It's not a lie, you were saying he wasn't good enough before he'd even played. Bemoaning his signature. He cost a million quid. He wasn't what was needed at the time, I accept that, but you in the past have whined at people for writing off people before they've been given a fair shot and true to recent form you've been highly hypocritical. We clearly didn't have the funds for another top striker, so he was what was brought in, along with Weir who was United's next academy graduate into the first team. The signing of Weir was a good one imo, if we'd have passed it up then he'd probably only have gone somewhere else and been really good, at least this time we've taken the initiative and signed him. But you didn't seem to like him either...
Presumably he'd complied a list with Bruce and was using said list along with recommendations from Ternant.
It's not a matter of not liking him, everyone hopes these young chaps turn into something beautiful. The fact of the matter is there are areas the first team was in dire need of reinforcing, and nothing was done about it. The money was spent on stockpiling the already saturated central midfield and a couple of kids when we're in desperate need of wide players.
I understand that, we really needed to strengthen the full back areas and didn't and could probably have signed a better forward option in the same mould as Snodgrass. We still do in January. But what wasn't fair was the bashing that the two Man U lads took before they'd even stepped out onto the training ground. People were annoyed at the deals we did, but it isn't the fault of the players coming in, the disappointment of the new lad's positions perhaps clouded people's judgement on their ability. Keane doesn't have the most attractive record in footballing history, granted, but to write him off before he'd even played wasn't fair. The bashing of Weir even more so.
You didnt ****ing accept it at the time. It was ****ing obvious he wasnt good enough except to you. The main fact was he wasnt what was needed. If we'd have signed Man U's Under 23 RB instead of Weir the CM player we have ****ing loads of it would have been ok. If we'd bought a proper striker and not Keane it would have been ok. I didnt expect us to sign Zlatan just a proper experienced Forward that we obviously needed. Even with Mbokani too. We needed reinforcements up front.
Weir did actually regularly play full back for Man United U23's, more often that he played in central midfield in fact (certainly in his last season) and it's the position he played for us in his one appearance to date. Phelan won't have known Weir personally, he didn't even sign for Man United until after Phelan had left. Weir's a red herring anyway, he was a £1m punt on one for the future, he was never signed to be playing in the Premier League this season.
Weir signed for Man U in 2011. Phelan left in 2013. We were told when he signed he was a CM player. Why where we wasting time on a punt for the future in the last week of the transfer window when we desperately needed first team players. Totally unnecessary.
If we weren't having to sort things at the last minute, we may have had a better chance to bring more established players rather than desperately trying to bolster numbers at the end of August. I'll hold my hands up and admit I was ready to ignore our lack of cover in certain areas after our positive start and finally managing to get players in. However, those deficiencies seem all the more obvious now, particularly after yesterday.
Phelan left his role at Man United reserves in 2008, when Weir was 13 and at Preston, his info on him is likely to come from his old mates at Man United rather any direct experience. The players we sign for the first team shouldn't be affected by a £1m punt on one for the future, but the reality is that we're not going to get a competitive Premier League squad until we get new owners.
There is absolutely no excuse for the following abysmal stats. Played 4 Lost 4 Conceded 17 Scored 3 Red Cards 2 Penalties Conceded 2 Average Possession 42% Hate this cliche but we really need to go back to basics and build on some defensive performances. We need to stop chopping and changing the team every week and find some consistency. Our discipline is terrible. Elmohamady needs dropping as he is inept and has never been qualified to play as a wing back or right back at this level and is a liability. For me we need to play with three at the back. Losing 6-1 against Bournemouth is a very low and embarrassing moment. Don't get me wrong what Howe has done there is great but there is no excuse to be turned over my a team on that ilk to the display of 6.
Seems to me we needed numbers in, but they had set this £18M budget for the window, and in the end there was £2M left to spend and they were a cheap option, but with some future potential.
Whether we play three or two centre backs next week, it was clear yesterday that we missed Livermore at the back, in terms of his defensive composure and his ability to play the ball out sensibly. We hoofed far too much yesterday. In Ibe and Stanislas Bournemouth had two support forwards who played high up the pitch and interacted with Wilson all the time. Our equivalent two, Snodgrass and Maloney, barely got anywhere near Keane all game. We have to have the confidence to press forward and not simply retreat to our 18 yard line, which is what happened yesterday from minute 1. I think what I'm saying is that we missed Diomande. That's not an easy sentence to write, but I suspect it's correct. We certainly looked like we had a semblance of a plan when he came on, and he had a couple of half decent chances.
He was actually reported to be a 'left-sided attacking midfielder' when we signed him and had been playing left back for Man United ressies. Maybe he'll come in for Robbo on Saturday.
It wasn't obvious, he hadn't kicked a ball. Weir had played in both full back positions, as a winger and as an attacking central midfielder and is a future prospect, perhaps bought with a view to being relegated and having a ready made hotshot in the Championship. I don't know why we bought them now, you're right, the timing was off when we really needed to strengthen other positions, but to slate their ability isn't fair. Judge them after ten games, not after a handful of minutes. Weir was decent against Stoke anyway, he's at least justified his inclusion over Keane.
He's certainly adaptable. I've seen attacking mid, left sided and RB. Though he was shocking at RB against Stoke I think. TWT
Jesus christ no one slated their ability. How could we. We hadnt seen them. But Keane had 4 years of loans, poor injury and goal scoring record, going on that he'd have been a disappointing buy if we were bottom of the championship
Yeah, going on that. But you judge Hull City players on what they do for us, we did the same with Ben Arfa before he kicked a ball and assumed he would be awesome. He wasn't.
