I'll be frank here. You're wrong. You seem a tad obsessed with marketing and think that individual players will somehow sell more shirts, pens and mugs. The Club is the marketing tool, the players just wear the shirt and smile. A quick look at the website shows it is more or less equally distributed about, the current banner has Mata, De Gea, Rashford and Martial on it, Rooney is knowhere to be seen. If Rooney is prominent anywhere it will because he is club captain, therefore naturally enough, and also happens to have a testimonial year. That's all. Rooney will be picked on merit or form, not because of marketing. It's a ludicrous suggestion.
Have you seen all the movie trailers featuring Rooney as the leader of the campaign? Not because he is the campaign but because he is an icon. With all due respect to all the other players, Rooney is our only recognized face at the moment. Yes, that will have to change but as of this moment, it remains true. Zlatan is only temporary but he could fill that void. How else do we explain how Rooney continued to be part of the team last year when he was quite frankly shyte? There is no logic to it other than being the face of the club. And this is not about selling shirts, mugs and pens. It goes far beyond that. To get sponsorships, they look at marketability of the assets and a club's best asset is the players. It is why it becomes a strategic decision when transfers are made rather than just kicking the ball around. The face of the game has changed to the point that branding is now as important as winning trophies.
RM back in for Pogba but they have money issues: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tr...ted-French-star-Spanish-giants-weigh-bid.html Perez's club are burdened by a monstrous gross debt, which stands at 620 million euros. They have form for selling in order to fund their latest Galactico buy. Rodriguez's capture from Monaco was financed by the sale to United for £59.7million of Angel di Maria, man of the match in that year's Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid. For many that continue to suggest paying hyper-inflated fees don't matter - huge wages and huge transfers can affect the club in long term. For all of RM's bravado, they will eventually sink in debt if they continue the galactico culture.
You said balanced midfield, nothing about three men. Stop moving the goalposts. Besides which, Keane and Scholes were so good they didn't need a third man. Only players who aren't top top players need two midfield partners
Errr, because he was our only consistent goalscorer apart from Martial? And got more assists than anyone else in the team? No, you're right, they only played him because our brand is much more valuable with Rooney in the EL than with anyone else in the CL. As Chief says, you are wrong. Sponsors care much more about the club's level of performance than the individual player images. Our sponsorship deals with Chevrolet and adidas are contingent on us continuing to qualify for the CL, there is nothing that says we have to play Rooney. Who, btw, sold fewer shirts than Depay and Schweinsteiger last season. In pre season the club will focus on the highest profile names for marketing campaigns and ****ty branding videos. But as soon as the campaign starts the team will be determined based on who the manager feels is best able to win games and bring success, not whose face looks best on the programme.
Rooney would have an important role when things go pear shaped and a leader is needed on the field. How many times did we see no one taking responsibility when we are behind and he's not playing. When he's not being missed, then our team must be playing well. Sponsorships and marketing all depend on success. High profile new arrivals well more shirts than old established figures. When Rooney has served his purpose I'm sure Mourinho will have no hesitation in moving him on. BTW I note that Virgin/Richard Branson is jumping on the United bandwagon. All part of the Woodward strategy. Getting sponsorships and keeping United in the headlines. Does he get annoyed about United being linked to every player available? No way Jose. There is no such thing as bad publicity as far as football clubs are concerned.
I A bit cut throat but I get your point. Which is that Rooney isn't going to be picked as a marketing tool. Ever. Nor has he ever been. I'd surmise based on what Jose has said so far that Rooney will get first crack at the second striker slot, and that's fair enough as he's club captain and senior player and needs to be elbowed out in the correct fashion by someone more deserving of the place. This is a new manager so they all start afresh, it certainly won't be based on last years 'form'. Not that he was in any way alone in playing poorly in a side that was playing poorly as one and was managed poorly. Back to the OP (if we must); given we can guess the front four is Ibra up front with Martial, Rooney and Mych behind, is it mad of me to think that Herrera and Schneiderlin behind them with such back up's as Carrick, Schweinsteiger and Blind is sufficient? Ergo, we don't need Pogba. Ok, by all means snap him up if he is there to be bought, he's definitely a very good prospect and different to what we have, that much I get so no problem. It's also no big deal if we don't end up buying him. We've got a good squad, if managed correctly. And we now have that manager.
It's not about right or wrong, Swarbs. It's just the way business is done today. I just read that Zidane has been forced to take Odegaard on pre-season tour to generate buzz. As much as we think its just about football, it's more than that in today's world, sadly. I say sadly because businessmen are now overrunning the game for quick gains and brand awareness. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...kes-perfect-sense-to-man-united-34890932.html - this is the latest article to justify the inflated price and even noted that it is not solely for on field reasons. The assumption is that if you get marquee players, success on the pitch is a foregone conclusion. Of course that isn't always the case, but the assumption is still there.
Pretty much my view. Although I view Pogba not only as a good prospect but also currently a very good player, who will push us beyond what we already have. I rate him higher than Herrera and Schneiderlin, and also think Mourinho may play three CMs in some games, with Zlatan playing as a lone striker, in which case two good CMs with two older backups and one utility player does leave us a bit thin on options and mobility in CM for those games.
