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14 Dec 2014 12:13:16
Ed002 if you're around; you've alluded to the potential for significant managerial changes at Manchester United this summer on more than one occasion, can/will you elaborate?
I can't entirely understand the thought process behind a managerial revolving door process and LVG doesn't seem to have ruffled quite so many feathers as some thought he would - hence the confusion on my part.
Your insight would be welcome, if feasible of course.
{Ed002's Note - I have no interest in the matter at this time.}
19 Aug 2014 10:33:53
With Rojo looking increasingly likely, I was wondering what other posters' opinions are of him, as, besides a rather ambiguous YouTube video, I know very little of the player.
Nevertheless, my instinct suggests that this is another classic Manchester United panic buy, which is becoming synonymous with Woodwards reign. How many posters on here would have had Rojo in their top 10 (or perhaps even 20) list of defenders to purchase this Summer? With Garay and de Vrij (the latter having an intimate knowledge of van Gaal's system) going for considerably less, I can't help but feel we placed to great en emphasis on securing an unattainable Hummels and missed the boat on two genuine defensive bargains. I will not vilify Rojo for Manchester United's significant failings in the transfer market, and sincerely hope he succeeds should he be signed, but I can't help but think, is he better than what van Gaal already has at his disposal?! A question which I cannot realistically answer as I have not seen a great deal of him.
We all laughed at Liverpool throwing silly amounts of money at average players, but I agree with Gary Neville, we have done exactly the same over the past few windows, and we have not received value for money. I would rather stick with what we have than start buying players to appease fans, new players need to be the right players for the system, regardless of fee or age, and in this I trust van Gaal - unfortunately I do not place the same faith in Mr. Woodward, and therein the problem lies.
Despite the underlying negativity of this post, last weekend's result has not derailed my confidence in the team for the season ahead. We were told that it may take several months for the players to grasp van Gaal's methods, therefore I see no reason to hit the panic button just yet! After all, one game does not a season make!
1.) Rojo is a solid signing. You're right that most would not have him in their 'top 20's' - but sometimes it comes down to who is available rather than who you want. We're getting an experienced player who can play at left back and center back and will add much needed depth to the squad. If he's our only defensive signing - it's an underwhelming one; but if we also bring in a Benatia/Badstuber/Hummels/Subotic type player then he's a good acquisition.
2.) He is quick and unlike Smalling has decent distribution he is more solid than Blackett but dosent have Jones all round ablility
3.) I would seriously doubt that anyone on here really knows much about the player. LvG clearly does, so we have to trust his opinion. Simple as that really.
4.) 19 Aug 2014 11:57:33
Was I aware of him before the world cup? No.
Did he stand out as a good player in an average Argentina side? Yes him, Garay and Mascherano were arguably their best players.
Would he be in my first choice bracket. No but he would be in my list of second choices.
Van Gaal got to see him up close and he obviously impressed enough.
For me the problem is Woodward he keeps chasing after big names we can't get. Last year fabregas this year vidal and hummels. Rather than getting what's attainable.
What I have seen of rojo is he physically suits the league, can tackle, decent in the air and importantly wants to play for us.
Hes not the answer but he could be a good piece of the puzzle
5.) I don't know how true it is but I saw something somewhere that said that over the last five transfer windows only PSG have spent more than us. Which if true would lead you to think that we clearly haven't been getting value for money from our signings.
As for Rojo, well I've seen him a few times and he looks solid enough. He has all the physical attributes needed(fast, strong, good leap) as well as having good vision and reading of the game.
I certainly wouldn't call him an elite defender but imo there are very few of these about atm, personally the only ones I would put in that category are Hummels, Kompany, Chellini and Thiago Silva. Everyone else imo fits into the very good or the potentially elite.
But then how many of the defenders we have ever signed have been top defenders when we signed them? Jaap Stam is the only one that springs to mind. Rio cost a lot but he wasn't the finished article and if he wasn't English and was playing for some team other than Leeds would have cost a quarter of what he did.
Vidic was a total unheard of, yet he has been our best defender of the last decade.
I would give him a couple of months in a United shirt before I even think to judge him.
