Manchester United Superthread 2014 mod warning #8081

tallaghtmick

bucketybuck wrote: »

I don't like hearing things like that though, the great players maintain their performance, we don't need players who play poorly when they have things on their mind. Having great mental strength is just as important for playing at Old Trafford as speed or skill.

He's only human though, its the same as any job if you're not in the right frame of mind you will under perform, I've been there myself.

glued

Ed Woodward takes power from Sir Alex Ferguson with appointment of Louis van Gaal at Manchester United

When Ed Woodward takes his seat in the Old Trafford directors’ box, it is usually two or three rows behind Sir Alex Ferguson, therefore denying the former Manchester United manager the opportunity to keep an eye on the club’s new powerbroker.

There are those who would suggest it is a tactical move by Woodward, one designed to keep Ferguson guessing as to what he will do next.

But while there is a danger of paranoia running away with itself among the rival camps within United, it is an inescapable reality that the control Ferguson once held at Old Trafford now lies in the hands of an Essex boy with a degree in physics.

Woodward’s appointment of Louis van Gaalas United’s manager is as symbolic for the 42-year-old as Neil Armstrong planting the Stars and Stripes on the surface of the Moon.

While Ferguson held the steering wheel in both hands when United’s owners, the Glazer family, handed David Moyes the opportunity to manage the club last summer, the recruitment of Van Gaal has been driven by Woodward and, from this point on, it is his club, with no ghost of the past in place to carry the can if this appointment turns out to be as disastrous as the last one.

Ferguson may be a club director at United, but despite initial indications that he would play a central role in identifying Moyes’s successor, the 72-year-old ultimately proved to be a peripheral figure as Woodward whittled down a shortlist to the point that Van Gaal was the chosen candidate.

Van Gaal has dealt with enough internal politics during two decades as one of Europe’s leading coaches to understand there will be issues to address at Old Trafford.

His ability to manage those above him will be just as crucial as his work with United’s players, but the Dutchman would be foolish to focus his sights on Ferguson with the real power lying in Woodward’s hands.

Appointed as successor to David Gill last summer, Woodward has endured a difficult first 12 months in charge, with his inexperience in the role exacerbated by Moyes’s inability to grasp the magnitude of the job he had inherited from Ferguson.

Woodward was never afforded the opportunity to bed into the job with Moyes’s innate caution and indecision leading to last summer’s shambolic transfer window, which resulted in the 11th-hour panic purchase of Marouane Fellaini.

Moyes and Woodward rarely appeared a good fit, despite Woodward’s consistent support of the Scot.

In terms of personality, Woodward is the guy who would walk into a Las Vegas casino and plunge £1 million on red, while Moyes would shake his head and reluctantly put a fiver on black.

Woodward’s frustration with Moyes was tactfully hidden, but always just beneath the surface, and the relationship was never going to work, yet the Glazers were also only ever going to get rid of one of them and Moyes had no chance.

This is the reality that Van Gaal must understand.

Whereas Ferguson and Gill built up a relationship and trust and respect, Gill’s communication with Joel Glazer, the United co-chairman, was weekly at best.

Woodward, however, has always spoken daily to Joel, having impressed the family by driving through their 2005 takeover of the club as an investment banker with JP Morgan.

Once the deal was done, Woodward was handed a job at United and he has now climbed the ladder to claim the top job and the power and control that comes with it.

It has enabled him to appoint his own manager in Van Gaal, one who possesses the ambition and self-confidence Woodward sees in himself, and the ball is now firmly in his hands.

But so is the accountability and those within United who deride Woodward as being ‘power mad’ are now waiting to discover if he can be as successful running the football side of the club as he was in transforming their commercial arm.

He will be expected to move quickly and successfully to sign the players United desperately need and to avoid the embarrassing drawn out sagas of last summer when the club pursued Cesc Fabregas, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale but ended up with none of them.

But in one sense Woodward has already displayed a ruthless streak by turning to Van Gaal and ignoring the claims of Ryan Giggs, who had the support of Ferguson and a large section of the club’s supporters.

Woodward has taken the emotion out of the appointment by looking to the future rather than the past, despite angering some of those within the Class of ’92 by failing to offer clarity on their positions during the negotiations with Van Gaal.

But when he takes his seat in the directors’ box for the first home game of next season, he will not have to choose his seat carefully to emphasise his power.

Whether he can sit comfortably without Ferguson having chosen the manager remains to be seen, though.

