2020 and January Transfers

Southgate is no more qualified for the job than Solskjaer is.

 

How is he no more qualified? Isn't this again an indication of how much latitude we are giving Solskjaer when there very little proof in the pudding to support the argument.

As for Southgate, how many managers have survived being England's manager for this long without drama and relative job security? Those have not come because Southgate is some lucky nice chap. He has largely earned the respect of players and the venomous press as he continues to lead the country forward.

Heretofore, Solskjaer has been abysmal! Going forward, perhaps he's learned enough to reapply the lessons and drive us forward positively. Time will tell.

 

England don't play in the premier league mate.

It's not the same.

 

He's managed in the premier league, Chief. He had 30% win rate over ten years ago, more or less as we do today. However, his subsequent record has been very good in another impossible job. I don't think we should undermine his achievement and many managers have been able to transition such success you club level.

I personally see why he would be on a shortlist.

 

I know he has, he achieved no more than Solskjaer has while managing in the premier league.

But in any case, let's stop the comparison as it's irrelevant.

Stand alone, he is not the man for the United job. His job with England doesn't mean he can translate that to the premier league, it's not even remotely similar.

The stick that most candidates get hit with is they've never managed a proper big club and that they've never won anything.

Where is Southgate different to that?

We came 4th in a world cup when (for once) there was zero expectation on the team. Even then, we lost to the only two decent teams we faced.

Same with the nations cup thing, as soon as we came up against quality, we lost.

He's doing ok but it's nothing remarkable and gives no indictation that he could translate it to club football, working with multi nationalities and languages (every single day) and agents and egos and everything that goes with working at Manchester United.

 

I love Southgate but that would be a terrible idea. May as well keep Ole if that's where you're aiming.

 

A special mention to the use of 'heretofore'.

This thread was worth reading just for that. I shall be slipping that in during a conversation some time tomorrow

 

Forsooth

 

You dks!!

 

Anyway, I don't like it when we play heretofore - we look exposed in midfield. Myself I'm an old four-four-two man

 

That's a terrible use of the word!

If we don't get Bruno, it will be writing on the wall that Woodward has already written off the season and has a replacement in place for Ole, unfortunately. The delay itself because of £4m is a statement of lack of support to fix the midfield to salvage the season.

 

Fernandez stated preference is to come to us - despite Barca making an approach that would see him traded off by them to play for Valencia for the rest of this, and next season (Barca taking a target player from Valencia as part of the deal). As you say, if we don't get the one and only target for this window, the writing is on the wall and if I was Ole, I would tell Woodward to **** off, and then go.

 

But Ole won’t do that as he loves the club.

 

Even if we are going to lose the manager in the summer, why not continue to get in targets in when we can to rebuild the midfield which is obviously thin? Perhaps we are hoping that Pogba is coming back along with SM. Then focus priority on getting a right winger and a striker in the summer. That could be another option.

He certainly won't do that because he won't be entitled to very nice compensation. Only a mad person would resign in football without very personal reason.

 

BBC seem to think we are almost there with the Fernandes deal

Manchester United are close to completing a deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/51286118

 

Reports everywhere the deal is imminent.

We won't be signing anyone else though, especially a forward, so it won't be enough.

And if that's the case then it's another underwhelming response to the situation the club is in, and very much typical of the last 10 years.

The board reek of incompetence.

 

Pogba is due back next week. If we get Pogba and Fernandes playing in midfield, that should unleash much needed creativity to ease the pressure on Martial and Greenwood up front. From that perspective, I would think that we need a right winger before a striker and there aren't that many good strikers available in January.

I'm just grateful we got anything, especially Bruno (if we close it).

 

I have a feeling we may see Dalot as RW for the rest of the season (if he stays fit).

 

Play Dalot on the RW, it's his best position.

Martial loves kissing the post, I don't think he's consistent or reliable enough to get us into the Top 4. And it's too much of a big responsibility to place on Greenwood's shoulders. I think we could've got a decent striker if we had decent scouts or even decent businessmen.

 

Bruno Fernandes appeared to be boarding a flight to ManchesterCredit: carolinadeslandes / Instagram
Fernandes, 25, has already agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with the option to extend it by a further year.

And it appears he is heading to the club to put pen-to-paper on his transfer following a post uploaded to Instagram.

Close friend Carolina Deslandes revealed a picture of the duo standing in a lift with huge smiles alongside an aeroplane emoji.

Presumably heading to the airport, he was stopped by reporters from Portuguese broadcaster SIC outside his house to answer questions over his switch to the Red Devils.

In the words of the late great Peter Ustinov... I tingle