Will Rafa & the team be watching the 7-2 Masterclass?

ivuernis said:
I'm just waiting for the "Rooney to Madrid" headlines to begin ;-)
Click to expand...

I have already seen them.

But I do honestly think is Real Madrid want to buy another big star name this summer then they should forget about everyone else and do everything they possibly can to get Rooney. He, along with Messi and Ronaldo, are the players that are miles out in front in world football. Messi they can't and will never get, but Rooney maybe. He would cost an absolute mountain of money, but he would be worth it.

Sell Kaka the bum back to Milan for half what they paid. Cut their losses. Sell Higuain to City for silly money, sell Ramos at full back. He should raise a fair bit. Sell Diarra in midfield. They might get €100 for him. Sell Drenthe, Marcelo, Raul, Guti etc. Get all the money together and buy Rooney. We all know that the Glaziers are open to offers on anyone in their team as they need the cash.

But it was some display by Utd, and a very poor 2nd half one by Madrid after hammering Lyon in the 1st. Milan need to take a good look at themselves. This is the weakest Utd team in about 10 years yet they made Milan look like wee boys. Fair play to them.

Madrid. Back to the drawing board. Mourinho will be the next purchase I feel.

As for the original point of the Pool - well it must be heart-breaking for their fans to watch Utd do so well while they have to support a bucket side which will finish about 6th in the EPL this season, and which is playing tragic football. An insult to the name of Liverpool FC.
 
ivuernis said:
I'm just waiting for the "Rooney to Madrid" headlines to begin ;-)
Click to expand...

Rooney will never go to Madrid. He is the last of the street footballers and wants to play football, win trophies and THEN bank the cash. Barcelona would be a better move for him. As a United fan of 40+ years I cannot see him moving. I predict that he will be captain next season at United.

What has happened at Liverpool is tragic for real football fans. Yes, they did spoil my childhood! Rafa has done more than destroyed the first team and their renowned cavalier all-out attack style of playing which was similar to United and Arsenal. He has destroyed the Anfield bootroom and has done a root and branch job on the club, installing Spanish coaches and staff at all levals. The American owners and Rick Parry did nothing to prevent this, but, then they had no emotional attachment to Liverpool and it's heritage. Think of Shankly, Paisley, Ronnie Moran, Kenny Dalglish, Roy Evans and those life long staffers who had Liverpool running through their veins. Looking at Gerrard hhis season, he is gutted and demotivated. Capello even erred and picked Rio, who real United fans have little time for, as England captain. Sad.

Sure, as a United fan it does please me that we have toppled Liverpool and are closing in on our 19th Championship and will eventually equal their 5 European Cups, but, we would prefer to be competing at the top with Liverpool than the mercenary and souless Chelsea or the boring and unsporting Arsenal.
 
I can't see Rooney ever going abroad to play for another club. He has all of the money he needs/wants and is only a 1/2 hour from his family. He seems settled and I don't think the heat or change in culture would benefit him. He is where he should be.
 

What I said about Rooney was a jest aimed at Real Madrid who usual reaction to their team exiting Europe in the last 16 again is to start a whispering campaign aimed at unsettling their next galactico target.


As a United fan also I agree with you. Much as I'm supposed to "hate" Liverpool it is sad to see what's happening to them given their past history. That said their 20+ years without a title has at least yielded them a Champions League and several other cups. All United had to show for the 70s and 80s was 3 FA Cups and a spell in the then second division. Winning a record 19th title this season with an unprecedented 4th consecutive title would be so sweet though. I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Who knows with our mutual debt problems United and Liverpool could end up facing each other in the Europa League final instead of the Champions League within a few years!
 
carpedeum said:
Looking at Gerrard hhis season, he is gutted and demotivated. Capello even erred and picked Rio, who real United fans have little time for, as England captain.
Click to expand...

Why do "real" United fans have little time for Rio?
 
As a staunch Man U fan I think this "masterclass" talk is way off the mark. United were average. Milan were shocking.

The good points -
1) Rooney's scoring record of late.
2) Park nullifying Pirlo and generally coming on as a player.
3) Fletch

The worrying points (there's nothing ever bad about United)
1) No right back worth a damn. Sorry Gary but one cross does not a full back make.
2) We do not have a midfielder to replace Scholes.
3) A decent LB and a decent left sided midfielder will make trouble for United as most of our attacking threat comes from the right.

I also have concerns about Rio and Vidic. Vidic was once a rock at the back. Now the top class strikers know that if they run at him he will haul 'em down. That will be tested on Sunday week when Torres arrives at OT. Oh how I hope Torres doesn't get a sniff all day.
Poor Rio just can't get a run of games without getting injured. It's a real shame.
 
I think Rafa is brushing up on his Italian in anticipation of a move to Juventus.

Unstability at ownership level always filters down to the performance on the pitch. Happens in every sport. Liverpools problem isnt so much that they have 2 north american owners, its because the owners seem to be at logger heads on a lot of things.

United fans shouldnt get to confident about their future. Glazers first priority is Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In case you are unaware, last year the Bucs replaced their coach with a cheap unknown for financial reasons. This is a big about turn for them as traditionally they've had a reputation for paying out big bucks to attract the best to the club. If they are doing this with the Bucs, they'll do worse with United. Rumours knocking around that they are seeking to save money and raise funds - if Madrid of anyone else makes a decent offer for Rooney or any other player, then they'll accept it. I'm expecting a mass exodus of players and staff from United over the next couple of years as costs are cut.
 

