Man Utd Thread:

[Boycey]

I'd be very surprised to see United sign Tierney. Mourinho has been complaining about the size of his back 4 for a while so I'd expect a more physically imposing left back to come in should he sign. I still think Shaw will get his chance as Darmain & Shaw aren't exactly shining at left back, you'd have to think that if Shaw wasn't in his plans at all he'd have left on loan already.

He was said to be heading to Bournemouth on loan (near his home) but hasn't materialized yet. There are various rumours put forward for his absence but they all seem to suggest that hes not mentally capable of playing high level football at present whether that's a legacy of his injury or him being another soft modern day footballer or another reason is open to debate.

A good ITK on a Utd forum said he was picked for Hull cup game and was at team hotel but rang club doctor to pull himself out of squad

[seafoid]

The Financial Times view


   https://www.ft.com/content/d8c58b92-dda5-11e6-9d7c-be108f1c1dce

   Manchester United: a different league
                                             
                  
                           Team needs winning pitch performance not just branding success
                        
                           Lex
                        
                  
                                    Why are Manchester United so successful? It's not to do with their results on the football pitch which, like their share price, have been pretty woeful ever since manager Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013. Thank goodness, then, for fluffy pillows and car lubricant. A series of niche branding deals have helped boost sales to a record £515.3m, pushing European rivals Real Madrid — last year's leaders — into third place in the global commercial league table.

The trouble is that if trophy success continues to elude United then sponsorship, and investors, will suffer. Runaway success at flogging clobber means winning matches matters less to Manchester United than other European giants.

Bar one season, the Red Devils have been in the top three clubs by sales for the last two decades, according to Deloitte, in spite of not winning England's domestic league trophy since 2013 nor the Champions League since 2008. In the same period Barcelona and Real Madrid, its two traditional commercial competitors, have won nine domestic and four major European honours between them. But then United are a merchandising company that happens to play football. Commercial revenues — over half of gross sales — have risen by 130 per cent since 2012 even as match-day revenues have barely budged. That is needed to offset wages, which grew by more 10 per cent annually for the past four seasons. It is also the reason why earnings per share are expected to rise this financial year despite United missing out on lucrative Champions League football. Continued underperformance, however, will grow costly.
Money from a showcase deal with kit sponsor Adidas could fall by nearly a third if United fail to qualify for two consecutive seasons.

By contrast, qualification could yield a double-digit percentage revenue boost based on the €84m (£72m) local rivals Manchester City earned from the elite competition last season. For shareholders this season is a financial six-pointer.

[magpie seanie]

The club is a financial behemoth which I don't think is fully comprehended by even some United fans, let alone supporters of other clubs. When United start winning the PL and Champions League again (and I do mean when....the money alone will dictate that it happens again and probably soon) imagine what cash they'll generate. The money involved is obscene, it really is.

Crucially I think the Glazers have realised the club needs to get back in the winners enclosure or sponsorship deals like they've managed to do will be more difficult in the future. That's why they got Mourinho.

I'm not overjoyed by any of this but I can only say things are not as bleak looking as 5-10 years ago.

[NAG1]

I'd be very surprised to see United sign Tierney. Mourinho has been complaining about the size of his back 4 for a while so I'd expect a more physically imposing left back to come in should he sign. I still think Shaw will get his chance as Darmain & Shaw aren't exactly shining at left back, you'd have to think that if Shaw wasn't in his plans at all he'd have left on loan already.

He was said to be heading to Bournemouth on loan (near his home) but hasn't materialized yet. There are various rumours put forward for his absence but they all seem to suggest that hes not mentally capable of playing high level football at present whether that's a legacy of his injury or him being another soft modern day footballer or another reason is open to debate.

A good ITK on a Utd forum said he was picked for Hull cup game and was at team hotel but rang club doctor to pull himself out of squad

Yeah I think this is not the first time that this has happened that he has been a late pull out from the squad.

Doubt we will ever get the full reason but would be a shame for a lad who was hitting his prime at the time of the awful injury.

Whatever the reason JM doesnt seem to trust him, he is cutting his cloth by playing Darmian at the moment but it is an area that he will definitely be looking to strengthen in.

