Manchester United Thread

I'd still say letting vidic leave was Moyes biggest mistake. Just having a defender of his calibre and leadership qualities around the club gives confidence to the younger defenders.
 
Godotelli said:
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:LOL::LOL::LOL::LOL:

And Beach no I didn't. Will have to watch the lowlights somewhere online.

Knh makes a valid point.. We miss real men and a bit of a nasty edge atm. Vidal, Di Maria and perhaps Rojo can add some balls to the empty sack that is United atm.
 
"Might turn up at United tomorrow for trials" - Tweet from Frimpong, class.

"Van Gaal: "I can change the system with Di María."" - According to post match comments and tweets, as well as Di Maria suggesting he expects to play in a 3 man midfield.

4-3-3 is my preferred formation, though I kind of want to see the 352 work as a "Fuck you" to everyone else.


Do feel a little bad for Moyes at this point, he'd be getting torn to shit if he was in charge (I'd be guilty of it) but all LvG has to do is come out and say "I always plan for the long term, never short term" and everyone hangs on his words like rainbow dust. Crazy, I guess that's reputation for you. He's living on rep and so is the club, it's harmony.
 
Relax.
At every club where he was successfull LVG had a bad start.
He had a bad start with Bayern and the seaso AZ won the title, they lost their two first matches, conceding 8 goals.
He needs time to gel.

And then there are all the injuries...
 
YoungGun_UK said:
:DANCE:

First of all even if our spending ended right now! we've done OK! 4 signed in very important areas and I think all would/should start in our best team.

think we might get 1 more and if were extremely lucky maybe one more big one.

In terms of line-up, its got to be 4-3-3/4-2-3-1.

----------RVP-------
-Di-Maria-Rooney-Mata-
-----Herrera-Carrick--
-Shaw-Rojo-Smalling-Rafael
--------De Gea------------

A CB and CM would be massive at additions but ones we shouldnt cry if we don't get, lots of quality in that side.
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You know, at approx 280m, that team cost only around 40-50m less than City's whole 23 man squad! And that's not counting any add ons for Di Maria or the entire Rojo deal. Nearly double the cost of the 11 we put out against Liverpool.
 
Godotelli said:
You know, at approx 280m, that team cost only around 40-50m less than City's whole 23 man squad! And that's not counting any add ons for Di Maria or the entire Rojo deal. Nearly double the cost of the 11 we put out against Liverpool.
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You still miss the point though of sugar daddy spending though - that's the majority of what United have spent in the last decade. Whereas in that time, just looking at £15m+ players City have: De Jong, Robinho, Jo, Lescott, K Toure, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Milner, Balotelli, Garcia and Rodwell who you've gotten rid of.

I'm not arguing you've assembled an incredible squad - with some great deals in it (Hart, Kompany, Demichelis) but let me put it another way, before Di Maria, this was United single largest ever summer of spending, at £72m. In the past 6 seasons, City have never spent LESS than that. Not once. Even the last two summers of 'mild squad improvement' for City have involved: Negredo, Navas, Fernadinho, Jovetic, Fernando and Mangala - all at impressive fees.

All that said, it seems impossible to argue that a team can no longer compete in the premier league without obscene spending. Liverpool, Arsenal and United have now had to go out and invest ugly sums of money to try and keep pace with the two big spenders. We'll see what that means in the long term. For Arsenal and United it looks okay - we're both spending within our means - but for LFC...they posted heavy losses last year and will likely do so this year too. Meaning they're only surviving based on the kindess of their owner.

And of course City and Chelsea will lose money too this year.

I just find it strange to think a league is sustainable if 4 of the top teams lose money each year.
 
Isn't not selling players like Ashley Young or Valencia your fault tho? A 'sugar daddy' has allowed us to overpay and we did but that was 5 seasons ago now. And really we had no choice. Everyone knew we had money. Plus we had the prospect of FFP locking us out so had to act fast.

We actually spent less than that in 12/13. All in all I think you had spent more than 72m pre Di Maria considering the Rojo package (not to mention the Shaw add ons - tho I think it's fine not to include them yet) which would be the same or more than us in 11/12 (76m). Depending on how you view Zaha as a signing you coulld say you spent 82.7m last season ;). Milner is still at City btw ;)

14/15 49.9m (+1.6m in potential add ons)
13/14 86.5m (+4m)
12/13 49.2m (+3m)
11/12 76m
10/11 145m (+Ireland)

Over the last 5 years we've bought very well. Only Rodwell, Sinclair, Maicon and Garcia have been poor value imo but we've recouped much of that with Sinclair yet to sell. Milner may be overpriced depending on how much you value Stephen Ireland (with hindsight I wouldn't value him much beyond a tennis racket)

Most of the players signed prior to 10/11 were only good enough to get us into the CL so they had to be sold. Some weren't even good enough for that.

By my reckoning, City have spent 200m gross more (700 to 500) than Utd in the last decade. Makes sense. You were already a title winning team. We were mid table.

Can't talk about Chelsea but we won't be losing money. According to Soriano we broke even last season and will post a profit for this season.

