Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2018 pt3

Dave0301 · 21-07-2018 11:00AM

yabadabado wrote: »

astradave wrote: »

Reports over there are saying that we have a bid of 60m euro in too

https://twitter.com/sport_witness/status/1020576914157842432?s=21

The worrying thing is Chelsea fans don't seem to care about losing him.Always a bad sign imo.

Always thought he has looked decent when I have seen him play, although not watched him enough.

I can't remember, but how were Chelsea fans when Matic left for Utd?

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 11:04AM

Dave0301 wrote: »

Always thought he has looked decent when I have seen him play, although not watched him enough.

I can't remember, but how were Chelsea fans when Matic left for Utd?

I was speaking with a few in the Chelsea forum and they didn’t rate him as highly as non Chelsea fans. Think he’s hot and cold but it always seems anytime I’ve seen him he’s worked hard and looked reliable.

Lukker- wrote: »

He very deliberately blocked Conte out of a team photo on Instagram after winning the FA Cup, covering him up with Cups instead.

There has been longstanding rumors that the Brazilians at Chelsea seem to have sowed lots of managerial discord, but what Willian did was the height of disrespect. Even if you don't agree with Conte's methods, respect what he's helped the club achieve.

Conte is contracted til 2019

Drumpot wrote: »

Granted that was a dick move but wasn’t he in and out of the team all season? Was his form poor? Am I wrong in thinking he’s generally consistent, energetic and a hard worker?

Lukker- wrote: »

I might be a tad bit harsh, but honestly he's not the answer to your problems. He'd play wide right for ye I'd say, but ye are crying out for someone to stretch the game. He's more inclined to drift centrally and do step overs on the outside of the box, he'd be a good squad option, but he's not gonna be much of a help breaking down a solid defense.

kev1.3s wrote: »

Hes always frustrated me to be honest, even the year where he was our best player was only because nobody else turned up.
The best game I've ever seen him play was against us when he played for shackter (spelling??)

grumpymunster wrote: »

I would agree with that view of Willian (beware the Ides of Peteeed though). Can be great and woeful in one move no mind match, it is possible the PL is just a tad too physical for him. Seems to love Jose though so would not surprise me if he does end up there - then again as a Chelsea fan of >40 years nothing surprises me with the club anymore.
It has been an interesting day really in many ways we will not be bored this summer me thinks.

Lord TSC · 21-07-2018 11:16AM

My attitude with Willian is that Jose has been after him since he joined us, basically, last summer and now this. I don't know much about him. The Chelsea fans don't seem that bothered at the prospect of losing him.

On the other hand, if both us AND Barca are looking to offer big money for him, there's obviously a reason. He was a big part of Jose winning the league with Chelsea (yeah?), works hard, would massively fix a problem position. It also would mean that Jose would have zero excuses about not being backed too; he's a player Jose wants, and if given and we still struggle, would mean Jose has zero places to hide.

Which I feel needs to be the story of this summer; back the manager, and if everything falls apart by next summer, then the blame would be squarely on the manager.

Lord TSC · 21-07-2018 11:16AM

by the by, DiMaria is also looking for a new club.

Just sayin' :P

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 11:21AM

Is nobody else kind of ok, in a weird way, that there hasn’t been much transfer activity?

I don’t trust the owners or Woodward , I’ve always made that clear. But.

I’m seeing it as glass half full in that it might very well end up being a season where we actually have a settled looking squad/first team.

- settled team
-manager with proper consistent first eleven
- Sanchez and Pogba play to their levels
- rashford and martial more consistent and improve
- proper central midfield options that weren’t available last season
- Lukaku ever improving
- Lindleof with decent World Cup
- Bailey hopefully injury free

I’m not saying a top signing wouldn’t be welcomed but there is a lot of things going for the squad. They haven’t achieved anything so motivation shouldn’t be an issue. There are a lot of players who have improved, can improve or will improve betweeen last and this season.

Maybe a quietish transfer summer signals that the club is finally settling down after the 5 year panic?! Too optimistic?

Talisman · 21-07-2018 11:24AM

Drumpot wrote: »

I was speaking with a few in the Chelsea forum and they didn’t rate him as highly as non Chelsea fans. Think he’s hot and cold but it always seems anytime I’ve seen him he’s worked hard and looked reliable.

He can turn it on in the big games but for the most part he seems happy to just go through the motions. He's similar to Cuadrado and Di Maria in that regard.

