The Ongoing Serie A, La Liga, All English Football, Champions League Thread - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Part 55

[BlackFox]

It's so strange as there is no need for a club like Man Utd to be like this on the transfer front. Woodward is a terrible negotiator and a poor judge of player value.

We call our selves a "big" club but compared to a City/Chelsea/Madrid we are run like a scouts club in comparison, we are in dire need of a DoF but show no ambition of getting one. The thing I dont get is that we arent afraid to spend money, heck we love to waste it on over spending on some players if I was the owner I would be livid with the way we pour money down the drain on over the hill players that are clearly not up to it, Schweinstieger/Falcao/DiMaria/Sanchez/ and the likes of Lingard and Mata, Rojo or on abnormal wages so we cant even get rid of them or off our books.

Its a very odd way to run a club, as if money actually means nothing to them but somebody (one assumes Ed and/or the managers) dont have a friggin clue or plan in place to scout and bring in top quality when we can clearly afford to. I thought the likes of Bruno was a step in the right direction and we had turned a corner but we seems to be back in this position everytime we have the opportunity to kick on to the next level after getting CL football, total waste of everyones time at the club doing things like that if its just going to be more of the same again next sesaon.

 

[BlackFox]

They technically blocked the move, by not letting him leave on a free while giving him a big part of his remaining salary on his way out of the door. Bale could leave if he wanted to. All he'd have to do is take a pay cut and not hold Madrid responsible for any of the contract left. he won't do it.

If we get Bale, I'd be mad at Ole for not making it clear he doesn't want him at all.

Yeah it will be interesting to see if Ole really can be the ruthless SoB he needs to be to get the players he wants or is just a yes man in Eds pocket and making do with what he is given. In the end he will pay with his job as all managers do if the results arent good enough but I guess that depends on what the board and Ed deem as "success" these days. Their view might differ some what from the fans.

 

[B]

They technically blocked the move, by not letting him leave on a free while giving him a big part of his remaining salary on his way out of the door. Bale could leave if he wanted to. All he'd have to do is take a pay cut and not hold Madrid responsible for any of the contract left. he won't do it.

If we get Bale, I'd be mad at Ole for not making it clear he doesn't want him at all.

I don't think Real wanted to let him go for free or even a minimal fee & I also don't think Bale wanted to go to China either, which if I'm not mistaken was where the main concrete interest in him was coming from in the last few windows.

In my opinion, Bale shouldn't make it easy on Real to ship him away purely because of the amount of disrespect Zidane & the club in general have shown him with their efforts to publicly flog him off in every transfer window.

My attitude if I were Bale would be if you want me to take a 'step down' in club & go to a club that's main goal is to qualify for the Champions League rather than actually compete for it, then you're going to make sure my wage is matched until my contract with Real expires if I join them.. otherwise I'm perfectly content to stay here & fight for my place.

Only way I'd take a voluntary paycut would be if I was going to a team like City or Bayern that you can guarantee will be competing for domestic titles & European honours.

 

[B]

Tottenham are apparently close to signing Reguilon, Manchester United apparently will not sign him unless the buy-back clause is removed.

If that's the reason we miss out & Tottenham get him, I'm cool with that. We're not a feeder club to train up Real's talent for them just to then potentially sign him back in a few years when Marcelo retires or leaves.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I don't think Real wanted to let him go for free or even a minimal fee & I also don't think Bale wanted to go to China either, which if I'm not mistaken was where the main concrete interest in him was coming from in the last few windows.

In my opinion, Bale shouldn't make it easy on Real to ship him away purely because of the amount of disrespect Zidane & the club in general have shown him with their efforts to publicly flog him off in every transfer window.

My attitude if I were Bale would be if you want me to take a 'step down' in club & go to a club that's main goal is to qualify for the Champions League rather than actually compete for it, then you're going to make sure my wage is matched until my contract with Real expires if I join them.. otherwise I'm perfectly content to stay here & fight for my place.

Only way I'd take a voluntary paycut would be if I was going to a team like City or Bayern that you can guarantee will be competing for domestic titles & European honours.

That is all because of how Bale has acted. He has brought that all upon himself imo. Especially when you consider how well Zidane gets along with everyone else, and the great work he has done there. Bale has alienated teammates, the manager, the club and the fans.