1) Wes Brown was a rock at RB during the 2007/08 season but Fergie seems not to pick him there much these days preferring the Brazilian kid, O'Shea or Neville.
2) Just like when Keane left the system will evolve around a different midfielder's strengths and weaknesses. I still have hope that Anderson can turn into a very good attacking midfielder.
3) Valencia did some excellent tracking back down Milan's left flank on Wed


I don't think most United fans are confident about the club's future. Most know the Red Knights is prob more hype than reality. I don't think the Glazer's plan is as drastic as you say. Remember the need to club to continue being successful so that can maximise their return when they do eventually sell it. I think before the £500m bond runs it's 7-year term they will pay off their PIK loans with money from the club then sell the club with the bond still in place. A new owner(s) would pay £700-800m for the club and inherit the bond obligations. The would leave the Glazer with a £400-500m profit for their efforts. How I despise them. The money exiting Old Trafford to pay for this kind of leverage is incredible. Of course, Ferguson will have to retire sometime too!
 

But dont forget the complicating factor in all this is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers [bearing in mind that every NFL team is valued higher than United, so the Bucs are the more valuable asset - franchise alone, without the assets is worth in excess of 1bn]. They need the Bucs to be successful to retain its value. It may be necessary for them to take money out of United and invest it in the Bucs sacrificing United's success and value to ensure that the Bucs are competitive and maintain their value. You may also be unaware that the NFL salary cap was withdrawn earlier this month. Therefore clubs are no longer restricted to an annual player wage bill of $128m. Teams may need to spend a lot more money to stay competitive. There may be a spending war over the next couple of years, so NFL owners are looking outside the sport for additional sources of funding to keep their teams competitive.
 


Agree on Wes. Brown is out for at least 6-8 weeks so we can count him out. We currently do not have a FIT right full back of the quality required to win the Champs Lge

I had such great hopes for Anderson but it just hasn't happened. I don't know how long Fergie will wait for him. We NEED a passer; a real midfield passer. There are only 4/5 in the world worthy of the United jersey. There is nobody in England of Scholes level. I hear great things about Petrucci but we'll just have to wait and see.

Valencia did very well when tracking back. But I meant the opposite. United show a tendency to attack the right flank. If a team manages to nullify our threat down the right, we are in trouble.
 

Are you sure about those valuations? According to the Forbes list of the most valuable sporting "franchises" United are top...

1. Manchester United (Football, $1.8bn)
2. Dallas Cowboys (American Football, $1.6bn)
3. Washington Redskins (American Football, $1.5bn)
4. New England Patriots (American Football, $1.32bn)
5. New York Yankees (Baseball, $1.3bn)
6. Real Madrid (Football, $1.29bn)
7. Arsenal (Football, $1.2bn)
8. New York Giants (American Football, $1.18bn)
9. New York Jets (American Football, $1.17bn)
10. Houston Texans (American Football, $1.17bn)


Yeah, maybe Anderson will do some hard thinking about his United future while recovering from his knee injury. United will give him the best rehab and hopefully he'll return a better player. Unfortunately, it's going to be nigh on impossible to replace Scholes. Gonna to be very strange when Ferguson, Giggs and Scholes call it a day in the next 2-3 years. They've all be around so long it'll be strange to picture a United without any of them.
 
ivuernis said:
Are you sure about those valuations? According to the Forbes list of the most valuable sporting "franchises" United are top...
Click to expand...

I am not convinced by these vals either. For one thing it leaves out the bulk of TV money. The YES network is valued at a minimum of $2bn. It was $3.5bn in 2007 so I think that is very conservative in today's climate. That puts the Yankess over the $3bn mark.

The Glazers are no fools. They know that United have not tapped the Asian market to the same extent as the the Yankees have tapped the US market. If MUTV goes truly global using high speed broadband it is fair to say that the club will be conservatively valued at $4.5bn min.

That might sound crazy but if you can get 10 million people to pay $1 a month to watch games on line then you are on a winner. A billion dollar winner.
 
RMCF said:
Do you watch football?
Click to expand...

Yes, I watch football and acknowledge that Arsenal, when the mood takes them are great to watch, usually against teams outside the top five or six. They bottled it against United in the Champions League last year and again in the Premiership this year against what is one of the weakest United teams of the last 10 years. However, Mr. Wenger is the worst loser in football and never ever has a good word to say for any team who beats them. United were absolutely played off the park by Everton a couple of weeks ago, but, Alex Ferguson stated Everton were the better team and totally deserved to win. Ferguson has acknowedged similar losses to Chelsea and Liverpool in recent seasons. Wengers comments on Shawcross after the tackle on Ramsey, admittedly as late as the 14a bus, but, a young player with no history of violence, were totally over the top and were repeated a week later. Wenger is basically a bully, who has failed to come near to delivering a single trophy, even a Carling Cup, for over five years.
 
DB74 said:
Why do "real" United fans have little time for Rio?
Click to expand...

Where do I start? The drug test dodge? The meal with Chelsea directors? His habit of falling asleep at the back? The fact that he was earning more than Keane, Giggs, Rooney et al at one stage? His reluctance to put his head where it might be hurt like Steve Bruce, Kevin Moran, Vidic or Paul McGrath? He comes well down the list of United centre-halves. Jonny Evans looks the real deal and there is a young 17 year old Irish lad called Michael Keane playing for the reserves who may challenge him soon. His twin, William, also plays centre-forward for the United Reserves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register