A factor in the success of the Fergie era that I believe was under-acknowledged was the almost uniquely long-term approach our club took. Fergie knew he was in the job for as long as he wanted it and both he and the board planned for the squad's longer term needs as well as the season ahead. Fergie was up there with the greats in terms of his managerial skills but what separates his achievements from his peers is consistency, and I think a lot of this comes down to not suffering too radical transitional periods. There were lots of investments that paid off 3-4 years later, lots of instances of players already at the club who were ready to take over when former greats moved on or retired.
I have always accepted that stability shouldn't be a dogma. Moyes obviously had to go last season because he didn't have the authority to make the players buy into his plans. However, I do think the last 18 months are an illustration of the consequences of unstable leadership and poor medium-long-term planning.
We have had two consecutive summers where decisions about recruitment have been delayed as a new man comes in and takes time to assess his players and formulate a strategy. We had poor transitional planning with Moyes and Woodward commencing new jobs at the same time. Arguably, some of Fergie's decisions in his last few years were less long-termist in their rationale, perhaps reflecting a desire to win the CL one more time before he retired. RVP and Berbatov weren't really players for the future. Pogba wasn't nurtured quite as much as he could have been.
Having said that, I think some of the problems were inevitable. Replacing Fergie was going to mean the biggest transition in decades. Replacing Moyes was the correct decision and again a big transition was unavoidable (in fact desirable). Right now I have the impression that the club and new manager are taking a sober and fairly long-term view of what we need, and I'm willing enough to accept the pain in the meantime. We've seen other top sides go through poor runs and sub-standard seasons under a new manager before turning things around and I think we're experiencing the same thing ourselves.
A further thought: given LVG's shelf life and the fact that we aren't going to find another Fergie, I do think we need to consider ways of embedding long-termism into the structure of the club. A director of football could be one means to do this, though this isn't a panacea. Greater spending on the academy and scouting ought to be another way to ensure we have talent lined up to be tomorrow's stars.
Stability
posted on 27/8/14
Explain the comment then
Kroos would be useful because we currently only have Hernandez as a striker
posted on 27/8/14
Avoid the point at all costs eh?
Your claims are dishonest (i.e. lies) because they use the old method of decontextualization.
I would seriously check that whatever chair you pontificate from does not have an angst-created, upward pointing, spike on it.
--------------------------------------
This isn't really about Luke Shaw, is it?
posted on 27/8/14
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 27 minutes ago
IAmMe
At worst, Macca has quoted you and slightly misconstrued your point. If he has, you might want to correct him on the matter, because I can't see how he is misrepresenting your earlier comments.
Either way, your response has been a tad theatrical to say the least. Again, please correct me if I'm wrong, but it does seem some way short of demonising the Jews in order to encourage society to become complicit in genocide.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wooah now! This has nothing to do with genocide. Let's calm down now.
Dr Joseph Goebbels - a propagandist - famously pointed out that:
"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it"
This particular poster has done the same thing on at least two occasions in order to justify an untenable claim.
They have no evidence to support their claim and I have pointed that out to them. That is all.
Please do not allow this, very good, honest and interesting thread be hijacked by an angry fool like that.
posted on 27/8/14
RR
I fail to see what he's moaning about
It could have been far simpler to state 'Oh yes, I didn't mean Shaw sorry'
But no, he has to claim he didn't mean Shaw despite stating 'all' the players 'bar Mata' I mentioned
This guy gets weirder everytime he comes on here
posted on 27/8/14
Please do not allow this, very good, honest and interesting thread be hijacked by an angry fool like that.
-------------
laughable considering your first comment on the thread
posted on 27/8/14
http://www.ja606.co.uk/comments/viewAllComments/273032/1#C11562470
comment by IAmMe (U18491)
posted on 19/6/14
Of the 9 names listed, only Schweinsteiger will make any significant impact.
