Manchester United Thread

[Peg Leg]

I think Ferguson's biggest strength was the belief that he instilled into his team. He made them winners. Moyes doesn't seem to have this ability with this squad. He probably changed too much and should have kept some of Ferguson's back room staff in place until he had found his feet.

From a squad perspective, I think they need two CBs, a LB, a CM/DM. RVP doesn't look like he's very committed in any of the games I've seen him and I'd cash in on him while they can. Move Rooney up top and play Mata in the hole where he can do what he does best. Mata is not a winger/wide player.

As for other teams, LFC have one world class player and a number who have a lot of potential. Chelsea have a number of very good players and they are not afraid to go out and spend money either. Other than a top striker, they are fairly well set.

Sturridge?

[Avenger]

I think Ferguson's biggest strength was the belief that he instilled into his team. He made them winners. Moyes doesn't seem to have this ability with this squad. He probably changed too much and should have kept some of Ferguson's back room staff in place until he had found his feet.

From a squad perspective, I think they need two CBs, a LB, a CM/DM. RVP doesn't look like he's very committed in any of the games I've seen him and I'd cash in on him while they can. Move Rooney up top and play Mata in the hole where he can do what he does best. Mata is not a winger/wide player.

As for other teams, LFC have one world class player and a number who have a lot of potential. Chelsea have a number of very good players and they are not afraid to go out and spend money either. Other than a top striker, they are fairly well set.

Sturridge?

Not yet.

[Peg Leg]

I think Ferguson's biggest strength was the belief that he instilled into his team. He made them winners. Moyes doesn't seem to have this ability with this squad. He probably changed too much and should have kept some of Ferguson's back room staff in place until he had found his feet.

From a squad perspective, I think they need two CBs, a LB, a CM/DM. RVP doesn't look like he's very committed in any of the games I've seen him and I'd cash in on him while they can. Move Rooney up top and play Mata in the hole where he can do what he does best. Mata is not a winger/wide player.

As for other teams, LFC have one world class player and a number who have a lot of potential. Chelsea have a number of very good players and they are not afraid to go out and spend money either. Other than a top striker, they are fairly well set.

Sturridge?

Not yet.

7 for 7, what does it take?

[Avenger]

Sturridge?

Not yet.

7 for 7, what does it take?

We're going slightly off topic here

But Sturridge has turned out really well in fairness. A lot of LFC fans were skeptical when he was signed and he's been so good this season I find it amazing that he isn't been mentioned in player of the year conversations. I'd currently put him in the has the potential to be world class.

[simonno6]

Daniel Sturridge isn't a good player. He's a great player.... Bill

[Avenger]

Moyes gone.
Who next? Louis van Gaal seems to think he's the man.

[Lamb of BOD]

Moyes gone.

There was an interesting article in the IT a few weeks back (was the Saturday we headed to Toulon, iirc) about Everton. They were contrasting the approaches of the two managers there (Moyes and Martinez). Whoever was interviewed noted the marked contrast between the Moyes approach of "here's what the opposition are going to do, and this is what we're going to do to stop them" to the Martinez approach of "these are our strengths, this is how we're going to impose ourselves on the opposition". I don't watch Man Utd often, but anytime I did see them there was an uncharacteristic lack of ambition - and they often seemed to lack a clear notion of how to score goals, which was definitely something you wouldn't have said about Man Utd at any time over the last quarter of a century. You'd have to wonder as well whether Martinez' success with more or less the same Everton team (both in terms of points on the board, and in style of play) might also have opened a few eyes in Manchester.

Reading this thread for the first time, there are a number of references to Man Utd being pretty dreadful (by their own standards) dating back to 2011 - when Ferguson was in charge. For example

As for United, I've rarely seen us play as badly as we did on Sunday, at least not in a big game. Liverpool did play really well but we were pathetic at times. Myself and a friend of mine whos also a big United fan have been incredulous that we've been picking up points all season, there's been so few good performances that it almost makes no sense.

It'd probably be fair to say Moyes was on a hiding to nothing when appointed. He inherited an aging (and relatively poor) squad.
The results have been terrible, broadly speaking, and it seems that, when push came to shove, the board didn't trust Moyes to spend their cash wisely. And they were probably right. I'm mildly surprised, though, that he didn't get till Christmas to at least give him a chance in the summer transfer window.

Who next? Louis van Gaal seems to think he's the man.

From the Beeb website:

Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal, Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, Atletico Madrid's manager Diego Simeone and Paris St-Germain's Laurent Blanc have already been tipped as possible successors to Moyes.

