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Football Thread 2013/2014 |OT1| Moyes, Master of Muppets

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G

Gambit

Member
ElTopo said:
I actually wouldn't be surprised if Kroos left. Shaqiri is probably our go-to Ribéry replacement, Gustavo our Martinez/Schweinsteiger backup. Kroos doesn't seem to fit into our system as well anymore.

:(
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I don't think he will. Kroos is our designated Schweini successor. Also, I'd be very sad if he left. I'd rather get rid of Pep than Kroos.
 
F

Frank the Great

Banned
TheLucifer said:
Honda will be a Milan player in January, his agent has met Galliani this afternoon and confirmed this. If we manage to sell Robinho/Boateng he could be bought before September (we'll probably try to get Ljajic first, though).
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Won't Honda be cup-tied by then? This is really stupid. B&G should just spend the money and get him ASAP, that way he has time to gel with the squad.

They're so cheap.
 
W

Wilbur

Banned
Just kidding, they were always fuck monkeys

But entitled to be

JUST SELL US A FUCKING MIDFIELDER

Gustavo would be nice. Or Kroos. Too bad Tymo left
 
T

Tc91

Member
Tancredi Palmeri ‏@tancredipalmeri 34m
Bayern have 5 Champions League. Real Madrid 9. This is the ultimate Guardiola challenge: bringing down Real from the throne of history
Click to expand...

Tancredi Palmeri ‏@tancredipalmeri 20m
"José?"
"Oh, president Perez! So many years. Wait...you want me back?"
"Yes, but we send you to Bundesliga"
"...why?"
"Finish the mission"
Click to expand...

FINISH HIM JOSE.
 
T

TheLucifer

Member
faridmon said:
I hear Martinez wants him, like, now.
Click to expand...
It's a bit late for that, I'm afraid. The deal seems pretty much done at this point.
Zabojnik said:
Scudetto this year, CL the next. Galliani is a master.
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And the year after the CL, the world.
Frank the Great said:
Won't Honda be cup-tied by then? This is really stupid. B&G should just spend the money and get him ASAP, that way he has time to gel with the squad.

They're so cheap.
Click to expand...
Of course.
 
N

Naughty God

Banned
TheLucifer said:
Honda will be a Milan player in January, his agent has met Galliani this afternoon and confirmed this. If we manage to sell Robinho/Boateng he could be bought before September (we'll probably try to get Ljajic first, though).
Click to expand...

Remember when United announced the signing of Ljajic and ended up not signing him? That's the sort of thing that happens at United.

Remember when Bebe, a homeless Portuguese player whose only full season was in the semi-professional Portuguese third division, got signed by Vitoria on a free transfer, then, in the same summer, got signed by Manchester United for £7.5m?

The transfer was investigated by Portuguese police and my opinion is that Mendes netted pretty much the entire transfer fee, on top of an agent fee. Mendes has earned a lot of money, potentially tens of millions, in deals that have involved United in the past few years. Here's a list of players and staff who he represents that have been at United in the past few seasons:

Ronaldo
Nani (confirmed that Nani replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
Anderson
Queiroz
Bebe (confirmed that Bebe replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
De Gea (rumoured that De Gea had to replace his agent with Jorge Mendes in order to move to United)

And now we're very heavily rumoured to be in for Ezequiel Garay, a defender who we don't need, for £17m and guess who his agent is? Yep, Mendes.

By the way, it looks like Strootman, one of United's apparent targets, is off to Roma and De Rossi may be heading somewhere that isn't Manchester United. How depressing.
 
T

Tc91

Member
thiagoff0qkl9.gif
 
V

Vivalaraza

Member
Bayern are doing exactly what you should do when you get to the top. Being ruthless.

Makes me sad that when we got there we wasted the whole summer wasting time on Berbatov. What a waste of time and money that was :(
 
L

Lambda Pie

Banned
Naughty God said:
Remember when United announced the signing of Ljajic and ended up not signing him? That's the sort of thing that happens at United.

