Red Rants |
- United must spend now or face years of mediocrity
- United pay the penalty at Sunderland
- Beware of the January transfer window
- United in Serie A star bid?
| United must spend now or face years of mediocrity Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:15 AM PST
Much as I would like to think otherwise, I seriously doubt Bruce was thinking of the trauma United would experience in the post-Fergie era when he penned those words – not least, because Fergie was still six years short of being appointed at Old Trafford when the record was released – but he unwillingly summed up United’s current predicament.
Despite being barely six months into David Moyes’ first season, by now we all know the drill – United are in decline, the cracks upon which Sir Alex had papered so efficiently over the last couple of years emerging with sheer force and brutality, while injuries compound the misery of an inadequate squad and Moyes looks increasingly desperate. Having spent the last five months under increasingly intense scrutiny, Moyes must be relieved to know that, at least for the next 23 days, he will have some company to share the burden of expectations with, given that the January transfer window has thrusted the Glazers and everyone favourite pantomime villain, Ed Woodward, back into the spotlight. With United seventh in the table, out of the FA Cup and playing tedious football the “Moyes Out” brigade has recruited new members in recent weeks but let’s get one things clear from the start: United are not going to sack Moyes anytime soon. To do that the Glazers would have to admit they’ve made a mistake in appointing him and Malcolm and sons do not entertain the thought of being wrong too often, nor they’d appreciate having to pay off Moyes’ six-year deal while spending money to recruit another manager for, as they’ve proven time and again, if there’s one thing the Glazers detest more than being wrong is investing money on Manchester United – of course we have bought Robin Van Persie and Dimitar Berbatov, but we have spent less than Sunderland and Stoke in the last eight years. For the first time since the fateful moment when they took control of the club, however, United’s owners have to make a delicate decision that will have repercussion on the football side of things and, crucially, they can no longer count on David Gill and Sir Alex to bail them out. Either the Glazers back David Moyes heavily this month or they can wave goodbye to the £80m deriving from a Champions League spot, not only for next season but as far as the club’s foreseeable future is concerned, for were United to miss out on a place at European football’s elite table, the recruitment process – hardly a leisurely stroll as it is – would become incredibly more complicated, not to mention that the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and David De Gea could reconsider their future. How can we expect the Glazers to back a man who has spent £27m on Marouane Fellaini, I hear you say. Quite plainly, they have no other choice, for while the club will continue to generate revenues for them even without the sustained success the Glazers have used to bleed the club dry, in the medium to long term, a lack of silverware could see sponsorship dry up – Ed could then be unemployed – thus stripping United of the profitability that lured the Glazers to Old Trafford in the first place. Over the last month alone £220m have been wiped off United’s stock market value yet many continue to bury their heads in the sand, refusing to accept that the men from Florida might, in fact, have something to do with the situation United find themselves in just eight months after lifting the Premier League title. Depending on which media source one deems trustworthy, United have either £100m available to spend in January, double that amount or nothing at all. Predictably, the sources reporting that Moyes has indeed a sizeable budget to operate with, point to the fact that he’ll only spend on “selected targets” which, much as having a sensible plan is of paramount importance, looks increasingly to be one of the Glazers’ favourite smokescreens – “We had money, tried, failed. Sorry.” If, and it’s a big “if”, Moyes has been backed then he must spend and spend big this month, because United’s current squad is not only not good enough to finish in the top four, it’s also in desperate need of a lift and one or two major signings – hard to get, though they might be – could revitalise the dressing room. If, however, as it seems a lot more probable, Moyes will sit tight because the £100m war-chest is nothing but a puff of smoke, then we can all look forward to four to five years of mediocrity during which luring players to Old Trafford would be increasingly difficult. Whisper it, but those cynic lunatics who wore Green and Gold scarves (like who wrote this article, for instance) might have just called it right. Now, that would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it? |
| United pay the penalty at Sunderland Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:20 PM PST
And so, after a first defeat at home to Newcastle since 1972, after Everton’s first success at Old Trafford in two decades and after having gifted Swansea their first ever win at Old Trafford in their history, United, having not lost to Sunderland in the last 20 meetings between the two sides, thought well of capitulating against Gus Poyet’s men.
