Definately worth pasting as you won't see a story like that, that often. Even their own are turning, the season hasn't even started yet!
Manchester United's amateur and clumsy transfer moves this summer have been nothing short of an embarrassment 'The club are working through their plans A, B and C like a dullard loudly reciting the alphabet and struggling to get past the first'Next Sunday sees Manchester United take on Wigan Athletic in the FA Community Shield at Wembley.
A glorified friendly it may be but as sure as Dave Whelan will dedicate any victory to the broken leg that seemingly never healed, so the game takes on Anderson-sized importance for David Moyes as an early indicator of how he’ll cope as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor.
It has always been the traditional curtain-raiser to a new season but as far as United are concerned you almost expect a spokesperson to comically fumble through the velvet drapes Eric Morecambe style and sheepishly announce that a special guest has failed to turn up.
It would be fitting for a close season that has seen the club descend into very public farce.
To his credit Moyes was quick to identify midfield as requiring specific and immediate attention, an admission that felt positively Archimedian to United supporters urging the club to add quality to the area for years.
Yet weeks on Uruguayan Guillermo Varela remains the club’s sole recruit - a youth player invited to train at the club during Ferguson’s reign. Moyes must feel like boy who wanted a bike for Christmas only to be told he was Muslim.
United have spent the summer stumbling around the transfer market like a drunk and creepy uncle at a wedding; clumsily making unwelcome passes at anyone vaguely attractive, whilst groping repeatedly and embarrassingly at the plus-ones of others.
Extending the metaphor further you wonder whether they’d be in any fit state to seal the deal were anyone to actually say yes.
New chief executive and Ian Hislop-alike Ed Woodward hasn’t exactly helped. At the beginning of the summer most supporters would have been satisfied enough with a decent midfielder and exciting young recruit or two.
Since then Woodward has publicly stated that United wouldn’t bat an eyelid at spending £60 or 70m on the right man, whilst the club have repeatedly briefed the media about the world-class standard of player they are in the market for.
Big names such as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo have been banded about as prospective targets and expectations have soared.
It has added unnecessary pressure on United to produce and produce big. Whereas the club would previously be at pains to deny any such speculation, the new incumbents seem intent on fuelling it.
Whether it’s intentional or not the club have become a bit of a circus, and not in a good way. The kind where everyone looks like an incompetent clown and the wheels come off at the end.
Missing out on Thiago was understandable. He decided to join his mentor at Bayern and there was little United could do about it.
What is less becoming is the very public pursuit of Cesc Fabregas. The player himself has wisely kept his council; Barcelona have consistently claimed he’s not for sale (as they would); but United have conducted a cringeworthy negotiation-by-media like some attention-seeking Big Brother contestant eager to stretch out their fifteen minutes of fame.
The whole episode and indeed the summer has been an embarrassment. Every move has seemed amateur and clumsy. The club are working through their plans A, B and C like a dullard loudly reciting the alphabet and struggling to get past the first letter.
If they miss out on Fabregas and turn their attentions to, say, Luca Modric, how will he feel about being a very public consolation prize for the one that got away? Selling clubs will also start to sense United’s desperation and add idiot tax to any quoted price.
You’ve got to feel for Moyes in all of this. A few weeks ago he excitedly announced that the chairman had told him there was ‘no budget’ at United. He must now be wondering whether that’s the same ‘no budget’ he had to contend with at Everton.
The club need to back a manager who will be under tremendous pressure to succeed from the outset. It requires an intelligence, decisiveness and tact in their pursuit of players that looks far beyond them.
Sir Alex Ferguson famously referred to Manchester City as being United’s ‘noisy neighbours’. Recent months have seen one of those clubs go quietly and efficiently about the business of strengthening their squad whilst the other shouts very loudly and achieves precious little. There’s been plenty of talk of ‘marquee’ when not so much as a child’s tent has transpired.
Perhaps the most laughable story to come out of Old Trafford was Woodward dramatically jumping on a plane from Australia to deal with urgent business at the club. A few weeks on he still seems hopelessly unable to land.
How is it anyone at uniteds fault that united have been linked with unrealistic transfer targets, it's the media who make up the ridiculous transfer stories, have united bid for the likes bale and ronaldo? No? The only ONE player united have publicly commented on is fabregas the fact you guys make this stuff up to sell papers is no reflection on motes or Woodward, just another pathetic attempt to have a pop at moyes before the season has even started, shoddy journalism again
Another pile of tosh served up by the ever reliable anti United comic the mirror!! Honestly every bloody story in the last month involving United on here is negative!! Even if there's a glimmer of positivity you guys still find a negative!!!
One target Fabregas!!!! "ONE" can you read that you idiotic fools!! And yes while it seems like a pointless task going for him United must no something you Journo's don't "no way" .. Lol which in its self is hardly surprising is it? ..seeing as tho most of your news is old/cut and paste or just blatantly made up!
Oh how you've waited for the non Fergie years....
After selling Ronaldo in 2009 for 80 million and several lesser players in the following years, up to last year Manchester United have spent "net zero" on transfer fees in the last 5 years, meanwhile Chelsea and Man City respectively have spent close to 400 and 500million, Now they have no Fergie and if Rooney goes is sold to their rival David Moyes will surely face a long hard season ahead while the Glaziers continue to siphon off 100's of millions each year.to finance their debt.
So is that all your gonna bring to the argument? Stop moaning?
Should have aimed for Cabaye or Eriksson. All this Fabregas business has made us lose more ground in this window. I would have liked us to buy a left back, 2 wingers, def mid, playmaker and a striker if Rooney is to leave. All I can see happening is Fellaini coming on the last day of the window. Why let David Gill leave same time as Fergie?
It sounds to me like 2010 when we sold ronnie and didnt take the tevez option. We made a lot of noise about finding world class replacements with the 80 million we got for ronnie but we ended up signing Owen on a free and Valencia for 16 million. I can see us selling Rooney for 30 mil and buying 1 or 2 players for a combined sun of about 30 million.
I totally agree. We need to go for a more realistic target