Remember when Bebe, a homeless Portuguese player whose only full season was in the semi-professional Portuguese third division, got signed by Vitoria on a free transfer, then, in the same summer, got signed by Manchester United for £7.5m?

The transfer was investigated by Portuguese police and my opinion is that Mendes netted pretty much the entire transfer fee, on top of an agent fee. Mendes has earned a lot of money, potentially tens of millions, in deals that have involved United in the past few years. Here's a list of players and staff who he represents that have been at United in the past few seasons:

Ronaldo
Nani (confirmed that Nani replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
Anderson
Queiroz
Bebe (confirmed that Bebe replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
De Gea (rumoured that De Gea had to replace his agent with Jorge Mendes in order to move to United)

And now we're very heavily rumoured to be in for Ezequiel Garay, a defender who we don't need, for £17m and guess who his agent is? Yep, Mendes.

By the way, it looks like Strootman, one of United's apparent targets, is off to Roma and De Rossi may be heading somewhere that isn't Manchester United. How depressing.
Click to expand...

Mendes is grade A cunt but i'm happy he rips PL clubs like a master.
 
K

Kikarian

Member
Apparently Thiago now officially signed a 4-year deal with Bayern. Not sure how true it is, probably not. No reliable sources have mentioned it.
 
T

TheLucifer

Member
Naughty God said:
Remember when United announced the signing of Ljajic and ended up not signing him? That's the sort of thing that happens at United.

Remember when Bebe, a homeless Portuguese player whose only full season was in the semi-professional Portuguese third division, got signed by Vitoria on a free transfer, then, in the same summer, got signed by Manchester United for £7.5m?

The transfer was investigated by Portuguese police and my opinion is that Mendes netted pretty much the entire transfer fee, on top of an agent fee. Mendes has earned a lot of money, potentially tens of millions, in deals that have involved United in the past few years. Here's a list of players and staff who he represents that have been at United in the past few seasons:

Ronaldo
Nani (confirmed that Nani replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
Anderson
Queiroz
Bebe (confirmed that Bebe replaced his existing agent shortly before signing for United)
De Gea (rumoured that De Gea had to replace his agent with Jorge Mendes in order to move to United)

And now we're very heavily rumoured to be in for Ezequiel Garay, a defender who we don't need, for £17m and guess who his agent is? Yep, Mendes.

By the way, it looks like Strootman, one of United's apparent targets, is off to Roma and De Rossi may be heading somewhere that isn't Manchester United. How depressing.
Click to expand...
Mendes reminds me of Raiola. If they team up they could easily destroy dozens of teams each year.
 
S

subtles

Member
I guess it's time we faced the truth, even with the new T.V deal the PL is no longer fashionable. Even Monaco is a more attractive proposition to players than Moyes.
 
N

Naughty God

Banned
TheLucifer said:
Mendes reminds me of Raiola. If they team up they could easily destroy dozens of teams each year.
Click to expand...

Raiola is the cunt who advised Pogba to move.

To be fair, they were both right about moving due to United's outdated policy on youth contracts and Fergie's decision to play Rafael and Park in central midfield, as well as re-signing Scholes from the retirement home.
 
S

Suen

Member
Error said:
Wow Guardiola took a huge shit on Rosell, just destroyed him.

Also confirmed he wants Thiago.
Click to expand...
What was that about Barca fans saying Madrid is the only cunt team? Blue and red...colors followed together by cunts in football. Get bent Barca-GAF
except Messi
 
W

Wilbur

Banned
Vivalaraza said:
:lol

Don't be so bitter.

United need to figure out why they can't close out a transfer deal. It happens way too often.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

Wanyama to a mid table club right now, missed out on Hazard, Moura, Thiago, Strootman, Modric, must be some others I can't remember. Just embarrassing.
 