Anyway, I was just shocked that a starting 11 could cost nearly as much our much talked about squad. If you sign Vidal then it could end up costing the same or more :CONFUSE:
 
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Godotelli said:
Isn't not selling players like Ashley Young or Valencia your fault tho? A 'sugar daddy' has allowed us to overpay and we did but that was 5 seasons ago now. And really we had no choice. Everyone knew we had money. Plus we had the prospect of FFP locking us out so had to act fast.

We actually spent less than that in 12/13. All in all I think you had spent more than 72m pre Di Maria considering the Rojo package (not to mention the Shaw add ons - tho I think it's fine not to include them yet) which would be the same or more than us in 11/12 (76m). Depending on how you view Zaha as a signing you coulld say you spent 82.7m last season ;). Milner is still at City btw ;)

14/15 49.9m (+1.6m in potential add ons)
13/14 86.5m (+4m)
12/13 49.2m (+3m)
11/12 76m
10/11 145m (+Ireland)

Over the last 5 years we've bought very well. Only Rodwell, Sinclair, Maicon and Garcia have been poor value imo but we've recouped much of that with Sinclair yet to sell. Milner may be overpriced depending on how much you value Stephen Ireland (with hindsight I wouldn't value him much beyond a tennis racket)

Most of the players signed prior to 10/11 were only good enough to get us into the CL so they had to be sold. Some weren't even good enough for that.

By my reckoning, City have spent 200m gross more (700 to 500) than Utd in the last decade. Makes sense. You were already a title winning team. We were mid table.

Can't talk about Chelsea but we won't be losing money. According to Soriano we broke even last season and will post a profit for this season.

Anyway, I was just shocked that a starting 11 could cost nearly as much our much talked about squad. If you sign Vidal then it could end up costing the same or more :CONFUSE:
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Yeah, I don't totally get how our XI could cost more than your squad, then again if you did a 'highest transfer fee XI' for City and Chelsea it'd be higher than anyone elses, but tha'ts kind of silly.

The key to all of this is the whole idea of teams being together for about 4-5 seasons. As you noted, United didn't have to invest in line with City 7 years ago cause we were already there. But United should have been investing in the last 3 years, which we patently haven't. Making up for it now at great expense is a horrific way to run the club, and is indicative of how we have no vision or plan (other than making the Glazers a metric f*ck ton of cash).

The key for both City and Chelsea is that their very expensive stars have generally been bought at their peak (a few exceptions aside). It's one thing to spend 500m assembling the best squad in the league once, but will Mansour be willing to do it again in 3-4 years time?

In 2 years: Kompany, Toure, Dzeko, Milner, Fernandinho, Demechils, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Sanga, Clichy and so forth will all be on the wrong side of 30. That's a ton of replacements needed.
 
Caballero 4.4m/6m
Zabaleta 6.5m
Kompany 6m
Mangala 32m
Kolarov 17m
Yaya 24m
Dinho 30m
Silva 24m
Nasri 22m
Aguero 38m
Dzeko 27m

230.9/232.5
Our 'highest transfer fee XI' almost is our team. Rest of our squad cost <100m

A potential Utd team
De Gea 19m
Rafael 2.5
Jones 17
Rojo 16/21
Shaw 27/31.5/33
Herrera 29
Vidal 45(guess)
Mata 37
DiMaria 60/64/72
Rooney 27
RVP 22

Somewhere between: 301.5m-325.5m.

So not far off really


Making the squad younger is probably why we went with Mangala over Benatia.
 
We signed Vidal?!?!?

Isn't Nastasic still around? He was like 15m or so right? Would have to include him, and Jovetic over Nasri as I think he cost a bit more. But it's similar indeed.
 
Comparing those prices isn't fair tbh. City spent a large proportion 3-4 seasons ago. But footballs inflation has been pretty ridiculous the past few years. Toure was a top class player with wages to match yet cost "only" 24mil. I wouldn't consider Vidal higher rated now then Toure was then yet is priced at 40 odd mil. You could argue the same for Rooney, but Utd will have signed 6 of their first team in the past 6 months. Which is pretty astonishing that they allowed the squad to become so poor. And even then they wont be finished as both RvP and Rooney are getting on and will need serious replacements as well within the next 2 seasons. And they still need a defender or 2 which is another 40 or so mil, if not more.
 
Just the 10 injuries this week, and for some reason we still don't have a work permit for Rojo.

Our club is a joke.

It's the United injured/unavailable XI:

--------------Johnstone--------------
--Rafael---Smalling---Rojo---Shaw----
----------Carrick--Herrera-----------
---------------Kagawa----------------
------Lingaard----------Fellaini-----
---------------Keane-----------------

Okay, so a little light up front, but good lord. What is Van Gaal doing to these guys in training?
 
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I think its about time Hernandez looked for another club aswell. Has seriously stagnated in the past 2 years and we'd be better giving young Wilson that 4th striker spot.
 
Juventus and Valencia inquired about Hernandez in some papers today...if it is 12mil, I'd say let him go so he can play.

Poor lad just needs a change of scenery to get his touch/confidence going again. Too good a player to be stuck as 4th option wasting his prime years.
 
He's better off going to Spain imo. Apart from being in the starting line-up, the whole atmosphere would help him on a personal level.
 
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