The manner in which the defeat arrived was so strikingly similar to the woeful performances against Swansea, Newcastle and Everton that, were it not for the different scorelines, one could be forgiven for thinking that what was broadcasted tonight was simply a replay of another game from weeks gone by. Instead, it was painfully current. All too current, in fact. Not even the return to the starting XI of Michael Carrick, Adnan Januzaj, Ryan Giggs, David De Gea, Patrice Evra, Rafael and Nemanja Vidic and the prospect of a Wembley final managed to stir United into life, with the side displaying all the deficiencies and limits that have been displayed over and over again this season. United’s lack of tempo and ideas in midfield is nothing short of calamitous and while playing another 90 minutes barely 48 hours after Sunday’s game against Swansea might not exactly have been ideal, one gets the impression that Tom Cleverley could play a game a month and still contrive to be devastatingly poor. It’s perhaps unfair to single him out, given the disgraceful performances that have become a common theme for many of his teammates, but Cleverley really doesn’t help himself at all. His passing his wayward or unimaginative and never forward in either case, his tackling is close to be non-existent or, worse even, terribly clumsy as was the case in the second half, when his challenge on Adam Johnson gave Fabio Borini the chance to put Sunderland ahead from the spot, after Nemanja Vidic had brought United level with a thunderous header just minutes earlier. Borini didn’t make any mistake from the spot, thus securing a 2-1 win that will see Sunderland travel to Old Trafford in two weeks full of confidence and determined to secure their spot in the final. And why shouldn’t they be? United have not only lost the aura of invincibility that made them so respected and feared by their opponents but, crucially and much more significantly as far as David Moyes is concerned, they look to have lost confidence in themselves. Where until last season United would throw the kitchen sink at their opponents, members of the current crop merely look around in discomfort, merely accepting their fate rather than, as it’s always been the case within this club, trying to avert it. Moyes, who received incessant support throughout the game from the absolutely magnificent away end – apart from the half-wit who thought well of throwing a flare towards the Sunderland fans, thus undermining all the work done in a bid to secure bigger allocations – will be under even more pressure after tonight and, perhaps, he should be, for his side looked again horrendously devoid of ideas and too pedestrian. Bar from Ryan Giggs hitting the bar midway through the first half with a fiercely struck shot from 20 yards out and Adnan Januzaj, who had a goal ruled for offside, twice going close in the second half, United didn’t create anything worth mentioning, apart from Vidic’s goal that drew them level, after Sunderland had gone ahead just before halftime as Giggs diverted the ball into his own net, while trying to prevent Phil Bardsley from scoring. United looked marginally better after the equaliser, before Cleverley looked to be stuck in quicksands as Johnson sprinted away from him, only to tumble into the box, as the United midfielder delivered a tackle of sheer ineptitude, thus sealing his team’s fate. Three defeats in less than a week make for some grim reading, but at least we can all console ourselves with the £100m war-chest, can’t we? Oh, wait… |
| Beware of the January transfer window Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:47 AM PST
Yet fans desperately calling for substantial transfer activity this month should be wary: the January window, a time of inflated prices, shoddy scouting and expensive panic buys, is a notoriously difficult moment to do business.
Whilst United have occasionally struck lucky, they've also been guilty of a few mishaps in the January market in the past. Here are some of their most their most notable, and more forgettable, post-Christmas arrivals. January finds Andy Cole Bought from Newcastle United in a deal worth £7 million in 1995, Cole scored 93 goals for United in 195 appearances, including five in one match in a 9-0 win over Ipswich Town. His potent strike partnership with Dwight Yorke propelled United to a historic treble during the 1998/99 treble season. He is second in the list of all time Premier League goalscorers with 189 goals. Nemanja Vidic United signed football's fierce Serbian for £7.2 million from Spartak Moscow in 2006. Alongside Rio Ferdinand, he went on to form one of the finest centre back partnerships in the history of both Manchester United and the Premier League. Vidic, who the club’s captain in recent seasons, was instrumental in the five league titles and one Champions League triumph his side have won during his time in a red shirt. Patrice Evra Evra experienced a torrid start to his Manchester United career, being unceremoniously dragged off on at half time of his debut against Manchester City having signed from Monaco for just days earlier. But his form quickly improved, soon forcing former Player of the Year Gabriel Heinze out of the club and establishing his reputation as one of United's finest ever left backs. His outspoken words of the pitch and dynamic attacking play on it have made him a firm fan's favourite. January flops Diego Forlan Things never quite worked out for Forlan, United's £6.9 million acquisition from Argentinean side Independiente. He did experience some memorable moments in a red shirt, most notably his double away to Liverpool in the 2002/03 season, but ultimately was only ever able to notch ten goals in 63 appearances for the Old Trafford side. He left for Villarreal in 2004 and went on to play for Athletico Madrid and Inter, becoming one of world football's most feared strikers in the process. One of United's great lost hopes.
Wilfried Zaha Sir Alex Ferguson bought the Crystal Palace winger for £15 million in January last year, but immediately loaned him back to his former club for the rest of the season. Since returning to Old Trafford, Zaha has made just two appearances under new manager David Moyes. A raw attacking talent with pace to burn, his days at the club could be numbered. |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:22 AM PST
The latest to emerge wants Manchester United linked with Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic.
According to Bosnian journalist Mirza Dautbegovic, United have made an undisclosed bid for the Bosnian midfielder, who has been a crucial figure in Roma’s best ever start to a Serie A season which has put the Giallorossi in second place of the table on the back of ten wins in the opening ten games. However, Rudi Garcia’s men have only picked up two wins in the next games and suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday night as they were thoroughly outclassed by Juventus in a 3-0 loss and according to Dautbegovic, Pjanic has expressed his desire to leave the Italian capital.
As things stand, the bid, if there ever was one, is yet to be officially confirmed but Roma aren’t short of suitors for the 23-year-old. "We have had many offers for Miralem, and not necessarily from PSG. For the moment he's not for sale," Roma’s sporting director Walter Sabatini told Gazzetta dello Sport, but the fact that Roma have completed deals for Boca Junior’s promising attacking midfielder Leandro Paredes and Cagliari tough-tackling midfielder Radja Nainggolan could leave the door open for Pjanic to leave the Eternal City. The Bosnian would represent a significant coup for David Moyes, who has been desperate to bolster his options in the middle of the park, given his versatility – Pjanic can play as central midfielder and has occasionally been deployed further up the pitch as well as in a more defensive role – and attacking qualities – he has scored three goals and assisted four in 16 Serie A games this season. |
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