V

Vivalaraza

Member
Have of you ordered games from Tesco direct before.

Do they deliver them quickly? Says 2-3 days but I wanna know if it could be more like...1 day :D
 
S

Suen

Member
Damn all those Malaga players that have left and are leaving after one of their more successful seasons, feel sorry for them. That ban (and the stupid Sheikh) fucked it up.
 
N

Naughty God

Banned
Vivalaraza said:
:lol

Don't be so bitter.

United need to figure out why they can't close out a transfer deal. It happens way too often.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry to keep coming out with all these nuggets of information, but this is one of the main reasons why:

http://www.united.no/nyhetsarkiv/det-fremkalte-et-tort-flir/

Translated into English:

I’m at the Wyscout forum in Barcelona, one of the very few journalists present. One hundred of the world’s leading clubs are here, with 300 agents who pay €10,000 a year to be a member of this little known group who hold these exclusive events. Money that buys the agents access to clubs to do deals, a kind of speed-dating for transfers in the cloak and dagger world of player sales.

City, Chelsea, Benfica, Liverpool, Juventus all use Wyscout. Most of the big South American clubs too. United don’t. United keep themselves to themselves, it’s their style. Negotiate on their terms. Deal with people on their terms.

Write a letter outlining a grievance and the club will deal with it. Go to the media first and publicise it and the club don’t want to succumb to what they see as public blackmail.
United share Carrington Moss with Manchester City and Sale Sharks rugby team, three top-flight professional outfits training on the same lush west Manchester turf. United and City, for obvious reasons, don’t share morning coffees. Interaction is limited to the players lining up alongside each other each morning at the traffic lights at the end of the Carrington spur. Though before a derby in 2000, City players ran as a group to the gates of United’s centre and did what was described as a ‘haka’ to try and excorcise the red demon in their midst. They lost the next day at Maine Road. Beckham, 1-0.

City and Sale get on well. Sale are allowing City’s young players to train on their pitch at present while City’s main training pitches are prepared for pre-season. They communicate, they mix, rugby and football, professionally and socially. United kept it far more private. They’re not the rude neighbour, more the polite one who keeps himself to himself.

United are not private when it comes to marketing, they can’t afford to be. An email has just arrived from Old Trafford entitled ‘Guarantee your seat for Chelsea at home!’ The advert continues ‘BIG GAMES. THEY DESERVE MORE THAN JUST A BIG TV.
‘There’s no plasma screen or surround sound on earth that does justice to the big games at the Theatre of Dreams. The atmosphere really has to be experienced to be believed.’
United have gone on the attack to sell season tickets. It’s marketing speak. What did you expect? A searingly honest line stating: “You won’t see Wayne Rooney next season as he wants to go to Chelsea and Chelsea want him. But we don’t want to sell him to Chelsea and we’re working on that one. If he does go, you’ll still see him a few times wearing a blue shirt.”
No, this is marketing. The only way to guarantee a seat for Chelsea at home, it explains, is to buy a season ticket.

Needs must. Such was the demand, United didn’t need to advertise tickets until two years ago. Then the club started to invite fans to join a waiting list for a season ticket. Except you didn’t need to wait for a season ticket, though you did need to wait for one of the best season tickets closer to the pitch and not up in the gods or at the back of stands.
United need to put bums on seats and there are 76,000 of those to be filled for every home game. It’s a miracle that United have enjoyed sell-out crowds for league matches since 1992, a level of consistency in support that no other club in world football can match. Don’t pay too much attention to the figures given by Greater Manchester Police about the ‘official’ official attendances either.

They claimed, on average, that there were 10,000 fewer people inside Old Trafford than the club said. That there were only 65,601 inside the ground for the last Manchester derby, not 75,527 as reported. I sat in the Stretford End that night and looked around. If there were 10,000 empty seats that then my name is Eric Djemba Djemba and I live in Narvik.
The police didn’t tell the club that there was a freedom of information request coming in as usual and the club were unable to answer correctly. Those figures brought up a valid point though – clubs publish attendances according to tickets sold and not how many people are in the ground.

