014 13:55:22
I think our next signing should be a CB, but a world class CB! De Vrij is and will be a good signing but I mean a leader of men, a TANK and CB to replace Nemanja!

Hummels is my preference, who do you guys think?

Hummels would be the main target, won't happen this year though. Vermaelen seems to be the one, maybe alongside de Vrij also. We could get both for around £20 million combined - £8 million for de Vrij and £12-13 million for Vermaelen.

Fresh, £12m-£13m for Vermaelen is excessive. He's injured more often than Evans, Jones & Smalling combined.

I think Hummels with either stay with Dortmund or move to Barcelona.

30 Jun 2014 16:48:16
Apparently our first offer was £6 million but Arsenal wanted £12 million. Supposedly Arsenal dropped the price to £10 million but we gone back in with £8 million. I think that's a reasonable price for an experienced and premier league proven international class player, but the key thing is can he stay clear of injury. If he can he could prove a shrewd signing.

MrE, £10m isn't shrewd, it's stupid. Shall we put in a shrewd £10m bid for Owen Hargreaves? I wouldn't pay more than £7m for him.

On a 4-year deal he would cost almost as much as Herrera. What good is that when he's always injured? I didn't even rate him in his prime.

Nani ran rings around him all the time. Arsenal's defence bar last season has been suspect for years. Spending a £30m+ package on Vermaelen is crazy, shrewd it is not.

30 Jun 2014 22:00:10
As I said if he can stay fit I said. he's prem proven, doesn't need to adapt and is international class. It all hinges on his fitness though. It could work it could go horribly wrong. But name me another prem proven international class defender available for ten million?

He wouldn't be my first choice either and I know you have some serious man love for hummels, but hummels this summer is about as realistic as me getting a date with the hot bird off game of thrones. Meantime we need an experienced defender in to shore up the backline. We need a short term option till we can get a world class defender next summer. And i'd rather spend ten mill on tommy v than on a one season hit wonder like Miranda.

I'm sure if we pay enough money for Hummels we can get him. We need a leader after losing two. What good is TV when he's in the treatment room.

TV isn't just £10m though is he? We established that in my last post. As a package he is almost as expensive as Herrera. Unless we are going with three CB'S we should buy the best.

01 Jul 2014 00:13:02
Syd your counting vermaelens fee and wages as one package to make it equal to herreras fee but if you add herreras wages Herrera is still more expensive.

You also seem to be ignoring the whole point where I said about it hinges on his fitness. I seem to remember people doubting our last signing from arsenal because of his injury record.

As ed1 has said all transfers are a gamble, I just think this is less of a gamble than Miranda.

Besides its all paper talk so far and if he is the guy van gaal wants well ill back his judgement.

Herrera, £28.8m (fee) + £9.2m (wages).

Vermaelen, £10m-£12m (fee) + £20m (wages).

Vermaelen is not a cheap option, especially when he's injured more often than not. Like I said he is nearly as much as Herrera.

01 Jul 2014 13:36:29
You know for a fast he would be on twenty million in wages?

£100k a week multiplied by 52, multiplied by 4 (years). You do the maths. Then factor in his no doubt high signing on fee and agents fees etc which will be higher than Herrera's. TV is not a "cheap" option, he's a pretty expensive risk. I'm sure if we pulled him away from Arsenal, his injuries would disappear somewhat. For some reason they all struggle with injury at Arsenal. But surely you agree that spending £30m+ on a much needed leader that hasn't played much over two seasons is a risk? That's why we need to pay what it takes to bring Hummels here. Arguably the best ball playing CB on the planet and he's just 24 with immense experience for club and country. Even if he cost £35m it would be money well spent.

30 Jun 2014 11:40:46
Another thing. By all accounts Moyes was less than impressed with the state of the academy and planned a rebuild. Guessing van Gaal will do the same. Ed1 did you hear anything about this or do you know of any specifics that Moyes was not impressed with?

{Ed001's Note - there was a lack of cohesion in the academy that Moyes was unhappy with. The players were going from age group to age group, each age group they would be virtually beginning again on tactics and style of play. Which was hampering progress. I expect van Gaal will do what Moyes should have done, no need for a rebuild as such, the facilities are fantastic. All that is needed is a change in attitude. I expect that a style of play will be set out, that all the age group teams will be expected to adhere to. Then just layout the type of players he wants from the academy and the emphasis to be put on what areas of their training. From what I have been told, it is likely that he will want an increase of emphasis on technique and tactical awareness. He will want the players to be not just comfortable on the ball, but comfortable on the ball no matter where on the pitch they find themselves and no matter what position. He is very keen on adaptability from the players. Van Gaal likes to be able to adjust his tactical approach during a game, without needing to make substitutions to do so.}

30 Jun 2014 15:13:58
I was going to say would it be likely that his philosophy is passed down to the youth academy coaches and played throughout at all levels?

30 Jun 2014 13:19:26
So heading in a bit of an Ajax type academy then? I'm guessing an overhaul of coaches could be in the cards?

