Woodward is a curse on our club

Originally Posted by Sparky***

See his face today,

absolute £#%&!ing #@&%!

Where's messhead's baseball bat?

Originally Posted by Pop

Camera cut to him as he was doing his angry ceo face.

Probably thinking to himself how todays result will go down with the shareholders of the Sudanese flies and diarrhea sponsorship deals he has lined up.

Pretty well I should imagine. The product placement opportunities!

Originally Posted by Bobda

Worse. “6 years of wasteful service” now at Woodward’s door... Blamed not because any actual tangible mistake made, no, blamed because of his length of service.

His job is to bring in funds and support the Manager with whatever they need. Every Manager appointed has had the large majority of players they requested. No Manager has been fundamentally denied anything of significance.

I've got a degree of sympathy for this POV, each manager was backed handsomely and irrespective of the flaws at the club they all failed miserably however the job of the chief exec stretches to just more than writing cheques. He is ultimately responsible for the structure at the club, he is the one renewing or not players contracts based on what he deems to be their value as commercial assets and not footballing ability. He is also the one that hired three managers that failed miserably.

Should be hounded out of the club

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

I've got a degree of sympathy for this POV, each manager was backed handsomely and irrespective of the flaws at the club they all failed miserably however the job of the chief exec stretches to just more than writing cheques. He is ultimately responsible for the structure at the club, he is the one renewing or not players contracts based on what he deems to be their value as commercial assets and not footballing ability. He is also the one that hired three managers that failed miserably.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s done a great job. I just don’t see what mistake he has made.

The Scottish one cant be blamed on Woodward. With the other two, he has to shoulder some blame retrospectively because it didn't work out, but it wasn’t his fault specifically.

Neither can picking and choosing who gets an extension, that’s pure speculation who makes that call. The ultimate decision is surely with the Manager. Imagine Woodward encouraging Mourinho to extend Youngs contact because we are better off financially because of it. That makes no sense whatsoever on any level.

We’re not in the current situation because of a handful of contract extensions. Nor because of the structure of the back office. We lost the best Manager this sport has ever seen, then the competition got stronger.

The manager and the players ultimately responsible. Everything else is a distraction. Replacing the Chief Exec isn't going to change a £#%&!ing thing on the pitch. Fergie would have won titles in that last 6 years regardless who was looking after the back office.

Originally Posted by Mr_Ed

I’d go one bigger and say the Glazers

It’s all down to this

Originally Posted by andyroo

There's nobody else at the club who's got any idea either. We wanted to get him a football adviser of some sort last year but Mou Mou wasn't having it. There's forever talk we're about to get a technical director and it never happens, they're clearly aware they need one but it's easier said than done.

As if Mou Mou had any more say in it than you do that’s why he £#%&!ing gave up

Originally Posted by Bobda

Neither can picking and choosing who gets an extension, that’s pure speculation who makes that call. The ultimate decision is surely with the Manager. Imagine Woodward encouraging Mourinho to extend Youngs contact because we are better off financially because of it. That makes no sense whatsoever on any level.

Players have been signed/given extensions at the tail end of managers reigns or during the first weeks of a caretaker position, surely that should be a decision for a full-time manager? If not who is making the call?

Originally Posted by Bobda

Neither can picking and choosing who gets an extension, that’s pure speculation who makes that call. The ultimate decision is surely with the Manager. Imagine Woodward encouraging Mourinho to extend Youngs contact because we are better off financially because of it. That makes no sense whatsoever on any level.

We’re not in the current situation because of a handful of contract extensions. Nor because of the structure of the back office. We lost the best Manager this sport has ever seen, then the competition got stronger.

Surely you can see a correlation between giving Sanchez a £400k a week contract and the current stand-off between players negotiating extensions? In a desperate attempt to sign Sanchez (because he was available for free) he is going to end up spending a lot more on higher wages and/or replacements for disgruntled players.

Who do you blame for giving Mou a contract extension (a bloke that has a terrible record after two seasons) then not backing him three months later? A further 6 months of leaks and toxicity and he sacks the bloke once the season is all but a bust. Again, all the managers have failed against what could reasonably expected of them but Woodward is guilty of more than hiring people that let him down.

