Man Utd Thread:

[johnneycool]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

But, but, these lads won a PL title last year pulling away, they don't become bad players overnight and now with Moyes gone, I'd expect these lads to flourish like they did under Ferguson and win the PL back next year with a good 10 points to spare.

[screenexile]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

That leaves a squad made up of De Gea, Evans, Jones, Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, Wellbeck, Van Persie, Hernandez, Fletcher, Zaha, Van Persie, Valencia and Januzaj. There are a few debatable names left in the list of those worth keeping but they need to try and maintain the core of the squad for stability purposes alone. The defencies in defence and central midfield are huge and at least 5 players will be needed in those positions. Attacking wise they are more than competent if Van Persie stays at the club. However with Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, and even Januzaj to a lesser extent, all being best deployed in the position just behind the main striker, it shows a lack of planning and balance in the current squad. One of these players may have to leave and more than likely it will be Kagawa who I rate highly. One of the positives for Man Utd is that Liverpool proved this year that you can afford to carry a smaller squad when not competing in Europe provided that the first XI is strong. Therefore they should concentrate on quality signings rather than on quantity. Two full backs, a centre back and 2 central midfielders are a must.

Talk of Cavani for £56 million is a nonsense if you ask me, way overpriced to begin with but definitely not what Man Utd require either. Luke Shaw has been mentioned who imo is a very good player but will probably cost double his true worth due to his nationality. A lot will depend on the temperament of the player and how he can handle the spotlight, he is still largely unproven at the top level.

The big problem they have though is how long will the club be left in limbo before they appoint a new manager? Van Gaal will more than likely be tied up until near the end of June which will leave the club handicapped when trying to recruit potential signings before the world cup. Each day the club remain without a manager is a day lost in selling the club to potential recruits. I personally thought that Klopp would have been the ideal choice for Man Utd but it appears that the club is not as attractive a proposition on the continent that some would have us believe, and that may be largely due to the daunting legacy left behind by Ferguson and the long term rebuilding job that the job entails. One man that would jump at the job would be Mourinho imo but I don't think his incendiary nature and his appetite for confrontation will fit well at a PR savvy club like Man Utd. Whatever happens it is interesting times ahead.

Not quite sure what you're on about here... press have been talking all week about the amount of leaks coming from the board room and the dressing room all year!

Along with that you had Fergies banning reporters/not talking to the BBC/walking out on press conferences. PR savvy is not something I would call Man Ure...

[yellowcard]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

But, but, these lads won a PL title last year pulling away, they don't become bad players overnight and now with Moyes gone, I'd expect these lads to flourish like they did under Ferguson and win the PL back next year with a good 10 points to spare.

Sarcasm is undetectable in an internet post so I can't be sure whether you jest? It was common opinion that that group of players over achieved greatly under Ferguson but the extent of it has become more obvious this year. A real cynic would say that Ferguson overlooked Mourinho (when he was freely available last year) for fear of usurping his own achievements at the club. Which ones do you expect to flourish now that Moyes is gone?

However the situation has worsened since Fergusons final year at the club, with 3/4 of the first choice back 4 all past their best and the retirement of Scholes in particular hurting them badly. None of these players have been adequately replaced. Mata was a luxury signing (but not a necessity) to appease the supporters but was not what the squad needed. If some of those players underperformed last year simply because Ferguson was gone then you would have to question their attitude and character. The simple answer is that a lot of them are not good enough to be part of a championship winning team. 

[yellowcard]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

That leaves a squad made up of De Gea, Evans, Jones, Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, Wellbeck, Van Persie, Hernandez, Fletcher, Zaha, Van Persie, Valencia and Januzaj. There are a few debatable names left in the list of those worth keeping but they need to try and maintain the core of the squad for stability purposes alone. The defencies in defence and central midfield are huge and at least 5 players will be needed in those positions. Attacking wise they are more than competent if Van Persie stays at the club. However with Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, and even Januzaj to a lesser extent, all being best deployed in the position just behind the main striker, it shows a lack of planning and balance in the current squad. One of these players may have to leave and more than likely it will be Kagawa who I rate highly. One of the positives for Man Utd is that Liverpool proved this year that you can afford to carry a smaller squad when not competing in Europe provided that the first XI is strong. Therefore they should concentrate on quality signings rather than on quantity. Two full backs, a centre back and 2 central midfielders are a must.

