De Gea Darmian, Bailly, Smalling, Shaw Schneiderlin, 1 other Mkhitarian, Pogba, Martial Ibrahimovic
Not sure if they'll make a new signing in the middle!!
Schneiderlin will be one of the first ones he bombs out.
You could be right.
I rate him personally, just think it was hard for anyone to play well under Van Gaal last year.
Likewise, really underrated player. Van Gaal managed to turn his entire squad in to average joes.
Tbf they are still struggling to rebuild a squad that was an absolute state by the time Ferguson left. They have done a terrible job replacing them paying over the odds for player's that they didn't even want at first. You can't lay all the blame at Van Gaal.
He made some really strange signings. They were clearly short at the back, so he signed Di Maria, Martial, Schniderlin, Scweinstieger and Falcao. He also signed Rojo and Shaw, both left backs. He ended up Darmian, Valencia and Young at left back. Not to mention signing Valdes and Romero - both keepers. Ironically he had to blood in so many younger players as well.
I agree both Moyes and LVG inherited a squad on its way downwards - mind you that squad won the league at a canter the season before.
Can't understand why Van Persie was the Holland captain under LVG, yet a few months later he sold him - and replaced him with bloke who was over coming a serious injury and will never be the same player.
But you're looking at it the wrong way. The majority of these signings were done by Woodward. The amount of times say they were interested or about to sign ... then ended up paying the same amount for their 4th or 5th pick purely because he kept fucking up the negotiations and/or opening his mouth before anything was done.
Absolute madness , the arsehole will fall out of the game 1 day , just look at palace offering 31million for benteke how can they afford that crazy money .
I wonder if things like Kodi will speed that along.
I've always felt that the money in Football will see the game implode and if everyone cancels their SKY subscriptions to take up the free service then where does the money being put into the Premier League go?
Of course no doubt they'll be the ones to push for Kodi being made illegal so that wont happen but you never know.
Most of my mates have got SKY and I've told them about Kodi but they're just not interested. People are lazy, so the TV companies won't even be that worried.
Research Sky have done consistently shows the majority of people are happy to pay for TV and movies provided it's easy to access the content. That's partly where NowTV came in - they wanted access to the market that was willing to pay but couldn't have a dish.
I've asked many times why they don't appear to be doing much about Kodi, it comes up a lot in my day job but I've been stonewalled every time. I do suspect Netflix having to crack down on VPN users was from Sky pressuring studios though.
De Gea Darmian, Bailly, Smalling, Shaw Schneiderlin, 1 other Mkhitarian, Pogba, Martial Ibrahimovic
Not sure if they'll make a new signing in the middle!!
Schneiderlin will be one of the first ones he bombs out.
You could be right.
I rate him personally, just think it was hard for anyone to play well under Van Gaal last year.
Likewise, really underrated player. Van Gaal managed to turn his entire squad in to average joes.
Tbf they are still struggling to rebuild a squad that was an absolute state by the time Ferguson left. They have done a terrible job replacing them paying over the odds for player's that they didn't even want at first. You can't lay all the blame at Van Gaal.
He made some really strange signings. They were clearly short at the back, so he signed Di Maria, Martial, Schniderlin, Scweinstieger and Falcao. He also signed Rojo and Shaw, both left backs. He ended up Darmian, Valencia and Young at left back. Not to mention signing Valdes and Romero - both keepers. Ironically he had to blood in so many younger players as well.
I agree both Moyes and LVG inherited a squad on its way downwards - mind you that squad won the league at a canter the season before.
Can't understand why Van Persie was the Holland captain under LVG, yet a few months later he sold him - and replaced him with bloke who was over coming a serious injury and will never be the same player.
But you're looking at it the wrong way. The majority of these signings were done by Woodward. The amount of times say they were interested or about to sign ... then ended up paying the same amount for their 4th or 5th pick purely because he kept fucking up the negotiations and/or opening his mouth before anything was done.
True enough. Woodward didn't cover himself in any glory. Paul Scholes absolutely hammered him a few times in the media.
Am I right in saying that he left United for nothing and they now want to prove what a shrewd signing he was first time round by now paying £100m for him?
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Paul Pogba he will not captain the club again because of concerns about the midfielder's attitude.
Pogba was told of the decision before Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie with Derby.
