Antony

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

Absolutely not, if only based on all the players that LVG, Jose and Ole wanted. Why did it all suddenly change when ETH came in?

I suspect it was a case of ETH saying go for Antony then, somehow, we ended up paying about £50m over the odds. In fact i'm sure I read somewhere that that's exactly what happened, he was valued about £30m ish then Ajax didn't want to sell for that much, so we slap £80m down.

Whatever happened, it's £#%&!ing bonkers and the whole point of having proper structure above the manager is so somewhere along the way someone has the good sense to put a ceiling on what we play for any given player.


ETH makes plenty of baffling decisions to these eyes but I think saying "oh he worked with Antony so it's entirely his fault we paid £80m for him" is a very easy stick to beat him with for his detractors. It quite simply should not have got to that stage.

If you're ETH, you want the player and the club says it can get him, you're not going to care about the cost because that shouldn't be in the managers remit. Reckon Klopp gave a £#%&! about how much they paid for Nunez, or Guardiola with Kalvin Phillips?


We all seem to be stuck with this idea of a Fergie like deity who trains and coaches the players, tactics, scouts players, decides how much to pay etc etc. That's not how top clubs are run, and we've been in the ditch for well over a decade precisely because the glazers thought every manager would be like Fergie and able to work miracles and do the job of 10 men.

I don’t understand why people think the cash is irrelevant to ETh or he’s somehow in the dark about everything- spitting out his cornflakes when Dick tells him he paid £80m ffs.

He will have a budget. A total amount available. The total cost of each player will impact on that (obvs), so Eth will be across the price and the negotiations even if it’s just updates because it will have a massive impact on other targets/the squad. Ie if we get him at this price Erik obviously Kane is off the list. Etc.

So he will have been ok with that price. If not he’d have said no, we try for X and Y so let’s kill the Antony deal.

Of course there may not have been an X or Y still on the table at that point so his choice was complete Antony at the price they want or have nothing in your Christmas stocking. He obviously said yes.

The alternative is Erik wanting other players or instead wanting to hold the budget for next window and instead having Antony foisted on him and all or a big slice of the budget eaten up. No way he swallows that and doesn’t walk.

So again, he won’t be doing the deal but he will be part of the steering group signing off and okaying the buy at the price knowing how that effects the budget they have to bring in new players.

Originally Posted by Gypsum Fantastic

I don’t understand why people think the cash is irrelevant to ETh or he’s somehow in the dark about everything- spitting out his cornflakes when Dick tells him he paid £80m ffs.

He will have a budget. A total amount available. The total cost of each player will impact on that (obvs), so Eth will be across the price and the negotiations even if it’s just updates because it will have a massive impact on other targets/the squad. Ie if we get him at this price Erik obviously Kane is off the list. Etc.

So he will have been ok with that price. If not he’d have said no, we try for X and Y so let’s kill the Antony deal.

Of course there may not have been an X or Y still on the table at that point so his choice was complete Antony at the price they want or have nothing in your Christmas stocking. He obviously said yes.

The alternative is Erik wanting other players or instead wanting to hold the budget for next window and instead having Antony foisted on him and all or a big slice of the budget eaten up. No way he swallows that and doesn’t walk.

So again, he won’t be doing the deal but he will be part of the steering group signing off and okaying the buy at the price knowing how that effects the budget they have to bring in new players.

Absolutely this. There is a more general point about some of the players we have bought and how much choice or alternatives the managers were presented with (Fred, Casimero etc) but while the lunatics who offered 80 million for Antony shoulder plenty of the blame ETH is very much implicated in that transfer including the fee.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

Their first was appointed in 2016 and since then, as you know full well, they've won the Champions League, Premier league and (I think) the FA Cup and league Cup.

Are you pissed?

So less than we’ve won under the Glazers without one. Great post.

Originally Posted by Gypsum Fantastic

I don’t understand why people think the cash is irrelevant to ETh or he’s somehow in the dark about everything- spitting out his cornflakes when Dick tells him he paid £80m ffs.

He will have a budget. A total amount available. The total cost of each player will impact on that (obvs), so Eth will be across the price and the negotiations even if it’s just updates because it will have a massive impact on other targets/the squad. Ie if we get him at this price Erik obviously Kane is off the list. Etc.

So he will have been ok with that price. If not he’d have said no, we try for X and Y so let’s kill the Antony deal.

Of course there may not have been an X or Y still on the table at that point so his choice was complete Antony at the price they want or have nothing in your Christmas stocking. He obviously said yes.

The alternative is Erik wanting other players or instead wanting to hold the budget for next window and instead having Antony foisted on him and all or a big slice of the budget eaten up. No way he swallows that and doesn’t walk.

So again, he won’t be doing the deal but he will be part of the steering group signing off and okaying the buy at the price knowing how that effects the budget they have to bring in new players.

nailed it.

Originally Posted by believe

So less than we’ve won under the Glazers without one. Great post.

