What do we need to do?

Originally Posted by shyteds

You can’t put Carrick in that list mate single handed he has carried us to the team we are today.

His great distribution of the ball, his fight and desire to both defend and attack and his composure when he is training must be something else, if only he could do the same when playing in a competitive game.

shh. we won 3 leagues on the bounce with a midfield that was built around him. apparently.

I'm just amazed that fergie has put up with him for so long. he is exactly the kind of player he normally doesn't go for - no bottle.

keeper can wait if vds is here for another year.

defence is fine, good cover there, good blend of youth and experience. bringing anyone in would just prevent evans and the twins from getting the experience they need to develop.

need a quality creative midfielder, the most pressing issue (ever banega ) and a strong, combative midfielder. lee cattermole is a great prospect imo, sunderland are already very dependent on him - the difference in their performances with (challenging for europe) and without (sucked towards relegation) him is striking. he'd give us real steel in the middle and he'd learn loads at united, he'd be an england fixture in two years.

need a strong, pacy, direct striker to serve as back up to rooney or to complement him. berbatov isn't it. owen isn't it. macheda and welbeck are just prospects. not too many knocking about. i like rodallega tbh...

Originally Posted by dunk

£25m for Vidic

£16m for Di Maria, Dzeko
£17m for Rodwell
£15m for Lloris

Anybody see the major, major discrepancy there?

Phone United and give them that list and tell them to make the bids, I'm sure they'll be happy to.

That's the price being thrown around for Vidic, I don't know how much the others are available, I am not ITK like you. How much do you think them 4 players in question would be valued at?

Too many average players at United, that's why I have so many ins and out. Most likely won't happen that way but the OP asked what was needed and that was is what I think.

Originally Posted by borsuk

keeper can wait if vds is here for another year.

defence is fine, good cover there, good blend of youth and experience. bringing anyone in would just prevent evans and the twins from getting the experience they need to develop.

need a quality creative midfielder, the most pressing issue (ever banega ) and a strong, combative midfielder. lee cattermole is a great prospect imo, sunderland are already very dependent on him - the difference in their performances with (challenging for europe) and without (sucked towards relegation) him is striking. he'd give us real steel in the middle and he'd learn loads at united, he'd be an england fixture in two years.

need a strong, pacy, direct striker to serve as back up to rooney or to complement him. berbatov isn't it. owen isn't it. macheda and welbeck are just prospects. not too many knocking about. i like rodallega tbh...

Very good post.


Wheres an Ole when you need one - get rid of berbs and roo owen mach wel and ole would do me up front - its all about midfield-

I'd love to see the ruthless Fergie of old sort the team out.

Out: Carrick (£8m), Foster (£4m), Gibson (£4m), Scholes, Giggs, Neville, Brown (£5m), Tosic (£3m), Welbeck (£6m), Cleverly (£2m) & De Laet (£1m) = £33m (and a lot saved in wages)

In: Akinfeev (£13m), Pjanic (£16m), Cole (free), Rodwell (£15m), Rodallega (£5m) = £49m

Job done.

£20m for Vidic

£30m each for Di Maria, Dzeko
£20m for Rodwell
£20-25m for Lloris

That would be more accurate I reckon.

We need a pacey, direct striker. We have done ever since the departure of Saha.

We need a mobile midfielder who can create and score.

And a good goalkeeper to eventually succeed Edwin.

None will be cheap.

Originally Posted by Lok

I'd love to see the ruthless Fergie of old sort the team out.

Out: Carrick, Foster, Gibson, Scholes, Giggs, Neville, Brown, Tosic, Welbeck, Cleverly & De Laet

In: Akinfeev, Pjanic, Cole, Rodwell, Rodallega.

Job done.

Scholes, Giggs, Neville, keep - small contracts 12 games in a season tops.

Gibson is fine for the squad so is welbeck and Brown.

Cleverly and de laet give another season.

Tosic i though had gone Carrick and berbs off.

Foster loan for a season.

Giggs aside, you could make a case for the older heads stepping aside, entirely, to free up cash & starting places, responsibility & room for new blood...

Rafael, to progress & gain consistency, will need to play week in, week out. The first half, to utterly subdue one of the finest wingers in world football as a 19(?) year old, was excellent. He's shown time & again he can perform in these games, but he's also shown a horrendous lack of noodle to make it stick over the 90mins. So it's thanks & goodbye to a man who loves United more than life itself, but it's how it has to be. Neville's longest run of games in 3 or 4 seasons was the last 6 games. It's a squad game but he's 35, we're not Milan, the youth needs to be given it's chance again.

Scholes... I think he'll retire. His body appears capable when fit - his mind will forever be the sharpest on the pitch, but a knock £#%&!s him & getting his groove back is going to take longer & longer each season. It also stiffles whoever we decide to replace him with, as it's obvious that's not someone at the club already. Unless Cleverley get his health & form back to enjoy pre-season & the trust of the gaffer.

