Jul 09
Thursday links and some pre-almost-weekend mumbling
This will be very short because I am not currently disposed to do a long one right now. So I’ll share some links with you, mumble a few words under my breath and leave the stage to you.
The well respected Andy Brassell, the European expert on BBC’s excellent World Football Phone-in, gives a favourable review of Gabriel Obertan on the official site. He was also on World Soccer Daily yesterday as guest and considered him to be physically suited to the demands of the Premiership. Considering Brassell spent a good part of his life following Ligue 1, I would feel a little encouraged by his assessment.
The man of the moment, Obertan, meanwhile completed possibly the slowest medical and signature in transfer history, as his reported medical took about two days. Allegedly, of course.
Since the fee seems to be in the region of £3m, I think it’s not a bad bit of business.
The Huntelaar stories seem to have gone a bit cold at the moment, although Arnold Muhren gives a ringing endorsement of his compatriot.
The Mirror reports we’re sending Richard Eckersley out on loan to QPR for the rest of the season.
And shockingly, we’re linked today with a move for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I am wondering how to say the world’s biggest “No!” to that flat track bully.
Related items from Red Rants:
- Short Thursday Roundup
- New Links Feature
- United gravy train chugs back after Asian jaunt
- Some Links for the Day
- United related links
Tags: Manchester United News
Opti (89)
Craig Mc (26)
Ian (18)
@Craig Mc: I know, that’s who I meant. I was just replying to you. I meant that he and I do agree. We agree to disagree.
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@Andrei: Cool post.
Really loved that one.
Just want to point out though:
“…it just so happens that the events that we all base our perceptions upon are the same…”
Many studies have shown that people can view the same event, eg. a car accident, but give different accounts of what happened. Yet, none of them are lying. Heck, we don’t have to go far to see that happen. We ALL saw the same games last season. Better yet, we all saw the same CL final, yet we have different versions of what happened and what’s good for the club, even though we all want what’s best for the club.
@johnsom33: “Greed is a trait that I want in all my strikers”.
100% true. Thing is just, Ronaldo was not a striker. He was a winger.
I’m not going to bad-mouth Ronaldo’s contribution (much). Just want to say that we need to also remember that he took a lot of shots in order to get his goals. As he was employed as winger, that means he never ‘supplied’ the strikers to the best of his ability. (Well, with our strikers’ inability to find the back of the net, it is not surprising, nor a bad thing. That’s why he operated more like a forward than a traditional winger). Just trying to state that perhaps the one advantage of him leaving is that the strikers will see a bit more of the ball in the final third.
@Grognard: @Grognard: Very, very funny
Point noted.
I just got bored with these constant transfer bull, I felt like changing the topic a bit.
I understand what Grognard meant by the Owen vs Ronaldo turnouts. In line with this thought, I made a comment previously that we should start signing some poster-boys for our marketing. How Real is approaching the whole galacticos thingie is not wrong imo.
Just want to add though that the 80k fans made me sick to my stomach. I felt so jealous and bad, thinking “they’re there for OUR Ronaldo”
Fuck him again for making me feel that way.
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@Grognard: well the way u explain it sounds good, but fergie played this formation in champs league final with ronaldo up front, and how did rooney do? not so good, he feels abliged to defend when out there, you no what i mean? and it takes away from his game, but if they did inter change like barca then it could work, u knows lets just wait and see, but surely if we were to sign aguero he would play from that side!
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@Karl: I couldn’t agree with you more. Watching 80,000 fans scream love and sweet nothings to him made me sick to my stomach and it only makes me more mad at the many United fans and they all know who they are, that never appreciated or respected his greatness. And although I would be embarrassed for United if they had a gig like that for a new signing, we never have to worry because of our team’s stuck up corporate nature and terrible PR with it’s fans. They would hold a close door media conference and that would be all. But most of all, we never sign anyone worthy of 809,000 fans coming out to greet him. I feel embarrassed that we have become bottom feeders in our mentality and it’s only a matter of time before I feel it will start showing up in the standings.