My guess would be one of the first two, with my money on the younger man. Klopp has proven himself in Dortmund, not least as Bayern keep poaching his best players, so there's a certain amount of rebuilding to be done each year. Van Gaal is more of a journeyman these days, and it's debatable how much longevity he'd dedicate to the roll. Klopp isn't much older than myself, so has decades left at his prime..... Blanc would have found it difficult to fail in Paris, given the resources he had, but I don't remember him being anything special at Marseille (although am open to correction). He's an old boy, though, which must go in his favour. Simeone could well be the big name manager this off-season, especially if they could win either or both of la Liga and the Champions League. They're playing really good stuff at the moment, and are in with a genuine shout for both competitions. I'd say he wouldn't mind a move to somewhere that has a few quid to spend. My gut tells me that Ancelotti might be getting his cards from Madrid if they only have the Copa del Rey to show from this season, and Simeone could be heading across the city. While I've the dust cover off the crystal ball, how about Wenger to Barcelona this summer? If I were Utd, I'd go for Klopp. As a Liverpool fan, I'd suggest reinstating Moyes

[offshorerules]

Damnation, I was hoping he'd get the job for life.

[Avenger]

It won't be Klopp.

[Logorrhea]

Van Gaal has openly said on quite a few occasions that he wants to manage in the premiership.

Spurs have been sniffing around for a while now but from what I've heard hes been waiting to see what happened at United before committing to us. I think he'd be a good fit (for United or Spurs), but I guess there will be a few big name managers available by the end of the world cup. More importantly though, both Liverpool and Everton have benefited from selecting a manager with a vision, rather than a name. It'll be an interesting time.

[Armchair]

Moyes has chosen his succesor to be Phil Neville!

[Lamb of BOD]

A radio soundbite stated Moyes walked away with 10 million quid. Not bad for 10 months work

[Donny B.]

A radio soundbite stated Moyes walked away with 10 million quid. Not bad for 10 months work

I'd say he'd have to sue the Glazers to get everything he's due to him.

[Peg Leg]

A radio soundbite stated Moyes walked away with 10 million quid. Not bad for 10 months work

I'd say he'd have to sue the Glazers to get everything he's due to him.

I'd say his 6 yr contract had so many break clauses in it, he was able to calculate [to the penny], how much he'd be walking away with on his way in today!

[Avenger]

A radio soundbite stated Moyes walked away with 10 million quid. Not bad for 10 months work

I'd say he'd have to sue the Glazers to get everything he's due to him.

I'd say his 6 yr contract had so many break clauses in it, he was able to calculate [to the penny], how much he'd be walking away with on his way in today!

The defeat to Everton eliminated them from Champions League qualification so I'd say its no coincidence that he was removed ASAP after they had missed out on next seasons champions league.

[Donny B.]

A radio soundbite stated Moyes walked away with 10 million quid. Not bad for 10 months work

I'd say he'd have to sue the Glazers to get everything he's due to him.

I'd say his 6 yr contract had so many break clauses in it, he was able to calculate [to the penny], how much he'd be walking away with on his way in today!

Maybe, but I remember an interview recently with a manager saying that the assumptions that managers automatically get full payouts is way off the mark.

Very often they don't get what's due to them at all or they have to resort to the courts, which poses the risks of being labelled a trouble-maker when you're going for a new job.

Another thing I didn't know is that if a manager takes another job, say in six months, the club that sacked him don't have to pay all of his settlement.

[IanD]

The defeat to Everton eliminated them from Champions League qualification so I'd say its no coincidence that he was removed ASAP after they had missed out on next seasons champions league.

He gets a full years salary. There was a clause in his contract for non qualification for the Champions League. The decision seems to have been made last February - but they were waiting for the cheapest timing for the club.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/foot ... 73567.html

''The Glazer family, who will be in Manchester next week to help oversee a managerial recruitment process in which Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp is a front-runner, appear to have sanctioned the removal of Moyes as far back as the Champions League defeat at Olympiakos on 25 February. The decision to get rid of the 50-year-old was discussed and possibly ratified at a recent United board meeting but there is a financial motive behind delaying removing him until now.

The mathematical impossibility of United finishing in the top four this season, following their 11th Premier League defeat of the season at Goodison Park on Sunday, means that United need only give Moyes a one-year pay-off under the terms of his five-year deal, rather than honour the full four years left on that contract.''

[Lamb of BOD]

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Anyone involved in American football understands how to structure a contract to minimise the team's financial exposure