21 Apr 2022 14:15:14
Clearly there is much going on behind the scenes with the departure of the Chief Scout. The club was more than kind to say: "Jim played a key role in the development of multiple trophy-winning Manchester United teams". Hyperbole? Name one player acquired during his 16 years that would qualify him for such high praise. Maybe if he scouted DDG. RVP, the one year wonder? Did he need scouting? I think both Lawlor and Marcel Bout may not have been fired but instead they were allowed a dignified exit. They may have been great scouts (doubtful), but if they were, then the club obviously paid no attention to them.

Which brings us back to the management hierarchy and whether RR and ETH - good cop bad cop? - will have the weight to carry the day. I agree with RRs assessment that we are 5-6 years behind Liverpool and City. We're also a few years behind Arsenal. The challenge is enormous. We are going to have to build a new team with far less money than has been splashed around wastefully in the last few years. We are no longer a destination of choice for top players. That means less expensive players who will be coached into a system, play above themselves, producing results based on team work on the field - leading to profit rather than loss on transfers. Think Coutinho and Suarez. It will require total coordination between management, coaching, youth development and scouting. Everyone will need to be on the same page.

Our financial advantages, to the extent that they had not already been eliminated by cash laden investors from overseas, and the cash consuming LBO, have now largely gone. We still have £500m in net debt. The new team manager is going to need solid support from the club during what could be a difficult couple of years. Fortunately, I think the fans now realize where we are and will be patient if they can see a team with guts, energy and a heart evolving. There are no guarantees of course - but for the time being I'll settle for performances that lead to positive expectation, rather than the sort of dread before another anticipated humiliation against Liverpool or City.

1.) 21 Apr 2022
21 Apr 2022 15:41:16
The coaches have to take equal blame.
Plenty of recent players arrive at United and their progress stalls.

We need quality coaches to improve and to bring the best out of the players.

2.) 21 Apr 2022
21 Apr 2022 16:06:44
Did we not sign Evra and vidic in 2006? Hernandez was the last sort of unknown that came in and did great.

3.) 21 Apr 2022
21 Apr 2022 15:20:43
Shaw, I'm pretty sure both Lawlor and Bout applied for the DoF job alongside Murtaugh as one of the internal candidates.

Having been overlooked for the role and having seen how he has done in the year since he was appointed. Maybe they have decided it is time to move on.

I don't think it's anymore complicated than that.

However, what is a concern is that we have now lost our chief scout and head of global scouting months before a huge transfer window.

Now some people might point out that our recent transfers have mostly been poor. Yet in truth none of us know how much impact Lawlor and Bout have had in the final say.

Ultimately their job is to find player who fit criteria.

Who sets the criteria, which of the scouted targets are pursued who knows.

However, I know both Lawlor and Bout are highly appreciated by many people within football.

What we have lost though is genuine contacts, people who have a network, who know agents and players.

We are going into a summer window with a new manager and a (hopefully) whole new direction. We will have between 6-12 players leave this summer (Grant, Mata, Lingard, Matic, Pogba and Cavani on frees. Henderson, Bailly, Jones, Tuanzebe, Dalot, Shaw, Donny, Martial, Rashford and Ronaldo could all leave also with many entering their final year on their contract) . That's a lot of bodies to replace, and we will need to be able to find bargains where we can. Now we will have to do it without the connections that Lawlor and Bout have, without their expertise.

I see a lot of people want a revolution at Old Trafford, yet few seem to appreciate that revolutions often put you further back before being able to move forward.

We can't get rid of everyone, it creates chaos and potentially a power vacuum.

Evolution is better and more stable in that you don't have to take a backwards step or potentially create imbalance.

You need to work with what you have and slowly replace each component for better.

So while some might shout and cheer at the departure of two men who we have absolutely no idea what they were actually responsible for, I take a slightly more reserved approach. Maybe they were the problem, maybe they were part of it, or maybe they weren't an issue at all.

4.) 21 Apr 2022
21 Apr 2022 18:28:12
Shappy. I feel sure that the scouting problem will be addressed, as indeed it should be. However I am certain that both RR and ETH are advising that they have both a) primary and immediate prospects in mind to address the squad clear out that's going to take place this summer and b) a detailed revamp of the scouting and analytics structure designed to meet the playing strategy. It makes little difference whether Lawlor and Bout's advice was bad or was just ignored, their ineffectiveness speaks for itself. What's the point of retaining ineffective people on the payroll?

Normally I would agree with you that evolution is better than revolution, but in this case there doesn't seem to be much worth salvaging either on or off the pitch. And if I'm running a business I really don't take heed of the appreciation others in football might have for my employees if they have proved to be ineffective. The worst thing the club can do at this point is force ETH and RR to hang on to structures that have a history of failure. We need to re-indoctrinate with a winning mentality. no excuses. We need the EW malaise extinguished.

5.) 21 Apr 2022
21 Apr 2022 19:01:25
Shappy, only yesterday you said their departure was probably long overdue ?
You’ve then gone on to list players (the squad players still under contract) who could leave, then say not everyone can be sold? We’ll lose the players out of contract. I’d expect maybe 1 more max will go.
There is no way we’ll see a wholesale change in one window, certainly not 12.

6.) 22 Apr 2022
22 Apr 2022 08:31:51
2toms,

You mean this post?

"To be honest looking at our recent signings it's probably long overdue.

Although to be fair I don't know how much blame can be put on them and how much on the people deciding which players to pursue AFTER they've been scouted. "

Where I go on to say that I actually don't know whether they are to blame for the signings or not?

As for how many will leave Rangnick himself has said as many as 10 could be leaving. We have 6 who are out of contract so will definitely leave.

Beyond those 6 we have Martial who has said he wants to leave. Henderson who has said he wants to play and will leave if he won't play at United next season. Bailly has also said he wants to leave. So there are another 3 who have all publicly stated an intention to leave. That brings us up to 9 players.

You then have the likes of Jones and Tuanzebe. While there have been rumours that Ronaldo would look to leave if we aren't in the UCL as well as rumours that EtH doesn't think Ronaldo presents a long term future. Rumours of Rashford being unhappy and looking at his options. While Shaw and Dalot have contracts that expire in 2023, although the club does have one year extension options on both of them.

So there are 6 who are definitely leaving, 3 who have publicly declared they want to leave, 2 who the club would happily sell if offers came in, 2 who are rumoured want to leave and a further 2 who's contracts need addressing to avoid them leaving.

So that's 9 who are almost certain to leave and have a desire to leave (which makes it silly for the club to keep them) .

If one of Jones or Bailly leave that gives us the 10 Rangnick has said. While there are question marks over a few others.

I think We'll see a minimum of 8 players leave, with as many as 12.