Transfer Rumours Let's ignore the big ****ing elephant and blame the latest manager, again. Are we nearly there yet?

During the Ferguson tenure it was said that the club wanted a certain type of player. Some would fit in some wouldn’t irrespective of talent. That principle was jettisoned as soon as Fergie left. Few players grew in stature while many more shrank from the weight of expectations. Some didn’t have the discipline and didn’t fit in. Some had lots of talent but couldn’t be or weren’t fitted in.

We are back again to that overarching issue we have all talked out. The club (owners/executive) took their eyes off the ball and didn’t manage the club as a football club and football became and still is secondary to finance. The football was a way to make more money rather than the money supporting better football. Until they do it properly from top to bottom, and the priorities are right we will stay in the doldrums.

 

City and Chelsea are examples of the opposite end of the spectrum. They would spend insane (illegal ?) amounts to achieve footballing success. We need to find the right balance.

 

Re Greenwood - I seem to remember that Rocastle's career at Arsenal nosedived after similar allegations surfaced against him. The stain doesn't go away, particularly on match days when the abuse from opposition fans really got to him and Ray Parlour mentioned in his book that the lad turned to booze soon after.

 

City is a fkin horrible club in my opinion. It’s one thing maintaining discipline, it’s another having bunch of expensive robots play football with no real soul. Pep’s is not something that I lose sleep over wishing we had him. He bores me as he’s a classic example of a kid with silver spoon.

What makes Ferguson special is the fact that each player was expressive on the field around his framework of team first. They were not bunch of machines executing his vision of football without being pedantic about every little detail. Liverpool is perhaps the closest to that version of football management.

 

I think that's true but there's more to it as well. Since Fergie left, we've had a number of managers all with a different style and approach to football, and each has brought in players which haven't always suited the next guy but we've just allowed to collect up like junk, and we've ended up with a hotch potch mix of players.

You look through that bloated squad and you've got a couple from Fergie's time, then Moyes, then Van Gaal's, and Mourhino's and Ole's. And you look at the style of each manager and you can imagine each coming in and looking at some of the players and not wanting them. Ole probably got closest to building a first 11 that he wanted, but even then, when he looked beyond them he probably wasn't keen on many the previous incumbents had brought in.

What we need is for Ten Hag and the likes of Murtough to trim the fat, get rid of every one who doesn't fit ETH's game plan. We don't need to get rid of everyone but every player there should be a Ten Hag player.

 

Had a good look at Ethan Laird again last night.

It's fair to say, he seemed a far more effective player at Swansea as a right wing back than he did last night for Bournemouth in a back four.

Apparently it was United that insisted he move loans so that he was playing in a back four, not a five.

Whose long term view that was I don't know, it was only just after Rangnick appeared so I doubt he was looking that deeply into it at that time.

 

Players like this bloke.

Can well imagine Pogba doing likewise!

 

. pogba? I can’t imagine he’ll be prepared to do this for Utd.

 

Err, exactly.

Sorry it wasn't obvious.

 

Yep.

 

Martial has absolutely flopped Sevilla. The idea it was the club and he needed a change was clearly bollox. He's a miserable sod by all accounts.

He's never a striker. Not in a million years. His best position is left wing forward in a 3. And tbh we're well stocked in that position. I'd bring through Garnacho before bringing back Martial.

 

Yes, maybe so, but this doesn't stop Ten Hag bringing him back for a look.

Who's going to buy him? If someone will then great but I doubt it.

Maybe a new manager can sort it?

Cavani is going, Greenwood not coming back, Rashford in a dark place. Sancho should be on the right, which leaves Elanga and Ronaldo.

Squad wise, I'd say we need him back to start with.

 

Yeh possibly as long as he's not CF. We need a new signing there.

Ten Hag could work his magic with Rashford for that left side. Garnacho plays there also.

If anything we're light on the right. Sancho and Amad.

 

Raiola has popped his clogs.

Ah well, shame.

 

Edited the title as the rumour mill is going to start going ballistic in the next few weeks prior to season end and Ten Hag taking over.

Today's BBC rumours has us in for Calvin Phillips, Frenkie de Jong and Declan Rice, again.

De Jong seems fairly reasonable, worked under ten Hag before, and Barca are also seemingly interetsed in Rashford so that could be exchage/makeweight. Telles too apparently, would they like me to buy him the air ticket?

So, prefered partner?

Rice is the better player but silly money, Phillips would be a more than acceptable alternative imho.

All just fluff an gossip of course, but those two would be a start.

We'd need a striker of course, and Sebastian Haller is also mentioned in the BBC gossip. Personally, I would be looking at Ivan Toney as a No.9. Excellent player in my book, really decent.

 

I hope we don’t fall into the trap of paying for Rice. We don’t have the luxury to go paying British player tax.

 

Sorry mate this wasn't meant to take away from the "rebuild" thread. It was only meant to be about who we should get rid of. Expected ppl to have different ideas to mine in the OP

But maybe by and large we all agree who needs to go and who to keep.

You can merge it in the rebuild thread if you want

 

Unfortunately he's still breathing

 

First two pages of this are an interesting read!

Three years further on and we're in the exact same position, even worse if truth be told.

 

Pages of what??