Manchester United Banter

26 Aug 2026 19:55:26
Just out of hospital today. Thanks so much for all the well wishes and support at the weekend. Let’s just say the last few days have been a real eye-opener and helps me re-evaluate a few things. Everything ok again, just a few ongoing tests and regular checkups to come.

Scary to have heart issues at 42 😞. Poor result and performance on Saturday, but hopefully better 2 come and some reinforcements on the way this week. Thanks again 🙏.

26 Aug 2026 20:15:52
Tim,
Glad you are ok. Hope all goes well now.

26 Aug 2026 20:22:22
Was not aware, Tim, but glad you're on the mend, buddy.

26 Aug 2026 20:59:31
Glad to hear positive news!

I know from personal experience that it can be a frightening experience, and alters your perceptions of things.

It can sometimes act as a precursor to making changes which are much to the better.

Go with it, and I'm sure all will be good.

Don't get too wound up when you're watching us play. That's when you get told off!

Best of luck.

26 Aug 2026 14:23:30
So Newcastle still insist they won't sell Hall. I know they're are some in here that think that's irrelevant 🤣
Balde I've never noticed in 168 games for Barcelona Im glad he is not the one.
We need one badly.
I very much agree with waiting for Hall and Newcastle to see if there was any chance they would change their stance.


I think they wanted Hall to try push the move through but looks like he is not going that route which imo says a lot ofb positives about his character. I said a month ago id rather we didn't have an Issak situation as I don't think it reflects well on anybody.

26 Aug 2026 17:40:51
It does feel like we will sign a lb, we can only hope it isn't a dud.

26 Aug 2026 17:59:01
Goes back to the question. Why did United not push in early June? Hall wasn't at the World Cup, and it was before Newcastle started to sell big players, giving them the cash they wanted.

26 Aug 2026 18:18:18
How do you know they didn't?

26 Aug 2026 19:39:22
How do you know they didn't?

26 Aug 2026 20:38:52
Because he wasn't playing on Saturday for us with the No3 shirt on.

26 Aug 2026 08:22:32
I’m not sure if this has been covered previously, but how are we so bad at commanding fees for our players compared to other teams?

It looks like Chelsea are due to make a £20m profit on Liam Delap after one season and 2 PL goals. City have absolutely smashed it with getting massive fees for the players they’ve sold, albeit the Savinho/Marmoush deal seems extremely fishy, with Frankfurt due to miss out on their sell-on fee because Spurs have massively overpaid for Savinho.



We seem to offload players for peanuts.

26 Aug 2026 10:45:48
Look at the clubs involved in these transfers. We could definitely do better when it comes to getting fees for our players, but I'd argue the figures we're selling for are probably closer to actual market value than some of the fees these clubs are paying and receiving.

Personally, I think the credibility of some of these transfers has to be questioned.

When you look at the clubs involved and the money changing hands, it's hard not to raise an eyebrow. But the can has been kicked so far down the road now that these sorts of deals have almost become the norm, and we're just expected to accept them.

26 Aug 2026 10:50:51
On one hand, we tend to sell players on a clear downward trend, normally after giving them a contract that few other clubs can afford, and even fewer would be prepared to pay it.

That makes selling players particularly difficult. Add to that a reputation of selling low, and clubs just aren't prepared to pay more for our players.

Also, try reversing the roles. If the buying club were selling us that player, would you be happy to buy them for the fee that we are selling for?

For example, would you be happy if we bought Rasmus Hojlund this summer for EUR44m from Napoli? Or would you think we've paid too much?

You could argue that if you wouldn't be happy with that deal, then we probably got a fair amount for him.



On the other hand, I wouldn't be entirely surprised to find out that some of these deals are a little shady and not entirely legit, but done as a work around for FFP rules.

26 Aug 2026 11:19:05
Yeah, I do get that, Shappy. Hojlund is a good example. We massively overpaid for him when he had had one good season at Atalanta. Antony also.

The City outgoings this summer have been something else, though.
If Spurs are getting themselves involved with City's dodgy dealings, then good luck to them. Surely at some point the FA will need to look into these deals.

26 Aug 2026 12:03:55
The problem is that clubs are considered private businesses, and it is very difficult to tightly regulate businesses, particularly when it comes to restricting or limiting the spending that they can do.

There are already a plethora of rules and regulations, and as soon as they introduce a new one, clubs start looking for loopholes and ways to circumnavigate it.

Personally, I think the simplest solution is to fix players' transfer fees. That way, you not only remove the opportunity for dodgy deals, but you also free up movement of players, and discourage shady agents from underhanded tactics designed to line their own pockets more than serve their clients.