Oh, ok. In that case you are wrong about the way business is done today. The number one factor influencing the value and revenue of a football club is the level of on pitch success it enjoys. All the branding and marketing counts for **** all if the club doesn't achieve something when it steps out onto the field. The article you link to shows just that - the number one reason we are willing to pay so much to sign Pogba is "Pogba the Player". Not Pogba the brand or the shirt seller, the player. The fact he could become the best midfielder in the world and win us trophies is the most important consideration. Exactly the same for Rooney - if he continues to contribute to the club and to our levels of achievement on the pitch then he will continue to be picked. If he doesn't then he won't. The club will be just as happy to build the brand around Rashford, Martial, Micky, Zlatan, Blind or Phil Jones if one of those players chips in with 20+ goals and assists next season and gains a similar level of recognition. And of course Zidane has had to take Odegaard on pre season tour. That's what pre season tours are for - Mickey Mouse matches designed to promote a brand in overseas markets. But do you really think if Zidane plays Odegaard in every game next season and Real fail to win any trophies the fact he has "promoted the brand" of the club will save his job?
I've said this before. The ultimate objectives of the owners/executive are NOT the same as those of the fans. In the past when the likes of Edwards owned United, they were seen as benevolent owners who were fans and were willing to sink a substantial amount of their wealth to sustain the club. Even a few years ago, no club owners made any money from football clubs. This is completely different now. For the owners, United is a money making business which will make them even richer. The capital worth and the income dervied from United is dependent on the "brand" i.e the sponsorships, the endorsements, the marketing, the sales of shirts, the broadcasting rights and many other commercial ventures. That is what Woodward has been employed for. On the pitch, they would be interested in only one thing: Qualification to the CL. Because this brings more income (but nowadays even the CL money is dwarfed by premiership revenues!) and more importantly it keeps United up in there as a big club participating in the big clubs tournament. It is about their credibility as a big club. How can you claim to be a top billionaire if you cannot even be a membership of an exclusive club you desperately want to join? The success on the pitch is only a means to an end: to make more money and to be top of the richest clubs league. The fans only care about the football. The flair, the excitement and the on pitch success. The fans couldn't give a damn about the profits and the dividends. However, most of us realise that the richer the club, the more likely we will be able to afford the better players. When the two objectives overlap, great. Win-win for both. Both sides Woodward/GGs and the fans want the club to get back into the CL.Woody will instantly agree to whoever Jose wants as he knows nothing about football and will trust Jose 100%. The cost is totally immaterial and marquee players is only a bonus. Woodward can exploit them for his commercial ventures. Jose will not care whether they cost £10m or £100m. AND that's why I think Wenger will not get the title the fans crave. He is both managing the players on the pitch AND keeping an eye on the VFM and profits side of the club. Whilst the club is building up huge reserves of cash, he won't spend as he is worried about overpaying for the players he wants. As soon as there is a bit of competition, Arsenal never get the player.
That's the thing. Real Madrid is not just a football club. It almost represents Madrid's response as the country's capital to the rise of Barcelona as Catalonia's capital. The state government and Madrid's politicians will do everything in their power to keep Real at the top.
Were they ****. Louis Edwards maybe, but Martin Edwards was nothing but a leach who barely put a penny of his own money into the club. He was so desperate to raise money he tried to sell us to Robert Maxwell for ****'s sake. He even issued more shares to pay for a stadium expansion which was of massive financial benefit to him, rather than actually pay for it himself. Simple fact is not since the 1970s have Utd had an owner who did anything other than reinvest the club's own revenue into the club, nothing different than what the Glazers are doing now.
I meant Louis Edwards of course. Martin Edwards the son inherited the club and as you say was from the off trying to sell the club to the highest bidder. It shows how clubs of that time not just United were not expecting huge returns on their investment. But as the costs of players rose, people like Edwards just couldn't own and run the club. United as a business was well outside his league. But the GGs took the "leaching" to a completely different level to Martin Edwards. The GGs hardly put any of their money into the acquisition of a billion pound business. They used massive bank loans that they dumped onto the club itself. It was through the genius of Fergie that United managed to pull through. I remember those days when competing with the likes of Chelsea or City never mind Real or Barcelona for a player was like a distant dream. When the GGs took over it was not just the RS who were crowing that United would not win another league title again.
We are now scheduled to bid today. You have your wish, Christian. - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jul/19/manchester-united-100m-bid-paul-pogba-juventus If we get Pogba for 100m, I really don't see a future for Rooney at the club if he doesn't hit the ground running next season.
TBH I'd be happy to have him but if it falls through because of Juventus's Or his agent's greed (wanting much more than the offer) I wouldn't be crying in my beer.
And... Inevitably Juventus think that United and Jose are so desperate to buy Pogba that they they have rejected United's first (massive) offer of £85m + 15m add ons.... Apparently they want more than £100m + add ons...
If they reject the current offer, we should honestly step away from it. Fk 'em!!! They may end up live to regret it.