VDS - he's retired from International football, I can't believe he's not going to the World Cup for a swan song... he's 40(?) now & been the best since the Great Dane, if we're having a purge & new CB's are to come in (Smalling, Evans) & Vidic is to possibly depart, maybe getting a new man in to communicate & join the new guard is a good idea. Maybe keeping VDS to maintain as an excellent communicator is a better idea? If he stays, fantastic, if we get Lloris or someone equally as good to replace him, that too would be fine by me.

I think 4-4-2 is on it's arse, Rooney has flourished in the 4-3-3, Nani appears to be getting to grips with it all. Valencia has been very, very good. Fletcher, Hargreaves () & Giggs are all better in a 3. I imagine Cleverley would be excellent at the head of two industrious midfielders. So buying another striker to sit on the bench is going to be tough. £#%&! Owen, he can't play that system, or any other for United. He's not a footballer, he's a predator & I don't see why we need him. Berbatov... *sigh*. Majestic imo, not going to play in a 4-3-3 formation - ever - so... do we sell him? I hope not, but why would he sit on the bench, missing the big games? He's done it for 2 years, I think the Veron analogy is right. Gutted tbf. It could of all been so different....

I hope to £#%&! we have identified what we need, the World Cup is going to inflate prices, reputations & opinions from the Pro Evo £#%&!tards. If we persist with 4-3-3, a genuine left sided attacking forward is needed to add balance, Nani is settling, but a left footed attacker is important as all the others in the squad are right footed. I've mentioned Ozil a few times, I think he'd be great. A 'keeper, the lad at Palermo for me, & a creative & goalscoring central mid (should Cleverley not be that man). Not huge changes, maybe 3 signings... but they need to be pure class to take on the mantle of the legends they'll be replacing.

Off to lunch, bit depressed.

Originally Posted by Redordead

Scholes, Giggs, Neville, keep - small contracts 12 games in a season tops.

Gibson is fine for the squad so is welbeck and Brown.

Cleverly and de laet give another season.

Tosic i though had gone Carrick and berbs off.

Foster loan for a season.

Without being nostalgic, is there really a reason to keep Giggs, Scholes and Neville?

Brown isn't needed as we have Rafael and O'Shea.

Tosic is on loan.

De Laet will never make it past the reserves. Cleverly did well at Watford but mainly because of his attitude, not his ability. Can't see him making it.

Why loan Foster again? He's shown he's not good enough, we may as well cash in.

Milner and Agbonlahor would be great signings. We could offer Villa 30,000 green and gold scarves and a gormless geordie metronome.

Originally Posted by Lok

Without being nostalgic, is there really a reason to keep Giggs, Scholes and Neville?

Brown isn't needed as we have Rafael and O'Shea.

Tosic is on loan.

De Laet will never make it past the reserves. Cleverly did well at Watford but mainly because of his attitude, not his ability. Can't see him making it.

Why loan Foster again? He's shown he's not good enough, we may as well cash in.

Yes experience and cover - I just want them playing half hours or the odd game . plus loyalty should be rewarded we slate players who dare to leave yet will £#%&! them off when they are getting on. they are down to 20 k a week and at that price excellent value and cover. but for example Rafael should be first choice not nev, Nani over giggs, etc.

Carrick and berbs to newcastle.

Milner cole would be two buys i would like to see.

Originally Posted by Lok

Without being nostalgic, is there really a reason to keep Giggs, Scholes and Neville?

Giggs has already signed for another year, we're hardly going to sell him. Scholes has been offered another year but hasn't decided yet apparently. Wouldn't be surpised if he calls it a day himself. Nev needs to go, O'Shea and Rafael will do fine, if by some miracle Hargreaves got back he can play there too.

Originally Posted by Redordead

Yes experience and cover - I just want them playing half hours or the odd game . plus loyalty should be rewarded we slate players who dare to leave yet will £#%&! them off when they are getting on. they are down to 20 k a week and at that price excellent value and cover. but for example Rafael should be first choice not nev, Nani over giggs, etc.

I very much doubt they're on as little £20k a week. The problem with keeping them in the squad is that it hinders the progress of other players.

Originally Posted by Lok

I very much doubt they're on as little £20k a week. The problem with keeping them in the squad is that it hinders the progress of other players.

Pretty sure Giggs deal was 20k aweek.

they help if they play less and are around for advice and cover, agree they hinder when they all play too much.

Giggs is on about 80-90k a week far from 20k. Anyway as I said above he has another year so we're not going to force him out.

Originally Posted by RedMenace

Giggs is on about 80-90k a week far from 20k. Anyway as I said above he has another year so we're not going to force him out.

his old contract was that . not this extra year.

I'd be very surprised at that to be honest. I obviously don't know for sure but can't imagine him taking that big a cut.

Don't forget we've already spent half our transfer budget on Smalling