Talk of Cavani for £56 million is a nonsense if you ask me, way overpriced to begin with but definitely not what Man Utd require either. Luke Shaw has been mentioned who imo is a very good player but will probably cost double his true worth due to his nationality. A lot will depend on the temperament of the player and how he can handle the spotlight, he is still largely unproven at the top level.

The big problem they have though is how long will the club be left in limbo before they appoint a new manager? Van Gaal will more than likely be tied up until near the end of June which will leave the club handicapped when trying to recruit potential signings before the world cup. Each day the club remain without a manager is a day lost in selling the club to potential recruits. I personally thought that Klopp would have been the ideal choice for Man Utd but it appears that the club is not as attractive a proposition on the continent that some would have us believe, and that may be largely due to the daunting legacy left behind by Ferguson and the long term rebuilding job that the job entails. One man that would jump at the job would be Mourinho imo but I don't think his incendiary nature and his appetite for confrontation will fit well at a PR savvy club like Man Utd. Whatever happens it is interesting times ahead.

Not quite sure what you're on about here... press have been talking all week about the amount of leaks coming from the board room and the dressing room all year!

Along with that you had Fergies banning reporters/not talking to the BBC/walking out on press conferences. PR savvy is not something I would call Man Ure...

I wouldn't disagree with your opinion that the Moyes sacking has been handled badly from a PR viewpoint regarding the leaks.

As for Alex Ferguson, he had forged a reputation for himself over a long period that meant that he was bigger than Man Utd and could almost do and act whatever way he pleased in his dealings with players, other managers, referees, the FA and the media. The fact that he was made a knight of the realm almost made him untouchable when it came to questioning his authority in the English game. Its hard to quantify what this was worth to Man Utd in terms of points over the course of a season but it definitely won them titles (especially in more recfent years) that no other manager would have been capable of doing.

What I meant regarding the PR savvy reputation of Man Utd, is that the plc has corporate sponsors to try to attract and the club ultimately exists to increase revenues and generate profits for its shareholders. The appointment of a man like Mourinho would not be conducive to doing this since he has left a trail of destruction behind him in the clubs that he has managed. The English media (unlike the spanish and Italian) have in the past portrayed Mourinho as a 'true character' of the game but I can sense a growing distaste over his often vicious antics in his second spell in the English game. Bobby Charlton inferred as much a few years ago by saying his behaviour wasn't befitting of a Man Utd manager (which admittedly was a bit hypocritical considering some of the things Fergiuson had got up to over the years).       

[thebigfella]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

That leaves a squad made up of De Gea, Evans, Jones, Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, Wellbeck, Van Persie, Hernandez, Fletcher, Zaha, Van Persie, Valencia and Januzaj. There are a few debatable names left in the list of those worth keeping but they need to try and maintain the core of the squad for stability purposes alone. The defencies in defence and central midfield are huge and at least 5 players will be needed in those positions. Attacking wise they are more than competent if Van Persie stays at the club. However with Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, and even Januzaj to a lesser extent, all being best deployed in the position just behind the main striker, it shows a lack of planning and balance in the current squad. One of these players may have to leave and more than likely it will be Kagawa who I rate highly. One of the positives for Man Utd is that Liverpool proved this year that you can afford to carry a smaller squad when not competing in Europe provided that the first XI is strong. Therefore they should concentrate on quality signings rather than on quantity. Two full backs, a centre back and 2 central midfielders are a must.

Talk of Cavani for £56 million is a nonsense if you ask me, way overpriced to begin with but definitely not what Man Utd require either. Luke Shaw has been mentioned who imo is a very good player but will probably cost double his true worth due to his nationality. A lot will depend on the temperament of the player and how he can handle the spotlight, he is still largely unproven at the top level.

