I'm seeing Strootmans name linked with us almost on a daily basis in the press. It would be a gamble considering his current injury though. If he's fit then Strootman and Cesc in CM would be quality.
Past history with new managers suggests that United will end up with mostly Dutch players, many will be unknown. The silver lining is that some will be Holland internationals...
Ideal!! Manchester Evening News had that last week, I took it with a pinch of salt. Ten million, ridiculous. Would be superb though, eh?
Strootman is one for january i feel. Hes young enoygh that we could get him, schweiny and fabregas over the next year and weve covered ourselves for the next 7 or 8 years in terms of enforcing the midfield. As for ten million... No chance. Pep wants rid as hes not a xavi (going to be peps downfall looking for the next xavi) but probably close to 20million will do it. Van gaal converted him too. Another thing in our favour.
Unless Utd get a Keane/Robson/Ince type, there is no point getting Fabregas. As a replacement for Carrick, maybe, but Carrick has needed a Keane type for years.
Without taking other signings in to account, just Fabregas: De Gea Rafael, Jones, Smalling, Evra Carrick Fabregas, Mata Rooney, RVP, Januzaj Surely that 11 would be good enough to beat anyone. Bench of Evans, Shaw, Fellaini, Valencia, Welbeck, Fletcher I am amazed at how Moyes had these players underperforming most weeks. With decent signings we will be challenging for the league next year again.
Are you taking the mickey? you must be. That defence has been found wanting time and again. This 11 would struggle to beat anyone in the top half of the table.
Indeed. Thats basically last seasons team with Fabregas thrown in. You think Cesc alone would be enough to pull you from 7th to 1st?! He isn't that good. You need a new LB, 2 new CB's (one main one, one back up), 2 new Centre midfielders (Carrick and Fellaini wont cut it as first teamers), Your forwards are the only part that are okay (Mata, Rooney, RVP, Januzaj).
I don't think we need to change too much. With the right tactics and the players with a better frame of mind then 2 or 3 players would do.
Well no, not really. And, to Christian, it hasn't been found wanting time and again because Jones and Smalling as a pair very rarely played together. It was one of them with either Vidic or Rio. We don't really know what they will do as a pair unless we try them, although as I pointed out on the other thread I would advocate buying a very good centre half with experience to play alongside Jones as a preference and Evans would be first choice cover.
Or just sign up Michael Bradley I had a feeling he was going to be attracting some big clubs if he had a good World Cup, but then Klinnsman announced his 23 man squad so now we're going to lose 3 games and go home.
Christian comes across as a guy who just does rate united at all. I mean theres being realistic and theres being ott. Our defence hasnt been much of an issue to be fair. Yes it now needs new players due to older ones leaving but we have very good youngsters (and older players) to step up. The issue is whats in front of it. Carrick just doesn't offer the protection anymore and last season it showed. I look at other defences and feel ours is as good even with the outgoing players taken into account. Where we lack quality is midfield. All areas. It is the engine room and will impact everywhere else. Fabregas wouldnt solve that issue. Strootman or schweinsteiger would though. Or javi martinez. Tbh i reckon a half decent dm and a world class midfielder like fab woyld work brilliantly. Its not all about names.
We need a centre half though as we now only have three so buying one of the required quality solves any defensive issues. I agree completely on us needed two CM's, because it's obvious really, and would happily see us play a way more narrow game if that's all we got. Much rather that than one CM and a winger, even though some width and pace is always very nice. Plus Shaw.
I am assuming you meant "does NOT rate at all". Look, I am as flabbergasted as anyone about how players who walked the league by 11 points can fall so low by not even getting into the CL places. And we are not even talking missing by a point or two. Whilst you think the players are top class and it is all Moyes fault for being so ****, I think it is more that the players are not that top class but somehow Ferguson built an excellent team whole which was better than the sum of its parts. Some of the players have not been so good. That is not saying they have not been excellent before. Some may be at the end of their careers: Rio and Vidic were very average and that is being kind to them. Other players like Carrick, cleverley, fletcher have also been average and far from the very high standards expected of United players. I don't like to diss United players just for the sake of it. I feel let down by these players. Moyes by himself cannot lead United to such catastrophic downfall. The players must bear a huge part of the responsbility. PS: The players may not have wanted to play for Moyes but they are professional players and are paid very high wages. Some of the performances last season were just atrocious and nothing short of scandalous. These had nothing to do with Moyes. Gutless, no energy and no passion. Apart from De Gea, no player including Rooney came out with any credit at all over the whole season. The team needs major surgery if only to get rid of the players who seriously underperformed last season.
Frankly, I can see this transfer window going one of two ways. Either LVG will ship in half the Dutch national team after the World Cup or he won't add to the squad at all. Given his preference for youth players I can honestly see him going the whole of next season using the squad we have but injecting some youngsters into the team along the way. Once he has had a full season to assess everyone, then he will decide who to buy and sell. Given his history, he probably told as much to the Glazers when they took him on.
You overplay how bad things actually are. I myself underplay the situation. The reality is somewhere in between. Weve got a young, talented squad. A squad thats just lost players who were once gods of the game. They will need replacing (one cb not 2, a midfielder to replace giggs rather than a winger.) and we needed a cm anyway. We have for about a billion years (feels like it anyway). I dont joke when i say without major signings we could get top 4 though. We are good enough and under tge right kind of manager (no nonsense, leader, winner) its not impossible that players step up to the challenge. Liverpiol are the prime example. Worse than us this season just the year before but a few players stood up to the challenge and boom, in the big time. Moyes set us up as a side who were afraid. Van gaal will not. Remember when rivals uses to say they were beaten before they stepped out v united.... Well moyes made us feel we were beaten before a ball was kicked. And no it wasnt all his fault but the atmosphere and lack of confidence around the club was. Hes the face of tge club, the voice. He should be giving it the billy big bollocks. Moyes' first worda as united manager should have been, thank **** im out of merseyside, far to close to that rat infested **** hole of a club full of ****s. Infact, while im here im going to arse **** these inbreds through to next thursday and take a **** on their mums best china. Why? Cos this is manchester ****ing united and i am david **** on a plate moyes. Booyah!!!! Instead he said we will try. Its the taking part that counts