 

[B]

That is all because of how Bale has acted. He has brought that all upon himself imo. Especially when you consider how well Zidane gets along with everyone else, and the great work he has done there. Bale has alienated teammates, the manager, the club and the fans.

Personally, I don't give a **** about all that off the field stuff. As long as he works hard, trains well & gives his best when he plays on the pitch, he can be the biggest loner in the world & sit in the corner on his own in the dressing room if that's his personality.

The criticism I've heard about him not speaking Spanish either means nothing to me, Antonio Valencia was our captain for a 2(?) seasons, played for us for 10 years & lived in England for near 15 & barely spoke a word of English.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Personally, I don't give a **** about all that off the field stuff. As long as he works hard, trains well & gives his best when he plays on the pitch, he can be the biggest loner in the world & sit in the corner on his own in the dressing room if that's his personality.

The criticism I've heard about him not speaking Spanish either means nothing to me, Antonio Valencia was our captain for a 2(?) seasons, played for us for 10 years & lived in England for near 15 & barely spoke a word of English.

You brought it up... Also why do you assume he works hard, trains well and gives his best on the pitch?

It isn't simply about not speaking Spanish. Sure, they don't like him, because he goes out of his way to be a jerk and doesn't hang with his teammates. That's an issue, but there is more to it. Namely them asking him to stop golfing because he has bad legs and gets injured all the time. And if the idea is that doesn't effect his legs, I point you in the direction of Tiger Woods. They all took it badly, because he kept falling apart, and he didn't care.

 

[BlackFox]

Looks like Bale is off to Spurs now anyway on loan so it doesnt look like an option for us anymore.

 

[B]

You brought it up... Also why do you assume he works hard, trains well and gives his best on the pitch?

It isn't simply about not speaking Spanish. Sure, they don't like him, because he goes out of his way to be a jerk and doesn't hang with his teammates. That's an issue, but there is more to it. Namely them asking him to stop golfing because he has bad legs and gets injured all the time. And if the idea is that doesn't effect his legs, I point you in the direction of Tiger Woods. They all took it badly, because he kept falling apart, and he didn't care.

Purely based on how low his body fat always seems to be & the fact that when he shows up for Wales he always appears to be in peak condition.

Flip that question around & ask yourself was it Bale being jerks to them, or them being jerks to Bale? Have you read the story Courtois gave as 1 of the examples why he's perhaps alienated? The team arranged a late dinner of which Bale (and Kroos also) refused to attend because they considered it too be eating dinner followed by drinking coffee until the early hours when they'd training the next day.

I don't know the exact history of Tiger Woods long list of injuries however I do know a lot of his leg injuries were originally caused by a rigorous Navy SEAL training regime he put himself on. You also have to keep in mind, he's playing competitively, Bale's just a casual/hobbyist. Even at a competitive level, how hard is golf really on your legs? Like I've played golf casually before & my back was a bit sore & that's about it.

 

[B]

Looks like Bale is off to Spurs now anyway on loan so it doesnt look like an option for us anymore.

If he plays & performs to a decent level it will ease the pressure on Kane to constantly provide goals. If Bale could chip in with 5-10 goals I'm sure Tottenham would be content.

 

[Iceman]

That is all because of how Bale has acted. He has brought that all upon himself imo. Especially when you consider how well Zidane gets along with everyone else, and the great work he has done there. Bale has alienated teammates, the manager, the club and the fans.

To alienate them would suggest he was accepted by them in the first place. Did that ever happen? (genuinely asking in case you know more, not trying to be a smartass)

 

[Iceman]

We call our selves a "big" club but compared to a City/Chelsea/Madrid we are run like a scouts club in comparison, we are in dire need of a DoF but show no ambition of getting one. The thing I dont get is that we arent afraid to spend money, heck we love to waste it on over spending on some players if I was the owner I would be livid with the way we pour money down the drain on over the hill players that are clearly not up to it, Schweinstieger/Falcao/DiMaria/Sanchez/ and the likes of Lingard and Mata, Rojo or on abnormal wages so we cant even get rid of them or off our books.

