Have we lost the ability to sign big players?

With the news of Hazard gone to the rent boys makes me wonder if we really can compete with the likes of the big spenders.
Years ago just the name 'manchester United' would have been enough to see a big player sign on the dotted line for us,but having lost out on ozil sneijder & ribery just to name a few makes me wonder if we will fall further & further behind. Are we not signing these players because we don't have the money? Does Fergie really believe in 'value' or is it just an excuse and are we seeing a new breed of player that is solely interested in lining his pockets & not a clubs history.
This is by no means a 'world is coming to an end' thread i am an optimistic red but just thought id put it out there.

Yes, yes we have.

anderson?

You're a sharp £#%&!er lookingforeric.

Originally Posted by Withers

You're a sharp £#%&!er lookingforeric.

Ill take that as a compliment. This thread will probably come back to haunt me once the Glazers sell up,we sign messi & Bebe wins the 2016 ballon'dor

We did about 4/5 years ago

Originally Posted by Withers

You're a sharp £#%&!er lookingforeric.

Groundbreaking thread.

Hold the front/back page!

the money, we've lost the money

United aren't about signing big names with lots of followers on Twitter. That's never been our game. We're about signing young talent, with maybe a few thousand followers, at most, and nurturing that talent so that they can gradually develop their personal brands and organically increase their number of followers.

The right players > Big players

Just look at Rooney or Ronaldo. How man Twitter followers did they have when we signed them? Not many, I bet.

Putting doom aside we have always struggled to attract the very top players, also Hazard is just potentially a top player atm, he isn't there yet. Obviously the last few years we haven't been able to afford the top players especially with city offering daft wages and now Chelsea doing it again but it seems we genuinely went in for Hazard and offered him a good deal. Fergie knows we need big enforcements this summer and will still be in the market. It's just whether now we've missed out on Hazard that money is tucked away to pay off interest.

God I wish we had paid nasris and hazards agents £6m a pop on top of their extortionate wages + hefty transfer fees. Lets severely overpay just to prove a point.

We can't and shouldn't compete with financially doped clubs.

How many of our big money signings for world class potential or world class players have worked out anyway? Rooney, Rio, Ruud, De Gea?

Some will say it might be hasty to put De gea in there but he will be the best goalkeeper in the world soon.

Originally Posted by lookingforeric

With the news of Hazard gone to the rent boys makes me wonder if we really can compete with the likes of the big spenders.
Years ago just the name 'manchester United' would have been enough to see a big player sign on the dotted line for us,but having lost out on ozil sneijder & ribery just to name a few makes me wonder if we will fall further & further behind. Are we not signing these players because we don't have the money? Does Fergie really believe in 'value' or is it just an excuse and are we seeing a new breed of player that is solely interested in lining his pockets & not a clubs history.
This is by no means a 'world is coming to an end' thread i am an optimistic red but just thought id put it out there.

Sad to say, modern top-tier players want a lifestyle that they seem to believe the city of Manchester can't offer. City have had to overspend ridiculously to get players there, and even then half of them have almost immediately wanted out.

That's no excuse - Freggels should still do more to get the players he wants/we need. But it is a disadvantage the likes of Madrid, Barca, and Chelsea don't have.

Keep in mind these players are not interested in sitting at home listening to Happy Mondays records. They want glitzy-blingy footballer shit, and there's more of that stuff in London, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Originally Posted by Sandman

The right players > Big players

Im all up for signing the right players and we do have some good young prospects at the club but surely if we had signed ozil for instance then perhaps we would be in a better position than we are now. Im not saying we should turn United into a team of galacticos but ill use an automotive analogy by saying that in order for a car to run it needs both oil & petrol to run efficiently

Originally Posted by Grimson

Sad to say, modern top-tier players want a lifestyle that they seem to believe the city of Manchester can't offer. City have had to overspend ridiculously to get players there, and even then half of them have almost immediately wanted out.

That's no excuse - Freggels should still do more to get the players he wants/we need. But it is a disadvantage the likes of Madrid, Barca, and Chelsea don't have.

Keep in mind these players are not interested in sitting at home listening to Happy Mondays records. They want glitzy-blingy footballer shit, and there's more of that stuff in London, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Fear we'll lose Big clevz as soon as he plays a full season without injuries.

If Rooney was coming through the everton ranks now we'd be his 3rd choice in England never mind the world.

Originally Posted by lookingforeric

ill use an automotive analogy

Originally Posted by Grimson

Sad to say, modern top-tier players want a lifestyle that they seem to believe the city of Manchester can't offer. City have had to overspend ridiculously to get players there, and even then half of them have almost immediately wanted out.

That's no excuse - Freggels should still do more to get the players he wants/we need. But it is a disadvantage the likes of Madrid, Barca, and Chelsea don't have.

Keep in mind these players are not interested in sitting at home listening to Happy Mondays records. They want glitzy-blingy footballer shit, and there's more of that stuff in London, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Wisdom

Originally Posted by lookingforeric

Im not saying we should turn United into a team of galacticos but ill use an automotive analogy by saying that in order for a car to run it needs both oil & petrol to run efficiently

That right there is some top quality analogising.