Mourinho has attempted to underline his authority after an error by Pogba led to Wolves' equaliser at Old Trafford on Saturday and the player's subsequent comments criticising United's tactics.
Pogba, 25, tried to play down his comments in a tweet on Monday.
In his programme notes for Tuesday's game with Derby, Mourinho said he was unhappy with some members of his squad.
"[The game against Wolves was] an important lesson; a lesson that I repeat week after week after week, a lesson that some boys are not learning," he said.
"Every team that play Manchester United are playing the game of their lives, and we need to match that level of aggression, motivation and desire - 95% isn't enough when others give 101%."
In relative terms if people like Benteke are £30m+, Stones is quoted at £50m etc then yes, I think he is - reminds me of Toure a bit and he was unplayable when on form for a couple of years. Only 23 too so he'll have resale value when Madrid go after him in 2-3 years time and prices have inflated more.
Of course in reality prices (and wages) are absolutely barmy now, it's stupid.
He's been nowhere near as good as I thought he'd be but I stand by this bit!
Whilst i'll be the first to admit he hasn't been anywhere near good enough to justify the huge fee spent on him, Mourinho clearly doesn't help. Pogba has 4 goals in 7 games from midfield this season in a poor united side who are hardly free flowing.........his reward............Mourinho slagging him off and saying he won't captain the side again because of a poor attitude.
It can't be a coincidence that Pogba was decent at the world cup, but struggles for United. Sanchez was superb at Arsenal, but has disappeared at United.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has his faults, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Pogba seems to be so highly rated and supposedly sought after by the likes of Barca.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has his faults, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Pogba seems to be so highly rated and supposedly sought after by the likes of Barca.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
Pogba is playing in a team set up to defend, and that diesn’t Suit him. Pogba should stay by Mourinho should go
Most of the time United play with three up, and with Pogba supposedly coming from midfield to support Sanchez/Lingaard/Lukaku/Rashford/Martial etc.
I would have thought for $89Million United would have expected him to dominate game after game from the middle of the pitch, but it just hasn’t happened. You can blame the managers tactics all you like, but great players impose themselves at big clubs, and he has failed in that completely (unless you count social media stats).
The real problem here of course is that Pogba wants out, as he has been courted by Barca, but is worried that by coming out and openly saying he wants out (for a 2nd time in the last seven years), that he is going to look like a prize prat, and more or less admit that the PL is too hard for him.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has his faults, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Pogba seems to be so highly rated and supposedly sought after by the likes of Barca.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
Does not performing in the premier league automatically make you a bad player then? Yes he's been a disappointment but he was superb for Juventus and he's decent enough for France so you could well argue that mourinho's style of play doesn't suit him.
Some players simply perform better in some leagues than others.
Dennis Bergkamp was a flop in Italy before moving to England. Henry also struggled at Juve before Arsenal signed him. Iago Aspas was a carthorse at Liverpool, but is prolific in La liga. Falcao and Di maria were shit in England but have done well elsewhere. Boateng didn't exactly set the world alight at Man City but has been a rock for Bayern and Germany for many years.
Pogba's reported attitude is the perfect example to show that 'managers' no longer run team affairs .. 'superstars' who are too valuable to upset now have the upper hand .. Mourinho, once the epitome of the tough 'I'm in charge manager' no longer has control, though how much José's ability and resourcefulness has declined is a matter of conjecture. Like Brian Clough who went from all conquering sainthood to bumbling inadequate, is his time over ? .. 'Pogba is captain, now he's not' .. example of a confused mind and perhaps a frightened man .. anyway, Pogba is not all that. Give me Josh Cullen and Ben Reeves any day of the week ((:>)
Mourinho stifles any ounce of creativity in footballers and doesn't like egos bigger than his.
Pogba is a tad overrated but a better coach would get more out of him and give him the confidence and freedom he needs.
This absolutely. Mourinho has lost the plot to be honest, think he might struggle to find a club after United.
I think Mourinho has had his time at the top. His methodology is outdated. Name another big club that tries not to lose games. He's a million miles from the approach of Klopp, Pep, Deschamps, Zidane etc.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has his faults, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Pogba seems to be so highly rated and supposedly sought after by the likes of Barca.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
Does not performing in the premier league automatically make you a bad player then? Yes he's been a disappointment but he was superb for Juventus and he's decent enough for France so you could well argue that mourinho's style of play doesn't suit him.