The Telegraph

What an awful load of tripe. That article is complete nonsense IMO

bucketybuck

tallaghtmick wrote: »

He's only human though, its the same as any job if you're not in the right frame of mind you will under perform, I've been there myself.

Of course its only human, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned that we would be buying a midfielder who lets off-field pressures affect his on-field performance. As I said, the great players maintain their performance even when things aren't going well for them off the field, thats part of what makes them great.

This may not even apply to Herrera, he could be a massively strong character for all I know, but all else being equal I would be concerned if he did actually let what happened affect him. Our squad is currently lacking in leadership, the last thing we need is another Felliani.

kryogen

bucketybuck wrote: »

I don't like hearing things like that though, the great players maintain their performance, we don't need players who play poorly when they have things on their mind. Having great mental strength is just as important for playing at Old Trafford as speed or skill.

True enough, but players are human beings too, he may have just started the season slowly, I have no idea if it was because of what happened in the summer, all I know is he came on big time over the course of the season. Carrick was always a notoriously slow starter to the league campaign but still a good player

I think most players performance dips when they have things on their mind actually, as I said, they are human.

I am not arguing that mental strength is not important of course, it is hugely important at the biggest clubs particularly

kryogen

glued wrote: »

The Telegraph

What an awful load of tripe. That article is complete nonsense IMO

Was just about to post it

beno619

I dont think any player who can perform to his best when there are personal issues surrounding him.

For all we know Herrera's poor form was just a dip that players like Rooney regularly have, might have had nothing to do with the collapse of the transfer.

EuropeanSon

irishfeen wrote: »

Yaya is not leaving city and absolutely definitely not leaving for an English rival - I just have a feeling about Cesc for some unknown reason, I just don't think Arsenal will spend that type of money on a player they basically don't need and Barca/the player know fully well that we are interested. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he was lining out for us come August.

I don't think predicting Arsene's transfer decisions on what everyone thinks we need is a very reliable system

Last summer:
Board: So, we've only got one striker, and one spare centre back, who should we sign Arsene?

Arsene: Two midfielders, of course!

Burt Macklin

FutureGuy wrote: »

"He's very strict," De Boer, who played under Van Gaal for club and country, told BBC Radio 5 live.
"When I was young, I was scared of him and feared him a bit."

To paraphrase something from twitter, expect Rooney to be relieved of his quasi director of football role.

user2011

Link to LvG interview yesterday http://www.reddit.com/r/reddevils/comments/25zmbf/transcript_of_van_gaal_interview_on_rtl_late/

homerjay2005

glued wrote: »

What an awful load of tripe. That article is complete nonsense IMO

why post it, if its complete tripe?

and what exactly in there do you not agree with or more to the point, what is not true? i though Mark Ogdan was the god of the media when it comes to all things United....

brinty

EuropeanSon wrote: »

I don't think predicting Arsene's transfer decisions on what everyone thinks we need is a very reliable system

Last summer:
Board: So, we've only got one striker, and one spare centre back, who should we sign Arsene?

Arsene: Two midfielders, of course!

Hahahahahaha i'm laughing imagining that conversation in gift grub speak....

kryogen

homerjay2005 wrote: »

why post it, if its complete tripe?

and what exactly in there do you not agree with?

Well, I personally don't think Woodie chooses his seat based on where Fergie is sitting

TheDoc

homerjay2005 wrote: »

why post it, if its complete tripe?

and what exactly in there do you not agree with or more to the point, what is not true? i though Mark Ogdan was the god of the media when it comes to all things United....

He has a tendancy to take a pretty uneventful situation, and twist it into some form of metaphoric toss. In my opinion anyway.

The most irrelevant and basic of things, he tries to twist into a narrative that everything is a meticulous plan, and has a defined purpose.

I check in on Ogdon for because of his links to the club in the hope he can break some news, but following him more closely this year, I find a lot of his writing and articles are conjecture and trying to make articulate assumptions for things that really arn't there.

glued

homerjay2005 wrote: »

why post it, if its complete tripe?

and what exactly in there do you not agree with or more to the point, what is not true? i though Mark Ogdan was the god of the media when it comes to all things United....

The other day I posted suggesting that Ogden was most likely a reliable source this article contradicts that. Obviously I was very wrong about him because that article is complete nonsense.