Given his age he would be a short term fix so £50M+ is an incredible transfer fee to pay. Mahrez would have been a better option for similar money and Tadic would have been a far cheaper option with more end product.

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 11:25AM

Talisman wrote: »

He can turn it on in the big games but for the most part he seems happy to just go through the motions. He's similar to Cuadrado and Di Maria in that regard.

Given his age he would be a short term fix so £50M+ is an incredible transfer fee to pay. Mahrez would have been a better option for similar money and Tadic would have been a far cheaper option with more end product.

Oh god, anything but a Di Maria sequel!!!

yabadabado · 21-07-2018 11:27AM

Dave0301 wrote: »

Always thought he has looked decent when I have seen him play, although not watched him enough.

I can't remember, but how were Chelsea fans when Matic left for Utd?

I thought the same.

If he signs he is an improvement without a doubt .Will he push United to the next level is the question?

pjohnson · 21-07-2018 11:29AM

IIRC Chelsea fans also didnt care they were getting rid of Matic since they were signing a "better" younger version in Bakayoko.......

Trigger · 21-07-2018 11:31AM

Lord TSC wrote: »

by the by, DiMaria is also looking for a new club.

Just sayin' :P

Jose loves him apparently, didn’t he say that he would be still at United if he was manager when he signed.

Lord TSC · 21-07-2018 11:34AM

astradave wrote: »

Jose loves him apparently, didn’t he say that he would be still at United if he was manager when he signed.

Said he never would have sold him, Hernandez or Welbeck.

brinty · 21-07-2018 11:36AM

If the money was right I'd give it a go
Use him as a right sided player,Jose got great end product out of him at real so it's worth a try

bangkok · 21-07-2018 12:09PM

yabadabado wrote: »

The worrying thing is Chelsea fans don't seem to care about losing him.Always a bad sign imo.

Meh... all fans like that.

When they think a player is moving on, all of a sudden he is a "poor" player

Mitch Connor · 21-07-2018 12:14PM

bangkok wrote: »

Meh... all fans like that.

When they think a player is moving on, all of a sudden he is a "poor" player

But that's not what they've been saying, but you go ahead...

They've been talking about needing an upgrade on the right in place of willian for ages.

yabadabado · 21-07-2018 12:26PM

bangkok wrote: »

Meh... all fans like that.

When they think a player is moving on, all of a sudden he is a "poor" player

Yeah just like when Ronaldo left United .....

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 01:05PM

yabadabado wrote: »

Yeah just like when Ronaldo left United .....

Antonio Valencia was his direct replacement. Back when the owners got away with spending nothing on players because Ferguson’s genius saved the club from oblivion.

#butsurearenttheyjustgreatnow

Minderbinder · 21-07-2018 01:30PM

Drumpot wrote: »

Is nobody else kind of ok, in a weird way, that there hasn’t been much transfer activity?

I don’t trust the owners or Woodward , I’ve always made that clear. But.

I’m seeing it as glass half full in that it might very well end up being a season where we actually have a settled looking squad/first team.

- settled team
-manager with proper consistent first eleven
- Sanchez and Pogba play to their levels
- rashford and martial more consistent and improve
- proper central midfield options that weren’t available last season
- Lukaku ever improving
- Lindleof with decent World Cup
- Bailey hopefully injury free

I’m not saying a top signing wouldn’t be welcomed but there is a lot of things going for the squad. They haven’t achieved anything so motivation shouldn’t be an issue. There are a lot of players who have improved, can improve or will improve betweeen last and this season.

Maybe a quietish transfer summer signals that the club is finally settling down after the 5 year panic?! Too optimistic?

I’m ok with it. I don’t really want Jose being given much more money because he hasn’t improved too many of the players at the club and his signings have been hit and miss.

There’s enough there to work with especially from an attacking point of view. If he can’t get them playing cohesively as an attacking unit this season then he’ll probably be on his way. If he can improve them, then that’ll be fantastic.

I’d be happy to see a full back signed but under no circumstances would I give him the money being asked for to sign 30 year old Willian.

Giggsy11 · 21-07-2018 01:43PM

Talisman wrote: »

De Vrij didn't want to leave Italy.

He said that? Never read anything on that.

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 01:51PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

I’m ok with it. I don’t really want Jose being given much more money because he hasn’t improved too many of the players at the club and his signings have been hit and miss.

