Football 2014/15

[eFestivals]

Have they sold their future ticket sales or sold Old Trafford and Carrington?

nope, the Glazers have decided to do their own sell-off in a different way.

[zahidf]

What will Utd do if in May they're still not a CL club?

It's gonna be interesting, very interesting. Anyone want to tell me again that it's impossible for Utd to do a Leeds?

The thing is, they have spent lots of wages on players who have very little resale value: Who the hell is going to pay tens of millions on Rooney? Even Angel couldn't get a Champions league club. It's hard to see how UTD are screwing themselves long term...

[zahidf]

Out of interest does anyone know the numbers for Utds net spend on players over the last 5 years or so?

Nal - Utd are the biggest club in the world. They are going to be talked about none stop. By fans and haters alike. All day long. What they do in football matters and makes headlines, always.

It would be unnatural for a non Utd football fan not to look on, with interest, perversely at any type of car crash emanating out of Old Trafford. If one believes the bigger they are the harder they fall then the entertainment to come out of Man Utd over the next while may even eclipse what has been enjoyed over the last 15 months or so.

It will be genuinely hilarious if they lose against Leicester in a couple of weeks.

[eFestivals]

In Neil and Woodersons anti Utd mind they're as good as finished and Fergie is the devil. Regardless of facts.

No.

I'm merely recognising that the financial reality, that things are not as rosy within everything-Glazer that affects Utd as you wish to believe.

Utd spend money and the soul is gone from the club.

I've not said anything like that.

For a start, I'd have had to have thought it had a soul in the first place. I've always known that the guff that gets spouted was guff (while the likes of you took great glee in telling me it wasn't guff).

Don't spend money and the Glazers are the issue. Try bring through youth and if they don't work its a joke of a setup etc.

Utterly obsessed with Man Utd either way. Page after page after page after page of posts about Utd.

Again, nothing there that I've been saying.

I'm merely recognising the precarious financial position, no different to how I have since the Glazer's arrived. Like Utd fans used to (but who later fell for the accounting scams).

With the footballing side now also precarious, things are on the knife-edge I've been expecting.

Edited September 2, 2014 by eFestivals

[Wooderson]

I'm looking on at a once shrewdly run club turn itself into an omnishambles in 18 months. Is this not a story, then?

[TheGayTent]

nope,

So they can't possibly do a Leeds then can they.

[LondonTom]

Why? They've found an original way to compete with teams with a much higher income - i.e. Utd, Madrid, Barca. Would you really rather it was just Man Utd and Arsenal at the top with everyone else way behind due to limited finances? We had 5years of that and it got boring! All FFP does is keep the big established clubs at the top whilst preventing smaller clubs from achieving any kind of significant and sustainable success.

At least before they hoovered up young players, other sides had a chance to get a few seasons of use out of them and then get a big pay day from the big boys. Now the money just seems to float around between the top clubs. It is a rediculous situation.

This has nothing to do with FFP really, FFP could work if it had a better implementation but thats another dicussion really.

So this happened live!!!!!!!!!

Link

Worried West Ham didn't pick up an extra centre back, but at least we kept Reid and he should start playing back to his usual form again now hopefully to get a better contract at a big club next year.

Edited September 2, 2014 by LondonTom

[mrtourette]

Man Utd won't 'do a Leeds', we won't be seeing them in the third tier in the next four years. They may well fail to get back former glories and it certainly but there's too much worldwide interest regarding merch sales and sponsorship partners that Leeds didn't have. Those may die off gradually if the team fails to win trophies but there won't be a trap door underneath them.

[Wooderson]

So they can't possibly do a Leeds then can they.

This level of spending is unsustainable.

[eFestivals]

So they can't possibly do a Leeds then can they.

Yep they can.

I was talking financially fucked, not a 100% identical scenario to being financially fucked.

[Wooderson]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/sep/01/manchester-united-transfer-spree-old-trafford-upheaval

[Andre91]

Whatever way you look at it, it's going to be the most interesting and vital season Old Trafford has seen in years and years. My biggest question, as with many others, is what their strongest XI is going to be to accommodate all of these attacking players?

A variation of 4-3-3, with RVP and Falcao as the front two, with Rooney playing more of an attacking midfield role?

De Gea

Rafael, Jones, Rojo, Shaw

Herrera, Blind, Di Maria

Falcao, Rooney, van Persie

Or does he stick with 3 at the back (something I think he should not do)?

De Gea

Smalling, Jones, Rojo

Blind, Herrera

Rooney, Mata, Di Maria

Falcao, van Persie

Mata for me is player that can't be played anywhere other than the no.10 role. Which leads me to believe that he won't be a guaranteed starter, due to LVG having to accommodate Di Maria, Herrera, Rooney etc.

Will Mata start? Will Shaw start? Will Herrera start? That's almost £100m of players signed since the start of the year who may not even be guaranteed a place in the starting XI.

I'm just going to say that I would not fancy being in LVG's shoes, and I don't think a lot of top managers would want to be either.

[ThomThomDrum]

Utds net spend is only going in one direction since making money from the Ronaldo deal a while back

2010 - £14m

2011 - £38m

2012 - £51m

2013 - £67m

2014 - £122m

That is an eye watering net spend of £292m over the last 5 years. I thought this money was needed to service the interest on a debt?

Strangely Man Citys in the same period was £293m, only 1m more (although they had spent massive the previous 2 years also) and Chelskis was £289m, only 3m less.

[The Nal]

Jesus this is the most boring few pages I've ever read! ABUs banging on about finance and Utds downfall. A while back it was about not spending the Ronaldo money because the Glazers nicked it.Take it to RAWK will you?

