I understand your scepticism and have some of my own, a little phrase that Ole came out with in one of his post match pressers keeps coming back to me (probably more hope than reason), "I AM going to be a success at this club, some of the players aren't". Other ex-players have come out and said that Ole is not the nice quiet baby faced person he looks like, he is a fanatical football person with a will to win. Give the man a chance at least, we are hardly going to be much worse than the last few years.
Whatever the reason, it was insane to give Ole the permanent position of a massive club such as United after about 13 games. We can only guess at possible transfers but beyond that I honestly don't know what's going to happen next season. Not a fcking clue.
We could've waited until the end of the season before deciding. It could've been Ole or it could've been someone else. But the freedom to decide without looking like amateurs would be available right now. It's a good point that whilst Ole was interim manager, we should've appointed a DoF to look at potential buys in the mean time. And as well as that sounded out potential managers, whether that was Ole or someone else.
I've got every intention of doing so, I've never said any different. I just think appointing him permanently was ridiculously hasty, because it was. The question is, will the club? (support him) He needs to be given an absolute **** load to spend to get us firstly back into top four and then genuinely challenging again the season after. It can't be he has to offload other managers players first, that should be done in due course but it shouldn't be his transfer fund.
If we didn't appoint Ole when we did, then who and when? Let's just say it might have been Poch - in reality his focus until the end of the season would have been Spuds - he wouldn't have had a moment to even think about our squad, the quality of the academy players, pre-season, transfers let alone the rest of it. The earliest he would have joined would be towards the end of June - a bit late for any of the planning that we needed in place for the summer rebuild. With the benefit of hindsight I think we all agree that the public announcement of Ole as manager was premature - but a lot of the work that needs doing to improve the squad will have been done these last few months. Ole has seen at first hand in training, and in the dressing room, who is putting in a shift for the club and who isn't - playing form isn't always the complete picture - any new manager coming in at the end of the season would be months behind.
Just seems an odd choice, Lindelof is possibly the only player from our entire squad who can enjoy his summer knowing he didn’t disgrace the club. Tuanzebe has been good in a season in the Championship, with nothing to suggest he could perform at a level that is much higher. He’s probably better than Jones and Smalling though.
It wasn't hindsight though. Everyone was expecting a decision to be made at the end of the season. When he was appointed it was clear he was an interim manager to the end of the season. Also how much bearing did his permanent appointment have on player attitude? and performance? Looking at how much we've so easily missed out on Top 4 in the last 6 games, could we have leapfrogged Spurs into Top 4. I think it was all too possible. Then you come to the end of the season with a number of managerial options (including keeping Ole or attracting Poch that bit more or someone else). Appointing a DoF would've done far more to prep for transfers. OK keeping an open mind - proof in the pudding, lets see WHO and HOW SOON we bring players in.
Nobody likes the Glazers, they’re siphoning money from the club which is just a business to them, but they don’t sign the players. They didn’t sign that colossal ****wit Eric Bailly, or hand the fat retard Jones £120k/wk and if Ole had a hand in that contract that he deserves nothing but the drubbing he’ll get over the next few years. I’d be happy if Woodward got flattened by a steam roller, that’d represent a good summer for me.
I've seen Tuanzebe live a couple of time before Mourinho sent him out on loan and liked what I saw, I think he can become a very decent centre half, or possibly even DCM. Based on the assumption we will buy a top drawer centre half in the close season (we have to), who will then play, I just put him alongside that person. Lindelof has been decent and has improved but it's still a squad and so he isn't necessarily a nailed on choice. Given that, in my opinion, Jones, Rojo, Matic, Darmian and Bailly have to leave the club, there should be ample opportunities for both to get games, in whatever defensive formation we employ. I would personally keep Smalling, he's another who would probably be decent alongside someone like Macguire and is experienced and committed. If he does also go then we'd need to buy two, simple as. Away from the defence, Pogba is now a massive conundrum. Herrera has left and Matic will likely also go, so it leaves him, Fred and McTominey, which isn't really good enough. If he also leaves we'd need to bring in two or three. I think we should go after Rice, definitely. he replaces Matic. It's probably better if Pogba stays but is the whole relationship totally ****ed now?
All true but what's done is done, the DoF is now the most crucial post season 'signing' and Woodward has to back that man (and Ole) to the hilt or **** off. I hope this confirming Ole prematurely pays off in the way it's been suggested. For that to be the case, I'd expect transfer in's and out's to begin next month, not during the August. Otherwise it was all just pointless anyway. We need six out and six in really, a load of work to be done. That doesn't even include what happens to Pogba.
Is Mata staying as well. I think so. Doesn't have the pace but that only shows because of the lack of quality around him. Get a decent CM in and Mata is still an option surely? If we also consider that Lukaku goes, then do we need another goalscorer. Or are we relying on the likes of Rashford, Lingard, Martial, Pogba, possibly James to get them?
Who buys the likes of Jones and Smalling for instance with their new contracts? No one is going to be interested.
AT can possibly become very good, but I’d imagine it’s more likely he will be out on loan if he has anything but a brilliant pre-season with us. Lindelof and Maguire would work well imo. Bailly and Rojo will probably be sent packing so I’d imagine we buy one first choice centre half and promote another to replace Rojo, could be AT but he really needs regular games. As for Pogba, if he doesn’t want to stay then he has to go. If he wants to stay, give him a new contract, captaincy and build the team around him.
Dybala has been mentioned, whether that's really feasible is another thing altogether but yes, I think Lukaku has run his course with the club and at least has sell on value. I'd keep Mata, if he had Pogba and Rice alongside him, why not in some games? I believe it's his own wish to leave for Spain though?
Looking at just how stale our squad is looking, and talking to a mate of mine yesterday on a discussion about right backs, we were chatting about the last good right back we had. And there was some opinion it was Wes Brown in 07-08. Granted it wasn't his preferred position but he was the best right back in the country that season. Before that obviously Neville. I don't think either Raphael or Valencia were ever quite good enough but just my opinion. That then got us talking about the last good/great player we had in each position and this was my choice... GK - De Gea RB - Brown imo - 11 years ago. CB - Rio and Vidic - about 7 years ago LB - Shaw (just about) CM - Carrick If we include a DM - Fletcher about a decade ago at his peak. RW - Valencia - about 7 years ago before his knee injury. LW - AM - probably when Rooney played there a decade ago. FW - Rashford It just highlights just how long the decline has been in each position and why we are where we are, considering how long ago most of those players were at their peak.
Dybala is one of the best players in the world, I’d be worried if he left Juve to join United. It would look like he was coming for money. Same with Bale and Koulibaly... why don’t they have better options? I’d rather we stayed well away from them.
The situation seems a lot worse because of the attitude of the players. We have problems but that doesn’t mean every player is not good enough. Rashford, Martial, Shaw, De Gea and Pogba are all good enough to compete in a squad for the PL title, talent-wise. The application is pathetic, but until the rot stops that is from the top we could quite easily ruin any player, from Van Dijk to Kane, any player would look utterly **** at this rotten club atm. My opinion is it all went to **** when this 25% pay cut thing started to surface. Let them all earn that 25% back with hard graft and winning games. Some of them can **** off, starting with Sanchez, and Lukaku.
Yeh agree, that's it. I think there is a lot of mediocrity in the squad that adds to those players/team performing poorly as well, but largely it's piss poor attitude and application.