If you said every single player's transfer fee is fixed at the total amount of money they are due to be paid over the remaining years of their contract, then you have a clear and simple way to agree on the player's value and price.

For example, if a player signs a 5 year deal worth 10m a year, then he is worth 50m to his club at the time of signing the deal.

One year later, he has 4 years remaining at 10m, meaning his value is now 40m. If any club is prepared to pay that, then why shouldn't the player be free to move if they wish.

Given that the general consensus is that footballers are overpaid, it becomes hard for clubs to argue that the player is worth more than they are paying them. And, if they feel he is worth more, all they need to do is offer him a new deal on higher wages or a longer contract to protect themselves, while also protecting the player.

While doing this reduces the amount of work an agent and club needs to do in terms of negotiating, there can be fixed fees of 5 or 10% of the transfer fee as an agent's fee.

In doing these two things, you suddenly make all football transfers much more simple, streamlined, and open, reducing the opportunity for corruption, and, as such, you should also reduce the risk of clubs getting into financial trouble.

26 Aug 2026 12:07:23
Starts with the fact that we have historically criminally overpaid for players, both in transfer fees and in wages. Big wages and big fees are hard to shift.

26 Aug 2026 12:36:02
Yeah, it's a joke.

Apparently we are going to be letting James Scanlon and Ogunneye go for free with a buy back and sell on clause, likely to go to Arsenal.

26 Aug 2026 15:42:21
Honestly, some of the transfers this summer have been ridiculous.

I have no idea how Delap's value increased, or why Spurs paid £85m for City's fourth-choice RW.

26 Aug 2026 16:15:07
We have been paying excessive transfer fees to get players who are being fed into a failed system where they cannot, or do not, shine; we've been paying them higher wages than anyone else will, and then we protect bang average and/or permanently injured players with lucrative contract extensions because we're scared to let them go for nothing at the end of their contracts.

All of these factors make it impossible to sell profitably. Part of the problem has been the fear of losing players who were actually good. De Gea and Rashford are great examples. De Gea was excellent, but, at the time, was he worth £100k a week more than any other goalie in the EPL? Was Rashford worth £325k a week on the back of that one great season?

The great managers through time were always great at getting rid of players at their peak and replacing them with the next star, continually refreshing the squad, dampening personal egos in favor of teamwork, and, as a result, managing both results and the financial side really well.

Woodward was crap at it. An absolute arrogant know-nothing. Fortunately Ineos does seem to know what they're doing, however, they are still hampered by the sins of the past. We still have players who, based on their performances with us, are priced out of the market. And we have a large debt burden with a £40m a year interest burden, which Ineos is not responsible for, but which is the equivalent of a £100m player on £400k a week. The club has to start making profits.

25 Aug 2026 22:58:03
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Matchday 1 - Quick Round Up

26 Aug 2026 01:20:01
What a nice, nightly, suprise Ed001. Fantastic round up. I would like your opinion on Spurs and Tonali, I don't get the hype. I think De Gerbi is an overrated manager and their signings are average most of them, Van Hecke for example as you said, or even Tonali i would say. Don't get me wrong, he is not a bad player but i think he is on his way down.

I think he wasn't that good last year and my feeling is he maybe lost his mojo for football and jumped happily at Spurs for money. I am saying this because some of my mates still crying about loosing Tonali, i am the opposite, i am glad we did

{Ed001's Note - I think Tonali is a good player but not a top class player. He improves them, but any half decent player would have improved them from the joke they were. I am not sure he was what you needed as he doesn't really fit your midfield. Too little discipline in his play to play as part of what is essentially a two.}

25 Aug 2026 18:01:51
RIP Sir Billy Boston.

Argubly the greatest British Rugby Player of all time, a Wigan legend, a League, a man denied his chance to play Union for Wales because he was black. Was adopted by Wigan and League and became a true great forming a devastating partnership with Eric Ashton.

I had the pleasure of meeting him twice and he was a humble giant of a man, even though elderly he was still built like a tank. He had probably even at that age the broadest frame i had ever seen, he must have been mind blowing in hisbprine in the 50s.

I also knew someone who played him a number of times, and he couldn't not speak highly enough of him not only in awe but just what a wonderful man he was when not in his way on the pitch.

One of the those truly worthy of the title Legend, RIP.

25 Aug 2026 19:25:18
Sad day for Wiganers, a true giant of the game and the town. I met and talked to Billy many times as I collected his bin, a true gentleman. Rugby League has lost a true icon and will be sadly missed. RIP Billy. 🙏

26 Aug 2026 09:01:42
As a huge Warriors fan since a kid, this is a huge loss, absolute legend and rightly recognised for his achievements. RIP. 🙏❤️