29 Aug 2023 11:15:10
Another day and another link to a former ten Hag player in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (formerly of Bayern reserves) .
I think he's been ok for Spurs in recent seasons but Postecoglu wasted little time in revamping that midfield to something more energetic, which is pretty much something we all crave in the Utd team.

1.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:29:39
The key is to ignore everything the media and Twitter says and believe only when a player signs on the dotted line. 99% of what we hear is made up.

2.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:31:36
The pretty obvious ploy to buy players with a previous connection to ETH is a concern for me. It is too much like surrounding himself with who he knows. Maybe the scouting system has been poor but surely this isn’t the way forward. Whilst unlikely, if ETH leaves we have his core players who likely would all be unhappy. I am uneasy about this strategy.

3.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:38:38
Isn't there a big difference between the myth of EtH signing players he has worked with before and the reality.

Didn't someone on here go through the list the other day and it came out it was only around 30%, sorry I forgot who it was.

4.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:47:38
Red Man, Martinez Anthony and Onana are the only player who have any connection to Ten Haag and are all very good signings. Casemiro, Mount, Malacia, Hojlund, have never had any link to Ten Haag and are also very good signings. As I said above everything else is just noise. The media make things up every day. Every day that passes were supposedly in talks with or have interest in a different player. If we were to sign every player we were linked with by the media I’m not sure there would be any players left to play for any one else.

{Ed002's Note - Hojlund has.}

5.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:49:18
Tagliafico has also been linked today. I get the manager trusting players he’s managed previously but this is piss poor from the clubs scouting department and Ten Hag if it turns out to be true.

6.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:50:23
If he comes in purely as the rotational option to Casemiro for under £15m, I’d be delighted. Premier League experienced, a leader and has an excellent habit of putting his foot in and keeping the ball simple.

However, if it’s to come in and play ALONGSIDE Casemiro, I’d be worried as we’d be far too static and unimaginative in the middle.

Overall I feel it’s probably just a story we’ve leaked to put further pressure on Fiorentina to reduce the Amrabat price, like we did with Caicedo/ Mount and Ramos/ Hojlund.

Whatever happens, this squad desperately needs a backup no.6.

7.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:06:16
Embarrassing.
Mediocre player at best.
We are scrambling around enquiring about Spurs leftovers.

8.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:10:28
Seems like more than just noise on this occasion, looks like a legit target. Dunno if it's a case of one of Hjojberg / Amrabat / Gravenberch or whether it could be two.

9.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:57:25
Oh right, where Ed? Never heard of any links before now.

{Ed002's Note - Bayern Munich.}

10.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:42:10
JE888 - Malacia and Mount he observed when in Holland. EtH was very impressed with Mount when at Vitesse. So there are links.

I bet if we had more money he would take more chances, but I guess he needs to be extra careful with every signing, therefore goes by what he knows.

Not sure I like this for every signing. Hopefully this will change when we are free from the stranglehold of the Glazer family.

{Ed002's Note - Far from even being tenuous.}

11.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:58:03
Indeed.

I guess journalists can find links anywhere if they look hard enough.

ED002, will you be travelling Thursday or will you be with us for deadline day?

{Ed002's Note - I will generally be around this week.}

12.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:58:11
The media are doing some nonsensical reporting about some of the players we're linked with having some connection with Ten Hag.

Cucurella is apparently wanted because he had a good game against Ajax 3 years ago and Ten Hag has fond memories of this. Absolute rubbish.

13.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 13:21:55
Actually he hasn't signed a huge number of players he has worked with before, no more than other managers.

While I find the idea that it is frowned upon that he is maybe using links and previous understanding when signing players he maybe hasn't worked with.

Him having a network of people who can grease the wheels and help get deals done for players the club have identified is a benefit to us not a hindrance.

While him maybe having a greater understanding and having observed a player more closely previously is also not a bad thing. It means he has seen something in them that he feel the current side need.

Pit it like this, you are presented with player A someone who meets the criteria you have asked for, and you are presented with player B, also a player who equally meets the criteria set out but he is a player you have personally observed and have seen first hand that they possess the skills you are looking for.