There’s enough there to work with especially from an attacking point of view. If he can’t get them playing cohesively as an attacking unit this season then he’ll probably be on his way. If he can improve them, then that’ll be fantastic.

I’d be happy to see a full back signed but under no circumstances would I give him the money being asked for to sign 30 year old Willian.

I don’t trust Woodward with that kind of money. Jose is a proven winner at every club he has managed and deserves more respect and trust then he gets from some of the fans..

The only thing our owners are irrefutably good at is getting money out of the club for themselves and passing off all team responsibility issues to the manager. Part and parcel of the game but doesn’t mean we should completely ignore their role in the clubs downfall.

Jose actually has the team looking like challangers. How quickly our fans forget where the club was at 2 summers ago when he came in. United’s spending during that period isn’t impressive benchmarked against city’s and yet he has the club looking like a decent challenger. And that’s a city with a cohesive high spending strategy for over a decade at this stage, United is still playing catch-up.

yabadabado · 21-07-2018 01:54PM

Drumpot wrote: »

I don’t trust Woodward with that kind of money. Jose is a proven winner at every club he has managed and deserves more respect and trust then he gets from some of the fans..

Does Jose not pick the players and Woodward is left to get the deals done?

Lord TSC · 21-07-2018 02:01PM

I disagree massively with the notion of not spending money.

Mainly cause nothing I have seen at club level makes me think the team is in good enough shape to win the league. IF we won with the current squad, it would be coming from a position of being the underdogs.

United has the cash, and has some massive holes in the squad. LB and RW are bombsites, and our center defenders are weak options. Considering we have so much cash, I'd far rather be bringing in the best players we can, and actually being challangers, rather than hoping that what we have is good enough (when it's looked for years they aren't).

Minderbinder · 21-07-2018 02:04PM

Drumpot wrote: »

Minderbinder wrote: »

I’m ok with it. I don’t really want Jose being given much more money because he hasn’t improved too many of the players at the club and his signings have been hit and miss.

There’s enough there to work with especially from an attacking point of view. If he can’t get them playing cohesively as an attacking unit this season then he’ll probably be on his way. If he can improve them, then that’ll be fantastic.

I’d be happy to see a full back signed but under no circumstances would I give him the money being asked for to sign 30 year old Willian.

I don’t trust Woodward with that kind of money. Jose is a proven winner at every club he has managed and deserves more respect and trust then he gets from some of the fans..

The only thing our owners are irrefutably good at is getting money out of the club for themselves and passing off all team responsibility issues to the manager. Part and parcel of the game but doesn’t mean we should completely ignore their role in the clubs downfall.

Jose actually has the team looking like challangers. How quickly our fans forget where the club was at 2 summers ago when he came in. United’s spending during that period isn’t impressive benchmarked against city’s and yet he has the club looking like a decent challenger. And that’s a city with a cohesive high spending strategy for over a decade at this stage, United is still playing catch-up.

I don’t think they looked like challengers in the last two seasons. Let’s not pretend we challenged last season.

I respect Jose. As an Inter fan he did an incredible job there, absolute managerial perfection in my book.

I’m happy to see what happens this season but from what I’ve seen in his two years at the club I can’t say I’m filled with trust. He’s had enough money imo and if he’s as good a coach as he was at Inter I think he should be able to work with what he has.

jayo26 · 21-07-2018 02:21PM

Lord TSC wrote: »

I disagree massively with the notion of not spending money.

Mainly cause nothing I have seen at club level makes me think the team is in good enough shape to win the league. IF we won with the current squad, it would be coming from a position of being the underdogs.

United has the cash, and has some massive holes in the squad. LB and RW are bombsites, and our center defenders are weak options. Considering we have so much cash, I'd far rather be bringing in the best players we can, and actually being challangers, rather than hoping that what we have is good enough (when it's looked for years they aren't).

I really don't see how lb is weaker then rb, for the tactics been played having the right winger cutting in like mata well the rb needs to be alot stronger.

Against Swansea last year all of our attacks came through the left side and anytime it went right it ended going back to matic in deep midfield it sticks out because I was there bit it's pretty much what was happening all season.

Get a right winger in first then worry about defence. If we were to sign one more player this season it has to be a right winger anything else will not help us score more goals against packed defences and let's face it that's where our problem continues to lie.

Johner · 21-07-2018 03:04PM

pjohnson wrote: »

IIRC Chelsea fans also didnt care they were getting rid of Matic since they were signing a "better" younger version in Bakayoko.......