You can’t keep harping back to Fergie

Fergie wasn’t a manager but was some sort of totalitarian dictator at Old Trafford
He made every football related decision at the club

He was the last
You’re not going to have another manager with that kind of power again

The vision for a club starts from the top and works its way down

You know the footballing identity you want from the club and then you appoint first team manager and youth coaches to implement that identity at every level of the football club
When you go from Moyes to LvG to Jose and then appoint the interim manager on a permanent basis when you had no intention to do that in the first place it clearly shows you haven’t got the slightly clue what you are doing

Originally Posted by Bobda

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying he’s done a great job. I just don’t see what mistake he has made.

The Scottish one cant be blamed on Woodward. With the other two, he has to shoulder some blame retrospectively because it didn't work out, but it wasn’t his fault specifically.

Neither can picking and choosing who gets an extension, that’s pure speculation who makes that call. The ultimate decision is surely with the Manager. Imagine Woodward encouraging Mourinho to extend Youngs contact because we are better off financially because of it. That makes no sense whatsoever on any level.

Yes I can totally imagine that, and so can most others here. Frankly you are rather naive if you imagine otherwise.

4 different managers, countless different players, coaches and staff.

The one remaining constant in 6 years of largely terrible failure has been Woodward and the owners.

So it turns out that the Glazers are terrible for the club. Imagine that.

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

Players have been signed/given extensions at the tail end of managers reigns or during the first weeks of a caretaker position, surely that should be a decision for a full-time manager? If not who is making the call?

Surely you can see a correlation between giving Sanchez a £400k a week contract and the current stand-off between players negotiating extensions? In a desperate attempt to sign Sanchez (because he was available for free) he is going to end up spending a lot more on higher wages and/or replacements for disgruntled players.

Who do you blame for giving Mou a contract extension (a bloke that has a terrible record after two seasons) then not backing him three months later? A further 6 months of leaks and toxicity and he sacks the bloke once the season is all but a bust. Again, all the managers have failed against what could reasonably expected of them but Woodward is guilty of more than hiring people that let him down.

Activating a +1 on a players contract is not detrimental to the performance of the team on the pitch. If your example is referring to Woodward giving Young an extension without prior approval from Ole because he is a temp, I’d hazard a guess that’s not accurate.

Having a player earning £400k a week is also not detrimental to the performance of the team on the pitch. Are you suggesting Woodward is at fault for supporting the Manager? Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

Regarding Mourinho extension, I don't personally blame anybody, it just wasn’t a good fit. Woodward supporting the Manager to a point was not a mistake, he gave Mourinho every opportunity to turn things around. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Do you think Woodward should be supportive or reactive/cut throat to Ole right now?

Originally Posted by ZiggyStardust

You can’t keep harping back to Fergie

Fergie wasn’t a manager but was some sort of totalitarian dictator at Old Trafford
He made every football related decision at the club

He was the last
You’re not going to have another manager with that kind of power again

The vision for a club starts from the top and works its way down

You know the footballing identity you want from the club and then you appoint first team manager and youth coaches to implement that identity at every level of the football club
When you go from Moyes to LvG to Jose and then appoint the interim manager on a permanent basis when you had no intention to do that in the first place it clearly shows you haven’t got the slightly clue what you are doing

Moyes was nothing to do with Woodward. LVG and Mourinho were the best options at the time of appointment.

Originally Posted by Bobda

Moyes was nothing to do with Woodward. LVG and Mourinho were the best options at the time of appointment.

Best options

You mean big name managers who were out of contract
Yeah that’s a great way to decide who to appoint as manager for the football club

Originally Posted by Bobda

Activating a +1 on a players contract is not detrimental to the performance of the team on the pitch. If your example is referring to Woodward giving Young an extension without prior approval from Ole because he is a temp, I’d hazard a guess that’s not accurate.

Having a player earning £400k a week is also not detrimental to the performance of the team on the pitch. Are you suggesting Woodward is at fault for supporting the Manager? Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

You don't think renewing the terms of absolute dog-shit players on terms they wouldn't get close to elsewhere thus making them impossible to shift has an impact on said players turning out dog-shit performances on the pitch? Smalling was given a four year extension three days before Mou was sacked, Jones less than two months into the reign of a caretaker manager, you don't see the lack of joined up thinking in that? I think we have differing ideas of what constitutes support, throwing around money at players without considering who will be managing said players isn't support, it's actively hindering the job of the next manager.

Originally Posted by Bobda

Regarding Mourinho extension, I don't personally blame anybody, it just wasn’t a good fit. Woodward supporting the Manager to a point was not a mistake, he gave Mourinho every opportunity to turn things around. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

You don't blame anyone for Mou getting a contract extension, then not getting backed 6 months later but only getting sacked 6 months after that when we're 15 points off 4th?