Also if you can't ascertain that Ogden is being completely sensationalist from the first few lines of the article then there is not much point in discussing this further.

glued

TheDoc wrote: »

He has a tendancy to take a pretty uneventful situation, and twist it into some form of metaphoric toss. In my opinion anyway.

The most irrelevant and basic of things, he tries to twist into a narrative that everything is a meticulous plan, and has a defined purpose.

I check in on Ogdon for because of his links to the club in the hope he can break some news, but following him more closely this year, I find a lot of his writing and articles are conjecture and trying to make articulate assumptions for things that really arn't there.

Yeah, I never really bothered reading his articles because The Torygraph is a hack of a paper. I just assumed he had some sources in United but obviously I was wrong.

greendom

EuropeanSon wrote: »

I don't think predicting Arsene's transfer decisions on what everyone thinks we need is a very reliable system

Last summer:
Board: So, we've only got one striker, and one spare centre back, who should we sign Arsene?

Arsene: Two midfielders, of course!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jan/17/arsene-wenger-julian-draxler-arsenal

Cesc it is then !

kryogen

greendom wrote: »

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jan/17/arsene-wenger-julian-draxler-arsenal

Cesc it is then !

I'd prefer Draxler at this point I think

KH25

kryogen wrote: »

I'd prefer Draxler at this point I think

Why not have both? :P

Cantona's Collars

Great to hear Van Gaal NOT using words like "hopefully" & "try".He's already aiming for winning the league in his first season at United.

Despite no CL football,I think we'll do ok in the transfers dept.Asking a player if he'd like to play at United under LVG is certainly more attractive than asking if he'd like to play for Moyes.

Burt Macklin

Probably already been posted but worth a read all the same. An article about 'anti-Moyes' van Gaal in yesterday's Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/19/louis-van-gaal-manchester-united-anti-moyes-disciplinarian

bucketybuck

beno619 wrote: »

I dont think any player who can perform to his best when there are personal issues surrounding him.

For all we know Herrera's poor form was just a dip that players like Rooney regularly have, might have had nothing to do with the collapse of the transfer.

On the contrary, there are lots of players that perform to their best when going through off-field issues. The problem is that you don't know about them, because they don't let the issues affect their performances.

I wouldn't be holding Rooney up as any sort of benchmark here by the way. His tendency to perform poorly when suffering off-field issues is not one of his finer points, just the opposite in fact.

Mars Bar

sigmundv wrote: »

One final question and I'm off: When will the club upgrade their website? It has looked the same forever and needs an overhaul to catch up with modern web design.

Did anyone notice that they changed the entry page? The link to enter the site is now on the right and not the left.
It's bloody pathetic.

brinty

Jeez lads, looking at Aaron Ramsey and how he has developed..we missed out there big time...

I suppose looking at Shaw (and Carvalho to a lesser extent) in that kind of a light i'd hope we don't fcuk it up and he goes elsewhere and turns into the player people hope he will and we're going well fcuk it in a couple of years time, why didn't we sign him

Looking at the 30m fee, over 10/15 years if he spends that much time with us would work out at 2/3m a season plus his wages. That'd be a great investment. I'd assume the 30m would include a fair portion based on performances/progress/trophies won etc so i'd say we should go for it..

We have the cash reserves in place so if all deals this summer are structured to include a potrtion based on specific targets we could get some great players in now and only have to pay a lot of the money based on future performance..


If we could do that and get a Kroos/Vidal/Fabregas in midfield as well that'd bolster the team and hopefully not break the bank..

I'd expect LvG to bring in some Dutch players and i've seen mention of some young Feynoord players. If they can be got at a reasonable price now that'd be ideal. We'd know in a couple of years they'd be off but we'd hopefully be selling them at a significant profit when they'd be looking to move on when Louis blows a gasket

These are some of my musings and opinions..i'm not claiming any of these will happen for certain but might be worth considering

ericzeking

Re. The Ogden article, which I think is quite good by the by, you could say he's making an article about a load of assumptions but equally you could say that he is drawing some fairly logical conclusions from stuff that we all know...has there actually been any word from Fergie in the last 24 hours? It's notable in my opinion that he hasn't said anything, I imagine he is quite put out over pretty much everything.

Any word from Gary Neville? I was quite busy yesterday evening and every time I looked at SSN Dwight Yorke was on talking his particular brand of nothing.

