16 Aug 2019 21:05:46
Seeing a lot of posts about how sanchez could come back into the team and even be the “perfect number 10”.

The reality is Sanchez can't be the perfect anything, he never was, he was very good player and now he is poor shadow of that player.

Can he play number 10? He gives the ball away for fun and that's not even when he's trying something extravagant. Surely that doesn't fit into ole transition to a posession based team. Any games at number 10 available should go to gomes or mata.

Has he been a top professional? Reportedly had to have a fridge moved from near his dressing room spot as he didn't like the cold draft, had a bust up with greenwood, pretty much self subbed himself against huddersfield and seems to magically become fit whenever chile have a match.

He has taken liberties that other players would have been crucified for and his performances would barely justify “mike the chefs” wages let alone the monstrous sum of money he's on now.

If ole does want to put his mark down on this team and move in a different direction then he shouldn't do it half heartedly.

If that means paying sanchez to chill in chile, or paying rojo to eat burnt toast in argentina or paying darmian to grow some awful sideburns in italy or paying phil jones to lick a window in blackburn then so be it.

1.) 16 Aug 2019
16 Aug 2019 22:01:59
DSG i mostly agree
But if you turn your „or“ into „and“ it becomes quite an expensive marker to put down, doesn’t it?

Not saying we should give anyone a chance before a promising youngster, but paying these four players their wages for fun is stupid, especially considering we‘re in the ropes on wages and FFP

Sure should try and get a grip on our squad structure and plan for the future sensibly.

2.) 16 Aug 2019
16 Aug 2019 22:36:59
They get paid the same money regardless of which country they spend their time in.

Will rojo of darmian see any meaningful gametime this season apart? No and any game time they would have got could go to tuanzebe and dalot or even ethan laird who is progressing well in the youth system.

Chong, greenwood, james and gomes all deserve more game time than sanchez.

3.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 00:54:57
I just don't understand how the club got into the Sanchez situation its beyond me they agreed to pay those wages but hey its not my money i guess, don't actually know how footballers contracts work but he clearly hasn't perfomed at all, clubs should be able to cut wages in situations like this, ridiculous to be honest.

4.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 08:23:58
DSG

Is a possession based game what we are aiming for? We didn’t strengthen the midfield, the most important area to control possession. Were Arsenal not a possession based team? He always looked sensational with them, but they pushed higher and used their fullbacks more in support, conceded more goals mind you.

In terms of Sanchez, some time ago I speculated that if we bought the right players we could push our back line higher and in compacting the game Sanchez would be playing higher and be more dangerous.

5.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 08:44:26
I worry that someone or even several people high up at United seem intent on "competing" with Man City in the transfer market. There have been several players now the club's have supposedly clashed over in an attempt to sign them.

I do wonder if there is some kind of petty one up manship going on.

However, it could just be a case of both club's going for the best players.

Although I do wonder about both the signings of Sanchez and Fred. Neither quite fitted what the club needed at the time, or could be described as typical players the manager of the time would want to sign.

So why were they pursued a d ultimately signed?

I feel our recruitment strategy has been scatter gun and haphazard to say the least, swinging this way and that. With no clear plan or direction.

The club needs a total revamp and modernising in the structure of the club. But to do that a clear plan about what the club is and how the club should operate needs to be in place. What is the vision of the club?

For me the club should be about offensive aggressive football on the pitch, with a community feel off the pitch. A club that develops young players and makes superstars and not buys them. Our transfer activity should be looking for talented hard working young players who can move to the club and then take that step up to the next level with the club.

In order to do this you need a structure at the club. A transfer committee who evaluate potential targets and make sure they fit into that vision of the club, and that they fit the long term vision of the club. The transfer committee should be made up of someone who understands the footballing philosophy of the club, someone who is closely tied to the youth set up so they can advise when a player might not need to be signed due to a talented young player coming through. Someone with a financial background who could evaluate the costs of a deal, a head scout who will present their findings plus maybe the scout/ s who scouted a particular player of interest, and the manager who can put their input into the discussion. Finally someone to observe and evaluate how the process is working. Then they can offer up how the process could work smoother in the future and where things went wrong in a situation of a bad transfer (i. e. Sanchez) .

Therefore all aspects of a signing are considered and we are less likely to make poor signings.

6.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 09:57:34
Shappy

A couple of things.

You have just posted what I have been saying for a very long time on here. To be exact, we don’t just need a plan, we need an aim from the top, reflected in a strategy and then the strategy designed into a plan. How long have I said these things and how many times has AJH popped up with “oh no we don’t have a plan”.

I will disagree about not buying superstars, we bought many Rio, Keane, Van Nistelrooy but they were bought with a strategy in mind.

7.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 10:43:32
Two points there Red Man.

Firstly, the term "superstar" is subjective. Had Rio, Keane and RvN plateaued before they signed or did they step up a level when they joined or during their time at our club?

I think they stepped up when we signed them, so I wouldn't have called them superstars when we signed them. Veron, Di Maria, Falcao and Sanchez are better examples of superstar signings in my opinion.

For me a superstar signing is a player at their peak when you sign them, anyone who has yet to reach their peak is a signing with potential.

My second point is when do you make a superstar signing? I think those type of players are the cherry on the top type signings you don't build your side out of superstar signings. You build your side then maybe bring in a superstar to take you to the next level. Personally I think our squad is at least one or two summer transfer windows away from being ready to make a superstar signing.

8.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 11:21:50
We have had a clear strategy this summer, young British players who want to play for the club along side given youth a chance.
On the field its quick attacking footy trying to entertain.
This summer has been a breath of fresh air.

9.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 12:27:24
Agreed jred.

10.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 15:15:00
Shappy

Was Rio not fresh on the back of a successful World Cup and regarded as the best defender in the World? Was Rooney not an England superstar after performing on the world stage, regarded as one of the best young players in the world? How about RvP? The difference is that there was a structure to what SAF was trying to do. A couple of key superstars at other junctures under his tenure may have seen us more successful in Europe. It is about having aims, structure and planning when buying the stars and DiMaria, Falcao and Sanchez didn’t fit into any strategy we had.

11.) 18 Aug 2019
18 Aug 2019 10:39:32
Red man, Rio might have been considered the best defender in the world according to the British press of the back of that world cup. Yet anyone without bias would tell you that Sol Campbell was a better player than Rio at that time. So he wasn't even the best CB in the England squad.

He was not at that time at the level of Nesta, Cannavaro, Desially, Heirro etc.

Rooney was a top rated prospect at the time we bought him. He was not yet considered a genuine world class talent in the same bracket as the likes of Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (Brazilian), Raul, Henry etc.

Both were top young players who would go on to improve at the club.

I agree RVP was different, but as I said these world class singing are the ones you sign as the cherry on top not at the start of a rebuild.

RVP was added to complement the squad not as an attempt to rebuild it.