The big problem they have though is how long will the club be left in limbo before they appoint a new manager? Van Gaal will more than likely be tied up until near the end of June which will leave the club handicapped when trying to recruit potential signings before the world cup. Each day the club remain without a manager is a day lost in selling the club to potential recruits. I personally thought that Klopp would have been the ideal choice for Man Utd but it appears that the club is not as attractive a proposition on the continent that some would have us believe, and that may be largely due to the daunting legacy left behind by Ferguson and the long term rebuilding job that the job entails. One man that would jump at the job would be Mourinho imo but I don't think his incendiary nature and his appetite for confrontation will fit well at a PR savvy club like Man Utd. Whatever happens it is interesting times ahead.

Not quite sure what you're on about here... press have been talking all week about the amount of leaks coming from the board room and the dressing room all year!

Along with that you had Fergies banning reporters/not talking to the BBC/walking out on press conferences. PR savvy is not something I would call Man Ure...

Liverpool done a great job with Suarez too 

[screenexile]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

That leaves a squad made up of De Gea, Evans, Jones, Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, Wellbeck, Van Persie, Hernandez, Fletcher, Zaha, Van Persie, Valencia and Januzaj. There are a few debatable names left in the list of those worth keeping but they need to try and maintain the core of the squad for stability purposes alone. The defencies in defence and central midfield are huge and at least 5 players will be needed in those positions. Attacking wise they are more than competent if Van Persie stays at the club. However with Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, and even Januzaj to a lesser extent, all being best deployed in the position just behind the main striker, it shows a lack of planning and balance in the current squad. One of these players may have to leave and more than likely it will be Kagawa who I rate highly. One of the positives for Man Utd is that Liverpool proved this year that you can afford to carry a smaller squad when not competing in Europe provided that the first XI is strong. Therefore they should concentrate on quality signings rather than on quantity. Two full backs, a centre back and 2 central midfielders are a must.

Talk of Cavani for £56 million is a nonsense if you ask me, way overpriced to begin with but definitely not what Man Utd require either. Luke Shaw has been mentioned who imo is a very good player but will probably cost double his true worth due to his nationality. A lot will depend on the temperament of the player and how he can handle the spotlight, he is still largely unproven at the top level.

The big problem they have though is how long will the club be left in limbo before they appoint a new manager? Van Gaal will more than likely be tied up until near the end of June which will leave the club handicapped when trying to recruit potential signings before the world cup. Each day the club remain without a manager is a day lost in selling the club to potential recruits. I personally thought that Klopp would have been the ideal choice for Man Utd but it appears that the club is not as attractive a proposition on the continent that some would have us believe, and that may be largely due to the daunting legacy left behind by Ferguson and the long term rebuilding job that the job entails. One man that would jump at the job would be Mourinho imo but I don't think his incendiary nature and his appetite for confrontation will fit well at a PR savvy club like Man Utd. Whatever happens it is interesting times ahead.

Not quite sure what you're on about here... press have been talking all week about the amount of leaks coming from the board room and the dressing room all year!

Along with that you had Fergies banning reporters/not talking to the BBC/walking out on press conferences. PR savvy is not something I would call Man Ure...

Liverpool done a great job with Suarez too 

No they didn't... it was a f**king hatchet job what they did!

I don't support Liverpool either btw!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

But, but, these lads won a PL title last year pulling away, they don't become bad players overnight and now with Moyes gone, I'd expect these lads to flourish like they did under Ferguson and win the PL back next year with a good 10 points to spare.

Got to be saved for next year 

[laoislad]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

That leaves a squad made up of De Gea, Evans, Jones, Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, Wellbeck, Van Persie, Hernandez, Fletcher, Zaha, Van Persie, Valencia and Januzaj. There are a few debatable names left in the list of those worth keeping but they need to try and maintain the core of the squad for stability purposes alone. The defencies in defence and central midfield are huge and at least 5 players will be needed in those positions. Attacking wise they are more than competent if Van Persie stays at the club. However with Mata, Rooney, Kagawa, and even Januzaj to a lesser extent, all being best deployed in the position just behind the main striker, it shows a lack of planning and balance in the current squad. One of these players may have to leave and more than likely it will be Kagawa who I rate highly. One of the positives for Man Utd is that Liverpool proved this year that you can afford to carry a smaller squad when not competing in Europe provided that the first XI is strong. Therefore they should concentrate on quality signings rather than on quantity. Two full backs, a centre back and 2 central midfielders are a must.

