SAF was criticised for being slow to act at times. Yes he liked to do most of his business early to help the players bed down for the new season, but he did miss out on some players he wished he'd had signed e.g. Cech.
Probably a combination of these two factors plus the fact that Moyes now has the hardest job in English football - trying to strengthen the current champions. It's something that only SAF and Paisley have managed to achieve in about the past 50 years. Just look at how Mancini and Ancelotti's teams went down the pan after their championship wins, and how poor they were in the market. Don't even mention Ray Hartford and Howard Wilkinson - their title defences were just embarrassing shambles. Even Mourinho never improved on his 04/05 team, and Chelsea went backwards every year after that. Moyes has the impossible task of needing to buy top quality players, at a new club and with a new CEO, for a title winning side that was comfortably the best in England last season. It's unrealistic to just expect him to come in and buy the world class CM that SAF has spent the last five or six years trying, and failing, to get. And I'm sure he could do just as well here. But we don't really need him to find good players at a low cost, we need him to find top quality players, whilst still keeping to a reasonable budget. I'm sure he could find us the next Tim Cahill or Mikel Arteta, but that won't be good enough for Utd. And we don't have the luxury of giving him three or four seasons to buy and train up the next Baines or Fellaini. If we're to improve the team, we need the finished article now, which is damn hard to do, particularly for CM. I've said it before - pretty much every top class CM to have a real impact in the PL - Scholes, Keane, Gerrard, Alonso, Lampard, Fabregas, Fellaini, Modric and Vieira - all either came through the ranks or joined their PL team before the age of 23, and took a good couple of seasons to get going. The only real exception to that rule is Yaya, and that man is just freakishly good! So we either have to build for the long term, which we're already doing with Powell, Januzaj etc, buy proven PL quality which is next to impossible in the current market, or find the next Yaya Toure. Yeah, it's just that simple.
I guess Moyes is old school and doesn't really like the whole agents culture. Maybe morally good, but bad business wise. It also shows how Fergie kept up with the times, on the field and off the field. Anyway, the fact that he is the United boss should give Moyes more confidence to be more direct and even vulgar and ruthless in transfer dealings, I believe, or maybe its just the geeky nerdy Woodward.
Bunch of plastics!!!! ever thought that other clubs will be trying it on with inflated prices because of the changed management Keep the faith, and be patient!
FFS how am I a plastic. My criticism is against Woodward and not Moyes. It is a well known fact Utd need to strengthen the midfield. Moyes has said so himself and has also lately admitted that he may not actually get any new players. I have faith in Moyes, just not with the Glazers man at the helm. Yes other clubs will try and get as much money as they can (how can anyone blame them) but remember that Moyes has said there is value in the market so Woodward sort it out.
Moyes at most tells mgt who he wants even fergie didn't go negotiate and sign the deals himself i don't think there is anyone to blame if the player wants to join it usually happens. if not it's not some directors or the managers fault.