Its a very odd way to run a club, as if money actually means nothing to them but somebody (one assumes Ed and/or the managers) dont have a friggin clue or plan in place to scout and bring in top quality when we can clearly afford to. I thought the likes of Bruno was a step in the right direction and we had turned a corner but we seems to be back in this position everytime we have the opportunity to kick on to the next level after getting CL football, total waste of everyones time at the club doing things like that if its just going to be more of the same again next sesaon.

Maybe it's something to do with the Glazers not having a clue about football and how money is wasted on these mediocre players they've never heard of. Might be a different matter in a sport they knew more about (maybe some of the US sports). The Glazer's cluelessness is probably why Woodward has survived so long. Anyone who knew about football would realise how much this guy is costing Utd in terms of inflated fees due to terrible negotiating skills and the opportunity cost of unnecessarily missing out on big players because of the way he handles transfer negotiations.

 

[Iceman]

Tottenham are apparently close to signing Reguilon, Manchester United apparently will not sign him unless the buy-back clause is removed.

If that's the reason we miss out & Tottenham get him, I'm cool with that. We're not a feeder club to train up Real's talent for them just to then potentially sign him back in a few years when Marcelo retires or leaves.

So with a buyback clause you have to give the player back if he turns out to be great? In that case I totally agree with you.

 

[AverageMan]

That is all because of how Bale has acted. He has brought that all upon himself imo. Especially when you consider how well Zidane gets along with everyone else, and the great work he has done there. Bale has alienated teammates, the manager, the club and the fans.

That's why everyone is trying their best to get out of there? They blocked Bale from leaving. Look at this window - Ceballos, Rodriguez, Regullion (fell out with Zidane's son, not had a look in) & now hopefully Bale will get to leave. Luka Jovic can't get a game either. had Kaylor Navas & they signed a down grade in Courtois. If you don't like Bale, fair enough, but don't think this is completely one sided & the sun shines out of Zidane's a**e because it doesn't.

 

[Iceman]

I wish Bale had gone to Man Utd direct from Spurs rather than going to Madrid. His medals ring hollow for me as he’s won them for fans who don’t like him. I would much rather play for a club I like than win medals for a club I didn’t. Going to a big club that I didn’t have negative feelings for to win honours would be fine though.

 

[BlackFox]

I wish Bale had gone to Man Utd direct from Spurs rather than going to Madrid. His medals ring hollow for me as he’s won them for fans who don’t like him. I would much rather play for a club I like than win medals for a club I didn’t. Going to a big club that I didn’t have negative feelings for to win honours would be fine though.

Same but do Madrid fans like anyone, they seem to get the hump with everyone even Ronaldo got the boo's from them so doesn't seem like a place you will get much love from the fans, unless your called Raul he seemed to be able to do no wrong.

Bale will be content though with his medals and cash and go back to Spurs where he will feel the love a lot more. Some might not be so keen with is age/wages etc but I think most will welcome him back and you never know, Arsenal are celebrating extending the contract of a 31 year old so maybe Bale has something left in the tank, if he does then Spurs might surprise a few yet.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

That's why everyone is trying their best to get out of there? They blocked Bale from leaving. Look at this window - Ceballos, Rodriguez, Regullion (fell out with Zidane's son, not had a look in) & now hopefully Bale will get to leave. Luka Jovic can't get a game either. had Kaylor Navas & they signed a down grade in Courtois. If you don't like Bale, fair enough, but don't think this is completely one sided & the sun shines out of Zidane's a**e because it doesn't.

Everyone is trying to leave the team that just won the title in Spain? That's just not true.

1. They blocked Bale leaving for free to China while they still had to pay a big chunk of what they "owed him". The club refused to do that. Nothing to do with Zidane.

2. Ceballos is out on loan. That is what happens when a young player is still rated but you don't have a place for him in the squad.

3. Reguillion is leaving theortically, with a buyback clause. If he comes good properly, he will be back in Madrid in 2 years. The reason Spurs are leading the race for him, is because they are willing to pay 30m for him, with a 35m buyback clause. They are idiots.

4. Luka Jovic was hurt multiple times last season, while also breaking COVID-19 lock down. He still played 27 matches, in a team where Benzema was one of the 3 best players in La Liga last season. More over, maybe Zidane doesn't rate him that highly?