We are living in different times now and the footballing landscape has changed drastically. To run a team the way you ran back it 1994 is a huge mistake. You need to show more ambition and splash money on great players and players that can help you market your brand. Every couple of months I help a friend at a sports collectibles show where h sells autographed items and footy jersey’s. You knw what jerseys sell a lot? Ronaldo, Messi, Torres. And most of the people buying it are young girls. I can’t give a way a Shrek (aka Rooney) shirt or a Dorgba, Terry, Gerrard, Ballack, or Adebayour. They are just to ugly and not marketable despite their abilities.
Marketing is such a key component here and United are really fucking asinine for not realizing this and taking advantage of it. Too old school for their own good and no real clue how to maximize their market share. It’s time for Fergie to go because he has no concept about these things and yet he should. He should realize buying a great pretty boy will give him more of a transfer kitty for years to come because of his marketing potential. No vision or foresight. Aguero is very marketable in my opinion and yet, Fergie doesn’t have the vision or ability to see beyond his initial cost.
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@jamie lee: It was not the positioning that was wrong, it was the lineup and what he had them do from a responsibility standpoint. First off, you do not sacrifice your team’s attack by starting Park. Secondly, you don’t waste Rooney by having him track back to protect Park and Evra. Thirdly, you strip Ronaldo of all his intimidating skills by making him a striker and not allowing him to play on the wing where he can dribble at people and cut in which would spread defenses apart. Finally, he got all his player selection wrong despite having negative tactics to help compound the problem.
That is how you don’t play a 4-3-3. You don’t play the best team in Europe and expect to beat them by being afraid of them and by giving Iniesta and Xavi all the room in the world to dissect us and play keep away. 4-3-3 played properly doesn’t have great width because keeping the ball on the ground and players interchanging and overlapping is vital. It’s an attacking formation unless you have become an old Scottish pillock who is forming a rather strong yellow streak down his back.
People hate it when I am insulting towards Fergie even though I love him. But like I have said before, I’d have massive fights with my father too. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love him and I respect him in my own way. I just don’t tolerate stupidity, even from the smartest of people. And frankly, Fergie has spoilt me rotten. I expect far more from him than what he has delivered to us of late.
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@Grognard: Feckin useless at marketing Bro? That must be why we are the second highest earners of wealth next to Real M, who are only hit the No1 spot this last financial year, because of our phenominal INCOME TAX as opposed to Spain where there’s is about half ours
.
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@Craig Mc: Mate we had Ronaldo and Beckham and even Cantona to market for well over a decade. Before then we were far from being the second wealthiest team. Those three player meant a lot to United financially and you should know that. Sparky, Robson, Keane, RVN, Ince, Schmeichel, Bruce, Pallister etc etc don’t bring in a dime but they were great players. Karl is right when he says the team needs to buy some pretty boys or glamour boys who can play the game in order to keep up our marketing standards now that the grease ball has left. You know I expect lame arguments from mate but lately you have not been reading my posts and you have been misunderstanding nearly everything I’m saying. Just like yesterday when you thought I was putting down the fans when in fact I was putting down the team’s lack of ambition and flair when it comes to signing players. Honestly bro I expect more from you and you above all should know better about me. I’m not that stupid.
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@Grognard: I’m just giving a different take on things to try and balance things out! For a few years even when we lost Beckham etc we were still the richest club from what I understand. We didn’t take half the players commercial incomes like Real M do, so we weren’t really making on their commercial deals. Shirts yes, but United will always sell shirts I think. We bring so much money in commercially from so many different marketing projects, and if the Glazers hadn’t bought us with BORROWED money, we would be doing ok. I know what you mean about poster boys, but I think we will still do well commercially. We will have to see though at the end of the financial year this next year
. Grog just because I have a slightly different take on some things, doesn’t mean that I am not reading your posts, I am, but like I say we don’t always have the same take on things. 
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