Some players simply perform better in some leagues than others.
Dennis Bergkamp was a flop in Italy before moving to England. Henry also struggled at Juve before Arsenal signed him. Iago Aspas was a carthorse at Liverpool, but is prolific in La liga. Falcao and Di maria were shit in England but have done well elsewhere. Boateng didn't exactly set the world alight at Man City but has been a rock for Bayern and Germany for many years.
Without wanting to go through your entire list of players, there were exceptional circumstances around why some of those players failed.
Bergkamp for example didn’t shine for Inter, as they insisted on playing him as a number nine, playing with his back to goal, rather than as a number ten where he thrived for Arsenal.
Thierry Henry only played sixteen games for Juventus, and was primarily seen as a winger, until Wenger developed his true potential through the middle at Arsenal.
I would say that if a foreign player can thrive and succeed in the PL, then he can thrive anywhere in the world, as the intensity and relentless nature of the league, means that nothing is a given and every point has to be scrapped for.
This is why many top players don’t want to come and play here, as they can go to Real/PSG/Barca and largely stroll through 85% of the games they play, without having to put their bodies on the line too often. Look at La Liga, some of those games are a joke, and the bottom half of the league don’t even try and compete sometimes.
Getting back to Pogba, I think you would have to agree with me that Sir Alex is a better judge of a player than both of us, and the fact that he let Pogba go once, and wasn’t keen on him coming back, tells you all you need to know. In fact one of the main reasons that Paul Scholes came out of retirement was that there was an injury crisis in midfield for United, and Ferguson didn’t have any faith in Pogba, so Scholes was convinced to come back.
On a broader point, the problem that managers increasingly have with super-stars like Pogba, is that these players have become a brand and identity in themselves, and they are quite happy to move clubs/agents/countries, as they are fully cogniscent of their own brand value, and don’t have any loyalty to a club.
There is no doubt that Mourinho has his faults, but for the life of me I cannot understand how Pogba seems to be so highly rated and supposedly sought after by the likes of Barca.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
Does not performing in the premier league automatically make you a bad player then? Yes he's been a disappointment but he was superb for Juventus and he's decent enough for France so you could well argue that mourinho's style of play doesn't suit him.
Some players simply perform better in some leagues than others.
Dennis Bergkamp was a flop in Italy before moving to England. Henry also struggled at Juve before Arsenal signed him. Iago Aspas was a carthorse at Liverpool, but is prolific in La liga. Falcao and Di maria were shit in England but have done well elsewhere. Boateng didn't exactly set the world alight at Man City but has been a rock for Bayern and Germany for many years.
Without wanting to go through your entire list of players, there were exceptional circumstances around why some of those players failed.
Bergkamp for example didn’t shine for Inter, as they insisted on playing him as a number nine, playing with his back to goal, rather than as a number ten where he thrived for Arsenal.
Thierry Henry only played sixteen games for Juventus, and was primarily seen as a winger, until Wenger developed his true potential through the middle at Arsenal.
I would say that if a foreign player can thrive and succeed in the PL, then he can thrive anywhere in the world, as the intensity and relentless nature of the league, means that nothing is a given and every point has to be scrapped for.
This is why many top players don’t want to come and play here, as they can go to Real/PSG/Barca and largely stroll through 85% of the games they play, without having to put their bodies on the line too often. Look at La Liga, some of those games are a joke, and the bottom half of the league don’t even try and compete sometimes.
Getting back to Pogba, I think you would have to agree with me that Sir Alex is a better judge of a player than both of us, and the fact that he let Pogba go once, and wasn’t keen on him coming back, tells you all you need to know. In fact one of the main reasons that Paul Scholes came out of retirement was that there was an injury crisis in midfield for United, and Ferguson didn’t have any faith in Pogba, so Scholes was convinced to come back.
On a broader point, the problem that managers increasingly have with super-stars like Pogba, is that these players have become a brand and identity in themselves, and they are quite happy to move clubs/agents/countries, as they are fully cogniscent of their own brand value, and don’t have any loyalty to a club.
I agree with most of what you've said but i'm pretty sure Fergie wanted to keep Pogba. They offered him a contract but his agent (Raiola) had pretty much already agreed that Pogba was off to Juventus.