Talk of Cavani for £56 million is a nonsense if you ask me, way overpriced to begin with but definitely not what Man Utd require either. Luke Shaw has been mentioned who imo is a very good player but will probably cost double his true worth due to his nationality. A lot will depend on the temperament of the player and how he can handle the spotlight, he is still largely unproven at the top level.

The big problem they have though is how long will the club be left in limbo before they appoint a new manager? Van Gaal will more than likely be tied up until near the end of June which will leave the club handicapped when trying to recruit potential signings before the world cup. Each day the club remain without a manager is a day lost in selling the club to potential recruits. I personally thought that Klopp would have been the ideal choice for Man Utd but it appears that the club is not as attractive a proposition on the continent that some would have us believe, and that may be largely due to the daunting legacy left behind by Ferguson and the long term rebuilding job that the job entails. One man that would jump at the job would be Mourinho imo but I don't think his incendiary nature and his appetite for confrontation will fit well at a PR savvy club like Man Utd. Whatever happens it is interesting times ahead.

Not quite sure what you're on about here... press have been talking all week about the amount of leaks coming from the board room and the dressing room all year!

Along with that you had Fergies banning reporters/not talking to the BBC/walking out on press conferences. PR savvy is not something I would call Man Ure...

Liverpool done a great job with Suarez too 

No they didn't... it was a f**king hatchet job what they did!

I don't support Liverpool either btw!

Yeah but if you say anything bad about Man United the person responding has to mention Liverpool even if Liverpool have nothing to do with it!
Them the rules!

[J OGorman]

Would Utd fans really want Mourinho managing their club?

[EC Unique]

Would Utd fans really want Mourinho managing their club?

The more I read about Van Gaal and his style of play and management the more I would prefer him over Mourinho.

[yellowcard]

Would Utd fans really want Mourinho managing their club?

I think Van Gaal would be a better bet than Mourinho and as a short term option I think Van Gaal is the best man that is AVAILABLE. The only obstacle will be recruitment of players since he couldn't possibly take up the post whilst preparing the Dutch team for a world cup and so will lose valuable planning time.

I've no doubt that Mourinho could extract a lot more out of those players than Moyes got and with a few recruitments could have them back in the top 4 within a season. However Mourinho will do what is best for Mourinho and not necessarily what is best for Man Utd. To me he seems as though he is becoming increasingly paranoid and looks battle scarred and a bit fed up of management.   

[Man Marker]

Mourinho is one of the top three managers in the world, and has consistently delivered over the long term. Simple question, would he win a Premier League with Utd, the answer is who would bet against it. With his record in the champions league would you bet against him bringing Utd consistently to semi finals/finals, it's a no brainer for a club who wants success. He will bring it, he's a guarantee

[Captain Obvious]

It was common opinion that that group of players over achieved greatly under Ferguson   

In fairness its also common opinion that this group of players under achieved greatly under David Moyes. Jose Mourinho has been getting the best out of his side this season, champions league semi final and still have a slim chance in the league he has the players motivated his sides are all about workrate how many Manchester United players have bust a gut this season?

[ludermor]

Judging by the market it looks like Van Gaal is the strong front runner for the job which is a safe pair of hands in the short term. The problem he will face is that the sqaud needs a complete immediate overhaul. Those who aren't good enough to play for Man Utd are Rafael, Smalling, Anderson, Cleverly, Fellaini, Buttner, Nani and Young whilst Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Carrick and Giggs are past it.

But, but, these lads won a PL title last year pulling away, they don't become bad players overnight and now with Moyes gone, I'd expect these lads to flourish like they did under Ferguson and win the PL back next year with a good 10 points to spare.

Got to be saved for next year 

Fcuk me ,but you are a gimp

[Shrewdness]

Good original post from Yellowcard. Would agree with your list of players who should be got rid of, apart from Rafael and Smalling. The problem is that we might not be able to get rid of them all this summer...As for signing Edinson Cavani, i wouldn't. Reminds me of a rich man's Andy Carroll.