6.) I have not seen too much of him so cannot say if he is brilliant or rubbish.
But he played all the games for Argentine in the World Cup, apart from 1 game with a suspesion, and that is good enough for me.
I cannot think of any present member of our defence that would get into that Argentine team.
I am sure he will turn out to be an excellent buy ( until he fancies playing for Real Madrid in a couple of years ).
7.) If LVG didn't want him we wouldn't have signed him. I agree he is a virtual unknown, but he can cover the left, has pace and did feature prominently in a strong Argentina team. He is young, not that expensive considering what we have been paying for less experienced players and I think he will fit in well.
However he is not one of the 3 players we need in order to take us back to where we belong imo. He is a good buy but not great and we are desperate for great players now. I'd rather him than not at the minute.
Sticking with what we have is a recipe for disaster, we will not make CL without signings because we can't afford to risk these players all of a sudden clicking we will be too far behind, so we need numbers now.
Another bonus is Nani being gone!
8.) Having seen him play about 10 times not including the WC I would say he's one of the better defenders in Portugal.
He's perfect for a high line defence, great pace, his position leaves a little to be desired but it's not terrible, not worse than what we've got.
He'll need to bulk up in order to play against the likes of Costa, Bony, Kozak, etc.
without overdoing it, he's very similar to a raw Rio Ferdinand. Tons of pace, great tackle, very good in the air.
He perhaps lacks the intelligence and vision that Rio had in his United career but he reminds me of the Leeds/West Ham Rio.
He also reminds me of Gary Cahill, but a lot quicker :).
Not a finished article, he's not vidic or Kompany but he's a solid enough CB, better than what we have and if he continues to develop I think he'll be a very talented CB.
Better than Garay and TV imo.
9.) 19 Aug 2014 17:17:03
Very quick, solid, good in the air, comfortable on the ball. Can play lcb, cb or lb. Good signing.
But we do now need a great signing or 2
10.) 19 Aug 2014 19:14:16
How about we give him a little time playing int the United shirt before judging him as a signing? Did anyone want or expect Evra or Vidic to be signed?
11 Jul 2014 10:29:16
I think we will learn a lot in terms of the potential Vidal transfer by patiently observing Evra's proposed move to Juve.The transfer opens negotiations between the two clubs - should Evra's move materialize swiftly, I would suspect that Juve aren't interested in selling, on the other hand, a longer negotiation process could indicate that Evra is being used as a sweetener. Some reports claim a deal could be completed as quickly as yesterday, but still silence - room for optimism perhaps?!
Like many on here, I really hope we go all out for Vidal and strongly believe that with him pulling the strings in midfield, we can reclaim the league title.
1.) I really can't see us getting Vidal I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed! I think Pogba will leave and will be gutted if it's to Chelsea! Obviously hope I'm wrong. financially you would think it would make more sense to sell Vidal given his age they will never get a better offer for him than they will get this summer. I would be really happy with Carvalho think he's what we've been craving for years.
Let's be honest tho we don't actually know who we are even in for, whether either or both are actual targets or if they'd want the move! I do think we may have a surprise or 2 before the window shuts.
Eds any info on Pogba have Chelsea bid or agreed a deal with Juventus? Thanks
{Ed004's Note - There is no deal for Pogba}
28 Jun 2014 10:39:29
Lots of talk going on about centre backs but I'm not so sure it's a priority area. I genuinely believe Smalling, Jones and Evans need time to establish themselves - remember Smalling's first season?! He was immense! And Evans and Jones have received rave reviews on occasion. When assessing their performances to date you have to keep in mind that a player cannot be expected to demonstrate their best form, or even reach their true potential, on the strength of a couple of cameo appearances over the course of a season. My only concern is that the three seem highly susceptible to injury and thus cannot be relied upon, then again, this could also be considered an artefact of intermittent match day involvement.
Long story short, I hope LVG gives the centre backs at our club a chance rather than looking elsewhere for a quick fix. All of these guys are relatively young, add Rafael and Shaw to that and you have an established defence for the best part of the next decade. If time has taught us anything it is that the defence that stays together wins together.
