If we could sell a few players in January and spend the cash

Originally Posted by Lok

Out:
Anderson: £12m
Nani: £10m
Gibson: £8m
Tosic: £5m
Welbeck: £9m

= £44m

In:
Villa: £30m
Silva: £20m

= £50m

That would mean a net spend of £6m so it's obviously never going to happen. In the real world, we'll get rid of all of the above and sign Les Ferdinand and Di Canio. Fergie will say that he feels both can still 'do a job'

Never get anywhere near that for Wellbeck, Tosic or Gibbo. Frazer Campbell only went for 4m or so!

I'd look at this:

Nani + 7m for Hamsik
Berbatov + £5 for Dzeko
Van Der Vaart - Loan with an option for 10m
Rodwell £14 or £10 + Gibbo

Sell Wellbeck, Anderson, Foster, Vidic, Tosic, Neville* and Scholes*

Great servants but just not up to it anymore sadly.

Sounds a bit football mangerish but oh well, here's what the team would look like.

VDS

Rafael Rio Evans Evra

Valencia Fletcher Van Der Vaart

Hamsik Rooney

Dzeko

Originally Posted by magic_cantona

'IF'

IF every decent player in Europe was available in January and IF other clubs were willing to buy our players and IF the manager was able to re-invest the the money raised...seems like a lot of 'IF' for this thread to make sense!

Personally, I see little point in selling players in January and doubt many (if any) of the types of players we require will be available. I'd like a major clear out in the summer though, with a couple of quality signings brought in. Doubt it will happen though.

Originally Posted by dunk

A fat squad is struggling, a lean, hungry squad is what's required, in terms of numbers, fewer numbers, more quality and energy.

Agreed.

this time next week fixture congestion won't be a problem, a lean squad will be fine.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

IF every decent player in Europe was available in January and IF other clubs were willing to buy our players and IF the manager was able to re-invest the the money raised...seems like a lot of 'IF' for this thread to make sense!

£#%&!ing hell :shakehead:

be interesting to see who gets dropped on wednesday if fergie honours his promise. they'll probably be the ones with something to worry about, if he is in a position to be getting rid of anybody.

Er, could I just clarify, I don't think anything should be done in January, the shake-up I was after is for the summer.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by taff

be interesting to see who gets dropped on wednesday if fergie honours his promise. they'll probably be the ones with something to worry about, if he is in a position to be getting rid of anybody.

PIG
Rafael
Evans
Brown (if Vidic isnt fit)
Evra
Valencia
Carrick
Fletch
Giggs
Rooney
Berbs

If he's serious.

Sign Benzema.

Sell anyone who will get us the funds.

nft.

If Fergie actually played Wellbeck as a centre forward I think he might actually do a good job. You know, use his pace to stretch the defence? I know, how quaint. His finishing is pretty good too.

My main criticism yesterday and irritation is Fergie's insistance on chucking experienced players and reserves into these kind of bingo ball starting elevens. I'd argue familiarity is vital. We tend to see a slow sluggish performance and the 11 on the pitch yesterday looked like a bunch of strangers. Not unusual. Oh, and it does help if the experienced players can still cut it. In Gary's case the mind is willing but the legs have gone.

There was a very good article on Sunday (I think) re squad rotation. Someone close to Mourinho was discussing changes from one game to the next. It wasn't wholesale changes, or 4/5/6 from one game to the next, but one change one match, one change the next. I appreciate that's probably not 100% accurate but if he intends to rotate - and he think he has to - it doesn't need to be to the extent that he does. Irrespective of a fully fit defence the midfield and forwards would change every single game.

Originally Posted by Whalefish

If Fergie actually played Wellbeck as a centre forward I think he might actually do a good job. You know, use his pace to stretch the defence? I know, how quaint. His finishing is pretty good too.

My main criticism yesterday and irritation is Fergie's insistance on chucking experienced players and reserves into these kind of bingo ball starting elevens. I'd argue familiarity is vital. We tend to see a slow sluggish performance and the 11 on the pitch yesterday looked like a bunch of strangers. Not unusual. Oh, and it does help if the experienced players can still cut it. In Gary's case the mind is willing but the legs have gone.

There was a very good article on Sunday (I think) re squad rotation. Someone close to Mourinho was discussing changes from one game to the next. It wasn't wholesale changes, or 4/5/6 from one game to the next, but one change one match, one change the next. I appreciate that's probably not 100% accurate but if he intends to rotate - and he think he has to - it doesn't need to be to the extent that he does. Irrespective of a fully fit defence the midfield and forwards would change every single game.

Totally correct.

Originally Posted by dunk

Agree with that. thought the same £#%&!ing thing every time I've seen him play for Arsenal

Caveat here, Fergie is a genius but what gets the better of him on occasion is that he IS guilty on occasion of arrogance and hubris.

I find it funny how he says that "Utd do things the hard way".

As if it's fate or something.

Rubbish. It's deterministic and happens because Fergie pulls up just a little when he thinks he's things in the bag.

I also think he's struggling to follow what motivates some of these Utd youngsters and that's why he goes back to the previous generation. I don't envy him when you've a kid on £10k a week and are trying to get that extra 10% out of him.

Gibson is infuriating in this regard, all sorts of ability but would it kill him to look like he's bursting a gut to get to a player? What's he saving that energy for?

I would get rid of fergie and get someone in who can actually coach the good players we've got.

the idea that we should get rid of nani and get in a lightweight like modric is laughable. fletch and modric? ooh, I think I shit myself, mummy.

play our best team. play fit players. get them to pass to each other.

oh.. and get rid of tosic, obertan, owen, neville, scholes, foster....

really, we should cash in on fletch as he's the only player who bring in more than he's worth.

we should have bought diaby a year before arsenal did.

we'll still win the league, mind. chelsea are shit.

Originally Posted by celtbion

Caveat here, Fergie is a genius but what gets the better of him on occasion is that he IS guilty on occasion of arrogance and hubris.

I find it funny how he says that "Utd do things the hard way".

As if it's fate or something.

It's certainly not fate, but it only happens occasionally, so to some degree it's just the odds. Everybody has a percentage of bad results/performances. Our best 11 playing the "right" tactics have lost games over the years, too.