Which one makes most sense to sign? Player A represents more of a gamble as there could be confusion between what the manager has asked his scouts to look for and what they think they need to look for. While the manager can be far more confident that player B does have the skills he is looking for.

To suggest the manager should just go with option A is to suggest for him to have more faith in a scouting network, that has pulled up some absolutely shocking signings over the past decade, than the manager has in his own ability to recognise the requisite skills he needs.

I wonder if Arsenal fans felt the same way back in the 90's when Arsene Wenger was using his knowledge of French football and his connections to sign players like Henry, Viera, and Pires?

14.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 13:25:54
Rjmanutd, yes some of the links are getting a bit silly now agreed. Journalists are trying to find links everywhere. Next it'll be EtH watched the player on TV ?

Good news Ed002 is about for deadline day. Can remember when he broke what Wenger shouted at SAF in a London pub (I think) or hotel bar perhaps regarding Van Persie.

15.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 13:33:36
One advantage you get from knowing the player personally is knowing their personality, their attitude and their mental abilities. You can get reports about this, but no one knows better than yourself when making a judgement.

However you do have to take chances on unknown players as you have to widen the talent pool.

16.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 13:54:27
The links to ETH bear out what I've been suggesting, that our scouting/ recruitment system has been completely broken under Woodward. There has been no continuity, no adaptation to the post Northern European centric system that served SAF so well. Now we have to rely almost entirely on the manager to come up with names. It's a step forward from the CEO doing it. At least he's recruiting in accordance with a footballing strategy rather than with an eye to shirt sales. But for the club to really recover from the Woodward era we're going to need to look further afield than those with whom ETH has had previous connections. Eventually he'll run out of them. Then what? I think we're still way behind in this area.

17.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:44:47
Contrary to posts above, there is a theme running through the players ETH is looking at. The Manchester evening paper has this very day written a piece about it naming the connections and how this strategy is limiting us. I agree and taking someone not good enough for Spurs is a joke quite honestly. The strategy is flawed and someone needs to grab it before it goes too far.

18.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:45:32
Shappy, there's a difference between Arsene Wenger using his knowledge of French footballers and seeking out opinions on the players you mentioned, and Arsene Wenger bypassing those players to only sign ones he's worked with previously. Not what I was suggesting at all.

19.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:49:25
Signing Malacia was using 'his knowledge' and networking to only sign Dutch players which of course I'd expect from a manager who has been working in that league for two years.
He seems to prefer moving for players he's worked with in person, bit like Danny Ocean. Understandable in a heist but seems like a bit of a restriction and oversight in a sporting environment.

20.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:56:15
Spenno, it may be a money thing. It's easier to bring in players who you know. Easier for them to settle and there is little risk regarding their mentality.

But it really does limit our access to the larger talent pool.

Perhaps if we had more money. Needed less work on our squad, he would look further afield. ?‍♂️.

21.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 16:11:00
Sydney

More money? We have spent what, £500m, on players at ETH instruction. The Glazers are a poison but ETH has spent on players he feels comfy with, that is a limitation which is a real concern. Let’s see if £85m on Antony was really worth it in the coming months. There has to be someone at the club with concern or at least uncomfortable that players generally have had to be connected to the manager to be seen as suitable. The only proviso is whether someone at the club wants to make ETH feel comfortable, but that would be amateur.

22.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 17:33:58
Half a billion hardly smacks of Glazers not releasing money, my concern is the players we keep buying are bang average, and I don’t get hoe Ten thinks these players are good enough! I know we need numbers but to me it should be quality over Quantity I keep being told they need to settle well Sancho now had years, Antony now in 2nd year Malacia is not good enough, neither is AWB and we spend huge money on these and now add Mount to the list, not one of these are good enough for city, even Arsenal nor Munich nor Madrid, so how are they good enough for united if we expect to win anything. I want players who make a difference and are better then what we got, we are just swapping average for average, but they are said to play the Ten way, which I’m still waiting to see what exactly that is! I agree we improved from Ole which was not that difficult but are we anywhere near standard required our forward front three add Sancho that’s 4 of them and zero goals, that’s a major concern. Add to that Varane injury problems and two left backs out and Alvaro clearly considered not good enough it’s worrying.