1.) I think we need an older centre back to pair with one of them. Miranda and Jones would work well.
2.) We have three centre backs who started about 60 games between them last season due to injuries. Two of them played a large portion of their games at rb and cm. And none of them have shown that they are capable of organising a defence at the top level.
We have lost a huge amount of experience in Vidic and Rio, and even though they were in decline (rapid in Rio's case), you can't really believe that three injury prone players and a few promoted youth players will be good enough for a top side? Our defence was awful last season and if we don't buy at least one top class experienced cb this summer we will be annihilated by any decent side. There's a reason why Vlaar is playing at the heart of the Dutch defence (I'll give you a hint it isn't because he's the most talent defender in the world), so thankfully van Gaal isn't naive enough to forget the need for experience at the back.
3.) No chance, as u say, they're always injured. And non of them are world class. We need a spine down the middle. Da gea is up there. Vidal will be great and rvp is world class. That only leaves centre back, we have to get a world class CV, because non of the ones we've got come anywhere near being world class.
4.) 28 Jun 2014 13:59:59
And would you be happy with not a single English player making up this spine you speak of NoMid? I wouldn't. We are an English club and thus have an obligation to our English players. I have no problem with the club buying another CB, but not at the expense of another central midfielder (given your name I should imagine you will appreciate this). Once the midfield is sorted teams will stop running through us and our defence will look less vulnerable.
I see a lot of people suggesting we sign Martins-Indi or Vermaelen (spelling?). Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of both players, but are they really better than what we already have at our disposal? The main point I'm trying to make is that it is a little harsh to write-off Jones and Smalling before they've even been given a chance. You say neither have ever organised a defence at the highest level, but how are they meant to if they're constantly played out of position.
Don't underestimate the LVG effect, he is working wonders with a distinctly average Netherlands squad at the moment and I fully expect the same reaction from our squad.
5.) Nobody is writing Jones and Smalling off. What people are saying is that a top club needs more than three injury prone central defenders, especially when two of them lack experience and have played more games out of central defence than in it for the club.
I'll say this unequivocally: if anyone thinks this club can get back to the top four without buying at least one quality central defender, they are absolutely clueless.
6.) I couldn't care a less if the centre back is English or what, I support UTD over England, we shouldn't be playing jones or smalling just because thy are English, we are utd and we should have world class centre backs not English centre backs that are not nearly near that standard
7.) I couldn't care a less if the centre back is English or what, I support UTD over England, we shouldn't be playing jones or smalling just because thy are English, we are utd and we should have world class centre backs not English centre backs that are not nearly near that standard
8.) 28 Jun 2014 17:00:47
Sorry, RedDevil. I'm an Ulsterman, but I feel strongly that an English team should have an English spine if possible.
Mourinho knew that first time round with Chelsea, and all the major teams have a smattering of players that confirm the national identity of the team.
I do agree that we need another older, experienced defender in there, but I would be loathe to go down the City route, or ape Arsenal who've played games without a single Englishman in their team.
9.) 28 Jun 2014 17:09:49
Clueless for having an opinion that differs from yours Danny? My response to that: ignorant and closed-minded.
Jones and Smalling clearly have talent, who knows how far that talent can take them. But defenders require experience to develop the tactical awareness to become accomplished in their position.
All I'm saying is that Jones and Smalling deserve a chance, after last season's fiasco they aren't going to get that and that is unfortunate. It wasn't too long ago that most on here were uttering words to the same effect but confidence in our own youngsters seems to be at an all time low.
Thank god some teams still take a chance and develop youth, otherwise these world class players we so desperately need might be in short supply.
RedDevil,
I couldn't care less how patriotic you are in terms of football, but can imagine you'd be spraying your shorts if England won the World Cup.
10.) No, you're clueless for having a ridiculous opinion that fails to take account of the basic realities and practicalities that a team competing in the EPL faces.
You're arguing that we should start next season with a grand total of three recognised central defenders. These three defenders were injured for large chunks of the last two seasons, and two of them are also our main cover for our injury prone right back. With two other central defenders our defence shipped 65 goals last term, and Carrick even had to fill in at centre back on a few occasions because of injuries.
