I have been reading a few things on the BBC website and various other news sources this morning. It is a delight to see Hansen back to his usual self criticising United, saying that Chelsea largely dominated the game at Old Trafford. We all know that is nonsense, in the second half Chelsea had more possession, but rarely created, whilst United still looked dangerous and had the opportunity to score!
We should take heart from the Chelsea game, for we have a squad that is desperately thin on the ground, our players play more games than Chelsea’s superstars do, yet we played the better football. When the January window opens I am sure Fergie will strengthen in key areas and that is what I want to focus on in today’s article.
Hargreaves is recovering well from his broken leg and it seems he is keener than ever to move to Manchester United. Read the Times article here. For all United’s quality on Sunday we could see that United lacked a gritty midfield man, a player that has the ability to run and run and make that all important challenge. The bench of United was Evra, O’shea, Fletcher and Silvestre, three of which are left backs.
If Hargreaves were to make the move in January, it would only be the start of building a squad capable of carrying on the hard work that the current players have worked so magnificently hard for. A striker is also needed with Torres being a key target, but at £20 million, just how deep are the Glazers willing to dig to bolster this squad. Another name mentioned this morning is Defoe, the mirror suggesting a £14 million move is on the cards, read about it here.
A striker and a midfielder are a must. We also need a winger, with Ronaldo, Giggs and an injured Park-JI sung our only real options out wide. Nani has been mentioned and with Queiroz and Ronaldo at the club he could be a viable option for United.
You can tell that the transfer window is looming. The press are starting to go wild again with a never ending reel of stories and possibilities to feed our hunger for news. Let’s just hope that some of them come true in January.
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I saw the Hansen thing... Chelsea had a 20-25 minute spell at the start of the second half where they were on top, but in that time we were also agonisingly close on two occasions to getting a second. And it wasn't us putting a sub on in the last minute of injury time to run the clock down.
The game showed we really need attacking options, though, and surely it would be a false economy for the Glazers not to show SAF the money in January, when these additional players are likely to be the difference between winning or losing the title. Hargreaves and Torres would be perfect, but it's time surely to ship out the likes of Silvestre, Richardson and O'Shea to help fund any potential deals.
And isn't it time to end Rossi's loan at Newcastle now? We have no substitute strikers and they won't play him - exactly whose interest is this loan for?
If we got rid of Richardson, Silvestre and O'Shea we would have no bench left. I totally agree that we need to bolster, but I think we should keep O'shea and even Richardson, whilst the new recruits settle. I guess it all depends on how deap the Glazers want to dig for our our club! We have hardly spent a penny since they arrived.
The Glazers are cutting costs everywhere. I wouldnt be surprised if we get no1 in January.
The protracted battle for Hargreaves is interesting...obviously SAF clearly believes he is part of the United jigsaw. Seems SAF got it right not pursuing Mascherano too!
Vidic and Evra are also examples of Fergie getting it right! How people criticised him at the time, but £15m for these two seems like a bargain now.
yeah, he's done better in the last few years in the transfer market. remember veron?!
it's so hard to say whether torres would be a good buy or not. he's very expensive and might take months to settle in to the premiership - let alone the climate in the north west! then again, he's quick and he scores with his feet and in the air.
i would prefer defoe. better price, quicker settling in period, probably more loyalty, and wouldn't it be nice to see him and rooney begin to work together more? maybe help out steve macclaren while we're at it!
i have to admit though, when i saw o'shea coming on my heart sank. he's solid but he just doesn't really make you jump up an down. different with park ji-sung and ole - those two coming off the bench makes you think, sweet...another couple of goals! silvestre and fletcher we should keep. both talented and capable of working within the current system. i just don't see where o'shea fits in. there's no way he's a competent replacement for scholes/giggs/carrick...hargreaves!
finally, i don't see how a club can keep a player if he wants to leave. obviously there has to be some kind of balance but just like any job, if you want to leave, you leave, and if you're so desperate that you give up on bonuses or severance packages or whatever then that's your choice.
btw: did anyone see the bbc web chat with perry groves? not that i'm a perry groves fan!!! but it was very funny - nice to hear a voice of reason and normality coming from the 'pitch'.
and finally, i think we should all salute the ref. maybe a couple of calls missed or wrong but overall a really great control of the game, never imposing himself too much, allowing the players just enough freedom to keep the game flowing. ok, yes, drogba should have been sent off for the calculated elbow on monster but it didn't break his nose and i think webb felt a red card would change the game unduly. notice how he took drogba aside and explained that he knew exactly what he did. anyway, well done the ref.
I really can't see SAF spending big on Torres, at least until the summer. Whilst he's got all the attributes, Spanish imports have hardly set the premiership alight.
I'd prefer United to target some premiership talent in January so the settling in period is as minimal as possible. Tim Cahill,
M-G Pederson, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon, Kevin Nolan, Dean Ashton (not sure how long he's gunna be injured for though?).
Not only would these guys all be cheaper than Torres but we could get at least three of them for the same price as Torres and Hargreaves. At the end of the day, the first team is class, it's strength in depth we really lack.
Well I'm not suggesting we sell players before we buy! But if deals are there to be made and we need makeweights these would be the players I'd shift.
I'm unconvinced in Richardson. I just feel he's our Jemaine Pennant, minus the 6million transfer fee. It says a lot that Fergie would sooner play Ronaldo on the left and Fletcher on the right when Giggs are Park are unavailable.
i agree about richardson. a decent player but obviously not the caliber we need, even on the bench.
also agree with anonymous who listed all the premiership players worthy of being our squad players. i'm seriously worried about torres not being able to hack it here. but if we do buy him i hope i eat my words.
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