Originally Posted by believe

So less than we’ve won under the Glazers without one. Great post.

20 years compared to 8 years and with the greatest manager of all time for 8 of them


Great post

Originally Posted by believe

So less than we’ve won under the Glazers without one. Great post.

And we have a new leader in the worst post of 2024 award

Originally Posted by Zorg

Unable to make the jump to a superior league? He wouldn't be the first.

This, but also how good was he in that league? Stam was interviewed recently and he said Antony played well against the local farm teams but never impressed against the better dutch clubs. Never scored more than 10 in a season against some very shit teams. The signs were there.

I can see why ETH wanted someone he had worked with and trusted, but in no way is he exempt from criticism on the fee on a player he had personally identified. Could have easily said, no 80 million is a £#%&!ing joke lads, let's move on.

Originally Posted by Whip Hubley

20 years compared to 8 years and with the greatest manager of all time for 8 of them


Great post

Honest, serious question for anyone that saw him play a bit before he joined: What did he offer to Ajax that made him look like a good fit for this team?

I wanted to believe he'd start to come good and start showing a reason why he should play, still hope he does, but I don't see what he can offer.

He doesn't seem to run very fast, he isn't that good at beating his man 1-on-1, he can't do much with his right foot, his left foot isn't anything special, he's not picking out teammates from 40 yards, he's not sliding them through on goal, and he's not curling shots into the far post and racking up goals. He does look industrious at times which tbf is more than can be said about a lot of his teammates. But other than that I can't see what can change about his game to such a degree where he'd start looking like an £80m player.

Would still keep him for another year, but only because his stocks so low after this season that there's almost no point trying to offload him at the moment. Maybe a loan next season with his wages covered would be best for everyone.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

Honest, serious question for anyone that saw him play a bit before he joined: What did he offer to Ajax that made him look like a good fit for this team?

so that's, er, nobody.

Originally Posted by Patty_b

He doesn't seem to run very fast, he isn't that good at beating his man 1-on-1, he can't do much with his right foot, his left foot isn't anything special, he's not picking out teammates from 40 yards, he's not sliding them through on goal, and he's not curling shots into the far post and racking up goals. .

He's done all these things at united......

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

He's done all these things at united......

Originally Posted by Denis Irwell

Few examples ...

https://youtu.be/A-upj2T0x44?si=BdGAnOxkbJsIzOnj

Of course this is missing the Liverpool goal that got us through to extra time on the way to Wembley....

You did watch this game ?

And the Chelsea assist..... Ultimately we lost but his outside boot ball to garnacho was a thing of beauty....

Again, crazy to actually realise how badly people hate a player for Thier own club...

Not had the best second season, but had off the field issues to deal with and has took his bench time well...

When you have to combine goals and assists to make it looks slightly plausible should tell you something.

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

Few examples ...

https://youtu.be/A-upj2T0x44?si=BdGAnOxkbJsIzOnj

Of course this is missing the Liverpool goal that got us through to extra time on the way to Wembley....

You did watch this game ?

And the Chelsea assist..... Ultimately we lost but his outside boot ball to garnacho was a thing of beauty....

Again, crazy to actually realise how badly people hate a player for Thier own club...

Not had the best second season, but had off the field issues to deal with and has took his bench time well...

Don’t hate him at all, pal. In fact, quite like him. He’s just not good enough. Not the worst by any means… and you’re cherry picking

Originally Posted by believe

When you have to combine goals and assists to make it looks slightly plausible should tell you something.

he's not picking out teammates from 40 yards, he's not sliding them through on goal,

It was to cover this lie.....

Pretty obvious after him putting through Dalot and Cass with a classic slide pass....

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

It was to cover this lie.....

Pretty obvious after him putting through Dalot and Cass with a classic slide pass....

Tbf I meant regularly as a £80m United winger should be doing, not twice in two seasons.

Daniel James: 74 Appearances, 18 goals and assists.

Antony: 82 Appearances, 16 goals and assists.

Want him to do well, I quite like him. But he's been shit.

Originally Posted by Bunker Buster

Few examples ...

https://youtu.be/A-upj2T0x44?si=BdGAnOxkbJsIzOnj

Of course this is missing the Liverpool goal that got us through to extra time on the way to Wembley....

You did watch this game ?

And the Chelsea assist..... Ultimately we lost but his outside boot ball to garnacho was a thing of beauty....

Again, crazy to actually realise how badly people hate a player for Thier own club...

Not had the best second season, but had off the field issues to deal with and has took his bench time well...

Didn't you hate Pogba?

And half a dozen other players over the past few years no doubt.

Stop taking it personal because Antony turned out to be shit.

Originally Posted by shenwen

Didn't you hate Pogba?

And half a dozen other players over the past few years no doubt.

Stop taking it personal because Antony turned out to be shit.

He hates half of the current team and calls anyone who uses stats a £#%&!er usually. He loves to bend the rules to suit his wums