₦airaland Forum

If I had my way we would go to a 4-4-2

DDG Rafael Jones Evans Shaw at the back

Januzaj Herrera Blind Di Maria across midfield

Rooney and Falcao upfront

Yes that would mean no room for Mata or RVP.

Don't worry, we will talk when the next prospectus comes out and the less publicized details of finances are disclosed. Its just a pity that after the last one that divulge more than the Glazers wanted, they are now ensuring that only committed investors get a full nitty griity copy (the one that gives clues to where the bodies are buried ). But still, some of the less rosy details will come out.

The same genius that wanted to turn us into the Harlem globetrotters just to cover the shortfall of missing out on Europe, thank God both Moyes and LVG put their foot down. You can chose to believe the rosy reports. I will take a more sceptical stance that actually deals with the less rosy details e.g

After David Moyes' dismal reign as manager at Old Trafford last term the club find themselves without European football for the first time since 1995, and a prospectus released by the club highlights the dangers of failing to re-establish themselves in the top four at the first time of asking.

The document also revealed that the highly-publicised 10-year kit deal with adidas is dependent on results and will drop 30 per cent from £75million to £52.5m if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League in two consecutive seasons.

or this

United's combined broadcasting and matchday revenue from Europe has fallen in the last three years from £59.7m in 2011 to £38.9m in 2013.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11667/9401260/manchester-united-owners-warn-louis-van-gaal-that-failure-to-qualify-for-europe-will-be-disastrous#

There are numerous other pitfalls like these that are either ignored or glossed over. Woodward announces a big figure, impressive % increases and everyone goes gaga, but take a critical look at the books and dig deep into the fine print of official correspondence (the ones they dare not lie in or fail to disclose true positions) and you start seeing it isn't quite as it initially looked.

Don't worry by the time the detailed prospectus for the Glazer's new £80m share sale proceed comes out, you will see when they give the true position of affairs to NYSE or they run somewhere else that doesn't have stringent standards to make the offer.

Are we broke? Far from it. Are we rich? Yes. Can we afford a spending splurge? To a degree, but the Glazers have never and will never put a penny from their pocket as a direct investment in the club, so spending like we have a sugar daddy is not advisable.

elampiro: Salary of players sold or retired this window = £607, 000. Salary of players loaned (excluding Nani) = £85,000.
Total salary of players out is £692,000 excluding Nani.

Players out:
Rio Ferdinand £100,000 retired

Nemanja Vidic £120,000 retired

Ryan Giggs £75,000 retired

Patrice Evra £90,000 sold

Shinji Kagawa £80,000 sold

Danny Welbeck £75,000 sold

Javier Hernández £75,000 loan (sale option next year)

Zaha £35,000 sold

Alexander Büttner £15,000 sold

Federico Macheda £6,000 sold

Bebé £12,000 sold

Tom Lawrence £5,000 sold

Nani £90,000 loan (salary paid by United)

Kean £5000 loan

Powell £5,000 loan
..................

Anderson £60,000 , Fellaini £75,000 , Young £120,000, are players we can still off load in January to finance midfield buys.

Cleverley request for transfer was submitted pretty late yesterday but before cut off. His salary is £40,000.

Overall, Man United might still offload £255,000 between now and January.


Who said we aren't within our salary limits?

First theses figures are wrong Rio, who was on a one year rolling contract was not on 100k. Zaha on 35k is a joke, also we are contributing to his wages as he is on loan.

then consider the wages we handed out this window, agent fees, not to mention signing bonuses that would have been necessary (no European footy). new bigger contracts for Rooney and RVP , the parachute payment to Moyes, as well as the expected drop in revenue, they will have to do some magic accounting to keep the ratio below 60%.

Rooney will start, whatever formations or lineups you guys speculate. make sure to include Captain Rooney.

lekkie073: hello utd fans,
my wife just delivered a bouncing baby girl......so unfortunate falcao is a male name.....am looking to name her saris(d lady DAT announced d falcao deal).....opinions...

Congratulations. Better get ready for the sleepless nights.