He is starting to shape the squad now the way that he wants it, with Mephis, Basti and Young even looking to the exit door. Clearing the decks for a few big names in the summer I would hope.

[Boycey]

So Memphis is gone to Lyon.

I suspect somewhere in there is a really good footballer but didn't seem to want it enough..

This transfer window may turn into a good one for the old nett spend that we're so keen on here

[magpie seanie]

I think Memphis is a guy who needs to play regularly to be effective. I'm sure he will be very successful anywhere he gets picked week on week.

[Boycey]

He's never shown enough to be picked every week?

[Maroon Manc]

So Memphis is gone to Lyon.

I suspect somewhere in there is a really good footballer but didn't seem to want it enough..

This transfer window may turn into a good one for the old nett spend that we're so keen on here

I was expecting him to make a big impact but he's been a huge disappointment. Lyon is a good move for him, he'll play every week in a weaker league and should do well. I wouldn't rule him out making it at another big club in the future. He'll score plenty of goals for Lyon but his all round play needs to be worked on, it wasn't good enough for United but he's still only 22 so has time to develop that.

[gallsman]

I'm not overjoyed by any of this but I can only say things are not as bleak looking as 5-10 years ago.

Does this mean that United fans might finally admit that the green and gold and guff about the Red Knights was all a load of shite that helped absolutely nobody other than the lads selling scarves outside Old Trafford?

[NAG1]

I'm not overjoyed by any of this but I can only say things are not as bleak looking as 5-10 years ago.

Does this mean that United fans might finally admit that the green and gold and guff about the Red Knights was all a load of shite that helped absolutely nobody other than the lads selling scarves outside Old Trafford?

Well do you see as many of them in the crowd at Old Trafford?
I think I spotted one during the Liverpool game at the weekend, I think people quickly realised that United are a listed company and as such were subject to this kind of management. I think the fact that the club have gone 'big' in the transfer market and securing JM has appeased many of the not so anti-glazer fans.

[gallsman]

Well that's half my point - a load of nonsense was spouted on here about how the Green and Gold had "raised awareness" and therefore could be considered a success. In my opinion, it was a superficial exercise that achieved absolutely nothing.

[Maroon Manc]

Financially United are in a good place but there's no doubt the debt and its interest has caused plenty of problems. If only Fergie has been given the money that Moyes and LVG had access too we wouldn't have had such a poor 3 seasons, Ronaldo & Tevez left the club and were replaced with Owen & Valencia. A huge % of the clubs turnover was used to service the debt around those years.

I'd imagine Fergie looks on enviously at the amount of money at the manager's disposal since he left. If Fergie had access to that kind of money United might have gone on to win the CL in 2010 and certainly would have done a lot better during the 2011/12 season and I'd imagine he'd have left a better starting 11.

[NAG1]

Well that's half my point - a load of nonsense was spouted on here about how the Green and Gold had "raised awareness" and therefore could be considered a success. In my opinion, it was a superficial exercise that achieved absolutely nothing.

Yeah I would agree with that, the sentiment of it was decent to be fair. But the harsh reality is that this is big business.

[Far East]

Financially United are in a good place but there's no doubt the debt and its interest has caused plenty of problems. If only Fergie has been given the money that Moyes and LVG had access too we wouldn't have had such a poor 3 seasons, Ronaldo & Tevez left the club and were replaced with Owen & Valencia. A huge % of the clubs turnover was used to service the debt around those years.

I'd imagine Fergie looks on enviously at the amount of money at the manager's disposal since he left. If Fergie had access to that kind of money United might have gone on to win the CL in 2010 and certainly would have done a lot better during the 2011/12 season and I'd imagine he'd have left a better starting 11.

Haha....so Fergie had no money to spend and the money he did have, he spent well? Fergie's transfer record was shite in his latter years and ended up costing Salford Inc 90 million just to buy back Pogba!

[gallsman]

Financially United are in a good place but there's no doubt the debt and its interest has caused plenty of problems.

Of course it has, but what has changed to the point that United are spending money (they always did - don't bring up that net spend wankery) and ardent anti-Glazer United fans like our own Seanie here have moved to an attitude of, and I'm paraphrasing here, "I guess it's not that bad"?