I didn't mind Matic moving on as his form for us had dropped badly. I just never wanted it to be to a rival. It since came out that he was looking for the move to United for a good while, so it seemed he did down tools for Chelsea. I think his form at United last season would back that up.

On Willian, I must be one of the only ones that doesn't want to sell unless there was a crazy offer. People will say the €60m is crazy but I wouldn't sell for that. Yes he can be inconsistent but I think he's a fantastic player. If United got him I've no doubt he'd be a good signing, Barca aren't interested in him for the craic.

Trigger · 21-07-2018 03:36PM

If this is true it could be the best business of the window

https://twitter.com/utdxtra/status/1020566318758670336?s=21

Lord TSC · 21-07-2018 03:46PM

jayo26 wrote: »

I really don't see how lb is weaker then rb, for the tactics been played having the right winger cutting in like mata well the rb needs to be alot stronger.

Against Swansea last year all of our attacks came through the left side and anytime it went right it ended going back to matic in deep midfield it sticks out because I was there bit it's pretty much what was happening all season.

Get a right winger in first then worry about defence. If we were to sign one more player this season it has to be a right winger anything else will not help us score more goals against packed defences and let's face it that's where our problem continues to lie.

I put RB ahead of LB by virtue of the fact we've made a signing for that position, and while I don't know bugger all about Dalot, I'm going to be optamistic and think he'll develop well over the next season, and become our first choice next season.

As opposed to LB, where while I like Young, I don't think he's good enough, and I have ZERO faith in Shaw either.

There's also the fact that I think there's a relationship between LB/LW and RB/RW. I feel our left wing is fine, but weakened by a left back. Whereas our right back is ok (stress; ok) while our RW is barren.

Ideally, strengthening the LB position AND RW position would be about equal in priorties at the moment.

Cantona's Collars · 21-07-2018 04:24PM

astradave wrote: »

If this is true it could be the best business of the window

https://twitter.com/utdxtra/status/1020566318758670336?s=21

Can he play right back or on the wing???

;):):)

0gac3yjefb5sv7 · 21-07-2018 04:29PM

astradave wrote: »

If this is true it could be the best business of the window

https://twitter.com/utdxtra/status/1020566318758670336?s=21

As expected really, to keep your best players. But it's good news. Still need more.

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 04:29PM

yabadabado wrote: »

Does Jose not pick the players and Woodward is left to get the deals done?

It’s not clear at all what level of contribution united managers are allowed when targets are being drawn up. I would imagine they have input but there have been signings for not completely clear reasons:

- Mata, Di Maria, Sanchez - opportunistic purchases but not priority positions needing strengthening - marketing and Popularity purchases
- Shaw, Herrera - were actually club targets not LVG target
- Schneiderlin- an LVG choice? Really?
-Pogba - tough to know if Jose wanted him or was told he was getting him. Not clear one way or another. Conveniently a very marketable player with a big social online presence. Also seems like Pogba has the kind of personality that led to the kind of dressing room revolt that led to Jose being sacked. I’m not convinced Jose chose Pogba.

I think there’s enough information to doubt that a united Manager has been allowed to give Woodward a shopping list and expect magic.

The club has its own priorities and on field progression is not always its primary focus.

Drumpot · 21-07-2018 04:34PM

Minderbinder wrote: »

I don’t think they looked like challengers in the last two seasons. Let’s not pretend we challenged last season.

I respect Jose. As an Inter fan he did an incredible job there, absolute managerial perfection in my book.

I’m happy to see what happens this season but from what I’ve seen in his two years at the club I can’t say I’m filled with trust. He’s had enough money imo and if he’s as good a coach as he was at Inter I think he should be able to work with what he has.

In all fairness city smashed all records last season. There would be plenty of seasons united would of been there or thereabouts on the points they got.

Given where the team came from (struggling for top 4 for 4 seasons) I think finishing comfortably second with room for improvement in the squad as a positive.

You say “he’s had enough money” but what do you mean? He took over a team that was at best a 4/5 epl team. Was given no more funds then Chelsea or city squads in better shape and expected to do what exactly? He stopped the United slump and has over taken the best looming spurs side in decades which isn’t bad.

His job was not to add to a top quality squad of league winners like pep or conte got. It was to get the club back to a position to challenge again which is what he has done.

Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2018 pt3

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