Originally Posted by Bobda

Do you think Woodward should be supportive or reactive/cut throat to Ole right now?

He absolutely must be backed. But backing isn't about throwing fortunes at marque players, its being competent at negotiating the wages and contract length of existing and new signings. Its being competent at negotiating with other clubs to shift players the manager doesn't want or for new signings so you are not seen as a touch at all future negotiations which forces you to pay over the odds and get less for more. Its putting a team in place around the manager so that there is continuity for the club and also for the next manager whenever that may be so a new manager doesn't have to come in and wonder who is identifying players and why he has players in his squad that he doesn't want and can't shift.

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

You don't think renewing the terms of absolute dog-shit players on terms they wouldn't get close to elsewhere thus making them impossible to shift has an impact on said players turning out dog-shit performances on the pitch? Smalling was given a four year extension three days before Mou was sacked, Jones less than two months into the reign of a caretaker manager, you don't see the lack of joined up thinking in that? I think we have differing ideas of what constitutes support, throwing around money at players without considering who will be managing said players isn't support, it's actively hindering the job of the next manager.

Contract extensions aren’t agreed on the day they are announced in the press, they often take months of talks. Besides, it’s not like they got massive pay rises that hinder our shoestring budget.

Let’s go with your version of joined up thinking for a second. Woodward has total sole control. He picks the pot of players no manager wants, but has to choose from... Then you are suggesting 4 managers knowingly accommodated non-football decisions within the football team.

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

You don't blame anyone for Mou getting a contract extension, then not getting backed 6 months later but only getting sacked 6 months after that when we're 15 points off 4th?

No. As previously mentioned, he was backed publically and financially to a point. The club had given him everything he asked, but the club wasn’t getting back from him what they asked, results. Again, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Originally Posted by Chris Quayd

He absolutely must be backed. But backing isn't about throwing fortunes at marque players, its being competent at negotiating the wages and contract length of existing and new signings. Its being competent at negotiating with other clubs to shift players the manager doesn't want or for new signings so you are not seen as a touch at all future negotiations which forces you to pay over the odds and get less for more. Its putting a team in place around the manager so that there is continuity for the club and also for the next manager whenever that may be so a new manager doesn't have to come in and wonder who is identifying players and why he has players in his squad that he doesn't want and can't shift.

If Woodward negotiated the Sanchez deal for £150k a week, would that make him and the players around him significantly better on the pitch? Nope.

If Ole doesn’t want Jones and Smalling at the club they can be absolutely be moved on. The club previously funded a way to move on their very top earner in Rooney in the past. We could sure as shit move on a couple of squad players that would cost a fraction of what Rooney did, if that Manager specifically wants this.

Originally Posted by Bobda

Contract extensions aren’t agreed on the day they are announced in the press, they often take months of talks. Besides, it’s not like they got massive pay rises that hinder our shoestring budget.

Let’s go with your version of joined up thinking for a second. Woodward has total sole control. He picks the pot of players no manager wants, but has to choose from... Then you are suggesting 4 managers knowingly accommodated non-football decisions within the football team.



No. As previously mentioned, he was backed publically and financially to a point. The club had given him everything he asked, but the club wasn’t getting back from him what they asked, results. Again, hindsight is a wonderful thing.



If Woodward negotiated the Sanchez deal for £150k a week, would that make him and the players around him significantly better on the pitch? Nope.

If Ole doesn’t want Jones and Smalling at the club they can be absolutely be moved on. The club previously funded a way to move on their very top earner in Rooney in the past. We could sure as shit move on a couple of squad players that would cost a fraction of what Rooney did, if that Manager specifically wants this.

You really are Ed aren’t you!

Originally Posted by AK14

You really are Ed aren’t you!

It wasn’t funny the first time round, you turbo-posting tit.

Originally Posted by Bobda

It wasn’t funny the first time round, you turbo-posting tit.

Mate, seriously...

If you can’t see the problems our current CEO is causing the club on the football side then it’s you who is the tit.

Also what zorg says

Originally Posted by Bobda

It wasn’t funny the first time round, you turbo-posting tit.

Just what Ed would say

Originally Posted by AK14

Mate, seriously...

If you can’t see the problems our current CEO is causing the club on the football side then it’s who is the tit.

Do you seriously believe that Woodward was responsible for that performance yesterday?