Woody Briefing Press About Failed Transfers

Originally Posted by windy waffles

This.

Money has been spent. A lot of it. Throwing money isn't the issue. The lack of the right manager who can get the best out of players is the problem.

Money has been spent, but how it's been spent has been dictated by the budget constraints. City have only bought one player for much over £50m, Laporte, but they've bought several in and around £50m, a lot of times making sure they got their number 1 choice. United haven't even got involved in negotiations for players around that value unless necessary, and then only one of that value a summer. The headline buys of Di Maria, Pogba and Lukaku look impressive, but in every case their price had a knock on effect on the level of other players targeted. IMO.

Originally Posted by dunk

Money has been spent, but how it's been spent has been dictated by the budget constraints. City have only bought one player for much over £50m, Laporte, but they've bought several in and around £50m, a lot of times making sure they got their number 1 choice. United haven't even got involved in negotiations for players around that value unless necessary, and then only one of that value a summer. The headline buys of Di Maria, Pogba and Lukaku look impressive, but in every case their price had a knock on effect on the level of other players targeted. IMO.

De Bruyne

But yes we could have spent a hell of a lot smarter. It's galling in the extreme that having shelled out so much we still have a load more to spend to have anything like a balanced and functioning squad, but here we are. To say nothing of the outrageously spiralling wage bill.

The Pogba signing was a huge rod for our backs in so many ways.

Originally Posted by windy waffles

This.

Money has been spent. A lot of it. Throwing money isn't the issue. The lack of the right manager who can get the best out of players is the problem.

And who hires the managers?

He’s hired two completely different managers (if we're to believe Moyes wasn’t his man) with no clear plan or direction and as long as Woodward is overseeing the football side of things that will continue.

People talking about us spending £60m on two young centre backs, while Liverpool and City spend that amount (and more) on one player. £30m is today’s £15m and gets you potential rather than ready made quality, which both Bailey and Lindelof were/are.

Woodward has now undermined two managers in the transfer market. He’s come out and told the press he didn’t like any of Mourinho’s targets and it wasn’t the direction he wanted the club to take (profile and age of player etc), yet was happy enough to give Fellaini a new contract.... why? Because he knew it would cost more to replace him than to give him the contract he wanted.

Jose has to take responsibility for the shit football, as do the players obviously and the way he was during the pre season was pathetic. But the biggest problem at the club (other than the owners, but that won’t change any time soon) is the person overseeing the football side of the club who hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing and will continue to botch it no matter who the manager is.

Originally Posted by andyroo

De Bruyne

But yes we could have spent a hell of a lot smarter. It's galling in the extreme that having shelled out so much we still have a load more to spend to have anything like a balanced and functioning squad, but here we are. To say nothing of the outrageously spiralling wage bill.

The Pogba signing was a huge rod for our backs in so many ways.

He was only £52m wasn't he?

Originally Posted by dunk

Money has been spent, but how it's been spent has been dictated by the budget constraints. City have only bought one player for much over £50m, Laporte, but they've bought several in and around £50m, a lot of times making sure they got their number 1 choice. United haven't even got involved in negotiations for players around that value unless necessary, and then only one of that value a summer. The headline buys of Di Maria, Pogba and Lukaku look impressive, but in every case their price had a knock on effect on the level of other players targeted. IMO.

Agree with this

Also it seems like we have to get into bed with an agent if we want to make any sort of marquee signing these days?

On the subject of signings, didn’t Van Gaal say something along the lines of he gave Woodward a list of positions he wanted and left it up to Woodward and the scouts to find and get the players that fit that profile??

Can’t remeber exactly what was said, but again (if true) you have to question who is making the signings.

Originally Posted by dunk

Money has been spent, but how it's been spent has been dictated by the budget constraints. City have only bought one player for much over £50m, Laporte, but they've bought several in and around £50m, a lot of times making sure they got their number 1 choice. United haven't even got involved in negotiations for players around that value unless necessary, and then only one of that value a summer. The headline buys of Di Maria, Pogba and Lukaku look impressive, but in every case their price had a knock on effect on the level of other players targeted. IMO.

That's possibly the worst part of what we've done. That very good players have gone to other clubs for fees that aren't that extreme by today's standards, yet we seem intent on chasing the 'marquee' signing.

We've spent £360m since Jose has been in charge and the overall quality of the squad hasn't gone up that much. To put that in perspective for you, the players on City's BENCH at the weekend were worth £254m. Meanwhile at Brighton, United's bench totalled £69m.

That's the difference. We've shelled out huge amounts of money on two players (Pogba and Lukaku) whilst largely neglecting the over all depth of the squad. How laughable is it that we've spent 360m yet our right back options are ashley young and valencia? Our wide attacker is juan mata? Matic gets injured so the only options are Pereira or The Scottish Player.

Originally Posted by dunk

He was only £52m wasn't he?

£#%&!ed if I know. Thought it was about the same as we paid for Di Sappointment.

75 million euros apparently which at the time translated to about 55 million of your English pounds.

Originally Posted by dunk

Money has been spent, but how it's been spent has been dictated by the budget constraints. City have only bought one player for much over £50m, Laporte, but they've bought several in and around £50m, a lot of times making sure they got their number 1 choice. United haven't even got involved in negotiations for players around that value unless necessary, and then only one of that value a summer. The headline buys of Di Maria, Pogba and Lukaku look impressive, but in every case their price had a knock on effect on the level of other players targeted. IMO.

You mean like when we bought Lukaku for £75million, Matic for £40million and Lindelof for £30million in the same window and then made Alexis Sanchez the highest paid player in the division mid season? Even last summer a £40million midfielder should have made a substantial difference to performance and a £30million centre half would still be considered a potential starter in all the other countries where they don't propose Harry Maguire for £70million with a straight face.

This window, everyone can see we need fullbacks, proper specialist full backs, even now its perfectly possible to find a fullback from a foreign league that would start regularly for double figures millions, but Jose spends £20 odd million on a 19 year old with 6 games under his belt, and then he's not even in matchday squads when we're slotting Ashley Young in there. It's £#%&!ing ludicrous.

The figures show we've outspent teams that were in our wake 5 years ago and they're level with us, it's not about beating the Bert's. Spurs and to a lesser extent Liverpool aren't even close to us in spending and the football on the pitch is light years better to watch.