02 Sep 2026 06:08:34
Good Morning
Well, well, well. After many weeks of me flagging, they were prevaricating and failing to sign the LB and ST, it came to pass. All those who gave me some right stick for daring to question their paymasters and even those who were well meaning, are looking a bit daft. However, some, and we know who you are, will be out toeing the company line earning their 30 pieces of silver for the Glazer family and Ratcliffe.
We all know we utterly failed to buy two main players, yet I believe we also failed to buy Louis Page. Talks reached an advanced stage, with Leicester thought to be looking for £12m + £3m. But we decided it was too much. This is a young midfield player, a United fan, who I understand was very excited and attended the Ipswich game. That is hard to understand.
I know some people don't like being told it, but reality is that we have been had.
The Glazers want dividends. You don't really think we will spend big in January, do you? Then put the date in your diaries for February, when I believe it is the earliest time they can declare dividends. Have a look at the amount.
This is a methodology, financial structure that is driven to benefit the owners. They appointed yes man manager in Carrick who will not resign for not being supported. I suspect they knew what they were going to do and the next two years would see reduced spending so profits can return and dividends paid. There are very few top managers who would not have resigned this morning over this because they have a reputation to uphold. Anything Carrick does will only be better than Middlesbrough, so he will sit there. It also likely means they won't sack him, even if results are poor.
What a mess.
02 Sep 2026 10:07:52
Very poor and underwhelming window.
All the media interviews and pr bs of "we have a plan", yet they are contacting teams 2 hours before the deadline for a full back?
3 players brought in in the midfield, Baleba and Tielmens are good signings, Santos is a wait and see, not played much for Chelsea.
But we needed more players to push others and to increase standards. Do we want to be competitive in all comps, or are they just happy to get the money for qualifying for the Champs League? You get 2.8 million per win in the league stages, and then more each round you progress in.
How Maguire and Shaw are still starters in this team is ridiculous. They should be backup or backups. One senior left back in the team is not good enough. Relying still on the likes of Maguire, Shaw and Dalot after nearly 10 years of mediocre performances and finishes is poor.
Only time will tell, but they have themselves to blame if we do not qualify for top 5 this season.
Can see the club's ambition, and they are going to be fitting square pegs in round holes again.
It was a time to try and close the gap to Arsenal, with everyone having new managers, players moving and teams rebuilding.
02 Sep 2026 10:16:09
Jason Wilcox said, "Judge me at the end of the transfer window". Well, it's judgement day, and most appear unimpressed.
02 Sep 2026 10:35:02
Wilcox has made himself look even more stupid with that quote if that's possible.
They will already be trying to spin and PR their way out of this. Some will fall for it like they always do.
02 Sep 2026 11:29:45
It's fair to be disappointed with the transfer window. Most fans wanted more. What isn't fair is claiming the lack of activity means the Glazers are preparing to take dividends in February 2027. That's a prediction, not a fact. United haven't paid a dividend since 2022, and there is no publicly stated plan to resume them in February 2027.
United have continued to spend heavily in the transfer market, and have consistently prioritised squad investment over returning cash to shareholders. That doesn't make the ownership beyond criticism, but it does make it difficult to argue that every transfer decision is driven by an imminent dividend payout.
As for Louis Page, I don't find that difficult to understand either. Leicester reportedly wanted around £12m plus £3m for a League One midfielder with fewer than 30 senior appearances. The club may simply have decided that was too much for a player with limited senior experience.
What I find harder to understand is why we're two league games into the season, and you're already declaring it a mess.
You didn't get your way in the transfer window. Neither did Carrick, judging by his comments about wanting to strengthen the squad. The difference is that Carrick appears to be getting on with the job and working with the tools he has, rather than spending two months throwing a tantrum because he didn't get everything he wanted. You call him a yes man because he hasn't walked away? I see a manager taking responsibility for the squad in front of him and trying to make the best of it.
By all means criticise the ownership. By all means criticise the window. But stop presenting every opinion as an established fact and every prediction as a victory before the outcome is even known. If dividends are announced, you can claim your prediction was correct. If they aren't, will you be as quick to say you were wrong as quick as you are to always say you are right?
03 Sep 2026 05:52:25
Kurtis,
I won't "stop" doing anything. At the same time, you are telling me not to express an opinion, you are expressing one. When did I say "fact"? I just use the obvious indicators that are out there, looked back at how the Glazers have done this before, and pointed out the similarities. When we achieved Champions League it has been seen before they are reticent to spend, that's a fact, why they haven't done it this time is an opinion, my opinion. They haven't been able to take dividends since 2022 I think, so do you not think these parasites will be hungry to get income from their cash cow? All I have done is add 1 and 1 and flag my opinion on what will happen. The fact they have not spent big after achieving CL before and again this time shows they have not "consistently prioritised squad investment over returning cash to shareholders" as per your assertion.
The consistency is not spending big after achieving CL, and I would argue that shows their real aims, just to get the CL money.
Oh, I will hold my hands up if I am wrong, by all means flag it to me. I smell dividends incoming, suspect February. Why should I wait for an official announcement, I am speculating an opinion.
In terms of Carrick, I made my points about him before he was appointed and now, whilst I didn't agree, they have put him in charge, so we see what happens. I do think he is so attached to the club he won't rock the boat, the owners know that. That's a yes man.
Louis Page, they must have seen something exceptional in him, so if he has an excellent season others will now be alerted. If he does it may well be £30m next summer. It is what we pay scouts and experts to assess. See next January or summer now.