Mitch Connor

glued wrote: »

The Telegraph

What an awful load of tripe. That article is complete nonsense IMO

I thought the bit at the start and end regarding where Woodward sits, and it being part of a power battle was tripe alright - but the rest of it is bang on the money based on the snippets UWS and RedIssue have been saying over the last month. Moyes was a Fergie choice, LVG is very much a Woodward choice, and bring in LVG (and reducing the 'King Maker' role Fergie enjoyed) has been a flexing of his muscles so to speak.

I believe Bob Cass has written/spoken about Fergie becoming isolated at OT of late, and Ogdens article is simply furthering that thread.

Cantona's Collars

RedCafe are celebrating LVG's appointment.

homerjay2005

zerks wrote: »

RedCafe are celebrating LVG's appointment.

speaking of Red Cafe - only 12% of our fans on there wanted Moyes as our manger 12 months ago when the discussion started to replace SAF. the rise in support for Moyes then came after the Swansea game once fergie gave his speech but lets be fair while people were happy to support Moyes, im pretty sure very few people actually were happy with him.

in contrast, Van Gaal is at 94% on the current poll today. That is some difference.

irishfeen

zerks wrote: »

RedCafe are celebrating LVG's appointment.

I best one I've seen so far has been on here and a poster describing him as the "Iron Tulip" haha I couldn't stop laughing at that last night

Lucas Hood

irishfeen wrote: »

I best one I've seen so far has been on here and a poster describing him as the "Iron Tulip" haha I couldn't stop laughing at that last night

That's a common name for him.

Sheepy99

Of the players ye've been linked with, who do ye think Van Gaal's appointment adds genuine pulling power to?
I'd say someone like Robben, him being Dutch too and all but it doesn't seem like he'll be leaving Bayern anytime soon.

irishfeen

Lucas Hood wrote: »

That's a common name for him.

Ha it was my first time hearing it and I thought it was hilariously funny.

brinty

irishfeen wrote: »

I best one I've seen so far has been on here and a poster describing him as the "Iron Tulip" haha I couldn't stop laughing at that last night

Thanks Feen, i think that was me you're referring too. You liked a post where i called them
As OP did say though its a common name used for him so its not an original Brinty trademarable phrase unfortunately...:mad:

Fenix

homerjay2005 wrote: »

speaking of Red Cafe - only 12% of our fans on there wanted Moyes as our manger 12 months ago when the discussion started to replace SAF. the rise in support for Moyes then came after the Swansea game once fergie gave his speech but lets be fair while people were happy to support Moyes, im pretty sure very few people actually were happy with him.

in contrast, Van Gaal is at 94% on the current poll today. That is some difference.

In fairness, LVG is of course going to have a high poll percentage when he's following a disaster season from Moyes. If it was him replacing Fergie at the start of last season, the popularity poll would have been much lower than it is currently.

I'm only pointing that out by the way. I'm personally over the moon with the appointment.

kryogen

irishfeen wrote: »

I best one I've seen so far has been on here and a poster describing him as the "Iron Tulip" haha I couldn't stop laughing at that last night

Wait till you get a load of the Czar of Alkamaar so

keane2097

kryogen wrote: »

Wait till you get a load of the Czar of Alkamaar so

I was originally an iron tulip man but have 100% converted to czar of alkmaar in recent weeks.

sigmundv

People mentioned Mandzukic. I for the life of me don't understand why the papers are linking us to strikers. It's one department where we are well enough stocked.

brinty

Don't forget King Louis of Oranje............

lordgoat

The Iron Tulip does it for me. I want a gif with IRON TULIP and LvG fist pumping.

paulbok

keane2097 wrote: »

I was originally an iron tulip man but have 100% converted to czar of alkmaar in recent weeks.

Taking over from the 'Jester of Manchester'

Son Of A Vidic

It's only sinking in now that Giggs will never take the field again. Having been a United fan long before Giggs, I remember dreaming of United having a player like him. And then he arrived. 10 years of this footballing wizard would have kept me happy, but he gave us 24 seasons. 24 seasons? How do you even get your head around that? 963 games, an unrivaled trophy haul and never sent off in his career. Giggs was the perfect model professional. A quiet, unassuming guy who never sought the media spotlight. He could have followed the money and nobody would have blamed him. But Giggs has always lived and breathed United and always will.