This Cleverley should find somewhere to move to, else he will be actually lynched by United fans when next he plays and we lose

So we chased the relatively young and cost effective strikers we had for the super expensive trio of a 31 year old with a long history and present day fitness issues (RVP), a soon to be 29 year old who plays like he is already in his 30s (Rooney) and a 28 year old who just recovered from a serious knee injury (Falcao).

Wilson, Henriquez e.t.c better be the real deals else we be force to spend big on strikers again soon.

LVG talks about inheriting an unbalanced squad, but besides Rojo and Blind, his other signings aren't exactly correcting the supposed imbalance.

coogar: our sponsors have taken care of such eventualities. we have released several players - nani, hernandez, kagawa, will keane, rio, vidic, evra, etc. surely, our wage/turnover ratio won't be more than the 50% benchmark.

we are healthy!

Lets bet. Assuming we even somehow manage to get Cleverley, Young and Valencia off the wage bill, wage to turnover ratio for the next relevant period will be at least 65%.

No European footy, so turnover will be down across tv income, prize money, lost matchday income e.t.c. Just financing a pay rise for Rooney and RVP would have engulfed all that was released from letting go off Rio, Vida and Evra. We are still contributing to Nani wages, Kagawa's wages were quite modest. The over paid guys are still here, Young, Fellaini, Valencia and we are handing out significant contracts to attract players and to compensate for no UCL (lesser bonus payments) as well as massive contracts on record deals (Shaw, Falcao, Di Maria, Mata).

If RVP fitness is really suspect, then Falcao being brought in is a very smart move. Regardless, props should be given to Woodward for moving as quickly and decisively for a top talent like that at relative short notice.

But I am not going gaga with celebrations. Okay so we signed a 28 year old Falcao, in an area that is already over stocked (strikers). Force Welbeck and Hernandez out to make room for him. Put down a significant sum of cash to his loan fee, future transfer fee and massive wages, despite the fact that he is only just recovering from a very serious knee injury.

Meanwhile we were apprehensive about signing a younger, less expensive Vidal because of a knee injury, despite him actually playing in a severe area of need. This just reeks of the same stuff we did with RVP. Why in heavens can't we invest serious cash in addressing the spine of this team, not blockbuster luxury signings (Mata, Di Maria now Falcao). We keep glossing over the foundational weaknesses.

Anyway its those in Manchester that will suffer, when ticket prices are hiked 30%, when "Old Trafford" becomes the "DHL arena" e.t.c. just to cover a wrong headed spending splurge policy. By the end of this window I am sure our wage to turnover % will almost 90%.

see everywhere lively

Vidal is 27 not 29.

young is never going to win another pk in his career.

d only cross valencia makes with any success these days, is drilling d ball against d legs of d fullback for a corner.

Did Mata wear d wrong boots. shanking easy shots.

OK Burnley on the ropes, go for it. Evans off, Januzaj on.

DDG oh

if things don't change quick, take off rooney and bring on Adnan. He will play individualistic footy, but at least he should stretch the Burnley players.

If Cleverly was playing the way Fletcher has the last 3 games, he have been lynched before boarding d team bus.

It's like now that Fletcher has fully recovered, he is playing worse.

afrodoc: It is not about "assuming" we were changing formation but "preferring" we change our formation because this 3-5-2 is not working so far AND it is one reason we have been so shaky especially at the back.

I get that, but the way you guys just concluded that signing Did Maria meant a switch to 4-3-3 was ridiculous considering LVG's statements.

Too many long balls from the back. Every time Rooney comes deep, he instantly looks to switch d ball wide. he still hasn't acclimatised to d new formation.

Some fans won't hear word.LVG has said repeatedly that 3-5-2 will be our Base formation. Yet they talk themselves into somehow assuming we were changing formation.

Biggest reason why Moyes got canned. As he was asking for time to rebuild, the side was actually playing worse as the season went along. How do you give a man time when things keep getting even worse as time goes by.

If by November things don't improve and actually worsen LVG will be on the hotseat as well.

The transfer window is beginning to close, and the selling clubs are upping their prices, monetising desperation. Chelsea and Manchester City completed their business with time to spare. United are still scrambling around looking for players like a useless husband in a gas station on Christmas Eve, wondering if his wife would be pleased to find a set of new wiper blades in her stocking”.

