Lingard, Mata, VDB, James

Mata is going to get a coaching role soon is the rumour. That's probably why we've kept him.

Mata is going to get a coaching role soon is the rumour. That's probably why we've kept him.
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Then we should have brought him bk next year instead of paying him close to 5mill this year for nothing

comment by United_kaz (U9943)
posted 4 minutes ago

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Then we should have brought him bk next year instead of paying him close to 5mill this year for nothing
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yep, paying him a £5m retainer just to ease his transition into coaching - and that may or may not even happen - just isn't good business.

i never really bought into the "he's great to have around the squad, a winner etc" argument before, and given that we've subsequently signed two of the most successful players of the last decade mata's renewal looks like a complete waste.

I suspect he is very good to have around the place in what is (or rather was) a very young squad.

People focus too much on match day imo, football is about a lot more than the 90 mins on a weekend.

comment by United_kaz (U9943)
posted 1 minute ago
Mata is going to get a coaching role soon is the rumour. That's probably why we've kept him.
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Then we should have brought him bk next year instead of paying him close to 5mill this year for nothing
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I doubt it works like that, doesn't really work that way in the real world. These aren't packets of crisps you're just shifting about, Mata is potentially a brilliant coach/ambassador and you need people like that in the club. It isn't fifa, things happen behind the scenes, far more than we are aware of. As someone who has managed people for years, I've defended many a person's 'worth' when it isn't obvious to ignorant people on the outside. Solskjaer isn't around the players 24/7, he will rely on certain players, such as Matic and Mata, who will bring standards and experience to the team overall, not to mention the club, which is far bigger than the playing team.

People value being respected and value loyalty. Telling someone they can basically do one but can come back later because we can then make use of them is just bad management. Not to mention how popular he is in the squad, what binning him off does to other players.

Honestly, the way I see the majority of fans talk about how things should be done, you'd lose your dressing room in days. Relationships and respect will be important within that world. He also had a really rough year, his mum died in March after being really ill for months, he's a superb personality and likely extremely popular across the club but sure, just sack him off for a year because you don't want to pay him because caring for and then grieving his ill mother was just too much of an inconvenience for the fans.

Cool, good luck having any sort of reputation that people want to play for. Ole is just fine in this department, his man management actually appears to be pretty top notch.

just sack him off for a year because you don't want to pay him because caring for and then grieving his ill mother was just too much of an inconvenience for the fans
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I think it’s more to do with him contributing very little on the field for a number of years now.

comment by TheFoxOutsideTheBox (U20459)
posted 1 hour, 57 minutes ago
comment by United_kaz (U9943)
posted 1 minute ago
Mata is going to get a coaching role soon is the rumour. That's probably why we've kept him.
---
Then we should have brought him bk next year instead of paying him close to 5mill this year for nothing
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I doubt it works like that, doesn't really work that way in the real world. These aren't packets of crisps you're just shifting about, Mata is potentially a brilliant coach/ambassador and you need people like that in the club. It isn't fifa, things happen behind the scenes, far more than we are aware of. As someone who has managed people for years, I've defended many a person's 'worth' when it isn't obvious to ignorant people on the outside. Solskjaer isn't around the players 24/7, he will rely on certain players, such as Matic and Mata, who will bring standards and experience to the team overall, not to mention the club, which is far bigger than the playing team.

People value being respected and value loyalty. Telling someone they can basically do one but can come back later because we can then make use of them is just bad management. Not to mention how popular he is in the squad, what binning him off does to other players.

Honestly, the way I see the majority of fans talk about how things should be done, you'd lose your dressing room in days. Relationships and respect will be important within that world. He also had a really rough year, his mum died in March after being really ill for months, he's a superb personality and likely extremely popular across the club but sure, just sack him off for a year because you don't want to pay him because caring for and then grieving his ill mother was just too much of an inconvenience for the fans.

Cool, good luck having any sort of reputation that people want to play for. Ole is just fine in this department, his man management actually appears to be pretty top notch.
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Serious question. Is there any other top club in England or anywhere else who have players on the books just because they're good around the dressing room, whilst offering nothing in a playing sense? I can't think of any and yet United have two in Mata and Grant. Particularly in times of limited squad numbers, it seems strange. But maybe United are right and everybody else is wrong.

Seen a report that its up to £30m for James, good deal.

Should be selling Lingard for something similar, but dont think WH have the money.

Mata should have been let go, bring him back later if we want him for a coaching role.

Pereira should have been sold for peanuts rather than another pointless loan.

We dont need 4 senior goalkeepers - Grant should have been let go or shouldn't have bothered with Heaton.

Jones should have gone.

Don't understand the VDB signing, no idea what he was signed for. Clearly a good player that doesn't suit us

I still think that VDB was a signing that had little to do with Murtough Judge and Ole and they were as bemused as the rest of us as to why he turned up at OT looking for a game.

One down to Ed on a swansong me thinks.

comment by RB&W - Always a Legacy (U21434)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
I still think that VDB was a signing that had little to do with Murtough Judge and Ole and they were as bemused as the rest of us as to why he turned up at OT looking for a game.

One down to Ed on a swansong me thinks.
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If you believe that then you are an idiot.