This the irony is that in trying to save some measly sum and squeeze the toffees, Woodward the muppet got stung into paying £4.5m more. They acted like amateurs and in so doing damaged United's reputation as a big club who knows how to do business. I said right at the outset that it is clear we wanted Fellaini (and baines) and we should do a deal that satisfy both our clubs. The sum of £28m was derisory and insulting and made them determined to make United pay. So it was clear that Everton were not going to let Fellaini go for a pittance. Why should they? It is obvious that Woodward is not up to the job of purchasing players of the highest calibre. We should learn the lesson from Arsenal who suffered from this for 7 years until they decdied they had to pay the going price for an outstanding player. We should get rid of Woodward now PS: Marouane Fellaini '' Very close'' to joining United. Oh yes? very close= > one month....
Our midfield contributed almost no goals last season. Fellaini on his own will outscore the rest of them, that can only be a good thing! He'll also take some of the burden of being both our defensive midfielder and midfield creator off of Carrick. Hopefully we won't be seeing too much of Cleverley in the big games from now on in.
Indeed, as it goes we now look well equipped for the time being. Like I said in an earlier post, it's now down to the management and coaching staff. The players are there. We should look to bring that one more CM in January though. Even go back for Hererra and do the business correctly.
We seem to be chasing all the wrong type of players as far as I'm concerned, and it really is a bit rose tinted spectacles to suddenly think SAF got everything right. So bad they named him twice, Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson hardly pulled up trees. I'd have to say overall Andersen has not really done the business, Hargreaves was unfortunate with injuries and the jury is still out on Nani! Carrick and Fellaini as tacklers? You must watch different games to the ones I witness, I wonder if there is a clause in the Fellaini fee because his yellow and red cards means he will probably miss 6/10 games a season. We have never replaced Roy Keane as a holding/tackling midfielder - that is our weak area, Carrick isn't that and his goal return and assist record is pretty poor. So we need somebody to break up play and who can protect the back 4 a little bit better - possibly in years to come maybe this is Phil Jones. Creative wise we go with Nani or Kagawa or Rooney sitting deeper, they are the 3 best 'creative' options, Giggs can do a job but only 20 mins worth. Poor deal in my opinion, 28 million....Ben Arfa more my type of signing and with the loose change somebody like Shaw if he was after a left back.
Like I said before, that's cos we would never have even tried to conduct business. I personally don't believe SAF and Gill would have signed Ferrera or any of the other players - they would operate under the same financial constraints from the board and wouldn't bid any higher. The only difference would be that SAF would have negotiated with Barca for Fabregas, not agreed a fee, then stated that we weren't going to bother signing anyone. That's always how he worked - we'd have one target and no backup. If we didn't get the first target, we wouldn't go for anyone, other than someone young and cheap. Happened with Essien, happened with Hargreaves, happened with Ozil, happened with Sneijder. Not sure why Moyes and Woodward are getting so much stick for not giving up after the first signing didn't come off. After all, the two of them have managed to achieve, in one summer, what Gill and SAF failed to do in seven, namely signing a CM who will actually be first choice and will actually improve, quite significantly, on what we have already got. Don't really give a **** about this "could have saved £4m on Fellaini" bollocks either. We could have saved £7.8m on Bebe and £9.9m on Smalling - sometimes that happens when you're focused on other players.
I agree that Fergie left the midfield in a right mess. Really don't get how you advocate a tackler then suggest we should have gone for Ben Arfa? That's just weird. We also happen to have one or two wingers on the books anyway. I say go for Hererra or Draxler or whoever in January as we definitely do still need this type of played. De Rossi the man for me though, don't care about his age. Handsome too.
You think I'm making assumptions about Woodward and colouring the view to suit my view? That's ok. But I never claimed that Gill managed to sign World class players in every window but at least we managed to sign players and in plenty of time to allow them to settle into the team. We signed Berb at the last moment due probably more to do with the stubbornness of Levy rather than the slowness of Gill. With regard to Robben, Kenyon was the CEO when we opened talks with PSV on over Arjen Robben. By September 2003 Kenyon had left Utd for Chelsea and despite Robben's dad in January 2004 saying: âWe have taken a look around and have spoken with manager Alex Ferguson...We have a good feeling about it....It will be PSV or Manchester United. We are thinking about that now," Chelsea through Kenyon managed to get sign the lad usurping the Utd deal as he knew the particulars of the Utd offer as he had drawn it up. Not really down to Gill, more the backstabber Kenyon. We don't really sign the big name players from overseas despite what the papers say. I mean when they said we were in for Bale and Ozil, I didn't believe those headlines though I could dream. Hopefully if Woodward stays in his current post and he probably will as he does a sterling job for the Glazers, he will learn from this window and do the business in private and much earlier.
I've mentioned before that I don't rate Fellani as a midfielder but think he's very good further forward supporting a striker, Where do you think he will be best suited in your team?
He's got to play midfield. That's where he's needed so that's where he plays, pointless signing him otherwise.
You may well be right but I would be more concerned lining up against you lot with him playing off RVP. It would also mean that instead of your midfield having to be creative and find RVP they would have a ball to feet option into Fellani which may help pegging teams back. Moyes seemed to use him in both roles depending on the opposition and I imagine he'll do the same this time but imo stick him around the box and he's dangerous, play him further back and he's neither creative or a ball winner.
I think you've disagreed with me on this before and I would have to bow to the fact that you will have watched him a lot more than me, from what I've seen though he is more effective off the striker? I'd be interested to know what his percentage winning the ball is in what position which that doesn't really show.
He'll play similarly to how Toure does for City I think. Start the matches sitting deep alongside Carrick, but if we are chasing a goal he may get shifted forward to attacking midfield. And if we play a 3 man midfield with, say, Cleverley then they could always take it in turns to burst forward.
Found this............. http://hereisthecity.com/2013/09/03/moyes-fellaini-in-midfield-not-behind-van-persie/
Those stats are from the season before last i.e. when he was playing in CM rather than off the striker. He's a DM by trade, Moyes developed him so that he could play off the striker & obviously his size, aerial prowess & the fact that he's got a velcro chest! made him a real threat in that area of the pitch. But just because he was more noticeable in that position, doesn't mean that it's the one he's best suited to.