LMAO

Don't worry, just smash the British transfer record for Di Maria and we will win the treble.

Young's reputation got him booked there

When the time comes due for LVG to be criticized I won't relent but as at now. I am criticizing Woodward for the unbalanced squad and over-spending we are doing. Whether under Moyes or LVG, we have spent well over £120m and have yet to significantly improve the squad from the one he inherited. Moyes and/or LVG suggest the players, he approves them and negotiates the deal to get them. He has overspent and negotiated stupidly. Last season I remember saying after Moyes was sacked that loudly that Woodward was lucky, as he should have walked the plank as well. Woodward job isn't just sign checks, sponsors and hobnob in Florida or London. He is the overall boss, who will bare responsibility in the successes and failures on the pitch and off it.

Forget all the myths that SAF was supreme lord, or that he got his way every time at O.T. Go and read up, there were numerous instances under Martin Edwards, Peter Kenyon and David Gill (previous CEOS), when they questioned the objectives of SAF, when players SAF really wanted didn't end up at United, because they understood their jobs and weren't going to bring certain players and cause squad imbalances or pay well over the odds. Go and read up how much Gill flat at refused to pay what Spurs were asking for Berba, even though SAF was constantly on his neck to make a deal (He finally relented on deadline day). How he was the one who pushed for signing Hernadez early, even though SAF had other targets and in mind and wanted to wait till after the world cup, before Gill insisted on Hernandez.

Woodward can't do this, even though he has inherited the position along with all the attendant powers and responsibilities. Either we get someone who can do it (unlikely as favoritism got him the job in the first place), or bring in someone who can help him.

LVG:- The problem I have at United is that the selection is not balanced. There are five No.9s and six No.10s - and we don't have enough defenders

If we sign Di Maria and do not address the glaring imbalances in the squad, it will have the same effect as when we signed Mata and actually played worse in the 2nd half of the season. But I am no longer going to comment on this sham till the window closes.

I am not amongst those who believe we should just sign anyone who has quality for whatever price out of desperation, with out keep in mind our tactics, budget and balance of the squad. You don't spend a fortune of a player and then start permutating how to shoehorn him into the system, you spend a fortune a player whom you are either going to build the system around or whom you have confidence will fit or adjust to the existing setup.

Woodward will wreck this club, unless the Glazers wise up and hire a director football or some such, to take over some of the footballing decisions that are clearly over his head.

Guillem Balague ko, barayo ni. The same guy who insisted Thiago to United was a done deal. D guy is no longer as reliable as when he first started enchanting the British football journalists.

I remember when Fellaini was being mooted as a signing, most people were saying we should just sign him anyway, regardless of price or whether he really filled a void. Look how that turned out. Then the same attitude to breaking the club record for Mata, even though we had more pressing needs and were stocked in that position. Now the same attitude again with potentially signing Di Maria.

Di Maria is looking for a pay day. We won't just shell out a big transfer fee, but also a wage that would put somewhere behind RVP and certainly ahead of Mata. Meanwhile we will still have to hand juicy contracts to fill the gaping voids in the squad barring massive improvements from certain players.

So we sign Di Maria and switch to 4-3-3 (despite the fact the LVG has said numerously that our base formation will be 3-5-2). Where will our club record signing fit in this 4-3-3. We didn't break the club record to bench him, or shunt him out to the wing, else we would have left him at Chelsea.

Di Maria as talented as he is, isn't worth the monies and accompanying headaches he will bring. Use that money to bring in a quality, experienced central defender, or a younger, more energetic central midfielder that fills an obvious hole regardless of what formation or tactics we employ.

^^^ To be honest, no he isn't.

But that isn't my main point. 35M could be better spent elsewhere. With a 3-5-2 there isn't room for a winger like Di Maria. Why would you blow 35m on a relative luxury position when we could use specialist wingbacks, central defenders and midfielders.

chrisley024: Since he has asked to leave, I think it's good we make a bid of £35m and wait for their response.

Waste of 35m.