5. Courtois was signed before Zidane came back, and the club has decided he is the GK do to age and profile. This is no different then the Kepa situation at Chelsea. What was Zidane suppose to do?

Zidane like any manager is allowed to rate players as he sees them. Play them as he sees them. He with the club's approval is allowed to sell players as he sees fit. Zidane is trying to overturn the squad like he wanted to do at the end of the 2017/2018, which the club refused to do. So he left. He's back and now going through the process of doing that. You raise funds by selling players. While doing that, he won La Liga for Madrid for only the 9th time in 30 years.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Same but do Madrid fans like anyone, they seem to get the hump with everyone even Ronaldo got the boo's from them so doesn't seem like a place you will get much love from the fans, unless your called Raul he seemed to be able to do no wrong.

Bale will be content though with his medals and cash and go back to Spurs where he will feel the love a lot more. Some might not be so keen with is age/wages etc but I think most will welcome him back and you never know, Arsenal are celebrating extending the contract of a 31 year old so maybe Bale has something left in the tank, if he does then Spurs might surprise a few yet.

Madrid are like the Yankees. They expect to win. There is nothing wrong with that imo, and if you play poorly they are going to make it clear they think you are playing poorly.

I think the celebration for Arsenal over Aubameyang will be the same as with Ozil eventually, but at least he has a track record over the last 5 seasons. Whenever Bale consistently plays, he gets hurt. The only time he isn't hurt, is when he isn't selected. He came back from Wales duty "injured". He was willing to go to China. I just don't know what about getting him is a good idea at this point. He doesn't care about his football.

Gareth Bale - Injury history

 

[Iceman]

Same but do Madrid fans like anyone, they seem to get the hump with everyone even Ronaldo got the boo's from them so doesn't seem like a place you will get much love from the fans, unless your called Raul he seemed to be able to do no wrong.

Bale will be content though with his medals and cash and go back to Spurs where he will feel the love a lot more. Some might not be so keen with is age/wages etc but I think most will welcome him back and you never know, Arsenal are celebrating extending the contract of a 31 year old so maybe Bale has something left in the tank, if he does then Spurs might surprise a few yet.

Yeah, I was surprised they did it to Ronaldo. He seemed to be the golden boy, although maybe being Spanish is also important as with Raul (who had plenty of poor performances at the tail end of his career).

I'll be excited to see Bale back at Spurs even if he isn't at his best. As long as he can find some of the touches of old on occasion. Just don't do a Sanchez!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Yeah, I was surprised they did it to Ronaldo. He seemed to be the golden boy, although maybe being Spanish is also important as with Raul (who had plenty of poor performances at the tail end of his career).

I'll be excited to see Bale back at Spurs even if he isn't at his best. As long as he can find some of the touches of old on occasion. Just don't do a Sanchez!

I think if Bale finds some form and doesn't get injured there is some potential fun to be had. I just can't imagine it, especially with Jose as his manager. The team already kind of carries Kane in terms of work load. Can they do that for two guys?

On another note, what happened to Dele Alli? He seems like a young guy who has already burned out.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Apparently Man United are the only covid affected club. No idea who this guy is but he has a cracking name.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Apparently Man United are the only covid affected club. No idea who this guy is but he has a cracking name.

Actually, we are the only Woodward/Glazer effected club.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Racism does not exist in football - Le Graet

 

[Zantera]

As a MU-fan I'm not really too disappointed that we are missing out on the glorified loan deal for Reguilon OR not getting an injury prone 31 year old Bale on massive wages - if anything i'm kinda happy we dodged those bullets. But on the flip side our lack of activity is still disappointing. I don't think the covid excuse carries that much weight either because pretty much everyone else have been strengthening and this was our time and chance to go for it.

 

[Iceman]

I think if Bale finds some form and doesn't get injured there is some potential fun to be had. I just can't imagine it, especially with Jose as his manager. The team already kind of carries Kane in terms of work load. Can they do that for two guys?

On another note, what happened to Dele Alli? He seems like a young guy who has already burned out.

Does Bale do much work nowadays or not really?

It is quite a burden to carry player who don’t do enough and wait for things to happen.

It feels like Delle got distracted by his personal life. He’s still quite young so hopefully he can get his motivation back. Mourinho isn’t always the best when it comes to developing young talent.