23.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 18:30:20
I think too much of the money spent was panic buys.

We paid well over the odds for Antony, Martinez and Casemiro. Other clubs coming in for Martinez, Hojlund, Ronaldo pushed the prices up significantly. Antony and Casemiro were panic buys after EtH crisis talks. Necessary, but going into the summer with the plan to penny pinch.

24.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 19:09:44
Penny pinch this year…. Mount 60 million, is he really any better then what we had, marginally if he is
Rasmus 70 million for what really should be one for future who can be eased in whilst learning from a proper striker, not bought into be main and only man
Onana 40 million, ok he will play a different style we hear what Ten wants, so that’s fine, will he cost us more points with mistakes over 10 years who knows
That’s before we get in to 80 million for Antony, who forget the money is just not good enough, Sancho same ok not bought by Ten, but not sold by him either.

Although I like Ten I really don’t understand what is he trying to do, it’s seems to be changing every game if you ask me and I think he bit too stubborn for his own good, at moment he is a good manager doing a average job for money spent, he needs to be great manager but I can’t see that whilst buying bang average players….

25.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 19:53:27
Jesus what a toxic group we have here! Get a grip! New signings getting thrown u see the bus already! The manager getting criticised for signing players he wants or knows or trusts! What a terrible idea!
The manager hasn’t got a hope in hell of succeeding at the club if he’s trying to win over a fan base as spoilt and self entitled as some of our lot!

26.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 20:06:26
So Trafford, he’s buying “bang average players”, and doing an average job whilst finishing third and winning a trophy and getting to another major final in his first season. Your own argument makes no sense. Surely if he’s buying “bang average players” we should be finishing in a “bang average position” considering in your eyes he’s doing a “bang average job”. Seriously get a grip.

27.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 20:47:30
The penny pinching aspect is going for a kid on low wages like Hojlund over a proven player like Kane or even Osimhen. Kane overall package probably £250m no sell on value, compared to Hojlund £85m with huge sell on value.

Going for Mount simply because they thought they could get him on the cheap, being in his last year of contract.

Both will be good signings, but we are Manchester United. Kane should be a United player now. Any other owner he would be. So yes, penny pinching.

28.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 22:22:23
Trafford,

Notice you didn’t heed the advice to stop just posting the same negative stuff over and over, I think we all know your opinion now, ‘Ten’ as you call him is useless, all the players are useless, winning games isn’t good enough, maybe just try and find some balance.

29.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 23:46:55
We have spent close to 400 million and only players we overpaid is Antony imo. None of the players that have come in have been a disappointment for me, unless people are going to judge players on 2 games. I give antony stick because i expected a lot more given his price tag. If we had spent 40 mill I would be okay with his inconsistency.

All managers have views on players and bring players they rate after taking a new job. Remember mourinho at chelsea when he arrived and the Portuguese signings.

Nothing wrong with buying good players who started their career in the Dutch league as it produces a ton of talent, who go on to top European leagues. Suarez and ronaldo come to mind as easy ones.

People seem to like Gravenburch and i have no opinion and hardly seen him play but many here advocating we should get him.

If he turns out to be a tulip people will say its eth fault as he only buys players he knows from the Dutch league, if it turns out to be good nothing will be said about the fact, him being here probably influenced the player decision.

Finally this is the same manager who on a very small budget and wages put a team together that got to the semis of cl a few years ago and probably played the most attractive football.

Even before a player joins people are labelling them as rejects. Plenty of players don't work out under one manager at one club and go to another club and do very well.

30.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 00:23:37
Paying over the odds for a player has nothing to do with whether or not they are a disappointment Ahmed. It means we paid more than what they were initially priced at during the time of sale. Price driven up by other teams bidding higher for example.

Players like Martinez will end up being a steal in years to come. However we paid over the odds at the time for him. That's what I meant. If my memory serves me correct his price went from €40m up to whatever we paid. Hojlund was priced at €40m too, paid significantly more.

Even if these guys turn out to be the best. In the long run they'll seem like bargains, but at the time we paid over the odds.