Do you honestly think that three recognised central defenders is enough for a EPL squad? Smalling and Jones will get games under van Gaal (like they have under SAF and Moyes) and hopefully as central defenders. But the idea that we should head into a season without buying players that the squad desperately needs just so we can be seen to promote young English players is one of the dumbest things I've heard here in a long time.
11.) 28 Jun 2014 19:19:53
Sign caulker, English and centre back. So your both happy
12.) 28 Jun 2014 20:00:54
If we are going to continue this debate Danny, you need to actually read what I've written. I may be clueless but you are seemingly illiterate.
Just to paraphrase for you (wouldn't want you to have to read through my previous posts and inevitably misinterpret more of the content): I said I don't consider centre back a priority area, especially at the expense of another midfielder (even with Herrera we are still lacking in the middle of the park). I'm not opposed to the signing of another centre back, but would rather that wasn't to the detriment of Jones and Smalling's development (who I would like to see as United and England's long-term CB pairing), which it inevitably will be. I even expressed my concerns about their collective injury record, yet you continue to argue a point that I originally made.
If a CB is to be bought, I agree with Fresh, an older head that won't displace Jones or Smalling for 5-6 years would be ideal.
I'm curious, how big a squad do you think we need considering we won't be involved in any European competition?
Stevie, couldn't agree more, it will be a dark day if Manchester United field a starting eleven without an English player. I look at Spanish and German club sides, they all have this strong national identity you speak of and the associated national teams are flourishing.
24 May 2014 13:41:18
I think everybody needs to stop overreacting at our lack of activity in a transfer window that isn't even open yet. There is no comparison to make between this window and last years fiasco. This year we have a seasoned manager who has proven he can build teams and win titles. We are in far more capable hands this year than we were last. There is every possibility this will be LVGs last managerial position before retirement, he will want to go out with a bang and given the resources he will have at his disposal, I see no reason why he cannot achieve that here!
1.) There are of corse similarities. The club has admitted that we need a massive rebuild. Yet, we seem incapable of putting deals in place for any of our purportedly 'main' targets. Kroos and Robben have both publicly ruled themselves out, and Shaw is now on shaky ground. This is a World Cup year, and clubs who don't do their business early will pay the price. How long before we start scrambling and fumbling like last summer?
The manager isn't a problem. But the manager isn't the person charged with brokering the deals. Moyes's dithering may have been part of last year's debacle, but Woodward was the main issue. So far this summer he hasn't proved that he learned any lessons: we publicly chars top players, they reject us and we are left with egg on our faces.
2.) I agree 100% with you Danny! signings must be made before the World Cup, psg are the best example of getting the deal done! yes 50mill is excessive but there not bothered they have there man, but we seem to be penny pinching yet again. JUST GET THE DEAL DONE ED!! This summer is massive for us and I no there probably working hard behind the scenes but we just spend so long trying to negotiate to end up with nothing
3.) There are so many ready made excuses this year.
Firstly, right now we can't buy players cause they are with their WC teams and the window isn't open yet.
Then the WC.
Then we won't have time to negotiate after the world cup. Add to that the price increase.
And let's not forget the lack of value in the market.
4.) You make some good points Danny, but transfer priorities shift with a regime change, who is to say Robben or Kroos were ever on LVGs radar? It's all just heresay. Makes me laugh that all the people who wanted Moyes out are now spitting out the dummy because we haven't signed his targets.
I'm not convinced by Woodward at all but there seems to be a strong desire within the club to get back to where we belong, and that won't happen with another lacklustre transfer window. This rebuild isn't going to happen in one window, so people thinking we're going to buy five or six world class players in a World Cup year need to get their heads out of the clouds. Besides, how many other English clubs have strengthened so far?
5.) We need to strengthen more than anybody, that is why there is a bit more urgency with our deals and getting at least a couple done quick is important for a lot of reasons.
If we make one marquee acquisition before the world cup, this will help when we come to persuade the rest - it shows we mean business and will excite them.