There are definitely games when there is a large discrepancy between the two, but the GMP figures didn’t count the executive areas fully and Old Trafford has 9,000 executive seats.
That’s an aside. After years of courting foreign markets and not paying sufficient attention to fans who actually go to matches, United have changed tack. Mancunian fans are used to advertisements for season tickets, laden with quotes about ‘smelling the grass, the smell of the game.’ In short, one of the sensations that television cannot offer.
Season ticket holders get an exclusive magazine, there’s a 0% option if you want the season ticket on credit and the prices have been held – more or less – for three years. Season tickets are as cheap as £28 per match for adults behind both goals, though the average is closer to £38 per game, or £1,000 per season.

There are other changes. United’s line about: ‘The atmosphere really has to be experienced to be believed,’ drew a wry smile from this Red because it implies that Old Trafford has a wonderful atmosphere. What constitutes a good atmosphere is subjective. Chris Lee, Director of Populous architecture which designed the Emirates and the Olympic stadium, said Arsenal’s new home produces a “phenomenal atmosphere which cements the relationship between the players and the crowds.”

Really? Is that the same Emirates which is famous for being like a library and having a poor atmosphere. Lee claims that Arsenal’s brief to him was to create “the most beautiful and intimidating atmosphere and stadium”. The stadium is beautiful, the atmosphere is as intimidating as a royal polo match.

Old Trafford doesn’t have a great atmosphere for 90% of matches. It used to have one, but price rises and changes like all seater stadia have diluted it. Putting a block of executive seats in the middle of the Stretford End, the old vocal heart of the United didn’t help either. I put this to Martin Edwards, then chairman, and he admitted, in hindsight, that it was a mistake.
United have realized that the atmosphere can and should be a selling point, a spectacular backdrop that can also help the team. Fans have been encouraged to bring flags, the club have given assistance too. At the aforementioned derby, a surfer flag was passed over my head and then efficiently collected and stored by stewards. It’s hardly Serie A’s ultra culture for authenticity, but then Serie A’s relationship with fans is hardly a shining example. Attendances are down across Italy, in part because people don’t think it’s safe to watch football in cities like Rome.

United secretary John Alexander, formerly of Spurs, is influential in improving the atmosphere and the club commissioned an acoustics engineer who attended two games in April and came back with the news that “the sound travels less well from the Stretford End than from the quadrant, due to the shape at the back of the stand and the slope of the roof”. Which maybe true, but some of the best atmospheres are at stadiums which don’t even have a roof or have a running track. The fact is, not nearly enough United fans sing because the vocal singers are spread around the stadium – that’s if they still go to matches at all. And if they do, they tend to arrive at the stadium very late and sing the songs too fast.
Others in senior positions at the club are keen for change. Some were United fans long before they started working for the club and they know that a lot of fans have simply stopped going to games for various reasons.

Building the atmosphere back up won’t be easy. In the past it was a reflection of society and that, plus fan culture, has changed. But the moves should be welcomed, even if they are too little, too late.

Now I’ll go off to find Thiago’s dad here at Wyscout and see if he’ll stop messing about and get his son to sign for the champions of England…
Click to expand...

The whole article is worth a read, but the bit in bold is the pertinent piece of information.

Honourable? Yes.

Outdated? Yes.
 
T

Turok_TTZ

Member
Jorge Mendes frightens me. An agent with too much influence for my liking. Dude literally controls atletico madrid transfer affairs since they owe him money (not sure if falcao sale resolved debt)
 
S

Suen

Member
Damn so City might be getting both Negredo and Jovetic on top of Jesus Navas...three good and very promising signings. With the departure of Tevez Negredo would likely be a good replacement if not even better. Think the guy will score lots as soon as he adapts to EPL.
 
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