31.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 06:00:35
Price makes no odds to me, I expect a certain level of player, if they disappoint they disappoint don’t matter if 2 Bob or 200 million
And Giggs your making stuff up again I never said Ten was useless I said good manager not a great manager and concerned with his purchases and stubbornness, read properly and please don’t tell me not to post, it’s rather childish.

32.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 06:20:43
We have spent circa £500m for ETH, yet have a ropey central midfield, one striker who we don’t know yet and no one else capable, our central defence is shaky and we don’t know how long Varane will go before the next injury.
Any competent board would question this strategy and would have agreed a plan for what was needed. Any competent board would question why the manager seems to want to know a player to be interested. There again a competent board would be the vision of the owners to produce the desired goal. That goal has been financial for the leeches, the club has bled £1.5Bn it didn’t need to, in order for them to be here. If we can get rid of the leeches and get Qatar in it will be a great day. They would likely give far better direction and that produces the plan. If they get a competent board I would expect there to be challenges to what we are seeing.
ETH had a good season, the aim should be to improve on it, yet with the weaknesses we can see, that’s going to be tough. Third can easily become sixth when ambitious clubs like Villa are improving. Two days left and we seem more bothered about a left back. We seem unable to shift players and it’s not just their wages, it looks to me like the club are being accountants and not wanting to write amounts off, plus don’t like to be proven wrong for what they did previously.

We are now in the panic section of the window where we usually end up. It’s not good enough for a club like us.

33.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 07:37:38
Have to totally agree RedMan, the manager is buying exactly what he wants and to me they appear not the standard required to catch city, and when Ten moves on, we are left again with a major rebuild needed, I agree manager does have to have final say on which players he thinks suit but the club should have a vision and focus on when he leaves a succession on style comes in and 99% of the players are already in situ for new manager to add a couple that take us up a level, my concern is the players being purchased are not good enough, Shappy says 8 purchased for this manager, I say none of them would get in city team and that’s the benchmark, I am not so sure we are not weaker then last year and other teams have improved, so could be a problem, no problem if Ten buys everyone he knows but having coached them before or know them very well he should also be aware if they are good enough…. Last year he could have been shocked by EPL but no excuse this year.

34.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 01:22:40
Ed the reference to Hojlund having links to Ten Hag is an interesting angle, one I’ve not seen before.

Was Hojlund at Bayern as a young player? He started his professional career a good 5 years after Ten Hag left Bayerns 2nd team.

It would be interesting if their paths have crossed in the past. Thanks for the info.

{Ed002's Note - It should have read Hojbjerg at Bayern, but the entiore post is nonsense.}

35.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 10:35:11
‘Ten’ finished 3rd last year so if he was shocked by the premier league then he managed it pretty well. I agree we won’t catch city this year, I don’t think anybody will for a few years yet, we just need to be ready for when they start to falter, which hopefully with new ownership we will be, until then this is where we are at.

The issue last year was the away games against the top teams, after spurs it seems like that may be an issue again this term, I can’t see us getting much on Sunday but hopefully I’m wrong. I can only imagine the meltdown on here if we don’t get 5 shiny new signings by Friday and beat Arsenal 3-0.

36.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 10:49:37
Truth is Red Man, there was so much work that needed to be done when EtH arrived, it was a huge rebuild. Greenwood situation hasn't helped either as I suspect EtH was expecting him back. The manager for me has bought were is needed, but to buy everything we need in a couple summers is impossible with the spending restrictions. The amount of money clubs want for players when United are interested is staggering. This is why I am slightly amazed why we haven't gone for Amrabat yet. Reasonably cheap and what we need. We clearly don't have the money. I think that's pretty obvious. Brighton have signed Baleba for £23m. If United, Chelsea, City etc went in for him it would have been closer to £35m. If I was in charge at United, I would seriously consider bringing in a South American Scout with great pull. Our best signings should be new scouting staff, we should be finding these players before they are unaffordable.

37.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 11:47:29
We did, Sydney. His name was Moises Caceido!

38.) 30 Aug 2023
30 Aug 2023 13:07:36
£4.5m wasn't it? I seen a list of United near misses once. It was hard to read.