Our club has been blessed with so many legends on the field. But Giggs for me will always will be our greatest player. And where do you start with the wonderful memories he has given us, because they are countless. His 24 seasons at the top level will probably be never seen again. His hunger and the will to win, year in and year out, is what made the man so special. And it's that hunger, the will to win and the willingness not to back bask in success and rest on his laurels, that fills me with hope. That was the key DNA in the legendary SAF and that's the winning DNA that Giggs has shown throughout his career.

During his four games in charge, Giggs looked right at home, because he was right at home. And so I look forward to the day when he does take the reigns. He is blessed to have had 24 years learning from SAF under his belt. And now he gets to sit and learn from another footballing great in LVG. So while I'm sad to see Giggs has taken the field for the last time. I'm excited about what lies ahead in the future. But for now, thank you Ryan, thank you for the wonderful memories you have given me and the decades of undying service you gave to United on the field. I'll will never see your like again.

I'll sign off with a quote from SAF, made when he first saw Giggs play....

"He floated across the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind".

My favourite picture of Giggs, arm & arm with another legend....

UnitedIrishman

Great piece by Daniel Taylor on why Van Gaal fits our club perfectly.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/may/20/louis-van-gaal-manchester-united

In any serious relationship, severe, earnest energy is expended on getting and being got, and football fans are no different. In the guise of their club, which, despite it all, is still constituted by them, they evaluate its apprehension by interlopers, whether players and managers understand who they represent, and the consequent duties incumbent upon them.

Despite plenty of pontificating and prevaricating, rarely are these notions complex, or even unique; clubs are distinguished far more by history than principle. In the case of Manchester United, the requirements, more or less, are fast, attacking play, fighting spirit, youthfulness, attitude and zest.

These were values personified by Matt Busby, a man who understood from personal and professional experience that football is only football – and yet, at the same time, a whole lot more. “I love its drama,” he wrote, “its smooth playing skills, its carelessly laid rhythms, and the added flavour of contrasting styles. Its great occasions are, for me at any rate, unequalled in the world of sport. I feel a sense of romance, wonder and mystery, a sense of beauty and a sense of poetry. On such occasions, the game has the timeless, magical qualities of legend.”

The narrative aspects that he invokes define not just football, or even sport, but the vast majority of human interests and obsessions: consider art, literature, music, gaming, politics, psychoanalysis and gossip. And at the centre of each is a cast of performers who provoke, inform, compel and engage, altering emotions and intellects – often forever.

As such, their impact and influence is significant, and the best of them come to symbolise values that extend beyond their basic function. For example, Eric Cantona’s canonisation owes as much to his altercation with Matthew Simmons – an act that almost certainly cost his club a league title – as to the four that he delivered.

All of this explains why Louis van Gaal is the perfect replacement for David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson – United all over, even if he fails. And though his pedigree suggests this to be unlikely, it also fortifies him with an important degree of levity, because his career will not be defined by it. Should he succeed, he will still boast finer achievements; should he not, his reputation will get by.

Particular personalities suit particular positions. Those that have worked at United are covered by an umbrella term unprintable in a family newspaper, but defined as “one that is formidable” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. In this milieu, the trait is defined by consuming, contagious, charismatic confidence, underpinned by paternal warmth and dispassionate ruthlessness – or, put another way, Louis van Gaal.

The men who succeeded Busby – Wilf McGuinness and Frank O’Farrell – were very different. McGuinness lacked authority and O’Farrell presence, known as a quiet man. And, like Iain Duncan Smith, they were unable to impose their authority upon a rowdy rabble in thrall to past glories.

On the other hand, the brash animation of Tommy Docherty, next in the post, manifested itself on the pitch and transmitted to the stands. This allowed him to remain when United were relegated, after which he led them back up as champions, to consecutive cup finals, and a near miss in the league.

But the controversial circumstances surrounding his sacking prompted a cautious board to appoint the cautious Dave Sexton. He lasted just under three years, dismissed following a run of seven consecutive wins; the football was dull, and therefore intolerable according to Busby’s credo.

Ron Atkinson, on the other hand, understood that style is integral to substance, even if he was too absorbed in his own – a frippery held against him as soon as things went wrong. But, in the meantime, United twice won the FA Cup and twice entertained their way into title-winning positions, as well as supplying some memorable European nights.

After him arrived Ferguson, a man inspired as much as daunted by Busby’s legacy. His confrontational nature and rhetorical skill meant that even when the football was tedious, which it frequently was, he was not. Crucially, he recognised that Manchester United must never be boring – and really, there exist few more damning insults in any context.