6.) What the other English clubs are doing doesn't really matter. Because the other English clubs didn't drop from 1st to 7th in the space of a year. We are already seeing that our lack of CL football could be a factor in players joining, so it is absolutely imperative that we bring in the quality required to get us back into the top four next season. Added to that, 3 senior players have retired or left, and a number of younger lads have been released. The bones of the rebuild simply cannot wait until next season because we don't have the squad to compete.
Some of "Moyes's" targets would obviously be huge coups, namely Kroos and Shaw. We were pursuing Kroos up until a few days ago when, surprise surprise, he stated that he had no interest in joining us. Shaw remains a target. And as for Robben, he was the first name to come up when LVG was announced. These were the three main players that the club was either in negotiations for, or making enquiries about. As it stands only one might still possibly join, and with Evra's new contract it's doubtful.
All this continues the trend from last summer of Woodward and co looking at big names, and ending up with nothing. It reeks of amateurism and simply isn't good enough for a club that claims it's still one of the biggest in the world.
7.) It's a little early to be delivering a scathing review of the club's summer transfer activity Danny. Should we be in the same position by the beginning of August, I will be inclined to agree with you, for now, I'm happy to see how this window plays out.
8.) I'm not saying that it's a farce yet. But the signs are not encouraging.
People were all for a wait and see attitude last summer too while clubs like City got their spending out of the way early on and had the summer to bed in new players and new ideas.
9.) Spot on Danny! Really sensible post, the post before your last.
Rumpelstiltskin's rumour replies
I think Syd's negativity stems from the fact that if de Jong is signed, it is likely to be at the expense of a Vidal-type midfield marquee signing, representing somewhat of a stop gap until LvG can be reunited with his bf (Strootman).
I agree with Syd on this one, United need to make a statement of intent this window, de Jong is more than capable of doing a job, but if we are to challenge domestically we need Vidal-type signings.
I admire LVG just as much as the next guy but not so sure I'm comfortable with the thought of his balls invading Old Trafford.
Heaven forbid someone post a rumour on a rumour website. Nice to see the cynical lynch mob out nice and early this year.
No disrespect Ed..............
{Ed002's Note - When did I say this? I did say that Manchester United had not made an approach to Mata in December when asked, and I did say when Manchester United did make an approach. I also explained that Chelsea would not have any issue selling to Manchester United is an acceptable offer was made and the player wished to leave. Don't bother reading anything I write from now on if all you are going to do is try and take a dig at me for it. I am happy to answer questions but have no time whatsoever for any glifnards like you just looking for reasons to have a dig.
Love the optimism but think you need to lay off the disco biscuits Bfro.
Rumpelstiltskin's banter replies
19 Jul 2017 07:00:57
I would argue that Sanchez is equally as much of a Jose type player. Tracks back, works for the team, scores goals and creates goals. I suspect Perisic has the edge in that he is more of a traditional winger but can't help but feel that signing Alexis would take the pressure off Lukaku by adding 15-20 goals and 10+ assists.
Verratti would be phenomenal but Kroos would be my preference. If De Gea is intent on leaving for Madrid (and there is no evidence to suggest that he is), getting Kroos as part of the deal would arguably give us the best starting midfield in the league, while retaining a safe pair of hands in Romero.
Jred, It's all well and good preaching about a long-term perspective but Champions League qualification is essential this season and could well be the difference between a sustained period of decline and a minor blip on the radar.
Great post Shappy.
I agree that signing no more players would be suicide, without at least two more world class players I can't see us securing a spot in the top four. We do seem to be having trouble securing the services of most of the top targets you mention, although I think you're a little wide of the mark when it comes to Vidal; if he's so happy at Juve, why hasn't he publicly stated his desire and intent to stay in Italy? I think Vidal is attainable, it's just a case of paying what is being asked for and I can't see that happening, even though he would be the difference between Champions League and Europa League qualification.
08 Aug 2014 14:59:46
I wonder if van Gaal will have the same concerns about Strootman's injury.
02 Aug 2014 21:52:37
Must say, I admire the transparency and honesty of Arsene Wenger with regards to Arsenal's transfer policy. Makes a refreshing change from the subtext and general bullsh!t we as United fans are force fed summer after summer.