Manchester United in Transfer Wilderness
Yet another club strengthen their squad… (Bellamy joins Liverpool)
Admittedly, Liverpool have suffered, selling one striker and losing another to a terrible injury, but the sight of 3 out of the top 4 (4 out of top 5 if you count Berbatov’s move to Spurs) improving their squads and adding young talent makes you more and more worried about the direction United are headed in the transfer market.
United have been linked with Carrick, with Torres, with Mascherano, with Diarra, with Marcos Senna, with Armando Petit…the list goes on (and right now I’ve only mentioned credible links). Still, apart from an official bid on Carrick (not the ideal replacement for Keano), nothing else has materialised.
Do you realise that 42 days have passed since Ruud van Nistelrooy was given his marching orders from the team hotel prior to the Charlton game on May 7th? After the game, Ferguson spoke of Ruud being a disruptive element within the squad and said that he and Gill would decide on the issue within 48 hours - apparently, after Keano’s testimonial at Old Trafford - an event Nistelrooy was not invited to.
No word from United, Ferguson or Gill since then. If the team knows, they’re not talking. Nistelrooy does not know - in fact, the striker has not heard from Ferguson or United since 7th May.
Is this how you treat a striker who scored 150 goals for you in 200 matches?
For a striker that had scored 15+ goals before the Carling Cup final, benching him for one game is understandable, but when you bench your lead striker for the rest of the season and then send on Rossi instead of him, you’re pushing your player into revolt.
Nistelrooy is not in the best of form - he couldn’t be, considering how less he’s played this year. And attempts to compare him to Henry and Saha are unfair - Ruud is a target man, not a ‘creator’ per se.
But this is not about Nistelrooy. The whole ‘Ruud episode’ is just one element of how things have gone horribly wrong for United after the season ended.
We need to add to our ranks, and fast. Carrick is just one part of the puzzle - Ruud needs to be brought back and United need another midfielder. Stephen Appiah, anyone? He’s cheaper than Mascherano, and knowing Ferguson, he’s the sort of obscure midfielder that just might be bought and turned into a superstar (or a super-dud - with United you can’t tell).
Whatever the case, please, please, do something. Make a statement. Buy or sell someone.
The silence, the inactivity…It’s killing the fans.
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Discussion - 7 Responses
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Forget Carrick ! Lets go all out for the player of the tournament who pulls all the strings for by far the best team in the competition…. Juan Riquelme as the creative influence and as defensive protection, his compatriot…Javier Mascherano ( only 23 in years but far more in stature )Argentina are not the same without Riquelme on the pitch, we saw that against England and once again for the last 10 minutes of the match against Holland. Come on United lets pull out all the stops for the right players once more.
I have been a long-time follower of United’s fortunes and misfortunes over the years. On balance, I would reckon that United have not done well in the transfer market recently, apart from the signing of Rooney and Van der Saar. I really can’t understand the rationale of signing Evra and, to a lesser extent, Vidic. The amount spent on these players could (and should) have been better invested in strengthening the mid-field. You would have to be wearing blinkers not to have noticed the distinct lack of creativity amongst the ranks of United’s mid-field players. Signing a player like Carrick ain’t gonna improve United’s mid-field significantly, if at all. United’s Management (including Fergie) must come to terms with the fact that the days when all the best players would jump at the chance of joining United are long gone.
I agree, buy somebody, but at the same time, I think patience will be payed for, cause at the end that’s really what’ll decide if we win the title or not.
I agree with the “Forget Carrick” statement. That whole episode is driving me nutz. Carrick is nowhere near the quality or the driving force required to succeed in the heart of our midfield. He would be a good squad player in place of fletcher, and that’s just about it. £15 mill is a tad bit too much to play for a squad player though. United should be concerntrating on the guile of 2 things..Strength and Tenacity. That is what the midfield needs.
we will find that in 3 signings: Fernando Torres Didier Zakora and Riquelme
Zakora is strong, very energetic, very rarely puts a pass wrong and has a half decent eye for goal (That shot he had against Holland in the world cup sums up his shooting capabilities in france)
Riquelme is good at free kicks and has an eye for that defence splitting pass (look at the second goal argentina scored against Ivory Coast. The finish was good but the pass was everything!!)
Imagine Ruud or Torres on the end of one of those passes.
Fernando Torres is a class act with a very good promise….and he is only 22. I think we need him. Nothing more to say!
Zakora, Torres and Riquelme are my pick.
stop chatting about buying lots of midfielders weve not even done. the only person we the united fans need at the moment is riquelme, and the striker we need is torres, and nothing else.
Well of course they’re not spending on anyone - the owners of the club are there solely to line their pockets. As long as they sell the necessary number of season tickets, why on earth would they spend any money? Don’t be daft!
How stupid do you all feel now for your pessemism. SHAME ON YOU ALL! CHAMPIONES, CHAMPIONES, OLE, OLE, OLE!!!!