{Ed001's Note - it is expected that he will want to do so, though I would expect him to want to keep Joyce at least.}

30 Jun 2014 16:52:37
Joyce has done a good job. It would make sense for all age levels to play the same style. They do at Ajax and Barca after all which makes the integration of academy players into the first team easier. Maybe after a few years we wouldn't have to loan players out as much.

30 Jun 2014 10:22:04
No Louis don't do it! Not Dirk Kuyt. let's hope it's just paper talk?

30 Jun 2014 12:29:13
Of course its just paper talk. Are there any Dutch players we haven't been linked with yet? Van Basten maybe, Cruyff?

If this was a story saying we want Robben you would be saying 'there is no chance we will get Robben' but because its a player you don't want you believe the story. And that is all it is, a story.

GDS2

I never once said I believed the story. Don't get so upset and animated!

30 Jun 2014 16:21:27
Yeh GDS stop getting upset lol

30 Jun 2014 17:04:23
I am actually struggling to see the screen through my tears, so no idea what you said there simmo.

Try opening them. it would really help alot.

30 Jun 2014 07:32:32
I had a dream last night where I was hanging in a flat with Giggs, Gary Neville, Scholes. and Pogba. Our legends eluded to Pogba making his way back, and Pogba confirmed it!

Just thought i'd give you lads proof that I am in the know (ITK)

Pogba is coming

I think we will go for Carvalho. Pogba would be a bit of a kick in the teeth due to him leaving here for a €1m training compensation amount. I think the club would look like planks. I think PSG will get Pogba, but we will get Carvalho.

Not convinced on Carvalho, it's a lot of money and he is very untested. Wasn't that brilliant at the World Cup either.

30 Jun 2014 11:32:36
Sydney!, the only thing that should stop us being interested in Pogba is his price and/or possible attitude problems. The fact that he left for nothing and going back for him would only further hammer home just how much financially we lost out should have nothing to do with it. If he is the best man for the job he is the best man for the job. Swallow our pride and get on with it. We will be cannon fodder on the banter front from rival fans,but aren't we already. Personally, though, I would prefer Vidal :)

30 Jun 2014 11:45:12
I'm probably the only one on here that doesn't want pogba. Who's to say we wouldn't be sat here watching the euros, seeing him bossing teams whilst his agents making eyes at Madrid.

Fresh, I didn't see him against Ghana, but for the 2nd half against the USA, he was very good. At 21 he will only improve.

30 Jun 2014 15:08:21
Thing is you've got to think Carvalho is much more defensive, he'll shield the back 4 and help stop teams with strong midfields slicing through us with ease, something we' desperately need. Pogba is better at going forward but Herrera is decent and we have a massive wealth of attacking players through the middle. We're in more need of Carvalho than Pogba especially with doubts over our slightly sketchy defence.

30 Jun 2014 04:48:56
This may just be wishful thinking but do you think it'd could get James Rodriguez by offering say 30-40m plus Rooney?
With the tax breaks in Monaco, they're one of aonly a few clubs who could afford his wages (or equivalent after tax) but I'm not sure if Rooney would want the move
If we were to just sell Rooney to raise the funds, I can only really see 3possible other destinations, real Madrid, PSG, and Chelsea. Madrid being the least likely, I think PSG would be the best club for him playing behind ibrahimovic in place of cavani who looks set to leave. But given mourinhos comments recently, I would have to say Chelsea would be his preferred destination esp given he wouldn't need to learn a new language. Unfortunately for us a front pair of Costa and Rooney would be very formidable indeed

Why would Monaco want Rooney when they have Rodriguez? And the don't need money!

30 Jun 2014 09:24:11
30 40 m plus Rooney. jesus!How much do u think Rodriguez will cost and how much are u underrating Rooney.

Exactly nomidfield, why have a burger when you have a steak at home? Also hasn't young James just confessed his love for Madrid?

If we were to buy rodriquez for 30-40mil and give them wayne rooney aswell on top it would go down as the worst piece of business in football ever. i'm not rooneys biggest fan although I used to be but that is just a complete insult to his talent and I think you are getting far to carried away here.

29 Jun 2014 17:55:24
Seem to be a lot of rumours (probably groundless) that we may look to DeJong. Sorry if I have missed it, but I don't remember seeing any comments from the Eds on this, so I was just wondering Eds, do you know if there is any truth in there rumours?Personally, I can't see that he would offer much more than Phil Jones would in the holding midfield role, though I would prefer to see Jones play regularly as a CB, his best position IMO. However, it does seem that LvG is looking to bring in at least 1 new CB, so maybe he doesn't see Jones as a long term CB for us?
On a side issue, I have always agrees with the idea ex players would make good referees because they understand the game better. But listening to the commentary from several (particularly British) ex players during the World Cup, I have changes my opinion. Is it just me, or do a lot if our ex players talk a complete load of Horlicks?

{Ed002's Note - I am not aware of interest.}