Indeed, since survival became more assumption than objective, much of the human project can be viewed as a treatise against exactly this. Broadly speaking, boredom is why sport was invented, its name taken from an archaic word that meant “a source of amusement and entertainment”. Nowadays, people seek it relentlessly in almost everything that they do, a mania illustrated by the presence of books in toilets and smartphones in pockets.

Under Van Gaal, Manchester United will not only amuse, but entertain. He is aggressive, imaginative and charming and his teams are aggressive, imaginative and charming, reliably serving their principal purpose: captivating a captive audience.

irishfeen

irishfeen wrote: »

Ah hahaha that's fcuking gas

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

"Iron Tulip"

We have a winner!

10/10

Would love to claim it as my own lads, but have seen it in a few articles written about him over the last few weeks, it is brilliant!

My own proposal for our new manager; The Rabid Clam From Amsterdam.

But I feel 'The Iron Tulip' is what it is meant to be. Any posters around here with good photoshop skills?? We need an Iron Tulip with LVG's face intertwined with it stat!

bangkok

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/find-out-everything-you-need-to-know-about-new-manchester-united-manager-louis-van-gaal/story-e6frf4a3-1226923826992

redbaron_99

sigmundv wrote: »

People mentioned Mandzukic. I for the life of me don't understand why the papers are linking us to strikers. It's one department where we are well enough stocked.

We need a player like that. We are very light on attacking players in all fairness. We've only got RVP, rooney, Chico, welbeck, Wilson. Lingard, mata, kagawa, Powell, nani, young, zaha, Valencia, januzaj, bebe, Lawrence and janko.

17 players to fill 4 positions. Possibly only 3 positions if we play a particular formation.
We could sell 6 of those players and not even feel it. Especially considering no CL footy next season.

It's actually shocking management of the squad when you consider we are felt with 4 midfielders: fletcher, carrick, cleverly and Fellini.
And 4 centre backs: smelling, jones, Evans and keane. - two of which are prone to injuries.

brinty

redbaron_99 wrote: »

We need a player like that. We are very light on attacking players in all fairness. We've only got RVP, rooney, Chico, welbeck, Wilson. Lingard, mata, kagawa, Powell, nani, young, zaha, Valencia, januzaj, bebe, Lawrence and janko.

17 players to fill 4 positions. Possibly only 3 positions if we play a particular formation.
We could sell 6 of those players and not even feel it. Especially considering no CL footy next season.

It's actually shocking management of the squad when you consider we are felt with 4 midfielders: fletcher, carrick, cleverly and Fellini.
And 4 centre backs: smelling, jones, Evans and keane. - two of which are prone to injuries.

Where's Andow???
and we've only a couple of full backs too....Rafael, Evra (could be gone), Butters, Varela (is he ready) and is there anyone else???
and LMAO at Smelling...

RobertKK

bangkok wrote: »

http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/find-out-everything-you-need-to-know-about-new-manchester-united-manager-louis-van-gaal/story-e6frf4a3-1226923826992

Jaap Stam looks old in that photo...

RobertKK

Independent claiming the three of the players Van Gaal wants are Fabregas, Robben and Hummels.

redbaron_99

brinty wrote: »

Where's Andow???
and we've only a couple of full backs too....Rafael, Evra (could be gone), Butters, Varela (is he ready) and is there anyone else???
and LMAO at Smelling...

Typed it on my phone.

It is mad when you think about it. Even the full back positions are weak.

Evra is coming to the end of his career and isn't reliable enough. Buttner is not good enough really. So left full is a major problem.

Rafeal is a top player, but picks up a lot of injuries. No back up option really, unless we promote Varela to the senior squad. And we don't know if he's gonna be able to make the step up.

The squad management over the last 5 years has been appalling.

redbaron_99

RobertKK wrote: »

Independent claiming the three of the players Van Gaal wants are Fabregas, Robben and Hummels.

do not want us to go near him. Repulsive footballer with his diving. Would probably cost us a lot of money, will be 31 next season and we don't need attacking players.

The money would be better spent on someone like Turan from Athletico. A player with a back bone.

glued

redbaron_99 wrote: »

do not want us to go near him. Repulsive footballer with his diving. Would probably cost us a lot of money, will be 31 next season and we don't need attacking players.

The money would be better spent on someone like Turan from Athletico. A player with a back bone.

I'd love Robben. He's such a class player and usually is a top performer in the big games.