Kroos would be useful, but only because MUFC currently only have Hernandez as a striker
posted on 27/8/14
Wooah now! This has nothing to do with genocide. Let's calm down now.
---------------------------------------
To be clear, I was gently teasing you after you felt that the work of Joseph Goebbels was the best analogy you could make to the injustices that you perceive another poster has done to you.
You can't say it's not theatrical and the context is irrelevant because the method is the same. It's like comparing a terrorist bomber to someone chatting to their kids because both of them pressed buttons on a mobile phone keyboard in order to accomplish their action.
posted on 27/8/14
comment by UnitedRedMacca - First with the news!! (U2024)
posted 9 minutes ago
http://www.ja606.co.uk/comments/viewAllComments/273032/1#C11562470
comment by IAmMe (U18491)
posted on 19/6/14
Of the 9 names listed, only Schweinsteiger will make any significant impact.
Kroos would be useful, but only because MUFC currently only have Hernandez as a striker
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You just don't get it do you?
It is not what you have included it is what you have chosen to exclude.
You know what you did and why you did it, so I will leave I at that. Just try to be a little more honest in you posts if you are dealing with me in the future. I forgive but I won't forget.
On a more broader note referring back to the OP, I am (like I assume you are) a MUFC supporter/fan who is very concerned about the direction of the club I have, irrationally, followed since 1967. That is all.
The OP pointed out a very observant and uniquely (for these boards) notion that the are long term/short term issues connected to the club. And they do not appear to have been dealt with very well.
Firstly, the long term issue of SAF's actual replacement was never dealt with. Names that cropped up during his tenureship included: Brian Kidd, Steve McClaren, SGE, Martin O'Neill, Wenger, Mourinho, Capello and we ended up with David Moyes.
I never had an issue with that per se. Others did, perhaps, primarily because he did not have a vowel at the end of his surname.
That is by and by. They took him in and then shafted him. That is/was bad form and bad directorship. It is also very worrying because it will probably set a trend that will probably mean MUFC will/may flounder about for some time to come. I don't like that
Back to SAF. He made some astonishing transfers in - some that were questioned at the time. He also made some blunders. Of the latter ones I could and will focus on 5 that exemplify this. Firstly, from my perspective a neutral one, Kagawa. I, and we, may never really know if he is the right player or the wrong player for the club so on that one I am 50/50.
Then we have Smalling and Jones, I feel that this is/was the true value of SAF to the club spotting those two (against the prevailing wisdom) and bringing them is so indicative of his ability to get it right and so well. Similar to his acquisition of Rio, Berbatov, Cantona, Ronaldo, Rooney, Keane, Schmeichel et al. Then he really blunders, leaving the club with de Gea and Rafael. A 'defender' that just isn't, and asks them to do some thing in such a vital position, and worse, perhaps, a GK that cannot cope with the EPL. I genuinely wept when he was first mooted as a potential to replace vdS. Especially when Neuer and others were also in the melting pot. I hope beyond hope that those two were not SAF's attempt at a parting joke, but I have my doubts. Why should I, as a MUFC fan, accept second best? I haven't in the past and I am not going to start now.
My greatest fear (for the club and fans) is that the lack of forward planning by the board and SAF may well be insurmountable. At least until a new revolution in the game, or at the club, occurs, and that looks like a long way off.
posted on 27/8/14
The full post
Does not even remotely change the context of that statement
comment by IAmMe (U18491)
posted on 19/6/14
Of the 9 names listed, only Schweinsteiger will make any significant impact.
Kroos would be useful, but only because MUFC currently only have Hernandez as a striker
As would Robben. One of my favourite players, and one of the few I would pay to watch, but he does not have enough life left in him to warrant the kind of transfer fees he will demand post WC. Should have got him years ago. Great shame when he was missed.
Vermalean (whatever) had better be a joke. Awful player.
posted on 27/8/14
"I genuinely wept when he was first mooted as a potential to replace vdS."
Really?
Or is that a "my head literally fell off through laughter" kind of comment...?