Man Utd are in too healthy a financial position to remain in the CL wilderness for 4 yrs such as smaller clubs as the Poool did. They can spend big like a Sugga Daddy FC and actually not violate the UEFA FFP etc. This season will be so interesting as 5+ creditable PL teams into 4 won't go.
The way it was posted in the press is that they don't lose sponsorship unless they miss out in consecutive seasons, starting next season. If I have understood correctly they could still miss out this year, but the year after would be costly.
That was before FFP that the arabs splurged on City though. Plus United have a lot of debt to service and a lot of player write downs to show in their books (like Fellaini not being worth 27million), which reduces their profit for FFP. They have a window of a couple of years imho to get back into the CL before it gets much harder. HIAG, in it's current state, do you think United have a better squad than you? If not, how can you possibly think they will get into the top4 without spending millions more.
The results against the six teams above Utd last season was the difference. Utd's results v the rest was not too far short of the top sides except for a couple of woeful home defeats. Utd fell short because the defence gave the better sides one or two easy goals every game and the front six was endlessly changed and lacked balance (for example Rooney, Mata, Kagawa, Januzaj and even Fellaini were all best employed in the same no.10 role, but couldn't all play there). So £65M was wasted by Moyes because Mata and Fellaini didn't improve the team (albeit that they might have improved many others). For Utd to compete, the defence needs to function. Is Rojo good enough? The signing doesn't excite me, but he is an Argentinian international so he must be half decent. LvG also needs the right players in the wing back positions in his 3-5-2. Due to injury, Young and Lingard played there on Saturday. They lack the defensive qualities required, but a fit Shaw and Valencia should be better options. When Carrick is fit to play alongside Herrera in front of the back three, then the team should look better equipped to defend and go forward. RvP is to return too and there might be other signings. A settled team with players of this quality should be capable of competing for 4th, but it still depends how quickly LvG reaches that point and how Utd fare v the top six.
Rooney, RVP and Sturridge are better than anything we have, for sure. I think the rest of their squad is on a par with us. However, what United do have over us is a far more disciplined structure that encourages a winning mentality. Spurs, for what ever reason, seems to be very fragile and lacking in the mentality needed to propel us to the top.
Yes what? Sturridge has just had his first 50 games for us. This is how his goals compare... 1. Sturridge - 36 2. Torres - 34 3. Fowler - 32 4. Owen - 28 5. Suarez - 21 It's weird how underrated he is by everyone (and I include Liverpool fans, we haven't even got a song for him!) EDIT: Just realised he was referring to the United team! Think he meant Welbeck...
I agree. Why we didn't go for Sturridge, I have no idea. He scores goals! We could sort of of use somebody like that - just a bit!...
Absolutely, Pool got that one right. I remember we were linked to him when he was at Chelsea and I was completely against him coming. I was very wrong on that score.
He'd not done it at City and he'd not done it at Chelsea. Liverpool have done very well at getting the best out of him but i don't think Spurs could be blamed for missing out on him tbh. A bit like how we "missed out" when Carlton Cole left Chelsea as a promising youngster.
I suggested buying Sturridge from Chelsea in August 2011 and thought that they made a mistake when they sold him to Liverpool, too. He was clearly a good striker who didn't fit the system at Stamford Bridge, but I felt that he'd combine well with the bitey Uruguayan. Not sure it would've worked out for him at the Lane though, as he always looks better when someone's getting up well to support him and our front men tend to be isolated. Defoe suffered from a similar problem and I think that they're quite comparable, in a lot of ways.
I'm really impressed HIAG, I think that's the first time you've complimented a Liverpool player without adding "purple patch" or "flat track bully" to the phrase. We'll have you singing YNWA and holding up a red and white scarf by the end of the year!
Sturridge is not yet 25. I think it could also be argued that he's matured now and learnt his trade. I believe he would score goals wherever he went. He's just a natural predator.