*Yawn*

Whatever way you look at it, it's going to be the most interesting and vital season Old Trafford has seen in years and years. My biggest question, as with many others, is what their strongest XI is going to be to accommodate all of these attacking players?

A variation of 4-3-3, with RVP and Falcao as the front two, with Rooney playing more of an attacking midfield role?

De Gea
Rafael, Jones, Rojo, Shaw
Herrera, Blind, Di Maria
Falcao, Rooney, van Persie

Or does he stick with 3 at the back (something I think he should not do)?

De Gea
Smalling, Jones, Rojo
Blind, Herrera
Rooney, Mata, Di Maria
Falcao, van Persie

Mata for me is player that can't be played anywhere other than the no.10 role. Which leads me to believe that he won't be a guaranteed starter, due to LVG having to accommodate Di Maria, Herrera, Rooney etc.

Will Mata start? Will Shaw start? Will Herrera start? That's almost £100m of players signed since the start of the year who may not even be guaranteed a place in the starting XI.

I'm just going to say that I would not fancy being in LVG's shoes, and I don't think a lot of top managers would want to be either.

Finally some football in the football thread!

Good problem for LVG though! I think Mata and RVP are most likely to miss out but the reality is injuries will dictate a lot of the team sheets. No way they'll all stay fit so we'll see a mix of the two you posted. But without Smalling. Think hes very much a permanent sub now.

Edited September 2, 2014 by The Nal

[mrtourette]

Jesus this is the most boring few pages I've ever read!

Circlejerking over their superstar signings and discussing potential formations is far more interesting.

And I'm sure if we were discussing the financial downfall of Man City it would be very interesting to you.

Edited September 2, 2014 by mrtourette

[mrtourette]

Odd move involving Everton and David Henen, been chasing him for weeks/months to the point where his agent was allegedly in town at the end of July discussing terms but he signs for Olympiakos only to be loaned straight to Everton, at which point Martinez says he's a long-term prospect and going into the U21 developmental squad.

Edited September 2, 2014 by mrtourette

[The Nal]

Circlejerking over their superstar signings and discussing potential formations is far more interesting.

Talking about football you mean? Yeah it is.

Odd move involving Everton and David Henen, been chasing him for weeks/months to the point where his agent was allegedly in town at the end of July discussing terms but he signs for Olympiakos only to be loaned straight to Everton, at which point Martinez says he's a long-term prospect and going into the U21 developmental squad.

Did Everton fuck over Cleverely? Hijacked his Villa move and then when he got up to Goodison last night they didn't sign him.

Edited September 2, 2014 by The Nal

[ThomThomDrum]

Jesus this is the most boring few pages I've ever read! ABUs banging on about finance and Utds downfall.

Its all a big part of the game these days. We all know football is more than the 90 minutes played. We would not have jelly willies in ears otherwise!

[Andre91]

I would disagree that it is a good problem for him to have. He will be under a tonne of pressure to get the team right and give playing time to all of those pricey new arrivals, as well as keeping their egos in check, as well as his own.

I think he needed to buy different players to one's he has. I genuinely thought he would have made an effort to sign Janmaat before Newcastle got him, seeing how Rafael is very shakey and there not being any other out and out RBs at Old Trafford. If I was Utd manager, I wouldn't have signed Shaw or Falcao. I would have brought in Janmaat and Vlaar.

De Gea

Janmaat, Jones, Vlaar, Rojo

Herrera, Blind, Di Maria

Mata

Rooney, van Persie

On a different note concerning my own team I've never been a big fan of Welbeck, but I've always thought that if he was allowed to play up top week in week out he could be a consistent goalscorer, instead of being stuck out wide like he was at United. He isn't the striker I expected or wanted to be brought in, but he is now an Arsenal player and I'm going to get behind him. I find it really positive though how Wenger has started to have faith in young English talent over the past few seasons, it's nice to see having been the butt of jokes about being the French national side for years

Edited September 2, 2014 by Andre91

[Andre91]

Did Everton fuck over Cleverely? Hijacked his Villa move and then when he got up to Goodison last night they didn't sign him.

I've read that it was his personal demands that put Everton off. Not exactly f**king the guy over. He is poo though so it's all redundant.

[lost]

Did Everton fuck over Cleverely? Hijacked his Villa move and then when he got up to Goodison last night they didn't sign him.

From what I gather Everton only wanted him on loan and man u wouldn't loan to a rival

[lost]

Odd move involving Everton and David Henen, been chasing him for weeks/months to the point where his agent was allegedly in town at the end of July discussing terms but he signs for Olympiakos only to be loaned straight to Everton, at which point Martinez says he's a long-term prospect and going into the U21 developmental squad.

ffp book cooking

[mrtourette]

Did Everton fuck over Cleverely? Hijacked his Villa move and then when he got up to Goodison last night they didn't sign him.

Apparently Hull were in the mix late last night as well, but when it came to discussing terms at Everton they were already running out of time and his wage demands were too high. I dare say with a couple more days they probably could have come to some sort of agreement. Heard Valencia mentioned during the day as well.

[mrtourette]

From what I gather Everton only wanted him on loan and man u wouldn't loan to a rival

Ouch

[The Nal]

On a different note concerning my own team I've never been a big fan of Welbeck, but I've always thought that if he was allowed to play up top week in week out he could be a consistent goalscorer, instead of being stuck out wide like he was at United.

Yeah Ive seen him do brilliant things and Ive seen him being so frustrating to watch. He needs a bit of aggression and confidence. He does the basics well. Chases down defenders, can hold the ball up, hes quick etc. Maybe he'll have a "I'll show them" attitude now. Ive been expecting him to break through for a couple of years now.

I've read that it was his personal demands that put Everton off. Not exactly f**king the guy over. He is poo though so it's all redundant.

This is true.