Comments
I've asked many times why they don't appear to be doing much about Kodi, it comes up a lot in my day job but I've been stonewalled every time. I do suspect Netflix having to crack down on VPN users was from Sky pressuring studios though.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Paul Pogba he will not captain the club again because of concerns about the midfielder's attitude.
Pogba was told of the decision before Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie with Derby.
Mourinho has attempted to underline his authority after an error by Pogba led to Wolves' equaliser at Old Trafford on Saturday and the player's subsequent comments criticising United's tactics.
Pogba, 25, tried to play down his comments in a tweet on Monday.
In his programme notes for Tuesday's game with Derby, Mourinho said he was unhappy with some members of his squad.
"[The game against Wolves was] an important lesson; a lesson that I repeat week after week after week, a lesson that some boys are not learning," he said.
"Every team that play Manchester United are playing the game of their lives, and we need to match that level of aggression, motivation and desire - 95% isn't enough when others give 101%."
Discuss
It can't be a coincidence that Pogba was decent at the world cup, but struggles for United. Sanchez was superb at Arsenal, but has disappeared at United.
He had a good WC – but not sensational – but whenever I have seen him play for United, he always seems to be on the periphery of the game, a few nice touches here and there, but generally you would have to say that he has been a disappointment.
Certainly if you are looking to compare him to great midfield players of the recent past, then he has been nowhere near the level of someone like Patrick Vieira was for Arsenal, and from an attacking midfield perspective he isn’t fit to lace the boots of Paul Scholes.
If I were Mourinho I’d get rid of him asap, and try and bring in a genuine playmaker, as without doubt the biggest weakness of this United team is that there is so little creativity coming from midfield.
Most of the time United play with three up, and with Pogba supposedly coming from midfield to support Sanchez/Lingaard/Lukaku/Rashford/Martial etc.
I would have thought for $89Million United would have expected him to dominate game after game from the middle of the pitch, but it just hasn’t happened. You can blame the managers tactics all you like, but great players impose themselves at big clubs, and he has failed in that completely (unless you count social media stats).
The real problem here of course is that Pogba wants out, as he has been courted by Barca, but is worried that by coming out and openly saying he wants out (for a 2nd time in the last seven years), that he is going to look like a prize prat, and more or less admit that the PL is too hard for him.
Yes he's been a disappointment but he was superb for Juventus and he's decent enough for France so you could well argue that mourinho's style of play doesn't suit him.
Some players simply perform better in some leagues than others.
Dennis Bergkamp was a flop in Italy before moving to England. Henry also struggled at Juve before Arsenal signed him.
Iago Aspas was a carthorse at Liverpool, but is prolific in La liga.
Falcao and Di maria were shit in England but have done well elsewhere.
Boateng didn't exactly set the world alight at Man City but has been a rock for Bayern and Germany for many years.
Pogba is a tad overrated but a better coach would get more out of him and give him the confidence and freedom he needs.
Frosty
Bergkamp for example didn’t shine for Inter, as they insisted on playing him as a number nine, playing with his back to goal, rather than as a number ten where he thrived for Arsenal.
Thierry Henry only played sixteen games for Juventus, and was primarily seen as a winger, until Wenger developed his true potential through the middle at Arsenal.
I would say that if a foreign player can thrive and succeed in the PL, then he can thrive anywhere in the world, as the intensity and relentless nature of the league, means that nothing is a given and every point has to be scrapped for.
This is why many top players don’t want to come and play here, as they can go to Real/PSG/Barca and largely stroll through 85% of the games they play, without having to put their bodies on the line too often. Look at La Liga, some of those games are a joke, and the bottom half of the league don’t even try and compete sometimes.
Getting back to Pogba, I think you would have to agree with me that Sir Alex is a better judge of a player than both of us, and the fact that he let Pogba go once, and wasn’t keen on him coming back, tells you all you need to know. In fact one of the main reasons that Paul Scholes came out of retirement was that there was an injury crisis in midfield for United, and Ferguson didn’t have any faith in Pogba, so Scholes was convinced to come back.
On a broader point, the problem that managers increasingly have with super-stars like Pogba, is that these players have become a brand and identity in themselves, and they are quite happy to move clubs/agents/countries, as they are fully cogniscent of their own brand value, and don’t have any loyalty to a club.